As the leisurely days of summer are fading into all-but-distant memories, and most of us are back into the throes of work and school, our time is becoming more and more sacred, especially with the holiday season fast approaching. Spending that time in a hair salon is simply not an option for those celebrating “Thanksgivingkuh” (Thanksgiving coincides with Hanukkah this year), in less than a month.
Fall 2013 hair trends have us looking our best while embracing our natural hair color and texture, as well as saving time and money.
Back in the spring and summer, ombre hair coloring (hair that is darker at the roots through the mid-shaft and then gradually lightens from the mid-shaft to the ends), was seen on practically every female head. Now that we are knee-deep into fall, that ombre color is most likely grown out and not looking as fabulous, minus that summer glow.
A natural brunette, I was guilty of diving into the ombre pool back in the spring and was eager to have the hair masters at the John Barrett salon—located in the Bergdorf Goodman department store on Fifth Avenue—make their recommendations for restoring my natural hue. I was more than delighted when colorist Jose Muniz suggested a few wispy, golden, face-framing highlights to pull together my grown-out ombre and give me a more balanced, natural overall look.
Jose used the bayalage coloring technique, in which highlights are painted onto the hair using a free-hand technique, rather than using foils or a cap to highlight the hair. The results are very subtle and natural. A finishing clear gloss was applied afterward to add an overall glistening shine to my hair.
Jose recommends restoring moisture to the hair with a deep conditioning treatment in order to best achieve one’s natural hue and texture. He also swears by a salon gloss application to make color rich and warm. By staying within the range of hues for your natural color, the six-week standing salon appointment can be greatly extended.
After color, I was whisked away to stylist Dhiran Mistry, whose first question to me was how tied I was to my long hair, to which I answered “extremely.” After a texture analysis of my hair, he concluded that long layers would give me the body and movement I desired.
Although my nerves got a bit frazzled when I saw all the hair being scissored off, miraculously, the length barely changed. Dhiran stuck to his promise of only cutting an inch off the length. So where did all that hair come from? Dhiran explained that to banish the heavy feeling and the flat hair look, he layered my hair from the inside out.
After an effortless blow dry, my hair had the “Fifth Avenue Bounce,” a term Dhiran coined for his blow dry that yields beautiful, cascading hair that looks as if it jumped off the pages of a hair ad.
Dhiran recommends regular trims and working with what you have for naturally healthy hair. “If your hair is curly and you constantly straighten it, eventually the hair will become tired and damaged and lose its natural qualities.” Additionally, he recommends changing hair products frequently since hair has memory and the same products will eventually stop working for you.
Lastly, I was treated to a trend defining makeup application by one of John Barrett’s staff makeup artists, Dustin Lujan. Dustin explained that the distinctive features of Fall 2013’s makeup look is the monochromatic eye, the cat/kitten eye, and surprisingly, the concept that if you go bold with eye makeup, you should pair it with a bold color on the lips, as well as vice versa (soft, natural eye makeup should coincide with a natural shade lipstick). This season the makeup balancing rules (bold eye, natural lip and vice versa) of past seasons are being traded for full-on glam.
Dustin showcased all three of these trends for my makeup application, which he achieved with Tom Ford cosmetics. For the eyes, Dustin used a trio of gray, monochromatic eye shadows in different textures (shimmer, glitter, and matte), and a liquid liner to achieve a cat eye. When wearing lighter eye-shadow tones, he suggests pairing it with a large cat eye; however, when opting for bold eye shadows, he recommends drawing a more discreet kitten eye.
For the lip, Dustin traded in the deep, dark plums of past seasons for a rich plum, finished with a reddish lip gloss. He explained that plum coupled with red combines warm and cool undertones, adding volume to the lip. He skipped the lip liner, since a lip defining line is no longer current; a more natural lip can be achieved by framing the lips with just a lip brush.
With my hair and makeup in perfect form, I was ready to hit the town.
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John Barrett Salon is located at 754 Fifth Avenue, 9th Floor, New York.
