Ombré

Over the past couple of years, the ombre hair trend has made a huge impact.  Imagine being able to enjoy hilites, an array of tones and dimension in your hair while not having to worry about your roots coming in!  Obviously this is part of the reason for it's popularity, but it's also just so darn beautiful. 

A typical ombre effect shows darker roots and lighter ends which we've been seeing for a few years on Victoria's Secret models and other celebrities.

 Ombre can look good on any colour of hair.  Whether you're blonde or brunette, conservative or edgy, it's a technique that can incorporate any tone as long as it fades nicely from dark to light. 

Benefits of ombre colour:

-the dark roots are intentional so you don't have to worry about touching up your colour as often

-enjoy having multiple colours in your hair without a stripey or chunky appearance

-instantly gives you a stylish look without any styling required

-with ombre it's acceptable to have messy hair because it suits the look ;)

-greasy hair doesn't show up as much with dark roots

-all your friends will be jealous because you have celebrity hair!


One thing about performing the ombre technique is that each process is a little different, depending on what each client comes in with.  Blondes can expect to go a little darker at the root and have longer roots created, while brunettes usually receive hilights on the ends and around the face. 

Feel free to come by for a consulation if it's something you're thinking of trying!
Some of our favourite ombre colours that we've done at Xcentric Hair Studio are shown below.

 

 

 

P.s. This awesome violet ombre was done this week by Wendy and is the perfect combination of the ombre trend and the pastel trend.  Pretty much a way better version of Kelly Osborne hair ;)

 

Oscar Hair Winners and Losers

Imagine being a famous female celebrity and knowing that millions of people's judging eyes will be on you while you walk the red carpet at the most important awards show of the year.  You would require the perfect dress, Hollywood's best make up artist, and a hairstylist that can turn your tresses into a 'do worthy enough of winning an academy award itself.  But no pressure right??

Being in the beauty industry, we tend to be less interested in the nominees and winners of the night and solely interested in the red carpet looks!  Of course hair is our #1 priority so we've picked out the winners and losers of the big event this year.

The Winners

Reese Witherspoon using the style everyone had at the Golden Globes, but making it sooo much better!

Anne Hathaway's short hair cut looks undone yet so perfect at the same time

Jennifer Lawrence's updo is both artistic and flattering, although the pins are falling out at the bottom, it still looks beautiful



Sandra Bullock usually opts for a sleek style but this time she added a jeweled accessory for some extra bling

An updo like Naomi Watts's that combines height in the front with the sides pulled back tight is super flattering on anyone



Most likely the shortest female hair on the red carpet, Charlize Theron pulls it off with major femininity and glamour

With so many 'messy' updos on the red carpets, it's so nice to see an updo that has required precision and skill to execute. (On Lily Collins, who was absolutely the best dressed too!)



 The Losers

Amy Adams's updo was messy and ratted. It lacked shine and the back consisted of a sausage shaped bun. Very unflattering.

Melissa McCarthy's huge hairstyle just adds the wrong kind of volume to a full face.  We would love to see her with some long bangs.

Emmy Rossum chose the wrong hair accessory for this otherwise beautiful updo. 

The earrings with this updo make Kelly Rowland look too 'vertical'.  The same updo but without the bangs would have suited her better.

Overall, there was a lack of style and trend on the Oscar's red carpet this year. But with every awards show and Hollywood event, come more inspiration for us which comes in handy for the upcoming prom and wedding season :) 

Winter Survival Hair Tips

It's the middle of winter and by now most of us are annoyed by our hair.  It's dry, flat, staticky, splitting and dull.  And that's on a good hair day!
With our furnaces cranked, there is a serious lack of moisture in the air which we can hold responsible for the dry locks and scalp.  It's easy to write off our hair for the rest of the season and resort to ponytail-ing but WAIT! we have some tips that will make managing your hair in the winter months easier - and it will even look good!

1.  Get rid of the build up. 

When your hair is dry, it's prone to product and mineral build up.  Using a clarifying or purifying shampoo, followed by a conditioning treatment, will restore your hair. 

L'oreal Professional Pure Resource shampoo



2. Replace moisture.

Starting from when your hair is still wet, you will need to put some moisture back in to maintain a hydrated head of hair.  Using a leave in conditioner will do just that and also help to avoid breakage from styling. 

L'oreal Professional Mythic Oil Milk. 
This spray will aid in detangling and add moisture without weighing hair down.  It also smells amazing!

Pureology Essential Repair Leave In Condition
With protein-rich soy milk and pure biotin, this product not only hydrates your hair, it also preserves your colour.

3.  Cut back on heat styling.

  Allowing your hair to air-dry as much as possible will help to avoid baking that residue into your cuticle and reduce damage.  Try different styles like braiding the front and then pulling the ends into a messy bun, or pull your hair up into a top knot instead of using the blowdryer and flat iron.

4. Use a bounce sheet for static.

Rub the unused sheet on your hand and then finger-comb your hair.  You can also apply it to a comb or brush before you use it to eliminate the static charge.  Just beware of using the sheet too much as it can leave your hair feeling heavy and filmy.

 

5. Get your hair cut frequently.

Any winter hair problems you have will always be worsened by dry, brittle ends.  Often times, a series of bad hair days is an indication that you need a hair cut, and this will occur more through the winter months.  A slight trim can work wonders and even help to grow your hair longer.

Visit us in the salon to purchase the hair products mentioned, and of course to trim up your dry ends :)



The Other Hair Trend

The Golden Globes were over a week ago, but unfortunately for some of the female celebrities - the red carpet photos last forever.  Even more unfortunate is that there were several ladies who's hairstylist failed them!  Fallen curls, poorly done updo's, lack of volume - this is the other hair 'trend' we noticed at the awards.

 Alyssa Milano's hairstyle looks majorly flat and her curls seem to have fallen out.  The fact that it's tucked behind her ears makes the style look even more mediocre. Not worthy of a red carpet.

 Nicole Kidman's long bob appears to be partially curled, a bit flipped, and somewhat straight.  Mostly it just looks messy and not in a good way!

Perhaps Katherine McPhee's messy top knot was part of a plan to make her look less bombshell and more edgy (did you see the dress??!!).  Either way, we hope she did her own hair considering this is a 'gym' bun or a 'washing my face' bun ;)

 If only it were possible to jump into a photo and run a brush through Rosario Dawson's hair.  The curls are not flowing together and are super stringy!  She gets one point for the shine though.

 Doesn't Kerry Washington's hair remind you of a paint brush?  Terribly unflattering and with a high necked dress, it should probably worn up.

 Believe it or not, this photo of Salma Hayek is from the 2013 awards, not 1988.  The combination of the curled side bangs and the strange, frizzy wave makes her look outdated and as if she didn't even try.

Poor Adele.  Her hairstylist did a good job on the front of her hair and gave up on the back.  The traditional old hollywood beehive is much smoother and symmetrical than this mess. 

At Xcentric, the closest we get to doing red carpet hair is 'special event' hair.  Weddings, prom, parties, etc. is our chance to perform everything from glamorous to edgy updos and styles. We'll leave you with some photos of hairstyles we've done that are totally red carpet worthy!

Golden Globe Hair

The awards season officially started on Sunday night with the 70th annual Golden Globes.  Although the purpose of the night is to honour the very best in T.V. and film, we honestly just care what the women wore and how they did their HAIR! 

This year's red carpet hair definitely had a theme.  Is it just as bad to show up with the exact same hairstyle as everyone as it would be to be wearing the same dress?  The look for about half the ladies at the GG's was parted on the side and wavy.  Some styles were more retro with one side pulled back behind the ear, while others were modern with a softer wave.  Who wore it best??

Connie Britton wears the style with very loose waves

Tina Fey's side bang gives a modern look to the waves

The hairstyle on Isla Fisher, with subtle makeup, makes her look young and fresh

Did anyone really even look at JLO from the neck up? Haha

Rachel Weisz's big curls were a little messy but effective in giving her a retro look

As beautiful as Heidi Klum's style was, her bad stripey hilites kind of ruined the look

Kelly Osborne rocking the pastel purple hair.  Only she can pull off glam and punk together.

Jessica Alba's gorgeous ombre colour suits the waves (and I spy extensions).

Nicole Richie looks great with her golden locks in huge waves and combed off her face.

As you can see, the side part retro waves style is super flattering and feminine on everyone,  and variations of the look will be very popular this spring/summer for prom and weddings.  With many awards shows and red carpet events ahead of us in 2013, it will be interesting to see if this hairstyle remains popular with celebrities!

Check back later in the week for a post about the rest of the hairstyles at the Golden Globes!