room service?

I think the idea of bell-boys are soooo cute. And I saw this similar look on a model. I thought that maybe I would give it a mod touch, just to jazz it up a little. So it was all about color!!! So if I were to run a mod/chic hotel, this is how my bell-girls would look like.

Shana is a trooper through all of this. She is the only person who is willing to put up with my craziness and then give it just as much excitement as I have.

Hairstyle:

I slicked the hair down with Got2Be gel and tied here hair into 2 pony tails. One at the temple and the one in the back on the opposite side. I wrapped some tracks of hair around the pony tails and created these loop type buns. I tucked the hair in itself and secured them with bobby pins in X formation so that they were secure. I sprayed to whole thing down with Regis Extreme hold hairspray to finish it.

my computer is down...

I have not been able to update because my laptop broke! I will be uupdating everything this weekend. Thanks for following and being so patient!

little red riding hood

Photos by: Alfred Espin

I love pictures outdoors. I forget how beautiful nature can be while being in New York. The closest thing that I see to nature, is the trees in planters in font of my building!

Krystal is one of my most vibrant friends. She is a definite diva. I enjoyed this shoot especially because she was so versatile in her poses. She even climbed onto a broken tree hanging over a huge ditch for me. It was soooo scary and we had so many close calls to her falling off the tree. LOL!

Hairstyle:
She has a mohawk already. So I needed to figure how to play it up and make it fun besides putting it up into a obvious mohawk. So I figured why not do cute braided buns!
I applied some Regis Pomade through out her hair. I tied the crown section of her hair into 4 ponytails. I braided some red extension into fishtail braids and wrapped them around her ponytails and secured them with bobby pins. I made some tighter than others so they weren't exactly the same and so they also stood at various heights.
I then used a flat iron to flip up the back portion of her hair. To finish off her look, I used some Regis Texturizing Cream to the sides of her hair and brushed them down.

hunting in the concrete jungle

Photos By: Alfred Espin

New York city is one of the most amazing cities that I have ever lived in. Yes, people say it all the time, but it honestly is a place of its own. The convenience of everything, the shopping, the delicious restaurants, all the beautiful people, and fall time in New York is the best!!!!

But as amazing as the city is, it can also be a dark place. Drugs, hustlers, streets piled with garbage and rats running rapid. This concrete jungle devours the weak.

Hairstyle:
I left the crown section of Shana's hair out. I used Regis Texturizing Cream on her sides to slick it into a tight ponytail. I also sprayed it down with Regis Volumizing Spray and used a dense boar bristle brush to snatch those sides and baby hairs.

I wrapped her ponytail with 18" weave. Then I applied some cream on this as well and created three large bun/pin curls type things and fastened it with bobby pins. There wasn't a real strategic way of doing it, I just played with it till I liked it. I then did the same with her bangs.

Instead of doing a regular pompadour, I wanted to create a little more interest in the front. So I teased it of course, to build some volume. I wanted the front to be cohesive and flow with the rest of the hair, so I rolled and pinned it down adjacently to the other buns.

dress up your own way

Tyrone and Chantelle are super cute, yes we know, but they have their own style. I though it would have been fun to dress them up a little but infuse their style with it as well. Tyrone kept warning me from the jump, that this was not his aesthetic at all, but I reassured him that he will be fine. By then end, he tried to run off to the club with the outfit on. Chantelle on the other hand was excited the minute I pulled the dress out. She immediately equated sparkles=glamour. At the end, she looked absolutely divine.

The Hairstyles:

Tyrone and Chantelle are both wearing the same weaves that I had done in the earlier pictures.

This time for Tyrone, I smoothed his hair out with a flat iron. I applied Regis Pomade in his hair and tousled it with my fingers a bit. Pulling pieces randomly and playing with it till I felt comfortable. Yes his hair cut is a little edgier, but I wanted to create a more modern come-over to fit his look for the day. So we swept it over, but didn't make it perfectly done. And for the back, I curled the mohawk under. I finished the look by spraying Regis Volumizing Spray for a firm hold.

Chantelle's hair is in bohemian curls. With the dress and the rabbit fur coat, I thought about Beyonce. I gave her higher layers to create more volume and so there also wouldn't be so much weight on the bottom. I defined her curls with some Olive Oil Sheen Spray. I applied Regis Pomade in her hair as well to give it a texture and I especially used it on her natural hair. Reason being, I wanted it to bond with the weave. With it being really windy and us on top of a 30 story building, I didn't want it to flap around and for people to see the separation. Chantelle has thick natural hair (no relaxers or any other chemical treatments), which meant applying a little more heat to beat the tight curls down as well. We then pulled all the curls apart and teased it to make it more fuller.

more woman... means more beauty!

Photos By: Alfred Espin

I've always been criticized for having such a broad idea of beauty. But I honestly believe there is beauty in everything in life. When I started putting together my hair portfolio (same time as when i started this blog), I decided that there wasn't gonna be any exceptions to this. I wanted to use everybody I loved.

I went on with my plans and shared it to a few friends who were in the fashion industry. I was horrified by their responses (but I shouldn't have been surprised). They all told me that I MUST be selective with my models. If I wanted to get hired for a gig, I had to find girls who weren't "girls from around the way." My book must have as much "white" models as possible. "You only get one chance, and you must be fierce in this delivery," I was told. It honestly shook me up. I started feeling insecure and fed into it for a minute and almost completely gave in... Until I was awaken by Tanisha.

I see her almost everyday. And everyday I always think to myself how gorgeous and sweet she is. She has such a presence and exudes so much beauty through her smile and laughter. And not to mention, that she dresses for the GODS!!! We were talking one day about finding beautiful and flattering clothes in bigger sizes was such the task. At that moment, something finally clicked in my head. I decided that had to have her in my book!

We are constantly bombarded by images and fed ideas of what beauty is "suppose" to be. We live with false perceptions and kill ourselves to achieve being "beautiful." Life is beautiful, and we all posses it. In response to the person who told me that I needed to be fierce in my delivery; being fierce to me, was never bound by color, size, or height. As my girls and I would say, "it's how you serve it to the masses honey!" And sweety, Tanisha always GIVES it to the girls!

The Wig:

Its a custom wig. We fitted a wig cap on Tanisha. And made the actual wig on her. The reason why I did this, was so that it would sit properly on her head. I started gluing the hair on by the nape of her neck. And you just keep stacking strips of hair right on top of each other. Refer to my second posting on the step-by-step process.

happy halloween!!!!

Every year Empire Beauty School does their annual Halloween themed competition. I entered last year when I first started school and won 1st place! I was so ecstatic about it, but the moment was kind of dampened by stipulation from other students that I may have cheated. Something about me not doing the work at school, and that I may not have done the actual work myself. There was talk of whether or not to revoke my trophy even!

This year, I wasn't sure if I would do it again because of last year, but at the end, with the encouragement and support from my friends, I said why not. So I made sure to do everything at school this time. So this Tuesday, I did cornrows on my mannequin. On Wednesday, I constructed my braided tree stump and branches. And today, I spent an hour doing all the little details that would make it festive. Like the tombstome made of hair, the hanging spiders, and all the leaves. I finished just in time and awaited their judgement...

AND I WON 1ST PLACE AGAIN! YAY!!!!!! 2nd year in a row!

hair from the 4th Annual Thurgood Marshall Fashion Show

She is just as gorgeous in person (her hair was not by me, but I wish)!

It was a crazy experience backstage, but it was soOOOoooo worth it. Here are only some of the girls that I did. It was work getting these pics, unfortunately I can't find the others. These barely capture the vibe and the beauty of the event, but it will have to suffice.

honoring the legacy of thurgood marshall

Thurgood Marshall

they were still building the stage back stage before i had sweat out my hair
Ira!!! my fierce snowboarding Russian
for the Project Runway junkies, it's Amerie, a model from this season
Rocky, the hardest working model!

Mr. Sam Fine with Neci!!!

Thurgood Marshall revolutionized the school system and made such an impact in the justice system. He overcame adversity and climbed his way to become one of the most successful judges in the supreme court. Throughout his whole life he had fought and we have all benefited greatly from it.

Every year they host a fashion show in honor of Mr. Thurgood Marshall and his college fund. This year, I was so blessed to be apart of the event. It was such a great experience and I met so many great people. It gave me a first-hand experience of fashion shows and the beautiful chaos behind it.

Through out the night, there were many honorees. Among the pack, Naomi Campbell was a recipient of the 2009 Fashion Icon Award, and Michael Jackson's brother, Marlon Jackson, excepted an AvantGarde Award in his honor.

We had 40 gorgeous models, and I was able to work on 9 of them. All of them were super sweet and I had my favorites by the end of the night (hence the pictures above). They too, helped give me insight on the fashion scene, and on own their lives as well. If you thought modeling was just playing dress up and looking fabulous all the time... it's not, it's one of the toughest hustles.

And of course, the FASHION!!! There were so many amazing pieces, and unfortunately I didn't get to capture all of it on camera. Amsale had a beautiful wedding line, Kai Milla (Stevie Wonder's wife) played with textures and muted colors that still stood out so well, and Ana Segura's swimsuits were so romantic, flattering, but still oober sexy!!! But the highlight, was Russel Simmons's Argyle line... yes the clothes was fierce, but the men were so GORGEOUS!

my little work space

Do you see who is on the cover of my GQ?

I remember when school dances came around, I use to convert my bedroom into a little makeshift hair studio. LOL! We are talking about a 6'X'8 bedroom. I would have about 10 girls lined up for the day, but there would be normally 3 girls there at one time. All sitting on my full size bed. Rubber bands, curling irons, bobby pins, everything spilled everywhere! What a disastrous scene. But the hair was always together at the end.

My cousin is one of my biggest supporters. So when we came out to New York three years ago, she encouraged me to create a space for my work. So with the help of my boyfriend, and a gorgeous mirror from my friend Michelle, I have my own little studio!!!!!

It has made all the difference. When prepping the models, doing my clients hair, or just dressing Daeng up, it's been so much more fun and easier. I feel like a real stylist! I am not that little girl any more, I am a grown woman now!!!!!