the mistakes amongst the miracles. I AM NOT PERFECT.
HOWDY THERE.
Its been quite some time since I have sat here and wrote some shit for you to read.
Soo many things have happened. I am pretty sure that the last time i wrote i was GETTING READY for my first art show - this time around, i have completed TWO.
We're ending the year shortly. Halloween has passed - Thanksgiving, is ending - Christmas is only a few weeks away. Speaking of Christmas ; I should be online shopping or some shit, but instead I figured you may want to be filled in on my life and my career.
The highlights - I went to my first vivids color class hosted by Phillip Ring, I visited NY for the first time while also attending my first International Beauty Show; I also took the train and lost all my things on that train for the first time, but this is the positive part of this post ;] i've contiued my education and worked my ass off at perfecting my craft...I have met plenty of people who have inspired me! I was a hair model for Ash mother fucking Fortis - and if you dont know who she is look on instagram @xostylistox. Or when weeks prior to that, I met Stephanie Lawrence ig:hair_princess_steph and i met Kasey Strobe ig: hairbykaseyoh, as well as shared some pain of the art and how heart wrenching it is to not be able to acheive everything like a friggin wizard... I also got to continue my growing education and meet a bad ass chick WHOS IN HIGHSCHOOL still Miss. Sophie Law ig:braidsbysophieg, she was a color model for Wes IG: wesdoeshair.
Sophie and I went back and forth through instagram and I wanted to collab with her for my art show which took place last week! That night was such a fail but I have to say how HAPPY I was that I had Sophie and two super close clients/ models Katelyn Carveth and Adele to help out with hair styling and makeup. With MANY bumps, the models / clients that truly shined, really made me realize why I take the time, and money out of my life to do the things I do!
This year has been absolutely amazing - I have met the most amazing people but I have also met some difficult - dare I say - pain in the ass clients. Those , will not be continuing my journey. For a stylist with under 10 years of experience, I am kicking ass and taking names. but of course I cant go leaving the "mistakes" out.
Now guys, remember I AM human, and If i were a WHOLE salon, as I am on my YELP, then 3 out of who knows how many isnt bad!
I had three situations with mineral build up because I certainly didn't know how that would effect that hair...! (teachers - cosmo schools, students, stylists, all , we need more knowledge on what the fuck can go wrong during these processes.)... First I had a new client who had new growth (or roots) brassy (or warm) mids, and ashy ends. She wanted a rooted - ashy look - which, if I know what I am looking at, thats what she left with. WELL! v she messaged me saying that her hair was turning green. LOVELY. I refunded her money because I truly thought I did something wrong and I wanted to make it right --- Well, the following week I take on a client who had been doing her hair at home and I was the first hair styling she has gone to -- no judgement - she had three inches of re-growth- brassy mids and fried ends. She had been green prior and bleached to get rid of it.
That weekend I was off to see my boy GUY TANG! at Mohegan sun and she contacted me saying that her hair was blue - and I thought to myself - okay the silver I used - the toner I used was blue so0 thats normal,..just wash it - it'll fade - NOPE - so naturally, she just washed it over and over but then of course it is not working so she uses hot water and CLARIFYING shampoo. I dont blame her - she was freaking out, shit, I would have too!...and all of a sudden shes turning more GREEN AND MORE GREEN. So! I tell her to stop and i will see her asap. I came in and no joke - it was sea monster green. So I mixed up my "vivids color remover" because clearly, the green was coming back=-----
UGH NOPE
LASTLY - I did a GET PURE treatment because I realized it was some type of buildup.... and it got rid of most of it. I then toned it out, and it was wonderful... i used copper- I dont need to explain but you ARTISTS out there WILL get it. ANYHOW -
NEXT NIGHTMARE -
alright so fast forwards to October. I met my first TERROR of a vivids client.
She wanted silver - She has an old ombre from about a year ago that she colored red, if i remember correct. At least a RED color- maybe a red brown. Regardless, i was able to get her to the most gorgeous blonde color. I achieved this by first doing a color correction - using pravanas artificial pigment remover. Then - she had to dry. I got her to a very medium brown and performed a platinum card. Which apparently was an EXTRA service. Heh - if you don't know - its a service that takes every strand of her mid back length. curly, thick hair and places it in foils.
For the record - I protected the shit out of that hair, but I told this client no matter what, the hair could pull the color really dark because of the POROSITY (look it up) of the hair.
I honestly, use that term" Could HAPPEN" super losely. but it happened. I used silver, orange (just a smidge) and black( again just a smidge) and told her (because honesty it my downfall) that I was creating a CUSTOM color to work against WARM tones. *eye roll* anyway, she left with black hair - but im sure its a nice tone now. She chewed me out.
Shit - I dont blame her for chewing me out, but damn, when you say shit is situated, let it go, we have an agreement for me to fix things then let me fix em. INSTEAD she went behind my back because I wasnt giving her a refund for a custom service. We wont get into the details, but know i didnt charge anything CLOSE to what I could for 9 hours...... I undercharged because I knew she was unhappy. Im such a sap.
I love my job so fucking much. I can get into this for a bit - All of the clients that continue to spend hours and hours with me worth every single upset client. I am one damn stylist, And I love what I do. I fucking love it. I am obsessed with it - I live it - I breath it - I AM IT. with that being said...
Again I am not perfect and my yelp was plagued with a new client who honestly didnt know what she wanted. She came in with her natural level3 roots and level 8 brass mids and ends and says I DONT KNOW WHAT I WANT., but i dont want this and I want something easy to upkeep so I mentioned a balayage and she can't quite understand how I am going to get from a (her hair) to b (my idea), and i go on and I lift her roots to a 7a and 7n equal parts and balayage her ends. I lighten her up = and tone her out. She texts me saying its too light and all of a sudden two days ago I am left with a review that is saying how unhappy she is with the color and how fried it is.
I always think thats funny because I refuse to damage hair but whatever - my cut was choppy and sucky and all of a sudden I am judged on what I do with my vivds clients. Too funny really.
Ask the client who wanted blonde but I told her her ends werent in good integrity so we can lighten her ends - or the ones who we slowly got lighter over SIX months - or how about the one who cried to me because her hair was destroyed and brought it back to life ?! How about the MANY clients I told i didnt want to work on them just to make a buck, and started them with a OLAPLEX treatment and sent them home with a treatment that cost me $14 plus shipping and I charge them $15.
It's clients like that that REALLY stay on y y mind because my others make me realize how I actually mean something to them- I am THANKFUL for you. I cant believe I got so damn lucky for the clients that trust me with their life day in and day mother fucking out. THANK YOU <3
