Headfirst

Style Twenty Eight

This might possibly be the longest ‘do thus far! Before we started Bon mentioned ever so casually that he had an idea for a do, but it may take two hours. What was this idea?

“It’s hard to explain,” Bon tells me. I’m intrigued. He starts by prepping my hair with thickening spray and holding spray before running a comb through my hair. He poofs up my hair on the left side, perfects my parting and then sections off the right side.

Spraying on just a bit more thickening spray, Bon starts to braid my hair along the parting. This takes some time as Bon is after perfection and my tiny sticky out hairs will not do! He starts this bit over and over again until he is happy with the final result; this curves around the top of my head and winds around the back and hangs down past my left ear.

There is some conflicting advice given to Bon as he was braiding. Zoe, one of our assistants who is SUPER fast at braiding suggests Bumble and bumble Sumowax to Bon so that he has more grip on my Asian hair as it can be quite slippery. Giuseppe on the other hand prefers thickening spray and advises Bon to use more as it’s easier when the hair is wet. This will also help ensure those tiny hairs won’t stick up so much! Bon tried the Sumowax but in the end went back to using the thickening spray and then secured the braid with some Bumble and bumble Does It All.

Next, Bon focuses in on my fringe area. He wants to try braiding this area too and does this (after many attempts at getting it just right) but decides that he’d much rather use that bottle of Bumble and bumble Gellac that’s sitting on the worktop and calling his name…

There’s a LOT of Gellac being used here! He applies to the right side of my head and on the back section as well, leaving the left for the moment. Using a fine tooth comb, Bon creates waves in my hair (I think everyone is loving waves and gel right now by the looks of it!) and adds in a couple of 3D waves, which he’s very pleased with!

Next, we’re onto the left side of my head and Bon tries out something a bit experimental. He takes a pin, winds my hair around the two ends and then flattens this with the WAM Digital Straightening Irons. The end result wasn’t quite what Bon wanted, so he use the Gellac and comb combo on this side of my head as well, and then we’re done!

Bon has requested that the final photos be in black and white (fine by me – it’s a lot more flattering!) to really amp up the creative competition between him, Kei and Giuseppe!

Style Twenty Seven

Bon has been itching to do a style and today it happens! He starts by prepping my hair with Bumble and bumble Tonic Lotion, before layering over some Bumble and bumble Holding Spray. Then he starts to comb through my hair and comb back my fringe.

Kei pops along and wants to get in on the photo action too, so he strikes a pose like Mickey Mouse…

I’m given a parting on the right side of my head, which feels a little weird.

Next, Bon sprays on some Thickening Spray and then begins to braid along the side-parting.

We take a break as Bon gets called away to cut for a client who has just popped in. When we resume Bon sprays on a bit more Thickening Spray and continues with the braid. He creates a second braid along the right-hand side of my head.

After the braids are done it is time to deal with the remaining hair on the right side. Bon brings in a bowl of Bumble and bumble Gel that he paints onto my hair, using a comb he creates waves through my hair and swoop across my face.

With the right side of me done, it’s now time to turn his attention to the left side. Spritzing on some holding spray and Thickening Spray, Bon then begins to braid another section of my hair, but this time it goes down around part of my face.

Bon focuses on the back of my hair and paints on some more gel around the curve of my head and neck, finally he backcombs the ends for a change in texture.

After a good spraying of Bumble and bumble Classic Hairspray, we’re done!

Style Twenty Six

The maestro of speedy styling is Sergio and today he has opted to go for a ’40s, wrapped look. I’m curious to see how this will turn out as he starts to spray Bumble and bumble Prep into my hair before soaking it in some Bumble and bumble Holding Spray.

My hair is then combed over from left to right before the WAM Ultimate Ionic Hairdryer is used to help make the wrap sit and hold in the way Sergio wants it to, by blow-drying it all towards the right.

Making the use of some grips, Sergio helps reinforce the wrapped look of my hair. Between the grips and the amount of Bumble and bumble Holding Spray in my hair, I know that this hairdo isn’t going anywhere!

On the right side of my head, Sergio sprays some more Bumble and bumble Holding Spray before combing through the hair and rolling it back, then pinning it into place.

A light, breezy blast from the WAM Ultimate Ionic Hairdryer and a few touch-ups later and we’re done! Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to The Wrap!

Products used:
Bumble and bumble Prep
Bumble and bumble Holding Spray
WAM Ultimate Ionic Hairdryer

Style Twenty Five

So today sees the return of Giuseppe – hurrah! After the last hairdo that he created for me I wonder what’s in store this time around…

My hair is prepped with a concoction of Bumble and bumble Prep spray and Bumble and bumble Thickening Hairspray. Giuseppe starts to dry the mix into my hair, which is pretty standard procedure, only instead of the usual couple of minutes spent drying the products into my hair, it’s a bit longer. I look up to see Giuseppe using a comb to blow dry my hair – okay, nothing too unusual about that either, until I realise that my fringe area has incredible lift and Giuseppe is using the comb to create kinks and shapes in my hair with the WAM Ultimate Ionic Hairdryer.

With hairdryer in one hand and comb in the other, Giuseppe creates shapes, breaks them up, creates new ones and dries my hair upside down. It’s something that’s totally visual and doesn’t follow any step-by-step sequence, so I’ll leave some pictures of the various different things he tried out before revealing the final look.

A bit of Bumble and bumble Does It All is used to help in the blow drying/shape-creating process.

By using the end of a comb and a pair of WAM Digital Straightening Irons, Giuseppe created these ‘horns’ in my hair!

To top it all off, there’s some Bumble and bumble Hair Powder (white and black) thrown in for good measure (I’m told that I suit grey hair which is comforting!) as well as some Bumble and bumble Gel applied to the sides. A few grips were used to hold some of my hair back and then after some Does It All, Giuseppe is ready to unveil his latest creation!

Style Twenty Four

Sergio is back for a blast on my hair and he’s feeling inspired by the recent Prada ad campaign:

I am interested to see how he will recreate such slick waves. He first starts by prepping my hair with a thorough spritz of Bumble and bumble Prep spray followed by a good dollop of Bumble and bumble Texture. Then the hard work begins!

Sergio warms up his hands and pulls out a comb that will be used to create the waves. My hair now has the right texture he needs to drag the comb through and using his fingers, create the waves. These are held in place with clips. He starts with my fringe area before going to the right side of my head, then the left and finally the back.

Once he is happy with the waves, he adds some Bumble and bumble Straight over the top to help smooth them (we know what a perfectionist Sergio is!), before he tidies up any flyaways.

A quick blasting from the WAM Ultimate Ionic Hairdryer sets everything in place and the clips are then taken out. A good spraying of Bumble and bumble Classic is added to secure the hair even more.

I really like this look it feels very glamorous, it’s such a pretty and feminine style, I just wish my outfit could do it some justice! Congratulations Sergio, you’ve outdone yourself this time. I think Fran thought so too; when he first saw the look he gasped a four-letter word that I shan’t repeat on my blog!

Style Twenty Three

Mia has wanted to do my hair for ages but we’ve never found any time until now! I’m super excited and I can tell that she is too. We’re going for a beehive sort of look with a strong shape that looks done while also being undone at the same time. When she grabs me after lunch and tells me that she has a client in 20 minutes, I think we’re never going to finish this! Some hairdos take a lot of time so I was feeling a little doubtful, but I needn’t have worried. This is a takes very little time, but has a big effect!


To start with, my dry hair was prepped with Bumble and bumble White Hair Powder to give it a slight grey tinge. Once this was done, Mia then started to lace my hair all over, which as she explains to me is a gentler version of backbrushing. It makes the hair look a bit airy and light and I can soon see what she means.


With my hair laced, it was then put into a French pleat at the back of my head but in a raw, not very precise way. This achieves that done-but-undone look that Mia’s after.


The top was then brushed back into the French pleat and the whole look was spritzed over with some wet lacquer – in this case, Mia used some Bumble and bumble Does It All and Bumble and bumble Holding Spray.


I love this look and think the undone-but-done (or done-but-undone?) quality stops my hair from looking too out of place – I am after all wearing a t-shirt and skirt rather than a full-on ballgown! It’s so pretty and as silly as this may sound, I feel a bit like Penelope Cruz in those Elnett ads!

Style Twenty Two

Most of the team was back-to-back today, but luckily for me, Fran had a slot free and we set to work. Before we started, Fran tells me he’s going to go for something simple. However, after coming back from lunch and sinking down in the chair, he wanted to go tribal! I wasn’t too sure if simple and tribal were words that normally go together, so I waited to see what would happen.


First, he sectioned off an area of hair around my crown. This was what the section looked like.

Next, Fran took a can of Bumble and bumble Classic hairspray and sprayed it on the left side of my hair (the free-flowing part of it, not the part was sectioned off) and then swept it over to the right, spraying as he went.

He then took the left side of my hair and twisted the section over and over, going from the left to the right and around to the back where he’d started, just above my ear. Here he secured it in place with a couple of grips.


After that it was time for that sectioned off area. Taking out the clip, and starting from the right side of my head this time, Fran took small sections of hair, sprayed some more Bumble and bumble Classic and twisted them onto themselves, pinning then into little circles. He continued to do a line of these little rings and circles from right to left and then all over the previously sectioned off area.


To finish, some more Bumble and bumble Classic was used to secure the look. And there you have it, Fran’s simply tribal look!

Style Twenty one

Windle & Moodie stylists have been busy working at London Fashion Week, so this week Alison takes us out of the salon chair to go behind the scenes at Burberry and Mark Fast

At the start of this week we had a double-whammy: two shows in one day. Kicking off with an 11am call-time in Kensington Gardens for Burberry, our day finished with the 6pm showtime for Mark Fast. How did it go you ask? Well let me tell you…

BURBERRY
It’s freezing when we arrive at the Burberry tents, all checked-in, wrist-banded and ready to go. The collection has a ’60s influence and it’s all about the silhouette and shape of the garments, so to complement it all, Neil’s opted for low ponytails for the girls.

For the look there are only minimal products being used – Bumble and bumble Tonic Lotion is sprayed into the hair and then layered with Bumble and bumble Styling Lotion before it’s all dried with the WAM Ultimate Ionic Hairdryer and WAM Universal Diffuser.

After, the hair is colour-matched to a fine piece of elastic, which will be used to tie up the pony around the nape of the neck with hair tucked behind the ears. It all sounds pretty straightforward until Neil drops a bombshell on us – 19 of the girls will be arriving from the Christopher Kane show where wax has been applied in sections to their hair and of course, washing will be required!

Security is as tight at as you would expect and no backstage photography or filming is allowed from the team – me included!. So instead of picking up my cameras or Tweeting (another cardinal sin in the tent of Burberry) I pitch in and try to help where I can with my extremely limited knowledge of hair styling (although I’m getting used to this hair extensions business!).

Chaos ensues, the girls are whisked backstage to get dressed where the stylists are told to watch the hair like hawks, as we don’t want any ponytails coming undone. The backstage area was crazy and at one point I saw Anna Wintour walk in, all calm among the frenzy before her.

MARK FAST
One car arrived and whisked Neil and his assistants to the show while our second car got stuck – lost in translation and traffic, it would appear.


After what felt like an eternity, our car finally pulled up and we arrived to the show rather late, where the frenzy here matched the frenzy we had just left. We had walked right into the middle of things and as I started taking photos and filming for our YouTube channel, Neil explained the look, which he dubbed “wild emergence”.

The hair was sprayed with Bumble and bumble Prep and then layered with lots of Bumble and bumble Styling Creme, with the front hairline layered with  Bumble and bumble Texture. Next, using fingers, grooves and lines in the hair were created by clipping with pin curl clips and diffused until crispy dry.

Starting from the nape, small random sections were taken and loosely pinned to the head. This was repeated all the way up to the crown, to create the feeling of a short haircut.

Finally, the hair was sprayed with Bumble and bumble Coloured Powder to create a matte/clay like texture in the hair.

Style Twenty

Windle & Moodie stylists have been busy working at London Fashion Week, so this week Alison takes us out of the salon chair to go behind the scenes at Corrie Nielsen…

I’ve seen Sergio beavering away in the corners of the salon, dumping bags and bags of hair onto the work surfaces for some time now, and he finally let me in on what he what he was doing: working out three different looks for the Corrie Nielsen show as part of London Fashion Week. Fast forward a few days and I was meeting Corrie in her studio, while Sergio talked us through the looks…

It turns out the bags and bags of hair were being morphed and meshed to form two hats made out of hair for the show. At this point, Sergio had only made one and wouldn’t let us in on how many hours he had spent creating it although it was clear that this was a labour of love.

The next look was one that the majority of models would be sporting: a braided, all over updo with the ends being hidden so you wouldn’t be able to see where it started and finished. The final look was one to be decided by Corrie and she chose to go with heart-shaped updos which were very Elizabethan (she would have given the collection the royal seal of approval, no doubt).

On the day of the show everything went pretty smoothly, I loved the dramatic, beautiful pieces such as the final dress, as well as the more wearable ones like a sheer black top with frill neck. I remembered all those Tudor visual references she had tacked to the walls and could see them in the collection.

Once the models had their hair and make-up done, were dressed and lined up backstage, everything just came together. The hair complemented the collection perfectly and looked stunning. Needless to say we were all so proud of Sergio and it was incredible to be a part of it!

Style Nineteen

Windle & Moodie stylists have been busy working at London Fashion Week, so this week Alison takes us out of the salon chair to go behind the scenes at Margaret Howell…

Waking up early on a Sunday morning seems so wrong, but it was well worth it for the Margaret Howell show.

Getting to the venue for an eye-watering 6.15am required waking up at 5am. After a little breakfast (I had a brownie and it was delicious, although not a usual breakfast option) and after coffee we started to perk up, especially when Neil started blasting the tunes. Luckily it worked and all the models were soon sporting beautiful hair. There wasn’t a mad a rush as we’ve experienced at some other shows, and I think we were all a little thankful for that.

Fashion’s love affair with ballet has carried on into A/W11, with this collection being influenced by dancers. So who is the Margaret Howell girl? “She’s someone who’s quite carefree and has just finished a ballet rehearsal, so she’s piled on the layers before stepping out into the freezing cold outside,” Neil tells me. With this in mind, he created a “post-dance twisted knot”, which shows this perfectly.

To create the look, the models were all given a blow dry with a roundbrush. After, some had their hair twisted into knots and secured with elastic, while those with shorter hair kept it loose. The products used were Bumble and bumble Prep, which was then layered with Bumble and bumble Styling Lotion and  Bumble and bumble Thickening Hairspray before being dried into the hair using the WAM Ultimate Ionic Hairdryer. Once the hair had been dryed, no other products were used as Neil wanted the natural texture of the hair to be utilised. Hairbands were added to the models after, with the band covering the ears and some fine flyaways peeking out from underneath.