Mikey Kardashian is the garçon de pompadour – his look, his work and his style blows me away. I always feel I want to know more about him, on twitter he intrigues me, his world and hair life excites me, so I asked him a few of the things I was dying to know and I thought I would share them with you!
Hey Zoë’s World my name is Mikey Kardashian and I’m a freelance hair stylist in London. I specialise in hair extensions and big sexy hair in general. My mantra is ‘Expert in excess, master of all things fake and fabulous,’ in all honesty more is more. I also throw seasonal charity events – a great excuse to throw a party and get all my friends together for a good cause. The last one was December which was held in aid of Cancer Research.
Zoë Irwin: Why hair? There could have been many a chosen path for you, so what led you to this one?
Mikey Kardashian: I originally studied fashion at school and was always interested in how trends change every season, whether it be through colours, textures, shapes – and without even noticing it society adapts to these trends. I was then having a conversation about it with my hairdresser at the time while I was still studying, and she mentioned how it’s so similar with hair, and as I always had an exact idea of how I wanted my hair, she thought I would make a good hairdresser. It’s something that I’d never thought about until then, but couldn’t get it out of my mind after that. It wasn’t until I met a stylist called Gille Gonsalves while working for Daniel Hersheson that I knew I wanted to do hair extensions. The rest is history!
ZI: How often do you change your look, what inspires this and what are your favourite personal looks?
MK: I change my look whenever I feel uninspired with what I’m looking at in the mirror. I love adapting my hair and makeup to my mood, a bleached brow, straight hair, wavy hair, short hair, a hair piece, be it blonde or brunette, whatever takes my fancy. I also love changing my look for an event, for New Year’s Eve I dyed the back and sides of my hair a bright blue/purple with some CrazyColour and faded it out through the roots of the top. It was such a fun look for the night.
ZI: What inspires your look?
MK: I’m not sure really, my look is very androgynous. When I go out it’s all, big hair, big makeup and big lashes, but paired with classic menswear. I then throw in some killer shoes and a clutch bag. I like blurring the lines between what’s masculine and feminine and when my look provokes a reaction. I love the theatre of it and making people take a second look. I normally stick to the same style though, switching up colours, textures, and designers. I quite like having a look that I don’t really stray from, something that reminds people of me. Jared Leto recently gave me the nickname Garçon de pompadour at an afterparty he threw at Shoreditch House, I guess that sums up my look to perfection, no?
ZI: When I think of the French term for hair styling – to coiffure – it makes me think ‘to coiff’ could describe your work. How would you describe it?
MK: I feel my work has always been inspired by glamour. I want to make everything that little bit more fabulous. I love the drama of a big bouncy blow out – that feeling after you’ve taken out some heated rollers, shaken it out and swept it forward over your client’s shoulders.
ZI: Which nighttime pursuits give you the most inspiration – where are your top places to play?
MK: In London, Circus is by far my favourite club night around, the crowd is amazing and everyone really makes an effort with their look – it’s as if it inspires everyone that goes to just be a little more daring and really get into the mood of the night. You can’t help but get caught up in it all. Jodie Harsh really does know how to throw a party. Meat@East Bloc is another cool night, with the coolest club kids in london dancing up a storm to the dirty bass lines of Kris Di Angelis, my favourite London DJ. His sets enrapture the whole vibe of the night… amazing! I’m also a huge fan of dining out with friends, I always try and grab one great meal a week with them. My all time fave restaurant is Hakkasan – the music, the food and the whole feel of the place is amazing. In New York, there are so many amazing places to party. I feel inspired the whole time. Vandam@Greenhouse, with the astroturf on the walls, ivy on the ceilings and thousands of crystals above the dancefloor, while the best of New York’s club scene dance their hearts out – amazing. The views from New York’s Boom Boom Room can’t help but inspire, they’re breathtaking. And then there’s new London club The Box – wow, now that’s intense.
ZI: What products do you love right now?
MK: My products I use don’t vary much, L’Oréal Infinium lumiere hairspray is my favourite, and I’m never without pli, fix design, hot style constructor and liss control serum all by L’Oréal tecni art. Also, big shine shine spray, styling creme, and grooming creme by Bumble and Bumble. Another product I adore is Extrait Nutri-instant a product I picked up in Paris by Kérastase Nutritive. A fantastic leave-in treatment that doesn’t weigh the hair down when styling!
ZI: Let me peek inside your personal beauty kit – what are your must-haves?
MK: Products you’ll never find me without are MAC lip conditioner, SUQQU Extra Off cleansing cream, Crème de La Mer moisturising cream, REN glycolactic skin renewal peel mask and the scent I always wear is Seductive by Boadicea the Victorious. Another thing I can’t live without is my three-week manicure by Nails Inc. As a hairdresser, my nails really do take a beating and the three-week bio-sculpture manicure doesn’t chip, doesn’t soften your nails, and it stops nails breaking and discolouring. I’m not sure what I’d do without my perfect french manicure! I’m also a total make-up junkie, I adore trying new products and I am constantly updating my make-up bag. I have a big beauty box with products I love too much to throw out but don’t use on a daily basis, it stays firmly in my bathroom. Other than that I always have a Louis Vuitton wash bag with my day-to-day makeup. I couldn’t live without Laura Mercier secret camouflage, RMK liquid foundation, Armani pressed powder, YSL Touche Eclat, MAC contouring powder in Soft Meow, Deep Throat blusher by NARS and YSL false lash effect mascara in ultra noir.
ZI: What’s your essential work kit?
MK: My kit always has a full set of brushes with doubles of my face sizes, all with decent rubber handles. I hate it when you can’t get a good grip on a brush. I always carry two Mason Pearson brushes with me as they are fabulous for helping you dress out hair. A good hairdryer is always needed, I always use the Parlux 3200. I’m also never without my Daniel Hersheson waving tongs and my BaBylis Pro heated rollers when working.
ZI: Where do you go to buy great hair?
MK: The only hair I use for my extensions is from hair merchant Michael Ratajczak. His hair is the best I’ve found and all the hair I use I’ve hand-picked and had mixed for each client personally. It’s the personal touches like this that make me so proud of all the hair extensions I do. But if it’s a shoot I’m working on and I need a quick fix, I always use Lauren Pope’s gorgeous Hair Rehab London clip-in extensions, the hair’s great, they have a fantastic colour selection so it’s always easy to match the model and they’re 100 per cent human hair so can be heat-styled. You get a lot of hair on each piece so they’re great for getting that thick, glamourous look I’m obsessed with, in an instant!
ZI: Which company makes the perfect wigs for celebrities and editorial shoots?
MK: The best wigs that I’ve ever used have been from Mandeville wigs, The hair they use is second to none and each wig is made by hand and is of amazing quality – you can really tell the difference.
ZI: Whose style do you adore?
MK: Wow… there is so many, old and new. But a huge inspiration of mine, and someone whose style I adore is a friend of mine named Phillipe Blond. He’s a fashion designer from New York and the clothes he makes are out of this world. His embellished corsets have dressed some of the most famous women in the world. His ability to dress a woman so she feels a million dollars is like no other, his style is feminine, sexy and all woman. When Phillipe ‘drags up’ he embodies the woman he’s dressing for – the iconic blondes of our time… Check out his A/W10 show for New York Fashion Week -
ZI: What are some of your secret tips?
MK: Hmm, a strong brow makes anyone look polished and elegant, I have my brows threaded every 3 weeks to keep them looking perfectly in shape. Don’t try too hard when it comes to accessorising – A killer pair of shoes and bag will make anyone look and feel amazing. I’m a huge fan of botox and fillers/lip fillers. Prevention is key and I make sure I stay looking my best with little tweaks every few months.
ZI: What’s in your magazine pile and on your bookshelf?
MK: My magazine choices are so varied – Vogue, LOVE, Tatler, Attitude, Heat, Grazia. The books I read are always easy reads that don’t take much thought. Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes is a favourite of mine.
ZI: Who is your ultimate style icon, if you were a starlet, who would you be?
MK: It has to be Victoria Beckham, her ability to constantly look impeccable amazes me. She changes her look all the time and manages to pull anything off with ease. Also, her transition into very credible designer has been amazing to follow.
ZI: What is a perfect day in Mikey’s World?
MK: Waking up around 10am, checking my emails over a cup of coffee and then heading to meet a friend for an early lunch, somewhere casual like Shoreditch House where we can lounge around catching up and having a gossip over a glass of champagne, before heading off to do a bit of shopping. Grabbing a bit of afternoon tea and then going for a long pamper session, having my nails done at Nails Inc and my lashes done by Juliet McCormack (my lash guru) as well as a facial, before a late dinner around 9pm or 10pm. Then a night out partying. The way to my heart is simple: good company, good champagne, good food and good conversation.
ZI: How do I get the ultimate eyebrows?
MK: Threading is great for keeping a good shape, tint your brows to help frame your face, I always use Blink for mine. I’m dying to try Nilam Patel’s HD Brows, I’ve been hearing about them non-stop and it’s next on my list.
ZI: What is your ultimate brow tip?
MK: Invest in a great brow brush and a good brown eyeshadow (any MAC store would be able to tell you the right shade for your colouring, I use embark by MAC), I always use a brow wax to smooth down my brows first as I find that gets me a great shape, but keeps it looking soft yet sharp.
