Suffice it to say, my adventurous spirit is intact and thriving.
The beginning to the end for my dirty-blonde mane began this past Saturday evening. In anticipation of the competitive landscape I tore through my closet to find the most rockin’ pair of skinny jeans and flirty high heels I owned. This tried and true combo never fails to give the illusion of a couple extra inches in height to their friend in need.
I arrived at the casting for the Aquage Hair Show a modest 15 minutes early, slightly annoyed to find myself among 34 other girls with a similar strategy. I exchanged my comp card for the information that I would be “called soon”. Shortly after finding a seat among the sea of beautiful girls, I was up to bat. I gathered my portfolio and headed in the direction of 2 men and a woman with stunning red hair.
Once I reached the designated consideration area, I passed my book off for review and stood against the wall for a couple of impromptu head shots. A man by the name of Luis kicked off the barrage of questioning. “Can I touch your hair?” he said. He then ran his fingers through each side of my hair and followed by ruffling it a bit to observe it’s movement. Pleased with the canvas, he continued with further inquiries. “How short are you willing to go?” he asked. I motioned to the shoulder area (my hair at the time fell just above the middle of my back). “What about the color? Are you willing to go lighter?” he said. Remembering the room full of young gorgeous girls, the competitive side of me beat out the logical and responded with an emphatic “Absolutely! I’ve been wanting to go lighter!” At this point I’d supplied all of the answers necessary to land a spot in the first hair show I’d ever been in or been to. The observing show director pulled out a business card, wrote a room number on it and informed me that I was to show up at 9AM the following day to prepare for the show on Monday.
An excitedly sleepless night passed. I found myself rushing through breakfast and out the door with just the right amount of time for my rad ass 426hp LS3 Camaro to punctually deliver me to the appointed destination. With a light knock on the hotel room door, I was greeted by the Aquage beauty squad which was comprised of 7 hair stylists, 2 make-up artists and 2 assistants. The girls trickled in after me and by 10AM all 9 models were present and accounted for. Each of us took turns having our hair played with and analyzed.
This was the point in the story where I came to find out that my hair was being “lightened” to PLATINUM blonde. Their signature hair show line up is similar to that of Charlie’s Angels: bleach blondes, fire-engine reds and deep, chocolatey browns. “Holy crap” I thought to myself. Was it too late to get out of this? A wave of panic washed over me as my mind wrestled to make a decision on how to handle that news. Once again, my adventurous spirit got the better of me. Next thing I knew I was sitting in a chair while two bubbly women slathered on a concoction of blueish-purple goo that I learned 7 hours later to be the recipe necessary to turn a level 7 blonde into a Marilyn Monroe-esque bombshell.
Shortly after the damage was done, I met my fantastically handsome hubby at a local bar for a couple of drinks to commiserate about the loss of my beloved blonde tresses. Once the grieving period had passed (approximately 2 blueberry presses and a shot of whiskey later) he inspired me to wear my new hair with confidence and just have fun with it!
Another excitedly sleepless night went by and it was time to head back to the hotel for make-up and some final adjustments to hair. After hours of primping, we were ready to rock. All dolled up in our lacy blue dresses, clear high heels and newly dyed manes, the 9 of us marched down to the convention area where the show was to be held. We were greeted by a beautifully lit solid white stage and hundreds of empty seats which would soon be filled with some of the best hair care professionals in the industry.
Three at a time we were called onto stage. I was in the last batch of girls. Our group would be demoing techniques on how to achieve a chignon updo and two in style cuts. Luis raised his scissors and after 15 minutes of cutting and talking I had a choppy rocker cut that I actually liked! My neighboring model did not fare as well. I found her with a bleach-blonde, ear-length bob sobbing after the show.
Now that all of the dust has settled and the excitement has subsided, I’m finding that change is something you should not only embrace and enjoy, but actively seek out. Simple things can create excitement in your life and add a little fun to the day-to-day grind. You have to be brave because if you’re not, the result will be boredom and that’s just no way to live in this crazy adventure called life.
Who knows, maybe I’ll even break out the red lipstick to rock with my new do. Every girl should feel like a movie star every once in a while.
Muse Style 