A store located near a women’s hospital caters to its clientele with special parking spaces for expecting mothers—like me!
A store located near a women’s hospital caters to its clientele with special parking spaces for expecting mothers—like me!

A few years ago, when the economy was crumbling and clients began to space out appointments, requests for ombre color quickly began to rise—allowing clients to stay on trend while stretching their color investment. The category of no-chip, UV-cured manicures was another innovation to come from the economic downturn—inviting clients to prolong the life of their nail services. 

 

New methods, new products and new opportunities pop up every day—designed to boost your artistic skill and technique—and they’re all inspired by everyday challenges. 

 

I was recently invited to Occhi Lash and Brow Studio in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, where I met Lynn LaPalermo. She spent years as an esthetician, dedicating hours each day refining lashes and eyebrows—often working with permanent makeup (tattooing), shadows and fillers to create the illusion of perfect brows. 

 

“I learned no two eyebrows are ever exactly the same—many people have gaps or sparseness from over-tweezing, medication or health issues,” she says. Realizing the need for a solution, she launched the studio, which offers Brow Perfect Extensions to add depth through eyebrow extensions that can be applied to existing brow hairs for density, or directly on skin for dimension. 

 

What challenges do you encounter in your salon? What innovative techniques have you developed to answer your clients’ beauty concerns? How do you use your arsenal of products, tools, inspiration and skill to solve their challenges? 

 

Cover artist Kien Hoang reached into his bag of tricks while on-set with MODERN to create a customized fringe made of hair extensions to add faceframing drama to his model. 

 

Redken artist Justin Isaac relies on his “blur brush” to create the perfect color melting finish on page 132. The pliable bristles were developed specifically to distribute formulas evenly to create a gentle transition from one shade to the next. 

 

Hairdreams artists and educators Sonya and Christopher Dove used hair pieces and extensions—applied in a matter of minutes, thanks to the latest technology—to showcase glamour-inspired silhouettes in Flash Forward on page 138. 

 

The first step in solving client problems is to keep an open ear—and mind—and listen to your client when she’s in your chair. Does she want a change, but not a huge commitment? Perhaps adding balayage to her color service could brighten her up without heavy maintenance. Does she wish her hair grew faster? Extensions can do the trick! Vexed by wrinkles? Could be time to consider a brow-grazing fringe. 

 

Remember: Providing solutions to your clients’ everyday problems is the first step toward retention—and a strong referral!

 

Alison Alhamed

Editor in Chief

aalhamed@modernsalon.com

 

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