See the Winner & Hairtalk's Creative Freedom Finalists!

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Photo courtesy of

Sydney Lopez

"With this style I wanted the pops of color to shine while maintaining soft femininity. I get a lot of my inspiration from the Victorian and Renaissance eras. The big curls, braids and volume always inspire me! This is my modern take on those classic styles."

Photo courtesy of

Sarajane Maples

"inspired by Earth's purest gems, I painted 60A 21" hairtalk extensions with Pravana Vivids, and used pops of color mini strands with sp/613r placed on top and taped to yl/613r to create a softer version of the colors mixed."

Photo courtesy of

Chita Beseau

"This woman is one of the most beautiful souls I have ever met. It was my honor to choose her as my model for this competition! My vision was an ethereal spring morning when the first flowers begin to bloom, with still a hint of chill left over from winter. To achieve this look I used color 601A with Yellow and Lavendar as her pops of color. I wanted her to feel like she was finally being seen for the radiant light she is. It’s her time to shine!"

Photo courtesy of

Erin Mills

"For this look I used the tape-in teal extensions for a pop of color and colormelt hair band. This is two fishtail braids criss-crossed into a big pull through braid!"

Photo courtesy of

Alexandra Wilson

"My model had very fine short-looking hair. To achieve length and blonde luxurious hair, I used Bang In #613 and tape-in extensions #60A. I added some color enhancement for an edgy design."

Photo courtesy of

Franco Hernandez

"Beautiful length and volume added to client's shoulder-length hair."

Photo courtesy of

Brogan Kauzlarich

"I glossed the CM extensions with Redken Shades EQ to blend with her cooler tones, and I glossed the pops of color to a softer mauve to fit her style. Pops of color are perfect for not only temporary fun, but also for your finer haired guests who like to stay away from lightener. They're also super fun to apply!"

Photo courtesy of

Mary Lowery

"Creative color and editorial work are two of my greatest passions and strengths. I not only wanted to create a beautiful blend inspired by an Opal, but I was also focused on preserving the integrity of my model's hair. Extensions allow me to do just that. In working with multiple brands, Hairtalk has quickly become a favorite. It’s reliable, consistent with human hair, and always delivers true to color results. Other brands can be inconsistent and unpredictable with color applications. This look was created using the 613 for custom colors,Bang In, and Hairband products."

Photo courtesy of

Erica Keelen

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GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Photo courtesy of

Sydney Lopez

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Photo courtesy of

Sarajane Maples

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Photo courtesy of

Chita Beseau

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Photo courtesy of

Erin Mills

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"For this look I used the tape-in teal extensions for a pop of color and colormelt hair band. This is two fishtail braids criss-crossed into a big pull through braid!"

Photo courtesy of

Alexandra Wilson

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"My model had very fine short-looking hair. To achieve length and blonde luxurious hair, I used Bang In #613 and tape-in extensions #60A. I added some color enhancement for an edgy design."

Photo courtesy of

Franco Hernandez

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"Beautiful length and volume added to client's shoulder-length hair."

Photo courtesy of

Brogan Kauzlarich

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Photo courtesy of

Mary Lowery

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Photo courtesy of

Erica Keelen

Hairtalk challenged MODERN SALON’s community with sharing your best, most creative work using extensions, with a goal of finding top artists with major skills to play in a second challenge.

We collected thousands of entries in Hairtalk's Creative Freedom Contest and whittled it down to our top 10 finalists.

Each of the finalists were sent Hairtalk extensions and were tasked with creating a second look (check out the slideshow!). Finalists worked closely with Hairtalk to select their hair extension pieces and enhancements to create their final challenge look—choosing length, color and style out of Hairtalk’s offerings.

After submitting their final looks, we opened up the competition to public voting, where YOU decided the grand prize winner...Congratulations to Sydney Lopez and her '70s roller disco style!

Lopez received an exclusive spot in MODERN SALON's Artist Session, a 2-day photoshoot workshop in NYC teaching beauty professionals all about the fabulous world of editorial styling, how to maximize their photographs and how to up their profile via freelance work. As part of the grand prize, hair extensions expert and Hairtalk Artistic Director Vicki Casicola will mentor Lopez in the process.

MORE ABOUT THE LOOK:

For her winning style, Lopez wanted to combine together "roller disco" and "modern day" in her '70s inspired look.

To achieve extra volume she used Hairtalk’s colormelted tape-in extensions and Hairtalk’s pop of colors in purple and teal.
She prepped the hair with Redken Iron Shape 11, AG Tousled Texture spray, and then curled in alternating directions with a 1/8” marcel iron.
Curls were separated and then set with Moroccanoil Finishing Spray. For extra volume, Lopez used Design Me Puff Me powder.
To finish off the look, she used CHI Rapid Shine Spray.

For more information about Hairtalk's Creative Freedom Contest, visit modernsalon.com/featured/hairtalk-creative-freedom-contest.