“<em>Inclusivity is the key to unlocking the future of beauty.”</em>—Creative Brief for MY Perfect ME
Inclusivity is the key to unlocking the future of beauty.”—Creative Brief for MY Perfect ME

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston
“We were looking to create a primary, rooty yellow so we did this by weaving and painting the lightener on, leaving a bit of a root, and then painting the top of the weave as well.  We used Magma by Blondor in Limoncello.”—Matthew Luce
“We were looking to create a primary, rooty yellow so we did this by weaving and painting the lightener on, leaving a bit of a root, and then painting the top of the weave as well.  We used Magma by Blondor in Limoncello.”—Matthew Luce

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston
“We used some Blondor 20 volume to get our model, Tony, to a clear blonde and then we toned with Illumina and pastel developer.  After, we took makeup sponges and kabuki brushes and dipped them in color and applied color to his head.  We wanted to bring the textures happening in the wardrobe into his hair.”—Oliver Shortall
“We used some Blondor 20 volume to get our model, Tony, to a clear blonde and then we toned with Illumina and pastel developer.  After, we took makeup sponges and kabuki brushes and dipped them in color and applied color to his head.  We wanted to bring the textures happening in the wardrobe into his hair.”—Oliver Shortall

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston
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“<em>Inclusivity is the key to unlocking the future of beauty.”</em>—Creative Brief for MY Perfect ME
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Inclusivity is the key to unlocking the future of beauty.”—Creative Brief for MY Perfect ME

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston
“We were looking to create a primary, rooty yellow so we did this by weaving and painting the lightener on, leaving a bit of a root, and then painting the top of the weave as well.  We used Magma by Blondor in Limoncello.”—Matthew Luce
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“We were looking to create a primary, rooty yellow so we did this by weaving and painting the lightener on, leaving a bit of a root, and then painting the top of the weave as well.  We used Magma by Blondor in Limoncello.”—Matthew Luce

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston
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Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston
“We used some Blondor 20 volume to get our model, Tony, to a clear blonde and then we toned with Illumina and pastel developer.  After, we took makeup sponges and kabuki brushes and dipped them in color and applied color to his head.  We wanted to bring the textures happening in the wardrobe into his hair.”—Oliver Shortall
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“We used some Blondor 20 volume to get our model, Tony, to a clear blonde and then we toned with Illumina and pastel developer.  After, we took makeup sponges and kabuki brushes and dipped them in color and applied color to his head.  We wanted to bring the textures happening in the wardrobe into his hair.”—Oliver Shortall

Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston
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Photo courtesy of

Laretta Houston
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Laretta Houston
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Laretta Houston

 The team behind this shoot, operating under the name “Pop Anomaly,” are all Wella Professionals artists who were challenged to pitch a concept so compelling it would earn them an exclusive photo shoot, sponsored by Wella Education. Having won that honor, they gathered at the Wella Studio in Calabasas, CA, an education hub and also a hot spot for creative risk-taking. Their vision was to reveal the individual style and spirit of their models and to express the glorious diversity and innate loveliness in everyone, especially those rebellious anomalies, through a collection they call MY perfect ME.

 “MY perfect ME is all about embracing uniqueness,” explains Signature Studio Artist, Oliver Shortall. “Straight, gay, black, white, trans, and plus sized; we want to celebrate who these models are.”

  And the team, comprised of hair artists Shortall, Lynette Tatum, Matthew Luce, Galin Hristov and Fay Linksman, along with nail artist Sigourney Nunez, celebrated it with exceptional hair color (Emerald Green, Primary Yellow, Denim Blue, Mermaid Red), androgynous, artistic cuts, and references from Pop Art to the 1970s to the medium of social media. The interplay of non-conforming colors and mind bending patterns is reflected not only in the hair but in the nail designs, the wardrobe, and even the backdrops where a Pop Art palette of gel projections enhanced the images, making them—you guessed it—pop.

 “All this color and pattern is not something you typically see in a hair shoot but based on the elements and principles of design, we know that if we create chaos in the entire image then the calmest thing you see will be the model’s face and hair and that becomes the emphasis and the focal point,” Shortall says. “The shoot was different, too, in that the models and their personalities were very much a part of the overall concept.”

 The photo campaign, NOH8, was also an influence. With a mission to promote equality through visual protest, the NOH8 movement used black-and-white imagery and their models as canvases. With this collection, the message of MY perfect ME is being received, boldly and beautifully, via a visual salute to free expression.

 Credits

Photographer: Laretta Houston

Makeup: Nova Kaplan

Wardrobe: Lisa Katnic

Hair: Oliver Shortall, Lynette Tatum, Matthew Luce, Galin Hristov and Fay Linksman

Nails: Sigourney Nunez using OPI

 All products used are from the Wella Portfolio including:

Koleston Perfect ME+

Color Charm Create

Wella Blondor

WellaPlex

Illumina

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