HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVIES!

I, like most of the world, cannot believe it's already 2012—2011 absolutely FLEW by. It was an amazing year, but I'm excited to see what 2012 will bring. And, of course, I'm SO excited to see The Hunger Games come to life on the big screen in March!

Seriously you guys, I have been obsessing over The Hunger Games since I first picked up the book last week. I couldn't put it down! Amidst the holidays and cleaning up all the decorations and baking, etc, etc, I found myself anxious to jump under the covers and breeze through another chapter.

And now that I'm done with the first book, there's two more to go! AH! I'm so excited!

Then, the holidays ended, it's back to work, back to waking up early and the daily grind,  and what do I find greeting me in my office upon my return? THE COOLEST THING EVER.

That's right. Joico sent me a Hunger Games wig designed by the Joico stylists who did all the cut and color for the upcoming film! WOAH!

Joico Guest Artist and Hollywood Stylist Cherry Petenbrink was tapped to create the hair color designs for the film’s leads, and more than 500 extras, (THAT's RIGHT. 500 EXTRAS!) and she relied on the high performance, vivid tones and vast shade selection of Joico Vero K-PAK Color.

So, OK, maybe not all of you had the time to read this book. But seriously, you MUST. The Hunger Games takes place in a post-apocalyptic future and centers on Jennifer Lawrence’s character—Katniss Everdeen—a fiesty, independant teenager sent from her impoverished “District” to compete in the annual fight to the death held in the glittering Capitol city.

Cherry Petenbrink was assigned to create a flat, matte brunette shade for Katness that would defy any trace of warmth. She reveals  she transformed the actress’ Level 9 dimensional blonde in two steps.

Step one: She first filled the hair with a Joico Vero Chrome Demi Permanent Color ¾ N6 + ¼ G6 and processed 20 minutes.

Step two: She glazed the hair with Joico Vero Chrome ¾ A5 + ¼ N4.

“Jennifer actually likes the color,” Cherry says. “She’s still wearing it, even though she has finished filming! And she was so happy that I used Joico. Her hair had been severely damaged from another shoot and she had restored it with Joico K-PAK Reconstructor. So she was thrilled to learn that K-PAK is in all of Joico’s hair color products.”

In vivid contrast to the mousy hue of Katniss, the citizens of the Capitol were described to Petenbrink as “sophisticated, couture and edgy.” Collaborating with Costume Designer Judianna Makovsky and Hair Department Head Linda Flowers, she was challenged to create unique color designs for each of the 500 extras, using brights and pastels.

“When you work with these colors, it’s a challenge to make them look trendsetting and visionary and not clown-like,” Cherry says. Once again, Joico offered the solution with the pure, vivid clear tones of products like Vero K-PAK Color Intensity. As a result, Petenbrink predicts that several of the color designs will strongly influence trends once the film opens.

Oh, and as for me, of COURSE I tried on the wig!

Flowers, who has served as hair department head for blockbusters like Iron Man 2 and The Social Network, prepared hundreds of beautiful wigs and wefts with Joico hair color.

“Then our team of Joico colorists came in and was asked to make each hair style their own—to turn each one into a beautiful creation. So these stylists really had fun and had the opportunity to be creative!”

The Hunger Games is the first of four planned films, and Cherry says it was a lot of pressure to come up with 500 completely different looks. “But it was also a really fun and creative challenge. I truly think that once they see the hair, people will say that nothing like this has ever been done.”

Who's excited to see the movie?! Me, me, me! Visit joico.com for more details.