Hair: Nick Stenson assisted by Viktoriya Yeremchuk
Photographer: Roberto Ligresti
Makeup: David Maderich for camerareadycosmetics.com
Fashion stylist: Rod Novoa
Nails: Narina Chan

Model Larissa is a typical real-salon challenge. She arrived at the studio with over-processed platinum hair with a grown-out undercut and fried lengths. “She thought she would only look good as a blonde,” Stenson, says. “But the goal was to give her something fashionable and healthy.”

Larissa was thrilled with the plan, but after the root application, expressed concern—a lot of concern. “She could not see through to the end result,” Stenson says. “She thought we were taking her dark brown. It’s hard for a non-professional to understand what goes on during the color process. We have to help her retrain her eye and give her a moment to adjust.”

Stenson points out that blondes are used to having light sitting right next to the skin.

“It’s about adjusting levels of highs and lows and refocusing the light.” This is accomplished, in this case, by adding a root shadow and then going back in over the root with a pink hue to add life and a translucent effect back to the base. That shade is then added to the lengths, diluted, and alternated with a light peach for a multi-dimensional tone. The goal was to turn the hair into a healthy looking fashionable shade, in this case, a dusty pink, packed with shine and dimension.

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