Standing at the entrance of the gates to America's Beauty Show 2011 in Chicago was pure energy. Even though there weren't crowds and crowds of people early in the day, you could see how pumped up people were to enter the show this year.

After quickly stopping by the Press Office and the Modern Salon Media room, I made my way downstairs to the show floor with MODERN'S News Editor Jan Hillenmeyer and MODERN'S Western Regional Sales Manager Gregg McConnell. We only waited for a couple minutes until we heard the crowd clap and roar with excitement once the ABS gatekeepers let us into the show.

"Let the madness begin," I said to them. They nodded likewise and we made our way to the MODERN SALON booth (#1137).

If you are attending America's Beauty Show this year you are in luck. We have multiple complimentary copies of Modern Salon, Salon Today and First Chair that you can pick up on-the-go. We also offer other promotional materials about our magazine if you are interested in subscribing. Ask for Linda or Joyce, and they will help you out on all of your questions! We are also giving away CHI flatirons-stop by the booth for more information.

MODERN's Joyce Alverio at the Modern Salon Booth

After briefly visiting the Modern Salon Booth, I made my way onto the show floor to snap some photos. There were live demonstrations, education, shopping opportunities galore! Today I had the opportunity to stop by Enzo Miliano, ARROJO, Farouk Systems, Salon Tech, Nioxin, Sebastian, Mizani, Keratin Complex, Paul Mitchell, Michael O'Rourke, Aquage and more. The best thing is, there is more to cover today!

For all of you that are not going to be able to attend the show this year, I took some insider photos for you. Check out the photos below-you really don't want to miss this.

Very close to the Modern Salon Booth is Enzo Milano. They have a marvelous display this year-they have a LIVE DJ, an informational counter, platform artists doing demonstrations and a curling rod station! I got a chance to see stylist Antonio Lo Presti using the Magic Hand Diffuser in action!

For all of you Nick Arrojo fans, you will be glad to know that he was doing some LIVE demonstrations on the ABS floor this year! Check out the photos below.

Farouk Systems' booth area was all about the energy! Their platform artists were completely dedicated to their audience-Director's style chairs were offered to everyone who watched the show. I specifically caught Chaune Fitzgerald and George Cooper in action. Both were using the Biosilk product to give extra shine to the hair.

The next performance I caught was by The Doves. Last year, I caught their Trend Vision 2010 runway show after ABS and it was magnificent. This year they are featuring products by P&G Salon Professional. The NIOXIN pomade completely stood out to me during their LIVE hair presentation on stage; it provides a lot of piecey volume to the hair without the greasy touch. And, it smells so good.

Besides the hair, Mizani is ALL about the dancing at America's Beauty Show. Last year they had this wonderful tribal performance; this year they introduced Danceworks-a magnificent dancing presentation by ballerinas and jazz performers. Platform artists like Darico Jackson, Eevee Johnson and Toni Jackson were introduced plus more.

This year Mizani introduced the Toile, a new hair style that plays on two different textures-straight and curly. It's an asymmetrical cut that's braided underneath and extensions are added for a longer effect. The hair style can be worn short or long, and is divided into six panels. This is a great cut for a client that wants style versatility.

Paul Mitchell-I have not tried out their line personally, but from what I have heard, the products are like silk in your hand. This year they had some amazing performances on stage. The theme was adding their product Ink Works to three different hair canvases: a blonde, a brunette and a redhead. The product, which has been on the market for approximately 10 years, has a variety of vibrant colors-pink, green, yellow, red…etc.

Paul Mitchell Artistic Director Stephanie Kocielski worked her magic on a blonde canvas and opted to use Paul Mitchell yellow Ink Works. If you are attending America's Beauty Show you should stop by and see a presentation. If you like what you see, they are offering a kit that provides the materials you need to recreate the styles you see on stage.

Sebastian Professional was all about creating Editorial Styles yesterday. I specifically caught a performance where they were using their new Re-Shaper Hair-spray-and let me tell you…it created some serious volume! See for yourself.

In this hair style, basically all you need to do is part down the middle, sculpt and fold the hair until you create your desired look (it can look as the photo below if you wish). Crimp for extra texture and use Shaper Fierce for extra hold and volume.

The climax of my daytime adventures was PERSONALLY meeting Vidal Sassoon. I even got a photo of him-exclusive to Modern Salon.

Here are some other photos from yesterday:

SALON TECH:

Stay tuned for more ABS coverage!

Lauren