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MODERN SALON sat down with Samuels to discuss the book, beauty education, mentorship and the habits that help beauty professionals thrive.
Rona O’Connor (@ronacolor), co-owner of Lukaro, Beverly Hills, California, has fun with Kimberly, a client who plays with color, but prefers to stay in the red family. It’s been a while since she stopped by the salon and although she ...









Rona O’Connor (@ronacolor), co-owner of Lukaro, Beverly Hills, California, has fun with Kimberly, a client who plays with color, but prefers to stay in the red family. It’s been a while since she stopped by the salon and although she loves how her last color faded, O’Connor decided to punch it up, adding dimension, drama and depth.
“For this session I used the setting sun as inspiration,” says O’Connor. “This is wearable and mainstream with pink and yellow mixed in with the apricot copper. What makes it more wearable is that I put roots on after in a natural copper tone to soften the fashion shades.” The colorist adds that she used a “lip” technique, creating a lighter "upper lip" (the surface)...against a deeper "lower lip"(the strands below the rounds) to create volume and movement. "It's important this it's just one shade different," she adds. "This creates the fuller lip on top and complements the overall soft coral pink design.
“Everyone was asking what we had done once Kimberly's hair was blown out," says O'Connor. "Even with unnatural fashion shades the color had a natural feel. It is so beautiful to look at."
Here O'Connor shares the HOW TO:
Step 1: Using Goldwell Top Chic, apply red lights to fill a bright natural copper undertone into faded level 9 hair with level 7 re growth. To replenish the core color, blend 30 Mls 8Kg, 10 Mls 9G, 10 volume peroxide. Foil the hair throughout, in fine slices. Process for 15 minutes after last foil. Rinse and shampoo.
Step 2: Prepare with Goldwell Elumen prep for longevity to fashion shade color. Test your Elumen shades on a white towel.
Step 3: Alternate shades in back to back foils (slices) with 1/2 inch between.
Formulas:
#1: Goldwell Elumen 50% YY @all , mixed with 50% clear
#2: 2/3 parts PK@ all , 1/3 part clear Elumen , 1 pea size drop GK @ all. For a peachy pink.
Step 4: Process with heat for 10 minutes. Rinse and shampoo.
Step 5: On damp hair apply the blending base "to give the color a natural twist.".
Root formula: Top Chic 30 Mls 8 k, 20 Mls 9g with equal parts 20 volume peroxide.
Step 6: Process 7 -10 minutes and then rinse and shampoo with Goldwell Fade Stop Shampoo.
Step 7: Gloss with Elumen, 50% clear and 50%yy@all. Process for 10 minutes with heat and then shampoo and condition the hair.

MODERN SALON sat down with Samuels to discuss the book, beauty education, mentorship and the habits that help beauty professionals thrive.

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