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Editor in Chief, MODERN SALON
As Editor in Chief, Alison Alhamed shapes the content and voice for MODERN SALON's social media platforms, digital channels and monthly print magazine. Alison collaborates closely with salon professionals, social influencers, brands and industry personalities to connect them with our community of readers and followers. As a beauty editor, public speaker and licensed cosmetologist, Alison was named one of Folio magazine's 13 Under 30 emerging leaders in publishing. She regularly judges industry competitions; presents on how to build a following on social media; collaborates with brands on photoshoots, marketing and advertising campaigns; and is passionate about the professional salon industry.
Lindsey's blog continue "...The speech that Erik gave inspired me even more to not give up on my dream and to continue to try new things. Even though the fear of failure is discouraging, making my dreams a reality is always worth the risk."
Lindsey Venable's Beacon Blog: NAHA!
Lindesy Venable's Beacon Blog: Day One!
Meet Lindsey Venable—a cosmetology student at suburban-Chicago's Pivot Point International. Throughout her Beacon experience in Las Vegas, Lindsey will be blogging about her trip!
Dominique's Beacon Blog: Day Three! "Today we get to wear our Beacon shirts—now everyone will really recognize us! We attended some more seminars and got to hear from more industry people such as Susan Scott and the NAHA press conference and how they are making over this industry. It's nice to know that people are working around the clock to get the beauty industry voices heard."
Dominique's Beacon Blog: Day Two! "Everyone so far has different roles they play in this industry but it's nice to know that they all have one thing in common: they were all just like us sitting here as students listening to so many great leaders talk about how they got started and their long journeys to success. This is so inspirational...."
Meet Dominique Bourgouis. Dominique is a student at Pivot Point International in the suburbs of Chicago and entered and won Beacon 2010, which took place in Las Vegas during the Professional Beauty Association's Beauty Week. We asked Dominique to be a Beacon Blogger during her time in Vegas and she sure had a fantatic time networking, learning best practices and getting tips from the top.
I just landed in Las Vegas for PBA's Beauty Week: Full of amazing events to look forward to, including the North American Hairstyling Awards (pretty much the Oscar's of hair!), Symposium, and Beacon--the perfect event for students and new and young professionals.
I just learned a very cool, and unique, nail technique and I’m so excited about it! I’m not sure if this is something just done at beauty schools like mine, or if “marbling” of nails is common at salons, also have heard it called “water colors”—but in my few years in the industry, I’ve certainly never heard of it! So while it may not be new to you, the professional, it's new to me and my class and we're really excited! It's perfect for teens or for those who like to theme their nails (red, white and blue for the 4th of July, anyone??!!)
Boosting retail sales is the easiest way for stylists and salons to grow their profitability. But for some, initiating the retail conversation with clients can be a difficult, sometimes uncomfortable, task.
Oh. My. Gosh! It's officially official!! I am a real, live hairdresser!! I had my very first appointment with a stranger and I NAILED it!!
Every so often, we have life experiences that serve as benchmarks for our personal timelines. Something monumental will happen and, for the rest of our lives, we'll remember that day--everything that happened pre-event, and everything that happened post-event. Maybe someday someone asks you, "When did Jenny get hired at the salon?" And you'll respond, "Oh, well, Anne had just celebrated her 30th birthday and George fell off his bike that day... so, it was in October!" For me, my trip with Pivot Point International will always serve as a benchmark in my life, a monumental life experience I will NEVER forget!
Wow! It was a day FULL of the arts on our study abroad trip with Pivot Point in London. This trip has been amazing!! We began our day with a trip to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Then, headed to the Tate Modern Museum and saw Picasso and Andy Warhol. Then, went to a musical based on the music of Queen called We Will Rock You. It was a day PACKED with arts!
I only have a minute to tell you this... but I have to post my pictures, I'm so happy! I got to walk across Abbey Road just like The Beatles : ) !!!!!!!!!!!! It was very exciting--we almost died, too!! Hahaha, but it was definitely worth it. Here's our photoshoot:
Today we woke, bright-eyed and bushy tailed, ready for another fantastic day of exploration. We boarded our motorcoach bus for a trip to the Hampton Court Palace. Located in the borough of Richmond, outside of London, Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace that has not been lived in by the British royal family since the 1700s. It was originally built in 1514 for Cardinal Wolsey, a favorite of King Henry VIII, but the King ended up retaining the impressive estate for himself. Wow, it was beautiful!
As a beginning stylist--I'm very attached to the tools and appliances I use on a daily basis on the salon floor. So when I received a new pair of shears from Fromm International--I was really nervous, excited too, of course, but still nervous to try them out. Will my hair cuts still look OK? Will I be able to slide-cut and slice like I usually do? What if it's different!? It's kind of like going through Driver's Ed--you get so used to driving a specific vehicle that, when it comes time to drive your parent's car, it's an entirely different experience. That's how I felt about my shears.Alas, I want to be a stylist capable of cutting with any shear! And these shears were so beautiful and shiny and new, I couldn't wait to try them out.
Our second day of education at the Sassoon Academy in London was even better than the first! Again, we had the fabulous Yolly ten Koppel to coach us through the Pivot Point Design Forum hair sculptures. Although the steps seemed impossible to achieve, Yolly explains everything so clearly that, even with a class of 45, there are no questions at the end of her demo! She really is fantastic--it's no surprise she's won so many educator awards. With her again were Karen, Elina and Ronald. What a great group of people.
