Afterwards, the three days of the ABS show are always a blur. Today as I'm sorting though pictures and Tweets from the weekend at McCormick Place in Chicago, there are some things that keep jumping out. Here are my favorite moments from the show.

Up-dos

I don't know why, but up-dos kept catching my eye this year. There was an incredible variety from over-the-top ornate to simply gorgeous. I'm in no need of an up-do for any special event this year, but still I stood around taking pictures of my faves.

At the Nioxin booth, this stylist was creating some beautiful looks that would make your client the star of any formal night out. The blond model on the left had a mixture of tightly coiled curls and loose waves on top. The model the stylist is working on showed off a series of buns and braids combos, with ends left loose. All the looks were young, fresh and modern.   

I loved this easy, easy up-do trick from Clairol's Danny Lapointe. To create the loose buns at the nape of the neck, he took two chunky curls and twisted them together to the end. Then, he held the very end of the strand, and pulled the rest of the coil back up towards the root. With a little hairspray and a pin, you have a simple, beautiful do.

At the Aquage booth (which had great location, by the way) several of the models boasted extraordinary up-dos with loads of volume. They might be a little too much for an ordinary night out, but if you're doing Hollywood, they might be just perfect. I particularly liked the red and blond models on the left.

Trend Predictions

One of the things I like most about this show is getting a preview of what everyone thinks are the year's up-and-coming trends. In color, I heard the same thing over and over: iridescent. Whether it's blond, brunette or redhead, many colorists all said that there was going to be more subtle shading and plays of color. At the Ask the Experts Haircolor Panel on Sunday, the advice was to learn your hair color line inside and out, and play around with how you formulate to achieve the iridescent effects you're after.

As for cuts, everyone knows that there's been no more popular style in the last year or two than the graduated bob. At the Clairol booth, Lapointe predicted that a reverse graduated bob was going to make a splash this year, going from shorter in the front to a gentle point that's longer at the nape. Check out the photo to see his interpretation.

Shear Genius

One of the things I heard all weekend was the name "Kim Vo." The Shear Genius judge was a big hit and was all over the show floor. He was exhibiting his eponymous line of hair care products, signing autographs and being photographed with fans. An hour before the show ended, people were still lining up at his booth to meet him. He also took time out on Monday morning to speak with and take questions from students for the ABS Student Conference.

Speaking of Vo, the casting directors for Shear Genius held auditions over the weekend at McCormick for the next season of the show. I talked to one stylist who auditioned on Sunday and made it through to the second-round auditions to be held on Tuesday. She had to change her travel plans, since she was due to fly home on Monday night, and go shopping for a new outfit for the next round. I'll be posting my interview with her on FirstChair.com later this week, and keeping my fingers crossed that she makes it on the show!

Photo courtesy of America's Beauty Show.

Tweeting

Did you follow ModernSalon on Twitter? This was definitely something new for the editors this year, but it was a lot of fun. Not only was it great to be able to immediately tell you what we were seeing, hearing and doing, but as one person trying to find the cool stuff on the show floor, I was able to keep in touch with the other editors and find out what they were seeing too. Alison Shipley covered a company called Young Nails, and when I saw her Tweet about it, I had to go over and see for myself. Definitely worth the look! If you didn't follow us this time, make sure to do it the next time around.