I spent the day in Baltimore at Goldwell's headquarters with other members of the press and a special guest judge: Faatemah Ampey, NAHA 2009 Fashion Forward winner and Shear Genius 3 contestant.

Me at the judging with KPSS President Mario Argenti

If any of you followed Faatemah's Shear Genius blog on modernsalon.com, you know this is a woman who does not hold back on her opinions! Needless to say, she kept us all entertained during our judging at Goldwell.

We judged in three categories: "Creative Colorist," "New Talent Colorist" and "Partner Colorist."

The submissions were set up in Goldwell's newly renovated theater for us to judge.

Creative Colorist was open to all Goldwell stylists who have had more than five years experience.

New Talent Colorist was open to all Goldwell junior stylists with less than five years professional experience.

Partner Colorist was open to all styli sts who have already worked for Goldwell as a freelancer, trainer or guest artists.

In all categories, all submissions had to use Topchic, Colorance and/or Elumen on the models.

Inspiration
Rest assured, the Color Zoom competitors aren't just submitting any old photo. They had parameters to guide them and to help us judge. This year, the inspiration for all competitors was Goldwell's Just Naked collection.

All stylists who submitted work were asked to interpret the collection in their photo submission. Just Naked features authentic, natural colors with vibrant facets. It's the hair you wish Mother Nature gave you!

Seeing all of the stylists' creations was truly impressive. Their interpretations were so different, but they still all embodied the Just Naked concept. Here are a few of the finalists we chose:

Andrea Bonawitz, Fusion Salon,Rochester, NY      Christopher Vielma, Bishops Barbershop,        April Longtine, Julie's Talk of the Towne, Green Bay, WI
Semi-finalist: Creative ColoristPortland, OR Semi-finalist: New Talent              Semi-finalist: Partner Colorist

We determined the finalists in Baltimore, but have to wait until October to find out who the winners are … in Paris at the Color Zoom event! Stay tuned …