In June, I went to LA for the Global Salon Business Awards and then out to sizzling hot Las Vegas for Cosmoprof and NAHA in July.

It always seems like I travel the most during the summer months for industry shows. But last week I was lucky enough to attend a very cool industry event here in Chicago, just a few miles from home!

America's Beauty Show kicked off early this year with a special event called Shear Volume at Climax (a Chicago nightclub) last weekend. ABS Runway Headliners Luis Alvarez (Aquage), Anthony Mascolo (TIGI) and Irene Meikle (Mizani) all took the stage with their models to preview ABS. Stylists and their clients from all over the Chicagoland area showed up to check out the work and enjoy a fantastic party.

I showed up with the Modern staffers and we had a ball chatting with hairdressers and checking out the cutting-edge work of the Headliners.

I came a little early to check out the backstage hairdressing and Luis Alvarez declared I had the wrong hair for my dress. He promptly solved the problem with the fastest French twist in history. No bobby pins! Two chopsticks and some Aquage hairspray later and it was staying put. I wish I could do that to myself!

From left: Midwest Sales Representative Katharine Cook, Salon Today Editor Molly Noonan, Modern Salon Web Editor King-Pui Leong and me at the Shear Volume event in Chicago!

I liked it so much I'm considering it for a wedding I am in later next month. But I'm still undecided. On that note, if anybody has any good updo styles they want to suggest, I'm open to anything!