Fresh off the Spring/Summer 2011 fashion shows in New York, Milan, and Paris, hair stylist, Guido Palau, took the time to present his runway looks and introduced us to Redken’s new hairsprays, Pure Force 16 ($15.50/6.7oz), Fashion Work 12 ($16.50/11oz.), and the new and improved Forceful 23 ($16.50/11oz), all launching January 2011.
One of the world’s most influential hair stylists, Guido also serves as a Creative Consultant for Redken. Many of us have already lusted over his looks this season, a few of which I’ve covered on Pretty Connected. The impressive roster of shows includes Alexander Wang, Calvin Klien, Jill Stuart, Marc Jacobs, Prada, Roberto Cavalli, Versace, Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Valantino, Yves Saint Laurent –and the list goes on from there. A true visionary, with endless creativity he comments, “Without the use of the products I use, I couldn’t create the styles I create.”
While this may seem like an obvious statement, it’s one we often overlook. “Many women I meet are very interested in fashion, they read all the blogs, go to all the websites, and it’s just about encouraging them to take it one step further and try it out themselves” says Guido. As I listened to him speak, his words struck a cord –I am one of those women; your classic New Yorker, always on the go, owns an unreasonable amount of products, drools over every new innovative runway or celebrity hair look, and yet has two styles I do well and never takes the time to experiment with others.
So what’s our problem? Likely for most of us, it’s the intimidation factor; for myself, I’ll also include risk/time management. On any given week, I’ll have a plethora of events to attend and the last thing I want to do is mess up my hair at the risk of having to start over – especially since I’m generally fashionably late. What I appreciate about Guido, despite decades of working with the most prestigious women in the world and styling the most elaborate hairdos, is his ability to keeps everything in perspective for the ‘everyday’ woman.
“When I’m talking to women about their hair I’m always trying to liberate them, and talk about hair products. You have to encourage people to actually use them, and try to inspire them to wear their hair in different ways. And I think it’s hard when you see all of these ideals, and not for one moment do I expect them to go out and look like this — but it can just be a small thing like using a bit of hair gel or hairspray to create a more polished and sophisticated look. Small measures that can just nod to things I’m doing on the runway.”
Guido gets it. He continued to encourage every person in the room to inspire their readers to look up images from the shows, find the elements that translate to their hair and experiment. If your fear is messing up your hair, then play before you’re about the jump in the shower; just take the time to try different products and tools and see how they work with your hair. The looks off the runway are often exaggerated and created by a team of stylists. It’s our responsibility to draw inspiration from them to cultivate our own look.
So what are we seeing off the runway for Spring/Summer 2011? According to Guido, “We saw everything from small, minimalist head shapes to full, bouncy curls and waves.” The looks can be categorized as ‘Close Up’ (sleek styles, worn close to the head), ‘Bigger is Better’ (high-volume, high-texture loose), ‘Pony Tales’, and ‘Lacquer Look’ (high shine).
Here’s a list of Guido’s essentials for Spring/Summer 2011:
TOOLS:
- Round brush for smooth blow-dries
- Paddle brush or vent brush for rough blow-dries (or simply use your fingers)
- Fine-tooth comb/teasing brush for backcombing
- Blow dryer with nozzle
- Curling Iron
- Flat Iron
- Ponytail elastics
- Hairpins
PRODUCTS:
To Prep Hair:
- Real Control Shampoo and Conditioner
- Smooth Down Shampoo and Conditioner
To Add Volume:
- Thickening Lotion 06 body builder
- Aerate 08 bodifying cream-mousse
To Boost Texture/Enhance Curl:
- Soft Spin 05 curl-enhancing gel
- Wool shake 08 gel-slush texture
- Hardwear 16 super strong sculpting gel
To Enhance Styles with Hot Tools:
- Iron Silk 07 ultra straightening spray
- Blown Away 09 protective blow-dry gel
To Add Shine:
- Glass 01 smoothing serum
To Finish Any Style:
- NEW Fashion Work 12 versatile working spray
- NEW Pure Force 16 non-aerosol fixing spray
- Quick Dry 18 instant finishing spray
- New & Improved Forceful 23 super strength finishing spray
Hearing Guido speak about Spring/Summer runway hair has inspired me to start playing more with my products. Fashion Work 12 hairspray has been a great stepping-stone for me since it isn’t sticky and has medium hold. It works well with my hair to help achieve more volume and texture without being too heavy or stiff. It gets me through the night and then returns my hair back to normal the next day, which I appreciate since generally I would need to shower to accomplish that. Pure Force 16, I like to spot treat areas of my hair where I need the maximum level of hold. It’s a quick drying hair spray that I use when I tease my hair in the back for extra lift or in the front for a little added volume.
While I’m still working my way through the Redken line, I absolutely love their Glass 01 smoothing serum. My hair tends to get dry at the ends and I use just a small amount from the shaft of my hair down and it adds great shine without making my hair look greasy or wet.
Further taking what Guido says, if you’re still feeling challenged after experimenting, visit a Redken salon (I’m partial the Cutler in NYC), and get a blow out or up-do –choose a look out of a magazine or a style you’d like to create yourself and use your appointment as a hair lesson. These stylists are so talented and it’s so beneficial to have them talk you through what Redken products are best for you–especially since their line is so large and can get very intimidating. I have greatly benefited from asking them questions about my locks and which products would work best for me, since often when reading product reviews or tutorials online we neglect the reality that we all have different hair and products may take to some of us more so than others. And with New Years around the corner there’s no time like the present to try something new. If you need some inspiration check out some of Redken’s featured looks and step by step tutorials available on Redken.com
Disclaimer: An invitation to this event we well as complimentary samples of Redken’s dominant products used in the Spring/Summer 2011 show were given to Pretty Connected in a gift bag after the presentation by a company representative. Pretty Connected was under no obligation to write this review.