Shades of Vermillion

Melissa, this beautiful and fiery redhead, was also a part of our photoshoot. Jen decided to use our client Melissa as a model to showcase a gorgeous ginger. Her color is a mix of copper and gold tones that come together to create an extremely vibrant yet natural red.
As far as styling goes, Melissa's hair was washed and blown out with a large round brush. Her hair, when wet, was coated with Bumble and Bumble "defrizz" serum and tons of volumizer mousse by Wella at the root..it was then topped off with "Royal Blowout" by Oribe. As each section was dried, the "cool" shot on the blow dryer was used to set the hair. As Jen dried each section, she wrapped the hair in large velcro rollers and left it to set as she continued drying. She did this throughout the entire head.
Once all of Melissa's hair was set in rollers. she let the entire roller set cool. After cooling, the rollers are then removed and the hair/scalp is literally massaged to loosen the curls..we are guessing this was Melissa's favorite part!! After the tendrils are relaxed, MAJOR teasing begins. Melissa's entire head was backcombed to create huge and dramatic hair for the photos.
If you're liking this look, but would like a little less flair, try backcombing lightly around the temples and crown area only. Finish the style off with hairspray for extra hold, we used Bumble and Bumble "classic" hairspray. We were very happy with the way it turned out. Melissa was a perfect candidate for the shoot, redheads should always rock their color with confidence which is exactly what this chica does!!!

P.S. Check back for a Bumble and Bumble Giveway next Tuesday April 6th!!!

Color : Jennifer Phillips

Cut : Liana Phillips

Hair Styling: Jennifer Phillips

Wardrobe Styling: Hu's Shoes

Art in New York

On Monday we went to New York to visit the MOMA, we initially planned the trip to check out Tim Burton's exhibit. A few days before we headed up there Liana read an article in the New York Post about Marina Abramovic's exhibit that was also being displayed at the Moma. If anyone is in the New York area or is planning a trip up there we strongly suggest checking out both exhibits.

Some would say that Abramovic is strange, yet provocative, and there is no doubt that she pushes the envelope. A few pieces of the exhibit include, a table filled with multiple knives, a cupcake, whips, and other odd objects she allowed any member from a past performance art piece to use on her however they wanted. There is a human doorway with two naked people you are allowed to pass through,and a van she and her (former) partner Ulay lived in for two years while driving around in Europe.

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/965

The Tim Burton exhibit was packed! At times, it was a little unnerving, but expected. In the beginning of the exhibit, you enter through a room which resembles a haunted house, with striped black and white walls, and TV monitors lining the walls. They were showcasing a bunch of old cartoons Tim Burton did in his younger years, and your encouraged to move along quickly, so we didn't get a chance to watch it for long. There was tons of work from all of his films, including the Edward Scissor hands costume!!

We saw Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child in the Broadway musical "Chicago" as well, the talent of those ladies and gentlemen is incomprehensible, their bodies are flawless and they can do the splits like no other! We loved the play and that 8 dollars we spent on our 2- 16 oz bottles of deer park was worth every penny!

New York was a little soggy, due to the inclement weather. Along the way to NY Liana picked up a stomach virus so we didn't get nearly as much shopping done as we wanted .... Next month we are planning another trip focused on shopping and hair!

Coils and Coils and Coils OH MY!!

We did a photo shoot a few months ago at Urban with some colleagues and friends to spark some inspiration. For our first look, we decided to use some extensions to add a little drama and flare. Our good friend/client Jessica, who happens to be an award winning Karaoke champion was a perfect fit for what we were going for.

For anyone who has fallen in love with this look, here are a few pointers on how you can achieve it, at home:

Jessica's hair was clean and dry. We took a radial (ear to ear) parting, dividing her hair in half. Each section was then slicked back into a pony, brushed firmly using a Denman flat brush. "Rock Hard Gel" was the

essential glue for this look, thanks to our friends at Oribe for creating this brilliantly strong product!

After each pony was fastened, we curled her hair with a 1" curling iron, adding a few curled hair extensions creating a "ball" of hair. We added the hair extensions to add density and volume. Finally, we spliced (split and sliced) each curl, one by one, teasing each curl with our fingers. The more you tease and splice, the bigger and more dramatic your "hair balls" will get :) We finished it off with "Classic Hair Spray" by bumble and bumble. We used a ton!!

Haircolor by Jen Phillips

Haircut by Liana Phillips

HairStyling by Liana Phillips

Styling by Hu's Shoes

Happy Beginnings

Welcome to our blog!!

We are Jen and Liana, two DC resident hair stylists, located in the heart of bustling Dupont Circle where the trends of this city are originated. Our home for hair is Urban Style Lab, a laid back, yet fashion forward salon. We have been working as a team to create individual looks for everyone that sit down in our chairs.

After years of sharing clients, we have decided to develop this blog to showcase our talent, educate our followers, and consistently inspire fellow lovers of beauty. We intend for this to give credit to the amazing women we have the pleasure of working on.

Please check back for enticing new updates of our own personal hair adventure!

Ciao!

Jen and Liana