John Sahag Hair Makeovers: Dana

Introduction

Many people feel the need for a little help creating the perfect hair and makeup. With good cause.

A professional hairdresser or colorist will have absolutely no sentimental or emotional reasons to encourage an attachment to an outdated hair style, faded brassy color or raggedy ends.

Master makeover experts provide objective opinions through a pair of fresh eyes. An analysis of your face shape, skin and eye tones along with your hair texture, condition and type instantly determines how to make your best features dazzle.

Spectacular results occur when an entire makeover team of seasoned hairdressers, colorists and make-up mavens collaborate for a unified and customized final look.

When a hair color and makeup is harmonized with a new hair cut and style that is designed to enhance your natural beauty while addressing your lifestyle, budget and personal desires you can achieve the appearance of your dreams .

For many people the concept of a hair makeover conjures up images of major color or cuts. This is usually not the case.

The very best makeovers utilize a skilled professional team crafting a dramatic difference by simply working with the existing hues and styles while bumping them up a little.

By studying face shape, skin tone and other features, a skilled hair master can make a few tweaks that result in maximum benefits with minimal change.

Before

The team of John Sahag professional hair, color and makeup experts partnered with Multi Media Magazine (MMI) to transform lucky winners of a recent MMI Model Makeover Contest.

Model Dana (shown above & throughout this piece) visited the world renowned John Sahag Workshop, NYC (212-750-7772) as one of the finalists in the Makeover Contest.

Note: Visit John Sahag on the web at: www.johnsahagworkshop.com.

The professional makeover provided by The John Sahag Workshop Team was designed to enhance, rather than dramatically alter, her existing look.

The Makeover

The Cut

Master stylist Jutta Weiss is all about versatility and balancing proportions. She started Dana's make over process by first straightening her existing hair to truly understand it's "shape" potential. She also studied Dana's face shape in conjunction with her natural hair for style inspiration.

Jutta determined that Dana had a square face shape with a slightly rounded chin. Dana's natural hair was straight and had a normal to fine texture.

Jutta's conclusion?

Dana's current haircut was cut "too round and blunt" for Dana's face shape.

Jutta is all about versatility and balancing proportion and completely enhancing the existing hair with simple cutting.

Following her famous cutting philosophy Jutta decided to build from Dana's existing short cut by carving in a fine spider web of multi-length layers around the crown and extending down to the perimeter of the style.

By expertly utilizing the world famous Sahag dry cut methodology Jutta painstakingly sectioned, cut and carved a series of shapes into Dana's hair, moving in and out between the strands carefully creating natural soft movement and flow.

The focus on the retooled style was a finely layered shape where one had not previously existed. Jutta also created lots of movement and natural balance.

The finished style was a unique work of hair art custom crafted for Dana which she could ultimately wear in any way she desired.

When Jutta was finished, Dana's strands fell perfectly into place. The adjusted cut added instant softness to Dana's face shape providing a more balanced form.

The Color

Dana's pre-makeover hue was a dirty blonde hue which was definitely way too dark for Dana's eye and skin tones.

The current blonde hue directed a series of subtle shadows across Dana's face creating a hint of under eye circles.

John Sahag master colorists Santino Acquista & Frank Reina makeover plan was to punch up Dana's dirty blonde hue to a very light blonde base in order to remove all hints of dark shadows as well as showcase up her eye and skin tones.

After lightening Dana's base to the desired lighter blonde, Santino and Frank carefully hand painted alternating ribbons of lighter vanilla blonde highlights and medium golden lowlights designed to work in harmony with the newly sculpted hair cut while adding dimension and contrast.

The Styling

After precision processing time Dana's foils were removed and her hair was shampooed.

The results were spectacular. The final base color was a luscious creamy light blonde infused with a subtle rainbow of burnt sugar and golden butterscotch inspired tones.

Carefully placed golden lowlights radiated from the perimeter of the style while soft vanilla inspired highlights fanned out as subtle splashes of light around the hairline and at the crown.

To protect the delicate new hues, John Sahag Clean For Chemically Altered Hair - a color maintenance shampoo - was used on Dana's hair followed by use of the John Sahag Clean Conditioning rinse for her naturally coarse tresses.

Dana's hair was towel dried. The John Sahag Zero Weight Sculpting Lotion designed to apply lots of great control was applied very liberally along the roots and then worked into the strands down to the ends to help build in lots of texture without weighing the tresses down.

The John Sahag Air Lift Drops designed to apply lots of great volume was applied very liberally along the roots to build in gorgeous volume around the crown.

John Sahag Air Lift Drop can be used on a myriad of styles from soft and sleek to wild, extreme and edgy.

Once the two styling and shaping products were distributed throughout Dana's hair Jutta separated her hair into smaller sections.

Using a round boar's bristle style brush and a blow dryer with a concentrator, Jutta blow dried Dana's hair, starting at the back of the head while directing the air flow down the shaft from the roots to the ends building in lots of major fullness and movement.

The Finishing Touches

Once Dana's hair was completely dry Jutta used a brush to slightly backcomb the crown area to add lots of sassy fullness.

Creating a side part she directed a soft sweep of hair over to one side of the crown.

Jutta also directed a section of hair down and over the top of one side of Dana's forehead.

The side swept strands barely brushed the corner of one of Dana's eye creating a very seductive look.

Jutta used a hot iron to spot smooth the fringe.

She pulled individual pieces along the nape and sides and finger picked the style until it was a cap of sleek and shimmering strands.

The Make-Up

Makeup artist Phyllis Talley evaluated Dana's skin and eye tone along with her face shape and stunning new hair hue to craft a major makeup design.

She created an instant face dazzling transformation with an eyebrow shaping that eliminated heavy brows. Flora also lighted the brows slightly to show case Dana's gorgeous big brown eyes.

After

As Jutta so astutely noted, there is no other way to cut hair (than with the John Sahag Dry Cut Method).

Indeed, as she noted "the results are endless" and in the case of Dana, quite spectacular.

Starting with Dana's existing hairstyle and cut, Jutta performed her dry cutting art of hairstyling to stunning perfection.

Blending a new lighter blonde base with splashes of lighter and darker accent colors added the crowning touch.

Without major or traumatic makeover alterations Dana looked fabulously chic. She radiated a cool confidence.

As Jutta pointed out "what could be more rewarding than to help transform a person's image and visual identity?" Indeed.

Summary

To Schedule Your Own Makeovers

If you love Dana's makeover and would love to experience your own personal transformation, call the John Sahag Workshop in New York City for an appointment (212-750-7772). The John Sahag Workshop is located at 425 Madison Avenue #2, New York, NY. 10017

More About John Sahag Workshop

The late John Sahag (2005) was an Internationally known and beloved hair artist for more than 30 years starting his career at the tender age of 16. John was renowned for his "dry cut" which today is used by many hairdressers around the world.

In 1985 John opened The John Sahag Workshop in New York City with the purpose of "creating an oasis away from the frenetic pace of New York life". His goal was to erase the "edginess" of urban living and to revive the energy of every man and woman entering into his Workshop space.

The ultimate goal of The John Sahag Workshop which still exists in the present time is to make sure that every person who leaves the salon is enhanced, refreshed and invigorated.

Although the great hairdresser has passed on, his vision and work are still practiced today by those great hairdressers that are still involved with the John Sahag Workshop.

Sahag took pride in his work and all those that worked for him. Affectionately calling his colleagues "his kids" he created a masterful team of experts including resident stylist Gabriel Saba, Karmela Lozina, Jutta Honda, Rafael Garcia, Daniel Garza and Thomas Clancy as well as colorists Frank Reina and Santino N. Acquista. They continue John's legacy every day.

Each client is treated individually and as unique as a fingerprint.

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