My Muses. By Timothy Stilson. I Love Hair!

Each year, I look back at the one before and consider the changes that have happened in my life.  One thing that has remained constant is my reverence of the arts.

I grew up with a mother who went to college graduating with a fine arts degree.  She later went on to teach at an elementary school, a humble, but important job, in my eyes.

My father has always been a natural with creativity as well.  He has done everything from woodwork, constructing rocking horses, skateboards and marionettes, to making jewelry and leatherwork.  For a short while he had a tee-pee he had made erected in the back yard.

Even my mother’s brother is gifted, leaning toward graphic design, drawing ship and building designs, as well as painting wall murals and posters for town events.

All of this has influenced me.

I find now that I’m at a sort of impasse.  I play piano, I paint and draw, I am a photographer, I love acting and singing.  Where do I go?

Is it possible to encompass all of these things into my life and live successfully?  Do I choose one over the others, or can I somehow manage all of these passions?

Art is so important for humanity.  It’s expressive and it’s spiritual release.  Without it, I feel we would be lifeless and robotic.

When you wake up, what’s the first thing you do?  I think of art.  I think of colors and music and costumes.

I may be making non-committal decisions right now, but I see myself one day making art in one form or another…  Or many.  Can that day come now?

To book a hair appointment or a complimentary consultation, contact Cristiano Cora @ 212-414-1333.  I Love Hair!

Shiaparelli & Prada! By Roger Garcia. I Love Hair!

On Sunday it was my great pleasure of heading to the Met to view the Met’s 2012 Costume Institution exhibit.  Since this was the last day the Shiaparelli & Prada: Impossible Conversations’ was going to be on display the space was jam packed, but the excitement of the overall display was still pretty evident, regardless of it being on display since May 2012.

In my opinion the whole exhibit was completed with the same level of taste the both designers exude.  Upon entering you walk into a literal conversation between the two artists’.  Sitting opposite of each other on gorgeous golden clad table with matching grand chairs, the artists sipped champagne.

There were seven themed galleries ( “Waist Up/Waist Down,” “Ugly Chic,” “Hard Chic,” “Naïf Chic,” “The Classical Body,” “The Exotic Body,” and “The Surreal Body”) which covered what I thought were significant milestones in both artists careers.  All the while being honored to listen to these amazing women speak about inspiration, motivation, and the immense need to provide women with power through wearing their amazing creations.

I was so delighted to see the great high light on many of the pieces that Dali had collaborated of with Schiaparelli.  Below are some amazing snapshots of some of my favorite looks.  Also pay great attention to the   mannequin head treatments and masks which were designed by Guido Palau.

To book a hair appointment or complimentary consultation, contact Cristiano Cora Studio @ 212-414-1333.  I Love Hair!

Hair. By Roger Garcia. I Love Hair!

I have to admit that sometimes if not frequently I sit and really am amazed by the effects that great hairstyling actually has on one’s overall appearance.  It’s not very often that a woman looks in the mirror and feels a slight bit of boredom.  But when it does happen, the first thought always seems to be to changing her look.  What follows are some quick and painless tips to subtly transforming your hair with one visit.

The first would have to be the sun kissed highlight, not to be confused with any other highlighting.  Due to the fact that it takes your existent natural base and through careful placement and paper-thin weaving, lightens your hair subtly but immediately adds great depth and dimension.  When done properly the results will immediately brighten the perimeter of your face.  If you are adamant about hi lighting because of fear of then having to make frequent visits to the salon, don’t be.  Because they are done very thinly and only meant to be lightened a couple of shades lighter than your natural base, the result will look natural and a heavy line of demarcation will be non-existent.

If you have short hair, I would recommend thinking about maybe going in more of a shattered layer direction.  Implementing these types of layers on your hair will add a lot more body and natural texture to the hair without having to over product.  For a little boost of confidence do just that, boost your root with a natural root lifting product before you blow dry.  Doing this will automatically change the overall shape of your face and immediately give you results.

The last and probably my favorite would be SHINE.  After a while the hair tends to lose some of its natural shine due to chemical processes, using many hot tools, and damaging weather conditions.  Doing an in salon shine Treatment can instantly give your hair that necessary shine you’ve been lacking.  And if you want to continue the treatments at home afterwards we’ve made it very easy to do with the extended take home treatments which will only require yourself and a wide tooth come in shower for no more than 10 minutes.  Using these treatments will instantly gloss whatever shade you feel like rocking at the moment and will definitely give you a more polished overall look.

To book an appointment or complimentary consultation, call Cristiano Cora Studio @ 212-414-1333.  I Love Hair!

 

More Than Just A Pretty Face. By Arleen Quinones. I Love Hair!

The concept of “pretty” has an interesting role in society today.  When given a choice, almost all of us would entirely prefer a pretty option over an ugly one.  We would rather drive a pretty car and live in a pretty house.  Beauty products have a huge market and advertising agencies have been throwing pretty things our way for quite some time now.  Clearly we place some level of value on something being pretty.  But attraction is certainly not a trump card in our decision process for buying products of using a service.

Therefore quality matters as well, especially when it comes to using products for our skin and hair.  Working in the beauty industry for over 15 years I have learned that it’s not just about the “pretty” presentation.  We have to educate ourselves about the products and their content, and sometimes not just invest a lot of money in just the look because of advertisements out there.  Ultimately, it’s when we buy products or use services not only based on the “pretty factor” or look, but the quality as well that matters.