The Life of a Hairstylist - Q & A with Marianne Parise & more....

To start off I am excited to share that I am currently booked on a movie which is going very well! One week down and I am super excited to be a part of it. I look forward to sharing details as I go along.... Now for the fun stuff.... For this round I wanted to do a Q & A with an incredible makeup artist and good friend Marianne Parise. I also asked Facebook if anyone had makeup and hair questions that they wanted answered. So here we go... Q: Favorite go to product A: Urban Decay Eye shadow Primer Q: Airbrush or regular old-fashioned foundation? A: Regular for most things. Airbrush for whole body makeup/characters. Airbrush just looks too plastic on faces. Especially with HD cameras. Q: Favorite makeup line? A: Gerda Spillman for foundation. Best I've found so far. Favorite full makeup line: Makeup Forever (love their HD powder!) They have a great variety of products but I like to mix it up and use products from multiple lines. Q: Favorite project you've worked on? A: A short student film called "Atascadero". I did A LOT of work on it, but had a great adventure Q: Any fun makeup tricks? A: use a clean makeup sponge like an eraser to remove eye makeup flaws and clean up edges of lips. Works like a charm. Blemishes-Before applying anything to your face make sure it's clean. If you have a reddish blemish put a few drops of Clear Eyes on it and give it a few minutes to absorb. This will ease the redness and inflammation a bit. Once it dries go ahead and apply moisturizer and give that a few minutes to absorb. Then either foundation or primer if you need it to last longer. Q: Do you prefer day makeup vs. night makeup? Or special effects? A: Tough question... FX. I feel like there is more creative freedom in creating characters and more challenge. With beauty makeup the biggest challenge is usually the client... Facebook Questions: Q: What's a good, polite, direct way to tell your hair dresses exactly the haircut you want without sounding too demanding and still ending up with the haircut you want. I'm always too scared to get my hair cut, and someone's too shy to speak up when the cut starts going in the wrong direction, then ending up with the cut I didn't want because I wasn't brave enough to say anything.... A: Great question! There are several ways to go about this but here is a good guideline to follow.... 1) You have to figure out the type of feel you are going for. Bring in pictures as examples and get into the specifics. Discuss the vibe you're going for. There are different kinds of long layers for example. They can be romantic or funky, or edgy. 2) Show, don't just explain. If you want the hair a certain length show them exactly where. For some reason, an inch seems to be different for everyone these days. Draw an imaginary line. The visual will be so helpful and might give them a better picture of exactly what you want. 3) Don't be afraid to be honest. As a hairstylist we don’t care how much you wash your hair, blow dry your hair etc..., just tell the truth. We can't help you with out honesty. The hairstylist really does need all the facts to be able to give you what you want in the way that can work for you and your lifestyle. 4) Ask about styling, especially if you're getting a brand new style. This can also help determine the type of cut and will help the stylist with a visual. Ask questions. 5) If you see the cut going in the wrong directions speak up! We need to know if you aren't happy. The kindest way is to be sweet but firm. "I don't mean to jump in but I can tell that I wasn't able to get my vision across." "I don't mean to butt in but can you explain your process? I don't think this is going the way I expect". Egos or not the beauty industry is a service industry. This is a service you are paying for. When you go out to eat and the food is cold or not what you expect you send it back right? Well this is very similar. Just stay calm and speak up. It doesn't help us if you freak out! Q: I am crafting a costume of Mary Todd Lincoln. The wig that I am using is beautiful but the fibers are so slick, I can't even keep it in a braid. Any ideas? A: Yes! A mattifying hairspray (non shiny) would be great. Another helpful hint would be a dry shampoo or texturizing spray. It should stop it from being so slick! Q: Any favorite hair products? A: Well that depends on what you're looking for but yes! Here are a couple of my faves: Unite 7 seconds leave in conditioner Prive product line as a whole is amazing White Sands beach spray Moroccan hair spray is light but workable Q: What is one good lesson you have learned since being a hair stylist? A: I have learned so many lessons but a good one is to always listen to you clients. When I say listen I mean listen to what they are asking for as well as the problems they love to tell. Don't give advice just maybe life experience. Also don't take things personally. Thank you for those of you who sent in questions! There were a few more and I will continue to get to them I promise! For more updates don't forget to check out my website: www.samrstyles.com Until next time....

The Life of a Hairstylist (Assistant No More)

What a crazy few months it has been since I last checked in! I had a conversation with a client a while back who said "even though I can't afford vacations I take them and then the opportunities present themselves". Why do I tell you this? Because I applied it to my life ever since. I decided to try this "positivity" thing everyone keeps telling me about and the doors that have opened up have blown me away! In the last few months I have been given opportunities I didn't think were possible along with some mini vacations I have really needed. I have worked more on set, more with some amazing people, headed to Newport for some R & R and Big Bear with some of the coolest people I know :) I know this may not seem like a big deal to most but let me tell you...for me THIS IS HUGE! I am the kind of girl who will shy away or turn things down out of fear and enough is enough! Now I throw myself in blind and figure whatever happens happens. So far so good! I have had some amazing opportunities I would love to share with you all. I received a call from my good friend Ryan Kwanten offering me a lead hair and makeup job on a top secret shoot. I have to say it was one of the most fun shoots with the coolest group of people I have worked with so far. This project, now known as 'Venom: Truth in Journalism", transports you back to the 80's through the eyes of Eddie Brock a.k.a Venom. It is based off of a comic book character and truly worth checking out! It was released at this years Comic Con and got the BEST reviews! it continues to build momentum and was a project I was incredibly grateful to be a part of! Joe Lynch, the director really knows how to have fun on set! He even had an 80's theme dress competition for the crew, sadly I did not win, which made the experience so much more fun :) We had such an adventure on set from filming in the heart of the grossest ally in downtown I have ever seen to an apartment that had nothing but clown shoes left behind in a closet. There is nothing more grounding then walking down an ally downtown to see nothing but pee, poop, needles and half naked homeless couple who I am almost positive were having sex in their cardboard home! Always an adventure on set! I have had the opportunity to work with some of Hollywoods finest and have met some incredible people. One of these people was Sir Anthony Hopkins who I had the pleasure of working with behind the scenes at the D23 Convention. For those of you who don't know what that is, like I didn't, it's Disney's version of Comic Con. I have done everything from making someone's hair look as though it was eating their face, A list celebrities on set to preparing some fine folks for awards shows. As days go on I am finding a place in the chaos. I am excited and feeling more positive every day that I am where I am supposed to be. I am so grateful for everyone who has been by my side day in and day out. Thank you for the support you have given me to keep going. I couldn't be where I am today with out you. Now that may all sound like an Academy Award speech but I am just prepping for my future ;) But seriously thank you. As one last piece of exciting news my website IS OFFICIALLY UP! Please feel free to check it out, see my progress, contact me for bookings and more. WWW.SAMRSTYLES.COM

Life Of A Hairstylist (assistant no more)- Who is the boss of your hair?

As I have been working at a blow dry bar, and freelancing as my own boss, I have come to realize there is one very important question in life….Who is the boss of your hair? I have clients sit in my chair daily. I have the clients that trust me to do my job, I have the clients that direct me as though they are the director of their own major film (It is LA right?), and I have the clients that are somewhere between the 2. There is almost always a patch, piece or portion of hair that people refer to as the “stubborn” piece. As a licensed stylist I fight these pieces over and over. I have learned to maneuver, bend, flat iron, curl and take hold of these stubborn pieces. The usual response when I am done is “Why can I never get my hair to look like this?”. The answer? I am trained to take hold of you hair and, excuse my French, make it my bitch. On that note…its all about learning how to work with what you got. Product, education and your “war weapons” (irons, blow dryers, etc…) are a good start to winning the battle. Lately I have been a fan of Moroccan Oil Hydration cream. It really seems to do the trick (only a small amount). I have also become a major, major fan of their brushes (which you can get on amazon). After applying a small amount of the hydration cream, and sectioning your hair get in there with a round brush. Make sure you use a lot of tension and always hit the hair from different angles. When you’re done blow drying you can always use a flat iron or curing iron to finish styling or help with the pesky pieces. The Moroccan finishing spray or hairspray is a really good light spray to use that is easy to brush out. Now it may seem like I am a Moroccan Oil spokes person in this blog, and although I love their products, there are plenty more that I use and will most likely bring up in another blog. Just remember when you are at home and battling, fighting or having and all out brawl with your hair that a small amount of product and a lot of tension can really go a long way. As a girl with incredibly curly natural hair I can personally say that when I do my own hair….well to be honest we don’t get along AT ALL. It’s never easy doing your own hair. It’s also never a bad thing to ask for help. After all… that is why there are professionals ☺ Stay tuned for more blogs coming soon and if you have any hair questions feel free to go to my facebook and email me directly! https://www.facebook.com/srstyles

The Life Of An Assistant (Hair Stylist)... Being Your Own Boss

Time for an update! Whew it's been a while and so many awesome things have happened.... The last post I made was a rather personal post. I had just started doing makeup a bit more. I went through my growing pains and I am coming up on the other side...and the other side is looking really good. As some of you know I took some time off from makeup and hair for a bit (I am back). I thought I was losing my passion for what I love so I took a step back. I found a job as a house manager for an actor, wife and 5 kids. It was an eye opener to say the least. They were a lovely family but I realized as I was working for them I was losing myself again. So I left and came back to what I know. As much of an adventure as that was, may I remind you they have 5 kids, I was ready to start being me again. This takes me to the past few months....I started working at one of those popular blow dry bars which has been a blast. I am able to keep working on what I love while also having the freedom to freelance and be my own boss for once. I have had the opportunity to do hair and make up for 2 interviews on Entertainment Tonight (Ron Howard and Brian Chesky CEO of Airbnb), I was able to do hair on an amazing shoot with the beautiful and awesome Alexis Knapp (Pitch Perfect), I have done makeup in several photo shoots and so much more. Another awesome moment was going to the premiere of the movie I worked on "Sexy, Evil, Genius" (see earlier blogs). It has officially been released and you can grab a copy on Amazon or Itunes. (wink, wink) If all of that isn't enough...I am working on joining the film and television hair union (should be happening shortly) AND my very first website will be up hopefully within the next week or so. After all these years of working for others (I still do part time) it's so nice being my own boss. It gets overwhelming and exhausting but it has been so rewarding. ************************************************************************************************************** Growing up as far back as I can remember I wanted to be a therapist but let's face it...I didn't have the energy or the focus to go through all the schooling that's required. One of the things I love about my job is I am constantly meeting new people. These people sit in my chair for about 45 minutes and divulge their deepest secrets. They feel comfortable talking to me about things they sometimes don't even tell their best friend. This can be awkward sometimes depending on the secret but every once in a while I get to share my experience, strength and hope with them. Its a little piece of bliss, comedy, and sometimes therapy for myself. I get to share moments with others without learning about them and their every move on facebook or instagram or some social networking site. How cool is that? Human to human interaction! It's something I find rare these days. I had this amazing client the other day. She was an older lady who really just made me rethink things. She shared with me that she was a grief counselor. She went into that profession after finding out her son was murdered while living in China (he was there teaching English and wanted to do so in several countries). Intense right? Well instead of building hate and anger this woman became a fighter. She is still fighting (almost 10 years later) to get to the truth of what happened to her only son. She spent her life teaching children in South Central and resembled those teachers you've seen in movies like "Dangerous Minds". A rare breed. She started a basketball league for these kids trying to keep them out of the 18th street gang and gained their trust. She was able to get all of the kids to a Laker game which was a dream for them. She did all of this and so much more. There was a sad beauty about this woman I couldn't shake for days. She had strength and courage. These are 2 things I fear I wouldn't have if I lost my only son. She gets up every morning to make the world better. She fights. She keeps going... The point of this story you ask? Well everyday I get to learn about life from some amazing (and maybe some not so amazing) people. It's a constant reminder to get up every morning and go after what I want, be who I want, fight for what I want and most of all enjoy doing what I want. I have been given the opportunity to listen...really listen. I may not always like what I hear but I sure as hell learn a LOT! I am grateful for that. I am blessed for that and every day I get to enjoy a tiny bit of bliss in those moments. On that note... I will post again as soon as my website is finished!!!! So until next time....