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| This is my "before picture," and since before pictures are supposed to be bad, I thought I'd try to go for the Celebrity Mugshot Look. After a couple visits to Shades, an all-natural salon on Doheny, the colorists had managed to lift some of the henna out of my hair, but it left the hair looking and feeling very dry. The strawberry shade looked very dull and blonde in person, but crazy bright red on camera, so it wasn't really working for me. People kept commenting on my skin's redness, which I was fairly certain was a result of the color. I was so despondent about my hair color, I even wore wigs around the house while I was cleaning (wisely, I avoided taking photos of this). There is nothing as tragic as a Leo whose mane of hair just isn't right! The only thing I like about this picture is my leopard-print caftan, which I call my "cat outfit." It's a genuine vintage piece of 70's nostalgia for me and I spend way too much time lounging around in it. It's heaven! |
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| Enter Mario Llamas to the rescue! He should be flying into my house with a cape waving behind him. I've come to think of Mario as the Hair and Makeup God. He's so talented in both (usually an artist is only really good at one), and I've had such a great time working with him on fashion and headshot shoots. When I found out he makes house calls to do haircuts and color, I was so excited. I was thrilled I could relax at home, listen to jazz, and get gorgeous! I also love Mario's prices. He charges $35 for haircuts, $55 for haircuts that include a blowout, $55 for color touch-ups, and $95 for first-time all-over color. |
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| Some of you already know that I've been wanting to try going darker, which I've never really done before, and luckily Mario was willing to take the plunge with me, and I could rest knowing I was in great hands. Here is Mario painting the color into my hair. It's a dark brown dye, but it went on looking very intense true blue-black, so I was a little scared! I breathed and thought of puppies and kitties.... |
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| Here's Mario doing the haircut and blowout. Mario is a true master of the blowout, which I've learned is an art form in itself. When Mario isn't doing makeup for weddings all over Southern California, or making house calls to do cut and color, you can find him at Myblow LA on Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills doing glamorous blowouts. Since I wasn't facing any mirrors, I couldn't wait to see what my hair looked like! |
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| Close-ups of me with my new color and cut. I added a little bit of light makeup: a rosy blush by Tarte called "blissful," a deep hydrating lip gloss by Aveda called "star dahlia," and a touch of black mascara by Lush (all eco-friendly brands that I love -- not only are the colors beautiful, but they avoid toxic chemicals and animal testing). As you can see, Mario gave me a great new cut with lots of layers and some light side bangs. It made my hair look longer and fuller, even though he actually cut off a lot of length. I want to thank Colleen Kelly for her ideas about the layers and the side bangs. Not only are you a great producer Colleen, you also know your haircuts! |
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| My before and after photos. Mario really is THE Makeover Man! If my photos have inspired you to try out a fun new look of your own, you can schedule your own Mario Makeover. You can reach Mario to make an appointment at the email address makeoverbymario@gmail.com or ask me for his contact info. I was really scared of doing dark, hating the color, and not being able to change it, but now I am in love with my new color and so glad I took the plunge! I want to thank all my amazing friends for all your thoughts and advice about my hair. So, what do you all of guys think? I can't wait to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to comment below on my new look! |
