VAIN Blog

Commercially generated holiday or no, Valentine’s Day is in the air. How better to celebrate than perfect romantic curls?

Josephine came into VAIN Ballard to meet Alexis, and it was love at first snip. Rejuvenated curls with a soft, easy, touchable hold. With a little help from Deva Curl products and Bed Head’s Hook Up mousse wax, Alexis shapes cupid-approved locks.

For being our gorgeous Hot Hair! model, Josephine gets our undying VAIN gratitude and all the love in our ♥. To schedule with Alexis, or any of our curly-haired specialists, give us a call at 206.706.2707 (Ballard) or 206.441.3441 (Downtown). Happy Hallmark holidays to all!

xo,

Sarah Jo

We’ve been enjoying some unusually sunny weather here in Seattle this week, but behind every bright n’ dry day in the 206 there are about a dozen dark and rainy ones. And you know what those can do to a hairdo. So! VAIN staff and stylists to the rescue with tips on how to fight the frizz:

VAIN downtown stylist Janae recommends a light pomade like the Soft Wax by Spice. It starts off with a soft, creamy feel but it keeps hair in place once it dries.

For clients with curly hair, downtown curl queen Liza recommends the Deva Curl line for rainy days and every day. Mist-er Right helps revitalize and refresh weathered hair and/or hat head, and Set It Free spray is a 24-hour moisture lock that adds shine and can be used on all hair types to eliminate frizz.

TT recommends the Davines Invisible Honey Gel for her VAIN downtown clients along with the Deva Curl Set It free to keep naturally textured hair soft throughout the rainy days.

VAIN Ballard pioneer and in-house photog extraordinaire Sarah offers this great and relatable tip: “My own trick is to do a simple french twist updo, but a little bit “undone,” with my bangs pulled back into a faux pompadour. It takes about 5 minutes total, and I always get compliments on it. Usually it’s just hiding a truly disasterous hair day underneath.”

Downtown super-stylist Sharon recommends Ringlet by Redken to her curly-haired clients for a weightless feel and to eliminate frizz. For an on-the-go product, Sharon likes Hemp Texturizing Glaze by Alterna to carry with you and use on damp hair when you come in from out of the rain.

We also got several votes for the great hats we have at both VAIN locations, a couple of “just cut it all off!”s, lots of encouragement to not fight it and just embrace more natural texture, and a classic quote from our ultra-stylish and ever-coiffed VAIN downtown salon assistant Frenchii:

“Lots and lots of Sebastian Mega Shaper hairspray mixed w/ any shine spray. I use pureology shine spray for the hive and the bangs. It gives me a sleek, won’t budge for nothing hair do, then S Factor smoothing lusterizer for the rest…gives dark hair the prettiest my little pony sparkles and tames tangles. And I always wrap my hair in a silk scarf before I go to bed.“

Image: Instyle.com

It’s no secret that we’re big America’s Next Top Model fans here at VAIN (note to producers: let VAIN do the next cycle’s makeovers! Bowl cuts a makeover do not make). We also have clients ask our hairstylists for celebrity do’s all the time (VAIN downtown stylist Jake wrote a great post about it a while back). So when we stumbled upon InStyle.com’s online Hollywood Hair Makeover Tool, we found ourselves lost in love: with a few clicks you can try celebrity hairstyles on a face shape that most closely matches yours, or if you’ve got way too much time on your hands, upload a picture of yourself to see how you’d look with Reese’s bangs, Gisele’s waves, Rihanna’s bob, Eva’s updo, or Tyra’s giant head of awesome helmet hair. The results tend to be more entertaining than realistic, but they still give you a ballpark idea. My personal favorite? Me as Mary J. No more drama!

Seriously- the tool has so many celebrity styles to choose from that you might not be able to stop trying them on. And searching by celebrity name or hairstyle? Over a dozen shades of hair color? The ability to e-mail your personalized Hollywood hairdo picture to friends and loved ones? Too much!

This is a guilty hair pleasure for sure, but in the spirit of exploring new looks, why not check it out. You might find a hairstyle or color that you hadn’t thought of for yourself before and could make your own. At the very least, you’ll get a good laugh.

Enough blogging. I’m going to go see how I look as Teri Hatcher.

-Rebecca P.

Just when we thought the hair coming out of VAIN couldn’t get any hotter, along came Kayleigh R. and her fashion-forward, multi-layered, 80’s glam rock-inspired ‘do. The result? A little Benetar, a little Bowie, and a little Britny Fox mixed in. Girlschool!

Stylist: Bijou (VAIN dowtown)
Client: Kayleigh R.
Inspiration: 80’s rock n’ roll

My, who works the VAIN downtown front desk and took these shots outside the salon, put it best: “Bijou’s skills and 80’s rock style: a match made in heaven.”

Lighters up for hot hair and heavenly matches. Thanks, Bijou and Kayleigh R.!

Gold hoops, glittering rhinestones, and more - now 25% off at VAIN Ballard! Holiday parties may be past us, but pretty accessories never go out of style.

The works of Julia Garrels, however, will be available at the normal price for just one more week. As the 29th of December and the close of her show approached, we realized we couldn’t bear to part with the pieces just yet. Come see them while you can!

Our sale lasts while the jewelry does, but undoubtedly items like the Bueno Style vintage restylings won’t last long. Come see us soon for unique shopping or your next service!

xo,

Sarah Jo + VAIN Ballard

Every Saturday in January, VAIN’s resident makeup artist Christine Cherbonnier will be offering free, private 30-minute makeup lessons at VAIN downtown (a $40 value!). You’ll get your makeup done and leave with a full face chart and instructions on how to re-create your ideal makeup look at home.

If you’ve ever wanted to self-apply a smokey eye, experiment with a bold lip color or just want to switch up your daily makeup routine, Christine can show you how to look great in ‘08 with her expert application tips.

Free January makeup lessons are by appointment only; call VAIN downtown at 206.441.3441 to book yours!