VAIN Blog

More VAIN stylist + staff picks for the best movie hair of all time.

VAIN downtown stylist Kelly’s favorite: Marie Antoinette.

VAIN downtown stylists Jake and Sharon (VAIN downtown) both said Shannon Sossamon in Rules of Attraction.

Last but not least for this post, VAIN dreads + braids expert TT’s pick: Diana Ross in Mahogany. This picture isn’t actually from the movie, but same era and what a 70s stunner:

Foxes on film! More best movie hair VAIN favorites to come.

We’ve taken an informal poll at VAIN, asking for staff + stylist picks for best movie hair of all time. Our first round of favorites as follows:

Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy- Scarlet (VAIN downtown stylist)

Anne Bancroft’s streaks in The Graduate- Jenny Slay (VAIN senior stylist, downtown + Ballard)

Tied with:

Mi Vida Loca big hair

And finally, a little Aqua Net to round out the first round:

Dolly Parton perfection in 9 to 5- Christine Cherbonnier, VAIN resident makeup artist

Got a favorite movie hairdo? Post your comments. More VAIN favorites later this week.

Dear Seattle:

I miss you! It’s kind of a hairspray convention here. Lovely locale but my jawbone-bob-peeking-out-of-a-black-beanie look doesn’t really work in the big hair 704. That’s the area code for Charlotte, btw, but don’t call- my hat and I will be back at VAIN by the time you read this.

Love,

Rebecca P.

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.

Last chance to win a free New Year’s Eve updo at VAIN downtown! Our random drawing happens this Saturday.

For your chance to win the best hair at whichever New Year’s Eve party you’re going to, send an e-mail to vain (at) vain (dot) com, subject line NYE Hair, with your name + phone number. Appointments are for style/updos only, at 5:00pm on Monday Dec 31st at VAIN downtown, and can’t be moved to another day or time. One e-mail per person only, please.

Stylists Kelly and Jake know a thing or two about good party hair.

That’s right! VAIN is giving away two free New Year’s Eve updos with VAIN superstylists Erika and Scarlet. Get your party hair on!

Send an e-mail to vain (at) vain (dot) com, subject line NYE Hair, with your name + phone number to win. Appointments are for style/updos only, at 5:00pm on Dec 31st at VAIN downtown, and can’t be moved to another day or time. One e-mail per person only, please; we’ll choose two winners at random next week!

Here’s to a great New Year and great hair to ring it in.

The Stranger’s annual holiday charity auction always looks good for good causes, and for the second year in a row VAIN is in on the action.

VAIN’s resident makeup artist Christine Cherbonnier did makeup for the issue, with VAIN stylists Carinn and Jake on hair duty. In the VAIN spirit of DIY, Carinn and Christine have shared some tips on how you can re-create the Strangercrombie cover looks at home. Leg warmers and hooked fish not included.

“The cover model is wearing seasonal silver glitter eyeliner by Nouba with my favorite lipgloss- #14- for a shimmery nude look, along with false lashes and our blackest black mascara. I used tinted moisturizer on her skin and loose magic powder (it’s called magic for a reason) for extra glow. I can’t stress enough how fabulous the seasonal glittter liner is- it stays put all day, is easy to wash off, and takes your makeup to a whole new level. Perfect for holiday parties. If you come by VAIN downtown you’ll catch me rockin it till we run out (it’s limited edition). I’m hooked!!”
-Christine

“For the cover model’s hair, I used Textureline Straight Spray on each curl before using a medium barrel curling iron. Then I smoothed any fuzzys with Pureology’s Nanoworks Shineluxe, and finished off the whole do with Workit hairspray by Tigi. I used Tigi’s Bed Head Stick on the male model to piece out and texture his wavy hair. Tip: be sure to use a cleansing shampoo after using wax products to help remove buildup.”
-Carinn

Visit vain.com for more info on Carinn and VAIN’s makeup services by Christine Cherbonnier, and be sure to check out Strangercrombie for more hair + makeup by the VAIN crew and one of The Stranger’s best auction item lineups ever.

Happy bidding, happy styling, and happy holidays!

Happy almost-Turkey day! The holidays are descending in full force, and I for one cannot wait for the celebrations that the season brings. I’ve got the perfect dress, and thanks to VAIN stylist Jenny Slay, the perfect hair style ideal. This time of year gives us the opportunity to go above and beyond if we so choose. My day to day style tends to be fairly simple - soft, undone waves with a little help from DevaCurl’s Set It Free spray.

Saturday Jenny did a style for a client that was straight out of 1962 - in the best of ways! A head full of curls was set with hairspray and then brushed and teased into the perfect coif. The client looked like a blond Jackie O, well-kempt glamour and all:

While not a look I could pull off daily, I cannot wait for cocktail parties and high heels to match this out of the ordinary hair. Whatever your standard styling is, I hope you get the chance to do something different this winter. And where ever you’re celebrating, with friends or family, eating Tofurkey or the real deal, I hope you have good hair to be thankful for.

-Sarah Jo

Hair report from NYC: a salon on every corner for all hours (pictured: awesome example on the Lower East Side) but surprisingly plain hair all around: pulled back, piled up, natural color, loose and lots of ponytails for the ladies. Go above the East 60s where the bottle blondes rule and it’s a whole other story, but still pretty tame stuff.

I heard a lot of reasons for the good-looking but decidedly un-fussy hair I saw while I was there: call it a trend, salons are too pricey, not enough time, why color my hair when I can buy a pair of boots?, etc. Not that it’s all like that: VAIN knows of a certain NYC hair salon that’s gone gangbusters and is putting out some of the best, creative hair that side of Seattle- Seagull Haircutters, run by none other than former VAIN hairstylist and force of nature Shaun “Surething” Cottle. For the past few years Shaun has been doing an amazing job of infusing his signature skills, vision, and style into every head of hair walking into his West Village salon’s door and the city is lucky to have him.

But for the most part, the fashion-forward looks in New York seemed to be much more about clothes than hair. It made me feel good to come home to all the hot pink dye jobs, razored-out styles and disconnected cuts here in the 206… even if they were on top of fleece and flannel and soaked by a little rain.

-Rebecca P.

Recently, I’ve had some clients bring in pictures and say “I know you probably hate when I bring in pictures, but…”.

Let me at least speak for myself, and likely the rest of Vain when I say this: I love it when a client brings in a picture. I’m not perfect, and when discussing a plan for your hair, sometimes words don’t explain it all. We as stylists always do our best to listen to what you want done with your hair, but it is possible to get words mixed up and misunderstand what you’re trying to convey to us as. So, if in doubt, please don’t ever feel bad about bringing in photos. Also, look at photos and find elements of what you like about a particular hairstyle. Not every picture has to be the exact style you’re looking for, but you may see various elements that you would like to have worked into your style. I know you don’t look like Jessica Alba or Pete Wentz. But, your hair can look like theirs.

–Jake