SPOTLIGHT: ABA 2012 Show // Redken Hair Model

today is Monday (October already!! geeeebus) and i haven't posted since last Wednesday - which i feel like has been forever!!! i have a ton of posts lined up but they have not been completed because i had a busy weekend.

let me tell you about my first ever experience as a hair model! caution: long post ahead!
i've seen ads online requesting hair models before and i've gone to a model call earlier in September but that did not work out. my hair was really long - about waist length - and i had a lot of it. cutting it always costs me a pretty penny so i figured why not get a free one? and by a recognized professional?

Friday, September 28 - Model Call
the ads for the ABA (Allied Beauty Association) show started popping up and i headed to the hair model call at the Delta Bow Valley Hotel at 6 pm. i was going to attend the model call for Matrix but got lured twice next door by Redken. since they were making the extra effort, i figured why not!

so i sat in and after introductions, we split up into different groups depending on how comfortable we were with color or cut changes. i sat in the "limited and restrictions" area. haha - i was scared! i did not know exactly what was expected yet so it was a safe choice.

the Redken artists started walking around the room and talking with individuals. they needed two types of models - presentation models and technique models. presentation models walk the stage before every segment as an indication that a new segment is starting so that the audience knows to get seated. technique models are those that would sit on a chair in front of the audience and have something done to their hair (cutting, coloring or finishing) by a Redken artist.
i hope no one quotes me on this just in case i am not 100% correct - it was a very exciting weekend and i am trying to remember the details! :)

anyway, i was selected to be a presentation model (they needed like 5) and i was a little frightened - walking the stage every segment meant more chances for me to mess up! however, that didn't work out since i was not free for one of the mornings they needed me for.

sooo in the end, i was selected to be a "finishing" model for Jorge Joao. i had not heard of him before but after this weekend, i found out that he is a Redken International Artist and his work is extremely impressive. it was also his birthday on Saturday!
at one point, the artists were going to use me for coloring too - there were suggestions of caramel colors or coppers, reds and purples. it was very intriguing since i had never dyed my hair before but it also didn't work out due to the same reason mentioned earlier.

so once selected to be a hair model, they arrange an appointment for the next day to prep the hair for the show. i was given baggies of hair products and a list of instructions to be completed that night.

missing the plastic containers for 3! and forgot to take this BEFORE i used it 

it was a bit of a long process since you had to wait for each product to soak in but my hair felt incredibly soft after.

Saturday, September 29 - Prep Day
my appointment was at 11 am at the BMO Centre which is where the ABA show was going to be held. Jorge cut my hair (a little above mid-back) and then his team (Christina and Lori) colored my hair. everyone needed to be colored - it is to ensure that my hair was all one shade. Lori suggested a few different shades - i picked "Burgundy Wine" from the Shades EQ book. it was a dark purple-y red (like its name). the second they started putting it all over my head, i started having second thoughts, thinking i should have stuck at least in the dark browns or maybe like a blue dark enough to be black. purple was not in my safe zone! and it was quite purple in the tub thing they used to mix the color. the color was also super shimmery - it looked gorgeous in the tub thing (proper term anyone?). i also did not expect it to actually smell good! i've helped a friend dye her hair before and it was hard to breathe but with the Redken stuff it was really nice! we let it sit on my head for 20 minutes before washing it out. it actually turned out much darker than i thought it would be. in the light, you can see it is slightly purple-y red... more red i think. sorry that the comparison isn't exactly useful since the lighting and angle is different.

before (artificial lighting) & after (natural lighting)

i was done by 2 but had to come back at 5 pm for a shoe fitting and rehearsal. shoe fitting!! yes!
Pascal & Jérémie Concept Inc. is a styling firm and there were a bunch of shoes laid out. these are the ones i got paired with:

Machi peep toe platform booties

aren't they hot?? quite high but i felt quite stable in them. we were then given a list of instructions for the show days - like what type/color of underwear to bring and that no nail polish was allowed.

we did a rehearsal where they showed us how to walk the stage.

we were done by 6 and from there i had to rush to my meeting with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - i volunteer with them every year and this was the night before run day! we had a meeting and then we started setting up for the next day.

Sunday, September 30 - Show Day 1 & Run Day
i had to be at Southcentre Mall for the CBCF Run for the Cure at 6 am. i was in bed at 1:30 am, got out of bed at 2:20 to pick my boyfriend up from downtown and then attempted sleeping again at 3:45. it was a very horrible night for sleep!! when i woke up, i was feeling cold and nauseous. bah!

once people started rolling in for registrations, donations and t-shirts, i felt better and time flew by quickly. it was quite busy but it was great seeing everyone dressed up in pink and excited for the run.
afterwards, back to the BMO Centre. i arrived at 1:45 pm, got my shoes and they also provided the wardrobe. yep!! even wardrobe!

and then to makeup - wow we are decked out! false eyelashes too! when i walked in, everyone was so glam-ified! seriously, the other models could have been in magazines.

i noticed the makeup team used a lot of MAC products but also some Urban Decay, Too Faced and NYX. from what i remember, she used a blend of NC20 and NC30 on my skin, Too Faced Shadow Insurance on my eyes and MAC gloss on my lips. my eyelids were very blue! i've never applied so much blue on my eyelids before.

the segment i was in started at 3:45 "Finishing in Style". Lori and Christina prepped me again - this time they had to make my hair more gritty and more voluminous. they used a ton of "Guts 10: Root Targeted Volume Spray Foam" and "Powder Grip 03: Mattifying Hair Powder". i had no idea what Jorge was going to do until i got on stage. i was extremely nervous!! i get tense when i know that people will be staring at me - i think this was also why it was so hard to sleep since i kept worrying. but once i sat down in the chair, i felt the nerves wash away and i was like, "i can do this!".

except i messed up my walk slightly. only slightly! at the center of the stage when we turn around to walk back, i was supposed to turn left but instead i turned right. oopsssssssssies! i am not sure who else noticed.

we (there are two artists on stage working on two models) walked back to this tier at the back of the stage where you pose - for "eye candy purposes". throughout the segment, they switch eye candy models often but maintain 3 on stage at one time. after my segment, we were then dismissed for a bit before the finale where all the models, artists and anyone else that helped out with the Redken show came out.

i had no idea what i looked like until i went behind the stage! many people said it looked awesome; someone mentioned that it looked very Star Wars-y.
and now i shall be brave and post a picture. here. on my blog. for the first time EVER. i don't even have a profile picture that should be on the right side of this blog. instead, i will show you how i looked all decked out with a fashion-forward hairdo. hahaha oh and i cannot take pictures of myself without making a funny face.

weird face; black wrap dress i was wearing

some of the hair models were actual models, some were photographers and some were brand new to the whole thing like me. quite exciting and scary at the same time!
everyone was there since 6 am so we were all exhausted. we changed and went home to prepare for another 6 am day. i had to wash my hair since i had so much "grip" in my hair and roots. removing my makeup took more effort than usual - it was so hard to get all the makeup off my lower lash line and those falsies!! the makeup artists used a black glue that feels like super glue. it took like 15 minutes for me to be able to peel it off safely.

eye makeup for day 1; day 2 (taken after show)

Monday, October 1 - Show Day 2
6 am - so very early - but i arrived even earlier than this since my dad had to be at work by 6. the morning was slow though. we were able to sit and eat breakfast which was delicious! for lunch we had pizza and we even had ice cream for snack!

mmm food

around 9, i had makeup and wardrobe done - i asked for a different dress cause i wanted something new. and for makeup, still blue but more subtle. i remember the makeup artist (a different one from day 1) using MAC Pinch o' Peach blush and another MAC gloss. i can't remember what kind of gel eyeliner was used but by the end of the day, it started to smudge.
i was just going to be an eye candy model all day so Lori did my hair. Christina and Michelle also helped - the braids looked very complicated. they spent a huge amount of time on my hair making the braids and the curls perfect. it looked fantastic! :)

i was able to catch a few of the products they used on my hair: "Fashion Work 12: Versatile Working Spray", "Forceful 23: Super Strength Finishing Spray", "Shine Flash 02: Glistening Mist", "Satinwear 02: Prepping Blow-Dry Lotion" and "Fabricate 03: Heat-Active Texturizer".

awesome hair; workin' it (or so i tried)

i went on the stage about 5 times. i go through a cycle of poses - i only know so many! i think i had like 6 different stances that i was comfortable maintaining my balance in. at one point, i was on the stage for so long that my feet had gone completely numb. standing for too long makes my feet slide to the front and my toes are crushed with the tiny little peep toe.

the finale was a little bit rough though - some of us left the stage too early. i was about to follow the leader until i was motioned to stay on but then i nearly wiped out when i stepped on a cord on the stage. made a recovery though! another model almost fell backwards off the stage. but no worries!! everyone was leaving by then so i don't think too many people saw our fumbles. we later came back on the stage to take group photos.

i found it a very fun day today - i felt like i got closer with a number of the other hair models; we snapped photos, laughed and exchanged contact info. i learned new terms, like "rouging" and how it is different from backcombing; and some tricks - like rubbing a tin can (of a hair product) on your flyaways after they have been hairsprayed.

top left to bottom right: Jorge, Christina, Lori, Michelle

we said goodbyes - it seems like i've known some of them for longer than a weekend! i wish i could've taken a look at all the other booths there - there was a ton of nail polish on sale! i spotted Essie and Zoya polishes for like $5!! gah...
oh well, got my Redken goodies bag! they gave me the Powder Grip! i do know how to use it! i also received the "All Soft Shampoo", "All Soft Conditioner" (softness for dry, brittle hair), "Wax Blast 10: High Impact Finishing Spray-Wax", and "Outshine 01: Anti-Frizz Polishing Milk".

thank you so much to the entire Redken team for the fantastic experience as well as the other models for being so friendly and fun. i'd love to come back again next year.

i don't have many photos - and none of the group ones - so once i get them, i could do a second post.
how was everyone else's weekend? :) thanks for reading!!