Arriving in Vegas Saturday night, it was straight to the Hard Rock Hotel and then off to LAX at the Luxor for an opening get together party. Through the crowd and up the stairs, music blasting and dancing the whole way, we made our way to the VIP area. I could instantly tell we were in the right place! Fabulous hair, stunning makeup, tattoos, eclectic outfits, drinks and cigarettes… yep, these are my people!! Even though I was screaming "WHAT" the whole time, I was able to meet and connect with most of the amazing people we were to share this experience with. Even better about meeting all of these people, was being able to share our most favorite products, experiences and loves of and for our industry! (It was also great people watching! Believe me when I say no one knows how to express their individualism more than a hair dresser)!
Sunday began at the Rehab pool party where we hung out at the SKYBAR, a second floor 'VIP' pool. Again, there was a fantastic mix of people from all over the country and some even the world. The atmosphere provided heart pounding music, great people watching and oversized chez lounges. There was a pool with clear acrylic cut outs in the bottom and the end of the pool had a clear acrylic wall over looking the Rehab party below. It truly was a day of dancing and fun in the sun. We even rented a hooka while lounging around with our newly made friends! I mean, after all, it is Vegas! Mean while, as we are partying away, Deb and Paco were in an owners forum where they shared stories and advice with other salon owners about how to grow and develop their business. In addition there were multiple speakers who had come out to amp up the owners and bring a new light to running a salon. Everything was covered from how to create the perfect environment geared towards your salons specific clientele to running promos and of course financial management. After all, this is the time to build economic sustainability within our business, owners and stylists alike.
Later that night we head downstairs to the Muse Hall where we were greeted by smiling faces and a professional photographer as we walked through the doors. Inside there was a full open bar to get us started, along with a wide array of snacks from popcorn to french fries. You could also find awesome memorabilia from the show and some awesome new products at the Oribe pro shop. I bought Gun Metal Color Creme. A magical concoction of silver creme and metallics to take your doo to the next level! After finding our seats at a table right in front of the stage, we settled in with much anticipation. The lights dimmed and the music came on (and with a great video to match)…. 'What's new pussy cat… Woooah wooah'…. This was to be the theme of our evening and our hands on experience the day to follow. The curtains opened with lights flashing and waiting on stage were three 'pussy cats' and then out came Oribe! Everyone cheered with excitement! Here he was the man that we all had been waiting to see. What followed was a MIND BLOWING show that showcased some of his best and most creative looks. We were presented with everything from classic sets to black light painting. Turbans to jelly fish and even a leopard print wig (which I wound up purchasing). Finally an outfit completely made of white tool and one of HAIR! Hands down my favorite part of the show was the jelly fish. Not sure if it was due in part to the prior cocktails or just the shear beauty of it, but I was literally moved to tears. When the show closed and after receiving a standing ovation, we made our way over to the Vanity Night Club, where we all shared in celebration with a complimentary glass of champagne!
Monday was here! It was the BIG day! TODAY WAS THE HANDS ON EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME! Here we all are. Deb, Paco, Christopher, Lauren and Becky were observing and Tania and Myself were both Artistic Directors. As we were getting introduced to our models, Oribe was on stage giving us a great pep talk before we all got started. First there was a quick set up of our tools and a demo. We were going to recreate the Vidal Sassoon classic 5 point cut, but with TWENTY!! We began by doing a wig wrap and placing a wig cap on our model. Then went on the jet black asymmetrical bob. Next was the fun part, with no sectioning allowed, we began cutting as many points as we could into the wig. As we were nearing the end, Oribe stood up on stage and yelled, "I WANT TO SEE THE TOPS OF THE EARS! THEY'RE SEXY! MAKE IT SHORTER", and off we went! By the time we had finished cutting our wigs we were left with a super modern, tapered, infinite point pixie cut. Next we pulled out a clip on pony tail, which completely amused me. We were to attach it to the top of the wig and then cut it shorter to blend the two pieces together. As Oribe said, "Vidal Sassoon took the volume out and we are going to put it back in"! We were going for the feel of the 'Artichoke' style. Originally debuted by Mastey in Paris in 1958 and then made famous by Elizabeth Taylor in the early 1960's. The look was completed by doing our models makeup (which was provided) and tying a sheer yellow ribbon into the hair. Using our black rubber capes, we created an outfit or accessory with a unique and vintage feel before it was off to an on site professional photog, who snapped a picture of our models as we finished.
Here came the most exciting and creative part, in my opinion. On our stations, which Oribe reminded us to keep "clear and organized", was a tub of White Rock Hard Gel. Before we got started he yelled into his microphone, "PRETEND TABATHA IS COMING DOWN THE HALLWAY, RIGHT NOW! SHE'S COMING TO CHECK YOUR WORK STATIONS"! In reality, he wanted us to be able to see our inspirations, which were printed on table length paper runners. As he began his demonstration he explained that true inspiration for this look came from all of the controversy surrounding the 'end of the world' and this was to be the creation of a 'New Race'. We were creating an alien-esque feel by pulling through, and completely covering the models heads with our sticky white gel substance. It was an anything goes kind of application. The more we could add to the hair the better. The stranger the shape the better the result. Remember, this is a whole new breed of people we were creating. By the time we had put as much of the gel into the hair as possible, it was our turn to play with the white tulle. There was an infinite amount of possibilities for placement. I attempted to weave mine into the hair while others were using it for everything from full on outfits reminiscent of a bridal gown to collar pieces and head dresses that would have fit in perfectly at the Royal Wedding. Finishing our final look we placed clear skin toned masks over the models face. The idea was to give the illusion that they all had this flawless almost botoxed skin. Everyone looked alike, but not one was the same.
Wrapping our amazing weekend was a showcase fashion show put on by all 100 something models that we had completely transformed from start to finish, head to toe. Our Becky was even pulled aside to be used as a model for the final, futuristic look. It was her first time ever modeling as well as being on stage. Needless to say she was nervous but she totally rocked it and blended in seamlessly with all of the other models. After the last model had exited the stage and the runway was over, Oribe came out for a few closing words and of course to honor Judy, his amazing and long time… sure to be LIFETIME assistant!
He was greeted by a roar of cheers and I love you's followed again by a standing ovation before walking through the crowd followed by a spot light, cigarette in hand. A predictable exit for the man himself but none the less a memorable one. As the spot light fades and he disappears into the dark, we all start to make our way back to the lobby. To everyone's excitement, there he was, posing for pictures after almost a week in Vegas, smile one his face and not one complaint. A humble man to say the least. The night ended with a cocktail party, (what else?), to say farewells to all of our new friends. Some of whom I felt I had known forever and others I was just meeting for the first time, sharing our favorite parts of the weekend and then saying a quick "Hi" and "Bye" with a friendly chuckle.
To say the least, I came home with inspiration BEYOND inspiration, if that is even possible. I had pushed myself to go outside of the box, both as a stylist and in myself as an individual. I built friendships for a lifetime and memories that are sure to last even longer. There is a whole new perspective that has been brought to my world and I'm going to inject it into every nook and cranny I can find. This includes recreating my experience, both physically and in words, with everyone of you! To bring my passion and love and inject it into anyone who wants to share in the joy that is our career, a beauty professional. As Oribe said himself, "There is a pussy cat in all of us, you just have to let it out!" MEOW!
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