Wow...I Actually Get Hired To Do JUST Hair Sometimes!

Wow...what a turn around from a yr ago!  I remember one of my BIG New Year's Resolutions at the beginning of the year was to get better at hair...esp. Bridal Hair.  And you know what, I have - Big Time!  In fact not only have I gotten better at bridal hair.  I've gotten confident enough to do jobs where I'm ONLY doing hair...not makeup JUST HAIR!  In fact 3 of my bridal jobs this past season have been just hair and I imagine next year there will be more.  The truth is if a bride can only afford one and she has to choose between hair and makeup 9 times out of 10 she's going w/ hair...same goes for bridesmaids.  So why not cash in on that...I like money...I like paying my bills...I like eating (too much lol)...therefore I want to make myself the most marketable I can!

I have to admit a lot of the improvement comes from just being more confident and not freaking out but of course a lot of it is practice as well.  I have to give countless props to my friend makeup artist Ashley Readings who has helped me out a lot and given me a lot of tips and tricks that she's picked up on the job at Blo Salon.  Also, YouTube has helped me out a ton...I've even gotten some great ideas and  learned some great techniques and styles just off of reg. girls doing videos.  The bridal hair DVDs I got also have helped too!

One thing I have to admit though is I'm still not amazing at coming up w/ things on the fly like I am w/ makeup.  That's the one part I still get nervous about...that some bridesmaid is going to show me a picture and I'm going to go "Oh FUCK" (in my head of course).  Fortunately, that hasn't happened yet (knock on wood).  The truth is nowadays most Brides and Bridesmaids want very similiar things...loose soft curls or a lot want the really soft, romantic, bohemian, loose or unstructured updo or half updo styles that are really in right now.  Which is great b/c they don't have to be "perfect" like a lot of the old bridal style updos of the past.  Let me tell you I can do a really awesome unstructured side bun updo a la Taylor Swift or Lauren Conrad!

Another way I have made myself more marketable (and profitable) for hair is I can also make clip-in hair extensions for the bride or bridesmaids if they want.  I made the most beautiful extensions for my one bride Justyna this past Summer and they looked gorgeous in her hair and blended perfectly!  I actually took two colours and blended them together and it created the most gorgeous highlights and lowlights and really helped to blend everything together and make them really multidimensional. 

Another way I try to make myself more comfortable on the job is preparing before the job.  I ask the client for as much information as possible.  I always get pictures of the style the bride wants and I try to get pictures of the styles the bridesmaids want too if possible.  There is nothing wrong w/ asking for pictures beforehand so don't be afraid to ask!  It shows that you are on top of things and I find the client usually likes to have as many details in place beforehand too. I find that as long as I know or have an idea of what I'm doing beforehand I feel a lot more confident.  It's when I'm going in blind that I get a bit nervous. 

So yeah last weekend I actually did a wedding (yes ppl are still getting married in Canada in Dec!) where a bridemaid contacted me to do 3 bridesmaid's hair.  Oddly enough I didn't even really meet the bride.  She was in another hotel suite w/ her personal makeup & hair person.  I gave the bridesmaid my rate for the 3 girls and I actually didn't hear anything back for a bit but then I was contacted about 5 days before the wedding and I was still available so score for me!  I got pics of what the 3 girls wanted and the hair went great that day...esp. my signature side, unstructured updo I did on the one bridesmaid...everyone kept going on about that one!

Also, sidenote...they did hire a makeup artist (she was a friend of a friend).  It was actually kind of weird working a wedding where someone else was doing makeup.  Esp. when her style of work was SOOOO not my style...AT ALL!  They were happy enough w/ it but to be honest there were some things that made me cringe...and I don't just mean the technique...she didn't use disposable mascara wands, didn't clean brushes between girls (at least that I saw) and she undercharged.  In fact she did makeup for 4 girls and I did hair for 3 girls and I still made TWICE as much!

I've said it before and I'll say it again - DON'T UNDERCHARGE!  Seriously, it's too much work and stress to not get paid a decent rate for!

AND

PLEASE BE SANITARY...no one wants herpes or pink eye!