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Victor Paul – Artist Spotlight

The go-to hair and makeup guy for Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County, Victor Paul, has over two and a half decades of experience making women look beautiful. Now, he’s co-owner of Victor Paul Salon in Costa Mesa, California, where he specializes in hair styling and color for the women (and yes, even the men) of the O.C. Believing hair and makeup to be a highly expressive medium, Victor Paul has a wide spectrum of creative and technical abilities that has afforded him with many exciting and vast opportunities. In addition to working behind the chair at his namesake salon, he is also an accomplished session artist. A two-time nominee for the prestigious North American Hairdresser Awards or N.A.H.A., his work has been featured in countless hair and beauty publications worldwide. Victor Paul has done hair and makeup for numerous advertising campaigns and editorial fashion shoots, with his most recent work being seen for Winston Jewelers. He personally has been written up in Orange Coast, Riviera and ENJOY Life magazines, and has been featured on Good Day L.A. with Jillian Reynolds. With a refreshing down to earth sincerity, Victor Paul is truly one of today’s top talents. His positive and highly energetic attitude is both welcome and infectious. “Hair and makeup touches a familiar cord in all of us,” says Victor Paul. “It is the fusion of art with life, and the medium that blends reality with emotion.” He adds, “My passion with hair is seeing cut, color and style all come together to make everybody feel beautiful. I enjoy the process of figuring out what works on each person. I also believe that education is key and that you can never stop learning or enhancing your craft. I truly love watching new talent come up the ranks as I find the younger generation of hairdressers to be very inspiring.”
Photo: Taggart Winterhalter for Purely Visual
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Building Our Future

Beauty Changes Lives Foundation LIVE in Chicago!

Written by: Doug Smith Photo’s: Courtesy of the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation

I was thrilled to attend the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation event at the America’s Beauty Show in Chicago last month. The goal of the event was to provide a glimpse of what the future could hold for the attending students. As expected, Beauty Changes Lives over delivered on their promise and did more than support future industry stars, they reminded us all how beauty has changed lives on a global level.

Here are a few “stand out” moments from the show The event opened with a short video featuring Johnny Wright – Michelle Obama’s hairdresser. His message was brief, but powerful:

Johnny Wright“We have the power of yes! Be open to growth, stay focused and learn your craft. Find the best mentor you can and you’ll succeed.”

– Johnny Wright

As I watched the video, I was reminded how important it is to never forget to learn, grow and find our power of yes. I was instantly transported back to a comment made to me early in my career. A mentor stated that beauty is journey without an ending. If you feel like you’ve achieved everything you can, then take a class! Those were powerful words of wisdom that I’ve never forgotten. Next, industry veterans including Kim Vo and Charles Marcus shared their life stories and how beauty changed their lives. 

Kim Vo“I was a refugee and came to America with very little money or promise for the future – then I entered this wonderful profession and Beauty Changed My Life!”

– Kim Vo 

Charles Marcus“I grew up in England with a debilitating speech impediment and was teased and treated as an outcast by the other children in my class. Then I discovered beauty, and the community welcomed me with open arms – I was in heaven! After school, I was lucky enough to get a job as an assistant at Vidal Sassoon. Shortly after I started, Vidal himself came to the salon for a visit. As he greeted the other assistants and asked them about their inspiration I was terrified! I knew I would embarrass myself with my terrible stutter. When he came to me, I couldn’t get my name out and hung my head in shame. Mr. Sassoon then took my hand, held his mouth very close to my ear and gently said – “don’t worry, I have all day.”

 It was at that moment I realized that life is not about the number of breaths you take, its’ about the moments that take your breath away! I am a hairdresser and Beauty Changed My Life!” 

– Charles Marcus 

Peter Coppola also shared words of encouragement. 

Peter Coppola“You have the power to change someone’s life. When a client sits in your chair and asks you to “Make Them Feel Beautiful,” you touch them in a much deeper way than simply styling their hair.” 

– Peter Coppola 

 Fabio SementilliFabio Sementilli, VP of Education at Wella, shared a powerful quote form Martin Luther King Jr. 

“I want to suggest some of the things that should begin your life’s blueprint. Number one should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your worth and your own somebodiness. Secondly, you must have as a basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your endeavor. You’re going to be deciding what your life’s work will be. Set out to do it well.”

– Martin Luther King Jr.* 

Jan Arnold, Co-Founder and Style Director of CND, eloquently spoke of global beauty and excellent customer care. 

Jan Arnold“As cosmetologists, you can do it all! Total beauty! A hair, skin and nail color consultation for a client is the ultimate service!”

– Jan Arnold 

There were many more amazing moments of inspiration designed to encourage and acknowledge the students in attendance. What most impressed me is the necessity of every working beauty professional to remain humble and reflective of our journey and how beauty has truly changed our lives. That said, the most important gift we can give is to serve as a mentor to the many new professionals in our industry. Be a part of Changing Their Life. Give back the Beauty That Has Changed Your Life and keep our profession unified in growth and support. That is where HAIRDRESSERPOWER comes from, and that is what will keep us all moving forward.   To learn more about the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation and to get involved, visit http://www.beautychangeslives.org/  *To read the entire Martin Luther King Jr.  “What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?” speech, go to: http://mhvpus.weebly.com/3/post/2010/01/martin-luther-king-jr-what-is-your-lifes-blueprint.html 
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Now That’s HAIRDRESSERPOWER!

We found this video online recently and wanted to share it with our HAIRDRESSERPOWER.COM family! It’s an amazing “mash-up” featuring the best pop music of 2013. We think you’ll LOVE the whole thing! While watching (and probably dancing in your seat), remember that none of the stars in the featured videos would look that great without YOU. Every red-carpet, award show, television appearance, magazine cover, personal appearance, family portrait, class reunion, wedding and personal “look” is influenced by us, the beauty professional! We have the POWER! Let’s CELEBRATE!!! Thanks Robin Skouteris for a great retrospective of the best music of 2013! Be sure to check out her work on YouTube at http://youtu.be/s82ALeqqeCw, and visit her Facebook page/website at http://www.facebook.com/robinskouterispage
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LEGENDS, BEAUTY AND AWARDS – OH WHAT A NIGHT!

I was thrilled to be a guest of Beauty Changes Lives Foundation’s (BCL) 2nd annual Legacy of Style Awards. Hosted September 23, 2013 at the prestigious Beverly Hills Peninsula Hotel, the evening was dedicated to honoring industry leaders whose vision and commitment have elevated the beauty and wellness industry. Vidal Sassoon was the first inaugural recipient, though he passed before claiming the award. His daughter, Eden Sassoon graciously accepted the award in his place.

BCL Award 2

Jan Arnold, Tippi Hedren, Lynelle Lynch
This years’ Legacy of Style Award was presented to accomplished actress, former model and humanitarian Tippi Hedren. Presenters Lynelle Lynch; President of BCL and Bellus Academy, and Jan Arnold; Co-Founder of CND and BCL Director introduced the evening’s wonderful initiatives. INITIATIVE ONE: Through her dedication, humanitarian efforts, and numerous contributions, Tippi Hedren has greatly influenced the professional nail industry. In the early 1970’s, while traveling with the USO to Vietnam, Ms. Hedren “fell in love with the people.” After Saigon fell to the People’s Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front in April 1975, many distraught citizens of Vietnam migrated to the US as refugees seeking a new life. Famed Vietnamese actress Kieu-Chinh, came to California refugee sanctuary, Hope Village, and reached out to the Hollywood community for support. Ms. Hedren immediately launched into action and began visiting Kieu-Chinh, offering to help in any way she could. During her visits to Hope Village, Ms. Hedren met other refugees of the war and was intrigued by the women’s fascination with her nails. Instantly an idea sprang to mind that changed the future of the industry. Ms. Hedren began bringing her Nail Professional along for her weekly visits to Hope Village, with the intention of teaching a small group of 20 women skills in manicuring and pedicuring nails. Simply teaching a new skill wasn’t enough for Ms. Hedren. She tirelessly campaigned with local officials to ensure each woman obtained the necessary government paperwork and made it to Sacramento, CA to take the state Manicuring Licensure Exam. Those efforts provided access to a career that changed these women’s lives and helped them build financial security in their new country. “The Vietnamese people came to America to seek a better life and to contribute back, in thanks, as hard working and entrepreneurial, productive members of the American Society,” stated Ms. Hedren. ”They never wanted to be a burden on the USA – their goal was to become successful American citizens,” she added. Ms. Hedren could not have foreseen that her thoughtfulness and tenacity would continue to provide new opportunity and inspiration to beauty professionals today. Being present at the award ceremony opened my eyes to how the kindness of one person can change the face of an industry. It’s humbling to think of how we can all make a difference once we’ve set our minds and hearts on a mission. INITIATIVE TWO: Jan Arnold announced the BCL CND Tippi Hedren Nail Scholarship Fund, which will commence in 2014. This CND and Beauty Changes Lives collaboration will “elevate, educate and expose the nail profession as a rich and rewarding career.”  CND, on behalf of the company and its Vietnamese partner distributors, presented a generous donation of $184,000 to the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation scholarship fund. Their donation will provide numerous scholarships to qualifying individuals, who will be enrolling in nail programs with American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS) member schools. As Jan Arnold told the story of Ms. Hedren, I was inspired by her passion for the industry and how CND supports their vision to advance the state of the industry through education. Her infectious admiration of the beauty industry was best presented in the statement, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” CND and Beauty Changes Lives are both clearly blessed with knowledge – but also show through example that we can all give back to an industry that has given us so much joy, success and power. Thank you CND and Beauty Changes Lives for an unforgettable experience. It was an honor and inspiration to spend an evening with legends, beauty and awards!
CND and Beauty Changes Lives Honor American Actress & Philanthropist Tippi Hedren with the Legacy Of Style Award
The Beauty Changes Lives Foundation (BCL) is a non-profit organization created by the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS) to build awareness of the industry and the amazing opportunities we all have because of beauty. The foundation tirelessly promotes careers in beauty and wellness, and awards scholarships to qualified new talent. BCL also provides continuing education scholarships to existing professionals seeking new knowledge and skill enhancement. To learn more about the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation and get involved, visit beautychangeslives.org CND is deeply committed to advancing the nail care industry and has devoted significant time and resources to product research and development, education, and customer support. CND is an industry-leading advocate for the role of nail care in personal beauty and fashion. To learn more about CND and find a class near you, visit cnd.com  
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Power Play

Patrick Dockry, president and cofounder of Enjoy Haircare, lives by—and spreads—a creed of self-empowerment. Patrick Dockry’s passion for hair got an unlikely start when, at 16 years old, he worked with then-upstart company Creative Nail Design, mixing nail polish in the founder’s garage and attending beauty shows to hawk the hues. After leaving cosmetology school as an aspiring hairdresser, Dockry worked as a sales rep and educator for various distributors and owned several salons and beauty supply stores. That is, until he officially pinned down his calling when he cofounded ENJOY Professional Hair Care in 2001. “At the time, no one cared about product pH stability—which is a contributing factor to how well hair color holds—so that was definitely a challenge,” he recalls from his Oceanside, California, headquarters. “But our motto has always been ‘hairdresser power’ – empowering the hairdresser with easy-to-use products that guarantee color and do what they promise.” The company, which started with five formulas, now boasts 34 hair care and styling products, a full permanent crème hair color line, a semi-permanent hair color line, skin care (Skinjoy) and a nontoxic smoothing system. Dockry also recently entered the publishing and media production game with Health Beauty Life Magazine , distributed to 80,000 salons, cosmetic surgeons and dentists for clients to peruse while they wait – AND – Patrick Dockry’s Health Beauty Life television show airing Saturday Mornings July 6th through September 28th, 2013 on WETv, 9:30am PST/EST / 8:30am CST. “Placing ads in consumer magazines was cost-prohibitive, so I thought, ‘What can I do with my budget?” Dockry relates. He admits he’s the type to do things himself rather than depend on outsiders – evident in his decision to take his company from a distribution model to direct sales, the biggest challenge of his career. In accordance with his message of self-empowerment, he also holds regular “hairdresser power seminars” around the world, educating on topics from cutting techniques to better time management. This year, he expects to expand the brand to all 50 U.S. states and go worldwide. Luckily for Dockry, his breakneck schedule remains one of his greatest pleasures. “My job is my hobby; I combined all the things I like and made them my work,” he laughs. “I can’t relax—that’s not me. I work hard, but I don’t consider it work.” Credits: Launch Pad – By Tracy Morin