We were wowed beyond belief with this Transformation Tuesday. The dynamic team of Luis Alvarez, (@luis_alvarez_aquage) VP of Marketing and Creative for BaBylissPRO; Cali Trostel, (@hairbycaliann) Rusk Master Designer and Gerard Caruso, (@gerardcaruso) Rusk Artistic Director, brought life and an artistic flair to their young model’s hair. Having followed the work of different BaBylissPRO teams, Yuliya, who works in the legal field, made up her mind that she was going to audition for the chance to receive a BaBylissPRO transformation at a trade show. Lucky for both her and us, Yuliya’s dream came true—and the results were pure magic.
The Goal: Because it was Yuliya’s dream to have a BaBylissPRO transformation, she gave the team “free reign” to enhance her face with a new cut and color. Encouraged by Yuliya’s open-minded request, the team drew inspiration from a dahlia flower—a blossom indigenous to Mexico that typically has a deeper tone in the center and progressively lighter edges.
The Cut: “The versatility of Rusk cutting techniques allowed us to customize a haircut that best fit her face shape and bone structure. Yuliya has incredible features so we wanted to draw attention to them with a combination of techniques. Beyond The Fringe is the first technique we used to remove length and make a slight graduation,” says Caruso. “To create internal texture and movement, we moved to the Rotation technique. We first cut each section with precision using Rusk’s Delta Straight Blade Shears, and then we took the same sections and introduced diffusion by cutting through mid-shaft and ends with the Beta Texturizing Shears.”
The Color: “Like the dahlia flower, we wanted to retain a deeper tone at the center and get progressively lighter toward the outer edges,” says Trostel. Here’s her application process on Yuliya’s existing “level 4” hair color: Divide her hair into four quads. Then, start at the bottom front hairline—above the ear—and work in 1/4" diagonal back sections. Pre-lighten with Rusk Deepshine White Lightener and 30 vol. Focus the lightener on the ends and feather up the mid-shaft towards the base. Process to “level 8” blonde. Shampoo with Rusk Platinum X Shampoo, do not condition at this step. Blow-dry hair. For the overlay: Mix 3 oz. of Rusk Deepshine Direct Clear; 1 1/2 oz. Rusk Deepshine Direct Pink; 1/2 oz. Rusk Deepshine Direct Purple and 1/2 oz. Rusk Deepshine Direct Icy White. Apply to all pre-lightened areas, process for 30 minutes at room temperature. Rinse with cool water—do not shampoo out—and condition with Rusk Platinum X Conditioner or Intense Hydrating Mask.
The Style: “To curl Yuliya’s hair, we used Rusk’s Thermal Flat Iron Spray from the Designer Collection and ribbon curled the hair with the BaBylissPRO Prima3000,” says Caruso. “We deconstructed the set with Rusk’s Radical Cream, and set the style with Rusk’s W8less Hairspray.”
The Reaction: Since Yuliya’s look was done for a trade show; she got to strut her stuff on stage. “Based on the audience reaction, she felt confident that she looked amazing,” says Alvarez. “When she went backstage to see the new look, she came out and hugged the team and said she’d never felt so beautiful.”
Photography: Luis Alvarez VP of Marketing and Creative for BaBylissPRO; Color: Cali Trostel Rusk Master Designer; Cut/Style: Gerard Caruso Rusk Artistic Director
Have an amazing salon makeover that you’d like to be considered for our online Transformation Tuesday column? Please email our Executive Editor, Andrea Dawn Clark, at: [email protected]. Tell us about each element of the makeover—the client, the goal, the cut, the color, the style and the reaction—and send a Wetransfer, Dropbox or Google Drive link with your high-res before and after photos. Use "Transformation Tuesday" as your email subject. We’d love to hear from you and share your makeover magic!