Elle Canada - The Elle Word

I’m in love with this fall hair style. It’s so polished, smooth and chic for day or night. I attempted to recreate it on my own, but after many failed attempts (just couldn’t get my hair smooth ans shiny enough!), I enlisted the help of Charles Baker Strahan, hair stylist for Herbal Essences. Here are his tips for getting this impeccably smooth hair style.

Backstage at Ferragamo. Image courtesy of ImaxTree.com

1. This look is all about being sleek and touchably smooth and the first place to start is in the shower. To create the right base for styling, I recommend Herbal Essences Touchably Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner that has a built-in smoothing serum to help control frizz and maintain smoothness.

2. Next, work styling gel (try Herbal Essences Set Me Up Styling Gel) through your wet hair and blow-dry your hair straight using a boar bristle round brush to smooth down the cuticle layer.

3. Then pull your hair back into a low ponytail.

4. Next, apply Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Leave-In Split-End Protector to the ends of your hair and separate the pony in two and twist each section into opposing directions allowing the sections to twist around one another and down upon themselves. Then secure the ends underneath with bobby pins.

5. You can artfully manipulate the coils and secure areas with pins for extra hold.

6. The last step is to finish the look with a bit of hairspray to smooth down any flyaways (Try: Herbal Essences Set Me Up Extra Hold Hairspray).  Read the rest of this entry

At David Dixon, hair and makeup was both very pretty, and very wearable.

Hair and makeup at David Dixon. Image by Noah Lehava

For makeup, skin was matte with some highlight at the cheekbones using eyeshadow in Morning Light (a favourite of Eddie Malter, Official Makeup Artist with L’Oreal). Eyebrows were made bolder with Wear Infinite eyeshadow in 821, while the lids were gilded with a touch of HIP eyeshadow in 538. A bit of eyeliner on the lower lash line and a quick sweep of mascara finished the eye look. Cheeks were played up with a pink blush in Sweet Blush in 820 while lips were given a matte pinkish look using L’Oreal Single eyeshadow in Golden Sunset 820.

For hair, the look was created by Dixon’s creative team using just a bit of styling wax and hairspray. The hair was first side parted with it coming over the forehead just slightly, and then swept into a low side ponytail, with it kept a bit loose, almost gaping a bit. The resulting style is put together, clean and simple.

Which look from LG Fashion Week was your favourite?

The look at Denis Gagnon is perhaps one of the quickest hair and makeup looks we’ve seen come together at fashion week – yet it’s as stunning as the other looks.

Hair at Denis Gagnon. Image by Noah Lehava

For hair, Gagnon wanted it to have a slept-in look so he asked for no product be used, but Eric Del Monaco, Official Hair Stylish and Colourist for L’Oreal, snuck in using some Mineral Wax to rough up the hair and give it some texture. He then swept the hair to one side, took an elastic and loosely looped the ends into it. The effect is airy and easy, and messily chic.

Makeup at Denis Gagnon. Image by Noah Lehava

For makeup, a similarly simple look was created. Eddie Malter, Official Makeup Artist for L’Oreal, applied Visible Lift foundation to the skin and contoured a bit with a face powder slightly darker than skin tone. For eyes, he simply applied some eyeshadow in Morning Light to highlight beneath the brow and at the lash line., using Wear Infinite in 821 in the crease. The focus at Gagnon was the bold red lip, achieved with Colour Riche in Real Red Lipstick 301.

What do you think of this simple look? Leave your comments below!

Backstage was awash in a sea of sexy Brigitte Bardot-inspired beauties before the Pink Tartan show last night – and there was much buzz over Andej Pejic presence (the male model walked the show and closed it walking hand in hand with Pink Tartan designer Kimberly Newport-Mimran).

Bedroom hair at Pink Tartan. Image by Noah Lehava

“Dirty, bedroom hair,” is how Eric Del Monaco, L’Oreal Paris Official Hair Artist and Colourist, describes the look. To get this hairstyle, he parted the hair in the centre and used a large barrel curling iron and worked on each section (three in the back in two panels, two on each side in two panels) at midshaft, wrapping the hair only in one twist around the barrel. Holding the twist in the curling iron for only 10 seconds, he also says that a light spritz of Elnett hairspray before curling each piece and then quickly applying the curling iron will give the best results (“If you wait too long, the product will evaporate and won’t hold the curl as well.”). After each section was curled, he had the models lean over to toss their hair down and then finger-brushed it out using some Studio Fix Architect Shine Wax he’d warmed in the palms of his hands. To complete the soft and messy hair look, with some more wax, he rubbed in circular motions at the roots of the hair. Read the rest of this entry

Healthy, shiny hair at Attitude by Jay Manuel. Image by Sam Santos

“Fresh, simple and beautiful,” says Eric Del Monaco of the hairstyle he created for Jay Manuel’s show. Hair was left with a natural part and using a large barrel curling iron, he made four long sections of curls in the back of the head, with two sections on each side of the head – starting the curl at about eye level. “It should look like the model’s been wearing a hat all dar that she’s pulled off,” he says. The look is inspired by the 70s, “but not as feathered and brushed out,” he says, noting that the curls were loosely finger brushed out and finished with a light spray of Elnett hairspry. Read the rest of this entry

DAVE M. BENETT/GETTY IMAGES

Ok, I was about to jump on the deep side part bandwagon this fall since it was huge hit on the runways (we saw it at Gucci, Marni, Chanel). But then all of a sudden Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz are spotted together sporting dead centre parts. Now I’m back on the middle part wagon for this fall hairstyle trend – at least for the moment.

Most of the summer I went with whatever my hair wanted to do naturally, which was usually a slight, messy side part. But for the more structured fall hairstyle trend, I’m ready to start make my parts more defined. I’m totally envious of Gwyneth’s straight-down-the-middle part and super glossy, straight hair (well, I have major hair envy when it comes to Gywn’s locks pretty much all the time). But I also loved Cameron’s more relaxed style with the slightest wave. Btw, who else is loving the golden hue of blonde she’s now wearing? Read the rest of this entry

For the Annie 50 look, Denis Binet, creative director for hair for MFW  had an aha moment this summer in Corsica.

Do you embrace your natural wave?

What do you think of the beauty looks so far at Montreal Fashion Week?