It's Time for a Change

Make up.  We all love it, we seek it out.  Thousands of Googled images, Pinterested how-tos, nights cruising the web in general and once we find an image we like we stare in amazement trying to decipher which step to take first.   “HOW?  How did that even HAPPEN on her face!?”  Well ladies, it just so happens we have those exact answers.

There is a shift in the air and Fall has announced it's arrival. Which means it is time to shake things up.  What’s better than a zero commitment way to change from day to day?  COSMETICS.  It’s phenomenal and at the end of the day it comes right off.

Bold lips. Reds, pinks, oranges-- truly opaque pigments with a matte finish. Eyeliner with precision and applied with intent.


Egyptian thick lines, cat eye wings, intense color, cold black.

It's the biggest shift in trend present this season.  Less eye shadow, bolder brows, pinker cheeks. It seems as though the best new accessory this fall is Makeup, and we have it. 

The best way to check it all out is to jump right in. Literally. Break away from your typical and try out a lip color-- Wild Fuchsia being my personal new favorite from Aveda.  Swipe on a Face Accent like Tesserae for an afternoon, test the
waters and see how much more you really love it. Trust me, that's exactly what I did.

Above all else, it's FUN.  Changing our 'look' can be one of the most liberating decisions we can make, so why not choose a bolder color? A cleaner line?  Ask your Valenti Stylist for some tips, tricks, their favorite looks, and color suggestions.  SHAKE IT UP. Remember, the beauty of life is our ability to add our
very own color.

Happy coloring,
Amy K.

2012 Fall Nail Trends

When you hear "fall", what pops into your mind? Perhaps... Beautiful colors? Because this fall there are some amazing colors and manicure tips that are trending all over the world and I'm hear to tell you all about it!

First, lets start with what colors are going to be popular this season. This fall it is all about metallics, nudes and darks.

• Metallics: Metallic/jewel tones have really progressed from what they used to be. You do not have to be a young tween girl to wear them. There are some really beautiful deep rusty browns, shimmery golds and even some softer nudes that have a slight sparkle to them.

• Darks: Navy's, deep reds and dark purples are very in this season. Already they were the highlight of the manicures done at NYC's Fashion Week and ever since have been seen all over.

• Neautrals: If you aren't into bold, deep colors - neutral colors are always an option as well. Soft grays, taupes and nudes are also very popular this season.

Just a heads up, we have all OPI fall colors at both our Beechmont and Mariemont locations. This year OPI has come out with a Germany collection that has great colors for the season. So feel free to stop in and check them out! Here's a picture to give you an idea of what the collection looks like:

Next, there are a few types of manicures that are already becoming really popular as we transfer into fall.

• The "Muted Mani": This manicure is simple. All you have to do is use two coats of your favorite nude/natural color, go over with a top coat and let them dry.

• Reverse French Manicure: I love this one. It's nice because while this manicure still gives you the classy look of the french manicure, it adds a pop of color instead of just having a white tip. Here's how you can accomplish this look:

1. Start with two top coats of a neutral beige/taupe color. Let dry.
2. Paint a thin strip of your favorite dark/shimmery/bright color at the tip of the nail. To get the full effect of the color, I would recommend doing two coats.
3. Let the tips dry, go over with a top coat, and you are finished! :-)

• Half-Moon Manicure: This is a pretty neat manicure as well. It reverses the french manicure completely so there is a solid color starting from the center and going up, leaving the bottom plain. You only have to follow a couple of simple steps to get the half moon effect:

1. Paint the center of your nail with two coats of either a natural/solid/shimmery color, leaving a half moon shape near the cuticle.
2. Let these two coats dry, then go over with a top coat.
• Tip: To have a perfect symmetrical half moon shape, you can use the circular stickers normally used to reinforce a three-ring binder whole punch. Here is a picture to give you an idea of what to do.

I hope these manicure tips help and that you got a little insight on what colors to look for this season :-) Happy fall everyone!

Pure Volume

To all those fine-haired people out there who have tried again and again to get that volume you so badly want, your prayers have been answered! Aveda has decided to release a new addition to their already existent Pure-Abundance line, the Pure Abundance Style-Prep spray.

I constantly hear people who have fine hair wishing there was a product that gave them volume, but without them feeling like they had a weight on the top of their head. This new style-prep product gives you the thicker, fuller feeling you want, without completely weighing your hair down.

The trick to this product that makes it so your hair doesn't feel so heavy is that the spray is naturally boosting your fine hair. The mixture of passion fruit, rice bran, acai oil, organic aloe and acacia gum all come together to lift up your hair strands which typically feel flat and limp.



Along with giving you volume, this new product is very user friendly. When you get out of the shower simply blow dry your hair until it's still about 90% damp, spray Pure Abundance Style-Prep all over(you don't just have to spray on the roots like you do when using Avedas Volumizing Tonic), blow dry your hair the rest of the way, and voila!, weightless volume that will last you all day! You can use other products with the spray as well, so don't feel like you have to completely nix out everything you have been previously using.

Lastly, if you're in a rush, Pure Abundance Style-Prep can be used to refresh volume on non-shampoo days. Simply spray all over then blow dry your hair a little bit to boost up the volume.

As a person who has fine hair, this product has become my new best friend. The volume this product gives you feels unbelievable, it's easy to use, and hey, it even smells amazing! So I encourage you all to go out and give it a try. I promise you won't be disappointed. :-)

embrace the heat.

texture with a side of neon.

Let's face it-- it's hot out.  Exceptionally hot.  Summer is alive and attacking our ability to wear flawless hair with every outdoor step we take.  I'd like to meet the woman who leaves the house and arrives to her destination looking exactly the same, and high five her.  The beauty of what's hot right now?  It's messy.  And I for one, couldn't be happier about the fortunate coincidence of effortless, disheveled, textured styles happening during the dead of summer.

Texture.  Embrace the wave, rock the curls, and run from anything too "perfect" in appearance-- it makes it less noticeable when the weather starts taking control and your hair starts to drift from where you originally intended on it existing for the day.  Piece it out, beach wave it, wave it period, and ruff it up with product (Aveda Control Force & Air Control are amazing for this).  

Wear braids.  Twist and pin your hair up.  Wear it wet.  Accessories make any quick up-style look immediately fancy-- headbands, colored bobby pins, brooches, and scarves.  Gone are high-rise smoothed out "bumps" with a low or side pony tail.  Bring on the big buns, chignons, and hair piled effortlessly on top of our crowns! 

Not sure where to start? Tools are the biggest part of creating this whole look. Round up soft bristle brushes, a few hair ties, bobby pins, hair pins, teasing combs, products*, and the ability to walk away.  Start everything with a ponytail above your crown.  From here, go awesome crazy with it.  Tease the hair, fold it over, braid it and wrap it around, loop and pin, and WHATEVER YOU DO-- wiggle in those pins and WALK AWAY.  Resist the temptation to smooth out a bump or remove a loop and just let it fly.  That's the beauty of it. 

The trick to making this mess of hair look polished when we know deep down inside it took us 7 minutes tops?  Pair it with a super polished outfit.  Neutral colors with a pop of neon makes every textured bun I've ever seen an instant Picasso. I mentally applaud the look, sometimes not even knowing why I love it so much.  It's the perfect collision of structure and disorder.  

So try it.  And start embracing the beauty of texture, neon, and arriving to your destination looking the way you intended. Why?   Because I cannot possibly think of a better reason to start delivering an array of high fives with each and every one of your names on it.  

Happy Styling,

A.K.

*PRODUCTS-- recommended, but not limited to:  Aveda Styling Products including Air Control Hair Spray, Control Force Hair Spray, Brilliant Retexturizing Gel, Brilliant Spray On Shine, Brilliant Hair Spray, Pure Abundance Hair Potion, Light Elements Texturizing Creme, Control Paste*  

The bigger, the better.

Dreamy Braids are HOT this summer!

Dreamy Braids are HOT this summer! 

Ready or not, here it comes – Summer! And by the looks of it, it is going to be a real hot one too. So, just how do you look “hot” when it is so hot? 

Braids! Dreamy Braids with texture and movement. This is simply the hottest trend in hair styling and it couldn’t be better timing. Braids are the stylish way to look hot while staying cool and are easier to do at home than you think. Messy, wispy braids compliment summer wardrobes in a carefree, yet sophisticated way and work beautifully with all hair types. Don’t spend another summer throwing your hair into a quick ponytail or messy bun. Allow us to teach you how to braid your lovely locks and look effortlessly fabulous this summer. Check out the video on our website that shows you how to stylishly braid your hair and look fresh off of the runway!

Expose The Toes

 

EXPOSE THE TOES

It's that time of year again when you dig deep into your closet to find your favorite pair of sandals or flip-flops. It's time to expose the toes! But if you are like many of us, you start to hear the song "Who Let the Dogs Out?" playing in your head as you look down at your feet. You are not alone. Luckily, that is where the fabulous team of nail technicians at Valenti Salon & Spa come into play. Never again will you need to stress about getting your feet ready for a long, relaxing summer. Especially now that we offer our new Stress-Fix Pedicure that incorporates Aveda's latest collection of stress relieving body care products clinically proven to reduce the feelings of stress. 

The first stop on your stress-free journey to pretty feet is to relax in one of our state-of-the-art whirlpool pedicure chairs complete with back massaging features and heated foot soak. From there, our professional nail staff will determine what pedicure is best for you. We offer a full menu of pedicure services and enhancements to make your pedicure a custom one. Many of our clients select our Deluxe Spa Pedicure to kick off the season of kicking off shoes, as it includes extra exfoliation and hydration. Though each pedicure service includes complete nail and cuticle care, foot and leg massage and OPI nail polish finish, many clients have begun to regularly upgrade their pedicure with Shellac Extended-Wear Nail Polish. Additionally, we offer an amazing Callus Remover Treatment option that works in minutes and leaves your feet soft and smooth.

As you can see we have many options to get your feet in tip-top shape for summer. Don't you feel much better about your days in sun and sandals? All you need now is an appointment with us! Call 513.232.0774 today.

 

Spring Highlights

Ombre' highlighting technique

Spring Highlights~ The same old technique?

In salons everywhere, clients are anxiously awaiting their hair appointment to brighten up dark winter hair color. And each year the question every stylist asks is,

"So, what are we going to do today?" Do most stylists really have an answer to this questions other than, "Let's do foil highlights"?

In an effort to make you a more informed client of Valenti Salon & Spa, we want you to know that we offer more options than your standard foil highlight. Perhaps, we are going to open your eyes to a whole "new you" this spring with a more customized color experience that will have your friends noticing and maybe even a little jealous! 

Just what are these options, you ask? We're guessing you have noticed all of 'Hollywood' walking around with hair color that kind of looks as though their roots are showing? But, you like it! Don't you? We do. It is called the Ombre' technique. It's a highlighting technique that goes from darker at the root and seamlessly blends to lighter at the ends. It is trendy and very current.

Maybe you want your hair to look naturally sun-kissed like when you were a young girl? The perfect highlight technique for you is called Balayage. This is a free-form hair painting technique performed one strand at a time offering a much softer highlight result. Since strands are selected and painted one at a time, our stylists can create personalized color that truly looks like your highlights developed naturally from spending days in the sun. 

Don't worry if you aren't sure how to pronounce Ombre' or Balayage, we will offer these techniques to you anyway. However, it may be that neither one is right for you, but you aren't sure you want the same foil highlight you've gotten year after year. Valenti stylists have even more tricks up their sleeves keeping us at the top of the hair color industry. Some of these techniques include the Manhattan Highlight, Color Blocking, Base Breaking, Shine Enhancements and more. We guarantee one of our Color Enhancements will be perfect for you and your lifestyle!