Beauty Launchpad, a respected beauty industry publication, has released their spring fashion article of the month which highlights the organized chaos that seems to be this year’s trend. Perhaps questionably labeled, but appropriate none-the-less, launchpad notes “Style schizophrenia is spring’s new mania.”

Due to the apparent ’style indecision’ evoked by loud contrasting designs and colors, spring seems hell bent on mixing things up and forcing even the most avant-guard fashionista’s to strut outside of their comfort zones.

Here’s a clip from the article by Karie L. Frost

The dueling voices in your head create a fashion fracas whenever you poke through your closet. The pull of sublime minimalism dukes it out with the desire for ostentatious ornamentation. While the bohemian in you is tickled at the sight of free-flowing shapes, your right-leaning style pundit calls for tight, tucked silhouettes. Punchy tropical hues catch your eye, but, then again, so do those moodier jewel tones that suss out your more sophisticated side. The good news:

This spring, you won’t need meds to silence your internal bickering since designers are celebrating contrast in its many forms. Pulling inspiration from art, nature, politics, fashion, pop culture and everything in between, designers churn out a crush of contrasting trends to reconcile your fighting fashion personalities.

Get the full article here.

Spring is on its way, and the fashion industry and beauty industry alike are gearing up to give us some pointers on what’s sure to be hot in 2008. All signs point to “natural” hacolors - especially when it comes to the color of our hair. Most fashion know-it-alls are claiming it’s in-vogue to have natural-looking hair, whatever that means (for those of us who’ve not strayed far from the look we were born with).

This month’s feature article in BSB magazine is all about this very subject, and more specifically how salon owners and stylists can start offering coloring services in the most effective way.

Here’s a clip of the article:

If there’s good news for beauty stores these days, it’s that “natural-looking” hair color is back in vogue. Usually defined as one or two levels away from unadulterated color, natural hair coloring simplifies product selection and minimizes snafus. However, this time around, natural hardly means plain. With bobs in abundance, stronger, more vibrant color is a natural companion to smooth, shiny surfaces. Additionally, with panels and streaks giving way to strategically placed highlights, the color itself is what packs the punch.

If your salon has always put an emphasis on hair health, leaving hair in good condition despite treatments, you’re in a good position; this will be a year for focusing on the self, detoxing and restoring that natural beauty that fashionista’s of years past have told us to curl up and dye.

For the full article, click here.

Fashion trends have always had an impact on sales - and sales affect a salon’s bottom line, dramatically. This months article from Beauty Store Business magazine examines some interesting trends in the salon tools and accessories market - particularly the use and sale of flat irons.

Here’s a clip from this months BSB article by Victoria Wurdinger

High-end flat irons have penetrated nearly 80% of the salon market in the United States, the United Kingdom and western Europe. Sales to consumers also remain strong, but according to Diagonal Reports’ “Hair Salons and Hair Straightening Irons 2007” study, growth rates may slow as the market reaches saturation. Future drivers will be fashion, new technological developments that create a market for upgraded irons and older stylists’ embracement of the tools. For consumers, financially attainable quality (value price points) and gotta-have limited editions will be important to stores’ sales.

All of Donna Bella Milan’s hair extensions, including our new clip in extension line, are safe for use with flat irons and curling irons. Click here to download the article.

Some trends come and go, but few can claim to have been popular for over 5000 years. In this case, the age old trend is a type of hair extension weave recently discovered in a tomb in Egypt. The mummy’s hair had weaved into its own hair long strands and it’s been discovered that the hair types match. This means the Egyptian fashionista must have grown her hair out, cut it, grown it out some more, then had her cut hair weaved in. Genius.

Director of Hierakonpolis (the site where the millenia old weave was discovered), Renee Freidman, noted:

“In ancient Egypt if one lived to be really old, like 70, they made you a local saint, so old age was respected no doubt for the knowledge and memory that person had (in a society where most people were dead by 35-40), but clearly looking one’s age has never been the in thing in life or death.”

So keep it up ladies! This age old tradition has never (well, maybe) been more popular than today.

(via WENN) Supermodel Kate Moss gave designer pal Donatella Versace permission to put extensions in her four-year-old daughter Lila Grace’s hair. The 32-year-old brought Lila Grace to a Versace shoot with model pals Christy Turlington and Carolyn Murphy, who had also brought their children, one-year-old son Finn and six-year-old daughter Dylan Blue, respectively.

Moss tells fashion magazine Vogue “Lila and Donatella struck up a friendship. They put a weave in her hair and she had this long blonde hair down to her waist. Lila was (flicking her hair) and I was like, ‘Oh my God!’” Moss admits her daughter is already a fashionista and they regularly argue over what the youngster is wearing.

She explains, “She says, ‘Mum, do you think this is a good look?’ Then she has a fashion crisis. I say, ‘You’ll wear what I tell you!’ But she says she’s the adult of the bedroom. We lay the clothes out before she goes to bed, but she goes, ‘Mum, I need options.’”

Had occasion yet this season to do a triple take at that lady passing on the street? It’s not her clothes (although undoubtedly well put together) or the “do” (also most likely stunning), but what makes you crank your neck around in disbelief is the amazingly layered makeup.

Beauty Launchpad magazine is calling these ladies the Sirens of fall - and beware, those Manhattan sidewalks could be a little closer than imagined.

Here’s a clip from Karie L. Frost’s Launchpad article this month on makeup trends for this fall:

Forget Avon calling—the sirens’ call is in full effect for fall’s biggest makeup trends

Don’t be alarmed if your neck feels a bit sore this fall. You are probably suffering from SMW (Siren Makeup Whiplash), a dull pain brought about by the constant double- and triple-takes you instinctively do when spotting a lady all done up in fall’s screen-siren makeup trends. The looks are so willful, so in-your-face, that you can’t help but be drawn to them—repeatedly!

But, beware: Most of the bolder trends center around one feature—the eyes, lips or brows. To blend any two of these scene-stealing trends would be cosmetic blasphemy! We’ve isolated five of the season’s femme-fatale looks and paired them with the freshest fall offerings from cosmetics companies. Add to that the A-list makeup artists’ tips that we’ve included for giving these trends a glam go, and you’ve got sirens calling!

For the full article, click here.

Hair, fashion, and beauty change with the seasons - but that’s no reason to despair. With publications like Beauty Launchpad out there, you can depend on cutting edge and timely information to keep you on top of the latest styles.

Beauty Launchpad does it again with another great article on the top hair cuts and color designs that will set your salon and your stylists up for the fall.

Here’s a bit of the article by Jeryl E. Spear:

The latest chrome-injected hair fashions mirror beauty at its brightest.
The time has come to get thee to class and bone up on your cutting and coloring skills.

The hottest hair trends are trading shattered shapes for precision lines, and the season’s coloring techniques put the usual burnished reds and warm caramel highlights to rest.

So what are the hottest looks for fall? Hmm, let us count the ways. Here are the top 10 cuts and color designs that women will be craving this fall.

For the full article, click here.

Launchpad Magazine has a great feature article this month on the importance of good tools for any trade. You’re only as good as your tool applies to any industry - although in order for the tool to perform well it must be accompanied by a touch of the master’s hand.

Here’s a bit of the article by Jeryl Spear:

Do you remember when MTV actually lived up to its name? AC/DC rocked Fenders in Back in Black and Iron Maiden wailed Moog synths to send fans into the stratosphere. But they weren’t the only ones to test the limits of their fabtastic instruments.

The beauty business was rockin’ to its own BPMs with Joelle, Hakari, Solis and Babyliss—tools that helped skyrocket hairdressers to true rock-star status among their adoring fans.

Alas, all good things come to an end. Or do they? Unlike most heavy metal rockers who finally hit a deaf note, hairstylists and the tools they wield just Keep On, Keepin’ On.

Slip into Technical Ecstasy with this stash of new tools. They may not have you playing riffs like Black Sabbath, but they will help you stroke some new styles of your own. Now, about the irascible Ozzy’s hair: scissors, anyone?

Read the full article by clicking here.

Spa and beauty treatments have long been targeted almost exclusively to women - making it seem that they’re the only ones who care about the way they look. While we all know this isn’t the case, it may still be the pervasive advertising paradigm that informs the way we spend money to attract new clients and retain the faithful.
It’s becoming more and more acceptable (and encouraged) for men to take a more open interest in treating their bodies and their spirits right. Routine massage, manicures, the occasional pedicure, and sometimes waxing and relaxing are all becoming a part of a busy man’s lifestyle. Dayspa Magazine’s article of the month sheds some light on how you can start to attract more men to your salon or spa.

Here’s a bit of the article by Liz Barrett:

How many men have walked into your spa today? Chances are it could have been a lot more. When it comes to selling beer, electronic gadgets or the newest sport utility vehicle, it isn’t too difficult to attract a man’s attention. The media have had a lot of practice in training their target audiences to respond subconsciously to the messages they’re receiving, and that seems especially true when the target is men. However, when you want those same beer-drinking, gadget-buying, Jeep-driving men to come into your spa to sample a massage or the latest facial cleanser, things can get a little tricky. The notion of men visiting spas is a fairly new concept in the grand scheme of things, and marketing to them is still going through a trial-and-error period. New tactics are being tested every day in an attempt to find the ones that are the most fruitful.

With the International Spa Association (ISPA) reporting that 31% of today’s spa-goers are male—up from just 24% four years ago—it’s obvious that men are showing more interest in taking care of themselves. What has happened in the past decade to make some men go from “no way!” to “OK!” when it comes to spas? Could it be the widespread acceptance of metrosexuality and well-kempt but masculine role models like Brad Pitt and George Clooney? Maybe it’s reality TV shows like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Extreme Makeover and What Not to Wear telling guys that it’s now acceptable to spend more time on themselves.

For the full article, click here.

Tis the season of spring brides, giddiness, excitement, and of course some amazing styles in hair, beauty, and fashion. This month’s featured article in Beauty Launchpad’s print magazine discusses the use of expert stylists to help guide the often overwhelmed brides-to-be.
Here’s a bit of the featured article in this month’s Launchpad article by Karie L. Frost

From natural glamour to deconstructed elegance, 2007 bridal styles fuse wedding belle traditions with unique, fashion-forward touches.

The frayed nerves, the endless list of vendor payments, the melodrama of merging families—all of these bridal bellyaches fade to the background when the bride sets eyes on her wedding gown. The full picture—the extraordinary updo, the flawless makeup, the primo manicure—leaves onlookers breathless. But getting to this point where dress and beauty merge takes true planning. Thank goodness there are keen hairstylists, detail-oriented makeup artists and a host of magazines (like Launchpad!) to guide brides-to-be in the direction of perfection.

For the full article click here.