This past weekend that all changed when I attended the Premiere Orlando Beauty Show. Industry leaders like Redken, Sam Villa, Pureology, and Tearsheet are some of the exhibitors, to name a few. Nearly 45,000 beauty professionals attend this international event yearly, which is held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Beauty shows like this one are meant to educate and inspire us in our profession…I was inspired to chop all my hair off! At the show on Sunday, one of the exhibits had a super short cropped pixie cut on one of their models. I snapped a picture just incase I went back home and wanted to get my hair cut like it. Little did I know that my hair would be cut in less than 24 hours.

On Monday I stopped by Sam Villa’s Stage. He happens to be the Stylist Choice Award winner for Educator & Platform Artist of the Year. He was on stage cutting the hair of one of his models and I got an overwhelming desire to cut my hair, and I wanted him to cut it. Now typically there would be no way for me to get my hair cut by someone like him at such a grand event, but I was going to try anyway.

I was off to the side of the stage just praying he would eventually make eye contact with me, about 20 minutes went by and it finally happened! I wasted no time, touched my long locks and mouthed to him “cut my hair.” At that moment he invited me on stage, we discussed what I was looking for and he actually agreed to cut my hair on stage in front of nearly thousands of people. He made me pinky promise him that I would come back at 2:30, when it was only 12:00, and I did. So for 2 and a half hours I had to contemplate this dramatic transformation I was about to experience in front of a crowd! I wanted to throw up I was so nervous, mostly because I was about to cut off years and years of hair growth, but it was time for a change.

I went back at 2:15 to have a short consultation with him before he cut my hair and by 2:30 my hair was in a ponytail being sliced off on stage among loud cheering from the audience. The only thing that kept me sane during the process was that I was going to donate my hair to Locks of Love. If I was ever going to cut my hair I wanted to make sure there was plenty to donate. I wasn’t going to cut it in increments, I was going to go Balls to the Wall, and I did. He cut off what seems to me to be about 2 pounds of hair and it feels great! I was shocked at first, but love it more and more every day! I thank Sam Villa for giving me a fabulous new look and thank my friends and coworkers and Locks of Love for giving me the courage to cut so much hair off!

Waking up on your wedding day among dolphins and palm trees is something many brides dream about. That’s what newlyweds Jessica and Raul were looking for when they chose Hawks Cay Resort in the Florida Keys for their destination wedding.

Jessica hired me as her personal hair and makeup artist for her and the bridal party. She found my work on www.theknot.com and knew right away she had found the perfect hair and makeup artist. We met at my salon in Davie, FL so we could design a tailored look for her wedding day. She had originally booked a trial with a different unaffiliated stylist and was unhappy with her look. I assured her that with my training and expertise and her vision of a flirty, messy yet sophisticated red carpet look, we were destined for success.

On the day of the wedding I traveled on location to her villa at Hawks Cay Resort where her five bridesmaids, mother and various family members were busy getting last minute details underway. Even with everything going on around us, it was still a relaxed atmosphere. Getting ready with the ocean in the background is always going to make for a peaceful setting.

Each of the girls had ideas of what they wanted for their individual hair looks. Most of them were beach sexy, loose updos. Even though everyones hair was somewhat different, the bride wanted everyones makeup cohesive. Jessica chose bright corals and cremes to highlight the eyes and a glossy matching lip.

The hair & makeup went fabulous with the navy blue Amsale floor lenth bridesmaids gowns and Jessica was stunning in her jeweled v-neck open back wedding gown. Jessica’s mom was the last to go for hair and makeup. We completed her look by accentuating her baby blue eyes with black liner, blue shadows and couldn’t forget the false eyelashes. Her look was incredible, especially paired with her navy blue pencil dress. Everyone was so happy with their hair, makeup and the overall finished product. I had such a blast for seven straight hours getting to know such a fun group of women. The time flew by and before we knew it, it was time to say “I do.” So I said my goodbyes, packed my bags and wished the bride farewell.

When the bride and the bridal party are pleased with my work it really makes my day. Jessica and her bridesmaids really made my job easy with such beautiful palettes to work with, but they still made sure to tell me I do amazing work. One of her bridesmaids who had been in several weddings told me that the quality and artistic talent I brought blew all the others she’d experienced out of the water. Now many people might think that would give me a big head, but it doesn’t. What it does do is assure me that the countless hours I have spent training to perfect my craft are continuing to pay off. I pride myself in the advanced training I do on a yearly basis in Miami and New York City. I owe much of my success to the training I have received, because without it I would not be lucky enough to be brought to the Florida Keys for a destination wedding, working on beautiful women like Jessica and her bridal party!