You Maybe Homeless But You Are Loved.

That was my message at a recent workshop I held for mothers wanting to stay clean and break their addiction to drugs that range from alcohol, pot, pills and heroin to crystal meth. Some of these women live in shelters or struggle to put a roof over their heads. From my personal experiences I can relate.

"You are beautiful from the inside out..." was my first message to the room. "We are no different from each other and you deserve to be treated as an equal." This I firmly believe based on my own life experiences.

Some may assume that with the struggles these women face, "beauty from the inside out" may not be the most important thing, but they're dead wrong!

The power that a human gets from understanding that they have inner beauty, can move mountains. We live in a world where magazines, TV, radio and social media are constantly telling women they are better off looking look like someone else (maybe a celebrity). Not being able to live up to these impossible standards can break a woman, especially one who is already battling an addiction.

 Some women may also have to deal with other challenges,  like financial insecurity, physical abuse, mental health issues and crushing poverty. With this weight on their shoulders, there is often no room for feelings of self-worth. That's where inner beauty plays an important role.

By recognizing their "inner beauty," these women can be reminded that they deserve a good life, just like everyone else. They deserve love, deserve respect and deserve to be supported through difficult times, just like everyone else.

So if you're reading this, know that showing others' their inner beauty is extremely powerful. So many of us walk around depending on our outside appearances to represent who we are, but that only lasts so long. As I always say, a hairstyle lasts a day but self love is forever!

So spread the word, beauty is still just skin deep!

Feel free to write to me with any questions or comments. Remember that we can all bring joy to someone in need.

To love one's self is the beginning of a life long romance. - Oscar Wilde


Give love.
Give hope.
Give faith!

U.S Elle Magazine October 2013- She's A Rainbow. Hair By Orlando Pita

So excited to share these images done by a very talented group of people, including my 2 friends and mentors Hairstylist Orlando Pita and Stylist Lori Goldstein.

All I can say is, MAJOR!!!

Photographer: Catherine Servel
Model: Zenia Sevastyanova
Stylist: Lori Goldstein
Make-up: Christian Mcculloch
Manicure: Gina Edwards 

DVF Spring/Fall 2014 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week NYC

"Young, confident and independent. You weren't only chosen because you're beautiful, but because of your personalities"

That comes from the kickoff speech to all the models at DVF this morning. So without changing each model's natural hair too much, we were instructed to highlight their inner beauty. 

Confident women or independent beauty was what it was all about at DVF. 

Orlando Pita Started us off doing a demo showing us exactly what he wanted.

First we applied a layer of the Biosilk Hairspray, then working towards creating an "S" wave, we all grabbed big sections of hair as we primarily used curling irons to achieve this look. In his demo, Orlando made it clear not to style the hair into a barrel curl or curls that were too tight. 

 For this show we used a Mason Pearson brush to add body and some fullness to hair.

And voila!

Here is Orlando Pita and Diane Von Furstenberg just be for the show!

Amazing show guys!!!

Hair At Derek Lam Spring/Summer 2014 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week

"Structured ease" was one of the terms Derek Lam used to describe the vibe of his Spring/Summer 2014 runway show and each model's hair was styled to follow suit.

Orlando Pitdid his usual demonstration for us, showing the techniques, tools and products that were needed.

The hair was first lightly brushed with a Mason Pearson brush and then sprayed with a Phyto Finishing Hair Spray to give it structure and body. 

We then styled it with the fabulous T3- Micro Hair Iron, alternating the direction of each wave.

NO BARREL CURLS! That's right guys...this is the look that will define today's modern girl.  

The hair was then put into a ponytail, keeping it, "...structured with an ease..."

Great job guys!!

Orlando Pita, Derek Lam and Makeup artist Tom Pecheux.

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week NYC Spring 2014

With the "fashion buzz" in the air, everyone is gearing up for yet another amazing week of style, beauty and high drama in NYC. I'm excited to share that I'll be making "hair magic" as part of a team assisting Orlando Pita during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

We'll be working on an exciting lineup of shows for the following designers: Derek Lam, Diane Von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera, Oscar De La Renta, Michael Kors and Philosophy.

What we will be doing stays secret till Orlando gives us our instructions. To see what's happening backstage, follow Orlando's Instagram and Facebook pages at orlopita.

Here's a backstage recap of hairstyles from the last shows I assisted.

Carolina Herrera

 Oscar De La Renta

Derek Lam

DVF

Michael Kors

Must See Video For CR Fashion Book Issue 3- Hair By Orlando Oita

Photography Max von Gumppenberg and Patrick Bienert
Film Jordan Backhus
Starring Lily Donaldson, Xiao Wen, Karolina Kurkova, Jessica Hart, Irina Shayk, Nadja Bender, Sasha Luss, Julia Restoin Roitfeld, Lindsey Wixson Lakshmi Menon, Soo Joo Park, Ashleigh Good, Candice Swanepoel, Stef Van Der Laan, and Anna Ewers
Makeup Aaron de Mey, Beauty Curator for Sephora
Hair Orlando Pita for Orlo Salon
Manicure Mar y Soul for Chanel Beauté
Prop stylist Philipp Haemmerle
Music “Peanut Butter” Alison Valentine

Help For Beauty School Students at JP McCaskey High School In Pennsylvania.

I want to share with you all an amazing  experience I had with a class of students at a beauty school program at JP McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Their teacher, Andrea Fitzgerald contacted me asking if I could direct her to someone that could help with supplies like hair brushes, blow dryers, curling irons, etc. so the students could get the proper training. She further expressed interest in more education for the students, but did not have the budget. 

Having attended a similar program (West Valley Occupational Center) in Los Angeles for my beauty school education, I related to the challenges they faced.  The first step was to get supplies donated. Having never done anything like this before I knew it would be a challenge, one that I was happy to take on.

The first company that came to mind was T3 Micro.

You see, T3 has been a regular sponsor for some of our favorite shows during Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week.

I love their products so it was a natural choice for me. I explained to these wonderful people at T3 the situation at the school and my willingness to help. I also told them that I would personally take the products to Pennsylvania, they were game!

Last week I traveled 3 hours  to Lancaster  with the donated equipment.

Here's a video which further explains my initial interaction with the Mrs Andrea Fitzgerald and our plans. 

Once at the school I saw the excitement in the kids faces. The workshop started  with an introduction of myself and my journey through the beauty industry. We discussed the the important things to do while in school that will help them after graduating. The simple things like constantly practicing on their mannequins hairstyles they see in magazines, or cutting the hair for family members and friends as soon as they can.  We talked about the importance of not losing your individual creativity. Beauty school training can be a standardized and rigid training process with so many "do's and dont's" being taught as guidelines to create a cut.

Here are images with the excited students with their new tools. They were beyond ecstatic!!!

 I followed this by doing a haircut and style using T3- Microfiber tools.

 I closed out my visit with a surprise bonus from Orlando Pita, who graciously donated gift baskets to the top two students, Michelle Gonzales & Nghia Nguyen with the best attendance. 

The students wanted to say a big thank you to T3 ...here they are!!

Already I've received feedback from Ms. Fitzgerald saying, "The kids are super excited and anxious for my return!"

Well since my visit I'm even more committed to helping those in need. For those who are interested in seeing how they can help out, please contact me.

I want to once again thank Ms. Fitzgerald for contacting me and having faith to ask for help. And a big thank you to T3 for their incredible donation to the school program. And lastly a special thanks to Orlando Pita for his gifts to the two students who had the best attendance.