*In honor of Mother’s Day, Slope Suds is offering Hip Slope Mama readers 10% off for a haircut and blow-dry if you mention the code: Hip Slope Mama. Offer expires May 12, 2009.

Kristen, a new Park Slope mom, volunteered for the make-over. As you can see below, she’s already quite pretty to begin with, but Milla (the hairstylist who worked on her) was able to amplify her style by creating a cut that is modern yet classic, with a NYC edge. The “after” cut/color is much easier to maintain and works better with the natural color and texture of Kristen’s hair.

Before

Here is what Milla describes doing to Kristin’s hair:

“Kristen is a new mom wanting a low maintenance, easy to style hair cut, also a color that would be a little richer. She had previous color, eventually wanting to grow it out, so in order to make that transitional phase to her natural color more smooth I used a dark chocolate demi-permanent color that made her natural color have more depth, shine and no line of demarcation as she worked her way out of the old color”.

After

Demi-Permanent Hair Color is hair color that can only deposit tone (color). Demi-permanent color is like applying stain over wood. When the color is finished you can still see the variation in tones and levels of the natural hair coming through, just like the grain in wood. Usually lasts 2-4 months and gradually fades”.

For the hair cut: she was interested in keeping her length but it felt too thick, bulky and uncomfortable especially since this would be a difficult style to have when the weather starts to get warmer in the spring/summer. Also the style was lacking movement and volume. I added some diagonal layers from the top going down, that way her ends would not be too stringy. I tapered and texturized her midsection in the back for more movement. After I finished the cut she and I were able to see some of her natural wave appear which she didn’t even know existed before. It was humid and rainy out, so I decided to work with the weather and diffuse her hair bringing the curl and wave out.

Make-up colors and techniques:

• All the products that were used are made by Youngblood cosmetics (which are sold in the salon). They are a mineral based makeup line and have very few synthetic ingredients in their products. The line is great for anyone with sensitive or problematic skin.
• We started with the Neutral loose foundation and buffed it in with the Super Powder brush. The brush is great for distributing the color evenly and smoothly. I then applied the Medium concealer with my finger underneith the eye and on the lid as well.
• Using the finger warms the concealer so the coverage is better. The concealer is also good to use as an eyeshadow base, which keeps eye color from moving or creasing.
• I used the Moonstone loose shadow all over the eye. It’s the perfect color to use as a highlighter to give the eye a real pop. For day time, I added the black liner right into the lashline and black mascara to give the eyes definition. To bring the eye look into night, I used Irish Moss loose shadow in the crease. Irish Moss is a pretty shade of forest green and it’s a great alternative to black or brown.
• Nectar pressed blush is a great shade for the cheeks. It’s peach and very fresh. I used the contour brush to define the cheekbone and on the apple of the cheek as well.
• For lips, we used Cedar lipstick and Rose liner. The combination of those colors is a great neutral pink and can be worn both in the day and evening. Deja vu lip gloss looks great over the lipstick in the evening. After being in the salon industry for nearly a decade, Karla founded Slope Suds to bring high-end salon services to her Park Slope community.Karla studied the dry cutting technique with the late John Sahag and his creative styling team at his workshop on Madison Avenue. Her continuing education includes studying the techniques of Vidal Sassoon, Nick Arrojo (of TLC’s “What Not to Wear”), and Tim Hartley of Davines. Her specialty is edgy and/or precision cuts - always personalized. Milla is a Senior Stylist at Slope Suds. Milla desires to create a look that will suit the client’s lifestyle. She quietly and magically transforms your hair. She trained with Mehmet in Sarasota, Fla., specializing in hair color and shaping. She also trained with color specialists in Europe and has additional training in dry cutting at the John Sahag Workshop on Madison Avenue. Her specialty is dry cutting and cuts that accentuate the clients most eye-catching features and essential beauty. As well as, natural-look highlighting/shadowing/lowlighting or bold coloring.