I decided that it was now about time that I had a new haircut to cover my worry marks. Luckily, big fringes are in now and very on trend, so I decided this was going to be my new look. Being a hairdresser, I am never far from a pair of shears, so I marched on into my bathroom and sectioned off the offending area with soft wisps of hair and closed the shears over the eyebrows. Any of you long haired goddesses know how daunting it is to make the move from easy throw back, tuck back, brush away, pin it up hair… to there you go – can’t go back now! The deed was done. I am pretty sure I had my eyes closed for the whole procedure, and not because I was avoiding getting sharp hair particles in them either!  And when I did look up in the mirror, I saw a cute, young, sassy little thing looking back at me. I was released from my aged misery.

I have since had Kliff at the Wimbledon Salon re-cut them with much more accurate precision and grace, and dare I say it, a bit retro, which I love. So with a spring in my step, and a newfound youth, I thank the fringe fashion brigade for allowing me to express my inner babe, continue to be an ambassador for a life free from frozen faces (but for how long I can’t promise) and save me a bundle at the Harley Street.

Vidal Sassoon, who has died aged 84, was at the cutting edge of hairdressing (excuse the pun). His sharp, geometric  hairstyles saw that he was the pioneer of his craft and he inevitably shot to fame after creating the bob, which was made famous thanks to Mary Quant.  An astute businessman, Sassoon made a fortune from his salons and products, and became a household name.

The hairdresser, who was born in Hammersmith London, was in his twenties when he opened his first salon in London. He set himself a five year goal to make it or break it, after which – If the business was not successful – he would neglect hairdressing altogether! However, as we all know his talent and innovation in creating modern, low-maintenance styles resulted in a booming business and he went on to become arguably the most famous hairdresser in the world.

Sassoon never felt the profession that he put at the forefront of modern fashion received the respect it was owed: “Hairdressing in general hasn’t been given the kudos it deserves. It’s not recognised by enough people as a worthy craft.”

“If you get hold of a head of hair on somebody you’ve never seen before, cut beautiful shapes, cut beautiful architectural angles and she walks out looking so different – I think that’s masterful,” he said.

His association with Quant put Sassoon at the forefront of pop culture and fashion. His styles also began attracting a male audience when The Beatles adopted Sassoon-inspired cuts with bangs and long locks down to their shoulders.

The stylist maintained his British roots despite living in the United States. He was a die-hard fan of the Chelsea football team, and in 2009 he was honoured by Queen Elizabeth when he was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Apart from hairdressing interests, he set up the Vidal Sassoon Foundation to help the needy in educational pursuits both in Israel and abroad.

The Gina Conway Team say farewell to a true master of hair and will forever look to his work for inspiration.

Aveda is synonymous with environmental and social responsibility. Every year the lifestyle brand hosts Aveda Earth Month, which sees its salons, staff and supporters raise money to help communities across the world have access to safe drinking water. Last year the Aveda UK campaign raised £130,000 and Gina Conway Salon and Spas contributed an outstanding £4,000 of that! This year we want your help to do better!

So what’s it all about?

Clean, safe drinking water is a luxury many of us take for granted, yet in some parts of the world conditions are so unsanitary, fatal diarrhoeal diseases are spreading fast, keeping children out of school and families out of work. Since 1999 Aveda’s global network has been working to change this and through Earth Month they have raised over $18 million to support projects around the world.

The idea behind the 2012 Earth Month campaign started in the remote Indian village Tilwari, where through Global Greengrants Fund,  the Aveda network donated $23,000 towards an integrated water project back in 2008. We are also supporting Water Aid UK projects in Ethiopia and Nepal where extreme poverty is high and child mortality from water-related diseases is rife!

What you can do to help us…

Sponsor our Walk!

We are Water Warriors! The Aveda Walk for Water is taking place on Monday 23^rd April, where staff from Gina Conway will walk five miles to represent the daily struggle of women in developing countries to access clean water!

Buy the Light the Way Candle for sale in all of Gina Conway Salons and Spas!

This beautiful limited edition soy wax Light the Way Candle is available for you to purchase in all of our Salons for £20. All the proceeds will be donated to clean water projects in the countries where Aveda sources its ingredients. In the past, proceeds from the candle have raised over $3 million for the Global Greengrants fund, achieving…

• 275 communities taking action against toxic industrial pollution
• 500 watersheds protected
• 2,700 women trained in environmental and watershed management
• 4,000 people benefiting from wells and water infrastructure
• 50,000 acres converted to sustainable, organic agriculture

Guess the Pebbles!

We have some innovative ploys up our sleeve in the bid to hit this years’ target and it begins with our fun game of ‘Guess the Pebbles’. Donate £1 along with your guess and it will take pride position on a ‘Water Droplet’ behind our reception desks for everyone to see! Not only will your kind donation be recognised, but you’re automatically be entered into our competition to win either an Aveda Hamper worth over £100 or a Cut and Blow Dry from our very own, Gina Conway!

CUT-A-THON

On the 30^th April you can be part of something special when you come along to our CUT-A-THON! Being hosted across all of our salons from 9am to 7pm! All you have to do is donate £50 to Water Aid and as a thank you for your kindness we will give you a cut a blow dry with one of our expert team of stylists!

Ring one of the reception teams to book now, because we are filling appointments fast!

Quick Fire Facts…Did you know?

• Approx 1 in 8 of the World’s population does not have access to safe water.

• 4,000 children in the world will die every day from diarrhoea caused by unclean water and poor sanitation – This equates to 160 infant school classrooms lost every single day to an entirely preventable public health crisis.

• Just £15 can enable one person to access a lasting supply of safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation!

HC: You’re from the North of England, how did you end up in London doing beauty therapy?

JS: I fell in love with the industry whilst working in a salon located in my hometown of Hull; I was 13 years old at the time! They allowed me to attend several beauty courses so I could soon perform manicures and waxing services on the guests.

After a few years I then went on to study Nursery Nursing for a year. I looked after children from a few famous celebrities!  It was an amazing experience but I knew my passion was in beauty so I then travelled to Greece to work in a 5 star resort for 4 months.  I then returned to my previous salon in Hull for another 2 and a half years where I helped the salon expand and did a Health Course where I learnt how to do Medical Pedicures.  I then moved to London in order to gain new career experiences and to work with the brand Aveda.

HC: You mentioned that you do Medical Pedicures, how is this different from a normal pedicure?

JS: A Medi Pedi is a pedicure that includes the use of surgical blades to remove hard skin.  This is done gradually and gets rid of unwanted callous. The blades that I use are surgical blades the same ones used in operations! So I am also able to smooth away cracked heels and any corns.

I still do a full pedicure, so this begins with a warm foot soak and exfoliation. I then do the blade work to the soles of the feet and also apply a hydrating foot masque. The rest of the Medi Pedi also includes cuticle and nail work and a soothing stress relieving foot massage.  A polish can also be applied to the nails if you wish.

HC: What are your plans for the near future?

JS: I want to learn all the Aveda treatments and products in depth and I would love to do a sports massage course soon!

HC:  Lastly, what is your favourite Aveda product?

JS: Foot Relief! It’s perfect for all my pedicure guests.  It contains a natural form of salicylic acid (Sweet Meadow Foam) which helps to dissolve hard skin.  It also contains Peppermint which is great as a natural deodoriser for the feet! Has such a sweet aroma, perfect!

HC:  Thank you so much for your time Jess.  We are excited to be launching the Medi Pedi’s in the Wimbledon salon with you.  Medi Pedi’s are £60 for 45 mins (does not incl the paint) or £75 for 60 mins (includes the paint)

Call 0208 090 5818 to book your appointment with the fantastic Jess now!

 www.ginaconway.co.uk  or follow us on Twitter @GinaConwayAveda

I had meeting with the Ayurvedic doctor today. She looked at my tongue, felt my pulse, and asked a few questions and decided I am pitta-vata. That means ..Fire plus water. I now have to drink some concoctions of cumin and coriander and little oregano in hot water. Tasty?

Day six. Made a friend. A lovely Indian girl who is a beach vendor and sells sarongs and jewelry etc. She is getting married soon and told me all about her life. Uneducated, illiterate, and has been working since age 10, naturally, I wanted to help her. I gave her a pep talk on some great business ideas, and some encouragement. I worry that she has no self esteem or vision or means to carry this out. Unfortunately, this is the reality that poverty stricken persons face. And I want to help. Having been reading Richard Branson’s book I am totally inspired to help change the world. I knew India would open my eyes and I can’t wait.

Day seven. Pummeled, pushed, scrubbed, steamed, pulled, stretched, stepped on, rubbed, tugged, kneaded, starved, and extricated, yet I am still feeling dull. I have been working on my inner light and now need to glow from within an well as from out. I have one last day to meditate on this and then there is food!! Glorious food. Sprouts and chickpeas, but still it is food!! I do feel like I needed to suffer like the monks to find enlightenment, but daily treatments isn’t really suffering is it. My spiritual journey is nearly over and now I am stressing out about not having found my purpose. Or have I?

Day eight. Wellness- the state or condition of being in good physical and mental health. That was what I have been chasing. I think I have achieved this. Today I am watching the sun set beyond the ocean, and I feel rested, healthy, happy, and calm (and just a little bit sore, too many fat burning body scrubs).

I savored my chickpeas, and they were good! I have learned how to grow sprouts now too. Next i will be growing out my dyed hair.. Not a chance!

I have cleaned out my garage (headspace) and am really revitalized again.

I think all in all, I had a good trip. Tough at times. But it is important to stretch yourself in order to grow.

I lost a total of 26.5 cm off my body I lost 2.5 kilos, and one year off my age! My PH has risen 1.5 to 7.5 which means I am in great health.
Hooray!! Looking forward to try on my skinny jeans!

Back to work and back to the Big Smoke tomorrow. I can’t wait! I am afraid all I got from all this soul searching is that I have to now work harder to help save the world, but I shall do it all with a new found inner peace and purpose.

Love Gina Xx

 

I never had a chance to feel hungry.  Every 1.5 hours was a juice or broth and loads of supplements and wheatgrass, aloe juice, and phylum husks. With about a gallon of water.  So far so good.  Good night for now.  Beach tomorrow. 

To be continued…..

I am always behind the scenes, which is the most exciting place to be to date in my life! The buzz backstage is unreal. It starts with finding a plug for your dryer, most of the places backstage are not set up for 10 hairdryers and mirrors. Then after you set up, the models drop in, one by one. They sit there on the phone eating whatever they like because they are 16 and fabulous. The dressers are busily sewing last minute buttons on garments and hemming dresses, while the choreographer frantically shouts orders to all, and the skinny waifs join him onstage for a rehearsal. As he has to get all 25 models parading the runway in precise military style, naturally, they hold up the rest of us who need to do the girls hair, makeup and clothes.

So now the tension is running really high. The pressure is on to spray, blow, set, tease, brush, poof, sculpt, spray, spray some more, dishevel, spray again for all the girls while makeup is being pressed, fluffed, smeared, drawn, powdered and pressed again. Now emerges these powerful goddesses, trapesing around in just a g string. The designer comes in shouting at the teams, why aren’t they dressed yet and when is the hair going to be finished, and why is the lipstick on before Candice ate the sandwich!! Everybody is running around and the temperature is hot in there. The guests are filing in and the energy in the green room is electric. Models are hurriedly jumping into the carefully created costumes of an artist.  Mr choreographer is shouting again and the hairdressers are whipping the hair around in record time. Magic is happening. An alchemy of creativity is about to explode. Just then the music starts and the girls are lined up behind the curtain. And boom! The show begins.

Ahh well, I am looking forward to seeing what happens on the other side. I am going to Jeff Garner at Prophetic who is an amazing ethical fashion designer and this years collection is called “Courtly Love”. www.prophetik.com

“It was another glamorous Bafta Awards last night and once again the stars didn’t disappoint. The hair colour trend this season seems to be any shade of vibrant red, from fiery crimson to tawny amber. This year it’s all about the retro glamour blow-dry as hair left down with soft finger waves really gave the updo’s the brush off.

One of the most eye-catching hair styles of the night was definitely the comeback of the pixie cut, as shown off by Michelle Williams. Thank you for daring to be different Michelle – show it off!

Here are my tips on getting some of the looks…..”

Fearne Cotton

Fearne showed off these Marilyn inspired tresses. These can be softly styled using hot rollers, and teasing it upwards with your fingers. Then finish by ruffling it just a bit to soften it.

Christina Hendricks

Messy sexy says it all. Her sleek burnished copper signature look was seen dishevelled tonight. Get the look by getting a big bouncy blow-dry, then tease underneath and spray with hair spray, and ruffle top layers, then pull front back into loose drapes and secure at the back of the head.

Penelope Cruz

Shiny, glossy hair was the look for Penelope as she warmed the audience with her glow. I loved her short choppy fringe, giving her 60’s hair a fresh look. Try a high crown ponytail, then wrap a rubberband in a small strand of hair and secure the end. Then tease the ponytail and spray. Brush the top of the teased bits straight and tuck the ends under and secure just under round of head. Use the Aveda Control Force hair spray to keep the shine and strong hold for a look like this.

Meryl Streep

The duchess of the industry was looking elegant as usual with her hair sweeping up giving her a more regal stature. Achieve this look by creating your curls by blow-drying, and pull back in sections starting at the nape of the neck and twisting and securing each section to the last. Give texture by teasing each section and directing it just off centre from the previous section.

According to our recent Valentine’s Day survey, forget the roses and chocolates….96% of women would prefer an indulgent facial and massage instead.

Why not treat someone special to one of our luxurious salon and spa gift vouchers. If you spend £50 or more on gift vouchers before the end of February we’ll give you a complimentary gift voucher for a shape and paint manicure!

We’ve also teamed up with the stunning 4* boutique hotel Cannizaro House in Wimbledon to offer you the ultimate indulgent Valentine’s Day package for two.

Save 20% on the salon and spa package below

• For Her: Island Retreat for the Hands followed by a botanical therapy hair treatment and blow dry
• For Him: Fusion Massage followed by a Gents hair cut and finish

Add on one of the following experiences at Cannizaro House Hotel and save around £70 on the whole Valentine’s Day package!

• Dinner for two with a bottle of wine (includes two courses from the ‘simply’ menu)
• Overnight accommodation for two with dinner, wine and breakfast

So make it a Valentine’s Day to remember and contact your nearest Gina Conway salon for more information.

• Offers are valid until 29^th February 2012
• Subject to availability
• Subject to promotional rates at the hotel
• Travel to Cannizaro House Hotel is not included
• The salon and spa treatments should all be taken on the same day
• Not valid with any other offers or promotions
• The Valentine’s Day package will be slightly different at our Chelsea salon

“My favourite product at the moment has to be the Aveda Lip Saver – it’s a must-have for February especially when temperatures plummet outside! Prevent dry chapped lips by using a really rich hydrating lipbalm like the Aveda Lip Saver which contains jojoba oil and vitamin E for long lasting moisture and protection.”

So you can have beautiful kissable lips in time for Valentine’s Day !

Marc also gives us a special tip….”use a tiny amount of the Aveda Lip Saver on dry cuticles to keep them moisturised and looking healthier than ever.”

To book in a spa appointment with Marc on a Saturday or Sunday please call our Wimbledon  reception team on 020 8090 5818.