We Love Wedding Hair!

The bride-to-be, Lauren Smathers checking out her beautiful self.

At Adorn, we get the pleasure of styling brides-to-be and their friends and family all the time, and each are super special and unique.

This wedding party of 10 ladies came in last week to get ready for their big day, and tons of fun was had by all.

They had coffee, mimosas and snacks in the Adorn Bridal Suite while waiting for their turn for their services - whether to get their hair, make-up, and or nails done!

Amanda, the bride-to-be's sister, popped open some bubbly in the Adorn Bridal Suite to get the party started.

The bride's sister, Amanda (pictured above) is a regular client of one of our stylists, Emily Rexford.

The bride was very involved with choosing the hairstyles of all the ladies in her party even doing the hair one of the flower girls hair herself while she was waiting for her turn.

A couple of the bridesmaids even got their nails done with Candace Arguelles while they waited to get other services done.

Adorn Stylist Emily Rexford works on the bride-to-be while proud Mother of the Bride looks on.

Say Cheese! We bet the wedding and ceremony were just perfect. Congrats, Lauren and everyone involved!

So, if you or someone you know is planning a wedding soon, remember that Adorn offers a full menu of wedding services that we can do in-house or on-site. Check them all out here!

Adorn Summer Special = Detox Pedi

It's time to get those feet summer-ready with our Summer Detox Pedi!

Our Summer Special will have your feet looking and feeling fabulous by tending to your nails and cuticles and eliminating calluses all while indulging your senses with cooling, citrusy goodness...and bubbles.

* Book a Seasonal Pedi that includes a Level Naturals Detox Bath Bomb and Grapefruit Bergamot + Sugar Scrub with a Whipped Shea Butter Massage and you'll get a smoothing paraffin dip for FREE! ($10 value) AND – if you're of drinking age and enjoy a little bubbly, you will get a split (half bottle) of Prosecco ($5 value) to sip on while you get pampered. 

Normally a $65 value for just $50, so book today!

As always, you'll have over 100 beautiful polish colors to choose from to finish off your look.

Give us a call and come on in!

(828) 225 - 8828

adornasheville@gmail.com

adornsalonandboutique.com

Get To Know Adorn > Stylist Amanda Rae

The fierce Amanda Rae

In our second installment of Get To Know Adorn, we bring you Amanda Rae, who might be from the North, but has most certainly found her home here in the South. And we are lucky she has also found her salon home with us, here at Adorn.

Enjoy!

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Q: So how long have you lived in Asheville and what brought you here?
Amanda Rae: I've been in Asheville since September of 2010. I fell in love with this magical place the first moment arrived when I visited for the first time, and felt it would be a perfect fit for me... So far, it's been that and so much more!



Q: You're a Native New Yorker! What would you say the first 3 differences that come to mind between living up north and living here?
Amanda Rae: People are much warmer and more welcoming here than up north... It's almost an entirely different mindset and mentality.
 

Coming from Syracuse which is the #1 city in the country for snow accumulation (averaging 181 inches a year), I've really grown to appreciate the seasons here.
 

Even though the Catskills and Adirondacks are gorgeous, nothing is quite like these... Plus the bonus of the beautiful parkway I often take my dog for car rides on and hike on trails with. 

Who's ready for a hike?

Q. How did you start doing hair and makeup, etc.? Was it something you were interested in as a kid?
Amanda Rae: I've been around it my entire life. My Aunt Marilyn owned her own shop for several years, where I used to love to go visit and hangout in as a kid... She eventually moved on to teaching Cosmetology. When the time came in high school to start thinking about what I wanted to do with my life it was extremely overwhelming and I wasn't sure which direction to even start thinking of, so at 16 I took Cosmetology and my aunt was my teacher. I guess you could say she's a very special and important part of my life and career.



Q: You have a unique style and obviously like styling in unconventional ways. What are some of your current inspirations when doing hair and makeup?
Amanda Rae: It's true. I've never lived inside the lines or in any type of box...the weirder the better! I love playing with theatrical makeup, and have been getting involved in local fashion shows hoping to eventually get on sets to do movies one day. Whenever I see something I've never done before, as far as hair is concerned, it's a challenge I feel like I need to take on and perfect it. It keeps things fun.

This photo of Maggie Edwards and her husband-to-be, Caleb Earwood, went viral last year. And Amanda Rae did her hair!

Q: You had a pretty famous moment happen not that long ago where you were a part of a very special wedding. Can you tell us about that experience and when it meant to you?
Amanda Rae: Yes! My friend Maggie Edwards, who I'd met while working in a salon in South Asheville, became a loyal client and when I made the move to Adorn, she still asked if I could do her hair for her wedding. The photo you're referring to, was when her husband to be, Caleb, wanted to say a prayer with her before the ceremony but didn't want to break tradition of not seeing each other beforehand. The picture the photographer captured was so captivating and beautiful. It ended up going viral and was shown on Good Morning America and was listed as one of the top 10 most memorable weddings of 2015!




Q. What has been one of your biggest Chair Challenges that really tested your skill as a stylist?
Amanda Rae: I would have to say the biggest challenge any stylist faces, including myself, is having to help bridge the gap between what a guest is telling you they're looking for, and what's realistic for their hair type and lifestyle. With the Internet, Photoshop, and Pinterest so many people get false illusions of what is achievable in a certain hair color or style with what their natural hair texture/density is. Also, trying to decipher whether the guest likes how that style looks on that person, or if they really think it will be good for them with their face shape, neck line, etc. These reasons are why thorough consultations are so important!




Q: Any celeb crushes right now? Girl or boy?
Amanda Rae: I will forever and always be madly in love with Jon Hamm ;)

 

We agree, Amanda Rae. Oh, we agree.

 

Get to Know Adorn > Stylist LT Ingeneri

LT Ingeneri sittin' pretty in the Adorn Bridal Suite

We are so lucky here at Adorn. We have a kick-ass team who work really hard to make every client feel special and that they're walking out of the Salon doors as happy as can be.

We thought it would be fun to do a Q&A series where we let you get to know each member by asking a few questions about themselves.

First up - LT Ingeneri.

Enjoy!

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Q. How long have you lived in Asheville?
LT: About 10 months now.


Q. Do you like it? 
LT: Yeah. Totally


Q. Where did you move from?   
LT: Florida. A place called Weeki Wachee. It's on the nature coast.
 (and home to Mermaid Shows!)


Q. When did you join Adorn?
 LT: It's been about 3 months now.


Q. What's your favorite part about working at Adorn?
LT: I think the art and diversity around me - it's really inspiring to see everyone on their own level and it's all really different and it's all really good.


Q. Have you ever had a Chair Nightmare experience when a client was particularly challenging?
LT: I had one experience (at another salon) where it was really hard for me to keep my composure and remain professional (laughs). This guy came in and he was bald on the top but then had long straight hair which is not a big deal. So he first wanted me to cut his hair. So I was cutting his hair. Then he wanted to know what it would look like curly, so he asked me to put it in rollers and dry it under the hooded drier. So I did that. We had a little bit of time left but I had another client coming in soon. But after the curls set, it basically just stuck out sideways.

Bozo the Clown (huffingtonpost.com)

Q. Like Bozo??
LT: Exactly! So then he asked me to straighten it because he didn't like it. Then he wanted it curly again, wanted me to also bleach it, and tie die it with ink. And it was fine but it was just like one unexpected thing after the other and it just kept getting weirder and weirder.

Then the weirdest part though is that he re-booked for another appointment and he had been under the name of, like, Mark So-and-so, and he had just given me really weird vibes so I ended up Googling him after he left and it was the name of a football player on the 49ers which definitely was not him. And the name he gave when he re-booked was different, and I looked that other name up and it was another 49ers player. So I called him saying, "Hey, there seems to be a little bit of a mix up on your file and we have two different names for you..."– and he never called back.

 ( Ummmm...WEIRD. )

Q. You told me that you're a mom. Do you cut their hair?  
LT: Yeah. She's a girl so...


Q. Does she like that you cut her hair?
LT: She always has since she was little, but recently I gave her a really short hair cut and....she's not happy. She's like, "You're not touching my hair!"


Q. So tell us about your new title here at Adorn.
LT: I am now also a Bridal Stylist. Adorn is really known for getting booked with lots of weddings - we were voted #1 in The Knot (for best bridal beauty salon in Asheville) – so we have a lot of weddings coming up. And when I was hired, they asked me if I was comfortable doing wedding hair – and I was. Then we did the Bridal Boot Camp which allowed me to train with the rest of the bridal team to learn about what they like what their brand is. So they all got to sort of test me out at the same time, to make sure that my bridal styling was up to par with theirs, and shortly after that they asked me to join the bridal team and I am just really happy.

LT working on one of the Bridal Boot Camp models

Q. What hair trends are you enjoying right now?
LT: Balayage - like hand painting - is really cool, I feel like it's really "in" and a lot of people like it. It can be different colors, it can be different placement of different hues. You can get really creative with the technique.


Q. Do you have any celebrity crushes?
LT: Not really. (laughs)


Q. Is there any celeb whose style you just freak out over?
LT: I love Emma Watson. I just love her. I think she's stylish and classy all at the same time. Other than that, I've always admired celebrities that are doing the more natural thing - like Mila Kunis. She always stands out to me - it's effortless. As a stylist, if someone sits down and asks me for something that they're trying to achieve I will obviously do my best to give them exactly what they want, but if they're asking me for recommendations, I will always say embrace what you have naturally - we can tweak it and play up on it.


Q. If you could do anyone's hair / alive or dead who would it be and why?
LT: Let's see....maybe Beyoncé. I just love her hair. It can be so voluminous, and full of texture and curls, but then you can also blow it out and it can be super straight. I love texture. It's my favorite thing to play with.

Queen B.

Adorn Spring Spa Deals

We here at Adorn have not one, but two great Spa deals for you to look and feel your best this Spring.

* Book an Adorn Mani & Pedi and get a FREE Paraffin Treatment for $70


* Book a 30 minute Facial and get a FREE 30 minute Massage for $40


Doesn't that all sound yummy? Just in time for breaking out sandals and sundresses...

Give us a call and come on in and let us pamper you!

 

(Services must be done on same day)

(828) 225 - 8828

adornasheville@gmail.com

adornsalonandboutique.com

It's Best Of WNC Time!

Yup. It's that time again.

It's time for the Mountain Xpress to pit hundreds of local businesses up against each other in a multitude of categories in the annual Best of WNC Competition.

From now until May 4th, you can vote for pretty straightforward things like, "Favorite Restaurant" to pretty specific ones like "Best Bed and Mattress Store" to more eccentric ones like, "Best Pet-Friendly Bar".

You must vote in at least 30 categories which is definitely a commitment, but if you're one of the many loyal voters or even if you want to give it a try for the first time, why not vote for us??

The categories Adorn Salon, Spa, and Boutique would love your support on are the following:

• Best Hair Salon
• Best Hair Stylist (here they all are!)
• Best Nail Salon
• Best Spa 

Thank you in advance if you do!

Love,

Team Adorn

Boho Bridal Boot Camp - Kimonos to Couture

For the past 8 years, Adorn has opened up on a Sunday when the salon is usually closed to have a full day Bridal Boot Camp.

What is a Bridal Boot Camp, you ask? Well, it’s where volunteer models come in and let the Adorn stylists unleash their creative magic, honing their skills and practicing new techniques in hair and makeup trends for brides.

Rebecca Hecht, left, getting started on some makeup on model and salon coordinator, Hannah Jones

For the first time this year, owner and stylist Rebecca Hecht decided to incorporate costuming, also dressing her models in various looks for what turned out to be a very special photoshoot. Inspired by a blog post on modwedding.com, her own personal style, and love for and collecting vintage fashion, the Adorn Salon Boho Bridal Bootcamp 2016 – Kimonos to Couture, was born.

Another inspiration for Rebecca was and always has been one of her heroes, Grace Coddington, who if you don’t know who she is, do yourself a favor and look her up! Grace is a passionate redhead (like Rebecca…) who has been an icon in the fashion world for her innovative and often ethereal editorial spreads in Vogue, of which she was the Creative Director for nearly 30 years. Grace’s ability to create stories through fashion photography is something Rebecca has always drawn upon and propelled her to want to tell a tale of bohemian mountain brides donning different looks – from getting ready for the ceremony to reception revelry.

Rebecca mentioned how she often has bridal parties come into the salon wearing beautiful robes while they hang out in the Adorn Salon Bridal Suite and while they get their hair and makeup done. There has also been a growing trend of brides and other members of the bridal party to change into something else for the reception – something perhaps a bit more unconventional than ceremony attire, something more fashion-forward, fun. She wanted to capture the colors and romance of spring and decided on bringing in a mixture of silk kimonos, vintage dresses from many of her travels, and couture pieces from Asheville designer Brooke Priddy of ship to shore clothing – all from her own closet for the models to wear.

For nearly 8 hours, it was all hands on deck as the Adorn stylists brushed, curled, painted, and pinned their way to making the models look stunning. It's that dedication to passionately execute Rebecca’s vision as a team that couldn’t have made her happier.   

“What I love most about working in the salon is the multi-faceted components to having the salon, like getting to do projects like the Bridal Boot Camp that are all about elevating the stylists – letting them experiment and learn. I am super proud of my team.” She added, “Everyone knocked it out of the park.”

With this gorgeous concept and resulting made-for-Vogue photos that Grace would surely find lovely, we just can’t wait to see what Rebecca comes up with next.

Click here to see all the photos from Adorn’s 2016 Bridal Boot Camp : Kimonos to Couture shoot, including behind-the-scene shots.


To see more examples of photo shoots styled by Rebecca featuring clients and Adorn staffers, click here.