Hair Battle Royale

OMG!!! It is time for the legendary Bronner Bros. Hair Battle Royale and although I’m not THE competitor, I’m nervous as heck.

The Hair Battle Royale preparations begin between 9 months to a year prior to show for a well prepared and executed performance. Countless hours of drawing out your plan and sharing with your team, shopping for hair to making hair pieces, model calls to model rehearsals, DJ mix tape listening. Hours on hours on hours.

So we fast forward to the actual day of the show. Prep time for models start at 7 a.m. You shampoo and dry hair. After this the hair is molded down in the method best suited to hold the hair design. Now its time to quick weave for your life!!! Most Hair Battle styles are fantasy, therefore, extensive weaving is key. The more outrageous the style, the greater the chance of making a lasting impression and taking home the winners trophy. After all the models have received their full head weave, its time to move the operation over to the actual venue for the show for final styling and registration.

Oooooo….The Lights, the Cameras, the Backstage Action….this is amazing!! So we have now arrived at the Georgia World Congress Center where the actual Show and Battle will take place before an audience of apprx. 5000-7500. We get registered, get our wristbands and start setting up the area where the completion of the styling will take place. The first order of business is to lay out the costumes and make the assignments for the models as to who is wearing which. Based on the costume, the styling team can design the hair to complete the vision. So now it is time to do all last minute touch ups for the props, costumes, and hair design changes. There is undoubtably going to be malfunctions, attitudes raging, negative energy from your competition, something left behind that we need, and of course the lose of a model or dancer…lol. After making it through all that,its time to perform!

The commentator announces your name, gets the crowd hyped and cues music. Walk and Walk and Walk and Walk. Turn and Turn and Turn and Turn. PERFORM!!!!!

This evening is about winning of course, but its more about achieving a career goal. All the dreaming, preparations, money spent and time invested becomes priceless when measured to pride and accomplishment.

My First Photoshoot in NYC

It’s 4am Saturday morning and I hop out of bed and prepare to head to the airport. Im going to New York City to work on my very first photoshoot in the city. I’m excited, anxious and even nervous. This is going to be the weekend that I make a name for myself in the Big Apple and dreams become reality.

Celebrity Hair Stylist, Tywan Williams, had his cover shoot planned for Nov. 14th and with me being a great supporter of his goals and dreams, I made preparations to be in town and at the shoot. Later on, Tywan informed me that he had scheduled a shoot with Celebrity Photographer, AL Rodriguez, and invited me to come along to style one or two models. After saying yes, I was then informed that this shoot was set to be a submission to Style-ology, a Fashion Publication. Well, we rocked the shoot. The hair was in a range from beauty to avant garde. I was floored when I received a call from Tywan, informing me that one of my hair styles was chosen for the submission for the cover.

The biggest surprise and honor of the weekend was when Tywan announced to me the concept of the cover of his first issue of Heat Magazine. The first issue will feature the Iconic Hair Team, including myself. The shoot was fun, successful and timeless. I had a blast from the beginning with styling a staff members hair, all the way through with sharing laughs and smiles on location of the shoot. This has been a weekend to remember and one that goes into my memoir book.

Check out the websites of the these two great men in Fashion. Tywan Williams ( http://tywanwilliams.com ) and Albert Rodriguez ( http://alrodriguezphotography.com )

Make-up Artist, Sheldon Horton

As a hair stylist that is inspired by all things beautiful, it goes without saying that I love a great Make-up Artist. Let me introduce you to one of the greatest artist in the Atlanta area, Mr. Sheldon G. Horton. I had the pleasure to sit down with Sheldon for a chat between his beating faces and here is just a snippett of our discussion.

MH: How long have you been in the beauty industry?
SH: I have been a Cosmetologist for 15 years with a progressive career in the beauty (make-up artistry) and fashion side of the industry.

MH: When did you discover your passion for make-up artistry?
SH: The defining moment for me occurred when I opened a hair book and saw “before-and-after” pictures from a make-up artist by the name of Natalie Spencer. I couldn’t believe my eyes! The transformation was incredible. Gazing into this book became a daily ritual and shortly after, I started my quest of building my make-up kit.

MH: As a MUA, what do you feel is your specialty and why?
SH: I love foundation. I spent a number of years perfecting foundation even to the neglect of other aspects of make-up application like eyes or lips. Foundation is key because I believe everyone can appreciate natural looking flawless skin.

MH: Who has been your greatest inspiration and why?
SH: Sam Fine is my absolute favorite make-up artists in the world. I purchased his first book on make-up and studied it from cover to cover. It was as though the artisitic images would just magically jump off the page and into my brain, as I would analyze them for hours and hours.

MH: What are your next career goals within the beauty industry?
SH: My future goals are to continue enhancing my skills as a make-up artist. I also am working on launching a fashion shoe line for men. I am working very hard to become an icon in the fashion industry and inspire others to follow their dreams. Lastly, I am developing a concept pilot to be a fashion talk show host.

Sheldon Horton is a stylist and make-up artist at Attitudes by Moe! Hair Studios. He can be booked for your next event via email at sheldonhorton@gmail.com