Michael's is excited to support Generation Dayton, and to kick it off, we're tying in our next photo shoot to this theme! We are looking for young professionals in the Dayton area to take part in our upcoming makeover photo shoot. We're asking you to nominate yourself, or a young professional you know who would be willing to make a major change. Selected winners will receive a free makeover from Michael's Salon including haircut & color, Jane Iredale makeover, and photo shoot with the Media Group @ Michael's. The winners will each receive digital copies of their photographs (professional profile picture!), and will be featured here on our blog. Photographs will also be submitted to industry publications.

How to enter:
To nominate yourself or someone you know, send an email to cindy@mediagrouponline.com with the following information:

1. A recent photograph of nominee
   
2. Nominee's name and daytime contact information
3. A paragraph about why this young professional needs/deserves a makeover
   

Rules and Details:

1. Nominations must be received by Monday, August 9, 2010.
2. Winners will be notified by Thursday, August 12.
3. The consultation and makeover will be scheduled with each winner and his/her designer prior to the photo shoot (we've allowed 2 weeks to accommodate busy schedules).
4. The photo shoot will take place on Thursday, August 26, 2010.
   
5. Winners must be willing to allow their pictures to be used on our blog and for submission to industry publications.

If you have any questions, please email cindy@mediagrouponline.com. Or check out the results of our last Looking for Faces makeovers. We're looking forward to seeing nominations of yourself, your employees, your recent college grads and more!

As we prepared for our quarterly photo shoot, our team discussed what works and what doesn't. The fashion magazines all display images of young, beautiful models with hair that is NOT wearable for the average woman. Could you imagine getting ready to drop your kids off at school, or heading to the office - but first taking hours and hours to style your hair like this?

Image by Intercoiffure

This is a fantastic image, but it doesn't fit the lifestyles of most of our clientele. We want to inspire our guests to try new looks, but each person needs to be able to envision the look on him/herself.

For our May photo shoot, instead of having our designers or Michael select models, we asked our clientele. We sent out emails and asked for submissions on Facebook and Twitter:

Michael's is looking for real women over 40 to be a part of our upcoming makeover photo shoot. We're asking you to nominate yourself, or a woman you know who would be willing to make a major change.

We received more feedback from this online contest than any previous online contest. It was very difficult to select the winners, but we narrowed the field down to six. These brave women put their trust in Michael's talented staff to design their new look. 

Before and After Photos:

Our designers went above and beyond just cut and color to empower each woman to discover the best version of herself. Click the names below to see more pictures and to learn about each makeover:

Last month, Michael travelled to Chicago to attend America's Beauty Show. In Chicago he found several new products, but one really stood out amidst the sea of wrinkle reducers, moisturizers and skin care products.


Instantly Ageless is a revolutionary cosmeceutical product that works instantly to reverse the signs of aging. The clinically-proven formula is safe and effective, is fragrance free, and is not tested on animals. It can be used daily to:

• diminish fine lines and wrinkles
• minimize lines around the eyes (aka "crows feet")
• reduce or eliminate frown lines between your eye brows
• smooth lines around the upper and lower lips
• shrink the appearance of pores and improve skin texture

We tested the product on employees here at Michael's and each person had dramatic results. Here is a photo of Debbie with one eye treated and the other untreated:

Michael's is looking for real women over 40 to be a part of our upcoming makeover photoshoot. We're asking you to nominate yourself, or a woman you know who would be willing to make a major change. Selected winners will receive a free makeover from Michael's Salon including haircut & color, Jane Iredale makeover, manicure and photoshoot with the Media Group @ Michael's. The winners will each receive digital copies of their photographs, and will be featured here on our blog. Photographs will also be submitted to industry publications.

How to enter:
To nominate yourself or someone you know, send an email to cindy@mediagrouponline.com with the following information:

1. A recent photograph of nominee
   
2. Nominee's name and daytime contact information

Rules and Details:

1. Nominations must be received by Monday, April 12, 2010.
2. Winners will be notified Tuesday, April 13, 2010.
3. A consultation will be scheduled with each winner and her designer prior to the makeover and photoshoot.
4. Makeover and photoshoot will take place on Monday, April 26, 2010.
   
5. Winners must be willing to allow their pictures to be used on our blog and for submission to industry publications.

If you have any questions, please email cindy@mediagrouponline.com.

UPDATE: This contest is closed. Click the following link to see our Real Women Over 40 Makeovers.

Remember back in January when Michael's Salon announced we were giving away a free Keratin treatment? For those with curly, frizzy, or hard to manage hair, a Keratin smoothing treatment can cut styling time in half! We asked our blog readers to send us a photo and a paragraph about why they would like a free Keratin treatment.

Jessica Burton of Centerville was selected, and here's her before and after photos from today's Keratin makeover:

Jessica is a stay at home mother to her son with special needs. Taking care of a child with autism and ADHD is a full time job; the only break she gets is when he goes to preschool for a couple hours in the morning. Jessica is very involved with her church, playing piano and volunteering several days a week.

"Between taking care of the house, my son, and doing things for church it leaves me with almost no time to try and tame my unruly hair," Burton said in her entry. It took almost an hour to apply product, blowdry then straighten her locks. "If I don't blow it dry and take the time to fix it, then it's just a frizzy wavy mess. I love wearing my hair down - and my husband loves it too - but with not having any time to fix it, it usually ends up in a ponytail."

Hopefully your ponytail days are over, Jessica! Today, Abby gave Jessica a Keratin smoothing treatment - and she loves the results. "It doesn't feel like my hair anymore, it's so smooth and soft!" After a Jane Iredale makeup application with Jill, Jessica was thrilled with her morning at Michael's. "I've never really had a makeover before. Jill and Abby were both so friendly and nice, they really made me comfortable throughout the whole process."

Jessica was very appreciative of today's makeover: "I'm so glad that I found Michael's Salon! I started coming here after a horrible experience at a discount haircut place. Caribeth fixed my cut and I've been a client ever since!" We're glad that you found us too! We're confident your Keratin treatment will cut down your styling time so you can spend more time with your husband and son - or pampering yourself!

We'll check in with Jessica in a few weeks to see how big a difference the Keratin treatment made on her daily beauty routine. If you want more information about the Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy, www.keratincomplex.com or ask your designer here at Michael's Salon.

Michael's Salon is proud to carry the Jane Iredale makeup line. Why is Jane Iredale so great? We'll let Jane tell you, from her website:

Known as The Skin Care Makeup, the jane iredale line is so safe and beneficial to use that it is recommended by plastic surgeons and dermatologists throughout the world.

Jane Iredale's Skin Care Makeup combines the most up-to-date colors with skin-care benefits that conventional makeups can only envy:

• Non-comedogenic, will not block pores.
• Virtually no allergy risk.
• All products have been sensitivity tested.
• Broad-spectrum UVB and UVA protection - up to SPF 30.  UVA tested at High.
• Anti-inflammatory, helps to calm and soothe irritated skin.
• Very water resistant rating by an FDA-approved lab.
• Complete coverage for skin conditions like acne, rosacea and redness following treatments like chemical peels and laser resurfacing.
• Contains no talc or parabens.
• Composed of inert minerals that cannot support bacteria.
• No products have been tested on animals.  Vegans click here for product information.

Check out the Jane Iredale Makeup Blog for videos, tips and news from Jane!

Have you ever wished that your hair was more manageable? Softer? Smoother? Shinier? Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy by COPPOLA is the answer - and it's available in Dayton, Ohio at Michael's Salon & Spa.

The above picture is of Michael's designer Brooke, who was frustrated with her frizzy, hard to manage hair. Here's what she had to say after receiving the Keratin Smoothing Treatment:

"I will get this done for the rest of my life! I love how smooth it makes my hair, and it takes me less than half the time to style my hair. I barely flat iron at all now - just to shape the ends."

This revolutionary smoothing system infuses Keratin deep into the hair cuticle, eliminating up to 95% of frizz and curl, leaving hair smooth, shiny and luxurious. Results typically last 3 to 5 months depending on hair type.

Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy is gentle enough to use on all hair types: color treated, chemically processed, bleached or highlighted. It is available at Michael's Salon - Call 435-4701 to schedule your consultation today.

Here are more before and after photos taken by our designers at their Keratin training class:

We're back with the 2nd edition of How To Tuesdays at Michael's Salon! This video features our owner, Michael Schuh Jr., demonstrating round brush techniques. Obviously (once you see Michael you'll understand why I say obviously - he has no hair) he can't demonstrate this technique on himself. So he used model Rachel Novick to demonstrate how to straighten her curly hair.

To recap, here are Michael's tips:

• Apply product when hair is wet, beginning at the roots and spreading down to the ends. Michael used Elixir and Swell Gel on Rachel.
• Finger dry hair until it is about 80% dry. With Rachel's curly hair, he then smoothed her hair with a denman brush before round brushing.
• When round brushing, hold the dryer at the nozzle so you can control the direction of the heat.
  
• After you round brush a section, bend it to the side so the section keeps its shape and you can continue underneath.
  

This demonstration was part of a training video produced by Michael on how to cut a swingline bob. Rachel had a dramatic makeover that day - her hair was down to the middle of her back - and after Michael was done it was at her chin! Here are her before and after photos: