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!

We absolutely LOVE it when clients take time to offer us feedback on their experiences at Michael's. Good or bad, we want to know what you think (of course we love the good, but if we can make your experience better in some way, please let us know). On the left side of Michael's website is a 'Share your experience' box that goes to our general manager. It's like having her direct phone extension.

We recently received a comment from one of our Over 40 Makeover winners, Digma, about her experience:

I started to go to Michael's Salon in 2007. I won a facial at a fundraiser from church. My first experience at Michael's was awesome. I love the massages a lot and like all the beauty products.

I was sooo excited when I won the 40+ make over. Jodi did an excellent job with me. Paula did the perfect job in my makeup. I really look like a model. My friends at work are really impressed.

I recommend all personnel from the salon. They are all good. I love you girls! Thanks,
Digma

Thank YOU Digma for taking the time to send us a message! Check out Digma's before and after photos here - she was a great model. Another interesting fact, our makeovers - including Digma's - have already been featured on Modern Salon! After the success of our first Looking for Faces call for submissions, we will be doing another call for submissions soon! Keep an eye here on our blog for more details as they are available.

In the meantime, don't be shy and let us know how we are doing at Michael's!

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:

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.

It's that time of year again, and Michael's has a great giveaway for all of you basketball fans! Here's how it works:

• On Sunday, March 14 the teams in the Men's NCAA Basketball tournament will be announced
• Use your best strategy to determine what 4 teams will make it to the Final 4
• Email cindy@mediagrouponline.com with your picks before the first game begins on Tuesday, March 16.
  
• Wait it out - we won't know who is in the Final 4 until Sunday, March 28
• From the entries who guess all 4 teams correctly, we will draw at random the winner of a complimentary one-hour massage from Michael's Salon & Spa

A FREE MASSAGE - just for picking a few basketball teams with a little bit of luck!

No purchase necessary. Only one entry per person. Email cindy@mediagrouponline.com with any questions about this contest.

Good luck!

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.