Hi everyone!

our week kicked off with a team visit to the International Congress of Esthetics and Spa at the Arlington Convention Center on Monday.

We had a great time attending classes, workshops and lectures, along with visiting our favorite vendors and sampling yummy products to bring back to 209 Downtown.

What’s hot this year? Undeniably, lashes are (quite literally) BIG! Whether you want to extend, lengthen, or simply grow more – there were a ton of products on show. Also, Shellac – the 3 week manicure was big, with lines of spa owners queuing up to buy the system for their spas. Were we lining up with them? Watch this space!

What’s NOT hot right now? Dated packaging and overly perfumed products that look like they should sit on your Grandma’s bathroom counter (we walked right past these and resisted all attempts at sampling!)

As usual, we LOVED Eminence’s Boldijarre Koronczay who had us in stitches with his massage workshop! Look closely at the photos and you can see the front row of the audience doubled over with laughter – he is as much a comedian as he is a skincare and product expert – one of the best in the industry. Krystal, our esthetician superstar, was lucky to have her photo taken with him. She also did a great job advertising for our FarmHouse Fresh products (see below!) – we stopped by to say ‘hi’ to Delia and her team.

We are already looking forward to going next year – we’ll keep you posted!

Hi everyone!

2011 is going to be a GREAT year here at 209 Downtown Salon & Spa – and what better way to start than by expanding our super team?

We are looking for talented stylists, nail technicians on-call massage therapists and spa attendants who would love to work in a great environment with a professional team and fabulous clients!

You can e-mail your resume to 209DowntownSalonSpa@gmail.com, or call us at 972.548.2815 for further details.

Hi everyone!

we thought it would be a fun idea to look back at 2010’s most headline-worthy hairstyles this year, courtesy of Modern Salon!

No.1 Sandra Bullock

She ended up having a tough year,  but no one would have guessed how it would turn out when she modeled this glam, glossy look at the Oscars in March where she picked up the award for Best Actress. Celeb stylist Ruth Roche commented at the time, “It was so polished, which is what made it ‘Oscar-Worthy.’ I liked the deep side part, and the front combed sleek and tucked behind her ear showcased her face.”

No.2 Carey Mulligan

The originator of the most recent cropping trend, Mulligan showed us how it’s done. Not only did she rock the short, platinum blond style, she made it versatile. At Cannes Film Festival, she wore her hair three different ways: tousled, slicked back from her face and in sultry, sculpted finger waves. Most recently, she’s showing us how to grow out a short cut gracefully, with a chin-length, tousled, ombre-colored style.

No.3 Scarlett Johanssen

Another star with a painful break-up—but great hair! Scarlett has gone long and short, dark and light; and that’s just this year alone. Over the summer, she debuted this shorter, choppy blond bob at Comic Con. By December, when her split from Ryan Reynolds was announced, it was trimmed even further to about chin length.

No.4 Robert Pattinson
The chopping trend continued with this Tween heartthrob. When he ditched the scruff and debuted his newly cleaned up look on Ellen, Pattinson fans everywhere went nuts. It was only for a movie role though, and by late summer, he was rocking a full scruffy beard. Ah, back to normal.

No.5. Kristen Stewart

His Twilight co-star (and rumored girlfriend) caused a similar stir when she lopped off her locks in 2009 for her role as Joan Jett. She did it again this summer, showing off a choppy, strawberry-blond style at the David Letterman Show. The look was again for a film, On the Road, and by fall, she was back to long and brunette.

No.6. Katy Perry
Katy has had quite the year in fashion. With the release of her highly successful Teenage Dream album, she’s spent 2010 running around in a multitude of brightly colored confections. This extended to her hair at several award shows and during one music video. Her bright blue wig became her stylish calling card this year—even getting green slime dumped on it at the the Nickelodeon Awards.

No.7 Lady Gaga
Gaga’s has made waves for many of her styles this year. Does the meat dress ring a bell? But when it comes to hair, her long silvery strands on the cover of Vanity Fair’s August issue were a defining moment. It was a trend that started in January, when Kate Moss debuted some temporary gray strands; the young and stylish quickly followed suit, proving that gray doesn’t equal old age.

No.8. Taylor Swift
Taylor’s usually a pretty reliable curly girl with an innocent vibe, but at the American Music Awards at the end of November, she was tops with sleek, straightened blond hair, plus a heavy fringe that offset her smoky eye make-up. It was a sultry, grown-up style that was prefect for the just-turned-21-year-old.

No.9 Willow Smith
What list is complete without the “Whip My Hair” phenom? The nine-year-old daughter of Hollywood stars Will and Jada Smith caused a sensation with the release of her single and music video. Embracing natural texture and braids, she models several different styles during the video, even using her hair as a most modern paintbrush. It’s painful when a nine-year-old is way cooler than I’ll ever be…

No. 10 Emma Watson

She may not have been the originator, but when Harry Potter’s Hermione Granger dramatically chopped her long, wavy locks into a super cute pixie cut after the last movie wrapped, her move made waves. And copycats.

What do you think about celebrity hair in 2010? Do you agree with the choices? Who’s style did we miss? Comment below!

Did you know that on Thursdays we are open until 9pm? Schedule any salon service between 6pm and 9pm and enjoy complimentary wine, snacks and chill out music in our spectacular lounge! See you on Thursday…

Drew Barrymore makes a splash this month, appearing on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar with bodacious blonde hair. For clients looking for the same style, Tracey Cunningham, Redken Creative Consultant for Color, who created the flirty look so perfect for Drew, shares her tips for achieving it.

—Cunningham started with an application of Redken Color Fusion 7N at the roots. Redken Color Fusion is a modern, permanent color cream that delivers healthy-looking, multi-dimensional haircolor.

—Next, she highlighted with Redken Blonde Icing Ammonia Free Conditioning Cream Lightener. Blonde Icing Conditioning Crème Lightener is ammonia free and lifts hair up to 7 levels while exclusive Lumisilk Technology smoothes and preserves hair’s structure to keep it healthy, shiny and strong.

—She then followed with a Redken Shades EQ Conditioning Color Gloss to give it a natural, beachy look. Shades EQ is a demi-permanent color which provides healthy, shiny results. It can be used as a glaze, color refresher, and also color correction.

Did you know we use Redken Color at 209 Downtown Salon & Spa? Call today for an appointment – 972.548.2815 and you can have gorgeous hair like Drew, too!

Hi everyone!

We were thrilled to see some of our favorites make the InStyle Magazine’s  ‘Best of 2010 Beauty Awards’ again this year!

First up we have two of our trusty Kerastase classics – Bain Satin Shampoo and Masquintense conditioner – winning the category of ‘ Best Shampoo & Conditioner for Normal Hair’ .

Among the pros the vote is virtually unanimous: They adore this luxurious, shine-enhancing duo. “They make hair super-soft without weighing it down,” says L.A. stylist George Papanikolas, who has used them on 90210’s Jessica Stroup.

Great to see these on the winner’s list again after winning in 2005, 2008 & 2009!

Bain Satins 1, 2 & 3 (for all hair types from fine to thick) retail for $34, Masquintense Conditioners for both Fine and Thick hair retail for $58, and all are available at 209 Downtown!

Winners of ‘Best Shampoo & Conditioner for Curly/Coarse Hair’ 2010 are the fabulous Kerastase Bain Oleo Curl Shampoo and Oleo-Curl Intense Masque Conditioner!

Frizz-reducing palm oil and silicone smooth the cuticle, leaving unruly hair polished. “The shampoo also detangles curls,” says N.Y.C. colorist Marie Robinson, who works with Scarlett Johansson.

The shampoo retails for $34, the conditioner is $58 – and both are available here at the salon (but hurry, the masque is such a wonder product we don’t often have it in stock!)  Call to reserve your wonder product today – 972.548.2815!

Hi everyone!

This week at the salon we are all seeing red! No – the leaves aren’t turning just yet – but we loved the celebrities sporting this fall’s latest red looks!

From Rihanna’s fire-engine shade all the way to Emma Stone’s beautiful tones (did you know she’s really a brunette?) and every shade in between, we think red complements many different skin tones, and works well with all the fall fashion tones (especially the military looks!)

Since the team at the salon are ‘Red Experts’ why not go for a fun change this fall? With a single color and finish only $85 (less than those new shoes you’ve been dying for)- it’s an easy way to go for a new look! See you at the salon!

This fall we are loving the bold new brows back in style. To those of us old enough to remember the 80’s – don’t worry - bold brows do not equal overgrown or bushy! (Remember combing your brows upwards anyone?)

Our resident brow expert, Priya,  picks her celebrity brow faves, plus offers up tips on achieving the best look for a client.

“To tell you the truth, most people over think brows and that’s where they get in trouble—a little situation I call anorexic brows,” says Priya. “So, here’s some advice, don’t over wax or tweeze—cleaning up strays, balancing the arch and a little brow powder is all it takes to have bold beautiful brows.” Her Hollywood favorites and brows to emulate include Keira Knightley, January Jones, Megan Fox, Lea Michele, Eva Mendes, Demi Lovato and Penelope Cruz.

At 209 we recommend brow threading as the way to groom your brows! Priya writes:

Threading is an ancient method of hair removal which originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is becoming very popular here in the West. Threading removes the entire hair follicle, lasting 3 to 4 weeks. Eyebrow threading sounds very painful, but is about the same as brow waxing and is not as hard on the skin. Threading eyebrows gives you a better result than waxing or plucking because it pulls an entire row of hair from the follicle to achieve a more straight-looking line of hair.

Threading is also very precise and gives an Aesthetician greater control than waxing, resulting in a better eyebrow shape. Threading is done with one hundred percent cotton thread.

Here are some of the benefits of threading:

• Less messier and faster than waxing and tweezing.
  
• Helps slow down hair re-growth and makes it finer and sparser after regular treatments.
• The top layers of skin is not peeled or traumatized in the process as in waxing or shaving; it is especially recommended as an option for those who use Retin-A, Accutane and similar products.
• Closer access to each hair growth since it is done individually thus better shaped eyebrows.
• It is extremely sanitary. Nothing but the thread touches the skin, and it’s thrown away after each use.
• Threading gives a precise arch, it’s sworn by people who say they can never get their eyebrows even, despite tweezing, waxing or sugaring.
• When people have certain circumstances, or are taking medicines which conflicts with waxing and sugaring, they can still get threading done.

For those who have have over-tweezed and over-waxed, you can still help them achieve good-looking brows. Cover and fill-in areas where you have bare spots, imperfections and lack of growth with a powder rather than dark pencil, since it’s more natural looking.

“Apply powder with an angled, firm brow brush for precision application. For those in a more serious situation needing brow rehab, recommend a brow tint with threading to help camouflage the grow out phase and give the appearance of thicker, balanced brows. Or you can use one of the latest lash growth products such as Latisse or Revitalash on your brows with good results.  Ultimately, big bold brows are not about following rules, it’s about tricking them out to look proportionate on the face.”

Here are some of our favorite brows:

Hi everyone!

this week we are supporting the ‘Walk a Mile’ campaign created by Laura Moore – one of our fabulous clients. Laura has created a super idea for a  campaign for shoes on behalf of the Samaritan Inn – Collin County’s only homeless program.

Bring your new and gently used shoes (all sizes, including children’s) to the salon & spa before September 23rd, and we will pass them on to Laura.

During Downtown McKinney’s Oktoberfest (Friday September 24th, 4pm-11pm and Saturday September 25th, 10am-11pm), a shoe labyrinth entitled ‘Walk a Mile’ will be constructed on the street in front of the Laura Moore Fine Art Studios, at 107 S Tennessee.

At the end of Oktoberfest, all shoes will be donated to the Samaritan Inn.

We love to support a good cause – and we know you all have shoes that could help someone in need! Stop by and donate, and we’ll post your photo on our next blog!

See you at the Salon & Spa!

For the perfect shade of blonde to take you from summer into fall, just check out the August cover of Harper’s Bazaar. Cameron Diaz’s blonde mane was one of the hottest this summer—and seen all over the world as she traveled to promote her movie, Knight & Day, with Tom Cruise.

Celebrity colorist, Tracey Cunningham, created Diaz’s stunning blonde look for this cover. We love the concentrated highlights towards the front of the face, with fewer – looking more naturally sun-kissed – in the back. Tracey also finished this look with a clear gloss glaze for extra shine.

Of course, you have to look after those fine blonde locks! We recommend Kerastase’s Bain Miroir to hydrate and protect color, followed by Ciment Anti-Usure, a daily conditioner to add strength and protect against breakage. Forceintense is a great follow up at-home treatment to be used after three consecutive shampoos to add extra strength and vitality to the hair. This is a discontinued item so stock up now while it is only $25!

Of course we are also convinced that Cameron is using Ciment Thermique, a heat-protective styling cream, to keep that color and hair looking great!

See you at the salon soon!