At the Midlands Regional Final their live hairdressing skills were put under the spotlight by a panel of top hairdresser judges including Errol Douglas, Sean Dawson, Dylan Bradshaw and David Lambert. Industry luminary and guest judge Dylan Bradshaw commented; “It’s always good to see the Midland’s region raising the bar. There was some really interesting work on the floor making it a difficult competition to judge both for the men’s and the women’s.”

GEIKO – Leamington Spa Paula Moreton and Darren George from Geiko in Leamington Spa are through to the Grand Final of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2007. “I bought a book on Biba last year and had been looking through the evolutionary looks that formed the brand over time,” explained colourist Paula of her team’s winning look “so I wanted the clothing to pay tribute to the label. As for the hair, I was really keen that the colour, shape and styling be beautiful – I didn’t want anything too aggressive or extreme, just a look that would fully display the integrity and natural beauty of gorgeous locks.” “To be the first name called out was truly amazing,” recollects Paula of the team’s winning moment. “I set up the salon six years ago, and have been working so hard at

building our reputation that this is the first year we have been able to enter, so to get to the Grand Final is the absolute icing on the cake. We all can’t wait, the salon is buzzing.”

GEORGE’S - Leicester Christopher Appleton and Anna Storer from George’s in Leicester are through to the Grand Final of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2007. “Our look was designed to make maximum impact on the catwalk,” explained Christopher of the thinking behind his team’s entry. “Inspired by Christian Dior’s A/W 07 collection and the glamour of forties starlets we created a modern finger wave effect on an up-to-date shape with a high shine copper colour, making for a look that’s full of drama and sophistication.” “It was really nerve wracking as we waited for the winning salons to be announced - ours was the last team to be named as a Grand Finalist!” said Christopher of the team’s

recent win. “As an artistic team, we are working very hard to get recognition for our creative work, so to make it this far in the L’Oréal Colour Trophy is a dream come true.”

INDIGO RYE - Wallingford Holly Rudge and Judith Handcock from Indigo Rye in Wallingford are through to the Grand Final of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2007. Holly and Judith explain the thinking behind their striking image: “We went for a romantic theme with the clothes styling and balanced the floaty layered look with a neat hair cut and natural, understated colour to give maximum shine. The overall style made a strong impact on the catwalk with its heavy fringe and round shape.” “The standard was really high this year,” explained Holly who has previously made it through to the Grand Final on two occasions. “We were more pleased for our other team than for ourselves as we know how hard you have to work

to get through. It just goes to show that if you do the research and follow the brief, you have every chance of making it to the Grand Final and that’s just what we’ve done.”

INDIGO RYE - Wallingford Ashley White and Helen McFall-Read from Indigo Rye in Wallingford are through to the Grand Final of the Men’s Image Award of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2007. “Our inspiration came from the Dior Homme campaign for A/W ’07,” explained Ashley of the vision behind their qualifying look. “We wanted to present a clean, sleek style that had an old-fashioned feel to it. We brought the overall look up-to-date with a natural, one-tone colour that accentuates the fringe.” “It was completely amazing,” recalls Ashley of the moment her team’s win was announced. “It’s a completely unimaginable feeling. When I got home last night I was so

overwhelmed I couldn’t sleep. This journey has inspired us to enter every year and achieve as much as we possibly can.”

PHILOSOPHY - Abingdon Gemma Hardie, at the age of just twenty-two, is an ambitious young hairdresser from Philosophy in Abingdon and is through to the Grand Final of the Young Colourist Award of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy. “Gemma’s rich colour comes from hidden panels beneath the top layer of hair,” explains Philosophy salon owner and mentor Mark Creed of Gemma’s qualifying entry. “They are applied to contrast with upper tones, giving the hair vivid tonal dimension. Gemma noticed the flux between organic/natural vs. modern/futuristic on the catwalks and took this as her prevailing theme for her entry in the hair’s

contrasting tones and the metallic golds of the clothing and makeup on bare skin.”
“Gemma is looking forward to the Live Final in London immensely,” comments Mark of his colleague’s attitude. “She is highly charged and full of energy. In preparation for competition she has taken presentation courses, done plenty of research and practised hard. Everyone at the salon is very proud of her and waiting for May with great anticipation.”

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