At the North Eastern Regional Final, the judges included Errol Douglas, Sean Dawson, David Lambert and Dylan Bradshaw. Industry luminary and guest judge Sean Dawson commented; “The clothes styling was some of the best seen so far on this tour, making it a tough region to judge. There were interesting cuts and some really clever colouring techniques.”

CUTTING ROOM CREATIVE – Chapel Allerton Carly Aplin and Joe Nions from Cutting Room Creative in Chapel Allerton are through to the Grand Final of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2007. “We did thorough trend research and noticed that summer whites would take different forms next season,” explains Carly of her salon’s winning look. “We were also inspired by the striking presence of ‘boy meets girl’ androgyny on the catwalk. We used feminine white in masculine leather, then broke it up with block bright purple as a nod to the A/W collections. We applied vibrant copper on the hair to really play up the violet clothing and coupled it with a boyish cut.” “We were overwhelmed when our name came up first,”

recollects Carly of the team’s winning moment. “We were so ecstatic we screamed all the way to the stage! It’s natural to make comparisons with other competitors and the regional standard was so high we were amazed to get through. Looking forward all we can feel is excitement – now we’ve made it to the Grand Final we have as good a chance as anyone at scooping the title.”

ROOM 97 - Wakefield Shelley Tempest and Marcello Moccia from Room 97 in Wakefield are through to the Grand Final of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2007. Shelley and Marcello explain the thinking behind their striking image: “We were drawn to the 80’s trends on the A/W catwalks this year, especially the block bright colours. For the clothing we used heavy gold’s reminiscent of the 80’s era, then brought the classic hair shape up to date with a contemporary finish. Our model Fiona was key to the entry. We spotted her on the street and knew she matched our

vision perfectly.”

“The hairs stood up on the back of our necks,” said Marcello of the salon’s winning moment. “There was a second of disbelief followed by complete euphoria. It was incredible.”

WESTROW - Wetherby Nicola Hulatt and colourist Gemma Merton from Westrow in Wetherby are through to the Grand Final of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2007. Nicola and Gemma explain the thinking behind their striking image: “We started by scouting for inspiration at London Fashion Week and surfing catwalking.com. We were struck by the smart tailoring associated with the ‘boy-meets-girl’ trend, particularly high-waisted wide trousers. Inspired by the clothes, we gave our model a boyish crop but retained femininity with autumnal colouring and flowing movement throughout the hair.”

“Everyone was absolutely gobsmacked,” says Nicola of the salon’s winning moment. “Many of our other salons had come down to support us, so a great roar went up from the crowd as our number was announced. Even standing on stage it was hard to believe. To have an opportunity to compete at an event as prestigious as the Grand Final is amazing – we feel proud to have made it so far.”

SHU SHU – Hull Susan Vargas from Shu Shu in Hull is through to the Grand Final of the Men’s Image Award of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2007. “We were photographing the ladies for the L’Oréal Colour Trophy and it wasn’t going as I had hoped,” explains Susan of her winning entry. “I decided to shoot my Men’s Image ideas too. Researching online I had noticed that 60’s inspired styling is a key upcoming trend, so I used The Rolling Stones era as inspiration then added my own twist of modernity with gothic darks in the hair. When I saw how it looked on camera I decided to enter the Men’s Image category – everything just came together beautifully.” “I actually didn’t realise I had won for a minute or two,”

admits Susan of her winning moment. “There was a whole minibus of staff next to me who leapt out of their seats shouting and the truth sunk in. I was so shocked I couldn’t even smile or speak! It is an absolute dream of mine to win at the L’Oréal Grand Final - I will continue working until I have experienced that moment.”

REDS HAIR & BEAUTY – Sunderland Nicola Bone, at the age of just twenty is an ambitious young hairdresser from Reds Hair & Beauty in Sunderland and is through to the Grand Final of the Young Colourist Award of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy. “I wanted an original look that salon customers would wear everyday and enjoy,” said Nicola of her winning entry. “The focus was on natural, appealing hair with a glamorous edge. I chose clothes to reflect my choices with the hair – casual yet sexy pyjamas dressed up with fabulous accessories to create a sense of everyday glamour.” “I was absolutely shell-shocked when my name was called out,” said Nicola of her winning moment. “I was there with

sixteen other members of the salon, so we were in full voice when the announcement was made! I am just so excited to have reached the last stage of the competition – the Live Final will be an experience like no other!”