At the Scottish Regional Final their live hairdressing skills were put under the spotlight by a panel of top hairdresser judges including Guy Kremer, Terry Calvert, Zoë Irwin, Nathan Walker and Jason Miller. “The standard was incredibly high and it was really good to see competitors thinking about the total look,” explained Terry Calvert.”

ALAN EDWARDS SALON – Giffnock Paula McCash and Michelle Howe from the Alan Edwards Salon in Giffnock are through to the Grand Final of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2007. Paula McCash explains the thinking behind their striking image: “Our initial inspiration came from the athletic looks of the 1920’s and 1930’s. We brought this up to date by drawing out the masculine vs feminine contrast. The hair cut is strong and angular while the feminine softness of golden blonds and cool tones balances the overall style.” “We were speechless when we heard our name announced,” said a shocked Paula moments after she had picked up her award. “This is the most amazing experience of my career.”

ALAN EDWARDS SALON – Glasgow Paulo Andreuccetti and Kirsty Campbell from the Alan Edwards Salon in Glasgow are through to the Grand Final of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2007. Here lead colourist Paulo Andreuccetti explains the thinking behind their striking image: “We’ve played on the boy meets girl look that is tipped to be really big in the coming months. The sharp, solid cut is balanced with a natural colour. But don’t be fooled, deep tones of red and blue black give real depth and a gorgeously natural shadow effect.” “The whole experience has been unbelievable,” said colourist Kirsty Campbell. “Paulo and I have only been qualified for a combined total of two years. We had to win an in-salon competition before we were even considered to be put through for the L’Oréal Colour Trophy so to be going through to the Grand Final is beyond our wildest dreams.”

JOHN GILLESPIE SALON – Perth Glenn Fettes and Ashley Rattray from the John Gillespie hair salon in Perth are through to the Grand Final of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2007. Here lead colourist Glen Fettes explains the thinking behind their striking image: “At the beginning of the year, the big news for colour was brunette so we were keen to explore where this would lead. Golden blonde tones really appealed to us and the sixties were a big influence as you can see from the choppy, page-boy bob and Factory Girl styling.” “I almost went deaf from the cheers,” exclaimed Glenn Fettes. “We were pretty ecstatic, it was a very special moment and we’re now looking forward to our next phase of this incredible journey.”

BYRON HAIRDRESSING – Kirkcaldy Ronnie Marshall and Karolyn Watt from Byron Hairdressing in Kirkcaldy are through to the Grand Final of the Men’s Image Award of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy 2007. Ronnie Marshall, salon owner, explains the thinking behind their striking image: “We picked up on a rebellious theme from two different eras. The Mod look from the sixties and the Pete Doherty rock star chic that is very popular at the moment. Strong masculinity is key to the execution of our look and we mixed metallic colours in blue and mulberry to give the overall style a fresh twist.” For salon owner Ronnie, it was a momentous experience. Having entered the L’Oréal Colour Trophy fourteen times, he is now through to the Grand Final for the first time in his career.

“It’s absolutely amazing, I’m ecstatic! We have always focussed on the women’s category but this year, on our 14th attempt we thought we’d try something different and go for the L’Oréal men’s Image. I can’t wait to get to London to continue this journey.”

SAKS HAIR & BEAUTY – Dundee Coleen Quinn, at the age of just twenty-two, is an ambitious young hairdresser from Saks Hair and Beauty in Dundee and is through to the Grand Final of the Young Colourist Award of the L’Oréal Colour Trophy. For Tanya Flynn, salon owner, Saks, it’s no surprise that Coleen is achieving so much this early on in her career as she explains: “Coleen is a little whirlwind of passion. She is expressive and enthusiastic about everything she does and can see her future in hairdressing as a career, not just a job.” Here Coleen explains the thinking behind their striking image: “My photographic image was inspired by the stillness of Roman sculpture but the colour technique that I used is all about movement. By placing contrasting slices of coppers, reds and oranges inside the hair cut, it means that when the model moves, flashes of colour beam out.”