tough as nails

Photos By: Alfred Espin

Why can't a girl be tough? I think has to do in part that social norms doesn't allow us to step outside of these "gender-roles." Girls are suppose to be vulnerable, love pink, and delicate... and the list goes on and on.

I have someone dear to me, who unfortunately is always questioned to be a tranny. Nothing wrong with being a tranny, but she isn't one... and there isn't anything in her appearance to indicate that she could possibly be a male, except for the fact that she is taller than 6' with heels. I always think of her as a glamazon. Always intact, clothing fierce, face is always painted for the GODS (an expression: meaning her make-up and face is gorgeous!!!), the sweetest person when you get to know her, but it is the tough exterior that I guess makes people question her gender?

I mean, she is super independent, doesn't allow anyone to push her around, can do whatever she wants and do it on her own, She can carry ME home when I am drunk! She is always refusing drinks from guys at the bar and in turn, she buys them drinks instead... She is a no nonsense kind of girl and doesn't need a man to make her feel validated. I think people can't grasp that it is possible because we've been spoon fed these ideas of how girls are suppose to be. So when someone goes against the grain, we question why that is. And normally people conclude that she has either had a traumatic childhood experience with a man, bitter because of failed relationships, a lesbian, or a tranny!

Why can't girls just be tough? ROCK ON TOUGH GIRLS!

Hairstyle:

Krystal's hair is already cut into a mohawk. I applied a little bit of Regis Pomade to slick her sides down. I gave the top portion a light mist of Volumizing Hair Spray from the same manufacturer all over before I used a 1 1/2 inch curling iron to curl the hair back. I rolled some of the hair back and pinned them to give a little tousled romance and some pieces cascade along her face. I finished with another spray of Regis Extreme Holding Spray.

room service?

Photo By: Aflred Espin

I think the idea of bell-boys are soooo cute. And I saw this similar look on a model. I thought that maybe I would give it a mod touch, just to jazz it up a little. So it was all about color!!! So if I were to run a mod/chic hotel, this is how my bell-girls would look like.

Shana is a trooper through all of this. She is the only person who is willing to put up with my craziness and then give it just as much excitement as I have.

Hairstyle:

I slicked the hair down with Got2Be gel and tied here hair into 2 pony tails. One at the temple and the one in the back on the opposite side. I wrapped some tracks of hair around the pony tails and created these loop type buns. I tucked the hair in itself and secured them with bobby pins in X formation so that they were secure. I sprayed to whole thing down with Regis Extreme hold hairspray to finish it.

my computer is down...

I have not been able to update because my laptop broke! I will be uupdating everything this weekend. Thanks for following and being so patient!

little red riding hood

Photos by: Alfred Espin

I love pictures outdoors. I forget how beautiful nature can be while being in New York. The closest thing that I see to nature, is the trees in planters in font of my building!

Krystal is one of my most vibrant friends. She is a definite diva. I enjoyed this shoot especially because she was so versatile in her poses. She even climbed onto a broken tree hanging over a huge ditch for me. It was soooo scary and we had so many close calls to her falling off the tree. LOL!

Hairstyle:
She has a mohawk already. So I needed to figure how to play it up and make it fun besides putting it up into a obvious mohawk. So I figured why not do cute braided buns!
I applied some Regis Pomade through out her hair. I tied the crown section of her hair into 4 ponytails. I braided some red extension into fishtail braids and wrapped them around her ponytails and secured them with bobby pins. I made some tighter than others so they weren't exactly the same and so they also stood at various heights.
I then used a flat iron to flip up the back portion of her hair. To finish off her look, I used some Regis Texturizing Cream to the sides of her hair and brushed them down.

hunting in the concrete jungle

Photos By: Alfred Espin

New York city is one of the most amazing cities that I have ever lived in. Yes, people say it all the time, but it honestly is a place of its own. The convenience of everything, the shopping, the delicious restaurants, all the beautiful people, and fall time in New York is the best!!!!

But as amazing as the city is, it can also be a dark place. Drugs, hustlers, streets piled with garbage and rats running rapid. This concrete jungle devours the weak.

Hairstyle:
I left the crown section of Shana's hair out. I used Regis Texturizing Cream on her sides to slick it into a tight ponytail. I also sprayed it down with Regis Volumizing Spray and used a dense boar bristle brush to snatch those sides and baby hairs.

I wrapped her ponytail with 18" weave. Then I applied some cream on this as well and created three large bun/pin curls type things and fastened it with bobby pins. There wasn't a real strategic way of doing it, I just played with it till I liked it. I then did the same with her bangs.

Instead of doing a regular pompadour, I wanted to create a little more interest in the front. So I teased it of course, to build some volume. I wanted the front to be cohesive and flow with the rest of the hair, so I rolled and pinned it down adjacently to the other buns.

dress up your own way

Photo By: Tony Lapid and Daeng Boonmanee

Tyrone and Chantelle are super cute, yes we know, but they have their own style. I though it would have been fun to dress them up a little but infuse their style with it as well. Tyrone kept warning me from the jump, that this was not his aesthetic at all, but I reassured him that he will be fine. By then end, he tried to run off to the club with the outfit on. Chantelle on the other hand was excited the minute I pulled the dress out. She immediately equated sparkles=glamour. At the end, she looked absolutely divine.

The Hairstyles:

Tyrone and Chantelle are both wearing the same weaves that I had done in the earlier pictures.

This time for Tyrone, I smoothed his hair out with a flat iron. I applied Regis Pomade in his hair and tousled it with my fingers a bit. Pulling pieces randomly and playing with it till I felt comfortable. Yes his hair cut is a little edgier, but I wanted to create a more modern come-over to fit his look for the day. So we swept it over, but didn't make it perfectly done. And for the back, I curled the mohawk under. I finished the look by spraying Regis Volumizing Spray for a firm hold.

Chantelle's hair is in bohemian curls. With the dress and the rabbit fur coat, I thought about Beyonce. I gave her higher layers to create more volume and so there also wouldn't be so much weight on the bottom. I defined her curls with some Olive Oil Sheen Spray. I applied Regis Pomade in her hair as well to give it a texture and I especially used it on her natural hair. Reason being, I wanted it to bond with the weave. With it being really windy and us on top of a 30 story building, I didn't want it to flap around and for people to see the separation. Chantelle has thick natural hair (no relaxers or any other chemical treatments), which meant applying a little more heat to beat the tight curls down as well. We then pulled all the curls apart and teased it to make it more fuller.

more woman... means more beauty!

Photos By: Alfred Espin

I've always been criticized for having such a broad idea of beauty. But I honestly believe there is beauty in everything in life. When I started putting together my hair portfolio (same time as when i started this blog), I decided that there wasn't gonna be any exceptions to this. I wanted to use everybody I loved.

I went on with my plans and shared it to a few friends who were in the fashion industry. I was horrified by their responses (but I shouldn't have been surprised). They all told me that I MUST be selective with my models. If I wanted to get hired for a gig, I had to find girls who weren't "girls from around the way." My book must have as much "white" models as possible. "You only get one chance, and you must be fierce in this delivery," I was told. It honestly shook me up. I started feeling insecure and fed into it for a minute and almost completely gave in... Until I was awaken by Tanisha.

I see her almost everyday. And everyday I always think to myself how gorgeous and sweet she is. She has such a presence and exudes so much beauty through her smile and laughter. And not to mention, that she dresses for the GODS!!! We were talking one day about finding beautiful and flattering clothes in bigger sizes was such the task. At that moment, something finally clicked in my head. I decided that had to have her in my book!

We are constantly bombarded by images and fed ideas of what beauty is "suppose" to be. We live with false perceptions and kill ourselves to achieve being "beautiful." Life is beautiful, and we all posses it. In response to the person who told me that I needed to be fierce in my delivery; being fierce to me, was never bound by color, size, or height. As my girls and I would say, "it's how you serve it to the masses honey!" And sweety, Tanisha always GIVES it to the girls!

The Wig:

Its a custom wig. We fitted a wig cap on Tanisha. And made the actual wig on her. The reason why I did this, was so that it would sit properly on her head. I started gluing the hair on by the nape of her neck. And you just keep stacking strips of hair right on top of each other. Refer to my second posting on the step-by-step process.

happy halloween!!!!

Every year Empire Beauty School does their annual Halloween themed competition. I entered last year when I first started school and won 1st place! I was so ecstatic about it, but the moment was kind of dampened by stipulation from other students that I may have cheated. Something about me not doing the work at school, and that I may not have done the actual work myself. There was talk of whether or not to revoke my trophy even!

This year, I wasn't sure if I would do it again because of last year, but at the end, with the encouragement and support from my friends, I said why not. So I made sure to do everything at school this time. So this Tuesday, I did cornrows on my mannequin. On Wednesday, I constructed my braided tree stump and branches. And today, I spent an hour doing all the little details that would make it festive. Like the tombstome made of hair, the hanging spiders, and all the leaves. I finished just in time and awaited their judgement...

AND I WON 1ST PLACE AGAIN! YAY!!!!!! 2nd year in a row!

hair from the 4th Annual Thurgood Marshall Fashion Show

She is just as gorgeous in person (her hair was not by me, but I wish)!

It was a crazy experience backstage, but it was soOOOoooo worth it. Here are only some of the girls that I did. It was work getting these pics, unfortunately I can't find the others. These barely capture the vibe and the beauty of the event, but it will have to suffice.

honoring the legacy of thurgood marshall

Thurgood Marshall

they were still building the stage back stage before i had sweat out my hair
Ira!!! my fierce snowboarding Russian
for the Project Runway junkies, it's Amerie, a model from this season
Rocky, the hardest working model!

Mr. Sam Fine with Neci!!!

Thurgood Marshall revolutionized the school system and made such an impact in the justice system. He overcame adversity and climbed his way to become one of the most successful judges in the supreme court. Throughout his whole life he had fought and we have all benefited greatly from it.

Every year they host a fashion show in honor of Mr. Thurgood Marshall and his college fund. This year, I was so blessed to be apart of the event. It was such a great experience and I met so many great people. It gave me a first-hand experience of fashion shows and the beautiful chaos behind it.

Through out the night, there were many honorees. Among the pack, Naomi Campbell was a recipient of the 2009 Fashion Icon Award, and Michael Jackson's brother, Marlon Jackson, excepted an AvantGarde Award in his honor.

We had 40 gorgeous models, and I was able to work on 9 of them. All of them were super sweet and I had my favorites by the end of the night (hence the pictures above). They too, helped give me insight on the fashion scene, and on own their lives as well. If you thought modeling was just playing dress up and looking fabulous all the time... it's not, it's one of the toughest hustles.

And of course, the FASHION!!! There were so many amazing pieces, and unfortunately I didn't get to capture all of it on camera. Amsale had a beautiful wedding line, Kai Milla (Stevie Wonder's wife) played with textures and muted colors that still stood out so well, and Ana Segura's swimsuits were so romantic, flattering, but still oober sexy!!! But the highlight, was Russel Simmons's Argyle line... yes the clothes was fierce, but the men were so GORGEOUS!

my little work space

Do you see who is on the cover of my GQ?

I remember when school dances came around, I use to convert my bedroom into a little makeshift hair studio. LOL! We are talking about a 6'X'8 bedroom. I would have about 10 girls lined up for the day, but there would be normally 3 girls there at one time. All sitting on my full size bed. Rubber bands, curling irons, bobby pins, everything spilled everywhere! What a disastrous scene. But the hair was always together at the end.

My cousin is one of my biggest supporters. So when we came out to New York three years ago, she encouraged me to create a space for my work. So with the help of my boyfriend, and a gorgeous mirror from my friend Michelle, I have my own little studio!!!!!

It has made all the difference. When prepping the models, doing my clients hair, or just dressing Daeng up, it's been so much more fun and easier. I feel like a real stylist! I am not that little girl any more, I am a grown woman now!!!!!

you don't always have to play nice

Photography by: Daeng Boonmanee

These two are horrible to each other. They are constantly bickering and cutting each other down. I spend about 4 hours a day with these two, and maybe 5 minutes of those 4 hours, they are actually nice to each other or it is silent. . . And that's only because one person left to use the powder room.

Which is what made it fun to pair them together for this photo shoot!

Hairstyle:
I weaved hair extensions for both Tyrone and Chantelle. Those who know them would ask why, because both of them have such beautiful and thick hair. I only did it for the drama and to also get instant color to break things up a little.

Why not just color their hair? Color can be a tricky thing with relaxed hair, because if it isn't done carefully. . . You won't be washing out just color, but all their hair!

I braided both of their hair into cornrows. It doesn't matter too much the pattern, because it's how you stitch it that makes the impact. But it does help to make the cornrows as small as possible so the hair lays flat. Remember to leave the edges out, you want to conceal the tracks of hair and to make it look realistic as possible. I then layered the hair by slice-cutting panels of hair. If you want the hair to flow naturally, grab the panels vertically instead of horizontally.

Tyrone: I used Regis "Pomade" and applied it through out his hair before styling. I took a flat iron and curled the top portion of his hair inwards. The back, I flipped up so that it would flow into his Mohawk. I sprayed "Volumizing Spray" by Regis. I teased all of his hair to build volume. I then smoothed out pieces with my fingers to finish the look.

Chantelle: I applied Regis "Pomade" through out her hair as well. I then curled her hair with a 1/2 inch curling iron and stretched the hair before I released the clamp to make a wave instead of a curl. I then spayed Regis "Medium Flexible Hold" hairspray and teased her hair. I swooped everything to one side and secured the back with bobby pin by crossing them in a "X" pattern.

losing things, doesn't mean that you have to lose yourself. . .

Because of circumstances, I lived in 4 different states before I was 5. I attended 2 different elementary schools, 4 middle schools, 1 high school, and 3 colleges. I have more mailing addresses than some people have shoes in a lifetime!

When I was younger it was difficult. I felt as though I was being ripped out from my setting and cheated out of my childhood. I was constantly leaving behind friends, toys, favorite blankies, and essentially; apart of myself. I had to constantly start over. It became too tiring to be miserable over lost things. So I decided that I wasn't gonna feel sorry for myself and make the best of my situation.

As I got older, I learned how to appreciate my experiences. I was able to meet so many different people, I saw the country, I was allotted the opportunity to be exposed to so many different cultures. At the end, it made me who I am . . . and it also brought me to New York.

Starring: Daeng B., playing ME!

Hairstyle:
This super easy!!!! I prepped the hair by spraying her hair with Regis "volumizing spray." I made the loose waves by wrapping locks of hair around a 1 1/2 inch curling iron for a few seconds. Don't clamp it down. I then let it drop. I sprayed her hair again once I was finished. I made sure to tease her hair underneath, all the way to the crown of her head. I combed over the front part of her hair and smooth everything out. I grabbed her bangs and twisted it and pinned it back with 2 bobby pins. I took a butterfly and pinned it to her hair just for a little fun detail.

make play-dates with your inner child

You are never too old to play in playgrounds and you can never be too fabulous while playing in them!!!!! These pictures totally captures my cousin Daeng's personality. She is no stranger to my blog and will be featured in many more of them. So get use to the face.

If anyone knows her, knows that she is the sweetest person. The type of person who will do anything and everything for the people she loves. She is super goofy and is pretty much an overgrown kid. Have you ever heard of that expression; "act your age and not your shoe size?" Well, Daeng is the poster child for that saying. But when it comes down to business, she is headstrong and fierce at what ever she does!!!! Her sense of fashion is amazing! We are totally in sync when it comes to creating looks. She is my partner in crime. I am the crazy wild one, and she reels me back in... just a little bit.

Hairstyle:
This look is a very simple one to recreate. I sprayed her hair with Regis "Workable Hold" hairspray as a brushed it into a pony-tail. I tied the pony-tail at the top corner of her head. You can choose to place it anywhere really. Just depending on the outfit and the occasion, you could set different tones with this hairstyle with the buns placement.

I wrapped some tracks of hair around the pony-tail and secured it with bobby pins. Adding hair isn't necessary, but I wanted to make the pony-tail thicker. I curled all of the hair with an 1 inch curling iron. I again sprayed the hair with hairspray and backcombed the curls. I pinned them into a bun-like shape. I went through and pulled certain pieces out a bit, so it wasn't too structured and more natural looking.