Get to know your stylists!

I'm always reading trade magazines, one of my favorite sections is when they do a Q&A section for big time educators, platform artists or hairdressers of the stars. With some of their answers, I think to myself...hmm, would I want to go to him/her? Afterall, it is a lot compatability and if styles match up, or in some cases, like other relationships opposites attract!

So I gave the Bijou girls a little homework...They LOVE when I do this! Ha! I love to watch them as they read the questions...

A couple got right to it ( I could tell in school they were finishing their homework before it was due!)

One took it home and wrote in great lengthy detail, deliberating over each response and then laughed when she got to the bottom where I wrote 'Have fun with it, don't stress too much about it'..she thought that sentence should have been on the first line!

Some are still working on it and I'm thinking one or two of us are trying to figure out which one of us are the better writers and how to get them to write theirs;)

So I will start with Michele Zeppieri, I chose hers first because I have a picture of her in my files at home, so I thought it would be helpful to have a picture with her responses:)



1) My hair right now?
Kimberlee gave me a new color application called a convertible color (or a caddy, like I said;) It's trendy and sharp! Most of it is red and then on the other side if I part it, it's a deep dark brown. That's HOT!

2) My current style?
If it's hip and trendy and the latest styles, I'm wearing it! Accessories are fun, such as great shoes, purses, bangles..etc - you know!

3) What's on my ipod?
Britney Spears (her new cd is slammin') Pearl Jam, Madonna, U2, Coldplay, Nirvana, Pussycat dolls (I love their song, 'When I grow up:)

4) My current favorite product?
Moroccan oil hydrating cream, Eufora polishing drops, formatting cream & Eufora hairspray! I still do love matrix sleek products!

5) Things or people that inspire me?
Being near the ocean or lakes inspire me, it's peaceful I see things more clearly. As far as work inspiration, It's hard to pick one person, I've worked with a lot of talented hairstylists on my journey, I've learned so much from all of them and I'm still learning from my new Bijou family!

6) I'm a hairdresser because.... I love to cut and color hair that's when I'm an artist at work, It's fun making people look and feel beautiful! I meet a lot of great people in this career!

7) Why I love working at Bijou (sorry I couldn't resist to ask;)
It's like family, it's a great place to go to work each day, I can be myself. Kim inspires us to perform at our fullest potential as professionals!

8) Favorite Quote?
I'm always saying "slamming"! It's a way to look marvelous! I always say Karma karma karma, too!

So there you have it...Miss Michele Z's personal Q&A!

On my end, I would like to say, that Michele brings so much zing to our salon, she comes in whistling and always has us cracking up! She talks out loud to herself a lot, especially when she is "mixing potions"...when describing hair cuts she will sometimes say "we'll jack that up in the back" or "we'll have you slammin' in no time". Michele also is a natural born caretaker, her day job is working at the hospital as an assistant to the rehab facility. I love hearing stories of the hospital, she helps people get better, and the elderly people that don't have family around, I know she goes and "adopts" them, bringing them little gifts and stuff. Her heart is very warm and beating loudly:)

Searba's Birthday party and salon takeover!!!

What you are looking at ladies and gentleman...is the future owner of Bijou!

Let me tell you a little story...Here is my cute little friend, you see, I knew her before she was even born...I've done her Mommy's hair for 12 years! Little Gracey here, has been to an appointment or two of her Mother's! I do believe that in her Mommy's tummy, she paid very close attention during those visits. You see for a very long time she has pretended to be a stylist and masseuse, doing hand massages, foot massages and styling Mom and Dad's hair. Her name when she is a stylist is "Searba"! How cute is THAT?!?!
So for "Searba's" 9th birthday, she came to Bijou. Look what a good little representative of Bijou she is...she wore our colors!!!!
The girls got their nails done, their hair styled and colored (don't worry, it washes out:) and glittered to the max! I bet there was some dancing and cat walking too! It was a dream B'day party for her!
So "Searba" whenever you want, come in and see us Bijou girls again, we'll even have an extra apron for you to wear. You can be our helper for a day:) We would love it!!

Happy Birthday Gracey! Chase said he thought you looked really pretty in those colors! (ahem, they may get married one day you know..hmmm I wonder if Gracey knows that is a sure fire way to own Bijou?;)

The return of Punky Brewster

Here she is Bijou's very own Punky Brewster!

Does anyone remember her hairdo the last time, if not, click here!

So this time, she was going for a big change!


I don't know if you can see it or not, but Kimberlee is cutting her hair right up to her hair line for a really cute stacked out bob!
Now here she is again, all finished and plotting her style! It looks like she is saying a pony here, and then this here! Boy wait till this little one goes to her prom!
So the tragedy here is.....NO PICTURE!!! Yeah, we're not perfect! But let me try to tell you how it was....a braid to the left, a braid to the right, zig zag from the top to the bottom and a braid straight down the middle in her bangs! It was pretty cute. Lil Punky is used to being on blogs, her Mama has one too! Maybe she has a picture, since we forgot!


See look at that! The magic of internet, her mama read this and then sent me over a picture, now you don't have to use your imagination!

Something SO very nice to hear!

One of my dear clients took advantage of our great BOGO deal!!

WHAT?! YOU DIDN'T HEAR ABOUT IT...SEE...YOU HAVE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL DEALS, WE'VE GOT GREAT ONES! Don't worry though, if you tell us you heard about it on our weblog, we'll give you the deal!

So here it is....buy one get one free pedicure, bring your buddy, your mommy, your pal, buy one pedicure, get one free - So simple! Right here, right now (till the end of the month) at Bijou in Skaneateles!

Okay back to my story:) So Beth and Sarah (mother and daughter) both got pedicures late one evening, we had so much fun, made plans (maybe it's in the works, ya never know;) for a Diet tribe, or fit and trendy...we need a name and a plan...(another story another day:) Gee whiz, I digress..over and over..okay back to the story:) Well they had a pedicure together, we solved world problems and laughed, which is the best medicine of all and called it a night!

THEN...today I got the best email ever from her! Thank you Beth! You made my day. It makes my heart sing to hear such praises from someone I admire and like so much! We do believe we have known eachother before, maybe in another life:) SO, I think it would be okay to share what she wrote. Thank you again Beth!

'Hi Kim: I just wanted to tell you what a wonderful job you are doing with your salon. The girls that you have hired, the atmosphere, the warmth, the friendliness is all a reflection of you. Sarah and I really enjoyed ourselves last night. Thanks, Beth Chico'

Michele wanted a Cadillac!

Remember not tooo long ago when our very own Courtney Conley wanted a convertible?!?!

Well not long after, our very own Michele Zeppieri kept saying she wanted a Cadillac!

I personally thought she found a new car she liked and was talking about that ;) haha, well I kinda knew what she was talking about, but it kept getting funnier and funnier...have I mentioned we have a lot of fun at Bijou?

So she and Kimberlee got together late one night and Kimberlee gave Michele her famous convertible (the Cadillac kind I should say!) and Michele touched up Kimberlee's famous locks! I should have had a movie camera, I can't give details, but it was funny! I stayed just for the entertainment aspect of it:)

So here are the results....If you come see her, Michele now has Jet Black on one side, totally hidden if she wants...and on the other side, vibrant (like her) Red!....again the photos don't do it justice, so if you are really curious, you should just stop in for a look:) Michele is our evening girl, so she is here from 3:30 to 8, sometimes 9pm!

I hope you enjoy the pictures, imagine a lot of fun going on!

And just so we don't leave out Kimberlee, here she is with her color finished, as always, it's perfect and looks fabulous on her!!

See, another donation to Locks for love!

2 in a weekend, both done by Michele Zeppieri! Such a transformation you can see here, She is almost lost in her hair in the before pictures!





The after pictures are beautiful, you can see her features pop right out! Another great transformation by Michele! Fantastic!

Another change at Bijou - adventures in haircoloring!

Okay here we have Claire! She called me wanting a change! I so wish that my camera could pick up the color better, I do have to read up on how to make that happen, because the photos just don't show it 100%. I will have to try to use my words to help you envision the color! Wish me luck!

So Claire asked for something different, she has never colored her hair, but wants to start the New Year off like the rest of us, making changes! She wanted something darker on the bottom, and red or purple on top....but in a conservative way! We both came with the same conclusion that it should just be a hint of it, not a jump in your face..whooa I'm purple! Something that when people look at you, they see the shine and when the light or sun reflects a certain way....they think...."wait, did I just see a little bit of purple?"

So we chose a demi permanent color, something that will fade after a couple months back to her normal color. The bottom color that we wove out in a star pattern, pulling the bangs down to for a special effect was a dark violet, very subtle and the top color we chose was one shade lighter red violet! On top of her already dark hair, the end result was exactly what we wanted!!

A good analogy for the differences between permanent hair color, demi or semi and translucent color is...picture a sock, now get it wet...you cannot see your toes at all...that is permanent. Now take tights or stockings, get them wet, you can see the toes a little bit, just a hint of them there...That is semi permanent or demi permanent. The last one is nylons, get them wet, and you can completely see your toes and the shapes, but they are slightly different in color...that is translucent. It's all in the size of the molecules that the colors have...okay I may have made that more confusing, but some might get it;) I try, I really do:)



So anway, here is Claire, her hair is a natural dark brown, a bit wavy and generally a finer texture, she has great curl that when she wears it naturaly curly with some moroccan oil or curl defining solution, it really is the perfect curl that everyone wants!

Can you see the side layer just touching her jaw bone? If there was some sun we could see the color, but let's keep in mind it is January, and this is upstate New York! If anyone wants to volunteer some time to teach me better photography skills, I'd be more than happy:)


Here she is after, sleek and straight, subtle yet a huge change! We layered the front a lot and put some very long side bangs! Awesome!

Michele Zeppieri strikes again!

Although we don't have the actual before picture....you can tell by the pony tail that "A" is holding, that she donated 8 inches to Pantene Beautiful lengths, to make some person who needs a wig, very happy!

Michele did a great job with this cut, the lines are beautiful, now she just needs a starburst of color to complete it! Ohh maybe you'll see "A" on the Bijou blog again!


Did you know...that it takes 6 pony tails to make a wig! I know for a fact that in the past 3 months we have had at least 10 pony tails!

And as always, if you are donating your hair...we are donating our time! Your haircut is free!

Bijou in 2009 = Changes, transformations...makeovers!

So much fun for us!
A lot of people, and even kids are coming into Bijou for changes! Big changes!

Okay so little "C" didn't get a big color change ;) (maybe in the far far future;) BUT she did get a big haircut! This is the shortest she has ever gone, and judging by her satisfied face....I think she likes it!

Our newest member Linda Cuddeback-Phelps (formerly of Hairtique) did this cute little cut! And of course, no little girls style is complete without glitter and a clip!
So, Thank you "C", for choosing Bijou to do your little makeover for 2009! You'll have to tell your family that is far away to check you out on the "big screen", tell them your famous at Bijou in Skaneateles!

Michele Zeppieri does her color magic!

Such a transformation! Long blonde hair....hmmmm...what to do??

Short and dark! SURE....

Awesome!

In this photo, you can literally see what a difference a good cut and color make! Don't worry next time we'll be sure to get more photos from different angles...remember it's a work in progress:)

Our beautiful model EVEN holds her head higher!

Great work Michele, let's get more of these...another New years resolution for all of us!

The Bijou girls resolutions...good for everyone!

Our very own Michele wanted to pass these tips on to everyone, (I love it when the girls get an idea to "blog" about) we are all very blessed to have such great camaraderie with each other and to have such team spirit at Bijou, each and every girl is such an asset to Bijou and the feelings that you get when you walk through the door are genuine!

Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, SMILE. It is the ultimate anti-depressant!

Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy!

Dream more while you are awake! We have BIG dreams at Bijou!

Try to make at least three people smile each and every day!

Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime!

Smile and laugh more. (we laugh alot at Bijou!) It will keep the negative blues away!

No one is in charge of your happiness except you!

The best is yet to come!

Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed!

Enjoy the ride, remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life, so make the most of it and enjoy the ride!

Thank you Michele for sharing these and stay tuned because my next task is to do the before and after transformation Michele did just last week!

Our new referral program at Bijou!

The Highest Compliment you can give us is the Referral of a Friend or Family Member! Thank you for your trust!

At Bijou, we appreciate every referral of a friend, co-worker, or family member. It is the highest compliment that you can pay us. Know that we will treat them with the same professional service and quality that you receive. We appreciate all of you so much over the last year!!

As our way of saying thank you, we have created new referral cards to reward everyone! Next time you are at Bijou, (we also included one in our Christmas cards,) pick up a referral card, it's very simple, put your name on the back and give it to someone who has never visited Bijou. They will receive 20% off their first visit and you will receive $5.00 off, we will keep track of it for you and note it on our computer! You can accumulate many referrals and use it towards product or service!!

Thank you so much in advance for participating and thank you for making Bijou what it is today!

We are one step ahead! With the devafuser!

While (finally) relaxing and getting caught up on my many trade magazines (the easiest task on my "to do" list:) I found the 2009 sneak peek for Modern Salon, New year! New Products! Number #1 on the list was the DEVAFUSER! Suddenly I felt so...so...cutting edge, as I had picked up the DEVAFUSER on our NYC trip!

We've had the chance to try it out in the salon and it's really great! The new hand-shape design fits easily underneath curls and uses 360 degree airflow to dry hair from the inside out! Things just can't get any easier!

Just another sign that big hair is coming back!

On that note, a new client Shelly (Hi Shelly and Thank you Linda W. for the recommendation!) just came and actually said, big hair from the 80's works for me, so that is what I want! She came to the right person, I'm one that actually liked that hair, well minus the 2 foot tall bangs, but I always have a soft spot for a big blow out style! And then just the other day I made some of the girls laugh because I said, the 80's were easy, you got a perm, you blew dry it upside down and sprayed it really quick! Anway, these things come back sooner or later, with a little bit more of a bearable flair to it for the times! Can't wait to see what 2009 brings us!

Bijou's Top ten "news" from 2008!

The year has passed by in record speed. With that year passing, there have been many changes, yet many things have also stayed the same!

While reading the Skaneateles Journal on New year's eve, I read the top ten stories of 2008, something every year I like to do! And I began thinking...hmmm has Bijou had 10 stories for 2008? Let me make an attempt and see:

1. Our Bijou blog was born actually in 2007, however only 2 posts were completed, having much more ideas and committing myself to actually putting them on the blog, in 2008 with the help from Courtney and Michele, I completed 69 posts. Having almost 3000 visitors for the first year to our blog, inspires me to continue. Hearing such lovely comments from Cheryl and Beth (2 women that I admire greatly) about my amateurish writing has me not so self conscious of all my run on sentences and incorrect grammar:) It is just a blog after all, for others, I ask, please forgive me if I butcher a paragraph, keep in mind I do these normally very late at night! Also in January 2008 Jackie Gage joined Kimberlee and I, who were working together as a duet for about 3 months, so quiet it was then, I remember wondering where the 2008 year would take us....I am so grateful for what it has brought us, soo grateful!

2. In April we were joined by Michele Zeppieri, bringing to us almost 22 years of experience! Click here for some previous posts about her!

3. In May Connie Willits our Bijou expert on the Young living oils came for a summer position, we do hope to see her again this fall, she fit in perfect with us girls! We were lucky enough to learn a lot about the young living essential oils, which can benefit all of us in one way or another!

4. June brought us Courtney Conley you can read about her here!

5. July...you guessed it, another girl! Wow, looking back I guess we just exploded! Every girl was a perfect fit! Lori Lovell, someone I had so enjoyed working with in the past, joined the Bijou team and we all couldn't imagine Bijou life without her! Here is one page of her work, I guess I need to do some Bio work for her:) ACTUALLY her husband is a very talented writer, maybe I'll try to get some help from him!

6. We've changed alot in products, finding what works the best! Eufora is still our favorite and really does make brand new hair, but now we've added Kenra to our list, we added Glo minerals for our make up, bidwell scrubs and lotions. We still have our shoe doodles and also our blissfull bath bombes.

7. We celebrated our year anniversary, had a month long of thankfulness with treats from savoir fair and lots of really good specials!

8. We took a challenge for the month of October to donate 10% of our proceeds on services and raised almost $1500 to send to the National Breast cancer foundation! Next year we will plan better and try to double our attempts!

9. We weren't happy with the performance and durability, not to mention comfort of our pedicure chairs, we made the decision to upgrade to the Cadillac of pedicure chairs and announced the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Rinato in November! We are happy to say that it was worth the investment and everyone loves them even more than we expected!

10. We are collecting email addresses and have started a monthly newsletter filled with great deals and news. We will also implement "last minute deals", just like the airlines give;) I would greatly appreciate any feedback on this new option, since it is all new to me too:) You can also subscribe at the top of this page to the bijou blog, basically every time I make some silly little post about whats going on at Bijou, it will be sent to you in email form or you can just check back every once in a while!

Well I did it, I realize they are not newsworthy stuff like in the papers, but thanks for reading on, we are proud and grateful! We really could not do any of this without you! Thank you!