2013: THE YEAR OF THE PIXIE CUT

 As we wrap up 2013 (New Year's is right around the corner, are you taking advantage of one of our Glam Packages?...) we would like to take a quick second to acknowledge a little bit of a trend in the hair world. So my celebrities have become a major part of this trend of hacking all of their locks off. Now, we know most of these ladies are sporting a little bit o'hair that may not be theirs (hi, Britney Amanda), but we are thoroughly enjoying seeing these beauties with a fresh, new style. Check out our some of our picks for best and worst Pixies of 2013.

THE CREAM OF THE CROP

Jennifer Hudson: Her sleek cut compliments her new slender figure and beautiful jaw line. 

Charlize Theron: Dear Charlize, do you ever look bad? In anything? 

Lena Dunham: Dunham's new cut is flattering to her face shape, and is a little more mature for this creative genius. No more frumpy hipster hair! 

THE BAD

Miley Cyrus: We're still not sure what's going on here. 

Pam Anderson: Anderson's big blonde locks were just as much of a mid-90's icon as...her red swimsuit!

Anne Hathaway: Her uber short cut may have been for an acting role, but we miss Anne's longer, softer locks that played a great supporting role to her big brown eyes. 

HONORABLE MENTION

Bey, we all know you did not get a pixie cut, you just have your extensions out! Either way, we are excited to see what you will do next!

Jennifer Lawrence: Although we absolutely love the shape and style of Jennifer's new 'do, her longer hair was more flattering to her face shape and a bit more sexy, who doesn't like that? 

What do you think about these short celeb styles? Are you considering a short cut for 2014? Leslie & Kaitlin love doing short, sexy women's cuts. Book your appointment at our downtown location today to start your New Year with a new you!

XO,

AVE42

THE MINIMALIST WEDDING DRESS: FALL 2013 TREND HIGHLIGHT

For those ladies out there seeking the gown minus all the ruffles, beading, poof, frills, rouching, lace,  sparkle, appliques, and any other form of flare we may have forgotten- this might not be a trend but more so a dream come true. The runways at Fall Bridal Fashion week were brimming with beautifully simple, sleek wedding dresses and we could not wait to share some of our favorites...

Image via brides.com

Image via brides.com

brides.com

Gown by Rosa Clara

Gown by Rosa Clara

Image via Brklynbride.com

Dress by Roland Mouret

Prabal Gurung pre-fall 2013

Do you know anyone who wore a simple, yet stunning minimalist dress for her 2013 wedding? If you do, please share her story with us at www.ave42.com!

XO,

AVE42

VINTAGE INSPIRED WEDDING HAIR: THE TREND THAT KEEPS ON GOING!

2013 has brought us a TON of vintage inspired trends throughout fashion, hair, and makeup. Be it "Gatsby" or "Old Hollywood";  this theme has carried over to the world of weddings and we just cannot get enough of it! As we move into fall, a lot of vintage-inspired wedding hair is still highly requested and definitely still one of our favorite trends for this year. Here are some amazing inspiration looks!  

Short Vintage Styles

Big, soft waves and far side part coupled with vibrant lip and subtle makeup or a stunning statement necklace make for an absolutely classic look. 

Finger Waves

 

Waves that have no been brushed out and are pinned up create this look. 

Waves that have fully dried and are brushed out create this soft, gorgeous style.

Finger waves are one of the most beautiful vintage styles. This technique will work on hair that is almost any length, but typically is best for medium hair textures.  After the waves have been set and are fully dry, they can also be brushed out for a softer, more romantic feel making this style very versatile. Pin up longer hair with finger waves at the base, add large sparkly earrings and VOILA! Instant old school glamour!

Down with Big, Sexy Curls

Cooler weather is the most ideal time of year for this particular look, which is great as fall is right around the corner! There are hundreds of ways to customize your long down style with embellished hair clips, veils, and head pieces that convey your vintage theme. However, we do recommend trying this style out a few times to see how well your hair will hold a curl. The larger and softer the curl is, the less staying power it has. Ask your stylist to roller set your hair for maximum effect. 

Were you or anyone you know recently married and rocking one of these glamourous looks? We would love to see our readers favorite vintage styles! Share your photos of your favorite looks, or of someone you know on their wedding day and we will post them for our readers.

Keep it classic ladies!

XO,

AVE 42

FALL 2014: TRENDS & COLORS YOU NEED TO KNOW!

At Avenue 42, we are slightly obsessed with planning. Details are the very foundation of what we do! It's starting to become that time towards the end of summer (ok, we know it is just now August...) when fall is starting to enter our minds, and there is nothing we love more than getting a sneak peek at fall trends! It's nice to have a heads up about the next coolest trend verses feeling like you've been living under a rock (we've all been there, still wondering where and when some trends became popular!). Here's a few of our favorite forecasted looks for this upcoming (and very temperate) season! 

Tweed at D&G

TWEED: as seen on the runways of  Chanel & Dolce & Gabbana

TARTAN: as seen on the runways of  Stella McCartney & Louis Vuitton

GRUNGE: as seen on the runways of  Rodarte & Saint Laurent

Grunge as sported on Milan runways.

BOLD LIPS:  as seen on the runways of DVF & Vera Wang

  ECRU: as seen on the runways of Valentino & Isabel Marant

1940's + OLD GLAM theme is still going strong. This is perhaps one of our favorite trends that has carried over into wedding wear this year! 

1940's/ Old Hollywood Glamour

What trends are you loving for this fall? We would love to know! Comment or inbox us via Facebook with your favorite forecasted trend ideas for this fall, we would love to hear from you!

Stay Beautiful! 

XO,
AVE 42

1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY PHOTO RECAP!

                                                             

Our red carpet!

We celebrated our 1 Year Anniversary of our beautiful downtown salon this past Friday and could not have had any more fun dancing the night away with our friends, family, and clients! We would love to thank everyone who has helped make Avenue 42 as amazing as it is today, and we would like to send out a special thanks to everyone involved with planning our party! 

A special thanks to Amanda Meyer for our wonderful red carpet photography! Check out the rest of the photos from our night via her website.  

Founder Natalie Gordon + Jeff Miller

  

Caroline Birgman of POSH PR + Founder Rachel Shrader

Natalie + AVE 42 Stylists Leslie, Kaitlin, and Rachel

Our gorgeous models for the evening!

Musical entertainment by DJ Elliot Ness

Natalie Gordon, Heather Mashburn + Rachel Shrader

If you missed our party, check back with us for other exciting upcoming events & give aways! We  ALWAYS welcome new guests into our studio and always give complementary consultations for our hair and makeup services! 

XO,

AVE 42

NEW AT AVENUE 42: KEVYN AUCOIN BEAUTY

We've said it before and we will say it again: the team at Avenue 42 is highly dedicated to bringing the best of everything to our clientele-which is why we are absolutely thrilled to now offer Kevyn Aucoin Beauty at our Richmond location! We have spent countless hours trying to find the perfect makeup line that captures the essence of everything we believe in, and we could not be any more ecstatic about this perfect fit!

"That's why I began doing makeup in the first place; I was hoping that through helping people see the beauty in themselves, I could try to find it in me." - Kevyn Aucoin

Aucoin launched his namesake line in 2001, at the height of what had already become an absolutely illustrious career. After moving to NYC in 1983, Aucoin started out by offering his services to test models for various agencies throughout the city. Shortly thereafter, he was discovered by VOGUE and began working with them on a regular basis. He was well known for defining how makeup was both made and used by skin tones verses ethnicity, and firmly believed a woman was empowered through revealing her natural beauty rather than covering it up. 

His laundry list of celebrity clients ranged anywhere from one of his childhood idol's; Cher to Martha Stewart, as well as many top models of his time including Cindy Crawford. His work has also graced the covers of some of the worlds most well known publications, such as Cosmopolitan and the aforementioned Vogue. 

Several of these top-of-the-line products have reached cult-status, including gracing Allure Magazine's "Best of Beauty" list several years in a row for its one of a kind eye-lash curler. 

Stop by to learn more from one of our talented makeup artists and try out some of these simply amazing products! 

           www.kevynaucoin.com

xo,

Ave 42

INTRODUCING: ORIBE LUXURY HAIRCARE at AVENUE 42!

Have you ever come across a hair care brand that was beyond amazing? A brand that is so beautifully packaged, a scent so delicious and bright, and to top it off it actually WORKS? 

 WE HAVE AND WE ARE SHARING IT WITH YOU! As of June 2013, 

Avenue 42 is now an Oribe exclusive salon and we could not be any happier! 

Avenue 42 founders Natalie & Rachel were invited to Miami in early June to meet with the Oribe team and experience one of their largest events, La Fama, a gathering focused on creativity, community, and most of all: fun! Through their time in Miami working directly with the founders, educators, and creative minds of this brilliant brand, they then decided to better serve their clients Avenue 42 would become Oribe exclusive. 

oribe on the shelves at avenue 42; natalie & rachel at la fama in miami

Our team will now be working with Oribe educators and stylists to bring you the most up-to-date techniques, styles, and the most luxurious products on the market. We are so very excited to bring this to Richmond and hope you are as well! Please stop by and check out our beautiful assortment of this range at our studio located at 16 East Main Street, Richmond VA.

www.Oribe.com

xo,

Ave42

Making the world a prettier place: the We See Beauty Foundation

The biggest part of our mission at Avenue 42 is about empowering women! We truly admire when we learn about other salons, artists, and foundations striving to do the same thing. 

We recently have learned about an amazing collective out of New York doing just that and then some. The We See Beauty Foundation is a collaboration of artists & ideas that is based the on the philosophy that working together and sharing ideas will create greater benefits for all-ideals easily lost within the often very competitive world of make up and hair artistry. 

image courtesy of www.weseebeauty.com

The project was started by Nikos Mouyiaris, a name synonymous within the beauty industry for both creating successful business ventures and giving back to the community. Mouyiaris created Mana Products, Inc. in 1975, a cosmetic manufacturing corporation responsible for some of the most carefully formulated, iconic beauty products still found in makeup bags, purses, and medicine cabinets all over the world today. 

We See Beauty is entirely owned, managed and run by the people who work at their Brooklyn co-operative. Their accompanying brand, Make Cosmetics, offers products through their online marketplace; which also offers various unique lifestyle and design items.

33.3% of their profits are directly donated to the We See Beauty foundation. Through the donation of such a large portion of their profits, WSB is able to create jobs, promote their platform for change, inspire others to do the same. Their goal? To create global awareness of their mission: together we do more. 

image courtesy of www.weseebeauty.com

Cruise on over to their website and check out their beautiful products, graphics, and images. Who ever thought buying absolutely AMAZING make-up would ever feel so good? Now take those good vibes and pass them on. :)

http://weseebeauty.com/

Introducing: Welsy Mourino

Hello lovely readers! Phew, have we been busy! Fall wedding season is our busiest time of the year so pardon us on the lack of blog posts for everyone! To get back into the game, we wanted to start spotlighting our newest Ave 42 ladies that we have been so lucky to have on our team. We thought it would be fun to get them to take a quick little survey so you can learn their experience in the beauty world and also some fun facts:)

This week, we are introducing the lovely...... Welsy Mourino!

Photo by Katie Stoops Photography

Hometown: Virginia Beach, Va 

Beauty/Biz Expertise: Editorial hair and make overs!

Why you love working at Ave 42: I love the creativity and passion we all bounce off of each other. At Avenue 42 we are truly a team with tons of ideas and we can't wait to share them with the world.  Oh and how can you forget about the chandeliers!!

Current trend you are loving: The slick low ponytail, it fits any personal style.

Current product you are loving: Icon

Product you will always use: Terax's deep conditioner Crema and finishing hairspray. 

Beauty trick that will never go out of style: Doing a roller set!!! Seriously, if you want your style to hold all night or for a couple of days do it and use the right products in your hair.

Guilty pleasure: Eating a box of cream puffs while watching while watching one of these shows:

#1 The Voice, I always cry during the show because the contestants stories. Darn it, they always get me! 

#2 The Vampire Diaries, EYE CANDY!!!! Seriously, have you seen the actors in this show? Sexy SEXY sexy!

#3 Once upon a time, Who doesn't want to live in a fantasy world? I know I do!

#4 Revenge,  I know in a pass life I was a bad ass like Amanda Clark.

#5 Glee, If I could sing...I would never shut up. 

Favorite Date Night spot/activity: One thing I love about Richmond is the restaurant scene, who doesn't love to treat themselves and get waited on? Hmmm...Let see I have a couple... 1) Ballicueax for the nightlife and Sunday brunch and Family style dinner, 2) Selba for their Garden Room, it's romantic but easy, 3) Ipanema, best vegan/vegetarian spot in Richmond, hands down! Very rustic and easy, I love this place <3

Your reason why girls have more fun: My type of girls have more fun because we are open minded and we don't take things too personal. So of course we have more fun, who wouldn't!  

Your favorite style decade and why: I like the decade that we are in now because in this decade you can mash all the decades in one look. The elegances in the 20's -50's and the rebellion in the 60's-90's. This is how I would describe my personal style sweet but rough. 

If you could give any celebrity a makeover, who would it be?: Hmmmm..... Any reality "celebrity", just pick one.

Some work by Welsy for Ave 42: