Before and After

Long layers on the most cooperative and friendly model I've ever worked with.

To be a haircut model for your truly, send me an email with a recent photo of your hair (such as the above "before" picture) for consideration.

Turning a new page (or two)

First of all ...

this is really the way my cat drinks water. Actor portrayal.

My actual cat doing this.

Things don't always go the way you planned. It's not always bad, but before you see the good, you can only register disappointment. Sometimes it's something you can control (maybe you messed up), sometimes not.

New York City is a hard place to try something new. When I arrived, I was completely overwhelmed by all the people and the cramped spaces and the sheer overload of the senses (and suddenly Philly didn't look so bad anymore). I was also taking on a completely new career: hair. During this time, I also tried self-publishing my novels. All good stuff to try, but sometimes life throws you a curve.

a hairstyle I can really be excited about

The hair industry is tied heavily to the fashion industry and to editorial styling, much of which I don't give two s**ts about (probably why I've been pushed out of certain salons -- even one I loved very much). My co-workers were all about experimenting with pairing bowties and suspenders with pleated jeans and shirts you could see straight through, and pants that may or may not have been pajama bottoms. I wore something I thought looked professional (and felt comfortable enough cleaning toilets in).

When I decided to get into hair, I thought the best I could expect was to sell makeup to people at Macy's or work at Supercuts. Neither of those options are what you do in NYC. You style celebrities. Or old people who've had a lot of cosmetic surgery and wish they looked 25. They complain about why no one wants to wear tailored clothes anymore to a person making less than minimum wage. Often it feels like you're dressing in your absolute best clothes and coiffing your hair to get on your hands and knees to scrub the bases of the chairs: the best dressed janitor in town.

Finally, though, something miraculous happens and you're able to get your hands on a client's hair to do some styling yourself, and go at it with such gusto that you give yourself carpal tunnel syndrome within the first two months.

Someone loves you, regardless.

So I went to get some acupuncture on my wrists and cut my hours back at work (at a place now where I feel like I finally fit in, which is a miracle in itself). The only glitch is that I'm not cutting any hair at this place, but trying to fill those gaps with freelance work.

Somewhere in all that, I lost my love of hair. I was excited about it at the beginning, but now I feel like I'm banging my head against a wall and it might be better to give up than to try another place and another and another.

One of the biggest draws about this city is that there are a million different options. At the beginning of my hair career, I understood that if one place didn't work out, I would eventually find my perfect match and everything would be fine. That is still true. Somewhere out there is a salon where I won't feel like everyone's sneering at my sparkly t-shirt and uncomplicated hair, where I can cut a client's hair and get paid for it, and where I don't feel like I have to put on a costume and a fake persona to fit in. That place exists. But can I stop feeling wounded enough to go find it?

I'm adding henna to my resume, and enjoying it very much. Since I've been drawing most of my life, I've picked this up relatively quickly, because it just involves drawing with a different medium. It's artistic and involves "beauty" without being either hair or makeup. Kind of a fresh start.

I've taken down a few of my self-published works in an effort to only showcase my best and try again with traditional publishing. It feels like a step backward, but it isn't. The hair thing will work itself out, hopefully without me having to become an office temp again. I'll get my henna practice in and book some parties. I'll find an agent who loves my fiction and maybe make a moderate living that way.

Sometimes you have to step back. Sometimes you have to try something new to get something to work. I'm sure all this headbanging will prove productive in the end as long as I'm adjusting my approach each time. Or at the very least, it'll look like I'm rocking out pretty hard.

Haircut model -- For Wednesday the 3rd

What I'd rather wear

Because I like to cut hair, that puts me squarely in the "Beauty Industry," which, frankly, includes a lot of subjectivity. Also, because I live in New York City, one of the capitals of Fashion itself, uhh... how to put this ... some of it is ugly. I don't find it beautiful or inspiring. If I wanted to wear something uncomfortable that I didn't like ... well...

I don't know what my company actually does!

It seems like the crazier, weirder, and more awkward the design, the more people are going to rave about how much they love it.

Please click this picture and look at the hilarity that unfolds

Reminds me of that I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel go to Paris and fall in love with the fashion over there. Their husbands feel like they've gone off the deep end and are enjoying something that is ridiculous. As a trick, Ricky and Fred (the loving husbands), make their wives "gifts" of burlap sacks and buckets, and tell the ladies that these are the latest looks. The ladies are awed and wear the "clothes" in public. They don't think they look stupid until their husbands reveal their joke: it's not fashion, it's a burlap sack.

Well, now, Melanie ... exactly what would you wear? 

I'm glad you asked.

If money weren't an issue and if I weren't self-conscious at all, you could catch me in any of the following looks:

hard to work in

also hard to work in, but AWESOME

just... where is my time machine, because this is precious!

Are you freaking KIDDING ME?? I'd never take this off.

Realistically speaking, because I have to move and interact with human beings throughout my day, I'd very much like a style similar to the following:

It's cute, girly, and comfortable enough that I won'd be thinking about my pajamas 2 hours into the day. So please, fashion people, no more shoes on the head or gas masks as accessories ... can we just lay off the hallucinogens and design something that won't make me hide under a sheet before going out in public?

Arrojo Underground

Finally did something other than writing the other night!

As you all probably know, I went to Arrojo's cosmetology school last year, where I learned all my mad hair skillz. Some of my classmates work at Arrojo now, and they were part of Underground, an annual hair fashion show. In it, they showcase the upcoming trends and mountains of creativity.

Check out this video from Fashion News Live, where Rocco explains the event better than I can:

Outside before the doors opened

Bangs that go waaaaaaaaaay back

Probably my favorite one ... creepy cool!

crazy awesome braiding!

Hair models needed!

As of right now, the models I need are:

One Length line haircut - $30 February 3 or 7 at 9am
Blow Dry - FREE February 9 at 9am (already taken -- but there will be plenty more. Details as they come)

These services will be done at Arrojo Studio in SoHo by a licensed professional.

Please email me if you're interested! melanie (dot) surani (at) gmail (dot) com

Mirrors

As you may have already seen on my HAIR page, I worked as the stylist on a music video a few months ago for a singer named Alan Fox. In addition to being a very cool song (and catchy!), the people behind it were some of the nicest I've ever worked with.

Filming took place in downtown New York on top of a seriously swanky apartment. Here's one of the views:

And this was a GOOD day...

That's one of the greatest things about being in New York City: you never know when you'll see something spectacular. Also, this was my JOB for the day.

Compare with this
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The task for the evening was to do hair for the singer and an actress with a classmate of mine (who did makeup), and then hang out on the rooftop to ensure they continued to look good.

Halfway through the video, you can see my work - the portion where they're outside and obviously on a rooftop. I hope you enjoy it!




Check out more from Alan Fox here, and follow him on Twitter.

Congratulations, Class 14!

Thursday was my graduation day at Arrojo Cosmetology School. It's been a lot of hard work, and I'm going to miss everyone a lot.

When I started, I knew nothing about hair (except how to put mine in a ponytail because that's all I could make it do). I learned about the history of hairdressing, how to keep my tools and station sanitary, and most importantly: what to do with someone's hair.

After trying color, perms, and relaxers, I realized cutting was my love. Something about changing the shape of hair is incredibly satisfying. The methodical way I section and snip is therapeutic in a way that only drawing and writing have been to me. I can't believe I'll be doing this for a living instead of filing paperwork, inputting numbers, and devising any way to get out of the office.

I've updated my HAIR page with more current examples of my work. I'll be posting openings for models once I get a schedule.

Congratulations, Class 14! I'll miss some of you, and I'll see some of you at work...