'the focus is on luxury for the hair industry'

All the hard work paid off and I was really pleased with the Saks show at Salon International. The team were on fire and it was great to showcase our Indulgence collection. It was really exciting to get some wonderful feedback from our British and International friends and press and hopefully it will generate lots of positive coverage of the collection. As for me, there was no way I wouldn't be at Salon, but I felt a bit impaired by my leg. It was uncomfortable throughout and it was a case of having to grin and bear it a little. I certainly couldn't be as animated or flexible as I would usually be during a show, but my assistant Matt was an absolute star and he was hanging on every second waiting for me to fall off the chair I was perched on.I still managed to see plenty of the Hair Show - at times I was even pushed round in my wheelchair by the Editor-in-chief and Publisher of the Hairdressers Journal Jayne Lewis-Orr - and people were very kind and gracious. It was good to see some really nice approaches from product manufacturers. There is a real trend towards a more cosmetic approach that takes influence from skincare. We're really starting to see some major scientific developments, so much more talk of AHAs, exfoliation, antioxidants and the like. The industry also seems to be becoming more luxury focused. That was really nice for us to hear, because one of the thrusts behind our Indulgence collection was a luxurious more polished finish - and it's always great when other people agree. In the next couple of weeks, we'll be launching the Indulgence collection on roadshows up and down the country and I'm off to Rome next weekend for a show and a seminar, but I am trying to be careful with my diary and take it steady until my leg gets better. Then the next big thing is the British Hairdressing Awards. I'm in my last month as British Hairdresser of the Year now and I'm starting to get anxious and suffer from a little bit of angst about whether I will retain the title. Obviously, I checked out the competition at Salon and everyone has really lifted their game this year. I thought all of the pictures really represented the personality of the hairdresser and I hope mine did too. I'm really proud of my pictures and think they are all potential front cover looks. They represent the trend of a veil of luxury, beauty and femininity - and I sincerely hope that they will see me named British Hairdresser of the Year 2007.