Jamie stevens’ x factor diary – the 2014 final!

As official hairdresser on The X Factor, Jamie Stevens and his team have been responsible for creating all of the contestants live looks – and we’ve been going behind the scenes with him. Here, he shares his final backstage diary…

Working on the 10th anniversary of The X Factor and what is my third year on the show as its official hair stylist with my wonderful team has been an amazing experience. There’s been so much talent this year and what’s been great is that they’ve all been very different, each with their own individual style which has made it really interesting to work with from a hair perspective. We’ve had Luke’s infamous dreads and Abi’s feminine festival chic vibe, Hannah Barrett’s fashion-forward edge and Tamera’s dark to blonde, long to short transformations that we loved experimenting with. It was a shame to see Miss Dynamix and Kingsland Road go out early as they both had bags of energy and style which we were looking forward to developing over the series, but it was great to have them and all the other finalists back for the final weekend, which was electric! Going from the smaller studios that we’ve filmed in each week to the sheer size of Wembley Arena in front of 10,000 is on another scale so from the hair and makeup to the styling, it was all about making it bigger and better; not only with a full set of contestants back like week one but also with the many dancers that we also had to style for the final and past contestants such as Rylan and Jedward. On Saturday with Sam, it was about show-stopping volume to rival Nicole’s for their big power duet and then polishing up the boys for their performances. Though the lovely Luke was voted out, his popularity and performance has soared over the weeks and I look forward to hearing more of him in the future. Sunday was a case of surviving on coffee and adrenalin as it was back to Wembley bright and early for the last ever show of the series. As always, there’s a lull throughout the day and then a complete mass frenzy of activity from 5pm onwards with the dress rehearsal, hysteria at the arrival of 1D and, before you know it, show time! With the nerves kicking in, our focus is all on Nicky and Sam and making them feel as prepared as possible to face the crowds. Nicholas has grown so much and though his has been a subtle hair style evolution, his attitude to hair and fashion has completely changed. However, it’s winner Sam Bailey that has really won everyone over, showing the public the power of transformation. By controlling her curls, adding soft voluminous waves and taking her a flattering lighter shade, her new look has shaved the years off and it’s been great to see how her confidence has grown as a result. For her first performance her high necked red dress was detailed so we kept the hair simple in a low side bun, keeping the fringe tousled and undone, whilst for her last performance it was back to the classic style that has worked so well for her over the series. The reaction to her performances was absolutely electric in the arena, so a deserved winner and I feel completely honoured to have been part of her amazing journey from prison guard to super star. Bags packed and off to celebrate an epic series with the production team, I’m looking forward to heading back into the salon for the Christmas rush. Merry Christmas one and all! Jamie x

Take a look back at Jamie - and the contestants' - journey over the last few weeks in the archives...

Jukebox Week | Great British Songbook Week | Best of British Week | Big Band Week | Disco Week | Movie Week | Semi-Finals