Colour notes with jake nugent

We quizzed Jake Nugent, freelance stylist and OSMO ambassador on his colour creations, challenges and consultations. You can catch up with our digital magazine for more interviews on colour, here. What do you love most about being a colourist? It has to be the creativity and the boundaries you can push with colour. I love how you can influence a client's mood with your colour creations and it's great seeing how they react at the end of a transformation. Where do you go for colour inspiration? I love seeing the work created from the stylists at my salon, and my fellow OSMO ambassadors' colour creations when we're together or on social. I'm hugely inspired by social media – especially Reels and TikTok. I love that there is instant education from your phone, so you're constantly inspired and pushing yourself. What are your favourite colouring techniques at the moment? It has to be balayage and face framing highlights. It's what I've become known for. At the moment I'm switching it up slightly by adding more dimension to the finished effects. Think darker shades hidden within a blonde to give it more interest. What colour trends are you pleased to see out of fashion? I'd never like to say what's in or out as I believe it's all about how you feel and what you love. As with fashion, be who you want to be and own that hair colour no matter what! Are there any colouring trends you'd like to bring back? I'm loving that the summery blondes are being asked for again in the salon. Mixing reds and golden shades within my blonde palette is giving lots of exciting shades and depths to my creations. What are the challenges facing colourists right now? Summer brings with it lots of colour corrections. Clients may not always understand that going from darker to light is a big colour change, so we're going to need more time and product – this means a higher than usual charge. Managing expectations is a challenge that we face regularly, but if we're confident and know our worth, we'll be okay. What's been your most memorable colour consultation? The first time I was asked how I'd colour hair and the techniques I'd use. I love having consultations and seeing their reactions as we both 'get' what they'd like and chat through the entire process from applications, styling, to at-home care too. What colour creations makes you most proud? I definitely have a 'look' – long, luxe blonde colour creations. When I was first contacted by the OSMO team, that really was a career moment for me and I'm so proud that my colour work has created such a terrific opportunity for me. What do you enjoy most about your job? I LOVE to talk – so this is the ideal job for me. Meeting people, being able to make people smile, get excited and inspired by others and learning new things every day. What advice would you give to a trainee colourist? Start your social as soon as you can – this will help you get clients. Also, don't be scared to try new things. You'll need to push yourself to learn and excel in your craft. You can see the full article in May's issue of HJ. Don't forget to catch up with our Colour Notes with Dan Spiller. And stay tuned for more Colour Notes.