My whistlestop tour of australia with l'oréal

I recently left for Australia and, excited as I was about the trip, I was equally thrilled by something happening in the UK – the launch of my Shiny Happy Hair range. It’s been really well-received and the initial sales are excellent – over and above what we were expecting. A new order has already been placed and there are already some clear favourite products, which will help us know what direction to go in when we develop additions to the range.My trip to Australia was a real whistle-stop tour. We flew to Brisbane and then pretty much visited a new city every day to do a live show. We were there to launch L’Oréal Colour Suprême, but we actually used colour from the entire L’Oreal Professionnel portfolio and did 18 models a night. Between Tracey Gallagher, myself and the local L’Oréal Professionnel technical team – who were all very proficient – we had to do a casting, prep and colouring the models’ hair every day, but we still managed to be ready and on stage by 7.30pm each night. I loved every presentation; they were such interactive shows and we were trying to show the audience how to make the most out of colour and think outside of the box when they are using it. There is so much excitement about colour at the moment and I predict that over the next few years it will become the major thrust of the industry. For the past four to five decades the focus has been on cutting, but with so much technical expertise in this area, cuts are lasting longer – with the help of increasingly effective styling products – client attention is moving towards colour. We had really fantastic audiences while we were in Australia and the industry there is really thriving. For a long time, they looked to the UK for their inspiration and hairdressing know-how but now it has found its own confidence and a unique way of doing things. They have also adopted a lot of traits from the States, including great customer services, their retail ethos and the American way of looking after staff so I have to say I was really impressed – although I might be slightly biased as I honed my skills there after I finished my apprenticeship! On a final note, thanks Jenny for your comments about my appearance on Ready Steady Cook. I had amazing fun doing it too. For those of you who didn’t see it, I was up against Nicky Hambleton Jones and I won! I made a Thai-inspired crab and noodle broth and salad and in true me style a chilli Yorkshire pudding. It was delicious, but the best bit was announcing my charity as the Hair and Beauty Benevolent. There were a few of charities that I could have chosen but I was proud to do it for the Benevolent because it is our charity.