The benefits of winning hair competitions
That's exactly what happened to Color Challenge winner Suzanne Kinane-Waltham.
The talented hairdresser from Killenaule in Pinchbeck had never thought to enter a hair competition before and had certainly never had any encouragement to do so; so she was skeptical when her Paul Mitchell rep advised her to enter the Color Challenge.
But that small push was all that she needed; and she set about creating a look that mixed the classic purdy with the on-trend pob for her photographic entry.
"I chose my look because of the first cut I learned in the 80s, the purdy. It was essentially an asymmetric version of the look Posh had last year.
"I complemented it with what I called 'autumnal bliss', by starting with dark autumnal shades and working upwards with panels of lighter colours."
After practicing for more than 20 hours to perfect the hairstyle; Suzanne's look was ready to face the judges and even she couldn't believe how well it was received.
"I went to the regional final and couldn't believe it when I got through. Then I went down to London for a fantastic day and I couldn't believe it when I won.
"I was just overwhelmed by the whole expereince and winning was just amazing."
As well as some brilliant local PR and a resulting increase in clients, Suzanne won some great prizes; most notably a trip to Las Vegas, including $500 spending money.
"Las Vegas was fabulous, unforgettable and humbling," Suzanne adds. "There were two days of seminars and we saw the Paul Mitchell Artistic Team put on an exhibition of their latest collection.
"I found Robert Cromeans so inspiring and motivational. He has such a passion for his work that really impressed me.
"Winn Claybaugh also made a real impact on me. He said that 'if you see an opportunity you should go for it' so when I saw John Paul in the lounge I thought about that and I went and asked him for a photo!
"It's definitely a philosophy I will always follow in the future.
"Never before in my career felt a part of something so special. I'm so glad that I entered the competition."
Suzanne's top tips for entering hair industry competitions
- Don't be afraid to be creative and think out of the box.
- If the first attempt doesn't work, look at it closely and analyse it.
- Be flexible. If your initial looks doesn't work, change it. I had to take my look shorter than I had intended but it looked letter that way.
- Don't be afraid of classical shapes, but make sure you give them a modern twist.
- Practice, practice, practice. I waited until the shop was closed so that I could focus on my block.
- Be brave and go for it; we are creative people. We are very ready to think about what we can't do, but we should think more about what we can do.
