A Month or so ago, I saw a repost competition on Instagram from someone I avidly follow, Lucie Luella.
I have been a follower of hers for some time. She posts the most amazing hair posts, stunning updo’s, total colour changes, vintage waves – you name it, I love them all!
I am a huge fan of the colour changes that she does. From black to blonde, brown to shocking red, not to mention the pinks and blues and every colour inbetween! She also has the most wonderful hair herself. As you can tell, I am a real fan.
Anyway, she ran a competition on her Instagram to win a hair colour makeover. Well given that I am in a bit of a rut with my hair (for the first time ever) I decided that “nothing ventured, nothing gained” and happily went and reposted the Instagram picture.
For the past 2 or so years I have had black (with the odd flash of red or purple) hair. Then I went slightly lighter with a very dark brown. Then I stupidly tried to strip my hair and ended up with all manner of different shades. However, for the past couple of months I have been a gingery auburn colour, but it has no oomph or depth.
So, imagine my surprise when two weeks later I had a message to say that I was the lucky winner!!! I literally was over the moon with this as I really needed some help to decide in what direction I wanted to go next.
I immediately emailed Lucie Luella and we started trying to match a date up that we could go ahead with the transformation. I had some idea that I would like to return to a lighter colour, maybe a more natural blonde colour, even a platinum eventually, but knew I would have to rely on Lucie Luella for further direction.
We eventually settled upon a date and I eagerly wrote it down in my diary. Transformation here I come!
I left home the afternoon before my appointment to Stockport where Lucie Luella is based. The journey was relatively simple, approximately 3.5 hours and I arrived at a local hotel where I planned on staying the night so I would be ready and raring to go the next day.
My appointment was for 12 noon. I arrived with about 10 minutes to spare, to see a lovely lady dressed in dungarees with a headscarf coming towards me from a distance. It had to be her!
Entering her lovely pink and blue beauty salon, filled with vintage equipment and decor, I literally fell in love. Lucie Luella and I fell into easy conversation and it was like we had been friends for YEARS.
Discussing what I wanted to do, I put myself squarely in her hands. I knew the length of my hair was in poor condition due to dyeing and hormonal middle aged woman things. It had become very thin, and I had been growing it with the intention of getting a lot cut off. Well, it was now or never!
Lucie Luella explained that given the darkness of some of my hair, it would be tricky to get it to platinum blonde without doing a lot of damage, but how did I feel about Strawberry Blonde?
Well, it was not a colour I had ever really been before, so why not?
We started the laborious process of bleaching the darker colour out of my hair. Olaplex was used to protect and repair the hair and we sat and waited.
Rock and Roll music was playing in the background, I had some pink lemonade in a little glass bottle and were were chatting like old mates.
After the peroxide was washed off, Lucie Luella took up her scissors and started cutting. I knew I would lose a lot of the length, but to be fair it really did need it. By the time she had finished, I had lost several inches, and my hair was already looking in better condition.
The colour was then put on, and we waited for it to process. As we were talking, we found so many acquaintances and friends that we had in common. The Vintage world really is a small world.
Eventually the dye was washed off, and now came the even more exciting bit! The vintage styling.
Now of course I had no idea what Lucie Luella had in mind. I just let her have free rein and watched as she created her masterpiece/
.
She explained she was creating a pageboy style and used tongs to create individual barrel curls, before teasing and pinning and spraying.
The end result took my breath away. It was a style I had seen on so many of my idols, and I loved every little detail of it. The pouffed out bottom, the sculpted curls and the high rolled front. I literally couldn’t believe it was me.
I never thought my hair could ever look as vintage as what she had transformed me into. I was so happy with my new style that I couldn’t wait to get home to show everyone.
Only a three and half hour drive till I could do that……
I honestly can’t thank Lucie Luella enough! She really is a master at what she does, and I know that the pictures here don’t even show a small percent of the masterpiece she had created.
If you need your hair Vintagified, then I highly recommend giving her a call; although I know she has quite a waiting list – well you would have when you are as skilled as she is!
Thank you once again for giving me the Vintage Do of my dreams xxx