In the early 80's, I went to beauty school with the sole intention of becoming an esthetician. I told myself, "I'll just wade through this hair stuff." Gradually, and to my amazement, I found that I had a hidden passion: HAIR! I went on to assist, became a stylist, and worked in salons in three different states.

After a major life event and a move to Chicago, I left the salon for a period of time. I worked for a major airline and segued into the world of corporate travel. For "fun," or just to relax, I would do hair for friends and family. I always said that I could do hair twelve hours a day and not get tired of it.

Finally, thanks to the encouragement of friends and relatives, I have returned to the salon where I am in the process of getting re-established. I go to nickeducation.com to get my, "Nick Fix," where I have uninterrupted learning and motivational sessions with the best of the best. Thanks, Mr. Berardi!

Technique's used for my haircut:
Judie, my model, had a few prerequisites for this haircut, which translated into a modified version of a graduated bob, employing techniques used by Mr. Berardi on his model, Melody. Judie insisted that she be able to see her earrings from both the front and the sides of the haircut. In addition to her earring fetish, she renounced the notion of longer, more dramatic sides, claiming that they would not enhance her somewhere past thirty features.

She also wanted me to lighten the weight line on the sides slightly, so that she can "poof" them a little. (As Mr. Berardi would say, "That's real technical talk.") That being said, Judie has graduation built into this short bob, and, fortunately for me, can see her earrings! What can I say? The client is always right.

From as far back as I can remember I wanted to be a rockstar, which really dissapointed my father to no end. One day when I was fifteen I asked him for a little loan. He turned to me and gave me a quarter. I asked him, "what's this for?" He said "go buy a paper and get a job." So at the age of fifteen I went to work for my grandparents in their beauty salon where my grandfather was a barber and my grandmother did ladies hair.

My older long haired rock and roll cousin worked there as well. I would go to school in the morning and then go and sweep the floor,shampoo,and serve coffee until 9 at night. My grandparents would leave by 6 so I stayed to help my cousin. He did some really cool things and I wanted to do what he did. For 2 years I did this and when I got out of high school I packed my bags and hopped on the train bound for Manhattan and got an apprenticeship in the city.

Passionate about and hair and passionate about music, I was living 2 lives. I apprenticed for a couple of more years in the city and then got my first chair in a small boutique salon on Madison Ave. Hair by day music by night and very little sleep except for sundays. Eventually I got a record deal and put the hairdressing on the back burner.

For many years I took appointments privately while I played rockstar. I finally put the dream away a few years ago and jumped back into hair with the more passion than I had previously. Today I am an educator for a small company that has me travel extensively through the US and has sent me to Australia, Europe, Mexico, and Canada.

Technique's used for my haircut:
Square layering, scissor over comb, over direction, disconnection, and a variety of personalizing techniques.

I started doing hair in 1987 in the Chicago area. My inspiration to attend school were various friends and family members that had become hairdressers. I was also very into fashion and how hair was influenced by it. I later moved to North Carolina to attend North Carolina State University whereI received a BA. in Business Management.

I was able to put my self through college while working at a salon just off campus and by the time I graduated I had built up enough of a following to open a salon and have operated it for the past 18 years. I still love doing hair more than ever because I feel I never can get as good as I would like to be at it. Now I get my inspiration from outlets like Nick Berardi's education website as well as various fashion magazines.

For many years I took appointments privately while I played rockstar. I finally put the dream away a few years ago and jumped back into hair with the more passion than I had previously. Today I am an educator for a small company that has me travel extensively through the US and has sent me to Australia, Europe, Mexico, and Canada.

Technique's used for my haircut:
My model had long hair for the past 3 years and was open to loosing some length in order to give her a style she could work with curly or straight. The back: incorporates a slight graduation transitioning to square layers to the crown The sides : Are square but I angled my fingers to leave length and softness, I also left a disconnection in front of the ears .( borrowed from MR. Nicks "little shag") The Top: I then dried the hair and cut square in order to see how the shape was happening.

I started my career back in 1996. I attended a local beauty college and upon graduating went off to Los Angeles to further my education. My mother's side of the family has always been in the beauty industry. She, herself, has been a stylist for over 40 years. My mother's been a great inspiration for me and a wonderful mentor.

I worked for many years, but it wasn't until the last few years that I discovered my passion for hair while attending a continuing education course in SoCal. I love what I do. I remember now why I chose to pursue this field--to bring smiles to peoples' faces.

Technique's used for my haircut:
I used a low side parting to start off which followed her natural parting and used this to create an subtle asymmetric feel. Several inches of length were removed and a square shape was created to retain length around the sides.

I then graduated the back panels into a square layering technique in the crown. For the front, I used a traditional round layering technique to push the hair back off the face. For creative flair, I used asymmetric sectioning around the head. To finish it off, I used a variety of freehand techniques to create softness around the face and harmony in the rest of the cut.