Style & Beauty Bash, Fashion Week El Paseo™ March 17, 2013

Wild Hair and Makeup Prevail at Style & Beauty Bash

Lani Garfield

Wide-eyed fashion enthusiasts came in full force to Sunday’s Style & Beauty Bash to have stylists, aestheticians, and cosmetologists apply transformative makeovers for a donation of $30, with proceeds going to charities throughout the desert.

More than 500 people converged on Fashion Week El Paseo’s Big White Tent on El Paseo and Larkspur Lane in Palm Desert, where 30 salons and spas offered hair styling, cuts, makeup applications, as well as shaving and haircuts for men.

During the event’s Extreme Hair & Makeup Showcase, the staff of Shear Hair Design, led by Alma Diaz, dressed in the costumes of Wizard of Oz characters and created wild tornado hairdo on the runway. Meanwhile, men’s hair specialist Sam Burns, representing J Russell! The Salon, finished an Edward Scissorhands-type cut in a flash of 30 seconds.

Other standouts were the punk-inspired neon coiffure explosion executed by Chris Espinoza, owner of Hi-Lites Aveda Grand Salon & Hair Spa. Wink Lash & Beauty Bar’s peacock-inspired look was a stunner, complete with funky turquoise and golden feathers. Another crowd favorite was the modern bridal look, executed by Sherry Mesa the Salon. Fans and onlookers posed for photographs with models and stylists.

Throughout the event, the salons exerted their innovative products and techniques. Carol Adolph of Motives by Loren Ridinger demonstrated the brand’s custom-blended, mineral-based makeup line, which is geared toward all races, particularly women of color who have difficulty finding foundations and powders that matches their skin tone.

Mind, body, and spirit were also at the forefront of other participating businesses. pH Vibe, the Alkaline Lifestyle Water Store & Spa, treated the crowd to products and information from its line of homeopathic remedies. “You can use these products internally, topically, you can ingest them,” a company representative said. From hydrating coconut oil to detoxifying bath salts, to alkaline drinking water, this line is said to strengthen the body’s defenses against cancers and free radicals.

Several salons served mimosas and St. Patrick’s Day beverages to ward off the heat. New Age Glamour’s Sheryle Taffolla raffled a choice of permanent makeup procedures, while serving an emerald citrus St. Patrick’s Day punch.

Chakra Hair Studio served up mimosas and samples Aveda products.

It was a family affair for Salon 119, where owner Michele Gerber delivered a chic and spiky cut to a family member, as her staff greeted those making the rounds from booth to booth.

A-List Makeup Studio gave patrons and spectators discounts on its products. Celebrity makeup artist Judy Twine (Ugly Betty) offered consultations on each product, including luscious shea butter-enhanced foundation sticks, eye color palettes, as well as its edgy and trendy lip-glosses, boasting names like “Bedevil” and “Bite Me.”

Charity, of course, was the real star of the show. O.P.I. nail technicians provided custom manicures for charity, as Cathedral City’s Fire department gave demonstrations nearby.

All proceeds from Mesa’s booth benefit Hacienda-Valdez treatment center in Desert Hot Springs. J. Russell The Salon, which was still providing hair services as the event drew to a close, donated its proceeds to Fashion Group International.