April was a busy month, it seemed to go fast because of the school holidays. Both Carmelita and Kat took time off to spend with their children during the break. Whilst Alli was preparing for her in-salon assessment which is in May. So not a lot of activity this month.

Congratulations to Maree Spence our lucky Easter winner.

Alli's colour is amazingly rich and intense with warm coppers. A nice colour to brighten your wintery days.

Denim Blue hair colour is what Kat has chosen for herself. She is absolutely in love with it. Kat's hair was pre-lightened first then the new intense & metallic range was used to get this affect.

March has just disappeared and I completely forgot to post our monthly activity. With March been and gone the two things that I enjoyed the most was our monthly workshop and that Carmelita and I went to the Adele concert. So I'll share a few pics:

March we tested the new Joico Blonde powder lightener, it will lift the hair 9+ lifts while keeping the hair remarkably close to its original, healthy state.
Carmelita enjoys the color Intensity range, here we have used the new metallic range. There are lots of ways that the Intensity colors can be blended together.

Adele has some incredible 'pipes' on her... her show was the best concert that I have ever been to and Carmelita's first.

Yip, it's on the tip of everyone's tongues...what happened to summer?! I even brought a couple of push bikes in anticipation that John and I would do a bit of cycling over the holidays. Apart from my niece borrowing my bike, we haven't taken them off the rack. It just hasn't been cycling weather...
I can't remember ever having to use an electric blankie in summer! Let's hope the next couple of months will be better...

Over the Christmas break the team were able to take a couple of weeks off to wind down and recharge their batteries. Still rolling on from the Christmas hype. January, has been busy with weddings, workshops and our yearly back to school promo's.

We are also in the process of setting our training planner for the year. It is shaping up to be exciting with new colour's, cuts and fashion creations. If anyone is interested in being a hair model - keen to try something new and different. Let us know.

Joico have invited the team to attend a Hair Expo in the Carribean - Punta Cana, next January 2018. The team are excited to be given this opportunity, and we've decided to go. Will be doing some fundraising throughout the year. Our first raffle for $1000 Hair & Beauty Voucher was won by #43 Gay Kahu-Sinclair. Look out for the next raffle will be putting up a GHD Curling Wand.

Joico have some amazing new products coming out this year of which will get to use in our training before introducing them to you. Next month will be the start on our workshops, so I'll have a few more pics and info to share with you.

As I write this the country continues to rattle as most regions are still experiencing after shocks from the heaviest shake that I can ever recall feeling. A part from a few products that fell off the shelf, we were pretty unscathed. We opened for business, which I think was great for peoples morale considering the night we all just had. With schools shut, we closed a little early so staff could be home with their families. MetService have forecast strong winds and heavy rain late today for Wellington and other areas, Aotearoa.....stay safe!

Did you have a ticket? Were you there....? If you were, you would have had a great time and enjoyed the show. So many people who attended, including those who helped or were in the show gave positive feedback on how much they enjoyed it (Even the men). To date we are still receiving praises because people enjoyed it so much. I'm just glad that all the hard work that went into it, we were able to achieve and exceed our goal of raising $10k for Life Flight. Thanks to all businesses and supporters for helping us to achieve this goal. NB: Pics below taken by various people on the day.

Knowing how busy we get leading up to the festive season. I thought it would be 'relaxing' for the team to celebrate Christmas a bit earlier this year. So we spent Labour weekend at Ferryman's Cottage in Martinborough. John and I went over on the Friday evening to prepare for what we were going to do the next day.. a hangi. On arriving at the cottage it was somewhat cold for this time of the year. But nothing a flick of a switch to turn the gas fire on didn't fix...
Much to our surprise the next day turned out to be beautiful and John was able to set our UFO up (Don't think the Parrot would have appreciated us digging a hole in his back yard).
The girls eventually arrived after a busy day in the salon ... lots of beverages were poured, obviously to help wash down the yummy food we had. I think we all tried hard to eat as much as we could... we played a few games of 'banana' which is similar to scrabble - except I don't think some of the words Alli was making you'd find in a dictionary (nice try thou).
The next morning was a too nice of a day to sit around so we thought we would take a cruise after breakfast to Ngawi & Lake Ferry. Ngawi had a Fishing Club day happening, lots of fisherman were weighing their catches for the day. Lot's of other people were camped up, enjoying the weather and the view. Moving along we made our way to Lake Ferry, sunny but a bit more breezier. We had a few drinks and a light snack before heading back to Martinborough where we continued socialising until late in the night.
Monday morning I had plans to cook a hearty brekky for everyone before departing home. But I decided a nice brunch at one of the local vineyards was in order. Except when we arrived at Margrain Vineyard none of us were overly hungry..so this is a small brunch..yeah right!
Martinborough you turned on another great weekend for us city people...we look forward to the next time.

The challenges and opportunities of social media. This month I went along to a JOICO Social Media course. I went along to improve on strategies that would be effective to  engage better with our target market and increase brand awareness.
I walked away from that course excited to know that I hadn't wasted my money or time. I literally walked out of there with so much that I couldn't wait to start putting some things into play.
IT does my head in....it is constantly changing and I hate struggling with trying to workout which tabs do what! But once I've worked it out, I'm a very happy chappy.

I have now finished my training at Weltec for the year. Finishing the course and passing all of my units has been a great achievement! My tutor wrote a Off Job Training Report which highlighted how well she thought I had done and that she had noticed some real positive changes in my work ethics. I put this down to having a great bunch of work colleagues, who take a lot of interest in ensuring that I do things correctly. All of this has helped me grow and become more confident. I'm excited to continue learning in our salon environment and over the following months I will be preparing for my finals next year.

Over the months of July, August and September, we had our Men's Promotion to show the guys we appreciate them too. For every adult male who had their haircut with us at Salon Villair, they were automatically entered into the draw to win a  Pro-formance  tote bag and men's hair products.

We had 5 winners who each received a goody bag each:

• John Peters
  
• Josh McAllum
  
• Josh Wilson
  
• Brian Benson
• Ross Anderson
  

We hope you men enjoy your goody bag.

Christmas Packs have arrived: Our Trio Packs have arrived and they are a economical way to save $'s. We have a range that suits all hair types. Prices from $56-80 - $69.90.

GIVE A HAIR VOUCHER:
Very popular last year. Can be used on Hair, Beauty or Retail. For every $100 voucher spent per person, receive another $10.00. Spend $200 per voucher get $20.

Go to Save a Life Fashion Show Page - to get update information

Well another one bites the dust, 2016 started with a hiss and a roar and we’re already into the third quarter of the year. I sit here reflecting on my time in this salon and what an adventure its been. I started here in 2007 when it was known as Shadze Hair Design. We were part of the Hair Phenomena chain. I was just a young tyke back then, wasn't sure if hairdressing was for me. I was given an opportunity and kept at it; fell in love with the trade, got qualified and I've never looked back.

I’ve seen many changes within the village. Buildings being revamped such as the town hall and the recent demolition across the road. Many shops/businesses changing ownership or rebranded such as Salon Villair. With change comes different faces but many still remain. Kids grow up and leave the nest to take on the world, but despite the changes Khandallah still has a sense of community; family orientation and good will. You walk up the street and are greeted with a warm smile and a friendly wave from locals. I love that about Khandallah!

The past 2 years since Ann took ownership, Salon Villair has reached new heights and the business continues to grow. We’ve introduced new products and services to meet the needs of our clientele. We are big on education and up-skilling too. As a team we continue to embrace new and innovative hair techniques with Emma our colour technician and ‘hair guru’.

Individually we have our own personal endeavours, for instance Carmelita and I are both studying Business through Open Polytechnic to help achieve our goal of one day being a salon owner. We both have been training Alli who is near completing her third year of her apprenticeship and is on target to be qualified by the end of next year.  Studying is challenging at times, but we reassure ourselves it will all pay off in the end.

We have also participated in various events such as the Wedding Show, putting Salon Villair on the map. We’re absolutely ecstatic about an up and coming event we are hosting ‘Save A Life Fashion Show’. It's coming to the village in October to help raise funds for the ‘Life Flight Trust’. We’ve been amazed at the amount of support we’ve had for this cause, so be sure not to miss this because it’s going to be epic!

Throughout my time here I’ve met and worked with some amazing people. I’ve built relationships, learnt so much not only about hair or business but about myself too. But none of that could have been possible without the support of my family, friends, colleagues and especially my clientele. You’ve watched me grow and helped mould me into the person I am today, your loyalty helps me bring home the bacon and in return I will always try my utmost to provide you with the best service you deserve. 
I’d like to acknowledge Ann, John and the girls for all their efforts in supporting me.  Ann’s enthusiasm  keeps us all on our toes and she sets a high standard regarding customer service. Inspiring us to be the best we can, we work as a strong team supporting each other on the floor day by day. This obviously reflects on our clients as they often express how much they enjoy the  positive vibe we have going on in the salon.

Next year will be my 10th year here at Salon Villair, (just apart of the furniture these days hehe) pretty big milestone personally but all in all it really has been amazing 😄.

As I write this I have only one day of Tech left for the year. It has been a busy year for me and more so since I started here at Salon Villair. I'm excited to look back on my journey here and to see how far I have come in such a small time and how so worth it, it has been. I have passed every assessment this year and I am surprised how much confidence I have gained! Kat and I are presently discussing the next step towards my training. It would seem that I am on track to complete my finals next year of which you will see me working more independently on the floor regularly.

This months it's been a nice introductory to our body waxing services. We've had clients who have never had this service done before, and are ecstatic with the results. We've been receiving positive vibes from many. It's really great to have Carmelita a qualified Hairdresser & Beautician be able to offer these services to customers.

We just can't seem to get enough of the 'Intensity' range! The range has concentrated pigments designed to help create over-the-top vibrancy that lasts through 15 shampoos.

This months workshop we created a stunning mixture of colours using purple, blue and reds in Kats hair. Kats hair was already pre-lightened although we did put a few more highlights in so that the 'Intensity colours' would be more vibrant. As you can see from the pics below, the colour is quiet intensed and Kat is absolutely in love with it!!

The wintery weather so far has been kind to us this month. June was a very steady month for us in the salon. The school holidays were very busy, with many families opting not to go away these holidays. We ran our hair and makeup workshop which the ladies thoroughly enjoyed. We've also been very busy with organising a Clothing Fashion Show, which will be held late October. We are very close to advertising this event, so look out for more details on our facebook page.

This month I started back at Weltec, which in some ways is very exciting but also nerve racking. That's because what I am being taught in the salon has to measure up to Tech standards particularly when I am being tested on units. This month I passed two hair assessments; full head foils and solid form haircut.

Now that I have my Hairdressing and Beauty Certificate I can now concentrate a bit more on our Beauty services.
The month of August, I will be extending our services to body waxing for men and women. If you have never experienced this before, please feel free to pop in for a consultation. We have a private beauty room at the back of the salon and services can be done fairly quickly.  Or if you have any queries give me a call on 4797877.

A lot of activity happened across the road this month. The construction work was set for March of this year...but delays saw this project getting started this month. It's been a pretty smooth process so far, with little interruptions caused by the construction site to the day to day dealings within the village. On the very odd occasion they've had the orange cones outside the site, but parking is still very much available other times. 
With the building down, we're amazed at how little noise there is. However we've noticed how windy it is particularly on those cold windy days. How bright the sun shines through the window, where we have to pull our blinds down because the sun reflects into our mirrors. So far the work has had very little impact on our business.
Here are a few pics on the day they pulled the building down to what it looks like now. It's been said all going well, that this project will take 9 months to build. It will be exciting to watch its progress. I'll take more pics as the building progresses.

Workshops are a great way to 'learn how to'. This workshop, although straight hair is still fashionable; we focused on creative waves/curls using the ghd wand and tong series. These tools compliment the straightening irons and are so easy to use. Yes, straighteners can create curls but the wands and tongs create softer curls or waves. If you want to see them in action, pop in and see Kat, Carmelita or Alli and they will show you how easy it is.
Carmelita and Kat showed the different curls each apparatus created and then the ladies were given the opportunity to test on themselves with the guidance from the girls.
This workshop we included makeup - Dan walked the ladies through makeup and skin care. We streamed this live on the night, if you want to hear what he had to say or watch how he applied the products to our model Caroline go to Salon Villair facebook page. To see the below pics put the cursor over the below pic and push play.
Thanks to all the ladies that turned up on the night. We know you had a great time! We look forward to doing another workshop with you soon.

Last year I blogged about lightening hair. It is one of the most difficult services that is performed in a salon. This method is used to lift the natural colour out of the hair and it can be a very long process. So don't expect to be walking out quickly because it can take a long time to reach the desired result.
In our models case, getting her hair to a nice platinum required a bit of help from our Joico Technician. From the pics below Andrea's hair was throwing a bit of warmth at the roots. To counteract the warm tones, Vero Blue lightener was used to help lift the unwanted tones from the hair and Olaplex to help keep the hair in optimum condition. If not done correctly damage can be so intense, but your stylist will be able to recommend pre-conditioning treatments prior.

Emma also touched up Carmelita's dark roots. From the pics you can see how her hair has lifted to a yellow tone. Once it reached its maximum processing time, the hair had come down enough to then colour with the Colour Intensity blue & purple. When lightening hair it is highly recommended that when going from dark to lighter tones, that you don't go past 5 weeks from getting it touched up.

Apologies for the slow posting this month, due to changing our website provider. The outcome from doing this meant we had to change our website to www.salonvillair.nz. It was a nightmare at first to change, but worth doing at the end of the day. So apologies for the late posting.

Thinking back to Queens Birthday...wasn't the weather magical! I spent the weekend at my husbands school reunion in the Wairarapa. I wasn't really looking forward to going, but surprisingly I had a great time. Pleased I went.
 
A part from our day to day stuff, June was a quite month. Our in-salon training didn't eventuate because our Joico Technician Emma was unwell. Then Dan got called out of town and wasn't able to make our 'ghd & makeup' evening. So we thought it best to carry it over to July's workshop. So I hope to have some new pics next month.

In the meanwhile we've been busy with school balls and weddings. Take a look at our facebook page for updates.

The Khandallah Town Hall held a learn CPR course which Alli, Carmelita and myself attended. It had been years since I last did a CPR course but I'd often though how important it was to know these skills since working with the public.

The instructor was from Wellington Free Ambulance Services. We sat, watched and listened to her giving us information on how to recognise when someone is having a heart attack and the steps that needed to be taken before chest compressions should be performed.Then we got to practice on Annie, Harry & Little Sam using different techniques depending on their age. 

We also got to demo the defribrillator. If you ever have to use one it has an automated voice that walks you through how to use it. We have 3 of these machines in the Village; Khandallah Library, Khandallah Town Hall & New Worlds.

At present Kat & Alli are working through Alli's hairdressing units to complete by the end of the year. Alli is looking for models in these areas and if your keen to have it done for 'free' please call her on 479 7877:

• Bleach & tone,
  
• Cutting - razor, layer, graduation & uniform
  
• Unwanted tones
  

Next month we will be adding Body Waxing to our existing Beauty Services. Look out for our opening deal in July.

A highlight for us this month was the Wellington Wedding Show held at the TSB Arena. Through Daniel contacting the organiser's we were invited to help with the hair & makeup for the fashion show. We were also given the opportunity to be a part of the buzz whereby we demonstrated publicly romantic wedding looks for hair-ups and makeup. Over-all we were kept very busy and we thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the event.

The Wedding Show is amazing because there is so many great wedding ideas under the one roof. If you missed this one, the next is on 11th September, held at Macs Function Centre. So if you looking for ideas for your wedding, head along to it.

Here are a few glam pics of our models Anita and Caroline, thank you ladies for being a part of the day.

What a journey, it's taken me 9 years to finally become qualified! It was going to happen working for my parents and having them behind me pushing me to get qualified. But I was soon to be reminded what it was like to be offered lollies and then have them taken away. As an incentive they offered to pay for my studies, as long as I kept passing my units then they'd pick up the cost. That was until I failed 1 of my assessments and then the offer was off the table and I then had to pick up the bill....bugger!!

When I came to Salon Villair I had two units to complete. The first was a in salon assessment based on health & safety and customer service. Yippee, I passed! The second a 2 x 3 hour and 1 hour practical assessment. The three units comprised of (1) Hair up (2) Cut, perm & set (3) Cut, colour and blow wave. This was one of the most nerve wracking and stressful experiences I have ever endured. I passed the hair up component but failed small aspects of 2 & 3 due to my own 'silliness' of not following guidelines.

It's not a nice feeling to 'fail'. I went through some emotional barriers of feeling inadequate. But thanks to my support team, my parents and Kat for edging me along and not to give up! It's nearing a month since I sat my finals and I feel like a lot of weight has come off me. But I also feel more equipped professionally knowing that I have got my National Certificate in Hairdressing.
 
Congratulations you've run the course and put the hard effort into achieving your success.
It's the result of working hard, preparation and learning from failure
 
John, Ann, Kat & Alli

We've got a hair & makeup workshop coming up in June. If you want a refresher in how to use your ghd or you'd like to see how the wands are used or to have a one on one makeup consultation with Dan, come along.