Making beautiful people look beautiful can’t be that hard can it??? According to backstage stylist supremo, Andrea Daley from Barbara Daley Hair and Beauty in Liverpool, it’s easy if you have the right kit. We asked her for her top 5 backstage essentials that make haute couture hair, haute so simple!
1. A session stylists right hand – The Mason & Pearson Brush.
‘Touch my mason and die’ is an all too familiar cry from backstage at any live event. This brush is a classic and has been the dressing brush of stylists around the globe for over 100 years. Whether it’s being used to comb through wet hair or to create oodles of volume at the root this is the brush for the job! Coming in stylish powder pink and baby blue as well as the original deep mahogany colour this is a brush that’s never going to go out of fashion. Available from www.folica.com and all good stockists.
2. Blow Up – a hairdryer with hype!
The Parlux Hairdryer, is one of the most powerful hairdryers on the market and in my opinion the best. This hairdryer is fast enough to make light work of even the most unruly of hair types. And has models runway ready in minutes. Available from www.parlux.co.uk, www.beautyexpert.co.uk and all good stockists.
3. Get a grip – hairpins with hold
When picking bobby pins spend the extra and use less is Andrea’s advice. Nishida hair pins are the ants of the hairgrip world, being able to carry almost 20 times their weight, one single pin can hold an entire pleat if placed correctly, essential if you’re dealing with slippery or thick tresses. If you aren’t planning a trip to Japan any time soon though, Hairtools waved pins are the next best thing and a fraction of the price. Available from www.shearworld.com and all good stockists.
4. Fix frizz without fuss
Backcomb, spray, brush out. Backcomb, spray, brush out. This seems to be the circle of life for most models hair during fashion week so it’s uber important that hairdressers are respectful and use a hairspray that you can actually remove, without compromising the hold. Tec Ni Art Fix Anti Frizz is one of those rare gems of a product that actually holds without making the hair crisp or tacky at all and allows the model or stylist to remove the majority of the product when the show is over. Spray on, spray off! Available from www.lookfanstastic.com and all good stockists.
5. Andrea’s trump card
A pack of playing cards is, unusually, a kitbag essential. This multifunctional piece of kit keeps stray sides flat after blowdrying, creates a clean edge when doing a dual textured look and keeps models entertained no end when they get to play snap or pontoon. Many hairdressers have begun getting their own custom-made cards done for major events but an old pack is just as good. Try a pair of ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ playing cards from www.booksamillion.com and all good stockists
Andrea’s Biography
Andrea Daley is an Art Director at Barbara Daley Hair & Beauty’s beautiful flagship salon, North Western Halls (set in a Grade II listed building, opposite St Georges Hall, right next to Liverpool Lime Street Station, well worth a visit if you’re in the city!). Specializing in colour and dressing hair, Andrea and the stylists here have a long standing reputation within the hairdressing industry as masters of beautiful, wearable hair.
A regular at London fashion week, having previously worked on shows for Stella McCartney and the MTV European music awards, Andrea headed up the hair at this year’s Graduate Fashion week with colleague Lisa Rhead, and the pair were recently nominated for Hairdressers’ of the Year in the North Western region.
Barbara Daley Hair and Beauty
NorthWestern Halls, Lime Street, Liverpool, L1 1RD
0151 709 7974
