Recently I was introduced to Luke Lehmann a London based session stylist, who has recently moved to Birmingham. When in London, Luke styles the hair of models who appear in Vogue and ASOS but now that he's in Birmingham, he's keen to build up a personal client base here.
We had a very nice chat in the pub which resulted in Luke very kindly offering to cut my hair for me and in return I offered to write about him on here.
These images are taken from Luke's website. Can anyone spot Laura Bailey? Yep, I was glad that I didn't find out until after Luke had cut my hair that he had worked with Laura Bailey. Had I known beforehand I think that I may have just hidden in a cupboard somewhere.
Bravely - more so for Luke than me as he had to take the up close photos, poor guy - we decided to do some before and after shots. And whilst I never use filters on any of the photos that I use on the blog or instagram, frankly I just couldn't inflict the close up photos of my wrinkles on you in colour. So here I'm appearing in black and white instead.
So, here goes. This is a before shot, hair newly washed but without any product in it. I have masses of hair and it tends to grow outwards rather than down so suddenly I'll wake up one day and have a mushroom head. Sometimes I wake up looking like a lion. Or Ken Dodd. And that really isn't good.
I would guess that my hair is probably longer than most people would imagine as I always tuck it behind my ears. I've been growing it since we came back from skiing in February. I hated how I looked that week. My hair, my skiing clothes - hated the lot. Yuck. So that's when I decided to start growing it. To start off with I did really well but then I got sick of it and a hairdresser lobbed most of it off - so I'm not as far forward as I should be but hey, first world problems and all that.
Luke came to the house on Sunday morning. I don't see the trip to the hairdressers as the highlight of my day or a luxury trip and often I ask them not to wash my hair but just to spray it. I hate my hair being blow dried with brushes too, so I get them to blast it with a dryer and off I go. Therefore, the idea of someone coming round appealed to me. It's time efficient and I don't have to look at myself in huge, brightly lit mirrors. Double bonus.
Luke started with a razor and we discussed the whole approach to using razors to cut hair. They're great for taking the weight out of my hair and Luke likened it to using a blow torch on a creme brulee. In the right hands it makes the dish perfect. In the wrong hands it nukes it. I liked that analogy.
This is the official version of what Luke did to my hair: "To loosen up the weight around the ears and back, I texturised. This gives a freedom to create flicks and different shapes and styles more easily. I blended the short layers on top to the mid-length with the intention of growing them longer. And I smartened up the perimeter to keep the elfin look for longevity as the top layers grow into the new style."
We did three different "After" looks, just to show the versatility of the cut, which was great for me because I always tend to wear my hair in the same way.
Number 1 - This is quite mussed up. It's worn longer at the front and is very different for me but I like how it sits.
Number 2 - Slightly tamed. It's partially tucked back here but still with lots of texture and individual pieces pulled in different ways, which you can see more in the second photograph.
Sleek and chic - Luke made everything really sleek for this look but, in so far as I remember, without really doing anything to it. I don't think that he used any more product but just tweaked it in a way that hairdressers do, making it look really easy. Until you try and do it yourself and then you end up looking like Worzel Gummidge.
Apparently this is the "red carpet" look which is a favourite of ASOS. Rather than just showing the back of your dress but with the head looking forward, you turn to the side slightly and look down your arm. So now you know!
Then it was my turn to have a play. I decided that (being as rubbish as I am at this malarky) the side bits were a little bit long for me and that I wouldn't be able to work with them properly, so Luke re-visited them and feathered them over my ears a bit more. And this was how it looked after that.
And from the other side!
And this is what I am aiming towards hair wise. Don't laugh!
And you know what? The same night that Luke cut my hair, we went to see 1D. Amazingly, Flo and her friend and I were on the big screen at the side of the stage. So now Luke's hairdo has been seen by about 10,000 people.
For anyone who would like Luke to give their locks some attention, the cost of a haircut is £49 and he can be contacted on 07782 197646, or by email at mail@lukelehmann.com
NB: Products used:
L'Oreal Hair Mix Supreme Smooth - smoothing cream for dry hair (used on wet hair)
TIGI bedhead wax stick for texture
L'Oreal Ellnet hairspray for hold.
