HairBoutique Blog

Colette Malouf

Colette Malouf Hair Accessories

Hair accessories designer Colette Malouf is famous for her beautiful hair accessories which she has been creating since 1986 when she designed and created her first hair accessory.

She opened her own business in 1987 after seeing how popular her first design became.

The native New Yorker, raised in Soho, the child of fashion grew up in her family’s glamorous lounge wear business “Perfect Negligee”.   Stunning ostrich feathers and jeweled caftans were key ingredients in the family business, proving ongoing inspirational for Colette.

A true New Yorker, Colette grew up amidst the art and design scene of downtown Manhattan.

As a child Colette would sneak into her grandmother’s closet which was full of amazing 30s, 40s and 50s designer clothing and accessories from Schiaparelli, Dior, Norell and Hattie Carnagie.

Jewel encrusted heels, crocodile handbags, white kid gloves and black resin cigarette holders fueled her inspiration when she began creating her own hair accessory lines.

She says, “I am all about ‘sculpting’ the hair with my hair accessories to help women achieve the shape they want,” she says.  With that goal in mind she has not only created some amazing hair accessory designs, but matched them to hairstyles they were designed to enhance. (more…)

Decorative Hair Comb Hairstyle How To

Decorative hair combs can be crafted out of a vast number of materials ranging from natural materials such as wood and stone to ivory and real tortoiseshell.  As concern for the animals was raised, some materials were outlawed.

When tortoiseshell became prohibited a faux tortoise shell was developed from cellulose and plastic.  Ivory is also forbidden to be used in combs or other types of hair adornments.

The best quality combs are hand crafted and polished by hand.  Such is the case with the The France Luxe Classic European Side Combs which offer timeless beauty. I’ve personally owned and worn these gorgeous combs for over 10 years.

Depending on your hair type, texture, length and desired hairstyle, these European style combs can be worn as a decorative accessory for a classic French twist or a more modern twist with a fanned out top tail or similar.  These combs are also functional and can be used to hold hair in place.

Depending on how much hair you have, the combs may or may not work best as an adornment or an anchor.   You can wear one or more of these combs with straight, wavy, curly or even kinky hair.

Usually you will need enough hair to be secured by the combs, but if your hair is fine or slippery you can use the bobby pin secret to anchor the combs into your hair (see below for details). (more…)

Octopus Clip Hair Accessory For Curly Hair

Octopus hair clips were named because they do have a similar shape to a real live octopus. Of course a real octopus doesn’t usually have a spring mounted at the top of their head like the hair clip variety.

Ironically many types of hair clips are named after animals they favor such as Alligator Clips, Crocodile Clips, Spider Clips to name just a few.

Octopus hair clips work for all types of hair from stick straight to naturally wavy, curly, kinky, coily and coiled.  Some types of clips are not as good for natural curls and textures, but octopus clips work great to encapsulate corkscrews.

Sometimes the octopus clip is referred to by specific manufacturers or brands as a spider, spider claw or spider leg claws.

Octopus hair clips are great for securing a head full of curls in the hot summer months to keep the heat off the back of the neck where frizz might easily form.  (more…)

Actress Cate Blanchett is famous for being unpredictable and a true hair rebel.  She’s worked with some of the best celebrity hairstylists in the work including Danilo and Mark Townsend who enjoy working with the trend setter.

Danilo has said about Cate “She looks incredible with long hair, short hair, a dark wig.”

Townsend has said “She always wants to do the opposite” with her hair compared to the current trends.  He noted “If someone’s wearing a couture gown with her hair up, she (Cate) wants to wear hers down.”

She will constantly surprise on the red carpet going with an elaborate updo or simply tousled bedhead hair.  With Cate you just never know what her hair mood will be.  Indeed Blanchett has been a redhead, brunette and blonde at various times in her esteemed acting career.

Hair How To:  Copy Cate’s Platinum Blonde Short  Choppy Hairstyle

If you want to copy Cate’s latest platinum blonde short choppy hairstyle ask your stylist for an asymmetrical and wispy short hair cut.  This haircut can be modified to work with most face shapes, hair types and even natural textures.

An image speaks a thousand words.  To make sure your stylist understands the haircut you desire, print out and take a few large sized images of Cate showing the front, sides and back of  her hairstyle.  Ask your hairstylist  if the haircut would work with your hair type, texture, length and current condition. (more…)

According to an interview with MODERN SALON, celebrity hairstylist Orlando Pita says that Kate Winslet’s hair was cut for the British Vogue cover.

He told MODERN “I think Kate is very versatile and can wear many different looks.  We chose this look because the photographer Mario Testino wanted to giver her a very different look.  The fashion in the story was black and white so we decided to go with almost white hair and cut it short and choppy.”

(Image of Orlando Pita – Shear Genius 3 – Bravo/TV – All Rights Reserved)

Pita, a celebrity hair consultant on Bravo’s recent season of Shear Genius, also noted the Academy Award winner’s hair on British Vogue was a dramatic departure from her former shoulder length, dirty blonde locks.

Of course transitioning hair color from dirty blonde to stark white was shocking to fans as was the short choppy hair which many questioned.  Did Kate really cut her hair or not?  After all, many celebrities over the years have stunned fans with a drastic new length or color only to confess later to wearing a wear, hair extensions or some other instant hair altering accessory.

Jessica Simpson famously shocked fans a few years ago by showing up at a red carpet event wearing a drastic new red hair hue.

Shortly afterwards her celebrity hairstylist Ken Paves explained he and Simpson had collaborated on her stunning new do by having her wear a new wig from her Jessica Simpson collection.  Simpson also told the media she used powder mascara to camouflage any random blonde roots that might have popped out from the wig. (more…)