Yellow Strawberry’s young stylists get creative for the ICA’s Nouveau Creative Cut, Color and Texture Contest

Yellow’s Strawberry’s young stylists, who pride themselves on staying current with the latest and cutting-edge hairstyles and trends, are putting their skills to the test. Some of the boutique salon’s fresh artists are participating in a creative cutting and color contest to showcase new talent. The contest will also allow the stylists to acquire experience in their profession on a national and international level.

Participating in the contest is limited to licensed cosmetologists who are employees of an Intercoiffure America/Canada “A” member and have been licensed five years or less or under the age of 27.

To enter, the stylists take photos and submit their model’s hair before the transformation and then show the model’s finished look. We spoke with Kelly Chiesa, who has worked at Yellow Strawberry since October 2015, about being an up-and-coming stylist and her vision for her client’s makeover for this contest.

As an up-and-coming stylist, how does entering a contest like this help push the limits of your creativity? Entering a contest like this pushes me to do something outside the box and out of my comfort zone. Having my work in a photo shoot really makes me want to do my very best.

Tell us about your vision for the client's color and cut you are submitting for the contest. Halle, my client, has very fair skin with blue eyes and blonde hair. For her color, my vision is to incorporate a really natural looking red with lots of variations of deep copper reds and lighter ginger blonde pieces. As far as her cut, she's a low-maintenance, easygoing girl so she likes to keep it long with just a few layers at the bottom to help create softness.

How has the education, training and resources provided helped propel you as a stylist? The education Yellow Strawberry has provided has really helped me understand the techniques behind haircutting. In cosmetology school, you are taught the basics, but I never understood why I was doing what I was doing. Now, I can actually visualize what a haircut is going to look like if I cut more in certain places or take the weight out. They also give you great guidelines to follow as far as keeping on track with your goals and where you want to be in the future.

Do you have a tip you would give to stylists that are just starting out? Just get right in there. Don't be afraid, and absorb as much information as you can from the seasoned stylists because there's so much you can learn.

What are some of your favorite hair trends for this year? Beachy waves with lots of balayage and really soft, natural-looking color mixed with loose curls or just a really bouncy blowout.

Kelly put the final touches on her client’s color on Jan. 25 before the photo shoot on Jan. 29. Devon McLaughlin did the styling for Halle’s hair at the shoot. Good luck to all the stylists entering!

The deadline for submissions is Feb. 11, 2017. Online voting from Intercoiffure’s “A” members opens Feb. 15, 2017 and closes Feb. 17, 2017 at 6 p.m. EST. This round will narrow the entries to the top 10 finalists. The second round will take place the day of the Intercoiffure event and will be judged by Van Council, Intercoiffure America Canada Artistic Director, and magazine editors from; Estetica USA, Modern Salon, American Salon, Launch Pad and Sophisticates to determine the first, second and third place winners. The top 10 finalists will be announced Feb. 20, 2017!