The Awakening
A collaboration of free-spirited styles that encourage you to embrace your best self
The New Normal
Lakmé Salon, India’s leading salon chain, presented its latest hair cut, colour and style collection, The Awakening, in collaboration with ace designer Chola By Sohaya Mishraat FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week. The Awakening celebrates and embraces the new normal, stemming from the changes in lifestyle and mindset during the lockdowns, where we are our most authentic, best selves — free-spirited and brave.
As the lockdowns ease and we start to step out into the world again, our sense of life, normalcy and style has changed, perhaps irrevocably. Flats replaced heels; natural waves replaced blow-dries; dewy makeup and glowing skin replaced boardroom-to-bar makeup; repurposed, upcycled comfort fits replaced form-fitting suits. Physical and mental health have taken precedence over the long-standing hustle culture; excessive shopping was kept aside to focus on savings and sustainability. All our lifestyle changes have spilt over into the way we dress, the way we do our hair and makeup, and the way we view style.
The Lakmé Salon haircut, color and style collection, created and curated by the team of experts at Lakmé Salon, introduced carefree, bold and vibrant hair styles and striking makeup looks. The hair collection embodied texture and trends with cuts like the modern shag, the pixie cut, the mullet and long layered braids for women, and a textured quiff for men. Hair colors like green, orange, hot pink and ash blond upgraded each look to redefine style in the new age.
Makeup Look
The makeup for each look stood out with glass glow skin, luscious lip stains in gorgeous, deep hues and sensual reverse eyes, created by the Lakmé Salon team of Backstage Makeup Experts.
Reflecting the evolution we are all currently experiencing is this trendsetting collaboration, which embraces the new “you” with bright, bold and happy hair and makeup looks, complemented beautifully by Chola’s easy separates, deconstructed styles and flowy silhouettes in saturated hues like yellow, green, pinks, blue and navy, and neutrals like white and black. The fabrics used in this collaboration are luscious and breathable organic cottons, kala cottons and soft linens. Pre-stitched sarees, asymmetrical dresses, boxy shirts, crop tops and jackets come together with trousers and skirts for everyday luxury wear.
Commenting on the collaboration PushkarajShenai, CEO, Lakmé Leversaid,“At Lakme Salon, our aim is to constantly help our customers be the best versions of themselves and beautify their own, unique future. This season’s hair cut, colour and style collectionis inspired by the shift in mindset due to the pandemic, and celebrates our authenticity and resilience. Trendsetting hair cuts in unusual colour combinations that suit a wide variety of hair types and textures – The Awakening has been carefully curated by the National Creative Directors of LakméSalon and beautifully complements Sohaya’s stunning creations. We’re glad to have partnered with a designer who shares our vision of sustainability and individuality.”
Pooja Singh, National Creative Director, Hair, Lakmé Salon, added,
“The Awakening is our tribute to the year gone by and to the new and improved version of ourselves. From carefree shags and sharp pixie cuts to low-maintenance long bobs and funky braids, all in bright, happy colours, each look embraces versatility, freedom and modernity, and is easily adaptable from runway to reality.Our team of LakméSalon Backstage Experts who created these looks used techniques like hair contouring and face-framing cuts to allow for more movement and bounce in the styles. Bright hair colours using the two-toned technique enhance each lookto make them fun, playful and easy to maintain.Sohaya’sstyle and vision aligned with ours seamlessly and we can’t wait to see our salon customers experiment with these looks.”
Speaking of the collaboration designer Sohaya Mishra said, “We are in a time of great learning and my collection is inspired by a shift in our consciousness, and changes in our perspective and priorities. It is about being relaxed, letting go and experiencing the small pleasures of life. It’s about bringing oneself to a higher state of awareness to understand the complexity in simple things around you. It’s about love, laughter and joy, and dancing like no one is watching. The clothes reflect this in their ease, fluidity and burst of colour, while maintaining our signature neutral palette. In LakméSalon, we found the perfect partner, because not only did our visions for the collaboration align, but our core values are the same as well. Each hair and makeup look completes my pieces and I’m so glad that our creative collaboration, The Awakening,is out in the world now.”
Anupma Katyal, National Creative Director – Makeup, Lakmé Salon, added,
“The looks we created for The Awakening are specifically curated for the post-lockdown modern women. We have kept a minimal base with dewy, fresh and glass glow skin, accentuated by dramatic colouredsmokey eyes, ombre looks and luscious lip stains.These timeless looks and colours came together beautifully with Sohaya’s vibrant styles.”
The six looks created were:
Feather Boa
The Feather Boa, also known as the Modern Shag, is a carefree, irreverent hairstyle that embraces layers and texture, giving the mane freedom to be who it wants to be. This hairstyle frames and adds dimension to the face. To create the textured look, techniques like hair contouring and the money piece are used, which work well for shag hairstyles. A soft touch of colour at the fringe area is added to create a bright and modern look. This hairstyle can be styled on four hair types; straight, wavy, curly and tight curls. In this look, the hair is styled in tight curls with lots of texture. This texture is created by backcombing the hair towards the roots to keep the texture alive.
Coupled with glass-glow skin, sexy, reverse smokey eyes and a luscious lip stain, this look is perfect to break free post lockdown.
Lob You long Time
The Lob, which is a play on the long bob, is a versatile haircut that suits all hair types, and one that oozes femininity. The chic yet fun Lob can transform from an ultra-modern to a vintage belle look. Whatever your style, there’s a lob for you. This hairstyle makes use of vivid fashion colours like burnt caramel (bright orange and sun-kissed yellow) to catch the eye and stand out. This style can be worn straight, messy and curly, depending on the mood. For LFW, the experts at Lakmé Salon created a curly Lob with lots of bounce, volume and playful locks
This runway-ready look was replete with a delicious melon wash on the eyes and glossy lips.
Pixie Dust
The edgy, cool-girl Pixie do was back on the runway to add some sugar and spice. This cool, quirky and fun-loving look also had shades of bright green colour to take it to the next level.
The pixie was accompanied with soft bangs, a different hair parting, volume and texture. Bold, smokey eyes and dewy skin added to the look, giving it an edgy yet modern effect.
Mullet Over
The Mullet is a hairstyle where the hair is shorter in the front, sides and crown, but much longer at the back.
The experts at the Lakmé Salon have used a two-toned technique, adding the brighter pieces on the crown and the combination of the same family on the mid lengths. This not only frames the face and adds dimension, but also highlights the most flattering angles of the face. For LFW, the experts at Lakmé Salon created immense texture at the crown. This was coupled with a reverse ombre eye colour and glossy lips to pave the way for a look that screams new beginnings.
To try this hairstyle at home, you can comb the hair into place and blow dry using your fingertips to mould the hair into shape. The most important part of mullet styling is dealing with the short pieces that make up the pseudo-bangs. Once the fringe is perfected, working with the rest of the hairstyle is relatively easy.
Quiff Notes
If looks could kill, we’d be turning in our graves now. The messy quiff is for the man who storms the boardroom and the bar with equal ease. Keep it au naturel with a salt and pepper look and we’ve got a swoon-worthy gentlemen. For the runway, the hair was coloured a silver-blonde. This colour differs from platinum in a way that platinum keeps to a pure white tone, while silver-blonde will have a cool tone to it, appearing slightly darker.
A typical quiff features short back and sides, and longer hair on top that’s swept upwards and backwards at the front. But this can be messy, straightened or brushed, making it a generally more versatile style. For LFW the quiff was messy yet sophisticated and fun working with the natural texture of the hair.
A few highlights complemented this look, and the overall result was that of a bae who’s ready to slay.
Long Layered Braids
The long braided look is created while embracing the natural texture of the hair. Long layers look fantastic even if the hair is sporting a simple colour. Roasted almond highlights have been added to this look to add softness and warmth. Longer hair can be styled either straight or in softer locks, although for LFW, the Lakmé Salon experts have taken the quirky route and added cornrows and twists. Lots of product has been added to keep the style in place. This technique is also called plaiting, lacing, and interlacing. While styling at home, you can accessorise your hair with a scarf or beaded accessories of your choice.
Sharp winged eyeliner with glossy lips and dewy skin adds to the long braidedlook, making it the perfect stunner whether on the runway or the streets.
Lakmé Salon
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Lakmé Fashion Week
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Facebook: @lakmefashionwk
Chola By Sohaya
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Facebook: Chola The Label
