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Beauty
Signature Service

Step away from the woes of winter lowlights ladies, and step-up with a fresh spring haircut and highlights from Laurentius Salon. Laurentius Salon is in Philadelphia's Italian Market and has the convenience (and savings) of free parking. However, don't expect a full transformation from the Salon, as Larentiua prides himself in how "clients come as they are, and leace as they are. We simply enhance their personal style." After a morning at the salon, followed by affordable produce shopping and a splurge on brunch at Sabrina's, I felt exactly that: enhanced.

My stylist at Laurentius was Kim Tran, a gracious artist. She approached my mane with a ginger touch, and an eye in capturing every last strand with the proper treatment. She and her assistant worked diligently, while I was entertained by Laurentius' portfolio playing on the high-definition screen behind. Kim explained, as she picked throughout my tresses, how she prefers to highlight right up to the scalp, leaving no root exposed as some stylists do. For my full head of highlights, Kim worked with four different color tones to create dimension. She explained that her trick for making muted eyes "pop" is to use the darkest color around the eyes and brighten the color towards the crown.

Since spring is the time for renewal, cleaning closets and prepping for the summer, I would do yourself a favor this year and start from the top-treat your hair to highlights and find the inspiration to stay committed to maintaing that mane year round. To start flip your morning routine: do your hair first and your make up second (you will use less make up this way.) Kim also suggests starting spring with a full head of highlights, then returning every 3 months (depending on your hair color) for partial highlights. In between these visits, stop in for a quick pick-me-up with Laurentius' Color Shine process.

Color Shine is a fabulous conditioning treatment for all hair types. It intensifies and protects your color while infusing hair with shine and body. This treatment is ideal jsut before a vacation. And feel free to leave the hat at home - your color will not fade at the shore. Color Shine is also a treatment ideal for those looking to steop away from hair coloring and return to their natural hair color, or pregnant women who can't use chemical dyes.

Cuts for spring? Keep it simple. Many are going shoulder length. In this economy, you don't want to have to return to the salon too often for maintaining a funky London look - let the stylists experiment with those styles! Bangs are a great way to fame your face and draw attention to your eyes, plus, most salons (like Laurentius) will trim your bangs for free in between cuts. And a little beauty secret my mother learned from years of having bangs (which I would beg her tyo grow out) is that bangs are a great way to block your skin from the sun, decreasing the chance of wrinkles! It wasn't until one day when I tweezed my mother's eyebrows that I found she had not a single wrinkle on her forever hidden forehead! Bangs, or Botox? Bangs!

Kim walked me through the cutting bangs as she trimmed mine. She always cuts them when they are dry, wihtout holding them taught, in order to get the proper length. Kim forewarns to neverl pull bangs from deeper than one inch from your hairline, and cut them just below the brow line. If you can't get to your salon and need those bangs cut pronto: be sure to cut the hair in angles as a stylist would, not straight across.

Now what? Spring into action! Renew your look. and your spirit...