Team 1: Meleesa and Ashley

Challenge: Lee

It is impossible to say enough good things about Meleesa and the salon, or should I say “community” that she has created.  I have been a client of Meleesa’s for many years now and up until recently I have never been brave enough to take risks with my hairstyle.  One of the best things about my experiences at Meleesa is that no matter how much or how little I choose to do for a haircut I always leave there feeling stylish.

When Melessa told me about the makeover challenge I was so excited.  It was time to try something completely out of my comfort zone.  I put my trust into the hands of Melessa and Ashley and the results…FABULOUS!  My new look gets me compliments on a daily basis and I am so glad that I let them work their magic because it was a success and I have bangs for the first time in my life!

On a personal note, I just love going into the salon.  Everyone is so friendly and it does feel like a true neighborhood small business with big city style.  I wouldn’t go anywhere else!  Lee Ann Salkowitz

Team 2: Veruska

Challenge : Betsy

Team 3: Adrienne and Jess

Challenge: Parissa

I am so thankful to know all of the gals at Meleesa The Salon! These girls are talented artists and stylists who have so much passion for what they do! I have been going to Meleesa The Salon for about a year and am always recommending it to friends and family! A little over a year and a half ago I had to make a choice to better my life, my health, and my overall being. So, what did I do? I ran out and bought a pair of running shoes and started walking and then running by the beach.I needed to be the best Parissa I could be. I also took control of my eating habits and focused on foods that would help me and not hurt me. With time it paid off and shortly there after I met the sweet girls at Meleesa The Salon. Going to Meleesa’s was such a perk and reward. Each time I left the salon, I left with a smile. I truly began to get my spring back in my step. Everyone who leaves the salon leaves with a smile!!! I have personally observed this.
People on the streets would notice the smile and true happiness on my face and say hello and compliment my looks. I felt so good, like a princess! It helped to bring the encouragment in my life that I so needed.  When Adrienne and Jessica approached me about the makeover challenge I was super thrilled! I love a challenge and this was yet another chance to experience something amazing! I went home and danced around my living room and couldn’t believe that I had been selected. Adrienne and Jessica who I like to call “Team Awesome” did just that! They are two awesome artists who have hearts of gold! Their time, dedication, and collaborative efforts produced what you see in my after photo. If there is someone that has truly been touched by this makeover challenge, I would say it is me. Thanks Adrienne and Jessica for making a difference in my life and for bringing back the smile on my face. By the way, can I say it was sooo much fun doing the hair, make up, tan, and photos!!! Wow! What an experience! If I could, I’d do it again and I’d want it the exact same way!  I wouldn’t change a thing

Photography: www.jimkennedyphotographers.com

Get your votes in soon! Voting ends at the end of February. Make sure you tell your friends about the contest so we can get more votes in!

Here at Meleesa the Salon we strive to offer our clients the newest and best services available. We are proud to announce a new service called “Brazilian Blowouts” that helps tame wild, frizzy, and curly hair. We love it so much we wanted to share some info about it that we found in this blog:  

So, I’m friends with celebrity hairstylist Andy LeCompte on Facebook, and I noticed the other day that he posted a link to Nicole Richie’s blog, where she was raving about a new hair treatment she gets at Andy’s salon. I had to message him right away and get the scoop for you!

I did a little (okay, huge, by blog standards) Q&A with Andy and Liz, the stylist at his salon who gives Nicole her Brazilian treatments. Here ya go, girlfriends:

Can you explain to our readers what exactly a Brazilian blowout is, and how it’s different from Japanese straightening?
Liz: The Brazilian Blowout is different from Japanese straightening and other Brazilian straighteners because it doesn’t completely straighten the hair. The hair still has plenty of volume and body and can still be worn curly or wavy. The Brazilian just softens whatever curl or wave you have. If the hair is air dried without a blow dryer, it will still have wave or curl but no frizz. On the flip side, if you want to blow dry your hair straight, you can do that, without a brush, in a fraction of the amount of time it would have taken without the Brazilian. Also, with other methods, there is a line of demarcation, meaning that when new hair grows in, it is curly/ wavy while the rest of the hair is straight. This blowout method washes away with time and is diffused, so there is no noticeable difference between new hair and treated hair. Other methods also have harsh chemicals in them like formaldehyde. The Brazilian Blowout does NOT have formaldehyde in it. And none of the chemicals in it are carcinogenic.

Other than Nicole, which of your other celebrity clients are doing this?
Andy: I know Ashley Tisdale has come in for it, and also Lindsay Lohan. I’m sure many more are doing it, and even more will be soon. It’s still rather new and is suddenly catching on, primarily because of the new formaldehyde-free formulation. I have only recently started recommending to my clients because of that, and because I know what results they can expect.

What’s the process of getting this done like?
It’s relatively simple compared to other Brazilian straighteners and Japanese straightening methods. The hair is washed with a clarifying shampoo, solution is applied, the hair is dried, I flat iron the hair to seal in the solution, rinse the solution out, apply a conditioning mask and blow dry. The entire treatment takes 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on how much hair the client has.

Can you describe the results a little more for us?
Liz: It literally gives everyone “wash and wear” hair. It allows clients to have freedom to enjoy activities they may have in the past because they didn’t want to get their hair wet and have to spend an hour redoing it. You’re no longer a slave to your hair. You can do whatever you want–work out, swim–without having to think about not getting your hair wet, because you know you will be able to make it look great in 15 minutes with just a simple blow dry. The treatment simply washes away over time and your hair returns to its normal state, so if you don’t like it, you don’t have to worry about having to cut all your hair off to get rid of it. The Brazilian Blowout lasts for up to 3 months.

Nicole’s blog was quite an endorsement! 
Andy: Despite being a new mom with a very busy schedule, for the first time in her life she can come out of the shower and do nothing to her hair. For Nicole in the past, washing her hair was always a process that took at least an hour. So being able to get out of the shower and do nothing and just let her hair air dry is a real privilege.

So many holiday parties, such little time!

Are you looking for a simple makeup look to compliment all of your beautiful party dresses? Look no further, Marie from Addiction Cosmetics NV is here to show you how to recreate a simple but beautiful holiday inspired look.

Step 1: Prep your skin with a small amount of “baby’s butt” skin primer. This will smooth over your pores, fine lines, and will prep the skin’s surface for the rest of your makeup.

Step 2: Use “rehab” concealer under your eyes and on blemishes. Lightly pat the concealer to smooth out the color.

Step 3: Use a pea sized amount of liquid to powder mineral foundation to even out your skin tone.

Step 4: Use translucent powder to seal in the foundation.

Step 5: Now to add that holiday glow! Use mineral shimmer powder in “champagne” to lightly dust over your cheekbones, eyelids and brow bones. The shimmer will accent the areas where light normally hits. This adds a beautiful glow and is perfect for the holidays.

Step 6: To accent the champagne shimmer use “scene” black/gold eyeliner with a subtle gold shimmer. To keep the look simple don’t line the inside of your eyes, just the outside. You can either line it with a basic line or you can extend the liner out a bit for a more dramatic cat-eye.

Step 7: To add a little more color, use “cocktail” blush. The beauty of this blush is that it picks up on variation in skin tone and adds a subtle pop of color. Add the color just to the cheekbones.

Step 8: To add the final touch, try one of the many different colors of Addiction NV lip gloss colors. “Have a mojito” is a great color to compliment the “champagne” dust.

Want some more tips or help creating a holiday makeup look unique to you? Come in and visit the Addiction Cosmetics NV table and have Marie show you our fabulous holiday colors and all of the basics that you can build each style on.

Check out the new Addiction website at: Posted in holiday makeup how to, free makeup touchups, addiction cosmetics NV, makeup how to, looking great for the holidays, holiday cheek shimmer, new years makeup, winter makeup, winter looks, even skin tone, shimmer, gorgeous skin, cat eye, sexy makeup, sexy eyes, holiday eye makeup, golden makeup, makeup huntington beach, makeup newport beach, makeup costa mesa, main street, downtown huntington beach, makeover, makeup, makeup touch ups, meleesa the salon, holiday looks, cheek shimmer, simple holiday makeup, holiday party style, holiday makeup, gorgeous makeup looks, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Meleesa recently worked the Diane’s Swimwear “Holiday 2009” photo shoot. To create these soft tousled looks all it takes are four bumble products: styling lotion, surf spray, spray de mode and hair powder. The best part about these styles is they are all adaptations of the basic ‘beach hair’ style. Follow the instructions below to create the basic style and each adaptation.

Day One: The basic beach wave.

Day Two: Adding a braid ‘headband’.

Day Three: Creating a twist ‘headband’.

Day Four: Sultry updo with twist headband.

You can spice up any of these styles by adding smaller loose braids throughout the look, or by adding a decorative clip.

 But any way you look at it, this is a great way to extend your style, look great, and save time!

 Looking for more tips or want to learn how to do this with a stylist? Make an appointment with Meleesa or any of our other stylists for a styling lesson and learn how to creatively reinvent your everyday style in an hour ‘one on one’ styling class.

Book one now, or check prices at 714-969-7199.

Hopefully you haven’t been missing our in-house beauty nights! We had our latest one last Friday and it was a blast. We were celebrating the introduction of our new treatment line Serie Expert from Loreal’s Professional line. We spent the night giving free blowouts with customized treatment packages to 50 of our clients! There was even free food and great music. Make sure you don’t miss out! Here are some wrap up photos from the night, if you want to see more pictures from this event and from the Addiction Cosmetics beauty night, check us out on facebook!

If you still want your customized treatment, make sure to book a happy hour blowout (still Wednesdays and Fridays, still only $35!), and request the treatment!

If you have missed any of our other beauty nights, don’t miss this one!

We are proud to announce the arrival of a new professional treatment line, Serie Expert, brought to you by Loreal Professional (the owner of Lancome, Kielhs, Kerastase, and more.)

Come in on Friday, November 13,2009 for your free blowout using the new Serie Expert treatment line. We will also be teaming up with Addiction Cosmetics NV to offer you free makeup touchups! Come celebrate with us and enjoy the end of the weekend with free beauty, cocktails, and great music!

**And just for the night the entire Serie Expert line will be 20% off!

Don’t forget to RSVP by Nov. 12^th, 2009. Email RSVPs to  info at meleesathesalon.com or RSVP on Facebook!

-Glamour meets Goth: how to get that dark and edgy updo hairstyle for Halloween.

At Zac Posen’s fall 2009 show, make-up and hair were inspired by filmmaker Tim Burton’s heroines (think Wynona Ryder in Beetle juice) and hair was described as “Josephine Bonaparte meets punk.”

Put the two together and what do you have? The perfect mix between Goth and glamour - not to mention a fabulous Halloween look!

-Vampire Hair:

This diva looking both glamorous and Goth in her Dracula costume got this look with lots of back combing, Bumble and Bumble Classic Hairspray and Hair Powder. This gains the height at the top. French braids on the sides add interest and the back is left straight. Lots of dramatic eye make-up finishes off the package.

-60’s Mod Bun Updo:

This style is full of 60’s retro flair with a bouffant-ish edge. The bun is large and round and offset and sits high on the back of the head. Lots of back combing and smoothing with this style. The sides are slicked back using Bumble and Bumble gellac to get that sleek shiny look, and pulled very tight to the scalp while the bangs are combed forward and are side swept. A hairpiece like this one can be found at any wig store. Use Bumble and Bumble Hair Powder and Classic hairspray to create and finish this look. The eye make-up is dramatic with black and bright blue to match her dress.

Looking for an excuse to go out tonight?

Come on down to Sharkees on Main Street tonight to party with the Stylists from Meleesa the Salon!
We will be there from 8-11 PM serving you $3.00 drinks and giving away free haircuts and makeovers!
Don’t miss the opportunity to let our sexy stylists mix up your drinks.