Glamour Envy

A Few Words From the Color King

As I walk into NYC’s MIZU Salon and see my mastermind of a colorist, Nico, I can’t help but hold out my arms and give him a huge hug. There’s no man in this world who can do color like he can, and I have the battle scars from previous colorists’ attempts to prove it. As someone with hair so dark it could be mistaken for black, I’ve had more than my share of coloring catastrophes. Think thick blond streaks amidst a head of black, applied so unevenly that I could’ve been mistaken for a different person with my hair up than when worn down. Many people have told me that as a dark brunette I should stay away from highlights, but why should blondes have all the fun? Finally…I found Nico. He is a primping prodigy, a pioneer, the Color King. He has made me feel comfortable and confident with a head of chocolate brown and mocha-colored highlights that provide a subtle yet perfect brightness. Truth be told, I met Nico at a previous salon he was working at in Connecticut and followed him all the way across state lines when he began working at MIZU (yep, that’s right, stalker status!) But once you sit in Nico’s chair, you’ll know exactly what all the fuss is about.

As a seasoned colorist who has worked in the industry for over 20 years, I have asked him to share his personal experiences, best tips, favorite products and what it is like to work at the exclusive NYC salon, MIZU.

MIZU Salon

Nico helped to create Cyndi Lauper's legendary do

When and where did you begin your career in hair?
My career began at Vidal Sassoon in NYC. The day after I graduated from “hair school” I went on interviews- I was barely 20 years old and already knew I wanted to be a colorist. I accepted the apprenticeship at Sassoon because it seemed like the most intense training and they all seemed to take hair and the beauty industry so seriously. I was an apprentice for 14 months (a record by today’s standards) and was promoted to a Jr. Colorist in the summer of 1980! My reputation grew rather quickly and my interest and love of rock music steered many up and coming singers and musicians my way. Cyndi Lauper was a client before and during the peak of her MTV fame; I am credited on her first 2 albums. Other interesting personalities were always in and out of Sassoon in those days…members of the Talking Heads, Betsey Johnson and Pat Fields were some of my fun clients. It was an exciting time but being younger, I didn’t realize the global opportunities Sassoon was offering me and left in 1987 for a more “sane” atmosphere.

What drew you to working with hair?  Have you always wanted to be a colorist?
No! I always wanted to be a rock star! I had a girl friend that was a hairstylist and it looked like a fun job where I could dress like a rock star if I wanted to, so I enrolled in school. I absolutely HATED it!! The roller sets, the blow drying…the cutting! But then I discovered color and was hooked. I was the only one in my class that wasn’t afraid of color, and that was it. I loved the chemistry and the formulation.

What are your proudest accomplishments in your career?
I’d like to think that these moments are still to come. Of course, you get a thrill when one minute you’re rinsing yellow hair color out of someone and the next minute you’re in a front seat at Madison Square Garden applauding them, or watching them on the David Letterman show. I’ve also done a fair amount of magazine work and makeovers for magazines, and that’s always fun.  But, I think what keeps me going is passing on the experience, tricks and overall knowledge I have accumulated to people that are new in the business- it reminds me of how I was back then. There are a lot of colorists in NYC that are doing quite well that I mentored and helped educate.

Have you worked on celebrity tresses? If so, whose?
MIZU has a varied celebrity clientele.  Although I am not at liberty to tell you too much, some celebrities who have been to MIZU or have been seen by our stylists are Richard Gere, Michael J. Fox, Sharon Osborne and Lady Gaga, just to name a few…

What’s your hair/beauty philosophy?
Hair color is a major accessory and today’s clients have many choices–I would have to credit the supermodels of the early ’90s (Linda Evangelista, in particular) for this. However, hair is an organic material and needs to be treated with care, respect and love.

Where do you find your inspiration?
I find inspiration everywhere- classic films, rock stars, and most recently, vintage hair color ads! Just standing in line at the movies, looking at some little 3 year old’s (natural) highlights and trying to figure out how to duplicate that for my clients! Sometimes it can be what my client wants…it might sound crazy but I come up with something just a little outside the box that works for them. It’s as if I have this bag of tricks that I keep filling up and when I meet new clients I have more and more options to draw upon.

What do you like about working at MIZU?

MIZU is a great salon for me because it’s kind of a coming together of the “Sassoon” and “Bumble & Bumble” cultures. I am working with some extremely talented people that I worked with at the very beginning of my career while picking up new inspirations from the Bumble side of things. The level of professionalism is high, as is the standard of work. The location of MIZU is also very important as we are the only ground level salon on a major avenue…PARK AVENUE!! Pretty cool.

Where did you learn your tricks? Can you share some of them…?
When I am in a new environment or when someone new is in my environment, I observe…I observe the clients to see the finished look and color. Every salon has its own character. I observe how the look was achieved and of course I take my 20+ years of experience and bend and shape the technique into something that works for me.

When you highlight my hair, you said that you don’t use bleach. Can you discuss certain techniques you utilize?
I try not to use the word “bleach”, I say lightener…of course it’s the same thing but to me bleach is for clothes!! Of course, I do use lightener, but I tend to rely on using “color” for brunettes desiring lighter tones because a color formulation will lighten and color in one step. I can formulate so I will counteract the unwanted “warm” tones, and it will also be more stable and less likely to fade. If we pre-lighten (bleach) and then tone, it will run the risk of fading and becoming brassy (unwanted gold). It’s actual oxidation…think of rust.

What’s the best way to ask for what you want from a colorist/stylist so that the desired outcome is communicated?
I think pictures are always good. Celebrity references are good as long as you are clear about at what point in their career and what film they were promoting, because they do change color often. Clients can sometimes get very caught up in what they do not want. A good colorist will pick up signals right away to avoid those aspects of the color, but as a client you should focus on what you would love. I always ask a new client, “What would be your dream color?” and we work from there. Also, be realistic about a maintenance schedule.

What are some products that you recommend?

I love the Bumble and Bumble hair powder. It’s a product that will camouflage re-growth no matter what color you have. I also love the Moroccan Oil line of products.

What do you see as hot trends in hair right now?
The biggest trend that I see and am moving towards is color that is softer at the root and gradually breaks into more. This applies to any color- I just don’t want to see roots brighter or lighter than what’s going on at the very ends of the hair.

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Thank you for sharing so much with us, Nico!

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Be sure to make an appointment at the fabulous MIZU Salon today for a color service and receive a complimentary blow dry!

MIZU is located at 505 Park Avenue New York, NY 10022 (p. 212.688.6498)

http://www.mizuforhair.com/

info@mizunewyork.com

Images courtesy of: mizuforhair.com; forgottenjournal.com; starpulse.com; movieeye.com; kaboodle.com; alphabeauty.com