On Tuesday, April 13^th, Van Michael Salon will be hosting a viewing of Tapped- The Movie at Lefont Theaters in Sandy Springs immediately followed by a question and answer session with producer Sarah Olson and Director Stephanie Soechtig.

Please join us for the most integral part of this event at 7PM outside the theater next to the Tapped Truck where we will be collecting pledges for people to reduce their bottled water use and we will trade people their empty bottles of water for a Klean Kanteen!

We are requesting a minimum $10 cash donation at the door for the viewing of this award film winning and with all proceeds to directly protect the Chattahoochee through Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.  To learn more about this local organization assuring safe drinking water for Atlanta please click here.

I got the idea of nominating my mom, Mary Licht, for an ambush makeover from Better Mornings Atlanta because I found a facebook link to a previous ambush makeover and thought how neat it would be if my mom were to win a makeover like that.  My mom never does anything for herself, always  putting her family first. She had been talking about wanting a change in her appearance, so I figured I would give it a shot and nominate her.  Having the same look for years, my mom really needed a professional to help her look and feel the best for her age.   Not thinking that I would hear anything back because our family never wins anything, I was surprised that three weeks later I received a phone call from Corinna Allen telling me that my mom was deserving of a makeover.  I was ecstatic knowing my mom would absolutely love the makeover, if she could ever forgive us for ambushing her and putting her on camera.

The hardest part to all of this was devising a plan to get my mom to Atlanta on Wednesday morning since she lives in Athens and having only five days notice.  So, I reeled in my sister and dad. The good thing for us was that my mom was visiting her sister in Tennessee for the weekend. We didn't have to worry about her hearing us calling each other back and forth and suspecting anything.  We all came up with a plan that my sister was receiving an award from work and that she would take us out to breakfast before going to get the award.

So on Wednesday morning, I met my sister and mom at Full Cup to have breakfast.  My mom was clueless and when Corinna walked in with the camera man asking for Mary Licht, my mom was shocked and confused.  Corinna then explained that her daughters had nominated her for a makeover. She was going to be kidnapped for the day to get a new outfit, a new hair style, including color and cut, and makeup.  My mom soon got over her shock and was overjoyed that we would have done such a nice thing for her.  I think she felt very special since the day was all about her.

Our first stop was to the clothing boutique, Etcetera, where Hamilton Northcutt selected four different outfits that she thought would look great on my mom.  The winning outfit was a feminine and sexy light pink and brown dress.  It looked very flattering on her and accentuated her figure.

The final stop was to Van Michael Salon in Buckhead for hair and makeup.  I was thrilled because I have heard great things about the salon. I knew that my mom would be in great hands and they would give her the complete transformation that she needed.  Reeve greeted us at the door and welcomed us into the salon. My mom was seated and met both Autumn and Sevin, who were doing the color and cut on her.  Autumn was the first to give her a consultation on color, suggesting that she bump up her light brown hair with some lighter blond highlights to frame her face and some more subtle honey tones around the rest of her hair.  The overall color wasn't drastic but gave some dimension and life to her hair.  Then Sevin stepped in, working her magic, giving her a more radical cut.  The cute chin length graduated bob with stacked layers in the back, was much shorter than my mom had before.  I felt like it fit the shape of her face and was the kind of change she was looking for.  Needing a change, my mom put complete trust in Sevin knowing that the end result would be something fabulous.  After Sevin put her finishing touches on my mom, my sister and I were asked to leave before she went to makeup so we could be surprised at the final reveal.  So she was in Tedrick's hands to complete her look with makeup.

My sister and I were a little anxious waiting to see our mom.  But when they opened those doors and she walked out, my mom was more than beautiful, she was our hot and sexy mom!  She was completely transformed from head to toe and looked fabulous.  We could see her happiness through the glow in her eyes and the huge smile on her face.  It was a very special day for her and one that she will always remember.

Thanks Van Michael for transforming her.  She loves her new look and without you're pampering, she wouldn't have this brand new look.  You guys rock!

It's that time again!  The interim between the excitement of the holidays, (where we probably ate and drank too much), and impatiently awaiting the arrival of a beautiful spring and warmer weather.

So what do we wear on our bodies and on our heads in this in between time? Even if we've gained 10 lbs from all the holiday parties we attended and wouldn't be caught dead in a swimsuit yet, at least our hair can still look the part!

If you typically follow the hair trends for each season you probably darken or richen your hair for the fall/winter and gradually get lighter as spring/summer approaches.  Maybe that rich mahogany your colorist gave you in October has now faded to a musty mink or your fancy fawn has turned into a burnt haystack.

Have no fear! This can all be remedied with a few face framing highlights or baliage just the very ends of your hair to give you a  sun-kissed glow. Have your colorist pick a color just 2 or 3 shades lighter than your natural.

Remember, this is supposed to look natural, don't go crazy, it's not quite summer yet!  During this time you should also be getting at least one GOOD deep conditioning treatment.  Winter is very hard on our hair, making it dry and brittle.  Make sure you provide it with a little extra TLC with the AVEDA dry remedy intensive treatment masque at home or have your colorist do an even more intense in salon conditioning like the Keratin Infusion (which also combats frizz!)

What is our motto for Jan/Feb/March? Silky, Shiny, Glowing hair is a must. Fried, dried and kicked to the side is a bust!

For three years AVEDA has joined hands with papermaking communities in Nepal to sustain real change. We invite you to learn more about our holiday gift sets and the stories surrounding them by viewing the video below.