Hollywood loaned out one of its hottest stylists last month, when Matrix Celebrity Stylist George Papanikolas took an evening off from coloring clients like Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Miranda Kerr and Minka Kelly and took the stage for an evening of hair color education. Originally planned as an intimate look and learn for 40, the class sold out in less than 48 hours, prompting organizers to move to a larger venue to accommodate the 300+ hairstylists who begged to attend.
InStyle, Allure and People magazines have all recognized George as one of the country’s top colorists, and during his three-hour class, he provided fascinating demos and insights into his signature, seamless, sun-kissed balayage hair color techniques, as he dished on his experiences working with A-listers in LA, New York and Dubai! In his class, called “Celebrity to Reality,” he prepared four models, and demonstrated two of his most effective celebrity techniques: the 2-Step Balayage and the Back-Comb Balayage. For each demo, he worked with popular MATRIX color products, including Light Master lightener and COLORINSIDER no-ammonia permanent color. When an audience member asked him why he chooses MATRIX hair color, George replied, “I need a line that performs in a lot of different ways. MATRIX offers COLORINSIDER non-ammonia color, SOCOLOR permanent color, Color Sync opaque demi-permanent color and Gloss Sync, a sheer demi-permanent gloss. Those are the four things every colorist needs. Plus the line is easy to use and I can offer my clients luxury for less, which puts more money in my pocket!”
In addition to color technique, George took questions from the audience on a wide variety of business and service topics, including how to charge for various color services and the importance of social media for today’s salon professional. “Every day I get three to five new people, who saw my work on Instagram,” he shared. “The first time I went to Dubai to do clients I didn’t know anyone, but when I got there, I was booked solid, because they had all seen my work on social media!”
While George is a proponent of techniques that are quick and streamlined, he also stressed the importance of maintaining the artistic aspect of every color service. “It’s okay to be fast,” he said, “but don’t be mechanical. You have to really look at the hair as you’re working, consider what you’re doing. We can’t ever forget that we’re artists!”
[Images courtesy of Matrix]
