Is there such a thing as the perfect shade of Blonde?
I swear that getting the perfect shade of blonde has been a long and not very fruitful quest my whole life. There are so many factors that can go wrong, in my case too much warmth in my natural colour which always gives me a slightly warmer shade of blonde than I want to be – I hate being called a strawberry blonde when I really want to be a baby blonde. And I’ve tried every salon you can think of from the ridiculously expensive to having someone come to my house. All of them have left me with serious blonde envy whenever I see another blonde with the shade id love.
That was all about to change when I discovered STIL Salon, in Notting Hill, the first thing that stuck out to me was its simple and clean looking classic Swedish interior. After eating the bowl of nuts I was given whilst I waited for my colourist, I was introduced to Bertie. Now, Bertie, is the star of the salon and also happens to be a blonde but of the canine variety. He is the house dog and its owner is Swedish native Christel Lundqvist (STIL is her salon), she is an award-winning colourist who has scooped the gong for British Hairdressers’ Colour Technician of the Year no fewer than three times. So if she can’t get the shade I want then who can?
Before doing anything I sat down with my colourist for a colour consultation which is where they look at your skin tone, depth of eye colour and overall complexion. What they decided they would do is the freehand Lumiere Lights incorporated with some face framing. Luckily the colour that they suggested I should go for was the colour I’ve been trying to achieve all my blonde life so I was starting to get a little excited.
To help keep the condition in tip top shape, my colour was finished off with a sos treatment by Yogi made up of marine collagen, keratin and coconut oil which strengthens hair by 90% and replaces a years worth of lost keratin. It’s an in salon treatment and great when you are putting your hair under all the strain of bleaching it.
The end result was everything I’d ever dreamed of and am completely in love with my new colour. Would I go back? Absolutely! STIL salon not only looks the part but they deliver what they promise.
This is a must for any blonde looking for their dream shade!
WORDS KYLIE OLSSON
Place: STIL Salon, 2 Chepstow Road, London, W2 5BH
