Obsession by Royston Blythe
The photos that follow showcase the collection of styles that earned Royston Blythe and Nick Malenko their place in the finals of the Midlands Hairdresser of the Year, as part of the British Hairdressing Awards.
The stylists aimed to create looks that were chic, stylish, and indulgent - and they succeeded spectacularly. From short, curly, and defined urban chic styles to soft, romantic looks with refined glamour, and long waves of curls in luscious locks, their collection offers a diverse range of stunning hairstyles.
Defined Curls
The Cut: The hair is a mid-length, layered razor cut.
The Color: The hair color is a pale, cool blonde, showing a deeper base color at the scalp to add definition and depth.
The Style: The style features heavily defined curls that have been lifted at the roots for maximum volume and styled so that the curls have artful direction. The finished look is wild, uninhibited, and completely urban.
Curls and Tendrils
The Cut: The hair is cut into a bob, with box layering and razor texture.
The Color: This is another pale blonde, but with soft golden tones and very subtle highlights.
The Style: The style consists of another mass of heavily defined curls, artfully directed, with an upswept left side and tendrils hanging to frame the face. Once more, the hair has been lifted at the root for maximum volume, and the shape is softened by the razored ends of the curls.
Long Sweeping Layers
The Cut: The hair is cut into long, sweeping layers with razor-cut ends.
The Color: The hair color is a natural medium blonde with highlights and lowlights in neutral tones.
The Style: The long locks are blown out with lift at the roots to maintain volume, and the layers are defined into smooth, sleek, ultra-loose curls. The finished style has lots of movement yet looks sleek and well-groomed.
Ruffed Curls
The Cut: The hair is cut into a mid-length bob with a beveled edge.
The Color: The hair color is a rich, natural-looking sable.
The Style: The hair has been dried with lift at the roots for maximum volume, and the curls have been backcombed and ruffled to create more fullness and a soft silhouette. Finally, the curls are given a little extra definition.
Long Blunt Cut
The Cut: The hair is cut into a long blunt cut with bangs and layering along the front edge around the face.
The Color: The hair is a deep near-black brown with subtle chocolate highlights.
The Style: The hair has been blow-dried with lift at the roots for maximum volume, and the bangs have been styled straight with a round brush to create a soft curve. The curls have been smoothed and softened for a full, lush look.
Asymmetrical Hair & Scrunching
The Cut: The hair is cut into an asymmetrical circle cut with razor-textured ends to soften the look.
The Color: The hair color is a rich, natural-looking sable with very subtle variation to create highlights.
The Style: Once again, the hair is blow-dried with lift at the roots to maximize volume and dried with a scrunching technique to enhance the natural wave of the hair. The curls are then defined using product to add detail to the style. The finished look frames the face nicely with a soft silhouette but still maintains an edgy look and feel.
High Quiff or Pompadour
The Cut: The hair is cut into long layers.
The Color: The hair is a dark golden blonde with soft neutral blonde highlights, adding depth to the color.
The Style: After blow-drying the hair with lift to maximize fullness, large soft curls are created. The front is then swept up and teased to form a high pompadour or quiff. The curls at the back are left loose and flowing, defined with additional product.
Large Roller Curls
The Cut: The hair features long layers with equally long bangs.
The Color: The hair color is a soft, medium ash blonde with pale blonde highlights and darker ash lowlights.
The Style: Medium-to-large rollers were used with some over-direction to maximize volume. The curls were then smoothed out with the fingers to maintain their solidity. After backcombing for extra fullness, the curls were spritzed and scrunched for added definition. The overall effect is a controlled mass of curls framing the face, creating a leonine appearance.
Hair: Royston Blythe Artistic Team
Makeup: Gary Cockerill
Styling: Bernard Connelly
Photography: Roberto Aguilar