On NYE, I wrapped up 2018 surrounded friends. We started by going to a near-by bar for dinner and drinks, and then headed back to a girlfriend's place for well... more drinks! This week I've been relaxing and reflecting on the last year and I'm pretty taken aback by how incredible it was. I wanted to create this post to throwback to one hell of a year! RAW Artists Ottawa Showcase - 2018
RAW was a first for me! I was contacted via Instgram by one of their recruiters asking if I'd like to showcase my work at one of their events. After some quick research, I said hell yeah! I setup a booth alongside many other incredible artists and creative minds and had to chance to spend the night showing off what I do. My models patiently hung out while I prepped their hair in front of a live audience. After hours of chatting and engaging, it was time to hit the runway! My first ever solo runway, and I was surrounded by a powerful group of incredible ladies who I'm happy to call friends. MUA: Dana Danoura Models: Carmelina Falsetto Mary Lamb Carmen Chan Lana Smith Alicia Cooper
Revel in Beauty Toronto - 2018
Toronto's ABA show, Revel in Beauty, blew my mind. I traveled to Toronto with one of my best friends, spent time with my coworkers, and learned from some of hairstyling's greatest. We spent two days surrounded by some of the country's most talented and innovative stylists. Scissors Client Appreciation Gala - 2018
This event both ruined my sleep cycle and made me cry happy tears. When my bosses wanted to host a client appreciation party during the busiest season for the salon I thought they were crazy. And yet, I signed up to plan it *insert shrug emoji here*. Maegan (our manager and rockstar receptionist) was my rock during this process. Having never planned an event of this size, I needed someone to bounce ideas off of and help maintain my sanity. I'm pretty confident in saying that we killed it! Over 100 people came out to share a laugh, have a drink, and bask in the love we have for our clients. We had live music, catering from The Koven, a full-blown fashion show, models, designers, and so much wine. The whole event was centered around raising money for Makeup for Lung Cancer run by the incredible Michelle Brennan. This local charity raises funds for lung cancer research here in Canada! Together we raised over $400 for this awesome initiative. If you have a moment, please check out Michelle on instagram @Michelle.brennan.mua for more information on how you can support this great cause!
Contessa 30 - Canadian Hairstylist of the Year Awards - 2018
This is the proudest moment of the year for me (or possibly ever) therefore, it will require more than three images to show the full experience.
I don't think words can adequately walk you through what this night felt like, but hell, I'll try. First of all, the photo shoot. I had the most bad-ass, hard-working, and fun girl squad for this project. My three models, Carmen, Sarah, and Kim, trusted me with their locks and spent hours with me doing color, cutting, and all of the mental preparations for the day-of. Each of these girls spent at least 20 hours with me prior to the photo shoot and somehow didn't go crazy. My makeup artist is someone who'm I had worked with many times before and I ADORE her. Fatima runs Beauty Touch by Fatima, and she is a goddess. My photographer happens to also be one of my closest friends (AND came with me to the awards show). Lastly, I had two girls volunteer to assist during the shoot, Jasmine and Alicia.
I was on a bus heading back home after my dad had surgery, when i got the call from Salon Magazine telling me that I was in the finals. A stressful and scary trip ended with my dreams coming true. Surrounded by both of my mentors and my close friends, I watched my name show up on screen in front of Canada's best hairstylists. While I didn't take home the award, I won so much more than that during that evening. Best Looks of 2018
Photo credits to Leesa Watson, Angela Holymard, and Damien Fossil.
Thank you to everyone for your support in 2018, cheers to the next! I'm excited to share another fantastic year with all of you. Here are some things I'm looking forward to this year:
Ray of Light Event - March 2nd, 2019.
This event is the first of it's kind in Ottawa! I'm lucky to be doing hair for this incredible charity event working to raise funds for mental health and to destroy the stigma surrounding it. Tickets are on sale now, I will leave a link (here) for you to check it out! The event started with a local model, Mylee Rae, who has a passion for helping others. this event is her baby and I can't wait to be apart of it! Faces of Ottawa Awards - January 25th, 2019. I've been nominated for three awards at this year's Faces Awards! I'm excited to attend the awards show in just a few short weeks. The best part? The other artists who are going! Award or not, I get to spend time with some of my favourite local creatives. Voting for this has opened, and votes can be done once a day per IP address. If you'd like to vote for me, I'll leave that information here: Link: www.facesmag.ca/awards Favourite Hairstylist - Emma Ward Favourite Colorist - Emma Ward Favourite Blogger - Emma Ware (Typo LOL) What are you looking forward to in 2019? Do you have any topics you'd like me to cover this year? Let me know! - Emma Ward