My Shift A Shade Fall Makeover with Clairol | Photos and Video Reveal!

A few weeks ago, I posted about the great opportunity I had to travel to Toronto to participate in Clairol's fall Shift A Shade program. I wrote all about the anticipation leading up to the big day here, and today I finally get to share my experience at Hair On the Avenue with you! I've never been treated to a makeover before (let alone had my hair professionally coloured), so the chance to consult with a team of beauty experts (including a hair colourist, a makeup artist and a fashion stylist, with a camera crew present to document the entire transformation) was beyond anything I've ever dreamed of!

My first consultation was with Luis Pacheco, Clairol Consulting Colourist and owner of Hair On the Avenue. I expressed my desire to lighten my hair by a few shades while still keeping it looking natural, and he suggested we go slightly blonder on the bottom portion of my hair while leaving my roots intact using a Nice n' Easy permanent application in the shade 9G/102G 'natural light golden blonde'. To achieve this ombre effect, he did some serious backcombing, leaving just a few small strands to be coloured in order to achieve a more seamless colour transition. I learned this is a very non-traditional application method, as it wasn't an overall hair dye but applied specifically to the ends, and I like that it came out looking so natural. After adding some foils and waiting a good little while, my hair was finally ready to be detangled and washed, and then wrapped in a towel as I moved on to the next step, makeup!

The makeup artist I had the pleasure of meeting is Patrick Rahmé, who, I must add, is so incredibly talented! Once again, I've never had my makeup done before, and it was pretty awesome to hear his insider tips and have him work his magic on me; I went from looking like a plain Jane to feeling 'fit for my camera close-up'. My main concern with my face has always been the redness on my cheeks left by acne scarring, and he stressed how important it is to have a good moisturizer on hand prior to applying makeup to avoid dry patches and uneven coverage. He also emphasized the importance of using a clean makeup sponge applicator and using a stippling motion to create an airbrushed effect. He did a fabulous job and my skin never looked so flawless! Back to the hair chair I then went for a quick blowout, followed by a bit of curling iron action to achieve sleek and loose-looking waves. After seeing myself in the mirror I just couldn't believe how good my hair looked and the colour was simply perfect; it turned out exactly how I had imagined it!

I then got to talk about all things fashion with the lovely stylist Alexandra Melançon. I am not very fashion-oriented, so hearing her tips and recommendations was really helpful and greatly appreciated. Since I don't really wear dresses often, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to be a little more daring. My main challenge with dresses is finding one that works with my height and figure (I am quite tall), and I knew I was in good hands. We ended up going with a form-fitting dress that flares at the bottom, paired with a black blouse tied at the waist to balance out my figure. I slipped on some black, pointy flats and we embellished the whole look with a gorgeous chunky necklace, which, again, is quite out of my comfort zone but I immediately fell in love and am warming up to the idea of wearing statement jewellery more often. It was then time for the big reveal!

Shifting A Shade with Clairol was what I would call one of the best days of my life. I am far from being the most self-confident person out there, and getting the full hair, makeup, and fashion treatment definitely opened up my eyes to fully embracing who I am, flaws and all. Beauty isn't everything, but a fresh look can definitely make you feel good about yourself, and that is what I cherish most from this experience. I would like to thank Clairol and Glam Media Canada for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I will never forget this incredible day.

Go bolder. Go warmer. Go deeper. Go golder. With our broadest spectrum of natural-looking shades, you can change it up and still look like your most amazing you. 

Get inspired and #shiftashade. Nice ‘n Easy with Colour-blend Technology is available in 44 shades. For more information visit Clairol.ca.

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Procter & Gamble via Mode Media Canada. The bloggers were compensated for the Clairol Shift A Shade campaign and were asked to review our products. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Procter & Gamble.