One of the biggest beauty events of the year has come and gone. Premiere Orlando has again brought out the best in professional beauty from magnificent educators, outstanding brands and hungry attendees making the most of everything the two-day event has to offer. From classes on business and craft, networking events and the North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHAs), the Beauty Launchpad team got to experience beauty best itself once again with new innovations and a deeper recognition of consideration for the professional.
Protecting the Most Precious Resource
There are a few ways to look at making the most of the time you have as a professional, most notably as a means of maximizing profit or maximizing rest. A lot of products and devices are moving things along faster and a lot of education is about becoming more efficient through refinement or new strategies.
On the nail side, brands like Magic Gel Nails, Profiles and Footlogix were creating a strong intimate connection between product and technique. By focusing on the craft of the service and the flow of business, creating more confident, informed and equipped nail technicians.
For hairstylists and barbers, ergonomic devices and tools like the Braid and Freckles table were designed to make every task a little easier for professionals. It’s much easier to be quick and efficient when your bowl is magnetized to your table. Seasoned professionals demonstrated efficiency in the classrooms and on the floor as brands like Matrix, Donna Bella, and Danger Jones made space for in-person education focused on elevating craft.
Trend Responders
Everything at a beauty show is a trend response to be fair, so the standouts really have to stand out. Here’s what we heard.
For the Nail Pro
Nail pros are getting into dual forms, glitter gels that look like loose glitter, cateye + chrome (obviously) and maybe colored translucent gel. Hand and cuticle care is getting a bit of an upgrade as well, with products leaning into some skincare trends to create a more wellness-focused experience for clients.
For the Stylist
Extensions, lived-in color and updos are trending. According to Donna Bella ambassador Antonio Estrada (@antestradahair), instead of using extensions for length, clients are looking for fuller mid-length styles. Redavid’s blowout queen, Katherine Sims (@katherine_sims_hair), says she’s seeing updos branching outside of bridal. Kimberly Loomis (@kimberlyloomis), educator and stylist, is seeing a happy lean towards more sustainable, high-performing products from the industry as stylists expect better for the world and their clients.
For the Barber
Better feel, more precision and a stronger commitment to inclusivity. At the show, Andis released the Zephyr clipper in partnership with the Sensory Safe Solution. While the clipper itself is designed to support safer spaces for people on the spectrum, the education provided by the Sensory Safe Solution’s founder, Kate Heinz (@thesensorysafesolution), equipped beauty professionals with tools to create better experiences from beyond the chair as well.
Down to business
While craft and creativity are absolutely paramount at beauty shows, we also saw an intentional focus on the back-end as well. Classes covered finance, client management, staffing and content creation to help service providers across the board. Brands on the show floor constantly referenced how their collections or devices were affecting professional workflow beyond competitive performance and results.
