Gorgeous, glossy wedding hair at Charlie Miller
Next up in our style editor Laura’s quest for pre-wedding pampering, it’s time for the big one: the hair. Laura visited leading Edinburgh salon Charlie Miller, and its glamorous Stafford Street flagship location, for a haircut and colour more important than any other…
When it came to the wedding hair prep, it’s fair to say that I kind of left things to the last minute. With so much to organise (a DIY wedding means planning on a scale unlike any other), booking my hair appointment somehow slipped quite far down the to-do list. When I finally realised, three weeks before the big day, that I had very limited time and nobody to do my ‘do, Charlie Miller’s amazing team came to the rescue, squeezing me in on the Saturday before my wedding, to transform my hair and help me to start feeling like a bride.
I’d already heard brilliant things about Charlie Miller; their salons are renowned all over Edinburgh, and if you spot someone in the capital with truly great hair, the chances are, they got it at Charlie Miller. Glossy, luxe-looking hair is their signature style, and the team there do it so well. I was ecstatic to be able to get my wedding hair done there; I knew immediately I’d be in the very safest of hands.
After booking in, I went along to the impossibly-glamorous, newly-renovated Stafford Street salon a few nights before my appointment, for a colour consultation and a safety test. The team there were super-friendly and talked me through the colour process, looked at my reference photos and made some suggestions as to how to achieve my hair goals, and I left the salon feeling entirely confident in their ability to transform my tired, grown-out ombre, and dull locks, into something rich, dark and super glossy.
And the appointment itself? A purely pampering experience - I can absolutely see why Charlie Miller is so popular! I was led to my seat upstairs and presented with a stack of magazines, a cup of tea (and biscuits, of course) and introduced to my stylist, the fabulously friendly Michelle. She’d already been briefed on my requirements - to cover up the grown-out bleached ends without losing any of the length, and cover up any rogue silvery sparkles without doing a full head of colour – so I felt completely at ease about the process ahead.
Michelle took time to match my existing tones to a L’Oreal Majirel permanent colour, which she hand-painted onto any greys and any areas of discolouration, to bring a richness and an even tone to my hair. After this, she covered the mid-lengths to the ends with L’Oreal’s Clear Chromative; this is a glossing, nourishing treatment that lasts 8-10 washes, and gives hair an instant sheen that looks super luxe. Everyone was commenting on how shiny my hair was for weeks after the wedding - it really works!
To seamlessly blend the bleached ends with my natural hair tone, Michelle applied L’Oreal Richesse tone-on-tone colour, a semi-permanent colour, so there wouldn’t be a ‘block’ effect, instead giving something much smoother. The finished colour was flawless, with no way of knowing where the colour ended and the natural hair began. The brassy bleached ends were banished, instead leaving a gorgeously glossy, dark colour that matched my own beautifully.
Before…
…and after!
Throughout the colour process, Michelle left me to my own devices, which I loved. We all know the fear of salon small-talk, and having to think of things to talk about for hours on end, but Michelle addressed this and encouraged me to just drink my tea (and Prosecco – you definitely get spoiled here!), relax and read my magazines whilst she got to work. It was so refreshing and meant I actually really could relax – some much-needed downtime, during such a busy week.
Once the colour was completed, we went back downstairs to the main salon area for the cut and blow-dry. I’d been very clear that I wanted to lose as little length as possible, just enough to take off any damaged ends, and Michelle completely understood. A little dusting was snipped off, and then she cleverly contoured around my face, giving shape and lifting my thick, heavy hair. She went for sexy Bardot-esque bangs, which I just adored, and snipped subtly to give lots of height and volume without noticeably reducing any length.
The finishing touch – a big, bouncy blow-dry that felt super glamorous but still natural, swishy and full of movement, perfect for the big day.
And on the day itself? The colour was the perfect dark, glossy and multi-tonal shade I’d hoped for and my hair looked incredibly shiny and healthy, which translated into the photos too (not-so-secretly very smug about this). The shine lasted far longer than the advised 8-10 washes, and six weeks on, the semi-permanent colour is still holding on well, fading very gradually and still looking healthy.
It’ll be time for a top-up soon, and I know exactly where I’ll be heading: straight back to Michelle’s chair to be preened and pampered by the whole Charlie Miller team. Special occasion or not, you’ll feel like the most important person in the room and leave looking your most fabulous – what more could you want?
Fancy getting yourself a gorgeous new ‘do? Charlie Miller have a fantastic offer for Hood readers... Just quote ‘Hood’ at the time of booking!
Enjoy a look-and-feel-fabulous, hair pampering Charlie Miller in-salon experience that will include a Cut & Colour appointment in a salon of your choice. Leave with your personalised take-home Gift Bags filled with 3 luxury hair products including Charlie Miller shampoo & conditioner and a Charlie Miller styling product. To arrange your appointment simply call your preferred salon direct, full details at www.charliemiller.com.
T&Cs: Valid in any salon until 31st May 2020 excluding December 2019 & February 2020.
Prior to the application of any colour service it may be necessary to have a skin allergy patch test no less than 48 hours prior to your colour appointment.