Obsession by Royston Blythe

Chic and stylish hair
 
The photos that follow show the collection of styles which 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 their talents at creating looks that were chic, stylish and indulgent - and they succeeded spectacularly. From short, curly and defined urban chic styles, to soft, romantic styles with refined glamour, and long waves of curl in the luscious locks grouping.
 

Defined Curls

Razor cut hair with defined curls
 
The Cut: The hair is a mid-length, layered razor cut.
 
The Color: The hair color is pale, cool blonde showing a deeper base color at the scalp to give added 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 and uninhibited and completely urban.
 

Curls and Tendrils

Short hairstyle with 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 is another mass of heavily defined curls, artfully directed, with an upswept left side and tendrils hanging to frame the face. Again 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

Long hair with layers and loose curls
 
The Cut: The hair is cut in long, sweeping layers and 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 keep the volume, and the layers are defined into to smooth, sleek, ultra-loose curls. The finished style has lots of movement, yet looks sleek and well-groomed.
 

Ruffed Curls

Mid-length hair with 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 ruffed to create more fullness and a soft silhouette. The curls are then given a little extra definition.
 

Long Blunt Cut

Long hair with layering and volume
 
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 dried with lift at the roots for maximum volume and the bangs blown straight with a round brush to give a soft curve. The curls have been created and kept smooth and soft for a full, lush look.
 

Asymmetrical Hair & Scrunching

Short hairstyle with curls and scrunching
 
The Cut: The hair is cut into an asymmetrical circle cut with razor-texture to soften the look.
 
The Color: The hair color is a rich natural-looking sable with very soft variation to create highlights.
 
The Style: Once again, the hair is dried with lift at the roots to maximize the volume of the hair and dried with a scrunching technique to utilize the natural wave of the hair. The curls are then defined using product to give additional detail to the style. The finished look frames the face nicely with a soft, silhouette but still has an edgy look and feel.
 

High Quiff or Pompadour

Long hairstyle with a high quiff
 
The Cut: The hair is cut into long layers.
 
The Color: The hair is a dark golden blonde with soft neutral blonde highlights to add depth to the color.
 
The Style: After drying the hair with lift to maximize the fullness, the hair has been curled with large soft curls and then swept up and teased in the front to create a high pompadour, or quiff. The curls in the back of the head are left loose and free flowing and are given definition with added product.
 

Large Roller Curls

Long blonde hair with large curls
 
The Cut: The hair is cut into 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: The hair was obviously rolled using medium-to-large rollers with some over-direction to maximize the volume and then the curls have been smoothed out with the fingers to maintain as much solidity as possible in the curl. The curls are backcombed to give extra fullness and then spritzed and scrunched to give some added definition. The overall effect is a mass of carefully controlled curls to frame the face and create a leonine appearance.
 
Hair: Royston Blythe Artistic Team
Make-up: Gary Cockerill
Styling: Bernard Connelly
Photography: Roberto Aguilar
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