Mario and his latest travels..

Hi everyone! Wow it seems like ages since I wrote to you all, but it was only last month.....so how I have managed to do so much in a small space of time can only mean one thing...... a great office team arranging my diary so well that everything fits and runs smoothly enough to cope with the work load! (Well done office team saks!) To sum up this month it goes a little something like this: Colour degree10 years youngerColour degreeCanterbury CollegeBaby shoppingColour degreeCharity daySaks kings hillBaby shoppingColour degree So what have I been up to?

Well I started my colour specialist degree at L'Oreal Hammersmith several weeks ago. Its been amazing so far and I am extremely lucky to have fab educators and a fab group to work with. We have gone hugely in depth into the science of hair, and although only half way through the course I am already seeing the benefits of it. Anyone looking to do this course in the future should know its fantastic! Our most recent assignment was to prepare a 20 minute presentation to the group on a subject to do with colour, picked at random from a hat (or colour bowl in this instance) lol. Myself and fellow Saks franchisee Steve Law whom is also on the course just so happened to be paired up. We met at mine one Sunday to prepare our presentation and following the guidelines "Fail to prepare, prepare to fail" we wanted to make sure we were ready! We were given the subject of lightening and we thoroughly researched and made a factual yet humorous presentation which kept our audience interested. We finished by handing out mini tasks and case studies relating to our topic and all was very well received. The votes came in at the end to see what everyone thought and who was the most successful. There would be a prize for the winners and guess who won??..........that's right myself and Steve! Not boasting of course just very proud and pleased to have put the time and effort in and certainly gained the reward! (yet to be given to us I might add) lol

Not only am I preparing to complete this course in September, I am also preparing to be a father. For those of you I haven't yet seen, my wife is pregnant and we are expecting a baby girl in November. We are both very excited and are preparing the nursery at home as well as shopping as often as we can to find the right push chair, cot and baby monitor! Why do they give you so much choice!We have yet to decide on a name, but have shortlisted a few and I'm sure that when she arrives we'll know instantly which to go with. Its a toss up between choosing an Italian name from my background or French / Irish names from my wife's side of the family! Maybe it won't be that simple after all. :-)

As each month unfolds, I find myself only checking the diary once a week. This is partly because new exciting projects keep coming up and things have to be changed and partly because it would take to me too long to write everything in. I was recently asked by Mr Andrew Barton himself if I could fill in for him on 10 years younger while he would be enjoying the benefits of marriage and the warm sun in Ibiza. (congrats again Andrew) Of course I was delighted and said yes with no hesitation, although very nervous as Andrew has big shoes to fill on the show, I was excited by the opportunity and also by knowing I would get to meet Myleene Klass. I was briefed by Andrew and took as much kit as I could pack just to be sure I had everything I needed. Its only once I worked on location that I truly got an insight into what Andrew does, and let me tell you its a very tough job and for him to be doing it for all these years is a huge credit to his dedication and professionalism. The days started early meeting at 7am for a 7:30 start. I had to work quickly as make up and wardrobe would also need to prepare the participants. There would be 4 ladies in total 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Every reflective surface, mirror, door handle and window was completely covered so the ladies would have no idea of the final result until the reveal. They were even wrapped in a gown to be sure they didn't look at their outfits. I was amazed at how much work goes into making the reveal as much of as a surprise as possible. Armed with a can of hairspray and my tail comb, we were off to begin filming. I was sweating under the heat of the lighting and kept hoping the hair would hold! After the yell of "cut" I would jump in to refine the hair and add a touch more spray, I felt shattered by the afternoon but knew I had to do it all over again for the next 2 ladies. At the end of very long day we all headed back to the hotel to freshen up, discuss the following day, eat then rest. Although I was shattered I was buzzing. I took away so much insight with me after the first day I was already feeling better prepared for day 2. The second day saw us in High Wycombe town centre. As Myleene made her appearance and the camera crew were getting set up, there was a mad rush of people and we were swamped. Security did their best to keep everyone back but eventually had to call for reinforcements and use barriers to hold off the crowd. Feeling very important as security let me cross the barrier to attend to the hair I was beaming with excitement and a truly natural high. I am incredible grateful for the experience and made plenty of new friends whist working on the show. The deadlines are very tight and I learnt so much from the two days of filming. I contacted Andrew shortly after explaining just how much I enjoyed being a part of everything and how it was another career high for me so far! (thanks again AB)

Come Tuesday morning I'm back at the academy. And as another term finishes at most colleges, I quickly check my dairy and see I have been booked to visit Canterbury college for some CPD training for their tutors. I absolutely love these days, as it gives me a chance to visit somewhere new and get to meet some of the NVQ educators from outside our network. Although they have the same goals to teach NVQ I am always amazed by the different approach one college has from the next. As I stood there ready to introduce myself to an audience of all women, feeling out numbered I was excited to be sharing some of our spring / summer trends and explaining about the new innovative way of teaching using our mood boards.I was there to demonstrate 2 hair cuts, and they had arranged a choice of beautiful girls for me to work on. I worked with a lovely short tailored cut, high lighting the benefits of undercut layering with a top heavy shape that made the hair hug the head beautifully, and an asymmetric cut incorporating a deliberately crumpled finish. The cuts generated a great buzz and the models were made up with their new looks.

Next stop St Charles Hospital. About a month ago I was called to the office to discuss a proposed charity day at St Charles Hospital London. The concept was not for patients, but for the carers who tirelessly look after those who need it. The day was open to anyone who cares for someone. It could be a neighbour, relative, stranger or friend. This was a way of giving something back to the community of carers. We set up base in an upstairs room, armed with Gemma and her NVQ students, rollers, hair sprays, combs and brushes were laid out behind a row of chairs, ready and waiting for our first carer to be spoiled. We laughed and joked to create a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, as the students worked their magic I sat with some of the ladies to find out who they looked after and how they felt about being the one cared for (even if it was just for half an hour). To start with I think a few people felt guilty sitting with us as if they should be up and about doing something, but as the combs and brushes worked through their hair, the guilt soon disappeared and they started to relax, we even had a few people nod off to sleep.....relaxation at its finest!!There were 14 of us in total, and myself and Gemma were getting our hands on some heads as there were not enough students at one point to cope with the volume of people arriving to be pampered. With a short pit stop for lunch the students were all eager to carry on working and waited by the chairs for someone else to arrive. We received a huge thanks from the staff and carers and all the students felt their hard work had paid off.....Gemma and I agreed..........Well done to all!!

To finish off this busy month, I recently visited Saks Kings Hill. Firstly I was impressed by the cleanliness and how immaculate the displays of products were. The staff certainly showed they cared about this salon and the evidence was sitting on the shelf where all the awards they had won took pride of place. Again surrounded by women (lol) I was greeted by Clare the salon owner and her staff. I was there to help teach the importance of using the mood boards from the spring / summer trends. As award winners they took full advantage of this opportunity and I was pleased to see they had a full house all keen to look and learn. I started off by demonstrating 2 cuts. The first of which was a very layered, lace cut, encouraging movement and a combination of different cutting techniques from twisting, slicing and pin cutting. The result was a beautifully soft and delicate shape with endlessly seamless layers. The second cut was a sci-fi shape working the cut to form a round silhouette that shows off the head shape. Having the contrast of soft and heavy worked brilliantly and everyone was excited to start trying out some of the techniques. I had a fantastic day with the team, and it was great to see new and familiar faces.

If anyone is interested in booking an in salon visit, please contact the london academies, it would be great to see more of you.

I just have to add I have had an amazing month so far and I would like to thank everyone for their help and support.

Mario x