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The Most Amazing Year Ever!
Congratulations to Vcsalon - 1st Place
Oribe Backstage Inspiration Challenge!
The Start
It all started in Sin City (Vegas, baby) as Vc founder/CEO - Angela Pantaleone , Director of Education - Carmen Milazzo, Artistic Director - Jess Bloch, and Stylist/Make Up Artist - Gabriella D’Andrea headed to Vegas for Oribe’s annual Backstage event. This is where the Oribe Education creates an inspiration show featuring exclusive interviews and demonstrations with Oribe on his Backstage inspiration. This year’s inspiration, “What's New, Pussycat?” featured A black-light "Walk on the Wild Side" performance and hands-on class to demonstrate to other stylists the artistic process used for editorial, runway and print
The Challenge
After the Vegas event, each salon was challenged to host their own Backstage event in-salon to bring the inspiration back to their team and vie for valuable prizes – as well as guest spots styling models at New York Fashion Week. The styles to be featured were the 10 point haircut, and sculpted, structured styles.
The Vc Team, headed by Jess Bloch, decided to take no prisoners on the quest to be the best! After creating an inspiration board, they felt the best way to revisit Vegas was actually to recreate Havana, Cuba in the 1950’s, which Jess characterized as Vegas on steroids. After creating custom headpieces that evoked Carmen Miranda and the burlesque dancers at the Tropicana (structured – check!), to the money men in crisp suits who ran the club (10 point cut – check!) to sculpted styles (a visiting sailor from Guantanamo Bay – check!), they showed off their work at a full-blown photo and video shoot, graciously hosted by Cuba Libre in Philadelphia.
And since they were featuring all things Cuba, the thought of honoring Ricky Ricardo’s wife, Lucille Ball, on her 100th anniversary seemed appropriate!
The In-salon Event
Next, the team created the in-salon event in which Vc stylists were given the opportunity to show off their own creativity in recreating the sculpted looks and 10-point cut. It was a day filled with fun and energy as the team collaborated with artistic spirit and put on a runway show for Vc’s VIG’s, and Oribe’s Lindsay Dawicki to admire. (insert photos 4 and 5) The winner of the in-salon challenge was Lois DeAngelis, who will now join Bridget Chiariello and the team to experience next year’s Backstage Event!
Finally, the inspiration board, video and photos were hand-delivered to Oribe for judging, along with 50 other top salons across North America. It was a long, tense wait – when finally the Oribe website declared the winner!
Here’s what the judges had to say…..
“The Oribe Backstage Inspiration Challenge truly showcased the incredible talent and creativity of Oribe Member Salons across North America. More than 50 salons submitted portfolios, and the members of the Oribe Network voted for their top 10. Our esteemed panel of judges (including the Oribe Education Team, fashion photographer Carlos Ruiz and behindthechair.com editor Mary Rector Gable) narrowed those 10 down to three finalists. And the winners are...
*1st place (prize: Trip to South Beach, FL): Vcsalon in Robbinsville, NJ
*2nd place (prize: $10,000 of Oribe Hair Care products): Avant Garde in Vancouver, BC (Canada)
*3rd place (prize: One free in-salon education class): Rizzieri Salon in Marlton, NJ
*Facebook Fan Favorite Contest: Salon Nouveau in Spokane, WA
Vc would like to thank everyone who helped make this a challenge to remember and would like to recognize the other great salons who push us to be the best. And, to our guests - you ARE our inspiration – and we owe our success to you!
The Team - Cuba Libra Shoot
photographer - Frank Veronsky, video - Dariusz Blaszcyk
stylists/make up artists - Jess Bloch, Lindsey Brown, Gabriella D’Andrea , Bridget Chiariello
models - Alyssa Tallone, Carla Conti, Christina Migliaccio, Angelo Garcia, Mike Chillno, Kyle Sciortino
Vcsalon Backstage Event – Robbinsville, NJ
Photographer - Dia Trapani, Video – Dariusz Blaszcyk, Stylists - Gabriella D’Andrea, Bridget Chiariello, Lindsay Burkhardt, Lois DeAngelis, Lindsey Brown, Alyssa Tallone, Brittany Chell, Jen Graziani,
A special thanks to Cuba Libre, Philadephia, PA for providing location assistance…….
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vc originated in 1995 as vanity care salon and day spa in a 680 sq. ft. space. i started my dream with my amazing sister jody and my wonderful mother linda, who worked to grow and develop the salon with me everyday. in addition, i had the amazing support and hard work of my loving husband david. eventually, my dear friend christa jumped on board and our team was complete.at the time we opened vc, vanity fair magazine was well known as the arbiter of everything stylish and tasteful. by playing on their name, we felt that everyone would easily remember “vanity care” and associate it with style and excellence.
in 2000, when we opened our robbinsville location, we asked our guests what they would change about the salon if they could. our male clientele resoundingly asked that we change the name; consequently we simplified our name and became known as vc.
our present location, a 2100 sq. ft. salon and spa, is where we put to practice our inclusive business model. our core principle - provide a place for creative and talented people to be able to work together, grow in a field they love, and be part of building an amazing company that strives to work with only the best in the industry. we want every employee to have the ability for growth, and to feel ownership and pride in the business and our successes. we even created a board of directors to provide oversight and insure that we always follow our core principles, as we expand to include new employees and locations each year.
since then, vc has evolved to mean much more to us. working with people everyday, we realized what it is we can give back – vital consciousness, the act of “being aware of one’s true self.” that’s what we want you to experience every time you visit our salon; the opportunity to reconnect with your true self.
we are thrilled to be opening our newest vc location in december 2008 in the washington town center. our desire for the new salonspa is that it reflects our ultimate wish - to give individualized services just for you, and your person. after all, all humans are not alike!!! but, we want to help nurture your body and spirit so that you can love yourself the way we know you deserve to be cherished.
consciousness around the products you use, the foods you eat, and the surroundings in which you live are crucial because all of these things can change the way you feel – for better or worse.
shampoo is shampoo ~ but making a conscious choice of product may change your health, as well as balance your environment. we provide eco-friendly products with an emphasis on holistic treatments to give everyone the option of exploring ways to enrich their body and their lives. don’t forget to browse our lifestyle store for products that can help you recreate your salonspa experience at home.
we look forward to your next visit and invite you to drop by to experience our new spasalon. we are excited about our new space and hope you will enjoy it with us. and for those of you who feel at home in our current space, we’ll still be there to greet you.
namaste,
angela
TLC show
watch for us on TLC's Look @ Me Now. vc salonspa was asked to do a makeover which included a hair cut and color, nails, skin care, and make-up for one of the teens who attended the fitness camp this summer. we were honored when asked by one of our guests to be apart of such a promising program for teens. we recognize that our salon's success is based almost entirely on the values we place on giving back to our community!
vc salonspa NAMED ONE OF NATION’S FASTEST GROWING SALONS
BY SALON TODAY MAGAZINE
Robbinsville’s vc salonspa owned by Angela Pantaleone, recently was named one of the 200 fastest-growing salons by Salon Today magazine, a top business publication for the professional beauty industry.
The magazine’s ninth annual Salon Today 200 profiled the selected salons in its 2006 issue. The 200 salons were selected from applications submitted by Salon Today readers, who represent the 25,000 top-producing salons in the country. “Salon Today 200 owners are the salon industry’s cream of the crop,” said Laurel Smoke, editor of Salon Today. “These owners pursue education, devise creative marketing plans and offer promotions in order to keep their businesses competitive and appealing to savvy clients.”
vc salonspa was the only salon in Mercer County named to the 2006 Salon Today 200. At vc salonspa, we are honored to be recognized by Salon Today Magazine as one of the 200 fastest growing salons in the country.
Our salon’s success is based almost entirely on the quality of our staff. To attract and retain the best technicians in the industry, we have taken a radically different approach to traditional salon ownership structures. The concept of ownership, of giving partners a personal stake in the success of the enterprise, has long spelled success in the boardroom or at the law firm. At vc salonspa, we have brought this concept to the beauty business, with tremendous results. Top producers can become owners, and with that comes the responsibility of serving on a board that operates the business. This concept gives technicians valuable lessons that cannot be gained in a classroom; over time, our owners learn how the business operates and how to make investment decisions. As word of our ownership program spreads, we are attracting a different kind of applicant, a more business-minded person who wants more. Best of all, this approach is aiding our growth, as two current board members at our flagship location will soon open a second salon in the prestigious Washington Town Center. Our approach fosters loyalty, teamwork and a belief that we are all partners in our success.
We also recognize that we would not be successful without our valued guests. vc salonspa rewards guests who come back, who make reservations in advance, who buy products and who bring or refer friends. We have established a “points” system not unlike a frequent flyer program, with varying rewards for trying a new service, pre-booking, setting up a standing service and, most of all, making a referral. Last year we returned $30,000 worth of “points” to our guests.
At vc salonspa, we continue to invest in our community. We are proud of our “color for a cause” initiative where our technicians help area women’s shelter guests make a good “first impression” at job interviews. We sponsor local area recreational teams, participate in the American Heart Association “Wear Red Day”, in partnership with our valued guests raised money for the Robbinsville “Meals on Wheels” program, and brought attention/recognition to many local charities.
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38d robbinsville allentown road, robbinsville, nj 08691 - 609.208.9388 | 2350 rt. 33, bldg. b 103, washington town center, robbinsville, nj 08691 - 609.259.5952
we are dedicated to service with an organic and holistic approach to beauty with a personalized touch;
at vc the commitment to excellence is secondary only to exceeding guest’s expectations in a friendly and relaxed environment
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