Located in The 900 Shops, 900 N. Michigan Avenue, 5th Floor (next to Bloomingdales) Chicago, IL . (on The Magnificent Mile)

Shine Beauty Culture spotted Nick Arrojo center stage at America’s Beauty Show in Chicago, Sunday, March 28th.  He explained during his live demonstration that “Razor Cutting is a little like eating sushi.” (click here to see the video on Shine’s FB Fan Page)

Speak the name “Nick Arrojo” and beauty enthusiasts may remember him well as the resident stylist on TLC’s “What Not To Wear” television show.  However, in the professional world of beauty, Nick is a legendary educator, innovator and Master Stylist.  His light shines brightly!

Nick Arrojo began his distinguished career with Vidal Sasson in Manchester, England.  After 10 successful years, he joined the Wella Team in London.  In 1994, he moved to New York City as director of education for Bumble + Bumble Salon.  Three years later, he established the Arrojo Cutler Salon and became Global Master for Aveda.

Arrojo @ ABS Chicago, 3.28.10

Today, Nick Arrojo stands as the founder of Arrojo Studio in New York City, a custom-built salon featuring education, product and a color studio.   Arrojo also holds the prestigious position of Special Creative Artist for Wella and appears frequently on television and in online and print media.

You can download mobile downloadable education videos of Arrojo education on DVD, www.arrojoeducation.com.

Or, register for more than 200 one-day Master of Beauty Skills Certification Programs in the spring and summer of 2010, lead by Arrojo Master Stylist and Empire Beauty Schools.

By Shadine Ménard

Founder of Urbanbella . Keneesha Hudson . ATL, GA . www.urbanbella.com

Urbanbella is a haven for women with kinky, curly and wavy hair in Atlanta… This is the spot that not only provides hair care, answers and relaxation to its clients, but satisfaction and revenue to its owner, Keneesha Hudson.

As an avid swimmer Keneesha decided to go natural to avoid damaged chemically processed hair: “I never regretted my choice, but that’s not to say it wasn’t scary. ‘Would I still feel feminine?  Would my husband like it?’ I realized that if I wanted to feel confident with my new look, I needed to learn more about it.” And that she did, by purchasing, testing and sorting through most “curly” hair products. If there was a product in the store that had curly, kinky and wavy on it, she could tell you if it worked or not and how to use it to your advantage.

Her beautiful hair and the compliments she received about it daily prompted the former financial consultant to want to share her trial and errors with others. In 2004 the Urbanbella website was launched with just an email blast. Its owner started providing tips as well as doing personalized consultations until the demand for her consultations were so great that in 2006 she opened the first Urbanbella store in Buckhead, Atlanta. Keneesha and her husband invested time, money and countless hours of hard work to turn her hobby into a profitable business.

Urbanbella retails Devachan and Jane Carter to name a few

“We truly spent about 2 years building the concept, studying and learning about different hair types and products and how it all fits together,” says Keneesha of her and her husband’s decision to open the physical store. “I knew we had to take the retail experience for hair to a higher level and that would require providing the consumer with more knowledge than they were currently getting in today’s retail experience.  We have slowly filtered money in the business overtime by looking at the overall goal and breaking that down into components, so we started with the website which can be a $10,000 investment and a few months later we moved into designing a store…Our approach has been to take these projects on slowly and one at a time.”

According to her this store now has over 30 salon appointments and 200 retail customers per week. Not bad for what started as a quest to make her own natural hair look fab.

The key to Urbanbella’s success is that inside its bright blue walls with pink furniture, zebra-print rugs and hanging chandeliers, it makes every girl feel like a celebrity and its concept is unlike any other. It starts with a “hair education”: a one-on-one consultation, a hair and scalp massage, explanation of the best products for them as well as the purchase of those products for the customer’s use.

Keneesha Hudson shines brightly because she rocks her natural beauty and brings it out in others while growing financially. “Try as hard as possible to think outside of the box—find that empty niche and fill it!” Now that’s a smart woman!

A glimpse of a smile through the devastation

Zerran donated Clean Dry Shampoo, a combination shampoo and body wash specifically formulated to be used in situations where a traditional shower isn’t easily available. A small, but meaningful way to show our appreciation for the tireless work these medical professionals are doing to save lives in Haiti, says Van Steelandt.”

Asian Beauty

SBC was present at this year’s Rip the Runway, airing March 15, 2010 on BET.

Nicki Minaj and Actor, Pooch Hall host the show. The biggest  (no pun intended) and best catwalk showings were the shapes and sizes. Rip the Runway embraced the “iconic, thin” model types, but the women with real curves of all sizes and cultures were clearly in high demand and received the most applause.

Wynter Hobson

Sharon Quinn

Confidence is Size Sexy!

Curvaceous Beauty!

Congratulations to RIP the Runway

for embracing all cultures and sizes of women.

True Beauty Shines from within!

By SBC

K. Brookins . Clemson, SC .Certified Nutritionalist

Shine caught up with Kimberly Brookins, a Certified Nutritionalist and beauty enthusiasts from Clemson, South Carolina.

Kimberly’s beauty is one of polished sophistication like her style. She prefers a glamourous look with a healthy coif, clear skin enhancing make-up, with well manicured nails.

Kimberly’s Shining Product, Christian Dior Sun Powder Spray

“I have been using the CD

Powder Spray for about 6

weeks, I love it because it

gives my face a smooth fresh

and glowing sun-kissed look

that conceals your beauty

flaws.”

L-R | Christian Dior Sun Powder Spray, 2 Pencils (MAC .Chestnut Lip Liner, Graph Black Technakohl Eye Liner).1 Shadow Sponge Applicator, 1 Shadow Brush, 2 Pencils (MAC .Engraved Powder Paint Eye Pencil, Chestnut Lip Liner (small pencil), 1 MAC Pencil (point Black. Kim also uses this pencil to create special beauty marks), 4 MAC Lustre glass Lip Glosses (Angel Wing, Morning Glory, Viva Glam V, Elegant Peach), 2 MAC Shadows (Brown Script (top), Falling Star (Bottom), 2 L’Oreal (Original Volumious Mascara, Liner Intensive), 3 Bobby Pins, 1 Co. Bigelow Lip Balm Stick, 1 Sponge Round Makeup Applicator

Kimberly’s beauty Shines Brightly inside and out!

Micabella Power Foundation

By Adriana Nova

The Shine team’s been in high gear working our booth at IBS but that doesn’t mean we haven’t taken time to check out some of the hottest up-and-coming products in the biz! With the splash Bare Escentuals made on the scene earlier this year, “Mineral Makeup” has become a beauty buzz term and one of the best brands we discovered on the show floor is Micabella Cosmetics. With a motto that reads “Where Nature and Beauty Collide,” Micabella’s all-natural ingredients are free of dyes, preservatives, and oils, and are gentle yet effective enough to use on even the most sensitive skin. And it’s not just empty calories: all products are packed with antioxidants that protect and help heal skin from damage.

Micabella’s foundation goes on smooth as silk with just a few sprinkles of powder and some quick brushes and blending (no primer needed). Need more coverage? Apply as necessary without worrying that it’ll appear caked: the powder is so fine that it layers like a blush and feels just as light. It’s been three days straight of using it now, and not only are we still well-covered at the end of the day, but the product’s ability to work in tandem with the oils in your skin gives you a soft glow, making the only shine you need to worry about is yours truly

Visit www.micabella.com for further details and retail locations.

Micabella’s foundation goes on smooth as silk with just a few sprinkles of powder and some quick brushes and blending (no primer needed). Need more coverage? Apply as necessary without worrying that it’ll appear caked: the powder is so fine that it layers like a blush and feels just as light. It’s been three days straight of using it now, and not only are we still well-covered at the end of the day, but the product’s ability to work in tandem with the oils in your skin gives you a soft glow, making the only shine you need to worry about is yours truly