2013 Trend Report Spotlight: Color Self-Expression

Madonna’s “Express Yourself” song will forever remain in style (at least in our minds), as will our yearning to, well, express ourselves. And the desire to do so is pushing the envelope in a colorful fashion: “From hair to nails, this beauty ‘self-expression’ wave will get most intensely played out around COLOR,” says our SpaFinder® Wellness 2013 Trend Report. Why? “Because color is easily applied and relatively inexpensive, self-transformation will be painted on…the trend pushes mere makeup or manicures to the status of self-as-art, where hair, face, body, and nails are creation,” the report states.

Enjoy just a few examples of spas and salons that are transforming the self-expression trend by allowing you to experiment with color.

Extreme Haircolor—The Mane Event: Stores and salons stocked with extreme hair products and hues like VOODOO BLUE™ (in the image above) prove places like MANIC PANIC™—a punk-style boutique store in New York City’s East Village where this blue tone can be found; it’s founded by Tish and Snooky of the original Blondie lineup!—are a cut above.

Bold Body & Face Art at “Tattoo Spas”: According to our trend report, you can now get inked in high style. “We’ll see more combo haute spa/body art studios, and more spas with body art on the menu, [including tattoo spas],” our trend report observes. Tattoo artist Friday Jones at NYC’s Senses New York Salon & Spa, who calls the location the “first Fifth Avenue couture tattoo studio,” provides a massage before your tattoo (white tats are also available here should you desire a less-obvious look), as well as Vicodin and anesthesia (the tattoo spa’s partnered with a doctor, our report states); temporary henna tattoos entice teens at spas such as Spa Grande at Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort™; and Christian Dior offers 24-carat temporary gold tattoos simulating jewelry for those not yet ready to take the tattoo plunge.

Nail Down This Look: When it comes to polishing off your look, we’ll see “less bling-for-the-sake-of-bling and more subtle, clever, and truly high-art effects. Nuanced textures/designs are everywhere, whether basket-weave, 3D, velvet-like, or hologram,” the trend report continues. Hearts New York Salon & Yukie Beauty Spa (image, right) in New York City provides NailGrafx™ options on its menu; the designs use high-resolution technology to apply photographs and art to nails. Other salons taking nail design to a new level include Fingerbang, a “pop-up nail bar and beauty boutique,” that stages nail art events in art galleries throughout Berlin.

Bright Spot for Your Skin: “Taking control of your skin tone is a major (if much subtler) global trend…products/treatments that ‘brighten’ skin and attack sun damage and dark spots, are a massive skincare trend for people of many colors,” according to our trend report. Stores from Sephora to drugstores are lining their shelves with new results-driven products from beauty brands that now run the “full spectrum of the world’s actual skin tones,” and spas are featuring “brightening” skincare treatments to cure uneven complexions; try services like ESPA’s signature Skin Brightener Facial found at locations like The Peninsula Tokyo.