The IATSE Local 706, also referred to as the Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild, is the official labor union for make-up artists and hair stylists in film, television, stage, and digital media for Los Angeles. These artistic professionals have created the iconic looks for Hollywood's most memorable characters and stars, as well as influenced major trends in the consumer industry. Currently Local 706 members work in all aspects of film, Television, commercials, music videos, live theatre, and the Disneyland theme park. Members make up the hair and makeup teams on everything from major studio movies such as Marvel classics to the majority of the awards shows such as Academy Awards and Billboard, including many top network and streaming shows such as American Horror Story, Star Trek Picard, Dancing with the Stars, and many others. Their vast reach includes live theater which have shows such as Hamilton and Harry Potter and members who are employed at Disneyland who do character hair and makeup. Roster members work encompasses, film, television, and commercials while non-roster members work is primarily live theater, Disneyland, and network television such as on soap operas and news programs. For hairstylists in particular, the job opportunities include working on many period projects, styling wigs for theatre and theme parks and grooming for actors on set to maintain continuity. Each year the Local 706 honors members and other non-union hair stylists and make-up artists with its Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards. The MUAHS (as its affectionately called) honor the best of the best in make-up artists and hair stylists working in the trade in a variety of categories. Examples of this are Best Contemporary Hair Styling, Best Period Hair Styling and/or Character Hair Styling, and Best Special Make-Up Effects. You can see more about this on the front page of the Local 706 website and submissions are open to all including non-members. In addition to various categories, each year the Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild's give the honors of Lifetime Achievement Awards and Distinguished Artisan Awards. These awards celebrate the spectacular careers of some of our members and the collaboration with artists, producers and directors who support them. Last year marked the inaugural Vanguard Awards honoring Bernadine Anderson and Richard Battle. Anderson is the first woman and woman of color to become a member of the Guild and breaking the barrier landing a spot at Warner Bros. Her projects include being the head of the makeup for Coming to America and working with 2020 Distinguished Artisan honoree Eddie Murphy for eight years. Battle who was one of the first men to be admitted as a roster hair stylist was on the ground level of theatrical productions being broadcast on PBS in the Wig and Makeup Department. He was nominated for an Emmy for his work at the San Francisco Ballet where he had worked for over 40 years before retirement. Guild members also have access to The Artisan, the official quarterly publication of the Makeup Artists & Hair Stylists Guild, IATSE Local 706. This exclusive craft publication is not available on newsstands and is not for the general public. 2,500 copies are printed each quarter and are mailed directly to every single guild member, with bonus distribution to various entertainment and beauty industry personnel. The recipients of The Artisan represent the working union Makeup Artists and Hair Stylists in film, television, commercials, theater, videotape and digital media. These creative artists determine what makeup and hair products and services will be used on a production for all actors, actresses and special effect characters, and in turn, influence millions of consumers with their choices. While the places to work and other events hosted by the Union are fun and exciting, the Local 706's goal is to protect its members in the workplace. When hair and makeup artists work under contract, the Union ensures they receive all the benefits promised including making sure they are being paid the rate offered and getting the hours promised, plus receiving meal breaks, rest periods and more. If for any reason Members are not receiving the pay or treatment outlined in the project contract, they have a team of business representatives to turn to for assistance. Beyond these protections, additional benefits of being a member include health benefits, pension, craft educational classes and roster members receive contract services classes on a variety of topics including skills classes for artists in their classification and safety training. New members and seasoned members can benefit from outreach and committees such as the Young workers/mentors and the Diversity/inclusivity/equity committee that has offered town halls and discussions. There are 706 classes (live or zoom) which offer a variety of educational opportunities from set etiquette to barbering and tips on how to run a department. During the Covid-19 shutdowns in 2020, the IATSE tasked some of the Business Representatives to put together a safety task force. Local 706 under the guidance of the Business Representative and in conjunction with other Locals and IATSE continued protecting members by developing safety program guidelines provided to Producers to support members returning to set, as well as ensuring those members received testing, ventilation, PPE and more once they returned to work. Additionally, through provided support to its out-of-work members including roundtables discussing the logistics of going back to work when the time came. There was also aid from other members on committees such as the Welfare Committee where for example each and every member within Local 706 was called to check and make sure they were okay and resource lists were provided as to where to get help for everything from food to mental care. Membership in the Make-up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild is attained through hard work, perseverance, and passion. There are no shortcuts, the same set of rules apply to each and every person who applies. There are no actual apprenticeship programs or internships before you join but many opportunities to learn by working towards membership. The competition can be stiff, but membership is a goal worth achieving. Hair stylists and make-up artists can become a Union member through a variety of ways including working on a non-Union film or television project for 60 days out of the year for three consecutive years; working 30 days on a non-Union project that turns Union, through a special request from an actor, or a special skills waiver. Hairstylists must have a valid cosmetology license from any state; solely having a barber license is not currently valid for membership. The specifics for becoming a member are updated frequently so visit the Union website to review the specific and up to date on how to join. I encourage you to visit the IATSE Local 706 official website to learn more about the Union, benefits of being a member and how to join.   Industry Advocacy

Click here to see part 1 of this article: Instagram Tips: Position! Tag! Engage with the Page! As an editor, I receive so many editorial submissions on my desk every day... lots of press releases, hair fashion images, press kits and other PR materials. I must share with you that the materials that really get my attention are the most professional in looks, content and relevance to my readers. Here are my top tips for submitting your work in its best light... work that is editor-worthy and more likely to be noticed and published. Tips for Submitting Work Choose the Right Model "Stella Grutzmann @ Premier Models Management" by danielviero.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Client photos can be beautiful, but modeling may not be their area of expertise (meaning they don't know how to work with the camera - body angles, facial expressions, etc.). If you would like to submit imagery for editorial consideration, you'll need to invest in a professional model. Psst: Some up-and-coming models are sometimes willing to barter for hair services!   Selecting A Photographer Likewise, you or a friend may be great with an iPhone or a point-and-shoot camera, but those don't necessarily make for editorial-style shots (but go ahead and post those to your Instagram!). If you're serious about getting your work published, you'll need to hire a professional photographer. If money is tight, again, bartering is sometimes an option. Also, you can post a query at a local photo school for aspiring photographers who may not require a fee and merely want to boost their resume.   Find (and Possibly Invest in) Proper Shoot Space You need a controlled environment for an effective shoot. Pick a place where lighting, weather, etc. aren't factors.   Know Your Audience Every magazine has a different 'personality'; when submitting a photographic collection for a magazine, make sure the images truly cater to the specific publications you're most interested in working with. Review past examples of photos they have published, and you'll typically see a general "vibe."   Personalize Your Pitch When pitching your collection for a magazine, don't send it in a BCC to multiple publications, or copy/paste the same text for each editor you address. Personalize every pitch. Instead of saying "Dear Sir/Madam," address the person by name and explain why you're reaching out to them specifically for editorial consideration (for instance, you loved a specific shoot you saw in their magazine last year and it inspired by you; or, you've been reading their magazine for a long time and are a fan of something specific that magazine offers in terms of content). Trust me, editors know the difference between a blanket pitch, or a stylist that truly knows and understands their publication and wants to be a part of it.   Follow Up Allow some time to pass after your initial email (five to ten business days), then follow up with the editor if you haven't heard back. Just let he/she know you want to make sure they received your imagery, and to please let you know if he/she has any additional questions or general feedback on your shoot, as you would like to work with them in the future. The "feedback" portion is vital! Sometimes if a photographic collection just isn't a fit with the magazine's upcoming editorial content, an editor will file it aside and assume the stylist doesn't care to hear back unless it's a "yes" for publication.  However, if you ask for insight, the editor 1) knows that you're open to constructive commentary, 2) are truly interested in perfecting your craft, and 3) really do want to participate with their magazine, an invitation for feedback indicates your seriousness to perfecting your editorial shoots. It often takes multiple times shooting to create a truly editorial-worthy collection - that's the norm! But if you begin to establish a relationship with specific editors, they can offer ideas and suggestions for the future, and will be more likely to move your name to the top of a list when considering upcoming collections for publication. (Note: Two follow-up emails max. You don't want to flood an editor's inbox, and if she/she doesn't respond, they may have urgent matters they are attending).   Keep Shooting Whether your first endeavor shooting a collection was published or not, keep going! Practice makes perfect, and editorial-style hair artistry is a different skill set that behind-the-chair styling (the former is styling for the camera, rather than for the client). It takes time to master. Reach out to your industry peers for advice; it often takes one DM on Instagram - so many of your pro-beauty colleagues LOVE to share how they execute their shoots. Eventually, with enough know-how and practice, you'll find your work in the pages of a magazine.   Print Editorial, Brand Building

The razor shag: quite simply one of the hottest haircuts of the year. It's easy to understand the cut's wide appeal: razor shags are insanely flattering and work on almost all hair textures and lengths. Today's modern shag combines choppy ends, layers around the crown and loads of texture. Casual, messy and giving off that extremely-cool-without-trying vibe, the razor shag is being celebrated with JATAI Feather's #ShareYourShag razor shag social media contest. Whether you are looking for inspiration to create a cut to enter the contest, or just love seeing the evolution of the modern day shag, below is a round up of some of my favorite shag cuts and styles on Instagram. @sagestudiosalon   @jayne_edosalon   @goodbyehorsegirl @treehousehair @davidwbullen   @joeprofita   @sara_luxe @shmeggsandbaconn @jestrauthair @andy_doesyourhair   @hairbyelvisp   @jayne_edosalon   @hollygirldoeshair   @themonacut   @rachelwstylist   Hair Trends, Women

Blades. They are a necessity for barbers and hairstylists on a daily basis. Whether you're a barber offering shaving services with a Feather Artist Club Razor, or a busy stylist who turns to your Feather Styling Razor or Plier Razor for today's textured cuts, nothing is worse than running out of blades. Avoid those last-minute dashes to the beauty supply store with JATAI's Subscribe & Save Service! Now you can save time AND money by subscribing to JATAI's blade replenishment service on a variety of Feather Blades. Automatically save up to 35% on Feather's top shaving and haircutting blades and never worry about running out of blades again. Choose between a reoccurring subscription of 3, 6 or 10 packs of blades and the frequency of shipping that best suits your needs: monthly, every 2 months, every 3 months, every 4 months, every 5 months or every 6 months. You are guaranteed to receive authentic Feather product and can cancel at any time. Plus, every order ships free! Subscription is available for both Feather haircutting and shaving blades including: Styling Razor Standard, Standard R Type, and Texturizing Blades Plier Blades Nape Blades Artist Club Professional, Pro Guard, Pro Super, Pro Light, and Pro Soft Blades   We also provide subscriptions for JATAI Blade Glide Plus Haircutting and Shaving Lotion as well as Fuji Paper end papers. Need help choosing the best type of blade for your shave? Check out this video detailing the four top selling Artist Club Blades:   Learn the difference between the three Feather Styling Razor Blades:   Product, Haircutting Razors, Artist Club Razors