Professional Hairdressing Shears Blog

Hi ScissorBoy Fans,

Hey Everyone, I have been in Canada for the last few weeks and was able to attend The Contessa awards ceremony which announced the winners for 2009 recently. The Canadian Hairstylist of the Year Awards are Canada’s longest-running and most prestigious awards honoring excellence and creativity in salons and among salon professionals across Canada.

I attended this annual gala and got a chance to meet a lot of awesome hairstylists and cosmetologists from across Canada. I am sharing my experience at the Contessas below.

Founded in 1988, the Contessas are produced by Salon Communications Inc, the owner of industry publication Salon Magazine. The standards set by Contessa winners contribute to the ongoing betterment of the Canadian beauty industry. The winners were announced on November 1, 2009 at The Sheraton Centre during the annual Contessa Gala.

More than 1200 industry professionals from across the country gathered at the Sheraton Centre Hotel to applaud the efforts of stylists in hair, makeup, nails, salon interior design, business and community service. The awards ceremony was as stylish and entertaining as ever and was hosted by hairstylist and TV personality Bill Rowley. Apart from the entertaining multimedia presentations, I also enjoyed live performances by violinist Dr. Draw and martial arts masters Team 2Xtreme. The presence of industry personalities like Kevin Murphy, Damien Carney and Anne Mincey made these awards more memorable.

Models at The Canadian Hairstylist of the Year Awards — The Contessas

You could see the excitement & appreciation amongst crowd when Chad Taylor of Vancouver’s Moods Hair Salon was announced as one of the night’s biggest winner! He took home the night’s top honor, Canadian Hairstylist of the Year, as well as British Columbia Hairstylist of the Year. This year’s awards saw a debut of Master Colorist of the Year award which recognizes Canada’s most experienced and creative color technicians. This award went to Michelle Ateb of Milica SalonSpa in Langley.

The other winners in various categories included:

Canadian Salon Team of the Year
Glam Salon Boutique, Montreal.

Elite Master Hairstylist of the Year
Tony Masciangelo from The Alcom Salon, Toronto.

Alberta Hairstylist of the Year
John Jen Hoe Chong from Blunt Salon Inc. Edmonton, Alberta.

Saskatchewan / Manitoba Hairstylist of the Year
Danille Mandap from Vault Salon & Spa, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Student / Apprentice Hairstylist of the Year
Melissa Bortoluzzi from Vault Salon & Spa, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Texture Hairstylist of the Year
Shane Snow from Salon Escape, Toronto.

Makeup Artist of the Year
Maxime Poulin from Local B. Toronto.

Session Hairstylist of the Year
Diana Dagher from Capucci Salon & Spa. Toronto.

Makeover Colorist of the Year
Michelle Ateb from Milica SalonSpa, Langley, British Columbia.

Avant Garde Hairstylist of the Year
Lina Shamoun from Artline Salon, Kitchener, Ontario.

Multicultural Hairstylist of the Year
Stacey Staley from Blonde Salon, Toronto.

Ontario Hairstylist of the Year
Robert Barbosa from Salon Escape, Toronto, Ontario.

Quebec Hairstylist of the Year
Alain Pereque from Salon Pure, Montreal, Quebec.

Atlantic Hairstylist of the Year
Marjorie Clarke from The Hair Force, Mount Pearl, Newfoundland

Nail Enhancement Artist of the Year
Jessica Marie Ellison from Yorkville Scholl of Makeup and Esthetics, Toronto.

Newcomer Hairstylist of the Year
Amanda DiCarlo from Salon Inpure II, Pointe-Claire, Quebec.

Men’s Hairstylist of the Year
Rudy Pignataro from Salon G&A, Toronto.

Salon Interior Design of the Year
Local B, Montreal, Quebec.

Nail Art Technician of the Year
Ashely Ann MacKenzie from Bio Bar, Toronto.

Salon Business Excellence
Zennkai Salon

Community Service
Zennkai Salon

I am glad that I could be a part of such a great event and meet so many hairstyling professionals under one roof. I got a chance to meet Alain Pereque who is the Quebec Hairstylist of the Year and I am glad that he will be an upcoming Featured guest on our show.

Alain Pereque & Heather Wenman

I thoroughly enjoyed being at the Contessas this year. Many congratulations to all the winners and I look forward to attend this event next year as well. In the mean time, you stay tuned to ScissorBoy for hair industry news and all the updates.

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