America’s Beauty Show’s 94th Weekend inspires Beauty Pros to Shine!

America’s Beauty Show is a loud event for the Beauty industry in North America luring more than 70,000 salon professionals, students and exhibitors to Chicago resulting in a fantastic success.

It was the 94th America’s Beauty Show (ABS) by Cosmetologists Chicago and as always, covered all areas of beauty including hair care, nail care and skin care for salons and spas!

The ABS Exhibit Hall was a beautiful demonstration of the business side of beauty, with 400+ companies showing the newest and most essential products for salons and their clients and covering the entire McCormick West Hall.

Manufacturers included American Crew, Aquage, Beauty & Pin-Ups, Belvedere, Brazilian Professional, CND, Cote Hair, Great Lengths, HairUWear, Matrix, Moroccan Oil, Olaplex, Olivia Garden, Peter Coppola, Pibbs brand, Redken, Repêchage, Sam Villa, Wahl and many more presented their best.

ABS Nails Central was the place for nail technicians to find companies and products in just one up front location. Barbers also has their special space at the ABS Barbers Gallery and  jammed throughout the show with the latest in trends for your male clients by Donald Scott to Johnny B to Andis, V76 by Vaughn, Locked & Loaded, and Major League Barbers and more.

There were non-stop presentations on THREE ABS Runways where icons of the salon industry and manufacturer’s educators presented amazing hair trends and education. The inimitable Van Council, Artistic Director for Intercoiffure America/Canada and his Van Michael Salon team from Atlanta, offered amazing hair presentations on The ABS Runways throughout America’s Beauty Show weekend.

The more formal side of education saw more than 70 Continuing Education Classes allowed for salon pros to receive their required hours right at the show. The ABS Product Knowledge College offered manufacturer education about the products salon pros love from Matrix, Pravana, Andis, L’Anza, Mizani, Product Club, Sexy Hair, Surface, Tearsheet, StyleNet and many, many more.

There were many new additions this year including COLORFest, which had it all for colorists who love their craft. Also new was the TEXTUREDHAIRFair that offered both trend and technical topics for every hair texture and presented models and showed technicals on how to achieve current styles with every level of textured hair. Beauty not only deserves a stage for education, but also for honors, celebration and FUN!

The Beauty Changes Lives Experience, took place at night and was hosted by America’s Beauty Show and powered by Pivot Point. The incredible late-night affair featured cocktails combined with NEXTGEN industry artists’ interpretations of a “Shout Your Beauty” theme. Dr. Howard Murad received the Beauty Changes Lives Legacy Award that evening.

Sunday’s celebration was the Beauty Bash party for ABS attendees, exhibitors and friends. Van Council, Intercoiffure’s Artistic Director, Tabatha Coffey and Chrystofer Benson, Christopher Dove and John Simpson—were all featured and showed the latest trends and sneak peeks for the season, followed by club lights, booming bass and sexy music!

The setting was hot, hot, hot Havana and included awards presentations, including The Jerry Gordon Salon Business Leadership Award, presented by Jerry’s wife and business partner, Karen Gordon to Nick Arrojo. Intercoiffure America/Canada honored long time member Mario Tricoci that evening as well. There was also an appearance by Nick Viall from ABS’s The Bachelor, arranged by Quality Beauty Supply.