Well, I FINALLY made it over to see Jessica Dorman after more than a year of trying to coordinate my hair's schedule with hers! Every time my hair decided it was time to to run for help, she was booked 8 weeks out & I just couldn't wait - she's a busy girl!
When I arrived at the salon, I was greeted warmly by Robin, who was super nice and welcoming and made sure I had a drink and was comfortable while I waited on Jessica. The space is great, not pretentious, not overly cool, but just right & easy to relax in.
Jessica was exactly on time for our appointment, and I felt right at home with her from the minute she started. We talked for a bit about what to do with my hair, which I've been trying to grow but which I realize (as I always do when I try to grow my hair) is just not a practical goal for me with my fine little locks that go lifeless with too much length. Other than a few pictures of what I thought were cute styles, I'm not sure I was all that helpful in helping her understand what I DID want, I could really only tell her what I DIDN'T want (nothing too short, no razoring, and no stacking the back like we're still living in the 80s and like sooooo many stylists still want to do because of my head shape or their inability to vary their style of cutting hair). In the end, I turned over creative control to her and told her I'd trust whatever magic she wanted to work.
She gave me beautiful little wispy layers, then layered and blunt-cut the back to give me more body. She executed a rich dark auburn color perfectly, including my trademark blonde streak in front - no bleeding of the dark color onto the blond pieces and the washing and re-washing to clean up the blonde! She uses Redken color, which, after today, I'm prepared to say is also one of my favorites - no itching, no discomfort, just brilliant shine and gorgeous color! She also didn't leave color around my face or on my ears or neck - no painful post-color skin-reddening scrubbing required! She didn't try to skin me by taking my hair too short - the cut is cute and feminine and funky and fun and perfectly balanced! My new cut & color garnered compliments almost immediately!
But be warned: a "do" here does not come cheap. My cut and color was $225, which inspired sticker shock even after 20 years of bouncing around Atlanta to see some uber talented stylists.
Update after about a month: the color still looks good, but the grow-out went downhill starting at about 2 weeks out. Not what I consider a sign of a solid cut (as I've had with cuts from some other stylists I've loved and, so unfortunately, lost). Given that and the steep price, I'm leaving a 4-star review for the color & will likely give some other stylists I've been eyeing a try next time around. read more