Ah...What Price Beauty?

ABS. The American Beauty Show. It's held for four days (Friday through Monday) in March at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago every year. If you've ever been there you can understand the enormity of the event. If you haven't been there – simply put, it's huge. We're talking the size of two football fields – indoors – kind of huge. Hair designers from all the major labels (John Paul Mitchell, Matrix, Redken/Pureology, Aquage, etc.) are flown in from all over the country and even Europe to show off the latest in hair cuts, colors and designs to salon owners and fellow hair stylists. And what do all these major designers need in order to show off how talented they are? Why, models, of course.

So every year for the past few years, I have traveled up to Chicago to audition for these designers in hopes that I get picked to be a model (I've done it twice so far). Not only does the model get a fantastic new haircut and color from a nationally known designer, the model gets paid to do it and usually gets products to tote home as well. Not a bad deal considering what it usually costs to get your hair done from your local stylist.

This year, my audition process went a little differently than normal...

So let me set the stage. I had four auditions lined up for Thursday evening, right before the show weekend. My first was with Redken/Pureology at 5 p.m., the second with KMS/Goldwell at 5:30 p.m., followed by Chi at 6:00 p.m., and then Matrix at 7 p.m. The auditions were held relatively close together (all within about 2 miles of each other), so I printed out my directions and headed to my first audition at the W Hotel. I've driven through downtown Chicago several times, so I knew generally where I was going.

I was making good time and planned to arrive at the W about ½ an hour early. Unfortunately, my directions through downtown had a typo and sent me the wrong way down Lake Shore Drive. After realizing I was going the wrong way, I popped out my GPS and worked through a set of new directions that would get me close to my destination. After navigating my way to Navy Pier, I spotted the hotel, but because of my backtracking (and normal rush hour traffic), it was now 5 minutes before my first audition was to begin.

Now, normally when I drive to someplace in a city where I haven't been exactly, I drive around the block to check out the parking. I'm notorious for finding THE MOST EXPENSIVE parking garage because it's close to where I need to go. So I drive up to the W Hotel, see a sign next to their valet that says “public parking/valet” in the drive, so I pull up and the valet shoo's me off saying I can't park there. It's now 5:00 and I'm worried I'm going to be late. So I pull up a little further up the block and I see three “pay and go” parking meters. I pull up to the one that is available and park, thinking I had scored because it's not going to cost me $20 for a garage (the meters average about $2.50). I get out, put my credit card in the meter, and it won't take it. It just says, “No Parking 6 p.m.”. I look at my watch, and it says 6:10 p.m. That was my first mistake. It was actually 5:10. I forgot to do the time change in my head (Chicago is on CST, whereas I am normally on EST). I thought the meter meant no parking charge after 6 p.m., which happens in quite a few cities where I have traveled, so figured there was no charge (hence my card not working). I looked around and didn't see any signs that said anything differently, so I left my car, thinking at the very least, I'd be back in 15-20 minutes.

So I make it up to the ballroom where the audition was being held and was relieved to see that they hadn't started selecting models yet. Now, hair auditions are usually very fast. The designers have 5 or 6 cuts they want to showcase, so they know exactly what types of hair they want to use. They look at you, the length, texture, and the color of your hair, and if you fit one of their 6 specific molds, they ask you if you are willing to do what they want and then you choose to do it or not. Most hair auditions are done within 15-20 minutes. Pretty simple.

Redken/Pureology had a number of designers from both product lines looking for specific looks. I was considered by one designer during the audition, but after an hour and 20 minutes of them looking through the models, I was ultimately not chosen.

So I raced back downstairs, very nervous that they had kept us so late. I had totally missed the second audition at 5:30, and was already 20 minutes late for the third audition for Chi which had started at 6:00. As I went to retrieve my car, the shock had set in that my car was not where I had parked it. It was missing. Possibly towed, but also likely – stolen. I called the number on the meter which gave me 4 more numbers to call in case my car had been towed. After three phone calls and none of them having registered my car, I re-called the first number and asking if there were a different number to see where my car might be. She gave me the number for the downtown garage for impounded vehicles and they (thankfully) had my car. In the meantime, I still had to try and make it to 2 more auditions, so I hailed a taxi and made it to the audition for Chi. By the time I got there, I was an hour late.

The good news is, that a wonderful Chi designer from Houston chose to use me as a demonstration model, which meant I no longer had to make it to the 4th audition. As a demonstration model, I would be getting paid $100 for the day, getting my hair cut and colored, and would receive a bag of Biosilk products to care for my hair after the show. Now, I just had to take a taxi to the impound lot to retrieve my car.

That was a very long story to get to the point of my title. So, after paying for two taxi rides ($10 to get to the audition, and $15 to get back to my car), I arrived at the impound lot. I filled out the paperwork and paid my impound fine -- $160. Ouch. The worker there told me that there was no meter parking during the 4p-6p rush hour. I hadn't seen any signs to that effect, but it seemed to be pretty well known (to the locals anyway). So when I had parked thinking it was 6:10, it was actually 5:10 and therefore, rush hour (hence, the towing of my car).

Then to add insult to injury, when I got to my car, there was a $60 parking ticket (for parking during rush hour) on my windshield. I asked the guard if that had been included in my $160 fee. He said it was not. I would have to pay that separately. So this one audition for a gig where I would be making $100 cost me $220 (not including gas to get there, the two taxi rides, and parking the day of the event). What a costly lesson to learn. That will teach me to take an extra 5 minutes to look for appropriate parking. Now a $20 parking garage seems almost reasonable.

So that leaves me with the question – what price beauty? When it was all said and done, I lost around $165 on the deal. If I had wanted to, I could have easily paid that to get the same thing done to my hair locally (and probably had some change left over...). The whole point to doing the hair show was to come out ahead – getting the cut and color for free and making money for doing it. That totally didn't happen this year.

So was it worth it? Potentially. On paper? Certainly not. But I do have to say, though, that after taking part in the fantastic hair show for Chi, I would say it actually was worth it. The show was amazing, I got a totally stylish haircut and great color out of the deal, and I made invaluable contacts at Chi who know me now and would totally use me again in next year's show.

Perhaps next year, I can just show up to one audition (Chi), get chosen as a presentation model (they make more money per day and work all four days), and make up the difference then. In the meantime, I'm just chalking this up to an experience I will never forget. And remember when I said I was notorious for finding the most expensive parking no matter where I go? I think I have officially just set the record – and I hope I never break it.