PROFILES + Barney Martin Hairdressing

Barney Martin Hairdressing

NSW, Australia

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Barney Martin Hairdressing

Barney Martin Hairdressing is one of Australia’s top salons, synonymous with elegance, style, luxury and glamour. Since opening its doors just three years ago, this stylish Surry Hills salon has been making Sydney heads turn, while establishing a strong name and reputation in the world of fashion and beauty.

Owned and run by the international, award-winning stylist Barney Martin and located in a heritage listed building at 399 Riley Street, it is a mix of traditional and modern influences.

From the outside, the heritage building has a charming feel, while inside the salon is fresh and contemporary, with classic touches, like the spectacular antique Swarovski crystal chandelier, an attraction in itself.

Barney Martin Hairdressing offers the best in colouring and straightening techniques, and the most up-to-date hair cuts and styles. Whether you’re going in for a wash & blow dry or a complete hair makeover, Barney and his team combine their exceptional skills and high quality service to create an unforgettable experience.

“I’ve learned that you need to go beyond what people expect and create a whole new experience. Whilst I value the most up-to-date styling and colouring techniques, I also equally value unforgettable service and comfort – that’s what it’s all about,” says Barney.


In London, Barney worked at the Armani show and in Milan, he worked on the Etro, Byblos, Blumarine, Anna Molanari and D Squared shows.

Whilst in London, Barney worked with Sam on a Mario Testino shoot for British Vogue, titled ‘Best of British’. He also worked on a French Vogue shoot. During this period he had the opportunity to work with Drew Barrymore, John Galliano, Kate Moss, Sophie Dahl, Erin O’Connor, Jasmine Guiness, Jacquetta Wheeler, Rufus Sewell, Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay, Sir Paul Smith, Jeremy Irons,

Trading Hours

Tues 9:45am - 6pm
Wed 9:45am - 9pm
Thur 9:45am - 9pm
Fri 9:45am - 6pm
Sat 8:45am - 4pm

Services

What's in for summer hair?

Martin, having just returned from the catwalks of Paris and Milan, has a pretty good insight into what's going to be hot here for the scorching season. Working on shows like Armani, Byblos and D Squared, and with celebs including Kate Moss and Drew Barrymore, Martin created hair that he describes as 'loose glamour'. "There were messy chignons, scruffy French rolls, coifs that had been shaken - classic styles that had been messed up," he says.
Follow as we do the European trends, Martin (who's creative director at Barney Martin Hairdressing) predicts a return to classic glamour here in Oz, but with a messy, loose and casual edge that better suits our climate and our attitudes.
So what are the key trends we should be asking for as we head to the salon? "Really short bobs with very short fringes are going to be huge," Martin predicts. "Go for a graduated, short bob above your jawline (which is the latest trend) if you have an oval face. But you have to be careful - this look doesn't suit everyone and if your face is more round or square ask for a style that sits below your jaw." Posh Spice, God help us, has led the craze with her "Pob" (personally, I was glad to see the last of those straggly extensions) and these bobs that can be worn naturally and don't require the daily blowdry are perfect for summer methinks.
"Curls, or more specifically waves, are already popular. The look is set hair that's dropped. We're talking loose, soft hair, not big hair like last year," Martin explains. Create the look by using big curling tongs.
But if the European catwalks are any indication, there's no need to throw out your GHDs just yet. Poker straight hair is still in (I'm very happy to hear this!)- just make sure you do a centre parting, keep it flat on top and add lots of shine (drops or spray) for a contemporary edge.
When it comes to colour, if you're heading for the bob, Barney suggests opting for: "a block colour, say warm brown all over for a 1920's feel." And platinum blonde is apparently making a huge comeback (so this summer could it be we'll all be XTina look-alikes?!). "It's milky blonde though," says Martin, "not white white. If you're going to copy the look, ask your hairdresser for a lot of highlights rather than going for the full bleach". But doesn't this shocking white hot new shade require an awful lot of maintenance? "Sure, but that's the price of vanity!"

Other Information

Spring hair styles

The theme of hair at the moment (and it will continue through til summer), is natural. Award-winning hairdresser Barney Martin says that no matter if you want to wear your hair up or down this spring, you can create beautiful, natural looking hair styles in both of these instances.

"We are seeing more free-spirited hair at the moment, much softer and less heavily styled than in the past. Hair left down isn’t so stiffly straightened anymore. Instead we’re seeing loosely set waves, which flow gently and highlight the natural wave and movement in the hair. Up-styles look as though they’ve been randomly pinned up to create a very easy to achieve style (although it may have actually taken quite a while to get that ‘random’ look).

"Definitely avoid unnatural, rigid and stiff set hair. Anything that is inflexible, fake looking or extremely difficult to achieve is likely to fit into this category. You know what I mean – crunchy hair that looks as though it has been hair sprayed within an inch of its life!"

Try out...
Try styling your hair with the ultra cool Chill Finishing Range. The perfect way to add texture without stiff hold is the Chill* Ed Flow Smooth Texture Cream. It's aimed to be a light finishing product that will separate and texture hair without being oily or having too much hold. Perfect for adding definition to curls and creating softer, in season styles.
RRP$23.95

"Although long hair is still proving popular, there are some great shorter styles around which also look great – think Nicole Richie’s soft waves. If you want a nice cut, remember to get something that’s easy for you to style and maintain."

Monique Thibault, Colour Technician at Barney Martin Hairdressing says: "For spring we’re seeing quite a lot of block hair colouring (all over colour) in soft honey and warm caramels, as well as gentle blending from blonde to brunette. She says that in keeping with the styles, fresh and natural is the theme of spring."

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