Onita Maison-Luisi of Marlboro, NJ, one of the winners of the 2007 John Paul Mitchell Systems Photo Shoot Competition, had the opportunity to work with Paul Mitchell Editorial Director Lucie Doughty, who coached her
through the process. Inspiration for Maison-Luisi's Yin/Yang Trilogy collection came from training new stylists at her multi-ethnic
salon, CHiPS. "This collection is designed to show the duality of textures and how they can simultaneously yield the same
intended, harmonious look," she says. —M.D.
Pure Intentions
Help cleanse the world—one bar of soap at a time. Profits from Noodle & Boo's new Believe Honey Bar go to the Raise Your Hand Campaign, an endeavor to fund water purification systems for children living
in small villages in third-world countries, starting with Heeraraa, Ethiopia. These charming shea butter soaps definitely
clean more than just your hands. http://noodleandboo.com/ —R.A.
STRING ALONG
When 16-year-old Nicole Ballard made a keepsake bracelet for herself from a boyfriend's old guitar string and pick, her friends
fell in love with them and the requests began pouring in. To keep up with the demand, she founded StrummWear in 2007. The unique bracelets, which are handmade with real guitar strings and picks, are packaged in CD cases and come in
a variety of colors and guitar pick designs from Metal Mayhem to Hello Kitty to Fender Classics. http://strummwear.com/ —M.D.
Wearable Art
Nicole Dobrzanski loves the idea of wearing and layering art, and her jewelry collection allows you to do just that. The name
of her company, Elizaldi, was derived from the beautiful Basque name of her grandmother, Grace Elizaldi. "The Basque country is located between Spain
and France and encompasses a diverse mingling of culture and art," Dobrzanski says. "We aim to reflect these same qualities
in our Mia line." Each pendant in the Mia line contains a vintage or antique reproduction of some of the most beautiful stamps
in the world. Shown here is one from Hungary, but the collection includes stamps from 64 other countries. http://elizaldi.com/ —M.D.
