The 6th Beauty Changes Lives Experience, held at the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago on Sunday, April 29, 2018 was a stunning success in support of The Beauty Changes Lives Foundation.

The evening event featured professional beauty brands who sponsored a NEXTGEN team of up-and-coming talented artists and their mentors, who interpreted the theme of the evening, “EXPOSED.”

Each year, the Beauty Changes Lives Experience fundraiser unites the professional beauty industry through fundraising and celebration of the next generation of beauty professionals.

Arrojo artists opened the Beauty Changes Lives Experience with a runway presentation with strong, sexy shapes.

CND’s Torie Bastian mentored team members Gina Cella, John Nguyen and Trisha Lee for the theme of “Limitless,” featuring manicures with metallic, gold, silver and purple palettes and graphic touches.

Matrix’s Danielle Keasling mentored Jessica Warburton, Amanda Epstein and Katie Fortna, celebrating raw, authentic beauty in their fashion and creativity and their theme, “I am ME,” showcased vibrant hair color and individual, bespoke style. 

Mizani’s Jamal Edmonds teamed up with NEXTGEN talent Al Alexander to create bold, solid hair colors and a wide range of texture in their styles. In developing their presentation, both were inspired by Vogue magazine in the early '90s as well as '90s urban sitcoms such as Living Single and In Living Color. 

Pivot Point International’s Jason Russell guided NEXTGEN artists Dareece Darden, Fallyn Mireault, Adriana De La Parra, Megan Vargas and Liz Barajas. The Pivot Point team were all recipients of the Beauty Changes Lives Leo Passage Education Scholarship, which offered them a chance to debut their artistry on a national stage. Their concept, “Exposed Deconstruction,” was intended to reveal many beautiful effects throughout their presentation that showed what can happen when there is a conscious effort to spark change behind a creative endeavor.

Redken 5th Avenue’s Chris Baran mentored NEXTGEN Megan Johnson, and through choreography they “exposed” their vision to learn better, earn better and live best. 

TIGI’s Renee Valerie supported NEXTGEN Anita Thammasine and Christina Magliocchett. Their theme, Your Vibe, Our Vibe, encouraged individual personal style. Their experimental presentation was versatile and gave a sense of owning who you are in an unapologetic strength of youth culture.

Ulta Beauty Pro Team members Nick Stenson, Ammon Carver, Sonya Dove, Sean Goadard, Carmody Homan and Danielle Keasling guided NEXTGEN Rachel Bettis and Leo Valencia. Ulta brought together Valencia’s love for creativity and hard work, with Bettis’s love for doing hair from a very young age. 

Wella’sGalin Hristov mentored Krislynn Wiles and Lyuba Yermolova, producing a Wella TrendVision theme. Inspired by the Wella family of artists and professional products, they featured accent colors in the hair, infused with warm tones with a sunny undertone. 

The Beauty Changes Lives Foundation’s 6th annual Legacy Award Dinner was held prior to the runway show in the historic Chicago Stock Exchange Room at the Art Institute of Chicago. Limited to an intimate number of guests who believe in the mission of Beauty Changes Lives Foundation, this year’s dinner honored the legacy of Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Intelligent Nutrients and Aveda.

“Honoring Horst is a privilege for the Foundation," says BCL President Lynelle Lynch. "In doing so we also honor the thousands of industry members who were touched by Rechelbacher, by his life’s work and his talent for encouraging success in others.”

The mission of the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation is to elevate, educate and empower. The 2018 Experience certainly elevated the talent of the industry, and illustrated how when beauty comes together, anything is possible for future beauty professionals.

More information may be found at www.beautychangeslives.org.

About the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation: With a mission to elevate, educate and empower, Beauty Changes Lives is uniting the industry and building awareness of the extraordinary career opportunities in the beauty, wellness and massage therapy industries. Learn more at www.beautychangeslives.org or  on Facebook.