Monica Turingia
The Cosmoprof Fashion Frenzy Finalists will be traveling to the 2014 Intercoiffure Fall Atelier at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on October 19th and 20th where they will compete LIVE for the Grand Prize. Working directly with mentor Luis Alvarez of Aquage®, they will also participate in a photo session with NAHA award-winning photographer BABAK.
Monica Turingia
Gina’s College of Advanced Aesthetics and Hair Design, Waterloo,Ontario
What inspired you to enter the beauty industry?
Going way back, I spent a lot of time growing up with my grandma who was a stylist in the 50`s and 60`s. When her sight started to go she taught me the basics so I could take care of her and my mom, which quickly evolved to doing hair for friends and their families as well as my own, so I had an interest fairly early on.
Being an artist person though, there were lots of avenues I wanted to explore in terms of finding a creative career. I have an obvious passion for tattooing and body modification was involved in that for a few years as well. Viewing my body as a means for expression I am also passionate about body building and yoga and completed a Personal Training Certification and a year later, a 200 hr Yoga Teacher Certification, but preferred teaching one on one rather than in a large class setting.
Long story short, struggling with work and making ends meet, I stumbled upon the opportunity to go back to school and spent another year debating whether to go for Hairstyling or Graphic Design. Eventually, I made my decision and applied to Gina`s. Turned out a life of visual arts, particularly in portrait art, gave me a solid understanding of colour theory, balance, face shapes, etc., and it was a pretty good fit. Plus, I can have all the crazy hair and tattoos I want! Bonus!
I believe competing is important because…
I`ve always been a competitive person and I feel like competing challenges you and forces you to improvise and think on your toes under tight time restraints and keep it together under pressure. It`s also an opportunity to express your creativity and to connect with like minded individuals, and I often find connecting with fellow artists to be very inspiring and motivating.
I would trade my best friend before I would live without this product…
Swarzkopf Dust it Mattifying powder. Big hair forever!
In five years, my dream is to be…
I would like to continue taking related courses and workshops to expand my knowledge to be as well-rounded a stylist as possible, and would definitely like to continue competing around the world, potentially expanding into film and media.
Who are you most inspired by and why?
My creative background is in visual and fabric arts and I transfer that passion and experience to hair. I have always done my own hair (as well as family and friends), drawing, painting and making or altering my own clothes, etc., so the fashion world is new to me. I find I am not inspired by any “who”, but by “what”. I am fascinated by nature, world history, science and astronomy, and have always loved music and literature so I draw much of my inspiration from these areas.
What was your reaction to finding out you were in the final 6?
More than anything, I guess I was just surprised! It had been a couple weeks since voting had closed and I knew I wasn`t in the top six so I was just….well, surprised!
Follow the journey of ALL the Cosmoprof Fashion Frenzy Finalists at: