All About Eve: PhytoCelebrity

Introduction

Who is that sexy siren with the flaming red hair and the smoldering voice? It's Eve!! And who is that fabulous hairdresser behind the much talked about red hair? It's Suzette Boozer! October 2001's Phytocelebrity!

It's fabulous having Suzette on the Phyto team. Her contagious enthusiasm, friendly personality and incredible talent make her pleasure to work with. A call from Suzette is like an update from a girlfriend, she is that down to earth. Here's what she has to say about her rise to the top and working with that scarlet-haired diva, Eve.

"I represent Queens, she was raised out in Brooklyn"~ Doin It, L.L. Cool J

Possibly one of the luckiest women I have ever encountered, Suzette's path to fame was not always a clear one. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Suzette claims, with a laugh, "I wasn't supposed to be a hairstylist." While attending high school, Suzette had a knack for stalling hall traffic with her fabulous hairdos. Soon friends started requesting Suzette's magic touch, and, eventually, much to Suzette's mother's chagrin, even strangers began to appear at the house just to have their hair done by this teenage prodigy. In time, the traffic to Suzette's "home salon" grew to be too much for mom to handle, so Suzette took her burgeoning talents to a local salon where she became an apprentice. Under the guidance of the salon owner, who was also a cosmetology teacher, Suzette skipped beauty school and went straight to her test!

While working in Brooklyn, Suzette felt challenged by her "party going" clients who were constantly seeking new and exciting styles to hit the night scene. "New York is the city that never sleeps and the hairstyles are always different. You have to be creative. They [clients] want something new, they don't want the same hairdo."

Suzette's hard work and ingeniousness paid off when her creations were noticed at popular nightspots. "Like other celebrities, the first client I met was at a nightclub. She saw my salon client and asked if I could style her the same week. Then it was by word of mouth; from one artist I've done upcoming artists to superstars." Indeed, Suzette has worked with her fair share of stars: Queen Latifah, Gwen Stefani, En Vogue, Queen Pen and Missy Elliot, to name a few.

…Then God made Eve

Suzette's recent collaboration with Philadelphia rap artist Eve has definitely made the music and fashion industries stop and take notice. Once again, this dynamic duo owes their union to one lucky moment…

"With Eve, I was a hair editor for a magazine." Honey magazine that is…after doing the editor & chief's hair, Suzette was offered the beauty pages and "that was that." She worked at Honey for a year. "I always admired her [Eve] and wanted to work with her, so I had the opportunity with the publications. I phoned her publicist for her phone number. God is always watching! Eve was literally at the door on her way to the salon." Eve never made it to the salon that day. "Instead, I was invited over to her home. She [Eve] explained what she was looking for, I did that and more. I have FUN with Eve, we create new styles together."

Move over Vitamin C and Pink, Eve's brave "new style," flaming red hair, helped solidify her tough yet sexy image and redefined red hair as we know it. When asked why she chose the color red, Suzette explained, "Red has always been a crazy color that people want to put in their hair. I knew it would make a big impact. Red will never go out of style, it's always been there and it is the color that everyone always tries to play with first."

Smells like Team Spirit

Suzette's successful working relationship with Eve depends on teamwork: "Eve is open to suggestions. She collaborates, which makes it easier on her. She just has to worry about her art, and we take care of the beauty and styling. She works with the team."

Eve and Suzette plan hairstyles together. Lyrics, location, other artists involved with a specific project, all these factors are taken into consideration. For the Blow Ya Mind video with Gwen Stefani, Suzette added blonde extensions to Eve's red hair in order to echo Gwen's platinum tresses. "We try to match things as much as possible to keep the look consistent."

Suzette and Eve have a fabulous working relationship, they even hang out together outside of work. Suzette describes Eve as "very humorous," and recalls with a laugh how Eve started messing around during the shoot for her sophomore album cover, Scorpio. "Her fashion stylist always had top designers in her wardrobe, so she tried on a new French designer and was aware of Phyto being a French product, so in the camera she mocks a French woman, which was so good and funny!"

PHYTO in the house!

Say "Phyto" and Suzette bubbles over with enthusiasm; the woman really does love the products. Her Favorite products are the Phytodfrisant Relaxing Balm and the Phytospecific line; she raves about the quality of the conditioners and styling products.

Suzette reveals that Eve's beauty routine usually starts at home with a shampoo and a leave-in conditioner. "Eve loves the relaxing balm (Phytodfrisant), milky restructurer (Phytospecific Restructuring Milk) and all the shampoos and conditioners...After she rinses, she [Eve] uses the relaxing balm (on wet hair), which usually brings the curls a little straighter." Later Suzette blow-dries the hair with the relaxing balm. Then she uses a flat iron, "the smallest and second smallest" to "style it in a direction, for a flat look." Suzette will add extensions, only when it is necessary, like the blonde streaks in Blow Ya Mind. "Usually it is all natural." According to Suzette, Phyto"…saves Eve's hair from damage…Hair does not break and keeps growing."

As for the finishing touches…"Her make-up is clean, very young: lip gloss, a little shadow and some mascara."

The final word

So what are the most rewarding aspects of Suzette's job? "With a product line like Phyto you will see results with any hair type. That's rewarding! Also working with easygoing artists. Sometimes you don't come across a smooth ride, as a stylist you're always nervous when you're about to do a job with someone new, but maybe it's my personality that they see and like."

Suzette and Eve have hit the road for a major MTV tour. Although Suzette has been on tour before, "it feels like the first time." The last state in the tour is Hawaii and Suzette is totally psyched!

Did I mention how lucky this woman is?

Note: HairBoutique.com thanks Kate Patterson, Suzette, Eve and Phytotherathrie for permission to reprint this article.

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