Holiday cheer often sparks the urge to get dolled up for our year-end celebrations. Entertainment and beauty icon Gabrielle Union and celebrity hair stylist Larry Sims want to make this desire is as accessible to achieve as possible.
The celebrity-stylist duo, and c o-founders of Flawless by Gabrielle Union hair care line, came together with JCPenney for a nationwide partnership that’s sure to help us usher in the holidays in style. Starting November 18th, select in-store JCPenney salons throughout the Los Angeles and San Diego, California areas will offer the “SimStyled” experience, giving patrons the opportunity to experience accessible, red-carpet worthy hair for the holidays. This partnership provides clients the choice of eight curated styles, executed by professional JCPenney hair stylists all trained by Sims using the Flawless line.
Commemorating the launch at the Glendale Galleria location, JCPenney’s team, along with Sims and Union, hosted an opening reception showcasing the styles the experience will soon offer.
Transforming the JCPenney salon into a communal atmosphere was easy enough. Located at the rear of the first floor, the salon boasted a gorgeous space decorated in white, black, and gold hues. A spacious layout with a plethora of well-lit styling and washing stations made for a welcoming environment for event attendees to socialize and observe the style demonstrations on display. A convening of loved ones and newfound supporters alike filled the space with joyful chatter as guests mingled over holiday themed refreshments, replicating the familiar salon atmosphere many grew up around.
Making your way around the salon, one can see the eight styles unfolding at the hands of the skilled JCP stylists, all of whom traveled from various JCPenney salon locations. Styles ranging from naturally curly to heat-styled ‘dos all saw Flawless products incorporated into their routines. Notably, a handful of models receiving heat-styled or straightened treatments shared that they often wear their hair natural, and love the haircare line for its versatility in treating both curly and heat-styled hair.
Repeat favorites from both stylists and hair models include the Five Butter Miracle Masque and Leave-In, Hydrating Detangling Shampoo, and the Flawless 3-Minute Restoring Conditioner. As stylists performed their assorted looks, guests could walk around, speak with them about methods, and vote for their favorite styles (the bantu knots, wash-n-go, and wavy curls were front runners).
Notable attendees included Ashley Everett, Robin Thede, Brandee Evans, celebrity hair stylists and barbers Sasha MaRi and Donato Smith, and Miss Gloria, the mother of one of Sims’ models and lifelong friends. Ranging from all walks of life, each individual present shared a love for quality hair care and intentional community.
Sharing a few words to kick off the event, Union and Sims underscored their gratitude for all in attendance as well as for each other, demonstrating what a decades-long friendship and working relationship looks like. Union stated three values that guided her decisions as well as the shaping of this salon experience: family, money, and time. “I do what makes me happy, what allows me to maintain and expand my peace, joy, and what keeps me looking good.”
As for Sims? “When it comes to creating, it comes from the core of my soul. I don’t do it for the money,” he tells ESSENCE. “I do it for the way that it makes me feel and for the way that I know that it makes others feel,” he—who grew up in Chicago, being surrounded by so many expressions and stewards of Black beauty—adds.
As for what makes Flawless by Gabrielle Union work so well and stand out amongst a crowd of others? Partnership. The full line of products, sold at JCPenney, is a joint creation by both Sims and Union. The actress expresses how integral it was to ensure she and Sims were on equal footing in all areas of the business, respecting Sims’ expertise in the area rather than allowing her name alone to take the lead. In return, Sims discusses how committed Union is to every step of the process from formulation to user experience.
“We are sold in places that are actually in the community, and in locations that are not going to demonize or criminalize our consumer,” Union begins. “They actually work, and they’re not going to break the bank. We’re also humble. We listen, we read the comments. We can’t get defensive, we just get better.”
And no matter what the two do, they deeply understand the impact beauty can have on confidence and presence, and point to the sacred relationship between beauty professionals and their clients. For this reason, Sims affirms that clients will walk away from the SimStyled experience feeling beautiful and “respected for your time and your hair, and beautiful in the style that you have chosen.”
