I had hoped that Shear Genius competitor Paulo Candido would end up in the final three. Unfortunately, he was cut after eight episodes in which he did not conform to the judges expectations. It was pretty obvious from the beginning that Paulo was not going to jump through anybody's hoops. Even so, theminx did get him to answer some questions for her.M: Do you read the blogs, particularly the recaps? If yes, what do you think? If no, why not?
PC: Yes I definitely read the blogs and recaps. I read every single one online that I can find. Sometimes I will admit that it’s not the best idea in the world. Some people out there write some really mean things, but thankfully yours has always been pleasant.
M: That natural products challenge was insane. What is the craziest thing you ever did to a real client’s hair?
PC: LOL.. I have done many crazy things to clients and friends before. How else are we to learn? Sometimes we play ‘Mad Chemist’ in the back room. Sometimes it works, other times we are on our hands and knees praying to the hair gods to get us out of the mess I had created. I can’t even think of one that I would freely admit to here….lol.
M: And that dog challenge – how on earth was your cut anything like a mullet? No way in hell. It was Atterton who said that, I believe. (I loved the cut AND the color, btw.)
PC: Thank you for noticing that my haircut was nothing like a mullet. And besides, the modern mullet can be absolutely beautiful. Obviously these people haven’t attended a hairshow in the last 5 years. The problem here is that I have a completely different approach to hair. It’s a more modern edgy way of cutting and coloring hair. The problem was that we were working with styling aides that really didn’t deliver a satisfactory hold necessary to show off the shape. The judges’ opinion of what looks look basically boils down to this: long layers, skinny hilites and anything round brushed to death. All of which I don’t do. I did get a lot of shit for not using a round brush. It is so annoying that they kept telling us to step outside the box, yet they really couldn’t judge from any other point of view besides total conformity. I don’t play that way and I make no apologies for it. I was going to stay true to what I do and the way I do it and not change for anyone. They simply didn’t get me and I really didn’t have the time to try and show them either. Was quite frustrating.
M: Is your current look intentionally werewolf-esque?
PC: My look changes according to my moods. I like my hair spiky and rock-starred-out. It’s naturally curly so I straighten the hell out of it. I occasionally wear eyeliner, and polish my nails black to hide all the hair color stains. I guess when you put all that together you get quite a strong look. I kind of like it, but again, I am always changing it. It has been amusing to read various sites and see what they refer to me as. Queer-Wolf, Queer-Bull (cauz of the nose ring), Gay-Goth, The gay son of Mick Mars of Motley Crue, a werewolf caught in the middle of his transformation…etc… Hilarious
M: Do you cut your own hair? If not, who does?
PC: I used to get my hair cut by a good friend of mine, Tatjanna Czypionka, who is the technical director for Rusk, Inc. I would only get a few cuts a year from her, usually when we did shows together or she was in town conducting a training for the Design team. I get it trimmed up by a couple of the girls in the salon. I love to watch their hands shake as they cut my hair!
M: In the first episode, you were wondering who the house bitch would be. It seemed like maybe you wanted that title....but you’re so nice! Did you get out-bitched? Or was it the editing that made you seem like a big ol’ softy?
PC: Yeah, I was wondering because at that point we were all sizing each other up. When we all met in the lobby of the hotel, people had sized me up as the "Straight Asshole"...that is until I opened up my mouth and they were all relieved to find out I am gay. That was funny as hell. I surely was not going to be the "anything" on the show. I am me and that’s all I can be. What you saw is what you get. Many people upon first meeting me think many things that I am not. I am a big ole softy. I cry through commercials for God’s sakes. I always wear my heart on my sleeve and am very passionate about everything I do. It was definitely not the editing that made me out to be the softy. That’s just the way I am.
M: Speaking of being a softy, how hard is it to clean out the nose jewelry after a crying jag?
PC: LOL, it’s really not that hard. It doesn’t get in the way of anything...lol.
M: Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly is the Rusk Cutting Method?
PC: So the Rusk Cutting method is an alternative approach to cutting hair than what is the general mainstream approach which is very based on Vidal Sassoon's way of cutting hair. It was created by Irvine and Louise Rusk, my mentors, many years ago in Scotland. They brought it to this country and started the Rusk empire. They are amazing and creative hair geniuses. It’s a set of methods, layering, graduation, and integration techniques that allow us to create any shape we want, from the most conservative to the avant garde. And it is very easy to approach any look. I worked for the company for a total of 8 years teaching this method to other hairdressers. Think of it this way…when you walk into a cosmetics area in a department store, you will see many brands of make-up. A lot of them look very similar, very mainstream. But in the center of it all, you’ll see the MACs or the Nars that really stand out. They are doing their own thing and standing apart from the rest. That is very much what Rusk is like in the hair industry. When Rusk models are walking around on the show floor, you know that they are Rusk models. They have a distinctive look all their own. And it’s very alternative. That’s what I am into.
M: I have fine hair. Do you hate me? What products do you recommend for a short-ish shag on fine, straight, color-treated hair? (I already use Rusk Thick.)
PC: LOL… of course I don’t hate you silly. I have tons of clients that have fine hair. The thing is that on the show I got so many models that had fine hair, really really fine hair. Made it a bit harder for me to work my magic on them. With every challenge, if you had the right head of hair to work on, you were going to be very successful in that challenge. I really like Rusk Thick as a base, then using a combination of the Rusk mousse and Rusk Wired for a lot of texture and volume. Always use Thick first because that will penetrate into your hair with the use of heat. They other products will sit more on the outside giving a great pliable texture.
M: Why do so few stylists (particularly in Baltimore) seem to be able to do “edgy?” I ask for edgy and get a bob. I ask for a piecey, edgy shag and get...blah. Is it more difficult to be edgy than boring?
PC: I’m really sorry that you haven’t had the experience of sitting in the chair of a stylist that has the balls to give you what you truly want….EDGY! So few hairstylists can deliver it. Again I believe that the reason why to that question is that they are held hostage by their lack of imagination and a method to help them deliver it. Traditional haircutting methods revolve around angles and degrees. We are working on a rounded curved object, not some damn Geometry problem in Geometry class in high school. The Rusk method doesn’t speak in angles and degrees so it makes it really easy to step outside the box and be creative. Find a Rusk trained hairdresser in your area and you should be able to get what you really want. It shouldn’t be harder to do edgy. It’s just that many like the stability of conformity.
M: What’s your favorite kind of music?
PC: My favorite kind of music is anything that gives me an emotional response. I love house music, 80’s bands like Duran Duran and Depeche Mode, classical music, modern electronic bands and believe it or not...Mexican music. There are a few artists that I really like. My boyfriend thinks I am weird when I listen to it, but there is such a poetry to their music and lyrics that I love so much.
M: What were you like in school? Were you a rebel?
PC: I was actually quite the quiet type in school. I did stand out though on account of me wearing black suits and eye liner a la Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran. People gave me a lot of shit for it. But I didn’t care. If I felt like wearing something, I would, regardless of what others thought. I tended to play by the rules. I wasn’t that rebellious. I would only break the rules I knew that I would be able to get away with breaking.
