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The JCPenney Salon + Beauty teams’ incredible artistry was on display for a very good cause this past weekend. Both teams were on-site backstage to create showstopping editorial hair and makeup looks for DIFFA Dallas’ annual black tie gala and runway show extravaganza, “House of DIFFA: Royalty Untamed,” which took place at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel in Dallas, Texas on Saturday, April 27.
This year’s event, which was planned by 2024 DIFFA Dallas Co-chairs Tim Garippa and Jacob Samson, “honored the trailblazers in the battle against HIV/AIDS, who not only paved the way but continue to champion the vital cause.”
DIFFA Dallas’ Commitment to Fighting HIV/AIDS
For those unaware, DIFFA (which stands for Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids) works to raise and grant funds to organizations that fight HIV/AIDS by providing preventative education, treatment programs, direct care services, and advocacy for individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS. To date, DIFFA Dallas has granted over 51 million dollars to benefit more than 20 HIV/AIDS service organizations in North Texas by raising funds through the production of incredible events highlighting the design community.
As JCPenney is a company that remains committed to inclusivity and supporting the communities that their associates are a part of, having the JCPenney Salon + Beauty team get involved with DIFFA Dallas’ House of DIFFA event made perfect sense.
“JCPenney is all about inclusion and diversity in the support we give,” says Karen Gaines, Senior Director of Services, Education, and Experiences, JCP Beauty and Salon. “We are beauty for everybody.”
Not to mention, some JCPenney team members are also personally invested in DIFFA’s mission to provide treatment, education, and assistance for people impacted by HIV/AIDS.
“JCPenney’s involvement in DIFFA is very special to me. JCPenney shares a similar commitment to addressing the needs of the community through education and funding. I am very proud to be a part of a company that values and serves the needs of the people,” says Jaimee Harris Smith, Lead Stylist and Senior Manager of Salon Education at JCPenney Salon. “AIDS/HIV has touched the hearts of many families including mine, and I’ve seen the impact it has. There is still opportunity to create awareness and education regarding AIDS/HIV. Those impacted will always need care, medicine, and additional resources. The work that DIFFA is doing is having a global impact!”
Judith Bunders-Pelletier, Senior Manager of Education & Services at JCPenney Beauty, echoed these sentiments, sharing, “DIFFA involvement is important to me personally because AIDS can and has affected all of us. I had a manager many years ago in my JCPenney career who lost his life to AIDS. I feel supporting such causes that affect our communities and associate population make us a great place to work. We say we value inclusion and diversity at JCPenney and our involvement in DIFFA Dallas is just one way we prove it!”
Backstage with the JCPenney Salon + Beauty Team at House of DIFFA: Royalty Untamed
As the theme for this year’s House of DIFFA was “Royalty Untamed,” many elements of the event, including the runway show, looked to “celebrate not just the grandeur of monarchs and icons, but every form of regality that touches our existence—from the pop icons that dominate our playlists to the silent kings and queens of our daily lives, and even the majestic king of the jungle.”
To help bring this theme to life, the JCPenney Salon + Beauty team was tasked with conceptualizing and styling all of the hair and makeup looks for the Jungle category of the runway show. Working together, the Salon + Beauty team created a total of 16 jungle-inspired looks, which referenced animals such as lions, zebras, and snakes as well as beautiful tropical plants and flowers.
“From hair to makeup, JCPenney was able to support the overall look in Dallas,” said Gaines. “The artistic skills performed by our JCPenney team in both makeup and hair was over the top.”
The dream team of JCPenney Salon hairstylists who were responsible for all of the eye-catching hair looks that walked the runway, consisted of: Smith along with Salon Professional Team Manager Edward Albert and Field Trainers Brittany Brown, Charly Williams, Craig Schumacher, and Kim Miller. As for all of the dazzling makeup looks? Those were the work of the JCPenney Beauty’s skilled makeup artists, specifically, Bunders-Pelletier along JCPenney Beauty and Salon Experiences Manager Emily Baker and Field Trainers Nikki Clayton and Lanique Fortune.
“Since we had fashion looks provided by the DIFFA team, me and my team went to work on researching animal looks and colorations,” Bunders-Pelletier shared about how the JCPenney Beauty team found inspiration for their makeup looks. “The team collaborated as a group and practiced application techniques to collectively land on the execution plan. We also partnered with the NYX Professional Makeup Artistry team for 6 of the 16 looks.”
According to Smith, having a vision board was critical to getting the looks together for the Jungle category. “Planning began with a vision board from the show coordinator,” she says. “When creating it’s important to tell a story between the hair, make-up, and wardrobe. The jungle theme gave us a strong platform to create for a cause. Over the weeks before the event, the team met virtually and shared ideas. It was important to show versatility with texture, color, and shapes. Once we were together in person, we were able to execute and bring our looks to life!”
The hair and beauty looks that the JCPenney Salon and Beauty team created for the House of DIFFA: Royalty Untamed event were inspiring, memorable, and definitely worthy of a closer look. Keep scrolling to see just a few of the team’s hair and beauty masterpieces that walked the runway.
Lion
Jellyfish
Tropical Flowers
Zebra
Bird
To learn more about JCPenney Salon, including available job opportunities, be sure to visit their website.
