There's nothing I love more than being able to help someone feel better about themselves by giving them a new look. Marie Claire asked me to come in and help transform the beautiful Ashley Falcon, who writes a column called "Big Girl in a Skinny World." The theme of the piece was using hair and makeup to look slimmer, so here's what I did!

Ashley's hair was dark brown to start. After some convincing, she allowed us to color it. Jason, who writes HUEman Behavior, did the amazing highlights. The color change makes it sexy, yet also youthful and grown-up at the same time.

Next, I cut her long hair from middle of her back to just below her shoulders. It was important that she go through the process of changing her look. She was a 20-year-old girl getting her first professional makeover; we wanted her to have a before and after!

For the photoshoot, we went without the wind machine. To get Ashley looking fierce, I styled her hair using a blowdryer, a large barrel curling iron, Build It, Hairsheets Styling, andBeautiful Hold Hairspray.

I think she looks absolutely gorgeous! How about you?

It's a tough job but someone's gotta do it. I traveled down to the beautiful island of St. Barts in the Caribbean with the lovely folks from Glamour magazine for a swimsuit shoot. The shoot was lovely: we were styling and photographing Crystal Renn, Brooklyn Decker and Alessandra Ambrosio for the cover (and a swimsuit fashion spread) of the magazine's annual Body Issue. This year, the issue celebrated the idea that "Every Body is a Hot Body."

For the hair, we went very natural; very beachy and tousled. I used clip on extensions for all three girls and hair sheet styling because of the UV filter to protect their hair because we were on the beach shooting. You can see what I mean in this video I posted on Facebook. The girls all looked super sexy in their swimwear!

It wasn't all fun and games, though. During the shoot, it started raining to the point where we had to pack up and leave. We had to take a ferry over and back from our hotel to the beach where we shot, and the waves were terrible! Despite that little setback, the food was delicious -- and good food is really all you need, right? We stayed in bungalows at the picturesque Guaraina in St Barth's.

What do you think of the photos? I think the girls look fierce!

Huge news, Gibson girls! I never thought when I finished beauty school that my career would lead to working with A-list celebrities, opening salons and traveling the world. Most important, my career in beauty has fulfilled me both personally and professionally and allowed me to help every client feel fabulous and individually beautiful. Now, I've been given an exciting opportunity that will allow me to share my career path and the knowledge I've picked up from my years in the industry with others.

I've partnered with the American Association of Cosmetology Schools to launch a new initiative called "Beauty Changes Lives" that focuses on raising awareness of the rewards and opportunities offered by careers in the beauty and wellness industries. My involvement with the AACS and Beauty Changes Lives began in 2009 when I spoke at the inaugural BCL event in Phoenix.

As the spokesperson for Beauty Changes Lives, I'll be helping them build awareness of careers in the hair, beauty and wellness industries. I love being able to serve as a mentor for people in beauty school and tell them about the life-changing opportunities my beauty school degree has given me.

In addition to educating consumers about the great ways to use a cosmetology education, the initiative will also include a non-profit organization that will raise funds for beauty college scholarships and ongoing events that showcase careers in the beauty and wellness industry to educators and the public.

I'm so excited to be a part of a truly life-changing and inspiring campaign and hope that you all visit Beauty Changes Lives to learn more about what a career in beauty can do for you!

As you Gibson Girls know, my gal Ashley Greene is one of Hollywood's hottest new actresses. She's even the new face of Mark Cosmetics! I loved doing her hair for the cover of Nylon magazine's annual Young Hollywood issue (and the article inside) - we really brought the rock 'n' roll glamour to the shoot.

Ashley has extensions that she likes to rock in a sexy way, so I used Build It blow drying spray over her entire head and blew it dry using my fingers to create a soft - but not too deliberate - wave. After her hair was dry and tousled, I used Beautiful Hold hairspray to keep it in place without looking crunchy. As always, we had a wind machine going full-time at the shoot for that full-volume, amplified Ted Gibson hair.

Ashley shared the cover with two other hot young Hollywood stars, Vanessa Hudgens and Portia Doubleday, who kept the energy on the set high the entire time. There was music pumping and the mood was lighthearted and fun. They're young, fun, and fresh - but with an edge. Watch Ashley work the wind machine through her hair in the video from Nylon TV. What do you think of her long locks?

Photo: © Amy Sussman/Getty Images

I love it when my Gibson Girls mix things up with their hair. A few weeks ago I got to to do just that with my girl Debra Messing, who was attending Mariska Hargitay's Joyful Heart Foundation Gala.

There was actually a strict dress code at this event: Everyone had to wear black jeans or leggings, so Debra paired her black leggings with this futuristic, silvery one-shoulder top and some amazing Pucci heels. Debra is a curly girl at heart, but I took one look at her outfit and knew we weren't going to be able to do what I call the Classic Debra Messing Curl & Wave. Since her outfit was so strong and modern, I knew we had to go for a strong and modern hairstyle. We talked it over and decided to do sleek, straight hair with a dramatic side-part.

I started off with wet hair using L'Oréal Professionnel Texture Expert Expansion Body Activating Mousse and Build It Blow Drying Agent and created that deep side part. I then blew her hair dry with an amazing Denman brush to help create that straightness and close down the cuticle for ultimate shine. Next I took a Ted Gibson flat iron, heated up to 350 degrees, to smooth out her hair. It's important to have it at that high of a heat because Debra's hair texture is so curly and can be on the coarser side, so it needs a bit more heat to make it stay smooth and sleek.

I finished up by spraying her hair with Beautiful Hold Hair Spray and tucked one side of her hair behind her ear. You'll notice I do that alot, with Debra in particular. That's because she has such an amazing taste in jewelry and I want to be sure that her hairstyle doesn't cover it up and instead helps to show it off.

Remember, Beauty Is Individual!