insideKENT Magazine Issue 48 - March 2016 | Page 66

FASHION+BEAUTY

Exceptional styling, cutting-edge colour technique, and a unique
personal experience – welcome to the wonder of

JEROME HILLION HAIR AND MAKE UP
AT THE WALPOLE BAY HOTEL
by Samantha G

They say in life that you never forget a good teacher; well, I think the same applies to lots
of things, including a good hairdresser! Having had a fair few ropey shades, slices and styles
along the way I was in desperate need of finding a good one again, so imagine my sheer
delight when I realised that none other than Jerome Hillion had left the London rat race
behind and set up shop (or should that be salon?) in Margate! But wait…in a hotel?
Arriving outside the quirky Walpole Bay it was fair
to say that I was a little intrigued to find out how
an avante garde Hairdresser of the Year, former
style director of a renowned national hairdressing
chain and owner/director of his own Spitalfields
salon ended up here; but on entering the
Edwardian hotel, riding in the 1927 Otis trellis
gated lift and stepping into the bijou but perfectly
formed miniature salon on the third floor, it was
becoming much more clear just why he made
the magical move to Margate.
In his dulcet French lilt, Jerome enthusiastically
explained how he’d been drawn to East Kent but
was keen to avoid another ‘high street salon’,
and on the simple yet spot-on advice of his best
friend (well done Cami!) decided to aim for a very
different concept – that of a ‘unique one-to-one
salon experience’ – and began searching for the
perfect place. Having moved in similar artistic
circles for years it became a match made in
creative heaven when Jerome met Jane Bishop,
owner of the Walpole Hotel, who bought into the
vision of his high-end salon. Thus, Jerome
Hillion Hair and Make Up at the Walpole Bay
Hotel was born.

The concept is actually beautifully simple. A
dedicated space where you are able to obtain
the best cut, colour and styling, but in a salon
that is dedicated just to you – the decadence of
your own personal hairstylist! And this is a salon
no mistake, from the wash bowl in the corner,
rows of professional hair care and colour options
and hairdressing chair, but it is so much more
than that. It’s a unique personal hair styling theatre,
where you are truly the star of the show, front
and centre in the lights of the full-size gilt mirror,
which is where I sat back for my consultation.
Having filled him in on a decade worth of hair
horrors and explained what I was aiming for – a
smooth, sleek colour that wouldn’t fade to orange,
and a cut that would understand the complexities
of full-on thick, naturally curly hair that I prefer to
wear straight (I know go figure) and that would
preserve its length – Jerome got to work using
his superb colour knowledge to mix just the right
chocolate brown shade with some ash tones;
and the use of the natural Essensity by
Schwarzkopf colour range also meant no
aggravation to my sensitive scalp.
And the cut? Well, aside from a li