If you go to the salon for your hair color, there’s a good chance you’re getting a custom color. That term might sound vague or overused when really, it’s finally having its day in the sun. But not too much sun, that’ll fade your new color. There’s one artist you must hunt down if the color you crave is your own, but spicier; if the lazy girl lifestyle calls to you; if change sounds like a four-letter word. Amber Hollander is your color customizer.
Denver swells with quality hair colorists, so why Amber? Because she’s a stone-cold weirdo. Yes, that’s a plus.
Nowadays, weirdos come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s important to whittle down what constitutes your brand of weird. Amber does some mixing and matching, starting with her history of collage art, running straight toward her obsession with true crime, and all the minor bizarro occurrences in between. She glides from introvert to extrovert, giving some people Chatty Amber and others Zen Amber. Her first choice of vacation location is wherever she gets to show off her resort wear.
Most people prefer tropical vacations, or at least somewhere with a grand pool. Within them is another group looking to tan, glisten, and bake for a whole week before reentering reality. Amber lives one hop to the right, and a scooch forward. It’s not the water that attracts her, she says it’s the chance to “wear my own linen-blend, hippie garb. When I’m someplace warm, and I’ve taken my resort wear, I know I’m on vacation.”
Cambodia wipes the floor with every other country on Amber’s travel list. It’s ready for her resort wear, and “it’s the weirdest, coolest place. Everywhere you look, your senses are assaulted, and I found that comforting. It’s so wildly not American.”
Does it surprise you that her hobbies outside of work are other art forms? It shouldn’t since she embodies the term “hair artist.” You can thank COVID for the stunning paper botanicals she spent the past few years mastering, and you can ignore her attempts to diminish her impressive talent. Her scissor art stretches back even further to her collage days. No, not college, collAge. Co-llAH-guh, with an A. Like her custom color work in the salon, Amber knows how to take what already exists and manipulate those pieces into art. Although she swapped one pair of scissors for cutting shears, it’s evident she’s a lifelong artist.
Paper botanicals might sound ambiguous, but chances are what you’re picturing is exactly what Amber’s crafting. “Paper flowers are not just flowers, you’re also constructing leaves, steeples, buds, all the things that come alive,” she says. Whenever you might need a florist, you could opt for something longer-lasting and call Amber. She’s made bouquets for different occasions, including weddings. Sure, they might smell like antique libraries instead of lilac or lavender, but they won’t decay any time soon.
Some might argue that food isn’t art, but if that’s true, where did the term “culinary arts” come from? Amber won’t waste time on either side of that argument, she does love food, though, “Food I think about ten hours a day. Food is a gift you can give yourself.” She enrolled at the California Culinary Academy before hair school, so thank your lucky stars she’s mixing bleach instead of frosting.
The nooks and crannies that define Amber run deep and stretch on forever. It’s not unusual, but what makes her different is how she carries herself. You could pick up a random topic off the floor, and Amber will start that conversation. She’ll also end it with panache. Her intelligence is a pack of organized notecards tucked into her back pocket, always ready and written in a confident hand. You’re likely to learn little things about her in every exchange, each more endearing than the last. She’s not an open book, you have to earn each chapter, but every articulation screams clearly what she’s about.
She’s a gamer. Her favorite cryptid is Mothman. She loves horror movies. She’d prefer to be the only fan of [insert art/artist/game/show/style/etc. here], so just tell her you don’t like it. She’s a dog mom. Sometimes, she’s normal. It’s normal to look at your past with regret, nostalgia, embarrassment, and other strong emotions. Amber uses her past as motivation and tries to keep her future goals realistic.
Her 20s were for partying and the social scene. “In my 30s, I got tired of that and invested in my home life. In my 40s, I’m more into the balance between the two.” Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Amber’s Fabulous Forties, where she’s balancing fun, peace, and all your grey hair.
View Amber’s rates here.
Visit Amber’s hair-focused Instagram here.
Scroll through Amber’s paper botanical Instagram here.
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