'It just blew up': Winnipeg hairstylist's growing social media following nabs influencer award nomination
A Winnipeg hairstylist known for her colourful styles has turned heads on social media, growing her massive online following into international recognition.
Kelly O’Leary, hairstylist and co-owner of The Sapphire Hair Lounge, is nominated for International Hairstylist of the Year at the American Influencer Awards. The awards recognize the contributions of well-known and emerging social media influencers in categories like fitness, beauty and fashion.
O’Leary said she started gaining a large following on Instagram about six years ago. She specializes in and teaches creative colour – a vivid and eye-catching style of hair dye that pulls hues from across the rainbow.
O'Leary specializes in and teaches creative colour – a vivid and eye-catching style of hair dye that pulls hues from across the rainbow. (Source: Sapphire Hair Lounge)
“I have these clients that you would think would never come in for something like that and then all of a sudden, they have these pictures and it’s pretty cool. I would say that that’s probably my signature,” she said.
O’Leary has amassed 255,000 followers on Instagram. Her massive platform and colourful signature styles have grown opportunities to teach locally and across the world.
“It just blew up. You get a little addicted to that kind of attention, ‘cause it’s like, ‘Wow, people like this. Imagine that.’ And then you just start doing it more and more and learning, and I’ve been really lucky,” she said.
Hairstylist Kelly O'Leary's massive online platform and colourful signature styles have grown opportunities to teach locally and across the world. (Source: Sapphire Hair Lounge)
O’Leary is up against four other international hairstylists in her category. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on Nov. 3 in Los Angeles. She hopes to attend, but knows the pandemic could stand in her way.
“If somehow I can get over there, that would be great,” she said.
Kelly O’Leary, hairstylist and co-owner of The Sapphire Hair Lounge, is nominated for International Hairstylist of the Year at the American Influencer Awards. (Source: Sapphire Hair Lounge)
Voting for the awards is open to the public. You can vote for O’Leary’s category and a number of others on the American Influencer Awards website.
In the meantime, O’Leary is enjoying the nomination.
“The Internet’s a crazy place,” she said. “Who would have thought – rainbow hair?”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'