It was Sunday morning, the first day of the "Ambush hits the road" trip. My wake-up call was at the un-Godly hour of 4:45 a.m. After a few minutes of listening to my clock radio, which I had purposely set at a hideously obnoxious radio station, I stumbled out of bed to my coffee machine. It literally takes less than a minute for the coffee to brew, but as I waited for my cup of java it seemed to take forever. I took a few sips and felt myself coming to life. After one, two--okay--three cups of coffee, I was in fast-forward mode.

Being the compulsive fanatic that I am, I unpacked the bag that I had packed the night before and then packed it again to be sure everything was in order and that I hadn't forgotten anything. There is nothing more frustrating than being on a road trip, especially one like this when you're scheduled to be on TV in a different city every day, and discovering you left something at home. You literally don't have an extra second to shop. It's the perfect example of: "you snooze you lose."

My packing lunacy finished, and I ran to the bathroom. At that moment, I thought about how grateful I am that I am a man, and that getting ready would only take a few minutes. All I had to do was floss, brush my teeth, shave, shower, whip on my clothes and run out the door. That's really not that hard to do. At the same time, I thought of the women getting ready for the same trip. They were probably blow drying their hair and applying makeup to get ready for our extra-early start.

But then, as I started to shave, I noticed my sideburns looked a bit grey. They definitely looked too grey to be on TV. I found my coloring stash, mixed it together and placed it on my sideburns with a Q-tip so I could continue shaving while the greys were being covered.

Getting ready was going to take a few more minutes than planned. And it made me realize that the days of shower, shave and out-the-door are finished.

The world has changed. Metrosexuals no longer make up only a small percentage of the male population. All guys are expected to look good. And, looking good takes time. The responsibility of looking good is no longer exclusive to women. But there is a difference between a man's grooming and a woman's beauty routine. A woman can look like she made an effort to look good. A man should never look like he did. His grooming should always look effortless.

Today's guys' grooming guide is more complicated. Here are a few items on the checklist that nobody even considered until now:

1. Eyebrow grooming: Keep them trimmed by cutting the exceptionally long hairs of your brow to their proper length. This will immediately give you a cleaner look. Never pluck your brow unless you look like a gorilla or have a unibrow.

2. Pedicures are cool: There is nothing more horrible than feet that are in bad condition. Men often ignore their feet unless they have a fungus because they are difficult to keep clean and groomed. (One reason may be because of their location all the way down there. Most men aren't as flexible as women and have a harder time reaching their toes.) Today, more and more men are coming to the salon for pedicures. It's not just a girlie thing to do anymore. It is also one of the most relaxing and cleansing experiences available. Try it once and you'll be hooked for life.

3. Getting a trim: This can be a bit of a delicate subject that must be addressed. Under-arm hair that is not kept under control can cause excessive perspiration. Under-arm hair should be trimmed monthly. This will help to eliminate any chance of excessive body odor. Many men take this to the next step and do body grooming in more private areas. Wives and girlfriends are always appreciative of this extra effort. Their gratitude is usually very apparent.

4. Nose and ear hairs: This is a problem men have been dealing with for years and that can't be ignored. A stray hair sprouting from the nose or ears is ugly, distracting and annoying. There are special trimmers for these hairs but I have never found one that is particularly effective. There are other solutions. You can have these hairs waxed. Calm down fellas, it's not as painful as it sounds. Hair that has been waxed will stay away for a longer time than the usual trim. You can also have these hairs lazered and they will disappear permanently after three to four applications. This does hurt but only for a minute, and it's worth the effort. The minute of discomfort is soon forgotten and those annoying hairs never return.

The world really has changed. The playing field is almost even. There are more women in powerful positions than ever before. Men must raise the bar of what is expected of them. Good grooming is no longer a choice, it is what's expected. Ladies, spread the word. Print this blog and give it to your nearest and dearest male friend or significant other. I promise you it will be much appreciated.

When I first started to think about opening a salon in Los Angeles, I must admit that I had trepidations about the venture. I felt confident that the salon would be a success, but I was slightly unnerved when I thought about the stereotypical Los Angeles aesthetic. In my small mind, I pictured every woman looking like a blond Barbie doll with bleached blond hair, enhanced breasts, and weighing about 99 pounds soaking wet. Much to my surprise I found this to be far from the truth. The typical Los Angeles woman is as unique and sophisticated as her New York counterpart. She knows what looks right on her, which is absolutely imperative for anyone who has a strong personal style. Is one coast more stylish than the other? The answer is no. Are the styles different on each coast? There is no doubt about it.

The Los Angeles woman's sense of style is bit more casual and provocative. It isn't unusual to see women wearing their hair brighter and longer than they do in New York. Many Los Angeles women do still favor shades of blond, but the shades are not like the garish blonds of the Playboy Bunnies on the reality show The Girls Next Door. They have depth, warmth and dimension--just like their New York counterparts. The color is just brighter than it is on the typical New Yorker.

The biggest change I noticed since I opened my Los Angeles salon 15 years ago was that blond was the predominant color of choice, whether it was flattering or not. Now most women have realized they look their most beautiful when they keep closer to their natural tones. Brunettes keep their hair brown, enhancing their natural color with shades of lighter golden browns, ambers, or even going subtly darker.

The extension business in Los Angeles is also very indicative of this aesthetic. Extensions are small strips of hair that are bonded to your natural hair. I would guess that at least 50 percent of my clients have at least a little more hair now than they would naturally. Sometimes the extensions are used to add length, but most are used to add volume. Thicker hair looks both young and sexy.

In general, the New York woman is more toned down, although her hair color is enhanced and far from boring. The color most likely looks somewhat natural. Hair is more groomed and more frequently cut to maintain its definite shape. A common misconception is that the cuts are usually short, practical and professional. Most cuts are of various lengths and have a strong sense of style with an edge to them that looks incredibly chic. Many New York women do wear their hair long, but they tend to pull it back in a low ponytail or twist by day, letting it out at night. The hair looks great both up and down. There is also something incredibly sexy watching a woman nonchalantly put her up or take it down. Most men find this intoxicating.

Looking young and sexy is a predominant theme for Los Angeles women. This is why they keep their hair longer and brighter, and even wear more provocative clothing. I have a theory about this tendency. In New York, people walk everywhere. They are constantly on crowed streets with all types of people around them. Most women find comfort in blending in on the streets of New York. They want to be noticed only when they choose. In Los Angeles, on the other hand,everyone drives a car. Most people drive from valet to valet and walk a few steps to their destination. The car provides privacy and protection. This allows for a much looser overall appearance. Another factor that can't be ignored is that Los Angeles is a show business town. People make their careers from being head-turners and looking like movie stars. This is a very valid reason for standing out from the crowd. Who doesn't want to be a success? Finally and most obvious is the difference in climates. The weather in Los Angeles is almost always sunny. New Yorkers tend to wear their interpretation of an Los Angeles look when it is appropriate--in the summer months or when they are on holiday.

Women on both coasts look great. They dress appropriately for their environment. I can remember when I first opened my Los Angeles salon, I noticed that most of my staff from New York looked like Puritans compared to the average person on the streets of Los Angeles. These transplanted New Yorkers have slowly changed their style over the years and they look wonderful. Which coast has more style? It makes sense that the look on each coast is different, but it all works.

Every year at exactly this time, the beauty hot line at the salon starts to ring. Almost every beauty editor from New York to London to Paris calls and asks the same question: "What's new with hair color, Louis?" The query used to send chills up my spine. The fact of the matter is that until very recently,although hair color did evolve, the changeswould happen gradually. I would often find myself scrambling to expound on the most minute color shifts from season to season.

Of course, there was always the trend setter, the woman bold enough to try the most non-traditional hair colors. Debbie Harry's famous blond hair was bleached only in the front and left dark in the back.

Debbie and I became friends over the years and I eventually started to color her hair. I had to ask her why she only colored the front. She responded simply, "How was I supposed to see the back of my head?" It made perfect sense to me and I continued to follow what became her most famous trademark. Madonna fearlessly bleached her hair to a platinum blond that often ended up in short boyish styles because of breakage from color abuse.

I will never forget the scene from her movie Truth or Dare in which, after a concert, with her hair covered in gobs of conditionerand covered by a plastic bag, she sippedsoup for dinner. I am sure she prayed day and night that her hair would last for the rest of the tour.

Even more daring was Cyndi Lauper, who bleached her hair so blond it looked like feathers. Then she would add insult to injury and add a stripe or two of another random color to her already delicate follicles. Her hair never seemed to grow longer than chinlength. I wonder why?

Not all color trends were as extreme or as destructive to the hair. Remember Cindy Crawford's blond stripes around her face? Every girl in America bought a bottle of Joleen bleach to try and imitate her. This was an easy look to achieve at home and became the "it" color for more than a few seasons. It often looked pretty, unless girls got carried away and fried their hair. Unfortunately, thelook could lead to stripes of color all over the head. In most cases, women who tried thislooked terrible, like they had botched their home color jobs or worse. But go figure, this color became a huge trend.

Linda Evangelista was the woman who made hair color change acceptable for every woman. Linda was the top supermodel of her time. Before Linda, a top model would neverhave been bold enough to radically change her color. Linda astonished the fashion world by showing up at the collections with her beautiful brunette hair made white blond. This made more news than any designer collection shown that season. Soon other girls followed. It was no longer unusual for amodel to change her look from season to season.

Linda still topped them all by accepting a Clairol color campaign and changing her hair from brown to blond to red in three days. I was lucky enough to be picked as the colorist for the job. I was sweating bullets the entire three days. Each color had to be beyond perfect. Meanwhile, Linda was totally at ease. She looked great and loved wearing every color. I remember her bringing in color-coordinated outfits with jewels and sunglasses for each hair color change. Linda Evangelista is perhaps the woman most responsible for turning hair color into fashion's most important accessory.

Except for the rare exception, things have calmed down over the years. Warmer caramel colors have taken over as the must-have hair tones. Oddly enough, these colors would have been considered brassy and unacceptable just a few years ago. Almost every client still brings in pictures of Jennifer Anniston or Gisele Bundchen. Gold, amber and coppery auburns are in. Ash colors look dull and drab by comparison.

Brunettes who at one time were almost considered second-class citizens now frequently sport the color of choice. Making an obviously brunette woman blond often discolors their complexion and is perhaps the biggest beauty faux pas. Keeping close to your color palette is essential unless you are willing to make a daily makeup change daily. This is a major error.

Hair color change is happening faster than ever. Recently, I made top model Coco Rocha red for Vogue and then almost ebony brown on the whim of the great photographer Steven Meisel for another shoot a few weeks later.

Color change is no longer stagnant. The next time a beauty editor calls, I'll have no worries about being short on news. Pick a color, any color, I'll have plenty to say!

I'm sitting on the plane waiting to take off for Los Angeles. There's a 25-plane traffic jam and a one hour delay on the runway at JFK. My mind wandered to last night. It was one of the most exciting evenings I have ever experienced in New York. Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, sponsored "Fashion's Night Out". The event was a huge shopping party that covered the streets of New York from Fifth Avenue to Madison Avenue to the West Village and SoHo. It was a giant stimulus package to encourage people back to the store to shop. It would be an understatement to say the evening was a success. The streets were teeming with people all holding shopping bags. The night felt like a huge block party for fashionistas. The shoppers were dressed in various looks from cute to glamorous to edgy. There was a "Fashion's Night Out" T-shirt that sold like hot cakes throughout the city. Most people used the tees to obtain autographs from their favorite designers and celebrities that were stationed at various stores. Profits from the T-shirt went to benefit the National September 11 Memorial Museum and the New York City Aids Fund. This was New York at its best.

My New York salon is located smack in the middle of the festivities. Saks Fifth Avenue is to the left. Bergdorf's and Dior are to the right with Prada across the street. Walking out the front door of the building I could not help but smile. I could have just stood there and stared at the crowds all night. I literally didn't know where or who to look at first. My head was almost spinning in circles not to miss one new trend in dress, hair, or make-up. I started my stroll up the Avenue. My first stop was Prada to pay homage to Grace Coddington, the Creative Director of vogue was the star attraction. Grace was recently featured in the movie "September Issue". At the end of the movie Anna Wintour declares Grace a genius. This is an understatement. Grace probably has the best eye in the business. I have had the privilege to work with Grace from time to time. Grace's pictures and my conversations with her have been one of my biggest inspirations. She has often told me to always keep my eyes wide open. She said that when she is in a car she always is looking at everything that passes by. "You never know what your next source of inspiration will be Louis." I will never forget this piece of advice.

My next stop was Bergdorf's. Phyllis Posnick the Executive Fashion Editor of Vogue was autographing her book "Extreme Beauty". Phyllis often works with Irving Penn creating some of the most beautiful and unique beauty pictures I have ever seen. Her vision and insight is above reproach. The source of her inspiration is her research, her vision, and her constant ability to observe the world around her. Bergdorf's was a zoo. There was a line around the block to get through the store's doors. The Olsen twins, barely visible because of there small size, were tending bar. The store looked a bit like a night club where people could shop.

I went to a few more stores. Charlize Theron was at Dior. Looking at this woman is the ultimate lesson in glamour. She wore an elegant Dior gown. Her movements were graceful. Her movie star aura filled the room.

My last stop was Oscar De La Renta. Sara Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Barbara Walters were the stars of the night. They sang "There's no business like clothes business". The mood was festive. Watching each of these dynamic women reminded me that people with real style wear clothes, hair, and make-up that are right for them. Truly stylish people don't always follow trends.

I went to dinner with friends at the end of the evening. At dinner we were all talking about what inspired us to be constantly evolving and moving forward. I had to admit it was my friends and the people I have worked with over the years. I was lucky enough to be neighbors with Marc Jacobs, the fashion designer, when he lived in New York before he moved to Paris. We often went shopping, combed the thrift stores, and endlessly walked the streets of New York. There wasn't a new exhibition at any museum that we missed. It would not be unusual for him to make a 180 degree turn to look at a fashion trend setter or an eccentric character of the streets. He found inspiration in everything around him. He often insisted we meet for dinner. I don't think he cared as much about dinner as the food for thought he might gather going to and from the restaurants. We walked everywhere. We took subways. He never missed a beat.

Over the years I have been programmed to keep my eyes wide open. I know that being a good colorist means that you never stop evolving. A colorist must constantly be developing his color eye. I often tell my friends that you don't have to be a genius to have a good color eye. You only have to watch the world around you.