A quaint cut above

Alicia Robinson

Corona del Mar hair and makeup stylist Lenny McConnell wants each of

his clients to feel like the most important person in his salon.

One way he’s found to do that is by making each the only other

person in the salon.

After working in his native Scotland, Paris and Beverly Hills,

McConnell earlier this month opened a postage-stamp-sized work space

off of East Coast Highway.

The salon holds a sink, a chair for shampooing hair and a chair

for cutting and styling. For some businesses, such a space would be

impossibly small, but McConnell said it provides his clients with

that priceless commodity -- privacy.

“The downside of big salons is it’s crowded,” McConnell said. “If

someone’s a celebrity, a model or just an ordinary checker at a

grocery store, what do they value most? Privacy.”

A stylist with 18 years’ experience with hair and makeup,

McConnell specializes in hair extensions, high-quality hair color and

“maquillage,” or dramatic, haute couture evening makeup. He doesn’t

do “natural” makeup, he said.

A basic cut costs $55 for men and $85 for women, but if you want

hair extensions, bring your credit card. McConnell said the German

and Italian extensions made of human hair that he offers range in

cost from $1,500 to $4,000.

“People around here do not mind spending that much on their hair

at all,” he said. “This is the Beverly Hills of Orange County.”

The extensions come in any color imaginable, including purple and

green.

“You’d be amazed at how many people ask for hot pink,” McConnell

said.

His intimate, European-style salon has already drawn customers,

including some who remember him from when he worked at or ran other

salons in the area.

Chloe Blom, who runs a Corona del Mar photography studio, started

going to McConnell about 20 years ago and followed him to several

Southern California salons.

“I liked the way he colored my hair, and I liked the way he cut it

because he’s such an artist,” she said. “That’s what really sets him

apart from other people.”

A multitalented man, McConnell also has written several books on

health and beauty, and he regularly attends seminars to keep his

knowledge of hair and makeup trends up to date.

He loves his new location, though he expects to eventually outgrow

it. But clients may make it hard for him to move if it means leaving

Newport Beach.

“I think [the salon] is darling,” Blom said. “I told him, ‘You

have to stay here till I’m a little old lady.’”

Salon McConnell is open seven days a week at 2333 E. Coast

Highway, suite L, Corona del Mar. For an appointment call (949)

673-0225.