Mariposa Salon and Spa

After honing her skills on the East Coast at the academies of Vidal Sassoon, Goldwell, Bumble and bumble, and Redken, master stylist Brenda McField found herself pulled south, to New Orleans. In addition to rejoining her husband’s family, Brenda wanted to help rebuild the city after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. In 2007, just two years after the hurricane tore through the city, she opened Mariposa Salon & Spa, a Paul Mitchell Focus salon. Since then, Brenda and her team of hair artists have styled locks for the glossy pages of New Orleans Bride magazine and CUE magazine, as well as the runways of a Guess fashion show and a Chloe Dao fashion show.

Mariposa's bilingual stylists also craft sophisticated looks for clients walking down sidewalks instead of runways. Celeb-inspired styles let clients ask for The Beyoncé and walk out with sleek, smooth, and straight locks, or The Gisele, which translates to the loose, beachy waves usually only achieved by supermodels living in sandcastles. The stylists also battle the New Orleans humidity with blow-drying techniques and GKhair hair straightening. Mariposa’s nail artists brighten fingertips with chip-resistant Shellac polish, and aestheticians craft custom facials and wax away body hair with tea-tree cream wax.