Salons, Stylists Upbeat in 'Jerseylicious' Season Finale

The season finale of Style Network's "Jerseylicious" recapped owner, and Bridgewater resident, Gayle Giacomo's successful "Gallery of Beauty" event in Atlantic City, which turned into a launch pad for graduate Olivia Blois-Sharpe's career plans.

The event drew 12 studios from across the state, who presented their interpretation of famous works of art at the Trump Taj Mahal, recreated with live models. The winning studio received a trip to Dubai, and the runner-up won a $5,000 shopping spree for salon furniture, courtesy of Minerva Beauty. 

Each of the salons was anxious for the opportunity to showcase their strengths, and Blois-Sharpe planned her own presentation as the Ooh Lalaa Livia Salon.

"This event is the biggest thing I've ever done on my own," she said. "If I can pull this off, it will give me the confidence I need to go off and start my own business." 

She picked an Egyptian motif, noting Egyptians used make-up and wore animal skins.

"It's almost as if, in a sense, they were the original Jersey Girls," she said.

Her plan was to have her models "Vogue like an Egyptian," with music she composed—but the complicated plans almost derailed her presentation. When it was time for her "unveiling," her models weren't ready, but they made a hasty staging and pulled it off to the crowd's enjoyment.

Read more of Bridgewater Patch's coverage of "Jerseylicious" here.

"I'll be competing against the best salons in New Jersey—and my two bosses, no pressure whatsoever," Blois-Sharpe said.

Meanwhile, Anthony Lombardi, owner of the Anthony Roberts Salon, was anxious to add another feather in his cap by winning the Gallery of Beauty. His crew chose to do a "disco" version of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus."

"After the five-star review and the Modern Salon article, we have a target on our back," he said.

But he was confident his salon could win the event.

Giacomo opened the event with a brief speech, noting that styling is the art of salons, and the Gallery of Beauty would be putting that art on display for Atlantic City to see. The casino's convention room was converted into a gallery layout, with each salon having a framed window through which to present their re-creations.

After judges Joel Warren, of the Warren Jacoby Salon; Steve Marinaro, "The Style Guy"; and Mary Griffin, of the Trump-Taj Mahal, reviewed the presentations, Anthony Roberts Salon was declared the winner. 

"Our disco version of the 'Birth of Venus' not only shows our talent, but it shows we're willing to think outside the box," Lombardi said.

At the conclusion of the Gallery, Blois-Sharpe announced she's decided to launch her own image consulting business, and she announced her intentions to Giacomo and Lombardi. Both wished her well, and promised to help.

The show's other story line followed Tracey DiMarco's engagement to her live-in boyfriend, Corey Epstein, who proposed to her at a puppy store. 

"I didn't think I would see this day, I'm so happy to be with Corey," she said.

Although she said she's worried about telling her parents, who have been upset about her living with Epstein, she said now that they are engaged, it should be fine. 

"I hope this shows them we really are serious about each other," she said.

The show may have been the season finale, but that doesn't mean you'll have to go for long without seeing your favorite "Jerseylicious" cast members—a special reunion episode scheduled for 8 p.m. next week promises to be as full of surprises and drama as a regular season episode.