Sorry it’s been a little quiet here the past couple of days. I fell a bit sick last Friday and everything fell behind, but good news is I’m all better now…and better news, for all intents and purposes of this blog, is I found yet another fab salon in NYC, Medulla.

My friend Ashley had told me about this salon a year ago (“a salon in a cool, tucked away loft space” or some such), and said I had to check it out. I thought it would be a small, contained room but Medulla is actually carved out of a penthouse floor of a 8-floor building. There’s no sign outside the building, and you may very well pass right by it. But when the elevator opens up to the floor, you’ll quickly realize it’s no ordinary salon — it’s also an art space and host to charity events. I was enamored as owner, Éle, gave me a short tour of the space. I’ve had it in the back of my mind to go back for a haircut, and since I had come to a point where hair was begging me to rid it of its split ends, I decided it was time.

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You might be surprised to find that as much as I write about about beauty, I’m horrible about getting myself to the spa. When I first moved to NY, I was regular about monthly facials…that is, until my lady moved away and I never made time to find someone to replace her. Enter Cecilia Wong, an NYC-based skin care expert whose focus is holistic and natural treatments. And if there’s anyone who believes about the strong connection between food and beauty, it’s her.

I was invited to get a facial at her spa in Union Square, and after 12 hours on a plane from Argentina back to New York, it couldn’t have been a more perfect time. I was set on trying out her Omega and Vitamin C treatment, a hydrating lymphatic facial designed to brighten and soften skin. When I got there though, I first had a quick consultation with Cecilia and we discussed some of my other issues, including dreaded breakouts.

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I started to think a little different about salons a recently. There are stylist who have cut my hair who have done a great job but, well, just didn’t make me feel special enough to go back. There are other salons that looked amazing but totally went for something more trendy than was fitting for my face. It’s a rare thing to find the vibe is right mixed in with a the perfectly balanced ambiance (for me, that means charming and stylish at the same time). That’s what I felt when I went to visit Damian West Salon in the West Village.

On the tree-lined street of brick townhouses typical of the West Village, it’s almost easy to pass right by the salon, which you have to walk down a short flight of steps to enter. Right when you do though, it’s easy to feel like you just walked into a (really rich) New Yorker’s pad by accident. The dark-wood floors, fire place, and pretty chandeliers are add to the warmth of the duplex salon.

I had read reviews of the place before going, and it was hard to find anyone less than raving about Bailey, one of the senior stylists. It was only a week before that I got my ombre highlights, and I had no intention of chopping them right off. But, I was long overdue for a cut. My layers were all but nonexistent and I needed more structure to my cut. When I sat in Bailey’s chair, he seemed to get it right away. Swooping bangs, layers, thickness up on top. Got it.

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Last week, Glamour magazine invited me to a very special event: breakfast and manicures with Essie nail polish creator, Essie Weingarten! It goes without saying, Essie is a leader in the nail polish industry — it’s practically impossible to walk into any salon without her polishes lining the shelves. And Hello, Allure was Kate Middleton’s polish of choice for the Royal Wedding! I myself have found some of my favorites in her collection — Tart Deco and Fiji for summer, Wicked for winter, and the French Affair collection?! J’adore…

So I went downtown to TenOverTen salon (another place I’ve been meaning to check out FOREVER!), and met the lovely girls at Glamour who introduced me first to Essie’s new Winter/Holiday 2011 line: Bling it On!

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I have really been missing my ombre hair. I don’t dye my hair often or get too crazy with it when I do (although I’ve had an obsession with trying midnight blue streaks…one day…). But ombre – which basically describes a dark-to-light gradient – is different to me. I feel like it adds dimension, and is a little more interesting than my usual monochromatic blah hair.

And since I don’t do it often, there are very few people I trust with it. Mary at Sam Brocato is one of them, but it can get pricey ($200+ for highlights) and my wallet is only so deep. Incidentally, my writer/hero, Nicci, has been telling me for MONTHS about how fantastic her hairstylist sister, Brooke, is -– so much so, she recently opened her own private studio The Bird House in Carroll Gardens. “You HAVE to visit her. I know I’m biased, but my friends who have gone to her have said it was literally the best haircut AND color they’d ever gotten,” Nicci wrote me in an email. Now I know one thing about Nicci is she will NOT promote something she doesn’t believe in, so it was an easy sell and I decided to give it a try.

I made an appointment with Brooke and trekked down to Brooklyn (about 45 minutes from midtown) yesterday morning. I had no idea what to expect but when I got to the front I realized how private of a studio this is!

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You’re all invited to attend a VIP party at Bliss! They’re launching their new “fabulips” collection. Pop in for a lips spa treatment on August 24th. RSVP, Details below!

x
Shy

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