Hair
A Golden Globes Viewing Party with Dove (PLUS a fab giveaway!)
By Nicci Jordan Hubert
**Giveaway Alert! Tweet this post for a chance to with the ENTIRE collection of Dove’s Style+Care line!!**
Photo: Ana Schechter
Amazing Dove shaped cookies!
First haircut of the year from Medulla salon!
Haircut from Medulla
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.
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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The lazy girl’s guide to faking pretty hair
My hair is “swavy” — it’s not quite straight and it’s not totally wavy. And when I wake up, my hair is typically all sorts of confused…like so:
Yup. That's my morning hair.
Another thing is, I feel like I’m constantly on the go, go, go. I wake up extra early to write, run to work, to events, to dinner…you get the idea. And while I am still obsessed with beachy waves, I often don’t have the time to set my hair like that. Instead, it’s just easier to make my hair sleek and straight. Recently, a friend of mine and celebrity hairstylist Kristan Serafino endorsed the Kiss by SalonTech Silicone Protexion 1″ Tourmaline Ceramic Flat Iron. She works with some of the best, so if she’s allowing a company to put her seal of approval on their product (no literally, her face is on the box), I know it’s something worth trying. The other issue I have with mega-expensive irons is that they break or burn out so fast. Trust me, I’ve spent the $200-something on flat irons that worked fantastic…while they still worked. This one? $50.
The Kiss by SalonTech 1 inch flat iron with its red silicone bars
Back to my morning nest mess of hair, it’s precisely times like these when I need a flat iron fix. This specific flat iron has silicone bars which minimize heat damage. The ceramic plates allow for even heat distribution so you don’t have to go over the areas as many times. I will say that compared to the more expensive ones, this one doesn’t glide as easily through my hair…but that’s kind of the point. The red silicone bars on the plates make sure the clamp isn’t totally frying out your hair, but the silicone coating also helps seal the cuticles for lots o’ shine. This is what I got, less than ten minutes later:
After using the Kiss flat iron. PS whoever told you taking pics of yourself was easy lied.
Choosing a hair color personality with Aloxxi
Aloxxi hair models
Upon entering the Stephen Knoll Salon, I was greeted by the lovely (and adorably pregnant) Aloxxi rep Jessica, who had some introductory questions for me. When I go get my nails done, which brand do I use? My answer: probably OPI or Essie. Then came her next question: when you get your hair colored at the salon, which brand do you use? My answer: Uhhhh….
That “uhhh” is precisely why Aloxxi was created, Jessica said. Founder of OPI and now Aloxxi, George W. Schaffer, has a vision for a “renaissance” in hair color, just as he revolutionized nail color with OPI. He wants hair clients to be informed. He wants them to take more ownership of their salon experience. He wants more accountability in terms of the quality of hair dyes, in terms of a focus on rich pigments, chemical responsibility (no sulfates, parabens, etc), and the overall health of color-treated hair. And beyond that, he wants clients to establish a “color personality.”
Aloxxi catalogue of color
Winner for the Viviscal giveaway!
Hi all! Thanks for entering the Viviscal giveaway! Here are the winners (all from Facebook and Twitter):
Nusra Alam
@qudsikhan
@priyers
Congrats! Please email me your shipping address so we can get your 3-month supply right over to you. Thanks again for entering! The next giveaway will be posted soon 
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Damian West Salon in the West Village
Inside Damian West Salon
Inside Damian West Salon
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.
Lounge area
The floor
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.
Outside Damian West
