The Brooklyn Beauty

classic beauty tips with an urban twist

My Beauty Musts: For a Girl on the Go!

The past month has been a whirlwind.  I have been based out of Southampton for the North Fork horse show series and the summer grand finale, the Hampton Classic, held in Bridgehampton, NY. It was an exhausting 3 weeks. 4:30am wakeup calls, physical work in the hot sun, and torrential downpours. The horses were fantastic though and everyone did amazingly well so in the end it was a success and a nice finale to the summer.

During this month of madness I drove back to Brooklyn for 2 days to pack up my apartment of 3 years. I was truly about to be a vagabond. My clothes and must haves were packed in the trunk of my car. Of my beauty items there were a few things that I left on the top of my bag, things that over the past few years I have learned that I cannot live without!

So here is my go-to list—the beauty products I absolutely cannot live without. Even when I am travelling for work in strange places, these babies don’t leave my side.

I am beyond obsessed with my electronics. For my teeth I have a Sonicare electric whitening toothbrush that leaves my teeth feeling fresh and sparkly. I use Tom’s of Maine whitening toothpaste. I like the taste and it doesn’t leave a chemically aftertaste.

I can’t leave home without my Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System. In a few weeks I will write another post dedicated to this love of mine, but for now all I will say is that my skin has never been more radiant and my face has never felt cleaner. If you have problem skin, this is a MUST. I use it with my grapefruit face cleanser by Malin + Goetz. I love the stuff. I became addicted to it about a year ago. It was a staple in my ex’s bathroom and every time I went over to his apartment I would wash my face, usually more than once. I finally decided to break down and buy my own bottle. It is $30 bucks but I have had the same bottle for over a year!

After my glorious face washing sessions I lather on face cream. I use Boots brand that is sold at Target and in the UK. I have separate creams for day and night. Necessary? I’m not quite sure, but I like to think so! They are both very light. The day cream is SPF 15, an essential for daytime, and doesn’t leave my face feeling greasy.

Lips are not something to be ignored. I have much to say on this topic but for now I will tell you the product that I keep in my dopp kit, Aquaphor.  It is great on fresh clean lips, just out of the shower, after a face washing and before bed.

Okay, on to the hair care. I have curly hair and like many girls with curly hair, I am not a fan. After many years and many combinations, I have found a way to deal with this mess on my head. In the shower I use a shampoo and conditioner for colored hair—I am not super brand specific. I just like it to smell good and for my hair to have a soft feel to it after without product residue. I do NOT wash my hair everyday and in fact try to only shampoo/condition a few times a week. When I get out of the shower I towel dry and then put in a small amount of Living Proof Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream. I comb it through my hair and then I air dry. Once my hair is dry I spray in a little something to protect against heat and I flat iron. Sometimes I just straighten the ends if I like the shape of the curls, and other times the whole damn head. I’m sure hair experts would say this isn’t the best way at all to straighten but it’s what I do and you gotta work with what ya got, right?

So that is my beauty regimen for on the road or just staying local in Brooklyn—the products and routines that I cannot do without! 

M.I.A.

I haven’t forgotten about you! 

For the next three weeks I am devoting myself to my first love, Horses. 

I will be in the Hamptons working my A** off (hopefully, literally) and spending time with my favorite creatures. If you are around, swing by and say hello!

I will try and do a lil’ update from my lovely motel room, so check back soon.

Have a wonderful August! xx

Go Pink or Go Home.

This weekend was a true scorcher. It was nearly impossible to motivate to do anything. On Saturday we stupidly decided to go shopping in the city. I had my eye on a pink lipstick from M.A.C. I wanted something almost pepto-bismol color to bring out my tan, and matte, not shiny. I thought that they would have it and indeed they did!

 I walked into M.A.C. in SOHO, a hot, sweaty mess, and instantly saw it calling my name. I wiped off the tester with an alcohol swab (testers are gross) and put it on. VICTORY.  M.A.C.’s Saint Germain was the perfect color. They also have a matching nail color that I have been yearning for since I left the store.

(M.A.C. lipstick in Saint Germain)

 My roommate decided to go with a brighter, bolder pink. She went to the NARS counter at Bloomie’s and found a beautiful shade, Schiap, that looks almost electric! (BTW, Schiap is an homage to Elsa Schiaparelli’s signature shade—shocking pink, the biggest color at this years Met Museum Ball which celebrated Prada and Schiaparelli.) With it she got the lip pencil Miss Sadie. I can use that pencil too with my Saint Germain color so it works perfectly.

(NARS lipstick in Schiap and Miss Sadie lip pencil)

We are obsessed with our loud pinks and the best part is they are different enough that we can wear them when we are together and not clash…only compliment each other.

TOP KNOTS.

I had so many responses to my post last week about ninja buns (aka top knots) that I decided to post some of the pictures. 

Check these cute bun heads out!

Hair to Beat the Heat.

When the humidity is above 80%, there is really nothing I can do with my hair. I can sit in the bathroom flat-ironing my locks for an hour, step outside, and instantly have a poof on my head. I resemble a Pomeranian (Woof).

This summer I have come to really appreciate the ninja bun. It has become my savior during these hot, city days.

The best part about this do? It is insanely easy.

First thing you do is gather up all of your hair into a high, high ponytail. Once your hair is as high on top of your head as you can get it, wrap it around the base and tie as tight as possible, tucking in the tail. There’s really no specific formula to this style, but the tighter and higher, the better. Once it’s there, it will stay all day. 

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Nailed Again.

After Mondays nail post, my friend Alex sent me more amazing pictures of her gel manicures. She lives in LA and goes to Pampered Hands on Melrose. Her nails are truly magical. These designs are beyond awesome and make me want to find a nail artist in NYC to experiment with. 

Send me pics of your awesome nail art! Lets get weird!

Nail Me.

This summer it’s been all about neon. My nails have been all shades, from fluorescent pink, lime green, to lava lamp orange. I am obsessed with the shades by Color Club. They are so bright that it hurts your eyes to look at them for too long. My manicurist told me she needs to wear sunglasses when painting on these vibrant colors.

(neon nails in Warhol by Color Club)

 I had never seen this brand before so I decided to do a little research. Color Club polishes are vegan, formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, and paraben-free as well as made and manufactured in NYC. This seems pretty neat as the more research I do regarding the ingredients in nail polish, the more I realize how many of them are both unpronounceable and dangerous to ones health.

 I have experimented a bit with gels with mixed feelings on the subject. I LOVE the look while they’re on. They last for weeks and, truly, look great. The downside is once they were finally off, my nails started peeling and now seem much weaker. Not so good. I have a friend who only wears gels and SWEARS by them; she has not reported any problems. Many manicurists whom I work with on photo shoots advise against them and say to avoid them at all costs.

(My friend Alex’s amazing gel mani)

On the plus side: Gels are great before a vacation or work trip when you know there is no time for upkeep. They’re also good for nail art and unique designs but expensive. Yes (or maybe) it evens out if you usually get a manicure every week. The prices I have seen are around $60 for a gel manicure that last 2-3 weeks and, btw, you also have to get them removed by a nail technician (which is usually done for free). Self-removal is not suggested as it really can damage the nail—so is it worth it? It really is a personal choice.

(holographic gel mani done by layering silver under holograph sparkles)

(black and gold gel half moons)

Whichever application method you choose, make sure that your nails look vibrant and exciting. This is the season to really experiment!

 What are your favorite brands and colors? I want to know!

Burn Baby Burn

I hate getting burned. When I was younger I would say to myself, it will turn into a tan, whatever. But in the past few years I have learned how to get a nice tan without frying my delicate skin. And yes, the solution is simple, use SUNBLOCK!

 My worst burn ever happened the year I graduated college on a trip to Thailand. We went out for a morning walk, lost our way…. next thing you know it’s noon, the sun is high in the sky and reflecting off of the white sands and sparkling waters. The burn was BAD. It hurt; I was shaking and had a fever. The skin almost immediately started to blister. I remember lying in my small hut with cold towels all over me, steps from the beach but afraid to step outside. My only relief was from a small aloe plant growing behind a bar that we frequented. I would pull it apart and rub the gooey inside over my scorched back.

(my back after the bad burn in Thailand)

 Since then I have tried to stay conscious about sunblock while still aiming for a healthy tan.

 What works for me is starting the summer out with a high number SPF— 45 or 50, especially on the face! (I ALWAYS use a face cream with SPF even in the winter.) After my skin gets a bit of color I trade down to SPF 20 or 15. This past February, while I was on a cruise in the Caribbean (it was for work…), I found an excellent sunscreen, expensive but I’ve had amazing results! It is Clarins Sunscreen Gentle Milk-Lotion Spray SPF 20. It is extremely gentle on my skin and the bottle has lasted me since February with plenty more to get me to the fall. I have not gotten burned once this year. Also, a general rule is to REAPPLY!

 For high intensity situations: swimming, sweating, general running around, I use a spray from the drug store. I really love the Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock by Neutrogena that comes in a variety of SPFs. It is very refreshing when sweating it out under then sun and is wallet friendly.

 And of course, it is important to stay hydrated and take cover when needed. There’s also nothing wrong with a hat! Getting a healthy tan is a slow process, it won’t happen in a day!

(a friends bum at the beach)

(me working on my healthy tan)

Bush Wackin: Adventures in Waxing

Being that it is mid-summer and skin exposure is at its peak, why beat around the bush? (Or lack of bush.)

It’s time to talk about the bikini wax.

I remember getting my first Brazilian wax when I was in high school, probably senior year. I went to a salon on my block in Manhattan owned by a group of bleached blonde, extremely made-up Russian ladies. I knew waxing wasn’t fun, but I had never quite understood what women went through on a monthly basis to have their lower regions free of unwanted hairs. Well, it was awful. I screamed. I cried. I twitched. I came out bloody and bruised (literally).

But I think the worst part was that I kept going!

Before a waxing appointment I would take shots of vodka in order to dull the pain. I remember one New Years; pre-party I sat on the floor with an ice pack between my legs…. Eventually I wised up and realized that there were better places to go, even if they were a bit pricier, it was well worth every cent.

 For a bit I went to a salon that ONLY had waxing. They use green wax that gets hard upon application, and once it is firm the technician rips it off without any sort of cloth. It was definitely better, but still painful, and I was always left walking home with green wax remnants.

 About two years ago I was introduced to another place that specializes in wax and hair removal called Shobha. I immediately liked it. They have a very clean, peaceful India-influenced environment of bright colors, wonderful incense, and complimentary Yogi Tea.  The wax is all natural, and there is a sugar option (I will get into sugaring at a later time though), and the ladies are quick! It takes about 10 minutes total from the moment I take off my clothes till I put them back on.  It is still painful; don’t get me wrong. But these lovely women really know what they are doing and do it fast and efficiently, which in these circumstances is the most important thing.  Considering what you are having done, Shobha is the place to do it. And they have branches all over the city. I am 100% comfortable spreading my legs for these well trained ladies!

Now down to the nitty gritty - It is not the cheapest of places (also not the most expensive), but when it comes to my privates, spending a few extra bucks seems well worth it.

Wherever you choose to get waxed, make sure it is clean and comes recommended by someone you trust. This is a delicate situation and it must be treated, well, delicately.

Where do you go and in what city? Who is your favorite technician? Share your secrets!

Welcome to my new blog about classic beauty tips with an urban twist. I wouldn’t describe myself as an expert (I’m only 26) but more as someone who is trying to figure out what works best on a small budget. I have had some great experiences along the way and some pretty horrific ones. I can’t wait to share them with you, and hopefully you won’t have to go through the same painful trials and tribulations that I’ve gone through…unless of course, that’s your thing!

Please join me as I start my journey as The Brooklyn Beauty.