RED DOOR SPAS: SO MUCH MORE THAN A FACIAL
Recently, I spent a day of pampering at the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa flagship in New York City. There are many reasons to indulge in a spa experience—a cleansing facial, a deep-tissue massage, a full-body scrub—but my goal that day, was to get a brand new haircut and groomed eye brows.
The Red Door Spa is one of the most trusted names in the business, and they offer everything from haircuts, coloring services, and styling, to brow waxing, manicures/pedicures, and of course, a good hot stone massage or two. If visiting the flagship location, be sure to get a cut with Zahir Ziani, national creative director of Red Door Spas, and a wizard with his shears. Ziani will take one look at your face and hair and let you know what “look” will suit you best. What’s incredibly fab is that even with such talented hands, a haircut, blow dry, and finish start at only $95!
Since I like to wear my hair long and I’m not terribly fond of bangs, I opted for an edgy yet safe look. Ziani partitioned my hair into three sections, and gave me layers tailored to each section (getting “generic” layers will make your ends more voluminous, but leave the top part of your hair relatively flat). What I ended up getting were layers tailor-made to each section of my hair, including the top. The result was volume both on top and at the bottom.
Before and After: with Red Door Spas' National Creative Director and stylist, Zahir Ziani
The result was fabulous and I had a haircut I will be proud to live with, day in and day out. Too often, we forget how comprehensive the offerings of a spa can be, but it’s worth keeping in mind that a good spa offers the following:
Hair Cut/Style/Color Services: You don’t have to rely on a salon to find a brilliant hairdresser. Several top spas hire only the best (Ziani has won several awards for his work, and he is a fixture at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, providing a clear vision and catwalk styling for haute couture designers’ models), and you are in as good hands here as you are with your favorite salon.
Waxing Services: Whether you need a bikini wax or a brow tweeze, the professionals at a top spa will have you covered. My aesthetician, Elena, has been with Red Door Spas for over ten years, and she’s particularly keen on using the shape of your eyes and face to determine your brow shape.
Manicures/Pedicures: Aestheticians at spas are trained to provide a range of services, from waxing to pedicure, so chances are that you’ll meet your waxing specialist again at the mani/pedi bar. But relax—they really know what they’re doing! In the short space of an hour, you can get your brows waxed and your digits draped in new nail lacquer color. How cool is that?
Facials: Let’s not forget the fact that a spa is a haven for facials; I’ve had both facials and massages at the top spas and they are worth every penny. Remember to schedule them regularly: it’s not the best idea to just get one every six months. Good skin takes time and practice.
Massages: Everyone goes to the spa for massages—that’s what they’re all about. Take the time to find the masseuse (or masseur) that is right for you and stick with them. A knowledgeable masseuse really can help relieve the stress of modern life.
Much more than an occasional luxury, spas can help with a whole range or your beauty needs. The U.S. Spa Industry actually grew at a healthy rate in 2012 by 4.5% to 156 million visitors, according to a study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
How often do you get your spa fix? The next time you plan a spa day, consider booking more than a massage or facial.
SHOP NBC’S BEAUTY WEEKEND REVIEW
Get ready for a beauty blitz from shopping network ShopNBC. Next weekend, March 23-24, the network is hosting “Beautiful You,” a 48-hour marathon event jam packed with head-to-toe beauty products from more than a dozen brands.
To celebrate the on-air party, ShopNBC has provided BeautyInTheBag with a massive beauty giveaway, a box filled to the brim with more than 15 products, including a Silk’n SensEpil at-home hair removal device, worth $249!!
But hang on to your hats, the value doesn’t stop there—the entire package is worth $632, a true treasure trove for one lucky winner.
Be sure to check out BeautyInTheBag on Monday, March 18, when the ShopNBC Gorgeous Giveaway goes live. Before then, we want to tempt you with a few of our favorites from the giveaway package.
First, of course, is the Silk’n SensEpil. Who doesn’t love an at-home hair removal system? This device uses light technology called Home Pulsed Light for the removal of and permanent reduction of unwanted hair. One great thing about SensEpil is that it can be used on all parts of the body: chin, legs, and bikini line. Like all light or laser based hair removal systems, SensEpil results aren’t immediate. You will see a reduction in the amount of hair in about four weeks. Treatments should be done every two weeks, and after eight weeks, hair in the targeted area should be practically gone, but touchup treatments will be required for the rebellious hair or two. The Silk’nSensEpil cannot be used on naturally darker skin tones, due to potential burns, blisters, or pigment changes.
Suzanne Organics Travel Kit is a handy-dandy solution for taking a full body and hair regimen on the road— and all products are toxic free. As you probably know, Suzanne Somers is a strong advocate for reducing or eliminating the number of chemicals that bombard us daily from the environment, home and beauty products, and the food we consume. Suzanne Somers beauty products are made with natural botanical extracts, enzymes, anti-oxidants, and organic fruits and vegetables. This collection of seven travel-size items will surely send you in the direction of a healthy lifestyle. The travel kit contains body wash, body lotion, body polish, self-tanning serum, shampoo, conditioner, and hair styling gel.
One of ShopNBC’s big surprises is Iampur Relief, a natural pain-relieving rub formulated by a doctor and pharmacist. The non-greasy, easily-absorbed lotion cools on contact to temporarily ease minor muscle and joint pain caused by arthritis, backaches, strains, sprains, and bruises. It definitely worked on my achy shoulder. The rub contains three FDA-compliant natural topical pain relievers, which accounts for its effectiveness. Key ingredients include MSM, glucosamine sulfate, and seabuckthorn oil extract.
In addition to SensEpil, the Suzanne Organics Travel Kit, and Iampur, the ShopNBC giveaway contains beauty finds from Borghese, Pur, VB Beauty, Maxius, LaRocca, Angel Lift, and more. Check out the Beautiful You event on March 23 and 24 for more information about these products, and be sure to entier the BeautyInTheBag Gorgeous Giveaway on Monday, March 18.
THINKING INSIDE THE BOX
Subscription beauty boxes are on every girl’s wish list.
I opened my first one recently, and felt just like a kid on Christmas morning.
It was Birchbox’s “red carpet” beauty box, and the carefully-chosen items were designed to channel my inner Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, or Anne Hathaway during February’s award season.
First came, some Sicilian body gel by Skin & Co that smells like a spa and goes on like satin, next up some eye makeup remover, followed by funky green nail polish from the Zoya Gems & Jewels Collection, and then a Ghirardelli chocolate square … I could go on.
My box didn’t arrive by mail. Instead, I picked it up at a Fresh + Birchbox event in Soho where each guest received a skin consultation, hand and arm massages, and a tutorial on fragrances and luxe lip care—plus a hot pink box with a white satin bow.
And it’s no wonder that ladies can’t get enough of these subscription gift boxes. Typically, they arrive monthly and are filled with travel-sized beauty products from high-end companies (think Cartier, Guerlain, AHAVA, Kate Spade, and Jonathan Adler.) Some even include full-sized products.
There is Birchbox, Be Box, Beauty Box 5, Blissmo, GlossyBox, Sample Society, and True Beauty Box, to name just a fraction of the companies in this space, and they are definetly tapping into something in our collective psyches. Maybe we are sick of buying things for everyone else?
Maybe we want an affordable way to try new beauty products, or maybe we simply like the element of surprise?
Either way, beauty boxes are here to stay.
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