YGallery Salon Soho: Pink Peekaboo Bangs and Keratin Treatment Created for Blondes

As I walked into their Soho salon, I saw a lot of local artist's artwork on the walls and I knew I was in the right place! If you follow my IG feed, you'd understand as I often showcase graffiti artists, muralists and all around creative people.

Located at 180 Lafayette Street in Soho, I was pleasantly greeted by owners and Master Stylists Yoni and Yaniv. They are artists in their own right and have spent years styling, cutting and coloring hair. Although I walked in thinking I would not color nor cut my hair- I felt comfortable enough to do both after speaking with Yoni! I was accompanied by a dear friend, Brigitte Segurra of Fashion Daily Mag, and she refrained from telling the stylist anything and watched with amazement at what came next....

Not only did I let owner Yoni give me bangs which I had not rocked for 25 years- I let him dye them pastel pink! They are actually pink peekaboo bangs as Yoni worked the pink into my blonde hair, throughout the bangs and also throughout the bottom layer of my hair. Brigitte was proud of me that I let the artist do his work without any direction from me and also showed me some Fall photos where models integrated pastels into their hair for runway shows. I am an artist, too, so I appreciate the expert doing their work and not telling them what to do. I know that may be unusual yet I let Yoni do whatever he deemed necessary to allow me to look my best. 

I then received a special Keratin treatment created for blondes and within two hours, I had a cut, color and Keratin treatment (in a specially ventilated room in the far corner of the salon)! Yoni is fast! How many times had I sat in the chair for 4-5 hours before? A lot I tell you! 

The services offered at the salon are extensive....haircuts, color, highlights, gloss shine, ombré, blow dry, relaxer, keratin...to name a few. Hair extensions are also offered upon consultation. My pink pastel color is quite matte in color and I love it! Please visit them online at YGallery Salon to see their creativity come to life! 

The Master Stylist himself, Yoni.

Me and the ever so stylish a Brigitte Segura. 

DePasquale Hair System Products- 

Exclusive to the YGallery Salon

Little Green offers a children's Haircare collection, too! 

YGallery Salon offers so many treatments!

Jin Soon Salon: West Village Location

I have known of Jin Soon Choi for years and wanted you all to get a sense of her salon in the West Village. Besides having an East Village Salon, the one I visit frequently and one in the Upper East Side, you might also know her name from her namesake nail polish collection ( available in Sephora, Space NK, Henri Bendel, Shen Beauty and Barney's with more retailers listed on her site by State). There are four nail stations and four pedicure stations and it is relaxing as well as quiet. No loud voices nor phones ringing off the hook are often the environment encouraged there and I appreciate the serene salon.

In Jin Soon Choi's salons she offers a bevy of nail color options from most every brand such as NARS, Chanel, YSL, Dior as well as many drugstore brands such as Revlon, Sally Hansen, L'Oreal, etc. That was something I had never seen before at such magnitude. Places I had been to before had charged an additional fee for using some of the designer brands which did not sit well with me. Not Jin. Wear what you like...

At Jin Soon you can learn about her shops, see her portfolio (as she still remains one of the most sought after celebrity manicurist), read the press and talk a peek into Jin's very own journal. 

I met Jin for the first time behind the scenes at Fashion Week and she was kind and delightfully sweet. 

Yesterday, I used her Instagram feed (@jinsoon and @jinsoonchoi) for inspiration and used Pop Orange (again) on my nails and Gala on the accent nail as well as on my toes. Gala is such a stunning metallic- almost like a copper penny or maybe more like a rose gold?!  Her polishes last nearly two weeks for me and I love their high gloss look.

You are welcome to purchase product on her site as well as buying gift certificates for that certain special someone. It certainly can be pricey once you start getting into specific nail art designs, specialized manis and pedis, yet they are well worth it....both my hands and feet never looked so good. #truth

eos: 24 Hour Moisturizing Shave Cream (available in TSA Approved Size, too)!

Yes, another post regarding shaving! If you do shave, why not have great, affordable and delightfully scented products to use?! 

This summer, whether you are relaxing at home or are on an exciting beach getaway, the eos 24-Hour Moisturizing Shave Creams and eos Travel Shave Cream will keep your legs feeling silky smooth!

Packed with natural conditioning oils, shea butter, and vitamins C and E the eos Moisturizing Shave Creams are a summer necessity for keeping legs glowing all day and night!  They are the only shave creams that keep skin soft, smoothed, and moisturized for 24 hours - even after rinsing! And thanks to the new TSA approved eos Travel Shave Cream, your legs will be smooth wherever your summer adventures take you! Available in Pomegranate Raspberry (pictured in Travel Size and this is the only scent at this size), Vanilla Bliss, Lavender Jasmine (pictured) and Sensitive Fragrance Free ( Hypoallergenic and Dermatologist Tested ).

eos 24-Hour Mositurizing Shave Creamretails for $3.49 and is available at EvolutionOfSmooth.com, Drugstore.com, Target, Walmart and Walmart.

eos Travel Shave Cream retails for $1 and is available at Target.

INNI: COMPLETELY Customizable Nail Designs

Do you remember how I started in this business years ago? By wearing "Laced Up" Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips to The 2011 Grammy awards. I had fortunately bumped into a friend earlier that week who was a hand model and in her book was the tear sheet from their very first campaign. I immediately went crazy over the patterns and concept and chose "Laced Up" as it added elegance to my all black Christian LaCroix gown. I called the Sally Hansen Marketing Department to get my hands (nails) on a package of the nail strips as they were nowhere to be found. I had gone to about 6 Ricky's at the time and they had no idea what I was talking about. Luckily, the generous people at Sally Hansen sent them to me and the rest is history. 

I continued to wear them for nearly two years, changing them weekly as I fell for more and more newly released designs and patterns. I was written about twice on other beauty sites as I was addicted to the nail polish strips and appreciated the creativity of the designs. The nail strip concept blew up rather quickly and soon many companies were offering similar ideas. Some offered stickers, appliques, paper nail wraps but in my opinion nothing came close to the nail polish strips from Sally Hansen. I remember waiting for their Holiday designs with baited breath. That is how addicted I was/am to their collections. Everyone was soon asking how long did the nail technician take to create such intricate nail designs on my nails and how much did the designs actually cost? "They are real nail polish strips," I would always reply. To which I then would accompany them to the nearest drugstore and- to their amazement- show them all of the wonderful designs available to them right then and there. I also gave them tips on applying them as they were averaging me about five minutes to fully put on my own nails. 

I also confess that three years ago I wanted to create my own line of nail polish strips as I knew my photography would look spectacular on nails. Sometimes we can't sport pink hair, or very wild designed clothing to our jobs yet creative nails are usually embraced. I am not saying all of the time, yet I am often excited to see the art on many people whom I come into contact with on a daily basis.

With that being said, I just received news today about a new company to the United States called INNI. As I await my own samples, I wanted to share the company with you...

Completely customizable,  INNI nail wraps are a new and unique way to achieve a flawless looking salon quality manicure. Any design you want, from your phone to your home. Simply snap it, create it or select it at www.inni.com. With over 1 million designs available, there's something for you every day and every night. Like gel polish but better, INNI nail stickers last looking perfect up to 14 days and don't peel or chip even in water or hot temperatures. Created from extremely durable and flexible vinyl, the wraps can be  stretched to cover the entire nail surface for a flawless wrinkle-free manicure every time. Removing is easy - just peel off after 2 weeks and say goodbye to toxic fumes!

Picture Perfect Nails Designed For You, By You. Create High Fashion, Salon Quality Manicures with INNI Nails.

New to America, INNI Nails' creative web and mobile interface allows beauty lovers everywhere to design your own nail wraps or select from the world's largest collection that other INNI users have created. Thousands of high-resolution fashion shapes, gradient colors, team logos, animal prints, New York runway designs - no more limits to express your creativity!

INNI Nails was created with a mission to help people be more creative, unique and beautiful. Fed up with the quality and inconvenience of nail art, the 3 co-founders Katja Koutaniemi, Lauri Koutaniemi and Candice Chua started with high ambitions and a vision to create something completely new for nail fashion.

"We want to create more options for beauty products and make shopping easier, faster and more affordable. We want to build a community where everyone can be fashionable and stand out, sharing their unique looks and designs."

The founding team launched INNI in May 2014, bringing together the best fashion technology from Finland and Singapore. Katja tried doing her nails over 1,000 times and could never get it right, so she researched and developed the concept for customizable nail art. Lauri, Katja's husband got very excited about the idea, and brings his 15 years of experience for online graphic design technology, with the INNI website and app based on his award-winning SumoPaint application. For Candice, INNI is perfect to express her 7-year passion for design and responsible business management, developed from running her own graphic design company and nonprofit consultancy while working in banking and business development.

INNI Nails comes in a set of 30 pieces with 13 different sizes for both hands, from very small to very big so that both young girls and grown-ups can enjoy the perfect fit. Customers also receive a compact nail file along with instructions on how to apply the nail stickers and how to find your correct size. Custom sets retail online starting from $9.90 with free shipping everywhere.


For additional information and to design your own nail wraps visit www.inni.com.

Leonor Greyl: Huile de Leonor Greyl

Oh my does this smell delightful! Huile de Leonor Greyl ($ 57) now replaces Huile de Palme yet still retains the same qualities and ingredients with refined copra oil from cold pressed coconut kernels and mongongo oil which is extracted from the nuts of an African tree that grows in the Kalahari Desert. The ingredients in this iconic product help protect your hair from environmental damage as well as containing hydrating powers that protects your hair from everyday free radicals. 

This is a pre-shampoo oil treatment especially designed for dry hair. It was formulated to protect your hair from the sun and water and to also keep your hair color in place. I have all three challenges and the fact that it contains natural UVA/B protection is a PLUS!

This iconic product had merely been reinvented and Palm Oil is no longer in the formula but has allowed the two new ingredients to be added. Everything has changed, yet nothing had changed. It had the same texture, fragrance and color. The legendary product has retained all of the same qualities since it's creation in 1971- it has just been rechristened. 

Find out more about this amazing and beneficial hair care line by visiting Leonor Greyl.