Beauty
New Year, New Makeup
Shimmer into 2014 with Bobbi Brown’s nude glow collection. Enter for a chance to win it on our Facebook page.
Beauty
Shimmer into 2014 with Bobbi Brown’s nude glow collection. Enter for a chance to win it on our Facebook page.
From a neat new bookstore to a kickass new workout, here’s what rang our bell in 2013.
It’s easy to face the (dance) music when you look like Beyoncé. Find out how to get her pastel pout — plus four other celeb-inspired beauty routines.
Aesthetician Kristen Bauers Alvarez shares two recipes to help you bounce back from tonight’s inevitable antics.
The owners (former staff members of Juju Spa & Organics) carry on the natural-is-better mantra. Aestheticians use nontoxic products in every facial, while massage therapists unfurl knots and acupuncturists tend to both body and mind.
Which of this year’s discoveries made us squeal with delight? If you didn’t know before, now you do.
Follow a tour guide through the woods beneath January’s full moon. Supplies (shoes, poles, headlamps, etc.) provided. Tickets ($95-$115) and directions at rei.com.
Photo: Getty Images
Stylist Roz Safdari at Rita Hazan salon creates a party-ready princess roll for medium-length locks.
Purify, detoxify, cleanse, repeat. Discover the services that left our spirits (and skin) bright.
Quick pick-me-ups for your mind, body, and soul.
In 2013, we learned how to get flawless waves, balance on a ball chair for eight hours, and complete an at-home gel manicure — but not all at the same time.
You’ve been a good girl. Before the year is over, here’s a checklist of all the things you should gift yourself from the best new boutiques, stores, and services in D.C.
Trade the mall for the kitchen and stir up two homemade skin care helpers that are good enough to gift.
Experience the pure cleansing power of a simple-ingredient-based bath line.
This season’s bounty of glittering top coats makes for graphic manicures without all the creation frustration. Here we pair seven sparklers and polishes.
After abandoning The Simple Life, the starlet cleaned up — her appearance, not her mouth (thank god). We can’t help but envy her come-hither style. For our own partygoing purposes — and yours — we break down her look.
Native State is a handcrafted line of vegan beauty products for nature lovers.
December is for shopping, drinking, shopping, eating, and shopping. Add something else to the list with a winter treat based on a warming classic cocktail.
The D.C. studio is the first to offer the MegaFormer workout. The no-impact, full-body regimen is punishing, but classes are small and owner Anne Mahlum is an inspiration.
Show your body you care with a reliable herbal apothecary line (oils, facial steams, dry shampoo) from Brooklyn’s Mullein & Sparrow.
A fitness studio specializing in the Lagree Method, a no-impact but intense workout done on a MegaFormer machine. Founder Anne Mahlum sees you through punishing planks and pikes with hands-on corrections and an end-of-class high five. Sign up for sessions online in advance; each class is limited to ten students.
Give the gift of lookin’ good with pretty presents they want to unwrap.
When that chin volcano is about to erupt, it’s time to call in the experts. Our editors share their tips for shrinking blemishes big and small.
Beautify before an interview, first date, or black-tie bash at a new makeup salon, right in the heart of Soho.
Relax in a comfy leather chair and let experts beautify you before an interview, first date, or black-tie bash at NYC’s first-ever makeup salon. The six-station Soho spot, founded by celebrity makeup artist Rebecca Perkins and actress Stephanie March, also offers quick touch-ups, lash extensions, and waxing services, with no pressure to buy products.
The blowout chain offers five standard styles ($40 a pop) in cocktail menu terms — Mai Tai (beachy and undone) to Manhattan (no-nonsense straight and sleek) — in a fun, sophisticated atmosphere.
Ultimate pampering inspired by the screen goddess. All products used during services that range from hairstyling to massages are from the spa’s own line. Mani/pedi clients take home a free bottle of the polish used.
Live up to the studio’s name with its sculpting barre workout, plus yoga, Pilates, and dance classes.
When searching for night-out makeup inspiration, we look to the experts: ladies who frequent shindigs like it’s their second job.
Gift yourself something good this year — as in, the Diamond Brilliant treatment at the Spa at the Mandarin Oriental.
This luxury FiDi spa incorporates Chinese medicine and cutting-edge techniques into its comprehensive array of services.
Help restore natural order with fresh beauty products made locally.
Hairstylist Laurent Philippon’s coffee table book is part high-end photo collage, part personal style essay.
Take your party manicure into orbit with this glittery, at-home paint job.
Find stress relief and serenity with our guide to the Bay’s best alternative wellness.
Chi Nei Tsang (Internal Organs Energy Transformation) is a holistic approach to health with serious history (it was developed thousands of years ago to help Taoist monks acquire the energy necessary to achieve the highest levels of meditative practices). Lejeune led us into a rhythm of deep lower belly breaths and applied light touches to points around our stomach. Although it’s wild to receive so much ab attention, we did reach a super chill state. Lejeune recommends regular treatments to help with serious heath concerns.
Have an important appointment on the horizon? A bodywork session with Emily Huffman is like jumper cables for your soul. Every session is structured to your specific needs and state, incorporating a tailored blend of massage, cleansing and energy work. We left feeling noticeably lighter with a surge of fresh ideas to share at an evening brainstorm session.
We were a little apprehensive about trying depth hypnosis but Alexis Cohen’s calm state and experience (she specializes in working with women and creative types) put us instantly at ease. Our session begin by relaxing barefoot on the sofa as Cohen led us through a guided meditation to connect with our muse. We left with a vivid picture of our creative happy place (the ocean) and a calmer state of mind.
Certified sound healer Hilary Reed relies on a variety of instruments (Tibetan singing bowls, tuning forks), mantras, and melodies to restore help balance. Sessions start with a quick check-in to gauge direction. Then, you’ll hop up on the treatment bed and let Reed work her magic. We felt pleasantly blissed (though at first a little weird) during the second half of the treatment, as Reed led us through a series of toning (creating a drawn-out vowel sound or syllable) exercises to help deliver healing energy to the chakras.
There’s a reason everyone from NYFW designers to Hamptons socialites to heavy metal musicians turn to Paul Brown for meditation 101: his techniques are life-changing. After just a few weeks into our practice, our dreams became more vivid, ideas flowed easier, and we felt calmer and happier than we had in years. Sign up for group lessons or try private instruction for a more intimate experience (plus custom-made cosmic stickers to chart your practice).
Fragrance is personal. Yosh Han’s artisanal perfumes blend the art of perfumery with aromachology. Sit down for a session with Han to gain insight on past lives, problem areas, and current states, along with just the right fragrance to bring you energetic alignment.
Sessions can sound like a game of spiritual Twister (couch, treatment bed, hands on/hands-off), but Jacobson’s main goal is simple: connect the mind with spirit and body. Sign up for her three-month program, which works to remedy limiting beliefs and habits, deepen the connection with the body, and if ready, work on creating an intentional life design.
Scary spot-on and super sweet, you’ll wish Challis was your BFF by session’s end. Her aural examinations begin with a quick peek at your chakras. In addition to a full report, Challis also helps to clear up any blockages holding you back and offer intuitive advice on any plaguing issue.
Blowouts, makeup, facials, and lash extensions in a warm, Moroccan-themed salon is true beauty paradise. Drinks flow freely (bubbly, vino, and gourmet coffees) and there’s a VIP room for bridal parties/groups up to twenty.
December parties are no place for grubby rubber bands. Get your head right with sparkly clips, showy crowns, embellished barrettes, and a feathery halo (if you dare).
Holiday madness is in full swing. When not throwing back jingle juice cocktails to quell the excitement, we rely on the calming power of aromatherapy. Enter Persephenie Studio’s Arts, Objects, and Apothecary shop. For friends and family in search of holiday Zen, gift hard-to-find botanical oils, old-world incenses, body products, and other aromatic potions. To make an appointment, call 213-746-4430.
Photo: Andre Schnyder / Courtesy of Persephenie Studio
Whether she’s your shining star, your best supporting friend, or just an extra in the movie of your life, follow our lead to find her the right gift.
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