I had a hard time locating a good haircut I could afford when I moved to New York; everyone was either off-the-charts expensive, or wouldn’t let me choose exactly what haircut I wanted, or just plain scared me. Like you, I’m pretty picky about who cuts my hair and how they cut it. I want it done right. And I don’t want to have to forfeit two weeks’ worth of groceries for it.

Enter the Aveda Institute. The Institute trains hairdresser, colorists, and aestheticians, and to help them learn, they provide low-cost haircuts, facials, and other spa treatments to clients under the watchful eye of an instructor. Unlike some training programs for hairdressers, Aveda allow clients to choose exactly what haircut they’d like. I brought pictures and was thoroughly pleased with the results.

And best of all, treatments use Aveda products, which are manufactured using natural ingredients from sustainable and organic sources and “green” power (100% wind power). So you can look pretty and feel good about what you’re contributing to society and the environment.

Expect the haircuts and treatments to take longer than most – one to two hours for a haircut – and book the appointment weeks in advance.

Aveda Institute New York
233 Spring Street at Sixth Avenue
A/C/E to Spring Street
212.807.1492
Call for appointment

Pretty, Thrifty | Email | Print | //

Eschewing the indistinguishable mordern aesthetics of a drugstore – including the word “drugstore” – Bigelow Chemists makes shopping for toothpaste or a hairbrush a complete joy, especially for the modern girl. It’s a real live old-timey apothecary, carrying modern products in a vintage space. You’ll feel you’ve stepped into a black-and-white 40′s movie as the elegant woman with tortoiseshell hair combs. Indeed, Bigelow Chemists is the oldest drugstore in the United States, harkening all the way back to 1838.

Bigelow carries their own brand of beauty items, including the ever-popular lip glosses, facial creams, masks, hair products, and hand and foot care. They peddle a host of other lovely toiletry lines, including Bumble & Bumble, Bliss, Frederic Fekkai, and many others. Try some new brand-name makeup at the stands around the counter.

And they do sell those tortoiseshell hair combs, along with barrettes and other hair accessories, Mason Pearson hairbrushes, cosmetic boxes, toothbrushes, and umbrellas. You can find Diptyque candles, homeopathic remedies, and novelty scarves. And if it’s something simple you’re after, there are rows ands shelves of modern drugstore brands and over-the-counter medications. Bigelow also has a full-service pharmacy in the back.

So go ahead. Pamper yourself a little. And enjoy the old-time New York feel.

C.O. Bigelow Chemists
414 Sixth Avenue, at West 9th Street
A/B/C/D/E/F/V to West 4th Street
Monday-Friday 7:30am – 9:00 pm
Saturday 8:30 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
212-473-7324

Fancy, Pretty, Shop | Email | Print | //

Dying to get the celebrity spa treatment without the haute spa attitude? Tired of being shamed if your feet and bikini line are not up to snuff? Itching to be beautiful without harming our world and ourselves? Well, the environmentally-minded girl on the run can take a long, sweet pause at priti, an organic, non-toxic spa.

I try to avoid spas as much as humanely possible. From getting a hard-sale twenty-minute product pitch while flutes whistle in the background of my allegedly relaxing facial, to snickers at my non-perfectly coifed bikini line, to being herded between treatments like cattle, New York City spa visits have become akin to expensive Chinese torture. Until I discovered priti – a snug haven in the midst of the heavily trafficked, hip East Village. Owner and former fashion model/fashion photographer Kim D’Amato’s vision is simple: to support purveyors of organic products and to reduce chemically produced products, which are harmful to the environment, not to mention ourselves.

My kind of woman, and my kind of spa.

[Read more →]

Fancy, Pretty, Relaxin' | Email | Print | //

If you’re jetting about on autopilot, you very well might miss Sympathy for the Kettle, a magical oasis in the uber-hip East Village where the vibe is decidedly rock and roll. This teeny haven serves up a smattering (150+) of organic, free-trade, and luscious mix-brewed teas in teapots from the dainty to the Orient. Don’t be deceived by the softly-lit wire lamps, serene pink walls, and the display cases filled with whimsical china cups, sterling silver tea strainers, and aficionado books – owner, Jodi Holiday, stocks up whimsy alongside a rock and roll edge (from the tattoos to the Page and Plant blaring from the stereo).

But the teas are nothing short of divine. Holiday serves up the classic mainstays: earl grey, english breakfast, however, she’s creative, much like an obsessed French perfumier, creating new blends such as a Provencal blend of black teas and lavender. Customers have a choice of kettle teas, healing teas (infused with date, ginger citron or quince) or their famous honey/green tea lattes.

While the majority of their teas are from China, Sri Lanka, Japan, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, and emerging Rwanda, Kettle also offer herbs from South Africa, Argentina, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, France and the United States (including ginseng from Wisconsin and organic peppermint from Oregon).

So if you’re interested in proper tea with an edge, visit this favored East Village haunt where the teas and homemade treats (palmiers, scones) never fall short on flavor.

Sympathy for the Kettle
109 St. Marks Place
New York, NY
212-979-1650

Famished, Fancy, Pretty, Relaxin' | Email | Print | //

Let it be known that I’m not privy to unnecessary, pricy pampering. My home is my day spa with my do-it-yourself facials (oatmeal and mint) and back massages replete with wooden spoons and lavender oil. However, after a week of the city’s torrential rain and a hectic schedule that simply hasn’t let up, I broke down and slipped into one of my favorite girl spots in the city: Rescue Beauty Lounge. And besides, it was a Friday and what better way to hail in the weekend with a lux manicure pedicure session. Evian bottle war, organic Dr. Hauschka products, et all.

[Read more →]

Pretty, Relaxin' | Email | Print | //

After months locked indoors, slaving on my debut book, my face having grown used to the phosphorescent glare of the laptop screen, believe me ladies when I tell you that these had become precarious times for my pores. And on one particular Sunday, it was absolutely necessary, if not mandatory, that this over-worked writer, who found herself screaming Serenity Now! Serenity Now! in her apartment, lay supine on a quilted table, getting my face lathered in creams that smelled of banana and juniper, blackheads extracted, and a good talking to (more like a kick in the pants) from Shatelle, my esthetician, on the state of my scary skin-care regime.

[Read more →]

Fancy, Pretty, Relaxin' | Email | Print | //

I must confess that I am a low-maintenance gal. I don’t go in for the expensive pomades and creams made from the underbelly of sea urchins, or other such pricey concoctions that cost upwards of hundreds of dollars for miniscule jars. Nor do I buy my clothes from the creme de la creme of boutiques, however, I’d rather eat pasta out of box for weeks on end than miss an appointment at Antonio Prieto Salon. Although at any given day you may be seated next to Marissa Tomei, Zac Posen or Amanda Peet getting their coifs tended to, sipping herbal tea in the coloring station, or spot the hottest models that grace the pages of Vogue getting colored, the Antonio Prieto Salon, is completely free of pretension. A veteran stylist to the stars with over two decades of experience, Antonio firmly believes that every customer is a star: “We’re not into intimidation or over-priced style. Rather, our colorists and creative haircutters provide the service and personal attention that clients deserve, all in a friendly atmosphere.”

[Read more →]

Pretty | Email | Print | //