Haircut and Color Transformation at Elite Hair Studio & Spa

I was long overdue for a haircut and color appointment, and had recently gotten my hair makeover at Elite Hair Studio & Spa. It's hard to believe that I haven't gotten my haircut since last October! Originally I had a hair appointment at the end of March, but then the pandemic hit and everything shut down. 

Elite Hair Studio & Spa had taken many precautions to ensure my visit was a safe one. As soon as I walked in, they took my temperature and asked me to wash my hands. They also provided me with a new mask to wear (which I kept on the whole time with the exception of taking my before and after pic). They also have a very spacious studio, with a separate area for color services and haircuts. There are also large plexiglass panels separating each chair, and plenty of space for social distancing. I also felt at ease because it wasn't crowded there either. 

For my color treatment, my hairstylist and colorist Agnes walked me through a color consultation, and I ended up choosing warm, caramel balayage highlights. Then we went right into trimming my hair, followed by the color process. 

Next at the shampoo station, I love how there is an adjustable footrest, and a warm towel was placed at the back of my neck for a more relaxing experience. Wella ColorMotion+ Color Protection Shampoo was used on my hair, followed by the hair toner, and a deep conditioning / luxe hair massage with Wella ColorMotion+ Moisturizing Color Reflection Conditioner.

Then it was time to move over to the haircutting station to finish up my haircut with layers, followed by a blowout with curls. What a change! My hair was not only lighter in color but also in weight, as I had about six inches cut off my hair. It is a lot more manageable, and hopefully I won't have to wait another year before getting my haircut or highlights touched up! This was also the first time I got balayage highlights, which should have less maintenance as my highlights grow out, with the roots less noticeable and hair maintaining a more natural look. The total process of my cut and color appointment took 4 hours. My balayage hair is more noticeable if you look at the back of my hair, and with curls it really shows the color beautifully.  

A big thank you to Agnes for doing an amazing job on my hair, and to Martha Mehlman, creative director and owner of Elite Hair Studio & Spa and her team for collaborating with me and having me at the studio! 

 My cut, color & styling session is valued at $350, and you can find all pricing on elitehairstudio.com. If you plan on getting any color treatments, they have special on Tuesdays for 20% off hair color services. They are also running Black Friday specials on products and services through 11/30/20. You can also find more specials on their website promotions page as well as Facebook. Elite Salon & Spa also has amazing facial treatments. Check out my blog post on the Sothys Energizing Intensive Treatment Facial I experienced at their spa.

Hair transformation with warm, caramel balayage highlights

My 'before hair look, with super long hair, uncolored hair

Spacious hair color studio 

Shampoo / conditioning station

Hair cutting studio

- Kim Weling

Droid Incredible 4G LTE by HTC Launch at Paul Labrecque Salon and Spa

On July 10th, I attended the launch of the Droid Incredible 4G LTE by HTC at the Paul Labrecque Salon at 171 East 65th Street.

I was introduced to key features, including access to Verizon Wireless' lightening fast 4G LTE network, Beats Audio™ integration and HTC Sense™ 4 paired with Android 4.0. My favorite feature is he 8MP camera, that can take pictures while simultaneously recording 1080p HD video with the rear-facing camera. You can also video chat with the VGA front-facing camera. I also like the sleek design, with a 4" LCD screen.

Here's a demo of the Droid Incredible 4G LTE by HTC

Guests enjoyed complimentary manicures, haircuts, and blowouts.

After my demo, I chose Essie's Mint Candy Apple polish for my manicure and got a fabulous cut/blowout. Paul Labrecque and his team are super-friendly, and their services are superb. I really appreciated that my stylist, Mia, took the time to provide me with a cut/blowout, even though the event was almost over. Aside from the salon, there are also spa, barber and apothecary services. You can learn more at paullabrecque.com and check out their full menu of services.

Thanks to my stylist Mia for a my fabulous cut/blowout!

- Kim Weling

Cut and Blowout at Cutler Salon

Last week I had an amazing cut and blowout at Cutler Salon at 47 West 57th Street, 2nd floor, between 5th and 6th Aves. This was my first visit to Cutler Salon, although I remember a few years back Cutler provided complimentary blowouts at the Billion Dollar Babes sample sales and my hair always came out looking fabulous. Cutler is also well-known for their hair styling at some of my favorite fashions shows, including Betsey Johnson, Vivienne Tam, Carlos Miele and Reem Acra Spring 2012 shows.

For my hair visit, Mary started off with shampooing and conditioning my hair with Redken Body Full products. I've been using Redken products for years, so that's another reason why I chose to go with Cutler.

My hair stylist, Emma, really listened to what I wanted to do with my hair. I wanted to keep my long locks, but add some layers to it to give it some body and definition. After the cut, I got my hair blown out straight so I could see where the layers hit as well as the movement of my hair.

Emma gave me a great styling tip I've been using every day. One of my main concerns is taming flyaways without flattening my hair. Since I use styling creme, she recommended I squeeze a small amount of styling creme into the palm of my hand and spray hairspray into it, mix it together and pat onto my hair. That actually works perfectly! It keeps flyaways in check without flattening, weighing down or adding a oily or greasy effect.

Cutler has some great styling products of their own, including straightening cream, curling cream, Cutler specialist shine tattoo, protectant treatment spray and volumizing spray.

Men's and women's cuts range from $90-200 with other locations including SoHo (465 West Broadway), Park Avenue (420 Park Ave South) and Miami (2377 Collins Avenue). I definitely plan on going back to Cutler for my next cut. My cut/blow out is priced at $110, which is definitely affordable in NYC. I also got my hair cut at lunchtime, so I was able to quickly get there and get back to the office without anyone noticing I was gone.

So next time you look for a new salon to get your hair cut, aside from location and price be sure to research what products they use, their environment and their body of work. I was happy with all of the above! Thank you to my fabulous hair stylist Emma, Mary and Cutler Salon!

Cut and blowout at Cutler Salon

- Kim Weling