HudsonValleyGoodStuff

Allure Hair Salon in Highland: Cute small town salon, sweet stylists & a great haircut!

When I put out a call out for a hair salon in the Hudson Valley that would offer a Hudson Valley Good Stuff blogger girl a haircut, I received lots of suggestions from people on my Fan Page to call their favorite stylists, but Allure Hair Salon in Highland was the only one to contact me directly and offer me a complimentary cut for my rat's nest. I took a drive to the Historic Hamlet of Highland to find out who these nice angel hairstylists were!  

Allure Hair Salon is at 6 Main Street in Highland. (I have to confess it was my first time on Main Street, and I missed the turn twice!)  The salon is cute, and charming, and I felt relaxed as soon as I stepped in. Highland is a quiet place, and though there were a few other ladies getting their hair done, the salon was quiet. I think that is part of the reason why the haircut felt more relaxing than other haircuts I've had where music is blasting, and stylists are yelling across the room to each other. Allure Hair Salon is mellow, or was mellow when I was there.

My hairstylist Kayla gave me a perfect trim. I didn't want heavy bangs, though it is always tempting just to hide those pesky laugh lines. I instead opted for the my standard long wisps. (I didn't have a magazine photo for inspiration, but I liked how Kayla's whisps looked so I asked her to kind of copy her look). I liked the straight-up friendliness here, and no pretention or pushiness that you would find in Manhattan. I'm very happy with my new haircut! Allure Hair Salon has very reasonable rates, and they also offer the off-site up-do, blow-outs, haircuts, for weddings, special events, proms, etc.  Highland is about a 5 minute drive from New Paltz. 

Thanks Allure Hair Salon in Highland. You've got good stuff! Allure Hair Salon, 6 Main Street, Highland, NY 845-691-7973

Trends Hair Design Salon on the Rondout in Kingston: Trendy styles, cool vibe & friendly service!

After having my hair styled by Adrienne Nixon at the Goddess Girl Event a few months ago, I decided to go to Trends Hair Design salon in Kingston where she works to get my new Spring hair style today. I got a flurry of compliments afterwards!  A few people who had seen my pre-haircut mop in the morning did a double take. Yes, Adrienne must have chopped off a good 5 inches of hair!  

Trends Hair Design salon is a chic hair salon in the Rondout section of Kingston, with beautiful high ceilings, slick black chairs, and neatly lined Bumble and Bumble products. I showed Adrienne a magazine photo of what I had in mind, and she went with that and gave it a little extra sauciness by cutting it a little shorter in the back. I love my new do! Adrienne reports that the Spring weather always brings clients in who want to change their hairstyles for the Spring.  Being on the Rondout, she also gets quite a few walk-ins during the Summer who have just docked their boat in Kingston after having lived in their boat for months. They are ecstatic to find a salon on the Rondout. In fact, she has clients who she only sees once a year because they make their annual stop in Kingston by boat, and stop by for a little pampering before jetting off home or to their next port. Trends Hair Design, 29 West Strand, Kingston, NY. (845) 340-9100.

 

 

Goddess Girl Event with Tamme Stitt Photography: Massage, mimosas, make-up, glamorous hair & goddess photo session!

When your day starts with a mimosa and outrageous cupcakes, followed by a 30 minute massage, you know  it's going to be a great day. This is how my morning as a goddess at Goddess Girl Events with Tamme Stitt Photography started two weeks ago. My appointment was for 10:15 am. Shortly after I got there, two more newbie goddesses arrived, Alyson and Sarah. Christine Huber Sepesi, introduced herself as the meeter and greeter, and offered us mimosas. Later I met a Mother/Daughter Goddess Girls pair.  The daughter had surprised her mom with a morning of pampering and photography as a gift. Mom had no idea what was in store for her. Her daughter explained to us that she never had nice photos of her mom. Even when her mom was young, she was always behind the camera or posing with the children. What a great surprise gift!

Photographer Tamme Stitt offers these Goddess Girls Events once a month at different Hudson Valley locations.  On Sunday, February 26th we met at Vivian Photography's SPACE in Highland.   While I was still nursing my mimosa, a very toned Christine Spiezio, LMT, popped out of a room and asked me if I was ready for my massage. Sure! The mimosa helped calm my nerves, but the massage was very much needed. Christine Spiezio LMT, who specializes in sports massage and medicinal massage, gave me a wonderful back and neck massage.

Why would I be nervous about a morning of pampering you may ask? Well, I rarely wear make-up. In fact, I didn't even have a professional make-up artist or hair-dresser for my wedding. I'm just a wash-n-go no-fuss kind of gal. The only other time I had my make-up done was for a friend's indie music video shoot in a Greenwich Village bar in the early 1990s. I have nothing against make-up, I just never developed the urge to wear too much of it.

About 15 minutes after my massage, I was whisked upstairs to get my hair and make-up done. Gina Truhe, make-up artist and Adrienne Nixon (of Trends Hair Design) , hair stylist had their work cut out for them. I had absolutely no ideas about what my goddess look should be so I told them they could do whatever they wanted.  Tamme Stitt put her two cents in, and they voted to give me a 1940s Hollywood glam look. Adrienne and Gina worked on me at the same time. Adrienne curled my hair with a curling iron, sprayed it, curled it, pinned me with a million bobbie pins. During the whole make-over process, I was faced away from the mirror so I didn't get to see my new goddess self until they were done with me. I couldn't believe how different I looked! It took a few minutes to get used to this new vision in the mirror, but I loved the new look.

Jewelry designer Nicole Pagano of Creekside Adornings was on hand to style me, and helped me choose a few beautiful jewelry pieces and dresses. There was a good selection of vintage dresses all from size 1-18.  I wear a size 12-14 dress, but the red dress you see here is a size 5-6. They make it work with strategically placed safety pins. In one shot Nicole held the dress together behind me and ducked!  The beige gown was gorgeous and slightly loose on me, but it still worked well  though had I brought a bustier or an invisible bra it would have looked even better. (Goddesses do have the option of bringing their own special outfits from home, by the way).

I followed somebody to the beautiful room at SPACE for the photo session. It was so novel for me. I felt a bit awkward for the first 5 minutes as Tamme directed me into different poses. ("Can you put your arm up like that, and look towards the window? Oh, my God! Awesome!")  Tamme has a way of making you feel very comfortable, as if you are bestfriends.

The biggest challenge of the morning was silencing my inner critic during the photo shoot. Mine was saying, "Whoa! She is getting a bit too close. Wish it was summer time so my flabby arms could at least be tan. Should have gone to the gym last week. I feel so silly!" After a few minutes though, I just thought, "Oh, who cares anyway? It's just me! Better relax before it's all over so she can get a few good shots. I better enjoy this moment. Yes, I am a goddess!"   About 15 minutes into the shoot, Tamme asked if I wanted a few outdoor shots. I loved the idea, especially since it was in the high 40s, not that cold to go out in a sleeveless dress.  We went back in, I changed into the red dress, and posed for a few more shots. Around 1pm, Tamme said, "We're done!" and that was my Goddess Girl day. 

When my husband picked me up he told me "You look so different, it's eerie!" (He meant this in a Wow way). We had a nice lunch at Yanni's in New Paltz, and I noticed that a few passerbys smiled at me as I was still sporting my Hollywood glam hair.  Tamme only started Goddess Girl Event on a whim last year, and it has become very popular. The slots get booked quickly. She holds them once a month. The rate is $295, which includes the massage, make-up, hair styling, mimosas, and yummy snacks. Prints are extra, but can be ordered on her site. Makes a great gift for that special woman in your life.    Of course, you don't have to wait for a Goddess Girl Event, you can book a photo session with Tamme Stitt in her Kingston studio or at an off-site location. She does family portraits, engagement photos, pregnancy photos, kids birthday parties, weddings, boudoir, and just about anything in between.

I'm so happy that Tamme Stitt Photography invited me to be a Goddess Girl. It was a fun novel experience, and I walked away with beautiful photos of my made up self, and a new appreciation for make-up artists and hair stylists. I'm going to buy a curling iron and a new lipstick soon.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography by Tamme Stitt Photography & Goddess Girl Events!