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Beauty Dining Featured Health NYC

Makeup and Beauty Must-Haves for Summer 2021

Photo by Joseph Kellner on Unsplash

Whether you’re having a relaxing day at the park or a night out in New York City, these makeup and beauty products are absolute must-haves this summer! This is what’s in our summer beauty bag:

Danessa Myricks Colorfix Eye, Cheek & Lip Cream $18
Danessa Myricks
Colorfix 24-Hour Cream Color Matte in Phoenix

Whether you’re a pro or a beginner, Danessa Myricks, a fantastic black-owned beauty brand, has got you covered. Myricks plays with colors in such beautiful and fun ways, and one way to experience that is through her Colorfix eye, cheek, and lip cream. Talk about versatility! This incredible 3-in-1 can be as pigmented or as muted as you like. Try a shade like Phoenix to get that coveted summer glow all year round.

Hourglass Cosmetics Custom Eyeshadow Palette $39-$161
Photo by Hourglass Cosmetics

We absolutely adore Hourglass’s Custom Eyeshadow Palette. These beautiful luxury eyeshadows are extremely pigmented and apply onto skin smoothly. With this custom palette, you can choose from a 1 pan, 3 pan, or 5 pan palette. There is a wide variety of shades and styles to choose from, including matte, metallic, satin, and shimmer. When you finish a shade, you can reuse the pan by popping the empty tray out and putting a new shade in it’s place. In addition, all of Hourglass Cosmetics’ products are cruelty free and vegan.

Color Street Nail Polish Strips $11-$13
“Berry Sweet” Color Street Nails from Color Street Instagram

Tired of messy nail polish that takes forever to try? Meet Color Street Nail Polish Strips, the non toxic and mess free nail polish. They’re super easy to apply and have no dry time. Color Street has tons of colors and designs to pick from, and they’re always adding new designs to their website. For an inexpensive, but beautiful nail salon manicure, Color Street nails are the answer.

It Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara $25
It Cosmetics Superhero Mascara

Have you been in search of a mascara that lengthens and volumizes your lashes? Look no further than It Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara. Developed in partnership with plastic surgeons, this mascara has incredible results that last all day. It lifts your lashes while also separating them, for a beautiful, fuller lash line

Stila Glitter and Glow Liquid Eyeshadow $24
“Kitten Karma” Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow

For a glittery look that will last all day, Stila Glitter and Glow Liquid Eyeshadow is a must have this summer. With eleven gorgeous colors to choose from, this lightweight eyeshadow is perfect for a beautiful shimmery look that will make eyes pop.

 

For more summer beauty products, click here.

Categories
Dining Featured Nutrition Uncategorized

French Onion Soup, Downtown Style – and Gluten Free

Photo by sheri silver on Unsplash

French Onion Soup, Gluten-Free and Downtown Style

Fall is right around the corner, I say reluctantly, with marginally less of a tan than I had at this time last year. As much as I wish not to wish summer away, I am a sucker for fall. I am a cozy sweater fiend, a pumpkin patch regular, and a lover of fall comfort food. That’s why I took it upon myself to prepare the masses for the fall season with French onion soup – Downtown style.

This was my first time attempting this dish that I had only seen in ominous pubs and restaurants, but just never thought to try it. It didn’t help of course, that I have Celiac Disease which prevents me from having gluten and therefore the bready, hearty, decadent soup such as this one.

It wasn’t until I saw a TikTok of the dish being made that I decided I had to have it – and modify it to be gluten-free – regardless of the fact that it is July.

I gathered my nearest family members and got to work. My family is full of restaurant industry veterans, two of which helped me achieve such a task. We didn’t follow a recipe and just went with our gut!

Recipe

Here are the ingredients you will want to add to your grocery list:

  • 3 onions; one white, one yellow, and one sweet.
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • Beef broth (or bouillon)
  • 1 cup of Swiss
  • 1 cup of gruyere
  • Fresh thyme
  • 1 gluten-free baguette
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Butter
  • White wine (we used Riesling)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

 

The first task was to cut the onions. We used three variations; one white, one yellow, and one sweet. Slice them into slivers and toss them into a large pan on low heat. You’ll want this to be ideally large enough to house your whole soup. Prime your pan with a douse of EVOO and two pats of butter. Sweat and sauté the onions until they turn golden and completely caramelized.

Before
After

In a pot on the side, prepare your broth. You can use beef broth for this, but instead, we boiled water and added beef bouillon. Add more or less to taste. Throw in some fresh thyme.

Once your onions are decadently caramelized, add in 3 cloves of minced garlic, a pinch of salt, pepper, and sugar. Let this flavorful mixture combine before de-glazing the pan with a splash of white wine. We used Riesling.

Thyme for the broth, garlic for the onions.
Mince garlic
De-glaze with white wine.

Next, you’ll want to ladle your broth into the onion pan. This will help to gradually introduce flavors before you pour the rest in. Go ahead and do that now. Let your soup simmer while you prepare your other ingredients.

Ladle…
… and pour.

Slice your baguette on the bias at about one inch. We used one from Against The Grain, the brand I go-to for all of my gluten-free recipes that involve bread. The bread is made from tapioca starch and mozzarella cheese, so it mimics that glutinous stretchy texture. It’s delicious. Pop the pieces on a baking sheet and drizzle your olive oil over them. Bake until lightly golden and crispy.

Deceptively gluten-free.
Drizzle with oil

While you wait for your bread to toast, grate your Swiss and gruyere. Combine them in a separate bowl and set them aside.

Swiss and gruyere

Once the bread is out of the oven, rub a fresh-sliced clove of garlic to each face of every slice. This step is crucial and adds so much necessary flavor that really comes through in the end.

Rub toast with garlic

Ladle your soup into oven-safe bowls or ramekins, and top each with a few slices of bread. Work quickly as you can to avoid letting the bread sink into the soup. Top the ramekins with a generous helping of cheese. In hindsight, we could’ve topped ours with even more. Don’t be afraid to be generous.

Ladle in soup
Add bread
Top with cheese

Top each with more fresh thyme, and throw them back into the oven to broil for roughly five minutes.

Finish just in thyme – with thyme. 🙂

Take the bubbly bowls of love out of the oven and dig in. Find that the bread soaks up the rich broth and that the umami flavor of the cheese pairs wonderfully with the sweet onions. I hope you love this dish a much as I do, having had it for the very first time. I certainly don’t think it will be my last. Bon appetit, Downtowners!

Enjoy!

For more Downtown recipes, click here.

Categories
Culture Fitness Health Lifestyle NYC Wellness

Sets in the City: Moving the Gym to your Home

By Lalaina “Lala” Duncan

WHEN NEW YORK LOCKED DOWN FOR THE COVID-19 pandemic last year, I was on vacation and figured I could improvise until things lifted — which had to be in a few weeks tops, right? “Workouts in the sand!” I decided, taking advantage of my surroundings. And honestly, why wasn’t I already doing this? Even though I was supposed to be on vacation, I was still taking meetings for the gym and frantically scouring the internet for fitness equipment I could have delivered and ready when I arrived back home. Back in New York, my clients were all one step ahead of me, transforming their living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens into home gyms. They consulted me in the process:

Client: “Should I get the 15s or 20s or both?”

Me: “Obviously, both.”

Client: “I can’t find 15s but they have kettlebells, should I get those?”

Me: “Absolutely. We can do a lot with kettlebells.”

Client: “Now the kettlebells are sold out but they have a barbell, what do think?”

Me: “You have room for a barbell? Yes, get the barbell — but good luck finding plates for it, because it’s sold out everywhere I looked. You got the bands right?”

Client: “Yeah, those are coming this week.”

Me: “Perfect! Get the barbell and if you can, buy a landmine attachment. You can borrow plates from the gym. You’ll be good!”

As we spoke and they continued to revamp their home gyms, It was becoming apparent that this was going to be longer than a few weeks. I started strategizing with clients on how they could continue to train at home, which led to Live Virtual Training sessions via FaceTime or Zoom. I’m not going to lie, there was something exciting about this new venture. I was able to maintain some normalcy during this time and do it out of the comfort of my own home. From a trainer’s perspective, I relished the challenge of trying to provide a good solid training session for my clients with minimal equipment. “Okay, so we’ve got two mini bands, one long red band, two 20 pound dumbbells, a 26-pound kettlebell, and a yoga mat. I’m going to murder your legs. Happy Monday!”

 

Lala Duncan and Walter Savage photo by Alice Teeple

 

By the middle of summer, the novelty of minimalist training was wearing thin, and many of my clients were starting to install full gyms in their homes. One of my clients in the Hamptons turned her basement into a full gym that would rival any boutique fitness studio, while another client moved to a slightly bigger apartment on the Lower East Side just so that she could have a squat rack in her living room. But our training program never changed. No matter what, in the gym or at home, on Mondays we squat. And as my client, Rachel, says to me, “No problem, let me move the chaise lounge to make room for my new squat rack.” As a strength coach and trainer, this can be better than hearing “I love you” for the first time from a new beau.

Now here we are a year later, and no one can predict what the future holds as the world starts to “open up.” What I can tell you is that in Manhattan and across the world, women are taking their health, fitness, and strength into their own hands. A lot of my clients have expressed to me that they now feel more comfortable strength training at home because there’s less intimidation than being in a crowded gym. And they feel confident that when gyms do fully re-open, they can walk up to the squat rack, adjust the height, load the plates themselves and lift like a boss. The conversations I used to have with my girlfriends and clients about handbags, clothes, and shoes have now turned into “Hey, what do you think if I bought a trap bar, do you think I’ll use it?” My answer? “Abso-freaking-lutely!”

Categories
Beauty Fashion Featured Health NYC

Head to Toe in This Summer’s Must Have’s

Photo by Apostolos Vamvouras on Unsplash

Summer’s Must Have’s

The summer might be halfway over (to our dismay) but this season’s trends are steadfast. This summer’s best brought back color into our lives and a nostalgic sense of playfulness that evoked a time of yesteryear. Here are some of the best trends to come out of this season. Are they here to stay?

From Head…

Undeniably, the most resounding hairstyle of the summer and potentially the year is the ever-so-versatile and practical claw clip look. It’s practical, adorable, easy to do, and perfect for any occasion.

Photo from Lauren Nicole

Try a clip like this one, by Valet:

Valet Camila Clip in Green $125

 

Another recurring hairstyle of the summer and one we will see into fall is the ever-so-romantic tousled-down do’s complemented by mini braids. Think Gabriella Wilde in Endless Love (2014).

Endless Love (2014)

 

Silk scarves have to be one of the more timeless, effortless, and versatile wardrobe staples. This summer, untie the scarf top and wrap it around your head instead. This is the chicest accessory and will complement everything from your bikini and linen button-down to your LBD. Try one like this, by Malaika Apparel:

 

Photo by Malaika Apparel

 

… to …

Canary yellow has fluttered around like a canary this summer, flying itself into every piece it can this season. Swimwear is no exception! This delicious scrunch one-piece is sure to complement every skin tone and silhouette. Wear it to brunch and venture to the pool or shore afterward in this colorful number by Reina Olga. 

Reina Olga

 

Your one piece needs a skirt to go with it, of course! Knit patterns are all the rage this summer. Take a page out of the 1970s book and get your hands on this reimagined trend before it’s too late. This Mika skirt from Dodo Bar Or is the perfect poster child.

Dodo Bar Or

 

No, believe it or not, this ring did not come from one of those bubbles out of a Walmart toy vending machine. Instead, it is one of the million rings of the summer. The bigger, brighter, and more edible-looking, the better.

Emma Chamberlain on Instagram

This one from La Manso, a chunky ring trailblazer, is a great place to start – that is if you haven’t already.

La Manso

… Toe.

Compliment the mule you have in a rocks glass in your hand with mules on your feet. These baby blue ones by Ferragamo are *chef’s kiss*. Slip these on with your chicest wide-leg jeans or a with your best cocktail dress – to stay on theme, of course.

Salvatore Ferragamo

 

Vogue said it best in the latest August issue, “The New Bags (and boots and belts and baubles) are graphic, oversized, textured, lucky, and perhaps strangest of all: perfectly useful.” As told by these Khaite sandals that check most of the above boxes. Perfectly comfortable, flattering, on the nose, and available in three transitional shades.  

Khaite Alba Sandals

 

Our hearts swell for these woody logo-print canvas slides by Chloe. Picture these at a farmer’s market in upstate in New York, or on the streets of picturesque Positano. Wherever they transport you, these slides are everything.

Chloe slides

Soak up the sun and the remaining time to rock the summer’s best! Unless of course, they’re here to stay…

For more Downtown style, click here.

Categories
Beauty Featured Health NYC

LA VIE BASTIDE with world-famous hairstylist

Frederic Fekkai, Shirin Von Wulffen, photographer Antoine Verglas

World-famous French hairstylist and entrepreneur

IN LIFE, WE’RE OFTEN CONFRONTED with choices. But sometimes, it’s the ones we don’t love that lead us back to a road already traversed, only to find a new path that blooms at every step. Such was the journey of Provence-born Frédéric Fekkai, a beauty industry luminary, thought leader, entrepreneur, hairstylist to Hollywood sirens, and environmental advocate.

While FEKKAI is a name synonymous with luxury — emanating from every facet of the global brand — luxury to the man behind it is far from what you’d expect. “One of the most luxurious things in the world to me,” he explains, “is not having a logo. It’s about wellness, a way of life, a guide on how to live your life well. To live it elegantly, by being cautious and careful, and attentive to everything that you do.” And he has. In 1989, Fekkai opened a salon atop New York City’s pinnacle of style, Bergdorf Goodman.

By 1995, he was a pioneer of innovation and creativity, launching the first hair care line to be based on skincare technology. “Very often hair care is lagging behind skincare and food,” he explains of his endeavor to elevate the product. It worked. “All of a sudden my brand was sitting next to La Mer, Estee Lauder, and Chanel.” A 10,000-square-foot flagship salon on 5th Avenue followed: the ultimate test of success. By 2008, Fekkai sold the company yet stayed on as a consultant. “Financially, it was a great reward, but emotionally it was not,” he says.

 

Frederic Fekkai, photographer Antoine Verglas

 

30-year-old heritage brand that Fekkai

 

As time progressed, Fekkai became restless. “I wanted to be an entrepreneur again, I wanted to be active,” he recalled. It took a visit back to his hometown of Aix-en Provence—where he now shares a home with his wife Shirin Von Wulffen, a former fashion publicist— to realize what his return would look like. In 2015 the couple acquired Côte Bastide, a now 30-year-old heritage brand that Fekkai had previously worked with. “We fell in love with the romance of the brand. It was artisanal — the label was written by hand with a fountain pen.

Everything was eco-friendly and produced by local artisans with generations of savoir-faire,” says Fekkai. They shortened the name to Bastide —which means “country house” in southern France. “This idea of a bastide really drew us,” explains Von Wulffen. “It’s a home, where you hear laughter, smell cooking, and you see families enjoying themselves. It’s this idea of living a really good life. We call it la vie bastide, as in ‘the sweet life of Provence.’”

 

Frederic Fekkai, & Shirin Von Wulffen, photographer Antoine Verglas

 

Today, the brand continues to celebrate

 

To keep to the brand’s artisanal, sustainable ethos and expand it even further, the couple reformulated everything to be as green as possible, growing importance in their lives. For Von Wulffen, the “a-ha” moment, she says, came when they had kids. “We wanted to make sure everything we put in our home was clean, that it was good for them.” Fekkai adds, “When we were in the South of France, we realized people were so ahead of us.

They were so careful with the ingredients they would select, buy, and consume. And not just for food, but for health and beauty too. I thought to myself, ‘Wow, that’s the way life should be.’ So, it really triggered and accelerated that desire to create products that would be modern, chic, and sustainable.”

The couple worked with talented designer Pierre Jeand’heur to recreate their product packaging to reflect the beauty of Provence. After a beautiful but off-the-mark first attempt, they invited him and his team to experience the region for themselves, and to understand why the most incredible painters, from Picasso to Van Gogh and Cezanne, all gravitated to the light in the South of France.

By the next try, the team nailed it, choosing a bright terracotta hue — the same shade of the couple’s home — as the branding color. “When you’re walking through the town of Aix, you have the same feeling that you would have when you’re opening something from Bastide,” explains Von Wulffen. Today, the brand continues to celebrate artisans, honor tradition, and offer products that exude l’art de vivre.

From soaps made of the purest olive and coconut oils to handmade candles, fragrances, and creams, Bastide’s natural essence is intoxicating.

 

Frederic Fekkai, Shirin Von Wulffen, photographer Antoine Verglas

 

By 2018, Fekkai was restless again. “I realized that my brand FEKKAI was not relevant or modern anymore, and my name was on the bottle.” He bought it back, and by 2020 launched the first-ever collection of salon-grade products made with clean, plant-derived ingredients. He worked with specific chemists to ensure each formula was vegan and completely toxin-free, avoiding all silicones, parabens, phthalates, and sulfates.

Every bottle in the collection is made with 95% high-grade repurposed plastic and is 100% recyclable. “What we’ve done is an extension of our thoughts on consumption and how we want to live,” stated Fekkai. “Bastide is, I would say, a celebration of life and home, and FEKKAI is a celebration of beauty and confidence.”

Categories
Beauty Business Featured Health

Downtown Q&A: Celine Kaplan and Amy Focazio

Photo by Stephane Baunach

Meet the fierce duo taking the NYC public relations world by storm. Celine Kaplan is a PR pioneer and founder of her own luxury boutique agency, CKPR. By her side is her managing partner, Amy Focazio; a maven in her own right. Focazio has over 20 years of public relations experience, 16 years at Estee Lauder, and 12 at M.A.C. Cosmetics.

CKPR has had to evolve with the times, modernizing and rebranding to better suit today’s climate. For instance, they partner with influencers, an important facet of the public relations world. The agency’s current clients include Ladurée, Orveda, Clinique La Prairie, and Le Bon Marche Rive Gauche, to name a few (no biggie). 

These two close friends and business partners might have different approaches to business. However, get a glimpse of their synergy, and you might find that these two great minds think alike.

Meet Celine

Downtown: What brought you to the US?
Celine Kaplan: As A French woman – it was a love story of course… then I fell in love with NY…

DT: How did you get started in your industry?
CK: I started in the art world arriving in NY — then realized I needed to pay bills and worked at AIR FRANCE for the Terminal One project in public relations- that is when I realized the power of the press.

My passion was beauty and fashion so I was able to start working for Bourjois and Eres (part of the Chanel Company Limited). [This] lead me to open my own boutique agency with Eres, Laduree, and The Webster…to name a few.

DT: What is the most difficult thing to accomplish in public relations when you have a new client?
CK: TRUST. PR is a long-term investment and clients need to know that you will absolutely do what is right for the brand but it takes time… Even if it is saying NO to certain opportunities.

DT: Do you find it more difficult to get products covered in print than online?
CK: Print for sure… the print publications have a limited amount of pages, that’s all.

DT: Do most brands prefer online advertising?
CK: Brands LOVE both and always want it all. Our clients are luxury so print is still major.

DT: What industry is most prominent for the brands that you work with at your agency?
CK: At the moment, beauty and lifestyle. Fashion post-COVID has been more challenging.

DT: What is it like to work with a partner? Furthermore, what strength differentiates you from your partner, and vice versa?
CK: It’s the best tool and weapon…to ideate, to share, to negotiate… Amy and I have been friends for over 20 years. We have the same taste and understanding for luxury but very different strengths.

Amy is Type A so everything needs to be perfect. She comes from a corporate background and is methodical, strategic, laser-focused on the details, a natural leader…. and she has a wicked sense of humor! I will let her answer about my strengths.

DT: What do you look for in new clients?
CK: I always say if I already bought your product I can do a good job… I guess it’s called Sex appeal.

DT: Who inspires you most?
CK: Women in general – collectively… wives, mothers, lovers, businesswomen all at once. It’s impressive.

DT: What do you hope to achieve by this interview with Downtown Magazine?
CK: World fame and recognition… kidding. New business leads would be great of course.

DT: What is your favorite place in Lower Manhattan?
CK: Laduree, The RealReal, Bode, the Frankie Shop, The Brant Foundation, The Swiss Institute, The Whitney… not in that order.

DT: Where do you go to relax in NYC? Downtown?
CK: Well, I am lucky enough to have one of my close friends who is a chef founder, and owner of Left Bank and rotisserie chicken Poulet Sans Tete in the West Village… and it is my home away from home.

Biking, running, walking near the Hudson is always calming and relaxing. [As for] Uptown, I love The Mandarin Hotel spa and The MET.

Photo by Stephane Baunach

Meet Amy

Downtown: How did you get started in your industry?
Amy Focazio: I have always loved fashion and beauty. When I was 13 I had a pipedream and wanted to be a model…. I’m 5’4 mind you. Let’s just say that didn’t work out! Right out of college my sister kicked off her career in Fashion Public Relations. As soon as I was handed my diploma I beelined it for NYC and interned at her PR agency. The rest is history.

DT: Where did you go to university?
AF: Ithaca college. I grew up in New Canaan and love nature. Ithaca is beautiful, but the winters are brutal.

DT: What is the most difficult thing to accomplish in public relations when you have a new client?
AF: We have launched a lot of new brands and it takes time to build awareness. Managing expectations is the first thing that comes to mind, but when the brand finally takes off there’s nothing more satisfying for us. It’s the best feeling. Also, PR really needs to be a long-term relationship, not a one-off.

DT: Do you find it more difficult to get products covered in print than online?
AF: Yes, but having longstanding relationships with the press certainly helps.

DT: Do most brands prefer online?
AF: That would be a yes. For luxury brands, seeing their product in the glossy pages of a magazine is still important.

DT: What industry is most prominent for the brands that you work with at your agency?
AF: So many… Beauty, Fashion, Home, Hospitality, Travel.

DT: What is it like to work with a partner? Furthermore, what strength differentiates you from your partner, and vice versa?
AF: Celine and I are polar opposites. Her head is in the sky. She’s very creative and impulsive, imaginative, a master networker. Organization is not her strength but it all gets done… Her sense of humor is through the roof. We laugh all day long.

DT: What do you look for in new clients?
AF: Celine and I share the same philosophy…. We have to love the brand, [and] want to buy it. We can’t promote a brand to the press and consumers if we don’t believe in it. It’s also important that they are cognizant [of] the issues we face today. It’s important to consumers that brands are responsible.

DT: Who inspires you most?
AF: People that are not afraid to speak out about important issues. Who use their voice for the greater good. It’s beyond inspiring.

DT: What do hope to achieve by this interview with Downtown Magazine?
AF: Fame, fortune, and glory…. All joking aside, I love Downtown Magazine and I’m excited that we’re doing this. Of course, new business opportunities would be great.

DT: What is your favorite place in Lower Manhattan?
AF: Of course Ladurée. I’m a vegetarian and the vegan eggs and croissants are to die for. My husband is French and Lucien always makes him happy. The Warm Store in Nolita and New Museum is always a go-to for me.

DT: Where do you go to relax in NYC? Downtown?
AF: I lived in Tribeca for a long time and my sanctuary was going to the Hudson River. I love to be near water… it’s calming. As Celine and I have been friends for 20 years we share a lot of the same friends. Our friend who is the owner and chef of Left Bank restaurant in the West Village is like family. We go regularly … it has a great vibe. ★

For more Downtown Q&A, click here.