Makeup Artist
Valerie Guglielmo
914.320.0944 | visavisartistry.com
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photo by Simone Hosang |
With more than 15 years of experience, this makeup maven knows a thing or two about making you look and feel beautiful—without caking it on. It’s no wonder, then, that she’s done it all—from New York Fashion Week to television, magazine covers, weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, red-carpet events, birthdays, headshots, reunions, or even just a glammed-up night on the town. But don’t be fooled: even though she carries every brush and shade of makeup imaginable, you’ll walk away wondering where it all went, while flaunting a flawless look. “It’s not screaming,” Guglielmo says of her style. “It’s you—but better.”
Personal Trainer
Helen Ansari of the Saw Mill Club
Mount Kisco | 914.241.0797 | sawmillclub.com
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photo by Cathy Pinsky |
Asked what differentiates her classes from others at the Saw Mill club, Helen Ansari has been known to quip that “they are longer, deeper, and harder.” And no one dares to even snicker at the innuendo from this statuesque former Miss Black America and breast cancer survivor. A typical exercise class might start out with this announcement: “Ladies and gents, say hello to your buttocks.” And say hello you will, to the point of near collapse. On Friday mornings when she has her popular modified restorative yoga class, people have to park at the Holiday Inn and hike back to the club. Restorative yoga packing in crowds in a health club? “Most athletes are too hard and thick in muscle to do yoga in its entirety,” she says. “They’re like clay that has hardened—they need to be patient to soften it. It’s like chiseling away at cement to clean up their stuff.” She applies the same approach to her private clients, many of whom come to her to carefully chisel the bad stuff away after recovering from serious illnesses and accidents. “I fuse yoga, cardio, and strength training, according to ability,” she says. “That’s my formula.”
Non Salon Hairstylist
Dale Clearwater
Cross River | daleclearwater.com
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photo by Cathy Pinsky - Advertisement -
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“I’m a Virgo perfectionist,” Dale Clearwater declares, which is a good thing if you’re looking for a precision cut. When she honed her craft in chichi Madison Avenue salons, cutting was approached as sculpture; styling products, rollers, and blow dryers an afterthought. Simple and streamlined is still her mantra: come in with clean hair, and leave with a cut you can style with your fingers. No blow-out, gel, or spray needed. If you’re lucky (and willing to trust her to cut without a mirror—the hairstyling equivalent to working without a net), she might even pull the chair out onto her patio for an alfresco session (her salon is in a former horse stable on an old estate, and the views are beautiful). “I cut every type of hair, but, for me, cutting curly hair is a joy,” says Clearwater, who has a glorious tangle of curls, left unabashedly gray, and a tiny diamond stud in one nostril. Devoted clients come from all over the region—including New York City. She is the soul of discretion, but word has it that she has shorn the tresses of a number of soap-opera stars, some serious dancers, and the wife of a major county heartthrob.
Massage
Juan Johnson
914.774.8157 | jj7smassage@hotmail.com
Juan Johnson learned the benefits of massage first-hand and at a very early age. Johnson was born prematurely, and his mother would massage him daily to help his poorly developed lungs. A graduate of the Swedish Institute, he went on to work at top health clubs, spas, and medical offices in the metro region. In his private practice, Johnson makes house calls, traveling to massage clients (including celebs and athletes) in their homes, offices, or hotel rooms. “I think performing massage well is about careful listening,” he says. “Ultimately, you have to bring more than your hands to the table in order to help comfort and heal.” Judging by his impressive roster of repeat clients, he certainly has succeeded. You can also find Johnson at Oasis Day Spa in Dobbs Ferry and O2 Living in Cross River.
Pilates Instructor
Doris Pasteleur-Hall at Body Wise Connection
Chappaqua | 914.238.8397 | bodywiseconnection.org
It takes a special type of business to offer cancer patients the gift of one-on-one Pilates sessions to help them regain range of motion and strength following surgery and other treatments. According to Joy Puleo, founder of Body Wise Connection, the not-for-profit’s mission is to show “there is strength in the face of adversity and that the body, even during illness, is resilient.” It also takes a special type of angel to work with patients with varying challenges and abilities. With 30 years of experience, Doris Pasteleur-Hall works you hard, but adapts exercises to make them easy to incorporate into everyday life. So, if you like yoga, she’ll work Pilates principles into your downward-facing dog. For those who wish to continue working with Pasteleur-Hall after the 10 free sessions, donation-based group Pilates classes are available (just pay what you can), along with private and semi-privates sessions.
Gym with a View
LizzFitness
Ossining | 914.502.0119 | lizzfitness.com
Big gyms have exercise machines, personal trainers, swimming pools—and all the ambience of a hamster maze. LizzFitness has Lizz Endrich and a friendly, supportive vibe. This lean, high-energy owner/trainer leads boot-camp-style classes in a large, light-filled space with windows on three sides looking out over the Hudson River. Here, working out isn’t a chore; it’s a joy. Endrich mixes exercises on her cutting-edge TRX suspension training system, which uses body mass for resistance, with moves on Bosu balls, mats, and kettle bells, all designed to improve strength, agility, and endurance. Small classes mean everyone gets personal attention from Endrich—not to mention nutrition tips and high fives at the end of the class.
Salon Hairstylist
Billy Galasso
at Billy’s of Mount Kisco
Mount Kisco | 914.666.9077 | billysofmtkisco.com
Billy Galasso has been clipping and coiffing hair in his eponymous salon since 1979, and some of his clients have been seeing him for decades. Now that’s loyalty! The shop has a warm, friendly vibe, and it’s a place where everyone seems to know your name.
Colorist
Nick Trombetta at Salon Maffei
White Plains | 914.428.3555 | salonmaffei.com
When you want run-of-the-mill color, you go to any old hairdresser—or to a bottle. But when you want rich, luxurious, customized-for-you color, artfully applied, you go to Nick Trombetta, previously creative artistic director at It&ly Hairfashion N.A. One of our favorite colorists, Best of Westchester winner Kathleen Troy, agrees. “I’ve seen Nick work, and I am very impressed,” she says. You will be, too.
Zumba
Christine Gonzalez at Belmars Fitness Studio
White Plains | 914.426.0359 | zumbacise.net
Getting in shape has never been this much fun. There are scores and scores of zumba instructors, so what makes Christine Gonzalez special? Ask her students. They fill up her classes week after week, shedding pound after pound—hardly a surprise when a typical session can burn up to 800 calories. Class always ends with a drill sergeant-style, eight-minute ab routine, and students can also enroll in a Biggest Loser-type program every three months, which includes weekly sessions, nutritional guidance, diet logs, and more.
Facials
Derma Glow of New York
North Salem | 914.338.7822
The term “facial” is a bit of a misnomer at Derma Glow; it’s just the beginning of a total head-to-toe experience. In between the creams and peels and masques on your face, you’ll get massaged on your scalp, upper arms and shoulders, décolleté, hands, and feet. We melt just thinking about it. Opened in March 2010 by identical twins Jennifer and JoAnna Sciarrino, the spa is as cozy and inviting as a friend’s front parlor and also offers body treatments, manicures, pedicures, and traditional and airbrush make-up applications for weddings and other special occasions.
Skincare Boot Camp
Najia’s Esthetic Skin & Laser Center
Mamaroneck
(914) 630-1118
najaiskincare.com
Wimps need not apply. Getting “Najia’d,” as devotees of Moroccan beauty Najia Rohlf refer to her ministrations, puts your skin through its paces, that’s for sure, but the results are worth the, um, discomfort. “Certainly, you can come here and get a nice, relaxing facial,” Rohlf says. “But that doesn’t fix the underlying problem.” And getting to the root of those problems is Najia’s mission: she incorporates lasers, intense pulsed light (IPL), peels, and microdermabrasion into her treatments to eliminate facial hair (“unacceptable”), diminish age spots and fine lines, and zap broken capillaries to kingdom come. Hey, no pain, no gain.
Makeup Shop (Plus)
KD Studio
Katonah
(914) 301-5798
What do you call a place where you can get a facial or spray-on tan, buy beauty supplies, have makeup expertly applied, or shop for a cute hostess gift or even a cowhide rug? KD Studio, of course, a new shop opened by Kari Puckhaber of Pound Ridge and Dina Altieri of Rye last October. The studio offers spa services by Best of Westchester-winning aestheticians; top-brand cosmetics (Stila, Hourglass, and La Bella Donna); and skincare products (Darphin, Cor, Jurlique, and Ren), along with an eclectic collection of gifts and home accessories. Multitasking at its best.
Wedding Hair/Makeup Artist
Ilise Harris
(914) 330-6606
iliseharris.com
You can trust Ilise Harris with your hair and face on your wedding day because you know that, when she’s done primping and prepping, you’ll still look like you. You with flawless skin, you with a perfect blush on your cheeks, you with your painstakingly grown-out locks falling naturally yet impeccably. Harris has perfected the effortlessly beautiful look in her 20 years in the biz, during which she’s worked with everyone from Anna Wintour to photographer David LaChapelle.
Blow-Out
James Deegan Salon
Dobbs Ferry
(914) 231-7174
A Manhattan-style blow-out—sleek, bouncy, sexy—is hard to come by in the Rivertowns, but this little salon delivers, and for under $50. We also love, love, love its signature scalp massage. Indulge yourself: book both.
Complete Skincare
SkinCentre Advanced Medical Aesthetics
Hartsdale
(914) 949-6200
myskincentre.com
This physician-run center does everything from facials to facelifts. It has the latest equipment to zap away unwanted hair, age spots, and spider veins; tighten necklines and tummies; and fill in furrows. So what makes SkinCentre different from all the other skincare centers out there? Let’s face it: when you are having lasers and knives pointed at your face and sensitive body parts, you want to know there’s always a doctor in the house. And the center’s director, cosmetic and laser surgeon Joseph Sozio, MD, and his staff of physicians are physically there—not just on call.
Skin Care Line
Crater Lake
Peekskill
craterlakecompany.com
Want some coffee and cake with your morning shower? Here’s a way to indulge without worrying about the calories. Crater Lake’s Zambian Coffee Body Scrub is made with authentic Zambian coffee; the Flutter Butter body cream is an ultra-rich but lightweight moisturizer. They both smell, well, good enough to eat. Crater Lake founder and Peekskill resident Sharonn Itliong learned about skincare from her family, growing up in the Philippines. Lucky us, she’s refined the old family recipes to create a line of irresistibly scented scrubs and lotions. Available at Beehive Co-op in Mount Kisco or at
craterlakecompany.com.
Laser Hair- Removal Specialist
Lisa Yozzo at The Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic and Laser Surgery
Mount Kisco
(914) 241-3003
thecenterforderm.com
Psst. The secret weapon of many A-list Westchesterites and beauty pros is Lisa Yozzo and her lasers. One client confides: “Lisa is amazing—my bikini line is a work of art! She makes you feel really sexy to be so soft and hairless—and let me tell you, women don’t feel sexy with hair on their faces, stomach, feet; men, with hairy backs and butts. Lisa just makes everyone feel like it’s no big deal and makes them so, so comfortable. And, in the long run, laser is the most cost-efficient way to remove hair—and keep it off.”
