Skincare Boot Camp
Devotées of Moroccan beauty Najia Rohlf refer to her ministrations as ‘getting Naj’d.’ Rohlf puts your skin through its paces, but the results are worth the, um, discomfort. (What’s beauty without a little pain?) “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 niche at this lovely little salon, which opened last summer. 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. “My accountant may not like that I don’t charge three hundred dollars for a single IPL session,” she says, “but my clients do.” Facials start at $100; consults for add-on treatments are free. As of press time, Najia was finalizing her new line of skincare products, which will be sold on Canada’s Shopping Channel.
Najia’s Esthetic Skin and Laser Center
157 Mamaroneck Ave, Mamaroneck
(914) 630-1118
Let’s Makeup and Shop
With more than 20 years of combined experience as makeup artists in the region, Kari Puckhaber of Pound Ridge and Dina Altieri of Rye joined forces to open their own place in October. KD Studio offers makeup for all occasions, including weddings, using Stila, Hourglass, and La Bella Donna cosmetics. Skincare lines include Darphin, Cor, Jurlique, and Ren. There is also a private room for spa services including facials (with former Best of Westchester-winning aestheticians Simi Roofeh and Robin Queen), waxing, and airbrush tanning. After beautifying yourself, pick up a few things to beautify your home: say, a colorful leather Moroccan pouf, a silvery cow-hide rug, John Robshaw and Dermond Peterson pillows, or antique furniture and vintage-inspired accessories. The shop also sells jewelry (Dogeared, Saundra Messenger, and C&S Jewelry); Vie Luxe and Joya candles; TokyoMilk and Love + Toast soaps; fragrances; and hand creams.
KD Studio
196 Katonah Ave, Katonah
(914) 301-5798
Eco-Friendly Spa
Now your organic regimen can include your spa treatments as well. O Day Spa claims to be the first truly organic spa to open in the county, using all certified organic products from the massage oils to the cotton linens for all spa treatments. In addition to facials, body treatments, and massages, the spa menu includes soy-based botanical hair removal and an eco-friendly paraffin alternative. Green shopping is made simple in its retail shop, which carries only natural and eco-friendly products. Massages start at $90; facials at $85 (you can even get a back facial, $135, or a mother-to-be belly facial, $110).
O Day Spa
434 White Plans Rd, Eastchester
(914) 652-7111
Join the Club
Here’s the deal: sign up for a one-year membership (there’s no enrollment fee) and get an hour-long massage every month for just $69. Need more love? You can have as many additional massages as you want for $59 for an hour; $84 for 90 minutes. Less love? Not to worry: massages “roll over” just like cellphone minutes. Choose from Swedish, sports, deep tissue, trigger point, hot stone, cranial sacral, prenatal, and geriatric massages; facials, too, for just $10 extra. Not a joiner? Then expect to ante up: $118 for an hour session after an introductory massage at just $59.
Massage Envy
777 White Plains Rd, Scarsdale
(914) 902-9200
WARNINGS TO HEED
Ironic side effects of popular beauty treatments
Latisse Warning Bypassing a doctor to get the lash builder Latisse at a discount could result in facial hair, discolored eyelids, and dark under-eye circles; probably not the look you were hoping for. The National Association of the Boards of Pharmacy, however, stress that Latisse is safe to use with doctor supervision. Still, even under a doctor’s care, it can permanently turn blue or hazel eyes brown.
Botox Backfires Excessive injections by an inexperienced practitioner actually can give you wrinkles. Paralyzing one set of muscles can cause another set to compensate as the face tries to figure out another way to make expressions. These new wrinkles most often appear across the bridge of the nose and are dubbed “bunny lines,” because of their resemblance to the wrinkles on a rabbit’s twitching nose—cute on bunnies, not so much on humans.
Nailed Next time you get a manicure, switch off the UV light and just let the fan do it’s thing. Seems dermatologists have made a connection between UV nail dryers and an increased incidence of skin cancer on the fingers.
Sun Block It might be wise to start checking your sunscreen for vitamin A and its derivatives, like retinol and retinyl palmitate. When mixed with sunshine, vitamin A can increase sensitivity to light and actually lead to tumors. Consumer Reports has blessed Target’s up & up Sport Sunscreen Continuous Spray SPF 30 and Aveeno’s Continuous Protection SPF 50 as safe and effective.
Don’t Use Shampoo
Skip the shampoo. That’s right—most shampoos are alkaline, stripping the natural oils and colors out of your hair, leaving a sticky residue behind, kind of like the soap scum in your tub. Ick. Meg Conkling, a stylist at Devachan (147 E Post Rd, White Plains, 914-397-1480) promises that if you use a gentle botanical cleanser instead—minus the sulfates, parabens, alcohol, silicon, etc.—you’ll notice a world of difference in your hair. “You only need to cleanse your scalp,” Conkling says. “Two times a week should be fine and use conditioner on your hair only. Respect the properties of your hair and you’ll keep it strong and natural.”
