Sharp Studio greets customers with a glass of wine (photo: Julia Moak)
Tucked away among artists and creatives in the historic Pencil Factory building, Sharp Studio (61 Greenpoint Ave) is where Alex Ruano shapes, styles, and colors with his primary medium – hair. “I love doing men’s haircuts as much as women’s,” says Alex. “So I found a raw space that reminded me of old Soho, old New York and I wanted to design a space that isn’t overly feminine or masculine. It’s very neutral and comfortable. You feel like you’re going to a friend’s house, not a hair salon.”
After weaving through the ground level hall to Studio 107, you walk through black grand double doors to be met by a chic industrial interior with plush leather chairs, blankets, modern fireplace, and a study. Alex greets you with a glass of wine before he begins.
Plush leather chairs, fireplace, blankets, and cute dogs in Sharp Studio (photo: Julia Moak)
I went to Sharp Studio for a cut and color. “I want to do something drastic,” I told Alex but I wasn’t sure exactly what. After talking through what style I like, what goes with my face shape, and what would take the least amount of maintenance, we decided on a mid-length ash blond color. Continue reading →
Photo by Nadeem G. Salaam, taken at Plant Apothecary’s Office in Greenpoint
Meet the husband-and-wife co-founders of Plant Apothecary, Bjarke and Holly.
Holly McWhorter and Bjarke Ballisager, are a well rounded husband-and-wife team with backgrounds in architecture, journalism, and music. They started PLANT Apothecary back in 2012 when they saw an opportunity to promote healthy ingredients, environmental friendliness, and social responsibility. Starting with organic bodywashes, the line has since grown to include moisturizers, masks and more. We chatted with them to explore their current product line and what’s next for this dynamic conscious duo.
GP: Say I just stumbled blindly upon your company, how would you describe what it is you provide?
Holly: We’re an organic skincare and bath products company based in Williamsburg and Greenpoint. We also have multiple missions, environmental sustainability, social responsibility, [with] cool package design to whatever extent we can! We both [looks to Bjarke] have design and architecture backgrounds, that was a big part of where we came into this industry from.
GP: What was the local landscape of organic products when you entered the market?
Holly: At the time we started, about 5 years ago, there weren’t as many organic all-natural skincare products that were really straight forward with contemporary design focused on minimalism. It was either, we’re trying to sell you something luxury so you felt you were buying into the luxury life-style, or hippie centric, and either way, things were very status conscious, but we liked very straight forward products and packaging, so we created Plant Apothecary to fill the hole in the market.Continue reading →
For the past few seasons, I’ve been trying to up my accessories game. Naturally, I gravitated towards Catbird (219 Bedford Avenue) for its sweet little stack rings and I tend to wear my lovecats ring on the reg. Add some razzle dazzle to your spring looks with something shiny, pretty, or just so-good-for-you. Self care is a thing, you know. And that could involve diamonds, too.
Check out some bangin’ spring pick for some sparkle in your step with Catbird’s Spring arrivals. Continue reading →
Tomorrow (Sunday, March 26th, 1-3pm), swing by natural beauty store Brooklyn Groove(102B Nassau Ave) for a FREE holistic skincare consultation, make up consultation, goody bags plus wine and refreshments!
Certified herbalist and aromatherapist Dominique Carondrew from her personal battle against dry, reactive skin to create skin care line Apoterra, an all-natural, plant and mineral-based skin care and cosmetics line that is safe, nontoxic, and chemical-free.
Beauty bloggers have consistently lauded the simple chicness of the beauty products found in the French pharmacy. They have praised the scientific brilliance of the 10-step Korean skincare routine. Consider this the long overdue ode to Polish beauty products, abundant, affordable, and yet perhaps still mysterious to many Greenpointers. The Polish beauty ethos—apparent in the products—is stick to what works, and to do it as naturally as possible. Here is a sampling of are some of the most popular products from around the neighborhood, no passport needed.
Summer in Brooklyn is a glorious time. Rooftop parties! Backyard barbecues! And lots and lots of sweat. Sometimes it feels like, scrub as you may, staying clean in the city in August is a fool’s errand. Before you resign yourself to a swampy, sticky month, might I suggest Bialy Jelen? This odorless, colorless bar soap makes no promises. It will not make you smell like rare flowers, nor will it magically reverse the aging process. It’s basic in the best way and does the only job you need a soap to do—get you really, really clean. You can use this unassuming bar to wash your face, your body, and even your lingerie according to one Polish model. Continue reading →
From the outside, The Karcher is an unassuming, if not extremely charming-looking salon. But inside, past the hair parlor and through the back door the space opens up to a sunny back garden. Owner Nackie Karcher tells me she got married in the garden, and it’s clear why. The space, private and enclosed with climbing vines feels tucked away, a gorgeous little secret. And that’s exactly the vibe of The Karcher salon and spa itself. Continue reading →
Sometimes art doesn’t imitate life and it’s too bad because the winter wonderland we brought this year’s Greenpointers Holiday Marketwas so beautiful! Miss V put down her Mehndi tools for a few hours, picked up a can of blue spray paint, and revived her street art skills to create a dope backdrop decked out with hanging snowflakes, sprites, and a wintery landscape. The weather outside felt more like a brisk spring day but inside the gorgeous Greenpoint Loft, it was bustling with the holiday spirit and the smell of spices from our mulled wine wafted throughout. Continue reading →
ZALTZ is excited to participate in the Greenpointer’s Summer Market this Sunday, July 19th. They will be showcasing their first round of Formulas results from the Pop Up Bath Lab at Duke’s Annex!
ZALTZ is a laboratory where you can mix up a Custom Bath Formula using pure Dead Sea salts + a curated selection of all-natural Bath Elements. Zaltz has combed the Earth for the best ingredients and taken great care to make sure everything is ethically sourced so you can relax & enjoy your bath. Continue reading →
One thing Greenpoint isn’t short on is drugstores. That being said, there’s an ample selection of beauty products that give you a bang for your buck. Beauty can be luxurious, but it doesn’t always have to burn a hole in your wallet. After the jump are some of my favorite products. Continue reading →
(sponsored) Can you believe it has been one year since Brooklyn Groove (102B Nassau Ave) opened in Greenpoint? It’s been said that retail stores are disappearing and soon everything will be delivered by drones. This might is true for computer parts, but not for beauty products. Brooklyn Groove’s customers want to touch, smell, sample and talk about their skincare products with the added benefit of making friends at the store’s fun events. (Last time I checked drones are not BFF material.)
Brooklyn Groove sells the best quality beauty products because it searches for hard to find, organic, natural cosmetics. They knows your health is important to you, which is why they offer the most pure and unprocessed skin care products you can find anywhere. The selection is growing and now they carry the best organic lines on market such as: RMS Beauty, Vapour Organic Beauty, Dr. Hauschka, REN Skincare, CV Skinlabs, Sopwalla, 100 % Pure, S.W. Basic, Griffin Remedy, Ecobrow, Angel Face Botanicals, Meow Meow Tweet, Badger, Acure. And next week they will be receiving Intelligent Nutrients.
Celebrate Brooklyn Groove’s 1 Year Birthday this Saturday, November 15th. They will offer FREE mini facials with Dr. Hauscha products from 12-3pm. (Please book in advance.) Special guest Rachel Winard, the founder of Soapwalla, will be in the store talking about her inspiration for her organic skincare line after quitting her corporate job to start her own business. If you haven’t tried it, her natural deodorant is a bestseller!
And don’t forget the complimentary wine, free makeup consultations and real people.
Biały Jeleń Natural Soap, $2
