Food & Fun finds from my trip to NYC!

34th Street Herald Square is the center if it all. Macy’s where I used to work early on in my beauty & fashion career is THE place to stop. It is their flagship store where it all began. You know it from the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade.

The one and only Macy’s 34th Street

Macy’s has so much to offer from beauty, to fashion to fabulous food and drinks! There is something for everyone!

They evdd we n have their own Merch shop as well as I Love ❤️ NY gifts and fun finds.

Seventh Avenue and around the corners is Fashion Ave. You’ll see all kinds of businesses and racks of fresh made clothing and boxes of handbags and shoes zipping in and out of the street into the buildings. This is where a lot of the fast fashions are made! It also where up and coming designers get discovered.

If you are a creative spirit and like to make things and see… on these streets by Macy’s you’ll see the Garment districts novelty suppliers. They will even sell to you if you have the money. From sequins, glitter, to decorative ribbons and the most amazing and unique buttons and more! You just have to explore!

This district and shopping in the different neighborhood boutiques and stores in Soho, the Village and other shops in downtown NY. You’ll have a ball! Just give yourself time to explore!

Uptown is yet another Mecca of shopping and fashionable fun. There’s even a thrift store that is filled with designer clothing and accessories. NYC has the most amazing shopping.

This area of NY is where you might even bump into Sarah Jessica Parker as Sex and the City shoots there and she lives in the area.

A trip uptown cannot be complete without a stop at Bloomingdales Dept. store where I worked in the cosmetics department. You never know who you might see visiting the store. I’ll never forget seeing one of my first celebrities. Actor Sylvester Stallone of boxing 🥊 movie fame stopped to shop my cosmetic counter and had a few haircare questions. It was pretty exciting.

Chinatown is yet another section of NYC you need to visit. Send Chinatown some ❤️ LOVE. They need your business. It is “lit” right now with so many new eateries, bakeries, drink spots and delicious street vendors.

No one does dumplings 🥟 like Chinatown!

Chinatown gift shops, decor and more is yet another reason to shop there. So many unique things.

By the way, actors George Clooney and Brad Pitt have been there in Chinatown shooting a movie! I’m a fan!

The “Hells Kitchen” area is home to some awesome places to shop and eat. One of my favorites in the area is The legendary Little Pie Company bakery. Never disappoints.

As you can see I always fit in time to taste and enjoy all the city has to offer when I guest speak at spa bad wellness shows. The International Esthetics Cosmetics and Spa conference was even more wonderful this year!

Pack a travel journal,a pen and wear comfortable shoes and clothes to explore all that New York City has to offer.

It’s showtime! The IECSC spa show

It was so great to not only educate but also reconnect with my beauty community. The show is EXCLUSIVE to beauty professionals, estheticians, makeup artists, massage therapists,nail techs, spas, salons and beauty business owners.

The fashion & beauty forecast I saw was Color IS Going strong in fashion. And Makeup is either bold or minimal. SKIN continues to be IN. Healthy looking pretty skin!

Bathe yourself (mentally) in soothing light!

The magic of salt lamps!

I’m lining myself up for a better, calm and stress free new year. Adding to my decor. I’m not all about making new year resolutions anymore. How about you?

I have added more salt lamps to my spaces from a mini one by my computer 💻 to ones in other rooms of my home.

Salt lamps and Pink Himalayan salt lamps are so cool to look and calming to the spirit. Especially after a stressful or long day at work! You know what I mean.

Do you know many salt lamps are imported from ancient Polish salt mines? Poland was on my bucket list in spring 2020 until Covid arrived in our lives. Since my mom is of Polish descent I really wanted to travel ✈️and visit that part of our beautiful world.

Did you know there are salt spas in Poland that have wonderful powers for our health?

I have grown to love ❤️ the beauty of surrounding myself with salt lamps in my business and in my home. They illuminate your room or corner of the room with peachy, golden yellow and slightly red hues. The benefits are endless. Purifying and clearing the air in your space is just one of them. I love the ambient light they give a room. And so relaxing to gaze at in a room. Maybe it’s time you added a salt lamp or two to your home. They used to be pricey. But not anymore. You can find them now even at big box discount stores.

I have read about the healthy benefits of salt therapy and about the spas and salt mines in Poland. I so wanted to go! There are a few salt caves and spas that are in Poland and the one I hope to go to one day and visit is in a town …Wieliczka, Poland. They say spas and resorts offer therapeutic treatments like breathing salt infused air and incredible facials.

They say… Salt lamps also may help with people with allergies, aging skin, respiratory issues and so much more.

Let the light 💡 envelop you and take it all in with this calming therapy for your space, mind and spirit.

Do you know your skin type? Really?

Because you asked I sought out a fabulous educator in the spa industry and business owner Victoria Tabak. She is not only a skin care expert but following her on Instagram is so much fun. So, if you haven’t discovered her or her brand yet you might want to look her up @victoriatabak for her expertise and skin care words of wisdom.

CEO of Nature Pure Labs and so much more!

Mom, Educator, Speaker, Writer, Licensed Esthetician

Meet Victoria!

Every beauty and skin care professional has their take on beauty and her’s is spot on with mine. Here is a mini test to determine YOUR skin type.

An easy way to determine your basic skin type is by answering these 3 questions

1. Do your pores look large or small? Larger pores are typically associated with oily skin, smaller pores are associated with more dry skin.
2. Does your t-zone get shiny or greasy in the t-zone area of your face especially midday? This is typical with the most common combination skin type.
3. When you press with your thumb on your forehead does it leave a white spot surrounded by redness? This typically means you have sensitive skin.
4. Hope this helps you determine your skin type at this time. But keep in mind your skin changes with the seasons, weather,stress,your diet and daily life. Please remember your skin WILL change as you age and time goes on so you will have to re-evaluate at some point as well.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

A rare beauty find!

I have had clients with all kinds of skin issues from a giant zit on their wedding day to sun spots from spending a lifetime outdoors.

But I never knew what to quite do when I had a new client call me with Vitiligo.

So,since it is World Vitiligo Day I thought I’d share with you a brand and Camouflage Makeup Kit … JUST for this condition. A rare beauty find!

Fake Bake ( you know the famous self tan company) has come up with a beautiful brand and product to help people who have a skin condition called Vitiligo.

Created by a Vitiligo patient this system is everything you need to make Vitiligo appear to vanish! Glides on smoothly to temporarily match your existing pigment. Customizable and for warmer to cooler complexions to lighter skin tones.

Nice tropical 🌴 scent! Paraben Free!

Created by a woman and a patient who has this skin condition.

The woman behind the VV brand is Jackie McDonald is a miracle worker. They say accidents are the Mother of Invention. And by chance and a bit of a playful beauty accident Vitiligo Vanquish was born!

Makeup artists need this in their beauty essentials kit…just in case.

Spread the word…whether you do makeup,skincare or YOU have or a family member or friend has Vitiligo …be in the know. Sharing is caring. I LOVE helping people. I hope I have helped you or someone you know by this post.

Vitiligo Vanquish is running a special I just noticed until June 30th. Worth a look.

http://www.fakebake.com

Can this really …Disinfect my MAKEUP?

Yes… it can! Keep reading below.

You know how dirty our beauty supplies can get! Our makeup brushes need cleaning and disinfecting and now even more so. Alcohol,brush cleaner and soap and water 💦 Are great but aren’t enough.

AND who knew we could disinfect our eye shadows, lipsticks, blushers,foundation at all???

It is called SterileLight Illumicide. It is a disinfecting case. Dermatologist tested and recommended. A QUICK disinfectant. It kills 99.9 % bacteria in just minutes.

What does SterileLight disinfect for you?

Makeup 💄

Mascara wands

Lipsticks 💋

Lip liners

Eyeliners

Makeup palettes 🎨 and kits

Compacts

Blushers

Powder compacts

Hair brushes

Hair combs

Hair clippers

Razors

Scissors ✂️

Tweezers

Gemstone 💎 face and body rollers like the iconic Jade Facial roller.

Lash extensions

Makeup Brushes

Makeup Sponges

It even DRIES your makeup brushes after you wash them and fast. NOT over night.

Easy to operate. Easy operation panel with LED countdown.

I couldn’t believe my eyes and neither could my beauty team.

I want to show my clients how clean we are and their health is most important when it comes to applying makeup 💄 on them doing a makeup lesson or face care. This unit is so amazing it’s not only wonderful for my beauty business it is awesome for my home.

I will never clean and DRY my brushes without SterileLight by my side either.

Sharing is caring…

I am not the companies sales rep. I’m not selling you but I am telling you this is fabulous for our industry and for home use as well.

Check out their website for ALL the information.

http://www.sterilelight.com

Visit my Instragram page to see more photos on my personal experience disinfecting and MORE!

@noreenkissyoung

I was supposed to be on TV 📺 here in sunny Florida this past Friday but they had to cancel my much needed beauty report introducing this due to the Pandemic we are going through. But I simply couldn’t wait to share it with you!

 

Freshen up your air…

 

Spring is here even though it seems to be snowing again almost everywhere. Here in Florida we have had both cool and a taste of summer weather. So, that is putting us in the mood for planting.  I have been on the hunt for more new herbs for my garden,re-rooting my other herbs to make more and discovering new plants. Around St. Patrick’s day I found something even better than a green beer I found a Shamrock plant also known as Oxalis. I hope it will bring good luck!

I came across a survey that stated common household plants are incredibly effective at removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air,this is really good news for our health.

Certain plants including bromeliads (a tropical house plant),dracaenas and spider plants may be better at eliminating some indoor pollutants than traditional ventilation systems.

But my local nursery guy says having any kind of plant is great for the air in our home or office especially with all the tech tools and our computers.

Acetone,formaldehyde and toluene are pollutants that hang at most nail salons air. (Found in many nail polish brands) And who knows what’s lurking in our hair salons air?

I think it is time I deliver a plant for my mani and pedi tech and help clean her NAIL SALON air too!

Enjoy the beauty of green and  surround  yourself with plants and flowers to brighten your world too.

Happy & healthier Spring to you!.