the beauty blog :: andre chreky :: the salon spa

Pure Perfection

You know that I’m a die-hard fan of the hair care products from Pureology – and if you’ve tried them yourself, you know why. The company has recently launched its line of eight Style & Protect products – what fun it’s been to test-drive them all!

As always, I started by reading the ingredients on the products’ labels. How reassuring that I was familiar with all of them. Why? Because most can be found in my kitchen pantry. Natural, vegan ingredients like olive oil, shea butter, coriander seed, sugar cane, and vegetable protein are effective sources for healthy, strong hair. They pack quite a punch when it comes to fighting dryness, adding texture, and boosting shine.

The Refresh and Go Dry Shampoo is well-timed when summer heat and humidity leaves hair feeling limp and a little less than clean. Use the Tousled Texture Spray to add a touch of “sassy” to your look. If your hair frizzes when the temperatures rise…or if riding in a ragtop blows your hair into a crow’s next…try the high-hold Lock it Down Spray. My other favorites include:

Soft Finish Flexible Hold Hairspray – olive oil-based, this rich natural moisturizer brings life and shine back to parched hair, helping to smooth down flyaways and disguise split ends.

Mess It Up Texture Paste – packed with vitamins and fatty acids that condition hair, this super creamy product is made from shea butter. It provides medium hold, is great for creating separation and texture, helps fight frizz, and delivers a subtle sheen. My new “go-to!”

Shine Bright Taming Serum – serums don’t need to look or feel heavy. This smoothing styling product uses coriander seed oil to tame frizz and flyaways. It seals hair cuticles for glossy, radiant looking color that feels totally weightless.

Beach Waves Sugar Spray – nourishing sugar cane adds shape and texture to hair without the dryness or stiffness found in other (crunchy, drying) salt/surf texturizing hair products. Try it for soft, tousled beachy waves.

On the Rise Root Lifting Mousse – mousse has a reputation for feeling sticky and crunchy. Not this one! With vegetable proteins, this volumizing product delivers natural-looking volume, shine and movement.

You can find the new Style & Protect products as well as your longtime Pureology favorites in the retail section of our salon.

The Ten-Dollar Founding Father

If you think your only chance of seeing Hamilton is by staring forlornly at a $10 bill, think again! The Broadway smash is taking Washington, DC by storm and has technically been “sold out” for months. But thanks to the Kennedy Center Box Office, you could nab a prime orchestra seat (or two…) for just $10 each.

Here’s how it works. Through their online lottery, the Kennedy Center will distribute forty $10 tickets two days before each performance. The lottery opens at 11:00 a.m. Register for the lottery using the “Hamilton” app or by visiting the musical’s website, hamiltonmusical.com/lottery. There is no cost to enter.

If you’re one of the lucky winners, you’ll be notified the day before the performance; tickets must be purchased with a credit card by 4 p.m. the day of notification. Tickets may be picked up at the Kennedy Center two hours before showtime. For more detailed instructions and requirements, visit the show’s website, shown above. And good luck!    

Star-Spangled Savings

Independence Day sales are a national norm. But only Serena Chreky celebrates her 35^th high school reunion with spectacular savings on salon spa services. Join the fun – after all, in the “rocket’s red glare,” we all look a tad younger, right?

“You Don’t Look Your Age” Discounts

• $35 Regular blow dry or blow dry after color
• $35 Bikini wax (regular, French or Brazilian)
• $35 Conditioning treatment (express or deluxe)
• $35 Clear cellophane treatment
• $35 Shellac manicure
• $35 Regular pedicure
• $35 Express facial
• $350 Keratin treatment

 

And Don’t Forget…

July 5 – If the holiday weekend depleted your beach bag, restock! Save 20% on sun-savvy products…and all other retail purchases…in the salon today.

July 25 – A bottle of rosé is a perfectly fine contribution for a backyard BBQ. But your hostess really thirsts for an Andre Chreky Gift Card. Save 10% on all gift cards purchased in the salon today.

A Beautiful Bridal Partnership

A visit to Rizik’s stunning store at 1100 Connecticut Avenue is a retail experience unlike any other Washington has to offer. With its thoughtfully curated offerings of ready to wear, special event, and bridal attire, Rizik’s is fashion-forward yet refined, sophisticated yet modern, and above all attentive to the customer’s satisfaction. If you haven’t stopped by their beautifully remodeled space, do so – post haste!

Andre Chreky’s ace bridal team had the honor of partnering with Rizik’s for the May bridal trunk show of work by designer Anna Maier. We’re thrilled to be returning to Rizik’s on June 29 and 30, providing wedding hair and makeup demonstrations and tips during the Alon Livné bridal trunk show. The event runs from 10 am – 6 pm both days.

Alon Livné has worked closely with some of Europe’s most luxurious fashion houses, including Alexander McQueen in London and Roberto Cavalli in Florence. Before branching out with his own brand, Alon won first place in Israel’s equivalent of “Project Runway,” quickly becoming Israel’s most prestigious fashion designer.

Booking an appointment is suggested but not required. Visit www.riziks.com for more details.

Stairway to Fitness Heaven

Twenty-one years in business…7,665 days of climbing the stairs to my fifth-floor office, a 71-stair climb. Very conservatively speaking, that equals 544,215 steps since we opened Andre Chreky Salon. Quite frankly, I bet it’s about five times that many. I run down to the salon’s main floor and back several times a day.

I won’t lie: some days it’s not all that easy to face that climb! To keep me motivated, I thought I’d check into the benefits as a form of exercise. It turns out those stairs are a fabulous workout!

Stair climbing strengthens and builds the muscles in your thighs, legs and buttocks. Tackle those stairs at a brisk rate and you can burn more calories than activities you would taking a leisurely bike ride, walking at a moderate rate, even more than swimming laps. Depending on your weight, the number of steps you tackle, and the intensity with which you ascend, you can burn up to 981 calories per hour.

I decided to convert my weekly climbs into miles to ensure that I’m meeting my exercise goals. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Calculate the number of steps you've climbed.
2. Multiply the number of steps by 17 -- the average height in inches of a standard step. For example, 100 stairs multiplied by 17 yields 1,700 inches.
3. Now divide the number of inches by 63,360, which is the number of inches in one mile. If you’ve climbed 1,700 inches, you've climbed a bit over a quarter mile. It takes 3,720 steps to climb a mile.

The bottom line is that I average about half a mile of stairs per day…sometimes much more. By the end of the week, it feels like I’ve run a marathon! But, those stairs are the best possible preparation for Bikram yoga poses, downhill skiing, hiking in the mountains, and wearing summer’s body-con dresses. Thank heaven for that fifth-floor climb!

Trailblazing Women Lawyers

Have you seen the new documentary “RBG,” which focuses on the life, rise, and significance, of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg? It’s a fascinating overview of her career and the important part she’s had as role model for aspiring female attorneys as well as in forming the country’s legal thinking.

RBG is not the only woman who has played a pioneering role in the law. One of our very favorite clients, Sheila Slocum Hollis, a legal powerhouse, has been highlighted in the new book, “Stories from Trailblazing Women Lawyers: Lives in the Law.” We’ve followed Shelia’s career closely for many years and can attest to her thoughtful, groundbreaking work. We’re delighted that author Jill Norgren chose to feature Shelia in her collection of impressive profiles, culled from interviews conducted as part of an American Bar Association project.

I pulled some excerpts from the National Law Journal’s recent feature on the book. Take a look:

These Trailblazing Women Lawyers Changed Society

By Lisa Helem

It was a routine Monday in Washington on May 7. But at the Wilson Center, a buzz was building in a conference room on the sixth floor. A gathering of female lawyers unlike any other was forming as Jill Norgren, author of “Stories From Trailblazing Women Lawyers: Lives in the Law,” prepared to present her new book drawing on interviews gathered as part of an American Bar Association project.

Women Trailblazers in the Law, launched in 2005 by the ABA’s Commission on Women in the Profession and sponsored by the ABA’s Senior Lawyers Division, is a project that features stories from leading female lawyers who broke through barriers in the legal industry. Norgren’s book features stories curated from 100 interviews—”the oldest interviewee was born in 1916, the youngest in 1951, with the majority born in the 1930s and 1940s.”

As interviewees like Judge Bernice B. Donald of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and Sheila Hollis, a partner at Duane Morris and chair of the firm’s D.C. office looked on, Norgren raised questions about the costs to American society stemming from women historically lacking access to opportunities in the law. “What would our Constitution look like if women had been lawyers at the beginning of the republic?” Norgren said. “What would civil law look like?”

Norgren recounted policy changes from the mid-1940s to 1970s that opened the doors for more women to practice law. The civil rights and women’s rights movements, she said…benefited women of all races by providing leadership training. And birth control gave career women the chance to plan their families. The female lawyers interviewed also shared in common that they were encouraged early on by examples of “smart, brave women,” Norgren said. For instance, many were Nancy Drew readers as children.

As aspiring lawyers, they learned to roll with the punches like being excluded from law school study groups or battling social questions that could have dissuaded them—questions like, “Who will marry an overachiever?” Norgren said.

(Arnold and Porter partner) Brooksley Born said she looked at the project with a sense of pride. “It’s very rewarding to [see] that so much of this important history has been memorialized.” She continued, “Women in the project played important roles in opening the profession to women and more broadly changing the society through participation in the women’s rights movement.”

Congratulations, Shelia Hollis – and thank you to all of the women lawyers, sung and unsung, who’ve dedicated their legal profession to improving our world.

TGI Farragut

Among the many things I love about the salon’s 16^th and K Street location is the vibrancy of the neighborhood. This is especially true every summer, when the Golden Triangle Business Development hosts Farragut Fridays. These free daylong summer events bring local workers (as well as residents and visitors) together to enjoy a range of engaging activities. Farragut Fridays run from May through the last week of September. Events are designed to inspire collaboration, outdoor enjoyment, and action around innovation while spotlighting the Golden Triangle’s bustling tech sector.

Here’s a sample of their regular lineup. Other activities change on a weekly basis.

Outdoor Office 9 am – 5 pm
Discover a unique new way to work. Farragut Fridays feature an outdoor office space for people to collaborate and innovate in a section of Farragut Park transformed into an outdoor office, complete with free Wi-Fi, tables, and chairs. The first of its kind in the DC region, the Outdoor Office allows you to enjoy an alternative to your traditional office; simply bring your laptop, a colleague or two, and your favorite coffee.

Picnic in the Park Noon – 2 pm
Since 2011, Picnic in the Park has been one of the Golden Triangle BID’s most popular events. Picnic in the Park is the perfect way to enjoy lunch, lawn games, table tennis competitions, and other outdoor activities. Every week hundreds of people join come to eat lunch at the bistro tables throughout Farragut Park and – if the mood strikes – work off some excess energy.

Picnic in the Park’s popular pop-up events have included playful (and adoptable) puppies, live jazz music, collaborative painting in the park, and more. Past pop-up sponsors include Wolf Trap, Washington Animal Rescue League, Washington Performing Arts, Rock the Vote, and the International Spy Museum.

Golden Cinema at Sunset
Each Friday, throngs of people enjoy movies under the stars. You can enjoy dinner from nearby restaurants and take part in a variety of pre-movie activities, including lawn games and table tennis. Residents of the neighborhood look forward to the 10 weeks of outdoor movies that begin when the sun sets. Bring a blanket and enjoy one of DC’s favorite summer traditions!

 

Photo credit: Golden Triangle BID

Fading Fast?

One of the most common complaints our clients bring to the salon is, “I’m sick and tired of my gray hair.” Turns out there may be more to that lament than you think.

A research study published by the University of Alabama at Birmingham indicates a possible answer to why some of us start turning gray at an early age. The study used mouse models to explore the connection between stem cells and aging. Researchers were particularly focused on melanocyte stem cells in hair follicles. Melanocytes are pigment-producing cells responsible for giving hair its natural color. When melanocytes are damaged – whether due to the natural aging process or sickness -- newly grown hair carries much less of its natural pigment, resulting in gray, silver, or white hair.

Previously, the research team discovered that the MITF protein (melanogenesis-associated transcription factor) controls the genes that generate hair pigment. The scientists studied mice that had been bred to develop premature gray hair and found an excessive production of MITF. The new study found that MITF might work to deactivate the anti-virus, immune protein known as interferon. When an anti-virus response was triggered in mice, models having low levels of this protein lost melanocytes and developed gray fur.

This study did not explore similar scenarios in humans. The paper’s authors hypothesize, however, that an immune reaction could be one reason why some people develop gray hair earlier than others. Theoretically, if a healthy person who is predisposed to gray hair contracts certain everyday viruses, the decline in their melanocytes and melanocyte stem cells could prompt premature graying.

On a happier note, I’ve noticed that a growing number of women (and men) are embracing gray hair. More than a few of our clients have decided to let their locks go gray, silver, or white and the results are absolutely stunning. In fact, some of our younger clients are asking for color treatments that yield similar results. What do you think? Are you ready for the “au naturel” look?

The Mindful Day

If you’re looking for your next great read, I have an outstanding recommendation for you! My dearest high school friend, Laurie Cameron, has published a new book The Mindful Day: Practical Ways to Find Focus, Calm and Joy from Morning to Evening. I bought a copy for every member of the Andre Chreky team and we can unanimously attest to the myriad benefits this important book yields. In it, Laurie gives tips for finding joy and balance at work and at home, weaving personal stories throughout to enrich the reading experience.

I’ve edited what the publisher (National Geographic Society) has to say about the book, because I could go on raving for pages:

“Designed for busy professionals looking to integrate mindfulness into their daily lives, this ultimate guide draws on contemplative practice, modern neuroscience, and positive psychology to bring peace and focus to the home, in the workplace, and beyond.

…Mindfulness expert and international teacher and business leader Laurie J. Cameron — a veteran of the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being at George Mason, and 20-year mindfulness meditation practitioner — shows how to seamlessly weave mindfulness and compassion practices into your life. Timeless teachings, compelling science and straightforward exercises designed for busy schedules — from waking up to joy, the morning commute, to back-to-back meetings and evening dinners — show how mindfulness practice can help you navigate life's complexity with mastery, clarity and ease. Cameron's practical wisdom and concrete how-to steps will help you make the most of the present moment, creating a roadmap for inner peace – and a life of deeper purpose and joy.”

My endorsement of this book is wholehearted – I think you’ll love it! Pick up an autographed copy at the salon for $16. Or purchase it at Politics and Prose or on Amazon. To find out more about Laurie Cameron, visit her website, www.purposeblue.com.

June’s “Plus-One” Specials at Andre Chreky

June is our favorite party month: weddings, graduations, backyard barbeques, and sunset cruises. Your invitation from Andre Chreky reads “plus one!” Book one of the following popular services and choose the add-on service for just $15. Ready for beautiful savings? Be our guest! Prices are good through June 30.

$15 Add-On Services

• $15 express eye, hand, or lip treatment with
  any facial
• $15 express conditioning treatment with a
  blowdry or haircut
• $15 paraffin treatment with a manicure or pedicure
• $15 eyelashes with a makeup service
• $15 flat iron or curling iron with a blowdry
• $15 clear cellophane treatment with any
  color service

 

And Don't Forget

June 6 – Summer fun calls for a slew of protective, nourishing skin and hair products. Save 20% on these goodies and more during today’s Retail Roundup.

June 27 – You’ve lined up your dog walker, house sitter, mother’s helper, and the neighbor who’s always willing to “keep an eye on things.” Thank them all with Andre Chreky Gift Cards. Purchase them today and save 10%.