April 11: We kicked off New York Bridal Fashion Week this season with indie hair experts at Amika and the staff of Love Stories TV for a night of pampering before all the big shows. Check out our behind-the-scenes scoop on everything that went down, from services and chitchat to live streams and selfies.
The decor is — as the kids say, lit!
Amika: Styleblow is located in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The salon itself is hip and chic much like the packaging you’ll find on Amika products. The interiors are cozy and spacious enough that over a dozen editors and writers could comfortably get beautified, which makes it a great option for hosting wedding events like bridal showers and bachelorette parties.
Better yet, Amika: Styleblow has a diverse selection of services aside from standard blowouts, including cuts, colors and styling. If you find you enjoy the services they provide, you can even join their membership program for discounted bundles.
Started it all off with a manicure.
When I arrived at Amika: Styleblow, I was pleasantly surprised there were technicians from Paintbucket Nails available to provide complimentary manicures in between appointments. Luckily, my nails were bare and only needed a little filing to even them all out (yes, these are my natural nails). I chose a pale, almost-nude pink as my base color and my nail artist (@hassan_sonam) offered to spruce up the look with a white polka-dot design. Talk about adorable!
On to the hair styling.
Amika: Styleblow offered complimentary blowouts, but I opted for a braided style because I have a rather hefty head of hair that’s as curly as can be and I didn’t want to be there all night long to get it straightened considering my appointment was at 7 p.m. I don’t get my hair braided often so I didn’t really have anything in mind, much to my stylist’s delight (@sodalicious703). When I gave my approval that I was pretty much down to be a freestyle canvas, my stylist went to town snatching up my hair like a seasoned pro. I’ve never had my hair braided braided while curly, so I was a little anxious about how this would all turn out.
About 30 minutes later and a whole Instagram live Q&A finished, my hair was braided and pinned into an intricate faux-hawk chignon, which I thought looked nice with my gown out roots. All in all, I loved this hairstyle! I felt super feminine and regal sporting these cornrows like I was ready to waltz right into Wakanda.
With my mane tamed and beat face on, I was prepared to take NYBFW by storm. Even Love Stories TV was impressed with my new do.
And of course, we couldn’t finish without a swag bag!
The folks at Amika: Styleblow were kind enough to gift us a killer (pun intended) graphic print tote with their favorite products. The odds were in my favor because my swag bag happened to contain Amika’s Soulfood Nourishing Mask and Un.Done Volume and Texture Spray, which are two products my color treated curls desperately need. Just taking a glance at the ingredients was enough to get me excited: Citric acid, rice starch, jojoba and sea buckthorn seed oils; talk about a score! I can’t wait to try these out. Keep an eye out for a review soon.
How did you celebrate New York Bridal Fashion Week? Let us know in the comments!
