Behind The Scenes: The Photo Shoot

The vision, the talent, and the most amazing self-care spot in Huntington

While brainstorming with my website designer and photographer Stephanie Cowan of Gold Toast, we decided on a Hamptons-style vibe for this Long Island-based site—only we did the photo shoot a little closer to home in Huntington. We envisioned being outside with the bustling Huntington village behind me. And that’s exactly what Stephanie delivered.

Shooting in Huntington also meant I could call on some local faves for hair, makeup, clothing, and more. As they say, it takes a village. And here’s mine:

The Hair: Aniello Mennella of Salon Fab, Huntington

I met Ani years ago when I was a walk-in client where he worked at the time. I recently had a baby and was feeling desperate for a cut. Ani was good! (And I should mention that I’m super picky when it comes to my hair. Well, when it comes to everything.) Ani recently opened his own spot: Salon Fab on New York Ave in Huntington village. For the photo shoot, Ani gave me a polished blow out with lots of body and slightly tousled waves—just how I like it.

The Makeup: Jill Dara of Dye Styling, Greenlawn

Jill is a friend who also happens to be a darn good hairstylist and makeup artist. She came to my house bright and early to get me glammed up for the shoot. I’m not sure how she did it, but my skin looked flawless after hours of shooting in the August heat. If you ask Jill, I suspect she’ll say it was the Laura Gellar Beauty Spackle Skin Perfecting Primer she layered under my Chanel foundation, but I think she had something to do with it, too. 

The Location: Revive Health Studio, Huntington

We shot most of the photos outside in the streets of Huntington village, but Jenna Schulman of Revive Health Studios was gracious enough to let us take some pictures inside her gorgeous space. Revive Health Studio offers tuning bed sessions. What’s that? Vibroacoustic sound therapy to help reduce stress, anxiety, and boost focus and energy. Sounds awesome, right? Revive also offers red light therapy treatments, which has a lengthy list of benefits including wrinkle smoothing, skin rejuvenation, and lowering inflammation levels (stay, um, tuned, because we’ll cover this topic more in-depth soon). Revive also has the chicest waiting area and shelves lined with a curated collection of organic and sustainable skin and body products. If you’re in Huntington village, check it out.

The Clothing

The photo shoot was in August, so whatever I’m wearing is long gone. But because I shopped local for all the looks, I want to shout out the Long Island retailers. Here goes:

·  White dress: Reformation, East Hampton

·  Sun hat: Bella Vita, Greenlawn

·  Black dress: Bella Lu Bowtique, Greenlawn

·  Blue jumper: Pookie and Sebastian, Rosyln

Need some hair and makeup pros where you live? Call me! I’ll find you the best in LI beauty.