Write to us at truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn, @truebeautybrooklynpodcast/. We want to answer all of your skin, beauty, and hair questions and we want to hear your Milk?! With Your Dinner?! and I didn’t know then, but I’m older now segment stories! Don’t forget to rate us 5-stars, or leave a review on Apple iTunes, and tell a friend to tell a friend if you like the show!If you live locally, make an appointment and come hang with us at www.truebeautybrooklyn.com.To learn more about us and our guests, check out www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com.

You guys, it's not often that I Stan a white woman, but today's guest, the CEO and founder of the national wax franchise Lunchbox Wax, Debi Lane, is one of my favorite people ever. And I've only met her a handful of times. Debi Lane shares her incredible journey with us from growing up in a small town in Idaho, being a rebel teen, leaving home at 14, finding herself many times over, and ultimately finding her true purpose of giving back to women through Lunchbox Wax.  LunchboxWax her wax-only salon concept, was recently named as one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 50 Fastest-Growing Franchises, and Debi was recently named as a 2019 Women of the Year honoree from the Idaho Business Review. You guys will Stan Debi Lane just as much as we do by the end of this episode!To learn more about Debi Lane, and lunchbox wax, visit their Instagram @lunchboxwax or their website www.lunchboxwax.com.Check out our Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast.,Visit us at www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about us, and all of our incredible guests! If you live locally, make an appointment and come check us out at www.truebeautybrooklyn.com. Don’t forget to send us your questions and segment letters to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com. If you like the show, please tell a friend to tell a friend, and be sure to rate and review us on Apple iTunes! 

Hey guys! This week we're chatting with our friend and Vice News Editor Christina Sterbenz about the new Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, voter suppression, and how we can try to move forward as a united country with compassion. You guys, Christina is amazing and brilliant and taught us so much about what the fuck is going on in today's political climate. You're going to learn and laugh a ton! Check out our Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast.Visit us at www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about us, and all of our incredible guests! If you live locally, make an appointment and come check us out at www.truebeautybrooklyn.com. Don’t forget to send us your questions and segment letters to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com and we’ll see you back here next week.

Things are wild out there, guys! It's important, now more than ever to take a moment and check in on our, and our friend's mental health. Since our friend group is super diverse, and we had been having conversations with our friends from Asian communities privately about how the political and cultural climate has been affecting their mental health,  we wanted to invite our friend Liz Chon on to the show to bring the topic of mental health within different ethnic communities to the forefront.Check out our Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast . Visit us at www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about us, and all of our incredible guests!If you live locally, make an appointment and come check us out at www.truebeautybrooklyn.com. Don’t forget to send us your questions and segment letters to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com . 

Hi friends! We are so excited to share this week’s interview with you! This week we are speaking to Assembly Member Elect for the 50th district of NYC, Emily Gallagher. Emily won her race with no endorsements from elected officials, no support from the larger leftist groups, and relatively little money compared to her opponent, a 47-year incumbent State Assemblymember who had not even faced a primary challenge for a decade.A long-time Brooklyn activist, resident, and community organizer, Gallagher ran on a platform that includes passing a New York Homes Guarantee (a slate of legislation pushed by activist organization Housing Justice for All that includes universal rent control), decriminalization of drugs and sex work, increasing the funding and power of the Department of Environmental Conservation, and support for defunding the NYPD. If you are under the impression that your vote doesn’t matter, and that you have no control over what happens within the government, this episode is especially for you! You will see how an incredible, hardworking, ambitious, driven, and courageous woman found her voice, used it to amplify the voices of her community, and then worked her ASS OFF to--against all odds-- win a coveted seat in our New York State Assembly. Your vote matters, and your voice matters. Even if we can’t control what is happening nationally, you better bet we CAN control what happens within our communities when you find those who are as passionate as you are to build a better future. To learn more about Emily Gallagher, please check her out at emilyforassembly.com , on Twitter and Instagram @em4assembly.Check out our Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast.Visit us at www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about us, and all of our incredible guests! If you live locally, make an appointment and come check us out at www.truebeautybrooklyn.com. Don’t forget to send us your questions and segment letters to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com and we’ll see you back here next week.This episode features new music by friend-of-the-pod Bentley Robles (check out his episode with us to learn more about him).  His new single Cardiac was just released this past Wednesday, October 14th, and is now streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. We are obsessed and want y9ou to be too! My favorites are (in no particular order) Bad, Hellboy, and now Cardiac.  Click here to listen to more of Bentley’s incredible music, and click check out his Instagram @BentleyRobles. We love you guys! AND DON’T FORGET TO VOTE THIS NOVEMBER 3!!!!

This week's show is super special to us because it is a personal podcast full-circle moment. If Marc Maron is considered the Father of podcasting, this week’s guest, Jenna Weiss-Berman is considered the Auntie. Prior to co-founding her groundbreaking podcast network, Pineapple Street Media, Jenna was working in public radio on shows like The Moth. She then joined Buzzfeed to help build out their entire podcast program from the ground up while producing incredible shows such as my all-time favorite podcast, Another Round.After building Buzzfeed’s wildly successful and popular podcast arm, and seeing that many major players--such as Lena Dunham, The New York Times, The Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign, HBO, Netflix, and ESPN--all wanted to create podcasts but didn’t know how to, Jenna and her co-founder Max Linsky left Buzzfeed to change the history of Podcasting as we know it, and launch Pineapple Street Media. Today, Pineapple Street Media produces inventive, award-winning original podcasts: multi-episode narratives, investigative journalism, branded series, and talk shows. Oh! And they have been nominated for two Peabody Awards. Not too bad for a woman who, in her own words, was tired of making audio programs for only white people. This episode shows how the world of podcasting connects us all and makes the world seem a little bit smaller.This is a REALLY fun show and was super meaningful to us! We got a chance to interview a woman who didn’t even know how much she meant to us--and now we can call her our friend! To learn more about Jenna and Pineapple Street Media, please check out http://pineapple.fm/, or open your podcasting app and search Pineapple Street Media, you’ll find all of their shows! You can also follow them on Instagram @pineapple.fm.Check out our Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast.Visit us at www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about us, and all of our incredible guests!If you live locally, make an appointment and come check us out at www.truebeautybrooklyn.com. Don’t forget to send us your questions and segment letters to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com and we’ll see you back here next week!

Hey guys! This week, Alix and I had to think on our toes--one of our guests unexpectedly wasn't able to make it to record with us-- so we had to think fast! One tequila cocktail later, we decided to dedicate an entire episode to the body part that works hard, plays hard, does the most for literally the entire human race, and is probably the most controversial of all of our organs: our vaginas!Don't worry, there are SO MANY LAUGHS! We wanted to remove the shame and stigma surrounding our vaginas and talk openly and honestly about how great they are! You'll love this episode, and hopefully learn a thing or two!Check out our Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast . Visit us at www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about us, and all of our incredible guests!If you live locally, make an appointment and come check us out at www.truebeautybrooklyn.com. Don’t forget to send us your questions and segment letters to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com . 

Welcome to the show! This week Alix and I  interviewed the most incredible woman that we didn’t know that we needed in our lives, the founder of Black Girl Sunscreen, Shontay Lundy.Black girl sunscreen has been featured in Harpers Bazaar, Glamour, Forbes, WWD, Oprah magazine, and she is our third guest to have been featured on Beyonce’s Black Parade Route, the index of amazing black-owned businesses that Beyonce curated with @zerinaakers with @black.owned.everything. It is carried nationally at Target and is the only indie black-owned brand carried in the sun-care category. The mission of BlackGirlSunscreen is to educate customers on safe skin practices and sun protection. They also want to provide an answer to a question they hear far too often, “Do black people need sunscreen?” Yes!You guys know that Alix and I are all about using a daily SPF, and we are so thrilled to share Shontay’s journey with you this week!You can learn more about Black Girl Sunscreen at www.blackgirlsunscreen.com/ and on their Instagram page @BlackGirlSunscreen. Black Girl Sunscreen can be purchased at your nearest Target and of course, Blackgirlsunscreen.com, Check out our Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast.Visit us at www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about us, and all of our incredible guests!If you live locally, make an appointment and come check us out at www.truebeautybrooklyn.com. Don’t forget to send us your questions and segment letters to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com.

Check out our Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast .Visit us at www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about us, and all of our incredible guests!If you live locally, make an appointment and come check us out at www.truebeautybrooklyn.com. Don’t forget to send us your questions and segment letters to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com . We want to hear from you! Email us at truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com

Our guest on the pod this week is the Co-Founder and Product Developer of Hairstory Studio and New Wash: Jackie Bauer.Her company Hairstory, was conceptualized by Jackie after dealing with psoriasis on her scalp for years.  On her hunt to figure out what was causing it, and how the hell she could get rid of it, she started to realize that the hair care products she was using, even though they were high end, were possibly the cause of all this irritation. After months of experimentation and testing, a new kind of shampoo was born, New Wash - a NON-shampoo. It’s actually a shampoo and conditioner in one! It cleanses, nourishes, and hydrates all at once. Once she started using this, her scalp felt SO much better. Jackie takes us on her journey from attending a ballet conservatory at 12 years old, her career-ending injury that made her re-evaluate her life and goals, and how she continued to reinvent herself time after time throughout her incredible career in the beauty industry. For example, Jackie tries to casually drop the fact that she helped to produce Vidal Sassoon's 2010 Documentary titled Vidal Sassoon The Movie! I mean, talk about reinventing yourself!To learn more about Jackie, New Wash and Hairstory, check out their Instagram @hairstorystudio, and visit them at www.hairstory.com.Check out our Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast .Visit us at www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about us, and all of our incredible guests!If you live locally, make an appointment and come check us out at www.truebeautybrooklyn.com. We want to hear from you! Email us at truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com

One of the goals in starting the pod was to bring light to, uplift, and celebrate incredible, goal-driven, and inspiring people. Today’s guest, Bentley Robles is no different, other than the fact that he is our first guest who is a musician. Excuse me, our first guest who is an Iconic Pop Star in the Making. And trust us, he is on his way to the first-name-only territory.Since emerging with his first single in 2019, Bentley Robles has been pushing pop music into bold new territory. Bold, daring, and unapologetically queer, he has become one of the defining voices of the New York underground. Born in Los Angeles, Bentley takes us on his journey as a first-generation Mexican-American, navigating his adolescence as a queer boy with a passion to sing, coming out to his parents, choosing a safe--albeit lucrative and successful--career as a business owner, and throwing it all away to move across the country to Brooklyn.  Following his heart and intuition, he is building his true legacy and life long dream of becoming a Pop Musician. Already making waves in the Queer Underground Pop community, his first EP Overdramatic  caught the attention of music industry insiders and led to Bentley being included on Spotify's "New from NYC: Pop Playlist.”  This was for sure one of our favorite interviews! (sidebar: unfortunately I never mic’d anyone that wasn’t Alix before our interview with Bentley, and I did a terrible job. You will hear some mic pops especially at the beginning of the interview, which sucks, but this episode is so great that it’s worth dealing with it!)To learn more about Bentley, you can click here to check him out on Spotify. Check out his website https://www.bentleyrobles.com/ and of course his Instagram @bentleyrobles.Check out our instagram @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast .Visit us at www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about us, and all of our incredible guests!If you live locally, make an appointment and come check us out at www.truebeautybrooklyn.com . We want to hear from you! Email us at truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com 

A goal in starting this podcast was to bring to a larger audience, the experience that we have within our beauty community here in Brooklyn. Our beauty community is not one that is either only black or white, but every color of the rainbow in between. As women that navigate easily between cultures, we know that the key to understanding each other is speaking openly and honestly about where we come from and where we are going. Today’s guest Rooshy Roy, co-founder of the beauty startup AAVRANI is a super special guest because she is the first guest who reached out to us to be on the podcast. So we didn’t know much about Rooshy going into this interview but came out learning so much about this incredible female founder, the Indian diaspora, and ways in which it mirrored the Jewish and African diaspora. We also talk about heritage, staying true to yourself, following your dreams, and the importance of being seen in consumer goods.Rooshy is a Warton graduate, she was on Forbes 30 under 30, she’s super compassionate, kind, and funny and we know you’re going to love this episode!To learn more about Rooshy and AAVRANI, check out the website by clicking here and check out their instagram @AAVRANI.Don't forget to follow us @truebeautybrooklyn and @truebeautybrooklynpodcast.Check us out at www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com and if you live locally, you can book an appointment and visit us at www.truebeautybrooklyn.com

In this episode of Beauty School, we are talking about one of the biggest skin complaints that we hear about, Hyperpigmentation.First off, what the hell is hyperpigmentation? Wellllll, Hyperpigmentation is the deposition of melanin (pigment) due to the stimulation of melanogenesis. And Melanogenesis is the process by which pigment is produced and duplicated in the skin. It is the end result of the immune system triggering an inflammatory response, which then triggers melanocyte activity to protect the skin's DNA from damage and mutation.Sound a little boring?? We do our best to make this a fun episode while teaching you how to treat this super common, and super annoying skin condition!Plus, hear from Elizabeth's mama in our Hey Ladies! segment! Her mom, Chyrise tells us about the time Elizabeth's Dad picked up hitchhiker that turned out to be a murderer!Check us out on Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn and @truebeautybrooklynpodcast. If you live locally, book an appointment to come see us at www.truebeautybrooklyn.com . Visit www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about us and the show!

A really incredible aspect of our careers as estheticians is that we get to work with cool, hilarious women that we often become friends with. But because our relationship begins as a professional one where we are in our element, we oftentimes don’t get to see them in THEIR element. My favorite part of our podcast Is learning more about our friends and being able to say, “dang you’re bad bitch!”. Today’s interview with our friend, interior designer Karen Asprea is so much fun for that exact reason! Karen specializes in turn-key services for private homes, design for luxury condominium developments, and commercial spaces. She has worked alongside famed architects such as SOM and ODA, and her client list includes the industry’s top development firms that demand the highest level of quality and attention to detail. Not to mention a few celebrities.By age 28, Karen was managing partner and director of interior design at one of New York’s busiest architecture and design firms and lead her team to design and coordinate over five million square feet of new residential development before creating her own design studio, Karen Asprea Studio. Like I said, bad bitch!Sidebar:  that this is actually our second time interviewing Karen. During our first interview, we had such an incredible conversation about Robert Moses, social equity, the future of public spaces, and livable art. Unfortunately, THAT interview didn’t record correctly (sorry guys!). However, she was so kind and generous with her time and agreed to spend another hour with us! So this time we chatted about her childhood in Brooklyn, how being a first-generation Italian-American shaped her view of the world,  and most importantly the inequities of women and men within male dominated industries – specifically, construction and architecture. Industries in which she is a woman amongst men at the top of her field. Also, Karen is hilarious, so this was SUCH a fun conversation! For more information about Karen, check out her Instagram @karenapreastudio as well as her website karenasprea.com. Don’t forget to check us out at truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about Alix and I, and the podcast. Visit truebeautybrooklyn.com to learn more about our beauty studio in Williamsburg! Don’t forget to follow us on instagram @truebeautybrooklynpodcast or @truebeautybrooklyn.  If you live locally, come hang with Alix and me by making an appointment at truebeautybrooklyn.com. 

What drew us to Tafv Sampson, our guest for today, is a 15-minute short film that takes us through 4 generations of her family, in a way that moved us so much that we just knew we wanted to know more about her, her life, and her family’s history. Besides the fact that her mother is a journalist who interviewed serial killer John Wayne Gacy, and besides the fact that her grandfather was Native American actor, activist, and artist Will Sampson--of one flew over the Cuckoos nest-- and besides the fact that her father Tim Sampson was a stunt man, broadway Actor, Native American activist, and artist, Tafv herself is a photographer, an author, an artist, and soon will be adding entrepreneur to her list of credentials--you can see now why we had to know more about her!  Tafv takes us on a journey from growing up on the west coast, following her passion for film to New York City, the great loss of her father, and pivoting into her passion for botanical body care. She speaks candidly about how the wellness industry is largely created for and by people that don’t look like her, and what it means to her to build a truly sustainable brand.In this time of the Cultural Revolution, we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the Native People of our land who are oftentimes overlooked, forgotten in history, and widely oppressed. Also, Tafv is such a badass, we had to share her story! Check out Tafv's Instagram @TafvSampson and her website TafvSampson.com.  The incredible short, 15-minute film Under Her Skin: Tafv Sampson that she and her family were the subjects of can be found here.Click here to purchase some of Tafv's photos. 100% of the proceeds are donated to the organization of your choice. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast.The studio is open! If you live locally, please make an appointment and come hang with us www.truebeautybrooklyn.com (don't just show up! You have to make an appointment!).To learn more about us, and our show check out www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com and don't forget to email us truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com .

Hello friends! Today we are bringing you another episode of Beauty School! Don't worry, this isn't boring! We know your skin looks like shit under that mask, and facials aren't included in phase 3 OR 4 of NYC's reopening plan, so we've gotta get this information over to you!Over the next few episodes of Beauty School, we are going to be tackling the four most common skin conditions--acne, hyperpigmentation, aging, and clinically sensitive and teaching you about their common causes, and the best ingredients to treat each one.This week we are tackling acneic skin because this is actually something that Alix and I have dealt with in our adult lives personally and professionally. We see so much adult acne at the studio because we specialize in melanin-rich skin, but also because we are considered a holistic skincare practice in that we take the entire whole of you into consideration when we discuss treatments.We discuss the common presentations of acne, different treatment options, and ingredients for all skin types and conditions!Taking a holistic viewAll-Natural vs. Organic vs. Synthetic IngredientsCommon Presentations AKA How That Bitch Acne Shows UpThe fix! Ingredients you need in order to control acne through all stages of lifeGetting “model scouted” in NYCady-Dick Cup listener letterDon't forget to join our Patron beauty community at https://www.patreon.com/truebeautybrooklynpodcast . For as little as $1 a month, you can join our diverse beauty community, get a virtual consultation from Alix and me, and buy professional and medical-grade skincare products that you can't buy in-store or online!BEAUTY SCHOOL PART ONE |BEAUTY SCHOOL PART TWO |BEAUTY SCHOOL PART THREE |BEAUTY SCHOOL PART FOUR |I DIDN’T KNOW THEN, BUT I’M OLDER NOW |HEY LADIES |LSend us your listener letters with skincare questions, comments, your I didn't know Then, But I'm Older Now and  Milk?! With Your Dinner?! stories to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com or send us a voicemail to (516) 531-3970.Check us out on Instagram @truebeautybrooklynpodcast or @truebeautybrooklyn visit www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about the show!

Today is the Fourth of July, however, American Independence Day 2020 feels and looks very different this year than it ever has in my lifetime. One of the main reasons is because we are in the middle of one of the largest Cultural Revolutions in American history. As I do more research on Cultural Revolutions from our past, one important factor jumps out at me repeatedly, and that is the need for strong ally’s on all fronts, especially where American Culture is built: media and advertising. In today's screen-obsessed world, it is only with the normalization of seeing black, brown, beige, and multicultural faces together as you scroll through your devices that the movement can be pushed forward. Thus far in The True Beauty Brooklyn Podcast, we’ve shared the entrepreneurial journey of the people building brands, however, we would be remiss to overlook the fact that an incredible product is only as good as it’s branding, marketing, and advertising.I mean, this is America, and there are A LOT of products out there. How do you differentiate yourself from the pact? How does one tell the incredible story behind a product through the packaging, branding, the colors, the website, and the language used throughout everything that is seen by the end consumer before they even try the product?Today’s guests, Kirsten Pincket and Kori Mastroieni, the co-founders of the conceptually driven design studio, Dearest Creative are responsible for that magic. While it's true that visual storytelling is the key to a brands success in today’s society, the minds that are largely responsible for creating these stories are also those responsible for diversity showing up--or as they’ll share with us, not showing up--in all of the content marketing of the world. In the time of cringe-worthy corporate solidarity emails, we felt it necessary to show what true Ally-ship looks like. If you look through Dearest Creative's website or Instagram page, you'll find that there are very few words. Yet their visual story tells you that these women are here to reflect back to the world what they know it looks like: all of us.  Today’s episode is dedicated to Breonna Taylor. Breonna could have been any one of us four girls chatting and laughing today. It is important to remember that she was no different than any of us. She was just perceived to be different due to her melanin-rich skin. All great Cultural Movements need people who don't look like the oppressed to elevate and amplify their voices.To learn more about Dearest Creative you can visit their website https://dearestcreative.co/ or check them out on Instagram @dearestcreative.If you like the show, don’t be stingy, share it with your friends! Also, it’s ok to leave a 5-star review. We won’t mind.Check us out @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast on Instagram or visit www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com.Check out our Patreon and consider joining! Membership starts just $1 a month! That includes a 30-minute virtual skincare consultation and access to fun freebies in relation to our skincare episodes. 

Yall, we're VERY proud that two of our guests from this past month were both featured on Beyonce x Black Owned Everything's Black Parade: A Curated Directory of Black Owned Businesses: owned by today's guest, Karen Young, and (Ep. | 10 Celebrity Makeup Artist and the Founder of her namesake brand Lauren Napier Beauty: How to Pivot Careers And Build Your Extraordinary Life). When I saw Karen post the screen shot of Beyonce's website--BEYONCE written in huge black block letters, right above the image of my absolute favorite beauty product, the rose gold safety razor by Oui The People--on Instagram, I screamed out in joy as if it was my own company! As if today's incredible interview with Karen Young, the founder of the skincare company, Oui The People wasn't proof enough, our girl Yonce (and every other major beauty and fashion magazine) co-signed on her dopeness.Shaving is a part of the cultural zeitgeist that until recently has been taken as-is, for the past 100 years. I’m sure that you have all heard of Dollar Shave Club, and Harry’s--companies that disrupted the shaving industry by lowering the prices of plastic razors for men. Oui The People Lauren Napier BeautyBut have you ever imagined another shaving option for women? Today’s guest is the founder of the company Oui the People, and she did think about this. As a creative and designer at heart, after spending years in luxury fashion and beauty, Karen Young was ready to create a product for women--a safety razor--that told their story, and gave them a truly luxurious experience, all while saving the planet. I have mentioned the company Oui the People (formally named Oui Shave) on this podcast in the past, and it’s because their safety razor is a product that I truly love.Before I met Karen, I felt all of these emotions regarding what is seemingly a simple razor. It is no wonder that the creator behind it is a brilliant entrepreneur blessed with the gift of storytelling that is so vivid, the story becomes a physical product.Oui The People can be purchased by clicking on this link and by visiting www.ouithepeople.com or check out the company on Instagram @ouithepeopleClick this link to be taken to Beyonce x Black Owned Everything's Black Parade: A Curated Directory of Black Owned BusinessesPlease send us any questions to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com, add us on Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast.True Beauty Brooklyn studio is back open in Phase 3 of NYC reopening July 6, 2020. To make an appointment, visit www.truebeautybrooklyn.com, if you don’t live locally, please consider joining us for as little as $1 a month as a Patreon Member.

Happy Juneteenth, Friends! On the heels of the first official New York State recognition of this holiday recognizing and celebrating the emancipation of slavery is the 2020 New York Primary Election on June 23. Although I hope you’re all dancing at your BBQs and cookouts over the weekend, there is still work to be done in The Revolution! This week we invited our friend and activist Michele Kaufman on to the show to talk to us about the different positions that are up for our local election, and how they shape the legislation that we want reform on. Michele is a North Brooklyn local activist and democratic community organizer, our local political expert, neighbor, and friend of the show. It’s worth mentioning that even if you catch this episode after June 23, there is tons of information about political seats and positions that you might not know exist, why you NEED to know about them, and how you can be a part of your local political process. As Michele teaches us, if we don’t take care of things on the local level, we can never expect to take care of them on the national level.  I know that we are all tired, and stressed, and anxious! I know you have all been marching, and yelling, and picking up the phone! Thank you! The fight for change is just beginning, and we need all hands on deck!  Today’s True Beauty Brooklyn Podcast episode is dense with information about our democratic political system because it’s important to know all of the different levels of participation that it takes to truly create long-lasting change both within our immediate communities and on the national level. PollSiteLocator.comCitylimits.org Your Voters Guide to the 2020 PrimarySheShouldRun.orgKnock Down The House To get in touch with Michele, you can send messages to micheleGkaufman@gmail.comPlease send us any questions to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com, add us on Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn or @truebeautybrooklynpodcast and the studio is back open in Phase 3 of NYC reopening July 6, 2020. To make an appointment, visit www.truebeautybrooklyn.com, if you don’t live locally, please consider joining us for as little as $1 a month as a Patreon Member. To download Michele's North Brooklyn Voter Guide, visit the episode page on truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com/episodes/ep12 and click the link at the bottom for a printable PDF. 

I hope that you're all wearing sunscreen while you're out marching! Also, keep marching!This week on The True Beauty Brooklyn Podcast, Alix and I are back at Beauty School, teaching you the basics of skincare. We are just setting the table, and making sure that we are all on the same skincare nerd page so that we can begin talking about ingredients and products knowing that we have a baseline to refer you back to!Don't worry, we make it fun for you all and include lots of laughs along the way. This is a must-listen episode for skincare junkies, beauty enthusiasts, or anyone just trying to get a handle on their skin!Don't forget to join our Patron beauty community at https://www.patreon.com/truebeautybrooklynpodcast . For as little as $1 a month, you can join our diverse beauty community, get a virtual consultation from Alix and I, and buy professional and medical-grade skincare products that you can't buy in-store or online!Send us your listener letters with skincare questions, comments, your I didn't know Then, But I'm Older Now and  Milk?! With Your Dinner?! stories to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com or send us a voicemail to (516) 531-3970.Check us out on instagram @truebeautybrooklynpodcast or visit www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about the show!Beauty School Part 1 |YOUR SKIN IS YOUR LARGEST ORGAN, START TREATING IT AS SUCH“Skin is huge. It’s now a sign and reflection of wellness. I call skin the new rich. How well you’re doing, how well you’re sleeping, what your joy factor is, is all about the tonality of your skin.” --Moj Madhara, CEO BeautyConBeauty School Part 2 |SKIN REGENERATIONBeauty School Part 3 |YOUR SKIN TYPE VS. YOUR SKIN CONDITION Listener Questions |Do creams and toners for uneven skin tone work?I Didn't Know Then, But I'm Older Now | "Tickle story"Alix tells us about the time she was in community college and lets a random guy tickle her feet in the parking lot in between classes for his "grad paper". 19-year-old Alix didn't realize that grad students don't go to community college.

This past week has been very emotional, to say the least, and hopeful to say the most. I once heard Ruth Bader Ginsberg express that the pendulum of change always swings both ways. My friends, I believe that we are on the ascent of that change.In continuing our mission to share the stories of incredible, diverse, resilient, and inspiring women, we are proud to share the story of today's guest with you.Our guest today is celebrity makeup artist and the founder of Lauren Napier Beauty, Lauren Napier. Lauren has worked with some of the world's most famous celebrities, including Academy Award winners, civil rights activists, Olympic gold medalists, indie film darlings, Billboard chart-toppers, silver screen royalty, a Beatle, a Bond and even an American president. Let me play out a scenario that I’m sure has happened to you before: You’re going through your day, as usual, using the same mediocre everyday product that has always left you wanting more. Because you have never found another option, you continue to use it all the while wondering why there still isn’t a better option.Like most great entrepreneurship journey’s, Lauren Napier’s started with this exact breaking point. On a 13 hour flight from Dubai to New York, Lauren was horrified to see an expensive bag of makeup wipes completely dried out. These days Lauren Napier Beauty has been featured in Vogue, Elle, W Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Essence, InStyle, Pop Sugar, Refinery 29. It can be found internationally online in stores such as Revolve, Harvey Nichols, Net-A-Porter, and Colette Paris. You guys,  this girl, and her incredible products are everywhere.I hesitate to use the adjective fearless to describe any person because everybody has fears. But when you speak with Lauren, the woman has so much determination, conviction, grace, and grit, that it’s easy to assume fear does not exist within her.Please visit LaurenNapier.com to purchase all of Lauren Napier Beauty products,  visit @laurennapierbeauty on Instagram.Please add us on IG @truebeautybrooklynpodcast and be sure to rate and review the show so other people can find us too!Join our Patreon Beauty Community for as little as $1 per month.Be sure to send us your listener letters to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com!

We're back babes! Ok, so this show really isn't divided into seasons, but we might be one of the only Podcasts that begin right on the cusp of COVID19, so we had to do some rethinking, and retooling.​With so much unknown, the threat of the worst economic depression since The Great Depression, and no signs of a vaccine for many more months to come, the post COVID world is going to look very different than what we are used to.​​​​BUT WE’VE GOT YOU!​​​Alix and I realize that some of you might not be able to get your monthly facials or brows, but that doesn’t mean that you should suffer alone!​​​Our goal moving forward with the True Beauty Brooklyn Podcast is to be your virtual estheticians so we can keep you gorgeous and bomb through whatever budget you may have, just in case we can’t see each other IRL for awhile.​​​​So while we will move forward and continue to bring you stories and journeys from incredible women as well as fun segments, we want to focus more on educating you on the things that we are experts in, and answering your beauty questions.​​​This way we know that our girls are still moving through the world feeling incredible, armed with the right knowledge and products, while being apart of a community of women that get you. Because we are you!Making my own chemical peelUneven skin tone and chemical peelsDick Cup...WHAT?BEAUTY SCHOOL PART ONE: From the richly melanated, to the not-so melanated, Why we’re the women for you!BEAUTY SCHOOL PART TWO: A Skincare Routine BreakdownI DIDN'T KNOW THEN, BUT I'M OLDER NOW HEY LADIESListener Skincare Question:Milk? With your dinner?!Cheyenne Lips voicemailI didn’t know then, but I’m older nowtruebeautybrooklynpodcasttruebeautybrooklynPlease rate and review us if you like the show (it's how we move up in the ranks, and how other babes like you can find us!).Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month!Please send us your HEY LADIES listener letters and SKINCARE and BEAUTY QUESTIONS to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com , or leave us a voicemail at (516) 531-3970 .Visit us at  www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com on Instagram @ or @Our True Beauty Brooklyn Podcast Patron community offers us a way to make individualized product recommendations, bespoke routines and tutorials, virtual consultations, downloads, and whatever else we can build-out. Since we are unsure when we can gather again, this helps to bring in a little bit of revenue as we navigate this huge pivot in all of our lives, but also the beauty and skincare industry.

The story that we are sharing today is so special to me, not only because it’s from the woman who inspired me to begin this podcasting journey, but because her’s is a story that every person listening today needs to hear. The first time I interviewed our guest was back in November, but her story is so inspiring and relevant to today’s health crisis, that I asked her if we could re-record and include the current crisis in our conversation. Cassi Lopez is the owner of So Gold Studio, she is arguably the best body piercer in New York City, and she is a warrior. Cassi has been featured in The Coveteur, Refinery29, Nylon, Elite Daily, Allure, Cosmopolitan, Insider, Elle Australia, and The Daily Mail, and her client list includes A-listers such as Game of Thrones actor, Nathalie Emmanuel. But most importantly, Cassi is an 8-time brain surgery survivor. And she is still with us today because she continuously and relentlessly advocated for herself when doctor after doctor sent her home, some even insinuating that she was mentally unstable, all dismissing the fluid that was leaking out of her nose as mucus. She would later learn that it was in fact fluid from her brain leaking out of her nose. Cassi never gave up on herself because she knew herself, and she knew her body, and she knew that something wasn’t right. So she continued advocating for herself until one Independence Day she went to an Urgent Care Walk-In Center and met the Doctor (a woman) who immediately recognized her symptoms, and ultimately saved her life. Now more than ever, living in our Global Community we can see that life isn’t always kind to us all, nor is it fair. But strength comes from adversity, and humans are drawn to those whose stories show the incredibly resilient nature of the human spirit to not only survive but also to thrive. Cassi is certainly one of these angels. After meeting her for the first time over coffee, it became clear to me that hers is a story that holds the secret to life: you have to be your own advocate. This story is intense and can be triggering for some people, as we describe some graphic details about a serious health condition and surgery that Cassi has gone through. For more information about Cassi and So Gold Studios please visit https://sogoldstudios.com/ and be sure to check out her Instagram pages @sogoldbk and @cassisoclassy. Please add us on Instagram @truebeautybrooklyn and @truebeautybrooklynpodcast, visit us at www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com, and send us your questions and comments to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com. If you like The True Beauty Brooklyn Podcast, please be sure to tell a friend, and rate and review us! 

Welcome to our first COVID Minisode! Since things changed so much so quickly, Alix and I had to brainstorm how to continue the podcast going. We considered things such as what kind of guests to bring in, what we should talk about, and how to stay true to our initial plan of keeping things light and fun, despite the seriousness of our world right now.So we thought to just reach out to our group of friends, that just happen to be New York City’s best and brightest 30somethings, and ask if they wanted to jump on a call with us to shoot the shit, and talk to the world about how they are handling quarantine, how it’s affected their lives, what things if any they’re doing for beauty treatments.We can also lend our expertise and try to help you from making terrible brow and skincare decisions while you’re at home with nothing to do, and lots of time to obsess, pick, and tweeze. Today we’re joined with a guest, friend of the podcast (and Alix's best friend!) Lacie Porta. Lacie is an incredible entrepreneur, a mom to a cute little 4.5-pound poodle, and her husband is an FDNY firefighter. Lacie's company Framed Florals has been featured in publications such as Vogue, Soetheby’s Home, Bridal Musings, Domino, Buzzfeed, and it seems every Bridal publication out there. She also spoke as a Panelist at Mastercard’s Create and Cultivate Small Business Summit in 2019.Lacie talks to us about how quarantine has been affecting her business, what she's doing to stay sane, and what it's like to be the wife of an FDNY firefighter working in the epicenter of the US Coronavirus Pandemic.Don't worry, we lighten the mood with a few segments, listener voicemails, and listener letters!How to stay fly during COVID19I Didn't Know Then, But I'm Older NowListener Voicemail : I used to shave off my brows and cut my lashesListener Letters:  Don't wax at home, Remember Sun-In?Don't forget to send us your questions or comments to truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com .You can record a voicemail for one of our segments at   or you can shoot us a DM and follow us on Instagram or . Visit for more info!Segments:(516) 531-3970,@truebeautybrooklyn@truebeautybrooklynpodcast www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.comPlease rate and review the show if you love hanging out with us!

Chantell Cartheroll, owner of bespoke wig company HER'S by Chantell has a gift. She is able to look beyond the faces of the clients that she works with, through the physical structure of their specific features. She then uses that which she sees to create an aesthetic of a person’s aura.Her work as a master wig maker can be seen in Tony-award nominated Motown on Broadway,  Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It on Netflix, as well as his Oscar Winning Film, Black KKKlansman. Howeverher true specialty and calling lies beyond these incredible accolades. Chantell’s mastery in seeing a person’s true self allows her to craft magnificent hair pieces, strand by strand, for her clients struggling with medical hair loss such as those with alopecia, and those battling cancer.In our interview Chantell speaks to us about the craft of making a wig, the dedication behind the artistry, and her joy of giving back to the community. She’s an educator as well as practitioner, and speaks on the importance of teaching women of color her craft. As mentioned she worked on John Washington’s wig for KKKlansman, but she also taught the Hair Department Head for the film the art of wig making. Chantell shares how to apprenticed with the best of the best, including working at the diPietro Todd Salon in San Francisco, as well as learning from Master wigmaker to the stars, Joseph Paris--back in the day he made wigs for Elvis Presley! Each of her hair pieces is a one of a kind, masterful work of art.But Before all of that, she was a girl growing up in the Bay area, keeping her hands busy at 16 years old, painting her parents house. Like, their entire house. Scraped, Primed, spakled, top coat and everything. For more information about Chantell and HER'S by Chantell you can visit her website hersbychantell.com or her instagram @hersbychantell . Don't forget to write us at truebeautybrooklynpodcast@gmail.com with any of your questions or comments, and please visit www.truebeautybrooklynpodcast.com to learn more about the show!Join us on instagram @truebeautybrooklyn and say hi!If you like our show, please be sure to rate and review us!