Hairstylist Amoy Pitters will probably never be a household name, unless a few million people decide they want longer, thicker, and — here’s the important part — believably good-looking weaves. Still, she’s a giant in the industry, and her work has been important to people like Donatella Versace, Iman, Naomi Cambell, Trudie Styler, etc. After the lease on Pitters’s East Village salon expired, she relocated to the Upper East Side. Between putting final touches on her new space, doing house calls for her celebrity clients, and tinkering with her new product line, Pitters took a few minutes to chat (in the presence of cameras, because she is, of course, taping a show for Oxygen).

Do you notice women with bad weaves and say to yourself, “Oh, honey. What have you done?”
All the time! I notice hair everywhere I go — shopping at the grocery store, traveling, anywhere! I am always looking up to look at everyone’s hair.

I can tell! Your eyes went straight to my hair to see what I have going on!
You noticed that! If I can’t tell a girl’s hair is extensions from far away, and I have to look closer, that’s how I know the stylist did a good job. Once I was staring at the back of a girl’s head and thinking, wow, her hair looks amazing. It turned out to be a client I’d seen earlier that day.

Explain the art of a good weave.
Well, it definitely starts with the foundation. The weave must be placed correctly. The stylist also has to do a proper consultation with the client to get the color and texture perfect. And the stylist must know how to cut extensions correctly to achieve a natural look. Also, the extensions must be 100 percent natural — preferably with the cuticle, which looks and acts more naturally.

What’s the best way to put one in? You can sew it, bond it, clip it …
Depends on the clients, but never glue a weave unless it will only be worn for a very short time before. Like, a runway model at a fashion show. I never use glue at the salon, and now with clip-on products, glue is never necessary. You can transform your look in seconds. If you want a long-term look, sewing is great.

What are some mistakes women of color make with their hair?
Over-processing! Relaxers and color are damaging to hair health; it’s even worse when the processes are done together. Also, trying to perm their hair at home can be a big mistake. Putting too much tension on the hair — tight braids, ponytails, etc. — can cause breakage. There is a misconception about shampooing: Some women believe that less shampooing will help hair growth, but it’s not true! There is no need to go over a week without shampooing.

You have a tremendous celebrity clientele — what about regular people? Can they get an appointment, or do you have a waiting list?
I kinda do have a waiting list, but I don’t want to isolate myself.

If you were stranded, what are the most essential hair products to have?
A good brush and Furterer dry shampoo.

What was the first designer item you bought?
Probably a pair of Christian Dior sunglasses. It took me about a month to save up for them.

Amoy Couture Hair, 874 Lexington Ave., nr. 65th St., second fl.; 212-529-5153

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Filed Under: tastemakers, amoy pitters, beauty, hair

Bliss has a new facial; this is not news. The enormo-spa frequently adds new treatments to its menus, usually with slightly off-putting cute names, and which are not always, we have to admit, visibly effective (beyond the fact that lying in a dark room having someone massage your face is never really a bad thing). Its newest, though, is a dynamo that breaks the glycolic sound barrier. Launching on March 1, the Bright Stuff facial ($175) includes a five-minute mask of 40 percent glycolic solution (if you add vitamin C, the peeling power drops to 38 percent). That is a hefty dose of exfoliation, and if it doesn’t tone down hyperpigmentation and dark spots for a lot of people, we’ll be surprised. The usual massage and mask treatments are involved as well, plus the always-appreciated cheese tray in the lounge.

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Filed Under: beauty marks, beauty news, bliss, facials

Wei Young Brian’s skin-care line, aptly titled Wei, is based on the belief that the yin and yang need to be balanced in order for skin to be healthy and radiant. While the whole holistic-Chinese-herbal-medicine thing really isn’t a selling point for us, we can say there were two products that particularly struck a cord — the Pomegranate Buffing Beads ($20 for twenty packs) and the Golden Root Purifying Mud Mask ($42 for eight pods and a brush). We love the fact that you can add the finely ground granules to your favorite facial cleanser and exfoliate away without it being too harsh, but still have enough scrub power that you actually feel like it’s taking away dead skin cells. The masks are brilliantly packaged in eight little pods, so there is no guesswork in how much you’re supposed to use, and it comes with a handy-dandy brush for application (this means no hand-rinsing, and for those of us with talons as nails, no goop stuck underneath). Simple, easy, portable, with results. We’re sold.

Available online now at SpaceNK.com and in Space NK stores on March 1 for the Chinese New Year.

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Filed Under: best bets, beauty, wei young brian

Love it or hate it, Yves Saint Laurent’s Opium is a bona fide classic. Everyone has a story about the first time they wore it or a vivid memory of their aunt or mother every time they smell it. Now, after 32 years, the bottle we all remember will be gone; come May, a brand-new one will hit shelves. Inspired by the inro (lidded boxes) worn by Asian men and women back in the day, the new bottle is a far cry from the old-school round one. We’re shocked by the change and somewhat nostalgic, but the packaging overhaul of this classic should be noticed. Here’s a sneak peek.

Available in May, $50-$175 at Bergdorf Goodman.

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Filed Under: best bets, beauty, perfume

She’s worked with photographers like Mario Testino, designers like Karl Lagerfeld, and magazines like Vogue Paris, but yet, Ellis Faas still remains somewhat below the mainstream. The Dutch makeup artist quietly debuted her self-titled makeup line at Bergdorf Goodman (first counter in the United States) and is banking on striking a chord with the city’s beauty mavens. Her line of what she calls, “Human Colors” is inspired by “colors that by nature, exist in every human body.” That translates into diverse shades of foundation that look natural and practically absorb into the skin, three textures of lipsticks in 27 shades, and the sexiest shadows. We chatted over tea and coffee about what it was like to work with industry heavyweights right out of the gate and why photo shoots shouldn’t take sixteen hours.

What was it like to work with Karl Lagerfeld?
He’s a very sharing person. He always wants to show you a new book or piece of art. He’s very nice and trusted me. I remember the first show I ever did was Fendi. It was like, 60 girls, but my naïveté made it not scary. The press was scary. They kept asking me all these questions, and I was giving one-word answers.

Oh, God. You were pretty much our worst nightmare, then!
[Laughs] Yes, but now I know you have to create a story.

Insiders know of you and your work, but not the general public. With a collection hitting Bergdorf, do you feel like you’ve arrived?
Never. You’re still growing. Plus, I don’t want to be a star. Our company is very small. My brother has been my agent for years. There is no marketing, there are no tricks.

What do you think is more intense, runway work or editorial?
Well, it depends on the photographer! I like the old photographers — the ones that have been around for a long time and know what they’re doing. I’m fast and I don’t fiddle because I feel like the makeup loses its poetry. I feel the same way with pictures. Either you get it or you don’t.

What products are essential in any makeup case?
I feel if the skin looks good, then the rest looks good. You should always have foundation and concealer. Lash curlers are handy, too.

What beauty products do you use?
I use Eve Lom cleansing cream. I’m not very loyal when it comes to moisturizers.

Where do you shop for beauty products?
In Europe, there are all these niche stores. They have really nice stuff.

What makeup trends do you hate?
I hate people telling other people what to do. As a makeup artist, I don’t even know what makeup artists are saying. They’re trying to create mystery when there is no mystery. You can do anything as long as the technique is good.

What was the first designer item you bought?
Yves Saint Laurent lipstick. It was fuchsia. I got it for my birthday because I liked the look of the container.

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Filed Under: tastemakers, beauty, ellis faas