There’s something in the air in New York City, and it’s hard to explain until you’re standing in it. This is a place packed with multicultural history, loud personal style, and that signature “high-low” beauty energy where everything feels possible. In one day, you can get your eyebrows threaded with authentic Indian technique, have your hair braided by Senegalese women who perfected the craft, or walk out of a Dominican salon with a silky blowout that makes you feel brand new. The city’s artists and beauty pros pull from the freedom, bustle, and unapologetic attitude of the Big Apple, and that influence shows up in every borough. No matter where you are, you’ll feel a different flavor of glam, because every neighborhood has its own rhythm and aesthetic. That’s why New York is the perfect backdrop for SheaMoisture, a Black- and Harlem-founded brand, to make its mark while celebrating the people who shape modern beauty.
Heading Uptown: Manhattan Glam Before the Event
This morning starts uptown in Manhattan, where the tone is polished, elevated, and fashion-forward from the moment you step outside. Manhattan is often treated like the fashion capital of the U.S., especially with New York Fashion Week anchoring so much of the industry’s energy here year after year. It also makes sense because so many fashion and beauty company headquarters are based in the city, which means the work, the talent, and the opportunities are constantly circulating. Before heading to the SheaMoisture event at The Dominick Hotel, the plan is to get fully glammed up and lean into that “show up as yourself” New York confidence. The goal isn’t to chase a trend, it’s to look and feel ready for a day built around beauty culture and community. New York has a way of making you feel like you can step into a bigger version of yourself if you decide to.
Getting Ready: Danielle Henry on Confidence and Craft
To bring the glam to life, New York-based makeup artist Danielle Henry joins the day as the go-to for a clean, timeless look. Danielle has been doing makeup professionally for over a decade, and she’s worked with actresses, founders, and well-known names, but what stands out is her approach to the work. For her, glam is not just about a finished face, it’s about self-esteem and how someone feels when they stand up from the chair. She talks about New York like a place where the “trend” is individuality, where you’re allowed to look however you want and still belong. In some cities, people ask what’s in style, but in New York the answer is often, “whatever you want—just do it well.” She emphasizes that people here are kinder than the stereotypes and that strong work and real skill can get you booked. The message is simple: work on your craft, take your artistry seriously, and New York will make room for you.
SheaMoisture Brunch: Beauty, Community, and Momentum
Once the look is finished, the day shifts into the SheaMoisture brunch, which brings together editors, influencers, and beauty lovers who care about the culture behind the glam. There’s a particular kind of energy when you put a room full of creatives together and let them connect without rushing. It’s not just about products or photo ops, it’s about being around people who understand how beauty can be identity, expression, and personal care all at once. New York as the backdrop matters because the city itself is part of the story—diverse, fast-moving, and constantly reinventing what “style” looks like. The event creates a space where people can talk about artistry like it’s a real career path, because it is. It also sets up the larger theme of the day: New York doesn’t just inspire the glam, it shapes the people who make it. When you watch how these rooms function, you realize glam is not a solo sport, it’s a network.
Harlem Perspective: Julie Wilson on Freedom, Self-Care, and Identity
At the event, a conversation with Cosmopolitan beauty editor Julie Wilson brings the focus back to Harlem and what glam really means on a human level. Julie frames glam as showing up as your most authentic self, whether that means a full beat and bold hair or a bare face with a slick-back style. She connects glam to self-care too, like massages, nails, and the routines that make you feel grounded and confident before you ever step outside. She talks about New York as uniquely freeing—after traveling the world, she still describes the city as unmatched in how it lets people express themselves without apology. Harlem, specifically, is described as a heartbeat, a place with deep Black heritage and flavor that you can feel even as neighborhoods shift and change. Julie shares how her personal style evolved from trying to assimilate into one “acceptable” look to embracing variety—twists, braids, afros, silk presses, and everything in between. The point she keeps returning to is liberation: New York helped her understand that beauty transforms, and you don’t have to pick one version of yourself to be “glam.”
The Icon: Lacy Redway on Artistry, Representation, and Collaboration
Lacy Redway’s presence ties the whole episode together because she embodies the glam culture of New York in a way that feels undeniable. Her career spans runways, editorials, magazine covers, and celebrity styling, but what’s most compelling is how she describes the work as storytelling. She talks about the realities of having to prove yourself, especially when people try to box you into one skill, one lane, or one “type.” Her path started in the familiar way many Black women begin in beauty—doing hair in school, braiding for friends, turning talent into income before even realizing it’s entrepreneurship. The shift came when she stepped into higher fashion spaces like New York Fashion Week and realized her speed, technique, and perspective were drawing attention because there weren’t many Black stylists in that environment. From there, she built a broader portfolio to show that her artistry went beyond what people expected from her, and she kept expanding until the industry had to adjust its perception. She also stresses collaboration, explaining that she doesn’t want to design hair in a vacuum—she wants to know the silhouette, the wardrobe, the concept, and the team’s direction so the final look feels cohesive and intentional.
Met Gala Energy: Glam as Teamwork and Trust
When the conversation turns to red carpet moments like the Met Gala, you can feel how intense the craft gets behind the scenes. Lacy describes preparation as the hidden part of the magic—hair tests, building pieces days in advance, refining details right up until the client steps out, and constantly solving problems under pressure. She makes it clear that glam is not random creativity, it’s coordinated storytelling, and the best work comes from trust between the artist and the client. There’s vulnerability in letting someone touch your hair, shape your look, and help decide how you’ll be seen by the world. She talks about referencing Black culture and beauty history, then adding new twists that keep the work evolving rather than repeating the past. The process is a team effort—stylists, makeup artists, wardrobe, and the client all moving together toward one visual story. What stands out is her belief that New York will always be the “mecca” of her journey, the place where the hustle and the artistry meet at the highest level. Even when the pressure is huge, her tone makes it feel like the work is worth it because it creates moments people never forget.
Brooklyn Shift: Street Style, Culture, and a Space That Feels Like Home
After Manhattan, the day moves into Brooklyn, where the energy changes into something cooler, more street-driven, and deeply tied to neighborhood identity. Brooklyn is framed as one of the most diverse boroughs, and that diversity shows up in how people dress, create, and build community. In Fort Greene, the discovery of a boutique-cafe hybrid becomes a perfect example of the city’s “melting pot” identity actually turning into a physical place. The shop blends Senegalese inspiration with New York sensibility and offers beauty, fashion, vintage, handmade goods, and local designers under one roof. The owner describes New York as culture in motion, the kind you absorb on your commute, in your conversations, and in the foods your friends introduce you to. She also frames it through an immigrant lens—what you lose, what you gain, and how the children of immigrants carry both the swagger of New York and the roots of home. The idea is that New York doesn’t just influence style, it influences how you see beauty, community, and possibility.
Scott Louie: Ambition, Creativity, and the New York Edge
Meeting Scott Louie brings the tone into pure Brooklyn confidence—direct, funny, and extremely honest about what it takes to break in. He describes himself as bold and loud about what he does, but behind that attitude is a real blueprint: testing, building portfolios, creating opportunities, and getting as close to decision-makers as possible. He explains that people call it “hustle,” but it’s also creativity and storytelling because you’re building a vision before anyone else believes it’s real. Growing up surrounded by salons, magazines, music videos, and city energy shaped how he thinks about fashion and image, and he credits New York for making him fearless. He talks about glam as a double-edged sword—beautiful when it’s done, but difficult to pull off because the process is stressful, opinion-heavy, and constantly changing. He also nails the reality that stylists aren’t just delivering clothing; they’re architects of a client’s image across time, building a portfolio that tells a story people can look back on. His perspective on New York glam is that it’s aspirational, competitive, and driven by the desire to be the best and push the envelope. And he ends on a simple truth: talent is everywhere, but opportunities are the difference-maker.
Final Stop: Downtown Art, History, and the Documentation of Style
To close, the episode shifts downtown toward the Lower East Side and East Village, where fashion gets experimental and the city’s rebellious glam history still lingers. The neighborhoods are described as places where punk, grunge, murals, nightlife, and creative subcultures collide, making them ideal for people who want to try something different. A gallery visit becomes a reminder that glam isn’t only about hair and makeup—it’s also about documentation, memory, and the way style changes over decades. The photographer featured has spent a lifetime capturing New Yorkers and describes glamour as something rooted in feelings and how those feelings are expressed visually. He frames New York as the overall conversation when it comes to fashion because people come here to become part of that machine, and somehow they find space to grow in the cracks. The gallery itself feels like a mini museum of culture because the walls hold proof of who people were, what they wore, and how they showed up in their time. The takeaway is that New York doesn’t just create trends; it creates identities, and the best artists spend their lives capturing that transformation. By the end, you’re left with the sense that glam in New York is bigger than aesthetics—it’s culture, history, and a constant invitation to become more yourself.