Check out our exclusive interview with the always adorable Ashley to find out her favorite products, skin care regimens, and a little gushy love for Rihanna!
What are your cold-weather beauty tips? Any specific product recommendations?
"In the winter NYC is often cloudy and we dont see as much sun as we do the rest of the year. Our skin tone lightens but that doesnt always mean it brightens! Sometimes, with the lack of sun, we tend to look sallow. The Adams family is not the look most of us are going for! You want to combat that with three simple tips:
6. Brow Grooming: "These are most important feature on your face! Here at Honey In The Rough, eyebrows are everything. Rosie Rodriguez, our in-house brow sculptor, uses just her eye and a set of tweezers to sculpt the perfect brow. A brow can really frame an eye, bringing out its unique shape. And the right sculpt can really open up the eye allowing the it to pop and look larger, without adding more makeup...which tends to make the eyes look darker and in turn smaller."
FYI, Rosie is happy to extend the 20% off promo to eyebrow appointments.
Photo: Courtesy of Honey In The Rough
Describe your personal style in 7 words or less
"Feminine, Humorously Chameleon-Like, Colorful, and what can i say....I like "jazz" as mentioned above — I just love detail!"
Is this the same aesthetic you maintain in your store?
"Yes! My shop is exactly the same — I try my absolute best to have something for everyone, but it's quite often that regular customers come in and point at a dress and say "that's SO Ashley!" Hopefully they dont think that's such a bad thing...they seem to keep coming back for more."
Who would you most love to dress/ help style?
"Rihanna — I love the direction she is going in now — a softer side is showing, she is growing up, she is becoming more sophisticated and more sensitive to the beauty of romance. I would have a blast styling her because I like where her look is headed, her curves are pyscho-killer — she filmed one of her videos on Rivington, on our block, and dang that girl has got a body! Oh, but if we team up, the first thing we ditch is the red weave!"
What are 5 of your must-haves this holiday season?
"An exciting scarf for the cold — I love this Tsumori Chisato Fox Scarf. I own it and it's soo soft and I have to say it never ever fails to give someone I cross on the street a laugh!"
What philosophies do you keep in mind when curating your shop?
"The cuts of the dresses are mostly classic shapes (so they're wearable forever), and the details are what make them special...l love texture, print, ruffles, lace, buttons — really, any type of detail which makes the regular classic shape unique!"
How does your neighborhood affect your shop?
"It's a little eccentric and bohemian. I wouldn't want it any other way. It allows for creativity and individuality like no other neighborhood in New York. My shop fits in because i don't sell dresses or jewelry you see coming and going all the time!"
If you were to open a shop in a second location, where would it be?
"I think if I were to open a second shop it would be in L.A.! Strictly for selfish reasons: I'm from New Mexico and it would be closer to home. I really wouldn't complain about that, plus then you really have a pulse on what's going on in terms of fashion and culture on both ends of the country!"
Any other favorite boutiques in NYC that we might not know about?
"Some Odd Rubies is my favorite shop on the Lower East Side, and then Stuart and Wright for the Brooklyn folk — I live in Fort Greene Brooklyn and I love their preppy yet super chic sensibility! And then, Yoya Mart Kids is the best children's shop In the city. Also, my tailor, The Tailor Room on Clinton, has impeccable tailoring, same-day service available, and service with a sincere smile! All hard to come by in NYC, let alone in one spot!"
If you could only wear one designer for the rest of your life, who would it be?
"Tsumori Chisato — I do basically wear her every day. If i had a buck for every time i said "its tsumori" i would be a trillionaire!"