This is a new addition to my routine, and a much-needed one. Some context: One of my favorite compliments is when someone tells me I have the softest hands, and unfortunately, this winter has been exceptionally cruel to my skin. Seriously, my knuckles are looking downright scaly as of late, and I’m simply not here for it. I’m somewhat sensitive to scents, and don’t love anything too strong when it comes to lotions, but I recently started slathering on this vanilla hand cream, and I’m obsessed. Yes, it’s hydrating and softening, but perhaps most importantly, it’s also very fast-absorbing, because some of us don’t enjoy feeling like there’s a film on the top layer of our skin for hours after application. And the fragrance? Utterly delicious.
Even if you don’t know Rita Hazan by name, you know her work. The New York City native has been behind the hair color transformations of some of the biggest pop stars since the late ‘90s, from Mariah Carey’s first foray into lighter locks (and eventual blonde makeover) for her 1997 album, Butterfly, to Jennifer Lopez’s post-Selena honey highlights and Katy Perry’s full range of rainbow colors. And then there’s Beyoncé, who first came to Hazan in 2013 and has been working with her ever since.
But Hazan’s impact in the beauty industry extends far beyond her impressive list of celebrity clients. In the male-dominated field of hair coloring, Hazan carved out her own path: First by developing a coloring technique that defied (and eventually set) trends, then with the opening of her namesake salon and product line. “I didn’t even think about it as a woman; I just really loved doing color,” Hazan tells Observer of what drove her to take risks. After attending beauty school at 17, Hazan immediately went to work at Oribe Canales’ legendary Fifth Avenue salon, where she assisted color director Brad Johns (whose clients famously included Christy Turlington and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy) through much of the ‘90s. “I got promoted, and that’s where I was doing a little bit different hair color. Brad was all about chunky, very golden highlights, and I went the opposite way of that,” Hazan says. “My family background is Egyptian and Jewish, and we like to be blonde, but we don’t like to be goldy,” she adds of what inspired her more seamless approach to blonde color.
By the early 2000s, Hazan’s work with Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Simpson had established her as the go-to colorist for pop It girls and up-and-comers alike. “If you wanted to create an image or change your look, you would come to me,” confirms Hazan. All the while, she was still busy at Oribe with her usual clients, one of whom first planted the idea of opening her own salon. “I was like, ‘Who the hell wants that headache?’” Hazan laughs. “But I told my client I’d think about it, and when I went home and said something to my mom, she said, ‘If you want to, just open your own place.’ So I did, and that was it.”
Rita Hazan Rita Hazan.
After establishing her Fifth Avenue salon as the place for A-listers and those in the know, Hazan developed her own product line, which most famously introduced the world to the first root cover-up spray (inspired by and developed for her clients as an at-home solution for grays in between color appointments). But after 20 years in the industry, Hazan was introduced to her most famous client to date: Beyoncé. “About 12 years ago, [hair stylist] Kim Kimble called me and was like, ‘Beyoncé wants to be blonde but her hair keeps turning orange, and I told her, Rita is the only person that’s going to get you the color that you want. Can you do her hair?’” Hazan recalls of the singer’s first visit to her salon. Hazan delivered, and the two have been working together ever since. The colorist is behind every Beyoncé hair look of the past decade, from her bright blonde at the 2015 Met Gala to her more dimensional, “sunwashed” color during the 2023 Renaissance tour.
“We’ll go back and forth on color ideas, but I’m always making sure it looks good for video and with movement—Beyoncé is flipping her hair and she’s up and down when she’s onstage, so every aspect of her hair has to look beautiful,” Hazan says of their collaboration process. “She also grew up in a hair salon, so she understands what’s possible and what’s not.”
This fall, Hazan is sharing her coloring expertise through open classes at her salon, now located on the Upper East Side. “I really like educating, and everybody is always asking me about going blonde without it getting damaged or brassy, so I’d like to do classes in the salon that are affordable and open to anybody who wants to come in,” she says. In between creating buttery blonde color for her clients (Hazan’s top trending color for fall), Rita Hazan spoke with Observer about her current essentials—from the red lip that’s become part of her everyday uniform to the at-home hair gloss with results so good, she uses it in the salon.
You’ve been embraced as an It girl on TikTok over the past couple of years. How would you describe your everyday approach to beauty and style?
My everyday approach to beauty is enhancing my natural features and finding those little things that make me special. When I watch beauty tutorials on my makeup looks by other people, they often try to just copy what I’m doing, but that’s not always necessarily the best thing to do. I think you should look at my videos, take your pieces from it, and spin it in a way that fits your face. For example, if my contour is sitting up here because I have a higher cheekbone, that doesn’t mean yours needs to be there. I think it’s really all about looking at yourself and figuring out the parts of your face that can be enhanced.
I take a very classic approach when it comes to fashion. One thing I always say since it’s been installed in me since I was younger is to never follow trends. A lot of the time when you follow trends, you’ll look back five years from now and wonder, “What was I thinking?!” I stay true to a really timeless style, which allows me to never look back and question the fashion decisions I’ve made in the past. I really gravitate toward classic suit blazers, nice trousers, a good belt, and having staple jewelry, which is so important to help pull an outfit together. You can have the simplest outfit on, and if you also have fabulous earrings, you look so luxe and chic.
We can never get enough of your “get ready with me” videos, luxury shopping hauls, and photo shoots. What message do you hope to impart to your viewers and followers?
When people look at my content, I want them to feel inspired. About [my recent] luxury haul in particular, I had no idea the effect it would have on people. They instantly went out and treated themselves to amazing products! I love to be an inspiration and push people toward things that they would never ordinarily do for themselves and become what they didn’t think they could be. I also hope I can inspire people with their style and health journeys!
I just posted about the Pressed Juicery juice cleanse that I did, and so many people responded to that saying that they wanted to step their game up and start the year off right. There were so many benefits to that cleanse! It helped with bloating and made my skin so glowy. I also hope that … the workout and fitness routines I post … can also inspire people to feel good inside and out.
How has becoming a mother shifted your self-view?
It has made me more aware of a lot of things than I was before. It’s made me become a lot more healthy because, of course, I want to give my daughter the healthiest options for when she’s eating and when she’s out and about to avoid chemicals. My approach to health and wellness has grown and improved with her in my life, which has been really interesting and fun. I love having a lot of positivity around her, so in my daily life, I try to remain super happy and positive all the time, which I have always done. Now, I think about creating a safe space and energy for her. It’s been the best journey ever! She’s the sweetest, cutest little girl, and I just can’t wait to be her mom for the rest of her life.
What are some things you’re looking forward to in 2024? Are there any projects you can share with us?
My day-to-day consists of my activewear brand, so I’m really excited for the future of that and have a lot of exciting things coming. We’re still a really small team, so it’s fun! I’m wearing a lot of hats, so it’s nice to see everything coming to life, and all of the aspirations and dreams I had for the brand are really starting to form.
If there’s one thing Who What Wear’s beauty editors can agree on, it’s the importance of adapting our skincare routines to whatever it is our skin demands from us each season, which can be a lot. My skin, for example, falls into an unfortunate cycle of dryness and uneven textures deterred only by heavy hydration efforts. Facing off against dull, lifeless-looking skin is another one of my skin struggles that rears its head by mid-November.
Now that we’ve reached the end of summer and are beginning our transition into all things fall, I thought it would be an ideal time to reflect upon the products my fellow beauty team members and I swear upon to lead the charge into this next season. Interested in learning which ones we’re scrambling to add to our skincare routines? Keep scrolling!
We know it’s hard to find the right gifts for your loved ones, so we’ve compiled a ton of fashion and beauty-focused gift guides tailored to a range of interests and budgets. Check out our latest below and find more right here.
When it comes to beauty gift giving, there are plenty of routes to go. But allow us to suggest venturing down the path of skin care: Plenty of people in your life will appreciate any excuse to indulge in a little extra ritualistic pampering and self care — and everyone has skin.
But the realm of skin care doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being straightforward; it’s easy to get confused and overwhelmed. A little advice? When in doubt, go for a pre-organized set.
These bundles — which range from curations of trial-size minis to fully comprehensive treatment routines — cover a wide range of complexion preferences and needs, and they’ll also suit just about any budget. Plus, some of them are so well packaged, you won’t need to do any wrapping.
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In the gallery below, we’ve rounded up 21 skin-care sets that are basically begging to be gifted. Click through to see (and shop!) them all.
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