Sky Kim Wants You to Try Her Pandemic-born Hobby—You Might Surprise Yourself

The celebrity hairstylist and beauty expert talks about hair health, personal style, and endearing tattoos. Plus, she shares her Park Slope favorites!

Hi and thank you for reading Park Slope Times, a new weekly newsletter featuring fun interviews, great recommendations, and life advice from Park Slopers. I’m Kelley MacDonald, a writer and editor living in Park Slope. As a reminder, this is the last free Friday issue. If you'd like to read future Friday issues, please upgrade to paid. If you stick with a free subscription, you'll get my big monthly email, plus occasional free emails. Thanks so much for being here!

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Hi! How was your week? Did you get out and enjoy the snow at all? Today, we’re featuring celebrity hairstylist Sky Kim whose client list includes Gigi Hadid, Oscar Isaac, Uma Thurman, Rachel Brosnahan, Jenna Dewan, and others. During the few days a month when she’s not helping her clients prep for awards shows and red-carpet appearances, Sky works at Jenna Perry Hair Studio in SoHo.

Although her work takes her all over the country, nothing feels quite like returning home to Park Slope. “I feel a sense of peace when I'm in Park Slope. I love the calm in the neighborhood. My friends are here and the park is here. I have my spots, my favorite restaurants, my places. What more can a girl ask for?” she said.

Sky is a brilliant stylist, beauty expert, and fierce advocate for embracing your natural self. I’m lucky to call her a friend. Here, Sky talks about how she got started as a hairstylist, the impact the recent strike had on her work, and an empowering pandemic-born hobby. She also shares her Park Slope favorites, including where to buy flowers and cute mugs, plus a New York-smelling candle.

Kelley MacDonald: Sky! Thanks so much for chatting with me today. I’m excited to dive into your career as a celebrity hairstylist, but before we talk about that, let’s talk about personal style. I've always admired your style. What inspires your choices around clothes these days?

Sky Kim: Oh my god, thank you! I'm drawn to mixing classic and funky, old and new. Making something tame, untamed, and vice versa. And, of course, the people of New York — the youth of New York inspire me. Gen Z specifically right now. I’ve been loving the nostalgic wave of the ’90s and early 2000s, and that familiar place it brings me. And I love looser clothes and structural pieces. Gen Z has been pushing beauty standards, which inspires me as well.

Where do you see Gen Z style trends? Online? In-person?

Honestly, with the people I work with, online, on the streets, and the kids of Park Slope. Also, there's something nostalgic and sweet about it. I feel weirdly connected. Just like, Yeah, I love that stuff. It’s what I wore growing up, and I have a deep relationship with these clothes. So I guess really I’m inspired by my inner children [laughs].

I couldn’t be happier to have wide-leg pants back [laughs]! Okay, let’s chat about your work. You have such a unique job. I don’t know anyone else who does what you do. Did you always know you wanted to be a hairstylist? 

I didn't envision it actually; it kind of accidentally happened without me knowing. My mom was a hairstylist. She had a tiny mom-and-pop shop in Colorado. It started with me sweeping hair at like 10 years old while I waited for her to get off work. Then, later on, I did my friends’ hair for prom and dances. One thing led to the next, and I was like, maybe I should just try to do this. 

So you went from Colorado to New York City. How did that happen?

I went to hair school in Colorado, and I started apprenticing at The Drawing Room in New York City when I was 21. That was the beginning. My world expanded then. I got promoted to the floor [at The Drawing Room] but then started over at Serge Normant at John Frieda. A dream for me at the time. So I apprenticed again and worked my way up there. And, in the early days, I would do a lot of Fashion Week runway and editorial, most of it for free if I had to during that time.

Was there a time when you realized you wanted to shift your focus?

Honestly, I think the biggest shift happened during the pandemic. I was really grinding for a long time. I started with the apprenticeship. I got on the floor, and I worked in the salon for a while. I was focused on the salon aspect, and of course, doing things creatively. 

But I had so much downtime during the pandemic that I was envisioning what I wanted to try. My creativity was flowing. I ended up buying a home studio, and I did my own makeup and my own creative hair. I was doing more self-expression looks on myself. And after the pandemic, I kind of recalibrated and realized certain things that were more important to me. 

Then I ended up joining Byrdie's team as a Beauty & Wellness Expert, and two years ago or so, I signed with an agency. That's when I really evolved as a hairstylist. I got different opportunities, like premieres, red-carpet looks, and award shows. Being on a team to make one look is really special. 

Did the recent strike impact your work? What was that like for you?

This year has been a weird year because of the strike. A lot of people were out of work, including me. The strike trickled down to the glam team, and I definitely felt a pause. So many of my clients were out of work; therefore, I was too. But the strike was so necessary! I ended up working with some influencers during that time and taking more fashion and editorial-focused opportunities.

One of Sky’s oil painting!

You’re also a very talented artist. Have drawing and painting always come naturally to you? 

SK: Yes, I've been painting and drawing since, like, birth [laughs]. Bless my mom, she put me in after-school programs where I took art classes, and I took art classes in middle school and high school. 

At the local Starbucks, they put our art up. It felt so cool when I first saw my artwork somewhere else other than my home. My whole family came with me like it was a field trip, and we just looked at the art that was up. It was a boot on black paper created with cool-toned charcoals. My mom still has it actually.

During the pandemic, I watched a bunch of videos on how to oil paint, and I learned how to oil paint. I'm pretty self-taught. KM: Yes, I remember seeing some of your work on Instagram early on in the pandemic. SK: Yeah, that was really fun. KM: Are you still doing it now? SK: Now not as much because I've gotten so busy, and like, I'm crocheting now [laughs]. But I do want to get back into it. Art is something you always do and can revisit. Art doesn't ever go away. It stays with you.

Okay, we have to talk about your other hobby — pole dancing!

Oh my god, yes! This is another pandemic-born hobby. I took my first class ever for a birthday party in February 2020, and I had so much fun that I fell in love with it. Then, when the world shut down in March, I bought my pole. 

I had no job. I wasn't working. So I kind of pretended like pole dancing was my job. I'd wake up, put on my outfit, and practice pole dancing. I’d watch videos and just treat it as something to do during the day. Yeah, [my boyfriend at the time] would “go to work” and I would “go to work” [laughs]. 

It looks like it takes so much upper body and core strength. It must be such a great workout.

It is honestly the best workout, and it's so much fun. When we see videos, we only see the really good videos, and it's hard to imagine yourself doing that. But when I first did it, I surprised myself. It was shocking to me that I was able to do it. I think a lot of women would have the same feeling, like, can I do this? You can! And you'd be surprised at what you're capable of. That was the most special thing for me. That feeling of, oh my god, I can't believe my body is capable of this.

I love that. I want to try it. I was so invested when you were sharing videos on Instagram.

Yes, it was my favorite thing in the world! And my coworkers would Venmo me dollar bills [laughs]. I think that helped me stay in shape during that time, and it was fun to watch the progress happen. I've never felt stronger. It was something I had control over during that time when everything else felt so out of control.

What’s something you’re looking forward to either in your work or life in general?

Hair health. Haircare. And I'm excited for embracing natural texture. I think we're moving towards that. Doing your hair is such a big thing, but it feels like a form of self-love to embrace your hair. I'm very much into that.

What’s one thing people can do to improve their hair health?

Finding the right products for you is number one. Maybe it’s using hair growth serums if hair loss is something you deal with. Adding after-shower care into your routine plays a big part in healthy hair. Maybe get a showerhead that filters your water. Using the right brushes. Things like that change the game.

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1. Coffee shop: My favorite is Cusp. It’s owned by a Korean family. They’re adorable. They do sandwiches, crepes, lots of stuff.

2. Places to buy flowers: SK: I usually go to the bodega, and I sometimes go to Natural Spirit Corp. They're newer, but they have the best plants and dried flowers, which are really cute. KM: I have an incredible succulent from them. SK: Yes, I love their selection.

3. Adrenaline rush: Someone once got me a skydiving experience [from Long Island Skydiving]. Oh my god, I loved it! I love to do anything for an adrenaline rush.

4. Tattoo: I have a quote from “The Lord of the Rings” tattooed on my arm. People are very surprised that I even like “The Lord of the Rings,” I think. I was watching the movie, and I thought it was a romantic thing for Gandalf to say — Fly you fools! — in that way. It was so endearing. But also he was like, You fucking idiots. You guys better go. It was this feeling of being annoyed, and also loving them so much. Two very opposite emotions at once, you know? I think that's very real.

5. Fancy kettle: One thing that really makes me feel like an adult is my fancy kettle. It’s a Fellow Stagg EKG Kettle. Every morning I start my day off with it for my coffee. It’s so pretty. I have the matte white. Seriously, once I got this I was like, I am a true adult. I have my life together [laughs].

6. Candles: I love Elsewhere candles. They’re my favorite bougie thing to buy for the house. They have very interesting scents. There’s one called Film Grain that I love, and the one I’m using now is called Eden. The description [of Eden] is ‘paradise lost and found…flesh of ripe stone fruit mixes with sweet apple and roses.’ Chainlink is described as very New York and subway. They don’t smell like typical candles.

7. Take-out: I love Hanoi. I order from them quite a bit. It’s awesome. I also order from Crosta. I like their pesto and honey pizza [the Tartufata], and the Margherita D.O.P.

8. Neighborhood shops: I love this place called Blok Hill. They sell candles, incense, clothes, and very cute mugs. I like to get my oils and candles there.

9. Pole-dancing classes: I take classes at IncrediPole when I have time.

10. Leave-in conditioner: I love the Virtue Leave-in Conditioner because it hydrates and repairs your hair, and keeps the damage at bay. Plus, it’s a spray and will naturally distribute more evenly. It’s one product that I buy over and over again.

11. Bodega: There's a bodega nearby, Eighth Street Mini Market, and I think it's all family-run. They're really lovely. I got locked out of my apartment once and I just hung out with the bodega boy. He was in college at the time. And you know, I feel like they know too much because I always get so many snacks. They're like, What is this? What is this selection?

12. Favorite snack: It's so trashy, Kelley. It's called Chester’s Flaming Hot Fries. They’re hard to find, but I found them at the bodega. That's how I started going there. They only sell them in small bags, and I used to clear out their entire aisle. I’d buy five of these tiny bags. One day, the bodega boy said, Hey, I just got some more for you. I thought that was really sweet.

Thank you so much, Sky — I always love chatting with you! :)

(Top photo layout by Kelley MacDonald; Background photo via Incredible. Incredipole photo by James Diaz. Photo of Sky and Mason Alexander Park by Jessica Darrow. All other photos are courtesy of Sky Kim or product/brand images.)

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1. Families for Safe Streets turns 10, the fight to approve Sammy’s Law continues: Park Slope resident Amy Cohen, whose 12-year-old son Sammy was killed by a driver in 2013, co-founded Families for Safe Streets in the same year. It’s been 10 years, and Amy continues to fight to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries.

2. New York’s best croissant is in Park Slope: Head to Brooklyn French Bakers on 7th Avenue and 2nd Street and pick up a croissant that won first place at the 2023 New York's Best Croissant Competition. You can also find fresh breads, tarts, cakes, and galette des rois.

01/19 Family Movie Night: The Super Mario Bros. Movie, 3:30PM-5:30PM 📍Park Slope Library

01/20 Pop-Up Talks: Spike Lee, 2PM-3PM 📍Brooklyn Museum

01/20 A Drinking Game NYC presents Back to the Future, 7PM 📍The Bell House

01/20 Free Jazz Live with TAMBOUR, 7:30PM 📍Winemak'Her

01/22 Sopranos: The Musical, 7:30PM 📍Union Hall

01/21 Brooklyn Pop-Up Winter Artisans Market, 11AM-5:30PM 📍Brooklyn Museum

01/21 Steve Martin Presents, 5PM-6:30PM 📍Union Hall

01/22 Gathering Wool: knit and crochet, 11AM-12PM📍Park Slope Library

01/22 Jack & Friends Presents: Lucy Kalantari | Registration required 24 hrs in advance, 1PM-1:45PM📍Park Slope Library

01/24 Wine Night Wednesdays | Order a pasta, get half off any bottle of wine 📍Pasta Louise

01/25 French Night | Mussels party & "La Vie en Rose" viewing, 7:30PM 📍Winemak'Her

01/26 Kate Manne presents UNSHRINKING with Virginia Sole-Smith, 7PM-8PM 📍Community Bookstore

01/28 Wine Class on French Wines, 4PM-6PM 📍Winemak'Her

01/28 Joke-e-oke: Standup Comedy Karaoke | Hosted by Harmon Leon (This American Life, New Yorker), 5PM-6PM 📍Young Ethel’s

01/29 Linnea Axelsson presents AEDNAN, 7PM-8PM 📍Community Bookstore

01/31 Wine Night Wednesdays | Order a pasta, get half off any bottle of wine 📍Pasta Louise

02/07 Wine Night Wednesdays | Order a pasta, get half off any bottle of wine 📍Pasta Louise

02/11 Wake up & Dance with Suzi Shelton, 10AM-11:30AM 📍Shapeshifter Lab

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Thanks so much for reading! I love putting this newsletter together. We’re celebrating our daughter’s birthday with s’mores and sledding in Prospect Park this weekend. The excitement in our home is HIGH. Sending you a hug and hope you have a relaxing weekend.

Kelley xoxo