You Maybe Homeless But You Are Loved.

That was my message at a recent workshop I held for mothers wanting to stay clean and break their addiction to drugs that range from alcohol, pot, pills and heroin to crystal meth. Some of these women live in shelters or struggle to put a roof over their heads. From my personal experiences I can relate.

"You are beautiful from the inside out..." was my first message to the room. "We are no different from each other and you deserve to be treated as an equal." This I firmly believe based on my own life experiences.

Some may assume that with the struggles these women face, "beauty from the inside out" may not be the most important thing, but they're dead wrong!

The power that a human gets from understanding that they have inner beauty, can move mountains. We live in a world where magazines, TV, radio and social media are constantly telling women they are better off looking look like someone else (maybe a celebrity). Not being able to live up to these impossible standards can break a woman, especially one who is already battling an addiction.

 Some women may also have to deal with other challenges,  like financial insecurity, physical abuse, mental health issues and crushing poverty. With this weight on their shoulders, there is often no room for feelings of self-worth. That's where inner beauty plays an important role.

By recognizing their "inner beauty," these women can be reminded that they deserve a good life, just like everyone else. They deserve love, deserve respect and deserve to be supported through difficult times, just like everyone else.

So if you're reading this, know that showing others' their inner beauty is extremely powerful. So many of us walk around depending on our outside appearances to represent who we are, but that only lasts so long. As I always say, a hairstyle lasts a day but self love is forever!

So spread the word, beauty is still just skin deep!

Feel free to write to me with any questions or comments. Remember that we can all bring joy to someone in need.

To love one's self is the beginning of a life long romance. - Oscar Wilde


Give love.
Give hope.
Give faith!

Calm Natural Skincare Helping Women At Homeless Shelters

As I continue my workshops for women and girls living in shelters, it becomes clearer that their is a huge demand for support to these ladies.

After doing several workshops with the women at Win around inner beauty and hair care, I started to receive requests to do some on skincare. I decided to reach out to several companies, but as I needed a high level of donations to meet the demand, finding a suitable match was not an easy task...that is until I met Jyl Bonaguro, founder of CALM Natural Skincare.

When I explained to my new friends at CALM Natural Skincare what I did with the families at the shelter, they instantly said yes. Within a week the samples arrived as promised.

I can't tell you how appreciative the women at the shelter were to receive the gifts. Everyone was given a cleanser, a moisturizer and a mask. During the workshop, we decided to bust open some of the products and give ourselves facials. :)

The first thing I noticed was the natural, clean smell...I mean it even looked edible. Sold in either powder or liquid form, they gently clean and moisturize skin. Their products are packed with over 60 natural ingredients, helping skin maintain its natural integrity and shine. Another great thing about CALM Natural Skincare is their love for the environment. The entire line offers refills to avoid increasing plastic waste on the planet and the packaging is "space friendly." Gone are the days of a few products taking all the room on your counter top or cabinet.

I can't thank the people enough at Calm Natural Skincare for the wonderful gifts they gave to these women, showing them that complete strangers do care.

For those who want more info, here is a video on the birth on Calm Natural Skincare and their line of products. And please, please, please if you become a fan, like their facebook page.

Help For Beauty School Students at JP McCaskey High School In Pennsylvania.

I want to share with you all an amazing  experience I had with a class of students at a beauty school program at JP McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Their teacher, Andrea Fitzgerald contacted me asking if I could direct her to someone that could help with supplies like hair brushes, blow dryers, curling irons, etc. so the students could get the proper training. She further expressed interest in more education for the students, but did not have the budget. 

Having attended a similar program (West Valley Occupational Center) in Los Angeles for my beauty school education, I related to the challenges they faced.  The first step was to get supplies donated. Having never done anything like this before I knew it would be a challenge, one that I was happy to take on.

The first company that came to mind was T3 Micro.

You see, T3 has been a regular sponsor for some of our favorite shows during Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week.

I love their products so it was a natural choice for me. I explained to these wonderful people at T3 the situation at the school and my willingness to help. I also told them that I would personally take the products to Pennsylvania, they were game!

Last week I traveled 3 hours  to Lancaster  with the donated equipment.

Here's a video which further explains my initial interaction with the Mrs Andrea Fitzgerald and our plans. 

Once at the school I saw the excitement in the kids faces. The workshop started  with an introduction of myself and my journey through the beauty industry. We discussed the the important things to do while in school that will help them after graduating. The simple things like constantly practicing on their mannequins hairstyles they see in magazines, or cutting the hair for family members and friends as soon as they can.  We talked about the importance of not losing your individual creativity. Beauty school training can be a standardized and rigid training process with so many "do's and dont's" being taught as guidelines to create a cut.

Here are images with the excited students with their new tools. They were beyond ecstatic!!!

 I followed this by doing a haircut and style using T3- Microfiber tools.

 I closed out my visit with a surprise bonus from Orlando Pita, who graciously donated gift baskets to the top two students, Michelle Gonzales & Nghia Nguyen with the best attendance. 

The students wanted to say a big thank you to T3 ...here they are!!

Already I've received feedback from Ms. Fitzgerald saying, "The kids are super excited and anxious for my return!"

Well since my visit I'm even more committed to helping those in need. For those who are interested in seeing how they can help out, please contact me.

I want to once again thank Ms. Fitzgerald for contacting me and having faith to ask for help. And a big thank you to T3 for their incredible donation to the school program. And lastly a special thanks to Orlando Pita for his gifts to the two students who had the best attendance.

Do Not Be Bullied In To Looking Like Someone You're Not (My Message To Teenaged Girls Living In Homeless Shelters.)

After completing my second workshop with teenaged girls on individuality, beauty and bullying, I felt extremely moved to share my experience.

Please keep in mind that these teenage girls all live in a homeless shelter, for now...

The first question I asked the room was have you ever been bullied? We all raised our hands. The second question was have you ever bullied someone? We all raised our hands...

When asked to describe what it felt like to be bullied, the girls provided answers that were very similar. Some felt sad, their feelings were hurt or angry.  Overall they agreed that it made them feel horrible as often wondered,...why me.

The group opened up as to some reasons they were bullied, be it their hair was too kinky, their weight or their living situation.

I explained my personal experiences being bullied because I was poor, gay or too fair. I further explained how 25 years later I've come to realize that these were the things that make me unique. The things that make Antonio special.

I reminded them that each one of them are different to each other and that uniqueness should be celebrated... from your body size, to your hair to even your teeth (just to name a few.)

We made a promise to be more aware of our actions when it comes to our opinions and to be sensitive to the feelings of others.

I then asked who were their female heros, women that they admired, that they wanted to be like. All the girls praised the women in their lives, mothers, grandmothers etc. One girl in particular replied, "I want to be like my mother, because she stood up for me and loves me. She taught me no matter how difficult things may seem, you deserve to respected."

I end by saying, any challenges I may have faced in my past with the women in my childhood were washed away by the energy and love from these beautiful young girls.

Thank you to all my friends that donated copies of the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, which each girl received a copy of.

 And for all the wonderful cosmetics and hair accessories that were also donated.

Helping Displaced Families

Once again I was given the opportunity to spend two hours with single mothers at the Shelter for displaced families.

The focus of this workshop was to identify the negative things that were said to us as kids, our most formative years. Be it from parents, extended family or society in general, these words tend to leave lasting emotional scars.

I started off with my own experience where, at age 6, I was constantly teased for being gay. I remember one aunt in particular, who always made me feel ashamed. I talked about how it took me years before I was able to respect myself as a gay man.

This opened a flood gate of emotions from the group, as they recalled all the negative things that stuck with them as both children and as adults today. At the end we all agreed that saying to a child "I love you" goes a long way, and as adults we deserve to be treated with respect.

Then I introduced my guest, Kimora Link, a personal trainer who loves people, period. Mr. Link operates a fun and effective bootcamp in Harlem that I attend.

He answered questions from the ladies and encouraged them to love themselves as they are. Mr. Link expressed that his job is to help women be a better and healthier version of themselves. "We are not all meant to be thin, but we all benefit from being healthy," summed up his message.

What attracted me to Kimora is his "Project Link Kids 2 Fitness," with its motto, "Lead and they will follow, give our children a jumpstart on a path to life!"

Mr. Link firmly believes that what a parent does, sets the stage for how their kids will behave. He encourages families to workout together with special classes which cater to those needs. At the end of the workshop, Mr. Link and I presented each woman with a t-shirt emblazoned with the statement, "I Believe In Me." We had so much fun!!

Thanks to my friend, Lori Lynch and friends for providing donations and making the gifts and t-shirts possible.

Stay tuned for the next workshop which is my first one for single fathers living in homeless shelters.

Volunteering For Kids

One of the great things about teenage girls is their love of anything to do with hair and makeup. I recently experienced this excitement at a homeless shelter in our very own Brooklyn.

As I walked into the room, many of the young ladies greeted me with big smiles. We jumped right in to why I was there, discussing the pressures and frustrations they face to look a certain way. How daily the press and media backed by advertising, preaches their idea of whats beautiful . We then explored how each of them defined beauty and why. 

We also discussed the importance of individuality and ways to express it while understanding its importance.

In a world where women are encouraged to look like someone else, it is important to show these young ladies the importance of looking like themselves...with an added sparkle.

I showed them realistic practices on how they can look after their hair and skin along with the tools they can use. And we discussed the false advertising that the beauty industry sometimes promote. Afterwards I presented each girl with a gift bag of amazing hair products and tools. They loved it!!

A special thanks to Orlando Pita and Mr. Casson for their very generous gifts and to Melissa of Sweet Elite Cakes in Brooklyn. I called Melissa without and asked if she could donate cupcakes for the workshop and she responded right away with a gracious yes! Needless to sat, they were divine!

I look forward to the following workshop with the girls on March 25th. If anyone would like to know more about what I do please feel free to contact me. These smart beautiful girls deserve our support.

Love to all!