Anyone that knows me knows that I practically cringe when it comes to applying makeup. I’m literally clueless. To me, ‘contouring’ is more of an architectural term and ‘coverage’ usually refers to how far down I can get my waist-trainer to stretch. But I digress. Suffice to say, for all of my fluid knowledge about fashion and style, I lack the core basics when it comes to skin care and how to properly put on a full face of makeup.
Enter Blushington Makeup and Beauty Lounge, a brand new beauty concept rapidly expanding in cities across the country including West Hollywood, Dallas, Newport Beach, and a newly opened location in New York. The beauty lounge caters to women on all ends of the spectrum, whether she’s a make-up maven or a well intentioned but utterly clueless novices like yours truly. I had the privilege of visiting the very first New York based concept boutique on the third day of their opening. It was truly a holistic experience that was visually engaging, fun, and one that left me walking out feeling not only beautiful but also empowered with tons of practical tips and new product ideas.
The ‘Blushington’ lounge atmosphere was inviting to say the least. Upon signing in for my appointment, I was immediately escorted to a cozy nook in the waiting area and handed a glass of chilled champagne. The luxe decor of the rest of the shop was equally as stunning. It boasted Versailles-inspired mirrored walls, graceful chandeliers, and intimately spacious beauty stations with pink and cream accents throughout.
For my application session, I was greeted by none other than Jessica Scantlin (pictured in middle) who, in addition to her long list of celebrity clientele, also serves as the Director of Artistry for the entire company. Jessica works directly with founder Stephi Maron to oversee each and every aspect of the new location’s openings and artist trainings. I was thrilled to be sitting in her chair to say the least. Jessica started our session by first allowing me to ask her a ton of questions specific to my skin type and what colors and products we were going to use on my face. That’s another thing to note.
‘Blushington’ is the complete opposite of the average beauty boutique out there. They value client education and experience above just about anything else including sales quotas. At no point did anyone try to sell me products or put things on my face simply based on the latest beauty fad. Quite the contrary. Jessica took her time to walk me through a selection of beauty concepts from the company’s fall lookbook. She then customized my chosen concept to fit my face and to suit the event that I was headed to afterwards.
Jessica’s Beauty Tips:
What’s underneath counts the most. Protect and clean your skin. Clean your face throughly every night and wash your pillow cases every two weeks. It might seem simple enough but don’t underestimate the power of having clean skin. When your skin is cleaner it’s also healthier, which means your daily makeup applications look that much more flawless.
Choose one focal point on the face and build from there. We’ve all seen the girls wearing the smokey eye, the extra long lash extensions, and the red lip all rolled into one look. The good news is that your makeup application actually looks better when you focus on only one point such as a strong lip or an intense eye. From there, you can actually better apply the rest of your makeup to compliment your focal point. It was all about the eyes for me!
Don’t follow the makeup trends. Stick with what works for you. Newsflash, we don’t all have the face to pull off a bushy Cara Delevingne eyebrow and that’s okay. Just because something is hot right now does not mean it is a good fit for your face. Once you find some basics that compliment you (i.e. an eyebrow shape, a particular lash length, etc.) just stick with them. Don’t feel pressured to change due to trends. Your look may not benefit from it.
Products used:
- Skin and Coverage. Becca Ultimate Coverage Foundation in Mink, and Amber; Becca Concealer in Toffee and Syrup; and Becca Face Powder in Bamboo.
- Eyes. Stila Cosmetics Liner in Peacock; Stila Cosmetics Liner in Stingray; and Stila Cosmetics Eyeshadow Palette in Perception, Understanding, Imagination; and Stila Cosmetics Mascara in Glamorous Eyes (Black).
- Brows. Kevyn Aucoin Brow Pencil in Brunette.
- Cheeks. Kevyn Aucoin Blush in Fira.
- Lips. Stila Cosmetics Lip Pencil in Dolce.
Blushington Makeup and Beauty Lounge offers a Makeup 101 class that includes these tips and more how-to’s. Reach out to them to get more intel.
