May

20

How to look good in pictures, even at the end of the party.

Filed Under Sip and Shop, Uncategorized 

Here’s the secret: Drink less. Just kidding. Do you ever wonder why certain ladies look fab in pictures, even after that third glass of bubbly? Maybe you are one of those ladies, the ones who glow instead of looking greasy. The Shop Tart wants to be like that. She would also like to be one of those ladies who doesn’t feel compelled to put on foundation just to take a jog. And she has a plan. Some parts of the plan are expensive, some not so much.

Let’s begin with the expensive stuff. Later today, she will have her third Laser Genesis treatment, performed by Dr. Brian Hurley at Illumination Med Spa. Laser is a scary word, n’est-ce pas? Laser Genesis is not scary, not one little bit. The Shop Tart is looking forward to seeing the results after six treatments and is hoping her fine lines will diminish, as promised. Looking good so far!

Second, she’s decided to bite the bullet and pay for a series of six facials at Pout with LED light therapy. You see, she has this recurring dry patch on her chin - put down your breakfast burrito before you read on, dear. The funny thing about the dry patch is that it’s also sprinkled with pimples. And it hurts. She’s tried all the obvious things - wiping down the phone, washing her face after brushing her teeth, not picking at it - but it won’t go away entirely. The closest she ever got was when she took a round of antibiotics for acne. Some days of the month it’s worse than others. Ahem. The Shop Tart’s skin guru Shannon recommended LED light therapy, available with any facial at Pout. In Jean Godfrey-June’s book, Free Gift with Purchase: My Improbable Career in Magazines and Makeup, she tells a story about getting something like nine facials in as many days for a magazine article. After nine days, her skin was raw and ugly. At the last spa, desperate to avoid more irritation, she asked if she could skip the facial and just learn about it. They asked if she would be willing to have Georgette Klinger herself perform the treatment. Reluctantly, she agreed. The lovely lady, in her 90’s, was too old to actually do it, but she supervised and instructed the entire time. Miraculously, Godfrey-June left the spa glowing, in a good way. Y’all, Shannon Dangerfield is the Georgette Klinger of Columbia. Or South Carolina. Probably even beyond.

She is the person the Shop Tart goes to with skin emergencies, like the time she had had four hours of sleep and had to go on television. Or the time she got hit in the face with a toasted cheese bagel. Unlike many facials, Shannon’s don’t leave you red and blotchy. On occasion, the Shop Tart has left Pout with no make-up afterwards and gone to the store. When Shannon suggested six facials with LED, the Shop Tart agreed without hesitation. The light therapy should even out her skin tone, possibly lessen hyperpigmentation from sun damage (darn the 80’s and some of the 90’s) and reduce acne. In other words, the therapy should destroy whatever is causing that nasty patch on her chin, which she thinks is really due to age, because she has noticed she’s not alone. It was hard to hand over that credit card, but the Shop Tart is confident that six sessions will change her life. After just one, she can see an improvement. And, by the way, while some skin therapists leave to go call their boyfriends after they apply a facial mask, Shannon sticks around and rubs your feet and hands. Lovely!

So, there are only so many things a non-movie star can do about her skin. What else is there? Plenty. First of all, the Shop Tart finally believes in primer and, just for you, she tried a few. Her favorite for every day under makeup is by Alison Raffaele, Age Response Formula with SPF 15. You can never have too much SPF, n’est-ce pas? She also makes an Acne Response Formula, great for the whole face or just the t-zone. Both primers contain frutta di vita antioxidant complex. Antioxidants are an absolute must with sunscreen; without them, the sunscreen becomes much less effective.

Alison Raffaele Primer at Pout.

Alison herself visited Pout last May and she is all about a perfectly polished look for skin. The Shop Tart was amazed at what she could do. She totally converted to Alison’s True Concealer that day and has been using it ever since.

Alison Raffaele True Concealer

Next stop, the Smashbox counter at J Thomas Salon in the Vista. Smashbox is known for their primers and makeup artist Freya always seem to use them to stunning effect on her clients. The Shop Tart noticed the bridesmaids at Freya’s sister Shayna’s wedding looked fresh-faced, even on the dance floor. The Photo Finish and Photo Finish Light (oil-free for those with acne) are great canvasses for makeup, leaving the skin smooth and soft.

But the Shop Tart wondered if there was a way, before her laser and LED treatments were over, to leave the house with no makeup (well, almost no makeup.) Drumroll…there is! She started with sunscreen - active UV Defense by Skinceuticals from Tonic, which goes on smooth and doesn’t leave any grease or white streaks. She followed that with Eyecing by Freeze 24-7 from Pout. This stuff seriously works, y’all. She tried it for an article for Jolie, continued buying it and had the audacity to run out a few weeks ago. She looked very tired and thought she was dying. Until she bought another jar and used it, just once. She will never, ever be without it again. Because of the price, she uses this in the day and another, slightly less expensive cream at night.

She followed that with a little Anise Wrinkle Eraser by Fresh, recently recommended to her by Ashley at Pout. The tube is small, but a little goes a long way in keeping makeup from pooling in laugh lines (fun times, y’all, fun times.) A dab around the eyes won’t hurt, either.

Fresh Anise Wrinkle Eraser

After that, she applied Photo Finish Color Correcting Primer by Smashbox. The Shop Tart chose the green one, designed to correct redness. The apricot one evens skin tone and disguises dark spots and the lavender brightens dull or sallow skin. Given her success with the green one, she can’t wait to try all three.

After the primer, she applied a touch of True Concealer here and there, not enough to count as makeup, m’kay? Now, the no make-up look is lovely, but a pale girl has to have a little color. Really. Otherwise, on her jog, she might be picked up by the paramedics. Or Ghostbusters. In doing her research on primers yesterday, the Shop Tart discovered yet another Smashbox product you have to have: O-Glow. The gel works like Smashbox’s fab O-Plump, reacting to your skin to give you a natural pink glow. Gorgeous!

O-Glow by Smashbox at the J Thomas Salon

And, in very exciting news, the Shop Tart is pretty sure she’s found the perfect shade of natural-looking lipstick. A little pink, a little brown, a little fabulous. The picture might not do it justice, but Sheer Daquiri by Wallett from Pout matches her lip color exactly.

Sheer Daquiri by Wallett at Pout

So, not counting the O-Glow and lipstick, the only makeup the Shop Tart added before her jog was a swipe of mascara. Just one, swear. And here’s the real miracle of primer: When she returned from her exercise, as sweaty as ever, her face still looked smooth. Wow. Just wow. Primer is the secret. Who knew?

In other news…

  • Tomorrow is Champagne Thursday at Cloud Nine Market in the Vista! Join the Shop Tart for a free sip of bubbly from 5 to 6 pm. Cloud Nine will provide snacks from their signature product line and other wines will be available for $4.50 a glass. Rumor has it there will be a giveaway of some sort…
  • After Champagne Thursday, head to the J Thomas Salon for Untamed Night. Check out the new Untamed collection from Smashbox and wear animal print to save 10% on all Smashbox Cosmetics (like that fab primer and O-Glow!) You can also enjoy live music, food, drinks and makeovers.
  • Lola has a huge selection of spring clothing, reduced 30 to 50%.
  • Everything at Kicks is still 25% off. Hooray!
  • Belladea has new shipments from Trina turk, French Connection and a new (less expensive) lie they’re carrying, Theme.
  • M Boutique has tons of summer tops, recessofabulous at $46 to $88.
  • Rosso Trattoria is hosting a $5 drop-in tasting tonight from 5 until 7 pm. Enjoy California wines with a heavy Italian influence. Stick around for dinner!
  • Print and present this coupon to receive an extra 10% off your purchase at Weathers, today only.
  • Headed to Charleston for the weekend? You must go to this fab pop up shop, opening Thursday and remaining until June 22nd. What is a Pop Up Shop? A temporary shop, of course. In this case, it will house designs from Lindsey Carter (CFW Emerging Designer Competition finalist) of Troubadour and co-founder of Carter Humphrey with Leigh Humphrey, Sterling Kenan and Caroline Ross of Ross Kenan Interiors, Library: Archives of Fashion vintage collection, Harper Poe and Molly Purnell of Proud Mary, custom handbag-creator Julie Wheat, Jenny Thompson of Theodosia Jewelry, artist Kate Long Stevenson and eco-friendly clothing designer Ashley Reid of Clewis Reid. If you’re in town, the grand opening party is Thursday from 4 until 8 pm. On Saturday, May 30th, while you’re in Charleston for Spoleto, expect to spot live mannequins in the window at 501 King Street. You only have a month, so don’t miss it!

Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!

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