The reason makeup artists exist is there are ladies who have no clue how to apply anything but mascara. I'm one of them, and no amount of high-end product is going to make a difference when you look like a raccoon with a spray tan.
I've had to make peace with the fact that girls such as myself are in the minority—that women, by law, must enjoy wearing makeup. The good news is that a luscious new store at Fashion Island works for both makeup veterans and those on the outskirts.
“We had some family in from out of town, and they wanted to have their makeup done after getting blowouts, and I realized there wasn't anything quite like what they were looking for,” says Stephi Maron, founder and CFO of Blushington. That was all it took for the 24-year-old to launch a makeup salon that has opened three locations in less than two years.
“All of our locations are next to Dry Bars,” Maron explains. Doesn't sound like the kind of bar I want to haunt, but Maron tells me it's a blowout-only salon. “This way women can get their hair, makeup, even nails done in the same area.”
Sounds great, but the nightmare of going to MAC for prom haunts me whenever black-tie affairs beckon—and Maron gets it. “I want people to leave here and still look like themselves,” she says. “We work with individual styles, and there's no pressure to buy the products.”
The salon is girly, but in a grown-up sense, along the lines of a modern-day Versailles. You can have your brows shaped and choose from Becca, Stila, Kevyn Aucoin, Jouer and Julie Hewett products. My artist, Heather, did a fantastic job at working with my preference. Even if the foundation was a bit thick for my taste, it sucks not knowing how to re-create her eye shadow magic. Although it does offer makeup classes, I'd gladly hire Blushington to doll me up on my faraway wedding day knowing that it wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. And it'll save me from my own Pollockian efforts.
Follow me on Instagram: @lp_hastings.
