Philadelphia Phocus

Salon Rouge: Blown Away By My Blowout

When it comes to beauty, few things make me happier than a professional blowout. I always feel my prettiest after someone tugs on my tresses with a round brush and blasts them with hot air. Why? Well, because I can get away with wearing my glasses, no makeup, jeans and a t-shirt – and still look totally fabulous. That’s the beauty of a blowout.

So when Salon Rouge invited me to get my hair did over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, you know I immediately RSVP’d with a resounding “YES!!!!”

While Salon Rouge isn’t exactly in my neighborhood (it’s located in Cherry Hill, NJ), I had such a wonderful experience that I would gladly cross state lines and pay the $3 bridge toll again for such sleek and chic hair.

First, hairstylist Heather shampooed me using Bumble and bumble Tonic Shampoo, which has Tea Tree Oil and Peppermint extracts to soothe my itchy/dry scalp, balance oil, stimulate circulation. I loved the tingle! Then she shampooed again with Bumble and bumble Alojoba Shampoo – a lightweight, moisture-rich smoothie that combines Aloe Vera Gel, Jojoba Seed Oil, Cucumber and Chamomile for soft, shiny hair. She followed up the shampoo with the Alojoba Conditioner, which also smoothes and softens.

Once the conditioner was rinsed out, Heather sprayed Bumble and bumble Tonic Lotion at the roots and all over to detangle and prepare my hair for styling; this leave-in conditioner is a must-have for those with dry, coarse, porous or colored hair. While my hair was still damp, Heather squeezed a couple drops of Bumble and bumble Defrizz into her hands and distributed throughout my hands. She explained that Defrizz is the perfect prep product before a blowout because it protects against frizz, acts as a barrier to humidity and leaves hair silky and flyaway-free – but she warns not to get overzealous because a little goes a long way.

Then Heather gave me a blowout that blew me away. It took almost no time at all, and she has a very gentle technique. My bangs were almost past my nose, so I asked her to shorten and thicken them up – and she trimmed them to perfection. Seriously, I can’t remember the last time I was so happy with my bangs. Finally, she sprayed my hair with Bb.Shine before flat ironing to protect and add a polished finish.

If you’re in the Greater Philadelphia/South Jersey area, I highly recommend you pay Salon Rouge a visit…and tell Heather that Spoiled Pretty says “hi.”

Salon Rouge
Cross County Plaza
2110 East Route 70
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
856.424.3611

Follow Salon Rouge on Twitter!

Eyeglasses Philadelphia Philadelphia Phocus

My New Glasses: Kate Spade Liesel Frames

After a million years of wearing cheap eyeglasses (you know…that 2 pair for $99 deal you get with an eye exam?), I decided to invest some more pesos in my peepers. A few weeks ago, I visited Eyeglasses Etc. in Flourtown, PA – where the Spoiled Pretty family are regulars. My mom brought me along to pick up a new pair of prescription sunglasses, and looking at their selection of fab frames made my discount frames seem, well, bargain basement. So I asked Harriet, the owner, to pick out some styles to flatter my face (she’s like an expert eyeglass matchmaker).

All of her choices were right-on, but this pair of Kate Spade Liesel frames are my perfect match; I’m one of those people who believes that leopard print makes everything better.

I am so pleased with my choice, and the price (my insurance covered a good chunk of the bill). If you’re in the Philadelphia area and are visually challenged, I encourage you to pop by Eyeglasses Etc. and tell them Spoiled Pretty sent you.

Charity Event Haircut Philadelphia Philadelphia Phocus

HopeCuts: Haircuts For A Cure

On Sunday, November 8, 2009, stylists at over 25 Greater Philadelphia salons will open their doors from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. to offer their premiere services at drastically reduced rates.

Proceeds will benefit breast cancer, pediatric cancer and HIV/AIDS research at . Not only will the salons offer great prices on haircuts, but other services such as manicures and make up applications will be available at special HopeCuts rates.

HopeCuts began in 1993 when one salon in Philadelphia decided to open for business on a Sunday afternoon and donate their profits for the day to City of Hope. Today, HopeCuts events are held in salons in New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and beyond.

Participating HopeCuts Salon in the Philadelphia Region:

Affinity Hair Salon, Philadelphia (215-467-9908)
Art + Science Salon and Spa, Philadelphia (215-482-2242)
Blessings Beauty Salon, Inc., Philadelphia (215-474-0499)
Bounce and Behaving Hair Studio, Philadelphia (215-472-5060)
Bubbles Salon, Philadelphia (215-568-2787)
Chroma Hair Gallery, Philadelphia (215-627-6337)
D. Tails and D. Sign, Philadelphia (215-735-2950)
Deluxe Hair Salon, Philadelphia (215-732-3602)
Diana’s Hair Gallery, Philadelphia (215-224-9100)
Eight Buck Cuts, Philadelphia (267-566-7267)
Elegant Salon, Philadelphia (215-533-6833)
Filomena’s Hair Studio, Eagleville (610-631-5774)
Hairstrands, Inc., Philadelphia (215-879-8339)
International Hair Textures, Philadelphia (215-745-2075)
LA Hair Design, Philadelphia (215-551-7710)
Lakshmi Hair Studio, Philadelphia (215-923-2272)
Liquid Hair Salon, Philadelphia (215-564-6410)
Luna Salon, Philadelphia (215-546-5862)
Meek Salon, Inc., Philadelphia (215-339-1950)
Michele Ann Beauty Salon, Philadelphia (215-335-4680)
Noelsy Art in Beauty, Bala Cynwyd (610-667-8777)
Phoenix Salon & Spa, Philadelphia (267-514-8000)
Pierre & Carlo, Glen Mills (610-558-4911)
Ramona’s Touch of Essence Hair Design Salon, Philadelphia (215-473-8850)
Salon Hairsay, Philadelphia (215-676-6506)
Salon Lepink Champu, Philadelphia (215-482-7465)
Salon Vendi Amo, Secane (610-623-0500)
Salon Xqlusives, Philadelphia (215-769-0200)

Event Philadelphia Philadelphia Phocus Spoiled Pretty family

MAC Studio Talk Master Makeup Class Recap!

On Saturday, I attended the master makeup class I told y’all about. Mama Spoiled Pretty and I headed to Bloomingdale’s at the Willow Grove Mall to participate in Studio Talk, “the easiest, most intuitive and entertaining way to discover key makeup applications used by MAC artists.”

In this particular session, instructors Jesse (who has made up the fierce faces of Estelle and the Christina Aguilera as previous clients) and Jocelyn (who led my last Studio Talk class) taught us how to recreate this season’s hottest makeup trends. Jesse demonstrated an ‘on-trend eye’ look, with blue smoky shadow and a pale lip – while Jocelyn demonstrated an ‘on-trend lip’ look – complete with a geometric bronze eye and red glossy lip. Mama Spoiled Pretty and I opted for the latter, and we had fantastic results – if I do say so myself.

Here’s how it’s done:

1) Mist the face with Fix+, an aqua-spritz of vitamin and minerals, infused with a calm-the-skin blend of green tea, chamomile, cucumber, topped off with the fresh, natural, energizing scent of Sugi.
2) Apply moisturizer using 190 Foundation Brush.
3) Using the 190 Foundation Brush, apply Prep + Prime Skin to entire face; this product acts like double stick tape for your face, so foundation lasts longer than a hot minute.
4) Using a synthetic eye shadow brush like the 242 Shader Brush, apply Paint Pot in Painterly to the eye – from lashline to brow bone. Paint Pots are an excellent shadow, but also do double duty by preventing creasing and acting as a lid primer to prevent shadow slippage.
5) Apply brown eye shadow to lid, from lash line to crease, with the same brush from step 4; I used Mulch Eye Shadow (red-brown w/bronze pearl), which I later purchased. It’s that gorgeous.
6) Using the 219 Pencil Brush (another product I purchased post class), apply gold eye shadow to the lash line, starting at the inner corner and working your way half-way along the top and bottom lash line.
7) Line the eye – in short straight strokes – with Technakohl Liner in Graphblack (rich graphic black) along the entire top lash line.
8) Starting at the middle of the bottom lash line, line with Graphblack – and line outward.
9) Using the short stroke method, create a sideways V on the outer corner of the eye; so start at the outer corner, draw a few short strokes, horizontally – then continue the strokes upward and inward towards the crease of the eye.
10) Take the 219 Pencil Brush and blend the liner you applied in steps 7-9 and smudge them, softening the line.

11) Next, take a darker brown shadow (I used Embark Eye Shadow – an intense reddish brown) and, using the 219 Pencil Brush, apply in a sideways V to the outer corner of the eye – on top of where you created the sideways V with the Technakohl Liner.
12) Blend the entire eye using the 224 Tapered Blending Brush and circular motions – to avoid any harsh lines.
13) To create more depth, Jesse suggested I also apply a black shadow in the same manner as step 11 (I used Carbon – intense matte black). He was absolutely right, as it amped up the smokiness. Afterwards, use the 224 Tapered Blending Brush to blend again.
14) Next, apply foundation to the entire face, using the 190 Foundation Brush from steps 2 and 3. Make sure not to disturb your kick ass eye shadow.
15) Using the same brush, apply concealer directly underneath the eyes.
16) If your face is looking a little dry by this point (mine did), mist your face again with Fix+.

17) Using the 208 Angled Brow Brush, apply a shadow that is slightly darker than your brows to define them thicken them up. Mistakes are easily corrected with a Q-Tip.
18) Using the 129 Powder/Blush Brush, apply Mineralize SkinFinish in Cheeky Bronze (soft golden coral w/ bronze pearl) to cheekbones for a subtle glow that illuminates bone structure when it catches the light; it looks so amazing, I ended up buying this product. Jesse also recommended that you say “Bladow!” when applying it; saying this won’t make it look any better, but it’s hilariously fun.
19) Using the same brush, apply a light dusting of blush (I used Sincere Powder Blush, a muted beige/coral) to the apples of cheeks and blend outwards.
20) Line lips with Spice Lip Pencil (pink cinnamon stick) and fill them almost all the way in; leave the center of the bottom lip bare.
21) Using the 316 Lip Brush, apply Viva Glam VI Lipstick (terracotta-plum with pearl) to both lips.

22) Using the same brush, apply Viva Glam I Lipstick (intense brownish blue-red) to the center of lips – both top and bottom.
23) Using the 316 Lip Brush again, apply Dazzleglass in Love Alert (raspberry red with red pearl) to entire mouth.
24) Finish off the look by applying Prep + Prime Lash to lashes; and while it’s still wet, top lashes off with two coats of Zoom Lash Mascara in Zoomblack (rich black).

I’d like to give a shout out to Spoiled Pretty readers/Twitter followers who I had the pleasure of meeting at the event: Felicia, Stephanie, Jackie, Sandy and Libby. You ladies looked ab fab after the class, and I hope you all had a fabulously fun time like me and Mama Spoiled Pretty!