Visiting with the Fresh team is like a day of sugar kisses. It does wonders for your face and spirits! Last Thursday, Jawn Marques, Creative Director of Fresh, and Alyson O'Brien, Account Executive (and Best Things in Beauty guest contributor) joined product specialist Alison Kauffman at Neiman Marcus, Tysons Galleria, for a day of beauty. I had looked forward to the event for at least a month. I made an appointment for my friend Berry too. Fresh products are so universally appealing, I knew she would have fun.Jawn was doing mini-facials and makeup applications, with a hand and arm treatment thrown in too for pampering. Berry went first, and his mini-facial turned her dry, reactive skin into a glowing wonder. Jawn usually exfoliates with Sugar Face Polish ($55), but he does so much more. He cleanses, tones, exfoliates, treats (always a mask and a serum after), and moisturizes - using many Fresh products that he custom-selects for his client based on her or her skin condition.
Berry started out a little dry. Her skin showed her recent travel and the ravages of winter and retinol, but by the time he finished with her, her face was radiant. For makeup, he gave her a golden bronze look on her eyes, and because her skin looked so good by the time he had finished the facial, he used almost no foundation on her peaches and cream complexion. On her lips? Fresh Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15 ($22.50), of course! I think he also used a lip gloss with her lip treatment, but I got carried away chatting and missed that detail. The results? Jawn and Berry posed for me when he had finished. Her hair got a little flattened under the headband he had used to keep it out of the way, but otherwise, she looked fabulous.
The whole time he was working, I had three things going on: 1) talking with Jawn and Berry, 2) talking with Alyson O'Brien (shown immediately above on the left; she wrote a guest post for Best Things in Beauty here), and 3) talking with Alison Kauffman (at right above) - all without leaving my comfy chair. So I missed a few details. What I know is that Berry and I both hopped out of Jawn's chair with a naturally pretty look. While Jawn was working with me, Berry shopped Fresh's wonderful fragrances and soaps - a treat one should never miss.When it was my turn, Jawn used the wonderful new Black Tea Age Delay Face Serum ($80) on me (among many other products). I had wanted this serum since its winter introduction, and I finally purchased one Thursday. The serum is a concentrated blend of potent antioxidants and peptides that firms, restores, and refines the complexion for smoother, younger-looking skin. The secret to this powerhouse formula is black tea extract. Packed with polyphenols, potent antioxidants that defend against the most aggressive free radicals, black tea extract protects the integrity of the cell membrane to prevent lines and wrinkles from forming. Its high melanin content also has a brightening effect on the skin for a radiant glow. I know I'm going to love it. I love everything from Fresh I've ever bought.
Jawn used
the Fresh Imperial Bedroom Face Palette ($55) on my eyes. This palette is a little hard to find, but Neiman Marcus had it. This subtly sultry collection from Fresh captures the behind-the-curtain, forbidden sensuality of imperial aristocracy. The palette includes luminous shades of lightly gilded Eye Lusters (Pale Moonlight and Gilded Satin), an opalescent Satin Liner (called Black Chemise, but to my eye it has traces of deep blue and green in it), a warm shimmering Satin Luster for the cheeks (Chantilly Lace), and a seductive Crown Rubies Lip Shine. The colors have an elegant brilliance that remains discreet on the skin for a masterful expression of sheer sophistication.All fives shades were customer-blended by Alina Roytberg, co-founder of Fresh, who was inspired by the unmatched charm, romance, and over-indulgence of the British aristocracy of the early 1800s This pleasure-seeking period was all about excess and style, sophistication and lust. "I imagined a luring bedroom setting where a sensuous, shimmering beauty is lit only by candlelight and surrounded by plush fabrics and rich colors" said Alina. While history may be the inspiration for this opulent collection, the result is modern and dramatic. I loved it! I came home with that too.
I swatched the shades so that you could see how pretty they are. My photo was taken outdoors in the last snatch of sunlight we had today, and I applied each shade with my fingers. I started with Chantilly Lace at the top. Below (top to bottom) are Pale Moonlight, Gilded Satin, Black Chemise, and Crown Rubies. John mixed the Lip Shine in with the Stain Liner and used it on my eyes. These colors all have an elegant glow, perfect for those of us who like a radiant, natural look. He used Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15 on my lips, as he had with Berry.
Skip forward to t
he end of my session, and here I am posing with Jawn. Isn't that a silly, self-satisfied smile on my face? I went straight from Neiman Marcus to physical therapy, and everyone in the room complimented me on my appearance! I was sure they wouldn't recognize me with makeup on. Normally, I have no incentive to dress up for torture. Because we were running late, I didn't have time to get close-up photos of his masterful work on my eyes. It was one of those times when I didn't want to wash off my makeup when it was time to go to sleep.I have a lot more to tell you about Fresh. Click on this link for a quick description of Jawn's last visit. Stay tuned in the coming week for more about Jawn Marques and celebrity beauty.
Photo at top courtesy of Fresh; palette photo courtesy of beauty.com
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5 comments:
It sounds like you had a wonderful time, Charlestongirl. It's always fun to indulge in some pampering, and when the result is so pretty, it all but makes me want to break out in that old Pat Suzuki song, "I Enjoy Being a Girl" :-)
I had my Lancôme date today and also had a wonderful time. It was quite a big event: national make-up artists galore, champagne and petit fours, and complimentary pictures of the finished looks. I came away with not one, but two spring looks, face charts and pictures, two sets of shadow/liners, two of the new long wear lip laques, a new blush, and some new make-up tips. It was great fun. Maybe I'll break out in that song after all!
Photos - what a nice touch, Eileen! We are going to do a Fresh Master Class in a few months. I'll have to remember that. With champagne and good makeup, it must have been the perfect day.
What was the most exciting of your new things?
Yes, the pictures really were a nice touch. I don't know who thought of that, but it was brilliant to have a picture to clip to the face chart.
The MA--a lovely woman--who did my make-up used the Sienna Sultry on the eyes and Pink Gravity on the lips. When the national MA who was overseeing the event came by to introduce himself (and I forget his name!), she told him I was torn between the Sienna and the Coral. His response was to do both. So, after my picture was taken wearing the Sienna color scheme, he removed my make-up and redid it using Coral Crush on the eyes and Iridescent on the lips. He did a subtle bit of sculpting with a light bronzer and then to highlight he used just a whisper of Blush Subtil Shimmer in a new color called Mandarin Sky. That is undoubtedly the most exciting piece I bought because it was so unexpected. When he first showed it to me, I said, "Oh! That is so beautiful and soooo orange!". He just laughed at me and told me to have faith; the color would look beautiful--and it did. Fierce and firey in the pan, it went on sheer and shimmery. It's the quintessential summer color for those of us with warm skin tones. It's like a golden orange version of Orgasm. It's definitely not for the faint of heart!
I love the name Mandarin Sky! Sounds like a lovely look! We couldn't have done a do-over on me! My skin would have felt assaulted and turned red.
I love it when a line gets great MUAs in for their events. Sometimes, there are only freelancers, some of whom are terrific, and some...
And some . . . meh :-(
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