After my disappointing MAC visit and goth makeover, I decided, since I was in New York, that I would give Blushington Makeup and Beauty Lounge a try. They are an LA based makeup studio that opened up their first beauty lounge after Authentic Beauty did, and just opened up a new location right next door to Dry Bar in New York City. With five locations now, surely this had to be better than my disappointing MAC visit.
The Decor: A Beauty Corridor
Upon first blush, this wasn’t the easiest place to find. Located on 119 West 56th Street and next door to the Drybar, there is no storefront at all and it was nearly impossible to find on Google. That said, it sits in an underground mall and once I took the elevator down, I was impressed with this little beauty corridor. You could workout, get your hair, makeup and nails done and emerge street level totally made over. I guess if you were a celebrity and wanted to hide this would be the perfect place.
Almost cave-like, I couldn’t help but notice the décor of the studio which was girly sweet replete with blush and peach colors adorning the space. I was greeted courteously though there was no place to sit in the reception area. I counted 10 chairs total with their own stations and a beautiful vanity-like set up that I must admit I was pretty jealous of.
There was one other client in a chair and the rest of the studio was empty. I noticed they had an esthetic area and they did indicate they were available for lash tinting, extensions, waxing and other services. That said, I liked their setup very much and it felt private with the right amount of space allocated for each artist.
My makeup artist was young, confident and attentive. If I had any criticism, it was her appearance. She didn’t have on enough makeup and her shirt was see through with a black bra showing through. I thought it was odd that in such a beautiful place the staff weren’t in more uniformed attire. Regardless, she introduced herself and we started looking through the look book to determine what I wanted.
It took me a little while to go through it to understand that they had four looks and five pictures of each look to take that look from everyday, daytime, office, evening and date night. These categories blend into one another and it was nice to have pictures to communicate the process. At Authentic Beauty, we use Pinterest to do our consultations.
The Consultation and Makeup Application
She quickly evaluated what I wanted and started working. I was really impressed with the way she executed right from the start. She didn’t really explain what she was doing. So, I asked a few questions, and I loved the results. I thought she did very well.
Unfortunately, with a quick application, it didn’t last as long as I would have liked it. I was also really amazed that despite having pretty good lighting there was zero natural light since the studio is in a cave. The foundation was slightly off and it showed my lines around my eyes more than I am used to (nothing beats the Magic 3 in 1 Foundation) but I won’t deduct points since I have been a makeup artist for 30 years and I stare at my face for a living. Also, the lip gloss faded nearly immediately after she applied it. Again, it looked good inside and totally different outside.
She asked if I wanted eyeliner, if I wanted blush or bronzer, or my brows filled in. Where MAC just went for it, she asked questions at every turn. And it was to make sure I was comfortable. It was a very Authentic Beauty approach! All in all, I think the pictures speak for themselves.
I give my experience two thumbs up; however, I was not given a face chart showing me what was used nor was I asked if I wanted to purchase any of the items. I might have bought the lip gloss. I also wasn’t given a card with her name. So, I can’t request her if I choose to go back.
Final thoughts
I have to tell you, I love getting my makeup done! If you haven’t done it yet, please take $10 off a signature look at Authentic Beauty or try on one of our seasonal looks from our fall makeup collection and give it a try! I felt so pretty and even a woman at TSA told me I looked like Kate Hudson!
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Lastly, I am so happy that more service based makeup studios are popping up around the country. This affords real women the opportunity to enjoy professional makeup applications and makeup lessons at affordable pricing. You no longer have to be a celebrity to get makeup services and to look red carpet ready.
Here in Atlanta, Authentic Beauty Salon & Studio is Atlanta’s premier makeup bar, beauty bar and hair studio offering award winning service with professional makeup applications, makeup lessons, expert brows, blowouts, organic facials, organic spray tanning, eyelash extensions, manis and pedis, massage and more. Our professionally trained makeup artists, brow specialists, estheticians and hair stylists will have you looking your absolute best and red carpet ready in 45 minutes or less.
Watch this video to learn more about our services
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