Saturday, February 11, 2012

Sweet Indulgences in San Juan Capistrano: Part 1

From treating ourselves to a fresh look at the one of the newest salons in town to a proper English tea on the oldest residential street in California to a bit of window shopping thrown in between, The Rose and The Peach fully enjoyed a well-deserved — albeit, quick — getaway in San Juan Capistrano to draw the week to an end.

First up was a surprise for The Rose at Brush Salon (www.brushsalon.com), owner/stylist Maureen Scafuri’s (pictured below at right) newly opened establishment just a few doors down from Mission San Juan Capistrano at 31770 Camino Capistrano that she operates with her sister, salon manger Ann Marie Morahan (below left).


Little did my British friend know she was in for quite a treat, as was The Rose — our very own special makeup session with the salon’s newest addition (as of Wednesday, Feb. 8), makeup artist Deanna René (below).









Having moved to Orange County recently from Scottsdale, Ariz., Deanna René began perfecting her craft in the cosmetics department of Macys when she was 17 years old, went on to attend hair school, and has been specializing in both makeup and hair ever since — even owning her own bridal stylist business. Now she’s happy to be at Brush, where the 33-year-old mother of two says her goal is to make her clients feel beautiful, whether they’re attending a special event, taking part in a photo shoot, preparing for a prom or another important day, or throwing a wedding at one of the surrounding special-event facilities such as the Mission, Franciscan Gardens or El Adobe de Capistrano.

The Peach takes the chair first, with attention immediately drawn to her eyebrows (which are all but nonexistent). According to Deanna René, so many women are walking around with eyebrows that they don’t know how to accentuate properly. “Eyebrows are the frames to the window of the soul,” she adds. “They are the most important feature to the whole face, and grooming them can make you look like a different person.”


Picking up a wax-based eyebrow pencil in “Spiked” by MAC (her makeup of choice, largely because of its staying power) that matched my dark brown hair, Deanna René suggested using a magnifying mirror at home to get the best results and then started making thick brushstrokes (resembling hair) from the spot on my brow even with the inside of my nose. She continued outward by creating an arch where my brow starts to grow down (making it look like an upside Nike swoosh, she says) and then got thinner in her brushstrokes as she worked toward the outside of the brow. She finished off the look by softening the brows with the light bristle part of a makeup brush. (By the way, she says, if she was forced to live with only two beauty products they would be a MAC eyebrow pencil and lip gloss.)

Staying with the eyes, she used a tapping motion to apply flesh-colored eyeshadow to my lid and a darker shadow in the crease and outer corner of my eye to add a subtle contour (don’t forget to use a primer underneath the eyeshadow, as well as makeup and lipstick, Deanna René adds, to help it all stay on longer). She then used wet-to-dry cake eyeliner on my top and bottom lids, followed by “Very Black” Maybelline Great Lash Mascara (the makeup artist’s mascara of choice, she says, and the only non-MAC product she uses). And, although I wasn’t quite sure about this part of the process, she used tweezers and glue to apply four short individual fake lashes toward the outside of my lash line to create more volume. They come in short, medium and long, depending on the effect you want to create, and are easy to remove by holding a warm washcloth over your eyes for a few minutes.

Deanna René finished off my new look (below) by adding some concealer under my eyes (always use the thicker concealer after you apply the foundation, she says, to maximize your coverage); applying some blush, lipstick and lip gloss (all in the plum family); and setting the look with her preferred translucent powder (to take out oil and give the look longevity).
Now she was ready to take on The Rose, who admitted she has not worn makeup since she her wedding day 22 years ago when she developed a rash that lasted for nearly a month. (Not that she needs to, mind you, with her flawless skin and perfect brows.) Nonetheless, The Rose decided to give it a go again after all this time (below).
Deanna René began by adding a light dose of micronized foundation that she typically uses for applying airbrush makeup, followed by a MAC “Paints” eyeshadow base. Sticking with matte colors that work best with The Rose’s neutral skin color and blue-green eyes, she added a contour color to accentuate and then a more natural color to bring out her eye color, lined her lids with eyeshadow to achieve a subtle, natural look and then topped it off with the “Very Black” Great Lash Mascara. She finished The Rose’s makeup by defining her already-beautiful eyebrows with a pencil that matched her medium brown hair; adding cream blush to her cheeks (rubbing the brush on the top of her hand to warm it up, which Deanna René says enables the makeup go on smoother, like butter); adding lip conditioner (to moisten the lips); and then applying “Scanty” lipstick, a blue-based rose color with a shiny, rather than matte, quality.

Regarding her special look, The Rose learned that airbrush makeup is a professional product that one can only purchase via a professional makeup artist (which she says she will be more than happy to do), and that in the next month or two the salon will be carrying a new line of products just for sensitive skin that are clean, natural and mineral-based.
Ready for an appointment? Deanna René charges $85 for a consultation that includes makeup, with airbrush makeup sessions priced at $125. Makeup’s not your thing? Not to worry. The salon also has plenty of stylists who can do everything from cut, dye and straighten your hair (including The Peach's very own Joanna Dobson), as well as a medical esthetician (AnnRae Novak) specializing in microdermabrasion, brows and skincare.
And, what were The Rose’s thoughts on having makeup on for the first time in more than 20 years, you ask? “I have eyes and eyebrows,” she says with a huge grin.


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