Atlanta Beauty

WRITTEN BY Lesley Holland Downey

My scouts on the ground in Atlanta included two childhood friends who are longtime Atlanta residents. Karen’s picks from her large network of Facebook friends included Woo where she personally goes for brow waxing. Anna’s fave is The Beauty Bar of Buckhead. After an afternoon of pampering, hair, make up and nails with clients before a big event, she raved about their makeup artists and how much fun it all was.

My advice? Don’t be intimidated by these stores…their sales staff are usually the most knowledgeable about multiple lines (no department store pressure to sign up for a credit card or buy from one line). Go in with a plan of attack for a specific purchase (lip color or a new foundation) so you don’t feel overwhelmed and buy a load of stuff you don’t need. Find out the return policy before you splurge. Most department or chain stores take returns, but the trade-off for shopping at smaller boutiques is that they generally are pickier about returns or may not accept them at all. Check this out before you buy, especially on skin care or eye creams which you may have a reaction to. Sampling these products is the way to go, and these stores are usually generous with samples.