We need to get down to Beverly Hills ASAP. Not for the obvious reason (actual sunshine and Paris Hilton spotting) but because we've heard that a custom foundation bar is opening in Rodeo Drive!
Come August, lucky LA people will be able to head to the Valerie Beverly Hills salon (above), where they can have their own personal custom blended foundations and powders. This isn't unheard of - remember Prescriptives used to do the same thing - but Valerie Sarnelle says that her store goes the extra mile, even down to the lighting (whiich is very important when choosing the right shade). "The lighting above and around the bar has been specially designed to mimic natural light," she said.
"I have so many clients that cannot find the right colour foundation, and they don't want to have to buy four different bottles and mix them each morning," Sarnelle told WWD, whose client roster includes Nicole Kidman. "I wanted to take custom blending to another level with the Blending Bar."
The process is very hands on and lots of time is taken to ensure the exact right shade is created. Sarnelle explained, "Sometimes I'll spend 30 minutes on one client tweaking their formula to get the colour exactly right. We hand mix the foundations, but use blenders for the powders."
The formula can be changed as well the colour - customers can choose them to have lighter or heavier coverage, or choose if they contain shimmer or moisturiser.
The foundations come at $75 each - about £48, which isn't that bad for a bespoke product considering how much you can pay for foundation here - and powders at $55. Would you give this a go?
[Via WWD]
