Searching for quality makeup and facial care downtown?  Look no further than 255 Lower King St., at bluemercury makeup/skincare/spa.  bluemercury spa is your "go to" spot for Laura Mercier, Trish McEvoy, Bobbi Brown and NARS cosmetics, among others. They also offer selected facials and waxing treatments.   The ladies employed there are friendly, kind and very helpful- just what I was looking for! (There IS another cosmetic store on lower King, whose name I will not mention because,  as my momma always said, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all...")
When I stopped by bluemercury today, I was searching for the perfect makeup brush.  Caren, the esthetician I spoke with, understood immediately what I needed.   Completing my purchase, I left with a smile on my face and an invitation to return soon, which I most certainly will!!   blue mercury spa, a cool haven for beauty on lower King.

I may be the last person on the planet to discover this, but Pandora Radio is really cool!  At the urging of my tech-saavy children, I opened an account with Pandora on my laptop.  It's as easy as pie, just enter your favorite band and Pandora does the rest.  As a lifelong  fan of Southern Rock, I entered the Allman Bros. as my "band of choice".  Pandora developed a playlist for me from that choice.  Now, while I work in my art studio, cook dinner or just fold the laundry, I can rock out not only with the Allmans but other amazing, bluesy bands.  On my playlist right now are Stevie Ray V., the Stones, L. Skynyrd, Led Zep, The Band and, oh my goodness gracious, Joe Cocker.  I'm now working "With a Little Help from my Friends" up on "Cripple Creek" on a "Misty Mountain Hop".                Life is Gooooood!!!!!

A great way to expand your intellectual and emotional horizons is to take a class.  In my case, I was interested in a refresher class in water color painting (my last class was in 1981....just a few years back!).  REDUX Contemporary Art Center, located in a funky little warehouse on St. Philip St., met my needs, and then some.   Offering many types of art classes, taught by talented artists, REDUX also has an art gallery and artist studio space.
I signed up for the One Night Watercolor Workshop,  taught by C of C Fine Arts grad Camela Guevara.  The 3 hour workshop, taught last Tuesday night, was both fun and informative.  We began with color washes, then progressed to brush strokes and brush handling styles.  It was fun to experiment with colors, both blends and gradients.  We moved on to dry and wet brush treatments, outline and fill-ins, color bands, dab and stab & twist techniques.
"Cami" Guevara encouraged us, showed examples of watercolor artwork and offered us a variety of watercolor mediums to work with.  Beginning with 100 wt paper, and moving on to 140 wt paper, we practiced with tube and crayon type watercolors, as well as gouache color.  She demonstrated how the same brush size can create very different effects, depending on how the brush is held.  We were also allowed to be creative, trying different brush strokes and color combinations within the guided format.  Our large practice/work sheets were sent home, enabling me to make a watercolor style flip chart to refer to when I paint.  The class was fun, informative and most important to me, encouraging.  I'm looking forward to more classroom time at REDUX!

 For those of us in Charleston who love to shop, and I DO love to shop, the addition of two lovely new stores on King St. was reason enough to take a stroll down King during Tax Free weekend.
L'Occitane en Provence is a wonderful shop full of scents and lotions inspired by the fragrances of Provence, France.  Located at 246 King St., beside Brighton Jewelry, L'Occitane has been open for about two weeks.
When you step inside, the sights and scents are soothing and subtle.  Verbena and Lavender greet you, shea butter lotions soothe you and the lovely and friendly staff helps you to choose the product that is perfect for you.  My choice was the basic 20% shea butter hand cream.  I was looking for a product to help soothe the Psoriasis on my hands, and this cream turned out to be exactly what I was looking for...non-greasy and soothing, it has already begun to heal a very severe flare-up.  Thank you, L'Occitane!!

Specializing in Acrylic and gold jewelry, Moon and Lola opened at 322 King St., beside Phillips Shoes, on Friday.  The store is bright, open and colorful, with their signature monogrammed jewelry artfully displayed.  One word that comes to mind when you see their products is...FUN.

I especially liked the gold charm bracelet with acrylic charms shaped like the states of the U.S.

What fun to create a bracelet showcasing all of the states you have lived in or visited!

There are large acrylic hoop earrings, three initial cut-out necklaces and many other very creative pieces  that will please the eye and not harm the pocketbook.  Prices range from $30.00 up to $300.00, so you can be as naughty or as nice as you'd like.

All of the pieces can be created to your own specifications and shipped anywhere in the United States.

I am sure that the ladies in my family will be sporting this colorful jewelry very soon.