BeautyNow Girl: Eloise Southard

07 • 01 • 2014

I’m excited to announce a new blog series to share product favorites and skincare secrets of beautiful, stylish, and interesting “BeautyNow Girls” across the U.S.!

I’m hoping this new series will be helpful for several reasons: first of all, I cannot possibly try every product on the market, nor can I serve as the authority for every hair type, coloring and skin issue. I’m comfortable pontificating at length on the merits of dry shampoo or declaring the best under eye concealer ever. But…how to tame thick, frizzy hair? Well, I don’t have any product recommendations for you because I can practically count the number of hairs on my head.

**I also want to use the BeautyNow Girls to drive home the fact that you can use the BeautyNow app to book beauty appointments anywhere in the U.S.! Please support my blog by downloading the free BeautyNow app (for iPhone, Android version coming this Fall!)

Now, on to the inaugural BeautyNow Girl: my good friend Eloise Southard. Eloise and I were roomies in college, and our group of girlfriends has remained close since graduation. Eloise has always been one of my most fashionable and beautiful friends (not to mention an All-American Lacrosse player!), and we always played with each other’s [extensive] makeup collections. But the real reason Eloise is my first BeautyNow Girl is because she is beautiful on the inside, and one of the strongest, most resilient women I know. Her daughter, Landon, was born with a rare syndrome (Treacher Collins) after a completely normal pregnancy. Eloise writes about her struggles raising a child with disability and her amazing triumphs as an advocate for Landon in her inspiring blog, The Southard Diaries.

Name: Eloise Southard

Home: Charleston, South Carolina

Makeup Items You Use Everyday: Laura Mercier Sheer Creme Glow to highlight cheekbones and Chanel Long Lasting Concealer to minimize dark circles.

Nighttime Skincare Routine: I have very, very sensitive skin so I have to be careful what I introduce as most creams break out my skin. I wash with Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser.

Best Drugstore Find: Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Showy Flamboyante.

Makeup Bag Staples (pictured below):

–Studded purse: Loeffler Randall; Louis Vuitton small purse;

–Roll-on perfume: Chloe Eau de Parfum, a great scent and nice to have it with me just in case;

–Nars Eyeshadow Duo in Silk Road, which are light, shimmery neutrals;

–Cream highlighter blush: Laura Mercier Sheer Creme Glow in Golden Pink- great look for beach or pool and then out on the town;

–J Crew coral Coated Stone Earrings;

–Lips: Face Stockholm Lipstick in Fantasy (a neon, bubblegum pink); Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Showy Flamboyante; tube of Rosebud Salve; Make Up For Ever Lab Shine Lip Gloss in S22 (it has real mother-of-pearl particles that reflect light!);

–Pixi Crayon Combo Pencil in Wide Awake: highlighter on one side, matte concealer pencil on other side. Just like Benefit Highbrow for less $$!

–Essie Nail Color in Penny Talk, a perfect rose-gold;

–Laura Mercier Longwear Eye Pencil in Violet (reads blue),

Recent Beauty Splurge That Was Not Worth the $$$: Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow– the shadows come off too quickly for me. Also Tom Ford lipstick. Sounds like a sin not to love his makeup but it got on my teeth ALL day and doesn’t last very long. Disappointing.

Fave Nude Nail Polish: My fave is Essie Fiji, an opaque light pink– It’s “nude with flair” as I like to think of it. There is a Shellac color called Cake Pop that’s somewhat similar to achieve the same look.

Fave Appointment to Book on the BeautyNow App: I love to book manicures at Stella Nova (the West Ashley location) through the BeautyNow app. I always forget to take care of my nails until the last minute before an event.

Biggest Beauty Concern: Hardest thing for me is actually frizzy hair in the humid summers of South Carolina. I’m one of those girls who has a good day when her hair looks good, even without makeup. I’ve discovered L’Oreal Color Vibrancy Instant Shock Treatment. It says “rinse out conditioner” but I leave it in some days, especially after I’ve taken my daughter swimming or we’ve been on the beach. Creates silky hair with waves during the summer, which I think is the best look for this hot climate!

Diet? Simply eat real food! After I had Landon I met with a nutritionist who convinced me that fad diets wouldn’t truly work and eating fresh, whole, real food was the ticket. If it has more than three ingredients in it or has words you cannot pronounce… ditch it in the trash!

Exercise? I’m a long-distance runner and I do tabata weight training. [Editor’s Note: I didn’t know what tabata weight training was either.]

Eloise and I on a recent girls’ trip to Floribama. #nomakeup #toomanyboatdrinks: