Houppette

As I’ve gotten a little older I have come to appreciate the importance of caring for your skin. I’ve also come to learn, the hard way, that not all skin care products are created equal, and also that taking advice on skin care shouldn’t come from just anyone. Over the last five or six years, when I really began to panic about all the tanning sessions I did in my early twenties, I began to try various lotions, products and brands beginning with brands sold in my local pharmacy. Sure the prices were low, but so was the quality. I probably tried a half a dozen brands and spent a few hundred dollars looking for a cheap and easy solution. I then tried going to department stores thinking that higher prices must mean better quality. I got the higher prices part down, but not the quality.

Then, about a month ago, I had the extreme pleasure of visiting Houppette (French for ‘powder puff’ and pronounced ou-pet), a quaint store nestled in the Powder Mill Square shops in Greenville, Delaware. The shop itself isn’t very large, yet they have an array of products, some of which are only available at select retailers. Houppette utilizes their small space well, and you can easily locate and browse products which are set up in a very organized display shelves.

At Houppette you can find top quality Cosmetics (by brands like Laura Mercier), Skin Care (with numerous brands and two of my new favorites NATURA BISSÉ and Skin Ceuticals), Bath and Body (with two great new finds: The Tan Towel and the lip scrub by sara happ), Fragrance (where I discovered Fresh’s Citron de Vigne the perfect summer scent) and they even have Accessories and Lingerie my favorite being some of the stylish summer scarves.

So with so many great products from such a variety of great brands, how would you even know where to start? Well, at Houppette half of the pleasure of shopping there is knowing you have a wide variety of the best products and the other half is the friendly, knowledgeable and helpful staff. Owner, Cristi Miller, was on site as was a store manager and another associate/makeup artist. In addition to a tour, some sampling of the products, they also listened to what I was looking for from my skin care, talked to me about the available products and lines and made some great suggestions. They were all extremely knowledgeable, easy to talk to and very helpful which has always been lacking in places like department stores.

To be honest, I was hoping to maybe find one or two skin care products, like a day and night cream, from Houppette. As I mentioned previously, what I actually found from the tour of the shop, sampling of the products in store and take home samples from Houpette was that I had in fact found was two new favorite brands and a half dozen great products!

Being out in the garden every day, worrying about skin damage done from my younger (more ignorant) days, I have absolutely fallen in love with the Skin Ceuticals line. In particular the Physical Fusion UV Defense (SPF 50) is wonderful with a light, silky formula that leaves no residue (and doesn’t even feel like you’re wearing a sun screen). Plus it has a broad UVA/UVB protection, it actually increases the skins defense and resistance to UV and heat stress, is Paraben-free, and great for all skin types including those with sensitive skin. I have seen a noticeable difference in amount of sun/tanning on my face and with such a silky, quick drying formula, I have also used it as daily protection and worn it under make up without any breakouts or irritation. I highly recommend the Skin Cueticals line, and this product in particular. When you stop in Houppette, let them know about your routine and one of the highly knowledgeable staff can make a suggestion to which protection product matches your lifestyle (there are several in this line alone with varying UV protection and different benefits).

I mentioned my concern for keeping my skin healthy and avoiding sun damage, but that doesn’t mean I want to be pale. I’d like to keep a healthy glow, so I cannot even tell you how tickled I was to find a subtle, natural self tanner sold at Houppette. One of the girls in the store had even used the product, the Tan Towel, and her coloring looked totally natural. Other bronzers and self tanners that I have tried in the past have always come out with a weird orange-ish tint, or are streaky and very unnatural. The Tan Towel, a self-tan towlette, gives a healthy glow without streaks and can be reapplied, based on desired depth of color, several times a week. These towels have given me a boost of healthy color without the skin damage from tanning booths or the sun. Love them- go grab as many as you can (they’ve got to be a hot selling item)!

Two more products of note available at Houppette, that I won’t want to live without: Fresh’s Citron de Vigne which is my new all time favorite scent. I wondered why I loved it so much and then I read the box: Citron de Vigne “was inspired by the lush landscape and intoxicating aromas of France’s Champagne region….blends a velvety heart note of pinot noir with bright citrus top notes and a woodsy base for a truly warm memorable finish.” Let’s hope I don’t try to drink it.

Lastly from my Houppette product recommendations is something I never knew I was missing. By Sara Happ comes “the lip scrub.” Trust me when I tell you that you need to try it to believe it. The lip scrub is a simple application and removal, but the results are amazing! My lips were noticeably smoother after the first application, and after doing it for a few days they felt like silk. My husband was even more lucky than normal to be kissing me. This will be a product I’ll be buying from Houppette as often as needed.

A friend, Amber Shader of Amber Shader Photography, had mentioned that she buys her cosmetics exclusively from Houppette, and even though I live almost an hour away, I was already familiar with the shop because she had mentioned them numerous times. Although I knew they sold cosmetics, I really wasn’t looking for a new place to buy cosmetics, but that’s exactly what I found. Their makeup artist gave me a functional “day look” right in the store, gave me some great tips for applying make up, and the finished result was fabulous (just like everything else with Houppette). Click here to watch a quick video of my application.

If you live in the Wilmington, Delaware area I hope that you’ll check out the great products and fabulous people at Houppette. Don’t forget to tell them I sent you! You can find out more about the shop, products, and even follow their blog by visiting the Houppette website. You can also find them on Facebook too!