Local Love: Take Care Shop
With the new year, comes another new blog series – already introduced earlier this month was BRAND CRUSH and next up, is LOCAL LOVE. A monthly series devoted to featuring local DMV businesses that I have enjoyed frequenting.
First up is…TAKE CARE SHOP – a gorgeous, light filled, airy space in Georgetown devoted to all your skin and self care needs with a natural, minimalist, and botanical approach. Becky Waddell, the owner of Take Care, moved from Oregon to DC with her husband years ago. She quickly realized that her job in policy was not for her. However, with a background in biology coupled with life long appreciation of skincare and living a plant-based lifestyle for many years, Becky noticed the void of natural beauty products available here in the DMV. Take Care started in a tiny 100 square foot studio, where it operated for 3 years. After developing a devoted clientele base, Becky decided it was important to have a space that could serve as a destination for both beauty and wellness. The first brick and mortar opened in Georgetown 2.5 years ago. From hosting workshops to yoga classes, Take Care has successfully accomplished the goal of creating a community for it’s patrons beyond skin and beauty needs.
This past weekend, I went into the shop to meet with Becky and chat about my skincare and beauty bag needs. There are various consults that you can schedule to help in the switch over to clean beauty products or developing a customized skincare routine based on your own needs. These consults are $50, however that can be applied to whatever products you purchase. For me, I have some clean beauty/skin care products (recently became obsessed with this highlighter from Take Care), but I also have other products that I have used and loved for years that are not considered “clean”. In general, I am always open to trying and learning about new products. I recently have seen a lot about ILIA, as well as RMS beauty, and wanted to try out the products. I was in need of a new concealer and blush, so I figured it was perfect time to meet with Becky!
We chatted for a bit and she could immediately tell my skin was THIRSTY. I made the mistake of doing a clay mask the night before (in an attempt to dry out a giant pimple) and ultimately ended up just drying out my ENTIRE face. Fail. To start, she prepped my skin with the Marie Veronique Balancing Hypotonic. This solution penetrates the lipid layer of the skin to help rehydrate and rebalance the skin microflora and pH. I learned that this product is important for prepping the skin so it can absorb all the following serums. Next, she used the Marie Veronique soothing B3 serum, a moisturizing gel serum, to create a dewy glow. Lastly, she used the Laurel Unburden Serum to target inflammation, dry patches, and tiny broken blood vessels.
We tried various products from a few of the brands she recommended, splitting between each side of my face – mainly because I was being indecisive and also so I could see which product worked the best for me. I was surprised that RMS beauty ended up being my brand of choice for both the blush (Lip2Cheek in the shade Promise) and concealer (UnCoverup in the shade 11)! I loved the other products, including the bronzer, eye shadows, brow brush, and lipgloss that created a dewy and effortless look. I plan to go back and purchase those other goodies in the future! You can also shop online, which is great if you’re not local!
It was great spending that time with Becky and learning more about the incredible brands she carries in the shop. The majority of these brands are mostly focused on small batch products made by hand and focused on whole herb infusion. I could really feel the sense of community after multiple clients came in and spoke about the products they loved and needing refills.
Beyond the skin and beauty consults, Take Care recently introduced their new natural spa. The newly opened spa will focus on facials and body treatments – but it is currently only offering six different facials. While each facial targets different and specific skin needs, the overall focus is to use gentle techniques to help revitalize and reduce inflammation. I got a chance to take a peek into the zen spaces, which mirrored the rest of the shop with natural, minimal touches.
I also got to speak to Regina, one of the estheticians who has been practicing since 2012. I am excited to go back to the spa to have the facial she recommended – I know my skin will definitely thank me! I plan to share about the facial experience, but if you want to book before then, you can follow this link to book now. If you’re not sure about which facial to book, you can contact the shop here or send a message on instagram.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out! Hope everyone has a great weekend!
XOXO, Kel
