By Clementina Verge
Throughout the span of more than three decades in the beauty industry, Linda Temkin has mastered many aspects, ranging from hair, massages, and lash extensions, to facials and make-up, but one passion has emerged above the rest: individualized skin care, specifically custom blend liquid foundation.
As owner of Les Beaux Vous, a salon and day spa in Torrington, in 2007 she launched LuLu, a new line of custom-blend foundation bearing her nickname. Her professional training and background informed her awareness about make-up ingredients and their effect on skin. This knowledge fueled the desire to create products that were as natural as possible.
In 2017, she sold the salon and established The Lulu Face Co., committed to “make-up that is good for skin and an extension of personal health care.”
Today, overlooking North Street in Litchfield, Temkin’s atelier brims with natural beauty products infused with pure minerals and botanicals. Her boutique cosmetic line—including eye shadows, nail polish, and lip glosses—is nontoxic, gluten-free, 100% vegan, and mostly organic. Ultimately, superior ingredients do not conceal appearance, but elevate skin quality from beneath the surface, which is Temkin’s goal for her clients.
“Foundation should never feel or look like a mask,” she notes. “It should enhance and protect the skin from daily free radicals, dirt, and grime, and be a perfect fit for every individual.”
By appointment only, Temkin welcomes clients into her shop, and during one-on-one consultations identifies personal needs, ranging from redness, blotchiness, dryness, hyperpigmentation, dark circles, acne, or aging skin.
Then the tinkering begins. Starting with a base liquid foundation, Temkin scoops, pumps, and measures the exact required amount of ingredients such as retinol, SPF, illuminators, hydrators, and mineral-powdered toners.
The process ensures desired luminescence, anti-inflammatory properties, anti-aging peptides, vitamins, tint, tone, texture—and complete client satisfaction.
When cosmetics are purchased under artificial lights, the outcome is often disappointing; however, Temkin’s workshop boasts plenty of natural light streaming through the windows. This is where the final product is viewed on the face, testing that it truly matches skin tone, while also properly highlighting and concealing according to expectations. Temkin ensures that the process of choosing a foundation is not overwhelming or frustrating.
When the right formula is secured, Temkin records each one, and clients have the option to sign up for an auto-shipped subscription. Of course, no two women are identical and neither is their skin, so products can be tweaked according to the season, accommodating the need for sunscreen or added moisture. Customization possibilities become endless in creating the perfect foundation, as well as lip color, and day, night, and eye creams.
Temkin has also successfully proven able to match foundation to a woman’s complexion without seeing her in person, and now offers video conferences. “It is really exciting to know that we can do this, whether clients are in Connecticut or in California,” she declares. “I love it when a client says, ‘This is perfect,’ after I help them to achieve not only beautiful, but healthy skin, and make them feel happy.”
The Lulu Face Co.
7 North Street #4
Litchfield
860-205-2539
