Beauty Spot: The Face Shop to open at Ward Warehouse

Nadine Kam photos
A peek into the newest The Face Shop at Ward Warehouse.

The Face Shop will open its second location at Ward Warehouse tomorrow, in the midst of Ward Centers Festival of Giving, today through Sunday.

To celebrate the occasion, The Face Shop will be offering a 20 percent discount for shoppers with a Festival of Giving Passport, which is $10, a fundraiser for 75 local nonprofits. Details are at www.wardcenters.com under "events."

I was able to take an early peek before leaving on vacation, and while there, four shoppers wandered in, thinking it was open. On learning it was not, they still refused to leave, browsing and cooing over the product selection. It was clear they were excited about the opening, which had to be good news for owner Thomas Kim, who said he opened the store for those who don't like the crowded parking situation at McCully.

He hadn't originally intended to open a second store in town, and would have preferred to open on the Leeward side, a project still in the works for Westside dwellers who can be patient.

The new store has the same footprint as the original at McCully Shopping Center, and on opening day Nov. 3 will have a few lines exclusive to the Ward location for now. These include the Flebote White Crystal line and Chia Seed Skin Care, made with chia seeds that retain moisture.

I'm loving the lightweight Chia Seed Moisture-Holding Seed Essence as a day and night moisturizer, pairing it with a hydrating Raspberry Roots Sleeping Mask that is great for travel, preventing you from shriveling up like a prune in dry jet air. Just smooth a layer on your face before you sleep, and rinse it off when you get to your destination. Or not. While I do have to rinse it off at home, I found I didn't need to in the extra dry plane air.

It will leave your face shiny while it's on, but on a plane, who'll notice? Other passengers are more concerned about their own comfort.

My first impression of the store is that it is very colorful, due to placement of color cosmetics and nail enamels.

The Face Shop masks are perfect as an inexpensive at-home spa treatment anytime.

The Face Shop is known for its skin-care lines from Korea, one for virtually any skin condition.

For lips.

Also available there is a vibrating BB Cream puff applicator for a flawless-looking application. A downside is it makes it harder to remove the cream, but new cleansers have been formulated to help.