Where to shop in Houston right now: 10 best beauty boutiques for a flawless face forward in 2023

good face

As we settle into 2023, we reset by taking a break from shopping and pivoting to the health of the body's largest organ and the psychological well-being benefits of quality skincare.

If highlighting serums, bronzers, and the perfect pallet aren't cutting it anymore, it might be time to move on to a more meaningful skincare routine. Superficial products that wash off (with a gentle but effective cleanser) every evening have their place, but taking care of skin from the inside out with rejuvenating ingredients or treatments, benefits on a more purposeful level.

A glowing complexion is often a barometer of health, with radiant, clear skin indicating that the body is in an optimal state of well-being.

The treatments outlined here, from 10 of Houston's leading skincare experts, promise to help clients achieve resilient, naturally luminous skin with long-lasting results — all for that good face.

Face Haus

Founded by three working moms on the hunt for an affordable facial, Face Haus is a modern skincare mecca offering spa-grade facials without all the fuss. In Rice Village, Face Haus provides a menu full of skin brightening and tightening options, including the World of Difference Facial. The 55-minute facial is excellent for all skin types, especially those with fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, dryness, and loss of elasticity. The treatment targets the face and neck area and includes a skin-brightening multi-fruit acid peel, extractions, light therapy, and a Vitamin C, mineral-rich algae mask.

Glow Medical Aesthetics

Glow Medical Aesthetics offers a gentle laser treatment without any downtime. The Clear + Brilliant treatment replaces damaged skin with healthy, younger-looking tissue after a series of treatments customized to the client's needs and desired outcome. Clear + Brilliant is in the Fraxel family (a popular deep laser treatment) that refreshes skin from the inside out by reducing fine lines and improving tone, texture, and pore size.

OVME

Get rid of hyperpigmentation, brown spots, collagen laxity, and rosacea with OVME's Photo Facial. Considered the gold standard of photo facials, OVME utilizes broadband light to heat the upper layers of the skin stimulating cells to regenerate and boost the body's natural ability to fight the appearance of aging. The noninvasive procedure requires no downtime, with results showing in as little as two to five days, with maximum results in two to three weeks.

Nuveau Plastic Surgery

Posh River Oaks beauty destination Nuveau Plastic Surgery welcomes the new year with specials on two select treatments. During January, clients can take advantage of discounts on both the Morpheus8 and Profound RF treatments. Morpheus8 uses heat to penetrate the deeper layers of the skin to create a tighter, smoother surface and luminous complexion. Profound RF utilizes micro-needling and radiofrequency technology to increase skin elasticity by stimulating the production of elastin and collagen.

The Skin Clinic

The MicroInfusion Rapid Glow Facial promises to send clients on their way in about thirty minutes with a glowing complexion. At The Skin Clinic, the microinfusion treatment "stamps" a powerhouse blend of Botulinum toxin, fillers, and antioxidants into the skin with 20 gold-tipped micro-needles. Effective in smoothing, plumping, and evening out oily skin, the treatment is quick, painless, and requires no downtime.

Skin Spirit

Start 2023 with an effervescent glow. Skin Spirit, with locations in Rice Village and Katy, offers the DiamondGlow facial treatment that promises to provide next-level radiance. The noninvasive skin-resurfacing treatment is administered using SkinMedica skincare and a diamond-tipped wand that simultaneously exfoliates, extracts, and infuses. In addition to healthier skin, the best part about this treatment is there is no downtime, and results can be seen in just one treatment.

The Tox

Right now, lymphatic massages are the treatment of choice, offering massages that detoxify the body's lymphatic and digestive systems. Clients can choose from their two signature treatments The Master Tox, which detoxifies the whole body, or the Sculpting Facial Treatment, which focuses on the face and neck areas. Located on Post Oak, The Tox incorporates different modalities that increase metabolic rates, flush water retention and the colon for an overall cleansing treatment.

SkinCeuticals SkinLab by Dr. Roth

January is the perfect time to explore medical-grade skin care at SkinLab by Dr. Roth. Clients who sign up for a SkinVIP Membership in January will receive one month free. SkinVIP Memberships offer discounts, perks, and a monthly signature treatment. In addition, clients who spend $200 on SkinCeuticals products will receive a free Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 (travel size 15 ml).

Westlake Dermatology

Chemical peels revitalize the skin's surface by exposing new layers for a fresh appearance, improving the look of sun damage, acne scarring, skin pigmentation, and fine lines or wrinkles. Clients can take advantage of several popular services at Westlake Dermatology, including the Advanced Corrective Peel, Vi Peel, Vitalize Peel, and Micro Peel Glycolic 30. Westlake Dermatology's two Houston locations offer 20% off all their chemical peels during January.

Your Aesthetic Edit

For those looking for a how-to on everything skincare related, Your Aesthetic Edit provides education and a completely customized skincare routine tailored to each client's needs. Available with budgets and time constraints in mind, Your Aesthetic Edit offers recommendations for everything from drugstore products to medical-grade skin care and treatments. From January through March, mention the code GLOWUP and receive a $100 discount on a personalized Your Aesthetic Edit consultation.

Ad Placement 300x100

Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

New grocery store's Houston debut leads top stories

this week's hot headlines

Editor's note: It's time to recap the top stories on CultureMap from this past week

1. New Houston-area grocery stores offer shoppers bulk restaurant food and supplies without a membership. Four locations are open now with two more coming soon.

2. Booming Houston 'burb named best place to buy a home and raise a family in America. The city earned high marks for its job market, housing availability, and more.

3. Brad Paisley joins George Strait and Selena with induction into RodeoHouston's prestigious Star Trail of Fame. This honor makes Paisley the 10th star honored with a gold plaque to commemorate his years of outstanding entertainment at the Rodeo.

4. Brad Paisley steals hearts — and a fan's phone — in his Star Trail of Fame RodeoHouston show. The performer brought the warmth from his plaque unveiling onto the stage in front of a sold out matinee crowd.

5. Houston's best burgers smash the game with exotic add-ons, beefed-up buns, and more. Presenting the nominees for Best Burger in the CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

Netflix series Waco: American Apocalypse debuts with newly unearthed footage

Documentary News

Netflix has a new series on the tragedy that took place in Waco three decades ago: Called Waco: American Apocalypse, it's a three-part series documenting the standoff between cult leader David Koresh and the federal government that ended in a fiery inferno, televised live, with 76 people dead.

The series debuts on March 22, to coincide with the 30-year anniversary of the event which took place from February 28 to April 19, 1993.

It's an oft-told tale and not the only new release to try and exploit the 30-year anniversary: Jeff Guinn, former books editor at the Fort Worth Star Telegram, just came out with a book in January, also described as definitive, called Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and a Legacy of Rage.

Waco: American Apocalypse is directed by another Texan: Dallas native Tiller Russell (Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer), who obtained never-before-seen videotapes of FBI negotiations, as well as raw news footage and interviews with insiders.

Those insiders include one of David Koresh’s spiritual wives; the last child released from the compound alive; a sniper from the FBI Hostage Rescue Team; the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit Chief; journalists; and members of the ATF tactical team who watched colleagues die in the shootout against the heavily armed members of the religious sect.

The FBI videotaped inside the hostage negation room, thinking they'd be there maybe 24 hours, not 51 days.

"These are video cassettes that were sitting in somebody’s closet for 30 years, that show the mechanics of hostage negotiations in an intimate setting - not the hostage negotiation scenarios you see in films, but a team of people grinding, day in and day out, for 51 days," Russell says.

He also procured footage from Waco TV station KWTX, who had a reporter embedded in the initial gunfight.

While the standoff was broadcast live on TV at the time, much of it was out of camera range. The film uses 3D graphics to recreate the details of the compound.

Russell acknowledges that the tale of the cult leader who was also a pedophile, the debate over the right to bear arms, the constitutional limits of religious freedom, dredge up painful conversations that continue today.

"It cast a long shadow, pre-saging the Timothy McVeigh bombing in Oklahoma, the shooting at Colombine, and a growing distrust of government, but I think it's important to reckon with our past so we don't repeat mistakes," he says.

"So much of what’s roiling in culture today can be traced to Waco, a story about God and guns in America with all these children at the center whose lives were determined by the adults around them," he says. "There was no playbook for what happened, everyone was out on a limb, and people made mistakes. But almost everybody was trying to do their very best."

"I think this is a story that's often recalled in politicized terms, with finger-pointing on who screwed up and how did we get here, but there's a profound humanity to it all," he says.

Watch the trailer below:

Texas Top Chef winner debuts new National Geographic series during SXSW

Top Chef

Texas is proud to claim chef Kristen Kish as its own, but the Top Chef winner has always had a global mindset. She first earned her chops in French and Italian cuisine at Boston's acclaimed Menton restaurant, infusing those influences into the menu at Arlo Grey with a pioneering curiosity and adventurous spirit. Now, she's bringing that explorer's mindset to a new National Geographic series that debuted Tuesday, March 21.

Available on Disney+, Restaurants at the End of the World is a docuseries in which Kish travels to off-the-beaten-path pockets of the planet. The four-part series follows Kish as she searches for the secret ingredients – people, places, culture, and traditions – within the world’s most remote restaurants in Boquete, Panama; Svalbard, Norway; North Haven Island, Maine; and Paraty, Brazil.

A lucky selection of South by Southwest (SXSW) attendees got a sneak peek of the series at a special dinner last week. The event took place inside Arlo Grey at the Line Hotel, where Kish mingled with guests and introduced clips from the upcoming series. A family-style dinner featured dishes inspired by different episodes of the series, from Maine-inspired Parker House rolls to Arctic char and strawberry semifreddo.

"This series is all about shared experiences and trading stories," Kish said, introducing the evening's menu. "So, when putting this menu together, I realized there are a lot of similarities. When I think back to all the places I went and new things I learned, there are so many familiar flavors to every bite that can bring you right back home into your own story."

The menu celebrated each location in the upcoming series, often in the same course: Parker House Rolls (with delicious whipped brown butter) were a nod to her New England episode ("Maine Island Barn Supper,"), paired with a scallop crudo commemoration of her time in Brazil ("Brazil’s Floating Feast,"). Meanwhile, the main course gave guests a glimpse of the great lengths Norwegian fishermen go to when harvesting Arctic char, accompanied by a clip of Kish's adventures with local purveyors in Svalbard, Norway.

The aim of both the dinner and the upcoming series is to showcase the tenacity it takes to run restaurants in such remote places. Each episode follows Kish behind the scenes with local purveyors, farmers, herders, kitchen crew, managers, and head chefs to hear their stories. She invites viewers along with her in the hunt for the best and freshest ingredients, unearthing the culture and heart behind global cuisine and showcasing the balancing act required to bring unique food to the table around the world.

“Food has an unparalleled power to bring us together and teach us about one another and the world around us, and we see that firsthand by going to restaurants in the world’s most remote areas,” says Chef Kish via release. “Filming this series with National Geographic was an adventure of a lifetime that taught me so much about an industry I’ve been steeped in my whole life. I can’t wait for viewers to come along on the journey with us and experience these dishes at restaurants most never even knew existed.”

The first episode of Restaurants around the World debuted on March 21.

Courtesy National Geographic

Top Chef winner Kristen Kish has a new National Geographic show that debuted on March 21.

View All Listings