Pretty City!

H-Town’s beauty bizzes are booming.

Jentry Kelley Headshot
Jentry Kelley Headshot

Over the last few decades, Houston has quietly become a major player in the international beauty industry, a place where new brands — a la Drunk Elephant — go from clever pipedreams to celebrated bestsellers almost overnight. These days, despite the ongoing Covid crisis, H-Town continues to be sitting pretty, thanks to a handful of up-and-comers.


Jentry Kelley Cosmetics — founded by a Friendswood native who created her eponymous cosmetics brand in the summer of 2011, after working for Clinique, MAC and Laura Mercier at Neiman Marcus — will open its second location this fall: a Gensler-designed space off the Katy Freeway at Eldridge. She’ll sell her entire makeup line — 200 products, plus private lessons! — along with skincare and injectables from BCRN Aesthetic. There will be a full-service hair salon, too! “People like to shop local and support businesses here,” Kelley told CityBook last year. “I love being here, and I will always call Houston home.”

Industry leader SkinCeuticals clearly sees something beautiful in H-Town, too: Its new SkinLab concept just opened in the West Ave office of plastic surgeon Dr. Forrest Roth — only the third in the country. Three treatments are available exclusively at SkinLab, incorporating tech like dermaplaning, microneedling and LED light alongside proven SkinCeuticals products.

Skin Lab at West Ave

FaceHaus, the California-based chain offering fabulously affordable facials, wants to get in on the action, too, having recently opened its first Houston location in Rice Village. The open-concept space boasts a “bar” full of high-end products with a team of expert estheticians to help customers achieve a healthy glow.

Meanwhile, local mainstays are building on their long-earned success. Estilo just added an all-new spa — facials, body-hair removal and more, courtesy of co-owner Vanessa Tort — in a building adjacent to its quaint Montrose salon. And CityBook contributor Edward Sanchez just launched Essential Skincare, featuring cleansers, toners and lotions with food-grade botanicals and other all-natural ingredients.

AT TOP: Jentry Kelley

Style+Culture
Leadership in Action: ‘Family, Community and Spiritual Connection’ Drives Success for Henry Richardson

How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

Keep Reading Show less

Lady Stephanie Kimbrell, Cory McGee, and Butler Studio artists, Ani Kushyan, Alissa Goretsky and Elizabeth Hanje (photo by Michelle Watson)

ALL OF THE top performing arts organizations in Houston have now officially opened their 2024-2015 seasons, now that Houston Grand Opera has bowed with a stirring performance of Verdi’s Il trovatore at The Wortham followed by a lavish al fresco dinner in a tent on the plaza out front.The Houston Ballet and the Houston Symphony held their own grand opening night festivities earlier in the fall.

Keep Reading Show less
Art+Culture

Photo by Lynn Lane

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA’S second fall repertoire production is Gioachino Rossini’s Cinderella. The colorful, commedia dell'arte-inspired production opens Friday, Oct. 25, and stars Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard — a breathtaking brunette beauty, even when doused in soot — in bel canto role of Angelina, known to her mean step-sisters as “Cenerentola.”

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment