Green Beauty Grand Openings in D.C.

Be Clean Shop

This month saw the happy opening of not one, but two green beauty shops in D.C. Be Clean opened up on the 3rd floor of 52 O Street NW and Follain permanently launched in Union Market as a pop-up-turned-shop-to-stay. I hiked over from Baltimore to attend both of the shops’ merry grand openings, had a gander around, and ran into friendly faces.

Be Clean Shop
Be Clean is the brainchild of Becky (she’s the one with the cute bob) and is located in a cozy studio. Products lined one wall, refreshments and vegan eats provided by Kate Bakes were nestled on a table adjacent on the other.
 Be Clean Shop Grand Opening
Many familiar faces grace the shelves, such as the pictured Herbivore Botanicals, Captain Blankenship, Aster+Bay, Soul Sunday, and Josh Rosebrook. I took a spritz of Hydrate, slathered myself in the Jasmine body oil,  and admired the beautiful colors of the facial oils (got some Lapis for my sister as part of her birthday present).
Be Clean Shop Grand Opening

A brand in particular that was new to me was Na Nin. Be Clean carries two perfumes and body oils from the line, one of which, Landslide, is quite manly and woodsy, the other, Cedar Creek, quite reminiscent of incense (and my favorite).

Products among Becky’s top 5?
  • Na Nin Perfume
  • Herbivore Sea Mist Hair Texturizer
  • Herbivore Orchid Facial Oil
Follain Grand Opening

I’ve been coming to Boston-native Follain’s pop-ups in Union Market for a few years, and it holds a special place in my heart because it was the first time I stepped offline to say hello to green beauty.

The first Follain pop-up I attended was also where I met my first Insta-to-real-life friend, @ecochicstyle_! We had been oohing and aahing over each other’s feeds for months, and to not only finally put a face on the handle but also have a buddy to rave about green beauty in person was a joy. I’ve always enjoyed my conversations with the formidable Tara, the founder of Follain, who is always so kind and helpful. Needless to say, I’m so glad Follain has a home in D.C. and in a great location like Union Market where people can just wander in for a bite or a juice or a walk and just stumble on healthy beauty.

Follain Grand Opening
Green beauty’s not just for the ladies–there are lots of options for men (lots of new brands to me), mothers, and babies.
Follain Grand Opening
Love the sink details and that Follain’s refillable soap service has come as well.
Follain Grand Opening

The skincare is organized by category (cleanser, toner, etc.) and skin type (oily, dry, etc.), which is very helpful if you’re a green beauty looking for something new or if you’re completely unfamiliar with green beauty and want to get into it. I took a spritz of my favorite Hydrating Accelerator from Josh Rosebrook; tried some Tammy Fender Rose Toner (Yenny says this one is good), Indie Lee CoQ10 Toner (feels nice), Indie Lee Apple Serum (gel-ish kind of serum), and admired the rms Beauty Oil (loooove that vanilla).

Follain Grand Opening
While Yenny and I were chatting, this gorgeous girl tapped my shoulder and said, “I think I Insta-know you…”. It was Jennifer, one half of the Unsullied duo! After dancing around each other for a while (she’s moonlighted before at Follain and I missed her sister at the last ANFGB), I was so happy to finally meet her.

 

Follain Grand Opening

We also ran into another friendly face: Susannah Compton! You may know her from No More Dirty Looks as a contributing writer or from Integrity Botanicals blog, but you may not know that she is also developing her own perfume line which is set to debut at A Night for Green Beauty in Chicago this summer. She gave Yenny and I a sneak peek into some of the scents: one will be rose-y, another citrus-y, and the last (and apparently most controversial among testers) jasmine. I’ve got my eyes on the jasmine.

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. I am not being compensated for my words.

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16 Comments

  1. May 28, 2015 / 2:10 pm

    Wow paradise on earth! You look radiant Jade! <3

  2. May 30, 2015 / 6:09 am

    Aaaa so many goodies!!<3 Love all the photos xx

  3. May 30, 2015 / 4:09 pm

    What beautfiul storefronts and brand offerings! I'm really excited that more brick-and-mortar green beauty shops are opening. That way we can test our products tangibly and really get a sense of colors for makeup.

  4. May 31, 2015 / 5:04 pm

    Wow….so many products!!! It looks amazing!

  5. June 4, 2015 / 2:04 am

    ALL EYES ON JASMINE! But why is it controversial?!

  6. June 4, 2015 / 4:01 am

    Susannah said that it was the most polarizing–amongst the people who tested it, there were those are either loved it or hated it. Yenny and I were in the probably-will-super-love-it camp. 😉

  7. June 4, 2015 / 4:02 am

    I absolutely agree. Seeing all these brands in person for me is like seeing celebrities in person, haha!

  8. June 4, 2015 / 4:02 am

    Thank you Julie! <3

  9. June 4, 2015 / 4:02 am

    Too many goodies! Thank you Jana! xx

  10. June 4, 2015 / 4:02 am

    Thank you lovely! Hopefully more green beauty shops migrate over to Singapore soon 🙂 xx

  11. June 4, 2015 / 4:02 am

    As amazing as it looks! xx

  12. June 4, 2015 / 2:08 pm

    Living vicariously through your absolutely gorgeous photos, Jade! WOW! What a lovely shop. Wish I lived closer.

  13. June 10, 2015 / 4:26 am

    This store looks dreamy, seriously, what a great line up of the brans presented! Herbivore botanicals is my true favorite, and I am also happy to spot Aster&Bay products on one of the photos! Just today I finished their jasmine body oil and totally going to re-stock it on my beauty shelf!:) I am really curiosu about Susannah's perfume line, I love jasmine scent and would love to try it!:)

    Oly | TLV Birdie Blog

  14. June 10, 2015 / 7:28 am

    Thank you Sarita!! I am jealous of your proximity to all the green beauty in NY~