Belated Wine and Food Fest Gushing

OK, I know it's been almost a month since the BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival, but since it's sincerely one of the highlights of my calendar year, I'm still basking in the glow from this year's events. Each year is a bit the same and yet very different, and although I anticipate and plan a bit for the events, I really can never predict the fun that will ensue.

Two favorite unexpected aspects from this year:

-- The rise of the cocktail, and thus, the rise of the amount of spirit sampling in the grand tasting tents. 

The Ascot in mass quantities in its dispenser

For an unseasonably warm weekend, the refreshing Ascot from Icebox was a wonderful respite, but by far, the stand out in this category was Cardinal Gin, hailing from Kings Mountain in N.C. The story is awesome -- twin brothers and their daddy, but even better is the gin. They were providing mini gin and tonics, and the buzz around how good this stuff was, the botanicals that were clearly evident in the sip, was a favorite conversation.

It's available at multiple locations in the Charleston area, so yippee for supporting small business and my taste buds at the same time.

-- Industry talk. 

This year, for me, it was even more of a learning experience. The parties were awesome, yes, but so were the panel discussions on topics ranging from cookbooks to choosing a fish. Immersion was the key here, well, that, and getting over the free sample thing. Just lining up like cattle to get a sample can be fun for a while, but why not stop and talk to the producers you like and pick their brains? Or better yet, explore the festival beyond the tasting tents?

When you do this, it is like a food homecoming, talking shop as it were, whether you are chef, producer or enthusiast. The feeling is mutual.

A Jedi Makeup Master

Sephora opened up in Southpark mall when I lived in Charlotte, and I remember I almost hyperventilated the first time I crossed its threshold. Perfumes and sparkly shadow and glosses, oh my!

I walked out with a Christian Dior eyeshadow in a shade of Addams Family green that I thought made me look modern but instead made me look like I was getting over the Black Plague. I mean, I was going to pull through, but pictures of that period revealed that it was touch and go for a while.

I love color, and little pots of nail polish were just the thing, I thought, when I was having a bad day. Pretty soon I had a shoebox full, and one day I used them to paint a rocking chair. Really. They are enamel, and I was paring down my paint collection.

The fingernail polish rocking chair. Obviously, I had the yellow paint for a base.

Yet another time I was sucked into something because of the vintage picture on the tin that promised a dewy, silent movie complexion. After smearing it on my combination skin for just a few days, I created an oil slick under my makeup that made me look like I had just finished a shift standing over a McDonald's deep fryer.

So when I met Andrew Petersen last year, make-up artist extraordinaire and founder of Misiu Beauty, I did not realize that he was the Obi Wan Kanobi of cosmetics.

We met socially, and I instantly gravitated toward his sunny personality and his positive attitude. He is genuine and although I mentioned coming to see him for a consultation, I never really followed through. He didn't sit me down in a chair under a magnifying glass, ph test my skin or any other such thing. We just chatted.

Well, over the summer, he revealed his Jedi makeup master status. We met for a glass of wine one night, and when we said goodbye, he rummaged through a bag in the dark parking lot and pulled out some samples literally in two minutes. Foundation, a perfume, and a Laura Mercier lip color. He said, try these and hugged me goodbye.

1. The foundation matched my skin tone perfectly.
2. I am considering hoarding the lip color, a sheer berry that I never would have tried, since during the winter, it makes me look like I've just returned from a brisk walk on an English moor.
3. And just instinctively, he chose for me a perfume that is my favorite ever. Rose Oud by Killian. It deserves its own blog post.

Wow.

But more than just his amazing knowledge is his sincere enjoyment of people. He loves to help people see the beauty in themselves, the beauty he sees and that he knows is much more than just their lip color or eyelash length.

Every time I apply one of those samples, I silently applaud Andrew for daring to be so generous with his laughter, his encouragement, and his knowledge. Bravo, my friend, your example is generous as well.