Berlin’s Secret Beauty Mecca

A short flight away from three out of four fashion cities, Berlin makes for an ideal long-weekend escape during or after the Spring 2016 shows. And whether you’re gearing up for the Berlin Marathon on September 27 or merely planning on burning calories by power shopping, one beauty destination belongs at the top of your must-visit list: Jacks Beauty Department. Makeup maestro Daniel Martin—whose clients include Jessica Alba and Greta Gerwig—stumbled upon the hair, skincare, and cosmetics mecca during a recent summer holiday while wandering the streets of the Mitte neighborhood, which boasts an eclectic mix of indie boutiques, coffee shops, and vintage stores selling clothes by the pound. “It reminded me of Nolita,” he said.

 

 

Founded by a fellow makeup artist, Jacks contains a well-edited selection of cult German beauty brands. Some of Martin’s favorite finds include the store’s own vegan line of brushes featuring colorful, customized handles (which make spotting them at the bottom of your makeup bag a cinch). “Jacks Number 12 brush is the perfect tool to buff on foundation for a seamless, soft-focus look,” he said. “The hand-painted handles definitely add personality, too.” Other additions Martin made to his kit: the Und Gretel LUK Creme Eye Stick (a universally flattering bronze cream shadow that he says “pulls yellow and gold tones out of brown eyes and makes blue eyes brighter”); mawiLove serums (which offers an instant boost of hydration minus any residue); and Magicstripes (sticky strips that provide sagging lids with, he says, “a little lift”). “In Asia they already make these adhesives to create a crease in the eyelid, but a German makeup artist decided to take the idea and make it her own by creating several different sizes,” Martin explained of the unique concept, which has yet to make its way to America.

The airy, multilevel emporium also features a nail bar, salon, barbershop, and makeup lounge (which offers everything from false lashes to facials)—perfect for translating your look from tourist to bona fide Berliner. Martin explained of the local population’s aesthetic: “Their style is very bohemian and eccentric.” They also don’t buy into the “brows on fleek” or “Instagrammy eye makeup” concepts—“too bourgeois for the Europeans,” he added. “It’s not so much about being trendy, but more about individualism.”

Jacks Beauty Department, Kastanienallee 19, Berlin; jacks-beautydepartment.com.

The post Berlin’s Secret Beauty Mecca appeared first on Vogue.