Entrepreneur shares ‘addictions’

Candice Birdsong is the Philly native behind the new Addiction Make-Up Studio & Boutique.

Ah, the department store makeup counter: a girl’s best friend and worst enemy. It’s always nice having someone fluff the perfect amount of blush on your cheeks and make your eyes pop with just the tiniest smudge of eyeliner, but you know that eventually your consultant is going to push you to buy something – and those pretty little bottles don’t come cheap.

Enter Addiction Make-Up Studio & Boutique. This glamorous shop offers everything from personal, commercial and bridal makeup services to seminars on how to apply makeup to makeover parties with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. But don’t worry if you’re short on cash – Co-Owner Candice Birdsong said she doesn’t want people to feel like they have to spend at the store.

“It’s a comfortable, intimate setting, and customers aren’t pressured to buy anything,” she said.

Birdsong – a native Philadelphian who grew up in Mount Airy and attended Temple’s Fox School of Business – met partner Joelle Brodhecker while they were both working at MAC Cosmetics. The two shared a passion for make-up and fashion – Birdsong studied at the Make-Up Designory in Los Angeles, and Brodhecker attended the Art Institute for Fashion Marketing. They always talked about opening a salon and boutique, but one day, after having lunch at Mixto, they walked past an empty storefront at 1024 Pine St., and decided to make their dream a reality.

The store, which opened in early November, isn’t just a makeup salon – it’s also a consignment boutique full of designer clothes and accessories from big names like Vivienne Westwood and Christian Dior and less expensive brands like H&M and Forever 21.

“We’re selective about what we take,” Birdsong said. “But it’s a really a variety – customers can mix and match high and low pieces.”

Since Birdsong has lived in Philadelphia all her life and knows a thing or two about style and taste, we asked her to share with us some of her favorite places to eat, drink, shop and play. Check out her picks:

EAT

I love Tequilas at 16th and Locust [streets], mostly because it’s Mexican, my favorite kind of food. They have really good margaritas there. It’s a little more expensive, though. I also love Cantina Los Caballitos in South Philly. I go there for brunch. They have everything, breakfast burritos, pancakes, mimosas, margaritas … and it’s pretty reasonable, too. I also sometimes go to the Royal Tavern right down the street. I like their burgers and their fries, and they have a nice beer list.

DRINK

You know what’s really cool? Vintage Wine Bar & Bistro at 13th and Sansom [streets]. They have a really great happy hour, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with half-priced house wines. That’s $3 glasses of wine and $2 beers, which is pretty cheap. I also love XIX Nineteen at the Bellevue. They have a happy hour during the week with half-priced drinks, which is a little more expensive than Vintage, but it’s still a good deal. And it’s a really nice, hidden, quiet spot.

I also like going to the Latest Dish, the restaurant under Fluid Nightclub, both to drink and to eat. They have really good specials, and it’s a convenient place to go if you want to go out afterward, since it’s right underneath the club.

SHOP

I go to Greene Street Consignment and Bella Boutique a lot. Bella has really nice furs. Their fur stoles are lovely. At Greene Street, you never know what you’re gonna get, and you usually have to dig around, but it’s good for basic everyday pieces. I go to Daffy’s once in awhile. They sometimes have really great pieces on sale. I got a cute Tracy Reese top there once.

I used to work at Nordstrom, so I have a lot of stuff from there, too. They actually have really good sales; a lot of people don’t go in there because they think it’s going to be too expensive, but you can find reasonably priced clothes there. It’s a long drive out to the King of Prussia Mall, but it’s worth it.

PLAY

I love going to Rittenhouse Square in the summertime, to sit and people-watch. My friends and I will also go to the beach in Atlantic City for the day. We take New Jersey Transit out there and pack our lunch and cocktails and just sit out on the beach all day. I also like hanging out and browsing magazines at Barnes & Noble in Center City.

Anna Hyclak can be reached at anna.hyclak@temple.edu.