Beauty

Gorgeous, Glitterally

A new local makeup line adds a twinkle to any eye

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Providence is a city that totally gets it when it comes to buying local and supporting small businesses. But, that only goes so far. It’s easy to buy locally sourced foods, and gifts from independent boutiques, and art from emerging (and blissfully affordable) Rhode Island artists. There are certain things, though, that aren’t so easy to source from our city. My eye cream will always come from Nordstrom. So will my lipstick, my eye shadow, my mascara. At least, that’s what I thought before I met Jenny DiMucci.

Jenny has recently launched Twinkle and Smooch, her own line of cosmetics and skin care. She honed her skills at Nordstrom and Beauty and Main before branching out as an independent makeup artist. The idea for Twinkle and Smooch came from her years of doing wedding makeup. “I realized a lot of clients wanted to buy makeup,” she says. So, she created the line with ease of use in mind. Clients, Jenny says, “build their own palette and make it work for their lifestyle. It’s about simplicity and organization. It’s customizable makeup that everyone can use.”

When I met Jenny at her beauty suite inside Studio Exhale, a yoga studio in Cranston, I was immediately struck by how well-curated her line is. There aren’t a thousand throwaway items to sort through before you can find the one or two things you really want. It’s clear that Jenny knows the makeup industry and has chosen only products that work well, that are simple to use, that, in most cases, can do double or even triple duty, like her lip and cheek cream. As she says, “I like to have a minimal amount of colors and mix them to make them my own.”

Twinkle and Smooch has insider secrets like gel eyeliner, which can be intimidating to someone who hasn’t used it before but in reality is super easy and looks incredibly polished. The line also has brushes, which are some of the nicest and most effective I’ve ever used – and, like any true makeup addict, I’m very picky about those. Jenny has clearly tested tons of product through her career and chosen her line based on what works best. I particularly loved the mini-palettes, which have a lipstick and eyeliner (basically everything you need to go from work to dinner) and perfectly fit inside a clutch bag. The best part? “Because I do a lot of photo shoot work and wedding work, a lot of my products are longer lasting,” Jenny says.


Makeup, however, can only get you so far. “To me, makeup is about the skin,” Jenny says. “Your skin is the canvas to creating that beautiful finish.” That’s why Twinkle and Smooch also includes skincare products that are botanically-based and paraben-free. True to Jenny’s philosophy, they’re simple and user-friendly, with names like Wash, Cleanse, Tone and Firm.

Doing business out of a yoga studio allows for some interesting opportunities to do events that are both good for the body and the spirit. “It’s a new kind of concept,” Jenny says. She’s also working with longtime Providence Monthly photographer Stacey Doyle in her Hope Artiste Village studio, doing portraiture styling and selling Twinkle and Smooch there. Jenny also offers beauty mixers at people’s homes, and teaches lessons and master classes.

On the day we met, Jenny sent me home with a three-color smoky eye palette, and the brushes I’d need to pull them off. As promised, it was super easy to use, and created a gorgeous finish. It looks like I might be able to source my makeup locally, after all.

Twinkle and Smooch, Jenny DiMucci, Makeup, Cosmetics, Skincare, providence monthly

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