Caudalie Co-Founder Mathilde Thomas On Hand at Brand’s 1st DC Store Opening

So what exactly is a Caudalie?  It’s both that remarkably rejuvenating skincare brand that has been focusing on grapes, grapeseed, grapevines, and their anti-aging properties since 1993, and the unit of measurement that allows you to count how long the taste of wine remains on your palette, Caudalie co-Founder Mathilde Thomas explained as K Street Magazine caught up with her at the brand’s all-new DC store to find out about its unique brand of vinotherapy — and snatch a few samples from the Beauty Barrel Bar!

“The more caudalie in wine, the better it is,” suggested Thomas, and likewise with Caudalie’s stores.  The brand officially opened its first stand alone boutique in DC Wednesday night inviting Washingtonians to raise a glass to its launch with wine direct from Thomas’s family vineyard in France, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte.

In the heart of CityCenterDC, the welcoming shop, with a discreet attached treatment room for facials (we suggest the Premier Cru Facial, for anti-aging care or the Vinoperfect Radiance Facial, for illuminating and correcting uneven skin tone) and other therapies welcomes eco-friendly skincare enthusiasts to sample and shop a luxe line of products.

Among those in attendance were co-Host ESPN’s Britt McHenry, former Afghan Ambassador Saeed Jawad and his wife Shamim Jawad, celebrity and First Lady Michelle Obama’s personal makeup artist Carl Ray, Social Secretary for the French Embassy Francesca Craig, Project Manager for the French Embassy Marie-Hélène Zavala, Head of UK Trade & Investment for The British Embassy Melinda Goforth, Alliance Française de Washington Executive Director Sarah Pickup-Diligenti and Cultural Coordinator Sandrine Avner.

Later, sitting at the brands signature Beauty Barrel Bar, a wine-vessel inspired island specifically created for quick, on-the-go services… like the “Instant Beauty Pick Me-Up” mini facial, the “Fresh Crushed Cabernet Scrub” customizable gommage scrub, or a “Hand Massage,” Thomas explained why Caudalie’s state-of-the-art serums, moisturizers, cleansers, toners, exfoliators — and its cult favorite, the Beauty Elixir — are so necessary:

“To do a masterpiece, you first need a great canvas.  What amazes me most about Americans,” says the French beauty who is also soon releasing a book about her time tested secrets to looking and feeling beautiful, “is their emphasis on quick fixes and instant gratification.  Treat before you cover — that is the ancestral beauty tradition.”

*Photos credit Joy Asico