eyelash growth

As a cosmetology student in Atlanta, Vanessa Y. Barron was plugged into the Southern fashionscene.

Upon moving back to her native Ohio, Barron figured Columbus could use a little “Southernflavor.” Bella Boutique, the shop she recently opened at the northern end of the Short North,brings together her passions for beauty and fashion.

Bella Boutique carries women’s clothing and accessories and offers eyelash extension servicesand MAC makeup sessions on Friday and Saturday nights. The boutique also sells “Indian virgin hair”- thick ponytails of real human locks, ready to be used as extensions.

“It’s trendy, it’s chic,” Barron said of the shop. “It’s something new, hot, fresh.”

Silver mannequins and sheer black curtains line the shop’s floor-to-ceiling windows. Thedecent-sized space’s shiny gray walls are splattered with paint, and a black chandelier hangs overthe register.

The edgy-meets-dressy environment perfectly complements the clothing selection. Skirts, dressesand jackets are the staples, but they aren’t prim and proper – Barron hand-picks pieces fromoff-the-beaten-path labels in Los Angeles, new York and Chicago.

“A lot of people are interested in the dresses,” Barron said. “The dresses and the skirts peopleare going crazy over right now.”

The current selection includes dresses with cutouts, miniskirts covered in structured rufflesand form-fitting dresses with military details.

The store’s handbags – mostly clutches – covered in ruffled silk or bejeweled from top to bottomare especially eye-catching.

Two- and three-finger rings have been extremely popular, Barron said. she has styles that looklike a row of studs and others that have a feather motif or say “love.”

The shop’s grand opening is combined with a clearance sale to make space for fall merchandisesuch as sweaters and outerwear. Leggings and light jackets are already in stock, and you can expectboots to arrive just in time for winter.

Shopping: Bella Boutique