Photos by Jhane Hoang
Styling by René Garza
Models Charlie Ferguson, Sarah Wohlschlaeger
Hair and makeup by Tonya Riner
Photo assistance by Collin Kelly
Styling assistance by Tyler Treadwell
Shot on Location Downtown, at Dancie Perugini Ware Public Relations in the Niels Esperson Building
“Southern Smoke has been a huge part of my life for nearly a decade, and I’m so excited for the opportunity to join the staff,” says Brown. Southern Smoke Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit that supports the food and beverage industry nationwide when it is in crisis. In her new role, Brown works closely with the board of directors and staff to drive the foundation’s mission and ensure its financial stability and growth. Southern Smoke’s previous executive director was Kathryn Lott, who recently joined Discovery Green.
“We have a lot in the works — we’re expanding the capacity for our mental health services; we’re taking Southern Smoke on the road to increase awareness about what we do; and we’re planning new events in addition to our annual festival in 2024,” says Brown. She tells CityBook that above all, the team is focused on the mission of Southern Smoke — to provide emergency relief funding and free mental health counseling to anyone in the food and beverage industry and ensure that food and beverage workers have a safety net.
Brown founded Lindsey Brown Public Relations in 2016 promoting food, beverage and arts clients to local, regional and national media. Prior to her years in hospitality PR, she was director of marketing and public relations for the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau for 10 years. She launched the Where the Chefs Eat Houston Culinary Tours program, which was the winner of the Public Relations Society of America’s Silver Anvil Award in 2011, and worked with local, regional and national media to further Houston’s reputation as a tourist destination.
After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in public relations, Brown began her career at Vollmer Public Relations in the company’s Dallas and Houston offices. She also served as the special projects coordinator for the Houston Ballet Academy. A trained ballerina through age 18, Brown later co-founded the Houston Ballet’s young professionals’ group, Ballet Barre, which has more than 200 members in its sixth year. She continues to support the organization as a member of the board of trustees and serves on the advisory board of Dress for Success Houston.
Regarding hiring a new executive director, Kevin Gee, vice president of the board and chair of the search committee, said, “This decision for the Southern Smoke Foundation was not taken lightly by the individuals who serve passionately as the board of directors. When all candidates were considered and vetted after a careful and thorough process, one candidate stood out with that same amount of passion, and it just happened to be our co-founder, Lindsey Brown.”
To take on this full-time role at Southern Smoke Foundation, Lindsey is shuttering her public relations firm. Brown will be transitioning the bulk of her clients to Giant Noise, a public relations and digital marketing agency with offices throughout Texas and its newest office in H-Town. Brown will stay on as a consultant with Giant Noise through the end of the year.
Founded in 2006 and led by CEO Elaine Garza, Giant Noise has a team of 50-plus with offices in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and now Houston. With a focus on lifestyle, hospitality and the arts, Houston is a market Giant Noise has long had its eye on. Giant Noise will also now be the PR agency of record for Southern Smoke Foundation, focusing on promoting the mission of the foundation and the Southern Smoke Festival on Friday, Oct. 13 and Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
“Lindsey and I have been friends and peers for more than 10 years, and I deeply respect and admire her work not only in PR, but also with Southern Smoke, an organization I support. We are thrilled to be working with her on this transition and to grow with Lindsey and the team in Houston,” said Elaine Garza.
Does the busy Ms. Brown ever take any time off? “When I’m not working, I love hanging out at home with our cats Beans and Rosie (Chris and I are more than a little obsessed with them!). I also love reading — my goal is 25 books this year — and good TV. I’m excited for Only Murders in the Building and The Morning Show to come back this fall.”
From @southernsmokefoundation on Instagram
From @southernsmokefoundation on Instagram
From @southernsmokefoundation on Instagram
From @southernsmokefoundation on Instagram
Westlake Derm's best-selling Alastin HydraTint Pro Mineral
Neil Farnsworth, an MD at Westlake Dermatology, has come to the rescue with tips to continue all year long in our sunbelt city. Farnsworth is a board-certified dermatologist with longstanding ties to Houston. He grew up in New Orleans, graduated from Harvard University, and later earned his MD at Baylor College of Medicine in the Texas Medical Center where he fell in love with the diversity of challenges found in dermatology.
His first word of advice: All sunscreens are not created equal. “Ultraviolet light is categorized as either shorter-wavelength UVB or longer-wavelength UVA. SPF is a measure of a sunscreen's efficacy against UVB, which causes short-term sunburns, but it turns out that the more deeply penetrating UVA is the worse culprit for causing long term sun-damage and skin cancers,” he says. “We don't have a number-system for grading UVA-protection, only the term broad spectrum. Individual chemical sunscreen ingredients only protect against narrow ranges of the UV-spectrum, and the chemicals for UVA break down easily. Physical or mineral sunscreens are literally microscopic umbrellas and can protect against the full UV spectrum.”
Farnsworth advises that we seek out mineral sunscreens. Higher-end mineral sunscreens have finer particles of zinc, titanium, and sometimes iron, allowing them to blend more naturally with little to no white caste or sheen. Cheaper mineral sunscreens can look quite opaque, especially on darker skin. So, the next best thing to completely mineral sunscreens are hybrids containing chemical ingredients to protect you against UVB, and just enough zinc for UVA protection, but not enough to look pasty.
“Sweat and water resistance formulas are obviously more useful during the summer, though it's important to remember that labeling only must prove that it lasts longer than 80 minutes in those conditions, and so re-applying is of paramount when engaging in outdoor activities,” says Farnsworth.
Farnsworth prefers lotions over sprays. Almost all sprays are completely chemical, and therefore inferior to mineral sunscreens or hybrids, and studies show that almost no one puts on spray sunscreens correctly. “You're supposed to apply it as if you were spray-painting a door, not dash it on like bug spray,” he advises.
Farnsworth
He strongly recommends using the hybrid sunscreen Elta MD Sport for yardwork, pools, sports and beaches. “For pure mineral protection I love ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica, with zinc particles so elegantly fine that it blends invisibly even on Black skin. For those who like to wear concealing makeup, an excellent moisturizing substitute is Alastin HydraTint Pro Mineral, one of Westlake Dermatology’s best sellers.” Ideally, we're supposed to re-apply our sunscreen whenever we leave our office or homes throughout the day, but that can be a tough sell in hot, sticky weather. “ISDIN Mineral Brush is a pleasant option for reapplication — you can keep it in your car and just brush the lightly tinted powder on exposed areas before driving anywhere,” says Farnsworth.
Farnsworth says that Alastin Hydratint is their best-selling foundation-substituting sunscreen, but SkinBetter Science Tone Smart is also quite popular and comes in both a pump and a more classically makeup-style compact. Other popular alternatives to foundation are Elta MD's UV-Elements and UV-Physical sunscreens. “Each product differs in their level of moisturizing and tint, and ideally should be tried on before buying.”
What about applying sunscreen to your face first and then finishing it off with foundation? “Applying foundation on top of sunscreen won't diminish its efficacy, but necessary reapplication of sunscreen later in the day then may require reapplication of your foundation. A mineral sunscreen powder like the ISDIN Mineral Brush may be more practical for such top offs,” he explains.
Even on cloudy days, don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your feet, exposed scalp or hair part (or wear an SPF hat), and wear a lip sunscreen and protective sunglasses.
