Best of Sacramento 2015: Shopping & Fashion

In some ways it started, simply, with a tube of lipstick.

Kachet Jackson-Henderson was just out of college, very broke and a little bit depressed. Then the future fashion blogger-stylist found a box of her mother’s old MAC makeup containers and decided to trade them in—taking advantage of the company’s recycling program—for a new product. A saleswoman suggested she try the line’s Dubonnet shade. The color was a bold red and Jackson-Henderson found herself amazed at the way it instantly brightened her complexion.

It also gave her a much-needed shot of confidence.

“It literally changed my life,” she says now.

Fast-forward to today and the Sacramento native, who eventually landed that first job and spent time working at various San Francisco and Sacramento-based organizations, now has several years in advertising and public relations under her very fashionable belt.

These days she blogs about fashion at The Lipstick Giraffe (thelipstickgiraffe.com) and juggles a growing roster of stylist duties with ongoing stints at local boutiques, as well as Macy’s and Old Navy, and appearances on local shows such as Good Day Sacramento. The blog name pairs her favorite makeup with a nod to her 5-foot-9-inch stature. Entries cover topics such as “state fair style” and “5 Things My Grandma Taught Me”—one of which is, incidentally, “Don’t leave the house without lipstick.”

“My mother and grandmother were very fashionable. The kid comes by it honest,” she says with a laugh, recalling childhood and teenage-era outfits that featured the likes of frilly ankle socks and lace and copious bows.

She also found inspiration in local fashion bloggers such as Bows & Sparrows’ Erin Sierchio and Citizen Rosebud’s Bella. “I was always looking up to those girls,” she says.

Jackson-Henderson says her real love, however, is her boots-on-the-ground stylist work. Once, she remembers being dispatched to a blogger event at Old Navy’s flagship store in San Francisco. There, other writers seemed bored, annoyed even, with having to interact with shoppers. “I was like, ’No, it’s an honor to be here—go help that person find a jacket,’” she says.

Jackson-Henderson’s own style is simple. One of her favorite outfits of late is a basic A-line shift, a “blank canvas” that can be dressed up or down depending on the mood or occasion.

Style, she says, isn’t so much about trends but rather figuring out what makes a person look good and, more importantly, feel good. Anything, she says, is game.

Well, almost.

“I don’t do crop tops,” she says. “And I’m so damn tired of the maxi dress. Put that dress down.”

Soon, more people may be taking Jackson-Henderson’s commands. The 28-year-old envisions herself as one-woman brand &#;agrave; la Gwyneth Paltrow, whose weekly Goop site covers the likes of luxury sheets, crab feed recipes and pricy skincare lines. The goal is to snag more styling gigs, she says. Perhaps the blog work will parlay into a book deal or endorsements. Unlike Paltrow, however, Jackson-Henderson says she aims to keep the focus aimed squarely on fashion—and to prove that anyone can look great, even without a celebrity budget.

“I just want to help people be their best selves,” she says. “You don’t have to break the bank.”