Two eponymous locations strong, Violet Mkhitaryan is the feisty Armenian grandmother we never had. At Violet Skin Boutique (257 Newbury Street, Boston, 617.262.7546; 1362 Beacon Street, Brookline, 617.264.7546), she practices her own particular brand of tough love that, delivered by anyone else, might be perceived as a snub. But somehow, as she squeezes our blackheads and inquires about our bathroom habits during her stuff-of-legends facials, Mkhitaryan can do no wrong - perhaps because her no-nonsense advice consistently yields real results, client after client.
