NIGHTTIME MOODY MAKEUP

POST + PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY NADINE, GRAPHIC DESIGN BY EUNICE CHUN

Try this eye the next time you go out and bring out your moodier side ! This is especially perfect for those of you who don't want to look like you spent time doing a smoky eye, but want the same drama. It's such a gorgeous middle ground between the hardness of black and the softness of gray. Here's how:

TOOLS:

• Black Sparkle Liner - Try Sephora Jumbo Liner 12HR Wear Waterproof in 16 Glitter.
• Black Liquid Liner - I used Alexa Chung's Eye Do Liquid Liner because it's the most user-friendly of all the felt-tip pens.
• Black Kajal Liner - Pick a really greasy-looking one that so it's shiny but also one that is longwear so it doesn't smear down your cheeks. I used Tarte Skinny SmolderEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner in Onyx.
• Black Voluminous Mascara - I used Covergirl Bombshell by Lashblast Mascara because it creates huge lashes and has a shiny black topcoat.
• Pearl Sparkle Shadow Stick - Try NARS Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Hollywoodland.

STEPS:

1. Sweep the upper lashline with the Jumbo Liner. Go thick. I like to stop just before the crease but you can certainly include it.
2. Trace the lower lashline, but not as thickly obviously!
3. Trace the liquid liner just along the upper lashline for intensity. See above for thickness.
4. Rim the inner waterline with the kajal liner to make the eyes really piercing.
5. Coat the lashes with mascara.
6. Dab the pearl shadow stick on the inside corner of the eye as demonstrated above.

THE LIP HIGHLIGHT

Post + Photography by Amy Nadine, Graphic Design by Eunice Chun

You're probably thinking, not another thing for me to do! But trust me, this one's worth it! Especially if your lips are your best feature. Any time you want to draw attention to a feature, highlight it! And if you try this technique with red lipstick, forget about it! Here's how:

TOOLS:

• Your favorite liquid highlighter (you can see my three favorites by clicking here)
• Your finger

STEPS:

1. Start with the bottom lip and trace the perimeter directly with the highlighter brush.
2. Continue just above the upper lip as demonstrated above.
3. Blend the upper line with your finger until it's almost undetectable.
4. Repeat with the lower line.

Party Pony How-to

 

It’s officially party season!

Glam up your look for the holidays using hairpieces and extensions. We’ll show you how!

What you’ll need for the Party Pony hairstyle:

• 22" Pony/Fall Extension by Daisy Fuentes WOW
• Bobby pins (4-6)
• Hairspray
• Brush/Comb
• Curling iron

 

To watch a video on how to apply this piece click here.

1. Start by curling your hair to match the texture of the ponytail extension this particular piece comes curled. (By the way – if you wish to wear this ponytail straight, you can straighten it with your favorite flat iron because it is made with heat-friendly synthetic hair.)
2. Section your hair from ear to ear and place it into a small bun or ponytail. Clip the top section out of the way for Step 4.
3. Place the base of your drawstring pony over your bun or ponytail and pull the elastic band to tightly secure. Open the small clip located on the top, comb it over your hair, and then snap it closed.
4. Unclip the top section from Step 2 and taking the tip of your teasing brush or comb, prep a small section to tease.
5. Start at the crown and pull up a 1-2 inch section - the smaller the section the more volume you will create. Brush the hair back mid-way and run the brush down the length of the hair towards the crown, when you reach the scalp pull the brush out and start again. Make quick short strokes until you have the desired height and fullness. (Tip: the bigger the hair the closer to god.)
6. Every time you backcomb spray a little bit of hairspray so that it holds the hair longer.
7. Carefully use your brush to smooth down any fly-a-ways.
8. Wrap smaller sections of the top around the base of the ponytail attachment and secure with bobby pins.
9. To finish it off, pull sections of the secured top up to reach the desired height and look.

That’s all – super easy, right? If you give it a shot let us know, we’d love to see how your Party Pony turns out!

SOFTEN UP

Tutorial + Photography by Amy Nadine, Graphic Design by Eunice Chun

Some of us get stuck in the mind frame that we only use liner to line. A few months ago I showed you how to use Liner As Shadow, now I want to remind you of (or teach the newbies!) the simple and oh-so pretty smudging technique. It's actually the genesis of the smoky eye before eyeshadow came along! Anyway, there's something very modern and soft about a smudged liner. Here's how:

TOOLS:

• Your Favorite Kohl Pencil - I used my favorite, Chantecaille Gel Liner in Jet, because it glides on with ease and with an angled brush on the other end to smudge with. I also love the Covergirl Liquiline Blast Liner in Black Fire.
• Smudge Brush - I'm obsessed with Sephora's Smudge #11 Brush because it really presses and works the liner into the skin.
• Nude Eye Shadow - whenever you use a non-waterproof liner, it's best to first powder your lid with powder or eyeshadow so the pencil doesn't transfer onto the crease.
• Mascara - pick one that really separates and coats each lash. I used Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara, an iconic line from London that coats each lash with fibers.
• Nude Shimmer Shadow (Optional) - I highlighted the inner corners with the classic Stila Eyeshadow Kitten.

STEPS:

1. Sweep the nude shadow all over the lid and crease.
2. Line the upper lashline with the pencil. Don't worry about it being perfect.
3. Start with the smudge brush on the inner corner and sweep incrementally in short strokes as you work your way across to the outer corner.
4. Now turn around and go back from the outer corner to the inner corner. Take a quick study and see if you need to repeat.
5. Line the lower lashline however you choose (I did only 3/4 s from the outer corner, but you can certainly line the entire lashline).
6. Smudge the line like you did the upper lashline with short quick strokes.

You can leave it as is, or to finish the look, continue with an inner corner highlight and a couple coats of mascara. Then if you really want extra drama, go back and rim the inner waterline with the gel liner.

KEEP YOUR FACE ON!

Post + Photography by Amy Nadine, Graphic Design by Eunice Chun

This two-product wonder is critical if you want your makeup to last when the temperature rises. If you've surrendered to the idea that your foundation can only last a couple of hours this summer, I promise you, you're mistaken! You just need the right primer before you apply it then you have to lock it in with a setting spray. Here's how:

TOOLS:

• Long-lasting Primer - there are many primers available today, some are hydrating, others are radiating... so it's a little overwhelming. In this case, you want to look for one that is long lasting. I love Benefit Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer because it actually lasts for all day (believe me, it has saved me on never-ending commercial shoots when I thought I'd have to redo the makeup halfway through only to be happily surprised that it looked like I just applied it).
• Setting Spray - you can set your makeup with all kinds of water sprays; Evian Vaporizing Mist, Floral Waters, etc and all will do the job. But if you live in a really humid area and know you're going to "glow" a little more that day (ok, perspire profusely!), try Skindinavia No More Shine Makeup Finish. I swear by it because it prevents makeup from smearing or creasing and really controls shine.

STEPS:

1. On bare skin (or moisturized if your skin is really dry), apply the primer by sweeping it all over your face directly from the stick.
2. Now you can apply your foundation (pick one with full spectrum sunscreen) with a foundation brush, fingers or a sponge. Powder your t-zone if necessary.
3. After you've applied the rest of your makeup (but before mascara), finish by holding the setting spray bottle 10-12 inches from your face and spritz five times (one for each area: forehead, right cheek, left cheek, nose and chin).

SETTING YOUR MAKEUP WITHOUT CAKING IT

POST + PHOTOS BY AMY NADINE, GRAPHIC DESIGN BY EUNICE CHUN

For years I used a big fluffy brush to powder my clients’ faces after foundation, even though in makeup school we were taught to use a powder puff. It just felt more luxurious and didn’t have to be restocked all the time like a puff. But last year, I went back to a puff because I started getting frustrated with the way the brush was not only pushing and sliding the cream blush from the area I specifically placed it, but it was also grabbing onto the foundation and making everything a little cakey. Not good. So I went back to the puff press technique created by the masters of Old Hollywood cinema back in the late 30′s and felt a little stupid that I ever strayed. Here’s how:

TOOLS:

• Loose Powder: I used Korres Mineral Loose Powder to give more coverage (and it’s 100% natural and talc-free), but any setting powder will do.
• Powder Puff: I used Cinema Secrets Pro Puff but you can use any from your local drug store or beauty supply.

STEPS:

1. Sprinkle a good amount of powder onto puff.
2. Fold the puff together like a taco, with the powder in the middle and your two thumbs on either side like demonstrated above.
3. Rub the sides back and forth against each other to really work the powder into the puff.
4. Fold the puff in the opposite direction so the powder is now on the outside.
5. Press and roll the puff all over the face or your t-zone to really press the powder onto the foundation.

If you really want to spoil yourself, Cle de Peau Translucent Powder is the holy grail of setting powders because the powder is ultra-fine and creates a radiant sheen while the puff feels like cashmere! It’s an investment but my personal one has lasted me a couple years.

MANI MONDAY: WASHI TAPE GLITTER HEART

photos/post/design: Kristin Ess

It’s almost Valentine’s day!! Whether you’re celebrating or not, a heart mani always looks simple + sweet. After trying to get a perfect heart a million different ways, I finally figured out the best way to do it. Washi tape! You can order it online, find it at a stationery store, or I’ve even seen it at Target in the stationery section. Washi tape is much less sticky than regular tape so you don’t have to worry about it adhering and pulling off your base color so much. Okay, here’s how we got the perfect heart!

1. You’ll need a red, a metallic gold + a gold glitter. I used this for my red, this for my metallic gold + this for my gold glitter.
2. You’ll also need washi tape and small scissors. I used the kind for trimming brows.
3. Paint your nails with the red and let them dry for a few hours. I like to let the base dry overnight just to be safe.
4. Cut a 2-3″ piece of washi tape, fold it in half but leave the ends apart like you see in photo 4.
5. Place the open ends of the washi tape on your pointer finger on the opposite hand you cut with. Cut out a half heart that is a little less than half the width of the nail you’re putting the heart on.
6. Gently peel your washi tape open to see the full heart.
7. Place it on the nail and press the edges with a soft, dry, clean paintbrush.
8. Paint the metallic coat first. This will give you the perfect heart shape, which you can’t get when using glitter polish alone.
9. Now add the glitter polish on top of that.
10. Peel your tape off slowly while the metallic and glitter polishes are still wet. You don’t want them to dry to the washi tape.

You can use a detailing brush to add more glitter to the heart if you want to. Add a top coat once the glitter heart has dried. xo

VELVET NAILS WITH FAUX STUDS

photos/post/design: Kristin Ess

When it comes to beauty, we like to get experimental around here. Last week I was playing around with this new velvet nail polish I bought. I was going to make a gold metallic heart on top of the velvet, but quickly realized the gold metallic polish “beaded up” when I put a drop on top of the velvet. I’ve always wanted to do a studded nail tutorial but I feel like micro-beads are hard to work with. Picking them up and placing them just right can be pretty difficult. THIS quickly became my new favorite alternative. (Side note– I thought this whole velvet nail thing was going to feel really weird but it doesn’t! You get used to it so fast.)

The steps are simple…

• One by one, give your nails texture with a velvet nail polish. If you can’t find velvet nail polish in your area, you can always find “flocking powder” on a crafting website or just google it. First you’ll paint on the base color (which should match your flocking powder) and then shake flocking powder on the wet polish. Let it sit for 10 min and then dust off using an old blush brush or eye shadow brush.
• Next, using the mechanical pencil trick or a dotting tool, make metallic dots on top of the velvet polish. The dots will bead up and appear raised making them look a little more like studs than dots.

As you can see in the photos above, I practiced a pattern before I started applying my dots. You can do just one nail or you can do all 10. Good luck!

1950′s INSPIRED PONYTAIL

photos + post: Kristin Ess

Golly gee, we love very vintage-inspired ponytail. This is what I like to call the “Barbie Pony” when talking to a client. It’s got a part, a little volume + some soft bouncy curls. This particular version is a very wearable one. If you want to get a little more dramatic, you’re welcome to put as much volume and curl as you want! There are a LOT of steps in this tutorial, but that’s only because we wanted to be as detailed as possible. Alright, here we go…

1. Start with clean dry hair. If your hair isn’t perfectly clean, give it a little shot of dry shampoo! You can do a side part or a center part– which ever you feel is more flattering to your face shape.
2. Make a diagonal section starting at your part and going down in front of your ear.
3. You can see exactly where we parted here…
4. and here. Now clip the hair from the front section up and save that for later.
5. Give the hair a nice tease on top in your “crown area”.
6. Smooth over the teased hair using the finer side of the comb so it doesn’t appear too ratty. At this point you can give the top a little spray if you want to!
7. Now, put all the hair in the back into a nice, high, secure ponytail. It’s okay if you end up flattening out the teased bump a little bit because…
8. You can use a tail comb to pull it back up. As long as there’s teased hair under there, you can get that volume back.
9. Next we take out the front section. Take one side and drape it over the ponytail holder. Use a little spray to hold it in place if you need to.
10. Use small bobby pins to secure the pieces you’re wrapping around the ponytail holder.
11. Repeat the same thing on the other side. If hair falls out of this section or doesn’t reach, you can just let it fall and/or tuck it behind your ear.
12. Curl all of the hair in the ponytail. I like to curl everything in the same direction on each side so that you get a pattern going, but you can definitely make a more messy curl if you’d rather.
13. It’s completely up to you whether you brush the ponytail curls out or not. I personally like t0 brush them because the ponytail gets fuller and more bouncy.
14. Check the back using a hand mirror and make sure it looks balanced. Give it a final veil of strong holding hairspray.

Good luck dolls!

COMME des GARÇONS INSPIRED MANI

photos/post/graphic design: Kristin Ess

As most of you know, New York Fashion Week is wrapping up, but that doesn’t mean it’s over– there’s still London, Milan, Paris, Tokyo, etc... To get into the spirit of Fashion Weeks around the globe, we’ll be sporting this COMME des GAR ONS inspired mani! Not only is COMME des GAR ONS a super-chic brand, but it also has the cutest/coolest little heart logo. This is a very simple mani and since the heart shape is not supposed to be perfect, even the most uncoordinated can do this! Here we go!

1. Start with clean, bare nails.
2. Using a rich red color, make a rounded diagonal stroke on one corner of the nail.
3. Now repeat that on the other side of the nail and make sure they connect in the middle.
4. Clean up around each nail.
5. Throw a black heart in there for good measure!
6. Use a bobbypin to make the whites of the eyes. Make a dot, then drag it out a little on each side. Remember: this shouldn’t look too perfect. If you google the COMME des GAR ONS heart, you’ll see that the lines aren’t perfect.
7. Use a skinny hairpin (or U-pin) to make black dots in the center of the white.
8. Give it a good topcoat!

Hope everyone enjoyed NY Fashion Week!

Special thanks to my awesome friend Leon for giving me this idea.

THE TAPE TRICK

photos/post/graphic design: Kristin Ess

We get so many emails + comments regarding the tape mani. I’ve heard that many of you have trouble peeling the tape back without messing the mani. So here’s the simple trick!

1. Paint your base coat and let it dry for a full hour. Remember– you never want to make the base coat too thick because the thicker it is, the longer it takes to dry.
2. Take a piece of tape and blot the sticky side on your fingers and on the palm of your hand. When you do that, the oils from your hands stick to the tape making it significantly less sticky and easier to peel off the base coat.
3. Paint your nail, wait about one minute and then peel. Personally I don’t like the polish to dry too much before I peel because it gets “stringy” when you peel it. On the other hand, you don’t want to do it right away because if it’s too fresh, it can run.

Another option is to use painter’s tape. It’s designed to be less stick and to not peel off the paint that you stick it to. This is just a DIY option! Good luck ladybugs!

UPDATE: Here are the colors used in this tutorial- silver is by Obessive Compulsive + licac is by Essie.