post + photos by amy nadine, graphic design by eunice chun
This may seem like a small tidbit of advice but it makes a big difference. We all have peach fuzz, especially on the sides of our cheeks. And for most of us it grows downward. So if you apply your foundation upwards, or in swirly motions, the hair is now standing straight up, making:
1. the hair more noticeable, and
2. the foundation less smooth and seamless.
top photos: getty images/tutorial photos + post by amy nadine/graphic design by eunice chun
Your boyfriend says he likes you better without makeup… you’re meeting your friends to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity… you’re headed to a study group with class mates… all occasions when you don’t want to look like you’re trying too hard! But the problem is you’re not used to seeing yourself without a lot of makeup on and somehow you’ve forgotten that you’re pretty without it. Don’t fret! I get it. I swear my eyes look beady and washed out without eyeliner. But I love the look of just mascara, especially when I want to look effortless, have all the attention go to my lashes or paired with a bright lip. So this is where tightlining comes in. It’s the sister technique to rimming your bottom waterline, but this time you are pressing a gel liner into your upper lashline from directly below it for the ultimate definition, like I had the pleasure of doing on each of the red carpet looks above for Emmy Rossum, Kate Bosworth, Mia Wasikowska and Brittany Snow. It’s particularly great when you don’t want to lose any of your upper lid surface area, but still want to frame your eyes. Here’s how: READ MORE…
post + photos by amy nadine, graphic design by eunice chun
I love a foiled lip all year round, but especially for holiday parties or New Year’s! It’s a really festive look that’s very sultry and coy. There are metallic lipsticks out there but nothing really that gives you a foiled look like eyeshadow minerals over lip gloss (and this way you can use something you already own!). If the idea doesn’t sound or look pretty to you, it’s one of those things that you should actually try first before you dismiss it… you might be surprised how sexy it is. Heres’s how: READ MORE…
post + photos by amy nadine, graphic design by eunice chun
I love streamlining anything and everything. One of my proudest accomplishments is traveling with a client and minimizing my kit to a small doctor’s bag (revisit my SurprEYES Tutorial here for fitting foundation and cream blush in the smallest of clutches). So I’m super excited to bring you today’s little gem! I know I haven’t convinced everyone to bump it up to false lashes for parties and nights out on the town yet (even with our Quick Tips for Lash Strips Tutorial showing you just how easy and foolproof applying them is!). But I know a lot of you have made the leap and are having a lot of fun with it! So how do you store them? In mint tins of course! Here’s how: READ MORE…
photo by kristin ess, graphic design by eunice chun, post by amy nadine
A couple months ago you got to know our lovely Kristin Ess, who creates all the hair + nail tutorials, when she popped out to say hello here! I’ve been meaning to as well but you know how things go… anyway, here I am! I’m Amy Nadine and the other half of The Beauty Department. I create all of the makeup tutorials and have so much fun doing every single one of them that I have to pinch myself. I love teaching as much as I love makeup, so co-founding our little blog has been heaven for me. I grew up in a political family just outside of Washington DC and loved public service, but mostly loved studying the many different faces that greeted me when we campaigned door to door. I think faces are the most fascinating and inspiring creations in this world, with all the different eye shapes, lip sizes, skin tones, freckles, noses, cheekbones and expressions… I could go on and on but having faces as canvases for me is what keeps me so in love with what I do! And why I’m obsessed with bringing out each person’s unique features with a light hand and not creating a mask with a heavy hand. When thinking of new tutorials for you, I read every single email that you write in and try to think of fun and new techniques that simplify everything and make it less scary. Or for those of you that are very comfortable with makeup, I try to create pretty looks that will inspire you to change things up a bit every now and then. And I love reading your comments and feedback! It’s truly been an amazing journey so far!
You can get to know me a little better in this video with Lauren Conrad on the Wendy Williams Show showing how to do winged liner and make your lipstick last longer:
And in this video tutorial on how to re-create Taylor Swift’s cat eye and red lip from this year’s VMA’s!
Get More:
2012 VMA, Artists.MTV, Music
So now that you have more of an idea of the woman behind the curtain, I’m going to get back to work!
