THE PAINT JOB

photos + post by amy nadine, graphic design by eunice chun

Bottom lashes can be tricky… like all lashes, you want most of the product to land on the roots, not the tips (that’s where things become clumpy),  but it’s really hard to do it with a wand. For years I would rotate the wand vertically and use the tip to paint the bottom lashes, then I finally discovered that nothing builds the bottom lashes better than painting the mascara on with a lip brush! You don’t even need a business card underneath to paint against (but you can certainly use one if you want to) because the flatness of the brush let’s you be precise without too much pressure. Here’s how to make it happen:

  1. On a washable surface (I use the back of my hand but you can use a clean countertop), roll the wand with a little pressure until there’s enough product for you to load up half of the width of your brush. I rolled off more product in the picture above just for instructional purposes, but you definitely don’t need that much!
  2. Grab your flat lip brush and load it up with your favorite mascara like you would a paint brush. You can use a mascara fan brush that is specifically made to paint on mascara, but I don’t want you to have to buy anything when you already have a suitable lip brush in your arsenal.
  3. Paint on the mascara by making small strokes, concentrating at the roots. Work on one section of lashes at a time, painting a few coats on each section, with stronger pressure at the roots and lighter pressure as you make your way to the tips.

BONUS: When you concentrate at the roots, it creates the illusion of lining the lash line as well. {Our model Carissa isn’t wearing ANY bottom eyeliner in the pictures above.}

 

INNER LINER LONGEVITY

photos + post by amy nadine, graphic design by eunice chun

How oh how can we keep the inner waterliner from fading fast? It’s a tough one, because our eyes are meant to stay wet, so the pencil that we’ve traced along our inner rims is constantly rubbing against our wet eyes every time we blink. Sigh… but I can share this little trick that does seem to make it last a couple hours longer. I’m not saying it’s the healthiest thing to do, so no need to make that comment below! I’m just saying when I’ve sent a client down the red carpet, I’ve used this trick to make it last throughout a long awards show. So how about we do it on important nights, not every day?! Here’s how:

  1. Rim your waterline with a black kohl or kajal liner. This one is our favorite because it’s waterproof yet creamy. Blink your lids together to get the product on the upper waterline. For those of you who are very comfortable with lining your eyes, look down and lift your upper lid to rim the upper waterline as well.
  2. Dip a stiff angled eyeliner brush into a matte black eye shadow. Tap it a few times against a counter to get rid of the excess product, then “stamp” it along the waterline, directly on top of the original kohl liner. Really work it into the line that’s in between the waterline and the lash line, so no skin peeks through.

 

D.I.Y. YUMMY LIP

photos + post by amy nadine, graphic design by eunice chun

I didn’t invent this delicious lip stain from heaven, but thought with Labor Day weekend around the corner, what a perfect time to remind you of it! When you’re throwing your barbeque, don’t forget Kool-Aid’s REAL purpose… to stain your lips of course! It really does work and last. Here’s how: READ MORE…

GUIDANCE TAPE FOR WINGED LINER

photos + post by amy nadine, graphic design by eunice chun

For those of you who’ve watched our Cat Eye Video Tutorial and still feel you need more help mastering it, I think you’ll love this winged liquid liner trick for two reasons:

  1. It helps you pinpoint exactly where to make the angle.
  2. It works as a stencil to give you a perfect + steady bottom edge. Kinda genius for a makeup nerd like me!

Here’s all you need to know. READ MORE…

THE MOST HARMONIOUS BLUSH SHADE FOR YOUR SKIN TONE

photos by getty, wire + go runway, graphic design by eunice chun, post by amy nadine

It’s a free world and I love that we can all wear any blush shade we are in the mood to wear each day! But certain shades are more harmonious on some skin tones than on others. Why does it matter? Because when you find your perfect blush shade, no matter what eye shadow or lip color you choose, the blush becomes secondary and more of a natural flush, like you’re blushing. So here’s a loose guideline in finding your blush bestie! **We know that many of us fall in between the 6 skin tone shades listed above, but as much as it kills us, we just can’t include all 5,682 different variations in skin tones…  But please don’t fret, just find the ones that you fall in between and decide if you have more of the cooler or warmer undertone version of the two tones. For a refresher course in undertones, revisit my lesson from last year by clicking here. READ MORE…