hair

THE MINI FRENCH BRAID

Wait! Come back! Don’t be intimidated by this teeny tiny braid. It may look intricate and kind of difficult but if you can do a regular french braid, you can do this! It’s basically the same exact method as the french braid but you take tiny strands from around the face. We shot this in great detail, which is why there are so many steps, but it’s actually really easy and fast. Here we go…

photos + post: Kristin Ess

You’ll need a comb, a mini clear elastic (optional), a curling iron or wand, and a mirror where you can see the back of your head. READ MORE…

makeup

THE SECRET TO DRAWING A RETRO BOLD BROW

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

This is a simple but powerful trick that even I didn’t learn until 8 years into my makeup career! I’ve shown you how to wet the brush for a more intense eye shadow in our Wet Shadow Video Tutorial, but now I’m suggesting if you want a really strong drawn-on retro brow with sharp edges, try dampening your brow brush before dipping it into the shadow. Here’s how:  READ MORE…

hair

WATER COLOR HYDRATING HAIR MASQUE

Just when you think the rainbow and pastel tint trend is coming to a close, someone comes out with something like this and you just can’t wait to get your hands on it. It’s pretty safe to say that most of us got our hair color fix from HAIR CHALKING last year. And though hair chalks are really fun, they can be a bit drying because they’re made from a pigmented powder. This year we’re about to flip the script and get our color on using conditioner. The concept is nothing new– as you may know we were obsessed with the color conditioners by Davines, but there was really only one shade that made a major splash and that was PINK.! Luckily, WATER COLOR HYDRATING HAIR MASQUE has come out with a gorgeous array of pretty pigmented conditioners. I’ve tried them on a couple of clients over the past week and have loved each one so far. We mixed some of them together (like the yellow and seafoam to make mint) and they turned out amazing. For my girls with super light ends, I’ve added a little regular conditioner into my hands to make a hue that’s more pastel than pop. They’ve lasted about 2-5 shampoos and the big bonus– they don’t rub off on your clothes!! They work better if you have some lighter pieces in your hair but I was happy to see that “Ocean” showed up on brunette hair as well. Overall, these are getting the TBD stamp of approval for fun with color this summer!

 

Photos: (top) Zanita Morgan for Fashion Gone Rogue , (bottom) Naomi Yang for Vogue Taiwan

makeup

BACK TO THE BASICS: HOW TO APPLY FOUNDATION

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

Today we’re going back to the basics and we’re starting with foundation application! We’ve already learned not to go against the grain in our Foundation Direction tutorial and now we’re taking it a step further. When you apply your foundation, always start in the middle of your face and work outwards. This way, the concentration of product is in the center (where we need it the most) and thinnest along your hairline. Here’s how:

TOOLS:

  • Your Favorite Foundation — I used Cle de Peau Cream Foundation on our model Mahala because it gives full coverage but NEVER  looks like you’re wearing makeup. It’s an investment but if you’re into combining top skincare and makeup, you’re going to die for this foundation.
  • A Foundation Brush — by now you know how I feel about this flat-headed Shiseido Foundation Brush! It really presses the makeup into the skin as opposed to swirling it around on top of it. It’s such a game changer.

STEPS:

  1. Squeeze a nickel-sized amount of foundation onto the palm of your hand to slightly warm it up with your body temperature. Dip the brush into the product to load it up.
  2. Start in the center of your nose and imagine it’s the center of a star. Draw each star point by tracing the brush in a line from the center to your forehead, then back again from the center to your left cheek, then from the center to your jaw, then from the center to your chin, etc. Once you’ve drawn all of the star points, do not re-load the brush with product but simply use it (or your fingers or a sponge) to blend and distribute what you’ve already applied to include the rest of your face.
  3. Finally, go back and re-load the brush into the remaining foundation in the palm of your hand (there shouldn’t be much left) and apply it all over your neck. It’s important to make sure your face and neck match, but if you’re wearing a collared shirt or a turtleneck sweater, make sure to blot your neck with a tissue after so it doesn’t transfer onto your clothing. (Not cute!)