makeup

DIY LIP SMOOTHIE

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

Dry + cracked lips ruin how lipstick looks. And because of recycled air, flying, dehydration and just life, unfortunately all of us are victims! So I’m sharing exactly what I have my clients do before I apply their makeup. All you need is a disposable mascara wand (or toothbrush if you don’t have one), lip balm (I use this one for severe cases and this one for a healthy vitality) and a tissue. READ MORE…

hair

UPDO + BANGS

photos, graphic design + post by Kristin Ess

Girls with bangs (aka: fringe) seem to have some trouble finding updos. Here’s one that I think is super cute and pretty easy to do. It takes about 5-10 minutes and keeps your hair out of your way all day. It’s a great way to deal with second day hair if you just don’t feel like doing it in the morning but have to look prim + proper for work. Here’s how this bun is done…

  1. Start with dry hair. It doesn’t have to be perfectly clean– in fact 2nd day hair does better than clean hair when it comes to this look. If your hair is on day 2, spray a little DRY SHAMPOO at the root before you start.
  2. Use this type of thick rubberband or something similar to gather all of your hair on the top of your head. Don’t worry about it being perfect, just make sure it won’t move.
  3. Take about 1/4 of the whole ponytail (as you see Kamille doing in photo 3) and drop it off to the side. Note: try taking this piece from the side, not all the way from the back– that way the best/thickest part of the braid will show up in the front.
  4. Leave the 1/4 section out and create a regular ballerina bun on top using the other 3/4 of the ponytail. If you don’t know how to do a ballerina bun, CLICK HERE for our video.
  5. Once you’ve secured the bun, take the 1/4 section you left out and braid it. Fishtail, regular braid, whatever kind you want. Tie that off with a small clear elastic.
  6. Secure the braid using small bobbypins. I like to put a bobby pin in every inch and a half to make sure it really stays put.

You can accessorize this with a rosette for added texture as you see in the top photo. The one we used was from Forever 21 a long time ago, but we found some good ones HERE, HERE + HERE. Good luck! Show us your buns on twitter!!!

makeup

PARTY MAKEUP SERIES: EYES

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

Here at TBD, we’re always trying to simplify things for you so you see how easy it is to re-create our favorite red carpet looks. Yes there are 8 steps above but they’re not hard and if you remember to blend blend blend, there’s really no way to mess it up! We love this look because it’s a strong statement for when you want to bring out your alter ego, but not in a “whoa she’s got a lot going on with her makeup” way. Here’s exactly what I used on my dear assistant Carissa above: READ MORE…

tutorials

NAILED IT! ROBIN’S EGG NAILS

photos, graphic design, post by Kristin Ess

Some people are more skilled at nail art than others and some can’t wear crazy funky nail art to the office. So here’s a simple look that anyone can do no matter your skill level or work environment. It’s 2 super easy steps and a really subtle, wearable look. This happens to be my all time favorite polish combo because it’s soft and sparkly and takes about 5 minutes. Here’s how to get this Robin’s Egg mani…

  • Paint the base coat with any pastel polish. Here I used THIS ONE for the blue.
  • And top it off with THIS GLITTERY GOODNESS by Deborah Lippman. I’ve never been able to find a glitter polish quite like this one. It’s got several sizes of glitter in one bottle which is what give it the robin’s egg look.

That’s it! Sweet and simple.