1/14/2013
11/29/2012
TOP TBD TOE-NAIL POLISH TRUTHS
photos, post + design by Kristin Ess, sponsored by Sole Society
A-HA MOMENT:
While matching your toe nail polish to your sandal color is fine, notice how wearing a nude color lets all the focus go to the shoe and almost even elongated her leg by not breaking it up and distracting it with the red polish. We never would have thought it would make that much of a difference but seeing the two choices side-by-side made it so clear!
ACCESSORIZE IT WITH A CLASHING COLOR:
Add yet another element to a gorgeous shoe but pairing it with a contrasting color pop. It really brings the shoe to life and is almost like giving you a whole new pair of heels with each different polish pairing!
REMEMBER THIS WHEN PAINTING YOUR NAILS BEFORE PUTTING ON CLOSED-TIP SHOES:
During the colder months we wear boots a lot more often. Suggested wait time for putting on boots after you paint your toe nails- 8-12 hours for flat boots with socks and 24 hours for boots with heels. You want to wait longer with heeled boots because the pressure on your toes is much greater. The incline can cause the polish to “slide” or “push”.
The polishes that we used are Le Metier de Beaute’s Nail Lacquer in Red Hot Tango (red), Tussled Toulle (nude) and Paris (hot pink), a favorite brand of ours because it’s made without formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate (DPB) . The chic heels photographed above are, from top to bottom, the Isla in Cranberry, the Calypso in Cobalt and the Sabine in Platinum, all from Sole Society, an exclusive brand that we just discovered and have quickly become obsessed with!
Sole Society is free to join, shoes start at $49.95 and there is never any obligation to buy. And our TBD readers get $20 off their first pair with our exclusive coupon code: TBD20! Done and done!
11/27/2012
INCOGNITO EYE DEFINITION
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:
TOOLS:
- Black Gel Liner — I used MAC Fluidline Gel Liner in Black Track because it doesn’t burn your eyes, has incredible intensity and lasts longer than other ones of tried.
- Flat Eyeliner Brush — I used Laura Mercier’s Flat Eyeliner Brush because it’s the perfect thickness and stiffness.
STEPS:
- Dip the edge of the brush into the gel pot to load it up on both sides.
- Reach your opposite hand around, up and over your head to gently lift your upper lid upwards. Then with your other hand, start at the outer corner of the upper waterline and press the brush right up into the roots of the lashes.
- Continue stamping it across the lash line until you’ve reached the inner corner.
- Add a coat of mascara and you’re good to go.
10/08/2012
PINCH ME!
post + photos by amy nadine, graphic design by eunice chun
Yes there are a bunch of different methods for curling your lashes. In makeup school I learned to pinch once at the base, walk it out halfway and pinch again, then again a quarter way out. Believe me I’ve tried them all… have even tried spoons and heated curlers. And I’m sure you have your own techniques too (do share!). But today I am simply sharing this one because it is a game changer. Hear my voice in your head, sister: if you only pinch with the curler upright, you’re only doing it halfway! You have to then also pinch with the curler inverted. Trust me on this. It’s one of the biggest secrets I can share.
You’ll need:
A lash curler obviously! This one from MAC is my personal favorite as it gives the strongest pinch or try my favorite more budget-friendly choice.
Steps:
- Insert your lashes into the opened curler and line it up right at your lashline, but not too close that you pinch the skin.
- Pinch at the lashline; mostly to grab hold, not to make a crimp.
- With that holding, rotate your wrist so that your thumb stays mostly in the same place and acts as the pivot point while your pinkie finger goes from being around your chin area all the way up towards your forehead.
- Now that the curler is inverted, give your lashes a proper upside-down pinch for about 5 seconds. Really squeeze it as tightly as you can (without pulling of course).
- Rotate your hand back to the starting position and carefully open the curler then slide it away from your lashes.
- The most important step: tweet us before and after pictures! Or tag them #thebeautydepartment on Instagram!
- Then you add a coat of mascara and bat your lashes at all the cuties out there.
8/10/2012
Featured On WhoWhatWear
2/18/2011
Interview With Fashiolista
