Makeup That Stays Put

Beauty Wednesday: Lash Extensions and the Professional Woman

by GuestPoster on 09/14/2011 · 125 comments

The hunt for the perfect, clump-free mascara can be trying — are lash extensions the answer? The first person to introduce me to this concept was Amber Katz of Beauty Blogging Junkie — we met at a PR dinner for bloggers and I couldn’t take my eyes off her lashes! Today she’s sharing some of the most common questions she gets (both as a beauty blogger and a girl with fabulous lashes) here with us today. Welcome, Amber! – Kat

I’m so excited to guest post today on Corporette. It’s especially apropos as I’m just “rolling off” an 8-year corporate experience fully to be 100% freelance. After 3 jobs at various financial firms ranging from suit-corporate to business casual, I’m fully versed in the magical world of staid nail polish, patent pumps and wearing hemlines that won’t cause people to call me “that girl who wears the minis” at work. Running a beauty and fashion blog by night and being a financial writer by day often caused wardrobe conundrums–anything I wore that was appropriate for my day job made me look as if I belonged at a nunnery at my post-work event. By the same token, anything I wore that was remotely fashionable and cool for a beauty launch was TOTALLY tarty for work. But one thing that was always appropriate and–dare I use this terminology–a PARADIGM SHIFT? My eyelash extensions. I started getting them in 2009 and I haven’t stopped. I tell you, corporate women of the world–this procedure while lengthy in one shot will save you an abundance of time in the morning putting on mascara and liner. You simply won’t need it for daytime. Imagine a world where you WAKE UP Starbucks ready. It’s amazing and I’m never going back to the clumpy world of mascara. However, be prepared for a metric TON of questions about your lashes. I half-joke that 87% of my conversations are lash-extension related. I’m constantly answering the same few questions from everyone to my former financial side-hustle’s CFO to the woman in front of me at Jamba Juice. Here they are:

1. What kind of mascara are you wearing?
I’m not wearing mascara. These are lash extensions.

2. Do you do it yourself every morning? How long does the treatment take?
No, I go once every 4-6 weeks to a lash technician to get them applied. The process takes about two hours. Your lashes are taped down and a lash tech glues an individual lash to each of your eyelashes so they look thicker, darker, longer and more dense. It yields the effect of liner and mascara.

3. How long does it last?
About 3-6 weeks, depending on where you go. Most places charge less the more often you get touched up.

4. Does it hurt?
It doesn’t hurt, but if your eyes are sensitive, the glue may bother you a bit. Also, it takes about a day to get used to seeing the lashes in your peripheral vision (just a tiny bit), but you get used it.

5. Is there a break-in period? Or can you go do dinner afterwards looking great?
Nope, unless your eyes are sensitive, you can do whatever you need to do right after. But be prepared: You’ll be obsessed with checking yourself out in the mirror.

6. Are there different styles of lashes?
Yes, there are “C” curls and “J” curls. I always go with the former for a more awake, curled lash look. Also, they come in different lengths. I always get “11s” with “12s” on the ends. I have no idea what this means, but it produces a ’60s effect that’s dramatic, but not too drag queeny. I have friends who get “13s” and “14s,” but even that’s a bit much for me–despite my flaming inner gay man.

7. Where do you go?
I go to Courtney Akai, who has her own lash boutique. She’s amazing, but a little pricey. Her prices range from $250-$500, depending on which technician you see. She is the absolute best. I used to go to JJ Eyelashes (about $120 for a full set) and while they’re decent, Courtney’s quality is MUCH more impressive and her lashes last about twice as long.

8. How much does it cost?
See above!

9. What’s happening underneath? Does it break off all your lashes?
I actually am not sure, as I have been reapplying them every 4-6 weeks but I do let them run down to almost nothing and I haven’t noticed that my lashes are weaker. Says Courtney, “As long as you don’t tamper with them (rub, pull, pick or play with them), you’re natural lashes won’t be shorter or weaker. ”

10. What’s involved in the procedure? Is it a single strip?
Nope, they’re individual synthetic lashes (some lash boutiques have mink ones, as well) that are glued carefully to each of your natural lashes.

11. Can you wear mascara? What about shadow and liner?
You can wear mascara, but it’s difficult to remove. Besides, why would you want to when your lashes are already dark, thick and long (the entire point of mascara)? Shadow and liner are fine to wear with extensions–just take it off with Q-tips and eye makeup remover instead of your regularly scheduled wash.

Happy extensioning!

Readers, have you ever tried lash extensions? What have your experiences been? (You can also read more about Amber’s experiences with lash extensions here!)

(L-0)

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Makeup that Stays Put: Bobbi Brown’s Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner

by C on 02/17/2010 · 85 comments

in Beauty, Fashion, Makeup That Stays Put

Our look always used to include liquid eyeliner. But too many long days at the office (where we were left feeling like our eye makeup had gotten “crunchy”) have now made liquid eyeliner an occasional beauty product, usually for days where we want to set our makeup at the beginning of the day and have it stay in exactly the same place until we take it off because there is no time to fuss with it. Our favorite eyeliner that we’ve found so far is Bobbi Brown’s long-wearing gel eyeliner. The gel is easy to apply with the brush, and easy to blend into the lashes; we also like the variety of colors it comes in (we actually like the black/plum). And, unlike our daily kohl pencil, this product stays put — it will be in exactly the same place until you remove it with your eyemakeup remover. (A brief warning: the product does tend to dry out, so be sure to keep the top on tight — our “trick” for extending the dried out product (which we’re hoping our eye doctor wouldn’t frown upon too much) is to put some eyemakeup remover lotion on our finger, then dip the applicator brush in the lotion, and then in the pot of ink gel.) It’s $21 at Nordstrom (also available at Saks and Amazon). Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner
(L-2)

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What Makeup to Wear While Interviewing

by C on 01/26/2010 · 91 comments

in Beauty, Being Girly, Fashion, Fashion Gaffes, Hair, Interviewing, Looking Young, Makeup That Stays Put

Today’s reader mail is another request for interview advice, this time in terms of makeup…

I have several on campus interviews for 1L summer jobs the first week in February. I have my conservative gray and black suits. I have my sensible Nine West pumps. I have worked on pulling my hair back off my face. The only piece of the puzzle I do not feel confident about is makeup. I have heard that minimal is the way to go, and I wasn’t planning on breaking out my extensive color palette for eyeshadow or lipstick. But how conservative should I go? Are we talking just foundation to cover flaws? Mascara and lip gloss? Neutral eyeliner and eyeshadow?

To be honest, we’ve never really thought much about what makeup to wear when we interview — but then, we tend to be somewhat boring in terms of daily makeup, to the tune of just varying the eye shadow color from day to day. So we’re curious what the readers have to say on this one. (Pictured: This is why you don’t give little girls makeup, originally uploaded to Flickr by Checkered and aMUSEd.) For our $.02, the makeup you wear should have two goals:

Making you look awake and alive
Not distracting the interviewer

For us, this translates as follows:

In terms of looking awake and alive: every woman has her level of necessary makeup, which, if she leaves the house without, will inspire responses ranging from “Wow, are you feeling okay?” to “Get the shotgun, Pa, the zombies are attacking again.” For us, this bare minimum is a) undereye concealer (we like Neutrogena 3-in-1 Concealer for Eyes), b) blush (lately we’ve liked Benefit Cosmetics Benetint 0.4 oz Benetint), c) curled eyelashes (we swear by shu uemura Eyelash Curler). But that’s just us — other women feel naked without foundation; others feel naked without eyeliner. Figure out what you need to look awake, well-rested, not ill, etc., and then be sure to wear those products. (We’re not saying not to wear more — our own daily regimen, for what it’s worth, also includes brown or black eyeliner, neutral eye shadow, eyebrow powder, and mascara. We wouldn’t interview without those things on. However, the interview makeup tip we pass on in terms of requirements is that don’t-look-like-you-were-out-all-last-night-partying-or-possibly-have-an-alien-creature-living-inside-you one.

In terms of not distracting the interviewer, things you want to avoid include: a) anything sparkly, b) anything too stagey (hello, false eyelashes or blue eyeshadow), c) anything applied poorly (for example, we almost never wear foundation, so for us this would be a danger zone because we’d probably be walking around with it improperly blended), d) anything that fades unevenly. With regards to (d), we’re primarily thinking of red lipstick, which we think can look amazing — but no matter how carefully we apply it, it always wears unevenly and starts to fade at the center of our lips more than at the outer line of our lips. This is obviously not the rule — we were fascinated to note the number of speakers wearing red lipstick at a recent conference we attended — but for us, that’s the harsh truth. We would also add the obvious thing — make sure your makeup flatters you. For example, if you never wear lipstick because it always turns an ugly coral shade on you, don’t feel obliged to wear lipstick to an interview. No interviewer will sit there wondering, “God, why isn’t she wearing lipstick?”, but they might sit there wondering, “God, her perception of reality must be OFF if she thinks that lipstick looks good on her.”

In fact, the only thing we might do differently for an interview would be to very carefully apply a long-lasting lipstick (we’re fans of L’Oreal’s Infallible LipColour) to last the interview, particularly if lunch is included in the day.

Readers, what are your thoughts on the matter?

(L-4)

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Reader Mail – Makeup Tips for the Summer

by C on 06/02/2009 · 37 comments

in Beauty, Fashion, Looking Young, Makeup That Stays Put

Because the usual author is on her honeymoon, today’s reader mail has graciously been answered by City Girl, who writes about a variety of topics pertaining to city living as a professional woman, including beauty and fashion for the workplace. City Girl is also an associate at a law firm in Washington, D.C.

I am wondering if you can do a post on what kind of make-up is appropriate for the office. Do you have to wear make-up at all? If so what should you wear? Are there particular brands you recommend? Any advice on this would be very helpful.

Office-appropriate makeup goes a long way towards adding polish to your image as a professional woman. It is not mandatory, nor need it be complicated or time-consuming, but it really adds to looking put-together – plus who doesn’t have a bad complexion day where you want to reach for concealer? I am personally of the school that if you wear makeup to feel put together when you interview, then you should wear makeup as a summer associate, because it will help you feel confident and put-together all summer. Either way, even if you don’t plan to wear much (or any) makeup, do consider some of the products below. If you had to pick just three products, I would recommend tinted moisturizer, mascara or eyeliner and some sort of lip a product.

Foundation

Light coverage is best as it makes you look natural and polished and it’s easy to work with. I am a huge fan of tinted moisturizers and my top three picks for tinted moisturizer are Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier (this comes in an oil-free version as well) and Smashbox. Bobbi Brown’s has the most range of colors, though all three have a fair number of shades. All three have good sun protection, and are very much fool-proof in that you can just apply with your fingertips and be done. If you are not used to wearing makeup often, this is a good way to add polish without fuss, foundation brushes and sponges or the risk of applying too much. It’s worth it to get matched at the department store though the beauty of tinted moisturizer is that it blends into your skintone because it is sheer. Another advantage to tinted moisturizer is that it survives summer heat much better than a medium or full coverage foundation.

Concealer

If you are blessed with good skin, a tinted moisturizer will be enough. If not, you will want two kinds of concealer – a soft creamy one for under your eyes and a more pigmented one for any redness or blemishes. I love Laura Mercier’s Undercover Compact because it has both in a tidy little compact and some setting powder too. Perfect for touch-ups during the day. Incidentally, you don’t need to buy the taklon brush Laura Mercier recommends – just buy this Eco-Tools set. The concealer brush is very similar to the Laura Mercier brush, and the other brushes will take care of what you need for eyes and powder and blush

Powder

Again, you want light coverage – the best way to achieve that is with a finely milled powder. Some swear by loose powder for morning application and pressed powder for daytime touchups, but I think it’s fine to just invest in one pressed powder. That way you can use it in the morning and keep it in your purse for touch-ups. If you don’t get a transluscent powder, don’t try to mix and match colors across brands without testing the powders at the store. Generally, it’s just easier to buy the powder from the same place you bought the tinted moisturizer. The powder brush from the Eco-Tools set works great for both loose and pressed powder.

Blush

I love blush, but I don’t think your time as a summer associate is a good time to have lots of different blush looks. Use something very neutral and/or rosey and stick with it for the summer. I was a big fan of Laura Mercier’s Rose Petal when I was a summer, and her Wild Bouquet is lovely too. Nars has some good colors (just pick a color without chunky shimmer) that last and last and last, as does Bobbi Brown’s – just try blushes from their blush rather than their shimmer blush line. If you want to go the drugstore route, I like a lot of the blushes from Almay’s Pure Blends line — they are sheer and blend well.

Bronzer

Be very sparing with bronzer – you don’t want to look sunburnt – but it can give a nice glow. You could use it instead of blush, or with blush, as long as you use sparingly. I think Nars Casino and Laguna are great and don’t oxidize and go orange, and their slight shimmer is just the right amount to give a light glow without being too shimmery. I also really like Laura Mercier’s matte bronzers. If you get a drugstore bronzer, test it several times before using – the biggest downside of bronzer is that it can go orange, and that happens with many low-, medium- and high-end bronzers.

Eye makeup

The operative phrase here is a clean eye look – one base shadow (over some sort of a primer) that is close to your eyelid color, with just enough lightness to brighten up and open the eye, liner on the upper lids, and mascara. Crease shadow is not necessary but if you do want to do crease work, go for taupe. My absolutely foolproof combination for summer makeup that does not melt is Bobbi Brown’s Cream Eye Shadow as a base/primer followed by a dusting of either Bobbi Brown or Laura Mercier powder eye shadow (I prefer Sateen or Matte), and either Bobbi Brown gel liner or Clinique Cream Shaper Eyeliner and Organic Wear Mascara. If you have oily lids, Urban Decay’s Primer Potion is magic as primer, but otherwise the Bobbi cream shadow is great because it gives you the primer/base effect and some pigment. For mascara, pick something water-resistant and basic that doesn’t irritate your eyes. The only eye makeup item I really recommend not getting at the drugstore is a primer/cream base – everything else can easily be bought at the drugstore – Almay’s Pure Blends line is a good place to start. And avoid any liners that get too smudgey.

Lips

You will want something matte and understated, that enhances your lip color without being too flashy – also known as Your Lips But Better (YLBB). Besides avoiding anything too glossy, you have tons of choices. I often do just a basic tinted lip balm or lip stain as they are long-lasting, hydrating and give me just a bit of color, but a good basic lipstick works well too.

A note on makeovers at cosmetics counters…

…If you get one, go to Bobbi Brown or Laura Mercier. As someone who has had makeovers and owns makeup from pretty much every brand out there, I can assure you their makeup artists are really well-trained to put together an easy professional look suitable for all ages, including women in their 20s and 30s. In fact, that type of understated, low-shimmer but enhancing look is the cornerstone of these two brands. Bobbi and Laura makeup artists will understand what you mean if you ask for an understated professional look, with a clean eye, and will help you choose products and colors accordingly. Ask about how to line your upper lids if you don’t know how – I have received excellent tutorials that way. That said, as you can see from my recommendations above, the only things I really recommend buying high-end is tinted moisturizer/foundation, powder, concealer, and eyeshadow base. If cost is a concern, skip bronzer – it’s hard to find a good inexpensive one. Everything else (blush, shadows, mascara, even liner) you can easily get at the drugstore. I would say get the makeover before the drugstore shopping trip, because then you will have colors in mind when you shop.

Have a wonderful summer and feel free to ask questions here in the comments or over on my blog.

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Makeup Review: L’Oreal Infallible Lip

by C on 03/13/2009 · 5 comments

in Beauty, Fashion, Makeup That Stays Put

Sometimes, when it matters most, you don’t have time to reapply your makeup. Being shuttled from person to person in a job interview? Sitting in front of a jury for four hours straight? You still want to look your best, but a lipstick, lip gloss, or tint really does not go the distance. Because of this, we’ve always been fans of long-lasting lipsticks. In the past, they’ve been things to endure. Some felt crunchy and drying after five minutes of wear. Others would wear unevenly, leaving you with lipstick only on the outer portions of your lips. But technology advances, and some of the new ones are exceptional — comfortable, great colors, and long lasting — and this occasional series will examine which ones those are. First up: L’Oreal’s selection of infallible lip colors, which the company was good enough to send to us to try out.

They sent us three kinds: the glosses, the lipsticks, and the LipColour. We were already fans of the LipColour — it’s a liquid that you use a sponge applicator to put on. It goes on precisely and smoothly, and, amazingly, doesn’t dry your lips too much — it’s more than normal lipsticks, but only slightly. The accompanying clear lip balm is also a keeper — moisturizing without being tacky or too glossy. The balm tends to wear off, though, and needs to be reapplied — whereas the LipColour is generally going to stay put until you decide to take it off. (Yes, even through a salad with an oily dressing.) The only problem here is color — finding the exact right shade can be a challenge. Nutmeg was too nude; Teaberry too pink. We wound up trying about eight different colors (even buying some with our own money!) and ended up liking Amethyst the best (L’Oreal Infallible LipColour, Amethyst 520), but it’s very hard to recommend a specific color. It’s $11.99 at Drugstore.com.

By far, the best find was the most surprising — a lip gloss. We’ve long thought that really glossy glosses (juicy ones, for lack of a better word) are unprofessional; you just don’t want to be parading around the office with really, um, wet lips. But this one is great because some magical change happens after you put it on. You apply it, and it feels sticky and looks glossy… and then, about two minutes later, it has become more permanent, more matte (it doesn’t look terribly wet after the first few minutes) and feels like it’s moisturizing and protecting your lips. It’s still slightly sticky — on a windy day your hair will get caught in it. The best thing about it is the staying power — we’ve never found a gloss that would stay put for more than an HOUR, let alone the three that we’re guestimating this one will stick through. We were given three colors to try, and wound up LOVING “Barely Nude” — especially as a compliment to a long-lasting lipstick, the duration and comfort are ridiculous. We would suggest staying with nude shades because, at least on us, the colors didn’t wear evenly — at one point we went to the bathroom and realized all of the red seemed to have migrated to the corners of our lips. Embarrassing! But the “Barely Nude” shade is one we’ll keep in our makeup bag for a long, long time. L’Oreal Infallible Never Fail Lipgloss, Barely Nude 815, available at Drugstore.com for $9.99.

Finally, we tested the lipstick version of the liquid lip colour. Personally, we didn’t like it — we found that compared to the liquid stuff, it didn’t wear as evenly, didn’t go on as smoothly, and didn’t last as long — but the colors we tried were REALLY, really, not our colors.