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Q&A: Eye Liner on Point
I'm terrible at getting my liquid eyeliner to come out clean. Any tips for getting a good line?
You can draw a straight line with liquid eyeliner, by following these key tip: Prop the elbow of the hand you're drawing with on a table for extra stability. Gently stretching your skin with the other hand also keeps you on the straight and narrow. Pretty simple? We hope this helps! |
How-tology: 10 Eye-Popping Tips for Eye Makeup
Eyes are said to be the window to the soul, but more importantly, they are the first thing most people notice when the look at you. Make the most of your eyes with these helpful hints!
Begin by applying an eye base. This improves the adherence and appearance of eye makeup. It's key to maintain long-lasting shadow.
We Love: Duwop Day 2 Night Eyelid Primer Duo, $22
Know your products. Eye shadow comes in many formats: powder (pressed or loose), crayon, gloss or cream. The choice is up to you! Pressed shadows are a classic favorite.
We Love: Lola Cosmetics Eye Shadow Trio, $18
To obtain a more dramatic look place a dot of a darker shade in the middle of the eyelid and smooth out.
Highlight makeup by using a pastel color on the under-brow.
Lightly blend the colors with an applicator or fingertips. For ease of application, we suggest a crease brush or cream shadow brush with elongated bristles.
We Love: Antonym Cream Eye Shadow Brush, $13
Define the eye contour with a liner (either cake or pencil), by drawing a fine line close to the lashes to underline the eye. If you prefer, draw the fine line in the interior of the lids for a larger look, or draw a fine line on the upper eyelid. It's much easier to use a cake eyeliner. Just drag the brush across your lid and 'connect the dots'.
We Love: Blinc Eyeliner, $25
Brush lashes before applying mascara.
We Love: TIGI Brow and Lash Groomer, $14
Choose a shade of mascara to harmonize with your makeup. Apply two coats to thicken and lengthen lashes.
For a sophisticated touch, apply a more vivid color to the tips of the eyelashes. For example, coordinate Black with violet.
Choose a color that complements your eyes and enhances their color and form.
How-tology: Keep to the Color Code
Find out which shades work best with your eye color. Stumped about which makeup colors will bring your eyes into sharp focus? Check our cheat sheet for the best shades for your peepers:
Celebrity Spotlight Olympics Edition: The U.S. Gymnastics Team
Cue the John Williams fanfare. We are now on day 12 of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and it has been an exiting one, especially where women's gymnastics is concerned. The self-dubbed "Final Five" have been dazzling at the games, winning gold in the team final, gold and silver in all-around (respectively to Simone Biles and Aly Raisman), and have had the one of the most dominating runs for an American team ever. We couldn't pick just one person to spotlight this time around, so enjoy our beauty tips inspired by the U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team. Go USA!
Beauty Bio: Aly RaismanBirthday: May 25, 1994, born in Needham, Massachusetts Stats: One of the two returning members of the 2012 London “Fierce Five,” Aly is a two-time team captain of the Olympic Women’s Gymnastics team. She is the oldest member of the squad at 22, and finished Rio with 1 gold medal and 2 silvers. Best Events: Aly is a powerhouse on many events (say hello to her silver all-around medal), but her floor routine is truly something to watch. Her first tumbling pass in the routine seems to go on forever, but, in true Aly form, always manages to stay inbounds. |
Get Her Look:
Aly Raisman almost always has this great top knot when in competition that holds and holds. The key to a good top knot that stays is using the right products. We recommend a good smoothing product to keep fly-aways in check or a good gel so it doesn't budge.
We recommend: Tigi S Factor Smoothing Lusterizer, It's a 10 Miracle Firm Hold Gel
Beauty Bio: Simone BilesBirthday: March 14, 1997, born in Columbus, Ohio but her hometown is Spring, TX Stats: Simon is officially the most decorated American gymnast ever (she even has a move named after her, the”Biles”), with a crushing run in Rio earning her 4 gold medals and 1 bronze medal. Best Events: How about everything? Simone is definitely poised as the best gymnast in the game right now on nearly any event, but she especially shines in Vault and Floor Exercise (two of her 4 golds). |
Get Her Look:
Simone Bile always has great personality on the floor, but we've noticed something else has got her sparkling. Simone's glitter shadow and crystals around her eyes have become iconic to her Olympic look that you can emulate with a sparkly shadow or go crazy with eye crystals.
We recommend: DuWop Crush Eye Shadow Trios, Tigi High Density Eyeshadow Split Shades (Feisty)
Beauty Bio: Gabby DouglasBirthday: December 31, 1995, born in Virginia Beach, Virginia Stats: Gabby first appeared in the Olympic spotlight in 2012 as part of the “Fierce Five” and was the first African American ever to win the women’s individual all-around. She’s had an admirable run in Rio as well, earning a gold medal as part of the team final. Best Events: As a former individual all-around gold medalist Gabby is also pretty well-rounded, but she really soars in Uneven Bars (fun fact she got her nicknamed "Flying Squirrel" from this event).
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Get Her Look:
Gabby generally keeps her make-up pretty minimal, but we've been noticing some bold lip choices by her this time around. We especially liked the deep brown-mulberry shade she wore during the team final.
We recommend: Tigi Decadent Lipstick (Power), Duwop Cosmetics Private Lipstick
Beauty Bio: Laurie HernandezBirthday: June 9, 2000, born in New Brunswick, New Jersey but her hometown is Old Bridge Stats: Laurie is the youngest member of the “Final Five” at 16, and this is her first Olympic competition. She’s done well for being a newcomer to the Olympic scene, leaving the games with 1 gold medal and 1 silver. Best Events: She got a silver medal in this event, so it’s safe to say Laurie Hernandez is pretty great on the balance beam. Her floor routine is also a delight to watch because it reflects her fun-loving energy.
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Get Her Look:
Laurie Hernandez's beam routine isn't the only thing that's on point. Laurie is the queen of the cat eye, always seeming to have that perfect crisp black line while nailing back flips on a 4-inch beam. Keep on keeping on Laurie.
We recommend: Tigi Precision Black Eyeliner Pen, Tigi Perfect Eyeliner (Black)
Beauty Bio: Madison KocianBirthday: June 15, 1997, born in Dallas, Texas Stats: Madison has been a key member of the U.S. National Team for the past 2 years, and proved invaluable still at the Rio Olympics earning 1 gold medal and 1 silver. Best Events: “Effortless”, “elegant”, and “free-floating” are all words used to describe Madison’s beautiful work on the uneven bars that ultimately got her to the Olympics and it earned her a silver too. |
Get Her Look:
While Madison floats on uneven bars, her hair stays perfectly in place. While Madison may have perfectly straight hair for her pony, some of use might need a little styling help, with straightening shampoos, styling products, or both.
We recommend: Tigi Bed Head Styleshots Extreme Straight Conditioner, Tigi Catwalk Sleek Mystique Haute Iron Spray
The Six Basic Make-Up Brushes You Need
The trick to getting the right look with make-up often depends upon the tools you use. There is a huge amount of brushes, sponges, and applicators available and that can be a bit overwhelming. Getting your basics that you will use every day can be hard when faced with too many options. We took the liberty to narrow down the tools you really need for some seriously flawless make-up into 6 categories.
This brush is a true multitasker. The smooth, compact bristles allow for even application of powder and liquid based foundation. Size determine precision, so a smaller version is great for concealing while medium to large brushes are better for your general coverage. If you often use liquid or cream foundation this brush is kind of optional, there’s no better tools than your hands.
Cover with: Antonym Foundation Brush($22)
Conceal with: Antonym Concealer Brush($14), Tigi Concealer Brush($15)
This brush is great for applying blush or finishing powders to your face. Look for a loose bristle structure with a soft, rounded shape. The shape and lightness allows for even application of product that can be easily layered (a must for a natural flush of blush!). Use a smaller brush for blushes and loose powders, and the larger Kabuki model for all over coverage.
Cover with: Antonym Kabuki Brush($24), Antonym Powder Brush($30), TIGI Powder Brush($26)
Contouring is based on the principle of creating angles with high contrast colors for some striking dimension. Obviously an angled brush is great for this job. A good contour brush is what you use to precisely add your deeper tones or highlights in bold color streaks that hold.
Contour with: Antonym Contour Brush($21)
A shadow brush should be rounded, ideal for building color with a precise, small bristle. For more precision opt for a smaller brush that is tapered for line work. Get a brush with longer bristles to really apply lush amounts of color. Remember to check the bristle density, as a more compact bristle structure will hold and apply more product.
Shade with: Antonym Small Eye Shader Brush($14), Antonym Medium Long Eye Shader Brush($16), Antonym Large Eye Shader Brush
This tool is your finishing touch to your look. A blending brush there to buff out and soften color, blending make-up into your complexion for a natural look. The brush should be light, with fluffy bristle to gently blend shadows, highlight, or whatever else you have going for a smooth finish.
Blend with: Antonym Blending Brush($15), Tigi Blending Brush($15)
Angled brushes give you precise, clean lines that are must for a polished look. This brush is especially great for applying eyeliner, but also works great with eye shadows and creams. The bristles should be dense, flat, and sharp for the best linework.
Line with: Antonym Small Angled Brush($13), TIGI Angle Brush($12)