Ask me my favorite place to get my makeup done in the city, and I’ll tell you Arch Apothercary. The weekend of Valentine’s Day, I headed there with Christine for some girl time over blowouts and makeup. I was heading directly to dinner with my husband from there and Arch made me feel so pretty for date night. I’ve been wearing a lot of lip color lately so was looking for something a little more evening on the eyes. I love the layered bronze eye that Betsy Branca (founder and owner of Arch!) gave me and have been replicating it on my own since. If you have blue eyes, you must try! Our peepers really pop with these colors.
It’s seriously the easiest.
1. Prime lids and layer on a cream bronze shadow (Betsy used RMS Seduce) from lash line to just above your natural crease. No need to be too perfect because you’re going to layer over it with powder eye shadow.
2. Take a fluffy shadow brush and blend a light bronze over the entire area you just applied the cream shadow.
3. Take a slightly darker color and blend it on the outer edge of the crease for more definition. Then take a small pointed-tip brush (I love this one) and sweep that darker brown across the lower lash line.
4. Apply mascara to upper and lower lashes.
And that’s it! Eyeliner optional. She tightlined my upper and lower lash line since I was going out afterward, but when I do this for day during the work week I only do mascara. I loved Christine’s makeup, too. She gives a how-to on contouring over here (featuring my fav Jenny Patinkin brush!) which you should definitely check out.
P.S. Arch is opening in Madison, Wisconsin this spring! Um…this year marks 10 (oh my gah) since I graduated a Badger. You college peeps sure are lucky, though.
I favor the liquids when it comes to eyeliner. Sure, I use pencils and gels, too, but when it comes to my every day makeup, it’s usually liquid liner. It’s easier for me to work with and just a subtle line along the lashes makes my eyes look brighter and wider. Like the eye in the ‘Marc Jacobs’ look above. And on other days the slightly winged ‘Stella McCartney’ — love that! I’ve gotten several requests recently for liquid liner recommendations, so thought it best to share my top picks with everyone low-to-luxe style. You’ll notice a theme, here. These liners all look pretty similar, right? Trust me when I say felt tip “pen” style is the way to go. You don’t have to be an expert to use any of these liners. I promise.
My absolute favorite is NARS Eyeliner Stylo in Carpates, a glossy black. This skinny little tube has hundreds of applications in it and each one of them is budgeproof.
Physician’s Formula makes a ton of different eyeliners and the best, in my opinion, is the 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum. If you like an inky look as I do, make sure to look for the darkest shade possible (Ultra Black). The others don’t have as deep of an intensity. This is a fab budget buy and with regular use, should last about 4-6 weeks.
I’ve been using L’Oreal Lineur Intensefor the longest! I really love the felt tip applicator and have great makeup memories with this.
Falling square in the middle of my low-to-luxe spectrum is the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye. I like the black color, yes, but the real perk here is the colors Stila offers. Moss is a favorite of mine as a more interesting option than brown for a more subdued look. And you can really have some fun layering with the Turquoise, Cobalt and White shades.
If you favor high-end beauty, it doesn’t get much better Le Metier de Beaute. And the brand’s Precision Liquid Liner in Noir is all that. The application is foolproof – perhaps the most user-friendly eyeliner pen ever.
To all my liquid liner fans out there, what are you currently using?
It’s only been a few weeks since I was introduced to Le Metier de Beaute but I’m already starting to classify things as “before LMdB” and “after LMdB.” It’s clear that my initiation at Neiman’s a few weeks ago signifies a key turning point in my world of beauty. Before LMdB, I used liquid liner constantly. That is still the case, but now that I’ve tried Le Metier de Beaute Indelible Inks Eyeliner in Artemis, I am a changed woman. Two of my favorite bloggers, Getting Cheeky and Belle Belle Beauty both raved about these liquid eyeliners and their reviews were fresh in my mind when I was at the counter. I couldn’t resist the deep blue Artemis shade. So deep, it almost feels darker than black. Somehow it maintains its vibrancy and it does something to the lash line that no other liner manages to do. Eyes look brighter and lashes longer. It’s a very wet liner and once it sets it still has that inky depth.
A tip that Tess, my guru at the Neiman’s Le Metier de Beaute counter in Chicago, shared with me is to take my time applying this. Because it’s so wet, there is the chance for some initial transfer so best to do one eye at a time and keep the eye closed for a good 30-60 seconds. Once it’s dry, it will not budge. Promise (my eye makeup remover even stuttered when removing!) The brush is thin and flexible, and is great at getting right in the lash line. Another way I’ve been applying is to swipe some ink on the back of my hand and use another brush (I favor the Bobbi Brown Ultra Fine Eyeliner Brush) to apply. This brush is totally fool-proof for me since I’ve been using it for years and I think it helps to minimizes the dry time as well.
Now that I’ve experienced liquid liner “after LMdB,” I’m looking forward to trying other colors and varieties! A brand that does liquid liner well has a place in my makeup bag, always.
NARS launched a new concealer this week and Café Makeup shared her thoughts and swatches of all the shades! (Café Makeup)
I dragged my husband to no fewer than 10 pharmacies while in Paris a year ago. This shopping list from team Birchbox would have been so handy! (Birchbox)
There are a handful of legendary beauty products that have a cult-like status. Chances are you have a few of these products in your makeup bag right now. Think the YSL Touch Eclats and NARS Orgasms of the world. Their reputation precedes them. I’d extend that status to luxury brand Le Metier de Beaute. For years, I’ve heard nothing but raves, especially from the beauty blogging community. An emphatic “trust me, this is worth trying” from everyone. And not just a single product, but the entire line. Le Metier has been on my radar for this very reason, but on my radar it stayed. Perhaps it was the luxury price point or uncertainty at what to try first, though neither usually inhibits me, I’ve always admired from afar. All that’s changed, folks. And now I’m kicking myself for having stood on the LMdB sidelines for so long.
About four years ago, I met a very knowledgeable and friendly sales associate at the Nordstrom Kiehl’s counter, Tess Iandola. Never pushy or generic, but inquisitive and honest. We became quick Facebook pals. After three years with Kiehl’s, a stint in San Francisco with Fresh, Tess is now back in Chicago at the Le Metier de Beaute counter at Neiman Marcus on Michigan Ave. She invited me down last week for an intro. I was all like, “obviously, I’m there. Let’s do this, girl.” I made sure to arrive makeup-free so Tess could have a clean canvas. She specializes in skin care so I was excited for her to show me the Le Metier way. She first treated me to the CHEM60 Pro-Peel and GLOW10ai Mask, a very gentle duo for how powerful a treatment (a blend of glycolic and salicylic acids). Tess guided me through the steps, urging me to resist the urge to slather the Pro-Peel on as a little goes a long way. We covered a lot of ground during the masking portion (12 min. precisely). I was so excited…my flurry of questions went something like this:
Do you LOVE the Kaleidoscopes? EVERYONE obsesses over them. (Yes…and no surprise, she can’t keep them in stock)
Tell me about the Peau Vierge Tinted Treatment? Am I saying that right? (It is a phenomenal skincare product that happens to lend glowing coverage. Phonetic key: po-vi-urge)
How often can you use peel and mask? (She recommends twice a week for my skin)
What are your favorites? (The Ultra Hydration Eye Mask Duo, Night Crème—botox in a jar—Peau Vierge Treatment, Dubai Lip Gloss—she calls it universally flattering— and the Precision Liquid Liner in Noir)
From there, Tess created a full face. It was a Monday night, so by the time she was done, I was looking GOOD for a night at home watching The Bachelor. After peeling the GLOW10ai off (p.s. it’s so satisfying to physically peel vs. rinse!), Tess applied the Replenishing Daily Solution and a pump of the Revive Eye Concentrate followed by the Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Complexe Tinted Treatment in Shade 2. From the sleek silver canister it’s housed in to the weightless feeling on the skin, I fell in love with this stuff on the spot. It contains retinol so while it covers imperfections it also helps gets rid of them. At $125, I knew it was dangerous for me to be so fixated on a product! She blended the equally awesome Peau Vierge Concealer over a few stubborn blemishes and dusted the Blushing Bronzed Duet in Romeo & Juliet to give my cheeks some sculpt and color. I’m not sure if it was the peel/mask or Peau Vierge but my skin had an unrecognizable radiance.
Tess did an incredible neutral eye using a trio of True Color Eye Shadows layered on top of each other, a.k.a the Le Metier method. She selected exactly the same colors I would have. Jojo, a shimmery beige, followed by the chocolate Tamarack and Sugar as a highlight. I was eager to try the Indelible Inks Eyeliner, and the deep midnight blue Artemis totally made my blue eyes jump. Tess used her favorite Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss in Dubai on me, but first coated my lips with the Clearly Brilliant Lip Gloss to act as a primer.
If it was feasible for me to just buy EVERYTHING in that moment, I would have. But I opted for the Indelible Artemis Liner and pre-ordered the Peau Vierge for Neiman’s Beauty Week, which kicks off on February 21. For all of the splurges I’ve made, this one is especially exciting (albeit a little unnerving!) But Beauty Week is the time to indulge, no?
Chicago ladies, go see Tess and tell her I sent you! She’s there Thursday-Monday from 11-7. Sitting in her chair is such a treat and her customer-focused approach is refreshing. But be warned, you will want to splurge like you’ve never splurged before!
