makeup tips

Beauty Coach: How to apply gel eye liner

February 5, 2010 at 10:46 am , by Erica Metzger

Step 1. Get your hands on a pot of gel liner. My go-to is Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Liner in Espresso Ink. It glides right on and won’t budge once it dries. I also like Maybelline’s new Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner, a budget-friendly option that also comes with a little brush. It’s the formula I’m wearing in the photos below.

Step 2. Pick your brush. I like to use a square tip eye liner brush like the classic Trish McEvoy Brush #11 or an angled brush like M.A.C.’s #263. Dip it into your gel and scrape it on the sides of the pot a couple times. It’s always easier to work with a small amount and then add more later.

Step 3. Close your eye and gently pull your lid taut with your finger. Place your brush right on top of the roots of your lashes. I like to start in the middle of the eye and then move the brush to the outer corner. Go back and line the inner corner of the eye last. Remember, the closer you keep your brush to the lash line, the more natural it will look.

Step 4. If you want a little more intensity, lift your lid and press your brush very gently under the roots of your lashes. This may look a little scary, but it’s really easy. I do it all the time and haven’t poked myself in the eye yet!

Repeat on your other eye and you’re done!

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Beauty Coach: Glamorous Makeup Tricks

January 21, 2010 at 4:47 pm , by Erica Metzger

I love knowing (and sharing!) the products behind a gorgeous beauty look, especially when it’s as fresh and non-intimidating as Kate Winslet’s radiant makeup at the Golden Globes.

First, let me help you with the makeup. Here’s what Kate’s makeup artist Jillian Dempsey used: Avon Be Blushed in Blushing Nude, Lancome L’Absolu Rouge in Rich Cashmere, Jillian Dempsey for Avon Professional Kohl Liner in Navy, and Lancome Hypnose Mascara in Excessive Black. (I am a huge fan of this mascara–instant eye drama that’s not too crazy to wear at the office.)

As for advice on how to apply red carpet-worthy makeup, get your hands on a copy of “About Face”, a new makeup how-to guide written by Scott Barnes, Jennifer Lopez’s longtime makeup artist. (Barnes also recently gave me some great tips on how to master the tricky art of contouring, a technique he’s been using on J. Lo for years.)

Do you have a favorite red carpet look you’d love to replicate? Let me know!

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