Guest Post

The My Makeup Life series asks beauty biz insiders, bloggers, makeup mavens and artists to share their holy grail products, tricks, tips and favorite beauty tools. Is there anyone you would like to see featured in My Makeup Life or questions you think I should ask? Let me know here.

Name: Rae
Location: Orange County, California, in the U.S.
Hangouts online: The RAEviewer, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram
Current favorite product: It’s a tossup between Giorgio Armani’s new Flash Lacquer lip gloss and Lancome Hypnose Star Waterproof Mascara!
Beauty inspirations: Rose gardens, San Diego sunsets, Impressionist art
One word that best describes your outlook on beauty: Traditional

What makeup/beauty products can’t you live without?

I cannot live without my Le Metier de Beaute ‘Peau Vierge concealer for my blemishes, Bobbi Brown’s Retouching Powder in Peach to brighten my complexion, Cle de Peau’s Eyebrow Pencil in Natural Black 204 to define my brows, Lancome’s Hypnose Drama Waterproof Mascara and Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, Giorgio Armani’s Silk Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil, Tom Ford brushes and lipsticks, Chanel lip glosses and nail polishes as well as Tom Ford and Giorgio Armani eyeshadows (all varieties).

When did you start getting into makeup?

I was 16 or 17 when I started wearing makeup regularly (mostly Lancome and Bobbi Brown), but I didn’t start collecting designer makeup until I was 19. It all began with Dior.

What’s your best beauty time-saving trick?

A bright lip! A deep pink or red lipstick will perk up the complexion and add instant ‘wow’ factor. Skip eyeshadow and pair with defined brows, eyeliner, and mascara for a sophisticated look that takes mere minutes to achieve.

What’s your favorite beauty tool (brush/tweezers/curling iron/cleanser)?

My Sedu blow dryer is my favorite tool. I rarely curl or flat iron my hair these days, so I love to dry it upside down for volume. My Tweezerman’s are a close second, though, since I shape and tweeze my own eyebrows.

What’s the best beauty advice you ever received?

Stop obsessing over perfection. And always wear sunscreen!

What’s your skincare routine?

My skincare is pretty elaborate and always has been. I currently use Kenzo Ki products in the mornings and cycle through all different ranges at night depending on what I feel suits my skin’s condition best. My mainstays, however, are by Kiehl’s and Lancome. My favorite cleansers at the moment are Juice Beauty’s Green Apple Cleansing Gel and Peter Thomas Roth’s Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel. The best treatments for my skin are the Fresh Umbrian Clay Treatment Bar, Juice Beauty Full Strength Apple Peel, and Peter Thomas Roth Sulfur Mask.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve tried in the name of beauty?

I’m constantly trying new makeup, but nothing will dethrone OCC’s green Lip Tar called Power Plant. It is intriguing in the tube, but it is just too weird a lipstick color on my complexion. 

Do you have a trademark look (hair/styling/makeup)?

Yes, long dark hair with a short manicure, winged eyeliner and glossy lips!

Are there any beauty decisions you’ve made that you look back on and ask yourself, “why?!”

I probably should say skinny eyebrows, but I think circle/colored contact lenses take the cake. They might still be popular and really add variety to makeup looks, but I look back at photos and wonder why I wore them for so long!

Where are your favorite places to shop?

Nordstrom, Sephora, lululemon athletica, Nordstrom Rack, and Neiman Marcus. I’m a beauty girl and still enjoy shopping for cosmetics the most.

Anything else you want to share?

I’m an old soul. I love to eat and lift weights. My life is simple, despite all the makeup, and I am a proud Aunt to my best friend’s cats Turkey and Crissie!

Names: Stef Andrews and Tyna Werner
Location: Southern California in the U.S. Stef lives in Joshua Tree and Tyna lives in Los Angeles.
Day job/current gig: STEF: I’m the editor of a magazine aimed at military spouses, and Tyna is a manager at Top Tier Social Media.
Hangouts online: weheartthis.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+
Current favorite product: STEF: Sorry, they’re limited edition MAC products! Tyna’s go-to blush this summer is The Perfect Cheek from the Marilyn Monroe collection. And I’m loving Feel My Pulse Lipstick topped with Underdressed Lipglass from Temperature Rising.
Beauty inspirations: STEF: We find beauty inspiration in the same places we find life inspiration — old Hollywood, punk rock girls, artesian cocktails, the desert, great shoes, luxury packaging, cityscapes, the French Riviera in the 1920s, playing dress-up, animals and every gorgeous nail polish that has touched our nails.
One word that best describes your outlook on beauty: TYNA: We both agree on this one. It’s “more!”

What makeup/beauty products can’t you live without?

STEF: The one product that is on both of our must have lists is MAC Pressed Blot Powder. Tyna’s skin borders on dry and I’m super oily, but we both rely on it to diminish shine without getting cakey.

When did you start getting into makeup?

STEF: Though my dolls always got sharpie makeovers and choppy haircuts, my beauty addiction swung into high gear in 9th grade when I discovered my Mom’s mega eye shadow palette with every shade of the rainbow. I painted Adam Ant-esque stripes on one eye and never looked back!

What’s your best beauty time-saving trick?

TYNA: To save time when trying to cover a large pimple and shave some time off of the lifespan of said pimple, I take a few minutes to apply ice before putting on makeup. Wrap a cube in a washcloth and hold it against the pimple for 1 minute. The ice will reduce the inflammation and redness, making it much easier to hide.

What’s your favorite beauty tool?

STEF: My favorite is also the cheapest — the e.l.f. Small Smudge Brush. At only $3 a pop, I buy these by the dozen. I color code the handles with a stripe of nail polish and have one devoted to each liner/shadow shade (brown, black, green, etc.). The small dense bristles are also good for concealer and lip liner too. It’s the only brush I’m guaranteed to use every day.

What’s the best beauty advice you ever received?

TYNA: Treat your neck and décolletage the same way you do your face. The neck is one of the first areas to show signs of aging, and the entire “portrait” area is what people notice first. So don’t stop at your chin when going through your beauty routine; wash, moisturize, tone and treat the whole area.

What’s your skincare routine?

STEF: The only constants are Kiehl’s Calendula Toner and Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel. They’re joined by an ever-changing supporting cast of products! In the a.m., I use only the toner followed by eye cream and moisturizer. In the p.m., I use cleanser, eye cream and serum. I exfoliate with the Alpha Beta Peel 1-2 times per week.

One of the newest products I’ve fallen for is Orlane Super-Moisturizing Light Cream.

Something about French skincare gets me every time…

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve tried in the name of beauty?

STEF: My stint with a home microdermabrasion machine (pretty much a miniature sander) didn’t end well. It was totally my fault, but I got a bit too vigorous and made my skin bleed!

(Some things are best left to the pros.)

Do you have a trademark look (hair/styling/makeup)?

TYNA: Bangs. I have what I think is a large forehead (a five-head, if you will) so I’ve had bangs in some form or another (long bangs, short bangs, choppy bangs, side-swept bangs) my whole life.

Are there any beauty decisions you’ve made that you look back on and ask yourself, “why?!”

STEF: In 8th grade I gave myself DIY highlights with tin foil and a Tide powder mixture because I thought it’s what I saw them use in the salon.

I fried my hair, but it was squeaky clean!

Where are your favorite places to shop?

TYNA: Blue Mercury, Shopbop, Sephora, Target, H&M, Etsy, and vintage stores.

Anything else you want to share?

STEF: We’ve been BFFs since 6th grade, and we started we heart this together so that we could share our obsessions — beauty, DIY, entertaining and more — with a larger audience than just each other.

Oh, and nothing to do with beauty, but we think you’d all like to see my deaf Boston Terrier Mabel…

Name: Arianne de Guzman
Location:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Hangouts online: Glitter Geek, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest
Current favorite product: Vichy NutriExtra Extraordinary Oil (summer legs in a spray bottle!)
Beauty inspirations: Scherbie (my cat) inspires my cat eye, the colours of the sky at sunrise and sunset, and the Downtown Toronto skyline
One word that best describes your outlook on beauty: Playful

What makeup/beauty products can’t you live without?

I need shu uemura Hard Formula Pencil for my brows, Bobbi Brown Peach Corrector for my under eyes, and a kickass bold lipstick like YSL Rouge Pur Couture in Le Fuchsia. Also, I can’t live without my RapidLash. My lashes have grown a lot since I started using it about 2 months ago and I’m obsessed!

When did you start getting into makeup?

I was 17 when I discovered the world of beauty blogs, and it was all downhill from there, LOL! I bought my first red lipstick, but I was still too shy to wear it outside.

What’s your best beauty time-saving trick?

Ditch the makeup brushes, use your (clean) hands to save time and clean-up! Lazy girls say “yay!”

Cream and liquid products work well for finger painting with makeup. I dab a sheer, shimmery cream eyeshadow on my eyelids, and take the excess and apply to the tops of my cheekbones. I stain my cheeks with a mix of liquid blush and highlighter (recently Benefit Cha Cha Tint + High Beam), and use the same mixture for my lips.

What’s your favorite beauty tool?

I’m a skincare nut (see #6), so on blogging days when I put on a full face of makeup, I wash it off first with shu uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil. 30 seconds and poof! My makeup is off.

What’s the best beauty advice you ever received?

Got oily skin? Don’t shy away from face oils. I used to have very oily skin until I started incorporating face oils into my skin regimen. Now I have normal skin. Weleda Almond Soothing Facial Oil or any argan oil are my favourites.

What’s your skincare routine?

I have a very long and methodical skincare regimen, so get ready! I like to incorporate “clean” and all-natural skincare because I find it works well for my skin.

In the morning: SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic (smells smoky like bacon so it’s like getting anti-oxidants and breakfast in one!), Intraceuticals Rejuvenate Moisture Binding Cream, SkinCeuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50, Benefit It’s Potent! Eye Cream.

Before bed: Pure + simple Sensitive Skin Face Wash, Minimalist Face Lift Serum, Just Pure Facial Cream Rich (on face and neck), Weleda Almond Soothing Natural Facial Oil (on any breakouts), Bobbi Brown Extra Eye Repair Cream.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve tried in the name of beauty?

A Brazilian wax. It’s, um, quite an intimate experience. After that first painful rrrrrip I just wanted to jump off the table, butt-nekkid and everything!

Wearing these shu uemura feather lashes while taking out the garbage is a runner-up. 🙂

Do you have a trademark look?

I change up my makeup on a daily basis, but my trademark lazy girl makeup look would be healthy dewy skin, brows/lashes/lips (hayyy, Jeremy Renner!).

Are there any beauty decisions you’ve made that you look back on and ask yourself, “why?!”

One time, I went to the salon to get two peek-a-boo purple streaks in my hair. The colour didn’t take because they had to bleach my hair so much. It was horrible and I got them dyed back after a week.

Where are your favorite places to shop?

For beauty, Sephora at Toronto Eaton Centre is the best! When I am in need of a luxurious treat (read: expensive), I hit the beauty counters at Holt Renfrew. My style is really simple and I get my most of my clothes from the Gap and H&M. Oh, and I almost always buy my necklaces and accessories from Forever 21.

Name: Jessica Desjardins
Location: Currently Ottawa, Ontario, Canada…but I’m moving to Toronto in a few weeks!
Hangouts online: Beautezine, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest
Current favorite product: IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness. It feels light as a primer but covers like a concealer. It corrects redness, feels weightless and has been allowing me to skip foundation this summer!
Beauty inspirations: Old Hollywood, red carpet, European style, jewelry, abstract art, antique photographs, floral gardens, fashion
One word that best describes your outlook on beauty: Confidence

What makeup/beauty products can’t you live without?

I definitely can’t go without concealer, and the Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil is pretty much my BFF. I also need to add some sort of color to my face, whether it’s bronzer or blush. Lately I’ve been loving the new MAC Pro Longwear Bronzer in Sun Dipped and the Yves Saint Laurent Blush Radiance in No.7. Mascara is always key, and the Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Lashes Mascara has been getting lots of love lately. Finally, I’ve always got a Maybelline Baby Lips on hand, usually in Peach Kiss.

When did you start getting into makeup?

It all started when I was about 10 years old with BonneBelle rollerball lipglosses. I remember I used to keep them in my desk at school and slowly started adding in other products like eyeshadow, mascara, blush and lipstick over my teenage years.

What’s your best beauty time-saving trick?

Stock up on multipurpose products… They cut down on time and space! I love Benefit Dallas boxed powder because I can use it as a blush, bronzer and an eyeshadow. Cream blushes can double as lip colors.

What’s your favorite beauty tool?

I’d have to say my eyelash curler! I really love the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler and Lancôme Le Curler.

What’s the best beauty advice you ever received?

My mom always told me not to pluck my eyebrows too much when I was a teenager. I really wanted to pluck them and make them skinnier, but I listened to her and kept them full (but still groomed). I’m so glad I listened to her advice!

What’s your skincare routine?

I try to keep my skincare routine pretty basic. I have very sensitive skin, so I try to be as gentle as possible. Morning and night I’ll cleanse my skin with Bioderma SensiBio Cleansing Water. I’ll use an eye serum like Lancôme Génifique, and then I’ll apply a basic moisturizer like Bioderma SensiBio Light and an eye cream like Philosophy The Miracle Worker. Once or twice a week, I’ll exfoliate with Kate Sommerville ExfoliKate (seriously the best exfoliator ever!), and I’ll use the Proactic Refining Mask as a spot treatment if any pesky blemishes show up.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve tried in the name of beauty?

It must have been a homemade face mask made with a bunch of natural ingredients that felt horrible and smelled disgusting… But I sat there and endured it!

Do you have a trademark look?

On a daily basis, I usually keep my makeup fairly simple with a neutral eye look, a bit of soft black eyeliner and mascara. Cheeks are usually a soft pink. Nude lips. Even though I have super stick straight hair, I love to curl it and get beachy, voluminous waves!

Are there any beauty decisions you’ve made that you look back on and ask yourself, “why?!”

Definitely! I remember when I was first getting into makeup, the only place I could really ‘get into’ was my mom’s makeup bag. I wore her bold, blue eyeshadow, bright pink blush and deep rose lipstick to school when I was in grade 8… I thought it looked so awesome back then.

Where are your favorite places to shop?

Sephora and MAC are my beauty headquarters! For clothing, I’m in love with Dynamite (it’s a Canadian store…but they have started opening up a few places in the USA) and Lululemon for yoga/lounge wear. When I want to do a little ‘dream’ shopping, I’ll browse the shoes at Holt Renfrew.

Anything else you want to share?

Since it’s summer, I’ll pass along my two favorite tips that are tried, tested and true. If you get a mosquito bite (or if you’re like me right now and have your legs covered in them), rub a little deodorant on them and it will stop the itching. Women’s white, solid stick deodorant only! If you get a sunburn, smother on some plain yogurt, and let it sit as long as you can stand it. It will smell awful, but it will feel great and help that burn heal super quickly!

Here are a few of my favorite makeup looks…