Defining Beauty (& The Only Time You May See Me Sans Makeup!)

Some may say the perks about being a fashion stylist would be the clothes—which I rarely get for free, occasionally I get a discount but more often it’s just a cruel tease to be around them all of the time—and the free lunch on shoots.

To me, the biggest perk is to learn so many gems of beauty wisdom from the experts I’m constantly surrounded with.

I found myself working with two of my favorites in the business the other day on a shoot in Brooklyn and getting a much needed hair makeover (and helpful tips) after the shoot from Stacey Keuhn and getting a lesson in makeup from the talented Mariolga Pantazopolous.

makeup: c/o db Cosmetics // makeup case: c/o Tory Burch

Mariolga ran to her car after our shoot and grabbed these goodies for me from her new makeup line, db Cosmetics. She told me this was basically all I needed to add to my makeup regimen—and she was right.

Each product was carefully developed after years of her experience in the industry and all are named after inspiring women in her life from Frida Kahlo to even her own mother, so coming from someone who named her blog after her own mother, I was all ears (and face!).

She also told me that whatever I was using on my brows was not the right shade and showed me her brow color, which blended perfectly with my natural color. It’s tough to find a good brow color for very blonde hair, so I was impressed that possibly for the first time ever, I found one that actually matched. It also had fibers in it that glide on with a mascara wand, so it looks completely like your brows and not like you drew them on.

Next she taught me a makeup trick that’s going to change everything…ready for this…you should be applying your eyeliner looking DOWN into a mirror. Blowing your mind, right?

Mariolga demonstrated with the bent brush she sells on her site. You dip it into the pot of eyeliner, in my case a beautiful dark brown (that’s water resistant and will last all day!), and glide on while keeping the brush parallel to you eye line. After years of struggling with the eyeliner and brush combo, I think I’ve mastered it with this trick!

I have to say, while these tricks may have changed my beauty life, this cheek and lip product, Limitless, is my favorite of them all. She chose a trendy Radiant Orchid color for me, which perfectly suits my skin tones. Just a little of this stuff gave my face a whole new life like I’ve been perfectly flushed on this cold winter day.

Perhaps the only time I will post a picture of me without makeup on…well, except for a little db Cosmetics foundation in Arena 1942. Enjoy.

Sweater: Free People // Ring: Giles & Brother (gift from Emily)