Beauty Fix: How to style your hair like Carly Rae Jepsen, a new eyeliner trick for summer and the only makeup you need to pack for a vacation
We’re still in a state of pre-summer bliss after a wonderful long weekend of almost unseasonably warm weather—and it’s safe to say that Beauty Fix readers are as well! This week we’re taking on questions that have everything to do with pre-summer prep: what the season’s best hairstyles are, a new eyeliner trick for summer, and how to pack for your vacation while still leaving lots of room for souvenirs.
Read on and get all the answers! »
I feel like I’m always doing the same thing with my long hair. Can you give me some options for a new summer look?
Adding a fringe bang is not necessarily a new solution, but it’s your best bet for the easiest way to change up your hairstyle. Fringe bangs are fairly low-commitment and frame your face in a whole new way. To get the look right, ask your stylist to trim your bangs as wide as your temples with a length that hits at the bottom of your brows—any narrower may look dated, and any shorter may come off a little Rooney Mara-esque. I’ve loved the look on Leighton Meester for ages and Carly Rae Jepsen’s long, blunt bangs made her stand out at this weekend’s Billboard Music Awards. Styled sleek and straight, Jepsen’s bangs stood out on the red carpet and seemed to glisten like glass. Add ample shine to your own hair with a glossy topcoat like Aveda Brilliant Spray-On Shine ($24, aveda.com). Another style option (and this works with or without bangs) is to let your hair dry into natural, beach-y waves. Spritz Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray ($24, bumbleandbumble.com) into damp hair and you’re ready to go. And a third option—which is also ideal on hot summer days—is twisting your hair into a top knot, leaving your bangs out to anchor the style.
I once saw Lana Del Rey’s eyeliner done with a double line and I’ve been wanting to try it ever since. Any tips for how to master this look?
This same take on wing-tip eyeliner was spotted on Giorgio Armani‘s Spring 2012 runway and will surely stay trendy through fall. It’s been dubbed the “double-flick” and the technique is to draw one line along your lashes and flick it upwards, followed by a second line extending from the corner of your eye with a short flick towards your temple. It blends ‘60s mod with modern graphics, and I think the effect looks like a feathery dove tail—it’s very pretty! Lines can be drawn with shadow (which was used at Armani) or liquid liner. For technical reasons I’d rather do it like Del Rey and use liner because it creates a cleaner wing-tip. Even though Armani’s powdery lines were drawn in soft colours, like lilac and pewter, the shadow looked dramatic enough for a special event. The trick with liquid is to find a product that disperses a manageable amount of pigment and dries really quickly. For those reasons, and because I prefer one that resembles a felt-tip pen, Stila Stay All Day waterproof liquid liner ($20, at Shoppers Drug Mart) is really great and it won’t smudge with sweat. Sure, you could do black but for summer, consider shades like light grey (try “Alloy”) or lilac paired with lovely, long lashes for a softer execution.
If I were to narrow my vacation beauty bag to five items or less, what should they be?
This is easy! A good cleanser, moisturizer, foundation, mascara, lipstick, lip gloss… and nail polish! Sorry, I had to sneak in a sixth and seventh product—but when they’re part of M.A.C Cosmetics‘ Fashion Sets ($54, maccosmetics.com) it’s fair game! The sets are comprised of a trio of products in one single colour—and not just any colours: they’re the quintessential M.A.C shades. “Rebel,” a creamy plum purple, is my personal favourite and would look awesome on your fingers and lips whether you’re sipping cappuccinos in New York, caipirinhas in Brazil or even water at your desk at work. Also, if you’re sneaking off somewhere humid and are worried about makeup slipping off your skin I’ve found Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion ($40, at select spas and salons) will do away with that concern. Its mattifying agent—Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract—helps to stabilize sebum so makeup can stay on. Pair it with your regular cleanser, concealer and mascara and all your bases are covered—while leaving enough room in your suitcase for souvenirs.
Since I’ve taken up running, my feet have become not very “picturesque,” to say the least. Now I’m going to a friend’s cottage and need to pretty them up. How?
A colleague recently expressed to me how disappointing it is to see a beautiful pair of summer sandals destroyed by unkempt feet, and I have to agree with her sentiment! I recently mentioned how feet are a sensual feature on the body but, beyond that, I’m much more concerned with surface-level beauty. While I could never slight someone for preferring not to wear, say, red lipstick, I can’t look past feet that are not cared for—and especially my own! Because you’re a runner (which is great, by the way) your feet endure more friction and more moisture but, in the heat of summer, anyone’s feet are prone to swelling and sweating under the hot sun. (This is also what causes the season’s onslaught of blisters.) Peppermint is an excellent anti-inflammatory and mint smells super clean, making it a common ingredient in foot scrubs and creams. Start drinking lots of natural peppermint tea to keep swelling down and supplement with Bliss Foot Patrol ($18, sephora.com), a foot cream that helps with swelling, smells awesome and gently exfoliates—a key point for runners like yourself. It won’t completely remove calluses, like a spa tool would, which is good because you don’t want to rid yourself of your natural protection from tough running shoes, right?
There’s a two-hour break between the ceremony and reception at a wedding I’m attending this summer. Should I use the time to switch up my makeup?
Do you have, like me, a wedding to attend just about every weekend this summer? Seems to be par for the course. If you’re not able to go home between events—and don’t want to carry a huge purse—completely changing your makeup can be a challenge. The answer here is somewhat similar to the question above, where I listed five items necessary for a travel makeup kit—but the good news is a daytime wedding requires even less! For the ceremony, keep everything light, especially your eyeshadow. Once you’ve thrown the confetti and are heading over to the reception, pull out your cosmetic weapon: RMS Beauty Cream Eyeshadow ($31, ebeauty.ca) in either “Solar” or “Lunar.” Both are shades of gold with a metallic finish—a spring colour trend I especially love. Since you’ll be sipping cocktails all night, keep your lips nude and glossy, but revive the rest of your morning makeup with a spritz of hydration from Clinique Moisture Surge Face Spray Thirsty Skin Relief ($27, thebay.com). It will add a dose of moisture, giving you dewy skin whenever you need it—and it’ll easily fit in your purse, too!
. Another style option (and this works with or without bangs) is to let your hair dry into natural, beach-y waves. Spritz Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray ($24, bumbleandbumble.com) into damp hair and you're ready to go. And a third option—which is also ideal on hot summer days—is twisting your hair into a top knot, leaving your bangs out to anchor the style.
I once saw Lana Del Rey's eyeliner done with a double line and I've been wanting to try it ever since. Any tips for how to master this look?
This same take on wing-tip eyeliner was spotted on Giorgio Armani's Spring 2012 runway and will surely stay trendy through fall. It's been dubbed the “double-flick” and the technique is to draw one line along your lashes and flick it upwards, followed by a second line extending from the corner of your eye with a short flick towards your temple. It blends ‘60s mod with modern graphics, and I think the effect looks like a feathery dove tail—it's very pretty! Lines can be drawn with shadow (which was used at Armani) or liquid liner. For technical reasons I'd rather do it like Del Rey and use liner because it creates a cleaner wing-tip. Even though Armani's powdery lines were drawn in soft colours, like lilac and pewter, the shadow looked dramatic enough for a special event. The trick with liquid is to find a product that disperses a manageable amount of pigment and dries really quickly. For those reasons, and because I prefer one that resembles a felt-tip pen, Stila Stay All Day waterproof liquid liner ($20, at Shoppers Drug Mart) is really great and it won't smudge with sweat. Sure, you could do black but for summer, consider shades like light grey (try “Alloy”) or lilac paired with lovely, long lashes for a softer execution.
If I were to narrow my vacation beauty bag to five items or less, what should they be?
This is easy! A good cleanser, moisturizer, foundation, mascara, lipstick, lip gloss... and nail polish! Sorry, I had to sneak in a sixth and seventh product—but when they’re part of M.A.C Cosmetics' Fashion Sets ($54, maccosmetics.com) it’s fair game! The sets are comprised of a trio of products in one single colour—and not just any colours: they're the quintessential M.A.C shades. “Rebel,” a creamy plum purple, is my personal favourite and would look awesome on your fingers and lips whether you're sipping cappuccinos in New York, caipirinhas in Brazil or even water at your desk at work. Also, if you're sneaking off somewhere humid and are worried about makeup slipping off your skin I've found Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion ($40, at select spas and salons) will do away with that concern. Its mattifying agent—Enantia Chlorantha Bark Extract—helps to stabilize sebum so makeup can stay on. Pair it with your regular cleanser, concealer and mascara and all your bases are covered—while leaving enough room in your suitcase for souvenirs.
Since I've taken up running, my feet have become not very “picturesque,” to say the least. Now I'm going to a friend's cottage and need to pretty them up. How?
A colleague recently expressed to me how disappointing it is to see a beautiful pair of summer sandals destroyed by unkempt feet, and I have to agree with her sentiment! I recently mentioned how feet are a sensual feature on the body but, beyond that, I'm much more concerned with surface-level beauty. While I could never slight someone for preferring not to wear, say, red lipstick, I can't look past feet that are not cared for—and especially my own! Because you're a runner (which is great, by the way) your feet endure more friction and more moisture but, in the heat of summer, anyone's feet are prone to swelling and sweating under the hot sun. (This is also what causes the season's onslaught of blisters.) Peppermint is an excellent anti-inflammatory and mint smells super clean, making it a common ingredient in foot scrubs and creams. Start drinking lots of natural peppermint tea to keep swelling down and supplement with Bliss Foot Patrol ($18, sephora.com), a foot cream that helps with swelling, smells awesome and gently exfoliates—a key point for runners like yourself. It won't completely remove calluses, like a spa tool would, which is good because you don't want to rid yourself of your natural protection from tough running shoes, right?
There's a two-hour break between the ceremony and reception at a wedding I'm attending this summer. Should I use the time to switch up my makeup?
Do you have, like me, a wedding to attend just about every weekend this summer? Seems to be par for the course. If you're not able to go home between events—and don't want to carry a huge purse—completely changing your makeup can be a challenge. The answer here is somewhat similar to the question above, where I listed five items necessary for a travel makeup kit—but the good news is a daytime wedding requires even less! For the ceremony, keep everything light, especially your eyeshadow. Once you've thrown the confetti and are heading over to the reception, pull out your cosmetic weapon: RMS Beauty Cream Eyeshadow ($31, ebeauty.ca) in either “Solar” or “Lunar.” Both are shades of gold with a metallic finish—a spring colour trend I especially love. Since you'll be sipping cocktails all night, keep your lips nude and glossy, but revive the rest of your morning makeup with a spritz of hydration from Clinique Moisture Surge Face Spray Thirsty Skin Relief ($27, thebay.com). It will add a dose of moisture, giving you dewy skin whenever you need it—and it'll easily fit in your purse, too!
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