After 10 years of covering the beauty industry, I've heard every (makeup) trick in the book. Or so I thought until I sat down with gorgeous makeup artist Brigitte Reiss-Andersen earlier this week to talk biz. I first met Brigitte years ago when I was at Harper's Bazaar, and since then, there isn't a fashion magazine, famous photographer, or A-list celebrity she hasn't worked with. Seriously, her resume must be 18 pages long (that's some of her most recent work above: the November cover of Spanish Vogue, left, and the December cover of Glamour with Fergie). So I guess it should come as no surprise that during our talk, Brigitte revealed a bevy of makeup tricks that even a beauty nerd like me had never heard before. Equally impressive: They're all incredibly easy to master.
Brigitte offered so many good tips that I'm going to dedicate a few different blog posts over the next week to her best advice in several categories. First up: Lashes. And when you're done reading the below tips, mosey on over to Brigitte's new blog, www.fashionfortheface.com, where she shares more of her makeup wisdom along with juicy tidbits about her magazine and celebrity work.
1. When curling your lashes, once is not enough. If you want big, Bambi doe eyes, "You must, must curl your lashes," says Brigitte. "Squeeze the curler along the length of your lashes at various intervals, starting near the roots and working your way out to the tips. This creates a true curve as opposed to the 90-degree angle you get when you only curl your lashes at the roots." GET THE LOOK WITH: Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
2. Yes, you can curl your lashes after applying mascara. In fact, Brigitte highly recommends it for a glamorous evening look. "Curl your lashes, apply two coats of mascara, and-this is key-wait several minutes so they have time to dry completely," she says. "Once your lashes are dry, curl them again. This lifts the lash line and you get a more pronounced shape than had you only curled the lashes before putting on mascara. You'll also find that the curl lasts longer this way." GET THE LOOK WITH: Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, Lancôme Virtuôse Black Carat Lasting Curves Mascara
3. Face powder is the world's best volumizer. You know how dry shampoo adds incredible volume to your hair? Brigitte says translucent loose face powder creates a similar effect on lashes. "Sprinkle a tiny amount onto a spooley eyebrow brush,"- that's the brush that looks like a tiny Christmas tree- "then curl your lashes and sweep the brush through to deposit the powder," she says. "Follow with a few coats of volumizing mascara, and you'll be amazed by how thick your lashes look. This literally doubles the volume." GET THE LOOK WITH: L'Oréal Translucide Translucent Loose Powder, Maybelline New York Volum' Express the Falsies Mascara, spooley brow brush (e.l.f. makes an inexpensive one).