At Into The Gloss, we get to hang out with some pretty incredible people. Hell, maybe the Top Shelf section is the only reason you read our site, to ogle said friends and their speck-less tubs and most-beloved products, be it a Japanese eyeliner with a patent-leather finish (you can get it at Michael Angelo's) or a face mask that left them looking like they just had sex for four days straight. And reflecting on the year that was, we've had to pinch ourselves (on the lips, it makes them all rosy and swollen) about what's gone down: we've chatted up our 90s icons (Ms. Love, Drew Barrymore, Liv Tyler), one of the baddest women in media (Arianna Huffington), supermodels (Miranda Kerr, Gisele, Anja Rubik), and the editors-in-chief of ELLE , W , and Vogue Italia . Damn. (Full disclosure: one of our office plants died in September. We forgot to water it; we're no angels.)
In the process, we've collected how-did-I-never-know-about-tha
Lashes
Charlotte Tilbury: “When I went to boarding school [in England] at 13, I saw that all of the English girls wore lots of makeup. That’s when I discovered mascara. I had fair eyelashes, and I went from having this ‘piggy’ look on my face to suddenly having these thick, black, long lashes. After three months, I went back to Ibiza on a school break, and I was more popular overnight.” [The Top Shelf: Charlotte Tilbury, Makeup Artist]
Charlotte Tilbury: “The fact is I’m never going to give up on mascara for myself. Going down the runway, it’s all about whatever is trendy and new. I’m sure the more conceptual, less girly, glamorous women will go for [the no-mascara look]. But the rest of us mere mortals will not be giving up on mascara.” [Prabal Gurung Spring 2014]
Arizona Muse: “I really love the eyeliner-and-no-mascara look. Mascara is the most easily spotted makeup. It’s very natural, obviously, but you can always see it on someone’s face. When you don’t wear it, it looks like you really have no makeup on, but somehow your eyes are just popping.” [The Face: Arizona Muse, Model]
Diane Kendal: “I think it's more modern to not use mascara—the cream liner gives great definition, and by using that very close to the lashes, you actually put a very thin coating on the lashes, like a mascara would.” [Thakoon Fall 2013]
Wayne Goss: “If you’re not endowed with a lot of bottom lashes, I wouldn’t even touch bottom-lash mascara. You’re just drawing attention to a feature that isn’t great, saying ‘Look: I’ve got no lashes.’ Don’t do that. [Laughs] If you’re lucky enough to have the lashes to support the look, go for it—just make sure that the mascara is waterproof and that the wand is completely clean of excess makeup, so you don’t have clumps.” [How To Wear Lower Eye Makeup]
Lucia Pieroni: “When you curl your lashes and add mascara, you lose that area of the eye, and it’s actually quite beautiful, I think. Mascara can be very pretty—it helps make a very doll-like eye—but if you're trying to get a strong message across, and you do strong makeup and then “pretty' eyes, it's not the most powerful thing.” [Rochas Fall 2013]
Julia Restoin Roitfeld: “I think an eyelash curler makes me look much more awake, even when I haven't gotten much sleep. It's a really important tool for a mom to have. The MAC one works for me.” [The Top Shelf: Julia Restoin Roitfeld]
Azza Yousif: “For makeup, I prefer an everyday, easy look. Sometimes, I don’t want to wear anything—I don’t feel like it—but at the same time, if you don’t wear any makeup at all, people feel like you’re not really ready or awake… Just curling your lashes with the MAC Full Lash Curler helps a lot.” [The Top Shelf: Azza Yousif, Fashion Editor, Vogue Homme International]
Liner
James Kaliardos: “If your lids hang over your eye, the eye pencil is better, but if your eyes pop out more, I would use a paint-on liner.” [Rodarte Spring 2014]
Arizona Muse: “When my hair was black, I wore more black eyeliner, but now it seems kind of harsh. Instead I wear a dark brown— Estée Lauder Pure Color Intense Kajal Eyeliner in Blackened Cocoa—on the top and bottom inner rims of my eyes. It’s definitely still there, but I don’t notice it as much as the black eyeliner.” [The Face: Arizona Muse, Model]
Tom Pecheux: “I just came back from Marfa, Texas where I saw Donald Judd’s work and was totally inspired by the cube, because it’s so simple yet very powerful. So, like a cat eye, we put the cube on the outer corner of the girls’ eyes, using an Estée Lauder eye pencil to outline the shape and then, with a square brush, filling it in with a cream shadow. You want to 'tilt' the shape, but not too much, to keep it graphic and contemporary, and to avoid being retro. We didn’t use mascara to, again, keep it very minimal… And we put a nude, slightly glossy color on the lids to make them look ‘humid.’ For me, this is a great look that a woman could build during the day, rather than just adding a lip for night. You can wake up, go to work, and, without having to go home and change, add this eye and go out for dinner, drinks, and who knows what afterward.” [Derek Lam Spring 2014]
Stacey Nishimoto: “Givenchy makes my favorite liquid liners—the Parad’Eyes Fluid Eye Liner—because of their satin finish, which makes the light kind of dance off your lash line. I like liquid-y movement most of the time, but in the winter, I prefer matte liner. In that case, I’ll use a potted gel liner from L’Oréal: the Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner. It’s great because it’s like a creamy-velvet feel—even when it gets old, it stays creamy. Really, it looks like a black velvet dress on your eye. [Laughs]' [The Top Shelf: Stacey Nishimoto, Makeup Artist, Nasty Gal]
François Nars: “White pencil inside the inner eye makes the eyes look bigger and more open.” [Marc Jacobs Fall 2013]
Harry Brant: “I always do nude eyeliner in the inside of my waterline. I like Dolce’s #9 eye pencil. A lot of them come off as clumpy but this one is absolutely insane—it’s so smooth and you can also use it in the inner corner and the crease above your eye to define the lid. Sometimes, I do it on the whole eyelid and then cover everything in concealer. It makes your eyes look much bigger… much bigger. And it also makes them look a lot more open and bright. I never do ‘guyliner.’ I don’t understand why people put black in their waterline—it makes my eyes look beady.” [The Top Shelf: Harry Brant, Student]
** Shadow
**
Lucia Pieroni: “We’re using an eye shadow, the Eye Color Quad in #208, and putting it on the lid and underneath the eye so you can just blend it out. It’s not actually about the eye shadow, it’s about giving the eye, itself , a slight shadow.” [Rochas Fall 2013]
Azza Yousif: “I use Sisley Phyto-Ombre Eye Shadow in Black. I’m really into shadow—I picked it up from a Stevie Nicks interview I saw. They did an interview with her right before a Fleetwood Mac concert and she was doing her makeup in a mirror during the interview, and she does this thing where she puts the black on the crease and then smudges it. After I’ve done the black with the Sisley shadow, I add some of the MAC Cream Color Base in Dusk Rose in the middle of the eyelid, right above my pupil and smudge.” [The Top Shelf: Azza Yousif, Fashion Editor, Vogue Homme International]
Brows
Emily Weiss: “It is possible for your eyebrows to do nothing for your face.” [The Top Shelf: Emily's Essentials, April 2013]
Kate Lee: “Don’t get stuck in an eyebrow rut. For example, a perfect, filled-in brow will do something very different to a bold lip than a natural, brushed-up brow will. When it’s brushed up, it’s more youthful, and it doesn’t sit as heavily on the face.” [Brushed Up Brows]
James Kaliardos: “Brushed up eyebrows lift your expression and open up your whole face. When your brows are down, they drag you down.” [Brushed Up Brows]
Pat McGrath: “These eyebrows are like jewelry. Working with the natural brow shapes, we applied glue, gold pigment, and gold glitter in many layers to create a brocade texture. It’s a real build. To get it right, we just painted on the pigment and wiped it away. We were really having fun. The glue was used to ensure that the gold stayed for the full show. And we decided on gold because it feels both organic and futuristic.” [Dior Spring 2014]
