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: Sunny Hu
Location: Leuven, Belgium
Day job/current gig: Translator, but I’m really more like a professional feline entertainer typing a few lines when my bosses are taking their naps!
Hangouts online: mostlysunnyblog.com, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest
Current favorite product: It’s a tie between Guerlain Bronze Ora Iridescent Eyeshadow (incredibly stunning and complex shade that functions well on its own) and Dior Bikini Diorblush Cheek Creme (you can apply and blend it out in a pinch, and it sticks around).
Beauty inspirations: I wear a lot of dresses with bold prints, and the prints inspire me to try new color combinations!
One word that best describes your outlook on beauty: Happiness
What makeup/beauty products can’t you live without?
Hourglass Soft Brunette Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil is the only product I don’t want to be seen without, and everything else is extra! Some other products that get a lot of love around here include a black gel liner (I’ve tried several brands and they perform equally well on me), Dior Diorshow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum, Dior Diorshow Iconic Overcurl (my favorite mascara. Period), Burberry Pale Barley Eyeshadow, Edward Bess Cosmic Bliss, and Dior Spring Ball Addict Extreme (if I had to stick to one lipstick for the rest of my life, this would be it).
When did you start getting into makeup?
I had a couple of counter makeovers when I was in high school and some basic pieces when I was in university, but I really started getting into makeup about 3 years ago.
Urban Decay Naked Palette was all the rage, and I went through a lot of trouble to score one. I started watching tutorials and reading blogs to figure out how to work with it. Several months later, I made my first luxury makeup purchase (Chanel Mademoiselle Rouge Coco and Peridot Le Vernis). One thing led to another, and here I am with quite a collection (and a blog about it)!
What’s your best beauty time-saving trick?
Cream/stickeye makeup
What’s your favorite beauty tool?
Le Métier de Beauté Eye Shadow Brushblends
What’s the best beauty advice you ever received?
This comes from my mama: eat healthy and go to bed early. I don’t always follow it to the letter, but I try!
What’s your skincare routine?
This could get really long, despite the fact that I’ve tried my best to streamline the process. A few tried-and-true skincare products in my bathroom cabinet include Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm, Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask, Omorovicza Copper Peel, Pai Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser, Pai Echium & Argan Gentle Eye Cream, La Roche Posay Effaclar K & Duo, Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum, Caudalie Vinoperfect Day Perfecting Fluid, and Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Facial Treatment.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve tried in the name of beauty?
I had my eyelashes permed! It was years ago, so I might have blocked out most of the memory. I do remember the curl wasn’t all that natural. Suffice to say, I’m pretty happy sticking to my eyelash curler.
Do you have a trademark look (hair/styling/makeup)?
Neutral eyeshadows, winged-out eyeliner, and a bright pop of color on my lips!
Are there any beauty decisions you’ve made that you look back on and ask yourself, “why?!”
Most of my beauty woes are related to my brows. I’ve plucked out too much hair and filled them with unnatural-looking shades because I didn’t know any better. I also used to over-apply eyeshadows before I discovered eyeshadow primers because they would fade before the end of the day/night. I might soon need to do a thorough job destroying pictures in which I have purple eyeshadows all the way to my eyebrows!
Where are your favorite places to shop?
Locally, ICI PARIS XL for my luxury purchases and pharmacies for brands such as Caudalie, Bioderma, and La Roche Posay. Beautybay for a large selection of brands that are not available in Belgium. I also sometimes beg friends who live in the US to order stuff from Sephora for me!
Anything else you want to share?
I’m an introvert (probably not the first thing you’ll notice about me, but I assure you it’s true), but I have a desire to share and make people laugh, which is why I started a blog! I spend a lot of time with my cats, Tango and Muffin. They have taught me patience and mellowed me out over the years.
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.
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?
STEFa home microdermabrasion machine
(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…
