Fourth of July reminds me of a lot of things: Galaxie 500, fireworks, BBQ's, Little Edie in Grey Gardens, sweaty friends, Denise Richards in Drop Dead Gorgeous, tans, beer, and--the most obvious--all things patriotically red, white, and blue. But the idea of painting one side of my face red and the other side blue with little white stars cascading down my face as if I were attending a high school football game gives me anxiety. Luckily, I've brewed up two beauty looks for you to try this Fourth of July holiday--and neither of them involve body glitter or excessive war paint.
Special thanks to our all-star fashion interns Erin and Sophie for modeling these looks for me!
Look #1 (Erin):
This is may be the weirdest of the two looks, but when you find yourself on someones rooftop playing with sparklers and the next minute you're at some rave in Bushwick--you'll thank me. Start by using a gel eyeliner (I applied the Lancome Long Wear Calligraphy Gel Eyeliner in Dress-Up Teal on Erin) and an angled brush, then swoop over your lids and flick out a cat-eye that's complimentary to your eye shape. Next, apply Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar Matte in Pool Boy--a similar blue as the eyeliner--and generously smear over your lips using the brush that comes with every OCC Lip Tar. Finish off your look with the perfect nail: We used Essie Nail Polish in Blanc and then layered Jinsoon's Polka White accents over for a 3D effect.
Look #2 (Sophie):
This look is all things red, white, and cool--consider it the modern version of Fourth of July make up. Start with a matte red lip--which may be extremely difficult to find--but beauty junkies worldwide have found solace in M.A.C Cosmetics Russian Red lipstick. Personally, it's a little too blue for me (I opt for Chili)--but it works perfectly on Sophie's skin tone. Next, I applied Ardency Inn's Modster Smooth Ride Supercharged Eyeliner in Dark Blue on Sophie's top lid and formed a subtle cat-eye, then layered two coats of Make Up For Ever's Smoky Lash in #5 on her lashes. Next, we balanced off the look by painting two coats of Topshop's Matte Nail Polish in Double Denim on her nails! Viola.
So that's it: Two extremely different beauty looks that are both super easy to recreate at home and full of patriotism. But hey, it's Fourth of July--so just have fun with it!