TSS Co Founder's Interview: Karen

1. Where do you currently reside and what do you love most about it? "I live in sunny (just joking) Seattle and I love EVERYTHING about it. Seattle offers you everything from Starbucks to hipsters, to the mountains, water, city-life, and so much more. P.S. It doesn't rain as much as people claim…it honestly just sprinkles. No one uses their umbrella! Did I mention we have an amazing football team too? GO SEAHAWKS!"

2. Describe your closet. "Well, I have two closets because I am a shoe and clothes fanatic. My walk-in closets are filled with clothes that are all color coordinated and shoes for days. My style is so eclectic that you see everything from a leopard Forever 21 jumpsuit to sparkly Louboutin heels!"

3. What was your favorite part about being in a sorority? " I absolutely loved choreographing and performing dances for philanthropies. Our dance group (which included Co Founder, Sakura!) called ourselves The Thetawockeez--it was great!"

4. What did sorority life teach you that you applied in the real world? "Sorority life taught me to show people the greatest version of you. You want everyone, whether they are compatible with you or not, to fall in love with who you are. This is one of the biggest lessons that my sorority taught me that I have applied in every aspect of the real world".

5. What are 5 beauty products you can't live without? "Lipgloss (Victoria's Secret lipgloss will always be my fave but I have recently started using Smashbox Lipgloss and it is equally amazing), Bare Minerals Foundation powder, Lilly Lashes, MAC Comfort Creme, and my favorite sets of perfumes that I rotate (Angel by Thierry Muglier, Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel, Bright by Versace and La Vie Est Belle by Lancome)".

6. What do you love most about working on TSS? "I love seeing the reaction our readers have to our content. It is so inspiring to watch and hear how much our content improves lives!" 

7. What is the best advice you were ever given? "Be careful how you treat people on your way up because you might meet them on your way down". Those are famous words from my mother and they couldn't be more true. Often times in life, people gain a level of success where they forget where they came from or how they got there and choose to mistreat those who were on their journey. Lack of humility and self-entittlement can really hinder your reputation with people who have known you so it's so important to remain humble and avoid burning bridges. After all, you never know, you might see these same people again and the tables could turn where you will need their help".

8. Who's your celebrity style crush? "My STYLIST crush ( I say Stylist crush because we all know celebrities do NOT dress themselves) is Monica Rose. She styles women like the Kardashians and Guiliana Rancic to name a few and I absolutely love every look she puts together. I would love to raid her closet!"

9. What are your top 3 stores you like to shop at? "This is a toughy but I would have to go with TOPSHOP, ZARA, and FOREVER 21. If I can sneak one more in I would say my favorite online store is ASOS".

10. What do you like to do on your day off? No days off here folks! Haha, just joking…sort of. On my day off I like to have friends over where we enjoy a glass of champagne and catch up on reality TV!

11. What else do you do for work? When I am not blogging, I am working full time in medical sales. I love working for a company that is essentially saving and improving lives!

12. What are your interests/passions? I absolutely LOVE party planning. It is my true passion and I really look up to party planners like Colin Cowie and Mindy Weiss. My specialty is candy buffets which I do here and there for my friends and people who reach out to me. I started documenting my parties and party advice here.

Lashes 101

 

Eyelashes: Ardell Professional. Eyelash Adhesive: Duo (black).

A lot of our readers have been asking us to share our tips on how to apply lashes perfectly.  Let's face it, putting on lashes is an intricate activity, yet totally worth it once you get those luscious lashes on! Ali is by far the expert on applying lashes so we asked her to give us a step by step on how to make putting on lashes easier.

Step 1: Buy eyelashes & glue from any beauty supply store or drugstore. Our favorite brands include Ardell Professional, and Lilly Lashes.  We prefer black Duo eyelash adhesive because the glue dries black and will blend in with your eyeliner.  A few things to keep in mind... winged lashes (longer at the outer ends) will emphasize a cat-eye or smoky eye look, while rounded lashes (same width all the way around, or longest in the center) will emphasize a more doll-like and rounded eye look.  The ones we used on Karen, for example, are more rounded.  After you purchase the lashes and take them out of the package, bend them a little bit with your fingers to round them more in the direction of the curve of the eye.  This will help to make them curve better along the natural shape of your eye, before you apply them.

Step 2:  Do your eye makeup first, completing every step except for eyeliner and mascara.  You will finish eyeliner and mascara after your lashes are applied and have dried.  Now, get ready to put your lashes on, one at a time!  A secret we like is to keep a Q-Tip on hand with one of the tip ends snapped off.  The now cotton-less end of the Q-Tip can help to clean up the glue line after you apply the lash, in case glue gets somewhere it's not supposed to be.  If you really have a glue accident, wait for the glue to completely dry first- it will peel right off.

Step 3:  Squeeze the glue gently from the tube, and line at along the lash line of the faux lashes.  Wait about 20 seconds, allowing the glue to get slightly "tacky".  Then, grab the eyelashes in the center of the strip, placing them on your upper lash line in the center of your eye.  Aim for slightly above your own lash line-- this will help to not remove your own eyelashes when taking them off later.  We like to start in the center, and work our way around!  Next, bring the lashes to the outer corner, then the inner corner-- we recommend tweezers for eyelash newbies, to really get the corners applied.  Press the lashes to your lash line (pressing straight "in", not pressing up or down), applying the pressure from your fingertips to the inner and outer corners, as to secure the edges.  Press and hold for about 5 seconds at a time (repeating if necessary), until you see the glue start to turn from grey to black.  As you press "in" you can also make the eyelashes appear slightly curled, just by using your finger!  If someone else is helping to put them on you, the trick is to look down when putting them on (not completely closing your eye) so that glue does not get on your lower lashes.

Step 4: Repeat process on other eye.  If your eyes water, gently blot with a tissue; careful as to not move the eyelash or glue.  Avoid touching your eyelashes for about a minute or two to let them dry, and you're done! Oh wait, one more thing...don't forget to apply eyeliner and mascara.  Once completely dry, mascara can help to blend your real lashes in with the fake ones.  You will need less mascara than normal, just a little does it.  Eyeliner above the lash/glue line is also an important step, to cover up any traces of the glue, and blend the lashes into the rest of your eye makeup.  One tool to not use: an eyelash curler!  The curler will likely pull your faux lashes off. 

Step 5: When removing your lashes after a long night of being fabulous, gently peel from the outer corner first, peeling inwards.

What techniques do you have on applying lashes? We want to hear!