B E A U T Y | Boundless beauty blog

How-To: Getting the Kate Moss Signature Sex Kitten Look

12.31.2014 No Comments

It’s no secret that I have a minor obsession with Kate Moss…many women ~~in the fashion industry~~ do, regardless of industry. After her collaboration with TOPSHOP launched earlier this year, Nordstrom caught up with her makeup artist, Charlotte Tilbury, and posted a how-to on their Beauty Blog. Follow along below after watching the posted how-to video to see how you can achieve Kate the Great’s iconic look for tonight’s festivities:

1. Prep. Get your skin ready with a cream. Apply foundation and conceal targeted areas, including under-eye circles, blemishes or red spots. Utilize finishing powder down the T-zone to cover any pores.

2. Feline Eye. Use an eyelash curler (your secret weapon) to curl your lashes. Next, with your finger, pull the outer corner of your eye out slightly into a point to create the feline shape. Look straight ahead into a mirror and, using a black liquid eyeliner pen, draw a line until you get 3/4 of the way across your upper lash line. Mark a point on the outer corner of the eye where you want to end your line. Continue along the lash line and angle up to the outer point you marked to create a V shape along the eye. Repeat on the other eye—being sure to make another mark that’s even with the first eye. After your feline flick is complete, line your waterline with a black pencil. For a more dramatic look, add more of the black liner over the liquid liner.

3. Blend. Take a neutral grey and blend this color across the entire lid. Use a blending brush to add a darker shade of grey into the crease in a windshield wiper motion across the full eye socket. A darker shade of grey will create a smoky look under the eyelash line and along the feline flick lash line. Of course, apply mascara. Layer on more mascara for a more dramatic look.

4. Bronze. Use a powder brush and a swirling motion to apply bronzer to the temples, the forehead and the cheeks. Use the same shade in order to sculpt and carve out the cheeks by applying it right below the cheekbones.

5. Lips to Finish. Always start the lips with a neutral lip liner. If you are not sure where to put your lip liner, smile and then apply to your lip line. Add a nude lipstick on top. If you want a more matte look, add some powder over the lips.

Photo via

B E A U T Y, Let's Talk Products

5 Things Worth Investing in This Summer

6.23.2014 No Comments

1. Healthy Sunscreen

With brands ranging from John Masters Organics (shown) to Lavanilla and beyond, there is no reasonable excuse for not making this switch. Not only will you be foregoing chemically smells, but these lotions will make your skin feel glorious, not greasy.

2. Makeup Setting Mist

We are already experiencing makeup-melting-temps and it’s only June! I am a firm believer in the one by Make Up For Ever (shown) but Urban Decay makes a decent one as well. Just apply your makeup (I advise waiting to apply mascara until after you mist), spray 3-4 pumps around your face, let dry, apply mascara and your makeup won’t budge for hours!

3. Pasties that will LAST

Go beyond the flower-shaped disposables for a pair that will last you eons longer (I’ve owned mine for over 2 years!). Let me introduce you to Nippies — the different kind of pasty. Crafted in an ultra-thin silicone to ensure no show-through, these are money well spent: simply peel off at the end of the night, gently wash with soap and water, and they’re ready for their next use!

4. Good Flat Sandals

Because those cute ones from Target will only last you one season. Trendy sandals are just that: sandals that cater to the trends of the season. To ensure that you’ll get more use out of sandals than just one season, opt for a fashionably simple pair to pair with more outfits. The more use you can get out of them, the more reasonable a higher price tag becomes. Better materials used, better craftsmanship in production, the longer you’ll have them in your closet.

5. Time Well Spent

Unplug, log off, sign out, and ENJOY LIFE this summer.

B E A U T Y, Let's Talk Products

Bb Exclusive: Interview with the Creator of SIN-MIN

5.7.2014 No Comments

Remember last week’s post on SIN-MIN lipspread (read here)? After my obsession for the product simmered down, I got to talking with the founder of the yummy lipspread, and was surprised to hear about the brands’ origins. Read on for a dose of inspiration in our exclusive interview with Tyler Critelli, founder and co-creator of SIN-MIN.

When did you decide you wanted to start a lip balm company? Were there any outside influences?
Oddly enough, SIN-MIN began as a clothing idea that I went to my friend and now partner, Jesse, to collaborate on with. The project development was taking longer than expected and we wanted to start building brand awareness and find something different to pass around to get the name out in a way that made a bigger impact than a business card. At the exact same time we were coming up with ideas, one of my tap students brought me a lemon flavored lip balm she had made while on a field trip. That night and for months ahead I went R&D* all things lip balm; from its ingredients, to its creation, to its packaging. Being a MASSIVE cinnamon lover (if you couldn’t tell already by our name), I knew there could only be one flavor: horchata. And so I began cooking and shortly thereafter we were passing them around to friends and shops to spread the word about the release of our apparel. It couldn’t have been more than 3 weeks into passing it around low-key that we began getting calls from boutiques requesting orders. “I’m sorry, but we’re not selling them,” I’d tell them. “I can send you some for free! We’re just getting the name out right now for our clothing.” And they’d say, “Well, that’s great but we want to sell them in our shop,” which gave Jesse and I that light-bulb switch moment and we shifted gears completely. Our lipspread quickly became popular and ironically fit our branding better than anything else. We realized we had to take this seriously, and fast, so began focusing on making the best and most unique natural and organic chapstick available.

When did SIN-MIN officially start?
All of this began about 5 months ago.

I noticed that you started using Malibu Honey back in August. Was that partnership to keep in line with your minimal impact philosophy?
Our relationship with Malibu Honey actually only began two weeks ago. I was re-stocking one of our favorite Venice shops, The Golden State Store, and I had noticed Malibu Honey. Their packaging was similar, it was a small and local company, and I knew it would just come down to the taste because the quality was inherent. It blew me away and I sent the owner some samples using their honey, and we’ve been using it ever since. We try our best to make sure that our ingredients are more than just ingredients, but represent something. Whether its our shea butter that we get from Africa which directly supports the empowerment of local communities in their advancements in health, education, and employment, or Malibu Honey which is devoted to accumulating the purest honey from our local mountains where you can actually adopt a bee. Our partnerships with different ingredient manufacturers aren’t for a minimal impact but quite the contrary! We choose to support those that are making an impact that represents something greater than the product they are putting out.

I love your brown printed label and lighter plastic packaging — do these make it easier for the product to biodegrade once tossed?
Our recycled tubes and labels, on the other hand, are selected to ensure a minimal impact. The shape of the tube is very important to us and it’s proven daily and in weird circumstances. Just the other night one of our guys was out partying with some friends who’ve been been really stoked on the lipspread. He ask a girl next to him to borrow her lip balm which was in a circular tube and he immediately threw it on the ground and we watched it roll away. He then took out SIN-MIN dropped it on the ground and shouted, “IT DOESN’T ROLL AWAY!!!!” There are some incredible lip balms out there that cut out half of an existing market, that being guys. We wanted something that was unisex, pocket friendly, and of course something that wouldn’t roll away.

Why horchata? Is it a favorite drink of yours?
Horchata is definitely one of my all-time favorite beverages and I’m sad to say I didn’t even try it until going to college. My favorite horchata can be found in LA at Guisados.

Where are your balms produced?
SIN-MIN is happily manufactured in the South Bay of Los Angeles.

Do you plan to expand into other horchata product offerings? & the standard: Where do you want SIN-MIN to go in 5 years?
We will be releasing products in the future and though they will not be horchata, everything will be cinnamon-inspired. That is what we are. Characterizing all the different flavors of cinnamon. The sweat and creamy. The fire and spice. SIN-MIN, say it like it is. In 5 years hopefully we’ll have built a brand that supports the lifestyles that inspired it and have found greater ways to make an impact on our communities and beyond.

I’m so sorry to bombard you with all of these, and not ask about you! Tell me a bit about yourself.
Both my partner and I are originally from Manhattan Beach, CA. We both surf as much as we possibly can. Jesse is a highly skilled photographer, graphic designer, and mens fashion guru. I choreograph tap and hip hop dancing and teach around LA and compose and produce music of all styles when I get time off. But there’s not much of that. Right now we’re both doing as much as we can with as little as possible. Hustling hard and keeping the digital grassroots movement going. Before SIN-MIN I was dancing full time around LA, working at a bar on the weekends and trying to write as much music as possible while taking the occasional trip abroad to get lost in the sea somewhere.

Tyler, I absolutely love your story, it’s truly inspirational! I wish nothing but the best for both you boys. You’ve got a returning customer right here—I’ll be doling these out as gifts whenever I can, keeping #SpreadWell alive on the east coast and beyond. I can’t wait to see what you boys have up your sleeves next!

All photos courtesy of SIN-MIN

B E A U T Y, Let's Talk Products

New Product Findings: SIN-MIN Lipspread

4.28.2014 3 Comments

Maybe it’s my underlying yearning for sun on my face, sand in my toes, and sun bleached hair, but I’ve been gravitating towards a favorite location for product-inspo: Cali. Destination for all things laid back and “cool” I’ve opted to try out a cinnamon lip balm, adorably called SIN-MIN. This company is all about the cinnamon, and I’ve never been happier — it’s one of my all-time favorite spices. Dubbed “Horchata Lipspread,” this lip balm first brought awful American Dad associations to mind, but once I received my package last week I haven’t been able to put it down.

I was sick of constantly rotating between Burt’s Bees, Rosebud, and my Sugar Stick just thinking, “These are great, but I want something new and different, not something that I can find everywhere.” In walks my latest obsession: SIN-MIN Horchata Lipspread. I wasn’t kidding—I really can’t find it…anywhere. For us East-coasters, this delicious balm is only available for purchase via their website: www.SIN-MIN.com. Pick up your goodies in a 2- or 5-pack — I opted for the duo leaving one in my purse and one on my nightstand. My push to convert my product arsenal to more natural ones gets easier when there’s an incentive. In this case it’s the taste, texture, packaging, bulk-buying abilities, and Earth friendly company mantra 🙂 A bit about them from their website:

Spread Well. Made in California for your lips and those you share them with. SIN-MIN is created using the finest all natural and organic ingredients and packaged with recycled materials, ensuring a big impact on your senses and a minimal one on the environment.

Photos via SIN-MIN1, SIN-MIN2, my IG

B E A U T Y, Must Knows

How-to: Fixing Broken/Cracked Eyeshadow

3.31.2014 1 Comment

It’s a typical Monday morning: you’re running late because you couldn’t drag yourself out of bed on time. After you haphazardly throw an outfit together, you’re frantically trying to “put your face on” in the bathroom. One subtle elbow movement and you’re watching your favorite pressed powder falling towards the tile floor in slow-mo. Metallic pigment splayed every which-way on your floor, you sweep it up, pissed that you’ll have to repurchase that shade later in the week. Don’t fret: broken shadows ARE fixable. Granted, they won’t look as perfectly pressed and pretty as it did newly out of the box, but you won’t have to shell out that $16.50+ for its replacement.

Supplies needed:

- Broken shadow
- Rubbing alcohol
- Toothpick/Q-tip with cotton tips removed (will be used as a tool to break up the powder even more)
- Quarter (optional)
- Paper towels
- OPTIONAL: Eye-dropper, otherwise: CAREFULLY pour the rubbing alcohol
- **NOTE: these instructions are under the assumption that your broken eyeshadow is a single compact, not part of a value-set with multiple individual shades. Though these are fixable as well—see photos for reference.

Sanitize the tool you’re using to break up the shadow even more. You don’t want to be using a dirty tool as this could cause eye infections…and you will actually have to buy the shadow’s replacement after that.
Using the tool, break up the shadow even more into a finer powder, focusing on the clumps, and making sure to not make a mess on your counter. Keep all powder contained within the shadow’s original casing.
Taking a bit of rubbing alcohol, pour a bit into the cap (or have some ready in the eye dropper), pour a few drops into the eyeshadow (this amount depends on how much powder was in the compact). Put in a little at first—you can always add more. NOTE: if you do add too much, it’s no biggy, you’ll just have to wait a bit longer for the excess alcohol to evaporate.
Using your tool, move the shadow/alcohol mixture around until it’s fairly mixed and the texture is goopy like a thick paste. Once you’ve achieved this consistency, put your tool aside.
Taking the eyeshadow case, “drop” it unto a hard surface a few times to smooth out the goops and make sure the mixture is settled. This will ensure that the finished product has a smoother surface rather than bumpy/clumpy. Do NOT do this step if you are fixing a broken shadow in a palette—ONLY do this step if fixing a single stand-alone shadow.
Set the shadow aside and allow for the rubbing alcohol to evaporate. This can take as little as 2hrs — I left mine overnight for convenience sake. Again, if you added a bit too much alcohol in step 3 you will just have to wait a wee bit longer, and overnight could be your best bet.
To ensure that your shadow is dry to the touch, gently touch the surface with your fingertip—if the shadow gives in to the middle, and your finger has quite a bit of product transfer, it still needs time to dry. If it’s solid, not too too much product is transferred to your fingertip, and doesn’t collapse into itself you are now able to press the powder down even more.
Take a tissue, folded twice, and lay it across the top of the now-dry shadow fully covering the pigment. Gently but firmly press your fingertips into the tissue to compact the powder down even more. If you would like the surface to be evenly compacted, you may also use a quarter. Place the coin ON TOP of the tissue making sure that it is centered, and press gently but firmly. If you press too firmly you can still damage the eyeshadow as it is not fully dry.
Set this now compacted shadow aside to fully dry overnight, and you’ll be ready to use it the next morning. Voila!

If you’re more of learn-by-seeing type of person, here is the YouTube video I referenced.