Base makeup used to be simple. You had you choice of foundation, tinted moisturizer, and powder. Call it the Instagram effect, but skin is in, and in the past few years complexion products have really taken off leaving us with more options than ever—maybe too many options. Among all the liquids, creams, sticks, and tints, narrowing down what formula works best is overwhelming. And that’s not even taking shade range in account. On the plus side, all these options means more of a chance of nailing down the exact coverage and finish you’re after. To help break down the difference between a CC, BB, cushion, and more, we asked celebrity makeup artist Andrew Sotomayor to spill his knowledge. Read on to get the basics on bases.
Unless you’ve been chilling under a rock lately, you’ve probably heard of microblading, the new-ish, semi-permanent version of eyebrow tattoos. They’re not your grandma’s stamped-on brows; instead, the delicate, super-fine hair strokes look natural and realistic in a way that the first-gen versions never did. Microblading’s recent popularity has spawned microshading and microfeathering, two techniques that give you a different brow look depending on your preferences. Here’s how they differ—and what that’ll mean for you.
Microblading
Eyebrows before and after microblading
Best for: Anyone who wants a natural brow look that lasts.
What is microblading: Microblading is a technique using a super-fine pen (technically, a bundle of 12 to 15 needles) to deposit pigment into skin. The tip is so fine, in fact, that it can create hair strokes that look legit. And the needles reach only into the superficial layers of the skin, which is what makes the method semi-permanent (versus permanent, like traditional cosmetic tattoos). Think of each stroke as a little paper-cut. (We know what you’re wondering: Yes, it hurts, but your brow artist can numb the area first.) Compared to other techniques, “microblading gives a very natural look and better simulates hair,” says Betsy Shuki, makeup artist and brow expert who offers microblading services at the office of NYC plastic surgeon Scott Wells, MD.
What you should know: Prices vary based on location and artist expertise, but expect a quality job to run somewhere between $700 to $1,500. In the first few days, you might want to plan around your brows. “On the first day after microblading, clean your eyebrows with distilled water on cotton pad gently and apply aftercare cream every four hours,” says Shuki. On the second day, repeat that three times. For the next five days, do this morning and night. Your brow area might be red and scabby, so try not to schedule big things (e.g., a huge job interview or engagement photos) for the first week or two. “Also, avoid going to the gym, any excess sweating around eyebrows will prevent pigment retention and can cause infection,” adds Shuki.
How long microblading lasts: You’ll need a touch-up in about a month (the cost of this is typically budgeted into the fee of the initial service). Then, microblading can last anywhere from 12 months to three years, depending on your lifestyle. A few ways to extend it: Stay out of the sun, since it can fade the pigment, and avoid putting exfoliants (like retinol and glycolic acid) near your brows, because they’ll lift the top layers of your skin with continued use—and the color with it.
Microfeathering
PHOTO: Kristie Striecher / Striiike
Eyebrows before and after microfeathering
Best for: Anyone who wants to lightly fill out the brows they already have.
What is microfeathering: Microfeathering is a form of microblading, and a technique created (and trademarked) by eyebrow artist-to-the-stars Kristie Streicher. She’s best known for her feathered brow, a no-needle shaping method that’s all about a natural, fluffy-looking brow. This is similar to that, but with pigment. Like microblading, she uses a fine blade to create tiny incisions. “Pigment is then deposited into the incisions, resulting in an incredible natural-looking ‘eyebrow hair,'” says Streicher. Unlike microblading, which typically creates most of the brow for you, Streicher uses your existing brow hairs as the “starting base” and simply fills it in as needed.
What you should know: Microfeathering is a little more high-maintenance than microblading, only because Streicher is so exact. She requires a consultation to ensure that there’s enough natural hair to help blend the pigment into your brows. (And, even so, there’s usually a growing-out period of six to 12 months so your existing brow hairs are all accounted for.) It’s also a two-part process (all of which costs $1,000 for Streicher’s procedure). “During the first appointment, microfeathered strokes are created in some of the more dense area of the brow,” explains Streicher. “Six to eight weeks later, depending on how your skin heals and responds, additional strokes are then added.” Everyone heals differently, she says, so she can better complete the look once she knows how your skin will recover.
How long microfeathering lasts: It typically doesn’t have the staying power of microblading because “the pigmented stokes are much finer and natural looking,” says Streicher. Depending on certain factors, like your skin type (oily skin won’t hold the pigment as well), age, and skin care routine, microfeathering will usually last eight to 12 months, max.
Watch: Microblading, Microshading, and Microfeathering: What’s the Difference?
Microshading
PHOTO: Betsy Erbeli Shuki
Eyebrows after microshading and microblading
Best for: Anyone who wants brows to look more “done” (i.e. thick and filled in).
What is microshading: If microblading is like painting and microfeathering more like sketching, microshading is like an Impressionist got ahold of the blade. “Microshading technique is done using either an electric hand tool or a manual tool, which creates a soft, powdered effect that resembles eyebrow powder,” says Shuki. Instead of the hair stroke typical with microblading and microfeathering, microshading employs a stippling method, which uses repetitive dots of pigment. It’s like the pomade or powder to microblading’s pencil strokes—just semi-permanent. The overall effect more closely resembles the sort of brow you’d find on any given Instagram influencer.
What you should know: Some people could benefit from a combo of microshading and microblading, says Shuki. That candidate would have thinning eyebrows with drier skin—so, likely on the more mature side. Thinning brows can benefit from the extra oomph of shading. If you’re on the fence between the two, nothing beats checking out photos on Instagram. They’ll give you a good understanding of a brow artist’s style, so you’ll have a better idea of what to expect when you make an appointment. Plus, it shows the quality of the work, since pictures can’t hide a botched microblading or microshading job. (Also, spring for an artist with a license or certificate from the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals or the American Academy of Micropigmentation, which shows that they’ve undergone the proper training.) Luckily, if you do get both, the price is about the same as it would be for just microblading. Expect to pay anywhere between $700 and $1,500.
How long microshading lasts: All good news here—there’s no difference in the lifespan of microshading and microblading. So, excluding the first touch-up, you have a solid year before you need to see your brow artist again.
September’s runways at New York Fashion Week were nothing short of historic: A record-shattering number of size-diverse looks—208, to be exact—appeared on the runways some of fashion’s most notable brands. While those model appearances marked a major shift in what designers consider a runway-worthy body, model Ashley Graham tells Glamour that there’s still plenty of work to be done to reach genuine size inclusivity in the fashion industry.
Earlier this month at the GlamourWomen of the Year kick-off party with Barneys New York, Graham cited “seeing curves on the runway” as one of the most fundamental shifts in the fashion industry of 2017. “To me, that’s like, whoa. Major round of applause.” This year, she was the first-ever plus model to walk for Michael Kors (and she did so both for Fall 2017 and Spring 2018!), and to cover an issue of Vogue (another moment she rightfully considers major.) “We shouldn’t be surprised [by size inclusivity] anymore—we should just be celebrating it and being like okay, what’s the next thing? Where else are we gonna see us?”
To Graham, size inclusivity isn’t casting a single curve model in a show flooded with sample-size models and calling it progress—which we’ve seen on past runways and in ad campaigns aplenty. She recalls having conversations with designers who want to put curves on the runway, but fear it might feel like tokenism. The key to making it an honest, authentic effort? “[It’s] when there’s not just one [curve model, but] there’s multiple,” Graham says, “and you bring ’em back.”
PHOTO: Astrid Stawiarz
Ashley Graham walking in the Prabal Gurung Spring 2018 fashion show during New York Fashion Week.
“I think if designers start thinking that way,” of incorporating size diversity into their runways and presentations organically, “then that’s how the change really happens,” Graham explains. “And that’s where you see the movement really not being a movement, but being really normal.” A few people have been living up to those terms, she says—Christian Siriano, Prabal Gurung, and Michael Kors, in particular.
Graham also highlights how retailers like Nordstrom are introducing new store concepts where all sizes, from petite to plus, are merchandised together as another important development in size inclusivity, and one that’s worth keeping an eye on. In addition to simply having all the product in the same section, “I think that buyers need to start educating their customer and saying like, ‘Hey, you know what? Prabal does go up to a size 22, Brandon Maxwell does go up to a size 22, would you buy it if we had it in the store?’ Because I think women who are above a size 14 don’t know that designers that major actually have their size.”
As we look to 2018, Graham is hoping we not only continue to build on the momentum from this year, but also start innovating and pushing beauty standards for plus-sized models. “I think that in the curvy world, what you see when you see a model is an hourglass, flat stomach, cute face… and I think that [we should be] looking beyond a body, looking beyond a face, looking at what a woman is actually doing, and how she’s changing the world around her. That’s what, to me, a supermodel is in 2018.”
The recent Wonder Woman film is feminist in its DNA. It’s directed by a woman (Patty Jenkins), has a strong female lead (Gal Gadot, who plays Diana Prince/Wonder Woman), and features a slew of women both in front of and behind the camera. This is a huge reason why the film resonated so much with audiences when it hit theaters this past June. Plus, the fact that we finally saw women in superhero films not being manipulated by the male gaze was so exciting.
The Wonder Woman ensemble agrees. In this new behind-the-scenes exclusive clip, the cast reveals that their shooting experience would’ve been entirely different if Jenkins, a woman, wasn’t at the helm.
“Wonder Woman was something that, all of her life, Patty was very passionate about and she was very opinionated about her,” Gadot said.
It’s this passion that led to Wonder Woman’s creatively open set, which Robin Wright, who plays Antiope in the film, found liberating.
“It was so refreshing to work with a woman who was so open and available and excited by all that everyone brought,” Wright said. “You’re surround by 180-something women on the set. You think that energy wasn’t different? It was noticeable.”
Watch the clip for yourself, below:
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That energy was transferred to audience members, too. Wonder Woman‘s impact was astronomical. One kindergarten teacher wrote that the film caused several of her female students to find their superhero potential. One viewer found comfort in Wonder Woman’s realistic-looking thighs—and she wrote a now-viral Tumblr post about it. This movie pushed the feminist dial forward in many ways. We’re a better world because of it.
And now you can watch it whenever you want. Wonder Woman hits DVD stands today.
Donald Trump has boasted that “no one has more respect for women” than he does—but he sure seems to have trouble telling them apart.
The president struggled to tell the difference between two blonde female reporters at a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö on Monday. As Niinistö called upon a member of the Finland press corps to ask a question—a reporter who happened to be a woman with blonde hair—Trump interjected.
“Again? You’re going to give her the same one?” he asked, alluding to a different blonde-haired woman who had asked a question earlier.
“No, she is not the same lady,” Niinistö retorted. “They are sitting side by side.”
The reporter gamely offered her own insight, telling the President, “We have a lot of blonde women in Finland.” Then she got back to business, launching into a question about Finland’s role in the relationship between Russian and the U.S.
This isn’t the first time Trump has struggled to get through a basic interaction with the press. In the roughly seven months since he took office, his tempestuous relationship with the media has seen an impromptu press conference turn downright hostile, a campaign-style rally built mostly on media attacks, and a truly cringe-worthy moment when the President singled out an Irish reporter to compliment her “nice smile.”
As for Monday’s gaffe, even a cursory glance would indicate that the two women who were subjects of the President’s mix-up, Maria Annala and Paula Vilén, don’t really look alike:
