Brunette Ambition Read online

  3. “Most people’s skin tone is somewhere in between two shades of foundation, particularly as the year evolves. Buy two shades and mix them together, changing your formulation as you get more or less sun through the seasons.”

  4. “If you have clear skin and don’t need a lot of coverage, buy a tinted moisturizer; alternately, you can mix your foundation with a bit of moisturizer or illuminizer to dilute its opacity.”

  * * *

  MARK TOWNSEND’S BEAUTY SECRETS

  1. “I ask all my clients to wash their hair only every three days. When you wash your hair every day, you’re stripping the strands of their natural oils, so your scalp overproduces oil to compensate. You can still take a shower and get your head wet, just don’t use shampoo: Instead massage your scalp with your hands so the water moves the oil down the strands. If you have bangs, go ahead and separate them from the rest of your hair and wash daily. Eventually, your scalp will produce less oil so you won’t feel so greasy.”

  2. “Everyone should own some dry shampoo, which either has powder or starch in it. This absorbs oil, so you can spray dry shampoo on your roots, massage it in, and then brush it through. It’s also amazing for adding texture and building volume that lasts. If you just need a touch-up after a long day of work or school, flip your head over, spray, and then scrunch it up. Dry shampoo gives your style that coveted second-day texture but will still keep your hair looking clean.”

  3. “I ask all of my clients to do my restorative hair masque (see this page for recipe) weekly, ideally for an hour at a time (they throw it on while they take a bath or put a shower cap over their head and do other things around the house). The reason I use coconut oil is that its molecules are tiny and can penetrate the hair shaft; most other oils can’t get into the hair shaft and just sit on top. They’re sealing the cuticle, which is great, but they’re not giving you the benefits of tons of moisture.”

  4. “There’s nothing sadder than hair that can’t move: It should be soft and very touchable. So instead of spraying your entire head with hair spray, spot-treat flyaways by spritzing a natural-bristle toothbrush (it cannot be plastic) with a flexible-hold hair spray and touching up out-of-control strands.”

  5. “I cut my clients’ hair every twelve weeks—no more, unless they have a short haircut or a bob that has a very specific shape that needs maintenance (in which case, every six weeks). By stretching it out between cuts, you can preserve your length. Invest in a really great quarterly cut rather than more frequent trims—it’s definitely worth the money to style from a good base.”

  6. “A lot of the blow-dryers on the market get too hot, so when you’re blowing out your hair, be careful to protect it. Rough-dry your hair until it’s 90 percent dry (i.e., don’t focus the nozzle directly on the strands) before you start pulling on it with a brush—and never, ever flat-iron wet or damp hair.”

  BLOWING OUT YOUR HAIR

  Mark prefers it when I go a few days before washing my hair so that it has plenty of texture for him to work with, but I hate skipping a shampoo, so he’ll use some dry shampoo to add texture (see this page). Here’s how he gets my hair prepped for more intensive styling.

  1. “I always blow out bangs while they’re wet before I do anything else—and I never apply product to them. Because bangs are touched constantly, they can get greasy fast. Hold the blow-dryer from above so that the air is pushing them down, as you don’t want any volume in the front.”

  2. “I divide hair into two sections, top and bottom, and then pin the top half up.”

  3. “Taking a dime-size amount of anti-frizz product, I rub it in my hands and then apply it to damp hair, working it evenly and thoroughly through the strands. It’s key that you divide the hair into sections (top and bottom each get a dime-size amount) so that you don’t overdistribute product to the top section, weighing it down. Ultimately, frizz starts underneath, on areas of the hair that are often neglected.”

  4. “Start by blowing out the top section first. This is by far the most exhausting for your arms, and they’ll get tired fast, so save your strength to use here as this hair is also the most visible. Use a round brush as you blow to smooth it out, and then clip it back up. You can rough-dry the bottom section since it’s not as important—once it’s nearly dry, take a round brush and smooth it out as you finish it off.”

  MY FIVE FAVORITE MAJOR BEAUTY LOOKS

  DATE NIGHT

  SMOKY EYE + NUDE LIP

  1. Rim the entire eye with a soft kohl pencil. Kohl is a little messy, so it doesn’t have to be perfect (you can tidy it up after with a Q-tip that’s been dipped in makeup remover). Use your finger or a pointed brush to smudge the line—you can also find a kohl pencil that has a sponge on the end.

  2. Finish the eye by taking a cream eye shadow in the shade you prefer (taupe, bronze, gray) and working it into the crease with a pointy crease brush. Don’t get too high or too far out with the color. Next, curl your lashes. And then take your mascara wand and wiggle it a bit at the base of the lashes as you move up. This ensures that you separate and coat the lashes for optimal coverage. On the bottom lashes, hold the mascara wand vertically and apply like a windshield wiper.

  3. Using a cream blush, smile, and pat the color on the apple of the cheek to add freshness. You’ll want to tap and then blend, adding color gradually until it looks just right.

  4. Because the eyes are dramatic, you’ll want to keep your lips nude. Take a matte cream lip stain or lipstick and using your finger, pat it on.

  DATE NIGHT

  BEACHY WAVE

  1. Taking sections of hair that are four inches wide, roll hair under with a one-and-three-quarter-inch curling iron, and then set with a clip. Make sure to leave the bottom two inches of hair uncurled to make the wave a bit cooler and messier. If you’re not great with a curling iron or need a shortcut, you can use one-and-three-quarter-inch hot rollers instead. Leave the curls clipped until they’re no longer hot (hair “sets” as it cools).

  2. Spray a paddle brush with flexible- or working-hold hair spray, remove the clips, and brush hair out.

  3. Modern shapes are all about volume at the crown and ends of the hair, not at the front, so leave the front sections of hair alone. Take a teasing comb, lift a one-inch section of hair straight up, and then back-comb from halfway up the shaft all the way down to the root, about four times. Once you’ve applied enough volume, smooth it out with the comb.

  4. Warm a light styling cream up in your hands and then run it through the hair, working the curls to create pieces and a sexy, tousled effect.

  RED CARPET

  GOLDEN GLOBES MAKEUP

  1. Use a kohl liner along the top only—make the line as clean as possible and then wing it a tiny bit. Apply a small amount of shimmery dark brown eye shadow to a domed brush and then feather the line back and forth a bit. Apply two coats of mascara to the top, wiggling the wand at the base of the lashes as you move up. Use a dark brown mascara on the bottom lashes (apply vertically, like a windshield wiper) to open the eyes up a bit and to keep the overall effect nice and romantic.

  2. Using either a cream or powder highlight that’s shimmery pink or shimmery gold, highlight under the top of the eyebrow (right where it peaks) and also at the inner corner of the eye.

  3. Taking a blush brush, apply a soft pink blush on the apple of the cheek, patting and swiping as you move up the cheekbone. Work gradually and lightly. It’s much easier to add more blush than to have to take it off and start over.

  4. Use a lip pencil to define the lips in a nice, soft pink, feathering it inside the lip a little bit so it’s not a hard line. Add a super-high-shine gloss in pink to finish the look.

  RED CARPET

  GOLDEN GLOBES HAIR

  1. Part hair to the side, and then, using a three-quarter-inch curling iron, curl everything forward toward the face, creating uneven waves as you go.

  2. Make a horseshoe section of hair up top—essentially everything from the front to the crown of t
he head—and clip it for later. Then gather all the hair from the sides and pull to the center of the back of the head. Braid this hair, which is key for taming lots of layers and adding texture, and then secure with a little elastic at the end. Twist the braid into a bun, and put your first bobby pins through the elastic, forming an X. Moving around the bun, affix it to your head with X’s of bobby pins. This anchors the look and will keep your hair from slipping.

  3. Rub a light-hold styling cream in your hands and run it through the top section of hair to create pieceyness, then push hair forward over the bangs or forehead before bringing it back. If any loose tendrils are longer than chin length, pin them back into the chignon.

  4. Take a reusable mascara wand and spray it with a flexible-hold hair spray. Work around your hairline and neck, cleaning the look up as you go. The mascara wand is key for very small amounts of hair that need to be tucked into a chignon. Flyaways are fine up top, but you don’t want any around your ears.

  SUNDAY BRUNCH

  GLOWY BRONZER + COLORFUL EYES

  1. Take a big bronzer brush and sweep across your cheeks, forehead, nose, and ultimately neck. Build gradually, shaking off as much product as possible before applying. It’s much easier to add more than to start over!

  2. Using a cream color base and a flat eye shadow brush, gently pat a wash of fun color across your lid, building up the density of the color gradually. Violet, blue, green, and pink are all fair game. Then take a shimmery powder of the same color and pat more on. The shimmery powder will stick to the cream base beneath.

  3. Take a mascara in the same color family and wiggle the wand back and forth underneath the top lashes, to work the color throughout. Apply mascara to the bottom lashes by holding the wand vertically and swiping it like a windshield wiper.

  4. Apply a light pink gloss to the lips, skipping liner.

  SUNDAY BRUNCH

  MESSY BRAID WITH NATURAL TEXTURE

  1. Take a bit of light styling cream or lotion in your hands, warm it up, and then rake it through your hair to give a little hold and glossiness.

  2. Pull all your hair behind one of your ears (whichever you prefer), and then create a classic three-strand braid. Secure with an elastic.

  3. Tie a bit of ribbon at the bottom in a knot, not a bow—a slightly undone knot is best because a bow will look too precious on a braid that isn’t supposed to look perfect.

  4. You don’t want a lot of loose hair around the front of your face, so spritz hair spray onto a natural-bristle toothbrush and clean up any flyaways. The toothbrush is better than a reusable mascara wand when you are looking to tidy hair (rather than tuck it into an updo).

  BUSINESS MEETING

  WINGED LINER + BERRY LIP

  1. Before you apply liquid liner, angle your face up while looking in the mirror, and then stretch your eyelid to the side so it’s smooth and taut. Start about halfway across your lash line, pushing the liquid liner as close as possible. Apply light pressure to draw your line, increasing thickness as you move to the outer corner of the eye. Once you’ve reached the outside corner of the eye, look straight into the mirror and wing up the liner with a flick. Then carefully connect the wing to the rest of the liner. The more aggressive the wing, the more retro the look.

  2. Take a pointy Q-tip and douse it in a little eye makeup remover. While looking at yourself in the mirror, refine and sharpen the wing. Clean up any mess. If you want, you can take a little brush and face powder and tidy it even more. Then apply a lot of mascara, wiggling from the base of the lashes up.

  3. Take a blush brush and a very neutral, understated blush that is matte and has no shimmer or glitter, and brush it across your cheeks. Don’t make it too specific or too concentrated; instead you want something that’s slightly more amped than your normal skin tone.

  4. Pout your lips, and apply a berry-colored lip stain with your ring finger. Don’t use a lip pencil, and don’t finish the look with a gloss.

  BUSINESS MEETING

  SIDE PART, STRAIGHT

  1. Divide hair into a top and bottom section. Secure the top, and take a dime-size amount of anti-frizz serum in your hands, rub together, and then evenly distribute. Repeat with top section. Don’t apply any other products if you want your hair to last as long as possible.

  2. Blow-dry hair roughly; when hair is 90 percent dry use a round brush while blow-drying to smooth it out.

  3. Take two-inch sections of hair and slowly move a comb through the strands immediately in front of a flat iron. While the tendency is to try to straight-iron bigger sections to save time, this will actually cause damage. When you work with sections that are too large, you have to move the iron through your hair many times, frying the hairs on the outer edge in the process (and failing to get to the hairs in the middle). Instead, you’ll want to move the iron through each two-inch section twice, max. While using smaller sections may seem like it would take longer, it’s just as fast since you don’t have to cover the same ground repeatedly.

  4. Take a natural-bristle toothbrush, spritz it with hair spray, and smooth any flyaways.

  DINNER WITH THE GIRLS

  FUN LIP + SIMPLE EYE

  1. Fill the entire lip with a bright pink lip pencil.

  2. Apply an intensely pigmented lip lacquer. A bright lip needs to be super-precise so that it doesn’t look sloppy, so dip a Q-tip in makeup remover and tidy up the edges. Finally, take a little brush and some face powder and carefully set the edge of the lip.

  3. Take a powder brush and apply a powder illuminizer all over your face to give it a glow—pick a light pink or peach shade with a little shimmer.

  4. Apply two coats of mascara, wiggling the wand from the base of the lashes up.

  DINNER WITH THE GIRLS

  HIGH BUN

  1. Gather your hair at the crown of your head (not the top), and secure it in a ponytail with a very tight elastic. Spritz a paddle brush with working- or flexible-hold hair spray and smooth the hair up to the elastic, ensuring that it lies nice and flat.

  2. Braid the ponytail and secure it with a second elastic.

  3. Take your thumb and place it on the top of your head in front of the ponytail. Wrap the braid over the top of your thumb (toward your face), and then wrap under and tuck the end in.

  4. Take bobby pins and place them through the elastic in an X formation, securing the bun to your head. Place X-formation bobby pins throughout the bun to anchor it in place.

  * * *

  The Spotlight

  1. Don’t try to make yourself look like everyone else—and don’t use hair and makeup to disguise your uniqueness. Instead, play up what makes you you!

  2. Find a hairstylist and someone who can help you with your makeup whom you really trust—you need someone who is excited to play up your distinctiveness. While it’s great to bring in some professional help for big events, it’s worth it to find someone—your mom, a good friend—who can help you learn how to do your makeup for every day.

  3. Mark, Melanie, and I always confer about what gets to be the star of the show before I sit down in the hair-and-makeup chair. Are you going to do a really fun hairstyle, like a cool braid? Then maybe your makeup should take the backseat. Having too many things going on at once can be overwhelming—unless of course you’re heading out to a big event.

  4. If you tend to style your hair a lot, make sure that you’re not damaging it with too much heat—don’t pull on it with brushes, and don’t rush to straighten it when it might still be damp. Every weekend, take the time to nourish it with a hair masque.

  5. You won’t enjoy your big night out if you’re constantly having to redo or worry about your hair and makeup: Choose a hairstyle that’s touchable (i.e., not too much hair spray) and will look better and better as it becomes more undone as the night progresses; make sure that you apply your makeup in such a way that it will last all night.

  CH 9

  FRIENDSHIP

  “What is exciting is not for one person to be stron
ger than the other … but for two people to have met their match and yet they are equally as stubborn, as obstinate, as passionate, as crazy as the other.”

  —BARBRA STREISAND

  Clockwise from top left: With my beautiful girlfriends Jamie, Joanna, and Stephanie * me and the girls at my twenty-fifth birthday * with Skyler Astin and Lauren Pritchard, some of my Spring Awakening buddies * a selfie with Stephanie on a quick trip to New York * with my bestie, Chris Colfer, at my twenty-fifth birthday * at the Hollywood Haunted Ride with Jennifer and Stephanie—an action shot before we quickly headed for the exit! * with the girls in Santa Barbara on a girls’ weekend getaway.