On a recent visit to New York, contributor Aimee Blaut headed out to Brooklyn to catch up with Taylor Barringer (and her adorable dog, Beatrix). Barringer is the new beauty editor of Elle.com, as well as a former assistant beauty editor at Refinery 29 and a makeup artist. She calls herself a "fickle person about makeup," and opened up about all her favorite products that meet her high standards and have become part of her daily routine.
I'm the beauty editor of Elle.com. I work really closely with the print beauty team, as well as online. The online team mirrors what print does, but we move at a faster pace posting things every day. I will be revamping the site's beauty section and making it a destination for people to visit and get tips, how-tos, interviews-everything "dot com" that you can think of, if that makes sense! I started in the industry as a makeup artist for ten years before I went to work at Refinery 29.
The very first thing I do when I wake up is take the dog outside, feed her and get coffee. Then I jump in the shower. In the morning I use the Laura Mercier Face Polish to exfoliate my face. The exfoliants in this scrub are really fine and meant to mimic a microdermabrasion. I am very particular about my scrubs because there are so many out there with horrible things, like crushed nutshells, that make your skin go crazy.
I use Retin-A every single night for acne and wrinkles, so I get really dry around my nose. In the summertime I skip moisturizer because I get really oily. In the wintertime I alternate between a Goldfaden one, a Chanel one and Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Tone Perfecting Crème. Every single day I also use a Chanel eye cream and a Laura Mercier eye serum, which just brightens up the area below my eyes.
I am the most fickle person with makeup because I have been doing it for so long. If something new comes out, I want to try it and I want to know how it feels. I was so dedicated to Laura Mercier foundation for awhile. Then I tried Le Métier de Beauté Classic Flawless Finish Foundation and now that is my new favorite. I mix that with a Becca complexion enhancer and some Becca Bronzing Skin Perfector, which is really good for fair girls. I put that over my foundation.
For concealers, I am obsessed with Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer and the one by Tarte called Maracuja. They both are really creamy and have great coverage. I put them under my eyes in the wintertime and around my nose. I always set my makeup with translucent powder so it wears longer. I like a more natural satin finish. I contour my face every day with The Balm Bahama Mama and make sure to really get the contours of my cheeks well. Then I wear a bit of Lorac's blush in Desire. I prefer a blush that is super-light and barely picks up any color.
Since I have dry eyes, I can't wear contacts for more than four hours. I wear glasses every day so I usually do a cat eye. I tend to wear a lot of eyeliner and smudge it into my lash line. I use the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, and lately I've been skipping eye shadow. Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner and MAC Fluidline in Dipdown are my favorite cream liners for doing a cat eye. Dipdown is the best brown; it's not too red.
I'm constantly changing mascaras. Right now I love Maybelline Volum' Express the Mega Plush. First I curl my lashes with the Kevyn Aucoin lash curler. Then I do a layer of mascara. Then I go do something else. Then I do another layer of mascara and curl them again. I have really long dark lashes so I have to wear mascara on the top and bottom so it looks even.
I have a lot of lip stuff and tend to wear Laura Mercier Lip Pencil in Natural Lips with a balm the most. I like nude glosses and dark lipsticks.
If my hair is too clean, I don't like it because it feels almost oily. So one of my obsessions is Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil Shampoo because I can wash my hair without that overly clean feeling. I also use either Moroccanoil or Free Your Mane Restorative Hair Oil before blow-drying it. To blow-dry I use the Amika Cloud dryer. It only takes ten minutes or less, so I'm obsessed. Since I heat style my hair every day, I use the Kérastase Fibre Architecte on the ends to help with damage. Just one pump is enough for my whole head. It basically mends split ends with heat, which sounds odd but it really works.
To style I usually use Bumble and bumble Brilliantine to add a little grit to my hair and Shu Uemura Sheer Lacquer Finishing Spray. For extra shine I'll add more oil in or use the Kérastase Elixir Ultime The Imperial (I use the pink one because I like that scent the best).
If I haven't washed my hair, I'll use Pssssst Instant Dry Shampoo Spray on my roots and the Fibre Architecte on my ends if I'm curling my hair. If I don't curl my hair, I'll just add more elixir or oil and I'm out the door. If I do an updo or braid my hair, I'll use Bumble and bumble Semisumo to add a little hold.