April 06, 2015

From Wall Street to Beverly Hills – A Nail Salon is Born

April 06, 2015/ Lorna Soonhee Umphrey

What do you get when the East Coast meets the West Coast in the nail biz? You get a nail salon in Beverly Hills called Olive + June created by New Yorker and former financier Sarah Gibson Tuttle. She cleverly named the business after her great-grandmother and grandmother; matriarchs who instilled the importance of having a good heart and high standards. Having worked on Wall Street for ten years in New York, Sarah headed west to make a big career change. While scared at the same time to start her own business, Sarah’s love for the beauty industry made her excited about her new venture.

February 03, 2015

A Zen Moment with Shiva Rose

February 03, 2015/ Lorna Soonhee Umphrey

Living holistic and healthy is a lifestyle for The Local Rose’s Shiva Rose. After fleeing her homeland of Iran after the revolution, she spent her childhood as a refugee, trying to assimilate into a new life. Even at a young age, she understood her own spiritual connection to nature after she saw a tree cut down and cried for hours. At the age of 26, she gave birth to her first child and was diagnosed with a life-threatening auto-immune condition. In trying to treat her affliction, she found that Western medicine wasn’t working for her, and made the choice to completely switch up her diet and way of living to holistic and natural. Rose explains, “I turned to my passion in life when my marriage dissolved and I needed solace. I created the blog The Local Rose, moved to be closer to the wild and made sure to spend time in forests and the ocean.” We got the lowdown on what her natural skin remedies are, what her beauty routine is and why we really are what we eat.

January 27, 2015

It's A Double Feature Starring Katherine Rees And Carmé Tenuta From State Of Affairs

January 27, 2015/ Lorna Soonhee Umphrey

If working with the President of the United States and a TOP CIA Analyst sounds intimidating, well, it probably is for most people. But not for Katherine Rees (Hair Department Head) and Carme Tenuta (Makeup Department Head). They work on the new hit show, NBC’s State of Affairs, starring Katherine Heigl and Alfre Woodard. Having worked on shows together in the past, these two have a solid system down for running their departments. They credit ESP-like communication, getting their actors in and out of their chairs in a flash and making sure a sense of humor is still ever-present for keeping them sane. We got the gossip on why they work so well together, how they prep for a show (and keep up with the fast pace of production) and how they made their journey into the land of TV and Film.

January 06, 2015

Talking Braids and Katniss with Mockingjay’s Hair Department Head Camille Friend

January 06, 2015/ Lorna Soonhee Umphrey

The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part 1 was one of the hottest films this year, and from the very first film, the iconic Katniss french braid gained incredible popularity, taking to red carpets and runways. And who came up with this ingenuous hair creation? The Hunger Games’ Hair Department Head Camille Friend.

December 11, 2014

She’s the Makeup Department Head for About a Boy. She is Jessica Crocker.

December 11, 2014/ Lorna Soonhee Umphrey

The super hit comedy on NBC is in it’s second season and no one’s happier to be working on this show than Makeup Department Head Jessica Crocker. She’s an artist to the “T” and it’s no wonder she won an Emmy. (I mean, have you seen her Instagram page with massively detailed tattoo artistry, crazy super effects makeup and a few glimpses of the gorge About a Boy star Minnie Driver?) Her creative soul developed early in her preschool days, and aside from painting actors’ faces on hit TV shows and films, she’s also an oil painter with an art exhibit opening soon. We asked Jessica about that moment when she won an Emmy, her staple makeup products and what it’s like to keep herself from laughing on set.

November 06, 2014

Celebrity Makeup Artist Yolonda Frederick-Thompson Reveals What JHud Never Leaves Home Without

November 06, 2014/ Lorna Soonhee Umphrey

Starting with a passion for the Theater, Celebrity Makeup Artist Yolanda Frederick-Thompson ended up behind the camera as a force to be reckoned with. While attending Central Methodist University in Missouri majoring in Communications and Theater, Yolanda discovered that her true calling was to be a makeup artist and not her original plan of being a newscaster. “I would have to say the Theater was a big inspiration towards my appreciation for the art of makeup,” she explains. “This is definitely my calling as I love to create and it’s fulfilling to see how my creativity translates.”

October 15, 2014

Chatting It Up With Celebrity Manicurist Pattie Yankee

October 15, 2014/ Lorna Soonhee Umphrey

Now working with major pop stars like Katy Perry and Pink, Celebrity Manicurist Pattie Yankee has come a long way since her days teaching at a dance academy in Florida. That’s right, the former dance instructor got hooked on “all things nail-related” and enrolled in nail school after she was asked to be a hand model for a nail art competition.

October 08, 2014

Celebrity Makeup Artist Denika Bedrossian Talks Miley, MAC & More

October 08, 2014/ Lorna Soonhee Umphrey

What’s it like to work with one of the biggest pop stars – ahem – Miley Cyrus? Celebrity Makeup Artist Denika Bedrossian takes it all in stride. Makeup artistry seems to have been her calling from a very young age. “As a child, my sister and I used to paint in a studio every day. Oil and acrylics, watercolor and charcoal… whatever it was, it was always my favorite part of the day. The older I got, I began to realize I was meant to move from canvas to faces,” she says.

August 18, 2014

Go Inside The Minds of "Orange is The New Black's" Hair & Makeup Dept. Heads

August 18, 2014/ Lorna Soonhee Umphrey

Knocking out 12 Emmy nominations this year in its second season, it’s clear to say “Orange is the New Black” is one of the hottest shows this season. A huge cast means Hair Department Head Angel De Angelis and Makeup Department Head Michal Biggar constantly have their hands full. With a supportive team and the best actors to work with, this beauty duo takes on the challenging task of making prison look, shall we say, not-so-chic? Read along and find out what it’s like for them to work on a hit show, how they tackle the flashback scenes and why Laverne Cox is the ultimate beauty queen.

August 15, 2014

Interview with Style Blogger Peony Lim

August 15, 2014/ Lorna Soonhee Umphrey

What’s it like to create a fashion blog and within a year be featured in publications such as Vogue Russia, Glamour and The Sunday Times Style? Ask Peony Lim. She’s a style blogger and brand consultant who went from starting a small blog to having her own super successful website within a few years. Her popularity and super smart style landed her collaborations with brands ranging from J Brand to the Gap and Michael Kors. Now at www.peonylim.com, Peony covers everything from fashion to food & travel. WIB caught up with her on a recent trip to London to find out how she manages and cares for her skin in the dismally cold London weather, what her beauty tricks are and why Tom Ford lipstick is her must-have.

August 13, 2014

Chatting on Set with “The Bridge” Hair & Make-Up Ladies

August 13, 2014/ leah rial

The FX show “The Bridge” has a powerhouse duo in Nani Velez (Hair Department Head) and Kris Evans (Makeup Department Head) who make sure each actor and every special effect is flawlessly gritty and perfectly fitting for the look of the show.

August 11, 2014

Amy Chance: Makeup Artist

August 11, 2014/ Bryn Kenny

With her signature rocker-chic style and eye for the avant garde, it’s no surprise that makeup artist Amy Chance is currently one of the most sought-after artists for some of the hottest actresses and recording artists on the planet. The list includes Sky Ferreira, Lily Allen, Kate Mara and Chloe Sevigny. Growing up in Hollywood, Amy parlayed her interest for music, movies and fashion into makeup. Her work has appeared everywhere from Jalouse and i-D to ELLE and Nylon, and she has worked with photographers and directors such as as Hedi Slimane, David Lynch, David Fincher and Ron Howard. Amy took a moment out of her busy Awards Season schedule to answer some questions from Wisdom in Beauty below.

August 04, 2014

Samira Far: Founder of Bellacures

August 04, 2014/ Lorna Soonhee Umphrey

What’s the cure for biting your nails? Opening your own franchise of nail salons, naturally! At least that’s what Samira Far did. In 2006, she launched her first high-end nail salon called Bellacures in Beverly Hills. Business degree in hand, Samira embarked on her first job out of college, which involved lots of number crunching. Within ten months on the job, she realized this simply was not for her! She embarked on an entrepreneurial journey which landed her in the nail business and now currently runs seven salons spread across the Los Angeles are. She’s also in talks of opening a salon in Dallas soon. We caught up with her to discuss her life as a young business owner, Bellacures’ business philosophy and her signature red nail polish color.

May 01, 2014

Leah Rial: Makeup Artist

May 01, 2014/ Lorna Soonhee Umphrey

Make-up Artist Leah Rial discovered her passion for the make-up world when she worked as a Dior counter girl in college. From there, she found herself working with South East Asian royalty and eventually with A-list celebrities in film and TV – a make-up artist’s dream!

Artistry