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Uptown, Downtown, North Brooklyn, South Brooklyn, Queens—can New Yorkers tell where you live by whether you prefer metallic purple lipstick to a sheer rosy stain, or lived-in fishtail braids to bouncy blowouts? We tapped four of our favorite neighborhood beauty spots—the Lower East Side's Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, Cobble Hill's Shen Beauty, the Upper East Side's Kimara Ahnert, and Soho's Birchbox—along with dry style pros Prettier Please, to make the case for hyper-local hair and makeup. See how they styled our model, Masha, according to neighborhood trends—and learn how to recreate the looks!—this way.
Lower East Side
The Shop: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
The Hair: "The Lower East Side girl just woke up like this, without a strand out of place," says Prettier Please stylist Amber Morrow. "I wanted to give her a little bit of texture, something super simple and natural."
The Makeup: "It's more about an artistic statement, as opposed to 'I want to look really pretty,'" OCC director of product development Courtney Tichman says of LES style. "It's a bolder lip—that's why we're using blackened purple—and it's about playing off of different textures, rather than sculpting the skin."
The Products: OCC 'Tint' tinted moisturizer, $29.50; OCC 'Conceal' concealer, $20; OCC 'Creme Colour Concentrate' in 'Miriam,' $20; OCC pencil in 'Penny Royal,' $16; OCC 'Lip Tar' primer, $18; OCC metallic 'Lip Tar' in 'Technopagan,' $18; OCC 'Anti-Feather' primer pencil in clear, $18; BlowPro 'Textstyle' dry texture spray, $20
The Tips: After learning that our model Masha was a biology major, Courtney pulled out colors that are found in the body. "These are colors that you'd find in a bruise, but done beautifully. The key is to keep the color placement high on the eyes, rather than on the apples of the cheeks." As for that super-sleek hair, Amber mixed a bit of BlowPro texture spray with some natural argan oil in her hands, and pulled it through Masha's ends. Then she added some lift by teasing Masha's hair at the crown, and spritzing more BlowPro underneath.
Cobble Hill
The Shop: Shen Beauty
The Hair: "The Cobble Hill woman is busy, but at the same time, there's this effortless beauty," Prettier Please's Amber Morrow says. "I did a messy fishtail braid, so there's a structure to it, and the silhouette is classic and mature but still fun. It's like, you could have a dinner party and talk about the financial crisis, and then go out."
The Makeup: "Cobble Hill women are about skincare first and makeup second," Shen Beauty's lead makeup artist Jill Freeman says. "They're the kind of women who don't have a lot of time—all they need is a blush, a lipstick, and a mascara to look cute, then walk out the door."
The Products: Pai 'Rosehip Bioregenerate Oil,' $42; By Terry 'Baume de Rose,' $59; Kahina toning mist, $46; Kjaer Weis cream blush in 'Abundance,' $56; RMS 'Lip2Cheek' in 'Beloved,' $36; RMS 'Living Luminizer,' $38; By Terry 'Hyaluronic Eye Primer,' $60; RMS cream eyeshadow in 'Magnetic,' $28; Anastasia 'Brow Wiz,' $21; Ilia 'Nightfall' mascara, $24
The Tips: "Rosehip is always associated with revival. It just makes you prettier—it's like happy on your face. Plus, it's good for oily skin, too. You can just let it be your moisturizer," says Jill, who primed Masha's face with Pai's rosehip oil. The other key to this rosy Cobble Hill look: (light) contouring. "I like to use the Kjaer Weis blush as a contour, and it looks really natural. I use it low on the cheekbone to give the face a nice shape, without it looking like that weird photo of Kim Kardashian's contour."
Upper East Side
The Shop: Kimara Ahnert
The Hair: "We're doing a very natural, beachy wave, so I'm using the curling iron more like a wand," says Prettier Please hairstylist Amber Morrow. "It gives volume and texture, but with a more relaxed feel. It's a lot like what I usually like to do with brides, because it looks blended, easy, and effortless."
The Makeup: "My look is based on the Upper East Side socialite; the lady who lunches," says Kimara Ahnert makeup artist Maria Sanchez. "She's probably in her '30s or '40s, and her look is classic and sophisticated. It's glowy, but natural"
The Products: Kimara Ahnert 'Quick Fix' eye primer, $30; Kimara Ahnert eyeshadow in 'Biscuit,' 'Champagne,' and 'Decadent,' $16 for two; Kimara Ahnert creme liner in 'Onyx,' $24; Kimara Ahnert 'Fake-It Full' mascara in black, $28; Kimara Ahnert 'Super Wear' gel eyeliner in 'Baroque,' $26; Kimara Ahnert brow definer in 'Soft Taupe,' $26; Kimara Ahnert BB cream, $52; Kimara Ahnert 'Mineral Illuminator' concealer, $36; Kimara Ahnert cheek defining duo in 'Rio de Janeiro,' $42; Kimara Ahnert lipstick in 'Grace,' $25
The Tips: "I always do the eyes before the face so that you don't get any of the shadow on the cheeks and under the eye," Maria says. "I'm using a metallic greenish-gold liner called Baroque—it pops the eye a little bit as opposed to a brown or black, which can close the eye." Her advice for liquid eyeliner-phobes: "If you're nervous about liquid eyeliner, use a cream liner with a brush, then tap the lash line by laying the brush straight across and pushing down lightly."
Soho
The Shop: Birchbox
The Hair: "The average SoHo girl is edgy, fashion forward, and effortlessly cool," Birchobox Soho's hairstylist Allison Brand says. "She looks polished, but yet not too styled. For this look, we created hair that was sleek and shiny at the top and textured at the bottom. We wanted her to look like she got her hair styled the day before, and quickly touched it up the next day."
The Makeup: "We highlighted Masha's flawless skin with a matte finish, added a winged liner with a smoky drop shadow to her eyes and a berry stained lip that works from day to night," says Birchbox Soho's makeup artist Yana Markevich.
The Products: Smashbox 'Photo Finish' foundation primer, $36; Smashbox hydrating under eye primer, $29; Beauty Blender, $28.95; Jouer matte moisture tint, $38; Smashbox BB eye cream, $25; Laura Geller 'Balance-n-Brighten' setting powder, $33; Marcelle monochromatic bronzer, $20; Anastasia 'Brow Wiz,' $21; Stila 'In the Light' palette eyeshadow in 'Bare,' $39; Stila 'Stay All Day' liquid liner in black, $20; Cynthia Rowley eyeliners in charcoal and black, $16; Smashbox 'Full Exposure' mascara, $19.50; Cynthia Rowley creamy lip stain in 'Dahlia,' $20; Amika 'Bombshell Blowout' spray, $24; Amika flat iron, $60; Oribe 'Soft Lacquer' heat styling spray, $33; Oribe 'Apres Beach' wave and shine spray, $21.50; Fekkai 'Brilliant Glossing' styling creme, $19.99; Oribe dry conditioner spray, $35
The Tips: "The lip color was swiped on in several sheer layers and blotted off slightly to look stained and effortless, without the use of a brush or precise applicator," Yana says. "For the eyeliner, I used an angled eyeliner brush to get the product off the charcoal pencil and smudge it onto the lower lash line to create a smoky, drop shadow effect."