I’m Jerrod Blandino of Too Faced Cosmetics, and This Is My Makeup Life

Name: Jerrod Blandino
Location: Irvine, California
Day job/current gig: Co-Founder and Creative Director of Too Faced Cosmetics
Hangouts online: Twitter, Facebook and toofaced.com.
Beauty inspirations: First and foremost, it’s the women in my life. My sister growing up. Kind of the idea of being little and seeing my really feminine, fabulous sister, but she was also super kick-@ss. Fashion. Interiors. Wallpapers. Car paint. Cupcakes. Pastries. California. Of course, the beach. It’s such a big part part of who I am. You know, it literally comes from everywhere. I become very obsessed with things. I love anything retro glam, classic. Ya know, I love trends and I love the ’80s and I’m obsessed with, you know, just accessories and fashion. I love stationary and wedding cakes and chocolate and clovers and chihuahuas. I love horses. I don’t know, I’m obsessed with horses all of a sudden…
One word that best describes your outlook on beauty: Joyful!

What makeup/beauty products can’t you live without?

I cannot live without and will never live without my Bulletproof Brows, which is my new product that’s coming out. People will be ADDICTED to it. It will change your life.

My bronzers, my bronzing wardrobe. I have a different bronzer for every different outfit. Every different time of year, every moment. It depends on where I’m going, what I’m doing. I’ve built a bronzing wardrobe that I’m absolutely addicted to and will never give up.

And I love my Amazing Face Powder Foundation. It’s the quickest way to look like you’ve been completely taking care of your skin and have been getting eight hours of sleep and drinking all the water that you should be drinking.

So, those are my obsessive products that I use every day.

When did you start getting into makeup?

Well, that’s kind of funny that you asked that because it’s kind of weird. I was always an artist growing up. I was that little kid who won art shows and was always drawing, and I was obsessed with The Muppets! I went to art school and actually became an art teacher and taught kids art.

Ya know… Well, really in high school, I remember my friend, Bernadette was amazing, and she would spend three hours in the mirror doing her makeup. It was the late ’80s and early ’90s, and I remember thinking that this was just like another form of art. I clicked into that, and I remember the moment it clicked. I was sitting in her bathroom watching her. She was putting on, like, eight different lipsticks to create whatever look she was doing.

And so, then I went to art school. I went to animation school for Disney and Warner Brothers. It was a sort of school where they’d find talent and furrow them in [and it was there] I discovered makeup on accident. I got a job at Estee Lauder behind the counter at Saks Fifth Avenue — it was all totally an accident, freakishly — and on my very first day behind the counter, it all made sense. My art background, my creative background, my dreaming — the way I looked at the world was very cartoonish, always, growing up. I was always ready for, you know, the stuffed animal to come alive and talk to you. I was that kid. I would wait for the rainbow to come into my background so I could climb it and go into the clouds. That was me.

And when I got my first client in the chair, I saw that this was just a different type of art medium, but it was an art medium that would transform people. It would embed self-esteem into women. I saw the transformation that occurred when I was doing my art on people, not on paper. And I was hooked.

What’s your best beauty time-saving trick?

My best beauty time-saving trick? Okay! Alright, so this is what you’re going to do. You’ve going to wake up, and wash your face. You’re going to apply my tinted BB Creme, my BB Balm, because it’s got every amazing skincare serum that I’ve ever tried in my life embedded into that formula. It’s full of moisture, full of anti-oxidants, full of anti-aging, decongesting, wonderful ingredients but it also gives great coverage. So, instantly, boom — we’ve got your skin covered.

We’re going to take my Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer that’s full of antioxidants and moisturizing ingredients, and we’re going to spread that around the perimeter around your face, closest to the hairline, around the jaw, and through your cheekbones. Boom! We’ve got you sculpted and you’re ready go.

You’ve got to put on my Better Than Sex Mascara, because it’s so rich, and so thick, and the powered peptides in that thing make it so black that you don’t need eyeliner. So you’re going to wiggle that right along your lash line. After that, a little bit of my Lip Injection Plumping Lip Gloss will get your lips full, pink and luscious, and you’re out the door. You’re ready to go to work, you’re ready to go on a date, you’re ready to meet your kid’s future husband, you’re ready to have sex, whatever you want.

What’s your favorite beauty tool?

Easy. It’s my Teddy Bear Hair Retractable Kabuki Brush. It’s great for bronzers, it’s great for blushes, it’s great for powders. It’s retractable and twists up and down.

If you keep the head twisted down almost so it’s really tight, and you just get a mound, and the bristles are tight, you get a lot of coverage. You could even use it as a quick eyeshadow brush if you wanted. You could use it as a sculptor. When you twist it up all the way and it gets to its fluffiest self, it’s the perfect bronzer, loose powder, powder foundation applicator. And because it’s synthetic hair, you could even apply your liquid foundations with it. So it does everything!

What’s the best beauty advice you ever received?

You’ve gotta smile. You’ve got to feel it. You’ve got to love your life, you have to feel it from the inside. Because you can do anything you want in the world to the outside, and it’s not going to make any difference. The most beautiful people in the world are the people who are happy, who are self-confident, and who love to be alive. Who are joyful, who are kind and full of love. You know?

What’s your skincare routine?

Oh sh*t, do you really want to get into that? Honey, we’ll be on this call for eight hours.

[KAREN: Okay…so give me the abbreviated version]

Ooooooh, HONEY. Obsessed with skincare! I have lots of great friends in the industry. No, I’m lucky enough to meet and call friends like Dr. Brandt one of them. I’ve been given too much information so… (Laughs.) But because of that, because I know of this, I’ll tell you what I do. A lot of the things I use and love and depend on are in my makeup. Because I’ve realized how important it is, and how important it is to preserve and take good care of your skin. And with science, nowadays, I can incorporate that into my cosmetics.

I’m going to abbreviate it for you because it gets scary! I use DermaQuest Peptide Mobilizer, and then I use Stem Cell Day Serum, and then I use a skin growth gel, it’s Bio-Serum, it makes your skin grow thicker and stay healthy. I do that. Then, I use an eye serum. And I fluctuate back and forth.

And then I use La Mer Eye Concentrate. The green one. It’s amazing. There’s nothing better. Let’s just be honest. Let’s stop looking, let’s stop hunting. It’s the bomb!

Then I use Dr. Brant Glow for the day… I layer a lot of sh*t on.

Sometimes I use Erno Lazlo REM Day Lotion SPF 30. It’s insane! And nobody talks about it, but everybody compliments me on my skin when I wear it.

And then sometimes, I mix the Creme De La Mer Lotion, and I mix it with their new SPF 30, so I mix both of those together and I wear that. You always have to use sunscreen, always, always, always.

Right on top of that baby I use my Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. It’s perfect for me. If you’re paler, you use the Milk Chocolate. Then I add a little Bulletproof Brows to keep everything hunky dory, and I’m out the door.

And do you want my night routine?

[KAREN: You know, I think we’re good for now.]

I know, right? I told you! I don’t know if you want to go there. It gets intense.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve tried in the name of beauty?

Oh, sh*t! The weirdest thing I’ve tried? Well, I don’t know if I should say this… A friend of mine (who we’ve talked about) works with a lot of celebrities. Madonna, in particular. So I’m in my friend’s office, and like, Beyonce’s in the hall, and Madonna’s in the room next to me.

Can I tell this story? Am I going to get in trouble? Maybe I shouldn’t tell this story…

Well, listen, I just simply said [to my friend] in a joking fashion, “Madonna Me.” Like whatever’s going on in there, do it to me. Because she looks amazing up close. Seriously. She has, like, no lines. Her skin’s rich. Have you ever seen her up close?

[KAREN: Dude. If I ever saw Madonna up close, I would die. I WOULD JUST DIE.]

Okay, well, she’s got like a late 20-year-old’s skin. I’m not kidding. It’s weird. So I said, “Madonna me!” and I laughed, “Ha ha!” and then a sh*t-storm of stuff happened. I’m not going to tell you what happened, but it wasn’t painless. It was really intense. But I looked AH-MAY-ZING.

Do you have a trademark look (hair/styling/makeup)?

Well, really, I was born and blessed with great brows. It’s just something that I have. I’m not tan, I’m not tall, and ya know, all of that. But I’ve always had good brows, and that’s kind of what I’m known for. I don’t groom them, I don’t tweeze them, I don’t have to do anything to them. I’m Italian, so my grandmother gave me amazing brows.

I always wear cardigans. That’s my signature. And I like diamonds! Listen, if I’m going to wear something, it’s going to be big, and it’s going to offend people.

Are there any beauty decisions you’ve made that you look back on and ask yourself “why?!”

Well, I laugh, but you’ve gotta take risks, you’ve gotta have fun, you’ve gotta push it. I love style, any kind, even “bad.” What I don’t like is when somebody has no style, or they’re afraid, or they’re just copying somebody else. Personal style to me is such a gift and such an important part of how you feel about yourself and how you express the inside of you. So, no. I’ve made some crazy-@ss decisions. I mean, I’ve had, like, blue hair, and I did all that stuff, and I had kind of a checkerboard on the side of my head at one point of my life, but it’s funny, ya know? I don’t regret anything like that. It all goes away.

Where are your favorite places to shop?

I love Bergdorf’s, I love Barneys, I love Mr. Porter. I love One King’s Lane for really cool vintage home accessories.

Anything else you want to share?

The most important thing I’ve learned on this journey is we do good in the world. And that whether it’s lipgloss or burritos or curing cancer, I don’t care whatever lane you’re in, but do good, have integrity, build the best product you can, be the best person you can, and don’t sell out your morals. And god will bless you, and you will be successful, and you’ll get to happy land. Because money doesn’t equal happiness. I’ve learned that. But what money does offer are options. And the more options you have, the more responsibility you have to do good. So be the best “you” you can be, and hopefully Too Faced can help you feel your best on your journey.