[Exclusive] Interview with YouTube Makeup Guru Jen ‘From Head To Toe’

If you were YouTubing to get some inspiration for makeup and fashion, you might have seen a number of her videos- meet Jen, the founder and face of From Head To Toe.

Jen started to work with makeup in college when she wanted to look more professional for an internship. Despite being new to the whole makeup thing, her background in industrial design gave her insight to what was flattering for her features and soon developed her own techniques. Jen started her blog as a hobby post college to spread the knowledge that wasn’t readily available to her when she was younger (isn’t she so generous?). She currently balances her Youtube channel with her makeup site.

Jen was sweet enough to have an interview with us where we got to know more about her and learn some makeup tips as well! Scroll down for more!

{PROFILE}
Name: Jen Chae
Major: Industrial Design, University of Kansas
Website: http://www.frmheadtotoe.com/

{OFFICIAL SNS} (click on the links to go to the respective page)
YouTube Channel
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram

Q: Please pick 3 words to describe you.
Purposeful, Creative, Perceptive

Q: Where do you get inspiration for your makeup ideas and fashion?
My background is in design so I’m used to taking in a lot of visual information from everywhere around me. Blogs, videos, nature, people, photography, but a lot of it culminates into a gut feeling. Sometimes an outfit just works that day or I’ll be attracted toward a certain color without an explicit reason. Those trend-seeking antennae direct a lot of my inspiration for makeup and fashion.

Q: You’ve mentioned that you naturally got into makeup during college. We know that college is a time where many are pinching their pockets. What products would you buy if you had to stick to a $20 budget, and could only use those products for makeup?
Lately I’ve been loving Maybelline Fit Me concealer which is a great drugstore product. I’d also pick up Wet N Wild eyeshadow, Covergirl Lash Blast Waterproof mascara, and Maybelline Color Whisper lipstick in Rose of Attraction which is one of my favorite MLBBs (my lips but better)!

Q: MLBB- that’s interesting. Are there any other fashion & beauty acronyms people should know?
“Holy grail” or “HG” is in reference to a must-have product. A “haul” is collectively the group of items you just purchased which may be shared in a video or blog post. OOTD is “outfit of the day.” FOTD is “face of the day.” If someone says “NC30” or “NW25” or something similar they are referencing their MAC foundation shade. Not everyone uses MAC foundation, but it’s a universal shade system frequently used to describe other products.

Q: Have to ask, how do you stay fit? Any special tips?
I’ve been really into taking aerial arts classes lately, like aerial silks and lyra, which are some of the acts you might see at Cirque du Soleil. It takes a ton of upper body and core strength as well as flexibility but what I love most about it is that it doesn’t feel like working out. The best fitness tip is to try something you look forward to because it’s actually fun versus trying to deprive or force your body to look a certain way. Also, I love munching on fruits and veggies and never, ever skip protein for any meal.

Q: You shared that you have experience applying makeup on all different faces and eye shapes. Who was your most memorable makeup model and what kind of routine did you do?
Not to be a huge cheeseball, but the most memorable has to be when I recently did my hometown BFF’s makeup and was a bridesmaid for her wedding in May. She looked every part the effervescent blushing bride and I can proudly say that it held up through heat, humidity, photos, tears, dancing, and a full day of celebrating!

Q: That’s awesome and must have felt surreal to see your BFF on her big day. What’s the secret in having the eye makeup stay until the end of the eventful day?
You definitely want to stick with waterproof products and use primers for both foundation and eye makeup. I also recommend for brides to pat (not wipe) their tears or even better yet, just let tears fall down cheeks and dry naturally so the makeup isn’t disturbed.

(Next page: What to do when you’re running late, favorite K-Pop acts, makeup in humid weather, and more!)

(Photo credits: Kassia Phoy)

Q: Okay, imagine this. (Or maybe you’ve experienced it a few times.) You woke up late and got only 10 minutes before you have to leave the house. What kind of make up can you accomplish in that time?
I’ve definitely been in this situation! First of all I use Bare Minerals to quickly even out my skin. Then, I take an Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in a brown shade and apply that on my lid as a base for a 1-color brown smokey eye. My go-to has been theBalm’s Nude Tude eyeshadow palette in the shade “Sexy” which I just blend over my lid in a half-moon shape. Next I apply winged liquid liner from a felt-tip liner like Stila Stay All Day Waterproof eyeliner because it’s super fast and accurate to apply. A quick curl and false lashes finishes the look! If I have time I’ll add blush or gloss but I can definitely speed-apply the rest and look put together for anything.

Q: We see that a few YouTube artists were featured onto your video. Who’s your YouTube crowd and do you often physically meet? What’s a regular conversation like between YouTube stars?
Haha, it’s weird hearing it in that way but I suppose a lot of my friends really are Youtubers as well since they happened to be the people I knew before moving to LA. For the most part it’s just the same as any friends hanging out except that there may be erratic schedules involved and some of them happen to be multi-talented. I have friends from all different categories of Youtube like musicians, actors, dancers, vloggers, gamers, filmmakers, and of course beauty gurus so conversations are never the same and usually only revolve around work insomuch as regular friends hanging out may talk about work. It’s not our favorite thing to talk about but it definitely comes up because we can all relate which is a refreshing change from when I lived in Kansas, doing videos alone!

Q: We can’t leave without talking about K-Pop! You’ve covered a few tutorials on girl group members like 2NE1’s CL and Girls’ Generation’s Tiffany. Do you love K-Pop and who’s your bias- as a singer, fashionista, and/or for personality?
I’ve always been a huge fan of K-Pop ever since I was in elementary school. Currently, my biases are 2NE1 and BIGBANG on all fronts but I also love Girls’ Generation‘s more recent dance-oriented tracks and I’ve always been a big fan of BoA‘s dance and vocal talent.

Q: I think I can see what kind of music style you prefer. What are some of your favorite jams from the artists? Also, has there ever been a makeup style that just made you go “Wow!”
From Girls’ Generation, a couple of my favorites are “Run Devil Run” and “I Got A Boy” which I loved the makeup in and subsequently created a tutorial for. I’ve also done several looks by 2NE1 since they tend to have really creative and unexpected makeup looks, like when CL had half her face covered in crystals in “Try To Follow Me“. I’m also a big fan of F(x) and 4 Minute who often experiment with a more outgoing, colorful styles in videos.

Q: Do you watch K-Dramas as well?
I’ve seen my fair share in the past but I’m admittedly not as up-to-date on them lately! You might blame it on my busy schedule and Game of Thrones addiction. 😉

Q: You visited Korea in the summer before (yikes! the humidity). How do you do makeup for such weather? Also, Do you visit often and what are some stuff you did while in Korea?
Korea actually has very similar temperate weather as Kansas City where I am from so it was pretty easy to adapt makeup-wise. Obviously in the heartland of Asian cosmetics, I wore BB Cream almost daily. Eye makeup was kept extremely simple since Koreans don’t wear much eyeshadow but a bit of black eyeliner and a gradient pink lip are staples for most Korean girls. I haven’t visited in several years so I had fun touring the whole country with my family and spent a lot of time in Seoul eating amazing food and going shopping for crazy socks and cute clothes.

Q: Thank you so much for your time. Any last words to Soompiers?
I just want to send the biggest hugs and a huge shoutout to the Soompi community who were a big reason I began blogging. You guys have always been there to support and it’s something I don’t take for granted!

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Has Jen inspired you to update your look? We recommend shopping from the sites below:

MEMEBOX: http://bit.ly/1JvK3d8

YesStyle: http://bit.ly/1bxBMXP

If you enjoyed reading this interview and want to know more about other YouTube artists, feel free to make suggestions below! Who knows? Maybe we’ll interview that person next!! ^^

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