“I am inspired by strong women who do what they love because you can truly see when someone is passionate about their work, it just shows.”- Mollie Kravitz
When you meet junior Mollie Kravitz you can’t help but notice how natural and flawless her makeup is. Brows perfectly arched and skin always glowing, Mollie has a passion and skill for all things beauty. Lucky for us, Mollie just started her own beauty business on the Brandeis campus. From special events or a simple lesson, Mollie is helping Brandeis girls feel their best one blush stroke at a time.
Tell us a little bit about yourself:
Hey ladies! I am a junior at Brandeis and this is my first year here, as I am a transfer student from DePaul University in Chicago. I am from Holden, Massachusetts which is a small town next to Worcester. I am majoring in Latin American and Latino Studies with a minor in anthropology and international global studies. Although my roots are in Eastern Europe, in my heart I am Latina :)
When did you start wearing makeup?
Honestly I was quite young! I have an older sister and this is terrible to admit, but I would always steal her lotions and lip balms for myself, probably from the age of 5 until about 10. At the age of ten, my mom cut me off completely from buying makeup because I loved it so much that I just kept spending my allowance on it all the time! I have always had a fascination with mixing different products together, which my sister always told me was strange. She claimed I was ruining the products by mixing them together. I find it interesting because now it is a trend to layer different color blushes, eye shadows, or lipsticks, or even multiple types of mascaras to create your own unique lip color or lash look. I’m not exactly sure at what age I began to do full face makeup but I don’t think it was until college. In middle and high school I think I just used eye shadow, mascara, and blush because I wasn’t really sure how to apply the other products properly or what they were used for.
Who taught you how to apply makeup?
I don’t have a memory of someone specifically teaching me how to do makeup except for when I was younger on one occasion we had a makeup party at my house from my mother’s close friend who sold Mary Kay products. To be honest, I am still learning to apply makeup because the trends are always changing and different looks and makeup products come out and become popular. This year I have become obsessed with watching different YouTube makeup gurus which is how I have learned many of the application methods and quality beauty products to use.
What made you decide to start your own beauty business at Brandeis?
Ever since I began obsessively watching the beauty channels on youtube and becoming more skilled at doing makeup, I have wanted to do something with social media. Originally, I thought I might start my own channel but I realized I would have to invest in a video camera and spend hours upon hours editing the footage so that brought me back down to reality. Being a Brandeis student ain’t nobody got time for dat! About 2 weeks ago, I was sitting at Usdan eating lunch with a friend, discussing the amazing make-up company I just heard about and had received an order from. She was telling me that she is great at doing nails and I said that we should go into business together on campus! Unfortunately, she is graduating this semester. However, I wanted to proceed with the venture myself since it has been something I have been dreaming of.
The business I created provides the student with their choice of a full face make-up look, eyebrow plucking or waxing, and hair straightening or curling. It can be a combination of any of those or just one single service!
MOLLIE’S SERVICE PRICES:
Just brows: $5
Full Face Makeup: $8
Brows & Makeup: $11
Hair curled/straightened – depends on hair length/thickness, inquire for price
Check out the Brandeis Beauty page for more information and updates on Mollie’s services.
We heard you just started a blog as well. Tell us about it!
My blog! :) This is actually something that brings me so much joy. The name is Maquillaje by Mollie. Maquillaje is the Spanish word for make-up and it sounds way spicier than makeup or cosmetics and it incorporates my Latina flair. My goal for the blog is to post beauty tips, tricks, recommendations, product reviews, and overall some sort of inspiration. I hope that my love of life (and beauty!) can somehow shine through on the page. So far the posts have covered my introduction and the reason why I created the blog, achieving fabulous natural curls, and 4 beauty/fashion sites that I cannot get enough of. I plan to continue to post at least once a week with reviews on products I have tried, DIY beauty projects, how to achieve certain looks, and perhaps some fashion mixed in, such as my shopping “hauls” as they are known as. I am completely open to any recommendations and requests for blog posts that you want to see, just holler!
What are 5 beauty products you think every college student should have?
Foundation that matches your skin tone! Mascara, lipstick, an eye shadow palette, and eyeliner in any form either pencil, liquid/marker, or gel. I know this is #6 but I must say that brushes are incredibly important to achieving any look so that is something you need to invest in if you are serious about makeup.
What is one product you can’t live without? Or one product you think makes a big impact?
Ahhh can’t I have two?! I just love make-up so much that I can’t decide but currently the L’Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Foundation is my best friend. It is medium coverage so it does cover but it doesn’t cake and it matches skin tones incredibly well. My second is my mascara L’Oreal Voluminous Million Laashes in black with the curved brush. Both of those are drug store products so they are college budget friendly!
A lot of people our age tend to over pluck their eyebrows or get “tweezer happy.” Do you have any tricks for achieving a natural yet shapely brow?
Brows are so in right now! Until a couple of months ago, I never would have ever thought of putting makeup on my brows. But brows frame your face so you really want to get them right or you can look oh so wrong. My preferred method is to use an angled brush and a brown or taupe shadow to fill in the brows. I suggest Milani Brow Fix Kit that also works great as a shadow. Another idea is to line the brow perimeter into the shape you want. They also have pencils for this, which are exactly like eyeliner pencils and even markers like liquid eyeliners. Lastly, there is brow wax just to keep them in place or brow gel. If your brows are really too thin or they have no shape to them at all I suggest purchasing eyebrow stencils which you can fill in with the eye shadow or pencil, this way you can also try out different shapes and find which one suits your face and your liking!
Can you give any advice to girls who are uncomfortable applying their own makeup?
I have to say that like anything in life, makeup is about trial and error. I make mistakes all the time, which is what q-tips and makeup remover are for! If you are uncomfortable about doing makeup because you have no idea which products to use, how to use them, what colors would look best on you, or any other question, feel free to come talk to me and I’d be happy to give you advice! I don’t believe in awkwardness so if you just happen to bump into me and say “Hey could you give me some makeup advice” I would actually be thrilled that you approached me. If you are really shy you could subscribe to my blog or check out some YouTube beauty gurus (Kandee Johnson and Andrea’s Choice). Basically, it is all about fun! The most exciting part of “going out” on the weekends is taking the time to glam up (and my friends will be the first to tell you.. I take my time!)
To contact Mollie for questions or an appointment add her on facebook and send her a message, write on the Brandeis Beauty page, or email mkravitz@brandeis.edu.