The Fairest Contributor: Christine Mielke, Temptalia

September 28, 2009 at 5:00 am Nadine Jolie 1 comment

Makeup addicts, take note: you will adore Christine Mielke, founder of popular beauty blog Temptalia, which comprehensively covers new launches and must-have items from brands big and small.  At the tender age of 23 (as a matter of fact, today is her birthday!), Christine has already established herself as one of the most influential bloggers in all of beautyland.

How did you get the inspiration for your blog?
I really wanted to have a place to keep all of the different makeup looks I was doing. In a sense, it became an archive of looks I had done, but it also was somewhere I could post the latest look I did, too. It also helped that I had just recently become makeup OBSESSED so I needed an outlet for all my beauty chatter!

Who’s your personal beauty/style icon?
I can’t say that I have one. I find beauty is so much more than the outside, and it really has to do with how you feel inside, so it’s just such a personal view that I couldn’t see myself looking up to someone for their beauty/makeup. There are plenty of gorgeous ladies who have phenomenal faces and styles, though. If I had to choose someone who amazes me, it would be Kevyn Aucoin. He just showed me what it was like to experiment, have fun with makeup, and do what you want to do without thinking about rules and boundaries.

What’s the best beauty advice you ever received?
Wear sunscreen—every day, without fail! Now, if only someone told me this when I was old enough to walk!

You. Desert island. Only one product. Go.
Moisturizer! I hate having dry, scaly skin. No matter what, I have to moisturize every morning and evening. I’d rather walk around without foundation or mascara as long as my skin is happily hydrated! Oh, preferably with SPF, because then when I was rescued, I wouldn’t look like I aged twenty years in two!

You’re known for your love of MAC Cosmetics. Tell us more about that.
MAC is such a great entry brand into cosmetics. It’s also a very exciting, fun, and trendy brand. When I first got into makeup, I was a college student, so my budget wasn’t big, and MAC made high-end makeup affordable. I loved being able to go to the counter/store and talk with artists, swatch products, and just play with everything. I’ve since discovered how many other amazing brands and products are out there thanks to beauty blogging, but MAC will always have a special place in my heart.

Have you ever made friends with a reader through your site?
Definitely! There are readers who I would consider regulars—ones that comment often, ask questions, and I know are always checking out the site. I’ve talked to some via email, others just through comments, but they’re all such amazing, insightful people. Some of my readers have even become beauty bloggers themselves now!

Take us through your daily blogging/writing/product review routine.
I wake up around 6 AM, and the first thing I do is roll over, check my e-mail via my phone. There’s always something exciting to see, so it motivates me start my day. I spend an hour or so reading and responding to email, and then I start to work on posts for the day. Usually, I’ll spend a few minutes editing the photos for the post, and then I’ll spend the remaining time writing up a review/commentary. I imagine I spend 2-3 hours in the morning writing up posts for the day. Throughout the rest of the day, I take photos and test out new makeup products like eyeshadows or lipgloss. At the beginning of each week, I pull out certain skincare or longer-term testing products out to use.

What’s on the horizon for you?
More content, more reviews. We’d really like to produce and publish more video content as well, so that’s one of our goals for the short-term!

Entry filed under: The Fairest Interview. Tags: Christine Mielke, Temptalia.