First Look Fridays: Beauty Blogger Christine Mielke of Temptalia

If you're a beauty blog junkie, chances are you've heard of Temptalia. (Click here to experience it immediately.) The fabulously talented Christine Mielke is the genius behind the blog with some of the best FOTDs and swatches this side of, well, anywhere! I'm thrilled and honored to present this week's edition of First Look Fridays with Christine. Find out how she started, the brand she can't live without and more after the jump!

Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
I was born in Massachusetts, but I’ve been a California girl since I was five years old! I’m currently 22, and I’m a full-time JD/MBA student at Santa Clara University. I have two bachelor degrees from University of California, Irvine; one in Economics and another in Political Science. I live with my boyfriend (who is the tech genius behind Temptalia) and my Labrador puppy, Mellan. I have a younger sister who just wrapped up her first year of college, and two incredibly supportive parents who live nearby.

How did you first become interested in beauty?
I had pretty much zero interest in beauty/makeup until I turned eighteen. I discovered MAC pigments, and it was all downhill from there! They fascinated me, and really just gave me a creative outlet that I really needed at the time.

Why did you decide to start your blog?
I decided to start the blog as a way to archive all of the past looks I had done. I started posting my reviews of MAC collections, and it sort of snowballed!

I love the name of your blog! How did you come up with it?
It’s just a word I came up with when I was fifteen or sixteen. It was originally the name of a story I was writing, then later my journal, and now it is the blog’s name!

What have been some of the highlights of having your blog?
I’ve really enjoyed getting to know other beauty addicts (both readers and fellow bloggers), as well as the opportunities to participate in events that I never thought were possible (like Fashion Week). One of the best things that has come out of beauty blogging is being able to appreciate all types of makeup, brands, and styles so much more than I used to.

You have some of the best FOTDs around. What's your secret?
Lots and lots of practice -- and lots and lots of pictures! If you’ve never taken macro photos of your eye makeup, you might not realize what details you might be missing. I’ve been taking pictures of my looks since I started practically, and it just really shows me where I miss spots, how colors come out, and of course, feedback from the community provides a better “big picture” of what’s working (and what’s not!).

What are your top 5 beauty essentials?
Sunscreen
Moisturizer
Cleanser
Exfoliator
Eyeshadow

What brands can you simply not live without?
These days, there are SO many! Of course, MAC will always be dear to me, if for nothing else but them starting me on my road to beauty.

I also really love luxe brands like Guerlain and YSL, but I like some of the smaller, more up-and-coming brands like Make Up For Ever and Urban Decay. Although it means there is so much more to fall in love with, I’m really a happier (and better) person for enjoying so many brands.