April's graduation make up

Putting on make up on someone else may or may not be a difficult task. Working with different eye shapes is the most challenging, but I love experience and the feeling with a glorious outcome after having to overcome hesitation while in the process of applying make up on someone else.

This is April, a very close friend I call my sister :) and she graduated high school this past weekend. I was honored to do her make up, and very glad to see her reach such a big mark in her life. Congratulations April and class of 2011! 

Eyes: UDPP, MAC paint pot in bare story, MAC e/s in dazzlelights, mulch, and carbon.

Face: Yves Rocher foundation in beige 300, set with Coty Airspun loose transparent powder.  Blushed with MAC blush in harmony and desert rose.

What's in your make up bag?

I did a make up bag post like this a few months ago. I think that it's always fun to see what people have in their bags. After all, the contents of all our bags change on a day to day basis.

The contents of my bag, for now, have minimized to the absolute basics and must-haves for an everyday application excluding foundation.

In my Betsey Johnson bag (had to get it because I'm a stripe lover!) are:

• Sally Hansen eyelash curler 
• MAC lip conditioner
• MAC paint pot in quite natural
• Jordana eyeshadow in black
• Maybelline lash stiletto voluputous
• MAC 266 brush
• Prestige eyeliner
• MAC eyebrow crayon in velvetone
• Loreal carbon black lineur intense
• Too Faced glamour gloss in pillow talk
• MAC lipstick in spirit

Swatches & haul: ELF cream eyeshadows and other products

I placed my order about a week ago and just received my order last night. I didn't get to do a look with these products, but when I do it'll be a typical smokey eye. All I had a chance to do was to swatch the cream eyeshadow that seems to be getting great reviews. I purchased mainly ELF studio items because I had a promotional code for 50% off studio items. 

(Top row, l-t-r) ELF studio pressed powder in caramel, ELF studio matte eyeshadow in charcoal and nude, and two ELF bronzers.

(Bottom row, l-t-r) ELF studio cream eyeshadow in dawn, eggplant, bronzed, and candlelight, and two ELF mineral eyeshadows.

And here's swatches of them single-stroked:

Review: Maybelline's lash stiletto voluptuous

I've got typical straight and stubborn Asian eyelashes so it's hard for me to find a working mascara within my budget. I used to use Cover Girl's lash blast mascara for years until I stumbled upon Maybelline's falsies (a few posts ago I had lost it, replaced it, and now I found it). It would give me thick eyelashes but it wouldn't hold the curl for me, it also would somehow be a messy and time consuming application for me. However, it worked out after waiting a few minutes for it to dry, then curling my lashes... but that's just such a hassle. With Maybelline's falsies, it held the curl and gave me a little bit of length as well as volume. I feel the same way about Maybelline's lash stiletto voluptuous. There's actually one without the "voluptuous" that I haven't tried. And, I actually like the brush better because I seem to be able to control it more. I guess until something new that works comes up, Maybelline's falsies and lash stiletto mascarsas will be staples in my make up bag. 

Bare eyelashes.

Curled eyelashes.

Applied two coats of mascara. 

LOTD: smokey eyes using MAC pigment

Working with loose pigments is my least bit favorite thing about make up because it's just such a mess. It also takes practice so don't give up on them because the color pay-off is wonderful. I've tried a bunch of mineral make up such as Bare Minerals and All Natural Face and they're good products but I don't catch myself reaching for them... at all, but if I do it's usually for highlighting underneath my eyebrows.

In these pictures, I'm using my new Canon camera that catches every megapixel of my face really well. How lame, because as you can all see, in existence within the photos are my pores that make me self-conscious! But I'm flawed and I know that, so my self-esteem isn't so low. :)

We had attended a wedding reception for Dustin's aunt... so... honestly, this is the first look in a while where I had a reason to get dolled up. Lol! 

My generic Conair hair curler stopped working, kinda and what a day to not cooperate. It did a decent job though, and of course I got that replaced. :)

Products used

Foundation: MAC studio fix in NC44 set with Coty Airspun loose face powder in translucent

Concealer: Kat Von D concealer in almond

Lips: MAC l/s in spirit, glossed with Too Faced glamour gloss in pillowtalk

Eyeshadow base: MAC paint pot in bare study. I was in a rush and had forgotten to put on UDPP or TFSI! It's alright though because I was in an air-conditioned setting and it was just for a few hours.Eyelashes: Red Cherry lashes... sorry I forgot the number, but they're not as dramatic. Eyeliner: Smashbox jet set gel linerBlush and contour: MAC blush in harmony, MAC blush in desert rose, and MSF (MAC skin finish) in soft and gentle for face highlight. 

Eyeshadows 

MAC pigment: naked

MAC e/s: carbon

Stila e/s: white eyeshadow to highlight. Sorry but I don't know any of the names for my Stila eyeshadows. 

Brows

MAC paint pot in quite natural 

Jordana color effects eye shadow in total black out

LOTD: dazzlelights + carbon & new hair cut!

On Friday I went to pick up my new point and shoot camera that shoots HD video. I've been wanting to make youtube videos but my Sony point and shoot takes the smallest videos (320x240!!!) and my dSLR is too heavy and takes too much memory. So I went and got a Canon one although I haven't tested it out, and because I didn't have a chance to try out my new eyeshadows, I created this look:

Products used
Foundation: MAC studio fix in NC44 set with Coty airspun loose face powder in translucent
Concealer: Kat Von D concealer in almond
Lips: MAC l/s in spirit
Eyeshadow base: Too Faced shadow insurance and MAC paint pot in bare study
Eyelashes: Maybelline one by one mascara in black. I really don't like this mascara because it doesn't hold the curl as much as I'd like it to, although I do like the way it thickens. I just lost my trusty Maybelline falsies mascara, I hope I find it soon, but just in case I don't I already went to my neighborhood drugstore to replace it.
Eyeliner: Smashbox jet set gel liner
Blush and contour: MAC blush in harmony


Eyeshadows
MAC e/s: dazzle lights
MAC e/s: mystery
MAC e/s: carbon
Stila e/s: white eyeshadow to highlight. Sorry but I don't know any of the names for my Stila eyeshadows.

Brows
MAC paint pot in quite natural
Jordana color effects eye shadow in total black out

Incidentally, I got a new hair cut to get rid of my split ends and get rid of the tremendous amount of layers that I had from the same haircut over and over and over again. I also colored my hair but might be coloring it back to black or dark brown soon.


In other news, I'm irritated at the fact that a few days ago I had re-done my tag list and because it just had to be during the time when blogger was having issues so it got reverted back to the old tags. That was a waste of time...

Day 03- A habit that you wish you didn’t have.

I wish I didn't have the habit of browsing the internet in search of make up and beauty products! It's a waste of time and money, but hey it makes me happy and that's all that matters, right? :)

I also wish I didn't have a habit of procrastinating and had a certain time for a certain day to do a certain thing, but I'm just a slacker - always was and always will be - because this 30 day challenge is so many months ago!

Swatches: MAC paint pots | HAUL: MAC paint pot and eyeshadow pans

The latest additions to my MAC collection are: paint pot in bare study and eyeshadow pans in carbon and dazzle lights. It's taken me forever to invest in the best affordable and pigmented black eyeshadow (carbon), yet still considering it too expensive for my budget... just because I'll eventually want all of the eyeshadows! I've managed to get by using NYX's eyeshadow in black, but I wanted to try out something new and test out the intensity of the pigmentation.

This is my first swatch for make-up products, particularly eye products and I found out that it's pretty messy. I also I have to find the perfect spot on my body to swatch colors. Maybe I'll try my (skinny) arm next. As you can see my nasty looking wrist. I don't know why but it's just that way... ok, tmi.

Since I have oily eye lids, I first prime my eyes with UDPP or TFSI, then I put a paint pot over it to make my eyeshadows pop out and look better. ^_^

MAC paint pots:

Top: bare study, soft ocre, painterly, 

Bottom: vintage selection (limited edition), quite natural, constructivist

I usually use quite natural as a base for my eyebrows then top it off with black eyeshadow powder. 

Here are the paint pots swatched upon my NC44 skin. 

And then I topped it off with MAC eyeshadow in dazzlelights. Love love love this color already even though I haven't used it. I think it looks the best on bare study and soft ocre. :)

How to: Depot eyeshadows! (straightener method) & eyeshadow storage alternatives

This is what I did the whole day today!

I've been finding a way to declutter my makeup collection. The best way suitable was to depot eyeshadows from bulky containers and I did it with the good old straightener method, which can simply be googled!

The problem with depotting eyeshadows is finding a place to put them. I emptied my old Victoria Secret palette just to put some of my Wet n' Wild eyeshadows. Then I improvised on storage units by visiting my local GBC packaging store and bought some gift card containers put eyeshadow pans from other palettes including my Too Faced Enchanted Glamourland palette and my Urban Decay NYC palette. I took it up a notch and decorated the plain boxes with embellishments parted from the original packaging.

I have yet to adhere them somehow, and when I think of the perfect idea how to then I will.

Swatches: Pretty Woman neon colored nail polishes

I'm not too fond of neon colors, but I've been wanting to buy nail polishes to add to my collection particularly for some funky cheetah nail art designs. I'm not sure when I'm actually going to put neon colored nail polishes, but I bought it anyways because I found it at Ross for only $5.99. They're small, and I figured that's a good thing since it's just for small and intricate detailing. I compared it to a bottle of China Glaze. China Glaze looks like their mother. :P

Note: my color wheels make nail polishes dry matte when on real nails they're glossy.

Review: Sally Hansen "flirty eyes" eyelash curler & haul

Even though I know that you should stay away from curling your eyelashes, I do it anyways because it's the only way to make my single eyelids bigger to seem more awake. I naturally always look tired because my eyes are so small. :( So thank goodness for eyelash curlers and mascara when you don't feel like wearing falsies or investing in eyelash extensions, eyelash growth products, or the patent pending lash mascara that lasts for weeks. 

I can get away without wearing make-up... except for my eyebrows. When I'm drawing in my eyebrows, I tell everyone it isn't make-up just to make myself feel better... hahaha. So, I don't tweak my eyes every single day of my life because sometimes I get lazy or run out of time since I'm not quite a morning person. 

On another note, I love great drugstore beauty buys. One of my favorite drugstore brands from the very start is Sally Hansen. I was always fascinated with nail polish so I would be excited to see 40% off sales and would bulk up on products. Sally Hansen just came out with a bunch of beauty utensils that don't look like it's from the drugstore. I don't care whether or not things look like its from the drugstore, I just care if its decent or great quality for a bargain.

I got a nipper $10.99, brow scissors $6.99, and eyelash curler $5.99 from Walgreens. I know they're currently on sale at CVS (in Hawaii for sure) and they're 40% off which is the best deal ever. I bought mines too early. :( Oh well. 

Here are the corresponding captions to the following pictures:
First & second pic: right eyelash curled with no product on
Third & fourth pic: both eyelashes curled with two coats of Maybelline falsies mascara (my HG product! <333)

Review: I personally like this eyelash curler. It fits my eye just right so don't get it unless you have small eyes like me. It's not as wide as other eyelash curlers like Shu Uemura's or MAC's, I know that even though I don't own any of those. They do have another type of eyelash curler, so maybe it'll be a hit... or miss... for you beauties who have bigger eyes than me. :)

LOTD: mash up/review of Borghese, Jordana, Coty, Rimmel (LONG POST!)

So for the past many months that I haven't been blogging, my make up collection has been expanding (but that's not new!). Part of my collection is a bunch of Jordana color effects eye shadows as well as a set of Borghese brushes from Costco. They're great make up buys since the eye shadow retails for $1.69 at my local CVS and the ten-piece brush set for $23.99.

I like how the brushes have a label for usage, although most of the time brushes are indeed versatile. 

Included are:

Round foundation brush

Duo-fiber blending brush

Angled eye contour brush

Eye powder fluff brush

Concealer brush

Domed smudge brush

Eyeshadow brush

Angled eye/brow brush

Powder kabuki brush

Products used
Foundation: Rimmel Match Perfection foundation in 420 warm sand set with Coty airspun loose face powder in translucent
Concealer: Kat Von D concealer in almond
Lips: Jordana lipstick in mauve
Eyeshadow base: Too Faced shadow insurance and MAC paint pot in painterly
*Eyelashes: Falsies from eBay
Eyeliner: Stila smudge pot in black.
Blush and contour: MAC blush in blunt

Eyeshadows - all Jordana
Mauve my way
Gunmetal
Ms. brown
High maintenance
Creamy vanilla
Total blackout
Pretty peach

Brows
Wnw eye brow pencil in charcoal
Jordana color effects eye shadow in total black out

*Eyelashes: I personally don't like the eyelashes that I got. They're a boxed set of like a dozen lashes. They're too heavy for my single eyelids, so I wouldn't wear them out. I've used them for many of my past looks but just for the added dramatic look.


REVIEWS
Borghese brush set: Overall they're all great brushes. Some shed during the initial uses, but that's expected and it stops. The duo-fiber blending brush is practically a smaller version of E.L.F.'s stippling brush, of which you all should know by now is a highly-raved product although I haven't done a review of it. The eyeshadow brush and eye powder fluff brush were pretty big but still useable for blending. The powder kabuki brush is also HUGE! This is a total must for all you make-up lovers. Think of it as buying ten brushes for the price of one at Sephora, Nordstrom, or MAC! =)

Jordana color effects eyeshadow: Some are hits and some are misses so you don't necessarily get what you pay for. My favorite is total blackout and creamy vanilla, I guess because those are the colors that I use in almost every palette for personal use. I do believe that having a good eye shadow primer applied to your eye prior to usage is very important! It's VERY, VERY, VERY important, emphasis on very. I love UDPP and Too faced shadow insurance topped off with MAC paint pots. Try it out, you'll love it! And a little goes a long way!

Coty airspun loose face powder foundation in translucent: Great, great, great powder for setting foundation since it's very finely milled, and cheap! I've got oily and problematic skin, and this doesn't break me out so it's love. <3

Rimmel match perfection foundation in warm sand: It's a great drugstore foundation. A bit sheer so if you're looking for medium-heavy coverage this isn't for you. This type of foundation is my "everyday" foundation for when I go to work or school, meaning when I don't want to use my expensive foundations or don't have much time to put on make up I'll turn to this. It's hard to find a drugstore foundation that's the least bit closest to my skin color, but this one seems to blend in well even though it may be a tad bit light for me. I like going lighter rather than darker anyway.

Stay tuned for upcoming posts:

• Comparison of Borghese duo-fiber blending brush and E.L.F.'s stippling brush
• Swatches of Jordana color effects eye shadows

Phew, now that was a mouthful. I hope you all have a great Mother's Day weekend!