FOTD: Pretty in Pink

On my last visit to Etude House (I haven't been there since the first week of January), I picked up the duo fiber brush which I had reserved late December. Of course, I stayed a wee bit longer and looked around for other things that I can throw into my cutesy shopping basket. Aside from the duo fiber brush, I also threw in a Romantic Beauty Brush, two bottles of Petite Darling nail polishes, two bottles of Dear Darling nail polishes, and a Petite Darling Lipstick. After paying for everything, I rushed home to nurse my feverish beloved and to look into my cutesy shopping bag to admire the items that I got only to find out that I have the wrong lipstick shade! I originally wanted to get the shade BR302, but since I had so much difficulty looking for the shade in the counter, I had an SA assist me. When I was handed a tube of lipstick, I threw it into my basket without even checking if it was in the shade that I wanted. So when I opened the tube at home, I was appalled by a shocking pick hue! I felt frustrated and disappointed and immediately wanted to go back and have it exchanged for what I had asked for. But time wasn't on my side as I still had to go to work. Besides, I was feeling a bit lazy to go back to return the item. So I kept it and thought of playing and experimenting with it when I get the time to. Luckily, the perfect time came.

Since office clothes can be a bit boring (especially for someone as young as I am), I always spice up my outfits by accessorizing and by wearing makeup. Though I normally match my eye makeup with my outfits, I thought of doing something different for a meeting at work. So while getting ready, I looked into my lipstick stash and searched for a nice shade to compliment and brighten my usual black-and-white combo. That's when I picked up the cute little pick tube and a light bulb lit up.

Since the shade is a shocking pink, I opted for something light to balance out the entire look and to let my puckers be the center of attention. Who knew I'd have use for something this scandalous?


I wasn't really planning on curling my hair that day but I did coz I had enough time to kill.

And of course, some eye shots.

On Eyes
ELF Mineral Primer (on my left eye)
Etude House Proof 10 Eye primer (on my right eye)
Bon Bons Creme Shimmer used as base (got as a freebie)
Too Faced Boy Toy
Too Faced Glamazon
Too Faced Party Girl
Too Faced Milk Chocolate
Maybelline Eye Studio Liner in Violet
Urban Decay Ecstasy
Urban Decay YDK
Urban Decay Sellout
Covergirl Lashblast Waterproof Mascara
L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara
L'Oreal Telescopic Clean Definition Mascara

Do you wear bright colored puckers? I don't usually do, but I think the overall look wasn't so bad.

Contest Entry: Minute Maid Freshest Look Contest

How exactly does one define fresh? Allow me to quote Mr. Webster before I share with you what comes to mind when I hear the word.

1 a : having its original qualities unimpaired: as (1) : full of or renewed in vigor : refreshed (2) : not stale, sour, or decayed (3) : not faded (4) : not worn or rumpled b : not altered by processing
2 a : not salt b (1) : free from taint : pure (2) of wind : moderately strong
3 a (1) : experienced, made, or received newly or anew

(2) : additional, another b : original, vivid c : lacking experience : raw d : newly or just come or arrived e : having the milk flow recently established
4 [probably by folk etymology from German frech] : disposed to take liberties : impudent
5 slang : fashionable, cool

via

In my book, however, "fresh" is a word I'd associate with youthfulness, radiance, cleanliness, purity and health. But how does one remain fresh and radiant in an age where pollution is inevitable, vices are uncontrollable, and where sleep has become a luxury rather than a necessity?

Below are seven things I whipped up to help us look fresh under any circumstance.

1. A good night sleep. It’s not the quantity but the quality that makes for a good night sleep. You can sleep for a good 12hours and still feel worn out in the morning.
2. A healthy lifestyle. This is something people do not debate about. Living a healthy lifestyle leaves you more fit and feeling fresh 24/7. So stretch those muscles and kick those nasty habits that make you look ten years older than you actually are.
3. A balanced and healthy diet. No starvation or skipping meals. Eat in moderation. Load up on veggies especially the green leafy and the yellowy or orange-y ones. Oh, and don’t forget to drink up… water, of course.
4. A good skin care regimen. Know your skin and use products that are made for your skin type. Once you’ve found a regimen that works for you, stick to it. Your skin will thank you for it as you age. Don’t forget the basics of skin care --- cleanse, exfoliate (at least once a week), tone, moisturize and protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun.
5. A positive outlook in life. Negativity makes one look old, tired and worn out.
6. A sunny smile. Nothing brightens up a face like a big smile does.
7. A heart that’s at peace. Whatever you keep deep inside you will radiate through you. So if you’re holding grudges against someone or bottling up all your frustrations and worries inside you, you’re bound to look dull and torn.

If the aforementioned tips are not enough, then cosmetics are the next best thing to help us achieve a healthy and fresh look as pictured below.

The freshest face I can come up with in under 10minutes

Bask in your youth

Keep simple

Let your inner strength show through

Take control

To get my look in the photos, I used only a tinted moisturizer to give my skin a [healthy] dewy finish (tinted moisturizers feel light on the skin and do not mask the skin. After all, you want to glow with health), and concealed my horrible dark circles with my trusty concealer and correctors and set everything with an ultra high definition mineral primer from Bare Naturals (of course, mineral makeup is the way to go as it’s good for the skin). For the eyes, I used a shimmery pale gold, mixed with some more neutral ones to give the eyes a natural glow. For added definition, however, I lined my upper and lower rims with a black liner and coated my lashes with tons of mascara. For the cheeks, I used a shimmery multi-hued bronzer to give my face a beautiful glow and highlighted key areas with a subtlety shimmery highlighter. And for the lips, I used a rosy pink creamy lipstick whose shade is not too far from my actual lip color and topped it with a sparkly pale pink lipgloss.

Be proud of who you are

Stand tall and face the world with confidence, grace and poise

Achieving a fresh look should be effortless. So go ahead and get your much needed beauty rest, smile and let your confidence and inner beauty take center stage.

Thank you to my beloved for snapping these photos on an overly sunny and windy day.

FOTD: Something Purple

Just a little quickie before I get some shut eye and to make up for my absence from the blogosphere.

Since my beloved and I haven't been able to collaborate on shoots lately (blame our busy schedules for that), I asked him if he could take my photos before heading out to work one Friday. He happily obliged, of course.

I did my eye makeup bold and smokey-ish using Stiletto, one of my mineral eyeshadows from Bare Naturals, and a few other shades from my 88 Warm Palette. I kept my cheeks and lips toned down to let my eyes take center stage. My face was slightly contoured using Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzing Powder and highlighted using Etude House Secret Beam Highlighter.


To my beloved who's celebrating his birthday today, thank you for always snapping photos of me whenever I ask you and for putting up with my crap. Asheghetam.

To my readers and followers, thank you for taking the time to browse through my blog and for leaving comments. Your support and comments are very much appreciated. Good night everyone

NOTW: Bling It On!

Do you dig chunky, blingy accessories? If your answer is YES, then allow me to dare you to put some bling onto your nails with Etude House's Dear Darling Nail Polish in #34. Its got loads of chunky glitter enough to dazzle [and blind] you and your peepers with or without the spotlight hitting your nails! But the thing that I like most about this glitter-bomb is the fact that it's not all glitter-madness. The polish itself is pigmented, so much that bottle color can be achieved with one [thick] coat. But you wouldn't want to do it that way for sure, so two coats is still the way to go.

(excuse the mess around the nails. wasn't able to clean them up well.)

Dare to shine and dazzle in some glittery goodness!

FOTD: Golden Bronze

Whenever I'm stuck in a rut, I go for a no-brainer-look using bronzes and golds. This, for me, is the easiest look I can come up with when I'm in a rush or when I lack creativity. Don't get me wrong. This no-brainer-look isn't what you think it is. I actually love this look because of its ability to make me look polished and glam with very little effort. Now isn't that a good thing?


See what I mean?

This was the look that I wore when I was asked by our ISP's technical engineer if I was a celebrity. I said "no," of course, but that comment left me surprised and well, flattered, because my makeup that day was simple and a bit boring.

On Eyes
Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean
Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette
Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Black
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in Zero
Covergirl Lashblast Mascara
L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara
L'Oreal Telescopic Clean Definition Mascara

On Face
Foundation Primer (can't remember the brand. I threw away the box when I got it)
Skinfood Peach Sake BB Cream #2
Skinfood Salmon Dark Circle Concealer Cream
Pureglow Minerals Eye Brightener
Pureglow Minerals Eye Wake
Bare Naturals Mineral Foundation in Light Medium
MUFE HD Powder
Milani Glimmer Stripes in Bronze Glimmer (used as blush and highlight)
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzing Powder

On Lips

Maui Lipbalm
NYX Round Lipstick in Perfect
Revlon Colorstay Mineral Lipglaze in Forever Fig

By the way, I didn't go to work wearing only this tank top that I got from Charry's blogsale. I actually wore a blazer on top of it.

If you're wondering why the lighting looks a bit odd (especially in the last two photos), it's all because I was playing with two different cameras that day. Plus, the sun always plays games with me.

Do you ever get stuck in a rut sometimes? How do you prep yourself when you're stuck in a rut? Let me know! I'm curious :)

In The Spotlight: Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer

In a country like ours, primers are a must. These serve as a base for our makeup, enhance the vibrancy of the colors, and prevent makeup meltdown. These are just some of the many reasons why I always itch to try primers from different brands even if I already have more than enough primers for my personal use and occasional invites to do other people's makeups.

At the moment, I have about five (5) eyeshadow primers in my stash: UDPP, ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer, Smashbox Photofinish Lid Primer, TFSI and Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer. While I've never bothered myself to review UDPP, TFSI, ELF and Smashbox, I feel that Etude House's eyeshadow primer needs a bit of an introduction.

Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer

What the label says
Proof 10 Eye primer supplies coverage to eyelids and around the eyes to enhance eye shadow color and integrity for a longer lasting Perfect 10 look.

The applicator

How the primer looks like

EH Proof 10 Eye Primer is almost identical to UDPP, except that EH is a bit more liquid compared to UDPP and even TFSI. For a fraction of the price, I'll most certainly pick up EH Proof 10 Eye Primer over UDPP. On the other hand, the mineral eye primer from ELF remains to be my top eye primer of all time (unless I find an eye primer that can beat ELF). I mean, honestly, do I have to shell out $17 for a "[semi] high end" primer when a $3 drugstore eye primer can do the same job just as good as the expensive ones? I think not.

Yay!

• Price. It's pretty cheap at Php298 (around $6).
• It evens out the discolorations on our lids.
  
• It makes eye shadows appear more vibrant and last longer on the lids.
  

Nay!

• It dries a little too fast. You have to spread and blend the primer as soon as it touches your lids. This isn't a biggie, though.
  

In Betweens...

• Packaging. While the packaging appears to be cute, it's somehow reminiscent of Urban Decay's annoyingly packaged genie-in-a-bottle. I wonder how I'll be able to get the last drop of this primer. Break it perhaps? And what's with the handle? It gets dirty so easily! I guess the only good thing I can say about the packaging is that it allows you to see how much product you have left. Other than that, I have no other qualms about the it.

To show how well Etude House's Proof 10 Eye Primer delivers, I decided to take eye shots of my eye makeup for two consecutive days (NOTE: I've been road-testing this primer for two weeks).

My daily routine is: When my beloved doesn't take me to work, I walk a distance of about a kilometer or so, under the sun, carrying about 5lbs of weight; therefore, I sweat.

EDIT: For all the eye shots, I used UDPP on my left eye (your right), and EH Proof 10 Eye Primer on my right eye (your left). See any difference?

After application. Taken by the window around noon.

After 13hours. Taken in the bathroom, with flash, under yellow lighting.

After application. Taken by the window around noon.

After 13hours. Taken in the bathroom, with flash, under yellow lighting.

As you can see, my eye makeup did not crease nor fade even after 13hours of wear. What you are mistaking as proof of fading is the flash of the camera. Also, I think the difference in the lighting somehow affects the colors' appearance/vibrancy in the photos.

What do you think about Etude House's eye shadow primer? For me, it's at par with UDPP, Smashbox and ELF (why not TFSI? Because TFSI makes my eye shadows crease and fade). But since ELF's mineral eye primer is just half the price of EH, I'll probably stock up more on ELF. Sorry EH.

Others have sold/given away their UDPPs and TFSIs because of EH's Proof 10 Eye Primer. Will you ditch your beloved UDPP, too? I would, and I have!

In the Spotlight: Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Madison Mauve

Whenever my beloved brings me cosmetics from the US, I always go to malls to check if these are already locally available. To my dismay, however, I'm almost always told, "I'm sorry but we don't have _____ here, ma'am and we won't be bringing the item to the country." This has actually happened to quite a lot of times in the past. Thank goodness my beloved always gets me what I want even without telling him! Well, I don't think I'll be asking him to get more of Maybelline's hottest new item because they're bringing it to us here in the Philippines! How did I find out? Well, I was lurking around the Maybelline counter in Robinson's Galleria during their holiday sale, when the SA mentioned that they'll be bringing this amazing line of lipsticks to the country next month. What is it? It's the ColorSensational Lipstick Line people on the other end of the globe have been endlessly raving about! Ah! Finally! I've been waiting for these forever!

From the Maybelline website:

Why You'll Love It

Fall in love with color, all over again:

• Crisper color from pure pigments
• Creamier feel from nourishing honey nectar
• Lipcolor so rich, so stunning… it’s sensational
• 48 Captivating Shades

Yay!

• Pigmentation. The color is very rich.
  
• Texture. The lipstick is creamy and applies smoothly on the lips.
  
• Finish. While I can't speak of the other shades available, Madison Mauve has quite a glossy finish, there's [almost] no need for a lipgloss. But if you want the extra shine and gloss, then gloss up by all means?
• Formula. This doesn't feel drying or heavy on the lips. It won't make your lips flake at all.
  
• Coverage. It can be applied sheer or heavy, depending on your preference. The color is definitely buildable.
• Color Range. They have a wide selection of shades from nudes/browns to reds to plums to pinks. They cover everything in the color spectrum (minus the shades you'd never really wear, i.e. blacks, blues, oranges, etc.)!
• Price. Depending on where you live in the US, Maybelline ColorSensational Lipsticks go for about $7. Not bad for a lipstick, don't you think? In the Philippines, however, I was told that the price will be somewhere in the 200peso range. Still reasonable, I think.
  

Nay!

• Color Selection in the Philippines. Maybelline won't be bringing the entire color selection to the Philippines. Just sad.
  
• Lasting Power. Just like most lipsticks, this'll probably last you a good 4 to 5hours before the color starts to fade (it probably won't survive eating and drinking. I can't really tell coz I haven't tried), leaving a hint of color and shine on your lips. Honestly, I'm not sure if this is a bad thing since this isn't a colorstay variant.
  

In Betweens...

• Scent. While some others complained of a scent that's a cross between coconut and chemical, I noticed only a faint pleasant scent from Madison Mauve. It's nothing close to smelling like chemical or wax, but I'm not quite sure if it's coconutty. Either way, I find it pleasant. Besides, it's not something you'd smell the moment you remove the plastic cap. You'd only notice that faint scent if you take a good whiff off of your tube.
  
• Glitter. If you love [high] shine, you'd love this li ne from Maybelline. Like Madison Mauve, I read that a lot of shades in the ColorSensational Lipstick line are glittery. Some complain about the glitters being chunky, gritty and scratchy, which I didn't notice with Madison Mauve.
  
• Packaging. Some ladies found the packaging cheap, but I think otherwise. While the plastic cap has the tendency to come off easily in your purse, I actually like how the plastic cap looks like. I also think it's pretty cool how Maybelline color-coordinated the shades under each family - all the reds and peaches have a red plastic cap, the pinks with a pink plastic cap, the purples/mauves with a purple cap and all the browns/nudes with a brown cap. The only thing I don't like about the packaging is that it can be easily scratched. See photo below.
  

  

Tips:

• Always exfoliate and moisturize before applying lipstick.
  
• Blot the excess moisture off of your lips.
• Conceal your lips' pigmentation by applying foundation or concealer. Set with powder. This makes the color of the lipstick appear more true when applied on your lips.
  
• If you desire more defined lips, line your lips with a lip liner that's close to the shade of the lipstick. Lining your lips with a lip liner also makes the lipstick stay on your lips for a longer time.
  
• If you desire shiny, pouty lips, gloss up.
  
• If you want your lips to appear fuller, highlight your Cupid's bow and your lower lip by dabbing a bit of a shimmery powder on the said areas.
  
• Want a flawless look? Apply concealer to the edges to correct/erase any mistakes.
  

Madison Mauve on the lips.
Pardon the photo. This was done in a rush

Just one swipe. It's pretty pigmented, eh?

Like I said, color is buildable.

Will you be snagging some of these babies when they arrive on Philippine shores? I know I will! Leave some for me, please!

Make Me Over, Sissie

Allow me to introduce to you my sister, Nikka, a 28year old doctor working in Makati. She's very simple, private and boyish, as you can probably tell in her before photo below.

Nikka doesn't like wearing makeup, though if she ever would, it'd only be blush, lipbalm, and lipstick. However, when and if there's a special occasion that requires her to look a bit more polished, she always runs to me to give her a makeover. I've done her makeup several times in the past, for induction balls, graduation, weddings, etc. and every time her friends see her all made up, she's always asked where she had her makeup done. Of course, she feels happy with all the compliments that she gets, and I do, too, considering that I'm not a pro-MUA. Maybe someday.

Since my sister is attending a friend's wedding in Bulacan this afternoon, she asked me if I can prettify her for the event. I happily obliged, of course, though my sister can be a pain in the neck every time I do her makeup (she cries every time I put something on her eyes which explains why I didn't bother curling her lashes). Besides, would I ever decline an offer to give someone a makeover? Hell no! I love doing other people's makeup! I'm getting so tired of putting makeup on myself. Anyway, since my sister doesn't really like wearing makeup (and the feel of makeup on her skin), she requested for something simple, something not scandalous (using my sister's terms). Well, I really wasn't thinking of doing something dramatic or dark for a wedding, anyway. So I did a fresh, neutral eye makeup, with a pop of color on her lower lashline :)

And here's the end result.

Before and After.
See the difference between a $300 point&shoot camera and a $1000+ (or is it $2000?) DSLR camera (thanks, brother)? Maybe I need to upgrade, eh?

She doesn't know how to smile :p

Closed-eye shot (She was typing a message on her phone when I snapped this photo)

Some silly shots
And a sillier one.


Another successful makeover, eh?