Vampire!

My attempt at doing a vampire look for Halloween..although I won't be going anywhere or doing anything for Halloween since I have SFX class.
I sort of did this look off the top of my head, while using inspirations from other vampire looks I've seen on YT and blogs.

I don't normally use so much color on my eyes, let alone dark colors. I blended purple and black on the lid and a bit of dark brown in the crease to add depth. I kept the shadows matte and didn't blend too high up to avoid looking like I have a black eye.
As I blended the outer edge of the shadows, I used a tissue to guide the blending into a wing, but it's barely noticeable, if I blended out or downwards, my eyes would start looking droopy. Using false lashes also adds more oomph to the eyes.
Brows were lightly filled in to keep them from over powering the eyeshadows. Sorry I don't have any close up pictures.

I also kept my complexion matte since I imagine vampires are pale and dull looking. I added a bit of deep red blush and a contour shade under my cheek bones, but didn't over do it to keep the eyes the main focus.
For the lips, I just dabbed foundation on and red lipstick on the inner center of the top and bottom lip.
The blood is just fake blood from my SFX kit.

Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color

Tim recently went to Las Vegas for a business trip at Zappos and he was nice enough to help me pick up a couple items from Bobbi Brown. It's always such a confusing thing for guys, if they ever have to go into a makeup store.

I saw on the BB website the Marrakesh Chic Collection and fell in love with the Creamy Lip Color in Washed Seashell #52. It's described as a shimmering medium tone nude pink on the website.
This is my first Bobbi Brown lipstick and I'm impressed by the packaging; a sleek black tube that has a nice click when I close the cover. No need to worry that it'll come loose if it fell out of my makeup bag.

It's a nude color indeed, it pretty much matches my lip color and adds a light shimmer on top without changing my lip color. The shimmer looks almost frosty rather than crystal-y shimmer. Great for everyday wear with subtle color on the lips.

My only complaint is the texture/feel of the lipstick. I figured a "creamy lip color" would feel very smooth and soft, but I had to use a bit more pressure to apply. It feels more like I'm applying a lip balm, but it feels sort of sticky on my lips. For comparison, my Laura Mercier gel lip colors are much softer and smoother when applying on my lips.
I don't mind the stickyness too much unless it's windy outside, I wish it didn't feel like I'm wearing a lipgloss. I suppose the stickyness makes up for the lasting power. Also the lipstick has a slight plastic smell to it, which I'm not too fond of.
Oh well, it's still a very beautiful nude pink, as if I didn't have enough lipsticks already, still worth a try since it's cheaper to purchase in the states.

Just a quick EOTD with Lancome Crystal Rose duo eyeshadow. I can't believe how sheer this goes on, sheerer than my beloved Japanese eyeshadows, which I think aren't super pigmented to begin with. Throughout the day, I notice the eyeshadow slowly fading out a bit.. -___-'

Using the Majolica Majorca pink cream shadow as a base helps the pinky beige color stand out a bit more. Also blended the darkest shade on top of MUFE Aqua Liner in 2L and topped it off with Majolica Majorca liquid liner in BR601.

Hello! Long time no blog

Hellooo! Wow it's been so long since I've blogged, been thinking about new posts for a while but didn't get a chance to do them, so here's a big one!
I recently went to a L'oreal private sale, I didn't really see anything I liked and ended up picking up 2 items for about $10 total.
Although I don't have much of a chance to use my nail polishes anymore, I still picked up the Essie polish in Too Too Hot, $2.50! Can't go wrong with that. I also purchased a Lancome shadow duo, which I assume is from an old collection since I can't find it on the Lancome Canada site. It was only $7.50, I didn't need any more eyeshadows so this was just a spontaneous purchase..so cheap!

I haven't actually used the shadows yet, so no pictures for now. The palette is called Crystal Rose and has a pinkish beige shade and grey with greenish tones, very nice when blended together.

However, you can see that it's not super pigmented, so it's more of a daytime natural eye shadow duo.

Even though I'm a makeup student, I stopped using so much makeup, mostly because it has to come off at school anyway for my classmates to practice on me, or I just don't feel a big urge to have so much color on my eyes anymore. I remember back when I was teaching in Korea, I would always have some sort of color on my eyes.
Nowadays, it's either brown shadows, or just brown/black liners, with more focus on keeping my skin dewy looking. I'm a bit more obsessed with my base makeup because I found one I love, Bobbi Brown. Now to finish my Laura Mercier concealer and slowly move onto Bobbi Brown.
Look how long my hair is now! So happy I can finally make a nice fish tail.

This semester, I started my special effects class. I have one more next semester doing more prosthetics. This semester is focusing on things that happen on the skin, like cuts, bruises, scrapes and burns. I haven't done burns yet, I'm pretty excited about it, as gross as it is. I hate seeing bloody things, but making a 3rd degree will be interesting.
In the meantime, here are some things I've done so far.
This is not on myself haha, I don't think I'll be able to construct one on my own face very well.
This is a laceration on my partner's jawline because she didn't want it on her face.

Bullet hole done from a close range headshot.

Bruise and scrapes....probably the easiest thing to do. The only downside to all this SFX makeup is, it only comes off with 99% alcohol...so you can only imagine how dry my skin gets in this class.

I've also played with latex to make gashes, but I wasn't too proud of my work so I didn't post a picture ^__^

Rinoa Cosplay with Dolly Wink

I'm so excited about this post, thanks for all the comments on the Dolly Wink lashes. As much as I love them, I think I'd only use them when I go out to have fun, otherwise they're too crazy for day to day.
As you can see, the post is about my cosplay at FanExpo Toronto, but first I'd like to show to you the makeup I used.

I was going to purchase the Dolly Wink 01 eyeshadow at Pacific Mall to use with my lashes, but I didn't have time nor was I prepared to over spend on something I know would be over priced. But, my dear friend from Hong Kong surprised me with it in the mail! I remember asking her if these were available at Sasa and she told me no, so I was quite surprised to get the package and looked ridiculous with my smile when I opened it on the subway.

I didn't have time to do a step by step picture tutorial and using the Dolly Wink e/s is pretty hard to get wrong anyway.

Products used in order:
Coffret D'or Fluffy Shine Eyes

Dolly Wink 01

MUFE Aqua Eyes 0L

MUFE Aqua Eyes 2L

Majolica Majorca Perfect Automatic Liner BK920

Fiberwig Mascara Extra Long

How To:
First apply Coffret D'or all over lids as a base, then:
1. All over lid
2. From lash line up halfway the lid
3. Lined upper lash line
4. Lined outer half of bottom lashes with MUFE 2L then smudged on top.
I also used to MJ liner to fill the spaces of my upper lash line, then finish with Dolly Wink 02 Lashes. I snipped off a very tiny bit of the inner part and they fit perfectly.
The lashes were a bit heavy though, whenever I blinked, I knew they were there, but it wasn't uncomfortable or anything.

I didn't do swatches of the eyeshadow since there are many bloggers that have done so, I'm just a bit late on the Dolly Wink bandwagon. However, I do have to say that I love the pigmentation of the eyeshadows and the lasting power! They're so easy to apply with my fingers.

Being a little vain before I got to the FanExpo, I kept looking at my eyes since I was so amazed at how the lashes transformed them. I totally forgot to use lipstick/gloss that day.

On to some FanExpo pictures! My nerdyness comes out.
I was a bit shy to ask people if they would take a picture with me, it seems kinda weird. I had a few that asked for my picture, or when I was posing for a picture with other cosplayers, I saw people snapping away with their cameras.

I think I looked pretty darn close to Rinoa from Final Fantasy 8. This isn't the first time I cosplayed her though, the other times I had black pants on and no boots. For FanExpo I went all out and got the boots including the grey detail on them, did the shorts and went anime eyes with the lashes. I think I also get a bonus point because I'm Asian already with my long hair and side swept bangs like Rinoa.

For those who don't know who this is, it's Tom Felton a.k.a. Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies.

Some Storm Troopers snooping around my bag.

Kairi from Kingdom Hearts 2, I love that game!

Another Storm Trooper, the guy was towering over me. He even had the mic to make the Storm Trooper voice. I do like Star Wars btw.

And just a couple pictures outside the Metro Convention Center thanks to Tim for them. I think I would definitely go again next year, or if there's any other conventions that come to Toronto that calls for the cosplayer in me haha, but I would totally think of another costume.

Dolly Wink No.2

I'm a little late on the Dolly Wink lashes, my first pair in No.2 Sweet Girly. Got them to go with my FanExpo costume for those super anime eyes.
Hopefully I'll get some good pictures of my costume for FanExpo, if anyone else is going to the Toronto one on the 26th, I'll be dressed up as a video game character!

Giving them a test run, so far so good. I had to snip off a wee bit on the inner part of the lashes. They're so crazy but I love them. Not the most natural lashes but it does a lot for my eyes without even using eye shadow on top. Very light, feathery and not plastic looking at all, I like.

Base Makeup Updated~

I feel a bit disloyal to the Asian cosmetics that I normally like to buy, but sometimes it's hard to look for a new powder or foundation without trying it on. Eyeshadows, blushes etc.. haven't really caught my eyes the past year, maybe a few things but I think it's because I have too many products to finish first.

So I decided to switch to using some American brands. It's also a lot cheaper too, unless you buy it in Canada. For this haul, I only purchased the Bobbi Brown foundation in Canada...$55CAD compared to $45USD, is that ridiculous? Plus our 13% tax on top.
And I got the Sephora round powder brush #41 for only $36, I think it's $45 here? My only complaint is the white bristles...when I load up the brush with the pressed powder, I don't know how much I actually pick up and sometimes I end up powdering too much.

If you've ever been to Holt Renfrew at Yorkdale mall, you might have noticed that Benefit has their Brow Bar there. However, I recently found out that Benefit was being pulled out of Holt and they weren't going to carry the brand anymore...so sad, and I was about to get my brows done.

Since they weren't going to be sold at Holt anymore, there was a mini sale going on with a bunch of the Benefit products, ranging from $15, $20 and $25. The boxed blushes were all $20, cream eyeshadows were $15 and skincare was from $20-25! There were also things like the concealer kits, lipgloss and lip sticks, liquid blushes, eyeshadows and a few other eye brow things.Cheap right? But I only picked up the High Brow.
BTW, if you're in Toronto, head to Holt at Yorkdale, the lady told me the sale ends this week, but I'm not sure if she meant Friday or Saturday.

The High Brow is a unique brow lifting pencil. You basically use it to highlight your brow bone and this helps give your eyes a nice lift. The shade is a pale pink color, I don't think it's very universal and there was only 1 color to choose from.
You draw a line under your brow on the outer half like so...

Then blend away with your finger or brush. I find that 1 swipe is enough, otherwise it gets a bit difficult to blend. The product feels a bit chalky and if I add too much, I can see a white-ish hue under my brows rather than a natural highlight.

Do you know about Murale? If you've never heard of it, it's a beauty boutique opened by Shopppers Drug Mart. They carry a wide variety of products like NARS, Smashbox, Benefit, Cargo and...*gasp* Bobbi Brown!!!! I finally found somewhere that I get purchase Bobbi Brown products...without having to deal with the snooty service at Holt Renfrew, plus you can earn those Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum points at Murale.
I spent about 45mins at Murale getting a mini makeover and trying out their base makeup. The girl was super nice, if you ever go, look for Shannon.
I purchased the Skin Foundation SPF15 in Warm Beige 3.5, which gives a light-medium coverage and leaves a slight dewy finish...which I love. I don't like fully matte makeup.

I also purchased the Sheer Finish Pressed Powder in soft sand when I visited Buffalo. Darn you Canada, why are things so expensive... I got the powder for $34USD and it sells for $45CAD here.

In case you ever need a comparison for online shopping, here I'm comparing the shade with Fit Me 210, they're very similar except Fit Me is a bit more yellow toned.

I LOOOOOVEE my new foundation. I normally use a sponge to blend, but I can get away with using my fingers to blend and the result is a smooth even finish. The Fit Me needed a sponge for better blending.
BB definitely has more coverage than the Fit Me foundation, but a lower SPF.
Lasting power is quite good, my skin was more dewy by the end of an 8-10 hour day but it looked so smooth. The foundation feels quite runny and it also feels very light weight which helps it give a light-medium coverage. 1 full pump is also enough to cover my face without any being wasted.
I used the pressed powder on top and it matted my skin very well, which I wasn't too fond of, but after an hour or so my skin looked more dewy when the oils started to produce on my skin.

Coffret D'or Fast Beauty Foundation UV BB Cream

Today is just a quick look at the Coffret D'or BB Cream. It has such a long name! Sorry no pictures of the product on my face, I'm just fitting in this post in between studying =D
I ordered this from AdamBeauty, about $34CAD (after shipping) for 30g. I was very hesitant on ordering this because I couldn't decide on the shade to purchase and whether it would clog my pores like Skinfood and Hanskin did.
I ended up getting the darkest shade, 03 Healthy Tone. At first I was worried it would be a bit too dark, but I compared the online swatches of the P&J foundations and Lunasol (that I've used before) and concluded on shade 03 because those foundations were all a touch too light for me in the summer time. Plus, my Kiehl's Tinted Moisturizer was in Medium and it's quite dark too, so the 03 shade should suit me.

I was surprised at how small it was, knowing that it was 30g. I'm thinking with regular use, I'll probably finish this in 2 months. Which isn't too bad for the price and what it does.
I'm not going to explain what BB creams are since there are a bajillion bloggers that did. This particular one comes with SPF 33PA++ and is unscented (yay!). I don't think there's a specific target for this BB Cream (like anti wrinkle or whitening).
When I first applied it to my skin, I was surprised at how yellow toned it was! But after a few minutes, it blends into my skin nicely without any sallowness.

The lasting power is quite good. I wore it on a day that I was up early to help my friend get ready for his wedding, running around, doing touch ups on people, through the rain and it still looked fresh. No creasing except a bit around my nose. Shine on my t-zone was bound to happen but it didn't look like an oily mess, just a bit of dewy-ness that I blotted.
For comparison, I used the Maybelline foundation. Although I mentioned that it appeared very yellow, it somehow changed to my skintone, I can't explain it.

Overall, I'm quite happy with this purchase. The BB cream has a light to medium finish, but a bit leaning towards medium depending on how much you apply. It has a nice creamy texture but spreads very easily without any streaks.
I think it's worth a try if you like foundations that are lightweight and convenient because it has the SPF in it. Also, you don't need to use a base prior to applying this, so even more convenient!

Chocolate Strawberries

I had noooo idea what to name this post. I was trying to decide what kind of eye makeup to do on my friend's wedding. I needed something quick and easy to do in the morning since I'm doing makeup for the guys, might as well figure it out now.
I couldn't decide on brown or pink (considering my dress was lavender with a hint of grey hue to it), so I decided on both. Hopefully I won't change my mind when time comes XD

Here's what I used:
Majolica Majorca cream shadow pink
Laura Mercier Sateen Eye Colour Duo Sandstone/Cognac
Integrate Accent Eyes PK760 (pink and shimmery highlight shade in the middle)
Jill Stuart Seductive Eyes - Seductive Doll 01 (bright pink shade)
MJ Perfect Automatic Liner BR601
MUFE Aqua Eyes 2L
Fiberwig Mascara Extra Long

I always start off with a cream base if I have one, makes the color appear more vibrant and lasts longer. And of course, I always use UDPP too.

Using Sandstone shade, apply all over lid and up to the crease.

I warm up the MUFE liner on my hand to make it easier to apply. Draw a thicker line than usual on top lashline.

Using the Cognac shade, smudge it slightly upwards and blend out any harsh edges.

Next, I blend the pink shade from the Integrate palette on top of the smudged liner, careful not to apply the pink on the lashline. This will wash out the brown color on the lashline if applied there.

Using the same Cognac shade, blend starting from the middle of the lashline out towards the outer corner, making sure to apply more on the outer.

Next, I blend and pat the bright pink shade from the Jill Stuart palette on the outer corner and into the crease. I pat the pink shade on top of the brown to avoid making it muddy looking.

Highlight the inner corner and lower half of the lashline with the shimmery highlight shade from the Integrate palette, and apply Cognac on the outer half.

Line the top lashline, careful not to make it too thick. Drag the line out a bit and create a slight wing.

Load up on the mascara top and bottom and add false lashes. It was so difficult applying mascara to my bottom lashes!..since I don't have a lot -___-'
I forgot to mention, I highlighted using Sandstone on my brow bone.

Oopps..looks like the lashes are coming off =p

I might end up changing my eye makeup for night time...thinking of just using brown and gold shades..but with a heavier hand...hmmm... decisions decisions..

Anyone heard of Beauty So Clean? Well, if you haven't, it's a makeup mist that you can spritz onto pressed powders, shadows, blushes and even cream foundations!

This spray kills bacteria and helps keep makeup cleaner, especially if you're like me and just can't seem to part with your eyeshadows hehe.

The spray is mostly alcohol, but it's also got added ingredients (like isopropyl palmitate - moisturizing ingredient) so it won't dry out or damage your makeup.

I purchased mine at school as a special order. I don't think you can get this size anywhere, unless you order online from Eve Pearl. Last week, I saw they had the large bottle, but it seems like they only have the small one in stock at the moment.

Otherwise I know you can purchase it at The Bay, but unfortunately, not the large size that I have. Either way, I think it's a good investment for makeup artists and for personal use to keep everything nice and sanitized.

Check out the Beauty So Clean website and you can see a few other products they have.