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.

Makeup Artist In Training!

Nothing special haha...just decided to post a pic with my makeup uniform XD

My friend got bored in class and decided to braid my hair. So talented! She's been in the hair salon industry for a long time.

A few items I got in the past week or so. I've switched most of my skincare products to Kiehl's. They're the Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate, Midnight Recover Concentrate, Line Reducing Eye Brightening Concentrate, Ultra Facial Cream and the Photo Age Activated Toner. I'll talk more about it when I have time.

I also went to Buffalo for the day and got Maybelline's Fit Me foundation...OMG... I envy those that have easy access to Ulta, it's SO much cheaper than Canada!! It's $8.99 here while Ulta has it at $7.99 with buy 1 get second 50% off. Same goes with NYX... so difficult to find here. Also got new liquid liners by Lavshuca and I hate them.. will do a review on those shortly.

Also got the EOS lipbalm. I'm pretty sure I've never seen it here before, it's rather cute but I imagine when you use enough, it gets flat and annoying to apply.

Birthday Goodies II

Some more birthday goodies, except these I went out to buy with red pocket and birthday money.

Originally I wanted to buy the giant bottle of Philosophy Apricots and Cream body lotion, but I thought I'd probably get sick of the scent before I finish it, so I wanted the smaller one and Sephora didn't have it!

Intead I decided to get a new concealer. I wanted a better one for a while but never got around in getting it. I went to get the Bobbi Brown concealer from Holt Renfrew but the SA wouldn't sell it to me unless I got a corrector (aww...how considerate...but it saved me like $80). He led me to the Laura Mercier counter instead.

Here's what I came out with @__@

I got my new concealer and the Laura Mercier Color Preview Collection kit. I don't even see it on the Laura Mercier website or Sephora yet..I wonder how new this is????

I see it on the Neiman Marcus site and it's supposedly exclusive to that store. The lipstick picture is soo off btw.

I knew I didn't need another blush or more brown shades but long story short..I came up with some excuses and ended up getting the kit.

When the SA was trying on the concealer, I glanced over at the display case and saw the most gorgeous coral lipstick EVERR!! I said to myself that I must have it! But sadly it was only available in the kit since it was the new LE Gel Lip Color (the whole color selection is supposed to be out in the summer, but this shade was LE)

The kit comes with an e/s duo, full sized blush, mini mascara, 30mL of the foundation primer, pouch, full sized gel lip color, double ended shadow brushes and application card.

I didn't do swatches of the blush since I gave it to my mom. This shade is called Citrus Spark which is a reddish coral shade. Quite pigmented...the SA tried it on me and barely touched the blush with the brush.

Ah, the jewel of this collection.. the new Gel Lip Color in Grapefruit, a pretty reddish coral.

I don't know why I was so attracted to this shade...suddenly when you get older..you start liking shades you never thought you'd like.

The SA said it goes on sheer, I think it's still got some nice pigmentation to it and feels very light. Although it doesn't apply like "what you see is what you get", it still gives my lips a very pretty coral, hint of strawberry color. The lipstick glides on super smooth and smells kinda like vanilla. It's not as moisturizing as I thought, like the Maquillage or Lunasol lipsticks, so using a lipbalm is a must.

I'm not sure if the e/s shades are available to buy as regular shadows. It's your basic neutral brown shades that are good for everyday wear.

The lighter shade (sandstone) is a pearly beige shade that appears slightly pink. Sounds like the P&J shadow I reviewed recently? Except this doesn't have a heavy golden tone to it.

The darker shade (cognac) has a hint of gold in it and it's not as pearly as sandstone.

The shadows are soo buttery and soft and apply very well on my eyes. They blend easily and lasting power is amazing. I'd say better than some of my Japanese ones (Lunasol, Aube Couture. I wore the shadows on for more than 8 hours with UDPP and no creasing whatsoever. Sandstone is very pigmented and cognac takes a few layers to get the right intensity.

Another basic application, also using L'oreal Lineur Intense in Earthen Rock Brown. I'm also using the LM secret concealer in #3. Doesn't cake and crease as easily (still does after a day of wear) as Beauty Maker Aqua Concealer.

The brushes are full size and picks up the shadows very well.

The SA also gave me a sample of the almond coconut milk body lotion and a nice size tube of the scrub. Smells super delicious but I don't think I'd ever buy the full size.

Me and my big head pictures XD

Another birthday goodie I got was some China Glaze nail polishes. Here I'm using Golden Meringue. It's a sheer golden shade which shows up depending on the angle and lighting.

One more week of school with tons of assignments, then study week..then going back to school for 3 midterms...wha...so not fun.

Birthday Goodies I

I like having my birthday in February because it's also near Chinese New Year, and of course most of you know what that means! I got some lovely presents this year and I'm gonna show a couple that I got from a friend. It's the new Paul & Joe Spring 2011 Parasol collection!

I loooooove the packaging..well pretty much all the packaging P&J comes in. Although the designs are so pretty, I'm a bit peeved that it's still made with cardboard...gggrrrru.. Nevertheless, it's still some nice eye candy.

I forgot to take swatch pictures, so you can view them on this blog.

I received the lipstick color in Chantilly 070 which is a sheer bubble gum pink. The color actually appears quite well on my lips.

I also got the Color Powder CS in Taffeta 072 which has a golden beige pink and a golden copper shade. The lighter shade goes in a bit sheer. I wasn't able to take some good pictures, but you can still see the darker shade show up on my eyes. I also used Coffret D'or Fluffy Shine Eyes (cream shadow) in gold as a base. This really helps with lasting power and helps prevent creasing. When the shadows are used alone with UDPP, it still creases slightly.

Just did basic application, lighter shade all over lid up to crease and darker shade on the outer.

I used the L'oreal Lineur Intense in Earthen Rock Brown, also a gift for my birthday. This has replaced my precious Lunasol liquid liner which has dried out considerably by now. (*le sigh*)

I've also used the Chantilly lipstick. Very cute pink indeed.

For those of you who are a VIB member, Sephora is giving away samples of the NARS pro prime pore refining primer (what a mouth full!). It's so tiny, probably enough for 2 uses. I look like a giant holding it.

Au Natural

Hello blog world,
Ever since I started the cosmetic program at Seneca, I realized that I probably had to be at school without makeup at one point or another, just to make it easier for my peers to practice on a clean face.
So with that said, I needed to get used to the fact that I probably wouldn't be using makeup, might as well try it out when I go out, however I cheated and still used something when I went out in public.
No eye makeup at all! I tried it once yesterday and again today, it ain't that bad. Since I didn't have any eye makeup on, I decided to add a bit more blush than usual.
On a side note, I am so proud of myself for using the JS blush (fresh apricot) so quickly.

For the natural look, I just filled in my brows, did some light concealing under my eyes (with Sana yellow concealer, not pictured) and gave my lips a little bit of pink color.

I mixed the #1 colors together and applied it on the lower part of my cheek, and did the same with #2 but higher for a glow because the colors were lighter. It's supposed to imitate the pink cheeks you get after going inside from the cold.
I took the photos using my iphone which explains the washed out colors.

Quickie Post - Lippies

I know it seems like I've been neglecting my blog, it's soo much more difficult to keep up than before. But I should be going back at it once the new year starts...because I made a decision to go to makeup school! Yay! After obssessing with makeup and skincare for so long and trying to explain to all my friends what's good and how to use certain things, I decided it's finally time I put my interest into use. So I will be going to Seneca College starting in January for the next two years and during that time I'm gonna try to start my portfolio, get some looks done and try to start posting some more!

In the meantime, here are a couple new lippies I purchased.

If you're a follower of Fuzkitte's facebook page, you may have seen her post about the Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush lipstick in Poppysicle.

She said it's great for Asian skintones as it brightens the skin and is flattering for Asian skintones.

So because it only cost $7CAD, I decided to give it a go, although I was hesitant to purchase at first because it was so bright!

The lipstick feel moisturizing (although not as much as the Maquillage or Lunasol ones) and it's comfortable to wear. The coverage on me is probably medium to full, I was surprised at how pigmented it went on that I freaked out at first. The color actually appears almost identical to the lipstick when applied to my lips.

Fuzkittie suggestd I use a milky lipbalm as a base to kind of dilute the color, so I used the Paul & Joe Milky Lip Treatment.
After applying the lipbalm, I apply 1 layer and pat it with my finger to even it out and to help tone down the color as some of the excess sticks onto my finger.
Lasting power is amazing, even after I ate dinner, I still noticed a bit of color on my lips.
The color is brighter in person, but not over the top, it's still very wearable if you keep the eye makeup more neutral.

I did a very basic eye...
1. Apply Coffret D'or gold cream shadow as base up to crease.
2. Apply light brown shade all over eyelid.
3. Line eyes with Bobbi Brown gel liner granite ink.
4. Smudge dark brown over the gel liner.
5. Tightline with MM liquid liner and finish off with Fiberwig Extra Long mascara.

Of course the color is brighter in person, but you get the idea. I think the next time I want a new lipstick, I'm definitely gonna check out the other Beauty Rush colors since it's so affordable and I had a good experience with the first one I bought!

Another recent lip product purchase was the Laura Mercier lipstain in Shy Pink $25CAD. Kind of pricey, but I had money left on a gift card to use.
I was hoping it would replace my lip balm, but sadly it feels dry on my lips, so I have to use a lipbalm prior to applying the stain.
This actually feels more like a lipstick in a jar but the staying power is a lot better than most of my other lipsticks.
When applied, the color is very similar to the color in the jar, which is great at evening out my lip color.

Hellooo Monday

Who doesn't love pay day? I just had to treat myself to some goodies.
I've always wanted to use falsies more often, but it seemed like such a pain in the butt to put on all the time, plus the ends don't stick that well after a few hours of wear.
I used to use Darkness lashes whenever I had the time, but a lot of times I didn't put them on very well so I could feel it.
I went to Pacific Mall to get some more hair spray and passed by a store that sold these super pretty lashes. It was $20 for 10 pairs or $3 per pair, I got 1 pair just to test it out and so far so good.
The spine/bone(??) of the lashes are much thinner than the Darkness lashes so they feel a lot more comfortable. Although they are comfortable to wear, I'm predicting that they won't stick as well as the day passes due to the lack of surface area sticking to my eyes.

Still..they're very pretty and natural looking. Today's makeup is inspired by this YouTube vid




Makeup used:


Earlier today I just put on some mascara and brown eyeliner when I went to do my errands. Adding the false lashes plus some shadow really adds more oomph to my eyes.

Lined 1/3 of the bottom lashline with brown eyeshadow. I didn't even need black liquid liner after I applied the lashes since the lash itself was already black..it created the illusion of the liner.

I'm starting to like TM a lot more than foundation. I'm starting to find that foundation cakes easily between my brows and around the nose. Good thing for me I don't have too much extra foundation that needs to be used.
I started getting sick of using the Stila TM (there's only 1/4 bottle left anyway, so no big deal not to finish it all XD). It started feeling a bit too heavy for my taste so I went and splurged on the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Tinted Moisturizer in Medium ($33CAD for 75mL). It was such a good deal, considering the amount you get for that price. Plus a little goes a long way.


Kiehl's is the most fluid of the 3 TM and I think a bit more suited to my skin tone. Compared with the other 2 I've used, Kiehl's has pretty good coverage for a TM, not heavy at all and leaves my skin nice and dewy. The thing about this TM is that it emphasizes the dry bits on and around my nose. I haven't found a solution to this yet besides exfoliating...hmm..maybe I'm not exfoliating enough?
Stila is similar to Kiehl's except it feels a bit heavier and my skin gets a bit more oily.
Covergirl is the most sheer, it has barely does anything, oh well it was worth the try.
I used Primavista pressed powder on top of the Kiehl's TM

BB Shimmering Nudes revisited

The last time (which was last year) that I used the Bobbi Brown Shimmering Nudes, it ended up in failure because of how it looked after a few hours of wear... but now I had to give it another chance, I didn't want it to sit around doing nothing. This time I used a cream base before applying the shadows in hopes that it wouldn't turn muddy and gross.

Using:
Shimmering Nudes 1. Nude Spice, 2. Nude Beach, 3. Espresso
Paul & Joe liner black
Jill Stuart cream shadow 10
Fiberwig
Lavshuca blush (forgot the #)

I first apply the cream shadow on my lid just under the crease.

Using Nude Spice #1, apply it on top and up to the crease.

Using Nude Beach #2, blend it into the crease.

Blend Espresso #3 on the liner, then using Nude Beach, blend on top to soften the liner.

And done! Are my tutorials easy or what? =D
The end result is a nice pearly eye. I've been doing this look for the past 3 days and it hasn't turned muddy or gross at all thanks to the cream shadow base. Now I can love the Shimmering Nudes palette again.

Since the eyes are so pearly, I stuck with a matte blush.. well the only matte-ish blush I have. The blush has very few shimmery glitters in it that it's barely noticable, oh.. but the blush itself is not noticable to begin with, it's very sheer.

I finally got a new brush for the LM mineral powder, the Eco Tools bronzer brush. I know it's not a kabuki brush, but it's cheap! I was gonna get their mineral brush set but I didn't need too many brushes and they were too small anyway.

A nice size for applying the powder. Since the bristles are so dense, I had to bend and mush the bristles around to make the brush more fluffy so the powder application easier. I can't believe how soft this brush is either.

I couldn't find a picture online to show how big the brush is, so incase anyone is wondering, here it is.

Wow I have 600 followers =D Thank you! And I'd like to say hi to all my new readers =) =) =)

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder

A couple weeks ago, I returned something to Sephora. I was close to getting the new MUFE Aqua Cream, but opted for a new foundation instead. The Stila TM and my other liquid foundations were feeling a bit too heavy for the humid weather. I searched around, read some reviews and settled for the Laura Mercier mineral powder. It seemed to look really nice on Fuz, so I thought why not give it a try.

I was matched with Natural Beige, which was surprising because I didn't think my skin was that pale.
This is the first mineral powder I've used so I can't compare it with anything else. I've always been iffy on using powder makeup because of my dry cheeks, but this foundation had a creamy sort of finish which didn't emphasize any potential dryness.
See how it leaves a mark on the lid? It's because the foundation isn't fully powder.. I don't know how to explain it unless you try it out yourself.

I applied extra sunscreen before applying the mineral powder.

Base makeup used: Majolica Majorca Skin Lingerie, Orbis Sunscreen on Face, Beauty Maker concealer, Sana concealer, Primavista pressed powder

No makeup... freckles and some discoloration

And after.. I took a few pictures over a few days time. I really like how my skin just looks sooo smooth after application. Although it doesn't hide all the freckles, it helps tone it down.

In this picture it looks slightly dry on my cheeks. This is immediately after application. The mineral makeup hasn't really sunk in yet so it looks matte, but after a few minutes, it has a really nice glow.

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with this purchase. The makeup stays put better than the liquid ones so far (after 8 hours), but still, when I have a slight itch on my cheek and I scratch, a little bit comes off.
The powder is very light and it doesn't feel like I'm wearing anything at all, and best of all, you can still create a natural look depending on how much you layer on.