EOTD: Going brown with the Naked palette

No. I do not yet own Naked 2. I wish.

But all this hype about Naked 2 has, of course, turned my attention to the original Naked palette which I do own. And this was the eye I decided to go with for yet another recent wedding.

This look was really simple, but I was really happy with it.

What kind of a girl are you?

Hello lovelies,

It's a Friiiday. Woohoo!

And today I thought we'd just do a little Friday sharing. What kind of a girl are you?


Makeup-wise, of course.

Daiso Lashes & Smokey Eye Look

Finding my favourite iNouvi lashes hard to replace I decided to take a risk with these falsies from Daiso in #10. After all, I only had RM5 to lose! I also picked up the tiny bottle of lash glue in black and whatddya know, I find myself loving both so I went back and picked up these tiny lashes in No 2 for a really natural look and a bottle of clear glue.

The lashes are in two parts and therefore much easier to apply than if they were one long stiff strip. The strip is a touch stiff so wrap it around a small eyeshadow brush before applying. Be gentle with them and you should be able to get at least two uses out of it before they fall apart.

The glue is also inspired. It comes with a tiny wand to apply it precisely on the lashes. The black glue is TRULY black so you'll need to pair it with black eyeliner as well. While I doubt the glue will withstand wind, rain and sweat, it held up beautifully the three evenings out I used it and removed easily with a cotton pad soaked in eye makeup remover.

Here's the lashes paired with Lisa Eldridge's Quick Smokey Eye method using Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Skinny Jeans.

Going Red...

Tis the season to be going red, it would seem.


When the makeup blogging sorority here in Kuala Lumpur decided to meet up (over sushi) at the start of this year, there was but one rule - RED lips, missy.

Monday's beauty bit: Evening makeup for post-LASIK patients

Pardon the expression, it was one of those no-good-photo-days

It's been over a week since the LASIK operation and the liberty of a life without glasses or contact lenses has been amazing. Every morning I wake up bewildered that I can see, or panicking that I'd gone to sleep with my lenses in. Everything's been peachy keen with the exception of ONE thing.

No eye makeup.

Worse. No eye makeup for crazy New Year's Eve night out.

HOW am I to get by without any eye makeup? I'm not blessed with great eyes, no eye makeup means no EYES.

After a good wail and moan and overcoming of temptations to cheat, I gave in and decided to work the look and go with a strong lip. Looking up some catwalk looks I tried a matte red lip (too scary) a shiny red lip (less scary but still, vampirish), fuschia lips (better but not for the dress) and finally settled on strong berry-rose lips.

Review: Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Colour Trio in BR307 and GY901

Friday again! Whee!

For our Hindu friends who are celebrating Deepavali, here's wishing you a Happy Deepavali! For the rest of us in Malaysia, have a great day off.


And now, on to these two beautiful Shiseido Luminizing eyeshadow trios!

Looks: Purple + taupe eye

So last weekend, I was in Singapore to attend a friend's wedding.

Between running after two young nieces, and running around town to shop a bit, it was rather a whirlwind of a lovely weekend!

Anyway, I thought I'd share an EOTD with you lovelies on what I did for the wedding dinner.

I had decided to go with a trusted and much-loved purple and black cocktail dress. And so I decided to have something somewhat similar for my eyes.

(Apologies, but this was the only shot I had of myself the entire night! I decided to crop my friends out, out of respect for their privacy. In my haste, I forgot to take any face shots.)

Day to Night: NARS Rajasthan Duo

Hey lovelies,

Starting the day out on a work day, but partying after? NARS Rajasthan duo might be something worth your time.


Here I share how I bring the duo from a simple day look to a smokey night eye. And it was pretty much done using mostly only Rajasthan.

My Bridal and Evening Makeup ~

Hello ladies!

If you've noticed that I've been absent for a while now, it's because I'm taken some time off to get hitched and then run off to Greece for a big fat Greek honeymoon. And now it's a lotta packing and unpacking as the hubs and I settle down in our little pad.

Yes, it's been quite a whirlwind, the last couple of weeks. But it's good to be back.

Anyway, before I continue... Yes, there will be many official wedding photos that I'll be sharing with you girls (when I finally get my hands on them myself), and there will be another post of the Greek honeymoon haul too!

But for now, I'll share with you briefly on my bridal and evening makeup which received rather positive feedback. Piccies (nicked from bestie Mich) after the jump!

Me and Mich, who was also my bridesmaid. Thanks for flying all the way back for me!

Bridal makeup (Day): Sharon gave me a very natural look, which was what I had wanted. Just as I had earlier described during my makeup trial, she used Bobbi Brown's foundation on my face, which she dabbed and blended using her fingers, creating a very even base on my skin. Add some commercial strength concealer, and voila - perfect skin! =P

For my cheeks, she combined two shades of blush (whose names I shall never know because they were in a palette and they were unlabeled), which gave me rosy cheeks. A little later, darling Kahani (my beloved and amazingly fastidious maid-of-honour) proceeded to blend the blush a little more using her EcoTools retractable kabuki.

On my eyes, she used a combination of Bobbi Brown, Prestige and MAC eyeshadows to create a natural warm look. Black liquid eyeliner went on, and Fasio mascara, but no falsies for me for the day look. *Gloat gloat*

And on my lips, Sharon used Estee Lauder's Long Lasting Lipstick in Rose Tea, which was a rose pink shade (not to be confused with their popular Pure Colour Rose Tea shade though). She then topped it up with Clinique Superbalm Moisturising Gloss in Apricot for yummy lips.

She finished with a light dusting of Stila's highlighter where necessary to bring on the glow, although not much of it would have lasted through the various rounds of blotting and powdering even before the church ceremony began.

Day Hairdo: I wanted a half up-half down look with soft curls to complement my strapless gown, and that was exactly what I got. I'm so sorry I can't do a breakdown of what she did to my hair, though. I only know she curled parts of it, and finished it off with lots of hairspray to hold everything in place. (And loads of pins, of course, to hold the veil in place).


Evening makeup: As for my evening look, I had wanted classic smokey-eye to amp up the glam, and to go with my maroon gown. Foundation and concealer went on as in the morning, as did the blush.

My eyes, however, really popped with all that black liner and mascara. And this time, falsies went on too. Eyeshadow shades were mainly black, grey and silver. My evening makeup was done in a relative hurry, so I really could't remember the name of that red MAC lipgloss she used on me. Although I do remember Kahani toning it down a little with a more neutral gloss as the night wore on. =P

Evening hairdo: I had an updo, with curls and red roses in my hair. And more hairspray. I loved it.

Overall, I was very happy with the end-result, and I'm glad Sharon delivered what I had wanted for my wedding day look.

What about you? What would your ideal wedding look be? Do share!

Looks: Sweatproof look to run the Rat Race

Here's my attempt at creating a fresh and natural sweatproof look for the KL Rat Race. I know my lips look rather bright here but as you'll see it's partially the lighting and partially accounting for fading because it looks more natural later on. Here's what I used...

Face
After prepping with a high-spf product. Revlon colorstay as foundation and concealer. Lightly set with MUFE super mat loose powder.

Cheeks & Lips
Benetint of course for everything-proof natural tint. Two coats on the lips with lip balm over. Gently patted into cheeks with a foundation brush. Not too much - exercise will make me red enough!

Eyes
Here's the tricky bit. After prepping with MAC Paintpot as a liner, I patted a mid-tone matte brown from the NYX Copacabana Trio Eyeshadow into the crease and to slightly contour. Then blended in with thr matte pink shade to subtly brighten. Using a slanted eyeliner brush, I used the darkest brown in the trio as a liner. Finally I curled my lashes and used a waterproof, smudgeproof subtle mascara that isn't too lenghtening or volumnising but will help define and hold a curl. In this case I used Stage Divine Lash mascara.

Power up
Then maske sure you eat high energy food. The meal of the champions like...


Never could resist sugar donuts. :P

Conclusion
I think the overall look held up rather well. No embarrassing melting or running. Fading is a given. Also I didn't break out badly afterwards either. For some after (and during) pics check out this post on my fashion blog, Frocking Around.

Look: Syen's bridal & Kahani's evening look

Hey Ladies, I know you're all dying to see pics of Syen at the wedding and her evening look, but I'm sure she'd like to post it herself, and would rather I clear with her first before putting the images up. So for now be content with this sweet candid shot I took of our blushing bride:And here is.. I'm afraid.. a rather odd pic of the look I did for the wedding dinner (don't be too shocked):

*cough* I blame the dolly look on iNuovi's pro-lash 03. I don't think I'll be sporting these babies again honestly. They're too OTT for me. What do you girls think?

Also for future reference the amount of lash I had to chop off to get it to fit my eyes makes buying full-size lashes a total waste for me. I'm sticking to half and 3/4 lashes from now onwards! But even in full-size they were easy peasy to put on, bless!

On my eyes I used the L'Oreal Quad, with black eyeshadow from NYX Trio in Ceramic for oomph. Cheeks were kept subdued with Stila's Cheek Colour in Tint and glossy lips were achieved by Stage Wondergloss in Narcissus (review pending) over Benetint.

Foundation was my beloved Revlon Colorstay in Sand Beige touched up throughout the night with Mac Blot and ZA 2-Way in shade 21.

Video: Screen siren Sophia Loren

Another iconic film star of the 60's was Sophia Loren. What I love about her is that unlike the other stars of her time she was of Italian descent and didn't look Caucasian. For ladies with darker complexions and more exotic features her look is one to draw inspiration from. Granted - I'd tone it down a bit considering her makeup was for a time when film didn't capture colour as vividly as it does now.

Bridal Makeup Trial: Feedback Wanted!

Helloooo ladies!

So, you've met my makeup artist, Sharon here. And with only two weeks more before the wedding, I decided that it was high time we did a trial run for the makeup.

So as I plonked down on her chair, I told her I wanted a natural look for day. Please don't give me super drama eyes etc.

Based on what I could remember, she used Bobbi Brown (BB) foundation, some commercial strength concealer, BB blush, a mixture of various eyeshadows which included Stila, BB and I'm not sure what else.

The BB foundation (if you read my earlier post, it means I've made it into "good skin" category! Yay!) was applied with her fingers, and it did not feel very heavy. She said she wanted to even out my skintone but still allow my skin to look natural.

She then gave my eyes a (very) little cat's eyes liner, and curled my lashes and gave them a good coat (or two) of her favourite Fasio mascara. (She said I won't be needing falsies for the day makeup.. hehe.) Oh, and she just defined my eyebrows a little more. I'll be cleaning them up a bit more before the wedding, though. =P

For the life of me, I cannot remember what lipstick she used though. It was applied with a brush, and I was VERY impressed by how long the lipstick lasted through drinks and teatime. And no, no lip liner or gloss.

This photo was taken after I got home. Fluorescent lighting with flash.

She used predominantly warm shades, and although it's definitely waaay more makeup than I've worn before, by the time she was done, I was quite surprised that it still looked rather natural in photos. Apart from my eyes, which were reeeally accentuated.

So. Waddaya you girls think? Too heavy? Too light? Too dark? Too much? Good? Bad?

Hit me back, girls! I really wanna know. Thank youu! =D

Stage Floral Frenzy: Colours I've never played with before

This post epitomises the joy of being a beauty blogger. All that hard work, the dedication that makes you post even when youre life is in chaos and you're exhausted. It pays off when you're invited to try items like this. Items that you would never normally splurge on, but now have a chance to play with and have fun.

And have fun I DID. As Connie told me, it's pure therapy to just sit there and play with makeup. At the end of this post, with a different eye look on each eye, I looked like a confused pixie. BUT I was indeed happier. =D

The Floral Frenzy palette is part of Stage Cosmetics' Floral Fatale collection and the five shades are really very pretty. The pink and blue are shimmery and the orange, yellow and white are matte.

But here's the problem, I have never in my life used yellow or orange eyeshadow. EVER. So that this palette was sent to me to test is awesome because I got a chance to play. =D

Review
The palette itself is beautiful. It reminds me of some of the palettes Stila has released in the past. It doesn't feel a solid as it looks though, which makes the overall packaging feel less posh than it looks.

The shades are quite pigmented, but still sheer. I'd recommend using them over an eye primer like MAC Paint Pots if you want the shades to pop. Orange and yellow are more pigmented than pink and blue, but well they're yellow. I'm yellow. It doesn't stand out!

Star product: Liquid Liner in Eucalyptus

This is Beetrice's favourite product out of the collection and I can see why! The liner is a lovely shade of metallic green with fine silver shimmer. Once dry it lasts quite well without smudging - I haven't worn it a full day yet as I can't see myself wearing a shimmery green liner all day at work. But I love it so, the time is nearing when I will TRY!

The brush is divine by the way. Fine, capable of laying down a precise line. Soft and yet you're fully in control. When my Revlon eyeliner runs out I'm going straight to stage and getting their black eyeliner!

Looks
I started out trying to make these wearable. But then started having so much fun I threw wearability to the winds and went to town on each eye.

Right eye: White as a base. Shimmery blue on the crease, pink on the lid, and 60's winged liner in shimmery green


Left eye: White as a base. Orange on the crease, yellow on the lid (it really IS there.. I'm just too yellow!), and cleopatra eyeliner in shimmery green.

I was surprised how much I liked this last look. It looks like something an autumn dryad would wear. So now I have the look, where's the fantasy convention? =D

Which look do you prefer?

Conclusion
To be totally honest, I would never have bought this palette, priced at RM135, for myself. But only because the colours are not practical. The quality of it is fantastic. I love impractical gifts though and this was a lovely pressie to brighten (geddit? geddit? my week). I'll keep playing with it and will use the shades individually with other looks. If you're looking for a palette of bright fun colours, this is definitely a great choice.

The liner on the other hand is heart-stoppingly gorgeous and a wonderful product. I would not only have bought this for myself, I plan to pick it up in practical black and brown too! At RM52 it is very reasonably priced compared to other premium brands.

See what Beetrice thought of the collection!

Duped: Smashbox Muse Palette by Silk Naturals Bon Voyage Shadows

I feel hopelessly in love with the Smashbox Muse Palette ever since I saw it. The absolutely gorgeous postergirl for the collection didn't hurt either. But not only is Smashbox really pricey, the pallete was US$48! It wasn't available in Malaysia.

So imagine my delight when the genius Karen of Silk Naturals duped the pallete in loose mineral-shadow form. And believe me, the colours are GORGEOUS. Here are the four darker shades I bought at US$4 each. You can opt to buy all 10 shades here for US$37.50 - but I like being able to get only the shades I want.


Colours & Formula
Karen really outdid herself formulating these shadows. The finish is shimmery with a delicate translucency that makes even vibrant purple Vacation" wonderfully wearable. They are smoothly blendable and last all day over a primer.

(L-R) Bon Voyage, Vacation, Getaway, Resort

Incidentally, Bon Voyage is the first blue shadow I've bought in years and is currently the ONLY shadow in my collection. I don't use it often, but I'm so in love with it!

Look

The lovely finish of the shadows make even a multicoloured look like this wearable even for office wear! Granted, my eyes really aren't the best to show off colours (and don't I know it!) but I was quite pleased with this look even if I do say so myself. ; )

Crease: Vacation
Outer-V: Getaway
Lower Lashline: Bon Voyage

Conclusion
These shadows are LOVE and they encourage me to play with colours a bit more. I do have a tendency to stick to brown, brown and more brown! I'm considering getting a few more of the darker shades.

FOTD: Taking the falsies out for a spin

Edit: Pic of dress after the jump!

A dear friend of mine from church got married last Saturday and for the wedding dinner I decided to bring on the glam and use my iNuovi half-lashes. As false lashes go, they're pretty tame and natural looking when your eyes are open, until you blink. Then for a brief moment your have full-on fluttery lashes! Think of them as false-lash-lite. =P

I found them incredibly easy to put on, taking me only one try and about 5 minutes total. Now the temptation to slap them on for EVERY evening function (and believe me, I have quite a few) is unberably tempting.

I'm also considering taking advantage on iNuovi's current offer of "Buy 2 boxes of Prolashes and get one box" free to stock up on these lashes, and maybe give a few other more dramatic ones a try. The offer is only valid at the iNuovi store in Sunway Pyramid and will end June 18 (that's this Thursday!).

Now for the rest of my look:

Eyes
Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows in Busy Signal (a deep shimmery brown) and Carte Blanche (a mid-toned gold-based brown)
L'Oreal Colour Appeal Star Secrets Quad in Penelope Cruz - Dark brown and gold shades
Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner
Lancome Oscillation Mascara

Cheeks
Benefit Coralista
Benefit Ten to contour

Lips
Benetint as a base
Silk Naturals kisser slicker gloss in Maiden (dupe of MAC Slimshine in Bare)

Edit (June 16,2009): As per request here's a better shot of the halter-neck dress. Forgive the odd angle it's a candid shot by a friend - cropped out the other ladies in the pic in case they're not eager to feature on the blog. =P

Video: Friday is for everyday glamour

Vintage queen, Super Kawaii Mama shows us how she creates her glamorous pin-up look, everyday. While the tutorial is very long, and could stand some editing, I do love her voice and her soft accent. I can't begin to say how much I wish all makeup gurus had such delightful voices to listen to. Far too many have shrill or piercing voices that make my poor ears ring and are tiring to listen to. Anyways, I love her eyeliner tip, and find her finished look really lovely. Gosh I'm on such a vintage kick, bear with me ladies!



Part two, after the jump!

Classic glamour look: Dragonfly

Why "Dragonfly"? I've mentioned in the past that I am badly swayed by the names of products, so lines like Silk Naturals, Benefit and Philosphy all hit my weak spot dead-on. Words that trigger me off include raspberry, pink grapefruit, lavender... and dragonfly. This look was inspired by the Stila Duo Eyeshadow in Dragonfly (sitting in a compact by Beautilicious), and Maybelline Watershine Lipstick in Dragonfly Red. (Everybody say, "Ahhh....!")

I was secretly in love with both products just from seeing the colours (red! purple! taupe! perfect!) on ParisB and Beetrice's sites. I snapped up the duo for RM20 during the clearance sales, and the lipstick recently for RM17.80 - usually it's RM23.90. While the lippy is readily available everywhere, sadly the duo is gone, along with the brand, from Malaysia. But any pale shimmery lavender and medium-dark, brown-taupe will do.

Surprisingly both lavender and taupe go together really well. I used the taupe in my crease, and smudged it just above the crease on the outer corners. I then blended the lavender shadow over as a highlight, concentrating on the inner corners and just under the brow-bone.

Pardon the rather "bleh" shot. I was having a bad photo-day, I took 15 shots, all were worse than this. And then I ran out of time. *sighs* So I wasn't actually sad or pissed off (whichever the photo most resembles) but I was tired as the week was a tough one. On the plus-side, this whimsically themed look perked me up for the day! Its' fun being a girl

Anyways, the red can be layered on to be pretty intense, or applied sheerly - as ParisB prefers it. I love its versitility. To me it's a true-red with slightly-warm undertones. It's very flattering and never turns orange or fuschia. I find it's one of the lippies that suit me even when I'm not wearing foundation or blush. It just perks me right up. LOVE it, this baby has earned itself a permanent place in my makeup bag.

And ah yes I used Benetint on my cheeks. =)

Channeling Star Trek with the help of Silk Naturals Kisser Slicker in Bloom

When I first swiped on Silk Natural's Kisser Slicker in Bloom I was actually really disappointed. The colour that looked so pretty on the tube, was a very cool very very light pink on me. So light I didn't know how I was to use it.

Until I watched the latest Star Trek film that is. I was BLOWN away by the incredible dialogue, story-line, screenplay, cast... and the updated 60's-inspired feel to everything. From the ship-design to the actor's makeup the movie never missed a beat. It managed to be authentic, and 60's without for a moment being outdated or old-fogey. Awesome.

I was particularly taken with the makeup sported by Nyota Uhura, played by Zoe Saldana. I loved the clean yet feminine look created by her winged eyeliner and cool pink (but not frosty!) lipstick. So I had the black eyeliner... where was I to get the cool pink... ahhhh... *lightbulb appears with a ting!*

Bloom lipstick is perfect for an updated 60's inspired look. It's glossy not frosty, very very cool pale pink that's pigmented enough to cover up my lip's natural colour.

Swatches courtesy of Silk Naturals

I chose a very very light dusting of my coolest pink blush (I think it was Silk Naturals Mineral Blush in Charming) coupled with some contouring with Daiso's Nose Shadow under my cheekbones.

The one fly in my honey was my winged eyeliner - or lack of it. I have GOT to work on the flick. I'm also unsure if there's any point to it. Since any flicks I did, however enthusiastic (ok I made sure I stopped short of Amy Winehouse) were hidden by my Chinese eyes. Arrrgh! Nevermind if at first you don't succeed.... go for bigger wings.

So what do you girls think? And any tip on achieving the coveted winged eyeliner on scrunched up eyes?

For a great interview with the makeup aritist behind Star Trek, Mindy Hall (and for picture credit, I stole her pic), go here! I read it, and now I really want the Shiseido liner, maybe it will help me flick! I also feel better that even the makeup artists had difficulty achieving that perfect eyeliner on everyone.

Video: Fridays are for Flirty Dates!

Oops I forgot to post a video last Friday and for that I deeply apologise. Truth is, I was so busy I forgot it WAS Friday! Had a total lapse of temporal sense. >_<

Friday nights are great date nights. Or they're good nights to go out and collar yourself a date for the next Friday! So here's the loveable AmyB, whose voice and accent I love, with her take on flirty date makeup. Love the tip about lipgloss, so true!