Sunday, July 12, 2009

Hiya!

Sorry for the long time no update but it's been a long two months for me. In the past two months I've been in makeup artistry school learning and practicing makeup, and then I had two weeks to let my face heal from the whole ordeal. I learned much in school and I'll probably end up sharing them randomly with you guys but in the mean time I will talk about something that drove me nuts during my time in school. Skin.

Now everyone knows that glowing beautiful skin is a sign of good health, and who wouldn't want to be in good health? It's also the canvas you work on when doing makeup and trust me when I say it's a LOT easier (Faster too) to do someone with nicer skin's makeup then it is doing someone who has, well, not so nice skin.

The caring and protecting

First thing is first, taking care of the skin properly is a major factor in having nice skin! Drinking lots of water keeps it hydrated and taking your vitamins (Especially omega-3) really does help (So does eating healthy, lots of fruits and vegetables). You'll notice that the Japanese tend to have really nice skin and that is mainly because fish is such a big part of their diet (lotsss of omega there!). Antioxidants are always good for the body as well, try eating more avocado, blueberries, and pomegranate or use an avocado mask. Along with eating well you have to care for the rest of your body as well, good food and hydration only go so far if you're staying up til 4 am sitting on the couch watching re-runs of your fav. show! Get your beauty sleep, there is a reason it's called that! Working out also helps you sweat out those nasty toxins in your body that may be part of the cause of bad skin. Remember to wash your face day and night and make sure it's clean! There was one girl I had to do makeup for who still had mascara left on from the day before! If you feel like you're not cleaning well enough use makeup remover first to remove all your makeup before washing your face with a cleanser. Of course, one VERY important step in caring for your skin is wearing sunscreen!! My boyfriend used to not wear sunscreen and his skin was already bad to begin with and after a trip to Vietnam he learned his lesson. Preferably one that is at LEAST SPF 30 with UVB and UVA protection (I recommend Neutrogena Ultra sheer dry touch sunscreen in SPF 55 or 100). Don't forget your lips and eyes when you're protecting your skin from the sun, use a lip balm and an eye cream that contain SPF!

The products

Okay, if you do all that great then you are a good step closer to having wonderful skin! Now come the products; along with having well hydrated skin, please exfoliate your skin even if it's a day or two away from a big night out and you're going to get your makeup done professionally. I can't tell you the countless times when I had to do some ones makeup and they had flakey skin (Not to mention my bad in forgetting and having flakey skin for people to work on)! If you have oily skin you can get away with exfoliating 1-3 times a week, for drier skin try to limit yourself to once or twice a week. There is nothing you can do about flakey skin don't try to cover it more as it will just look cakey, maybe add a bit more moisturizer in that area but for the love of god, don't over do the makeup! I have heard of MUFE HD elixer which I would love to try out if it weren't for the fact it's Sephora exclusive and online only *Grumble*.

Now, it's important to choose a moisturizer that is good for your skin type, a majority of the population has combination skin (Oily t-zone, dry everywhere else) and in major cases one may require two different products to control this problem. Otherwise there are a good amount of creams out there for you to pick. Remember to tone your face as well as this helps even out the pH of your skin which should be at about 5-5.6. If you find that you are extremely dry try a hydrating mask (Dior Hydraction has a nice one, but avocado mask is good too!), if you have lots of acne, blackheads, or really oily skin try a clay mask about once or twice a week.

Pre-makeup

Okay now you know about the protecting and caring for your skin, now there is a step I understand many women skip when putting makeup on and it's absolutely horrible! It's called primer people! Now, not only does primer make your makeup last longer it also protects your skin from the actual makeup itself which can clog your pores! Not to mention the dirt and grime that settles onto your face throughout the day!

If all else fails...

If you find that you have really bad acne that doesn't seem to go away perhaps it's time to see your derm about it, for some people it's genetic/hormonal. If you're on the pill it's a good to take it at the same time everyday to help prevent your hormones from fluctuating randomly. And that is all I have to say for today. Take good care of your skin. It's a good indicator or how fast you're aging. Now back to cleaning the house before I go biking.

-Very angry if she has to do makeup on bad skin, Brenda.

I was going to add pictures but my camera is broken...darn you camera...darn you.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

OMG WTF BBQ! I'm updating?!

Yeah, I understand I've been away for a while but I have some perfectly reasonable excuses. 

a) I'm going to makeup artistry school now, so I've been busy with that*Throws confetti*
b) I'm one of those damn procrastinators. (Like, hardcore yo!)
c) My MAC (not the cosmetics, the computer.) has no SD card slot for my cameras memory stick so I have to load any pictures on my moms camera and send to me. (Which being the lazy bum I am, I hate doing)

Pictures will be up ASAP (After I'm done cleaning my house). They're taken and everything, just need editing and what not.

Anyway, today (By request) I'll be doing a review on the new Style Warriors collection. I was able to stop by the MAC counters this Friday for a Foward Fashion event and pick up some Style Warriors stuff. 

So, this is a pretty warm collection but it is approaching summer so bronzed skin and warm colours are going to be everywhere (plus it's workable for you cool toned ladies and gentlemen). Overall the entire collection (I believe) had a little something for everyone, even if you weren't interested it's definitely a collection to look at.

Lipsticks:
I bought all four lipsticks because being a lippie girl, I felt I needed them. But honestly for people that aren't obsessed like me, you really don't need them all.
-Brave new bronze is a nice everyday kind of pink neutral colour, if you're more for the nude everyday look though this is definitely a must see for you! 
-Sunsational is one of those colours that barely shows up, but layered with another lipstick to lighten it or just to add a little something to it. Anyone can use this colour pretty much, but is it necessary? Totally not. It's like Bubbles from Sugarsweet, yeah it's great with other lipsticks...but by itself? Not so much.
-Purplerite was one of those colours that (From promotional pictures) looked like a must have for me but when I saw it in real life...well it wasn't what I expected. I had imagined a beautiful bright true grape purple but when I saw the pink in it I wasn't too happy. For most people this would be a wonderful shade (But I'm always looking for crazy colours) as the pink makes it more wearable. To me it is like a warmer, slightly more violet, lavender whip. Definitely check this one out if you're looking for a purple lipstick that doesn't scream "PURPLE"!
-Tribalist, Originally I thought this was NOT going to be on my buy list but as soon as it went on, it was love. Amplified cremes are one of my favorite textures from MAC lipsticks, moisturizing and doesn't feather like cremesheens. This is similar to Hang up cremesheen maybe a tad bit more plum.

Lipglasses:
I wasn't impressed by these, honestly I think most (If not all) are a PASS. 
-Liberated and Gold rebel are similar to Goldy Rocks and Utterly posh dazzleglasses. These two lipglasses lack pigmentation and over a light lipstick might okay but by themselves are useless. Liberated is more yellow then Goldy Rocks, Gold Rebel is less orange and more brown then Utterly posh (In the tubes). Overall though, I don't suggest getting these ones...I'm thinking about returning or swapping them away.
-Style Warriors is a brown colour which I think would be WONDERFUL over a red or bright plum, but by itself...looks...gross. 
-Fierce and Fab I have nothing to say about, but I do have a suggestion to MAC. Stop releasing colours like this, it's getting old.

Lustre Drops:
Okay so these caught my attention, for the price tag are they worth it? No, but they are nice. These are used to mix with your foundation to create that nice dewy look (Hint: don't mix with Studio Sculpt or any really matte foundation or you'll be using A LOT of this stuff). You can also use these as a highlighter or liquid bronzer/blush. The difference is mainly the shades.
-Bronze Hero I don't suggest anyone lighter then NC/NW 40 use (Even then use VERY little) as it is so pigmented! When I tried it on myself (Nc 25/30) it turned a very VERY deep orangey brown (Don't even use it as a bronzer!). 
-Sunrush was THE colour for me, as it is just right not to dark and not to light, perfect for that dewy look. It's a nice yellow gold, this particular shade can be used as a highlighter for darker skin tones (NC/NW40+) as well. 
-Pink Rebel was a tad bit light and is a light pink with gold shimmer, I'm thinking it would be good for that dewy look on lighter skintones (NC/NW15 and lower) and nice for people from NC/NW20-35 as a highlighter.

Eyeshadows:
I'll just do a quick run down of the shadows.
Night maneuvers: Texture was not great (Chalky), turned out a charcoal brown on me.
Vibrant grape: Like Nocturnelle without all the shimmer, lighter, and more pink
Soft Force: More gold, lighter version of Femme Fi
Bright Future: Deeper, more yellow Going Bananas. Or Shimmery Chrome Yellow (Maybe slightly brighter) but it's definitely worth a look. I think out of all the shadows this one is the most desirable.

Blushes:
Eversun: For me this shade isn't that great as it's a tad bit orange, but I can imagine it looking beautiful with neutral eyes and nude lips, or maybe a coral lip and nice smoldering (warm) eyes. This one's a repromote.
On a mission: Now, I'm a plum coloured junkie. Everything plum colour when it comes to makeup is a must have and this is no exception. The pigmentation in these blushes are wonderful and the colour is like a warm medium plum. I can imagine this looking beautiful in the fall paired with a nice medium smokey eye.

Skinsheens:
Okay, since I only bought one shade (Medium dark) because, well I don't really need this, I will just do a review on the product itself. Basically this product gives you the illusion of a tan for a few days, it doesn't gradually build a tan or anything but rather just makeup for the body. The mouse is easy to apply and is build able to achieve your desired intensity. The application is rather easy, all you need to do is spread it evenly and it really doesn't streak (OR STINK!). I can understand when MAC repromotes this so often, if you haven't tried this (and you love a nice tan without the commitment) check this one out!

Everything else:
Everything else didn't really catch my attention, the refined golden bronzer was nice as it wasn't orange like the other one released (What was it? I can't remember the name!) but being perm like everything else that I didn't mention I didn't really bother.


BTW: If you haven't checked out Temptalia for the latest Love that Look and Fall line information today GO NOW!!! (I'm going to need more palettes for this collection!)

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Big Update~ Otafest & Gossip Girl <3

Hello my lovelies <3
Sorry for the longtime no post~ School is over... it is time to find a second job and move my butt to make some money.. (SO BROKE GAH! *cry*) Anyways, this weekend was *Otafest*, which is an anime (Japanese animation) convention~ I love going every year (I'm such a loser xD~). This year I didn't have a costume (*sad*) but I accompanied by good friend Steve, who did dress up =), Sean, and a whole bunch of other people who I ran into there.. Also, I've started watching Gossip Girl and holy cow am I in love with their fashion~ It's soooo wonderful!!!! I am so inspired!!! Too bad I have no money to shop T__T hahah This show makes me want to fill my closet with more stuff~.... Bad, bad... Therefore... I am in a *very* gossip girl mood with my fashion sense at the moment hahah~ I LOOOOOOOOVE Blair's style! Oh man.. so cute!!! And now moving on.. I have 2 FOTD's and just some pictures from Otafest for you guys to enjoy since it's been a while~ I played with some hair extensions as well and wowwww~ I can say I miss my long hair very much :( Oh well... It won't be *too* long until it grows out... right? X___X

Otafest Saturday!



Blair inspired outfit? I think so =P Check the leggings! They were too cute~

Saturday's FOTD

Excuse the weirdo face...
Products:
Face

Clinique Pore Minimizer Instant Perfector in Invisible Light
Biotherm Forget It! Concealer in 01
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Degrade in Blonde

Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Chanel #14 Mystic Eyes Quad (the pink all over the lid and brown in crease only)
NYX Eyeshadow in Root Beer (outer, lower lash line and brows)
Shiseido Integrate Eye Color Pencil in GD871 (inner corners)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Degrade in Blonde (lightest shade only; used to highlight browbone)
Anastasia Brow Gel in Clear
L'Oreal
Voluminous Waterproof Mascara in Black
Quo False Lashes (Sorry I forget which one =X)
K-Palette Eyeliner in Black
S

Lips

L'Oreal HIP Jelly Balm in in 120 Plush

Sunday~
It was a pretty bum day in terms of me dressing up and stuff hahah
Saturday > Sunday

(on my headset hahah xD)

Did I tell you how much I *LOVE* this mascara?!??! It's my HG~ Honestly!! And I *RARELY* find HG's.

Products:
Face

Clinique Pore Minimizer Instant Perfector in Invisible Light
Biotherm Forget It! Concealer in 01
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Degrade in Blonde

Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion

NYX Eyeshadow in Root Beer (brows)
MAC Eyeshadow in Next to Nothing (All over lids)
MAC Eyeshadow in Woodwinked (crease)
MAC Eyeshadow in Typographic (outer "V")
MAC Eyeshadow in Dark Edge (
outer, lower lash line)
Shiseido Integrate Eye Color Pencil in GD871 (inner corners)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Degrade in Blonde (lightest shade only; used to highlight browbone)
Anastasia Brow Gel in Clear
Shiseido Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus Mascara

K-Palette Eyeliner in Black
S

Lips

Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss Reflect in 257


Yayyy~ I really loved going this year~ Thanks to Steve & Sean especially for coming around with me =D hahah
Does anyone else attend these things other than me?? xD Let me know!!!
Anyways, I'll be going to Banff this long weekend (YAYYYYY), is anyone else going out of town? Let me know~ and let me know what you'll be wearing ;) hahhaha (make up of course!)
And to end this post, we went to sushi after otafest and this will be my epic picture HAHA
Yay for rotating sushi =D


-Much <3
Christina

Friday, April 3, 2009

Christina's Show & Tell~

Hey, hey guys~

Sooo... Brenda has posted up her collection and she asks me to post mine up...
Mine is pretty grossly dinky (I think for size/variety xD) compared to hers HAHA
I have a big mascara obsession... as you can see.. I have about 10+ mascaras!!!
Anyways, I couldn't actually fit everything into one picture so I put it 2!!
Enjoy =D! Click for a better view!
(sorry guys, this is stricly a show off post haha xD)





Show us your make up collections!!!
Do you have an obsession about one thing too??
Any other mascara freaks out there??!??! haha!!

Have a great weekend everyone~

-Much Love
Christina

Thursday, April 2, 2009

MAC studio talk

Evening ladies! Sorry for the late post but I was busy with school today, and tomorrow it all begins again. Anyways here is the MAC Studio Talk stuff ($50 redeemable reservation fee) I said I'd scan a day ago.

On top of great tips, delicious refreshments, and dibs on my Sugarsweet collection; I also got some little freebies! (I'm so Asian).


As you can see I scribbled down as much as I could for you ladies on the nice notepad they gave us! Just click to enlarge and read!




Nice little face charts we recieved!



Other stuff! All in a nice little package (Notepad not pictured).

-Brendaaa

(BTW I am no way affiliated with MAC, if you are so and know that they would not appreciate this info up please feel free to email us at the email provided on the right sidebar.)

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

It's show and tell time!

Okay since a lot of collection info leaked out I don't need to tell you ladies about it (psst go to specktra.net if you haven't already!). That, and I'm breaking out so no new looks, reviews will come later when I can actually USE products on my face so for now I shall do a little show and tell. (PS. I went to a MAC studio talk so I'll tell you ladies about it and even scan my notes a little later).

Weeeeee so lets start. No way I am taking close ups tonight, so maybe tomorrow JUSTTT MAYBE.



For those of you wondering I have:

FROM MAC: 5-15palettes (None full yet), 2 LE palettes (I depot quads and trios), 2 blush palettes, 22 lipglasses/dazzleglasses/cremesheen glasses, 5 msfs, 42 lipsticks (+2 backups, +6 for awaiting items in the mail), 2 lip palettes, 2 pigments, 6 shadesticks, 2 paint pots, 2 foundations, 5 eyeliners, 1 mascara, 2 sets of lashes, concealer, a TLC, 2 holiday lip palettes, an unopened MES, 3 mineralize duo blushes, a monogram compact

Everything else is not MAC so I'm not going to bother with names: 24 lip products, 5 face products, 4 cheek products, 29 eye products, 11 LE charms

I recently swapped away 4 of my Dior quints (I just don't reach for them) and have these up for swap
Dior: Impressions Cuir, Flower blossom, Anna Sui: 900 liquid e/s, 200 liquid e/s, Pressed powder M, 99 concealer, Chanel: Soleil tan in terre epice.

So yeah, there is my collection for you! If you would like to swap on MUA give me a shout!

Anyways I want to see other ladies collections, so if you have the time do a quick pic or something and post it! Christina will probably doing this soon.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Beauty on a Budget!

Hello everyone!
Long time no post~
I apologize for the lack of posting! School is really stressing me out!!
I recently just did a midterm worth 50% of my mark... and it went so horribly!!
UGGHHhh... Also.. I just got really sick T_T I've lost my voice~ and yesterday was sick in bed all day..
Putting that aside, being the poor student I am, I've been looking into some wonderful drugstore finds that won't the butt of your wallet!
In all honestly.. it's been really hard >_<>



ECOTOOLS!!!
Can I say "WOW"?? Now, I'm always one for really good quality brushes... I can't stand brushes that shed, are scratchy, etc!! Now, I've heard many people rave about this line of brushes but I've never been able to find it here.. BUT~ on my recent trip to Walmart.. I found them and of course I HAD to try them!! The prices of them were amazingly cheap and the quality of them are just beautiful!! They only had a limited selection of brushes, and I ended up buying the powder ($8 CAD), blush ($7 CAD), and eye shader ($4) brushes. I intend to go back for the foundation brush and also try to find other places that possibly could sell them.. I want the kabuki brush also... These brushes are amazingly soft and apply product like a dream~ Also, these brushes are environmentally friendly. The hairs are 100% synthetic (no animal hair!!!), the handles are made of bamboo, and the metal part of the brush is made of recycled aluminum. I definitely recommend these brushes to everyone, they are wonderful!




Next up L'Oreal's Voluminous Waterproof Mascara.
Now... anyone who knows me knows that I am the biggest mascara freak in the world AND I am also THE pickiest person in the world when it comes to mascaras. ie. If it doesn't hold my curl, it's an instant fail and I will toss that mascara right away xD Now, I've tried everything from high end mascaras (Dior, YSL, Chanel, etc) to drugstore mascaras(Cover Girl, Maybelline, Rimmel, etc) and I still haven't found anything I really *love* yet haha... So for me to actually somewhat like this mascara is a miracle. Now, I've tried this in both the waterproof and non-waterproof versions and found the difference is really big =/ the waterproof version is the definite winner!! It holds my curl, does a decent job of lengthening & volumizing, doesn't (really) clump and doesn't smudge or flake on me. Saying that, it would never be a mascara I would wear out to a party or something, this mascara is for anyone who likes the "natural" look because even though it promises lots of volume, it's not extremely volumizing. Also, if you apply too many coats, it does tend to clump, so apply with a light hand... I only use this for the daytime because it gives me the "I naturally have awesome lashes" look (hahah xD) but still doesn't look extremely dramatic. Anyone who wants a good everyday mascara that has a decent price, I'd definitely recommend this.




Wet 'n Wild Silk Finish Blush Compact in All Over Shimmer
Now, this one is a highlighter (not really a blush...). It is extremely wonderful~ I don't quite remember the price but I think it was around $5 CAD? Very cheap and works wonderfully! Just be sure to apply with a light hand or else you will end up looking like a disco ball!! The only thing is that the packaging is okay... I have yet to drop it or anything so I am not quite sure of the durability of it =X... also, the little brush that comes with it is completely poo... I just threw it away when I got it (so scratchy and applies wayyy too much product!). I'd recommend using your own brush for applying this =P! You can use this to highlights your cheeks or highlight your brow bone and it fits most skintones (it's kinda a general light beige/pinkish shimmer)~ it's very versatile! If you are new to highlighters and want to give one a try that won't kick your wallet, I'd definitely suggest this one :)




Carmex Lip Balm
I'm pretty picky about my lip balms too (gosh, what am I not picky with >_<) but this one is definitely my favourite! I've tried a lot of lip balms in my day... and I really feel like this one does the job! Currently I own the one in the jar.. Now this one DOES have a really funky smell but it does disappear once you put it on.. but if you're really sensitive to smells, I'd avoid this! Also, one you put it on, it feels, somehow, really minty O_o.. odd, but I love it! haha this lip balm's smell reminds me a lot of the smell and texture of the famous Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream (which smells like poo.. ugh!!) except a lot cheaper. It only cost me $2 CAD!!

Well that's all for now!! I wish I could write a more detailed post with more items.. but I really need to search more!!! .. and I really have to get going on my homework xD!!
I hope this has helped some people who are looking for good products but are on a budget~
What drugstore gems have you guys found??? Let me know!!
Until next time~

Much <3
- Christina