Real Women, Real Looks. Makeover #3

This is my aunt, Tita D. She rarely applies makeup and when she does, it's just pressed powder and neutral-colored lipsticks. When we were able to get together, she asked me to give her a makeover and requested that we use this black liquid eyeliner which she recently bought. Of course, being the makeup obsessed niece that I am, I happily obliged and came up with this easy-to-do look for her:

sorry for the blurry "after" shot, these were the only photos that survived after I accidentally deleted an entire album :(

For some reason, I took one look at Tita D's hair and I got inspired by Liz Taylor! So I was able to work with her request to wear the black eyeliner, and to finish it off I used a blue-based red lipcolor that Liz was always seen wearing in photos.

For Tita D's face, I used the Coastal Scents concealer palette to cover up dark circles and discolorations, set it with her own pressed powder foundation, filled in her brows with eyebrow powder, and used a warm rose blush on her cheeks.

The inspiration:

(source: http://www.jewishjournal.com/)

(source: dailytelegraph.com.au)

I just love the combination of liquid eyeliner and red lips, very timeless and classic and works for women of all ages. How about you? What's your idea of the perfect classic makeup look? :)

Jennifer Lopez-inspired makeup look

In celebration of Jenny from the block's 43rd birthday (which was three days ago), I'm dedicating this post to a look inspired by her. J.Lo always looks so amazing from head to toe, she is actually one of the main reasons why I look forward to watching American Idol! Her hair, makeup, and clothes on the show always look sooo perfect.

One of my favorite J.Lo looks of all time is her sexy, smoldering bronze goddess look. Her tanned glowing skin is just the perfect backdrop for a great smokey eye, strategically plazed bronzer, and pale lips.

Here's my interpretation of the look:

How To:

1. Face Prep (helps makeup last longer)

Celeteque gel moisturizer

L'oreal Base Magique Smoothing Primer

2. Face Products:

Applied Maybelline Aqua Gel Foundation in Sand all over face with foundation brush

Concealed small spots/minor discolorations with Coastal Scents camouflage pallette

Set with L'oreal True Match Super Blendable Powder

3. Eyes:

Prime lids with Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer

Used Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette, applied pale gold shadow over entire eye

Used ELF's cream eyeshadow in Olive; used the bronze shade all over lids

From the 88 Warm palette again, used a yellow gold shade over the lids

Matte brown shadow for the outer V and crease of the eye

Lined upper lashes with ELF liquid liner in black

Lined lower lash line with Nichido Eye Pencil in Gold

Applied natural-looking but thick false eyelashes

4. Cheeks

Used a shimmery peach blush from the Coastal Scents 32 Palette

5. Lips

Ever Bilena Matte lipstick in Skin

then topped with a peachy gold lip color from Coastal Scents 32 lip palette

6. Hair

And of course, we can't forget one of the crucial parts of Jennifer's look- sexy, wavy hair! Apply mousse onto hair, place curlers, set with stronghold hairspray. Uncoil curlers after about 25-30 minutes (it's best to set the hair before doing the face so you'll finish everything at the same time) and just finger comb so you won't ruin the curls. 

Did you like the look? What are your other favorite J. Lo looks? :)

Model: JC Ann Sotelo

Photos by: Arvin Tonogbanua

Jason Burgos

Pictures of J.Lo: Google Images

Easy Smokey Eyes for Day using Elf Butternut Quad

Hi girls! I did this eye look using the ELF eyeshadow quad in Butternut. This would be great for work, school, church or other daytime activities. I used a really simple technique to contour the eyes, no need to spend a lot of time trying to blend this out.

 

Product Used: ELF Eyeshadow Quad in Butternut

Since the shades don't have specific names, I just numbered them. I only used 3 of the shadows for this look.

1. Put eyeshadow primer
2. Apply shade #1 all over the eyes, from lids to browbone
3. Apply shade #2 onto the lids only
4. Using a crease brush, take #3 and apply it on the outer part of the crease and blend it in going inside. Swipe it in a windshield-wiper motion. The color should be on the crease only, no need to define the outer V.
5. Apply more highlight color, #2, to browbone.
6. Go over the entire eye area with a blending brush to make everything look more natural.
7. Add liner and mascara if you want (I didn't, I just curled my lashes) and you're done! :)

Close up shot: See how the brown eyeshadow is evenly blended out on the crease only and not so much on the outer V

See how natural and barely-there it looks? Nothing dramatic, it just looks like an enhanced version of the eyes :)

How about you, what are your favorite neutral eyeshadow palettes? :)

Nail of the Week: Gradation/Gradient Nails

My gold nail polish is already chipping away at the tips, but instead of removing it I decided to try extending the life span of my mani and experimenting with gradation-style nails. Etude House actually sells a set of nail polishes especially designed for this, but you can do it yourself (and for like half the price) if you use glitter polishes that you already have or if you buy local brands. You need at least 2 or 3 nail polishes to achieve this look, and some tools like nail art sponges (or any plain old sponge) to apply the tip colors for gradient nails. But for this look I didn't need do any sponging, since I just used glitter polish.

So my goal here is to mask the appearance of my chipped nail tips.

Here are the products I used:

1. Skin Food Nail Vita in Mocha Gold- metallic gold nail polish, used as overall base

2. Chic nail polish in Glaze- fine gold glitters with red heart shaped glitters in a sheer red base (around Php 25, Watson's)

3. Bobbie nail polish in Star Gazer- silver round glitters, pale silver and gold shimmers in peachy pink base (around Php 30, Watsons)

Apply this on more than 1/2 of the nail surface. Use the gold glitters only; if some of the hearts get on your nails just remove them. Let dry.

As soon as the previous layer has dried, apply the light pink polish with silver glitters on 1/3 of the nail, just on the tips. Sorry for my lumpy application.

Gradiation nails are really fun and easy to do! And another bonus for me was that I got to extend the lifespan of my manicure. There are a lot of color combinations you can do for this, you can go from sheer pastels to dark, midnight black shades! Have you ever tried to do gradiation nails before? What combinations did you do? :)

Coastal Scents 26 Color Shadow Blush Combo Palette review + look

This was part of my Coastal Scents Haul and I must say this is my favorite of the bunch. This has a nice mix of neutrals and earth-toned shades, and a variety of finishes- matte, shimmer, and pearlescent shadows.

 

 

Pigmentation: 4/5 The shadows are great, but some blushes need several applications before the colors show up

Texture: 3/5 They apply well, but there are some that aren't easy to blend, especially if you've used primer. There are some shades though, like the gold one at the top, that go on sort of creamy. My only complaint is that some of the powders are too soft, they practically crumble if you're a bit heavy-handed in picking up color from the pan with the brush. I just have to be extra careful to prevent this from happening.

Lasting Power: 5/5 when used with primer (sorry girls haven't tried this yet without the primer)

Fall out: From my experience, no fall outs during application, but some colors tend to leave a mess on the pan when I swipe my brush across it

Where to Get: I got mine off the Coastal Scents website, but if you hate waiting and you want one now na, there are a lot of online shops that sell this palette.

You will like this if:

• You like neutrals, peaches, corals, and plums
• You like a variety of finishes
• You like doing classic makeup looks
• You want a palette that carries both eyeshadows and blushes
• You don't mind that it comes in a big container
• You're on a budget

You won't like this if:

• You like working with color (this has no blues, greens, or bright colors)
• You prefer single shadows/duos/trios/quads that come in smaller packaging
• You want a good highlight shade, which this palette sorely lacks!
• You can't stand the messy fallouts

For my Eye of the Day, I used 3 colors for the eyes (plum for the outer V and crease, gold and the peachy gold for the lid color and lower lashline) and for my cheeks, the plum blush.

 

 

Orange Love: in2it Moisture Intense Lipstick in Juice

Got this on sale 2 months ago at Watson's, and I am loving it! This is the my 2nd orange lipstick; the first one I had was more on the conservative, peachy side; while this one is loud, pigmented, and just so out-there. Here's my review and lip swatch:

Shade: Juice (orange-red color)

Pigmentation: 4/5 (you need at least 2 coats to get a nice, opaque finish)

Moisturizing Effect: 5/5

Staying Power: 3/5 (comes off after a meal), intensity fades a bit after 3-4 hours of wear

Finish: Slightly glossy

Packaging: 5/5 Looks nice, plus product is securely held inside 

Price: Php 375

Where to Get: Watsons/department stores

You'll like this if:

• You like moisturizing formulas
• You want a slightly glossy finish
• You don't mind wearing attention-grabbing shades
• You like products with sleek packaging

You won't like this if:

• You're looking for a matte finish
• You prefer neutral shades
• You like products that come in girly/cutesy packaging

Have you tried other In2it lipsticks too? What other shades would you recommend? :)

June Favorites

So these are my favorites for the month of June. It's a mix of different products for the hair, face, eyes, lips and nails. I've tried all of these already and I love each and every one of them! I'll be doing individual reviews for some of these soon :)

My new favorite hot pink lipstick! 

• Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 511B Nouveau Pink (Php 150, The Beauty Bureau)

Face

•  L'oreal Trumatch Superblendable pressed powder in Shell Beige (Php 450, What the F)
• Etude House Precious Mineral All Day Strong BB Cream #2 (samples at 3 for Php 100, Miss Loren's shop, Php 798 for the full size, Etude House)

Eyes. I love Wet n Wild products, great quality at super affordable prices.

•  Wet n Wild Color Icon trio in Walking on Eggshells (Php 260, The Beauty Bureau)
• Wet n Wild Creme Eyeliner in Black (Php 280, The Beauty Bureau)

Hair. Because I'm currently in the process of reviving my dead, frizzy hair.

• Ahglow Keratin Hair Reconstructor (Php 110, Hortaleza stores)- really great product. Will definitely do a separate post on this one
• Vitress Hair Polish (Php 29, grocery stores/drugstores)
• Wide tooth comb (Php 14, random downtown store)- the best type of comb to use on wet hair, because hair is most fragile when wet. This is such a steal at Php14! It costs a bit more in the mall.

Nails

• Skin Food Nail Vita in Mocha Gold (Php 150, Miss Loren)
• Skin Food Nail Vita in Iceberry (Php 150, Miss Loren)
• Random, no brand nail polish in a peachy nude shade (Php 28, Gaisano)

Real Women, Real Looks 2

For this post I'm featuring my gorgeous friend Nona (but we like calling her "Now-na" hehe). Nona's trademark look is her always perfectly-done kilay and nude lipstick, so for this look I wanted to do something different by incorporating color into her look. Nothing over the top though, just light purple shadow on her eyes and natural pink lips. So this was her final look:

Nona sans make up:

I also did a night look on her since we had plans for that night. I didn't remove the day make up; instead, I just layered gunmetal and black shadow to create this silver and black smoky eye look. For extra drama I added on a pair of super thick false eyelashes. I removed the pink lipstick and traded it in for a matte nude one.

Did you like her day and night looks? Drop me a line! 

:)