Faces of the day

Hi Beauties, Its thanksgiving here ( in Canada). Yeah I know its early. lol. I didn't do the turkey thing this year, guess its because I am missing my family back home. Its hard celebrating family-oriented holidays when you don't have your family around. But alas, I was part of something special today so that cheered me up a bit. I got to do the makeup for a bride who's future husband was in the hospital. My friend Verena (godsent human being) is a nurse at the hospital and asked a bunch of her friends to help put the wedding together and I offered my makeup services. I was in the bathroom watching the bride getting ready and almost started crying (which isn't professional lol) because she looked so happy that this was finally happening despite the circumstances. I wish both of them the best. :) True love makes me all giddy :). Any ways I haven't had alot of energy lately and I hate blogging when I am not feeling it because I know my readers will be able to tell if its forced. So here are two looks from last week and some from today.

THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDE

MY LOOK TODAY FOR THE WEDDING (WILL TRY AND DO A POST ON IT)

 SIMPLE LOOK LAST WEEK USING COLOUR

FOR THIS LOOK I USED:

FACE: PRIMED WITH HARD CANDY PRIMER,  STILA NATURAL FINISH MAKEUP IN K AND SET WITH MAC STUDIO FIX FOUNDATION PLUS POWDER NW43, UNDER EYES- GARNIER ANTI -DARK CIRCLE EYE ROLLER.

CHEEKS: COASTALSCENTS BRONZER, L'OREAL CHERIE BLUSH WITH HARD CANDY TROPICS BRONZER TO HIGHLIGHT.

EYES: ELF EYE PRIMER, NEUTRAL COLOUR FROM 42 STACK MATTE PALETTE, NYX ELECTRIC BLUE LIQUID LINER ON TOP LASH LINE, MAC SMOLDER EYE KHOL ON BOTTOM LASH LINE WITH MAC FASCINATING EYE KHOL IN THE WATER LINE. MAYBELLINE COLOSSAL MASCARA.

LIPS: LA GIRLS PINK LIP LINER, WET N WILD 521A FUCHSIA LIPSTICK WITH VICTORIA SECRET GLOSS ON TOP (NAME RUBBED OFF).

FALL SMOKEY EYES

BLENDING OUT THE DARKER COLOUR IN THE OUTER CORNER AND CREASE IN THE KEY TO A SMOKEY EYE.

COASTALSCENTS SMOKEY EYE PALETTE

FOR THIS LOOK I USED:

FACE: PRIMED WITH HARD CANDY PRIMER,  STILA NATURAL FINISH MAKEUP IN K AND SET WITH MAC STUDIO FIX FOUNDATION PLUS POWDER NW43, UNDER EYES- GARNIER ANTI -DARK CIRCLE EYE ROLLER.

CHEEKS: COASTALSCENTS BRONZER, NARS EXHIBIT A BLUSH WITH HARD CANDY TROPICS BRONZER TO HIGHLIGHT.

EYES: URBAN DECAY PRIMER POTION IN SIN, MAC MINI PIGMENTS IN MUSEUM BRONZE AND COPPERIZED BLENDED WTH BLACK FROM COASTALSCENTS SMOKEY EYE PALETTE, LINE TOP AND BOTTOM LASH LINE W/T MAYBELLINE EYESTUDIO GEL LINER IN BLACKEST BLACK, MAYBELLINE COLOSSAL VOLUME MASCARA.
LIPS: MAC O WITH COVERGIRL LIP PERFECTION LIPSTICK IN TEMPTATION.

Hope you enjoyed the looks.

Natural Makeup

Hi Beauties, thought I'd share my natural makeup routine with you which is pretty much my every day makeup. This is for those women who also don't like to wear "too much" makeup and want  a simple every day routine. On the days that I do go to school, I don't even wear makeup (because we do each other's makeup). Bascially I  wear a bright lip and a simple eye look with eyeliner and mascara or a natural lip colour and a bright eyeshadow. We have been practising natural makeup in school alot and the routine that we use is
1. Start with an even base- foundation, concealer and powder. Choose a foundation that let's your skin's natural undertone come through or one that provides medium coverage. I like MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural or Stila Natural Finish Oil -Free Foundation.
2 Use a blush that mimics your faces natural flush (nothing too shimmery or sparkley) Just a sweep of colour ( I use matte bronzer to achieve this because I don't naturally flush pink) lol I find that for women of colour it works to mimic your skin's natural glow also perhaps use a cream bronzer or highlighter to achieve this. Try Stila's convertible color blush in Camellia or Peony. It is Non-greasy, this creamy, sheer tint adds an inherent glow to the cheeks while lips bloom with fresh, radiant color. I also like Stila Rouge Pot in Plumeria and MAC Raizin Blush.
3.Keep the eye colour as close to the natural lid colour, not too light or too dark. You want to use a matte eyeshadow also, nothing too shimmery. You also want to use a colour that brings out your eyes but is still very natural looking. I use brown script eyeshadow from MAC. Try Soft Brown also by MAC.
4. Line your lashes close to your lash line. Try MAC Trackfluid in Black or Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Blackest Black. Keep the line thin on both top and bottom lash line. Apply mascara.
4. Keep the lip colour as close as possible to your natural lip colour. One thing I learnt in class is that your natural lip colour is the one inside of your mouth just before your outer lip starts. Try Covergirl Queen Collection Lipstick in Au Naturale. For me I love Clinique Think Bronze lipstick. Perfect for my natural lip colour. For women with darker skin try Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Rich Cocoa.  If you are not a lipstick fan, try MAC C -Thru or tinted Underage lipglass.


I love Bobbi Brown and her cosmetics when it comes to mastering the natural look. I think she is the queen of making women look pretty with simple and natural looking makeup. Check out her line Bobbi Brown Makeup.


The whole point of natural makeup is to look like a more pulled together version of yourself. Evened out skin, simple and pretty.

FILLED IN MY BROWS A LITTLE THICKER THAN NORMAL. THICK BROWS ARE IN.

Stila Natural Finish Oil-Free Foundation in K.

 FACE: PRIMED SKIN WITH GOSH VELVET PRIMER

STILA NATURAL FINISH LIQUID FOUNDATION IN K AND MAC STUDIO FIX FOUNDATION PLUS POWDER IN NW43, THEN MISTED ENTIRE FACE WITH MAC FIX PLUS SPRAY FOR A DEWY REFRESHED LOOK.

CHEEKS: MAC MAGICALLY COOL POWDER IN CAJUN WITH HARD CANDY TROPICS BRONZER AS A HIGHLIGHTER

EYES: ELF EYE PRIMER, MAC BROWN SCRIPT ON ENTIRE LID WITH MAC EMBARK IN THE CREASE, MAYBELLINE EYESTUDIO GEL LINER IN BLACKEST BLACK AND GREAT LASH MASCARA.

LIPS: CLINIQUE THINK BRONZE LIPSTICK.

STILA NATURAL FINISH OIL-FREE MAKEUP IN K GIVES ME MEDIUM COVERAGE

IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE MALL- I HAD A OOO I'M SO CUTE MOMENT LOL

Sanaa Lathan Inspired Makeup

Hi Beauties, I saw this look a while ago on Sanaa Lathan and I loved it. It's so simple yet so pretty. This could be worn both during the day and at night minus the false lashes. I decided to try my own version.

My eye look is a little different because of the shape of my eyes and my lip colour looks more pinky than hers.

For this look I used:
Face: MAC Studio fix liquid foundation NW43 and studio fix foundation plus powder NW43

Eyes: Primer- NYX High Definition Eye base
On the lid: NYX Pearl Pigment
Crease: The purple colour from MAC Odd couple, blend well with a blending brush. I used a darker purple shade in my outer  V from my coastalscents 88 shimmer palette.
Bottom lid: wet and wild jumbo cream shadow pencil ( can't remember the number)
Annabelle liquid eyeliner in black out on lash line followed by mascara (the usual)

Cheeks:
Covergirl Cheekers Blush in  Cinnamon toast

Lips: LA Colour lip pencil (pink colour) followed by MAC Up the amp and NYX Narcisuss.

Natural lighting

Rocking my clutch that I use as my laptop bag from clutchculture. www.clutchculture.com

Mo and I at the Publig Gardens

Camera doesn't really pick up the purple

Hope you feel inspired to try it too. Have a good weekend!!!!

3 everyday makeup looks

Hi Beauties, I have a backlog of faces of the day posts. So I'll try to break down a few of my looks and outfits of the past few weeks. Guess what? I start Cosmetology School in T-1 day. Too excited!!! I have been down lately, guess I am homesick but I am so ready to do this.

LOOK 1: Everyday radiant and glowing look

Face: MAC Studio Fix Liquid Foundation with SPF 15 in NW43.

Cheeks: Coastalscents bronzer in Dark with NARS Exhibit A

Eyes: MAC Mini pigment in Gold Mode (or gold stroke) with the darkest colour in a Rimmel smokey eye Quad in the corner. Calvin Klein Ultimate gel eyeliner in Black Ice. Have to do  review on this. Maybelline Great lash mascara.

Lips: MAC "O" Lipstick

LOOK 2: Neutral eyes with radiant Skin

Face: Makeup Forever HD Foundation in 173. I love this foundation. It is so light and my skin looks so radiant. Review coming.

Cheeks: NARS Exhibit A with MAC Margin Blush a highlighter and Coastalscents Bronzer in Dark.

Eyes: Rimmel Smokey Eye Quad with Annabelle liquid eyeliner in Black out and Maybelline Great Lash Mascara. Primed the eyes with NYX High definition eye base.

Lips: MAC "O"- my new fav everyday lipstick. Can see why this colour is the most popular at the MAC at Hali Shopping Centre.

My outfit

LOOK 3: Changing up a red lip with gold lipgloss

FACE: MUFE Mat Velvet Foundation in 70 with MAC studio fix foundation plus powder NW43.

Cheeks: Hard Candy tropics bronzer

EYES: MAC Amberlights eyeshadow with embark in the outer V.

LIPS: LA Colour red lip pencil with MAC Desire lipglass and Stila 24 kt lipgloss over it.

My outfit

My foundation routine

BUILDING MY FOUNDATION :)

Hello my beauties,
...On some days especially when I am late, I try to do the 5 minute face but it never works out because I always feel like there is something else I need to add to make my foundation flawless. Now some of you may think this is alot to put on but once you have it down pat, its a breeze to apply, with eyes and lips it can take me about 15 minutes to do my entire makeup routine on work days and about 25 minutes when I am going out.

Now these steps cater to the mood I am in, the weather (whether its raining or whether its hot like satan's pot) and whether I am trying to conceal a blemish or some past scar from a pimple.

However step one always remains the same.

Step 1: Prime your face

Primer is an essential if you want your makeup to last long especially in hot or humid climates. I use an oil free primer- usually silicone based which gives foundation a base to adhere to you skin. Have you ever felt like your makeup was melting off. Yep! I've been there. Primer helps to avoid this mishap and can help your foundation to stay on longer during your 8 hr work day. Sometimes I find my primer still leaves me with

a bit of shine. (oily skin sucks now but when your in your 40's, it actually helps to prevent wrinkles). When that happens I use my Arista Vanishing Cream for oily skin. I apply it with my foundation brush and it mattifies the oil keeping your face shine free and ready for your foundation.

Primer of choice: I used Mac's Prep + Prime Primer but it had some little sparkles which I didn't like on my face. I have recently been using GOSH Velvet Touch Foundation Primer ($25 US). It helps your foundation to go on smooth and stay on. If I am going to be out all day in the sun and extra step I take is to apply MAC's Prep + Prime Face Protect Protection SPF 50 ($26 US). Be careful with such a high SPF though. It may give your face a white or gray overcast especially if you are planning to take pictures. A little goes a long way!

Other great primers :

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer - retails for about $40 US (one of the best)

Murad (the acne products line) Oil Control Mattifier- amazon.com on sale for about $26-30 US. I saw this product in marie-claire. It got great reviews. I think I'm going to try it.

Step 2 : Apply Liquid Foundation with a brush

I did a post on choosing the right foundation. You can check that out. I have tried Revlon Photo-ready Liquid Foundation with SPF 20 in Cappuccino. It promised to look flawless in pictures and bend the light in such a way it hides your imperfections. Well that didn't happen for me. First of all, they didn't have my shade. The one I have is a bit too dark so I had to mix it with another foundation. I use it once in a while. One plus is that its a little bit thicker than MAC's liquid foundation so I use less of it on my face. I am however sticking to my good ole friend MAC's Studio Fix Fluid in NW43 with SPF 15. She hasn't failed me yet. On a side note, I went to explore MAC's new line of liquid foundations- Long wear Pro with SPF 30 i think which promised to last up to 15 hrs. The shade selection however was disappointed. I didn't even find one close enough. The line offers many NC shades and a handful of NWs so for my NW girls, hold strong, maybe some one else besides me will complain and they decide to make more NW shades. Oh and I always apply liquid foundation with a foundation brush. Sponges soak up too much product and are very hard t

o keep bacteria free. I clean my brushes every day with a spray brush cleaner from Quo and one from ELF.

Step 3: Concealer

This step is not always necessary, I get pretty good coverage from my foundation but sometimes you might need to conceal a pimple or a scar or you had a long night and some dark circles are looming. I have tried many other concealers including those brands made for women of colour but I have always come back to MACs Studio Finish Concealer in NW 40 with SPF 35. I like the texture and the shade is perfect. I apply my concealer with my fingers because my body heat helps to warm it up and makes it easier to apply. Just tap it on and blend with your fingers. Be gentle when applying under your eyes, the skin there is very sensitive. Now some of you may realize I do the concealer after foundation method, I find it easier and more pratical but its up to you, doesn't really matter when you apply it. I have seen pics of celebs with concealer under their eyes that was too pale or too grey, please avoid that by picking a concealer no more than two shades lighter than your skin colour. I can also recommend high end brands such as Bobbi Brown, Lorac and Laura Mercier when choosing concealers. They get good reviews but their lines are some what pricey.

Step 4: Set your face with Oil blotting powder or Powder foundation.

This step is necessary when applying liquid foundation, however if you use powder foundation you can just apply the primer, concealer and then the powder to set your face. I set my face however with either an oil blotting powder, I use MACs Oil Blotting Powder in Medium Dark but right now I am trying out Black Opal Invisible Oil Blocking Powder. On days when I am really shiny I also use my Mac Studio Fix Powder foundation in NW 43 to give me extra coverage. Don't worry I use it on my t-zone only. (nose bridge, forehead and chin, my cheeks also ) This I apply with my powder brush. Again I don't use sponges because they hold bacteria and waste alot of product. Even though I use the oil blotting powder , I still have to use my oil blotting sheets throughout the day to remove excess oil from my face. I don' t however reapply my foundation. This would only make your face look cakey due to the sweat and makeup you have already applied.

Oil blotting powders are every where right now, you should find a really good one very easily. I still sometimes use my NYC transparent powder that I bought for $4 us in a drug store from time to time. Most blotting powders are transparent so you don't have to find your shade but try not to apply too much because they do contain talc powder which can give you that ghost like effect.

Step 5: Check out how flawless you look in the mirror and finish up your eyes and lips.

Now this seems like a long process and alot of products but I am not advocating this for every one this is what works for me and mostly its because I have oily skin that I take extra steps. Alot of you can probably skip the concealer and liquid foundation and oil blotting powder and still look flawless, if you have really good skin. I however fake it(lol). After this I usually add my blush and sometimes I contour my cheeks and my nose.

Writing this post has made me realize one thing however, I need to start saving up for that TEMPTU Airbrush makeup system. (Wonder if its still $299 US) lol.

I am planning on doing a Q&A post every week for those of you who have beauty related questions that you need answering. I am an open book and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the latest trends in beauty products and tips.

Remember beauty is necessary inside and out.