Month: January 2013

Gloss up with Le Métier de Beauté’s Bondi Beach

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I found out about Le Métier de Beauté one fine day, perusing Temptalia, but it wasn’t until I encountered Xiao’s love for the brand that I even considered purchasing anything from them. As a “test,” I decided to pick up a kaleidoscope eye kit in Northern Lights, as I’m a big fan of eye palettes, and a pretty nudey gloss called Bondi Beach, as I was looking into gloss at the time of purchase. Today, I’ll be talking about the gloss. First off, the Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss has a good non-sticky formula and really, really fine glitters that cast a sheen instead of a shiny, chunky mess. In the bottle, Bondi Beach looks like it’s going to give me glitter trouble, but the effect on the lips, as you will see later, is quite nice. From the swatches, it doesn’t look too nude. It’s a beautiful rosy brown color, with a smattering of gold shimmers. Unblended, it registers quite opaquely and looks extremely pigmented. Bondi Beach comes with a pretty standard gloss applicator–a doe-foot–and …

Playlist: Emerald 2013

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Before the year ended, Pantone announced the color for the coming new year, 2013: Emerald Green! I decided to make an eye look based on this serpentine selection. You should know that I am still pretty reserved when it comes to playing with colors, so this will be a lot more subdued than the actual color. Plus, I don’t own a true emerald shade (yet) so the eye look will be a concoction of greens I have lying around, which lean more towards olive. The emerald is May’s birthsone and the mystery and history that surrounds it is mysterious and alluring. Cleopatra was known to drape herself with emeralds.Though rubies are the most obvious choice for symbolizing passionate love, emeralds offers a complexity of emotions and meanings that are perfect for a long and steadfast relationship. “Another reason that the emerald has come to symbolize a more mature love can be traced to Hindu culture. Emerald green is the color that is used to align the heart chakra, or energy point, allowing feelings of love …

Made-Up History: Untitled (Violet, Black, Orange, Yellow on White and Red)

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I initially planned to do this series, Made-Up History, at least once a week. For a total of 52 looks and works of art by the time this beauty blog turned a year old. Funny how things turned out. For this installment, I want to base a look off of a work by Mark Rothko. Mark Rothko is an American artist whose abstract expressionist works—a label that he rejected—shot to fame when Modern Art gained popularity after the Second World War. I’m sure you’ve seen his works! The most famous are typically blocks of color that almost touch or sometimes run into each other. People’s reactions to the paintings are often, “I could do that,” but I will tell you now that “No, you could not.” There is a rare quality of rawness and honesty present in Rothko’s work. It is inimitable because it’s the outpouring of his soul. One of my favorite quotes by Rothko is from an interview with Will Gompertz by Interview Magazine: Somebody said to [Rothko], “Why do you paint these …

December Favorites

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I’ve got a few favorites from December! I don’t know how that happened since I was in the middle of a makeup ban… Funny how things happen. Ahem, in any case, here’s twelve products—two lip, five eye, 1 set of tools, 2 face products, and 3 skin care products. Phew. I hope you enjoy this roundup! 1. Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait in Orgueil (Review) I purchased this on the last day of November, and loved it from the get-go, but I wasn’t able to include it in my November Favorites. The Rouge G L’Extraits are incredibly smooth, creamy and pigmented. A little lasts a long while, which is great considering the price point. I’d gotten two more shades (sale!) after Orgueil, but this remains my favorite. 2. Revlon ColorStay Ultimate in Premier Plum (Review) An excellent drugstore find! Formula is great, though a bit tacky on the finish. The color is my favorite part, as it’s a beautiful medium pinky color that leans heavily towards plum. 3. Laura Mercier Artist’s Palette for Eyes (Review) I …

Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in RD305 (Nymph)

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A quick review on one of the items I picked up last month from Shiseido. It’s going to be a quick one because this draft has been sitting on my WP dashboard for the longest time and it’s driving me nuts. I whipped up a quick “look,” took pictures and now here we are. Now, one of my favorite drugstore finds has got to be the liquid lipsticks from Revlon. They go on smoothly, dry matte, and never stick to anything else. Sometimes they don’t even rub off when you’re actually, forcibly rubbing them off. I think last year was the year for liquid lipsticks, but I can’t say for sure as I’m a young’in in the makeup department. Anyway, here’s a similar product by Shiseido, which is a brand I’ve been wanting to try for a while. Their boutiques are insanely drab, though, that I never venture inside. There’s a Shiseido counter inside the SM Megamall Department Store, though, so I took advantage of a sale and picked a few things up. Here’s a …

FOTD: Happy 2013!

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I welcomed the new year (hello, 2013!) with this face! I was going to do an emerald eye look, but decided to keep the green on my clothes. We had our annual family portrait for my dad’s side of the family and this is the look I wore. I was planning on switching it up before 12 struck, but then I got lazy so this is technically my first look of 2013. I don’t think it’s so bad! Cheek’s flush courtesy of Shiseido Luminizing Satin Face Color (RS302/Tea Rose) with a bit of attempted (!) contouring with Physician’s Formula Healthy Wear Bronzer (Tan), which obviously wasn’t a noticeable step. Highlights (bridge of nose, cheekbones, brow bone, upper brow, chin) made with Benefit Watt’s Up! and nose slight contouring done with the lighter shade of The Body Shop Brow and Liner Kit (02). Say hello to Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait (Gourmandise) on my lips! Say hello to this awkward close-up photo of my face. All the better to see the makeup with! As usual, brows and …