Month: June 2013

MAC Mineralize Rich Lipstick in Elegant Accent

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The MAC Mineralize Rich Lipsticks are “a 77-Mineral Moist Complex that instantly nourishes lips with maximum moisture in a lightweight, non-sticky formula. Larger bullet applies bright, long lasting colour in a single stroke. Medium shine finish, buildable coverage. Magnetic closure.” Apparently its magnetic closure is something to note. It’s actually kind of cool, I must admit, and it seems to have a stronger magnetic attraction than that of the Guerlain lipsticks, which makes me feel better about throwing these in a bag, than I do when I throw those. But enough about that! I selected a shade called Elegant Accent, which looks like a deep, pinky coral on the website swatch, but is described as a “mid-tonal warm rose cream.” I bought this shade based on many, many swatch comparisons online, and it seemed to be the color that attracted me the most. Unfortunately, it pulls a little pink on me. It’s not a bad color; it just wasn’t what I was looking for. If you noticed, I don’t really use a lot of pink …

Made-Up History: Vincent Van Gogh’s “Almond Blossom,” 1890

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This is a late one. I wanted to get it out in time for my sister’s birthday (June 11) but things got in the way. Truthfully, I was afraid to talk about Van Gogh, because there are so many things to say about him. His is a heartbreaking story that I dare not get into right now. Still, he’s one of my favorite artists (as clichéd as it may be) and this work of his Almond Blossom is a touching gift to his brother, Theo, and his wife when Vincent received news of their new baby as a symbol of new life. If you are fortunate enough to see any of Van Gogh’s works in person, I suggest that you do so. The movement of the strokes evoke such powerful emotions.

4 Product Face

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Here’s a very quick and basic day look that you can throw on easily, and with only 4 products! It’s very light and ideal for when you wake up late, or if you don’t necessarily want to bring a whole lot of products along with you on a holiday. Here’s what I used to achieve this look: PRODUCTS: — NARS Tinted Moisturizer (Alaska) — The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit (02) — BECCA Beach Tint (Guava) — Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder (Luminous Light) TOOLS: — Marionnaud N°38 Eyes (Slanted + Spoolie) — Hakuhodo H601 brush — shu uemura eyelash curler If you’re keen to know how I did it, watch this video: The only thing I would do differently for this look was to maybe pat a little bit more of the brown shades on my eye to kind of intensify the color, and maybe add a bit of the darker brown to the outer ‘v’ for depth. Other than that, I think this is a pretty good look! It looks grossly simple and …

too cool for school’s Dinoplatz Pearl Bay Invasion in #1 Mother of Pearl

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If you’re looking for a product to add a lit-from-within glow to your makeup base, this might be the answer! Or one of, anyway. The Dinoplatz Pearl Bay Invasion in #1 Mother of Pearl by too cool for school is a liquid illuminator that you can mix with your face base or use to highlight certain points. Product Description: “Radiant skin that seems like 100 of fluorescent lights turned on.” — Creates three-dimensional & natural skin through pearls by reflection & curve of light. — 7 ingredients that contain high moisture keep moisturizing skin for hours. — adheres to skin tightly and leaves smooth and refreshing feeling. I don’t know about the rest of its claims—I didn’t particularly feel like this moisturized my skin or refreshed it—but I can vouch for it creating a natural-looking dewiness. I only ever use this mixed in with my face base (1:2, illuminator:BB cream ratio) because the pump dispenses too much product for me to just use it on isolated parts of my face. I’m tempted to depot just …

Quickie: Le Métier de Beauté Colour Core Moisture Stain Lipstick in Miami

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Introducing my second-ever LMdB Lipstick… Miami! I would have honestly purchased more of these if I could (the formula is great), but the online pictures on the sites do not show up “true to pan,” so to speak. I did not expect it to be so frosty! Also, I wasn’t expecting this light of a color, but it worked out OK in the end, because I liked it enough. Miami is sort of like a bright, nude pink, if that makes sense. I suppose it’s because of all the frost! I didn’t expect to be able to wear this, but I think I pulled it off okay here: I think it’s one of those Lyte Frosty Ones that I can actually pull off, given my coloring and skin’s color temperature. Of course, it’s drawing a line that is very, very easy to cross, so I have to be careful with the other things I wear on my face when I do end up wearing this. You can read more about the formula, packaging, et al. …

RealTechniques Duo Fiber Brush Collection

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I only have a small collection of Real Techniques, even though I truthfully want them all. Even though I love my travel set and my Expert Face brush, I wanted to get one more set and I thought that this set would give me the most mileage. I have here the RealTechniques Duo Fiber Brush Collection, which has three brushes: the face brush, the contour brush, and the eye brush. I wanted to get the Core Collection, but I am a sucker for all-in-one type of sets. I don’t know why, but that’s how I ended up with this instead of the Core Collection. The RealTechniques Duo Fiber Brush Collection is a limited edition collection that’s going to be sold all throughout the year, if I’m not mistaken. It is comprised of three duo-fiber brushes for buildable color and texture. What sets these apart from most brushes is their being “true multitaskers.” Duo Fiber brushes work well with cream, powder, and liquid products, making these kind of all-around products. RealTechniques brushes are also made of …

Quickie: BECCA Beach Tint in Guava

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I recently acquired the BECCA Beach Tint in Guava from my Tita Betchay who lives in Sydney. The BECCA Beach Tint is a multi-purpose, water-resistant color for your cheeks and lips. For a more in-depth look at the Beach Tints, check out my review on it in the shade Raspberry here. Guava is a brighter, more summery color that gives your cheeks a subtle wash of color. It’s a bright coral pink that brightens up the face and adds just the right amount of color for a flush without a dramatic pop. Raspberry is a deep berry pink that adds a cool flush, while Guava is a pinky coral that warms up the face. I don’t know if geography has anything to do with it (the Raspberry pic was taken in cold Japan in the springtime, while the Guava one was taken in Manila post-summer), but I do feel like grabbing Guava more often in the coming days. I also would like to point out that these are pretty much indispensable these days, especially for …