Author: Carina

A Blog Birthday: Some Thoughts on Makeup & Beauty

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Hello everyone! If you couldn’t tell from the title, my beauty blog just turned a year old! 🙂 There have been a lot of changes regarding how I regard makeup, beauty, and accumulation. A lot of the ways in which I think and approach cosmetics and this aspect of beauty in my life has changed. I hope you don’t mind if I share them with you. 🙂 Overall, I have cultivated an awareness that was most definitely not there before. I think that’s natural when you learn more about something over time, but that’s the big glaring difference. I am more aware of which types of products work best for my skin tone, skin type, and features. I am more aware of how to actually apply the makeup. (Consider the photos to your left, in which I used the same palette in Nov 2012 & Sept 2013.) I am more aware of what colors suit me better and what things to consider when reviewing and purchasing products. More importantly than all of that, I am …

Make That Face: Everyday Look with 3 Lip Options

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I’ve been using the TONYMOLY Backstge Gel Liner on and off for the past few weeks, and I thought of a great way to use it for three different looks that’s “everyday-friendly,” just by changing up the lip color. Obviously, what you wear from day-to-day is up to you, but if you have a strict work environment or something, this is a good and easy makeup look to try. 🙂 EYES: Okay, this look is so easy that calling this a “tutorial” is kind of pointless. So don’t knife me, okay? Apply LUSH Cream Shadow in Sophisticated all over the lid, blending the color out a little bit past the crease. Add TONYMOLY Backstage Gel Liner in #11 Diva Gray* to upper lash line. Curl lashes. AND THAT’S IT FOR THE EYE MAKEUP. I have these two awesome products to thank because they are perfect for lazy people like me who still want to look nice. Okay, now for the rest of the makeup. I’ll list the products that I used that aren’t lip products. …

Sephora Birthday Haul

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In my last Makeup No Buy post, I mentioned getting a few things for my birthday. The box arrived yesterday, on Saturday, and I’m fairly excited. 🙂 I only got two sets, but there was a fair amount of samples. First up is the Urban Decay Ocho Loco 2, which won out over the Vice 2 palette and the Shattered Face Case, just because a) I have too many eyeshadows, and b) I’ve never tried Urban Decay eyeliners before. I know, right? Anyway, I’ve only play-tested them out, but I’m pretty happy about all of the colors, and the quality. 🙂 Next, I got a Best of BECCA Set, which includes a Beach Tint (Grapefruit), Eye Tint (Baroque), and travel-sized Shimmering Skin Perfector (Opal), Resurfacing Primer, and The Ultimate Mascara (Black). I can’t wait to try them out, although Grapefruit is quite similar to Guava, which I already have, and Baroque is super sheer. I got a few samples, too. Squee! There’s the Benefit Birthday Set, which has sample sizes of Watt’s Up! and the …

Le Métier de Beauté Hydra-Crème Lipstick in Signature Red

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Okay, this red lipstick is frakking beautiful, man. No joke. I was a little scared and apprehensive because a) it’s a new formulation from Le Métier de Beauté, and b) it’s a really dark red. Again, with most things, my initial fears and gut instincts were wrong and it was love at first swipe with Signature Red. Before they announced their new line, LMdB sent this shade out to their Beauty Vault VIP subscribers as a nameless, mystery red sans name and information. The ones being released next month are housed in a silver bullet that looks similar to the housing of the silver kaleidoscopes. Signature Red is a “matte garnet red,” and is quite blue-based and cool. I’ve read about comparisons to MAC’s Ruby Woo, which I don’t have. (I know, SHOCKER.) It’s quite an easy red to wear, surprisingly. If you didn’t already know, I’m not one for straight up red lipstick, but this one, I loved right away. The new Hydra-Crème Lipstick formula has reportedly been three years in the making. The …

Nosy Beauty Vol. 16: Macy

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Guess what? Macy sent in her answers for this Nosy Beauty feature right after I posted Tellie’s (in which, if you recall, I said I didn’t have any features for the coming week). Talk about a life-saver! 🙂 Thanks, Macy! I met Macy, as I meet all of my friends apparently, over the Internet. 🙂 We followed each other’s journals, I think as far back as high school for me, and I watched her grow up and forge a successful career for herself. 😀 I finally met her in person a few weeks ago! Hello, I’m Macy. I work as Candymag.com‘s managing editor and I also bake on the side for Macy’s Fields. I’ve been a citizen of The Internet for as long as I can remember. So in the past 16 years or so, I’ve left a trail of abandoned blogs and websites. So far, I’ve managed to keep updating thebestkindofnice.blogspot.com, where I write about the things I love: food, words, and things I make with my hands. I don’t usually have a kikay …

Winging it out: Winged Eyeliner for Weird Fold-y Eyes

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After “Eye Month,” or this blog’s month-long special on eye makeup, I really felt like I had a good grasp of my eye shape and how to work with it. As I’ve detailed in this post, My Ocular Affliction, aside from typical Asian eyes (save for a monolid), I had a weird fold on one eye that didn’t match the other. This made for a difficult time when I want to wear my eyeliner a certain way. Since then, I’ve figured out how to create a subtle wing without making myself look like an asshole. By starting the eyeliner from the middle of the eye, I can trick people into thinking that my eyeliner is even, even though it’s not: You can add a little flick on the outer corners by angling the line upward and outward. For more definition (though this will highlight the difference in eye shape), you can also connect this upper line to a line on your lower lash line. If you were wondering, I used the TONYMOLY Backstage Gel Liner …

TONYMOLY Backstage Gel Liner in Diva Grey*

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And for my next trick—a gel liner! The Backstage Gel Liner is one of TONYMOLY’s bestselling products, and I can totally see why. It applies smoothly and opaquely, and the liner itself is creamy to the touch. Once it sets, however, it won’t budge. The color I got was #11 Diva Gray, but they have a lot of color offerings that I am keen to try once I use up a gel liner or two. #11 Diva Gray is a midtone, steely grey with a smattering of glitter. This formula is waterproof and long-wearing—definitely one of the better ones I’ve tried! It’s a pretty dark-enough color for some definition and a little fun (hello, little wing!) but it’s not as harsh or dark as a black liner would be. The packaging is a hit-or-miss for me, though I suppose it’s good for travel. While I don’t like the complicated, unbalanced shape (wide at the bottom, super narrow at the top), I do appreciate that the narrow end is a built-in applicator. It’s quite a good …