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5 Things Friday: Minimal Lip Wardrobe

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Lip Wardrobe

The average person (aka non-crazy, functional) only needs five basic lipsticks. At least, in my opinion. Here are my picks for the five lipsticks you need in your minimal lipstick wardrobe.

An everyday neutral
Also known as “office appropriate” or “easy to wear.” This lipstick should be easy to throw on and makes you feel like you can forget about it and be able to go about your day without thinking twice about it because you can rely on it to look good no matter what.
My personal picks for “everyday neutral” are MAC’s Mehr and Jubilee, THREE’s Love Like Heaven, Happy Skin’s Crushing on You and The Morning After, and KATE Rouge HG Lipstick in PK-17.

A red that suits you
There are many different kinds of red, it’s kind of insane. And a little confusing. Sometimes you feel like you can’t wear red, and though that’s true for a lot of people, for most of us, it’s more likely that we just haven’t found the right red for us. I like orange-y reds occasionally but it’s not the best one for me. I like blue-toned reds that are a little muted and lean purple or vampy.
My personal picks for red are NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Mascate, Le Métier de Beauté Hydra-Crème Lipstick in Signature, and Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait in Orgueil.

Your Lips But Better
Or in Beauty Blogger Vernacular, “my lips but better.” The MLBB caters to one person and one person alone—you. Similar to the “red lipstick dilemma,” and MLBB for one person may not necessarily be an MLBB for you. Because we all have different skin tones and we all have different shades of natural lip pigmentation, we all have different MLBBs.
My personal picks for my MLBBs are NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Montego Bay and Happy Skin’s Crushing on You.

A fun color
I don’t think you necessarily need an orange or a purple lipstick—I know I can live without those! However, I think you should have a bit of fun with your makeup wardrobe, and I have a couple of bright colors that I like to wear from time to time. My adventurous lipstick shades are often corals, berries or pinks (I know, yawn). It’s important to pick a colour family that you think is fun. I personally would not wear a purple lipstick—it’s just not fun for me—but you might enjoy one or two of those.
My personal fun picks are MAC x Archie’s Girls Satin Lipstick in Betty Bright, Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in La Favorite, Tom Ford’s Flamingo, NARS Satin Lipstick in Niagara, and an OCC Lip Tar in Annika.

Your favorite color
Obviously—you have to have one in your favorite color. Again, this varies from person to person. I do not care for nudes as much as I love wearing vampy lip colors. You may not share my love for dark lipsticks but love wearing nudes. It all depends, of course!
My personal favurites are NARS Sheer Lipstick in Vendanges, Addiction by Ayako’s Lady of the Lake, THREE’s Edith’s Whisper, and an OCC Lip Tar in Anita.

Minimal Lip Wardrobe
So, those are my picks! What would your 5 Lip Wardrobe look like?

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Happy Eyebrows with K-Palette

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I’ve been using the K-Palette brow marker since December 2012. I was exclusively using The Body Shop’s Brow & Liner Kit and wanted a change. It was an impulse buy, but one that stuck with me for a long time. Still, in that amount of time, I’ve only expanded to another shade of their 24H Real Lasting Eyebrow and did not venture out to other products in their eyebrow range.

Some time last week, I received a few shades of two other brow products by K-Palette, the 24H Real Lasting Two Way Eyebrow Liner* and the 1 Day Tattoo Eyebrow Mascara*, and I’ve been using both alternately every day since getting them.

K-Palette Two-Way Eyebrow

24H Real Lasting Two Way Eyebrow Liner

The 24H Real Lasting Two Way Eyebrow Liner* is pretty close to my usual eyebrow routine. Usually, I draw over my natural eyebrow shape with the K-Palette eyebrow markers then run through them with a brow powder and an angled brush. In this unique contraption, there is a marker on one end, and a vial of brow powder and a sponge-tip applicator on the other end.

K-Palette Two Way Eyebrow - Marker Tip and Powder Tip

This particular product promises a few things: a) no over-darkened brows, b) a long-lasting, water-resistant formula that “stays the whole day, less retouches!”, c) a 3D eyebrow look, d) ease of use with translucent color that makes it suitable for beginners, and e) ease of removal using just soap and water. I can attest to all of them, but I’m not sure what K-Palette meant by a “3D Eyebrow Look,” though I do tend to add a brow powder over the marker when I want fuller, more “real-looking” brows.

FOTD - Wedding Face 1

G101 Grayish Brown is what I reach for the most since it’s the darkest and not as warm as 101 Light Brown and 102 Natural Brown. I can get away with the other colors, too, though, especially if I want a softer, lighter look. Generally, though, to match my natural hair color and just because it’s a bit darker, I go with G101. Here’s another look at G101 on my brows:
Pop of Color - Eye 2

I used 102 Natural Brown here and didn’t get a lot of pigmentation, primarily because my brows are much darker:
K-Palette Brows

As you can see, it gives a slightly warmer look, but the difference is nothing really very obvious. The effect is really natural. I’ve used these on someone with sparse brows and the effect is quite subtle. It’s perfect for beginners because it’s hard to overdraw brows with these, unless you actually try to. There is a bit of shimmer in the powders, but I think that’s part of their “3D” brow system.

K-Palette - 2 Way Eyebrow Liner - Swatches
Swatches, Top to Bottom: K-Palette 24H Real Lasting Two Way Eyebrow Liner in G101 Grayish Brown*, 102 Natural Brown*, 101 Light Brown*; K-Palette 24H Real Lasting Eyebrow in 02, 01

K-Palette Eyebrow Mascara

1 Day Tattoo Eyebrow Mascara

I also received the 1 Day Tattoo Eyebrow Mascara* in two shades: 101 Light Brown and 102 Natural Brown, both of which are lighter than I’d normally go, but both of which I like very much. This eyebrow mascara is used for “beautiful soft looking eyebrows with unique brush applicator.”

K-Palette Eyebrow Mascara - Paddle

Like the Two Way Eyebrow Liner, the Eyebrow Mascara has quite a number of claims: a) waterproof & long lasting, b) ease of removal using just soap and water, c) good coloring that matches the color of your eyebrows and hair color for softer-looking eyebrows, d) infused with beauty essences (i.e. beeswax, carnuba wax, swertia japonica extract) that takes care of the skin around your eyebrows, and e) a unique brush applicator that doesn’t touch the base of the skin, just the hairs, when applied on eyebrows.

There is a bit of a learning curve with this product, but it does give a much softer effect than the other eyebrow system. They also give you instructions on how to apply this best. I ignored the instructions and found it tedious. When I followed the steps (go from outer to inner eyebrows, against the growth, then apply a new layer from inner to outer brow), the effect was beautiful and soft.

K-Palette Brow Mascara
The mess that this looks like on film/on camera is embarrassing, but I promise I wore this out and it’s not nearly as obviously smeary and drawn on like it appears here, haha.

I found this much easier to use than the Maybelline Fashion Brow Coloring Mascara* primarily because of the wand shape and size, but there is a bit of a learning curve as well. If you’re not so used to applying brow mascara, it might be a bit messy, as you can probably tell from the photo up there, and difficult to maneuver. I also found their claim of the product not sticking to the skin to be untrue.

I think these do a better job at tinting your brows than both the Maybelline brow mascaras and the K-Palette markers, though. You just have to be careful and precise. This isn’t something I’d recommend for someone who’s on-the-go or new to eyebrow mascaras, but if you’ve got time to spend on perfecting your brows, then this is worth a shot.

K-Palette - Eyebrow Mascara - Swatches
Swatches, top to bottom: K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Eyebrow Mascara in 102 Natural Brown*, 101 Light Brown*

Anyway, I’m a lot more partial to using the 2-Way Eyebrow Liner than the Mascaras, but that’s because they are much lighter than my hair and my brows. I think they’re great and subtle if you need to tint your brows a lighter color to match your hair dye, for example. I still like using them for a softer look, though I guess you have to kind of practice a bit and make sure you clean up any messes after application.

* PR Sample

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The Workhorses

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There are just some products that you keep on going back to again and again. Not because they’re exciting or new, but because they are reliable. Here are some of my ol’ reliables—my workhorses—that somehow find themselves in my routine almost without fail.

More often than not, I just use the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer as my base. Then again, I’ve just been a lazy daisy these days…ies, heh. This concealer is wonderful because it dispenses a lot of pigment but is easy to apply and blend out. It also doesn’t really crease on me much, but I always set it with the Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder.

For eyes, I’ve been using the Le Métier de Beauté True Colour Eye Shadow in Tamarack, which is this cool matte brown, for my crease work. It’s not half bad as a contour either! For an all-over lid shade that’s fuss-free and beautiful, though, my go-to is the shu uemura eyeshadow in ME medium brown 885, which is a beautiful warm reddish brown that needs no primer to work and last on your lids. I pair that with a slick of liquid liner like this one by Dolly Wink and I curl my lashes with my shu uemura eyelash curler.

For cheeks, I know I can rely on the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed for a natural flush of color that goes with pretty much everything. I’ve been using this quite often for about a year or so, and it doesn’t even look like I’ve touched it as the etchings are still there. Lastly, for the lips, I’ve been reaching for my tube of the NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Montego Bay, which is the perfect “natural” shade for me. Like Exposed, Montego Bay goes with pretty much anything.

That’s it! Some of my other “workhorses” are my MAC Paint Pots, particularly Groundwork, Painterly and Bare Study, all of my brow products, as well as my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders, which I use pretty much all the time.

What are some of your “workhorse” products? Do share. 🙂

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Recent Aquisitions/Currently Testing

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Remember when I said I was done with shopping! Done with too much makeup! Done with being a consumerism hag! Well. It turns out that I am not, in fact, done with those things just yet. I haven’t gone off the deep end—I have been quite good between March and mid-June—but in the end, I think I decided that it was okay to try some new things, as opposed to all of them, from time to time. Here are some of my recent purchases, brought on by a crippling sense of discontent (I got over it), and what I think about them so far.

NARS Semi-Matte Lipstick in Heat Wave
I was in a fairly bad place when I placed (ha) an order for a couple of NARS lipsticks plus the Yachiyo brush. One of those lipsticks was Heat Wave, bought because of a sudden hankering for MAC’s Lady Danger. So far… Well, I really like it. The first time I tried it on, I fought with an overwhelming sense of dread because I felt like it didn’t suit me. Then I tried again, and now I kind of really love it? I know, a warm red—who’d have thought, right? Not me, that’s for sure.

NARS Pure Matte Lipsticks in Tonkin and Mascate
I’ve been putting off these purchases for a long-ass time—ever since I got the Pure Matte Lipstick in Montego Bay. This formula is just so freaking great, you guys. Especially if you’re a matte-lover like me. Tonkin is a pretty great everyday shade, a bit similar to Montego Bay, just a little less rosy. Mascate is a great and powerful red… I think it’s the red I’ve been looking for all this time! I have a number of great red lipsticks, but this just makes my lips feel so matte and lush at the same time. My bottom lip looks amped up times a hundred and five when I wear this, even without gloss or a highlighter. Who even knows how it does that, but it does!

NARS Pro-Prime UVA/UVB Protection Primer (not pictured)
(Are we noticing a pattern here?) I bought a primer with a high SPF last month. I meant to buy the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer, but I figured I should just get something that will help me use up my NARS Sheer Glow first, since the only reason why I don’t wear it is because it doesn’t have SPF. I’m looking at a shade that’s unavailable here, too, so I held off on buying the tinted moisturizer until I can swatch the shade I want to get, i.e. Groenland. The primer is OK but it doesn’t help mattify. It’s a great base, though. Unfortunately, it has quite shoddy packaging and leaked through a hole near the cap after just 1 use, so I can’t take it on the go or on trips, unless I depot/decant it. I couldn’t even take its picture with the rest of these products because I have to keep it upside down to keep it from leaking.

Le Métier de Beauté Anamorphic Lash Mascara in Midnight Blue
Not really as blue as I’d like and it is wetter than I remember from my previous tube of the Anamorphic Lash Mascara, though that was in Noir or black. I still like it, but it’s not my favorite mascara, at all, which is a problem because I guess we are back to square one.

BECCA The Ultimate Mascara in Black
This is so meh, I can’t even expound on it more because that is all it is—meh. I’m not even all that fussy or picky when it comes to mascara. Like, this is worse than average passable quality to me, but it’s not technically bad. It’s just whatever. If this is what BECCA means by “ultimate,” then I think they need a vocabulary lesson.

K-Palette 24H Lasting 2 Way Eyebrow* and K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Eyebrow Mascara*
I received a few of these items early last week and I’ve been testing them out since then. So far, so good. A full review will be up later this week, so watch out for that! I can’t pick between the mascara and the liner/powder duo just yet, but I have strong leanings towards the former. But I also really like the two-way eyebrow! Hmmm.

NARS Yachiyo Brush
I caved and got it and I’m glad I did. This brush applies blush and contour beautifully and blends everything so well. I’m a complete blush dunce and this manages to take care of all the hard parts for me. Go, brush!

And that’s it for this post! I have been doing a bit of shopping, actually, but I haven’t roadtested or received the products just yet, so I can’t say much else. I will say, though, that this type of post might be a perma-fixture on this blog. It’s a method of previewing that makes sense to me.

What have you been trying out lately?

* PR Sample

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FOTD: I Went to a Wedding Pt. Deux

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My cousin got married on the 11th! Here is the face I put on for that day—12 hours after application! I was going to use a palette but ended up going back to a few singles I haven’t used much and an old favorite that I’ve stashed away in one of my drawers.

FOTD - Wedding 2 - Face

My face base is my usual one these days: a primer (Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer), the NARS Sheer Glow (Punjab), the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (Ginger), set with a combination of Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders (Mood Light and Luminous Light) and the Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder (Refresh) for my under-eye concealing. I should note that this is the face of someone who did not touch her base up once for an entire 12 hours.

FOTD - Wedding - Eyes

I used the Urban Decay Primer Potion instead of a MAC Paint Pot, and holy shit I forgot how much I loved this stuff. Wowwww. It really is the best eye primer, in my opinion. I used Breathtaking from my bareMinerals READY 2.0 in The Scenic Route on the inner 2/3 of my lids. I used a combination of Addiction’s Truffle and Fudge on the outer third of my lid, with a beautiful haze in the crease c/o Nooner and Limit from the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. I also have a bit of Strange from the Naked 3 on my browbone, but I personally don’t think those do much of a difference, lol.

My wing is accidental and too long, drawn on with my Dolly Wink Liquid Liner. Mascara is by Pixy* and the lower lash line has Rouge Bunny Rouge’s Abyssinian Catbird in the outer third and Delicate Hummingbird in the center third.

FOTD - Wedding Face 1

Lipstick is the NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Tonkin, which is a new purchase. It’s close to my fave, Montego Bay, but not as pink. Blush is Tarte’s Exposed, and I used the Addiction eyeshadow in Truffle for a very subtle cheek contour. Both pretty much faded away in this photo, but here’s a group picture in which you can kind of see them still:

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I wasn’t a part of the entourage or anything like that, so I actually put on something a little (too?) casual for it. Oh well, I liked what I wore:

And then, here’s me with my sister and brother, yay:

And then, here is my cousin and his new wife, in all their cute glory:

Hope you liked this look! I like this business of mixing and matching eyeshadows. I really love having so much time to do my makeup. I think my favorite part of makeup is putting it on… the action and ritual of it.

And maybe the eyeshadow palettes.

* PR Sample

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Nosy Beauty Vol. 31: Angel

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YAY, A NOSY BEAUTY RIGHT ON SCHEDULE! /shuffle

Today, I’ve got someone I actually met in real life first—a rarity!—at the launch of The Manila Review, one of the projects I’m involved with. Say hello to Angel, who was introduced to me by our mutual friend, Deus, and who immediately told me that she loved makeup, too. 🙂 She writes about life in Holland, art, and Scandinavian culture, among other things over here. I love this week’s Nosy Beauty because Angel didn’t scrimp on photographs! Heh. I hope you all enjoy it, too!

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I’m Angel, an editor, writer and communications strategist, and Ambassador of Dutch and Scandinavian culture. I love listening to music, discovering new art and design, hanging out with friends and exploring new cities. I am currently based in Holland, where I work for an international travel magazine.

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These are some of my favourite items (not necessarily what I use daily). The makeup bag is from Paul & Joe – I don’t really lug around a makeup bag, usually I just use it when I’m packing for a trip.

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  1. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette – I rarely use eyeshadow, but this is a great palette for sophisticated looks.
  2. Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme in Iced Gold – A magical highlighter, apply on top of cheekbones for a subtle glow.
  3. Topshop Blush in Dream Phone – Still trying it out, but the colour is dreamy.
  4. Etude House Sweet Recipe Cupcake All Over Color in PK 002 Strawberry Chiffon Cake – My mom gave this to me, I love the packaging. It’s a perfect cream blush for sunny summer days.
  5. Sleek Blush in Rose Gold – My favourite blush of all!
  6. Muji Makeup Base with SPF 28 – I rarely use it, but I love that it has SPF. (Another beauty philosophy: wear SPF everyday!)
  7. Essence Waterproof Gel Eyepencil in Blackest Black – Cheap and it works! Glides on like cream, stays put all day.
  8. K Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24H in Black – Almost finished with this one. It’s an easy to use eyeliner.
  9. Fairy Drops mascara – I also rarely use mascara, but this one does the job well.
  10. Kinepin eyelash curler – A makeup artist in Hong Kong recommended this and swears it’s better than Shu Uemura (at a fraction of the price!)
  11. Fairy Drops powder – They win at packaging!
  12. Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Vision – A gift from a friend, perfect for parties where you want to be the centre of attention. Haha!
  13. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pink Gold – An everyday eyeshadow, just sweep over your eyelids and you’re done.
  14. Vaselina Gal fragranced lip balm (Golosina) – Reminds me of Spain, where I got this. It smells and tastes like candy!

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LIPSTICKS

As you can probably tell, I use makeup minimally and usually just go for a lipstick, eyeliner and a dab of blush. Lipstick can make such a difference, and instantly brightens up your day (and face)! I love dark, vampy or berry lipsticks, and only end up buying from this range of colours. These are my current favourites:

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  1. Guerlain Rouge G – Gigolo
  2. Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait – Orgueil
  3. & Other Stories – Ducape Red
  4. & Other Stories – Armure Plum
  5. MAC – Media
  6. MAC – Rebel
  7. Barry M – 162
  8. Sephora Rouge – Crush

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My Beauty Philosophy is: Wear lipstick, smile and own the day! 🙂

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Yay, thanks Angel! See you guys in two weeks for (hopefully) another installment of Nosy Beauty. To catch up and read the past victims entries, click here.

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Carina Santos: Outfit Repeater

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I claimed, once upon a time, that this was a beauty and style blog, and I did in fact post the occasional OOTD here and there. I think the reason for that is that I am the type of person who chooses comfort over style, always. The other reason is that I am a complete outfit repeater.

I don’t really have a lot of outfit pictures, so I looked for instances that I repeated whole outfits, or at least the major components of them.

Yay Comfort
For your reference and for the sake of this post: when I started caring about clothes (after college, sadly, lol), I went for better-looking comfort, so I had a lot of cardigans, pull-overs, short-sleeved sweaters, vests, etc. to make my outfits look a bit more put together than your true blue basics. I mean, these are still basics, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. Ahem.

Okay, so let’s start with a really funny picture in which I try to look “fierce,” lol. This was from a magazine feature! The makeup was done by Patrick from shu uemura and this was around the time that I was about to fall into an obsessive makeup spiral.

Grey Shirt, Green Pants - Jul 2012
Taken in July-ish 2012 by Everywhere We Shoot For Preview Magazine.

Watch me repeat everything (sans shoes)… Read More