Just When I Thought It Couldn't Get Any Worse...

Hello everyone! I'm still not back to beauty blogging since my schedule is really tight just like I mentioned in my previous blog. I thought things could not get any worse but apparently it has. Yesterday, I got food poisoning. At first I thought that I just had to vomit it out but it was just as bad as ever. I had a performance last night, and it was really hard for me to play, since I was vomiting everything that I intake so my stomach was practically empty last night. By the time I got home, I was coming down with a fever already due to dehydration. When I woke up this morning, I still had a fever so I missed work this morning. Now, my fever has lifted but I still feel like crap. I'll still be performing tonight since I have no choice :P Hopefully, things will be better tomorrow. I hope everyone is doing well. That's all for now.

Why I Haven't Been Blogging..

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updates. I know I haven't and probably won't be blogging until March. For the past week and for the next week, I have been working for around 12-14 hours a day. I'm always exhausted that I don't even wash my face before going to bed. I just take out my contact lenses and go straight to bed. It's hard because I finish at 12 mn and then I have to working by 9 or 10 am the next morning. February is always a busy month for me because it's arts month. I just have one more week to go and then my schedule will be better and I can get more rest and sleep. I hope everyone is doing well though. Take care!

Quick Post: Happy Valentine's Day!

Hey everyone! I'd just like to greet everyone a Happy Hearts Day! Whether or not we have that special someone in our lives right now, let's still enjoy this day. Ciao!

My Favorite Everyday Concealer

I love my MAC Concealer, but I don't want to use it everyday because I still believe that mineral makeup is healthier for my skin for everyday use. So I'd like to share with you my everyday undereye concealer. What is it you might ask? It's my Ellana concealer in Cheer.

Let me share with you the pros and cons:

PROS

• A little goes a long way! I'm confident that my tiny sample size will last me the whole year even with everyday use.
• Powder concealers don't settle into fine lines as much as cream or liquid concealers.
• It's light coverage is enough for my undereyes since I don't have terribly dark undereyes.
• It's very affordable.

CONS

• The coverage might not be enough for those who have very dark undereyes.
• It's not handy to bring along because it's in loose form.

So, wanna see the difference it made to my undereyes? Let's show the picture.

 

Don't you think it works well?

TIPS

• Even though this is in powder form, don't forget to set it with a setting/finishing powder.
• Apply in thin layers instead of one thick layer to avoid caking.

Will I buy this again? Yes!

Where? Online, through resellers or during their weekend bazaars in SM Makati, SM Megamall and SM Marikina.

An Invitation

I'm inviting you guys to watch the sarswela "Walang Sugat." This production is for Ateneo's 150th Anniversary. Proceeds will go to the scholarship fund of Ateneo.

Directed by Ricardo Abad
Musical Direction by Josefino Toledo
Choreography by Dexter Santos
Light Design by Jonjon Villareal

Set Design and Costumes by Salvador Bernal

 

A lot of big names are attached to this production. The show will run from Feb. 24-28. I've done this show twice before, but I've never done it with Ateneo before. I'm already excited!

Walang Sugat is the most popular of the sarswelas and is where the patriotic song "Bayan Ko" came from. For the Ateneans out there (I'm not one of them, though, LOL), I hope to see you!

Great Find: San San Pencil Brush

Let me share with you this great find. Wanna know why I think it is? Read on.

I'm not sure exactly what this brush is called, but it's actually a pencil brush. I first encountered this when I was in makeup school. One of my teachers, Ms. Nina Dumpa, frequently brought this brush out during her makeup demos. She said that it works as well as her MUFE pencil brush and it only costs P80 (around $1.60)! I was like, WHHHATTT? I didn't hesitate to buy this after that. 

This is made out of animal hair, and it doesn't shed. It's useful for applying makeup in the lower lashline and smudging eyeliner. The only downside is that it doesn't look very professional (more like a kiddie watercolor brush) but for it's price I really couldn't ask for more. It just goes to show that there are great finds that don't come with a hefty price tag.

Rating: 5/5

Soft Eyebrows Tutorial

Hello everyone! I'm doing my first tutorial ever so please bare with me. Today I'm going to show you how I do soft brows. This is the perfect everyday look for me since I leave my brows thick so I don't want to overdo my eyebrows by making it strong. I want to make it look soft. Everyone has a different way of doing their eyebrows. This is mine.

Things you'll need:

1. Razor/tweezers

2. Eyebrow scissors

3. Lash comb/spoolie

4. Eyebrow powder

5. Brow mascara (optional)

Let's start with the shape of the eyebrows. Note that these are only guidelines and you don't need to follow them exactly.

1. Using a pencil or brush, make a line from the side of your nose to the inner corner of your eye. Where it lands in your eyebrow is where you should start.

2. Make a line from the side of your nose to the center of your eye. Where it lands is where the arc of your eyebrow should be.

  

4. Make a line from the side of your nose to the outer edge of your eye. Where it meets is where your eyebrow should end.

  

Knowing these guidelines, use a razor or tweezers to shape your eyebrows. If you're not confident, use a white pencil to draw until where you are going to remove.

Using a lash comb or spoolie, brush your hairs in an upwards motion.

 

If there are any hairs that are standing up after you have brushed your eyebrows, cut them with eyebrow scissors.

 

Using brow powder, fill in your eyebrows. For this tut, I used E.L.F. Studio Brow Powder in Medium.

 

Start from the middle of your eyebrows around the area of the arc. Then blend outwards. Using less or no additional powder, blend near the inner part of the brow going to the middle, then blend from the innermost part of the brow going out. The idea is that you use the most brow powder in the arc, less going out, then even less as you go in the eyebrow. Remember that this is a soft brow look so we don't want them to be in-your-face. If there are any areas where there is little or no hair, remember to fill it in to get your desired brow shape.

  

 Using your lash comb or spoolie, brush your brows upwards to make sure that the powder has been distributed evenly.

  

Optional: Run through your brows with a colored brow mascara to furthur soften the look. I used ELF Studio Brow Treat and Tame in Medium.

  

And your done!

Remember this look? I used the exact same steps and products to achieve this brow look.

  

 I hope this helped. Ciao!

Lumiere Ditto "O": The Famous NARS Orgasm MMU Dupe

Hello lovelies! How are you doing? I know I haven't blogged the whole week. I've been really busy and really tired. I've been all around the place. 

So anyway, everyone knows that NARS Orgasm is one of the most famous blushes ever and there are so many dupes out there. For MMU lovers, the most famouse dupe is Lumiere Ditto "O". So here is a swatch of Ditto "O" on the left and NARS Orgasm to the right.

My camera is not that good, so I'll try to explain the differences and similarities. Both are actually very pigmented, but Lumiere doesn't always last the whole day with me. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. As we all know, NARS has awesome staying power. NARS is a tad more pinkish in person than Lumiere. Both are shimmery but NARS' shimmer is more golden than Lumiere. Dupe or no dupe, I find that Lumiere Ditto "O" is a great blush to have though. I even know some people who prefer Ditto "O" over Orgasm.

Other MMU dupes of NARS Orgasm:

Silk Naturals Climax - I actually have this but I can't find it. This is NARS Orgasm with a hint of plum. Still a pretty color though.

Lauress Uninhibited - I don't have this. They say it's slightly lighter than NARS Orgasm.

Anyway, I hope this post helped some people who are looking for an MMU alternative to NARS Orgasm. Have a nice night everyone!

My Pixel Laser Experience

Good morning everyone! As some might now, I had undergone Pixel Laser last month. Why? It's not really noticeable in my pictures, because I have makeup on, but without makeup, I actually have very rough cheeks due to my childhood acne. I've always been ashamed of them and now I'm finally doing something about it. Yey! 

The thing about Pixel, is that even though you see results right after the scabs fall off, you only see the maximum result after two months, because that's when your skin fully heals. The downtime? Around 6 days. Yikes. I looked like a monster during that time. On several occasions, I still went out and worked even with my ugly face because hey, what am I supposed to do? I can't not work for 6 days. Putting on makeup will help, but it can never cover the texture. And once the scabs started falling off, makeup or no makeup, I looked like a peeling monster anyway. Haha.

I'll discuss the downtime in detail.

Day 1 - The day of the Pixel Laser itself. Right after my procedure, my face hurt for 2 hours. I had an unexpected gig that day, so I still went out. No makeup was allowed so I looked terrible. My whole face was pixelated and it was reddish brown. My friend described it as though nuclear waste exploded on my face. Haha. That night, some of my pores started bleeding. Anything I apply on my face was uber painful.

Day 2 - My face had turn brown. Makeup is already allowed during Day 2 and onwards. Anything I applied on my face still hurt.

Day 3 - My face turned into really thick, pixelated scabs.

Day 4 - The scabs started to fall off.

Day 5 - Everywhere, the scabs were falling off like crazy. Not pretty.

Day 6 - Left over scabs still falling off.

Day 7 - I actually look decent enough to go out. Haha.

I actually noticed just a little difference in my skin, since I stared at it everyday. When I took pictures, though, I was surprised. There was actually a big difference. Wanna see?

Don't focus on the zits. I breakout occasionally. Haha. Don't mind the date on the picture. I forgot to adjust the time in my cam.

 

 Left Cheek

 

Right Cheek

There's a big difference on my right cheek right? I'm happy with the results and I'm surely doing this again.