Product Review: MAC 109 Brush

Hello dearies! It's time for another product review. I haven't done any reviews in a while so it's time I did one. Today, it will be about the MAC 109 brush.

photo taken from www.maccosmetics.com

Product Description:

Use on the face to apply, blend or contour powder products. Softly rounded dome tip delivers just enough colour; smoothly blends colour into the face. Of natural fibres.

This is one of the most highly rated MAC brushes ever. Although it was meant as a contour brush, it became famous as a foundation brush. So, when a brand new piece went up for sale in GirlTalk a few months ago, I jumped at the chance to buy it. Now it's mine! Bwahahahaha! LOL.

I was surprised when I saw the actual size of the brush. It was really small actually. The first time I washed it, there was no shedding. When I finally used it to apply foundation, I was in love! The finish was much better. It gave a very clean, even finish that surpasses the regular foundation brush. A note though, this brush gives a heavier coverage so you might not want to use this with a full coverage foundation unless you want even extra coverage.

So here are the pros and cons:

PROS

• gives a clean finish to foundation

CONS

• Although this doesn't shed when I wash it, it sheds when used on the face. Weird I know.
• Not available locally

Unfortunately, here in the Philippines, this brush is not part of the permanent collection (why?) and is only available as a limited edition item :( MAC should make this part of the permanent collection, it really is a very good product to try.

Rating: 4.5/5

I'd give it a 5 if it didn't shed :(

Just to show you an idea on how its finish, I'll leave you with a before and after picture of my friend Marie, during her recital. I used Revlon Custom Creations on her applied with a MAC 109 brush. I didn't apply lipstick on her because she's a bassoon player and lipstick will hinder her playing.

Have a nice day!

Another Makeover...

I recently did my friend's hair and makeup for her recital. I didn't put any lipstick on her since she is a flutist like me. This was taken around 5 hours after I put on her makeup. It partly washed away already from her sweat :P

The shots aren't the same because one was taken with a point and shoot camera, while the other one was taken with a DSLR.

Here she is in her recital with her pretty gown. 

Congratulations!

How to: Mature Makeup

I've always been curious about the right way to do the makeup of more mature people like people in their late 40's onwards. Their skin is different so I was unsure on how to do it but thankfully I learned this during my makeup classes in Basement Academy.

So here are some tips on how to do mature makeup:

• Make sure that the whole face as well as the eye area is very well moisturized before applying any makeup.
• You may want to use a purple base to brighten up their skin tone.
  
• Mature skin tends to be dry so skip the oil control products and look for products that are moisturizing instead.
• Don't be afraid of shimmer! It still works even with more mature people.
• Mature people may have a preference for lipstick colors such as raisin red, brown, etc. so it's better to ask them what color of lipstick they would like.
  

Specific concerns for mature makeup:

• Expression lines: Use concealer only as needed as they might settle into the expression lines.
• Thinning eyebrows: You might want to draw outside the brows to make them look thicker. Thicker brows will give a more youthful appearance.
• Thinning eyelashes: You might want to ask if they are open to the idea of wearing falsies.
  
• Thin lips: A lip liner is handy for this.
• Drooping skin: Apply makeup in an upwards motion to make a lifting effect.
  

So here's an example of mature makeup. In the before picture, she actually had makeup which she place herself. I just forgot to take a picture of her without any makeup on. HTH!

Makeover!

One of my good friends, Marie, asked me if I could do her makeup on her recital. And of course, I said yes! So I'd just like to share with you her before and after pic.

As you will notice, she's not wearing any lipstick or lipgloss, because she's a bassoon player and lip products just get in the way. Likewise, I don't use any lip products also while playing (except maybe for a lip and cheek tint).

So here it is! I'll try to remember all the stuff I used on her. Pardon some discrepancies on the before and after pic. The before pic was only taken by a camera phone, while the after pic was taken on a DSLR.



FACE
Revlon Custom Creations in Medium/Deep
Graftobian Orange Concealer
Cinema Secrets Concealer Palette
Coastal Scents Contour and Blush Palette
Lauress Fantastic Finish in Medium
Dreamworld Minerals Yellow Illuminating Powder

EYES
Dollface Concealer Palette
UDPP
Urban Decay e/s in Last Call
Urban Decay e/s in Oil Slick
Urban Decay e/s in Polyester Bride
Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette: violet and highlight
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Zero
Maybelline Vivid and Smooth Liner in White
Maybelline Volume Express Cat Eyes Mascara
The Face Shop Eyebrow Pencil in Taupe

CHEEKS
Coastal Scents Blush Palette

LIPS
(none)

So here she is during her recital. Congratulations!

Just for Fun!

How is everyone doing? I've been trying to post since yesterday but I've been having trouble with blogger. As you all know, we are still recovering from typhoon Ondoy, I hope everyone is doing better already. To those who can help, please do. A lot of people are very needy right now.

Anyway, on to a lighter note, I'd just like to share with you something I did a few weeks back. This was for a "beauty pageant" in UP where straight guys compete as girls. My model, was supposed to be imitating Madonna, so this is the look I came up with.

I forgot to take a picture of him with a straight face because I did this in a hurry. He has a lot of stubble on his chin and on his upper lip, which was a challenge covering with concealer. I wasn't able to cover it completely. I'll do better next time. The before picture was taken from a camera phone while the after picture was taken with flash. haha. How about you? Have you ever tried turning a boy into a girl?