Monday, June 29, 2009

Maybelline's Clearsmooth Minerals line

Mineral makeup has been taking the beauty world by storm. Majority of the girls who are very cognizant about their skin care go for this type of makeup for their everyday use. Why? coz it’s said to be good for sensitive skin as it contains no perfumes, talc, alcohol, dyes, mineral oil or preservatives.

I admit that I have tried tons of mineral makeup brands already but still cannot find one that will really amaze me. Or I guess I just didn’t use them religiously :)

Thanks to Maybelline! I was given a chance to try a number of products from their new mineral makeup line. I’ve been using these since I got them which is (over a month ago)


Maybelline Clearsmooth Minerals

Maybelline - Our unique micro-mineral formula is clinically proven to improve skin's quality. With regular use, it makes your skin 35% clearer, 36% more radiant, 30% more even, and 16% smoother!

Clear Smooth mineral line RP:
Clear smooth minerals liquid foundation - P499
Clear smooth minerals Powder foundation - P599
Clear smooth minerals Blush - P499



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Clear smooth minerals Powder foundation - Dark Ochre


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Clear smooth minerals liquid foundation - Rose White


*The liquid foundation I got was 1 tone lighter in shade while the mineral loose powder is a little bit dark. What I do is I apply the liquid foundation first then blend a little bit of the loose powder to attain my shade. Then dust a little bit of the Clearsmooth pressed powder to set the foundation and achieve a matte effect.


What I like:

Loose Powder
  • no skin reactions
  • easy to blend
  • no caking
  • provides a natural, luminous finish
  • it has a similar sifter with some of the mineral makeups I have but I like that it’s not messy at all.
  • Very affordable price

Liquid foundation

  • no skin reactions
  • no caking
  • consistency is not that thick making it easier to blend
  • provides a natural, luminous finish
  • Very affordable price

* Both products when used alone provides a sheer coverage. If you want a little bit more you can blend the two like what I’m doing.


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Clear smooth minerals Blush - Gentle Pink



What I like:

Provides a natural, luminous pink glow. Love it!
It stays for hours. I did makeup for a photoshoot a week ago and it lasted from 11 am to 7pm (Ms Charm of http://charmielyne.multiply.com/ loved this)
Easy to blend


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Maybelline Clearsmooth Pressed Powder

Maybelline - Clearsmooth's ultra-fine shine free face powder has SPF 18 for protection against the sun's harmful UV rays. It's long wearing formula can last up to 6 hrs and texture. Clearsmooth pressed powder promises no caking and no heavy build up, just a super light smooth touch . It also resists sweat and humidity for that natural matte finish all day long. Suited for your on-the-go lifestyle, Clearsmooth's secret in its micro-fine powder that gives you extra oil absorbency for no shine and no stress, from AM to PM.

RP: P199



What I like:

I have comination skin type and this product makes my skin matte for almost 4 hours or more.
Very affordable.
No caking.
Very natural
Can be used to any skin type
It has SPF


Swatches

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On the first few weeks of trying them, my impression was...“not bad” but it also didn’t impress me that much. Until I finally get compliments on my skin teeeheee. One of my aunts commented that my skin looks really smooth and luminous. She even asked me to list down the makeup I’m using because she wants to buy them. I’m liking these products =). For the price and quality, these are really worth trying. You may have noticed that I didn't include a con on my product notes because as of this moment I really don't. Now, I'm starting to believe in mineral makeup. no need to ask if I’m buying them again hehe.

That's all. Ciao =)

Friday, June 26, 2009

Food Chronicle 1: Fish and Tofu with Tausi and an update

About a month ago, my hubby and I moved to our own place. I was excited because finally we can live independently and experience what’s married life is supposed to be.

On weekdays, I wake up as early as 6:30 to cook our breakfast and prepare some snack he would bring to work. While on weekends, we spend the morning doing household chores.

What’s the greatest challenge for me as a wife? Most certainly “cooking”. It’s a shame to admit that all I know even after I got married is to fry and boil =) But I’m slowly learning now and I’m really enjoying this escapade.

For the past weeks, I've been researching for recipes of our favorite food over the internet. I came across to UT-Man’s food blog and it’s now my favorite source of cooking procedures.

A while ago I tried his version of “Fish and Tofu with Tausi”. It’s my favorite from Chowking’s menu =)


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Can' t believe I was able to cook this! Sorry I know for some this might be petty but this is a great achievement for me. Not perfect for the first time but IMHO, it even tastes better than Chowking's yeah right!

If you want to try this also, Click here for his recipe. The instructions are simple and easy to follow I tell you.

I'm going to try Yang Chow fried rice this weekend :)


Another update, we had our company’s annual physical exam yesterday and found out that I need glasses already :-(. Uhhh…it feels really uncomfortable. Good thing there’s still a pink frame available. At least there’s one reason for me to enjoy wearing it.


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Like everybody else, I was shocked when I read in Yahoo news about MJ's death this morning. I'm not a fan but I personally think and he’s a great loss in the entertainment industry. It was a sad news to start our day right?

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Teaser shots - photoshoot for ZirchsoftPhotography

Teaser photos from Sir Chris' despedida shoot.


Location: Rouge Studio


PHOTOGRAPHERS:

1. Christopher Padilla http://zirchsoftphotography.multiply.com/
2. Lee Tallod http://yegwaegnis.multiply.com/


HMUAs:

1. Kabbie: http://kabbieee.multiply.com/ - for Abbie and Phoebe
2. Kim: http://thebeautyaddict.multiply.com/ - for Aki and Crystal


WARDROBE:

1.VOUGE: http://charmielyne.multiply.com/
2. Renz Pangilinan http://r8nz.multiply.com/


ACCESSORIES:

G.L.A.M http://glamaccessories.multiply.com/



Model: Aki (http://chiakimorita.multiply.com)

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Products I used in this shot:

Face:

Watercolors color corrector
MUFE camouflage palette
MAC NC20 mixed with a little MAC NC42
Paul and Joe two way foundation 30
Revlon Translucent Powder

Cheeks:

Artdeco Bronzing Compact 03
Blush from the Coastal Scents 78pc palette

Eyes:

MAC Ricepaper
Blue e/s from the Urban Decay palette
Urban Decay eyeliner Zero
MAC Blacktrack
Falsies from Landmark
Maybelline Volume Express Mascara

Lips:

Artdeco l/s (shade to follow)
Clinique moisturizing gloss


Wacky shots of Sir Chris:

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The team (not complete)

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Thank you so much Lee and the rest of the team. It was nice meeting all of you! Good luck on your endeavors Sir Chris! Hope to work with you again next year. Can't wait for more photos =)

Monday, June 22, 2009

Father's Day at Gotti's Ristorante

First, I wanna greet all the fathers out there a (belated) Happy Father’s day!

I wasn’t able to celebrate it with my dad (miss you so much dada =c ) but I have my second dad now whom we spent the entire day with.

Lunch: we stuffed ourselves with scrumptious pizza and pasta in one of the newest Italian restoa in Megamall Atrium, Gotti's ristorante. This was my second time to dine at that bistro. I remember blogging about it a few months ago but I can't find it weeehhh :)



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The facade. We didn't experience the ambiance inside nor was able to take a shot of the interior coz the mall was too crowded yesterday and it was so hard to look for a good seat.



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Garlic Shrimp pasta


If we’re not sure on what to order on a new Italian resto, hubby and I always opt for Garlic Shrimp pasta. It’s one of our favorites. This one from Gotti’s is good but it’s kinda bland when I do the Ratatouille style hehe. I guess they made it that way so you could just add whatever you want to satisfy your taste.



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Creamy Basil with Bacon

I tried only a spoonful of this dish so I can’t comment well.



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Mama’s Quattro Formaggi (P295) - blue cheese, parmesan, cream cheese and mozzarella

I love this! IMHO...it's comparable to Amici's 4 cheese pizza.


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The Godfather (Didn't try this coz I don't like onions and bell peppers in pizza)



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The family. The Gotti staff offered to have their poster included in our group pic. We asked him to join as well hehe.


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Me and my big love =)

Sorry if I wasn't able to take note of all the prices. But for all of these + 3 bottomless drinks? We paid P1400+/$28+. Reasonably priced right?

All in all, because of the taste, price and good service you'll definitely read a post about their other dishes from here again soon =)

How about you guys? I'd love to know how you celebrated father's day.

That's all. Ciao!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Ways to save your mascara

Most of us beauty junkees knows that the shell life of an opened mascara is only 3 months. Sigh! so little time to use a precious product. That’s why it is really important to note the start of usage so that we know when to dispose them. Remember…using expired products may cause irritation.

But what if it’s not yet past its expiration date then it dried out? Just the idea of wasting money hurts. We don’t wanna toss a product that we feel is still useable right? Well…good news! We can still do something about it. I’ll share with you guys some of the things I recently gathered:

1) Boil water for a few minutes, pour them in a bowl then soak the whole mascara container for a minute or two. Make sure that it is tightly sealed to prevent the water from going inside the container. This should help the dry mascara to melt. - MakeupbyMyca

2) Add just a drop or two of baby oil to re moisten a dry mascara. Just be careful, too much of baby oil may even make your mascara useless. – MakeupbyMyca

3) Apply 2 drops of toner (take note: not the facial lotion). Shake a little. – From teach =)

#3 is the most feasible for me so that’s the first one I tried and it's effective. If you guys tried any one of these, tell me your experience okie.

That’s all! Ciao =)

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Basement Academy Beauty Makeup Course Day 8: Graduation Day

Then our graduation day, the time to “bring it on” came…

We were asked to do anything we want to put on our portfolio. I contemplated on whether to do an avant garde or bridal makeup. In the end, I chose to do the latter because that’s what I wanted to do initially as a makeup artist.

Remember my Jessica Simpson look-a-like model for the Smokey eyes topic? She's the same model assigned to me for our finals. Love her! She seemed like a pro to me. I didn't have a hard time doing makeup on her and she's not afraid to pose! :)


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The final pic. Photo taken by Mr. Jeaves Gabiana of Basement Academy

Products I used

Face:

The Body Shop Aloe Day Moisturizer
Watercolors Color Corrector
MUFE Camouflage Palette
Loreal True Match (Beige) mixed with The Face Shop Dark Cocoa
Paul and Joe two-way foundation
Revlon Tranlucent loose powder

Eyes:
Coastal Scents 78 pc palette (browns)
Artdeco Kohl pencil
Maybelline Volume Express mascara
Coastal Scents gel liner (brown)

Cheeks:
Elianto Cream Blush (peach)
Artdeco bronzing powder 03

Lips:
Artdeco Lipstick (shade to follow)
Coastal Scents 78 pc palette (browns)


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Here's the before pic


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L-R (Jeaves Gabiana, me and Cheryl Cabanos). I am happy that I can now call myself a makeup artist.


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With my classmates (Nikki, Shen, Stef), Jeave and teach. Miss you all!

This is definitely not my last post about the school because I’m going back for more practice. Yup! You’ve read it right. At Basement Academy, graduation is not the end =). You can still go back and sit in their classes if you want to refresh your knowledge or if you want to practice more for free. You just have to pay the model they’re going to get for you.

That's all! Ciao

Visit www.basementacademy.com for more info

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Shu Uemura Principe Lip Serum


Photo from Makemeheal


What is it?

A lip treatment that smoothes the lips to prevent flakiness through gentle exfoliation. Provides the ideal amount of slip for lipstick application.


Benefits:

* NAG: Amino Acid derivative maintains proper skin cell turnover
* NAG-IS (ceramide complex): Creates protective barrier
* Effector Lip Plump: Known to support collagen and help give lips a fuller appearance
* Botanical Extract (Filipendula): Known to help prevent dark pigmentation


Details from Shuuemura-usa.com



This might be a heaven-sent product for people who have severe dry lips. Apply prior to lipstick application and the flakes would hardly be noticeable. My lips are in good condition right now but it gets so dry depending on the weather or I might use this for clients that's why I want to have my own =)

I went to Rustan's yesterday but it's out of stock. The SA told me that they still have in Glorietta branch. I wish it's still available. =)


How about you ladies? Have you tried this product? Tell me your experience please.


Retail Price in the Philippines: P1200
Visit: http://shuuemura-usa.com for more details


Monday, June 15, 2009

"Be stunning for a steal" event

During this time of economic crisis, do you amend your budget for your beauty needs? I personally have been doing this since this year started. I believe I’ve became I am a wise shopper now =D. By saying “wise” I meant buying less expensive products with high quality.

The event I recently attended was just in perfect timing. My mission: Be stunning for a steal =)

When I arrived, I was gladly welcomed by Ms. Trisha Chua, Junior Product Manager of Maybelline, and was introduced to the Matrix hairstylist for a hair makeover.




The sides of my hair were curled by Jorge, one of the hairstylists for Matrix. The moment he sprayed something to my hair I asked immediately what was it because it smelled divine. He said he used the Matrix hairspray which is one of their best-sellers. I just cannot testify if the curls lasted with it because I tied my hair after the event. Read Roanne’s statement about it.


Next, I headed to the Garnier facial station for some skin pampering. Because I almost fell asleep, I wasn’t able to ask the lady what products she used on me but they’re so refreshing and the aroma was so good.






As soon as it was done, I hurriedly went to the Maybelline station for my makeup.




Makeup by Archie Tolentino, Maybelline MUA




As usual I went for a natural makeup =D. Most of the products used on me were newly launched: Maybelline mineral makeup line, Cat eyes mascara, Eyestudio eyeshadow quad and Vivid smooth liner, WaterShine Collagen lipstick and Fruity Jelly lipgloss. More reviews to come =)


Lastly, I had no plans of getting the nail art anymore because of the queue. But Trisha was kind of enough to list my name while I was having my makeup done. I chose a bubblegummy-ish nail design by Nail Spa (Nail Spa is located at the 5th level of Shangri-la Mall). Look how cute it is:



Mine is the one on the left.




Roanne of all the vanity was there too so I was able to chat with her a little while we were having our nails done. =)


Beauty bloggers Nikki and Shen were also there. Got some souvenir from Fabfoto:




A gift from Nikki. Thank you so much sis!




And this is what I look like before I left =D




What can you say? I accomplished my mission right? hehe


Will post more reviews soon. Ciao!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Another makeover + train case help!

Last week, my cousin attended the wedding of her bestfriend's sister and she asked me to do her makeup.

A test pic before retouch =D. It's the only shot I got from my camera :-(


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Here are the products I used on her:

FACE:

Smashbox PhotoFinish Primer
MAC NC30
P&J Powder Foundation 40
Revlon Translucent Powder

EYES:
MAC Blacktrack
MAC Ricepaper
MAC Satin Taupe
MUFE Eye seal
Stila Smudge Pot in Brown
Maybelline Volume Express Mascara

Cheeks:
Artdec Bronzer Compact 03
Elianto cream blush in Peach
Blush from Coastal Scents 7 palette

Lips:
Artdeco lipstick (I'll update the shade later)
Clinique Moisturizing lip gloss



She wanted a natural makeup and I'm glad she loved what I did on her. Thanks Kay!



What I learned from this gig?...It was very difficult to do makeup with bad lighting :-(. I realized I should invest in a lighted makeup train case soon:


This one from Suesh is the cheapest I found:




Price: P7500 / S150


Do you guys have any other recommendations? =D Thanks!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Basement Academy Beauty Makeup Course Day 7: Photographic Makeup

Prior to my makeup school days, when I hear “photographic makeup” or see Black and White photos, my first impression in terms of makeup is just plain and simple. But when we tackled it at Basement Academy, I’ve learned that it’s one of the trickiest because you’re dealing with light and not colors.

Some important points noted:

* It is important to cover all redness in the face as red color shows up as gray in a black and white picture.

* Apply the foundation as you normally would.

* Intense contouring on the crease of the eye, contour of the cheekbone and jawbone depending on the face shape to make it balanced.

* Apply falsies if needed.

* Use dark red lipstick.


Here's a before and after pic of the model assigned to me:


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I'm beginning to love black and white photos. There's some kind of sophistication in it. It's just classic!

You can email me if you have questions, comments or suggestions. Email at the <--- left bar. That's all! Ciao..

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

FOTD: My kind of everyday makeup

Everyday makeup. I describe it as simple yet alluring, easy and quick. It should be able to hide your flaws and enhance your features.

I've got new products from Maybelline which are perfect for my everyday use. I tried them a while ago to show you what I wear during my conventional days.


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I don’t usually put something on my lower lash lines but I want to put a bit of an accent today so I applied a green eyeliner.


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What I used:

Face
The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil cleanser, toner and day moisturizer
Maybelline Clear Smooth Mineral Foundation
Maybelline Clear Smooth Shine Free Face Powder

Cheeks
Maybelliner Clear Smooth Mineral blush - Gentle Pink

Lips
Maybelline WaterShine Collagen l/s
Maybelline Fruity Jelly lipgloss



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Eyes
Paul and Joe Eye Brow Pencil 02
Maybelline EyeStudio eyeshadow quad
ArtDeco Soft WaterProof Eyeliner (upper lashlines)
Maybelline EyeStudio vivid smooth eyeliner - green (lower lashlines)
Maybelline EyeStudio vivid smooth eyeliner - white pearl (inner corner)
Maybelline Volume Express Cat Eyes Waterproof Mascara


How about you? What products do you use everyday? Feel free to comment or suggest. Happy Wednesday to y'all =)

Monday, June 8, 2009

Black and White Shoot at Rouge and awards from Golden

An impromptu shoot. I had so much fun because I was able to do men's and photographic makeup at the same time.

Location: Rouge Studio
Photos posted here were taken by: Chriz and Bugsy
Model: Renz









Thanks for inviting me Kab! And to the rest of the team...Thanks again!


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I've got these awesome awards from my new blogger friend Golden. Thank you so much girl! I'm so glad I saw your blog from Girltalk =)





Before passing this award on, here are the RULES:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.


Hmmm I haven't been browsing that much lately but the I award these blogs I've newly discovered and followed =)

Soapaholic
Elsa
MakeupXA
Tish
Tiff
PopChampagne
Shatz


I learned so much from your blogs ladies =) Keep them coming. Thank you!


That's all. Ciao!