Sorry for my absence...

But life has been a roller coaster.

In the mean time, here are pics of make up looks that I did for fun. I'll update soon once the crazy dies down.

(My facebook friends probably have seen all of this, LOL!)

Make up snobbery

Have any of you ever walked up to a make up counter to sample some products, only to be looked down at by the salesperson that staffs the counter? Have you ever felt intimidated by their attitude towards you? Do you feel like they're mocking you behind your back when you're standing at the make-up counter?

You're not alone.

I don't understand why some (not all, mind you) of the women who work a high end make up counters act like they're the authority of what is cool and what is not. They seem to radiate a certain know-it-all attitude; before I was even into make-up the way I am now, I used to dress as casually as possible; I wore khakis, running shoes and a fitted shirt. I had a backpack with me for lecture materials, and I didn't even bother with lip balm. When I walked into the department store dressed like this, approaching the make up counter, I could almost read their faces.

Sure, some ladies are nice and they don't bother you at all, but the snooty ones who work behind high end brand counters react to me like I'm a homeless person or something.

Things changed when I started to dress differently and started to care a bit more about my appearances. I actually felt confident walking into a department store; the snooty make up girls were actually friendly towards me.

Odd, yes?

Then when I wanted to purchase an item, I was corrected about how to pronounce the name of a certain eyeshadow. This was at a MAC counter at Ballantynes; the eyeshadow I wanted was Plumage. Plumage as in a peacock's plumes; this is pronounced ploom.age. Then she corrected me with this know-it-all attitude and said "Oh, you mean Plummage?" I just nodded and smiled.

I still don't understand why some girls who work the make up counter act like they're so fantastic and look down on others who have no make-up knowledge. Art is about encouragement, and make up should empower us to feel confident and beautiful. Women who act like snobs towards others just because they're in the know with the beauty and cosmetics industry may look pretty, but their attitude casts an ugly shadow over themselves.

And that is why I started this blog; to get people to feel at ease with make up, to learn that it's OK to make mistakes, and to let you know that we're all still learning. It's OK to feel like you're an outcast or that you're not pretty enough; I know how that is, and I feel that way everyday.

Liquid eye liners for newbies

I remember trying to line the top lash line of my eye for the first time with a felt pen liner; it was a tragedy. It looked like someone took a Sharpie pen and drunkenly scribbled on my eyelid.

What it looked like... RAGE!

Lining your top lid can be very tricky.

But there is only one way you can learn to do it right...

PRACTICE. Get a drugstore liner and practice lining your top lash line. It's what I did; I wanted so badly to be able to line my top lash line, but my hands were shaky as the recent earthquakes here in Christchurch.

Here's a video by MakeUpGeek that shows how you can line your eyes using different products.



If you still feel that you can't do it with wet products, try using an angled brush and dark eyeshadow; dry products are more forgiving.


Keep practising. After a while, you'll get a hang of things, I promise. I, too, am a makeup newbie, and I practised.

Who do YOU wear YOUR make up for?

This is a question that I think every person out there who indulges in make up should ask themselves. Who are you wearing it for?

Personally, I wear make up to make myself feel better. I don't wear make up to impress anyone. Sure, I wear make up to look nice, and I wear it to beautify myself so that I don't look drab. But I don't wear make up so that I can impress anyone.

I adapt Lady Gaga's ethos; look the way you feel. I can't wear the clothes she wears, but I can at least wear make up the way I feel. Of course, you have to consider the occasion you're wearing the look to, but that just adds to the challenge of creating a look that suits your mood.

Wear make up for yourselves, guys and gals; just as you would wear what you want because you feel like it, and not because everyone else is doing it.

What products do I use for contours and highlights?

There is no IT product, really. It's just what you find that you think will work for your skin tone.

For me, I use this light shimmery eyeshadow for my highlight, and a dark taupe eyeshadow for my contour.

Here are swatches of both colours; I've pressed them on very strongly so that you can see them.
The trick when applying these colours onto your face is to gently pat your brush onto the pressed colour, and to slowly build up the product. Don't scrub it on! You'll end up looking like an accident at the make up counter. (Blame the badger with a gun.)

You can use the eyeshadows as eyeshadows as well, yes. A bronzer can be used as a contour, but if you want to use something that has a more similar colour to your skin, perhaps a singular eyeshadow that is a darker version of your skin would do well.

Products:
Chi Chi singular eyeshadow in Centrefold
Jordana single eyeshadow in Dark Coffee

Brown and black eyeshadows - two looks!

Sorry for the lack of posts... but we were hit with an earthquake on the 4th of September. Many BAAAWs.

Anyway, today I will be showing you guys how to wear browns and monochrome colours - on each eye. So I will be wearing two looks - AT THE SAME TIME!

These are my Nyx eyeshadow trios; the one on the left is browns and the one on the right is the monochromatic colours.

Firstly...
...you will need concealer and foundation. I am using Maybelline's Mineral Power products.

And then, with an eyeshadow brush,
pat on the middle colour (or any medium colours) onto your lid. As you can see, my right eye has grey and my left eye has taupe, which almost blends into my skin. :P


With a clean brush...
...apply the lightest colour onto your brow bone. You can use any bright shimmer for this purpose.

Then with a crease brush (not shown) blend the darkest colours into the crease...


and blend slightly upwards towards the brow bone. Also, pat some of the dark colour on the lower lash line.

Then you'll need matching eye pencils - I'm using a brown for the brown eye, and a black for the monochrome eye. As you can see, my black pencil is well loved. :D

Here is what they should look like so far.

Apply black mascara for the monochrome eye, or brown mascara for the brown eye. It doesn't really matter, really, because it's not exactly discernible whether if your mascara is brown or black, but I thought I'd keep it consistent.

Here is the monochromatic eyeshadow look...

...and the brown eyeshadow look.

Stick on your blush and contour, and a soft pink lipstick, and you're ready to go.

Yeah, not the greatest post, but I've been a bit rattled lately. Many aftershocks.

Products used:
Nyx black/grey/white and brown/taupe/nude trio
Maybelline Mineral Power powder foundation in Pure Beige
Maybelline Mineral Power concealer in Pure Beige 2-4
The Body Shop black kohl pencil
Chi Chi eye pencil in Wicked
Maybelline Colossal mascara in Glam Black and Glam Brown
miscellaneous blush and taupe eyeshadow as contour

Sorry for the lack of posts!

Sorry for the lack of posts! I've been swamped with reading material from uni.

Instead, I will write a short post about why you shouldn't stick on too much make up.

I've seen many people with over bronzed face and over caked foundations. I know how it feels facing a selection of make up, loving every product that you see. But you can't pick everything and wear it all!

If you have trouble about what you want to wear out, think of what particular product you'd like to rock.

For example, I've been into the red lips look lately. I've been into my NYX MegaShine Lip Gloss in perfect red.

And as you know, you can't wear heavy eye colour AND heavy lips. So instead, I rocked the gloss. The trick with red lips is neutral everything else, strong lip colour and a tonne of mascara.

And maybe a bit of blush and a hint of contour.

I know this sounds like a repeat of my previous post, but I'm just saying, less is more. Keep that in mind, girls!

Otherwise, you'll look like...


MIMI~! I love Mimi but too much eye and lip make up is OVERWHELMING!

I'll post another tutorial soon... if my reading eases up.