Tag: mac

DON’T BE A FOOL WHEN IT COMES TO MAKEUP

On this April Fools’ Day, I’m going to share my Holy Grail when it comes to fool-proof makeup.

In my own term, fool-proof means practical yet it stands against Jakarta’s weather (which become more hot and humid these days). 

In alphabetical order:
– Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo : as natural as real brows, I hate fake looking brows which created by some pencil. 

– Bobbi Brown Concealer : it concealed well without cracking and works magically for that zit coverage. 

– Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eyeshadow : palette of fun, just mix and blend to create any looks I desired.

– Guerlain Meteorites Pearls : for that radiant finish which somehow made my makeup seem more natural.

–  MAC Cosmetics Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation : let me tell you a little secret: once a beauty brand PR from other brand which also carried cosmetics line, bought this without hesitation. Need I say more?

– Maybelline New York Volum’ Express One by One Mascara : the chubby tube and brush at it’s best. No clumps when applied, no smudges while sweating. 

– NARS Satin Lip Pencil : it lines, it fills, it doesn’t crack, it stays on. 

– The Body Shop All In One Blusher : no need to touch up during day time, as its’ extra fine powder blended well and stay there until you wipe it off. 

WHEN A CONCERT IS NOT JUST A CONCERT

Six different outfits changed, made mostly by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, and a serious face chart by MAC Cosmetics.

Kicking her Diamonds World Tour in Montreal last weekend, Rihanna rocked the stage with serious stuffs indeed. This official face chart designed by one of MAC’s senior artists, Christopher del Castillo, for her signature concert’s look. Using the RIRI (Hearts) MAC collection which will be released throughout 2013, the one product that stands out from this chart is MAC Riri Woo. Sounds familiar? Yup, it’s based on the original and one of the beloved MAC Ruby Woo lipstick (which also loved by Gwen Stefani, by the way) but this Riri’s version is slightly bluer and deeper in tone. 

MAKE UP TIME : HOW LONG DO YOU NEED?

Unless you have your own glam team, some (well, OK…most) of us don’t really have two hours to sit tight and do our makeup.

Check out your own routine. If you’re a simple type, all you need are probably loose powder and lipstick. But, seriously..who do that nowadays? Me? I need minimal 30 minutes to get ready and I am definitely NOT a morning person. At all. But this is what I do if I only have 5 minutes to spare (thanks to waking up late-I’m only human).  

Minute 1 : After my skin care routine (cleanser, toner and serum), I’ll apply BB or (lately) CC Cream. They are easier and faster to blend than liquid foundation. I finish with a pat of loose powder to eliminate unwanted shine.

Minute 2 : Sweep one color of eyeshadow. I prefer the one with shimmer texture and natural color, as it’s fool proof and will make my eyes look brighter.

Minute 3 : Line eyes with pencil, preferably in dark brown. Easier to smudge with cotton bud, no need to hassle with eyeliner brush. Then, curl the lashes sans mascara.

Minute 4 : Dust the apples of cheeks with a shimmery powder blush. It will give that extra freshness I need.

Minute 5 : Finish the whole makeup with sheer lipstick or tinted lip balm. Another fast and fool proof trick to stop me from looking pale.

Personally, I believe this 5 minutes makeup is just like putting on a good base for later touch ups during the day. You can always add up whenever you have the time later on, such as concealer for under eyes, mascara, and that red hot lipstick. 

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

It’s a perfect time to renew everything.

Including my makeup bag. I’ve been having the green makeup bag from Muji like forever, if it can talk, it’ll say ‘enough’. So, for 2013, I’ll go for metallic makeup bag from MAC (from Magic, Mirth & Mischief Collection).

Used to carry a lot inside my makeup bag, it was bulging and not to mention, heavy. So I cut down a few pieces and replaced them with double duty beauty products.

What’s inside my makeup bag for the upcoming year?

–       Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat : I carry concealer every day, to retouch under eyes makeup and side noses. It won’t crack over foundation & powder.

–       Kate Spade ‘Pop’ Lipstick Crayon : Always carry two lipsticks, one for night and one for day. I use this convenient lipstick crayon for night look (sometimes for day too, depends on the mood).

–       Soap & Glory ‘Naked Beige’ Lipstick : Now, this is my serious day lipstick when I want to be under the fabulous radar. LOL.

–       The Body Shop Lily Cole ‘Pink’ Lip & Cheek Dome : Double duty, and I don’t have to carry my blush brush anymore. Just dab and pat. Love it.

–       RMK Pressed Powder : It’s actually a setting powder to provide flawless finish, but I found it great to keep the skin matte without looking dull.

–       Kiehl’s Aromatic Blends Nashi Blossom & Pink Grapefruit Fragrance : Perfect size for traveling in a chic minimalist 30 ml bottle. So me.

–       L’Occitane Smooth Hands : Because I wash my hands a lot and dry hands are big NO NO.

WHAT TO DITCH & WHAT TO BUY 2013 – BEAUTY 

As beauty trends come & go, just like happiness and sadness in our life.

Need to change for the better in 2013? Here are some beauty inspirations and products to start with.

1. To ditch : Red Lipstick – enough is enough.
    To buy : Bright Pink Lipstick – because pink is the new red?
    My pick : NARS Lipstick in Schiap. 

2. To ditch : Black Eyeliner – as Twilight is (finally) over, bye bye black eyeliner.
    To buy : Blue Eyeliner – go for navy is a safe bet for non darer.
    My pick : MAC Technakohl Liner in Auto-de-blu. 

3. To ditch : Dark Long Nails – it’s just too much.
    To buy : Nude Nail Polish – looks natural and healthy.
    My pick : OPI Nail Polish in Bubble Bath. 

FINISH WHAT I STARTED

This will be my first post for everything that I have emptied from my adventure on beauty and body care products.

Personally, I never leave half empty products hanging around my drawers or in the bathroom for too long. I tried, I conquered and I’ll make sure I finished it if I love it. The rest is history, as I hate to see clutters.

Now, I’m going to share the products that I’ve emptied recently.

1. MAC STUDIO FIX NC30
I’ve been using this compact powder foundation for ages. So, to tell you the truth this is not my first MAC Studio Fix I’ve emptied. It works wonder for my oily skin and stay forever until I took it off after a long day. Repurchase? You bet!

2. L’OCCITANE CHERRY PRINCESS HAND CREAM
This delicately cherry fragranced hand cream is one of my must have. Contain nourishing shea butter (FYI, L’Occitane shea butter hand cream is sold every three seconds around the world), this is my day hand cream. Repurchase? Too bad, this is a limited edition product, so I might switch to other similar scent from L’Occitane, Fleur Cherie.

3. NEUTROGENA DEEP CLEAN FOAMING CLEANSER
Whenever I got a chance to go abroad, I’ll stock up on this facial cleanser from the drugstore. With a very accessible price, this cleanser really did what it said. Deep clean. It gives my oily skin a matte looking face for hours and keeping the acne at bays. It gives enough foaming action without no scent. Repurchase? Yes. But if I’m running out of stocks, usually I switch to SK-II Facial Treatment Cleanser, which I love as well.

4. KERASTASE REFLECTION CHROMA THERMIQUE THERMO-SHINE THERMO-RADIANCE PROTECTING MILK
Phew, that was a long name for a product, don’t you think? When I had my naturally straight hair (I had mine curled now), this product is a true helper since I will use my straightener every day. Not only protecting my hair from the heat of straightener, but I feel my hair got straightened more easily. And I love the floral scent it left on my hair. Repurchase? Maybe, if I ever decided to get back to my straightener and straight hair again.

 

 

TOO LITTLE TO FIT?

Problem with us ladies when we have to go partying with our tiny little clutch/bag/miniaudiere. Impossible to bring lots of things and stuff them inside those petite space. 

Pick your party essentials, so your tiny bag can still look tiny and pretty. In my (petite party) case, I usually bring:
– Blackberry: just in case I got bored.
– Oil blotter: to blot those oil away.
– Lipstick: never forget to touch up your lipstick, no matter what.
– Pressed Powder: because oily face are not pretty.
– Perfume sample: tiny yet powerful for fragrance touch up.
– Dental floss: yes, it is important to floss after any food taken. 

See how they fit just fine in that squeezy space?

REST MY CASE

The beauty of cosmetics packaging. The beauty brands are working very hard to boost their sales and one of the factor to achieve that goal is to have a beautiful packaging which will attract many customers, including me.

How many times have you bought something because of its’ packaging? Maybe, you haven’t even read about the reviews yet, but you just fell in love with it you have to buy it asap? The feelings are very mutual here. It happened to me all the time. It’s even crazier if they are limited edition. I am sold. Here are my beautiful packaging collection.

5 MINUTES MAKEUP

These are my power makeup tools to get me ready in 5 minutes, tops!

The key to achieve super fast makeup for me is getting the right products, the multi function types, so my skin will still look healthy beneath all those makeup. Here are my current favorites (step by step):

> 1st step: Eye Cream. It’s super important to put on the right eye cream if you have sensitive eyes like mine. Some eye creams (no matter how expensive they are) will make my eyes red and teary the whole day. Imagine to my surprise when I found Estee Lauder Time Zone Eye Cream. It become my first base for the eyes area, to make it feel soft and less wrinklish. A good eye cream will be a perfect base for the concealer to stay put throughout the day. 

> Step 2: Eyes concealer. For those who suffered dark circles whatever the causes are, we need strong brightening under eyes concealer. And Soap & Glory Trick & Treatment is my champ. It has light-reflecting pigments plus peptides that fight aging while making dark circles lightened. Even though it has yellowish pigment, don’t freak out. It somehow minimize fine lines and neutralize dark under eye circles. Just pat wisely, don’t overdo this baby.

> Step3: Moisturizer and foundation. If I have to rush through the door, I don’t have time to put on moisturizer slowly and perfectly, neither to slapped on some foundation with the blending brush. Perfect answer to my prayer for skin base: Olay Total Effects 7in1 Day Cream. Moisturizer and foundation in one that cleverly disguised fine lines+wrinkles+black spots or ex-acne spots, balancing the skin tone (especially when you have red areas on the sides of nose and chin), soften dry skin parts, made big pores somehow look smaller and brighten the skin altogether at once. How’s that for a perfect product?

> Step4: Blush. Still, we need blush, not to contour and make our face look slimmer. It’ll make your whole face brightened with just a stroke on the apple of the cheeks. I love MAC Mineralize Blush, as it gives shimmery glow that make skin looks healthier and happier. My shade: Happy Together.

> Step5: Brow shaping. Nope, no time to do the perfect arches. That’s why I recommend to wax your eyebrows regularly (mine will be twice a month), so you won’t need too much of your time shaping them every day. My trick is just to shape the eyebrows with Sleek Brow Kit. I don’t use the powder provided to shape, I just apply the wax with the brush which I took from one of the beauty counters. 

> Step6: Lashes. Seriously, do you have the time to deal with mascara’s clump and have to separate it lash by lash when you’re in a hurry? Invest in a perfect eyelash curler. Mine is Shu Uemura and it has been with me for ages through thick and thin. Clip and hold for 10 seconds for each eyes, that should do just fine.

> Final step: Oily skin be gone. For perfect matte skin that last throughout your active day, I swear by this MAC Prep+Prime Finishing Powder. Don’t let the white powder inside the compact fool you. It won’t leave any white traces even if you have darker skin.  

Remember: makeup is all about having fun with the products. So never feel pressured of wearing makeup, no matter how minimal time you have. I know I do. 

TOO MANY COLLABS ….

So little time to choose. My goodness. From the dead to the still alive and very much kicking, from pop art to a cartoony character.

Out in November 2012, Karl Lagerfeld’s upcoming collaboration with Shu Uemura, which conceived after Karl got inspired from a stack of colorful eyeshadows. I love the mascot that he created, named Mon Shu Girl. So Kawaii.

25 years after Andy Warhol’s death, will also mark the launch of Nars Andy Warhol Collection. There’ll be 29 pieces in the whole collection (out in October and November) that capture the spirit of Andy and his many muses. 

Former Vogue Paris Editor (my idol), Carine Roitfeld partnered with MAC. Expect to look exactly like her make up style, which constantly filled with smouldering smoky eyes and  kohl being smudged around from the 21 pieces collection, out in September 2012.

Known for her upbeat London Fashion Week shows, filled with her rainbow hued designs, Scottish designer, Louise Gray created her new makeup collection collaborating with Topshop. Young and fun like her designs, this is the first time Topshop Makeup have done a designer collaborative range since it was launched 12 years ago. It has been launched on August 23, 2012.