Tag: shu uemura

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. 

A TRIP DOWN BEAUTY LANE

Kicked off 2013 with family holiday. Fun in the sun, drugstores and beauty isles. Total bliss!

Went to Legoland Malaysia and short visit to Singapore with my boys. They came back with tans on their skin, and me? Still pale but happy with all the beauty products that I managed to get on such short trip. 

Here they are:

–       Maybelline New York Lashionista Mascara

–       Bioderma Sensibio H2O

–       Essence Lash & Brow Gel

–       L’Oreal Color Riche Le Nail Art

–       Skinfood Salmon Dark Circle Concealer Cream

–       Skinfood Salmon Dark Circle Powder

–       Essence Nail Art Express Dry Drops

–       Rachel K CC Cream

–       Chanel CC Cream

–       Majolica Majorca Lash King Mascara

–       Guerlain Meteorites Perles

–       Shu Uemura Karl Lagerfeld Eyelash Curler

–       Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

–       Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner

–       Essence Quatro Eyeshadow

–       Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

–       Essence Fix & Matte Translucent Loose Powder

–       Essence Gel Eyeliner

Can’t wait to review them one by one. Stay tune.

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.