4:49 PM 10
So I was tagged by Mandi to mention my top 5 beauty crimes. Of course, this should act as a reminder to myself to work on these…especially since some of them were on my new year’s resolution list.

1)Don’t sleep with makeup on…I need to stop being lazy too when I wipe off my makeup with a mac wipe and call it a day. I really should follow up with proper cleansing with my cleansing brush and soap…then moisturizer and eye cream. What's even worse is sometimes I'll do a half-a&$ job at taking off my mascara with the wipe and i'll try to "be good" by putting on my ardell lash and brow accelerator. But we all know that putting this accelerator over a lash with mascara still on it is pretty much defeating the purpose.

2)I need to slow down on my makeup purchases…especially for my “makeup kit” when I haven’t had my first real client yet! Right now i've been filling up my online shopping carts for an extra set of brushes so I can have my own...i've been majorly lemming the pink coastal scents brushes!

3)I have the kind of contacts where you can sleep in them and last a month…but you’re supposed to take them out once a week to clean them and sometimes I forget…or usually just clean them when I feel like they’re irritating me…this is really bad…I know I know...at night my boyfriend goes to take off his contacts and put them in the little solution and i just look at him with a guilty face...

4)I need to keep up with my manis and pedis...before last year I was really good about pedicures and I grimaced at girls who would let their toe nail polish crack and be all chippy-do…but then I went on this whole strict budget thing and I considered it a luxury. The last time I’ve had a pedicure was two days before new years…a special occasion. I still have on the same polish, except there’s only the top half remaining since the rest chipped off…ewwww….

5) I need to get in the habit of proper sanitation with my makeup…a lot of my personal products are going to be going in my makeup kit…for example, all my MAC eyeshadow palettes…I have to make a concentrated effort to get into the groove of using spatulas, wiping off eyeshadows, spraying things down on alcohol when I do my friend’s makeup. That way I’m more prepared for when I do actual paying clients…

So these are my crimes…I’m working on them! Sorry if everyone and there mama has been taggeda already-but in case you haven't here's who I’m tagging:
1)Sheila – Starlet Kisses
2)Joyce
3)Miss Jacklyn Rose
4)Gee
5)Lurve
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7:51 PM 6
Hi Bellas,

This is another heatherette look for trio #2. Finally got it posted! Most of the times pinks don't really look all that great on me. They tend to sink into my skin and completely disappear. Ever since I got perky paint pot from the fafi collection it's like i've rediscovered my pink eyeshadows.

I like how this look came out...it's uber girly. I wish you could of seen it in person because the colors were so pretty together. The colors of the trio go coordinate perfectly. I like how MAC packages looks all in one trio/quad for collections. It simplifies the whole process of putting colors together, gotta love it! The lipglass I used, starlet kisses, is absolutely gorgeous. It's my favorite pink gloss so far...and not because it's new, but more so because it's pink enough to look beyond the natural pink lip color, but bold enough without looking too crazy.

So I hope you guys enjoy :) The pics were taken about 4 hours after I filmed the video but they required no touch up...that's the beauty of wearing makeup primers :)

I love this trio…I’m not a big pink and purple e/s wearer…but this trio is hot!



Here’s what I used (All MAC unless otherwise stated):

EYES
-perky paint pot
-nice vice paint pot
-brow pencil in spiked
-heatherette trio #2 – baby petals, V.I.P, cassette
-dual-edged pencil – night-hawk/front row
-good girl lashes
-duo lash adhesive

FACE
-studio mist foundation in medium dark
-mineralized skinfinish natural med dark
-sculpt and shape duo in lightsweep/shadester
-true romantic beauty powder blush
-shy beauty beauty powder blush

LIPS
-starlet kisses lipglass

Pics below: as usual I included a non-photoshopped version so you can see how the makeup really looked.





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9:26 AM 5
Hi Bellas,

By viewer request, I’ve done a review on M.A.C’s Mineralized Skin Finish Natural. As many of you may have seen, I use the mineralized skin finish natural in medium dark nearly every time I apply foundation. Sometimes I use it with a powder blush to set off my liquid or cream foundation. Other times, I’ll use it by itself with a flat top buffer brush (check out the pink flat top brush from www.coastalscents.com) when I feel like having lighter coverage.

www.maccosmetics.com states the following about this product:


A luxurious domed face powder with minerals, slowly baked to provide a dimensional yet natural-matte finish. Provides perfect low coverage. Use to set and fix foundation or as a touch-up throughout the day.
US$24.50

::: The Ingredients :::::
Talc, Nylon-12, Dimethicone, Polysorbate 20, Isopropyl Palmitate, Jojoba Seed Oil, Yeast Extract, Tocopheryl Actetate, Retinyl Plamitate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, BHT, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben

They offer multiple shades including:
*** Light (Soft pale beige)
*** Light Medium (Pale golden beige)
*** Medium (Soft creamy beige)
*** Medium Plus (Tan beige)
*** Medium Dark (Caramel beige)
*** Medium Deep (Rich golden tan)
*** Dark (Deep caramel)
*** Deep Dark (Rich golden bronze)



As you can see from the description, this is a mineralized product. Usually that translates to more minerals baked into the product, offering extra benefits to the skin. It also states that is perfect for low coverage. Mind you, these products are now part of M.A.C’s regular line so we can reap its benefits for years to come.

I first purchased this product when it was a part of the N Collection. I had heard about the other mineralized skinfinishes that were more on the frosty/metallic side. That was pretty much where my knowledge ended. Before I knew it, I was using this everyday, tossing aside my select sheer pressed powder in place of my mineralized skin finish natural.

Uses of this product:
There are really many uses for this product. Like I mentioned, you can use this alone as foundation with a buffer or kabuki brush (MAC 182). Or if you want, you can also use this as a pressed powder over your foundation using a puff or sponge. This product can also work as a finishing powder over foundation-I do this by applying it lightly with a powder brush or even the MAC 187. You can pretty much control the coverage from sheer to medium depending on the brush (i.e. from large fluffy brushes to tighter kabukis). On top of all of this, if you pick the appropriate shade this product can be used as a bronzer, highlighter, or contour color. A MAC artist once told me that you can use certain colors to brighten up one’s complexion. For example, if the winter blues have you down, you can use a mineralized skin finish in a shade up to add warmth to your entire complexion. She also told me that you can wet your brush and apply the product wet for more coverage. Just like eyeshadows, however, make sure to try and pick up the color from the edge if you are wetting it. I made the mistake of using the same 187 brush that I used my Mineralized Satinfinish foundation with, and the moisture of the foundation created a layer that I had to scrape off.

Pros
As you can tell, I love this product for everyday use. It’s amazing that I found a powder that matches my exact complexion. Unlike other pressed powders, this product really does offer a natural, matte finish. This is most likely due to the fact that it is a mineralized product. Oftentimes, other pressed powders gave me that cakey, heavy look which I would have to counteract by using fix plus. No need for that with this baby! The powder actually feels very natural and light-weight. Also, with multiple shades, this product is sure to match your complexion. I also love how I’m getting the benefits of a mineralized product without the mess of a loose powder. The pressed shape is perfect for quick application and convenient enough for travel.

Cons
Due to the dome shape, this product is fairly delicate. Don’t try dropping this or you’ll find your precious dome broken into a million pieces. On the same note, don’t press your brush or sponge too hard into the center or you might shatter it. If this happens, I would either use Enkore’s Method of repairing mineralized makeup, or just crush the entire product to make a loose mineral powder. Also, if you’re looking for a high coverage powder, this probably isn’t the one for you. At most, this product will go up to medium coverage. In terms of controlling oil, it does a decent job, but it’s not an oil-control powder so you may need touch-ups throughout the day. Be like Pursebuzz and use this powder with a retractable face brush to touch up when you’re on the go. I have read some reviews that this product can look powdery on some. If this is the case, you might want to give it a few spritzes of water or fix plus. Also, check the ingredients to make sure you’re not allergic or sensitive to any of the ingredients.

In sum, I would highly recommend this product. During the summer time when I get my tan, I’m definitely going to go back for a darker shade. M.A.C Mineralized Skinfinish Natural is even more perfect for warm weather to come due to its light and natural finish. At $24.50 it’s not cheap, but it’s not as expensive as some of the higher end pressed powders on the market. So what are you waiting for? Go out and get it!
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11:28 AM 13
Hi Bellas,

So I know you all may be a little over the hype of heatherette…it’s kinda weird though. I honestly like this collection a lot more than Fafi but it seems like it didn’t get as much recognition. However, I still have two more looks to do. I got a request from a few viewers to do a look listed on the MAC website for the Heatherette collection. It’s called Hollywood Nights. It wasn't planned but due to popular demand I recreated this look tonight and put a video together. I can totally understand the desire to see this look though...the bright pink lipstick and gloss in the collection can be a little difficult to wear. This Hollywood Nights look pairs a nice neutral lip with the lipstick.

Click the link here to see it:
http://www.maccosmetics.com/templates/looks/look.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY30406

Fortunately, I have most of the products listed. Oftentimes, when MAC artists create new looks on the face charts, they use only some of the products from the new collection, but also stick some random ones in there. I have all of the products except the fluidline in frostlite. Instead, I just substituted this with bare study paint pot which is the closest thing I have to a shimmery white base. These face charts are pretty nifty if you’re trying to think of a look because it literally gives step by step instructions of what you need to apply and where. It also provides a list of all the products conveniently so you can purchase them off the MAC website.

See the instructions and picture below. You can click on the picture to expand the diagram and see the instructions and products in larger font size.

***Image from www.Maccosmetics.com


Before I applied the colors I had a feeling it wouldn’t look as bright as me as it would on the face chart just because I’m a little more tan. I thought about using my roomy Melissa as a model for the video because she has a fairer complexion…but then I got lazy and she gets home really late for work. I just kind of wanted to do the look and not wait till late tonight and cut into our sleeping time :)

So here’s everything…the diagram lists all the products used. I used my regular mineralized satinfinish foundation and powder to start off. Like I mentioned, I substituted fluidline in frostlite with bare study paint pot, and I substituted fibre rich lash mascara for shiseido mascara base and max factor 2000 calorie mascara.

I did the look by simply reading off the instructions. After I was finished however, I added a few more colors to enhance the look more for my face structure and skin tone. I added espresso e/s to my crease, format blush to my cheeks, spiked eyebrow pencil, and a little more product in general. A little side note...I noticed that by the end of the night, the lipstick and gloss made my lips kinda dry and chappy. You may want to apply either lip balm or a layer of lip conditioner before applying this lipstick first, to prevent this from happening.

I hope you guys like! Again, the cool photoshopped pics and an original so you can how the look by itself.







, , ,

9:19 AM 16
Hi Bellas,

So I did my first look using heatherette trio 1. I love mood ring e/s...it's so pretty...but i'm a sucker for aqua colors. I wore this look Friday...did you notice that the lighting looks better? Well I got out of work earlier because of training and actually filmed during the day for once! One or two viewers have complained about the yellow lighting in my videos but I can't help it, it's my lamp! The BF has offerred to try bringing his lamp to my apt since it has a white light. Ain't he helpful?

Well in this look I used my bad girl lashes...the infamous patent leather finish fishnet lashes - whew! That was a mouthful. I found these a lot more delicate to work with, so you gotta be careful. In the end though, the look is hot!

With the re-release of the strobe collection i'm loving my strobe cream all over again. Unfortunately some people break out from it or feel too disco-bally, but I love the way it gives my skin a glow. I'm going to have to pull this out for my summer night looks.

Next I'll upload my purple and pink look from heatherette trio 2. Stay tuned!


Here's what I used (All MAC unless otherwise stated):
EYES
-urban decay primer potion
-rollickin paint pot
-heatherette trio 1
-dual edged liner in black funk/pop blue
-bad girl lashes
-eyebrow pencil in spiked
-imju fiberwig mascara
-jardin aires pigment

FACE
-strobe cream
-select moisture concealer NW37
-mineralized satinfinish foundation NC42
-mineralized skinfinish natural medium dark
-sculpt and shape duo in lightsweep and shadester
-shy beauty - beauty powder blush
-true romantic beauty powder blush

LIPS
-stripdown lipliner
-lollipop loving l/s
-bonus beat lipglass


***I included pics once again for those of you without the video viewing capability...I included the super cool photoshopped images the BF did as well as one of the original pics at the bottom so you can see how the makeup looks without photoshop...I think it still looks nice and glowy...it's the strobe cream!





, , ,

10:39 PM 8
Hi Bellas,

Sorry it’s been soooooo long  Last week I was away at training the entire week at work so I didn’t have time to blog. On top of that…I’ve been having some serious internet issues at my house…no connection for long periods of time. It’s been rough I tell yah! I hope you guys have been well 

A lot has been going on makeup-wise. As you all know, the Heatherette collection was released at stores on Thursday. Of course I went after work to cop me some goodies. I got there around 4:20 pm because I was released from training early that day and I had a good 1.5 hours to kill before my bride-to-be friend was showing up for the bridal consultation appointment I scheduled at 6pm.

Have I mentioned that I love this collection? I was finally able to upload my two haul videos…yes it took me two videos to do my entire haul b/c I loaded up!

I got:
-both trios
-2 dual-edged pencils
-all of the lipglosses
-all of the lipsticks
-2 pairs of the bad girl lashes
-2 pairs of the good girl lashes
-smooth harmony beauty powder




Dual-Edged Pencils
-I was going to pass on these but they surpassed my expectations. I got two because the MAC artist forgot to include the third one in the bag! I got Black Funk/Pop Blue as well as Nighthawk/Front Row. I used the black/blue combo with trio 1 since it went with my smokey aqua look and the brown/peach combo with trio 2. I really like the peachy glittery side of pencil to do a glittery inner eye/tear duct highlight. I mentioned in the video that the solid sides (non-glitter) of the pencils are super smooth and creamy. They went on like butter! I like using my 266 to smooth them out and wing the ends.


Trios
I really like the colors in these trios. They are super pigmented and go great together. I would say that you could probably replicate some of the colors but you can’t deny the super cute packaging. I was a little skeptical about the purple and pink trio because those aren’t my best colors, but I ended up loving them. I paired all the shadows with appropriate bases. For example, I used perky paint pot and nice vice paintpot with the bright pink and purple in trio 2, and rollicking paint pot with mood ring e/s in trio 1. I already did both looks-a smoky aqua and pretty purple and pink look, and will have them uploaded in the next day or two.
*Note: trios swatched dry without base


Beauty Powder
Talk about smooth…smooth harmony looked like a really nice bronzer when I tried it on. I like how it was non-shimmery so it looked a little more natural. This will be perfect for when the warm weather comes in. When the MAC artist tried alpha girl powder on me it didn’t show up for some reason, so I didn’t get it. Maybe if she packed on the color a little more, but I passed on that one.

*beauty powder and jardin aires pigment swatched dry without base

Lippies
I love how pigmented these colors came out. The lipglosses match the lipsticks perfectly but it also looks great when you mix and match. I noticed that a nude lipliner such as stripdown looks good with all these looks, and you kind of need a liner with some of the brighter lippies. I would also suggest dulling the lipsticks down a bit by applying it with a lip brush instead of straight lipstick to the lips if you’re a little timid with bold lip colors. I love all the colors in their own special way. Another look I tried on my roomy that was really pretty was lollipop loving with bonus beat on top and a little of the jardian aries pigment placed on the middle of the bottom lip for sparkle, talk about super cute!
*Note: All lipstick/gloss pictures taken with stripdown lipliner.

Lollipop Loving Lipstick (glaze)

Lollipop Loving paired with Sock Hop gloss

Hollywood Nights Lipstick (satin)

Hollywood Nights paired with Style Minx gloss

Fleshpot Lipstick (Satin)

Fleshpot paired with Bonus Beat gloss

Melrose Mood (amplified)

Melrose Mood paired with Starlet Kiss gloss


Lashes
If you’ve watched any of my videos, you know that 90% of them contain false lashes. When I heard that they were having lashes with a patent leather finish I was psyched! I got two pairs of each lash just so I could have a back-up. I love how they have a shiny finish…my friends almost thought I had sparkles on them when the light hit them in a certain direction. They also reflect the colors from the shadows you wear. They’re a bit more delicate and lightweight than normal lashes so you need to be careful with them. If you haven’t tried lashes before…I suggest you watch aboywearingmakeup on you tube…he has a video on how to apply the bad girl lashes…he’s also super fab!

All in all, I loved the collection. I did the purple pink look on my roomy (she’s Haitian with a beautiful chocolate complexion) as well and she loved it so much that she picked up the heatherette trio #2 on Sunday.

In the videos I'm actually wearing the pink and purple trio, but you can't really tell b/c for some reason, everytime I have a MAC artist do my makeup for a collection release, it looks like crap! LOL oh well...I did my own looks later and i'll post them soon!

Haul Video #1: lashes, eye pencils, eyeshadow trios, beauty powder


Haul Video #2: lipglosses and lipsticks
, , ,

8:45 AM 17
Hi Bellas,

So I got a couple of viewer requests to do a brush video. So I finally made one! This one has been on my list for a while...as well as a collection video which I've yet to make. Sorry if I sound a lil dry in the video...I think I was really tired when I filmed. I'm also a blabber by nature...so I had to edit this video big time to get it under 11 minutes (the required time limit for you tube).

Enjoy!



I've also been working on different makeup wedding looks. As mentioned, I'm doing my friend's makeup for her wedding along with her sister and mother. I'm trying to go for natural pretty looks so i've been playing with different ideas. By their requests, I'm doing pretty plum and peachy looks. I'll probably do a plum look on the mom because it's more of a mature color...I've done a bunch of research on mature skin and I've learned a few things. 1)stick with matte colors 2)avoid too much shimmer 3)pick foundation that reflects the light off the face 4) make sure to moisturize beforehand because mature skin tends to be dryer.

I'm also working on the sister's makeup...she also has some obstacles to work with. For one, she is allergic to benzoyl peroxide as well as talc, and 2) she has psoriasis and eczema on her face. Yikes! The funny thing is that she can wear mary kay and avon without much problems...so I think my professional grade makeup should be okay on her. I'm going to go for a more peachy, shimmery look.

As far as the bride...I made an appointment for her tomorrow at MAC...a bride consultation. We're going to pick out her absolute correct foundation and some colors she likes...most likely come up with a look for her. Then on Saturday...we're going to do a run-through so I can recreate the look and time myself.

After all these plans I feel a lot more confident in doing the wedding makeup...preparation preparation preparation! I'm also going to practice on my roomy since she is similar skin coloring to the bride's family...and I can only practice on myself so much because my eye shape is very different from theirs that I have to branch out.

That's it for now, stay tuned for more!
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11:46 PM 21
Hi Bellas,

How was your weekend? I had a very nice one…not too busy for once. Friday night I ended the last big event of all the sorority stuff I’ve been doing lately so now I’ll have much more free time! Saturday and Sunday were pretty relaxed. I spent a lot of quality time with my boyfriend since I’ve been really busy lately with the sorority. It was so nice…he treated me like a princess. I told him that I was definitely feeling the love and he told me that he’s been making it a focus of his to make sure and spend quality time with me so that he doesn’t take me for granted…can you say awww?

Saturday we went to dinner and then out to the club to meet up with a friend of mine who flew into town for her grad school spring break. I was sooo glad he came with me. My friend was already there with my roommate and we ended up meeting them there. They were rolling with about 8-10 grown frat boys. By this I mean that they were grown men, probably near or in their early 30’s, but still acting like little boys. Being that I was with my boyfriend, they didn’t try to prey on me like they did to my two friends. They had no shame, trying to coerce any person with female genitalia to spend the night with them. AHHHHHH, I hate when frat boys act like they’re the ISH and automatically treat you like a groupie. As grown men they should know by now how to treat women with respect. I won’t go into too much detail for fear of incriminating some of my friends…but by the end of the night, as soon as the lights turned on in the club I booked it! I didn’t want to be Mrs. Mommy again and make sure everybody was being on their best behavior. If anything was going to happen that I wasn't going to approve of...I didn't want to see it. So I made sure my friends were okay, and then went home.

Anyways…that was Saturday. Sunday I slept in and my boyfriend offered to wash my car and vacuum it and everything. I went with him and just sat in the car as I watched him wash it. That’s real love right there! My car was getting way toodirty…beforehand if I even brushed against it I automatically got gray soot on my pants. Now it’s so shiny and nice. If I had rims they’d be blinging!

In terms of makeup, I wore my import girl look out to the club on Saturday…it’s really really easy to do actually. I even wore my “new york” lashes out (as if New York from VH1's I Love New York)…the really long ones. I posted my tutorial on You Tube this Sunday as well. Take into account that this was filmed BEFORE I cut my hair. I think some of the you tubers were a lil confused, lol. Someone on my wall asked if I put in extensions, he he. Fortunately, my loyal viewers corrected any confusion for me and responded to the people on the wall. This comes in real handy b/c a lot of time other viewers answer questions before I even have to respond…and I do not mind that at all!

Per Alien Man’s request, I’m also going to post pics so you guys can see the end product in case you can’t view vids at work ;)

Hope you enjoy!

What I Used (All MAC unless otherwise specified):
FACE:
-smashbox color correcting primer (the green one)
-select moisture concealer in NW37
-mineralized satinfinish foundation in NC42
-mineralized skinfinish natural in medium dark
-bronzing powder in bronze
-sculpt & shape duo in lightsweep and shadester

EYES
-UDPP
-idol eyes e/s
-black tied e/s
-sketch e/s
-motif e/s
-revlon colorstay liquid liner in blackest black
-kohl pencil in smolder
-l'oreal telescopic mascara
-elise false lashes
-duo lash adhesive
-brow pencil in spiked

LIPS
-cork lip pencil
-beaux lustreglass
-uberpeach chromeglass




3:18 PM 15
Hmmm I really had to think hard about this one. The reason I say this is because a lot of my beauty shopping lately comes only after I’ve read reviews from my fellow bloggers. I don’t try as many random products as I used to. But after a few minutes…I do have a couple that I was able to pull out. hopefully you’ll learn from my mistakes, feel free to share yours as well!

1) Victoria’s Secret Eyeshadows. They look so pretty in their nice pink packaging but don’t be deceived, they are so sheer and have no color payoff. I’m referring to the regular powder shadows, not the creams, because those are supposed to be a little better.
2) Covergirl black liquid liner. I’m not sure what the exact kind was, but it was in black packaging. However, when I tried it on, the color looks green! Kind of like when you wear something that is black and faded and it has that green tinge? Not to mention that the liner was extremely watery and faded after about 1 hour!
3) ELF lipsticks in the pan…I tried even the darkest brown color and it was so sheer that my boyfriend couldn’t even tell that I was wearing lipstick. Ohhhh and the pencil eyeliners…after less than the hour it had already smudged and disappeared into my skin…what a waste of product…
4) Jojoba hair oil from Sallys Beauty Supply…again…sorry but I can’t remember the name…but I put this in my hair so it could be soft and silky…instead…I ended up with a rat’s nest! I couldn’t even run my hand through an inch of it…I had to brush it out and lost a lot of hair in the process.
5) Imitation bio-silk products: so Bio-Silk is the bomb, we all know that right? One lil dime size drop and your hair is transformed. It’s also really expensive…like $11 for the smallest bottle. Sometimes I just can’t find it…whether I’m at wal-mart or target…so like many, I’ve seen the $3 version and decided, what the hey! Big mistake…the oil is more like liquid glue…it’s so sticky and does not smooth down the frizzies and adds no shine. It’s more like clear craft glue in your hair…stay away!
6) The old Bare Essentials starter kit…this was back when they were the only mineral makeup company in our faces. I got the product, and I think it was really overrated and overpriced. Not to mention that the old brushes, especially the kabuki and powder brush from the starter kit are so rough on the face! I could find better quality brushes for a third of the price!

The five people I’m tagging are:
1) Beautyhasnoboundaries
2)D0rksta
3)Lisa
4)Mandi
5)Yummy411

2:34 PM 10
Hi Bellas,

So last night, I was doing more sorority stuff as usual. I have a sorority sister who is getting married April 5th. I’ve seen her one or two times in the last few weeks and she usually picks my brain about wedding makeup. Of course, I’m happy to share with her what tips I’ve learned through all my research From what I’ve learned, I’ve shared with her the basics such as what foundation is best for photography and other tidbits like where to place shimmery eyeshadows so that light doesn’t reflect too much.

Well, last night she came to me again and said that her makeup artist was in her words “a hot mess”. I asked her what she meant and she told me that the makeup artist never showed up on time for her engagement pictures. In fact, the artist didn’t contact her until that night, way after all the pictures were taken. Clearly, that was very unreliable and not a good trait in a makeup artist. Apparently the girl is someone who used to work at MAC and she actually did the makeup of another sorority sister last year. The wedding last year was also a destination wedding in Puerto Rico, so I’m surprised the makeup artist couldn’t even show up to a local wedding event. Well, I wasn’t sure what my sorority sister, let’s call her “Suzie” was quite getting at. I told her, “Oh if you want, I can be your backup in case she doesn’t show up”. But Suzie told me, “Oh, I’m not using her, she’s a hot mess.” She told me that she was going to do her makeup herself, but her friends and family dissuaded her from doing so, so she wants me to do her makeup as well as the makeup for her mother and sister. She told me my makeup always looks fabulous and she knows that I can make her look fab as well.

Honestly, I was kind of taken aback. Wedding makeup is a big deal! I’ve pretty much only done makeup on my friends for going out and events like New Years. I do want to get into doing makeup for events like weddings and such, but this is like a huge step ahead of baby step program. So many factors go into makeup…including: making sure it’s tear proof, making sure it looks good in photographs, making sure it lasts all day, yada yada yada. Once I calmed down I realized a few things.
-This is a great opportunity for me
-I can add this to my resume
-As long as I practice and prepare I can do a good job
-I know that my makeup application will at least be better than having the bride do her makeup herself—not that I’m trying to sound egotistical, but Suzie herself admitted that she only wears lipgloss and mascara. I think I should be able to help her with a little more than that.

So I’ve got to come up with a business plan: this includes a lot of research, preparation and practice. If any of you know of any good sources for wedding makeup, please let me know. The wedding is 3 weeks away and the clock is ticking! I’ll probably start with youtube (some ppl have really great wedding makeup tutorials, like Askmemakeup) as well as specktra.net. I need to learn what kind of makeup to use (luckily Suzie and I will be going to Nordstrom to make sure to buy her correct foundation and concealer and colors, using a gift card from her bridal shower)…fortunately I have some basic foundation and blush palettes (from www.camerareadycosmetics.com) I bought for future use when I actually do people’s makeup. I also need to figure out, approximately how much time I need to spend on the bride and the mother of the bride and sister. Whew! I know I can do it…I just got to get over the nerves.

Help a sister out!
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11:55 AM 10
Hi Bellas,

I did another look by viewer request. This is using the urban decay deluxe eyeshadow palette….it’s a cotton candy inspired look. Someone left a comment on my video requesting a softer look…I’ll probably have to push that request a little farther down the road since I’ve already done two looks from this palette and I kind of want to mix it up a bit. I’m thinking maybe I’ll do a pic tutorial for that one on my blog. Hope you guys likey!



Here's what I used (All MAC unless otherwise stated):

EYES
-bare study paint pot
-urban decay deluxe eyeshadow palette
-fishnet e/s
-peace e/s
-ransom e/s
-scratch e/s
-blacktrack fluidline
-eyebrow pencil in spiked
-ardell invisiband lashes with duo lash adhesive

FACE
-smashbox photo finish primer
-select moisture concealer NW37
-mineralized skinfinish natural in medium dark
-sculpt & shape duo in lightsweep/shadester
-blush in hipness
-belightful irridescent pressed powder

LIPS
-victoria's secret lipgloss in cupquake
-lacquer in tongue-in-chic
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5:18 PM 18
Hi Bellas,

So today I called in sick...my busy schedule has gotten to me. Last night I took a nap to recover and woke up and my throat and glands were soooo swollen. I took the day off and slept in till 1:30pm! So I had some time to recover...and play with makeup!

If you haven't checked out www.asianbeautyblog.com, go now! It's a great resource for beauty especially if you are of Asian descent. The community offers so much support and constructive criticism. It's especially good if you're starting out in makeup b/c the ladies offer step by step tutorials and lots of different looks. One of the members, Ilurvemakeup has been rocking some white eyeliner in her looks and it is HOT!

The technique of layering white eyeliner on top of black eyeliner is actually reminiscent of something I used to do back in the day. Actually I still do it now when I layer black eyeliner on top of bright colored liquidlast liners or fluidlines.

So props go out to Ilurvemakeup. I did a look where I incorporated the whiteliner that made her famous. I didn't want to do anything too complicated...so I basically just used two colors: white and blue eyeshadow and then put a highlight color on top. Took 5 minutes to do!

Here's what I used (All MAC unless otherwise stated):

EYES
-soft ochre paint pot
-gesso e/s
-atlantic blue e/s (pro color)
-naked lunch e/s
-revlon colorstay liquid liner in blackest black
-nyx white eyeliner
-shiseido mascara base
-diorshow mascara

EYEBROWS
-eyebrow pencil in spiked
-cork e/s

FACE
-mineralized skinfinish natural in medium dark
-mineralized skinfinish in warmed

LIPS
-totally it lipglass
-flashmode lustreglass





5:16 PM 5
Hi Bellas,

So as y’all know I cut off my locks this weekend. I'm looking into donating them to Locks of Love...but I've heard that they don't accept dyed and processed hair...so I'll have to do a little more research.

Anywho, like Ethereal Prey mentioned on my wall, yay time for new hair products. I happened to go to Discovery Mill Mall here in Atlanta on Sunday to visit the CCO. It’s only 30 minutes away and the mall is really cool actually. It has regular stores that are all super huge along with outlets mixed in. I went to the CCO to look into getting some pigments. I figure if I do a look with pigments, and some of you guys really like it, I could sell you samples of what I used to recreate the look.

Well while I was there I spotted a beauty shop…kind of like a Sallys Beauty Supply. When I was in there, I picked up the combo/jumbo size of Bed Head’s Dumb Blond shampoo and conditioner. However, I think I really did have a blond moment because I thought I picked up a separate bed head product which was a reconstructor. It was in a smaller, silver tube. When I got home, I realized it was the same thing as the conditioner! This is what my hair stylist used on me. I don’t know if I can return this either…and since it’s like 30 minutes away I might just use the tube size version for when I travel. Anywho, since my hair is black naturally, I have to make sure and maintain the color at whatever cost so it doesn’t fade into that unattractive yellowish orange tint. I'm going to make it a point to really do my monthly touch ups--hopefully we’ll prevent this from happening.



I also purchased L’Oreal Nature's Therapy Hair Conditioner in a big old tub. I heard Anne and others mention that this stuff works wonders for turning chemically processed, dry hair into smooth hair that your man would actually want to run his fingers through. I got a huge jar so hopefully it works on me!


While I was there I also picked up about 4 pairs of falsies. They were all ardell invisibands and the lightweight kind. I wore some regular thick falsies the other day and they were just too heavy on my eyes, I couldn’t take it anymore. Hopefully these suckers will be a little more eye friendly.
, ,

3:29 PM 11
Hi Bellas,

So this video is sooo old, I just haven’t had time to post it. I did a review on shieseido mascara base…this product works wonders! It really thickens and lengthens my lashes and keeps the curl. Two thumbs up! I’m due for a new mascara soon…I haven’t really heard great things about MAC mascara…does anybody have any good recommendations on a good mascara? So far I’ve used fiberwig, diorshow, telescopic, define a lash, the sucky l’oreal one with primer on one side and mascara on the other. I bought the ELF mascara when I did the elf haul a few weeks back…but I haven’t opened it and don’t really expect it to be the bomb mascara either. I really like diorshow because it goes on nice and thick, but I wish the brush was a little smaller. I tend to like traditional brushes, not the new plastic comb-like ones. I’m leaning towards getting Shiseido Lifting Mascara since I love the mascara base so much.

Here’s the video on my review:


Notice my long, curly hair in this video…ahhhh nostalgia. I went to work today and got a lot of compliments on the ‘do…however, I have noticed that ppl say I look younger with it. Yah think so? I was trying to avoid that. When I was around 14…I tried to pull off the Meg Ryan spunky hair look…do you guys remember that? I ended up shaving another four years off with that look…I looked so young.

On another note, I can’t wait to get home and take a nap…the time change thing really messed me up. Today is the only free day this week I have to relax. Here’s my schedule for the week:
1) Tuesday: dinner /college roomy reunion and sorority stuff all night after that
2) Wednesday: sorority stuff all night
3) Thursday: sorority stuff all night
4) Friday-early Saturday: sorority stuff all night
5) Saturday: prolly going out at night with the sorority
6) Sunday: vacation planning meeting in the afternoon with my crew. We call ourselves the “get it girl” crew. As in, “get it girl!!!”. The first year started with my BFF Alex and me traveling to Barcelona, London, and Paris. The next year we expanded it to a group of 7 girls. We flew to Miami for two nights then took a 7 night cruise to Puerto Rico, St Thomas, Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos. This year we’re kicking it back up a notch and plan on going to Costa Rica, woo hoo! We’ll probably fly down there and stay for about 8 nights and travel to different parts of the country. Since we’re uber-dorks we have vacation meetings to plan, he he.

Fortunately all the sorority stuff will be done by this weekend. That’s what happens when you make a life long commitment to an organization…I’m also the chapter advisor to my sorority so it’s extra obligations with that one. It’s been taking over my life! Luckily I have a bunch of videos that are complete so I don’t have to spend time editing and making videos in my free time.

Thank God for my boyfriend because he really helps me out with them. I was out doing sorority stuff Friday night and I came home to see that he edited my import girl video for me. Not only did he edit it, add music and titles, but he also photoshopped my pics with a really cool effect where only my face is highlighted in color and the rest of the background is black and white. He said this is so people can focus on my makeup. He also changes the background of my youtube page now and then to mix it up…all without me asking! I really appreciate it because sometimes I get a little burnt out from all the video editing. He’s really into music as well and matches looks to the video songs…so if you like the music on my vids you have him to thank  I really lucked out with a BF so supportive, creative, and really into various art mediums. Thanks baby!

Here are the completed videos I have yet to upload, I’ll probably upload them in this order:
1) Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow Look #2
2) Basics of eyeshadow blending
3) Import girl look
4) MAC brushes
5) Tiger Eyes

I think this is good enough to last me two weeks. This week I’ll take a break from makeup and filming videos since I’ve got so much going on. I’ll just post the videos above.

Next week I’ll film more videos including:
1) Skincare routine
2) Tutorial using some new pigments I bought from CCO (frost, pastorale, cornflower, aire-de-blu, jardin aires).

Stay tuned, there’s a lot coming up!
,

11:35 PM 17
Hey guys,

I don't think I mentioned this before...but i've been looking to change up my hair for a while. It's been long since the beginning of high school...usually I go for the long layered wavy hair look that's popular now. However as my interest in makeup has evolved, my hair has as well. My bf really loves the long hair...but I knew it was time for a change. I also never really wore my hair out anyways because it was long and thick and heavy. In most of my videos you'll always see that I have it up in a pony tail or messy bun.

So I got my hair done on Saturday by my fabulous hair stylist. She lightened my hair and put in some chunky blond highlights. I love it! The thicker highlights give it a more edgy look. On top of it all, she chopped off my pony tail and gave me a really angular bob length look with side bangs. I'm going back in a month for a touch up...by that time my bangs will have grown up enough to give me more options. I wanted a really diagonal funky bang look...kinda hard to describe but I think it will look hot.

I made a video with my new hair so you guys could see! I hope yall likey :)

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12:29 PM 9
Hi Bellas,

This is a look I actually did a few weeks ago. It’s been sitting around until I had time to post it. I have this mental order of how I like to space out my videos…I try to switch off between makeup tutorials and reviews/non-makeup videos. If there’s a collection release…all my videos halt so I can make sure to get collection hauls and tutorials out quick.

This is a look using hepcat e/s from MAC, a very popular color. I’ve seen various looks pairing it with purple, pink…but I decided to try something a little different. I used it with browns and satin taupe. Ordinarily I would have probably put a light cream color on the inside ¼ of the outlid and the brighter hepcat color on the outer ½…just because that’s what the usual basic technique is…however, I wanted to mix it up and put the brighter color on the inside. I saw someone do it on specktra before where they put parrot e/s on the inner ½ and satin taupe e/s on the outer ½….it was hot! I like trying new makeup techniques to mix it up and expand my abilities.

I think the look I created is soft enough for those who like more subtle looks but bold enough for those who like eye popping creations. It kinda reminded me of an Arabic look with the browns and plums.

Hope you guys enjoy!



Here's what I Used (All MAC unless otherwise specififed):

FACE
-mineralized skinfinish natural in medium dark
-mineralized satinfinish foundation nc42
-blush in sunbasque
-mineralized skinfinish in light flush
-sculpt & shape duo in light sweep and shadester
-fix plus

EYES
-hush cream color base
-hepcat e/s
-satin taupe e/s
-tempting e/s
-sketch e/s
-nano gold e/s
-Revlon Colorstay liquid liner in blackest black
-smolder kohl pencil
-dioshow mascara
-falsies and duo lash adhesive
-brow pencil in spiked

LIPS
-cremestick liner in plum soft
-lipglass in desire
,

9:15 PM 17
Hi Bellas,

I had a fabulous time in Cali. I was there for about a week. My parents flew up from Orlando to meet me out there so we can visit my brother and some aunties and uncles. As soon as I flew in on Wednesday evening, my parents scooped me up and we drove 10 hours to Loma Linda, Cali where some of my relatives are. Talk about a delirious drive! My dad had to pull over in a rest stop to take a cat nap because the drive was intense. Ever since I got in a car accident after high school prom, i'm traumatized b/c i was sleeping in the back when it happened. Now when ppl drive herky jerky I'm too paranoid to sleep in the back. Luckily, we got there safe and sound. My Auntie Puring had the cutest dogs...one permanently had his tongue sticking out to the side b/c he had a stroke, awwww, he's too cute.

While I was there I had a few goals in mind:
1) relax, relax, relax
2) catch up with old relatives…some of which who haven’t seen me since I was 4 years old
3) spend time with my bro
4) get 2 moles on my neck removed (sounds weird right? But last time my mom was in Cali when I was in high school she had this Filipino lady remove the moles from her face…luckily I only had 2 on my neck that I wanted to get rid of)
5) get me some Filipino food and snacks!

I think I accomplished many of my missions. It was mainly me and my parents since my brother is in law school and couldn’t come down to south cali with us since he didn’t want to miss any classes. 85% of the time I didn’t quite know what was going on because my parents were speaking in their native language- tagalong, of which I do not understand whatsoever. That’s okay though…I just chimed in when I heard a sprinkling of English here and there… he he.

Stay tuned for lots of pics and captions!


Num num, honey dew bubble tea (my fav flavor!) in san fran's lil asian area (I was going to call it china town, but i'm not sure if it really is china town!). this was at a gelato shop we escaped too on the corner...there was some kind of festival going on...dare i say chinese new year? they had a bunch of booths set up...it was pretty cool.


Me in front of Harrah's Casino in Rincon, Cali. I had a few reservations about going to a Native American casino...but, I really had no choice lol, since my parents drove. It took a bit of trimming and zooming to get this shot right. Do your moms have the same problem when they hold the camera and take forever to take a shot only to have it wayyyy too far away and not centered? Zoom mom zoom!


Some cakes at the filipino bakery - red ribbon bakery in Loma Linda, Cali. I've turned this into a food blog! They even had Ube Cake or as I like to call it "purple stuff".


The famous filipino bakery - Goldilocks...kinda random how they chose a lil blond white girl for a filipino bakery...oh well! I had to come here and stock up on polvoron...we just don't have these things in atlanta!


Next Filipino Food stop...Jollibee fast food restaurant. The first time I learned of this was actually in the business school...this is one of the few fast food franchises that was not overtaken my McDonalds in it's native land...when I heard it was in Cali i've always wanted to go!


Me in front of alcatraz...hey the pic was a lot cheaper than taking the tour!


Look at all the sea lions! They were literally like 20 feet away off on Pier 39 in San Fran.


Me, my mom and auntie Tessie in front of Jolliebee. They thought I was so funny for wanting to take a pic in front, oh well!


The typical breakfast menu at jollibee..rice, slice of tomato, hot dog (sans bun), bacon, eggs, and another optional slice of meat...lol


Watching the bakers at the sour dough bakery in san fran...look at the alligator they made!


Me and my auntie's dog Chalupa...he's soooo tiny, can you see his lil tongue sticking out?

The dish I ordered at "tribu" a Filipino restaurant me and the fam went to. It was delish!


Me midway through my mole removing process...


The famous filipino pancit...num nums

Mom and dad at golden gate park...took us hours of getting lost to get there and leave there and we spent 10 minutes of taking pics and left, lol.
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