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12:47 PM 15
Hi Bellas,

I know many of you are as big of a fan of Lurve as I am. When I heard she was doing a contest for a new purple and pink look, I decided to put my two cents in. I’ve mentioned before that I haven’t felt completely comfortable with wearing purple and pink looks. On my skin tone, they’ve also either blended into my skin tone (pinks) or made me feel like I have a black eye (purples). But thanks to my pink and purple paint pots this is a problem of the past. Also, thanks to Lurve, this was my time to finally experiment to find a combo I like. I decided to pick colors that I really love and find if I could combine them into a really pretty look. I don’t often do pic tutorials because I actually find it more difficult to do than videos…but here goes!

Here's what I used, all MAC unless specified

EYES
-perky paint pot
-nice vice paint pot
-brow pencil in spiked
-heatherette trio #2: baby petals e/s and V.I.P e/s
-stars n rockets e/s
-contrast e/s
-H.I.P liner in midnight blue
-ardell demi wispies
-brow pencil in spiked

LIPS
-plum soft cremestick liner
-high top l/s
-NYX lipstick in Barbie pink

CHEEKS
-true romantic beauty powder blush
-MSF in light flush



Start off by applying 2 paint pots to your lid. I used perky paint pot on the inner half, and nice vice paint pot on the outer half with a clean ring finger. I went a little above the crease. Try to blend out the harsh edges of the lines. Oh, and ignore my scraggly eyebrows.


Next, I broke out my Heatherette Trio #2 and used the light pink e/s (baby petals) on my inner 1/3 of lid and the pink color (V.I.P) on the middle third of my lid a little above the crease. I used my 239 brush to apply these colors…but any maxine’s mop shape brush will do.


Try to blend out the harsh lines..i just use the 239 brush...this is what it looks like with my eyes open.


Next, I apply one of my favorite eyeshadows, stars n rockets, to the outer 1/3 of my lid a little above the crease. I used the 239 and packed on the color to make it really pop.


Next, take contrast eyeshadow, another really pretty purpley blue color, and make the outer V shape. I used my 219 brush for this. The bluish tones of this eyeshadow combine with the pinks to make a really pretty purple color.


Here’s a pic of it after a bit of blending. I also used baby petals e/s as a light brow highlight. Aren’t the colors gorgeous?


Next, I lined my eyes with H.I.P liner in midnight blue. I think the blue liner with the pink and purple e/s adds a little somethin' somethin'.


Add some falsies…I used Ardell Demi Wispies. Then use the same eyeshadows and repeat the color application to your bottom lashline.


Time for lips! I wanted to stick with the purple and pink theme but go for something a little softer. First, I lined my lips with cremestick liner in plum soft.


Next, I used high top lipstick (from the fafi collection) on top. This lipstick is a gorgeous, purple, glittery shimmery lipstick.


On top of that…I added a thin layer of NYX Barbie Pink lipgloss…I love the way the hot pink gloss combined with the sparkly purple lipstick. It looked better in person because you could see the glitter underneath.


Next I applied true romantic beauty powder blush as a nice and natural cheek color using my MAC blush brush.


As a highlight, I used the same brush and applied MAC msf in light flush as a highlight color. Make sure to blend this highlight color into the blush for a nice transition. I didn’t show these steps, but I used spiked brow pencil on my eyebrows, and MAC mineralized satinfinish foundation in NC42 and MSF natural in medium dark as my foundation and powder.


And you’re done! I wish you guys could have seen this in person…the colors were so vibrant and went really well together. I’d definitely wear this look again. I hope you like it Lurve!

10:45 AM 11
Hi Bellas,

So I finally got around to making my collection video, whew! I’ve gotten several requests but I was putting it off for a while. I knew that doing this video would require me making several attempts at taking pictures with my sub-standard digital camera. The BF and I were supposed to get a nice one for our anniversary…but other finances came up.

As many of you already know, I’m in the process of making a move into my first one bedroom apartment without roommates. I knew I would have to pack up all of my makeup so I decided that it would be an opportune time to take snap shots of my collection.

I will say, the pictures turned out alright. I decided to do pics by category…i.e. lipsticks, paintpots, eyeshadow palettes…because if I tried to take an aerial view of my whole collection, it just wouldn’t work. My room has packing boxes all over the floor and I just don’t think I’d have space to do that shot however pretty I know it would have been.

I guess I didn’t realize how much makeup I have…a lot of it goes unused as well. I might be having a makeup sale once all is said and done and I finish my move. In the meanwhile, I hope you enjoy!
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4:39 PM 2

Hi Bellas,

So you might be thinking “What? Another brush entry?”. Well after posting the last brush entry which wow, took me almost two hours to do…I made a quick stop at Michaels craft store.

After checking out www.Pursebuzz.com, I saw that Michael’s was having a 40% off sale of Loew-Cornell Brushes. For those of you not familiar, these are actually paint brushes. Back in the day, Makeup Artists would use paint brushes and cut off the handles to use for cosmetic application. Times have changed and there is a slew of various makeup brush brands all over the place. Check out enkore makeup on youtube for various videos on him comparing MAC brushes to Loew-Cornell paint brushes. When trying to save money, these brushes are high in quality and low in price. I was trying to not buy anything for a while…but I couldn’t pass up a 40% sale.

Each Michaels craft store has its own selection of brushes. Some hardly have any to choose from, but my location is right across the street from my job and has a pretty good selection. Whenever I browse the aisles I always do a few things. I let my eyes scan the brushes while keeping a visual image of current brushes I’ve seen or own. By doing this, I can find paint brushes that I know will work as makeup brushes. If you’re OCD like me, you’ve spent hours browsing the MAC website brush section, taking notes on various brush videos and other brush websites. From all this research, I’d say I’m pretty familiar of what can and can’t work as a makeup brush.

Picking out Michael’s brushes…My 4 step test
When I find some good candidates, I pull them out and immediately do test #1-the finger touch test. I run my fingers through the bristles testing to see if it is soft enough to use on human skin. If they’re too rough I immediately put them back…if they’re soft enough for my fingers I move to test #2-the wrist test. I brush the bristles on the inside of my wrist, swiping back and forth to feel how it affects the delicate wrist skin. Don’t test it out on your face because you don’t know where those brushes have been. If it passes that test I’ll move to test #3-density test. I’ll check to make sure that the bristles are dense enough for makeup application. I do this by bending the bunch of bristles to the side to see how it holds to the pressure of my fingers. If it is too sparse of flimsy I usually pass since I know it wouldn’t be able to hold product well. Test #4-handle test. Lastly, I check to make sure that I’m comfortable with the handle length, weight and thickness.

Tips I’ve learned along the way
A few things I’ve learned from my various visits to Michaels. Avoid the brushes that come in multi-packs. I’ve found that those are usually of less quality and are not soft enough to use. Oftentimes, you can’t even open the pack to test the brush. I skip those. Also, make sure when you’re choosing synthetic brushes, pick bristles that are not too soft. For example, if picking a concealer brush, you want it to be soft but still firm enough to push product into your face. Some of the synthetic brushes I’ve gotten are a little too flimsy for my taste. Next, check out your newspaper for Michael’s adds. Oftentimes there are 40% off coupons. Lastly, make sure to thoroughly wash the makeup brushes before you use them on yourself or anyone else. You don’t know what chemicals, dust, germs from other people’s hands are on those brushes. I just use generic baby shampoo and conditioner and let it dry. With that said, you’re ready to get shopping!

My Haul
After the 40% discount, I ended up getting 6 brushes for $17.98. Good deal huh?
I'm not going to post them quite yet because I haven't tested all of them out...that will be another entry. Stay tuned!
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11:12 AM 9
Hi Bellas!

I finally got to uploading a new tutorial. This was a viewer request that I got a few times for a smokey blue/grey eye and pink lip. I decided to do this look which came from a facechart called "full on lust" from the Originals Collections. I didn't have most of the products except for Parrot e/s so I had to improvise. I also finally got to wear my underlashes! I've had them for months from www.MadameMadeline.com and broke them out. They're actually a lot easier to put on them top lashes if you ask me. I love them!

I included pics for yall who can't see the video, hope you enjoy! I hope you guys likey!



EYES
otherworldly paint pot
perky paint pot
parrot e/s
print e/s
carbon e/s
expensive pink e/s
black fun eyeliner
revlon colorstay liquid liner in blackest black
nyc lashes
duo lash glue
spiked brow pencil

FACE
dame blush
mineralized skinfinish natural in med dark
sculpt and shape duo in lightsweep and shadester

LIPS
compusure matteen l/s
luminary l/g








Here's a pic of the original face chart I was going to do for my look.
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12:15 PM 9
Hi Bellas,

Sorry i've been kind of MIA lately. I've got a bunch of posts saved as drafts but I haven't finished them. I also have videos that I need to upload. I've just been very occupied lately.

For one, I have terrible allergies. I also wear contacts on a daily basis. They are the kind that you sleep in. I hardly ever wear my glasses...maybe once every month and a half when my eye gets really irritated for whatever reason. However, with allergy season kicking in, I've been wearing my glasses for almost two weeks straight. This is unheard of for me. For this reason, I haven't been doing any makeup tutorials. I'm not insinuating that just because you wear glasses that you can't wear makeup...because you can. My thing is that my eyes are too irritated, my nose is too runny to even try. I actually did try and it was a hot mess!

Morever, i'm not trying to share my drama with everyone...but I decided that I need to move out of my apartment this week and my lease is up April 30th! I've been living with my best friend of 18 years since freshman year of college. The last two years another friend of ours has been living with us in a three bedroom apartment. We had a pow bow and decided that the best thing for everyone was for me to move out...both of them are single and I have my boyfriend around 24/7. You can see the complications that causes right? Don't worry...there's not tension or drama...it was a little emotional for me because my roomies are my best friends but in the end it's best for everyone. My boyfriend and I will be able to grow and i'll also become more independent.

With that said, I started looking for an apartment Monday and after some crazy hunting was approved for one Thursday afternoon! I'm so excited. The place is soooooo cute...it's smaller than I'm used to after living in a large three bedroom apartment for the last couple of years, but it's perfect for me and the boyfriend. Mind you, he still has his own apartment but we'll pretty much be living together like we've done for the past two years. The only difference is that I don't have to worry about bothering my roomies. I'm so excited to decorate!

Anyways, like I said i've been busy planning the move...making lists for things I need to buy since I'm going to be starting from scratch.

I haven't forgotten you guys...and I'm sorry for being MIA. I'm planning on posting a video in the next few days. Just a heads up...the next two weeks might be a little crazy because i'm not sure how much time and computer access i'll have during the move. However I have a few things that I've been working on that you guys can look forward to. They're all sitting there waiting for me to finish them up so you guys can take a looksy.

Blog Entries:
-New Michael Brushes Review
-Posh Brushes Review
-Pink and Purple picture tutorial entry for Lurve's contest
-My FOTD/interpretation of MAC's Naughty Nauticals using my own products
-Wedding Pics and Reflections
-MAC pigment sale

Videos:
-MAC full on lust look: smokey gray/blue eyes and pink lips per viewer request
-Tiger Eyes Video
-Blue and Green Pastel Easter Look using MAC pigments

Thanks for your patience guys, after I get over this little hump i'll be back in full force. Ciao bellas!

12:20 PM 12
Hi Bellas,

This post is a topic of great interest to me. I’ve been doing extremely thorough brush research…everything from compiling side by side pics of comparable brushes, to excel tables, to hours of internet and in person research. We all know that brushes are extremely expensive and hard to come by. Moreover, finding a good brush is like finding the right bra. You can’t just pick up any brush and expect it to do the job. Different brushes have different purposes and varying levels of quality. There are many factors including but not limited to: price, length, shedding, bleeding, softness, denseness, what kind of bristles, cut of bristles, etc. Over the last few months my brush collection went from under 10 to over 50. Most of my research was found on google, beauty blogs, and specktra. I’ve found a lot of cheap alternatives to good brushes and I’m planning on checking some out in the near future.

However at this time, I thought I’d show you my current collection of brushes. I organized them into category and I’ll provide a brief blurb about each of them. I forgot to take pics of my eyebrow brushes: I use a mini one from Sonia Kashuk that I love...only problem is that it's too short that it doesn't stick out of my brush belt and I lose track of it frequently. I also sometimes use the brush that comes with L'Oreal HIP cream liner to do my eyebrows. Lastly, I have an ecotools brush-the kind with an eyebrow brush on one side and the eyelash comb on the other. Pretty basic, you can find these anywhere.

Dense Crease Brushes

These are what I call my dense crease brushes. From top to bottom we have a sonia kashuk and the bottom two are from Essence of Beauty. The pointed, dense brush is good for blending in the crease. I actually don’t use these brushes too often except maybe the smaller ones to shadow the lower lashline. The larger crease brush is my fallback to when my MAC crease brushes are dirty. All these brushes were around $5.

Pencil Brushes

MAC 219 and Michael’s Loew Cornell paint brush. I loveeeee my 219. It’s perfect for creating an outer v shape, highlighting my tear duct, and providing color to my lower lashline. It’s one of my fav’s and it’s super soft. I’ve tried to find similar ones but haven’t found one as soft and dense. The Michael’s version works but it’s a little scratchy. I only use it once in a blue moon.

Large Shadow Blender

MAC 227: another one of my fav’s! It has really compacted bristles that blend out any harsh line imaginable. I use it especially when I’m doing a bright eyeshadow look…I apply a highlight color and blend it into the crease color. I haven’t tried any dupes but I’ve seen some similar ones online from Posh Brushes and one from Coastal Scents that I’d like to try.

Eyelash Brushes

Top brush is a spoolie brush from Sonia Kashuk. I often use this after I apply mascara to someone. When the mascara dries I’ll take this clean brush and brush out any clumps. The next brush is from bed bath and beyond…it has the metal teeth to separate lashes…I’ve only used this a few times when I’ve had major clumping issues. I probably wouldn’t use this on a client unless absolutely necessary because of the risk of getting too close to their eyes with the needle-like bristles.

Smudger Brushes

The top two are smudger brushes from essence of beauty. I think they came in a twin pack. They have rubber tips for blending out eyeliner and to achieve a smokey look. I honestly don’t really use these…I’m not a huge fan of the eraser like rubber tip. Most of the eyelining I’ve done is usually a distinct line…I’m going to try and branch out to do more smudged eyeliner looks and hopefully this will come in handy. The bottom brush is a smudge brush from Lancome. Unlike the others, it has a small thin bristle head…I mainly use this for applying a thin layer of eyeshadow right onto the lower lashline—this works as an alternative of lining the waterline of sensitive eye clients.

Liner brushes

From Top to bottom:
1) thin liner brush from Michael’s Loew Cornell
2) angled brush from Michael’s Loew Cornell
3) straight edge brush from Lancome
4) Ecotools liner brush
5) MAC 266
I like using brush #1 exclusively for liquid liner. I take my Revlon Colorstay, tap some into a palette and dip this thin brush into it when I’m trying to not double dip on clients. I don’t use the straight edge brush that much because it’s not usually my preference. I do however use it to sometimes smooth out a line I made with pencil eyeliner. My fav for gel liners is the MAC 266. It creates a perfect winged eyeline. The ecotools and Michael’s brush are just a little too thick. Sometimes I'll use them instead to fill in eyebrows. I haven’t found a similar brush yet that is as thin as the 266.

Blending Brushes

Top to Bottom:
1) Michael’s brush
2) MAC 224
3) MAC 223
4) MAC 217
5) MAC 222
6) Sonia Kashuk Blending Brush
I don’t use the Michael’s brush because it’s too soft to really do any kind of blending. I use the 224 on clients who have larger eyes…usually to put a light color on their crease or on the browbone. It also works with really dark pigments so that the color doesn’t go on too intensely to one particular area. The MAC 223 came out with the Raquel Welch Icon collection. I use it mainly as a crease blender but I like the MAC 222 better. The 222 fits more into my small eyeshape and the bristles are a little bit shorter so that I have more control of the brush. The MAC 217 is my all time fav for smoking out the outer V/outer crease. I use it nearly everyday. I bought the Sonia Kashuk as a backup to the 224. So far so good…I actually use it to apply cream concealer because it buffs it into the skin like a dream!

Angled eyeshadow brushes

Some people love these angled brushes but I use them occasionally. The top is a lancome brush and the bottom is the MAC 275. Sometimes I’ll use it to blend the crease into the outer V. I’ve found that I’ll use them more so to contour and blend the nose area.

Eyeshadow Brushes – Maxine’s Mop Shaped

This is pretty much the most standard eyeshadow brush shape around. I always use these brushes when I’m applying color initially to my lid. The dense shape is perfect for packing on color as well as for blending one color into another. As you can see…I have several because I use so many different colors.
Top to Bottom
1) X-Large Michael’s Loew Cornell Maxine Mop shape brush: I use this for contouring my nose
2) Large Michael’s Loew Cornell Maxine Mop shape brush: this is great for quick all over lid color or for blending crease and highlight color…almost similar to the MAC 227 but not as dense
3) Two Medium Loew Cornell Maxine Mop shape brush: a great alternative to the MAC 239…I even like them a little better than the MAC brush. They’re cheaper and work just as well!
4) Two Small Loew Cornell Maxine Mop shape brush: I love these tiny brushes to do rainbow eyes or to apply color to the lower lash line. These tiny brushes really come in handy for blending tight areas.
5) MAC 239: a holy grail to many…perfect for packing on color
6) Lancome brush: I don’t use this one as often because the bristles are synthetic and don’t pack on as much color
7) Sonia Kashuk brush: does the job but not as well as the Michael’s or MAC brushes…the bristles are a little more flimsy
8) Two random brushes: these are throwbacks from back in the day when I didn’t understand anything about brushes…probably from target…they do the job but they’re a little flimsy.

Fan Brushes

Top two are from Michaels. They are perfect for combing out mascara clumps. I also really like them to apply mascara or fluidline to client’s eyelashes. Sometimes it’s hard to get at the base of lashes when you apply mascara on others. This is a popular trick used on many MUA’s-load the fan with fluidline and paint it right on any parts that you missed with the mascara wand. The bottom brush is a typical fan brush used for brushing off fallout. It works really well for brushing off extra product off your face charts without smearing the pages. I don’t remember where this brush is from.

Synthetic/Concealer brushes

1) and 2) From Michaels
3) MAC 242
4) MAC concealer brush
5) Essence of beauty concealer brush
These brushes all work equally well in my opinion. I’ll interchange them all for using concealer, MAC paints, paint pots, etc. Remember-synthetic bristles work best with cream based products.

Lip brushes

Most lip brushes are the same to me…they all have the pointed flexible bristles that allow you to outline and spread the lip product. From top to bottom:
1) MAC lip brush
2) Michael’s brush
3) Sephora lip brush
4) Elf brush
I don’t use the MAC one that often because I don’t like how it has the detachable part. You can pretty much find affordable lip brushes anywhere in my opinion.

Duo-Fibre Stippling Brushes

These are awesome for applying liquid foundation to create an airbrushed look. Conversely, it can be used to apply powder products such as high pigmented blushes sparingly. On top is my MAC 187…I use this all the time with my mineralized satinfinish foundation. The one below-I can’t remember where it’s from…but I got it online from one of the MMU companies. I’ve found that this one is better for applying powder products since the bristles aren’t as dense as the MAC ones. There are a lot of similar ones out in the market but you have to test them for density and how well the bristles blend into each other.

Foundation Brushes

Top two are from Studio Tools from Target, under $5 each. I like using these for applying primer and moisturizer to clients. The MAC foundation brush is better to me for applying cream and liquid foundation because the bristles are a bit more dense and can really push product into the face. It is also larger which cuts down application time.

Powder brushes

Top two are from MAC…I use them for setting makeup with various powders such as my translucent setting powder on MSF natural. I like how they’re soft and fluffy so they apply a light layer of makeup. The bottom came with my Bare Essentials MMU kit. It’s not my fav…a little too short and scratchy. Washing and conditioning it has helped a little but I pretty much only use it if everything else is dirty.

Blush Brushes

Top to Bottom:
1) MAC contour brush: this is the ONLY brush I use to contour cheeksbones, jawline, etc. I use it with my sculpt and shape duo nearly everyday. I think Posh Brushes has a good dupe that I’m eager to try.
2) Eco Tools blush brush: this brush is super soft but I noticed it’s better for applying a really light layer of blush or bronzer as opposed to concentrating it at the cheeks. It’s most likely due to the larger shape of the dome as well as the synthetic bristles.
3) MAC blush brush: I love this brush…it’s the perfect size to fit the apples of the cheeks…this is my main blush brush I use.

Buffing Brushes

Top is my pink coastal scents buffer brush. I heard various reviews about this brush, but I love it! It’s super soft. I’m definitely going to order a back up for use on my clients. Its dense flat top has saved me several times when blush has gone on too vibrant. This brush softens and tones overdone blush or bronzer immediately. I think it’s great for MMU as well. Sometimes when I don’t feel like wearing foundation I’ll just buff in my MSF natural with this brush and it goes on super smooth. The only con is that I noticed a few bristles poking out from the rest but I trimmed them with scissors and haven't run into that problem again. The other brush is a bare essentials Kabuki. I used to use this back when I was first learning to contour and I would need to buff out my mistakes. Now that I have the coastal scents brush I don’t use this one anymore. Like the other BE brush, the bristles are scratchy and aren't compact enough to do any serious buffing. I could do without this one.


Stay tuned for my next Michael's brush haul entry. I got some good deals! If you have any questions, just let me know!
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11:09 AM 4
So I was tagged by a few of you…so hopefully you’ll get to know me better!

Things I'm passionate about:
-my culture- Philippines represent!
-giving and getting respect
-my friends
-my family
-my boyfriend
-equality among all races, sects, and genders
-makeup!
-seeing my friends and family happy

Things I'd like to do before I die:
-travel the world with my boyfriend-eating exotic foods and learning about new cultures
-get married to my BF, having kids, a nice house, a dog, the whole shebang!
-quit corporate life and have my own successful business
-have my name in headlines-not saying I want to be famous, but recognized for my work
-learn to be completely happy with myself
-start a non-profit organization/scholarship fund

Things I say often
-hey girl!
-get it girl!
-botch!
-I love you
-camp kukamunga (when something is crazy!)
-leery jeery (for creepy men who leer at you)
-that’s weird
-that’s interesting

Books I've read recently:
-The Rape of Nanking
-Girls of Rijaad

Songs I could listen to over and over
-Old school R&B – Mary J Blige Real Love – Whitney Houston – I wanna dance with somebody
-Where Did My Baby Go by John Legend
- Tainted Love
-Always be my baby – Mariah Carey
-Mo Town Hits

Traits I'm attracted to in my friends (in no particular order)
-loyalty
-will be there for me when I need them – from a flat tire, to a breakup
-friends that got my back-if someone tries to jump me, they better jump in too!
-able to tell me that I’m being whack and need to improve
-can confront me openly and honestly..i hate the silent treatment and pettiness
-good supporters and listeners
-can let loose!
-down to earth
-shopping buddies!
-able to laugh out loud
--friends that I can chill on the couch and watch the Hills with, to travel the world with, to attend church with, to go to the club with: I’m real hard core with the friends I have…most of my friends are the kind that I’ve known for years and that I can trust completely…I’ve keeping a tally of future bridesmaids!

I tag everybody!
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10:51 AM 17
Hi Bellas,

It’s been a crazy week. Sorry for being a bit MIA…I ran out of back up posts lol. As you all know, I had my wedding gig this weekend, Saturday to be exact. All went well…I got a lot of compliments on the makeup. I’ll be doing a more thorough post of what I learned and include pics and all that good stuff in a separate entry.

So like everybody and their mama, I’ve been sick once again. This really isn’t a surprise because I’m always sick…I’d say at least 50% of the time. It started on Friday when I was feeling a little weak…it didn’t help that it was raining the day of the wedding and I was running around without an umbrella, and up from 5am. Sighhhh…I think the whole infusion of pollen has something to do with it as well. I’m recovering now, I think I'm back to suffering from regular old allergies.

This week is another busy one for me. It’s my sorority’s founders week. For those of you who don’t know what it is…it’s a week to celebrate the founding of a chapter with an event each day. Many of the multicultural sororities and fraternities do this, and you have to reserve your week early in advance. This week is especially significant to me because I'm a founding sister of my chapter and this year celebrates our 5 year anniversary. Even though I’ve already graduated, I’m still extremely active with my sorority…it truly is a lifelong commitment. On top of it all, I’m also chapter advisor. The really cool thing about our sorority is that we’re super close to all the chapters in the area…there really is no need to compete since we’re a rather small organization, founded in 1975.

With that said, tonight I’ll be attending Georgia State University’s probate show. For those who aren’t familiar, a probate is a show where members of an orientation class “reveal themselves” to the public. Most often, the new members of a multi-cultural frat or sorority are kept secret and it's a big event to see who ends up joining what organization. The show usually involves costumes, and doing chants and traditions in front of a big group of people…mainly a crowd consisting of multi-cultural greeks. I’ve been requested to do the makeup of our new members in the probate…I gave them two options…if they want the whole shebang, foundation, concealer, primer and makeup…they’d have to pay me a kit fee of $20. This really isn’t bad because there are 4 girls and it ends up being $5 a piece for the use of my product. Of course they picked the free option where I’ll only do eyes, lips, and cheeks, lol. They are responsible for their own foundation and mascara so I don’t have to use my stuff. I’m also rushing to GA state right after I get out of work at 5pm and the show is at 7pm which doesn’t give me a lot of time to do the makeup! Our sorority colors are burgundy and grey…so I’m doing a burgundy and grey smokey eye (lol the newbies get so excited to wear anything with our colors), pink cheeks, and subtle pink lips. It’s easy! I budgeted 20 minutes for the four girls which should definitely give me enough time.

I did a run-through on my roomy last night and so far I think I’m using burnt burgundy pigment, hepcat, and print eyeshadows. I’ll post pics later!

Till then, thanks for hanging in there with me guys. Ciao bellas!
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1:55 PM 24
Hi Guys,

As many of you all know, I’m starting to get into doing makeup on the side. After all, something’s got to pay for all this makeup I’ve been getting. This has been one of my new year’s resolutions…I think I’ve finally found something that I enjoy and that I’m pretty good at it. It helps keep me sane with the craziness of my corporate job.

Part of the whole process is learning how to apply makeup, but you also have to obtain the proper resources as well. Throughout the past weeks I’ve been slowly building my makeup kit, filling my train-case I bought from ebay. Did I mention I love how many traincase has wheels? I brought it to my friends how this weekend for bridal makeup practice and it saved my back! Anyways, I’ve really kicked up my kit purchases a notch with this wedding coming up because I want to make sure I’m prepared! A lot of my items have come from MAC, Ulta, Sephora, Wal-MART, as well as www.camerareadycosmetics.com. This site is such a valuable resource because it really opened up my eyes to professional grade cosmetics. Many of these lines may not be familiar to you, but if you’ve done your research on specktra.net, a lot of the makeup artists refer to this website and many of the brands offered on it. At first, I only knew of commercial lines that the public is exposed to such as MAC, Smashbox, MUFE, Urban Decay etc…but now I’m a big fan of makeup marketed towards makeup artist such as: RCMA, Graftobian, Cinema Secrets, etc… I love getting these products for my kit because they often come in convenient palettes in a variety of shades which are a lot easier to pack in your train case. On top of that…the products are always top notch…pigmented, in a wide variety of colors to suit every person, and easy to apply.

When I first started building my kit for example, the thought of purchasing a million different foundation colors was daunting. However, I pretty much have that covered now. I bought two foundation palettes from RCMA and they pretty much have every color you could ever need. I bought the sampler size version where each palette slot can do about 8-10 full faces worth of foundation. Since I’m starting out this works perfectly…and I can always replace colors that I run out of. Here’s a pic of the foundations…there are 18 colors in each palette and I have two different palettes. With 36 colors to choose from I usually don’t have a problem matching shades.

The foundation is cream based so I usually pick a scoop out with my mini spatula then mix in a liquid solution made for thinning out cream cosmetics. This allows me to turn it to a liquid foundation if I want, or mix it with other colors so I can have a better match. I highly recommend! I’m also going to purchase a few palettes from Cinema Secrets. They offer mini-palettes of 5 colors each…I’ll probably get one for really light skin tones and one from darker skin tones to widen my color range and buy more later if need be.

I also recently purchased a palette of Graftobian powder foundation with more than 10 shades. This can be used as a powder to set foundation, or by itself dry or wet, depending on the coverage.

This weekend, I went to wal-mart and ulta this weekend and picked up some essentials you may not think of putting in your kit…
From Wal-Mart:
-mini can of hairspray ( a lot of times, makeup artist have to do hair as well so gotta be prepared for touch-ups)
-nail polish remover pads
-visine – regular version
-visine for contacts
-mustache/eyebrow scissors
-cotton swabs
-small box of Kleenex
-chapstick
-altoids
-tweezers
-plastic comb
-mini pack of unscented wet ones
-small hair-brush
-empty 3 oz bottle (for toner)
-cotton rounds
-small can of shaving cream
-hand sanitizer
-small empty spray bottle (for rubbing alcohol)
-hand held mirror
-disposable razors

Luckily Ulta is right next store, so I stopped by to purchase what I couldn’t find at wal-mart:
-velour puffs
-a large, washable round cosmetic sponge (to brace my hand on someone’s face when I’m doing makeup)
-black and brown waterproof mascara-I bought them from Max Factor, the kind that have a screw on top and the brush on the side…that way I can prevent myself from using the brush it came with…I have disposable mascara wands I use for other people…two wands, one for each eye

Online from various vendors, I’ve also bought the following in the last couple of weeks:
-brush apron (looks exactly like the one from MAC)

-disposable mascara spoolies
-disposable spatulas
-disposable lipstick brush applicators
-disposable lipgloss doe-foot applicators

I’ve been building this monster since November 2007. Here are other times I’ve collected or already had that I can stick in my kit:
-latex sponges – round and wedge shaped
-moisturizer – cetaphil I put in a mini jar
-graftobian lipstick palettes – 2 palettes, one in fashion shades and one in cool shades
-camera ready palette of blushes –about 8 blushes in this palette

-camera ready palette of shadow – about 5 basic colors –browns, grays, and black

-gel eye liner in black and brown

-fake lashes
-clear brow gel (from E.L.F only one dollar!)
-brush cleaner in a small bottle
-duo lash glue
-pencil sharpener
-translucent loose powder
-loose powder in a café color
-hair clips
-binder clips (to hold back clothing in shoots)
-makeup remover wipes
-aquaphor (for lips)
-pallet of neturalizers by cinema secrets
-graftobian crème blush palette


-oil blotting papers
-heated eyelash curler
-and a variety of makeup brushes in my apron…everything from M.A.C, to target, to no-name brands, to Michaels…


Many items I change in and out of the train case because they are items that I also use…except I sanitize them thoroughly if I put them in my kit. For example, I avoid using the lipgloss wands or mascara wands that come with the product so that I don’t contaminate them. Items that I’m still working on buying solely for my train case are:
-various lip pencils
-eyeliner pencils
-various lipsticks
-mascara base
-regular lash curler
-I have multiple MAC e/s palettes that I change in and out depending on the client…you can just wipe off the top layer of the e/s with tissue when using it on someone else.


So that’s pretty much everything in my kit, or that I want to be in my kit. I hope this helps some of you guys because when I first started out I was doing so much research looking for some of things I should have. Hopefully now I’ll have more jobs to book to use this stuff! I just like being prepared in the meanwhile 

I’ve already got a few possibilities lined up…I’ll share more when that time comes. Let me know if you guys have any questions! I'd also love to hear any product suggestions from you guys!
,

10:55 PM 11
Hi Bellas,

I was surfing through you tube and came upon this hot tutorial! I love gaining inspiration from others because sometimes I get bored with my own creations and get really excited when I see what others come up with.

If you haven't heard of xxsgtigressxx she's freaking awesome! She does bold and beautiful eye makeup and isn't afraid to be crazy with it. I love it! Here's the link to the tutorial she did recently called Eyes on Fire.


I recreated the look on my roomy Melissa. She likes when I experiment on her and I love that I have a willing participant to practice on :) I think she wants to step out of her neutral makeup box into the world of funky makeup, yay! She has a more fair complexion so colors really pop on her.

Take a look at my version of this look. I added a really cool lightning bolt on the side of her face with a gradient type effect. I told her she could totally be a super hero with this makeup...not really your everyday wear, lol. But it's fun to play! I also did the tape trick on her to make the cool extreme angled shape on her eyes.

Here's what I used (All MAC unless otherwise stated):
EYES
-corn shadestick
-golden lemon pigment
-rule e/s
-mi'lady mineralized eyeshadow - red side
-nylon e/s
-fluidline in blacktrack
-max factor mascara
-tape
-spiked brown pencil

FACE
-cinema secrets concealer
-mineralized satinfinish foundation
-camera ready cosmetics transulcent powder
-drizzlegold beauty powder
-sculpt and shape duo in lightsweep and shadester
-camera ready cosmetics peach blush

LIPS
-revlon colorstay red lipliner
-dubonnet lipstick
-clear gloss from Rimmel

Before


After



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