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Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Attention MUAs! Illamasqua is Hiring!


Illamasqua, the creative UK brand is now recruiting freelance and part-time makeup artists along with other positions. To view more info,click here to get that job now!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Eyeshadow For Unproportioned Eyes.


Determining where you should put eyeshadow can be tricky. In order to know whether you have wide-set or close-set eyes is by measuring the length of your whole eye area and the area between your eyes. If the area between your eyes are too big than the eye itself,you have wide-set eyes and vice versa. But if you do get an equal measurement,you have a proportioned set of eyes. 


Rather than imagining what I mean,I have created an illustration to help you understand better. Sweet!


  • Wide Set---you might need to contour under your inner brow to make it seem a bit narrow. The best area to place your eyeshadow is on your whole eyelid,creaseline and down to the inner corners.. You might not need to extend your eyeshadow outwards as well. Line the inner corners of your eyes if you need to. 

  • Proportioned---lucky you! You can experiment with anything. Really. You can do rounded eyes,sharp lines. Whatever.

  • Close Set---you have an excuse to extend your eyeshadow outwards to make it seem a bit wider. You can use a highlighter on the inner corners(one with a light-diffusing property would be great). I think eye lining would be unnecessary cause if you do line your inner corners,it will only draw attention to them,making it look more close-set. 

Hope I've helped! 
-VV



NARS : Makeup Your Mind : Express Yourself Book + Contest



Inside the book,you will find real people from different ethnicities on how they are being transformed and be given a fresh look that they've never worn before. The book is mainly about Francois' deep love for makeup and photography. 


Down from the first page to the last one,you'll definitely pick up useful tips that will totally change your perception on how to apply makeup. This makeup manual has changed my foundation routine! I normally would put on foundation and then concealer and powder and Im done but this thing really got me thinking that in order to get a clean seam-less canvass,I should probably follow the directions found on this book. 



Makeup Your Mind : Express Yourself book retails for around $45.00

Now,the fun part! Francois Nars created an extension of the book and is now challenging us to take part of a game to win exclusive prizes! All you have to do is get your brushes out,get your camera ready and get inspired by the looks posted on the makeupyourmind website. Before I give you all of the directions,let us discuss what the prizes are! Are you excited? 

THE PRIZES : 
  1. All-expense-paid trip just for you + a friend to NY City for Fashion Week  in February 2012
  2. Round-trip coach airfare included,2 night 3 days stay at a top NYC Hotel
  3. Backstage passes to NY Fashion Week
  4. Dinner at chic NYC Restaurants
  5. Makeup Consultation at the NARS flagship store on Bleecker Street
SPECIAL PRIZES : 
12 exclusive gift set in celebration of the book launch.

MECHANICS : 

1. Pick a selected look from the book Makeup Your Mind : Express Yourself. You can choose to recreate all looks. 
2. Follow the steps given and create your own expression of the look. 
3. Take a picture and upload it on the site. Then,invite friends to give you some ♥. 



Tip : The more you upload your photos of the look you recreated,the more ♥ you earn.The more ♥,the more chances of winning.Good luck!


To view other mechanics and conditions,click here!

(All photos belong to NARS.)


Prescription --- Lip Balm. To Keep Chapped Lips at Bay.

It's past 6 o clock and I havent ate something after brunch. Now I know why I got chapped lips earlier,I havent eaten nor drank anything else. As I remember touching my "mwah-fiers",I managed to pull my lip balm off my bag immediately and swiped my lips like there's no way Im doing it any later. If you have just seen me swished through the room to get my balm as fast as I can,Im telling you I looked like superwoman who's about to save the day! 


I have constructed a list of the best lip balms so you can smooth out those kissers too! Now,I dont have a specific balm that I'm going gaga over for the only reason that all lip balms,in my opinon,works well and Im okay with anything as long as it moisturizes,protects and stays on for long. And I really don't mind the colors. 




1. Blistex Medicated Berry Balm, $1.80.


Best when applied before going to bed and sun exposure.
Some ingredients are beeswax,methylparaben & seed butter.

What I like about this lip balm is the smell and the longevity of the result. I even hear some people complimenting how great these lip balm tastes! I do love mints in my balm and this one has a non-irritating amount of mint in it. I have tried other balms but one thing I was very annoyed about was that the mint was overpowering the balm itself. There was one time I felt my lips were burning,but with this medicated balm,I can relaxingly reapply without having to worry about getting "mint burns".

2. Nivea Soft Rose, $1.50
Best when applied whenever you need to have moisturized lips pronto! 
Some ingredients are jojoba oil

I swear I said I dont mind the color but when I tried this one day,I took the color into consideration when it comes to picking up my holy grail lip balm. I mean colorless is fine but this would be better too and it works as well as my other lip balms. It left me with a subtle pink dewy tint on my lips. It is more on the side of having natural ingredients. And the smell? Smells like a soft delicate rose.
 Hint : Im using it right now. :)

3. Burt'sBee's Beeswax Lip Balm, $3
Try the red-capped one. It gives lips a nice sheer berry color,almost looks like you're wearing nothing.

No wonder this is LIndsay Lohan's and Scarlet Johansson's favorite lip balm to sport when they're just going out on a casual day. The ones Ive tried has mint in it and I dont know if my lips are just sensitive or what but I kinda felt tingly. Good thing it goes off after several minutes. 

4. Carmex 

Makes your lips revived.

I was in an air-conditioned room when I first tried this one. After several minutes,I noticed a slight minty feeling on my lips. I looked at the mirror and I saw my lips like I put lipgloss on. The thin skin on my lips were refreshed and renewed (kind of?). 


5. EOS 
Is it all just a hype?

Now this one,I haven't tried but from all the reviews Im hearing,most of the ladies loved it. But then I also heard that it wasn't really that great. Was it just really hyped it up? From the looks of it,I think it probably has some beeswax? Im not sure but what I like about it is the cute and unique packaging. Im gonna try this soon! 



-VV



Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Avoiding the Top 4 Everyday Makeup Mistakes

I see girls everywhere,with their best clothes on,designer handbags and skyrocketing shoes. And I see their faces as well,piled on makeup,piled on makeup and one more thing,piled on makeup. Probably the worst thing to do to your skin everyday is not letting it breathe. Here are some tips to correct some of your usual beauty mistakes.






1) Eyebrows. 
The mistake : Thick and over-lined,horribly drawn-in,cartoon-looking brows. 
The answer : When doing your eyebrows,always start at the arch. It doesn't matter whether you're doing it with a pencil,wax or powder. Focus on the arches and blend across the inner part so you wont have that noticeable line. For the finishing touches,you can choose to leave it alone or set it with a brow gel. 


*Don't have a brow gel? Spray some hairspray unto a spooly.






2) Eyes. 
The mistake : One thing I always notice with the girls with their eyeliners is that they're dramatically trying to change their eye shape. Sweety,don't do that! 
The answer : The only thing to remember is to blend the edges well and stick to your natural lash line,especially if you're going for the natural look. I find that,in my case,I looked better with brown liner. 


*Got a shaky hand? Try to find one place that you can rest your elbows and grab the eyeliner as close to the tip. This will help you give more stability and more control. 






3) Contour. 
The mistake : Using contour powder that is too dark and unblended. 
The answer : Contouring has been controversial because it should only be done when you're in a photo shoot. It only looks good in camera and when you wear contour outside,it would definitely look very much fake. The only thing you can do is apply contour powder that is matte and just a tad bit darker than your skintone. 


*Apply generously and blend well. I have seen one person trying to create a jawline by sweeping a very dark sharp foundation/contour powder through her chubby cheeks. I was so shocked I wanted to scream!




4) Blush.
The mistake : Too pink. Not properly placed on the right area. Unblended.
The answer : Take a good look at your face in front of a mirror. Is it too wide? Too narrow or too short? If you have an oval face shape,apply it to the cheeks. Narrow,from the ears to the cheekboness. Wide,cheeks to the cheekbones. Blend well and choose a shade that is right for you. You can always start with a little amount and apply more as you go if you wish. 


*Using a foundation brush that you have just used,sweep it over the edges of the blush to blend the edges. It works like magic! You can also blend the blush with your face powder by swirling it over.


Done! If you're just going to work or just out with your girlfriends,dont bother putting makeup onto the parts that dont need it especially if you're not too sure you're doing it the right way. I'll tell you nine words and do remember it the next time you're infront of your vanity. Either focus on your flaws or accentuate your assets. IT will be much easier than trying to look like somebody else. 


-VV