Makeup Tutorials

How I do my eyebrows – latest tutorial on my updated routine

November 22, 2016

I am very pleased with the way I do my eyebrows lately as I have perfected my routine. Since I have received a lot of requests from my readers to share how I do my brows, I have finally put together a tutorial.

Step 1 – Prime the brows with Anastasia Brow Primer. It is a clear wax brow primer that helps the color to glide on more easily and extends the wear time. I love it and always use it whenever I have the time.

Step 2 – Shape and fill the brows with my favorite Benefit Goof Proof brow pencil for your desired shape and thickness (I have a review on some of my favorite brow pencils in this post). Since I have very sparse and thin brows, I always draw my brows wider and thicker, and I find that this step is much easier to do if I use the primer first as in step 1.

Step 3 – Soften the head of the brows with a pencil brush using the MAC 219.

Step 4 – This is a crucial step for me. By now I have achieved the desired shape of my brows, but they look drawn-on. I like to use the BBROWBAR Brow Pen to mimic the strokes of brow hair on the areas where I filled beyond my own brows. When applying strokes, follow the natural growth direction of your hair, so they look completely blended in.

Step 5 – This step was taught by a makeup artist that is making a huge difference to the result. Apply an opaque concealer such as the Cle De Peau underneath the brows using MAC 242, and it instantly makes the brows appear more dimensional and popping out, and makes the whole look more polished and neat-looking.

Step 6 – Apply a light brow powder to the highlighted corner for a more prominent nose bridge (must do for Asians!). I am using the Tom Ford Brow Kit in Light which is perfect for nose contouring with Chikuhodo Brush Z5.

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Labels: EYEBROW • Eyebrow Pen • eyebrow pencil • TUTORIAL

Makeup Tutorial – Ombre Peach and Brown Lip Color

October 24, 2016

Hoping everyone had a good weekend. I happened to have some spare time, so I took the opportunity and made a tutorial. I have always been asked by my readers to post more tutorials on the blog, so today I wanted to share my current favorite way of wearing the brown lips. I adore the brown lip color which is trending everywhere now, but if you find that the color is too retro and grown-up for you, then I think mixing it with a soft peach color makes it more pretty and youthful.

Products Used:

MAC Naked Liner / 2. Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Salmon / 3. Kat Von D Lolita (reviewed here) / 4. Hakuhodo Lip Brush (my HG!)

Step by Step Guide

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Labels: BOBBI BROWN • HAKUHODO BRUSH • Kat Von D • MAC • TUTORIAL

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow Tisse Mademoiselle 214 Review, Tutorial and FOTD

June 26, 2014

This is a more detailed review for the new reformulated Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in Tisse Mademoiselle 214 (see this post for general review). I have been playing with this quad for several days, and I absolutely love it. It is such a unique and subtle neutral quad with complex undertones. I’d like to emphasize again that the reformulated eye shadows are extremely creamy – certainly the creamiest powder eye shadows I have ever owned and you can almost apply them with your fingers for a wash of color. For precise application it is best to use brushes that tend to pick up more pigments. All shades go on very smooth and they adhere nicely to the skin without aging the eyes, and that’s what differs a good quality high-end eye shadow to the drugstore brands.

Except for the darkest shade in the quad, the rest of the shades are very neutral and quite light so you might not like this if you are into bold colors. The shades might only serve you as a wash of color if you have medium to dark skin tone. As for me they work really well together for illuminating as well as adding some depth. As you can see from the below swatch, the colors show up differently depending on the angles. They can pull slightly muddy on yellow toned skin because of the tinge of olive undertone, so I like to prep my eye lids with foundation first.

In the below tutorial, I also included the new Chanel Stylo Yeux in Marron Glace 906 , which is a lovely shimmery dark brown color. Other products used include the Chanel Cream Blush Intonation, and Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lip Gloss in Nectar (absolutely love this one!).

EYES

CHEEKS & LIPS

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Labels: CHANEL • EYESHADOW • FOTD • TUTORIAL

Bobbi Brown Nectar and Nude Eye Palette Review, Swatch and Eye Makeup Tutorial

June 18, 2014

Bobbi Brown is the queen of neutrals, and I love her eye shadow palette if the colors are done right for me. My last palette from BB was from 2 years ago, and finally she released this Nectar and Nude Eye Palette from her recent Nudes in Bloom Collection that captured my heart again. It retails for $95 in Australia (I bought here) which is double the price than in the States, and I made sure I absolutely wanted it so I dropped by the counter 3 times to swatch the colors!

The palette contains 4 matte and 2 shimmery/sparkly eye shadows, with the latter two being the standout for me. They are very smooth to apply and blend, and complement any matte neutral shades for a multi-dimensional look. They bring the matte shades to life, and in my opinion without these two this would be quite a boring palette!
Pale Cream (new shade and matte) – exactly the same color as my skin so it doesn’t show on my skin in the swatch below. It’s excellent for using it as a base color.
Soft Buff (new shade and matte) – matte taupe with mauve undertone. It’s relatively smooth for a matte shade and easy to blend.
Golden Bronze (new shade and metalic) – shimmery pale golden bronze. It’s the most buttery soft and smooth shade out of the palette. Stunning!
Pink Bellini (new shade and sparkly) – very smooth with pink micro glitter for a fine sparkle
Earth (new shade and matte) – a true medium brown shade which would be the most used color out of this palette for me.
Rich Cavair (new shade and matte) – goes on dark chocolate brown. Not as pigmented as the other shade, and it is dry and not easy for blending.

Here is a tutorial of how I would use this palette for a natural eye makeup.

Brushes used in this tutorial include CHIKUHODO Z5; Edward Bess Luxury Eye Brush; Suqqu brush Medium, Suqqu brush F, Laura Mercier Smoky Eye Liner Brush , Laura Mercier Smudge Brush

Overall this is a classic neutral and very versatile eye palette and will be a staple in my makeup rotation. My next Bobbi Brown will definitely be this new stunning palette!

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Labels: BOBBI BROWN • BRUSHES • CHIKUHODO • EYESHADOW • Laura Mercier • SUQQU • TUTORIAL

Gradient Lips Tutorial with Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet 42 L’eclatane Spring 2013

March 20, 2013

I’ve been really liking this lip look lately – application is relatively more complex than just smearing a layer of lip color on, but the end result is simply effortless sexy with a touch of innocence. If you think the look of perfectly defined lips is too serious and grown-up, then this tutorial might help you to achieve a baby-like sexy pout which has been dominating in the Japanese and Korean beauty magazines.

The main product featured in this post is the Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet 42 L’eclatante from the Spring 2013 Collection. I actually have purchased quite a lot of products from this collection and loving them all! Since there have already been tons of reviews available on the internet, I thought I’ll share my takes on how I wear them in my tutorial/fotd posts. The color of this lipstick is absolutely to-die for – you know you are wearing a beautiful lip color when there are girls on the street stopping you and asking for the shade number! It can look quite bright if applied directly from the tubes, and I normally like to apply it with either my fingers or a lip brush to tone down the color, and finish with some lip balm/gloss otherwise it can make my lips look flakey and dry.

Tutorial with Chanel Allure Velvet L’eclatante

1. Prep the lips with exfoliation first as it helps to remove the dead skin, moisturize, and improve blood circulation to make the lips appear more plumped.

2. Conceal the lip lines using a concealer – the key is to completely blur out the lip lines.

3. Use a very pale pink lip pencil (or a lipstick), go over the lip lines that was concealed in the previous step, all the way towards the middle of the lips.

4. Use a bright pink lipstick (about 3-4 shades brighter than the lip pencil), apply the color from the centre of lips outward but do not go over the lip lines. The key is to use your finger or a lip brush to blend out the harsh edge for a gradient effect.

5. Apply a sheer pink lip gloss over the lips with more at the center.

Finished look with the beautiful Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet 42 L’eclatante

Before and After

Products Used:

1. Sarah Happ Lip Scrub in Blood Orange Flavour – my HG lip exfoliator

2. Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage with Becca Concealer Brush

3. Sportsgirl Lip Pencil

4. Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet 42 L’eclatante (LE) from the 2013 Spring Collection

5. Lancome Juicy Tubes in Marshmallow with Becca Lip Brush

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Labels: CHANEL • LIPGLOSS • LIPSTICK • TUTORIAL

Contouring Tutorial for Asians

December 12, 2012

I find contouring is particularly challenging for everyday makeup. I have tried different ways of contouring my face over the years, and I have finally figured out a way that enhances my typical Asian bone structure. The reason I said that is because if you are an Asian like me – you would probably realize by now that there are a lot of makeup tricks that work on other races but do not work on Asians/Orientals. That’s because our bone structure, facial features and skin tone are completely different to that of Caucasians, so one solution does not fit all..

To make contouring work, you really need to study your face and this exercise is more important than the amount of tutorials you watch/read. I have made a few generalization of standard Asian features which might apply to some of you.

Cheekbones: Asians generally have a bigger, flatter and wider face (sad but true…) Contouring cheekbones is never a mainstream makeup application as the highest point of our cheekbones is already over the nose bridge. Hands up how many times you have given up a pair of sunnies because it is sitting on your cheekbones rather than on your nose bridge?! Whereas for the Caucasians it is the other way around. The placement of our cheekbone is slightly different too. They are normally more prominent (slightly protruding) on the side of the face (below the temple areas), whereas Caucasians’ cheekbones are more prominent to the front.

Jaw: The gold standard of Asian beauty is that we don’t want chiseled jaws. We want a v-shaped face!

Nose: Kindergarten knowledge! Asian noses are much flatter, lacking of a prominent nose bridge, with a rounder or wider nose tip.

So based on the above ‘general Asian features’, I have put together this contouring tutorial.

STEP 1:

Cheekbones: Apply the contouring product starting from the hollow of the cheekbones all the way up to the temples. More product is applied on the side of the cheekbone for a slimmer face effect.

Nose: Apply the contouring product starting from where your eyebrow begins to fake a v-shape for the nose bridge. Bring it all the way down to the bottom of the nose for a more refined nose tip. I also applied a bit of product along the nostrils for a slimmer nose effect.

Jaws: Apply the contouring product starting from the side of your chin up to the cheekbone. More product is applied to the side of the jaws.

STEP 2:

Blend, blend and blend. I find that a good blending brush really makes a big difference to the result. Start light-handed, and do not apply too much contouring product in the first place. Start blending within a small area then blend the residual product outward – that way it gives a natural looking gradient of shading.

STEP 3:

How much to blend is really your personal perference. I wish my face was that small (see pic)! I just blend the contouring shade to cover the areas covered under my hands.

Final Result:

Added cream blush to the apple of the cheeks

BEFORE AND AFTER

Left: With foundation only – my face is looking flat without contouring and highlighting applied.

Right: Final look.

Products Used: Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate Intensity One, with Giorgio Armani Blender brush. Reviews coming soon!

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Labels: Giorgio Armani • Tom Ford • TUTORIAL

Cat Eyeliner Flick Tutorial

May 14, 2012

Every girl who wears makeup would have a signature look that they tend to wear on a frequent basis. As for me I always like to wear a thin black eyeliner with a little flick (as you can see in all of my FOTDs). I have often been asked about how I do the eyeliner flick. It is not rocket science, and any girl who has the right makeup tool can do it, but the key is to make the flick work with your eye shape. Just because a feline eyeliner look is sultry on a celebrity/model, it doesn’t guarantee that it will do justice to everyone’s eyes or your facial features. So my answer to all of them was to practice and practice to work out the best shape.

I have been wearing this look for years, and I have put together some tips in this tutorial for you. To begin with, I have already drawn a line along my upper lash but without the flick.

Step 1: Define the angle of the flick

Here is a trick to define the angle of the flick – if you are like me who likes to fill out the outer third of my lower lash line, then look straight into the mirror and draw the line starting from the lower lash line first. Now extend it pass the end of your eyes following its natural curve, and stop at your desired length (see picture 1). Alternatively you can put a pen/brush from the side of your nose to the end of your eye brow and draw the flick (see picture 2). This is the most important step, and as said the angle of the flick has to complement the shape of your eyes. If your eyes are slanted, your might want to bring the angle down. On the other hand, if your eyes are droopy, you can bring the angle more upward.

Step 2: Draw the Flick

The rest is all relatively easy. Now that I have ‘marked’ the flick, I can just fill it out with a liquid eye liner and make sure it joins the top liner . Very gently pull up your eyelid so it helps to draw the line straighter and more smoothly.

Step 3: Improving the Shape of the Flick

The final step is to adjust the shape and the thickness of the flick to make it look nicer and sharper.

Before And After

This is the size of the flick I would normally do on a daily basis. In my FOTDs I normally wear it slightly more dramatic.

I personally prefer to use a liquid eye liner as it gives me better control to draw the line. Hope you found this tutorial helpful!

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Labels: TUTORIAL

How to do Eyebrows, K Palette Real Lasting Brow Liquid Pen Review

February 26, 2012

There are many posts requested by my readers that I have yet to do… so this week I am starting with how to do eyebrows. And in the meantime I might as well give a quick review on my holy grail eyebrow product – K Palette Real Lasting EyeBrows Liquid Pen which I have raved about in many of my previous posts.

I don’t mind going out with no makeup, but I would never leave the house without having my eyebrows done! I really dislike the natural shape of my eyebrow – it’s quite thin and too arched for my liking. People always say to only fill out the lower part of your eyebrow, and always follow the natural shape. Lol I am against that, and it took me years to figure out a shape that flatters the shape of my face. I have an oval face shape, and I like my eyebrows to be thick and straight (rather than thin and arched) as it creates a more approachable and youthful look. Then again it all comes down to your personal preference, and I know that many women want lifted and arched eyebrows to look more glamorous even to the extent of having Botox or eye lift surgery.

Products I am using:

K Palette Real Lasting EyeBrow Liquid Pen

Laura Mercier Brow Powder Duo in Soft Blonde: a nice ashy brown color that goes well with my complexion and hair color.

MAC Brow Set in Girl Boy

K Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow Liquid Pen Review:

Strictly speaking this is not an eyebrow product that I would use alone. It is a liquid based brow pen that I use as a base product to extend the wear time. Because I like to make my eye brows much thicker than it is, most products I used (trust me I have used a lot!) fade within hours. The K Palette liquid eyebrow pen is the only reliable product that lasts through the whole day (it truly lasts 24 hours as it claims). I am using the color light brown, and as you can see in my tutorial pictures, the color is very natural for my coloring and goes well with the rest of the products. It is also quite similar to Suqqu liquid eyebrow pen, if you don’t have the budget for Suqqu this is a great alternative! It retails for around USD$13-$15.

Tools I am using:

Stila Brush 10, MAC 219, MAC 224

My Eyebrow Tutorial

a picture of my natural eyebrow before I begin:

Step 1: I apply the K Palette eyebrow pen in short strokes to fill out the head of the brow (upper corner) and the middle area under the arch to create a more straight and thicker shape.

Step 2: Using the Stila Brush 10, gently dip it into the darker shade of Laura Mercier’s palette, then shade the natural eyebrow and also go over the same area created in step 1. I prefer to use eyebrow powder for a more natural look, but if I run out of time I would use a brow pencil for this step.

Step 3: An important step is to use a stiff blending brush – I am using the Mac 210 pencil brush. Gently dip it into the light shade of Laura Mercier’s palette, and smudge it over the head of the brow to blend the color out and soften the edge, otherwise it will look too harsh.

Step 4: By step 3 my natural brow hair still looks slightly darker than the extended area I applied. So I would use the MAC Brow Set to make my eyebrow monotone. When applying a tinted brow gel, remember to apply it against the natural direction that your hair grows then comb through for the most natural look.

Step 5: No, I am not finished yet! If you are Asian, this step 5 will be very beneficial. I like to use a soft blending brush such as the MAC 224, very gently dip it into the light shade of Laura Mercier’s palette, then blend it from the head of your eyebrow to the inner eye socket to create a “fake shadow”, that way it will make your nose bridge more prominent, and your eyes more deep set.

Viola, all done! My self-invented eyebrow routine to fake thicker eye brows which is the makeup look that’s been dominating on the runways for the last few years. I don’t follow trends blindly, I am doing this simply because it is the most flattering brow shape for my oval face.