TUTORIAL

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

Makeup Talk – How I retouch my makeup during the day

March 16, 2016

Sharing some of makeup retouch tips in this post. I wear makeup to work everyday, and I usually touch up my makeup midday just to make it look more fresh and energized. I don’t want to spend too much time doing my makeup in the office so I have hand selected a handful of essential items that refresh the makeup within minutes. As always, the main goal is to make the complexion appear more radiant and flawless without looking cakey.

Prep:

Since there is already makeup on the face, my must-have product is to apply a few spritz of MAC Prep and Prime Fix+ Finishing Mist before I put anything else on, then gently pad the skin dry with a tissue paper. It is better than oil blotting paper, as it helps to remove the surface oil, freshens up and hydrates your complexion, and takes away any existing powder on your skin so you don’t look cakey following more products.

Complexion:

For the complexion, my preferences have always been either powder foundations or cushion foundations for adding a bit more coverage throughout the day. Depending on your skin condition and the work environment, powder foundation is great for mattify-ing and gives a tad more coverage. I normally gravitate towards powder foundation if I go to the gym during lunchtime and my foundation is pretty much gone after a sweaty session. Other days I prefer to use the Sulwhasoo cushion foundation (reviewed here), it is like a foundation and radiant booster in one product that is perfect for creating a moist and dewy finish with a touch of sheer coverage. It takes less than a minute with no blending required for retouch, and it instantly makes your complexion appear fresh and more plumped. My go-to pick-me-up product!

Eyes:

If you have any smudges around the eyes, you don’t need to carry a bottle of eye makeup remover. My tip is to always bring a little skincare sample (preferably eye cream), and dab a little on a cotton tip and this will erase any stubborn eye makeup smudges. I don’t normally touch the eye makeup, other than using a nude Charlotte Tilbury pencil in Eye Cheat to line the lower rim if I look very tired. A shimmery neutral eye shadow pencil such as the Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow is also great for emergency, as it is convenient to use with no brushes required. Sometimes I like to dab a little to the center and along the lower lash for a wash of color.

Colors:

The golden rule is to always use powder blush on top of powder foundation, and cream blush on top of cream/cushion foundation. At the moment I have got this Becca Tint Shimmer Souffle (reviewed here) in my makeup bag, as the formula works well with the moist finish from the cushion foundation. Also really love this pale baby pink and it’s fairly easy and quick to apply with fingers. As for the lips, I have an array of lip colors in my bag. Showing in the picture is the super cute Mini Tom Ford Lip and Boy colors (reviewed here).

Highlight/Contour:

Last but not least, I like to use the KATE 3D Highlight and Deep Shadow Stick for a quick highlight and contour touch up. It is a pen highlighter on one end (ivory color with soft shimmer) and shading on the other (light matte sandy beige brown color) that is great for carrying out. The colors are really subtle so they are fool proof for application on the go. It is a creamy powder formula, and the sponge applicator helps to even out the color nicely.

If highlight and contour is not your forte, then a liquid illuminating concealer pen is a great option for brighten up the T-Zone, and the under eyes area. Loving the Chantecaille Anti-Fatigue Corrector Pen (reviewed here) as it is packed with their famous hyaluronic acid, so it works really well on dry skin.

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Labels: My Favorites • 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

Suqqu Blend Color Eye Shadow Palette EX11 SUMIREDAMA Review and Tutorial

April 16, 2013

A very belated post on the review and tutorial of Suqqu Blend Color Eye Shadow Palette EX11 SUMIREDAMA 董珠 from the Spring 2013 collection. If you have seen this post, you would know I bought two palettes from the Spring 2013 collection. EX11 SUMIREDAMA leans slightly cooler with a main undertone of taupe which is right up most neutral lover’s alley. I cannot rave enough about this collection, particularly the eyeshadow palettes which are still very “Suqqu” – impeccably designed, neutral and classic with an interesting twist of duochrome colors.

A picture of the case deserves the spot light in this post today. Suqqu has gone back to their original white packaging, but better. The sturdy frosted white case looks so elegnant at every angle, like the eyeshadow itself.

As you can see in the pic, the mushroomy taupe color (top right) and the silvery green/navy/purple color (bottom left) have a duochrome effect. All four shades are highly pigmented and appear very shimmery from the pan, and when applied they have a beautiful pearlescent finish (not metallic and glittery) and blend beautifully into each other. The silky, buttery and moist textures of them are absolutley divine. Unlike other eye shadows, I never get fallout with Suqqu.

Swatches:

Tutorial

Apply A all over the eye socket area, then apply B on the outer v.

Apply D along the upper lash line, the thickness should be slightly over the crease so you can still see 0.5 cm of it when the eye is open. Apply C on the inner corner to highlight.

Along the lower lash line, apply C on the inner 2/3 and D on the outer 1/3.

Add a pair of very natural falsies to create some depth to the eyes. I am using DUP which is about the same length as my naturla eye lashes.

Fill out the white gaps between the lashes using a liquid eye liner. Then apply mascara to the lower lashes to make the eyes more open.

Finished Eye Look

Overall Look:

Other Products Used:

Suqqu Cream Foundation (reviewed here)

YSL Touche Eclat

Stila Convertible Color Petunia

Suqqu Creamy Glow Moist 04

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Labels: EYESHADOW • FOTD • 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.