The Green Stuff
I'm not really a superstitious person, but if you hail from a Filipino family you can't help it if a little of the rituals and 'omens' rub off on you. So when my palms were super itchy last week, it came as no surpise to me when the president of my company announced that our paycuts were being reversed.
You see, Itchy palms = Influx of mula in Filipino Superstition Land. Now, just because I'm getting my money back doesn't mean that I'm on a one-way track to Splurge City. In the 6 months the paycut has been in effect, I learned a thing or two about saving, and those are lessons I won't soon forget. So in honor of the green stuff, I did a few looks (one on me, one on my lil sis) with green shadows and liners.
I used Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes in Bronze Green 5L, the green color in the Too Faced Glamour to Go 2 palette and a SUPER old limited edition turquoise shadow from MAC....can't tell what the name is anymore, but even the little case it comes in is turquoise.
Labels: MAC, Make Up For Ever, Too Faced
Lyrics and Lipgloss: Gwen Stefani
I'm gonna have to do it to it. She's just TOO freakin cool:
Labels: Lyrics and Lipgloss
No Pharcyde for Us
This is a weird angle, but I liked how it showed the wispiness of these lashes.
Though we didn't actually get the chance to see Pharcyde at Yoshi's SF (show was sold out when we got there), I had a great time dining out with friends who were ALL smart enough to get advance tickets. The BF and I were the only shmucks who had to leave at show time. Still, the food was great (the Spicy Geisha roll was actually kinda CRUCIAL) and it's always nice to get a lil dolled up for a change in scenery when there's finally a break in the rain.
And by dolled up, I mean more fun with smoky eyes! I busted out only the grey shades in the
Korres kit this time. And lined my bottom waterline with loads of
Aqua Eyes. I also used my Blinking Cool MAC lashes, and pushed them down for a sleepy/dreamy effect. These lashes are great, but beware the bright camera flash - it washes them out completely, as evidenced in the pic below. I love them for their natural, fluttery effect but would go for thicker lashes at a photo-heavy event.
Labels: Korres, Make Up For Ever
Lyrics & Lipgloss: Nicole Scherzinger - need LOTS of shadow for this look!
So here's what I came up with in an attempt to rock it out like Miss Scherzinger. I have five eyeshadows piled on my lids (the four Korres shadows I posted
here, plus my Too Faced creme shadow in Bedroom Eyes). Inspired by the name of my creme shadow, I took to my bedroom and stiffled laughs as the camera snapped away.
I also used Vincent Longo's bronze Hydro Stick to define my cheeks/jawline and patted on MAC Siss lipstick to pay homage to this look:
My shadow is more purpl-y (there I go again), but I quite like how it turned out. Am way more comfortable in purple shades than in heavy grey or black shades.
Labels: Korres, MAC, Too Faced, Vincent Longo
Lyrics & Lipgloss: Nicole Scherzinger
I'm a little gay for the Queen of the Pussycat Dolls, so I had to include her in my string of challenges. Given the fact that miss thaaang weighs about 50 pounds and I weigh ... more than that ... this is gonna take some major contour work. I just love her take on the smoky eye and nude lip, though.
I'm entrusting the success of this challenge to Korres. Right now, they have an awesome
Smoky Eyes Collection on sale at Sephora. This kit is seriously ridic. It includes the four shadows snapped below + a liner + a mascara + a nude lipgloss AND a step-by-step guide on how to achieve the look. All for under 40 bucks. I'm gay AND straight for you, Korres.
The shadow colors are great: plum, dark shimmering grey, grey brown and white. Just lovely. Let's see what damage we can do with them.
Labels: Korres
Cat Eyes and Sleepy Dogs
It's supposed to rain all week, and because the rain disorients me, I've planned out my to-do list to get me to Friday without any distractions. This week, I'm committed to: napping/cuddling with the puppy, rediscovering old CD's and watching as many movies my eyes can take. I got a jump-start on the movie thing on Sunday - inhaled Yes Man, I Love You Man and the Hangover in one glorious sitting. Then I ransacked our CD collection to get my playlists updated while my two lazies languished on the couch:
The rain also means that I have an excuse to stay in and play around with the LORAC liquid liner I scored last week. It's true what they say -- this thing is super pigmented, it draws a rich, black line, which I love. And the tube itself is nearly as thin as a pencil liner, so it's easy to handle. But either I'm attempting to use the stuff while I'm sky-high on caffeine (which is OFTEN throughout any given day) so my hands are shaking uncontrollably or I just have really unsteady hands. Either way, I feel like I can't get my line quite 'right.' Think it'll just take some practice though. One of the cool things about this product is you can pile it on top of a pencil liner for rimmed eyes that really pop. That's what I did to create this cat eye -
Or, because the tip is so fine, you can create a super natural line, like so:
I think this item will quickly become my best friend as we head into fake lash season ...
LORAC Attack
A week ago, I was tipped off to a major sale happening on
LORACCosmetics.com. I spent about $40 for four items, ridiculous shipping charge included. And my package came in today!!!
Because it felt like fate, (I had been lamenting the discontinuation of LORAC's Lip Polishes just a few days before my purchase) I scooped up 2 bottles of my favorite lip polish color, Bliss. A nudy-silvery-shimmery beauty. I also bought 2 tubes of their Front of the Line liquid liner. I have a bad habit of buying makeup in multiples for fear of discontinuation and/or in celebration of makeup that's actually on sale (this never really happens on the good stuff!).
Anyways, gimme a Bliss kiss:
I've never used LORAC's liquid liner before, but am looking forward to giving it a go. Reviews say it's more pigmented and easy to apply than most. We shall see about that!
On another note, the Bay Area is positively fogged-out at the moment. Here's the boyfriend & Coit Tower shrouded in it....
Labels: LORAC
Holidayin' with the Homies
Every year, my oldest friends (as in, the ones I've known the longest) and I get together for a post-Holiday-Holiday celebration. We plan this smugly knowing that a) everyone will FINALLY have some free time and no party obligations b) after-Christmas sales are OFF THE HOOK and c) caterers will be free as a bird.
Thus, we celebrate with food galore. (Note: this was taken after we had already tore through half of it. Plus I stupidly neglected to take a picture of our dessert table, which was heaped with red velvet, vanilla bean and chocolate mini cupcakes AND Boston Creme pies )
We hold a White Elephant gift battle ... err.. exchange. This year, we randomly played a gamblin' game called Left Center Right. It was so much fun stealing each others cash that this will probably become a tradition.
And of course, I don a FIERCE face. That would be
Too Faced's Label Whore on the lids and that red Tarte gloss from
this post on my lips. Label Whore is cool because it's two colors in one. Under a camera flash, it's mostly a shimmery maroon while the heavier-applied portion imparts a turquoise-black sheen. It's pretty baddass. And pretty enough for a celebration with my oldies but goodies :)
Labels: Tarte, Too Faced
Ode to the Truth
For about a month now, I've been using
Ole Henriksen's Truth Serum, and I'm seeing fantastical results. At first the consistency was strange to me -- felt like I was putting a glop of oil on my face, but after perfecting the amount that I actually need to use (just one pump for me, please) I've found that the serum is absorbed very quickly and it immediately gives way to a smoother, more even-toned, pore-less-looking face.
Also, I don't HAVE to plug it into the every day, AM/PM rigmarole. But when I do use it on a regular basis, I'm glowing like it's my job. I'm feeling more & more confident leaving the house with (gasp!) NO MAKE UP ON. That's the truth sisters, sans le maquillage. Needless to say, this wonder has worked its way into my facial arsenal:
I like it so much that I've actually started preaching its praises to my friends. One of my bravest ones came over on the weekend and I armed her with a 4 day supply. Here's her before shot -- she's going to send me an after one as soon as she's through with it. She has great skin, her only complaint about it is the size of her pores and a few random and inexplicable bumps (a common complaint of my own). And though these things aren't too visible in this shot here, I'll still give you the low-down on her experience with The Truth.
Labels: Ole Henriksen
By the way ...
I think the reason I've been obsessed with purple things lately (purple eyeliner, purple nail polish ...) is because I MISS PRINCE. Where is he? Why hasn't he given his fanclub any love lately? When is he coming back to the Bay Area?! These are the questions that keep me up at night. Perhaps in sharing this cool image (gifted to me by a friend who appreciates and feeds my obsession) I can will the KING OF ALL THINGS FUNKY to come out and play ....
Lyrics & Lipgloss: Alicia Keys, Done!
Using a little bit of Too Faced, MAC and LORAC, I gave
Alicia's look a go. I've got Too Faced on my eyes and MAC/LORAC on me lips!
In my book, the liner was the real star of Alicia's look, so that's what I tried first. My eye liner ended up looking more like shadow since my eyes aren't deep set, but I still liked the outcome. I mixed the purple and the black in the Too Faced "Word Domination Tour" set, and I think the color I came up with is quirky cool.
Below are the Tools of the Trade - Too Faced World Domination box set, MAC lipstick in California Dreamin and LORAC Couture Shine in Haute. Couldn't resist a self-portrait opp via the tiny mirror :)
What do you think?
Labels: LORAC, Lyrics and Lipgloss, MAC, Too Faced
New Year Nails
Happy 2010 ya'll! Alas, I haven't had any success with my lyrics and lipgloss Alicia Keys challenge (YET) but let me entertain you with my polish of choice for the New Year -
Rimmel's 60 Seconds Nail Color in Night Before. It's just about the naughtiest shade of purple out there. I sported it with my favorite serpent ring, and that's actually my sister's face. She did her makeup WICKED that night!
My toes came to play, too.
We partied in downtown Walnut Creek (NO LIE!) and consequently were the rowdiest in the club. We even befriended a random couple and started our own countdown when we realized the CLUB FAILED TO DO ONE. Everyone ended up joining in, so it turned out being the perfect way to ring in the new year. Just for the hell of it, my New Year's resolutions are to: spend & procrastinate less, cook & drive more. Bring it on, 2010! I'm READY!
Labels: Rimmel
