I never get tan!

Tanning issues : 

This is just a random snippet of my life that I feel I have to talk about.

Somehow, I never get tan, ever. When I spend too much time under the sun, I’ll just end up looking like a lobster before returning back to my normal skin color.

And when I say I end up looking like a lobster, I look as though I’ve put on too much blush to my cheeks and all the way to the bridge of my nose.

I’va always wanted to be tan as I feel that it gives a nice glow, that makes you seem all so healthy and sporty. The one and only time when I got tanned was during my trip to Bali in June 2013.

I was at the beach all day with a minimal amount of sunscreen and at the end of the day, there was an obvious line. Actually, I was at my lobster peak, but when it started to fade, I managed to get tan lines! (whoop whoop, cheer for me)

I know that it isn’t really good not to use sunscreen because it can lead to skin cancer, melanoma, and the list goes on. But sometimes, I fancy the lobster look as it makes me seem as though I’ve spent a lot of time under the sun and ya know, I’m pretty active.

I should really use a cooling gel to reduce the nasty effects of sunburnt skin and can I say, I’m proud that I’ve bought an aloe vera gel, just waiting for it to arrive!

Snacking issues : 

I eat way too much for my own good. I finished my Country Gold Chocolate Chip Biscuits in 3 days and I’m close to finishing my Cadbury Milk Chocolate Bar. Oh, time for me to step on those treadmills… (Though I have to confess, I’m reaching for the Country Gold Anzac Biscuits.)

Butter fingers! 

I managed to drop my phone 3 times today. 2 times while stepping out of the car and the other when I placed it on a chair. I’m really not looking forward to the day where my screen cracks, I’ll be heartbroken.

I’m really hoping the mechanism in the phone wouldn’t break down due to the excessive impacts.

OH WELL! Those are just some stuff I had to get off my chest and there you go. Enjoy your day!

Lay your foundation.

Today’s back-to-basics post would be your foundation! (If that wasn’t obvious enough already)

Having a flawless canvas is really important for makeup because it allows other parts of the face to be in the “catch point” instead of the pesky pimple on your chin or anywhere else.

Choosing them :

Go foundation shopping during day time! During the night, artificial lights would be used and that’s when the color starts getting off because they do funny things to your eyes!

 

^Something like that? No.

Choose a foundation that matches the color of your neck because sometimes the color of your face is different compared to your neck and it’s a little odd to see you wearing a mask.

 

Try to choose a foundation with a bare face, so that you’ll find the perfect color.

If you feel uncomfortable doing that, testing a foundation out on the inside of your forearm is almost as good because that’s the place where the color is most similar to your face!

The color of your undertone is really important as well, here’s a video that will explain everything to you!

Application tips :

Never apply concealer / foundation to unmoisturized skin. Those products are made of chemicals that isn’t the best for your skin so you would want to make sure it’s hydrated and kept “safe”.

 

You’ll want youthful, clear skin!

Leave the moisturizer on for about 10 minutes before putting on makeup as this will prevent your makeup from wearing off more easily.

Never apply foundation / concealer while looking into a magnifying mirror. You’ll be able to see all imperfections and be tempted to slap on a whole lot of product, which might settle into fine lines and that won’t make you look good. 

 

Synthetic foundation brushes can make application quicker.

 

Here’s an e.l.f foundation brush, and I’m always amused by them because they remind me of paint brushes that I used for painting. I prefer their studio line though, the quality seems to be better.

Concealer :

Use concealer over your foundation as the concealer might move around to other parts of the face while you’re applying foundation.

Use your ring finger while blending out the concealer as it gives a light touch and leaves a natural finish.

Your concealer for blemishes might not be suitable to be a concealer for your under eye areas. It’s recommended to use a corrector for your under eyes to remove the discoloration.

Benefit’s Erase Paste has been highly raved and Benefit cosmetics is a fabulous brand, so I believe it’s amazing!

 

The Bobbi Brown corrector is another famous product!

 

 

Alright! This marks the end of my “base” episode of the back-to-basics series! I hope you’ve learnt something from this post and here’s to flawless, young, healthy and clear skin!

 

 

 

Bondi Rescue

I’m definitely sure I’m not the only one that’s obsessed with the lifeguards on the show.

I really have a fancy for Maxi and that Blonde guy with a brunette mustache.

I really want to visit there soon and (though it isn’t a good thing) be rescued by a lifeguard. I’ll definitely take a picture with everyone of them, sweet!

Kerr and Maxi together – adorable.

I get so excited when I watch Bondi Rescue on TV. Ooh, joy! Oh and can I state how proud I am that I’m followed by the Bondi Lifeguard’s Instagram.

They’re all so sporty and hunky, it turns me on. Okay, too much information there.

Watch an episode! You’ll get hooked. A great platform to learn the Australian slang and accent, for me anyway!

P.S : these photos aren’t mine and no copyright intended!

Pucker up!

Alright ladies! Today’s back to basics post would be about your lips!

Aren’t those some dreamy lips?

How to make your lipstick last longer :

Use a lip liner! Yes, surprisingly, since I’m not a big fan of them. They act a little like a lip primer, or glue, as the lipstick will adhere to the liner.

What you should do is to use short, light feathery strokes to outline your lips then fill them in. If you don’t fill them in, and the lipstick gets “eaten” off, it’ll leave that distinct line which isn’t very pretty. Fill the lips in like how you’d color a picture in a coloring book!

For bigger lips – draw inside the natural lip line, just right inside! Leaving a gap makes you seem a little foolish.

For smaller lips – draw right on the outer edge of your lip line!

u
NYX does some pretty great lip liners, along with MAC.

When shopping for a lip liner, choose a color that’s closest to your natural lip color. Tip : the pads of your fingertips is the part that has the closest color to your lips! But since there are so many shades available, go for what you like!

Go natural!

Honestly, lipsticks made out of more natural ingredients are always the best because we’re always eating them. Licking our lips and stuff like that, we’re ingesting our own lipsticks and it isn’t ideal for it to be made out of a mixture of chemicals.

Origins, Aveda, Jurlique and Dr. Jart are some brands that use natural ingredients (majority) for their lipsticks and other cosmetic products.

However, the shade choices for the natural lipsticks are much lesser as there are fewer natural pigments.

Plumpin’ action

Add a little bit of shimmer lipstick / lip gloss to the centre of your bottom lip and smack yo ISP together! This creates an illusion of plumpness as more light will reflect. Use a white pencil (or silver, or gold) to the cupid’s bow to let your upper lip stand out more.

Red lipstick:

There is a red lipstick for everyone! Maybe you want to look like Taylor Swift, or stand out in the crowd, here are some tips.

Warmer complexions go well with reds that have yellow or orange in them and fair skins look better in blue reds.

To avoid red teeth (where the lipstick smudges onto the lips), do a duck face and stick your index finger in your mouth and pull it out. This will remove any excess that could’ve ended up on your teeth!

Fruity colors make the teeth seem whiter and brighter (eg watermelon, berry) whereas colors that are brown based and too bright of an orange would make the teeth seem yellow, ugly!

Alright, that wraps up the lips edition of the back-to-basics series. Hope you’ve enjoyed this post and stay tuned for more!

work those smEYES

Today, we’re going back to basics! It’s for all those who are just starting out with makeup or want to go back to basics again, so sit back and enjoy.

{ SHADOW ACTION }

Neutral shades are amazing for those who want to save time because they’re easy to blend and would seem much more natural. If you’re going out in the evening and you want something that stands out more, opt for a shade that contrasts with the shade of your iris.

Brown eyes : turquoise blues, slate blues and navy blues are great.

Blondies : they look great with brown to taupe colors.

Green eyes : mauves, burgundy and lilacs will make the eyes stand out!

Tip : The skin on the insides of your wrist has a color that’s closest to that of your eyelid, so when you go eyeshadow shopping you know where to test it on!

To make your eyes seem further apart : emphasize the eyeshadow on the outer corner of the eye. This gives the Bambi-like look.

Also apply concealer (a shade lighter than your skin) on the inner corners of  your lids.

Make sure you tap the brush against a hard surface after dipping it into eyeshadow to remove any excess to ensure that there isn’t any fall-outs.

Applying a light colored (white / bone) eyeshadow on the middle of the browbone will open up the eyes. Do make sure that there are no hairs there or else… It won’t be a pretty sight.

{ LINING }

To line your eyes, pencil formulations are the easiest to apply. However you risk getting it smudged, so layer the eyeliner with a shadow of the same shade. Use a damp eyeliner brush and get some eyeshadow on it before drawing on the line.

Get your eyeliner as close to the lash line as possible as this gives the illusion of lash length.

 

 

{ MASCARA }

If your lashes get clumpy are application, it’ll be a good idea to use a lash comb. Or, you can use a mascara brush to separate the lashes. This can be done when you’ve finished one tube of mascara – wash it clean and use it as a lash comb! Do make sure to wash it after each use.

 

To reduce clumping, clean the brush with a tissue paper once you’ve dipped it into the mascara tube. This will remove any excess and cause less clumps. Don’t worry about wasting because it’s sacrifice. And you know what they say about sacrifice – giving up something good for something better!

Remember to curl your lashes because they’ll open your eyes more!

Also, do the wiggling action with the brush at the base of your lashes and it’ll make your lashes seem longer.

{ EYEBROWS }

Now, you’ve heard everyone say how brows complete a look and how important it is to do them before heading out. Well, eyebrows that are taken care of makes the face appear well groomed.

Plucking :
1) Find the starting point of your brows! Place your tweezers parallel to the inner corner of your eyes and that’s the point where your eyebrows should start.

2) Find your end! Place your eyebrow pencil at the outer corner of the eye (where it ends) and the nostril, align them nicely in a diagonal line and the area which the pencil touches your eyebrow is the part where it should end.

 

3) Find your arch! Your arch should be along the same line as the outer part of your iris.

 

Do not overpluck them! A person without eyebrows don’t exactly look the best. If you’re unhappy with how they look, wait for 6-8 weeks before plucking again.

You should pluck your brows after a shower because the skin is supple and will make the brows come off less painful. Make sure you can see both your brows when you pluck, so you know when to stop.

Do not use a magnified mirror as you’ll be tempted to pluck everything off!

When filling the brows, powder gives a more natural finish. MAC makes amazing shades for brows! If your hair color is light, choose a powder that’s a shade darker for your brows and if your hair is dark, go a shade lighter.

 

Alright, that’s all I have for you. Those are some tips for you to make your eye area appear better and I hope you’ve enjoyed this post! Now get out and work those smeyes, stay tuned for more basics!

EXCITED!

I was on instagram today and I saw that Urban Decay is coming out with Naked 3. 

I’m so excited! The colors are amazing and I love how it’s rose-hued. It’s the kind of palette that should be in every makeup bag as it’s suitable for a day to night transformation.

Gorgeous! It’s definitely getting in my Christmas wishlist. Or even for my birthday.

Demi Lovato Inspired Makeup.

I absolutely love her look in the Made in the USA music video. She looks like she’s glowing from the inside, and gives off that healthy, vibrant and sporty feel. There’s a look that just makes her look so approachable and fresh, great for an everyday use! Note : this makeup look will do better if you’re tanned!

Also, the music video’s so touching – shows the difficulties a couple faces when one’s off to war.

Look at that gorgeous girl!

{ FOUNDATION }

She seems like she has perfect skin. Not exactly matte because it can come off as cakey, neither is it dewy because there’s a glow in the right places. So the best option would be a BB cream as it has medium coverage but leaves the skin looking young and healthy!

Tarte BB Tinted Treatment  works as a nice light foundation with many skincare benefits! I chose a high-end BB cream just because there isn’t many drugstore BB creams that are good.

If there are blemishes / dark circles that need to be hidden, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer  is the one I’ll choose because it’s just simply fabulous.

Tip : if you have discolored dark circles (duh) it’s good to use a corrector because the concealer would make it seem more prominent whereas the corrector would make it a nice base for concealer.

Benefit’s Erase Paste and the Bobbi Brown Corrector  has been highly raved about!

{ BROWS }

Demi has perfect eyebrows.

 

They’re full and nicely arched, so all of us has to fill them in to achieve this look!

e.l.f Studio Eyebrow Kit is an amazing product for the price you’re paying. It comes with a wax and powder which can be used to set the wax. I feel that this can give a better eyebrow look rather than a pencil because it’s faster and can stay better.

 

Do be light-handed when you’re filling in the arch and towards the end of the eyebrow because they’re much thinner than the inner brows.

{ EYES }

 

She doesn’t have much eyeshadow action going on in this video, so a MAC Paint Pot in Painterly can give be nice base  for the eyelids especially if it’s discolored.

 

Then for some definition, use MAC’s Soft Brown Eyeshadow and apply it to the crease. Be sure to blend well as you don’t want to seem as though you have dirt on your eyelids.

Her lashes do pop so Maybelline The Falsies Flared suits this perfectly. You might want to line your eyes near the roots of the eyelashes to give an illusion of thicker lashes.

{ BLUSH }

She has glowing rosy cheeks that seals the whole “healthy and vibrant” look. Milani’s Baked Blush in Luminoso has been said to be a dupe for NARS’s Orgasm at a much affordable price and Orgasm is the one which I would have used for this look thus the 2 choices!

 

 

A blush with shimmer is the kind of blush we need for this look.

Tip : Be sure to tap off any excess on your brush, because not tapping is the main culprit of the clown look.

She did not do much of a bronzer, but if you’re pale and you want to make it seem as though you have spent more time in the sun than you actually did, Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sun Bronze is a great shade.

 

{ LIPS }

Her lip color is really simple in this video. Just a gloss! It’s a pretty taupe-y burgundy color and although Revlon ColorBurst Lipgloss in Rosepearl isn’t the exact same shade as what I’ve described, I feel like it’s the closest to what she’s using.

 

 

There you go! Demi’s look in the Made in the USA music video which I absolutely love. It’s simple enough to be suitable for an everyday look, yet it isn’t too “normal and mainstream”.

I feel really bad for her that she had to go through her eating disorder and have people criticize her for the weight she had gained. That is a sign that she’s better, everyone should be proud of her!

Anyways, I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and stay tuned for the next where I’m going to tell you how to make your lips seem fuller and more “in shape”!

 

November.

8 days late, but it’s alright – better late than never!

A new month again, a month closer to Christmas. I’m so full of expectations for November because October wasn’t exactly the most pleasant.

I desperately need a job to fund my shopping expeditions. (which does not happen a lot, believe me.) Just that it’s going to be Christmas and I want to feel all festive and joyous.

I need to stop spending so much on makeup, especially when I don’t use them all that often and just store them in my mini vanity area. But then again, it makes me happy, so perhaps just a few items won’t hurt.

I really hope November would be filled with more ups than downs, my holidays has just started and I’m looking forward to spending my extra time more fruitfully.

Also, stay tuned for a collective haul coming out in a few weeks! Pretty exciting stuff to me.

Have a great weekend!

Is this how it feels like to break up?

Just a couple of days ago, I received my Urban Decay Naked Flushed in the mail and the worst thing ever happened today. 

It broke. 

I was reorganizing my makeup area and wanted to remove something, next thing I knew, it all came crashing down. Somehow only my naked flushed and eos lipbalm managed to hit the floor, while the rest were caught from demise. 

I’ve tried salvaging it, but putting a few drops of alcohol in and using a tissue to cover the colors before pressing it down with a hard object. It’ll never look the same now. 

Is it normal to feel that deep sadness within me? I feel so broken and as if something’s missing in my life. Odd. 

Now, the color payoff isn’t that good. Did I do something wrong? 

Anyways, I was just feeling so upset and depressed about this, I had to blog about it. 

This calls for 2 scoops of ice-cream tonight. 

Pet Peeves!

I had no idea what to post about, until I thought of horrible things girls do to make them look “pretty” so I was inspired to do a pet peeves post. (ha! alliteration!)

[ When girls put blush all over their cheeks ]

I’m not sure if this happens a lot anywhere else in the world but I see so many girls around here that apply blush all over their cheeks. Best part? It’s the girly shade of pink, and honestly, I think they look hilarious doing that.

 

^ They look something like that but with heavy eye makeup as well. I think the model looks gorgeous because there’s a balance of each feature of the face. However girls around here feel the need to load up on eyeliner.

 

There, something like that^, just without the eyeliner under the eyes. Perhaps it’s because they have Asian eyes and feel the need to pile on eyeliner as to make it seem bigger. Along with big eyes, this brings me to another point.

[ Colored contact lenses ]

I never quite understood why anyone would use colored contact lenses. Won’t it feel uncomfortable on the eyes? Plus, it’s pretty dangerous if the contact lenses are from a company that isn’t reputable. I wouldn’t quite want to risk my eyes getting hurt.

 

(I’m not using those photos as a form of criticism)

If you’re participating in cosplay or anything along those lines, I understand, use it all you want. But if it’s for vanity purposes, it’s a little odd to me. Face it asians, we don’t have blue eyes or green eyes for that matter. Purple? Out of the question. So why are you trying so hard to look like something you’ll never be. Strange. But then again, it’s my own opinion.

[ Too much makeup ]

This has to be one of my biggest pet peeves. Why does anyone want to put that much makeup until you look like a completely different person when the makeup’s off? False lashes, huge eyebrows, a new layer of skin… Just imagine how much it’ll shock everyone when you take your makeup off. Is that how you’ll go on a date?

 

Maybe it’s insecurities knocking on the door, that’s why?

[ Fake girls ]

(i) When girls try too hard to be cool. Penny boards?

 

They’re meant to be rode on (that’s what she said!) and it’s the weirdest sight when girls carry their penny board, walking down the street. See the irony there? Maybe they want to seem all grungy and swaggy. Gross.

(ii) When girls take a picture of themselves and have a caption totally unrelated to them. What the hell?

(iii) “Why can’t I get a real man?” Then you look at them – fake tan, fake boobs, fake hair, a ton of makeup, fake nails, little clothes. Seriously, real men go for women that are elegant and classy, not trashy. Fake tans are so weird.

 

Trailer park worthy!

(iv) When girls dress up so much and walk down the streets thinking that they’re so hot to trot. Bralet, high waisted shorts, platforms, handbags etc. They think that they look so good and every guy in the world is into them. Uhh, no.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MY ULTIMATE PET PEEVE,

[ STINKY PEOPLE ]

Seriously! Is it that hard to buy a deodorant and spray it on yourself? If you’re already using a deodorant and still smelling bad, try a shower and perhaps, change your deodorant?!

It grinds my gears when I’m on public transport and someone besides me smell like they’ve been dumpster diving the whole day, diving in the stinkiest bin ever. Do you not smell it yourself? Maybe it’s a nose problem? Please, do everyone a favor and smell good. I don’t want to pollute my lungs.

 

 

Alright, so there’s my pet peeves, ones that annoy the guts out of me. Felt more like a rant, hope you agreed on stuff I’ve mentioned!