Makeup and other banter: 2008

Dec 21, 2008

MY FAVOURITE DEODRANT! BEST FIND!

The most amazing thing I have used since I started puberty (which is a long time ago!!).

This deodorant WIPE is required to be used only once every 5 to 9 days.
It works by inhibiting the bacteria that causes the smell. Lesser bacteria, less/no smell!

How to use it properly.
1) Shower clean.
2) Pat dry your arm pit areas.
3) Take the individual moisten sheet out
4) Wipe it on the pit area
5) Will suggest wiping it vertically and horizontally systematically.
6) Why? To make sure the solution is rub on every possible area under the armpit.
7) Trim if auxiliary hair is too long, or make sure the auxiliary hair is also coated by the solution.

I have tried it and it IS AMAZING. No smell from one full day of outdoor shoot, no smell after one week of showering with anti-bacterial body wash, no smell from running around. Nothing at all. Amazing!

Now available in Watson's Singapore for $3.90 for 3 wipes.
1 wipe lasting about 1 week.

Great subtle gifts for those loved ones who have an odour problem! :)

Dec 17, 2008

AMAZING DOLLS

Oh my god...
my friend Keith just launched his dolls for sale on-line.
They are gorgeous, they are beautiful, they are mysterious!

Take a look at RDGdolls.com!!!!

These are the male versions being sold , female versions coming out... I am excited coz there is a possibility of collaboration with the dolls!

Nov 22, 2008

That Burger You're Eating Is Mostly Corn

By tracing the unique chemical signature of corn, scientists have shown that most of the meat in fast food is raised on corn

By David Biello

If you thought you were eating mostly grass-fed beef when you bit into a Big Mac, think again: The bulk of a fast-food hamburger from McDonald's, Burger King or Wendy's is made from cows that eat primarily corn, or so says a new study of the chemical composition of more than 480 fast-food burgers from across the nation.

And it isn't only cows that are eating corn. There is also evidence of a corn diet in chicken sandwiches, and even French fries get a good slathering of the fat that makes them so tasty from being fried in corn oil.

"Corn has been criticized as being unsustainable based on the unusual amount of fertilizer, water and machinery required to bring it to harvest," says geobiologist Hope Jahren of the University of Hawaii at Manoa's School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, who led the research. "We are getting a picture of the American diet on a national scale by using chemistry, which is quite objective."

Eating a diet of meat from corn-fed animals hasn't been linked to any specific health effects in humans. But it has resulted in widespread environmental degradation, including drained water supplies, degraded soils, and reliance on fossil fuels for fertilizer, pesticides and farm machinery fuel, says preventive medicine physician Bob Lawrence, director of the Center for a Livable Future at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study.

It's also hard on cows, whose stomachs are specially designed to break down the cellulose in grass, leading to an epidemic of antibiotic use. Also, humans may lose out on beneficial omega-3 fatty acids—important for development of the nervous system and heart health—when they consume corn-fed as opposed to grass-fed beef.

"Instead of eating a predominantly whole grains, fruits and vegetables, we are diverting the grain supply to feeding the animals," Lawrence says, arguing for a diet that treats meat as a garnish rather than the main course and corn for human consumption rather than cows. "Corn-finished beef does add to what has become a preferred taste for the American palate. We've acquired that taste at our own peril."

Jahren and her colleague Rebecca Kraft collected hamburgers, chicken sandwiches and fries from three separate Burger King, McDonald's and Wendy's locations in six U.S. cities: Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The scientists were looking for the amount of carbon 13 (¹³C), a variety of carbon with an extra neutron (known as an isotope) that makes its atom heavier.

Corn tends to have more of this ¹³C than other plants. That telltale signature persists as the corn travels through the complex system that turns it into feed, which is consumed and processed by cattle to grow tissue. It continues after the animals are slaughtered and the meat is cooked. The result: 93 percent of the tissue that comprised the hamburger meat was derived from corn.

In fact, only 12 samples from the entire country did not show this unique corn signature: all from a Burger King on the west coast. "My best guess is that it represents meat from another country," Jahren says.

And all of the chicken, in addition to being sourced from just one company, Tyson Foods, Inc., had been fed an entirely corn diet, resulting in a chemical composition that was almost exactly the same from coast to coast. Jahren notes that the isotopic composition of this chicken meat varied from restaurant to restaurant and state to state less than if a sample were taken from just one farmyard-raised chicken.

Further, by studying the levels of a particular heavier isotope of nitrogen, the researchers found that this corn-fed beef was relying on heavy applications of fertilizer as well as, potentially, animals surrounded by their own waste. "As metabolism proceeds, the nitrogen products become heavier and heavier," Jahrens explains. "Nitrogen is just cycling through the animal, including potentially ingestion of that waste or respiration. Our results are consistent with that."

Researchers at Johns Hopkins are now completing a study measuring the levels of carbon 13 in human blood, in an effort to understand how much of the corn in our meat and in the sweeteners (high fructose corn syrup) in our food and drink ends up in our bodies. The fast-food outlets did not return calls for comment.

As Jahren notes, Americans spend more than $100 billion a year on such fast food, making it a significant part of the diet. "Diet related disease is causing more and more suffering in this country and the information you can get is either vague or nonexistent," says Jahren, who spent the last two years trying to get information about what specifically goes into fast food at these chains and how it is made, with no success. "You shouldn't have to use stable isotopes to get the answer to what's in something I just spent my money on and am about to put in my body."

Taken from Scientific American

Sep 22, 2008

Eye liner and eye lining tips

Eyeliners are used to create defination upon a person's face by drawing out the shape of the eyes, bringing focus to the face and to create an illusion that the lashes look thicker.

Please note that the eyebrows have to be drawn in too with the eyes being line or it will look like a wheel without its spokes; becoming totally incomplete. One of my pet peeves when people put on makeup in a unpolish, brutal way in their own face.

For all types of liners, following the below suggestion of applying eye liner will help in preventing mistakes being done while application.

MOST OBVIOUS MISTAKE everyone does when working on the eyeliner is not drawing the eyeliner close enough to their lash line.

Hence we always end up seeing eyeliners drawn which has a perculiar space of flesh that deviates their lashline from their drawn eyeliner.

TIP: On how to draw as close to the lash line as possible.

Face a mirror and tilt the head up (about 30degrees) while keeping the eyes looking straight on. This will allow the upperlid to stretch out.

By stretching the upper eyelid, one is able to draw closer to the lash line.

From the end of the lash line at the outer corner of the eyes, we start on the #LASH LINE and smudge in a line towards the inner corner of the eyes.

This will produce a darker lashline drawn creating a more lush-looking lashes.

To create different shapes of eyeliner, build up liner thickness as you want it.

#LASH LINE - where you see a row of lashes on the eyelid

I always suggest to start drawing from outside in on the lashline as we tend to put more pressure from where we start and less pressure to where we end.
This gives a thicker line from the end inwards.

Now lets start with the different lining products.

Eye liner Pencils

The easiest to use as it is almost like drawing a line upon the eye area. Modern eyeliners are soft to draw due to their more complex soft waxes formulation.
There are two major types of formulation which allows one to be more waterproof than the other. I would suggest using the waterproof one in our hot and humid weather.
This doesn't mean the eyeliner will not smudge after application but it meant it last longer than the conventional kajal/kohl/non-waterproof eyeliners.
Putting an eyeshadow of the same colour as the liner over MIGHT prolong the eyeliner for a short period., but of no use if your eyelids are always moist/oily.

The advatage of using a pencil is that it is always almost mistake proof, unless if you have the motor skills of a 2 years old, it should not be that tough at all.

Remember, draw from outside in on the lashline and then inside out to create a proper line.

Play with other coloured eyeliners. Top eyeline using a burnt bronze, gunsmoke grey and complete black colour, following with a lilac, bright purple or aquamarine on the lower lash line for a oomph pop of colour.

I love Shu Uemura Drawing Pencils (http://www.shuuemura-usa.com/Products/ProductDetails.aspx?CategoryID=352&ProductID=901) and Clarins Water Proof Eye Pencil (http://us.clarins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/beauty-products_pencil---liner_new-waterproof-eye-pencil_C050204008_10051_10204_-1_31246) for their beautiful texture and long staying power.

Liquid liner

Liquid liners are beautiful if you want define, sharp obviously lined eyes. Great for winged shaped eyeliners.

Start to line the eyes like what was suggested before. Draw out the shape accordingly you want it by controlling by drawing from the inner eyes out.

The jagged line drawn is from various reasons.

One is that the skin is not taut enough, so always tilt the head up before drawing.

Two, is that the hand is unsure and unstable when drawing. The solution is to rest your elbow on the mirror as you draw to stabilise the shaky arm.

Three, not being familiar with the brush and using too much strength on the drawing will form the jagged edges due to excess dragging done onto the skin.

Four, to creat that slightly winged look. Draw a Scalene triangle at the lash line. The medium length resting on your eyeline, the shortest end perpendicular upon the outside end of the lash line.
Using this guide will help you to draw a good looking wing tip.

Depending on what you want from your liquid liners, there can be a matte or shine finish to the liner.
The choice is yours.

My favourite liquid liners are Dior's Style Liner (http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P109403&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=1073) and Shiseido The Makeup Fine Eyeliner (http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P173728&cm_mmc=us_search-_-NexTag-_-P173728-_-562819&_requestid=42976&srccode=cii_9324560&cpncode=19-11057113-2)

Gel Liner

The Heaven sent this to us!
My best loved product of all formulation of the eye liners.
We can use it as a liner, base for smokey eyes and yet soften the line out for a demure setting for the eyes.

Most mistake people do is to be impatient and to draw the line out abruptly, and realising the produ
Take time to draw (as recommanded in the first few paragraphs) the line, and play with colours and thickness to play with the different eyelining techniques.

Gel liners have very little play time before the product sets in dry.
Using a slanted brush or a flat tip brush, dip into the gel liner. Dab the excess on the back of the hand before moving to the eye area for drawing.
Start with one side of the eye, draw out what you want in shape and then move to the other eye to complete the same look.
Wait too long before you draw, you'll realise that the brush has gotten hard and the gel immobile.
Complete your lining and you'll have super long wearing liner that do not smudge from the whole day activity.

Presently in the market there is alot of beautiful coloured gel liners that can be used. Play with the colours for different combination.

Use black gel liner on the upper lid for defination, dark brown on the lower lash lines smudged in to bring more focus to the eyes without making it looking too harsh.

My loves for this range are MAC's Fluid Liner (http://www.maccosmetics.com/templates/products/sp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY15101&PRODUCT_ID=PROD7715) and Bobbi Brown's Long-wear Gel eyeliner (http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/templates/products/sp_shaded.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY2751&PRODUCT_ID=PROD1109)

LAST NOTE

If everything fails and still smudges on your oily eye lids and you have master the proper skills to draw an eyeliner, I truly recommand MAC's Liquid Last Liner (http://www.maccosmetics.com/templates/products/sp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY15101&PRODUCT_ID=PROD9961) They last and last.......
but apply too much it will flake out and be lumpy.
Apply it well and it do not smudge or become panda eyes.

Sep 20, 2008

Makeup tips! Grey blue eyes, pale skin and blue & black hair with pic?

I have stumbled upon Yahoo! Answers website and realise it is fun solving people questions actively!

I will be putting up my answers to the person asking the question to share with everyone who's visiting my site.

Question:

Looking for a full out makeup regimen to try! I have never used foundation and just apply mascara, gloss and shadow in whatever color I feel like. Any suggestions for a basic layout of colors for me to work with so I can have a finished polished look for work?
Her picture showing her features

Answer:

Dear Pretty P / Mindy,

you have great features to work with and here are my suggestions.

Skincare:
Always use a mild facial cleanser, a alcohol free toner, moisturiser on the dry parts of the skin and a sunscreen across the whole face to your neck. This primes your skin and prolongs makeup on your skin.

Skin:
You have great skin (as what i see from the picture). Perhaps you would like to use a tinted moisturiser across the whole face for a more polish look when you need a more made up look.
I will keep your skin away from powder foundation as it will ended up looking too thick no matter how thinly it is applied due to your great skin.
A touch of concealer can be placed onto your under eyes. To bring light and covering the shadows there. Powder a sheer powder to set the concealer under the eyes.

Eyes:
I love your beautiful eyes.
However they are lost when you don't bring focus to them by drawing in your eyebrows.For your black/blue hair now, I will suggest to use something greyish taupe. This brings focus into your eyes, sculpting your face by bringing together focal points.

Your eyes are very deep set.
What i suggest is to keep too strong colours away as eye shadows.
You do not want your eye shadows to compete with your well coloured hair.
I would suggest using light beiges to soften the deep set of the eyes. This lessen the depth which will bring out the blueness of the eyes.
I will suggest lining the eyes with a deep dark bronze (to once again bring out the blueness of the eyes) eye liner. Mascara of deepest black can be used to add volume to your lashes. Try Covergirl Lash Blast to give beautiful non-clumping jet lack natural luscious lashes.

Use a white eye liner to line the water line of the eyes. This will pop out your eyes more, bringing more focus to the eyes.

If you want eye shadows to be used
- taupes
- metallic bronzes
- shimmery violets
- sheer lilacs in the inner corner of the eyes
will all bring your eyes out.
But note that lilacs/violets/purples will bring out the GREYness of your eyes, browns and bronzes will bring out the BLUEness of your eyes.

Why keep away from strong eye makeup? You have pale skin. Access eye makeup may create a look too hard for your features. Overly gothic, overly trying-to-be.

Cheeks:
A natural brown-pink blusher can be use sweeping from your apples towards the temples of your face, following your cheekbones can give you colour and sculpt the face.
Use a sheer pink over the apples after the brown-pink blusher is used to give a pop of colour upon the cheek.

Lips:
As your lower lips is thicker than the upper lips.
A natural lip colour, slightly darker than your own lips will be used to draw your upper lip. This thickens the upper lips and will equal out the shape of your lips.
Use any lip colour you want to complete the look.
A sheer lipstick (MAC lipstick in Viva Glam VI, Clinqiue Different lipstick in Guava Stain / Spiced Apple, Clinique Colour Surge Butter Shine Lipstick in Baby Baby / Praline, Covergirl TruShine lipstick in 440 Rosy Shine / 465 Peach Shine
Finish with a creamy gloss will do for a day look ( I love Revlon Super Lustrous lip gloss http://www.revlon.com/ProductCatalog/Pro... and Clinique Superbalm Lip gloss http://www.clinique.com/templates/produc...
A night look might have you use a taupish red on the lips.

NOTE:
With your brightly coloured hair, try not to over apply makeup to compete with your hair as this distracts people from your gorgeous features.

Sep 15, 2008

Meet your meat

Watch this and watch this closely...
NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED...

watch how your meat is treated before you consume them...

After watching the video... I am unfortunately still eating meat...
but it brings up a choice of what you can choose to eat and where to buy from.

Aug 27, 2008

Why does lip plumper stings so much?!?

I have stumbled upon Yahoo! Answers website and realise it is fun solving people questions actively!

I will be putting up my answers to the person asking the question to share with everyone who's visiting my site.

Question:
Why does lip plumper stings so much?!?
it really stings my lips i cant put it on!!
i dont understand!!
thanks in advance

Answer:
Dear Nadine,

I am guessing that you have lips that are easily irriated by various things.

Why Lip Plumper stings so much?
Easy.
They contain ingredients that cause secondary irritation.
This irritation property comes from capsasin (normally from the chilis) or can be derive from ginger extract.
This seconday irritation stimulate blood circulation by increasing blood flow to a localized area.
This increase blood flow is a swelling on that localized area hence the plumping effect.

I never like lip plumpers because the lip look fuller only for a short while.
On those with easily irritated lips, it can cause chapping, flakey skin around or on the lips and in some cases high allergic/sensitivity reaction.

For you, I'll suggest keeping away from ANY lip plumpers.
Play with light and dark lipsticks to contour on the lips, creating a fuller lip look.

How many times can you use the sponge that was used to apply liquid foundation?

I have stumbled upon Yahoo! Answers website and realise it is fun solving people questions actively!

I will be putting up my answers to the person asking the question, to share with everyone who's visiting my site.

Question:
How many times can you use the sponge that was used to apply liquid foundation?
do you have to throw it out and get a new one after one time use?

Answer:
Dear sugarpopprincess,

The amount of times you can use the sponge depends on the brand, quality and how you apply the foundation.

Do note that foundation is wasted with the usage of sponge as the porous nature of the sponge absorbs the foundation into its structural material.

Use good structured foundation sponges.
I love sponges from Shu Uemura and MAC
1) Shu Uemura
http://www.shuuemura-usa.com/products/Pr...
2) MAC
http://www.maccosmetics.com/templates/pr...

Both sponges are great to use, firm to hold which will help to apply the liquid foundation easier.
Since both are of firm texture, it's easier to wash them and they don't disintegrate as quickly as the $2shop kind.

When to wash?
For general guideline:
Dry Skin - Wash your sponge once a week
Oil Skin - Wash them after 2 to 3 days

Tips to wash
1) Wash your sponge in normal tap water, allow parts of the foundation to be washed off
2) Use a bit of facial cleanser (smaller than a pea size) onto the sponge material and massage it into the sponge.
3) Moisten the sponge and bubbles should be produced. The bubbles will be of foundation colour.
4) Rinse the sponge and wash it clean til no more soap residual is left behind. (how to check? The sponge shouldn't foam as much)
5) If alot of foundation is left behind, repeat step 2 to 4.
6) When the sponge is clean, leave it at an airy place in your home to allow it to naturally dry out.
IF NOT, clip it on a hanger with a soft grip clip and air dry.

The TRICK is to AIR DRY, blowing it dry using a hair dryer or place it under sunlight will damage the sponge by disintegrating the sponge.

Normally I will suggest to liquid foundation user to use their fingers or a foundation brush. As fingers and brushes do not allow us to waste more on the skin. Fingers can be cleaned immediately, foundation brushes can be cleansed one every few days with a facial cleaner or a antiseptic body wash.

Lining my water line? Watery eyes - How to line?

I have stumbled upon Yahoo! Answers website and realise it is fun solving people questions actively!

I will be putting up my answers to the person asking the question to share with everyone who's visiting my site.

For the below question i have combined two questions together as they are similar

Question:
Quesiton 1)
Lining my water line?
when i line my water line, how can i make it last all day? i cant go buy anything so please dont tell me any products to buy. but how can i make it stay on and last?

Quesiton 2)
My eyes are extremely watery and everytime I put eyeliner on the inner rim, it comes off.
is MAC eyeliner good for watery eyes?
if not, what do you recommend?
please help! :)

Answer:
Answer 1)
It is almost impossible to allow it to stay on the waterline as your tears naturally have enzymes that breaks thigns down. From what you said, I presume you have slightly watery eyes as well...
The only way is to carry ya kohl and touch it up when it fades off.

Putting an eyeshadow after the eyeliner is place on the WATERLINE will NEVER help as the waterline will feel too dry and your eyes will tear even more.

Some will suggest mixing with glyercin (which is a foolish idea!!) but because it is the waterline, your own eye balls might feel irritated from the glycerin present.

The only way is to use waterproof pencil liners, which will fade off but resists the tears longer than normal kohl pencils.

Answer 2)
For someone with a watery eyes. You will find that most eye lining product even MAC's PowerPoint will not last as long.
MAC's Technakohl Liner has a better staying ability due to its formulation, but with your watery eyes, it might just stay slightly longer.

Remember that in your tears there are enzymes (lysozyme, lipocalin and lactoferrin), lipids, metabolites and electrolytes. The protein concentration differs between emotional tears and the tears produced by irritants. Tears serve to protect the eye from microbial infections and to wash out irritants.

The liners being not part of your body, tends to react with the tears and be dissolved away.

What is the best primer out there?

I'm looking for an eyeshadow primer. Which is the best primer out there from personal experience?

Answer:
There are various eyeshadow primers out there.
But to really make your eyes shadow lasts, you have to use a silicone base eye shadow primer. This will adhere better on your lids.

How to use it?
Apply using your ring finger.
Take abit off from the pot onto your eyelid.
Start with one eyelid area.
Spread from your lash line towards the brow bone (if it is a natural skin colour shade)
This will create a veil to hold onto your powder eyeshadow makeup.
Put on the eyeshadows.
Once completed, start again with the other eye lid.

Why do we start with one eye area first?
Because the silicone base eye makeup primer will have little play time (it dries out fast), applying it when it is moist will allow the eye shadow to stay longer.

Only with silicone base eyeshadow will hold the makeup longer as the silicone evaporates leaving behind a film . Wax based always creases, due to the fact they leave behind a moisturising base (like MAC's Cream Colour Base) and doesn't dry out (great for drier eyelids)

Brands with cream eyeshadow that is silicone based.
Shu Uemura
http://www.shuuemura-usa.com/products/Pr...
Bobbi Brown
http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/templ...
MAC
http://www.maccosmetics.com/templates/pr...

Aug 11, 2008

How to keep the curl of the lashes with mascara?

I have stumbled upon Yahoo! Answers website and realise it is fun solving people questions actively!

I will be putting up my answers which has been put down as best answers by the person asking the question to share with everyone who's visiting my site.

Question:
HELP, MASCARA DILEMMA!!!!!!!
My eyelashes are mostly naturally straight, but i use an eyelash curler that curls them nicely. The thing is, all the mascara's i buy deflate the curliness the eyelash curler makes! Does anyone know of any mascara's that will hold curliness and not deflate?
If you know of a mascara, please tell me what brand it is! And it would help if someone with straight lashes has accomplished what i am trying to do and shares their answers. Thanks!

Answer:

Dear Mascara Dilemma,

straight stubborn lashes are easily "forced up" to curl.
There are two methods which i will share with you.

Why did the lashes becomes straight right after you curled them to the skies?
Two valid reasons
- your mascara is too wet
- you have put too much mascara on the lashes

how to properly use it...
Curl your lashes in three portions. Close to lash tips, centre of lash length and close to the lash roots (be careful of not grabbing your skin portion of your lashes.)
Pat your mascara wand on a piece of tissue. Do not rub the wand onto the tissue as this might dislodge the tissue fibre onto your mascara wand, contaminating it with paper fibres.

After dabbing the wand of excess mascara, take the wand and swing it around using your wrists for 3 to 4 seconds. That is to dry out the mascara slightly. Then you apply the mascara onto your lashes with one coat, using a zigzag pattern. Allow this to dry before putting on the 2nd coat (which will be applied using the same method).

The slightly dried out mascara using this method, will hold the lashes up better and longer. The 2nd coat will add more volume to it. Just watch out for the wand if the mascara is too wet, everything will be pulled straight again.

The SECOND method would be...
using a heated mascara wand.

Apply a layer of your current mascara you are using on your lashes.
Allow it to dry out.
Using a heated mascara wand (made popular in Asia coz of the straight stubborn lashes we have over here), you press the lashes upwards and hold for 10 seconds.
the heat will hold the lashes up, the mascara will be totally dried up and holding the lashes upwards.
I have tried various heated eye lash wands, but the best is to use an australian brand call MODELCO as the heat is controlled and you don't have to fear about accidentally getting the heated wand onto your skin. It feels hot but never burns. I know I had to try it on myself before I used it for my shoots and customers.
you can buy it from sephora at http://www.sephora.com/

these two methods are what i have been using for the past 3 years of freelancing and it works. Hope it'll help you too.

My favourite mascaras for the moments are
Shu Uemua Precise Volume Mascara http://www.shuuemura-usa.com/products/Pr...
MAC Zoom Lash (not waterproof)
http://www.maccosmetics.com/templates/pr...
Covergirl Lash Blast
http://www.covergirl.com/products/produc...

How do i make my makeup stay longer

How does Vaseline make my skin look soft and clear?

Cover Girl TruBlend Foundation

I have stumbled upon Yahoo! Answers website and realise it is fun solving people questions actively!

I will be putting up my answers which has been put down as best answers by the person asking the question to share with everyone who's visiting my site.

Question:
Have you tried Cover Girl TruBlend Liquid Foundation?
Is it worth it? Does it really work? I've had mixed reviews and am thinking of buying it today so....thanks in advance for any help!

Answer:
TruBlend Liquid foundation is a sheer to medium coverage foundation.
Recommended for people with good skin texture. It doesn't cover much and will be flakey on a badly prep skin.
The silicone in the foundation gives a smooth texture and you can easily top it out with a pressed or loose powder.

One of the best foundations I have used being a makeup artist for close to 8 years.
But you must prep your skin properly before applying the foundation on or it'll not work out to be as smooth.

Additional:
Preparing the skin means to not to wash excessively, massage the alcohol free toner onto the skin and moisturising on the dry areas before putting on the sunscreen across the whole face. Skin/makeup primers are optional as the sunscreen should work as a primer for your makeup.

How to remove Mascara?

Aug 6, 2008

Bad Eva Bad...yet sssooo good

Supermodel Eva Herzigova was in town (Singapore) recently for the Chopard Red Carpet event.
The model dazzled us with her beauty and poise.

But of course there is nothing exciting more than spicy news........
*grin*

For a day, she was "booked" for 3 shoots for 3 different magazines.

First shoot was a socialite magazine. She didn't really like the makeup done on her, saying that it was too thick, so she requested the makeup/hair person to remove and she'll do the makeup herself. However, she did allow the hair to be styled by the person and makeup touched up. Her poses were great and good pictures were immediately apparent.

Second shoot was for a local Chinese socialite magazine. She loved the makeup done on her by Clarence Lee and shot quickly as well for the magazine due to her supermodel style.

Third shot was for a "local-international" magazine. The shoot was cancelled but was then again was suppose to happen. This disrupted poor Eva's shopping time and she had to come back to the suite for the shoot. Of course, Eva knows that she's a supermodel and a super cold ice queen temper showed.

Part 1:
She hated the makeup done by a senior makeup artist. Asked the makeup to be removed and she put on her makeup herself.

Part 2:
Fashion Director said," Sweetie, can you please put on these shoes?"
Eva said, "I am Eva... NOT sweetie."
OUCH

Part 3:
Eva said, "Do I look like this big size to you?" (when handed a pair of shoes too large for her dainty feet.)
OUCH OUCH

Part 4:
When asked to stand to another part of the room for the shot.
Eva said," It's either here or no picture at all."
OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH SLAP SLAP

Part 5:
After 10 pictures were taken.
She said," Okie we are done." And walked out of the photography session.
OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH SLAP SLAP STAB STAB

Part 6:
Her interview with that magazine is short and sweet.
Answers were Yes, No and Yawn.
MASSIVE Grave of death.......

This shows that a Supermodel have no wrath like a Hell God let on a rage......

My Singfest 2008 experience 3rd day

3 days of Singfest.

Another sweltering day. Was threatening to shower, but when it hit 1pm everything cleared up.
We went around interviewing people and recording the crowd. Dear Gosh, there are plenty of freaky people around! They rock, by adding excitement to the crowd.

We had the concert starting one hour late tho.... but everything ran smoothly...

Had Stacie Orrico performing, her voice is stunning from such a tiny girl.
Jamie Scott was next, the girls in the crowd went wild with his smile dazzling them and his voice croon them.
OneRepublic came on and was bowling the crowd off their feet. Panic at the disco was next and the crowd went wild!
JASON MRAZ was the best! His legendary LIVE performance skills were the best and the crowd went beyond wild. He scat and bee bop with so much ease and the tunes were lively and making the crowd delirious with a high buzz!
Rick Astley came on and brought all of us memories (of when my age group was young).
Pussycat Dolls were great with their dancing skills (read between my fine lines...).

The closing act was Alicia Keys.
Unfortunately I didn't stay as I had a 530am shoot the next day and was tired out from the heat.
But gathering from what my friends said, the summary would be FANTASTIC vocals and performance and her voice brought the house down. BUT what the hell is she wearing that white high waisted pants for! One friend commented even tho she was very far away, Alicia's ass looked like a wide screen TV (broad wide but flat).
Oh dear....

The crowd pours in for the 2nd day (about 20,000 concert goers!)

Good branding for Starhub, but so many wastage of plastic ground sheets and paper fans!!

Me and Jason "Mr A to Z"!

A relaxed " after some beers" Jamie Scott and me

It's Rick Astley

My Singfest 2008 experience 2nd day

3 days of Singfest.

2nd day of work.
The start of Singfest.
Bombarded by sunny skies and cloudless day... we sweat and melt under the heat.
Tho surprisingly Andrea's skin just glisten whereas the rest of us had sweat pouring down soaking our clothes. (Gosh, i need outdoor air conditioning.)

With the day starting at 1030am, most of us are still in lala land coz some of us went out til the early morning. The others were just overworked. *grin* (point: I did go out partying the night before.)

We did more crowd shots, went and interview two of Simple Plan.
Spotted Crowned King at the backstage and then we went to interview Lost Prophets.

Andrea interviewing Simple Plan

The gathering crowd on the Sat show (reported about 9000 attended)

Where is mommy?

Dudes from Crowned King

The guys from Lost Prophets posing for the camera.

My Singfest 2008 experience 1st day

3 days of Singfest.

Interesting... running in the heat...
since I cannot post more than 5 pictures per post. I am loading up pics on a day by day record.
Rumoured that 2007 Singfest was a nightmare as reported by concert goers, the 2008 one has only have to be better (if not no bands will ever visit and Singapore Tourism Board will have to hang themselves.)

First day is to shoot the setting up (started at 11am ended at 7pm) of the festival. Ran all around with the hosts, Andrea Fonceska and Olli Pettigrew, with my friend / fellow makeup artist Rachel; trying not to sweat like buckets. But gosh the humidity and heat is intense!

Saw the band Melee tho, who was rehearsing topless in the intense heat.

Olli and Andrea talking about the festival

Melee on stage preparing for rehearsal

The Melee boys taking a break from the heat offstage

Jul 20, 2008

Why we love by Helen Fisher.

The Science of why we love.
Very interesting explanation about how we love and why we do that.
Explains how love can be one sided, and how true relationships and lust is different.

Video taken of TED: Ideas worth spreading

Jul 15, 2008

The truth about relationships

My friend Jerome sent me this link.
Might be repeated alot of times, but it does make sense.
Strangely in it's most simplest form.

We always find that missing piece in our lfie, but we forget that we can lead our life by ourselves.

The Missing Piece Meets the Big O

Jul 4, 2008

Cheap Blemish Control product

I realise that there are alot of blemish/pimple/acne control stuff out there.
Alot are crappy formula which has too much alcohol or has lousy formulation that irritates the skin more with witch hazel, camphor, mint, menthol, corn starch, eucalyptus, peppermint, sandalwood present.

These are the FOUR that i have used and have been constantly for the past 3 years which works. All four have great formulation and that I trust only to use.
These have a good percentage of BHA (Beta Hydroxyl Acid) that is proven to keep skin clear through chemical clearing of the pores.

Please note that all are mostly generics and easily attainable.

1) Paula Begoun's exfoliants
I always love her range of exfoliants which are well formulated and she offers a good range of them.
My favourite is 2% BHA lotion as I use it only at night to keep me pimples free and also help to condition my skin.

2) Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle, Anti-Blemish Cream
My first time buying this is while holidaying in Seattle in 2005. I was breaking out from the minor change in weather and water. Sought out the formulation and bought it because I thought it was good. And it is! Now I buy it off drugstore.com
Plus point! It has retinol for great for the skin regeneration.

3) Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Defense Lotion
I tried this when it first came out in the US market. Immediately had my friend ship over from the US. Really smooth textured when applied on skin and exfoliates well.
Now i buy if off drugstore.com again.

4) Total Effects plus Blemish Control
For those of us in Singapore, it is easier to get this from Watson's / Guardian / cheaper neighbourhood stores. Good to use and slightly moisturising so you can skip moisturiser (btw i don't really encourage overmoisturising in hot, humid weather.) Cost should be Singapore$16 to $26 depends on where you buy from.

Skin Type Has Nothing to Do with Age

Older skin is different from younger skin. That is indisputable. Yet it is a mistake to buy skin-care products based on a nebulous age category. Treating older or younger skin with products supposedly aimed at dealing with specific age ranges is inappropriate because not everyone with “older” or “younger” skin has the same needs.
An older person may have acne, blackheads, eczema, rosacea, sensitive skin, or oily skin, while a younger person may have dry, freckled, or obviously sun-damaged skin. Products designed for older (“mature”) skin are almost always too emollient and occlusive, and those designed for younger skin are almost always too drying.
Both extremes can cause problems when the key issue becomes your age as opposed to the actual condition of your skin.

Treating older or younger skin with an age-related, unified skin-care routine is a trap lots of women fall into, particularly older women. I understand the anxiety a woman feels when she passes the age of 40 and notices her skin is changing. And when a skin-care routine claims it is best for your age group it is hard not to believe that isn’t true.
Yet an effective skin-care routine should be based on the current condition of your skin, along with protection from sun damage, regardless of age. Age is not a skin-care condition! In fact, many of the skin-care concerns associated with age are more often than not shared by women of all ages.

All women, regardless of age, need sun and antioxidant protection, and possibly treatment of skin discolorations (either potential or existing), dry or oily skin, or breakouts.
Wrinkles tend to separate younger from older skin, but the care you give the skin doesn’t necessarily differ. Not everyone in their 40s and older has the same skin care needs. In a way it’s simple: You need to pay attention to what is taking place on your skin, and that varies from person to person.

writeup taken off Paula Begoun website

Jun 22, 2008

Cleaning up, making one pretty after the gym

A question was asked by a local magazine:

> After my gym session i have a dinner appointment but the stupid gym
> bathroom is so crowded, people are waiting to use the mirror, hairdryer,
> etc.
> If I only have 5-10 minutes to put on makeup before
> leaving the gym, could you recommend the essential steps to dress my face up?
> (Also, after a run on the treadmill, even after showering, our
> faces would be warm and slightly flushed. Should we take this into
> consideration when putting on makeup? If so, how?)

I thought why only send the reply to the magazine when the information can also be shared on my blog. Answer is as below.
-------------------------------------------------

Cleaning up, making one pretty after the gym.

No time? No space?
The gym too crowded when you're tyring to rush for your next hot date?
No worries!
these are the recoomanded steps!

1) Skip the gym when you have a hot date or important appointment to go to right after the gym, coz in the moment of rush, there will also be no taxi!

2) After the gym, use a gentle facial wash to rinse your face clean using the room temperature tap water. Warm water strips too much moisture from the skin.
Gentle facial wash recommanded is Olay Moisture Balancing Facial Wash, one of my favourite and the one i have been using for two years (and also swears by...).
Costing about Sing$3.6 to Sing$6 depending on where you buy, normally i would have recommand buying from the parallel imports coz the normal stores are ripping us of our hard earn money by rising prices too fast.
Click here to see how does the product look like.

(Note: During ANY exercising you shouldn't have makeup on, not because that your pores are more open, it is because it is disgusting to see sweat mixing into foundation and dripping off your face while you're running on the treadmill. Don't worry about having no makeup in the gym, most of the men there are gay and the rest are too sweaty by themsleves to be bothered about how you look.)

3) Use a tinted moisturiser. This will skip the step of toner, moisturiser and foundation used.
My favourite so far is from Glominerals which sets into a nice slightly matte finish. Various tinted moisturisers (in Singapore market) are too greasy for our tropical weather or they contain alcohol.
Do use a touch of concealer under the eyes if you had a long day and when the dark circles are looking darker than the behind of Darth Vader.

4) For the taoist gods' sake, fill in your eyebrows, this will define ya face better, especially for us Asians.
If you don't, it will definately make an impression when you meet your apppointment without brows (the reaciton of take aback or looking confuse coz they are looking at a focusless face...)

5) Use a skintone eyeshadow or eye shadow base to colour over the eyelids. Why? This is to even out the skin colour on the eyelids, so it looked cleaned out.

6) Draw in the eyeliner. Be it in pencil, liquid or gel, draw it in to give defination to the eyes. You can skip the mascara if your fingers is trembling from the 2kg freeweights ya lifted 10mins ago.
Shu Uemura does wonderful waterproof eyeliners, so does Clarins.

7) A touch of blush on your apples of your cheek. A TOUCH of blush.
Because your facial MIGHT STILL BE flushed from the 5km job on the treadmill (don't know why would you waste time running 5km on the treadmill when the nature is definately much better to run in...), make sure you don't over compensate.
IF you need more blusher later you can add more when you visit the little girl's room.
Great user friendly blushers are from Clinique and Pixi (http://www.pixibeauty.com/ see sheer cheek COLOUR)

8) Lip can always be given a good wash of colour with a tinted lipblam. MAC has a huge range of lip balm / conditioners in tub or stick form.
Laneige does wonderful sheer gloooosssyyyyy lipsticks call Snow Crystal Melting Glossy Lipstick that moisturise and also gives the lips more colour and yet not overweighing it with too much lip colour.

LAST NOTE: if you're still sweating after the shower, do the eyemakeup first before the tinited moisturiser, thsi will allwo the body to cool down before it sweats everything off the face.

This should all be done in less than 5mins, if you understand your own face shape.
10 to 20mins if you are not so familair.
30mins to forever if it's your first time applying makeup on yourself without guidance. *grin*

Last makeup tip....
if you want something easy to carry around which has the tinted moisturiser, the cheek and lip colour all rolllllleeeddd up in ONE. Try Pixi Hydrotint Duo avaliable from Apothecary+Co in Singapore (see link for image of product).

Jun 19, 2008

Applying foundation and what to do with foundation in humid weather

Applying foundation

Preparing the skin BEFORE FOUNDATION

I have never believed in applying too many things upon the skin before makeup is applied.
Click on link to basic skincare recommandation

If your skin is dry, please make sure moisturised skin is supple before applying makeup.

For combination skin, do keep to the already recommanded skincare step.

If you skin is oily or gets oily very easily, please make sure your sunscreen or makeup base is mattifying to prolong the longevity of your foundation.

If your skin is ultra-oily, forget about applying any moisturiser. Use a MATTIFYING SUNSCREEN (example: Neutrogena Sunblock, Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch SPF 30) before applying foundation right after your toner usage.
Reason: your skin will always be "moist", so why put more stuff to allow the foundation to glide off. the Neutrogena sunscreen will set into a nice smooth finish, but use your fingers to massage in the product.

Applying excessive stuff (for e.g. two serums below two mositurisers, one sunscreen over and one makeup base after) will NEVER help prolong your makeup on your skin. The excess moisturisers and silicones will allow the makeup to slide with gravity and sweat as it is too much for anything to hold onto the skin.

LESS IS BEST.

What to choose and how to choose it

1) Choose a foundation according to what your skin type is.
2) Choose the colour closest to your skin tone (two tone lighter than your skin colour doesn't make any sense)
3) Choose the coverage you want (sheer, medium, full) from your foundation.

Very often in hot, humid weather, our skin rarely gets dry except for that fortunate few.
Most will have oily T-zone, perhaps sweat a little or alot around the facial area and comfortable cheeks (which most refer to as combination skin).

Use a moisturising foundation if your skin is truly dry.
Alot of over-moisturised skin will have flaky, topically "dry" skin from excess skin buildup (so DO NOT presume you have dry skin or dehydrated skin, coz you may not have it).
Anyway that is another matter all together for another topic.

Combination skin is normally dry on certain parts of the face and oilier on other parts of the face.
Oilier face ..... mmm i hope it is self-explanatory....

For MY preferance, I love using MATTE finishing foundation for whatever skin type in hot humid weather.
WHY?
The foundation finishes up in a matte texture on the skin.
For drier skins, you can skip using powder on the skin to keep it natural looking.
For oilier skins, use a mattifying powder over on the Tzone and oilier areas for more oil control property.
Mattifying powder such as MAC Blot Loose powder, Glominerals Prefecting Powder, Dior Extreme Fix Powder and Shu Uemura Face Podwer Matte are great options.

WHY skip powder on the drier areas?
Coz we want to keep the foundation as it is.
Semi-matte or slightly matte texture is definately more three dimensional on skin than a flat matte texture of foundation across the whole face.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Step by Step on how to apply foundation
pictures are drawn by my brother Terry

Start with a clean face. Wash the skin with a gentle cleanser (no matter what skin type). Hydrate using a alcohol-free toner using your hands. Apply moisturiser where needed, before sunscreen on the whole face (during day time), or massage minimum moisturiser on whole face to soften skin before foundation (during night time).

Seperate the face into three portions (as above). Use these 3 different portions as guideline to apply your foundation.

Start with portion 1, apply foundaiton from inner most part of the face and blending out.
If you have excellent skin (in skintone or texture), apply where you need to even out skin colour.

Move to section 2 (on the forehead) and apply a little foundation to balance out the skin tone. Blend abit of foundation into the hairline.

Moving to section 3, do the same step as for section 1.

Do apply abit of foundaiton under the eye area.
WHY?
Use the foundation to tone down any discolouration on the undereye, before applying concealer.
That way you can apply lesser concealer and less risk of making it cakey.

Read the next posting on how to apply undereye concealer.

Application of undereye concealer

These are recommanded steps on how to apply concealer.
Method that is prefered by me.
Each different makeup artist will have our own specific way.

Under eye concealing make a difference. By giving enough coverage under the eyes, you will realise the finishing is very polished, even tho minimum foundaiton is used.
The eye and brain perceived the under eye concealment as a more made up look to the face.

NOTE:
If you have very dry (wrinkly) and dark undereye circles, it will be best for you to decide what is the best finishing for yourself.
Remember if you put alot of concealer to remove the greyness, the under eye might end up looking drier and parched. Lines might become more obvious.
If you want the final look to have a less dry or wrinkly finishing, do remember your under eye area will not be as well covered.
So each of a lesser devils, you have to decide.

pictures are drawn by my brother Terry

After a light wash of skintone foundation is used across under the eyes.
Use a Peachy / Warm tone concealer over the greyish darker areas. The warmth of the concealer or corrector will neutralise the greyish, bluish tone so apply sparingly.
You know you have over applied, when after the powder is set there is an orange tone under your eyes.

After the warm/peachy/orangey based concealer is used to lighten the greyness, a yellow based concealer is used from the inner parts of the undereyes and blended out towards the cheekbone. Once again use the concealer sparingly as excess will allow the finishing to look patchy.
NOTE: you need the concealer to TONE down and even out the under eye to make yourself looking fresher and have a more polished finish face.

Powder is applied from outside in. Pat the powder from the outer corner of the eyes and then brush the excess off from the inside towards the whole cheekbone area.
WHY outside in and then inside out?
Patting the powder from outside in will allow to set the powder into the creases under the eyes. Sweeping from inside out will remove any excess. Creating a smooth finishing.

My favourite powder for undereye is from Bobbi Brown, Face Powder in Pale Yellow. GREAT to set under eye concealer with from very fair to Medium darker skintone.
Golden Orange is good for Darker to Very Dark skintones for undereyes powder setting.

My favourite undereye concealers are

For sheer to medium coverage:

-MAC Select Moisturecover
-YSL Touche Eclat
-Dior Skinflash

For medium to full coverage:

- Glominerals gloConcealer
- Laura Mercier Flawless Face Undercover
- Bobbi Brown Corrector and Creamy Concealer
- MAC Studio Finish Concealer

The medium to full coevrage concealers can be diluted down to sheer out with eye cream, moisturisers or foundations. The option is yours.

Na True Takes Steps to Define Natural and Organic Personal Care

Taken off Cosmetics & Toiletries website

An interest group set up some guidelines for the different claims on Natural cosmetics, Natural cosmetics with organic components and organic cosmetics

Na True Takes Steps to Define Natural and Organic Personal Care

[June 18, 2008]

During the Society of Cosmetic Chemists' Scientific Seminar, Tim Kapsner of Aveda Corp. discussed Na True, an interest group consisting of European natural cosmetics companies. Many at the meeting were hearing about the group for the first time. Recently, Na True published a definition for natural and organic cosmetics as well as criteria for a three-tiered label system, based on the product's organic and natural content, that is expected to become valid throughout Europe.

The aim of the group reportedly is to achieve transparency and consistency with regard to the composition and quality of natural and organic cosmetics on a European level. Unlike those for foodstuffs, the criteria for natural and organic cosmetics in Europe are not legally regulated. As a result, there are a number of different institutional labeling systems for these cosmetics. According to the group, these standards are characterized by varying criteria that are often not comparable.

The definitions form the basis for a label with three grades and cover the ingredients allowed and their minimum and maximum proportion of the contents. The Na True definition for natural and organic cosmetics and the label associated with it describe the concrete requirements for the three grades:

1. Natural cosmetics: The first grade contains a clear delineation of the natural, nearly natural and nature-identical materials that may be used in natural cosmetics. So-called traces of other undefined substances are not allowed.

2. Natural cosmetics with organic components: The second grade covers natural cosmetics where a proportion of at least 70% of the natural substances contained in the product stem from certified organic production.

3. Organic cosmetics: The third and highest grade defines natural cosmetics in the form of truly organic cosmetics with a proportion of at least 95% of the natural substances contained in a product stemming from certified organic production.

To view the group's Web site and these definitions online, visit www.natrue.eu.

Na True is composed of leading European natural cosmetic companies including: Laverana/Lavera, Logocos/Logona, Primavera, Santaverde, WALA/Dr. Hauschka and Weleda, which joined forces in the fall of 2007. In the next month, Na True will be defining business partners and the procedure for certification in cooperation with the German Cosmetic, Toiletry, Perfumery and Detergent Association (Industrieverband Koerperpflege und Waschmittel or IKW).

Jun 5, 2008

Which lip liners I love...

Lip liners.
Many think that they are irrelevant to today's woman's use (or even some men *grin*).
I say nonsense. I love lip liners.
Lipliners can give the slight defination of the lip or bring attention to the focus of your lip. Great for those who have a non defined lip shape OR a weak lip shape.
Use lipliner before/after lipstick and before lipgloss.

I love lip lining for the longevity it gives, for the intense look it can provide, the different look it is able to arm the person with and the manipulation of the lipstick colour.

Longevity it gives.....
Using a lipliner that is similar (do not need to be exactly matching) to your lipstick and filling it up will prolong the lip colour consistancy before it gradually fade out.
But be warn that lip liners being more saturated in colour coz of its texture, tend to be abit (if not much) darker than what you see.
TRICK: Line the lip and slightly colour into the lip before using a lipbrush or finger and gently rubbing the colour in.

Intense look it can provide
Instead of using a lipstick, you can use a lipliner to fill up the lip. That will intensify the lip focus through saturating the liner colour throughout the lip. This will provide a nice matte lip colour.
TRICK: Draw your lipline, fill in the colour by moving the liner 45 degrees and colouring in the liner.

Different look it may arm the person
Paled out lips, nude tones, cutey pinks, shocking orange, matte red, sexy glossy lips. all convey a different look or mood for that person. Using different lipliners and layering with different lip products is able to achieve that attained look. ADJUST THE SHAPE of the lip and the whole look changes.
Use one nude lip liner gives a softer look, whereas a intense purple tone gives a more sculpted lip feature on the face.
TRICK: Play with different colour lip liners to bring out a different look/feel. Play with lip shape to get the different looks!

Manipulation of lipstick colour
Alot can be done to diversify your lipstick coloours. Besides having a zillion lipstick or lipgloss. You can vary your lip liners with different lip colours. Putting a brown reddish lipliner and filling the whole lip up before putting on a neutral tone lipstick can create a more 3-D pouty look. the creation is endless.
TRICK: Play with different colour lip liners to bring out a different look/feel (same as Different look it may arm the person)

My favourite lipliners so far....
ModelCo lip pencil
Consisting of only 5 user friendly colours in

	Melon 01
	Pomegranate 02
	Nectarine 03
	Plum 04
	Cherry 05

all are user friendly for most people. I love Nectarine the most!
PLUS point! One of the few brands who have a sharpener as a cover. Can be abit messy but the convinence, tho cap can lose its grip after frequent usage.

M.A.C. lip pencil
Started my career using this range and and two of my favourite well loved colour is Spice and Stripdown.
PLUS point! Biggest range of colours!

Shu Uemura Lip pencil
Soft to use and come in a good range of colours, my favourite pink tone for lip liners is from this range (colour pink 375).
PLUS point! Lipliner heart stays moist for a long time when not used.

Glominerals lip pencil
Love the wonderful creamy and never overly matte texture. Tho wishing there are more colours that can be used that can be more user-friendly.
PLUS point! Can be used as a longer wearing MATTE lipstick.

Cheapest!!! N.Y.C. lip pencil
Okie range of colours, but wishing there is a bigger range of modern colours, rather than have the range of early 1990's inspiration. Favourite colour is Natural and Bronze Glow.
PLUS point! The cheapest of the lot, costing only US99CENTS!!!!

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