Left Behind #3: Eyes, Lips, and Cheeks

Note: This is an old entry reposted from my old blog called Boudoir Angel on Tumblr. I’m reposting all of these old entries because I plan to delete my old blog and consolidate everything to this one. Some posts may have its text updated and/or reformatted slightly according to the platform change.

When I was six I used to go through my mum’s and aunt’s drawers without their knowing it—so I believed though I still don’t know if they ever figured it out—and I would play with their make-up. Naturally it was the eye shadows that I played with most and eventually it was my grandmother’s stash that I was openly allowed to muck around with, exploring all sorts of combinations.



Back then, the make-up I played with came in palettes. This is the reason why, when I began exploring make-up again, I was so amused to find that there were such things as individual eye shadow pots and pans. The first basics I bought, just because they looked almost completely neutral and fairly natural on me, were the Nichido Soft Black and Bronze Eclair (1). These came in little screw top pots but I eventually broke up the little cakes and compacted them into these stacking jars. From M.A.C. are these two beauties: Sable and Aquadisiac (2). This third one, a rather large pan from Ever Bilena, is the most fabulous black eye shadow ever called Cleo (3).


Eye shadow sticks are made of love. These two from Fashion 21 (1) called Wood and Clay I normally use as a base for my powders to achieve different effects. These five sticks from Elianto (2), meantime I hadn’t opened yet at the time but will show them off in another entry. :D


Eye pencils. I’ve never been very good at applying the stuff and since I don’t really use primers, they tend to slide or smudge off after some time. These pencils from Nichido are awesome though; and they are one heck of a cheap thrill at, if memory serves, PhP80 each!


I was fourteen when I first bought my own make-up and even then I had a kind of obsession for having really thick, almost fake, lashes. Max Factor’s False Lash Effect (1) has been, so far, the best product I’ve used for this purpose though I’ve since been trying out others in my attempt to be more animal-friendly in my cosmetics choices. And if mascara isn’t enough, there are false eye lashes (2) to master wearing, hahaha!


I am not a very big fan of blushes, powder or otherwise, mainly because I turn red like a lobster the moment the temperature rises. But I have three of them anyway, just because I had to use it for theatre purposes. From left to right: Ever Bilena’s Starlight Shine, Nichidho’s Sunkissed, and M.A.C.’s Frankly Scarlet. The last one is my favourite because I need so little of it to make my cheeks pop.


Capping off this entry are my lip products. Again I have more than I actually need but I’ve been using these a bit more often than I used to so I suppose it’s worth it.

Left to right: Nivea’s Angelstar Lip Balm. So cute because it has a bit of shimmer to it, but not so much that your lips look glittered up. In the middle are my stacking jars of lipstick (clockwise): Maybelline’s Watershine Lipstick in Dragonfly Red, Revlon’s Conditioning Shimmer, two tubes of lipstick that came free with an old make-up case, and Revlon’s Wet Wet Red lipstick. Two of my favourites, however are these M.A.C. lipsticks, Craving and Diva, because I can dress both up or down according to the occasion and my needs.


Originally posted as Boudoir Angel on Tumblr, 23 January 2011



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Left Behind #2: Bare Skin

Note: This is an old entry reposted from my old blog called Boudoir Angel on Tumblr. I’m reposting all of these old entries because I plan to delete my old blog and consolidate everything to this one. Some posts may have its text updated and/or reformatted slightly according to the platform change.

These are the products that were left after I decided to do my year-end clean up. Who knew I had so many products? I certainly didn’t. <.<



I’ve learned you’re meant to use make-up bases and all but I figured what works for Lauren Luke ought to work for me, especially in this tropical heat. So at the time I originally posted this, I simply used my M.A.C. Strobe Cream (1) to provide a bit of moisture and smoothing underneath my powder or foundation.

Along with the Strobe Cream, I would use the Myra Daily Sun Protect for a bit of SPF or on occasion, use just either the Myra VitaGlow (2), or Maybelline Clear Smooth Minerals BB Cream (3). They’re both quite light though as you can see from the swatches (4).

This face powder was my go-to staple for years. It’s the Maybelline Clear Smooth Extra in Honey. My grandmother taught me to use face powders when I was nine (I know…a bit of early development there, haha) but I’m really rather lazy and I often had the tendency to put too much of it on so it only became detrimental to my skin condition and eventually I just stopped using it.

It took a while for me to get back to using powders, mainly so it could sop up the icky oils on my T-zone. I applied it as thinly as I could manage to with my unpractised hand, only to have to completely busted when we went into theatre and I had to lay on the foundation thickly.

Enter my mother’s staple, the Max Factor Creme Puff 2-way cake foundation in Nouveau Beige.

Never had my skin been so face to face Photoshopped as when we were involved in that production. Never had my skin been so white either, hahaha! Truth is that it matches my skin quite well but as part of my character creation, I applied it as thick as it would go to make my face look far lighter than the rest of me.

Eventually, after getting addicted to Lauren Luke’s make-up tutorials, I thought to explore M.A.C. Cosmetics. Frankly, I don’t use enough make-up to warrant keeping so many products on hand but at the time, I ‘d expected we’d be in production for a good long while and I figured grabbing some good quality items would be great.

Enter this last powder, my M.A.C. Studio Fix Powder + Foundation in NC42. A thin layer of this baby covered my flaws like magic and I was hooked.

Before using this product, I didn’t believe I needed multiple shades of powder. After all, I live in the tropics where sunlight barely ever left us. And then summer came and I remembered that even the heat of the air can and will cause burns…or at least tanning.

I haven’t bought a second shade of Studio Fix yet but eventually, when all the other products I have are gone, I will likely end up grabbing an NC43 compact as well, just so I have a “warm weather colour” and a “cold weather colour.”

This, The Face Shop’s Baked Shimmer in Apricot Nuance, I consider to be one of my best trial products ever.

“Trial” not because I got it for free to try out—really, I’m not as devoted a make-up geek as that to receive notice from companies, much less receive freebies to try and review—but because I saw it, I thought it was cute, so I thought I’d try it out.

As I mentioned in this product review entry, it is far more pigmented than I expected for a shimmer brick, and I can use it in so many different ways it’s ridiculous. And while the pigment fades over time, leaving just the shimmer, applying it sparingly gives just enough liveliness to the face that I still say it’s worth the effort putting the product on in the first place.




Originally posted as Boudoir Angel on Tumblr, 23 January 2011



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Palettes Wish List

Note: This is an old entry reposted from my old blog called Boudoir Angel on Tumblr. I’m reposting all of these old entries because I plan to delete my old blog and consolidate everything to this one. Some posts may have its text updated and/or reformatted slightly according to the platform change.

Neutrals

Colour

Blushes

These palettes are actually different from the original set I posted on Tumblr but I could no longer find my original selections. Some colours have also gone missing from the list, possibly from being unavailable at the time I tried to redo the palettes.

They’re still pretty anyway.


Originally posted as Boudoir Angel on Tumblr, 16 June 2010



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M.A.C. Strobe Cream PLUS Studio Fix Powder + Foundation

Note: This is an old entry reposted from my old blog called Boudoir Angel on Tumblr. I’m reposting all of these old entries because I plan to delete my old blog and consolidate everything to this one. Some posts may have its text updated and/or reformatted slightly according to the platform change.

I said before that I wasn’t too happy with how the Strobe Cream worked on my face because it made my already oily skin look greasier. However, I read a long since lost article that said underneath powder, Strobe Cream works wonders. So this is my second product trial.

This, again, is my face, newly-washed and this time moisturised with Avon’s Anew 360degree White. It was just a sample so I can’t give you a proper review for that one. ^.^ Though the Strobe Cream also moisturises, it doesn’t moisturise my skin enough on dry days so I chose to apply a different moisturiser prior to Strobe Cream application.

Okay, this time around, even with two moisturisers on my face, it didn’t look too horrible. Why? Because by then, I’d mastered the art of applying sparingly.

Ladies, if you happen to have the ill fortune of thinking the way I do that more is well, more, for these products, it’s not. “Less is more” is the rule to follow here and it will save you a bunch too if you apply the product a little bit at a time instead of grabbing a whole dollop of it and then cursing yourself inwardly when your skin refuses to keep absorbing the product you’r trying to slather on.

The same is true with powder though this one I learned early on when I would apply thick layers of powder on my face and the moment I wipe the sweat off my forehead with a hanky, off comes the powder. (Please remember though that I was nine and although the compact was from my grandmother, she didn’t exactly teach me how to use it properly.


On the left is the Strobe Cream just barely showing through the thin layer of pressed powder that I patted on my face. Compare this with the image from way before when I wore the strobe cream alone.

While my pores still felt over emphasised, the Photoshopped smoothness remained and I was glowing, not greasy.

I believe it was a Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist who pointed out that the Strobe Cream underneath any powder or foundation gives a beautiful, dewy glow. I’m so happy my mum saved that article for me to read. And just so my effort to put on powder would not be wasted, I decided to go all out.


Just a slightly exaggerated version of my normal every day look.

Full disclosure: I used Photoshop to erase some of the blemishes on my skin. You can tell the difference between the first three photos and these last two.

Products used:

  • M.A.C. Strobe Cream
  • M.A.C. Studio Fix Powder + Foundation in NC42
  • Nichido Eye Shadow in Bronze Eclair
  • Maybelline Eye Shadow in Pearly Snow
  • Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara in Black
  • Nichido Powder Blush in Sunkissed
  • An unknown lipstick that was given to me as a gift

The question left is how it would work for a full day especially when it gets really hot and it feels like everything just melts off.

That trial redone, I take back my original opinion on the matter. M.A.C. Strobe Cream actually does work beautifully and since it moisturises perfectly, it becomes a great make-up base despite missing SPF. Perhaps for night time purposes?


Originally posted as Boudoir Angel on Tumblr, 14 May 2010




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M.A.C. Strobe Cream and Studio Fix Powder + Foundation

Note: This is an old entry reposted from my old blog called Boudoir Angel on Tumblr. I’m reposting all of these old entries because I plan to delete my old blog and consolidate everything to this one. Some posts may have its text updated and/or reformatted slightly according to the platform change.

I mentioned before that I’d requested my aunt to purchase for me some M.A.C. products, among them, the Strobe Cream and, because I needed it for theatrical purposes, the Studio Fix Powder + Foundation.

I first learned to use compact powders from my grandmother who has always been…who always was very conscious of how she looked and presented herself to people. I was nine when I received my first powder compact but though I enjoyed using it—it made me feel like a proper little lady—I eventually stopped doing so as it was very tiresome for me.

Fast forward to the 2000s when work has forced to me consider foundation (powder or otherwise) a necessity.

I’d been using my Max Factor cake foundation, an old reliable product I learned of from my mum, but I wanted something extra that could really be used as a powder since the cake foundation doesn’t actually fare as well when used dry.

Enter Lauren Luke, under whose tutelage I learned of such things as moisturisers being a good base for make-up and the occasional necessity of various product-specific primers. In her case, one of her favourites at the time I started watching her tutorials was the M.A.C. Strobe Cream.

And here we go.


Scary as it is to post my face on here for whatever reason one can think of, here it is. LOL. This is me with a completely clean, freshly washed face. The pink tinge on my cheeks is not artificial blusher, it’s a heat reaction.

I first tried the Strobe Cream at the M.A.C. counter and fell in love with it because it felt so silky smooth and had a lovely lustre. Of course, me being me, I only tried it out on my hand and not on my face. Now, I have oily skin and as you’ll see in the next photo, oily skin and Strobe Cream are not the best of friends.


I mentioned when I first posted my first set of M.A.C. products that there is an alternative product that is actually formulated for my skin type. The cream version made my skin appear quite greasy but despite the dissatisfaction over that particular effect, I love how it moisturised my skin. In that department, I believe it truly delivered as a moisturiser and I love that a little pea-sized dot of it could cover about half my face. For a product that comes in a 50ml tube, that’s a lot of applications.

So that’s the Strobe Cream out of the way but what about Studio Fix?

Look back to the first image. Now look at this next one:


Compared to the first image, it’s like I Photoshopped my own face! And this is all with just one thin sweep of powder too. Instant matte and imperfection coverage in one go so like the Strobe Cream, a little goes a long way for a 15g product.

I’ve already mentioned the Back 2 M.A.C. program where you can give the empty packaging back to the store and, to quote, “by returning 6 M.A.C. primary packaging containers to a M.A.C. counter or M.A.C. Cosmetics online, you’ll receive a free M.A.C. lipstick of your choice as our thanks to you.”

This is, happily, in effect in the Philippines as well which is fabulous because it’s all the more reason for me to indulge, hahaha! Well, I’m partly kidding, of course, and at this point, I have yet to verify whether or not M.A.C. falls under the animal testers or the non-animal testers.


Originally posted as Boudoir Angel on Tumblr, 6 May 2010








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My first set of MAC Products

Note: This is an old entry reposted from my old blog called Boudoir Angel on Tumblr. I’m reposting all of these old entries because I plan to delete my old blog and consolidate everything to this one. Some posts may have its text updated and/or reformatted slightly according to the platform change.

My first set of M.A.C. make-up, a gift from an aunt who’d just come in to visit from the U.S.

I first fell in love with M.A.C. because of Lauren Luke’s YouTube tutorials as panacea81. I later tried them at the store counter and thought they were fantastic. They’re quite pricey, to be honest, but well worth it.



This is the bag the products came in. Imagine my mad giggling when this was handed to me. A little note to self that I made though was that it’s better for me to make my M.A.C. purchases here since it’s really just the same price unless you can buy it duty free.


I didn’t know until it was too late that there’s an alternate version to the Strobe Cream and that, for oily skin like mine, it would actually be better to use that instead of this one.

Despite that though, I’ve been able to make it work by applying it sparingly and only in areas where I tend to dry up so that’s usually my cheeks and then a bit on my nose for under powder highlight. It took a bit of trial and error to get to that point where I figured I knew what I was doing and you’ll see me experimenting with that in later reblogs.

Admittedly, I didn’t and still don’t know all that much about make-up and make-up application but I’m learning both by experimenting and from studying make-up artist friends and YouTube tutorials. It’s not something I want to be a pro at,  just good enough so I can give myself a little pick-me-up on down days. For really formal occasions, definitely going to a real pro. These two ladies are my favourites: Rae Venturanza and Ara Fernando.


At the time I asked for this particular colour I had no idea that my skin tone could actually change quite radically depending on how much sunlight I get and how hot it is outside. (Direct sunlight is not the only way your skin can bake, ladies.) This is actually too light for me to wear during the summer but perfect for the rest of the year. This one is the NC42 but during the summer months I’m more of an NC43.


What I love about  the compact is that the puff has its own little nook underneath the powder itself. The bad news is that you don’t get refills for these things; you have to buy a new compact each time. It’s kind of okay though since they have a Back to M.A.C. program where empty product containers and packaging are returned to the store and they recycle it all for you.

I can’t say I’m fond of the puff that comes with the compact though. I find it a bit rough on my skin so I had to hunt for a replacement puff.

When I looked at the site and tried it at the counter, for some reason, it appeared just perfectly fine to me, but actually, it’s not and I consider this the deadliest weapon in my make-up arsenal, considering I can very quickly go from pale to lobster given enough heat exposure or even just body heat increase in general. This is the main reason why I don’t normally use powder blushes or any other kind of blusher. But I fell in love with this one because I thought it was a cute reddish pink.

Girls, if you do not have the appropriately dark skin tone for Frankly Scarlet, just don’t. Hahaha! I learned this the hard way. But applied very sparingly, I can actually still get it to look quite natural on me. Applied heavily, I can use it as a kind of character mode type thing or maybe even turn myself into some kind of nightmare dolly or something similar.

Thankfully powders like this one, stored properly, can last a good deal of time so it’s not money wasted.

 

These two have found quite a bit of use to them since I received them but I feel like I’m still such a long way away from finishing either one off. Why? PIGMENT. I think this is part of why a lot of  YouTube make-up tutorial people choose M.A.C. Such strong pigments with so little effort.

On the left is the Velvet Eye Shadow in Sable, and on the right, Lustre Eye Shadow in Aquadisiac. On my skin, I need to put a base under Aquadisiac so that it stands out better but Sable blends so well with my skin that it almost looks natural.


I have fond memories of a certain little girl I met years ago and the lipstick on the left, the Amplified Creme Lipstick in Craving. It’s my favourite go-to lip colour if I want something brighter than nude. The Matte Lipstick in Diva, on the other hand, is my favourite drama lipstick. The only thing I hate about it is the effort it takes to get the red pigment to stay put but the effort is worth it once you see the results of all the hard work.

Originally posted as Boudoir Angel on Tumblr, 4 May 2010




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