Mineral Eyeshadows (swatches)

It's a rainy day again and I'm not feeling that good (maybe due to the frequent changing of weather, I'm getting the flu..I hope I'm wrong)..I wanted to up my spirit a little bit and I thought, "why not play with your makeup?" and so I planned to make a look. So I opened my traincase and brought out all my eyeshadows to get some inspiration. But sadly, I got none..yeah, not a single inspiration on what look I should do..I got sad coz it has been quite a while already since I made a pretty eye makeup and I really wanted to make one for you guys..anyways, while I was returning my stuff inside the traincase, I got an idea. Why not take a picture of the swatches of my remaining mineral eyeshadows? I have been neglecting these babies since I got my Coastal Scents 88 palette and I forgot how beautiful they are. So here's a shot of my mineral eyeshadows/multi-purpose minerals..I'm not an avid mineral makeup user anymore because I'm not that happy with my stash of mineral foundation already (I still can't find my perfect match in all my criteria) but I'm still in-love with mineral blushes and eyeshadows because they are so pigmented and lasts long on my oily lids. Plus, they are very affordable and has a huge variety of colors to choose from! I'll show you what I'm talking about. Check out how vibrant these loose pigments are ^_^

Very pretty right? and these are only samples because I know I won't be able to finish them up.

What I like about mineral e/s:
- can be bought in sample sizes (1/8 tsp or 1g depending on the brand) at very affordable prices ($1 or Php100)
- very pigmented even if applied dry and without a base (and more vibrant if applied foiled/wet)
- you only need to use a very minute amount of product everytime
- comes in a huge variety of finish and colors
- there are so many brands to choose from!
- long lasting on my oily lids

What I don't like about it:
- some pigments are just glitter bombs (so be careful on buying)
- my favorite brands are not available locally
- since it is in loose form, they tend to produce fallouts especially when applied dry

Will I continue buying mineral shadows? YES! Since they don't expire, I can continue to collect them and use them anytime. And for the price of 1 MAC or MUFE loose pigment, I can already have more than 20 shades of mineral eyeshadows to choose from :)

Here are my swatches of them. I applied them dry using my fingers. The upper half has base (MAC painterly paintpot) underneath while the lower part has no base whatsoever. See how pigmented they are? ^_^


They have the same quality of vibrancy (in terms of the color) as with the ones on the pots..Isn't it obvious how much I love them? Why did I ever forgot to use them? toink! :)

My Top 5 Favorite Brands for MMU e/s are:
1. Taylormade
2. Bare Escentuals
3. Monave
4. Lumiere
5. Dreamworld


What about you? Do you love/use mineral eyeshadows too? What are your favorite brands? Share them by posting on the comment box below..I would be happy to hear yours out too :)
Thanks for dropping by.. Till next time ^_^

Entry for Pammy's Contest: My Favorite Blush ^_^

Here's my entry for Pammy's contest ^_^

My favorite blush is from MEOW Cosmetics and the shade is called "Claw Your Way to the Top". Whew! that's a very long name for a shade haha. I love this blush because of many reasons:

1. it is very pigmented so I just need to use a very small amount of product each time

2. not only is it pigmented but its staying power is superb. this blush lasts me the whole day! (and I'm oily too)

3. this is a mineral makeup so all the benefits you can get from using a MMU is in this product: chemical free, preservative free, etc

4. this has no expiration date! I can stock up on this and I won't worry of them getting spoiled

5. very affordable since a whole full size pot can last me years! this sample pot is already nearing its 1st b-day and I still haven't finished it yet haha

6. it is matte..I can just add glows or highlighter on top if I want a shimmery blush unlike with shimmery blushes, I can't get a matte finish if I need one.

7. and last but not the least, I love the color! it is mauve-pink shade on the pot but after you applied it using a stippling brush, your cheeks will have the prettiest natural looking pinkish shade.

*Under flourescent lighting

*under natural lighting
I'm very excited about this contest because I was once a blush addict and I know the feeling whenever a certain shade of blush give our face the final glow it needs :)

My 1st Make-up Tutorial: "Eye Candy"

Hi guys! I got an urge yesterday morning to do a makeup tutorial (maybe due to too much watching of youtube makeup gurus) hehe. Well, I decided to try it just to check if I can or can't do it. So please comment so I can hear some feedbacks ^_^

*WARNING: picture heavy*

Okay, let's start! We are aiming for a wearable "eye candy" look. This is fun and colorful but you can still wear it in school or in work coz I tried to make it subdued for a daytime look. Hope you'll like it :)

Here's the look we're going to do:

Let's start with the base. I used Innisfree Trouble Care all over my face. I applied it using my finger tips. Don't forget to conceal the areas that needs to be concealed so that we can achieve a flawless canvass.

Now, let's do the eyes. Apply your eyeshadow base of choice to help your shadows adhere to your eyelids and give a better color pay-off. I used MAC paintpot in Painterly.

Apply it using with your ring finger and then dab it until you covered your eyelids (from lashline to browbone. Also apply some base on your lower lashline coz we are going to put some colors there later.

Using your flat shader brush, I use ELF eyeshadow brush, pick up a bright pink shadow. I'm using my Coastal Scents 88 matte palette.

Apply the pink eyeshadow with dabbing motion all over your lids until crease. It should look like this:

Get your fluffy blending brush, I'm using my MAC 217 brush, and pick up an orange color. This is the orange beside the pink shade from the CS palette.

Apply it on the crease, overlapping with the pink, using a wiper motion. Don't forget to blend, blend, blend! You can retouch the pink and the orange until you achieved the intensity of the shade you want. Since I'm going to wear it out, I chose to make it subtle.

Then using any fluffy brush you have, you can also use your flat shader brush for this, pick up a white eyeshadow for highlighting the browbone. This is the shade on the upper left corner of the palette. It is a matte white.

Sweep the shadow on your browbone area and blend it with your orange crease color. Blending can help you achieve the flawless transition of the colors. You should not be able to see where each color ends and starts.

This is how your eyes should look like now.

Using your contour or pencil brush, I'm using Ellana contour brush, pick up a purple shade. This is the color just below the pink eyeshadow we used for the lids.

Apply the purple on your lower lashline (3/4 from the outer corner).

The using the same brush, pick up a golden yellow eyeshadow.

Apply it on the inner corners of your eyes and blend it.

Then line your eyes with black eyeliner. Since I don't have any liners, I'm going to use my black eyeshadow for this purpose. I'm going to wet my angled liner brush with a sealant (you can use water too) and make a paste using my black eyeshadow. Then I lined my upper lashline (I also tightlined using the same brush).

It should look like this:

Curl your lashes once the eyeliner has dried already. I used my Shiseido eyelash curler for this step.
Then apply your favorite mascara to help hold the curl of yuor lashes. I used Lancome High Definition mascara in black then removed excess products using a clean spoolie.
Then if you have any fallouts or mistakes, just use a wet cotton buds to remove them. Once dried, apply a highlighter on your undereyes. I use Ellana Awake concealer and applied it using my Charm concealer brush.

This also sets your undereye concealer so that it can last longer aside from making your eyes appear more awake.

And this is our finished eye makeup!

Now for the face:
I applied my setting powder, I used Aromaleigh URFP in Peaches and Cream, all over my face using a stippling brush (MAC 187) to help control the oiliness and also set my makeup.

Your face will look more polished after you applied your finishing powder.

Then apply your blush of choice. I choose a pink one, Lumiere Ditt "O" blush, and applied it using a stippling brush, I used my Lumiere duo fiber powder brush because it has a smaller head than my MAC 187 so it fits my cheeks pretty well. Using a stippling brush also produce a "soft" blushing effect but you can also use your regular blush brush.

Apply your blush on the apples of your cheeks for a more youthful look.

Finish your look with your favorite lipstick on top of your lipbalm. I chose to use my HG lipbalm, Venus and Mars Emu oil lipbalm, and topped it with my fave lipstick from Lancome.

All done! Here's the final look in different lighting. Pardon me for the quality of the pictures. I think the light washed out the colors so the it is not that vibrant on film. I'll try to set up my digital camera better next time (I'm still learning about the proper setting for it) ^_^

And here's my outfit for today. I wore a long white tank top and blue jeans paired with baby blue flipflops. I also wore a hoodie on top since it's raining.

Thank you for reading my very long post! Please suggest on what I can do to make my tutorials better. Tell me what you think. Post a comment! I'll be waiting for them :)

Till next time! Bye! ^_^

How I apply MY makeup

Hi guys! I've been so tired these last few days coz we've been general cleaning my room. The windows in my room are renovated so we need to move out all our stuff (all our drawers are in my room coz our house lacks storage area haha) and now that the new windows are installed, we are having a hard time putting everything back! haha we have so many stuff so I talked my mom out of donating all the clothes that we are not using...We are still not done so wish me luck!

I am loving my new windows! it provides perfect lighting for my makeup application..my room now is brighter :)

Now let's go to the main point of my post..one of my readers requested me to show how I apply my makeup..she said she likes my looks..I'm always flattered whenever someone compliments me that my makeup looks good and since she's the first one to request me for this one, I'm dedicating this to her..I hope this will help :)

1. After my skin care routine I apply my sunblock or BB cream with sun protection. I use my clean fingers in the application coz it is easier for me to control how much product I use and where to apply. Wait for a couple of minutes for your sunblock to be absorbed.




Don't forget to moisturize your undereyes and lips too prior to everything. This way, your skin will have enough time to absorb your skin care products before you put all your makeup.

2. I then apply my concealer. I put a small amount of product on the back of my non-dominant hand and use my ring finger of my dominant hand to put some products on my undereye area. I do this to conserve my concealer and to not contaminate the tube.



I then blend the dots using light tapping movements..I use my ring finger because it gives the least pressure among all my fingers. This is important in preventing premature wrinkles on our eye area :)

Repeat this step until you achieve your desired coverage. Just remember to use small amount of product per layer as to prevent it from creasing. Then set this with a loose powder (I use a fluffy concealer brush for this). I love using Ellana Awake concealer or Bare Escentuals Well Rested concealer coz these two can give my undereyes added brightness so I look fresh.

3. Apply your eyeshadow base. I love using an eyeshadow base because it not only makes my eyeshadows stay put during the day but also makes the colors more vibrant so I use less product each application. I use MAC Paintpot in Painterly but I want to buy UDPP or Smashbox Photo-op eyeshadow base. I love untinted or neutral bases coz I can use them for any color of eyeshadows :)

You can use a fluffly brush like MAC 217 in applying this but I prefer using my ring finger coz it's easier hehe :)

4. You can now apply your eye makeup! For this step, everyone has their own technique.

This is my technique regardless of colors I use. I prefer this because it is very simple and easy to follow :)

I use whites or the lightest shade of eyeshadows for my highlighting. You just use a fluffy brush like ELF e/s brush in putting color on your browbone. Then apply your mid tone shades or any color you want on the inner half of your lids using any flat shader brush you like. Then apply your darkest color on the outer half and V of your lids using a crease brush.Don't forget to blend!blend! blend! I love my MAC 217 brush for this purpose..It is super easy to blend using this brush.


I then put black or dark brown eyeliner on my upper lashline using my angled eyeliner brush. Curl my lashes and sometimes apply one coat of mascara. Lately, I use my contour brush from Ellana for applying some color on my lower lashline and white shadow in the inner corners of my eyes. I also apply white eyeliner on my waterline for that awake look :)

I always do my eyemakeup first before doing my whole face. This way, it is easier to clean up the fallouts from my eyeshadows. I don't need to worry about dfestroying my whole face makeup too :)


You are probably aware that I'm an MMU enthusiast so I only use mineral makeup for my face. I already posted an MMU tutorial before so I won't repeat it again..It is very detailed and has step-by-step on how I apply my MMU everyday :)

my personal MMU application


After applying your foundation, finishing powder and blush..apply your lipstick or liptint to your already moisturized lips..Remember we applied lipbalm before we started the whole makeup application? well this is the reason why. It is better to apply your lip colors to a well moisturized lips to prevent any cracking and dryness because lipsticks tends to dry your lips. If you apply lipbalm just prior to your lip color, your lipstick will probably disappear sooner coz it will just slide off.


Here's my FOTD/EOTD yesterday..I tried doing a neutral look with a cat-eye effect..I'm not used in making winged eyeliner so I want to practice and practice hehe :)



EYES
- Mary Kay Signature concealer in Ivory (undereyes) topped with
- Ellana Awake concealer
- MAC Paintpot in Painterly
- Twisted Fayte Breathe Deeply e/s (applied dry all over lid)
- MAC unorthodoz e/s (as highlight)
- La pensee dark brown e/s (for crease)
- Ellana Ethereal e/s (foiled as eyeliner)
- The Face Shop white eyeliner (on waterline)
- Clinique high impact mascara in Black




FACE
- Ellana Sheer Velvet Primer in White Chocolate
- Dayna's Minerals foundation in G2 & Vely (50-50 mix)
- Aromaleigh URFP in Peaches & Cream
- Ellana Finishing Powder in Pumpkin Pie (transluscent)
- Meow firefly blush in Radiance

LIPS
- Venus & Mars Emu lip balm
- Lancome lipstick (it came from Japan so I don't know the shade hehe)
- Clarins color quench lip balm in 00

I hope this helps! Till next time!