Lipstick Bandits: The Secret Santa Look Swap

IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE!!!

In the Filipino culture, we celebrate on Christmas Eve and take it easy on Christmas Day, so the 24th has always been one of my favourite times of the year. Back in the Philippines, we would go to church for "Simbang Gabi" (translation: "night church") and then head back home for "Nochebuena", which is the meal we all eat at around midnight. After that, we open presents and then head to bed. 

Now that my family lives in Canada, we still continue with the tradition of celebrating on Christmas Eve and then keeping it mellow on Christmas Day (we usually watch a movie in the theatres); a tradition I think I will probably pass on to my own family. 

Anyway, the Lipstick Bandits have decided to do a little Christmas celebrating of their own by doing a "Secret Santa Look Swap". We were each given a Bandit to emulate through our makeup looks and here is what I came up with...

Some hints about my Bandit:

- She has beautiful, flawless skin (ok, they all do, so this is a crap hint)
- She has her flick technique down
- She likes coral-pink lip shades
- She has cuuute freckles
- She highlights the inner corners of her eyes like a pro

Any guesses???

If you guessed Monika of Rocaille Writes, then you are CORRECT!

Hope you like the look, Monika!

I was inspired by the look she created for her review of L'oréal's Infallible Eyeshadow in Golden Emerald. I didn't have the exact shades she used, so I took some liberties and went as close as I possibly could to her look.

Products Used

Face:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Concealer

Eyes:

Annabelle Eyeshadow in Vert-to-Go

Make Up For Ever Eyeshadows in a grey-taupe, brown-taupe, brown, and black shades (MUFE, y u no put eyeshadow names on the pan?!? >_<)

MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Whisper of Gilt

NYX Retractable Eyeliner in Bronze

L'oréal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Black Lacquer Mascara
L'oréal Voluminous Power Collagen Mascara

Cheeks:
MAC Mineralize Blush in Subtle Breeze

Lips:
Rimmel lipstick in Airy Fairy
Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Peony

As I mentioned above, I took some liberties with this look. I went a little bit heavier on the eyes because I feel that I need more definition and I decided to go with a lip colour that I see on Monika most often. She didn't do a glossy lip in her look, but I needed Peony to get a better colour. But I think the most telling part of this look is the inner corners of the eyes. Monika almost always highlights her inner corner and although the highlighter I used was more grainy than anything Monika's ever used, it was the one I had that would show up the most on camera (btw, so sorry for the crap quality of my photos. It's been so gloomy the last couple of days and I don't have proper lighting at home).

This post has been a lot of fun and I really hope you guys like the look (especially you, Monika-dear). Now, if you'll excuse me... It's time for me to troll everyone else's posts. I can't wait to see who got me who everyone else got! 

• Call It Beauty
• Eye Heart It
• Getting Cheeky
• Glitter Geek
• Makeup Morsels
• Messy Wands
• Musing on Beauty
• My Funny Valentine
• Rocaille Writes
• theNotice: a beauty blog‎

And a new Bandit this round:

• ChloeAsh‎

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Monthly Favourites - February 2012

Goodbye, February! Hello, March!

You know Spring is on its way in Vancouver when it's sunny one moment, then hailing the next. Then there's the fact that it's warm one week, then cold the other; and out of nowhere, it starts snowing! If there's one thing I learned from living in Vancouver, it's that I need to be prepared for all weather eventualities.

Well, wherever you are, I hope the sun is shining for you!

And without further ado, here are my favourite items from this past month...

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation

This was my go-to foundation for most of January and February. It looks very natural and provides pretty good coverage. I do require some blotting throughout the day, but that's the norm for most foundations I use.

Royal & Langnickel Round Kabuki Brush

After applying Healthy Mix Serum foundation, it's important for me to set my foundation. Though sometimes, I just want to add a touch more coverage. This kabuki brush is what I use to get the job done. It's ridiculously soft and hasn't shed since I purchased it last year. Love!

David Babaii for WildAid - Bohemian Beach Spray

Now that (the right side of) my hair has grown out enough for it to sustain curls, I've been using this spray to style my hair after every wash. It gives my hair body, curl, texture, and never makes it look overly done. It has a very light, coconut-y scent and holds a curl really well.

This product, as with all David Babaii for WildAid products, is sulfate, paraben, petrochemical and animal product free. Plus, ten percent of all profits go to WildAid. How amazing is that?

LUSH - Sultana of Soap 

This soap is creamy and smells absolutely divine! It contains real fruit, which I actually don't like (they just fall off!), but it sure makes the soap look pretty, no? My skin always feels so soft and smooth after using this and I think it's ranked up at the top along with Honey I Washed The Kids as my favourite Lush soap.

Marcelle BB Cream Beauty Balm

This product in one word: awesome! 

I haven't tried any North American BB Creams on my face, though I did swatch some on my hand and so far, Marcelle has been the only brand to get the texture right. BB Creams are not tinted moisturizers, yo! 

This shade matches my skin perfectly, gives good coverage, evens out my skin tone enough (I still need some concealing, though), and is so easy to use. While I was running late last week, I ended up applying this haphazardly all over my face (like a moisturizer) and it still looked amazing. I do need some blotting throughout the day, but I'm so impressed at how well this baby sticks around. 

I've been having "good face days" thanks to this BB Cream and I think I may have found a product that will truly become a staple in my modest arsenal.

What are your February favourites?

Monthly Favourites - January 2012

I don't know about you, but 2012 has been pretty good to me so far. If the past month is an indication of what the rest of the year is going to be like, then I have to say I'm pretty excited about what's to come!

A bit of news before I get to my favourites. If you guys follow me on Twitter, then you'll probably already know this. But for those who don't, I am now a contributor for She Said Beauty's blog. Check out my first post here and my latest post here!

I also recently started school for Makeup Artistry and am currently taking the Makeup Artistry Fundamentals course. It's been going well so far and I'm really excited to get my hands dirty, so to speak, and finally do makeup on a face that's not mine :p. I'll be writing about my progress as I go along; check out my first post about MUA classes here.

With the out of the way, let's get to the favourites, shall we?

Bourjois Paris Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in 53 Beige Clair

I've been dying to try this foundation for some time now, but I couldn't justify buying another foundation... So I threw out my other ones :p. No, really, I did throw them out. But not because I wanted another foundation (well, I kind of did), but because I've had them for a more than a year already and I felt it was time to let them go.

This has been my go-to foundation ever since I purchased it and I've been loving it. It applies & blends onto the skin very well and is a great match for my skin tone/colour. I can't say it lasts for 16 hours, though. I find that I need some blotting and a bit of a touch up after around 5 hours of wear time. Still, it's fantastic for every day wear and I love how my skin looks whenever I use it. 

To see this foundation in action, check out my Spring for Less look. 

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus

I've been wearing this MSF Natural two ways: to top off or touch up my the Healthy Mix Serum foundation and all by its lonesome. I absolutely love how this foundation make my skin look. My skin does look semi-matte for a few hours, but my natural glow comes through after some time. It feels super light on the skin, but it offers enough coverage.

MAC Mineralize Blush in Subtle Breeze & MAC Blush Ombré in Azalea Blossom

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I think I'm turning into a blush fiend. These two blushes have been the only ones I used this past month. Subtle Breeze (left) is from the Naturally collection, while Azalea Blossom (right) was repromoted in the Daphne Guinness collection; both are utterly, utterly gorgeous!

Burberry Beauty Lip Mist in Camelia No. 7

I'm a big fan of Burberry, and when I found out they were branching into cosmetics, I got really excited. On boxing day last year, I finally was able to purchase my first Burberry Beauty product. Funnily enough, my dad and my brother picked this shade. 

Lip Mist's are supposed to impart a "subtle hint of colour," but it's actually more pigmented than that. Or at least this particular shade is. It feels really comfortable on the lips, but I have to say that I don't enjoy the scent at all. I can't really describe the scent, but it's quite unpleasant. Fortunately, the smell dissipates after a few minutes. Also, it has an awful taste; which I don't think is the taste of the lipstick per sé... You know how you can taste a scent sometimes? I can't really explain it, all I know is that it's kind of gross. But obviously it hasn't stopped me from wearing this because I have been all month. The shade's too pretty and I can't help myself, yo! 

The packaging is also très luxe and will you just look at that pattern! I love! <3

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Moisturizing Balm in Cherry Me & Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

I love how effortless these lip products are. Cherry Me is a lot thinner than Berry Smoothie, but it keeps my lips from from getting chapped and flaking up much better. Berry Smoothie definitely doesn't hydrate as well as the name Lip Butter would suggest, but this shade is just sooo pretty! I keep these two in my purse all the time and just alternated to my heart's desire.

C.O. Bigelow My Favorite Night Balm

I've been moaning about the dry skin around my lips enough that I don't think I need to talk about the situation again. I've taken to wearing this balm even during the day and it's done wonders. My lips haven't felt this good in months!

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic & Skin Repair Moisturiser

I honestly don't understand what's going on with my skin these last few months. It's been pretty oily, so I purchased a lighter moisturizer, but it wasn't hydrating enough. Now my skin is dry again. Oh skin, please make up your mind!

I started using the Liz Earle toner and moisturizer again and it's been keeping my skin under control. My skin still gets oily after a few hours, but I'd rather have to blot than deal with dry patches. Also, the combination of these two products and the C.O. Bigelow nighttime balm has kept the skin around my lips free of dry patches. It's calmed my skin a lot and I wake up in the morning with soft, supple, and non-irritated skin. 

Bumble & bumble Tonic Lotion & Kevin Murphy Sticky Business

When I had my hair cut by the amazing Katie-Rose, she used these two products to style my hair. The Bumble & bumble Hair Tonic is meant to be "prepare hair for styling" and I find that my hair looks much smoother when I use it prior to blow drying my hair. Also, if I don't plan on washing my hair, I use this to re-wet and smooth down the hair on the left side of my head, where the hair is much shorter. Because when I wake up in the morning, that side looks like this. 

Meanwhile, Sticky Business is meant for a "deliberately disheveled look." I use it to smooth down my shortest hairs and I scrunch it into the longer hairs for more body and some wave. This stuff is amazing! All you need to do is zhuzh the paste into your hair and it creates an effortless style.

POLL TIME!


As I mentioned above, I am a contributor for She Said Beauty. I need some help or my next article and I would really appreciate it if you guys took the time to take this poll!

Do you prefer having lighter or darker skin?

Yes

No

Here's to a Fabulous February!

About Face - Spring For Less

Greetings, lovelies!

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling very Spring-y as of late. My heart has been taken with purples (when is it not, though? <3) and pinks in the past few weeks, so I thought I'd do a looky-look since I haven't done one in a while.

I also wanted to do a look using all drugstore products, so I dug around my humble collection to see what I could use. It turned out to be a good thing, because I rediscovered some products that I haven't use in a while and remembered how much I love them!

Products Used:

Bourjois Paris Healthy Mix Serum Foundation - No 53 Beige Clair

Revlon PhotoReady Concealer - Light Medium 003

NYX Cream Rouge Blush - Natural (applied to the back of the cheek)

Joe Fresh Cosmetics Cream Blush - Bloom (applied to the apples of the cheeks)

NYX Cosmetics 10 Colour Eyeshadow Palette - Velvet Rope (purple)

Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio - I'm Getting Sunburned (dark brown)

NYX Cosmetics Retractable Eye Liner - Black

Bourjois Paris Volume Glamour Ultra Curl Mascara - Black Curl

Revlon Lip Butter - Berry Smoothie

Hope you all like this look!

Also, thanks so much for all the love on my first post about my makeup artistry classes. Keep checking in, I'll definitely be writing about my journey often!

What colours have you been reaching for most often?

Call It Beauty's "Brands I Want To Try" List

I don't know about you, but when I'm broke, I think about all the lovely things I'd love to buy when I finally do have some cash to burn. So in the interest of further daydreaming about said lovely things, here are a few brands I'm thinking of trying out.

I became really interested in natural skincare products when I suffered through a pretty severe allergic reaction to Philosophy's products. As I continued to explore this new(ish) avenue, I came to the be interested in natural cosmetic products as well. Tarte is one of the brands that make all natural products. I've already tried (and loved) their Lights, Camera, Splashes! mascara and I can't wait to try others. 

Products (left - right):

EmphasEYES™High Definition Eye Pencil

EmphasEYES Aqua-Gel Eyeliner

EmphasEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner

Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush

Cheek Stain

The first thing that captures my attention is, of course, theBalm's packaging. Very retro, very vintage; it's both cute and chic. I've heard amazing things about some of their products, so I'm definitely eager to try some out.

Products (left to right):

TimeBalm Concealer

Cabana Boy Blush

Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter

Bahama Mama Bronzer

The first time I heard of Make Up For Ever, I actually thought it was a low quality brand, kind of like play-makeup for children. I guess the "For Ever" part made me think of children (bff, yo!). I believe I actually asked if the brand was "for real." Yeah... Anyway, now I know better and I'm eager to try out their products. Especially since MUFE is such a favourite among makeup professionals and makeup enthusiasts alike.

Products (left to right, top to bottom):

Aqua Cream

HD Microfinish Powder

Diamond Powder

HD Invisible Cover Foundation

12 Flash Color Case

Smoky Lash Mascara

I first heard of Sugarpill through YouTube makeup tutorials and I was astounded by how pigmented the eyeshadows were. I know there's a time and a place for sheer colours, but for the most part, I'm all about highly pigmented shadows. I have a feeling Sugarpill won't disappoint. 

Products (left to right):

Pressed Eyeshadows

Loose Eyeshadows

Bourjoir Paris is a brand that I first noticed because of their cute "round pot" products. At first I thought I'd have to wait til I make my dream trek to London to try these out but they're apparently available in Canada (Shoppers Drug Mart), though I've not seen them yet. I definitely need to look harder :p.

Products (left to right):

Little Round Pot Blush

10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation

Little Round Pot Eyeshadow

Best known for their Dazzle Dusts and Nail Paints, Barry M is definitely a brand I want to try. There's a Facebook campaign going on to get Barry M sold in Canadian drugstores and you can bet I "liked" that page :p. 

Products (left to right):

Nail Paint

Dazzle Dust

Lip Paint

Ridiculous product names aside, there's no denying that NARS makes good products. The packaging feels luxurious and the colours are gorgeous. However, I'm a "more for my money" type of girl so I always inwardly cringe when I look at the prices. Nevertheless, I definitely want to "invest" in some NARS, it's just a matter of figuring out which products to choose first.

Products (left to right):

Blush

The Multiple

Bronzing Powder

Sheer Glow Foundation

Eyeshadow Duo

Pixi is a fairly new discovery for me and I've been eager to try some of their products since I first heard of this brand. I know they're available at Target so I need to make a note to check it out when I'm there next.

Products (left to right):

Illuminating Tint & Conceal

Natural Mineral Kit

Lip Booster 

Any brands on your must-try list, lovelies?