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!

The Bandit Is A Vamp...

Aaaand, we're back! Trust the Lipstick Bandits to get me out of my little hidey-hole. :p

If you haven't guessed by the title, we are getting our vamp on this time around. I normally shy away from really dark lipsticks as I feel it makes my lips look too thick (yes, you read that right); but I've been  becoming more and more accepting of their fullness in the past year, and I thought: why not take the plunge?

That said, I'm actually not a stranger to dark, vampy lipsticks... Back in my dancing days, I used to wear this MAC lipstick called Media -- it was perfect for the stage, since you wanted something that could be visible under bright stage lights. But I never wore it offstage since it was just a bit too dark for my liking.

But since the Bandits chose to go Vamp with this latest round of posts, I have challenged myself to wear this particular lipstick in public at least once before the end of the year... Wish me luck, lovelies!

Anyway, for my vamp lipstick, I chose:

Tan-ta-na-naaaaaan!

Welcome to the Dark Side, ladies...

I was briefly toying with the idea of purchasing Media again, but I decided to choose something different this time around. Dark Side is described by MAC as a "deep burgundy" shade and is an Amplified Creme finish, which is probably my favourite kind of MAC finish.

It's comfortable to wear and comfortable to apply -- there's nothing new with this particular lipstick, as it's from MAC's permanent line. So if you own a MAC Amplified Creme lipstick, then you know what to expect with Dark Side.

If you ask the other Bandits if this shade is "vampy enough", they'll probably say no. But I like to think of it as an "Intro To Vamp" type of shade. It's not quite too dark, but definitely dark enough to stretch your comfort some a little bit. Still, it's a stunning shade, and if you're looking to challenge yourself when it comes to lipsticks, then this one is for you!

Now, I don't know about you, but when I think of Vamp, I think: DRAMA! So for my full face shot, I decided to bring on the drama...

To get a more vamp look, I decided to layer Dark Side of MAC's Vino Lip Pencil and it definitely amps up the drama... After seeing how well this combination works, I'm definitely more inspired to wear darker, more dramatic shades. (I'm not quite at Larie Level, though :p)

Aaaaanyway, here comes the fun part -- YOU get to check out what the Vamp Lipstick of choice was for the other Bandits:

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

Are you a fan of the Vampy look?

FILLER POST!!! (a.k.a. Dani Can't Find Her Camera)

So it's kind of embarrassing to make this big ta-da about being back to blogging and then not post for, what, a week? It's coz I can't find my camera, you guys! >_<

Anyway, I decided to do a bit of a filler post while I'm trying to find that darn camera. So here's what I've been up to lately:

Firstly, I met Larie-girl! (see above photo)

She is sooo sweet and sooo cute! Unfortunately, I only had about 2 hours to spend with her, but it was 2 hours well spent! I have now met 3 of the bandits; that makes my heart very happy!

School's been going well... One of the highlights of my course so far is learning how to block eyebrows. It's a lot of work and it's difficult to do without the proper concealer, but it's still a lot of fun!

Btw, how thrilled does my brother look? I think he loves missing an eyebrow!

We've been doing decade makeup as well. It's really interesting to see how much makeup styles and trends have changed throughout the years. The 50s was definitely my favourite look as it's so classic and flatters nearly everybody. Last night was all about the 60s and I had a lot of fun creating something reminiscent of that era. I was trying to create something that was traditionally 60s, though I found that mine was bit more on the modern side. Still, I think the look turned out well. :)

And last but not least...

If you read my last post, you'll know that I was the makeup artist for a YWCA campaign. Well, here's some photos!

Honestly, I felt like I could've done better... I keep thinking that perhaps I should've gone for a more defined and polished look instead of something very natural, but I'm still proud of the work I've done. The entire experience was so valuable and it's such a trip to see your work in such a public space.

The other day as I was getting off my train, I just happened to look up at the TV screen... What did I see? The YWCA ad!

I stood under that TV for a good 5-8 minutes waiting for it to pop up again so I could take a photo of it. It was such an incredible feeling seeing something you've worked on displayed for all to see!

----------

And there you have it... My first filler post. Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me -- hopefully I'll be able to find my camera soon!

Have a great weekend, lovelies!

Lipstick Bandits: Summer Sheers Make Me Feel Fine...

The Lipstick Bandits are back and this time, we're talking about sheer lippies!

Now, I've said it before on this blog - so much so that I probably sound like a broken record :p - but sheers aren't really my thing. That said, there are some sheer lipsticks that have caught my eye in the past year; but for this post, I thought I would resurrect a product that I reviewed at the beginning of June. The product in question? Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in En Vogue.

One of the things I love about this lipstick is that despite its sheerness, it's still pigmented enough that the colour shows up on my lips. And what a lovely colour it is! En Vogue is described as a "bright coral," but since it's a sheer formula, it won't frighten anyone who's scared of bright, vivid shades. There's also some slight shimmer shot through, which gives my lips such a pretty, glossy finish. 

(my face was not cooperating with me so you get this lame, cop-out of a full face shot)

(also went overboard with the blush... if there was an MUA card, mine would be revoked)

(Rae-Rae, I know you're gonna want to photoshop the shiz out of this :p)

Anyhoo... Although I love me some En Vogue, I can't say I'm fully on board the Sheer Train. Here's why: My lips are fairly pigmented, but there are some days where they're more pink and others where they're more neutral. When I took the full face shot yesterday, my lips were more pink, so the coral-y goodness wasn't as evident as it was on the day I took the lip swatch photo. 

Still, En Vogue is one of those lipsticks that is easy to wear ; you don't have to think too much about it, just slap it on and BOOM -- prettified. Such is the nature of sheer lipsticks, I suppose! :)

So now we come to my favourite part: checking out the other Lipstick Bandits' Summer Sheer picks! We're missing the beautiful Jenny of My Funny Valentine, but show her some love anyway and be sure to go check out each Bandit's post. I'm sure you will love what they're going to feature -- I know I always do!

• Beauty Reflections
• Bloomin' Beauty Blog
• Call It Beauty
• Eye Heart It
• Getting Cheeky
• Glitter Geek
• Makeup Morsels
• Messy Wands
• Musing on Beauty
• My Women Stuff
• Rocaille Writes
• theNotice: a beauty blog‎

What's your favourite sheer lipstick?

The Lipstick Bandits Do Summer Brights!

When Bite Beauty posted a photo on Twitter featuring their High Pigment Matte Pencil in Zinfandel ($28 CAD at Sephora), I knew I had to have it. I mean, it's described as "electric coral" for goodness sake! How does one resist that?

One doesn't... Which is why it is now in my possession.

I've had this product for a while now (since the start of the year, I believe), but it took me ages to actually review it. So when the Lipstick Bandits decided to do a Summer Brights post, I knew I had to whip out Zinfandel and share it with you all!

<tangent> And I've just found out that Bite Beauty is a Canadian company! How amazing is that? It's always so nice to see Canadian beauty brands experience mainstream North American success. I instantly became a fan of Bite Beauty when I tried Mulberry for the first time, so I'm just delighted that "one of ours" makes such lovely products! </tangent>

Now, when Bite says this pencil is High Pigment, they really do mean High Pigment. You really only need one thin layer of this bad boy and you've got yourself some hardcore, opaque, "electric coral" goodness on your lips. Zinfandel has a rather creamy consistency, which means it glides on smoothly and with absolutely no tugging on the lips.

It's not lightweight and feels slightly... Not heavy, that's definitely not the right word. But you certainly don't forget you're wearing it, that's for sure. It still feels rather comfortable on the lips, though. However, it does remain tacky and will transfer easily, so... Don't wear white? 

But what has me really confused is that it's not matte at all! Now, I don't know if it's just the particular pencil I got or if all their matte pencils are the same way, but my lips continues to sport some sheen every time I wear it. Which is a shame, really, as I would've loved if it was truly matte. Larie of Eye Heart It reviewed the High Pigment Matte Pencil in Pomegranate here and it definitely looks matte. But am I really going to complain about this? Not really. Why? Because the colour is stunning!

I can't say much about the wear time because I have the habit of eating quite often (every 3 hours at this point) and I often wipe my lips before and after eating, which would necessitate reapplication and kind of renders any wear time counting pointless. That said, I've been able to get a solid 4 hours with absolutely no signs of wear, so I'm going to go ahead and make the assumption that I would get even longer wear time if I hadn't  consumed any food or liquids.

Zinfandel is definitely not as matte as I would like, but gosh, just look at that colour! It's vibrant, it's fresh, it's "electric freakin' coral!"

This shade is absolutely perfect for Summer; so if you're looking for a Summer Bright, definitely check Zinfandel out!

Now comes the fun part - you get to check out the rest of the Lipstick Bandits' picks for their Summer Brights:

Bloomin' Beauty Blog
Eye Heart It
Getting Cheeky
Makeup Morsels
Messy Wands
Musing on Beauty
My Funny Valentine
My Women Stuff
Rocaille Writes
theNotice: a beauty blog‎

Let us know what your summer bright is! 

All For One & One For All - The Lipstick Bandits' Universal Lipstick

The beauty of makeup is all the different shades you can play around with. Still, it's great to know that there are some shades that work for a wide variety of skin tones. So the Lipstick Bandits were wondering, is there such a thing as a universal lipstick shade?

We emailed back and forth, making suggestions (actually, I mostly just said I would agree with anything people liked :p); and Tracy came up with The Chosen One -- MAC Viva Glam V.

I will admit, when I first swatched this baby, my immediate reaction was: "oh..."

That was a disappointed "oh," in case you didn't realize.

"This looks nothing like the photos I've seen online," I thought.

Here's the thing, I can't say I'm in love with this particular shade. It looks good on me, I'm just not a fan of the finish. It's growing on me, though... Slowly, but surely!

Now, being a Lustre, this lipstick applies really smoothly. It glides onto my lips without a fuss and is so easy to work with. It also feels like I'm not wearing anything more than a balm on lips. Bonus points, yo!

MAC describes Viva Glam V as a "neutral pink with pearl," and frankly, I think it's the pearl that makes this lipstick look a bit 90s. This is very much an MLBB shade that compliments my skin tone very nicely, though it leans a bit too brown for my taste. Can you tell I have an aversion to 90s-style lipsticks? :p

The lip swatch is the closest I could get to what it actually looks like on me; but in real life, it definitely looks more brown. Still, I quite like this shade! In fact, I'm surprised at how much I do like it considering my reaction when I swatched the lipstick at MAC. That said, I would cross over from in-like to in-love if the lipstick looked more pink on me and if the pearl finish wasn't so obvious.

This colour has taken some getting used to, for sure, as I normally don't wear brown lipsticks. But I've seen swatches of this lipstick on others and it looks absolutely gorgeous. It's probably the colour of my lips that's making this lipstick lean more towards brown... They are fairly pigmented on their own, you see.

That said, I find that applying a few thin layers of Viva Glam V over lip balm makes it look more nude and less brown (almost like Jubilee). The pearly finish also becomes less pronounced; it's still there, but looks less... "90's."* And it works out well because this lipstick isn't exactly hydrating.

*90's is now an adjective I use to describe things

So this is how Viva Glam V looks on me... Curious to see how it looks on the other Bandits? Check out my fellow Lipstick Bandits' posts:

• Arianne, at Glitter Geek
• Dani, at Call It Beauty.
• Danielle, at Bloomin' Beauty Blog
• Jenny, at My Funny Valentine
• Jessica, at Getting Cheeky
• Larie, at Eye Heart It
• Mariella, at Musing On Beauty
• Monika, at Rocaille Writes
• Paris, at My Women Stuff
• Rae, at theNotice: a beauty blog
• Tracy, at Beauty Reflections
• Xiao, at Messy Wands

Are you a fan of Viva Glam V?