AMW Reports: The Grand Launch of CAVA

I started this blog when I wasn't a Professional Makeup Artist and you (my dear long-time readers) saw my makeup school escapades and even were there when I graduated!  *yay*  I receive a lot of emails asking me: "Do I really need to go to a makeup school?  I've been doing makeup almost all my life and I read makeup books and watch YouTube tutorials, I think that's enough."

That's what I thought so too.

But when I enrolled myself in a professional makeup school, I realized was...there are definitely so much more to learn! And up until today, I am still learning!

And recently, I discovered a newly launched school called CAVA (The Center for Aesthetics and Visual Arts).

Top: The Flower Collection 3Leone 

Shorts: From Korea

Shoes: SM Parisian

The Grand Launch was hosted by gorgeious Tracy Abad of 94.7.  

AMW Reports: Shu Uemura's YUME Advanced Makeup Class

Good morning AMW Readers!

Yesterday, I briefly talked about the YUME: Advanced Makeup Workshop that I attended last weekend as offered by Shu Uemura to Deal Grocer clients at 50% off which I bloggged HERE.

If not because of time contraints, I'd go book myself to all sorts of makeup classes!  I love learning and life is too short to focus on the little knowledge we know!  It is, indeed,  time to step out of the bubble and explore! :)

That's what I did!  

As I arrived the Shu Uemura Atelier, I was ushered to my seat area and I was in temporary "Shu Uemura heaven".  Various skincare, makeup base, eye shadows, blushers, brush set and the best part?  We can go around and borrow from our classmates too!  This was the best time for me to test on Shu Uemura products I haven't tested yet. 

Though tired from the  morning's makeup gig, thankfully, the "organized me" took charge and I actually brought with me my very own brush set, the Charm Essentials Vegan Brush Set and some of my personal makeup products.

It was a no-brainer for me to take with me my 2 Beauty Pro Palettes --- Sweet and Smokey Palette and Crazy Colour Palette.  These 2 palettes are enough for me to create various looks and let me share to you the best part about these shadows --- they can be applied both wet and dry!

Now on to the class, our instructor for the day was Ms. Sharon, one of the Shu Uemura's Accredited Make-Up Artist. 

We started off with Skincare routine and we were all asked to cleanse our face by removing our existing makeup, tone then moisturize.

Rowena was also there in class and look at her without makeup!

She's still very pretty!

Okay, seriously, the photo below is no laughing matter okay?  You'll hurt my feelings if you laugh!  Okay, I admit it, I literally have no eyes without my trustee eyeliner!  Heck..let's move on....move on....yes..move on!!! :P

Since it is an advanced makeup class, we breezed through makeup theories and face structuralization and headed straight to creating different looks!

First look --- Healthy Glowing Makeup

• Foundation application
• Highlight best features and contour areas that you want to be hidden.
• Use any neutral eye shadow shades and you may add glittery eye shadow on top.
• Lips are recommended to be in neutral hues with lots of shine.

After a quick demonstration, we were asked to do our own faces and it wasn't hard for me to create healthy glowing makeup because I am a fan of highlighters remember? :P  Instead of the usual neutral eye shadow colors, I went bold and used a green eye shadow instead as it works so well on my skin color.

Second look --- Day-to-Night Makeup

•  Experiment with different shades.
• Adding additional shades (light and dark version of a color you chose).
• Eye-lining
• Use of stronger lip color.

Third look --- Smoky Eyes

• Smoky eyes are not limited to black.
• Blending is very important for this look. 
• If you want to focus on the eye makeup, use a sheer colored blush and neutral colored lip products.

We were given the chance to try on Shu Uemura's famous lashes and Dionne and I played with some of them!  I only applied one eye hence my pose *lol*

 Fourth Look --- Runway Look

• Create a color palette you would want to focus on.
• If you prefer to do multiple colors, it helps to refer to the color wheel.
• Be adventurous and have fun!

Looking back, I missed my makeup school days when I would go creating wild looks!  Though my eyes are tearing up and tired from the day's activities, I was able to create a very strong eye makeup that reminded me so much of the sea.  (not shokoy okay? lol)  

I've done a lot of contouring (hence my slim nose) and used a lot of glow-ons and even applied some shimmer-y powder on my lips to create that "Ice Queen" effect as I believe it could get too cold under the sea! Thanks to Sharon for lending me the gorgeous red and purple lashes which I individually applied.

Overall, the class was a huge success!  There were 5 of us students and all of us were able to practice each looks and Ms. Sharon would give us feedback which I appreciate!  Sometimes, you tend to get used to doing your makeup and a second opinion will always be welcomed!

Is the class worth it?  Definitely!  I'll definitely enroll for more short courses as it's always nice to learn new techniques! 

Before I end this post, I want to share a statement....

"Beautiful Make-Up Starts with Beautiful Skin"

 

So true, so please take care of your skin as early as NOW!  It's never too late and your skin will thank you for it!

Thanks to the Shu Uemura team at Rockwell branch for the accommodation, thanks Nina for including me in this class!

Have you enrolled yourself in a class recently? (any class)

Keep smilin'
Stay Happy!

Reader's Corner: Q&A

Hi everyone!
It's been awhile since my last episode of Q&A. I hope my answers are not too late! :)

Question:

"Which one is better? Ecotools Brush set or Charm Travel Set?"

Askmewhats Answers:

If given the sufficient funds, both are useful! Both brush sets are different from each other. The Ecotools Brush set is perfect for natural loving makeup person while the Charm Travel Set is great for someone who really wants to fill in the brows, put on eye makeup, blush, eyeliner, etc! In short Charm travel set is more complete. I love both! :)

Question:

"How do you feel about studying at Basement Academy (BA)? Is it worth it? How's the experience? I really wanted to study makeup in beauty school"

Askmewhats Answers:

Update (May 2012): A lot of you have been asking about my makeup teacher, her name is Cheryl Cabanos and she now owns her own makeup school called CCMA (Cheryl Cabanos Makeup Academy), feel free to contact her in this number 0905-358-8009.  Trust me, she's the best teacher I've ever encountered and she shares a lot of her experiences as a professional makeup artist and wouldn't mind sharing a lot of her tips and tricks to her students!  If you're a professional MUA, don't fret!  She offers Advanced classes as well! :)

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Studying at the Basement Academy (BA) is the best decision I've made. I chose the school not because of the schedule, I chose the school because of their friendliness, their passion for producing wonderful talents after the course. I will list down advantages and disadvantage...

Advantages

• the school provides you models.
• you have chances to practice on different looks with different features, skin color, etc..
• friendly staffs
• the school interior is warm and cozy, great lighting suitable for makeup application.
• you can go back anytime for practice, you just have to pay for the models' fee.
• the teacher Ms. Cheryl Cabanos is the best teacher I've met! She gives honest feedback.
• the class is not time pressured, classes can go beyond schedule as long as the students understand the lesson for that day. My class starts at 6pm and supposed to end at 10pm but there were days we left the school at 12midnight!!!
• definitely not focused on lectures, there's a lot of practice going on!
• maximum number of students - 9.  Teacher can focus on each student.

Disadvantages

• location, not everybody is near Ortigas area
• finals, you don't have the chance to do 3-4 looks for finals due to time constraint! But again, you can always go back and request for a portfolio shot! (so this ain't a problem at all)

Question:

"How much cheaper is Shu Uemura in Hong Kong?"

Askmewhats Answers:

Depending on the product you want to purchase, Shu Uemura products in HK are around Php50-100 cheaper, the Cleansing Oils area definitely a couple of hundred bucks cheaper.


Question:

"Is it ok to apply nail polish on top of rhinestones?"

Askmewhats Answers:


Yes, it is actually better to apply CLEAR polish on top of rhinestones to make the rhinestones stay put! :D My rhinestones lasts for weeks!!! Or even months (if I don't remove them)

Question:

"Do we have NYX Cosmetics in the Philippines?"

Askmewhats Answers:

We don't have NYX cosmetics available like Maybelline, L'oreal, Revlon booths. What we have are online resellers from Multiply who sells NYX best selling products.

Question:

"Can you recommend online sites for makeup who ships to the Philippines?"

Askmewhats Answers:

You can check out the list on the lower right hand side of my blog called ASKMEWHATS SHOPPING. Those are some of the online sites I've shopped and had great experience with them. You have to keep in mind though that shopping online takes a lot of patience, most of the shipped items arrive really late due to our slow local post office, you also have to pick up the products yourself on most times and pay Php35.00 for it. There are moments where packages are lost or stolen. I am not stopping you from shopping online but I am giving you some hard facts so you won't feel disappointed with this whole online shopping experience :)

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So sorry for the super late responses!
Thanks for the queries! :) I do appreciate receiving them
as I'll know how much you trust me! :)
Have a wonderful weekend!

Keep smilin'
Stay Happy!

Askmewhats Report: Basement Academy Graduation Day

Hello everyone!

Thanks again for all the sweet comments on my school post!!! This is the final school report and I hope everyone enjoyed my journey!

Our finals/ graduation day required us to do at least one look. We originally thought of doing 2 looks but doing 2 looks for 1 model is quite difficult so everyone decided to do just one. I've thought of a look that I haven't done yet for a nice portfolio. That's when I decided I'll go for Avant Garde Look.

Avant Garde Look.

What am I going to do? I was searching for a super look to challenge myself as I've always been scared of drawing! My brother is the artist in our family and I've always had him help me out in any school activities that deals with drawing!

Now this is makeup, I cannot have my brother help me out! I have to go ahead and conquer my fear, I've chosen a look done by the wonderful Julia who's super talented and she left me in "AWE" when I saw her photos! Check out her blog and you'll know what I mean :)

Here's the photo that inspired me to do the same! Check out her youtube video that goes with this wonderful look too! :)

Thanks to Julia from mizzchievouz.blogspot.com
for permitting me to attach her image here.

Here's my version!
I've changed the eye makeup
Done one tree
Model: Hannah

Hair done by yours truly too!
I love her smile!



The photo below was taken
by Mr. Jeaves Gabiana


Products used ---

Face (Base)

MAC Studio Fix Liquid Foundation
MUFE Concealer palette
P&J Dual Powder Foundation no. 30
MAC Sculpt and Shape Shadester to contour

Face (Art)

Kryolan Supracolor
PAC blue e/s
NYX Mermaid Green e/s
NYX Yellow e/s
Loose Powder from Joppa in white

Stila Smudgepots in Black to draw trees
Rhinestones
Stars from Vente store

Eyes
MAC Coquette e/s for brows
CS palette black e/s
PAC e/s in pearl blue
CS palette yellow e/s
NYX Pearl mania in blue
NYX pearl mania in gold
MUFE Aqua eyeliner in Black
Stila Smudgepots in Black
P&J Curly Mascara in Black
Falsies

Lips
Kiehl's no. 1 lip balm
MAC Russian Red
NYX Pearl Mania in Red


This is the famous
Stairway Shot
all graduates will have this shot! lol

YAY! We're graduates!
Basement Academy Batch 15
That's us!!!!

I am missing everyone! :)

My legs are super tired from all the walking

Weather in HK isn't that great,

but no one can stop me! :P

Keep Smilin!
Stay Happy!

Askmewhats Report: Basement Academy Day 7 Black & White Photography

Note from Author: By the time you are reading this, I am off for a short trip to HongKong! Last minute trip, but hubby will be on business trip so the wife will be going too! But just half of his business trip because I need to be back for work! I have scheduled some posts so you won't miss me too much LOL I would still love to read your comments when I come back! :)

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One major reason I strongly went for the Basement Academy because of their course curriculum. They've included photographic make-up! My husband is into photography so I want to know what make-up intensity is needed for photos! I learned so much!

As we all know, the camera records a flat, 2 dimensional image so certain facial flaws are exaggerated and everything looks flat.

Black and White Photography is one topic we tackled. Though we are on a modern age, a lot of people still loves to take black and white photographs because it's classy and it lasts a lifetime.

Black and white photographs make the skin looks good but the right highlight and contouring is needed to make the person in the photo come to life!

Important tips that I learned ---

• conceal spots
• highlighting and contouring must be stronger than regular makeup but make sure to blend well
• Blush application should also be stronger
• Define the crease and outer corner of the eyes with a darker shade of e/s
• Apply dark colored RED lipstick to enhance lip shape

Here's my work

a 15-yr old can be transformed
to a classy look



Products used ---

Face

• MACNC35 mixed with CG no. 1
• MUFE Concealer palette to correct
• Dollface Concealer palette to conceal
• P&J Dual Powder foundation no. 30

Eyes

• MAC Coquette to fill in brows
• P&J eyebrow pencil no. 3
• CS 78pcs palette in matte beige
• CS78pcs palette in black
• MUFE aqua eyes black
• P&J Curly Mascara
• Falsies

Cheeks

• MAC Shadester and Lightsweep
• NYX Blush in Pink

Lips

• MAC Russian Red

Here's her before and after shot



The Olsen Twins *ahem*
They're sisters
(L makeup done by Shen)



I have to borrow her
ribbon hair band! She's now the oldie,
I'm the youngie! lol
(look how pale I get without the right makeup
for B&W photos)

I've learned so much in this class!
Can't wait to do those looks again!
Keep smilin'
Stay Happy!
Try black and white photography!

Askmewhats Report: Day 6 Bridal Looks

Bridal looks are dear to my heart!

The first time I told myself I want to study make-up, I chose Ms. Cherry Pacheco-Uy to be my mentor because I've seen her bridal looks and I love it! I've seen the huge transformation on the brides.

On my wedding day, I do feel a bit of butterflies in the stomach because I never look good with make-up on. I've had my prom makeup too dark and I always look like a different person when someone puts makeup on me.

But when the make-up was done! I was amazed on how much the reflection looks like ME! hahaha That's when I told myself, I want to make a bride feel super special on her wedding day, just the way I felt on my wedding day!

I learned so much on the Bridal Looks class because the teacher did not only taught us "how to put bridal makeup on" but she gave us tips on how to be a good make-up artist! I've been a bride myself so I know how it feels to look for a good makeup artist who goes along with your idea of a "blushing bride" and who understands how you feel on the wedding day itself.

There are 2 kinds of bridal make-up ---

Day Bridal Makeup : Beach weddings, garden weddings, indoor day weddings, breakfast weddings, etc...

Evening Bridal Makeup: Garden wedding, hotel weddings, etc...

As we all know, bridal makeup is similar to make-up on a regular day but a lot more definition, care and impact is taken into account as a lot of picture taking involved. Waterproof formulations work best because we anticipate a lot of sweating and tears!

Here's my Bride Model
Rochelle

Here's my version of a
Day Bridal Makeup



Up Close and Personal

On a Night Bridal Makeup
The outer v was darken
and more blush are added
and shimmery colors are ok
The lips are also defined

Products used ---

Face:
Thevi Liquid Mineral Foundation in Sandy Beige
Mixed a bit with CG TruBlend no. 1
P&J Protective Dual Powder foundation no. 40
MAC Shadester to contour

Eyes:
CS 78 palette beige
L'oreal HIP in Dark Brown
MAC Powerpoint eye pencil in Brown
P&J Curly Mascara in Black

Cheeks:
Elianto cream blush in pink
CS 78 palette blush in pink

Lips:
Lush lip cream
NYX Round Lipstick in Tea Rose


A Before and After Shot

Are you happy with your makeup when you got married?
If not, have you had your makeup done
for a special event?
What's your experience?

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!
Enjoy the week ahead!

Askmewhats Report: Basement Academy Day 5 Fantasy Look

Hello everyone!
Happy Friday! :)

Wow, time flies super fast when you're busy and having a great time.
Last Sunday, we moved our class on that day because the teacher wants us to graduate a day earlier to the hair cutting class, because we have one classmate, Stephanie, who's studying both make-up and hair cutting class so she can't do her finals on the same day!

So anyways, me waking up on a Sunday is not a good idea, but I really don't mind waking up early if we're talking about make-up right?

We were asked to do a research on Fantasy make-up and do a look on it! I've done researches and when you talk about "Fantasy", Fairy make-up always comes to my mind. I wanted something different. And one make-up that I searched caught my eye!

I just saw the photo on Google images and I've researched on who's done this look to thank her for such wonderful inspiration.

This look is done by
Ms. Anabel Vargas

Very pretty, I got inspired
by this look and do some changes
on the eye makeup

Here's my version

I want to thank my model BLUE lol yes her name is Blue and she's color Blue!

Products used ---

For the Face

• Thevi Foundation mixed with CG Light
• MAC Shadester to contour
• P&J Protective Dual Powder Foundation
• Dollface Concealer
• PAC blue e/s all over the forehead, side of cheeks, and neck

For the Eyes

• MAC coquette to fill in brows
• CS 78 palette black e/s
• CS 78 palette gold e/s
• NYX gold pigment
• MUFE Aqua Liner in black
• CS Gel Liner in Black
• falsies from Landmark

For the Lips

• Lancome lipstick in Rose
• mixed with ELF liquid concealer

Close up I've changed the eye makeup
I've used some nail art rhinestones



The Queen of the Sea
My hubby calls her "Mystic"
from X-men lol

After taking a look at some shots
Teacher asked me to continue the blue down the neck
You can see I am having fun LOL

Now Mystic ain't happyhahaha

I really enjoyed this!
Everyone knows I'm always on the safe, neutral side
Now I am starting to love colors! :)
Have a wonderful day!
Keep smilin'
Stay Happy!

Askmewhats Report: Basement Academy Day 4 (Part 2)

Note from Author: School is an intensive 2 weeks program. It's not only 4 days, I've only reported 4 days because it takes time for me to crop the shots and type in a report about that! Though I've graduated last night, I will still continue the report for my school adventure, because you haven't seen everything yet :D

Wow..school is over! I've graduated!!! Weeeeee!!!!!

Anyways, before I talk more on the graduation, let me continue with my class report :)

This is part 2 of my Day 4 class at the Academy. Since we are on a topic of darker foundation, healthy tan look! Bronzy look is part of the class curriculum! I am glad!!! When do I have the chance to put on a super healthy tan on someone?

Bronzy look is fun to do because it gives out a really healthy skin to your model! You can go crazy with shimmers and it's acceptable even in photographs!

What makes a Bronzy Look?

• Dark Foundation
• Conceal using a shade lighter than the dark foundation on T-zone and undereye
• Application of 2way dark foundation
• Intense contouring focusing on the hollow of the cheeks
• Eyebrow shaping
• Shimmery and glittery eyes
• Strong eyelining
• Bronzers and highlighters
• Shimmery lips

Thanks to my dear hubby
for the photos!

Blue, thanks so much for being
such a wonderful model!

Applied aqua colored shimmery e/s
combined with golds



Here's a before and after shot
of pretty Blue



Even at 11:30pm,
we still have time to camwhore
see our tired faces?

If you have the time and energy
I strongly suggest to try the bronzy look!
It makes such huge difference!
I wonder how I'll look wearing darker foundation!
Tanned Chinese? hahahhaa

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!