Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Reader's Corner: Attending a Debut Party Look

A dear reader Nina requested for a "party look" for her friend's debut party. She will be wearing a brown metallic dress and the party will be on November 28th!!!

Nina!!! I made it!!! I hope I"m not too late doing this post for you!

Attending a friend's debut party (18 yrs old) means one thing, you gals are freakin' young and naturally GORGEOUS!!! You gals can even pull off with just a blush and lipstick. But of course, if I teach you to do so, then, it's useless to even ask for my help right? LOL

Before I talk more nonsense stuff, I've finally created a look that's simple, easy to do and doesn't mask the beauty you already have. :)

The Queen of Neutrals
Do the Neutrals again!!!
LOL
BUT WAIT!

In my defense, I do have falsies ok?





Nikki's Diagram Time!





Step 1:

Use any blending brush to dab on any eyeshadow color that's closest to your skin tone. In my case, I used Prestige Eyeshadow Quad in Surrey (first one from top) to highlight the brow bone and the inner corner of the eyes.




Step 2:

Choose any gold color shadow, I used the same palette from Prestige, but in your case, you can use any Gold Eyeshadow, from ELF, or MAC Amber Lights and apply the color all over your lids except the brow bone area.



Step 3:

Using the same eyeshadow brush, apply any matte dark brown eyeshadow on the lid, blend...



Step 4: (sorry forgot to number the diagram)

Using a pencil brush, apply MAC Carbon or any matte black eyeshadow on the corner V of the eye.




Making sure to blend all rough edges...
and the final look shall look like this :D





Apply falsies (IF DESIRED)

If you have naturally long lashes, just use mascara
In my case, I have invisible lashes so I needed the help of the
Falsies' Fairy



For the blush, I've used my Arezia Blush in Light Pink



Topped with the darker pink to create depth





Other Products Used ---

MAC Studio Fix Foundation NC30
Stila Smudgepots in Black with Charm Liner brush
L'oreal Hip Shadow Paint in Secretive
Paul & Joe Eyeliner in Black
Stila Lip Glaze in Raspberry
Natural Falsies + Ardell Lash Glue (not on photo)
tweezers to attach lashes



I hope you like the look Nina :)
And I hope the rest of my readers like the look too! :)
Have a great day everyone!
I do hope today is a better day as Monday was mean to me! :(



Monday, November 24, 2008

Askmewhats Reviews: NARS Orgasm

As you all know, I've been lemming for NARS Orgasm for the longest time. I've been checking the NARS Counter every now and then but with disappointed these are always out of stock.

My friend asked me to help her purchase her very own NARS in Orgasm during one of my HK trip!  I obviously bought one for myself too!
 

How it looks like on my hand Natural Rosy pink/peachy color with hint of gold shimmer

NARS Orgasm Blush Says --- Made with transparent pigments for a soft and sheer look. Imparts a natural, healthy glow for any skin tone and may be worn alone or layered together for more depth and intensity.
  • Provides a sheer, natural hint of color
  • Made with transparent pigments to avoid heaviness
  • Broad selection of shades
Askmewhats says --- 

  Pros
  • very natural looking
  • creates a nice glow
  • lasts more than half a day (which most blush doesn't on me)
  • the effect Is different on vatious skin tone
Cons
  • if you use a brush too fluffy, color won't show up (I've used different brushes and found my angled brush to work the best)
  • a lot of excess powder leftover after brushing with a blush brush (wastage!)
  • Case: some people love the rubbery case, I don't, I find that to attracts dirt easily
Overall 

NARS Orgasm has won several awards since it's launch and I believe a lot of people are raving about this. In my opinion, it really depends on the brush you use, your skin tone and your skin condition. I do find NARS Orgasm stays longer than my other blushes and I appreciate that as most of my blushes tend to go invisible in midday! I like this blush but I have a feeling there are other colors from NARS blush collection that I would appreciate more :) 

  Tips
  • test on different brushes to see which one works as the color payoff really depends on what type or kind of brushes you use

 

 
Visual time! Here's how Nars Orgasm Look on my cheeks 2 swipes each cheek! 
(sorry for the messy hair) lol
Hmm...did I made the right decision purchasing Orgasm? Or should I try Super Orgasm? Please say Orgasm is enough...!!!! Have a great start of the week everyone! :D


Sunday, November 23, 2008

Weekend Food Tripping at: Ying Ying Tea House

I can't believe a lot of my readers are excited for my weekend food tripping! LOL To be honest, I love to see food but I also hate it because I'll get hungry and I get no access to the food I see online! LOL Thanks though for being excited about the food tripping!!!

Most of the countries have China Town, and the Philippines definitely have our own China Town called ONGPIN :) I seldom go there due to traffic, because the roads are quite narrow and there's so many Chinese restaurant and it is too hard to look for a place to park.

But if you crave for ultimate Chinese food, I strongly suggest anyone who's into Chinese Food to give this restaurant a try.

Philippine readers, if you know President's Restaurant, you definitely know that they close down temporarily, due to management issues. One of the chef opened his own restaurant and called it "YING YING Tea House" <--- I love Ying Ying restaurant more because it's President's Restaurant yummy food PLUS Dimsum!!!! Place is smaller, but it's cozier! :) Doesn't look cheap or dirty, doesn't look too high class either :) Do not expect great ambience as it's usually crowded and people are chatting and talking and eating like they don't care! LOL Now, let's go to the juicy part (literally). By the way, there's 4 of us eating plus we had leftovers, so don't ever think I sniffed all the food! lol

Ohhhh..before the juicy part! I have to say, this is the BEST SERVICE ever!!!! We ordered all these and we got them on our table in less than 5 minutes! NO JOKE!!!! Well do not expect it to be this way all the time, but boy! I am impressed!


Cold Cuts

What I like about this is that we were able to tell them
what combination we would like the Cold Cuts to have.
There's Chicken, Duck, Pork Asado,
Seaweed (which I devoured already), and Crispy Pork.



Yang Chow Fried Rice

What I love about their Yang Chow fried rice is you can taste the shrimp, the pork, the vegetables as they put a good amount of it compared to other restaurants!



Crispy Squid

The best crispy squid I've tasted. Very crunchy and fresh!
Dip it with vinegar, and you are in heaven!
Well not you, but the Squid is in heaven! LOL



I can't remember how do you call this but it's
Pork mixed with crunchy noodle and veggie with a lovely sweet sauce on the side
What to do with this?
Well this marries the......



LETTUCE!!!!!



And this is how I do it!
Wrap it in a veggie roll!
Forget your poise and OPEN your mouth wide!!!!



Ying Ying Tea House

233-235 Dasmariñas St. cor. Yuchenco St. Binondo Manila
tel nos: 3872797/7103856/2416323

Would you believe all of these costs less than Php1,500 (approx $30)?
4 hungry hippos are happy and full!
If you are a Philippine Reader who passed by the area, do not miss this!!
If you are not in the Philippines :( :( :(
Drink a full glass of water and imagine you're full? haaayyy
I'm also hungry blogging about this!
:D



Saturday, November 22, 2008

Nail Art Tutorial: "Cotton Candy Pink" Nails

Hey everyone!!!
Thanks for my lovely readers who wished me well when King Kong was gone! I'm so happy he's back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a long week, I was pushed to the limit by work at the start of the week and I needed to de-stress or I'll go crazy!!! :) And that's were Nail Art comes in!

I've decided to play with pinks. And I've decided to play it differently by using 2 kinds of polishes! :) I got a very nice shade of pink that reminded me of a yummy cotton candy :) It's not perfect, it's very amateur-ish, and of course, anyone can do better :D Enjoy

Step 1:


Apply one coat of matte "Neon" pink polish (I use Caress, local brand)

Note: Super bright in person


Step 2:

Using ELF Nail Polish in Coral over the "neon" pink polish. It creates a different shade



Step 3:

Using yellow nail art pen, apply strokes on the upper left hand side and lower right hand side looking like the drawing I did on the photo.



Step 4:

Do the same feather-y stroke this time using white nail art pen



Step 5:

Top it with something glittery, like silver or gold. Whatever you have



Step 6:

Top with a clear top coat. I've used Sally Hansen base and top coat.



A lovely friend whom I got to know because of my blog gave me a nice acetone dispenser for early Christmas gift. We bonded because of our love for nails!!! I'm excited to use this! Don't ask me where she purchased this because....I don't have any idea!!!!







Nancy, thanks so much for this!!! You are right, I feel like a pro!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!
I will definitely sleep like a bear this weekend!
King Kong and Bear together...awwwww LOL


Friday, November 21, 2008

Askmewhats Reviews: Ellana Translucent Mineral Finishing Powder





Shen
, a lovely blogger friend, gave me Ellana Translucent Mineral Finishing Powder sample when she last visited me in the office.

It's great timing because I've ordered a couple of foundation samples from different MMU companies and I always manage to forget about finishing powders!

Perfect timing!
Here's how big the sample looks




The color looks shocking but it is sheer
so no worries!



the color came out sheer with hint of yellow/gold tone



Ellana Translucent Mineral Finishing Powder Says ---

Our Mineral Finishing Powders are used to set your foundation.They are extra silky fine face powders that presents a more radiant look and provides more staying power for your make up. It also minimizes the appearance of small imperfections and fine lines and wrinkles.

Our Mineral Finishing Powders come in Oil-Absorbing Finish and Translucent Sheer Finish.

The Oil-Absorbing Finish for oily skin, contains mattifying minerals without weighing down your skin, controlling acne while keeping your skin fresh and shine-free throughout the day. If your skin is extra oily, this powder is best used before applying your foundation.

Our Translucent Sheer Finish for normal to dry skin has light moisturizing minerals. This is a fine, light formula that melts evenly in your skin while giving you a natural finish.

Askmewhats says ---

Pros
  • the finishing powder is finely milled
  • easy to blend
  • looks too yellow on the package but came out really natural and sheer
  • sets the make-up really nicely
  • no allergies or itchiness


Cons
  • since this is not oil control, I find that I got a bit of shine after 2-3 hours, but not so bad! I just need to reapply :D

Overall

I've got the translucent formula to test on and it is perfect as the translucent formula is good for people with dry skin. I find the extra step is always important to set your make-up and let it stay longer.

For people who's got oily skin, (I know a lot of you out there are raising your hands lol) you can choose their oil control formula.


Tips
  • after you finish your eye, cheek and lip make-up application, dust lightly the finishing powder with a large powder brush.
  • do not forget to include the neck area
  • if you find the finish a bit unnatural and powder-y, spray with water sprays

Will I repurchase?

Yes

Where and how much can I purchase?

Addicted to Minerals Site

sample: 1g - Php80
oil control formula: 2.5 g - Php120
translucent formula: 2.5g - Php120


If you're a Philippine reader, the site would really be super helpful as the seller is based in the Philippines. If you are an international reader, this is their international site. <--- I believe they added a 3rd kind of Finishing powder called Sheer Velvet!

By the way, my King Kong is back!!!!
*whew*
Perfect coz he made it for the weekend!!!
Stay happy everyone!