How to apply eyeliner, eyeshadow, curl your lashes, and mascara (for beginners)

part 2 of the beginners make up series that i created based on my personal experience with make up as a noob!!! :)

i still remember my first eyeliner was a liquid eyeliner from the body shop - those that you have to dip the felt tip into the bottle containing the ink before you draw. it was so hard to control, and it was black in colour, making any mistakes really obvious. worst product a make up beginner can try, because it was so demoralizing! surely, it's not that hard to draw a line, right?

my second eyeliner was a pencil eyeliner, and this time i got it right because it was much easier to control, and it was brown, so any mistakes don't look as glaring as black. what happened was i got the cheapest eyeliner (as i was a very broke teenager) and it smudged on me so easily. yes it was creamy, but it's also smudgy. BUT, being the creative little girl that i was, i found a way to work around it, that is to apply eyeshadow over the eyeliner (instead of applying eyeshadow first, then eyeliner) which would set the eyeliner in and prevent it from smudging. and that's the story behind how i got to create this eye look.

of course, i've already graduated into the gel liner category now, still my favourite type of eyeliner after so many years. the pen type liquid liner are really friendly too, especially for creating the perfect tail of the eyeliner. i'll save that for another video and post.

watch the video to look at my techniques and steps!



PRODUCTS USED____________________________________________________________


from left to right, anti clockwise:
1. kate gradical eyes A (BR-1)
2. maybelline masterliner (BR-1)
3. heroine make volume and curl mascara
4. koji eyelash curler no.73


COLOUR LEGEND___________________________________________________________




COLOUR MAP______________________________________________________________


1. line eyes with eyeliner (2).
2. apply darkest brown shade C to blend out the line.
3. use champagne colour B and apply all over lid and blend out the darkest brown.


1. apply shimmery white shade A on the inner corner of the eyes and the inner half of the lower eyelid.
2. apply D on the outer third of the lower lash line.

FINISHED LOOK____________________________________________________________


the eyeliner is barely visible on the lids, only making a special appearance at the end of the eyes to elongate my eyes slightly and gently.




PICTORIAL_________________________________________________________________ 

for those of you who don't have the time to watch the video!


click on image to enlarge!


click on image to enlarge!

i made this one below for instagram, a step by step.
thought i'd share it here as well!


click on image to enlarge!

Nature Republic Botanical Lipstick 04 Berry Peach

i wanted to do a short write up about nature republic for those of you who aren't familiar with korean brands, only to realize the information is so limited, and i do not know korean for goodness sake.

as the brand name suggest, they try to position themselves as a brand that incorporate natural ingredients into their products, somewhat similar to innisfree i guess? out of the limited information i can find, the botanical lipstick adds moisture to the lips, and comes in vivid colours that can add volume to the lips. it contains chamomile extract.






one swipe on the left, 2-3 swipes on the right.



04 berry peach is a florescent pink, leaning towards the red spectrum. when swatched on my arm, it appears slightly peachy due to my yellow skin tone. however, it appears more pink on my lips.

the texture of the lipstick is very light weight and very moisturizing. the lipstick glides on easily, depositing a thin layer of the product on my lips. the product feels soft once it is warmed up to my temperature, giving it a rather balmy consistency. it has a slight sheen, probably from the oils that help to make this lipstick more hydrating. the colour is vivid as it claimed to be, and is buildable depending on your preferences.

it has a very special scent, almost like a candy scent in my opinion. the closest description i can think of is a bubble-gum scent.

IMHO:
i know it sound weird, but i really love the scent of this lipstick and i catch myself taking the cap off just to take a whiff of the sweet scent. if i do not know that this is a lipstick, i swear i'd have put it into my mouth instead of my lips. because this lipstick is so moisturizing, sometimes i wear this as a lip balm. the colour is sweet, and rather typical of korean lipsticks as it is slightly florescent. it brightens up my face easily, but one thing to take note of is to prepare the skin around the lips before wearing a pastel shade like this as it can easily accentuate the yellowness in my skin.

this was gifted to me by my gf when she travelled to korea.

MAKEUP LOOK

Maybelline Hyperdiamond Eye Shadow PK-1


the reds and the pinks are a class of colours that i shy away from in the past,
but over the years i managed to find out what are the shades of pinks that i can carry off without looking like i just cried for hours (haha!).

i tried my best to resist the urge to get this palette,
because one, i have to many eye shadow palette to last me for at least the next 3 years even if i were to wear them daily,
and two, how often can i wear a pink eye shadow without looking too odd?

apparently, my resistance is futile when i saw the palette go on sale.
POOF, my self restraint went out of the window just like that.

this palette comes with 4 shades, plus one colourless glittery shade that adds nothing but glitter and shimmer.
can i call it diamond dust? it sounds so much cooler :P

it comes with a dual sided chip applicator, one is chubbier than the other for packing on the colours while the other is for lining the eyes. the plastic case is embossed, when viewed from the side it resembles cuts on a jewel.







swatched over foundation powder, tried to pick up as much product as i can with my fingers.

going from lightest to darkest, and the diamond dust being the last:
the lightest shade is a pale pink with a pearly finish,
the medium shade is a peach with a pearly finish too,
the dark shade is a hot pink with some micro glitter in it, it's more pigmented than the previous 2 shades,
the liner colour is a dark purple (with red undertone) with some silver glitter,
the diamond dust is packed with shimmer and glitter. with a light hand, it adds glitter only, but when applied heavily, there can be a metallic finish to it.

the powders aren't exactly buttery, but it's pretty easy to be picked up. perhaps it would be easier to use the sponge tip applicator, but that's not my favourite. over time, the eyeshadow do harden, so i'd have to scrap it (with an old toothbrush) a little to get the product running freely again :D

IMHO:
i find myself reaching for this palette way more often than i expected myself to.
turns out, the best way to pull off a pink eye shadow (for me) is to apply the pink only on the out corner of the eye as a pop of colour.
the colours on this palette is very wearable, especially the two lighter shades which helps to brighten up the entire eye area.
this palette is pretty versatile in my eyes, as you can do a day look with the first three shades, and switch it up to a night look with the addition of the liner shade (using it as a shadow instead).

MAKEUP LOOK


LOOK 1


LOOK 2


LOOK 3


LOOK 3


LOOK 3 you can recreate this look with this tutorial! this come with a video (it's in chinese but.. i have english subtitles!)


LOOK 3 with cat eyes eyeliner


if you prefer cat eyes, this is how you can rock this palette too! tutorial is over there. there's also a video along with this!

it's basically the same technique that i've used since it works the best for me,
and i think it's a good way for beginners to start adding more colours into their eyes without over doing it!

How to apply foundation (for beginners)

HELLO! decided to make a beginner series because i've been there done that and i want to share my tips with all the other girls who're still experimenting with makeup currently.

we'll start from the basics: foundation.
the main idea here is to minimize the number of products and tools required.
i advocate using products where you really need it, therefore, instead of using the foundation/bb cream over the entire face, use it on areas that need brightening, this allows you to retain your natural contour and skip out on contouring later on. also, i only powder the T zone area and under my eyes to set the makeup as the T zone is the oily area, while the under eye area is prone to creasing after i used a creamy concealer.

i only used 2 brushes for this entire video: the powder brush, and an eyeliner brush for precise concealing.

watch the video tutorial if you haven't!



PRODUCTS USED____________________________________________________________


from left to right,
hadanomy collagen mist, simple kind to skin hydrating light moisturizer, nature republic brightening cc cream, dr jart+ black label bb cream.

depending on your skin condition, your skin care product will be different. for example, if you have a very oily T zone, you can still use the hydrating toner all over your face, but i'd recommend taking an extra step in using an oil control toner and a gel based cream on the T zone to help control oil locally.

sun screen is a MUST, and it's actually part of the skin care step. do not under or over use it, as either or will result in decreased protection. the best is to use about 2cm of product for the entire face (and additional for the neck as well!), and then adding another thin layer to areas the protrudes such as the forehead, cheeks, and nose bridge. i'm using this cc cream as my sun screen here, but you can always use an actual sun screen that has a higher spf.

i highly recommend make up beginners to use bb creams (especially one that is more viscous, as it gives you more control), because bb creams has a lighter coverage than most foundation hence they are more forgiving.

most of the korean bb creams comes in limited shades, that's because the light coverage of the bb cream will melt in with your natural skin tone to give an overall brighter complexion. it works a little differently from the conventional foundation (which is to paint a layer of colour over your face to make it even). we're using it for brightening, not covering, so a light coverage base will work best.

of course, this is up to your personal preferences. personally i find such a texture the easiest to work with when compared to a more liquid-y formula, as you won't risk thinning out the product too much (and spreading it over an area wider than you initially desired) such that you get no coverage at all. the coverage of bb creams are usually buildable, so you can easily control how much coverage you want by adding in more thin layers. the best thing is, you can work it in with your fingers (whereas for liquidy formula, it's best to use a brush), which thins out the product sufficiently, giving you a very natural looking finish. what works better than your own fingers? plus, you don't have to deal with brush streaks!


from left to right,
sonia kashuk hidden agenda concealer palette (07), maybelline eyeliner brush (came with the gel liner), kate mineral powder foundation (OC-B).

it is essential to get an undereye concealer that is slightly darker than your skin tone, as it requires a darker colour to cover up the dark circles. moreover, the orange tone in the darker shade can cancel out the bluish/purplish tone of the dark circles, which will allow the skin tone concealer to show much better later. without the salmon colour concealer, the undereye area will look ashy even with the skin tone concealer on. if you can't find a concealer palette like this one that i have, just invest in a darker concealer, as you can easily brighten up with your foundation/bb cream later (an addition bit of foundation over the concealer).

i used a powder foundation to set my make up (because that's the only powder i have currently), you can use other powders like a translucent powder, loose powder or pressed powder. there are so many types of powder out there, what you want to look out for is a finely milled powder, and when using it to set your makeup, use a very fluffy brush so that you'll only pick up a small amount of powder - enough to set the makeup, not sufficient to cake it and give it extra coverage that you do not need.

PICTORIAL_________________________________________________________________ 

STEP 1: SKIN CARE


1. spray the hydrating mist onto face.
2. using the heat from the palm, press it against the face to aid absorption.
3. use a light patting motion to allow skin to finish absorbing everything. the patting will also stimulate the cells and fluids and get them moving.
4. take sufficient amount of cream for the entire face to lock in the moisture.
5. warm the cream between your hands and spread it over the entire face. this step also helps in the massage and pushing of fluids underneath the skin.
6. emphasize on the T zone as hydration and moisturization will help reduce the oil production.
7. complete this step with some lymphatic massage to improve circulation and help the skin get rid of waste. the lymph nodes are located behind the neck and near the collar bone, push towards those areas.

STEP 2: SUNSCREEN AND BB CREAM




1. use about 2cm of product for the entire face.
2. spread it out on the forehead, cheeks and chin. the forehead and cheeks are most prone to sun light exposure as they are protruding out, you may want to add one more layer of sun screen on those areas.
3. spread it out in small circular motions.
4. blend out the sun screen on the cheeks in a circular motion and bring it to the eyelid area as well.
5. make sure to get the sun screen on the top part of the lips as well.
6. instead of applying the bb cream over the entire face, focus it on the centre of the face for its brightening effect instead. this will give you a more natural finish, plus you don't need to add an additional contouring step at the end.
7. use a pea size amount of these areas.
8. dot the bb cream on the areas marked out in step 6.
9. spread it out slightly to even out the bb cream.
10. using your fingers, tap it gently to spread the products in an outward motion. this helps to thin out the product and spread it around evenly.
11. with the remnant product still on your fingers, spread this around the lips to brighten that area so that the lipstick colour will look better on your lips later.
12. spread out the bb cream on the forehead in a small circular motion.
13. slowly pat it outwards, try your best to keep it within the boundaries in step 6.

STEP 3: CONCEAL


1. colour correct the under eye area with a darker shade of concealer first. for asian skin, use a salmon/peachy colour.
2. apply the concealer about 0.5cm away from the lower lash line. DO NOT apply this directly on the lash line as it will look very unnatural.
3. blend out the concealer by tapping gently with your ring finger, slowly bring it up towards the lash line.
4. tilt your head downwards to find the shadowy area. brighten the under eye area (an inverted triangle) with a lighter concealer.
5. using a tapping motion, apply the concealer directly on the shadowy area. DO NOT apply this directly on the lash line, same reason as before.
6. bring the concealer into the triangle area by tapping.
7. cover any red spot with a green toned concealer.
8. apply it directly on the spot and blend it out by dotting it in a circular motion.
9. using the lighter concealer, apply this belong the spot to lighten any shadows the spot may cast.

STEP 4: SET THE MAKEUP


1. powder the areas that are prone to oil production and creasing such as the T zone and under eye area (where we applied concealer on).
2. tap the brush lightly to get some powder. DO NOT swirl your brush as it'll get too much product! *CAKE FACE ALERT*
3. dap it along the forehead so that only a small amout of powder is deposited.
4. dust it lightly to spread the powder evenly.
5. bring it down the nose bridge.
6. also powder the eyebrow area to dry it up as we applied skin care previously. this will allow the brow makeup to go on easily afterwards.
7. using the corner of the powder brush (you can use a small brush if you have), pat the brush underneath the eye areas to set the concealer.

these are supplementary information for those of you who are interested :D
hope this was useful!
don't forget to experiment to find out what suits you the best! afterall, we're all unique individuals, so this is not a one size fit all protocol for all!

btw, do you all like the pictorials? let me know!

xoxo
karman

this is my version of a back-to-school makeup look.
i wanted it to look refreshing, so i paid extra attention in concealing my undereye circles and brightening that area.
minimal eye make up :P

FINAL LOOK


no one will believe you studied through the night looking this refreshed!


PRODUCTS USED


1. maybelline lashionista mascara
2. canmake highlighter 05
3. sonia kashuk concealer hidden agenda 07
4. kate designing eyebrow N EX-4
5. kate gradical eyes BR-1
6. kanebo media cheek color A OR-1

(not in photo)
7. maybelline eye studio gel liner brown
8. revlon just bitten balm stain 045 romantic

COLOUR LEGEND


kate designing eyebrow N EX-4
using this as my eyeshadow on top of using it on my brows.
matte colours are able to contour my eyes naturally.


kate gradical eyes BR-1
only using the highlighting shade from this palette to do some highlighting!

COLOUR MAP


1. apply A all over lid.
2. apply B on the eyelid crease. blend.


1. apply B on the lower lash line.
2. apply C on the inner corner, and the lower lid.


1. draw the winged eyeliner. i drew a very thin line in my inner half, only thickening it towards the outer half. extend it just a little bit.
2. don't forget the mascara! i'm using the lashionista macara which gives very natural looking lashes. they lengthen quite well, so i really like using it for natural looking make up.


 THE LOOK


the highlight on the lower lid makes me look more refreshed and awake (or so i think)!


i really like this fresh faced look. i think guys will like it too!

the trick is using the matte colours to return the shadows to the eyes.
do you know that our eye lid has a slight tinge of colour on its own that gives it depth? after we apply our foundation, it'll cover those colours up, which ends up making my eyes look puffy and swollen. so it's essential to contour the eyes with a colour that is similar to the original eye lid colour to make it look natural again.

this, together with long and curled lashes are my secret to the no-makeup make up look! don't forget the mascara as it really helps to open your eyes, especially for light make up likes this, this will make you look more awake instantly!

xoxo
karman

Revlon Colorstay Foundation First Impression

i finally bit the bullet and purchased this foundation after much consideration. it's been on my mind for a very long while (along with a lot of other makeup products that i will slowly hunt down in time to come).

in case you don't already know, i'm living in a sunny and humid tropical island called singapore. perspiration is my biggest enemy when it comes to making up because it threatens to wash away any product i have on my face. the claims that this foundation makes is therefore very enticing to me.

watch my first impression on it! i found my reaction rather funny while editing the video.




i got it in the shade 200 nude.

some of the claims off the bottle:
1. wear for up to 24 hours.
2. flawless look, lightweight feel.


a before and after comparison of my face.

i have a few red spots which the foundation covered up slightly, it evened out my skintone (as can be seen, my forehead is slightly darker than the rest of my face) and brightened it up a hell lot (wassup with the white ghostly face? hahaha). i did not set the foundation with any powder, nor used a concealer that day.

the foundation is not so watery when i tried to pour it out of the god damned bottle, but it's more watery than the dr jart bb cream i usually wear. it spreads a little too easily, and i made the mistake of overestimating the amount of products i needed. i have yet to find the sweet spot - too little and it sets too quickly before i can spread it well, too much and it spreads too far and wide beyond the areas i'd like to restrict it to.

the application is very thin and lightweight indeed! coverage seems to be buildable, but i don't recommend it because this thing sets pretty quickly. i tried to layer more on top and it ended up looking a little clumpy. :(


this was just the start of my crazy perspiration session. i really perspire A LOT. more so than any normal human i know.


baby droplets of sweat forming around my lips, and on my cheeks too!!! DAMNNN!!!


blotted the sweat off my face and.. the tissue remains white! :D


just to show you guys how my face look the same after the entire day. pretty impressive huh?

i took the photo with flash to show the oil control power of this foundation, and i have to say i'm impressed because my forehead remained relatively normal! i mean, it doesn't look like an oil slick.
also, you can still see my blush!!!


i want to reiterate myself again that i don't usually wear foundation over my entire face. i know i look like a noob with a ghostly white face, you're probably thinking i got myself the wrong colour (well, the selection of colours is smaller in singapore, offering only 6 shades), which may or may not be true, but this is what i intended in the first place - to have a brighter foundation so that when i use it on my centre of my face, it'll give my face a natural lift. the foundation looks fine over my entire face until i get flashed. geez.. some contouring would have helped with that, but i'm not a fan of applying so much stuff on my face.


IN CONLUSION:
1. this foundation sets pretty fast, so i can't apply it as i normally would when working with bb creams.
2. do not rub face after it set. it'll clump.
3. it's really long lasting and lightweight!


full review will be up some time later after i try this out more extensively :)


xoxo
karman