MY MAKEUP ESSENTIALS

Ever since I finished makeup school, I started playing with makeup more most especially eyeshadows. Since I seldom have someone to practice on, I practice on myself, keeping in mind and trying to apply the techniques I learned. Although I must say, I am still a bit hesitant when it comes to experimenting with colors. I'm still more comfortable with shades of nudes and browns which is why I think that the existence of Urban Decay's Naked Palette is truly heaven sent. However, I have to be honest that I don't always have the luxury of time nor the patience to do contouring and blending on my eyes every time I go out but that doesn't mean I'm lazy to put makeup in general. I still have a few makeup essentials that I always apply on my face (well, almost always). Let me share them with you. =)

1. Moisturizer - I generally have dry skin which is why I find it imperative to put on moisturizer to avoid my skin to crack or feel scaly. And since I live in hot and humid Manila where the sun painfully shines on me everyday, I choose to use a moisturizer with SPF.

2. Foundation - You would not believe who actually introduced me to this product. My grandmother! She passed it on to me because after trying it once, she found the shade a tad bit light on her skin and she said it made her look scary white. Well lucky me because it matches my skin tone perfectly! Plus I love its creamy texture which smoothly glides on my skin. Its coverage is sheer to medium and it also acts as a concealer already for me, hiding my dark under-eye circles as well as the veins all over the lower part of my cheeks. I've been applying this using either my fingers or the sponge that comes with it until my cousin Karla and her mom told me about the MAC 130 brush. I have tried using the 187 before but it wasn't as dense and firm as I had hoped so when I heard raves about this brush, I asked my cousin to buy for me in HK (because it's not in stock here). Upon trying it, I instantly fell in love! It is dense and more user-friendly in terms of blending as compared to the 187. I have always been using it since and it's true about what they say that using this brush to apply foundation gives you that 'airbrushed' feel. It is officially my favorite MAC brush!

How I use the MAC 130: I dab the tip onto my cream foundation and stipple it on my face (like creating numerous dots but in a gentle manner) then I blend it altogether by letting the brush move in circular motion all over and voila! you now have that airbrushed look.

3. Powder - I have always been faithful to my MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation. There was a time when I would only use this one and skipped using cream/liquid foundations. But now that I also have my Miracle Touch, I use this to seal the moisturizer and cream foundation. The shade that matches my skin is NC30.

4. Blush - Oops I overlooked this important part of my makeup routine, the one that gives me that everyday rosy cheeks feeling! And so I am adding it to my makeup essentials because I do use this everytime I go out! This is my trusty MAC Mineralize blush in Dainty. It has a bit of shimmer which is also good to use during daytime.

5. Eyebrow Pencil - I have the worst eyebrow shape. I think part of this was due to the fact that I regrettably experimented at a young age, 13 to be exact, I plucked my eyebrows not knowing anything about how to properly shape it. My brows ended up too short and thin and since then it did not grow back to its original shape like I'd hoped. I have been using the brow powder of IN2IT but ever since my friend Jamie's sister, Ate Magic and my fellow makeup artist friend Anj told me about the Shu Uemura Hard 9 brow pencil, I decided to give it a try. I liked it a lot because it's easy to use and it matched my dark brows. But the best part for me is the way Shu Uemura shapes this pencil. They use a cutter or blade to sharpen this instead of the regular sharpener to achieve its angled shape. This makes it easier for me to arch my brows and create the illusion of having shaped and arched brows. I just bring it to any Shu Uemura counter anytime I need to have it re-sharpened and they do it for free. =)

6. Lash Curler - Back in 7th grade/high school, even before I started putting foundation or powder on my face, I have been using a curlash. I have always liked how my lashes looked when curled. It gives me a more feminine and dramatic look. I have tried using lash curlers from different brands such as The Face Shop, Revlon, Shu Uemura and The Body Shop but this lash curler from Forever 21 Japan that my friend, Kariza gave me last Christmas is by far my most favorite! It looks so much more attractive because it's purple (one of my favorite colors) plus it curls my lashes beautifully! It's wide gap makes it more easy to use. Thanks again Kariza! Hope it becomes available here in Manila though.

7. Mascara - I believe this goes hand-in-hand with a lash curler. After curling my lashes I swipe my mascara on and it adds length and volume to my lashes since my lashes aren't that long and are thin. I have always loved mascaras from Maybelline. Before I started using the Volume Express, I have long been using their Great Lash mascara.

8. Lip Balm - Honestly, applying products on my lips are my least favorite. I don't like that feeling when I have lipstick on and it feels dry after awhile. I only put on lipstick when I want my makeup to look complete or sometimes when I'm lazy to put on shadow, I'll just wear my red or bright pink lipstick and I'm good to go. Since my lips dry up easily, I try not be lazy to use a lip balm/lip moisturizer. A friend/classmate from makeup school gave me this passionfruit-flavored lip balm from EOS and I have been using it since. Aside from its cute and unique packaging, it has really performed well in keeping my lips from being chapped especially when I went on a recent trip where the weather was mostly below 10 degrees.

In removing my makeup before washing my face, I discovered these makeup remover wipes by Neutrogena from my cousin Karla during my US trip last October and luckily, it's also available here! I was able to buy some at Duty Free. It removes makeup in just a swipe, even thick foundation and eyeliner! So glad we have it here!

There you have it folks! These are my can't-live-without possessions haha kidding! How about you? What are your makeup essentials? I would love to know too!

SCHOOL CAN BE COOL

School is cool when you're in makeup school! Last January, after much prodding and months of weighing my options, I finally decided to take the giant leap and enrolled myself in makeup school. I chose to enroll at Maquillage Professionnel by Makeup Forever. I scouted other makeup schools before I enrolled and got feedback from friends who, at that time, recently took makeup classes as well. When I visited the studio and inquired about the course, I knew it was the school I wanted. I took the Module 1 Course which was about Facial Beauty, Fashion and Photography Makeup for Professional Artists. My instructor was Ms. Yuki Geraldo, head Makeup Artist of the Makeup Forever Pro Team.

The lovely and 'bongga' Ms. Yuki!
photo taken from my friend missdonata =)

Now, let me take you through my day-by-day experience and sample works for the Module 1 course that I took.

DISCLAIMER: Please do not expect 'work of art' as I was still in the process of learning at that time and it was also my first time to apply some of the techniques that we discussed in class. =)

Day 1 - Introduction and Application of Base

This day was all about learning the French methodology of applying makeup base. According to Ms. Yuki the French methodology follows certain steps in applying makeup base.

   STEP 1: Apply PRIMER - you may use a mattifying primer first for shine control (best for oily skin) and then afterwards an HD primer or neutral primer

Make Up Forever All Mat Primer

Make Up Forever HD Primer

   

   STEP 2: Apply CORRECTORS (if needed) - it was my first time to use correctors. I have always been using concealer (when foundation isn't enough) to cover spots and blemishes. These are used for correcting and evening out the tone of the skin.

Make Up Forever Skin Corrector Palette

Maybe some of you are wondering what the green, purple and orange correctors are for. The green corrector is applied on red spots on the skin, purple for brown spots, age spots or freckles and the orange is for dark under eyes. Using these correctors can be tricky. If not properly blended, they may tend to appear on photos or specks of orange, purple or green may still appear even after you apply foundation. 

   Step 3: Apply FOUNDATION. - There are different types of foundation coverage such as sheer, medium, full and different types of finish like matte or dewy. It will all depend on your skin type or the look you want to achieve.

Make Up Forever Face and Body Foundation
provides sheer coverage and dewy finish

Make Up Forever HD Foundation
provides matte finish

Make Up Forever Mat Velvet
provides full coverage

  Step 4: Apply LOOSE POWDER or POWDER FOUNDATION. - The purpose of this is to seal in the primer, corrector and foundation.

Here's my work with my friend Rosie as the model. 

Day 2 - Facial Shape Correction and Eyebrow Correction

This day we learned about facial contouring and highlighting as well as finding the arch of the eyebrows. Here are the products that we used. 

   

Make Up Forever Sculpting Kit
the brown is used for contouring and
beige is used for highlighting 

Make Up Forever Eyebrow Corrector
to be used with an angled brow brush

Here's my work with my cousin Monique as the model.

Day 3 - Facial Balance, Eye Shape Correction and Lip Shape Correction

This day we learned the different styles in putting eyeshadow and proper blending techniques. We were also shown how to perfect the lip shape by use of lip concealer and lip liner on the outer edges of the lip.

           

Make Up Forever Star Powder
sweep this on top of the eyeshadow will make
the eyes appear brighter and give that 3D effect  

Make Up Forever Lip Concealer

Here's my work with my mom as my model.

Day 4 - Maquillage Du Jour 
..otherwise known as Day Makeup. This type of look requires the use of neutral and earth tones to achieve a natural "no makeup" makeup look.

Here's my work with my best friend Maggie as my model.

Day 5 - Maquillage Du Soir 
..also known as Night Makeup. With this type of makeup, you can go bold with colors, either focus on the eye and then mute the lip color and vise versa or you can do both and make the eyes bold and pair with bright red lips.

Here's my work with my friend Donna who also blogged about her experience being my model which you can read here.

Day 6 - The Smokey Eyes

I was looking forward to this session because I've always wanted to improve my technique in doing this type of eye makeup. While I've watched video tutorials on YouTube, I was still excited to see our teacher's demo. As with all the video I have watched and until our demo in class, one thing remained certain, the secret is all about the blending. Just carefully deposit the shadow onto the lids and then blend upwards. If color isn't enough, just carefully add more shadow until you reach desired boldness.

Here's my work with my friend Nica as my model. Instead of using black or gray shadow which are the colors normally used for the smokey look, I decided to play with the color purple for that feminine touch. 

  

Day 6 - Makeup for Black and White Photography

For this type of photo finish, our teacher introduced to us 2 techniques. First one is you can do the goth style of makeup by using black eyeshadow and lipstick. Second technique is using white, gray and black shadow on the eyes and using concealer as lipstick to achieve the natural or no makeup look in photos. Contouring should also be done heavily as photography washes out a big percentage of the makeup colors on the face.

Here's my work with my friend Nica again. I decided to try the all black makeup style on her.

Day 7 - Makeup for Colored Photography

This was the most challenging day for me because our teacher told us to go all out and experiment with bold and bright colors. I have always been used to using neutral colors (meaning safe) that's why this lesson proved to be a huge challenge for me as evidenced by my sample work below.

Here's my cousin Monique as my model again.

Day 9 - Bridal Makeup Part 1

I was all ears during our discussion and took down a lot of notes since our teacher not only discussed how to cater to the demands of today's brides when it comes to makeup but she also discussed what to expect based from her actual experiences. For the first part of the bridal makeup lesson, we are to do a natural, day bride look which is the look that most Filipina brides go for today.

Here's my friend Mica as my pretend bride for that day.

Day 10 - Bridal Makeup Part 2

For this day, we were shown how to do the Arabian style of makeup. As told by our teacher, Arabian brides go with bold colors and they are known for their "winged" eye makeup style.

Here's my friend Tin as my pretend Arabian bride for that day.

Day 11 - Audibiche Eyes/Introduction to High Fashion Makeup 

This is a French makeup style and its look is inspired by 1960's icon, the ever so sexy Brigitte Bardot but this one has a little more drama and edge. It took me quite awhile to achieve this look especially on the eyes since it required a lot of detail.

Here's my model for the day. My friend Jamie, looking edgy and fierce!

             
                             

Day 12 - Evantrail Eyes/Introduction to Fashion Show Makeup

This eye makeup style originated in Italy and is also known as fan style makeup. It uses three colors with the light color on the inner eyelids (near the nosebridge), medium color in the middle, and dark color on the outer. This day, since it was our  second to the last day of class, I decided to experiment and achieve a sort of avant garde look. I tried to play with the eyebrows most especially and my model ended up looking like a Martian but I liked it anyways because it looked different from all the other looks I've created before. =)

Here's my work with my friend Rosie again as my model. 

Day 13. Practice and consultation day

For this day there was no lesson anymore, we all were given a chance to choose what type of makeup we wanted to practice among all of the types and styles we learned. I decided to do the bridal makeup once again.

Here's the result of my practice for bridal makeup with my friend Nikkie as my model.

That concludes my Module 1 course! It went by so fast and now I miss it! Hoping to take the advanced Module soon! =)

NEWBIE

Hello everyone! Today, I am entering the world of blogging in hopes of documenting and at the same time sharing with you all my journey as a makeup artist. I am thrilled to be entering this new venture as I have always been a kikay girl and makeup, the wonders it can do, just never ceases to amaze me! So there, I hope you follow me on this new chapter of my life as I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on the makeup looks that I will be posting in the weeks to come. Welcome to my virtual-portfolio-slash-makeup-diary! Enjoy! <3