mOi

My photo
Hello fellow makeup junkies!! Welcome to my blog - A Daily Dose of Kaartehan (kaartehan = vanity)... This is my tiny slice of the world wide web where I celebrate being a girl & also where I store my boo-hoos & blah-blahs... I am a mother of 2 awesome boys who loves makeup & anything pretty... I am a certified MUA not MakeUp Artist, but a certified MakeUp Addict... If you are looking for a good read, hence the title of this blog, you are in the wrong place... So get out!! LOL... otherwise, thanks for droppin by & I hope you enjoy my blog!

feLLoW jUnKieS

Saturday, July 30, 2011

NOTD: SUZI LOVES COWBOYS

I was at a friend's house last night & out of nowhere I felt like doin my nails... I just remembered about the brown lunch bag that's been in my purse for a few days now.... I got me a couple of OPI nail polishes that I completely forgot about... since I don't ever get the chance to do my nails anymore, I decided now is the time since we were just chillin, drinking wine, brandy & Red Horse... I know right?!? beer, wine & brandy??!?!!

anyhoo, this is my NOTD:

O.P.I. Suzi Loves Cowboys
(from the O.P.I. Texas Collection)


PRODUCTS USED:
O.P.I. Suzi Loves Cowboys
Revlon No Chip Top Coat 

this is how it looks like with 3 coats of Suzi Loves Cowboys no base / top coat 
you can see all the ridges on my nails...

here's what it looks like with 4 coats of the nail polish (to cover the nicks & marks from last night.. =D) & top coat...



Suzi Loves Cowboy looks like a delicious melted chocolate brown.. in the pictures it looks yummy but not so much on the nails.. they look more like dark chocolate... as much as I love dark chocolate, I don't like it on my nails... this & Don't Mess With OPI are the only two shades from the Texas collection that caught my eye... but I didn't get Don't Mess With OPI coz I think it might be identical to Jade is the New Black which I already have.... if you have both, please let me know...


can you guess the other nail polish I got?? 

tadaaaa!!

MY PRIVATE JET!




it looks like the galaxy... it's sooo purddyyyy
I actually used this to paint my toe nails & I like it! can't wait to try it on my finger nails....

I heard it's really hard to get a hold of but I got lucky there's a beauty store in my area that took my order & got it for me... 

I heard there are two versions of My Private Jet.... did I get the original version or the we-can't-make-anymore-of-the-original-but-it's-too-in-demand-that-we-should-make-a-different-version-and-sell-it-like-it's-the-same version??? LOL 

Friday, July 15, 2011

WHAT I'M DROOLIN OVER A.T.M.

Jeffrey Campbell Delilah 
Tan Leather Platform Wedge 
$146.00 from Lulu's

Angeles Nevaeh
Coral T-strap Platform Basket Wedges 
$33.00 from Lulu's

& as most of you may know, I am a sucker for cute, unique looking flat sandals, so when I saw this, I almost died!! "it's so fluffy I could die".. yeah just like that! LOL

GoMax Grecian 01
Taupe Brown Double-strap Gladiator 
$33.00 from Lulu's

isn't it gorj?!?

Altitude Adjustment
Navy Blue Maxi Dress
$41.00 still from Lulu's

& last but def not the least...

Strappy Lace Up Heel Sandals
$39.50 from Charlotte Russe

but of course they never have it in my size... but I'm not really that disappointed when I couldn't find it in my size coz I would rather have the same strappy style but in a flat sandals form... 

but I couldn't find one.. if any of you knows where I can get one with that same style but flat (no heels), please please please let me know?!?! & I would love you forever & ever... ;)

the closest I can find is this (again from Lulu's) but I really want it in the same strappy style as the above picture... 

oh & this.. 
oOooMG!!


did I get you droolin on these too???
what are your latest drool worthy items???

CLIENT: MICHELLE - EASTER SUNDAY PHOTOSHOOT (FEAT. MAC RUSSIAN RED)

here is a makeup I did on Michelle for a photo shoot they did for Easter Sunday/her birthday.... remember her from this post?? 

the previous post on Russian Red reminded me of this.... the first time I used that lipstick was on her...

here is the before & after photos...

a few of my favorites from the Fotog_Republic website...




PRODUCTS USED:

-face-
Clinique dramatically different moisturizing gel
Rimmel London Fix & Perfect foundation primer - 001
Revlon ColorStay foundation - Rich Tan
Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda concealer palette
Benefit bronzer - Hoola
MUFE blush powder - Orange Coral #5
Maybelline NY Dream Matte powder - Medium 3-4 / Honey
Urban Decay setting spray - All Nighter
-eyes-
Urban Decay primer potion
Wet n Wild ColorIcon eyeshadow palette - VanityMAC fluidline - Blacktrack
CoverGirl LashBlast mascara - Very Black
Wet n Wild ultimate brow kit - Ash Brown
-lips-
Carmex lip balm
MAC lipstick - Russian Red




I love how Chuck made her do this to showcase the makeup... he knows the blog picture procedures now... hahaha... thanks Chuck!

& of course, the behind the scenes... 

click HERE to see more pictures of Michelle's Easter Sunday photo shoot with her beautiful family...

MAC LOOTS #1

I have been addicted to makeup for as long as I can remember... I have bought tons & tons of makeup over the years.... I'd say mostly drugstore brands in the past which I didn't have a problem buying maybe because they are not as expensive as high end brands, discounts & BOGO free sales are also a big factor why I preferred them over the department store items... but although I buy drugstore brands, I make sure I buy the ones that offer really good quality.. I don't usually buy, just to buy based on fad... I make sure they are worth buying, if not, I return them.... that's another plus with buying drugstore products, you can always return....

but some time ago I realized that the drugstore makeup buying is starting to get a little too much! so I decided I'd start really investing on the 'real good stuff'... so I started buying high end brands, then next thing you know, I started to binge on MAC & SEPHORA brands items (Make Up For Ever, Benefit, Urban Decay, NARS, Tarte, Laura Mercier, YSL to name a few)... like serious binging to the point of spending up to $200 per transaction... which is a little too ridiculous for a broke ass like me... so again I thought, 'this had to stop!'... so I invented this thing called "self control"... uhh invent?!?!... ok well, at least re-introduced it to my self, coz when it comes to makeup, there really is no such thing to me... 

so I created this formula on Makeup Self Control

1.] Prioritize on things that are needed not wanted
          if you think you're only gonna use it once like the rest of the bright lipsticks in your drawer, then don't buy it...

2.] Review your stash
          if you already have a similar color as the one you are planning to buy, try to resist buying the Pink Friday that almost look like the Viva Glam Gaga or the Rimmel Pink Champagne or NYX' Pink Strawberry... they all look the same to a lot of people... I mean really, who's gonna be able to recognize the difference?? 

3.] Tell your self, 'It's just a craze! It'll soon go away!'
          it's almost like food craving which only lasts about 15 minutes(??).. if you can wait til then, the craving is forgotten... so if you can wait until all the new LE products are all sold out, that craving will go away.. it might be harder than food to get over, but you eventually will [perhaps when the new collection comes out??!? =) ]...  

4.] Is it really worth the price tag??
          before buying a ridiculously over priced item, ask your self this first, is it really worth it? I mean come on a lipstick for $30+ ??? (yes, I'm talking about you YSL!!! oh & you too Chanel!!!)

5.] Always put items on your wish list on a pair of scale
          review your wish list, (if you don't have one, make one!)... go down the list looking at two items at a time... weigh them out, using the hand gesture pretending your hands are a pair of scale helps a lot too! (LOL) pick only one of the two, which one would you rather have right now?? the lipstick?? or the blush?? put the item that you didn't choose back on the wish list... then put the next item on the list on the scale & weigh it with the item you just chose to buy over the other... repeat the steps... LOL
          this really helps before you go to a makeup store/counter especially if you have a few shades of the same eyeshadow or lipstick or blush that you wanna buy, you can weigh out which shade to buy first... this way when you're at the store you're not confused & end up buying more than you planned to buy...

and finally...

6.] Avoid temptation
          simply don't go to the mall... if you can't avoid the mall, just walk past the counters... don't go to Sephora or Sephora.com, MAC.com or any other makeup online sites...

ok... I'm just BS'ing.. there's really no formulas, at least none of 'em apply to me... you'll soon realize that I actually defied everything on the formulas.... hahahaha

but what I really did was set some rules for my self... I decided to limit my self to only one or two items at the most... & I can only go as often as every other two weeks.... I started this in March so I have quite a few things to show you....

first up is...

Russian Red & Viva Glam Gaga 2 lipsticks


I've been wanting to get Russian Red for a while now so when I heard that they were releasing it in a LE collection [Wonder Woman] packaging, I knew instantly why I waited!! I just had to get it in this packaging!!


isn't it insane??? luv it!






then I also got the VG Gaga 2 lipstick... since I missed the first one, I know I had to get the second one... 



do I need these??? - naaahhh
do I have similar shades in my collection?? - yes!!
is it just a craze - definitely, especially the Gaga 2
am I gonna use it more than once?? - yes, probably twice!

I def defied all formulas on makeup self control.. but it was all worth it! =)

what have you defied these rules with lately??? 

Thursday, July 14, 2011

A QUICK POST: ORANGE SODA

just a really quick post to show you how NYX' Orange Soda lipstick looks on me...

indoors in natural lighting...
yay! I look so tan here....

indoors with flash...
pale face... boooooo!!

I wasn't gonna add this last one coz you can't really see how it looks like here but I thought might as well add an outdoors shot...
hahaha... please excuse the crappy face...

a lot of people were asking for swatches on the lipsticks that I bought from my last NYX lipstick haul, but since I know I really won't have time to swatch all of them & put them all in one post, I decided I'll just post them as I wear them one at a time... 

I wore this one first coz this is the color I was most curious & excited about... but I was just ehh, not worth all the excitement.. but that was just first impression... of course I will give it another chance, and maybe another one & another one...