THE V.I.B. HOLIDAY SHOPPING EVENT THAT ALMOST DIDN'T HAPPEN FOR ME

"SAVE THE DATE" is what it said on top of every email Sephora had sent to all V.I.B. members & that's exactly what I did... but I still ALMOST missed it!!!!!! the problem was not in the saving the date it's in getting the dates mixed up....

The V.I.B. Holiday Shopping Event started Nov 10th ends the 14th...

I thought today, the 15th (Tuesday) is the 14th.... but I didn't give up.... I thought, it wouldn't hurt to try....

so I put stuff on my drool list in the shopping cart... entered the V.I.B. discount code & viola!!! in some sort of miracle, it worked!!!!

I actually wanted only the UD Naked Palette that I've been holding off on for a long while now.... but of course, you can't ever go to Sephora (online or in store) & pick up one thing & one thing only.... it's just impossible....

so here are the stuff I ordered...

Urban Decay

Naked Palette

I'm just tired of being the only one who doesn't have this palette... simple & plain! I just want it!!! LOL

NARS Lipstick

Schiap

ever since I missed the MAC Candy Yum Yum lipstick from the Quite Cute collection I've been desperate to find a close dupe.... and you all know I am obsessed with hot pink, fuchsia-ish colored lipsticks... & when I saw a lip swatch of this lipstick, I knew I just have to have this....

[image source]

[image source]

I wanted to get other shades but I wanted to try this lipstick first just in case I won't like the finish of it... here are the other shades I'm definitely adding on my drool list....

Funny Face

Dolce Vita

Barbarella

do any of you own any of these shades?? if so, can you please advise if they are worth splurging for??? 

Make Up For Ever 

Duo Mat Powder Foundation

# 203 Light Beige

I've been curious about this product especially because there's so much mixed reviews about it... I've only been using my MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural to set my foundation but I also want to try out other brands.... plus the MAC MSF is just not good enough by it self, so I wanna give this one a shot & see if it'll be a good coverage powder for when I'm in a hurry or just when I don't feel like putting on a full foundation face... I did a research on what shade will match my NC30 skin & according to a lot of reviews, #203 is perfect for NC30 shade... but I also hear some say #205 also works... so I based my decision on what the majority said... if the shade fails then I shall return it & exchange it for the #205...

# 205 Medium Beige

Tarte

Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush

I was pickin between Blissful, Tipsy, Natural Beauty & Amused

Blissful (warm peach)

Tipsy (coral)

Natural Beauty (muted strawberry red)

Blissful & Tipsy are in the orangey-peachy side & I feel like I already have a lot of blush with peachy shades.... I wanted to try Natural Beauty so bad but I just wasn't sure how this would look on me... so I opted for a less risky one -

Amused

which is a bright pink shade... I have MAC's Dolly Mix & NARS' Desired blushes which are in the same shade family but I have a feeling Amused will be a lot different than these two... based on swatches, it's more muted pink than Dolly Mix & Desired... I guess I'll find out when I get my package....

I almost almost missed the 20% deal.... if you haven't ordered & you were planning to, it might not be too late yet... so go on & gather the items on your wish list & head on over to Sephora.com & enjoy this great deal they are offering to us cosmetic addicts right now...

another great deal I didn't wanna pass on is the extra 4% rebate that Ebates.com is offering... so I signed up for that as well... I'm new to the whole Ebates thing but the extra discount sounds really good to say no... so if you wanna avail of this awesome tempting deal, click HERE & enjoy shopping... coz you deserve it gurl!!!!! =)

CHUCK'S PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS PROJECT

my friend Chuck (whom I've mentioned in my FROM UK WITH LOVE: BARRY M LIPPIES post & my MAC CLASS + TRIP TO SEPHORA post) had asked me back in February to help him out with his project for his photography class in school... he had asked me to be his subject for some portrait shots... so of course, I said yes.... photo op!!!!! LOL

I didn't wanna post it on my blog until after he gets his grades on this project.... & guess what?!?! he got A's in one class & got very good critiques on the other class that have yet to release the grades...

here are some off my favorite shots...

***WARNING***

RIDICULOUSLY PIC HEAVY

PRODUCTS USED:

-face-

MUFE HD Primer #6

MUFE HD Foundation #123
MAC Studio Sculpt concealer - NC30
Bobbi Brown corrector - Light Bisque

MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural Medium

NARS Orgasm/Laguna Duo

NARS Albatross

Urban Decay All Nighter Spray

-eyes-

MAC Paint Pot Painterly

NYX Jumbo Pencil Black Bean

MAC e/s Carbon

MAC e/s Handwritten

MAC e/s Soft Brown

MAC e/s Blanc Type

Prestige Liquid Eyeliner Black

Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil Zero

Wet n Wild Ultimate Brow Kit Ash Brown

Dior Eyebrow Gel

Maybelline Stilleto Mascara

Red Cherry #46/DUO Eyelash Adhesive Dark Tone

-lips-

Smith's Rosebud Salve

YSL Rouge Volupte lipstick Sensual Silk

NARS lipgloss Turkish Delight

MAC lipstick Petals & Peacocks

Chuck & his wife Michelle also offers photography services.... they are fairly new in the business but you can already tell that they have a great future in the world of photography... they are both very talented... Michelle was the one showing me how to project & where to place my hands, how to position my body & all that good stuff... she's the pro at that!!

you can check out their photography blog HERE & the rest of my pictures HERE.... if you like what you see, please follow their blog... =) & if by any chance you're interested in their services, you can find their contact information on the bottom of the page.... or you can just contact me & I will let them know... =)

as always, thank you so much for reading my blog & hope you have a nice day!

SEPT 2010 SEPHORA HAUL

just a really quick & short post to show you what I got from Sephora last month.... sorry, no individual pictures as of yet...

MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Brush 30N

Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake - Thunder

NARS Blush - Desire

Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover For Lids, Lashes & Lips - 4.2 oz

Dior Brow Gel

St. Tropez Everyday Gradual Tan For Body - Light/Medium

Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray - 4 oz

the samples....

Sample - Stila One Step Makeup Foundation in Dark - 0.02 oz

Sample - Billy Jealousy Hydroplane Super-Slick Shave Cream - 0.135 oz

Sample - Kate Somerville Protect SPF 55 Serum Sunscreen - 0.07 oz

I haven't used some of the products I got, like the Illamasqua & the St. Tropez... I'm still in the trial period with the rest of the stuff... but just let me know if you want something reviewed...

HALLOWEEN LOOK: GEISHA/MAIKO MAKEUP ATTEMPT

Geishas are highly trained professional women whose job is traditionally to entertain men... that alone explains why they are dressed in expensive looking kimonos, their very glamorous(atleast in the early years) hair where there is not a strand out of place & the very artistic white makeup.... their stories & traditions are very interesting but what interests me the most is the makeup they wear & the meaning behind it... I guess the white makeup is worn depending on the age of the lady wearing it & to categorize the occasion a Geisha will be attending... the V or W shape symbols seen on the nape may indicate whether the event they are attending is a normal event(V) or a formal event(W).... this is also done to accentuate the back of the neck which is a traditional Japanese erotic area.... the line of bare skin around the hairline also creates the illusion of a mask....

another thing that caught my interest is the shape of their lips, at first I didn't think anything of it, then I got curious & that's when I found out that the shape of the lips & how much is painted on them (top, bottom, both) can distinguish how old the Geisha or Maiko is, where they are from, & how far she is in training...

there's a lot more technicality in the makeup worn by Geishas or Maikos & etc... but I just wanted to try & create my own version of a Geisha makeup....

I found this picture & made it as my inspiration....

& here is my own version.... a modern geisha...

PRODUCTS USED:

-face-
Clinique dramatically different moisturizing gel
Carnival Colors Makeup - White (bought from a halloween store today... I don't recommend these cheap makeups, they are a pain to apply... I mean I guess I shouldn't have expected anything from it, besides it was only $3.99... I just bought it coz I wanna try the Geisha makeup so bad & I don't have any white makeups... I would probably invest on a real theatrical makeup like Ben Nye, Mehron, Graftobian or Kryolan in the future)
Coastal Scents Silica Powder (to set the white makeup, which is probably not a great idea coz it made the makeup cake like heck on my whole face)

-cheeks-
NARS blush - Desire (used a credit card to make a really defined line)

-eyes-
Spirit Gum adhesive (also bought from the halloween store.... used to tame my browse for concealing)
Pro 88 Matte Color eyeshadow palette (colors used are marked X on the image below)
MAC fluidline - Blacktrack (as liner & brow color.... no cat-eye today, lined my eyes pointing downward for that Japanese looking eyes)
Revlon ColorStay eyeliner - Black (on bottom waterline)
Shiseido Lasting Lift mascara - Black

-lips-

Smith's Rosebud Salve
NYX round lipstick - Eros

 

have you seen the round lipsticks in this packaging? for some reason the last time I bought some round lipsticks from NYX, they came in this packaging....

instead of this....

did you ever get this from the NYX website??? or did I get gypped???

anyhoo... back to the Geisha look....

this one seem to remind me of those Geisha porcelain dolls/figurines with chubby ass cheeks & smiling with their tiny eyes....

like this one....

teehee...

& now leaving you with my favorite picture of the bunch.....

hope you liked this look....

I didn't dress up for halloween, the Geisha outfit was too expensive for my broke ass... besides I didn't wanna buy a costume that I am only gonna wear once, I'm saving that moment for my wedding dress... **wink** LOL.... but yeah, I decided to just play with my makeup, just because I don't have a matching outfit doesn't mean it'll stop me from doin makeup!! what's my Pashmina scarf doin anyway right?!?!

did you dress up for halloween??? what costume did you wear?? did you get to use your makeup skillz???