Hi!

I haven't posted an entry in days, that felt like a long time (to me, at least).  On Monday I attended my school's prom night, and I was asked by my students to do their makeup and nails~ In all honesty, it was a promise I carelessly made while we were preparing for the examinations and we talked about the prom and how they were going to dress up and stuff, and well, so I ended up on Sunday evening painting my students' nails (for 2 of them) and also doing their makeup on the day--Monday (for about 5 or 6 of them). The makeup session turned out to be a whole afternoon of powdering and shading and bronzing etc etc.  But it was fun being in the midst of all their excitement.  After they got ready and left, I went home to get ready and joined them fashionably late at the hotel for the prom.

Then the next day, my bestie also had her school prom, and she brought her daughter over my house to do a little mom-daughter glamour session.  That was fun!  Because we went to JB together over the weekend, and her daughter was 'missing' me as I painted her toes a girlish pink while we were in the car.  This time she brought her little makeup kit along (with Barbie palette and gloss) so we did a little makeup swap (well, I gave her 2 bottles of my hot pink nail polish and did a little nail art on her finger nails).

And the past couple of days, I had to attend 2 full day conference, so that explains the lack of activity around here.  So on this super rainy and chilly afternoon,  I shall try to catch up with all things MU related.

Some pictures of all the makeup sessions the past few days:

The prom pictures

*Take note I don't normally post 'work' pictures ie students/ colleagues etc here, but since they have graduated

and it is a fun occasion, so I make the exception in this case*

This is the mother-daughter glamour session.  I dabbed some Dazzleglass and pink eyeshadow on the little girl for fun.

Yes, so I really had fun doing their makeup, and even though I am nowhere near professional, I think I 'experienced' what it is like to be a MUA, the deadline, rush to be ready by a certain time, the setting up and cleaning up, sitting there doing face after face, is really a tough job.  After the whole affair, I felt a little worn out.  However I also felt a certain sense of satisfaction when I see the girls all dolled up and happy and ready to go out and enjoy the evening/ night.

On another matter altogether, I am nearing 300 followers (295 as of now), and I did promise a giveaway once I hit 300.  I am also 2 or 3 weeks away from being an Onsugar member for 3 years.  This blog though, is of course, less than 2 years old.  I started out at the Sugar network because I was catching up on celeb gossip on Popsugar, and then I started writing about beauty stories etc etc... and one thing led to another and here we are.

I have some items ready as the prizes (Rimmel's Airy Fairy, Barry M Dazzledust, Lippaints, Majolica Majorca, inuovi etc etc) I am still planning and thinking how many prizes to giveaway, but one thing for sure, I will ship wherever you are.  This is because when I first started out here, my 'followers' -- I dislike using this word - are mainly from the States, girls whom I was already talking to on the Sugar network.  I will work out the finer details in the meantime, and more news will be announced.

In my previous update entry, I did mentioned something about guest-writing for Temptalia.. but I got kind of lazy, so that idea is scrapped. As for the Elizabeth Arden review updates, I have been using the products, but I think the sample amount is too little for me to do a full and fair review, so I shall wait for the full size products to be sent before I say anymore about that.  I am also going to do my inuovi Mystery Shopper Programme tomorrow (I got an extended deadline) so looking forward to that. And I am also slowly picking up some photoshop skills from my sister - that's kind of exciting, I can adjust the colors of my pictures to make the colors appear truer to life, that's useful for swatching and testing etc.

Yup, lotsa of stuff happening, and thanks to everyone for reading, and keeping in touch!

Tag started by saffie, and I was tagged by everbluec

and these are the ladies I am tagging (cos the others have been tagged):

icyabstract

adorebeauty

treehouseglory

facesbysarah

And here is the tag itself:

1) What are your make items must have(s)?

foundation, blusher, brow pencil

2) Who was the first make up guru you watched on youtube?

amy04, but she doesn't seem to be around anymore on YT, I prolly just stumbled upon it. Enkore is another one of the pioneers.

3) From the answer above, how did u stumble upon the person's channel?

Like I mentioned i (2), I don't think I was looking for makeup tutorials.. but I totally forgot how I stumbled upon her channel.  haha.

4) How did you discover Onsugar?

I was already a Teamsugar member, and posting MU stuff on the social group called Beauty Product Junkies (maybe 3 years back?) and then the Sugar publishing network started this Onsugar blogging platform, and I was invited to try out their 'beta' or something and I guess that's how it all started.  Besides I had my blogger, but it was getting nasty and too open for my comfort, and blogging here felt cosier among a group of like-minded community.

5) Who was the first onsugar blogger that you followed?

Erm, there wasn't much bloggers around here when I started, but I think it's definitely atoxicsparkle, owner of the Beauty Product Junkies group from teasugar, she started her own blog when onsugar started too.

6) Did you ever buy a make up item/tool which you end up not using or regretted buying?

All the time!  Some are creams, eyeshadows, hair products etc.

7) What do you usually carry in your make up bag?

I don't usually carry out my makeup bag, but I always have facial blotters, a lipstick, spare concealer lying around in my bag all the time. 

8) If you found your Holy Grail (HG) product, would you stick with it throughout or are you willing to try on other products which might end up not suitable for you?

Yes, I lurve trying out new stuff even though I have my HG.  I like to make new friends, but I will keep going back to my old ones.  Haha. 

9) In your opinion which is more important, or rather which comes first, product quality or application technique?

I think technique is important.  Even if you have the most expensive makeup product or the best quality stuff but if you don't know how to use them properly then you are not doing it nor yourself any justice.

10) On a scale of 5, how 'important' is make up to you?

It is hard to use makeup and important in the same sentence, I lurve my makeup, but I would say a 1 or 2.  If I am not a makeup junkie, I would be collecting or devoting my time somewhere else anyway.   :)

Hi!

Just a quick non-MU related post on what I did yesterday.  Was kind of conned by the BF to go to MacRitchie, he told me to check out the tree-top walk, so I was like oh ok, let's go.  What he didn't say was that it was a 5km walk/trek to reach the tree top walk area, and another 5km out of the area.  Geesh. I have been to Macritchie for my school's cross country a couple of times, but that seemed like NOTHING, compared to the total of 12km we ended up trekking/walking around the whole area.  Plus it was raining earlier, so the forest parts were slippery, mushy, and kind of creepy in general.

What was good is that I think I got a great cardio workout (we started almost 12 and didn't complete til 3pm) --- which made  up for all the feasting and drinking when I had lunch at Carnivore and the Oktober fest this past week.

Show you a few pics of my little adventure.

This is the starting part, as you can see, I wasn't prepared for the long walk!  Let my hair down, had on only my usual running shoes and worn my leggings because I was going to change after the walk.  How wrong I was!

Still happily posing away, but getting hot by now.  Haha.

The view from the tee top canopy is amazing though.  It's a suspension bridge, and if you are afraid of heights, that might be a little problem.

On our way back, almost done, and walked past this huge leaning branch, so a goofy pic for fun.

Overall, yes, it was tiring, but what fun! Would I do it again?  Hmmm maybe once a month. Or if I miss all my weekday running sessions then I might do this intensive walk on a weekend morning.

HI!!

As promised, the lowdown on the Lady Gaga concert.

By the time I got there (got lost in the park for a while) it was 8pm, and because I came from the 'top' of the slope area.... my friend and I had the chance  to see the Lady herself just arriving, in a black car, with her entourage in another black car, and 2 white vans.  That was amazing, even though all we saw was the top of her head...

The opening act, though entertaining and happening-- I felt was LONGER than the concert itself, in which Lady Gaga performed for just 1 hour.  I don't think she sang all the songs from her album... but each song she performed was spectacular, and she did the PR thing, you know, 'I love Singapore, I love chilli crab' endearing, yes, especially when she said it's her first time performing on her own for such a big audience ( think the papers reported 10000+ turn out).

Well, I didn't managed to squeeze all the way to the front row, but I would say my friend and I were standing about 50m away from the stage.  It was needless to say, HOT, stuffy, sweaty and when pple raised their arms, you wish you have a mini fan with you for ventilation.  Hahaha.......Thankfully, I was wearing my comfy white tee and leggings, so no worries of any wardrobe malfunction, and no stickiness from rubbing arms and shoulders with other sweaty bodies.

Here is a pic I took outside the entrance (when the concert was over).  I am wearing Smoke & Diamonds and Plummage on my eyes - not that you can really see - I had NO time to do my makeup, and had to major RUSH to the venue.

I bought a tee-shirt from the merchandise tent.  $40 each.  How cute are the colors!!

This is the screen they used to cover the stage while setting up.

Another hot sweaty pic after the concert and everyone was moving out.

Her 2nd outfit... a red leather thingy, and that giant keyboard thingy.. she was wearing this wig which covered half her face.

Her last outfit, which is a patent nude bra and panty thingy... and the piano is priceless. She was wearing a matching 'bubble' jacket too, but I didn't zoom my camera close enough to get a clear shot.  Here, she played Brown Eyes and Pokerface.  She also sang the disco version of Pokerface as her finale song.

And oooo check out the buns!  :)  she was practically 'making love' to the piano, if you know what I mean.

If you can see the matching bubble jacket and piano.  And check out the digital cam/ phones, everyone dying to capture the moment.

All in all, it was an awesome performance with impressive showmanship (IMO), and if she comes here again, I would want to go!! All hail Lady Gaga!

Hi hi!!

Happy to say that this little site has reached 201 followers!  It kind of amazes me that I have an actual audience out there :) some of whom I have met in real life... think in a previous poll thingy, I mentioned before even if nobody is reading, I would still do this as my personal diary - kind of - I take my MU very personally indeed~  But to have a like-minded community interacting makes this all sweeter.

Anyways.... my next entry will be my Lady Gaga updates... thoroughly enjoyed myself in a nutshell.  But more details and PICS and maybe even videos!!!  She kicks arse (literally, if you know what I mean).

I saw Temptalia this morning, and a sneak preview of the MAC Style Black.  How cool it is to have all MAC products in such a black sleek manner??  They should totally do ALL WHITE collection soon.

Picture and info from temptalia.com

My lemming list (provided everything comes to SG of course)

Lipstick: Black Knight Creamy true black (Cremesheen)

Glimmerglass:

Bling Black Sheer black with gold pearl

Blackware Creamy true black

Mineralize Eye Shadow:

Young Punk Black with pink purple pearl

Volcanic Ash Exfoliator

I think this is a collectors' worthy collection, if that makes any sense.

Outta here!

Some pictures I took over the weekend with my BB storm:

The movie UP promo balloon set up.... SUPER CUTE.. I think I will watch the movie this coming weekend in all its 3D glory.

And this other movie poster thingy, I thought the artwork is kind of cute and the words remind me of my bro and sis's names together (Beverley & Cooper yes that bro who broke my MAC blot powder)  NOT a fan of Hayden, so I ain't gg to watch this, and if you seen the rest of this poster, her body is SUPER touched up.

And lastly a neutral LOTD which I wore over --- I think it was yesterday.

All that glitters all over the lids, and Magnetic Fields on the outer corner.  Dirty Plum and Perfect Topping on the cheeks.  And the same mascara laden false lashes... LOVING this pair of 'seasoned' lashes.  Maybelline Lash stylish on the lower lashes for the spidery legs effect.

*I know I should rotate the pic...but let's make do*

And that's all for now, hopefully my next post will be a Lady Gaga LOTD and pics from the concert!

I am ONE follower away from 200!!!! Woot!  *Happy Dance*

Click here to take part in my on-going contest, if you have not done so.   I am getting the prizes this week, and I have a pretty good idea of what to get already.

Hi hi!!

PART ONE

So, I am kind of excited, because I am finally going to the Lady Gaga Concert TOMORROW!!!!

First question: What to wear??!!

I am thinking of just wearing a simple white tee, with either denim shorts or my leggings.  Then I will just wear a load of accessories, and also carry a little sling bag.  Comfort is of importance here, it's going to be a free standing, wave your arms in the air kind of event.  I think I will pack tissues, wet wipes, bring my cell phone and loads of cash (for cab, drinks etc etc), hair clips.  And that's all.

Make up??  Hmmm I might break out some crazy wacky lashes, but it depends on the time I have to get ready, cos I have work til 5pm tomorrow... and I kind of want to be there by 7.30pm.  Dang!

Please advise on what to wear???  And I promise lotsa of pictures - unless photography is not allowed.

PART TWO

And this is a makeup casualty.  Yes, this is my MAC blot powder, which is practically brand new, but of course you can see here, it is broken into 3829034780240 pieces.  ARGH.  What the heck happened?  My bro who was carrying my bag when it happened.  Somehow this powder compact decide to fall out and drop to the FLOOR.  I heard the sickening sound of the compact as it hit the floor and saw the powder sticking out even before I opened to see the actual damage.  He had a sheepish grin on his face, and had the cheek to look remotely guity.

There is nothing I can doo to salavge this victim eh?  I mean I can't PRESS this back together, right?  Both my bro and BF were saying OH come on, it's not as though you don't have a ton of other powders to use... MEN!!!  It's not a blusher, for goodness sake.  Must educate them on such delicate differences some day.

Regardless, if you have any advice, let me know! Much appreciated!

PART THREE

Something I am loving, I bought this a couple of weeks back (pre makeup ban/'puasa'), it's another Burts Bee cream, I love the delicious banana hand cream so much, I had to get this almond hand cream too.  Except I slather this all over my legs.  Haha.

I am also loving MAC's Dirty Plum blusher, which is a Pro color... it is super pigmented and the deep purple is awesome on my cheeks.  :)

PART FOUR

And... I bought a new phone over the weekend, the pics in this entry are taken with my new phone, if you follow me on Twitter, you might have already read about it, and yes, I got a Blackberry Storm, which looks something like this:

*not MY phone this is an image I found online.

So yes, now I can check my FB messages, twitter, onsugar updates all the time.  Yes.. I am such a slave to technology.  The best thing is this phone costs me $98 after promo prices and contract - and even that $98 I can claim.....so it's like FREE.  Yes, I am a sucker for smartphones..previous phones which I still have in storage is my E71 (don't like nokia visuals)  and of course my trusty iphone - I will still be 'loyal' to my dinosaur iphone because it is still an awesome browser and ipod -- just that it is a hassle for to upgrade my iphone because I am not a Singtel user and not intending to switch soon    :)

Yup, so this is my random... kind of not makeup related update. 
hope everyone is doing well!

Think I am late on this tag, but whatever, I am kind of distracted now, so here goes:

1. Where were you born and raised?

I was born and raised in Singapore.

2. Tell us about your family.

My parents, and 3 siblings stay with me.  And my most lovely, fluffy, adorable dog.  :0

3. What are you up to?

Hmmm, I am trying to clear some work now, but I am so not doing it.  I am also dreading the start of another work week.

4. What do you want to do in the future?

I want to travel the world.

5. Tell us about your hair.

I limp, straight and fine hair which I have 'soft rebonded' a year back, so now I just use my flat iron/ tong thingy to style it.  I have also colored my hair jet black for the past 5 or 6 years. My natural hair color is more brownish.

6. Tell us about your eyes.

My double eye lids have a life of their own, sometimes they aren't very obvious, and most of the time they are uneven.  I have sparse lashes.

7. Tell us about your teeth.

Discolored, i think it's natural, as in, they just came out like that.  Other than that, OK I guess.

8. Sweet or Savory?

Savoury.

9. Show us your favorite shoes.

In an ideal world, I would be wearing sky high wicked heels, like those LV African theme ones, or those Louboutin black pumps, etc etc... But sad to say, I run around a lot in my daily life, my feet are too big, and I am too tall to wear any kind of high heels without towering over everyone.  And I don't think I would throw $1000 on a pair of shoes, pretty as they are.  So... my fave recently is this pair of Havanias slippers which you have all seen before in this entry. In general, I prefer ballet flats.  Charles & Keith makes some nice ones and they are so cheap, I can totally see why all the C&K stores are swarming with people all the time

10. Make a confession.

Confession? I'm make up junkie.

11. Who you would like to tag?

Anyone who has not done this.

No pictures, but will just ramble about stuff I have been using lately.

INs

1. MAC studio sculpt foundation (NC15) - You just need the tiniest amount of this product for a full coverage.  On the other hand, the Clinique Superfit, you need to use MORE if you want a fuller coverage.
2. ACNES zit cream - zaps breakouts real quick.
3. MAC Azalea brush - Da bomb as far as blushers are concerned.
4. MAC Pink Vivid Cream stick - awesome payoff and color, love love this on my cheeks.
5. MAC 168 brush - loving this brush all over again, I neglected it for a long time and dabbled with the 109 and the CS fan brush when apply blusher.
6. Maybelline highlight & concealer thingy - the concealer on this 'wand' is really great, and comparable to the MAC studio finish concealer. And it is cheap!  :)
7. Yea to all my random hairclips, have been using them all the time cos my bangs are at a really awkward length now.
8. Yea to all my Keith Harring LE Uniqlo tees I bought in Harajuku, Tokyo
9. Yea to my Lady Gaga album which bf downloaded for me.. haha... Yup, I know.. even my 15 year old brother is saying YOU CALL THAT MUSIC??  He is a music snob...but I am all for great entertainers, and she is one to me.
   
10. Unearthing a bunch of brand new makeup in my drawer, including a smokey eye palette with 10 eyeshadows, 5 or 6 backups of Loreal Superliner, a bunch of Shu Uemura eyeshadows, Benefit blusher and also my Shu Uemura palette
11. AWESOME 'cheng teng' (a chinese dessert) at Bedok 'corner' food-centre...
12. Last one -- LUSH Yummy Yummy Yummy makes me want to take a shower all the time~
    

OUTs

1. Boo to the constant checking, stalking I have been doing lately when it comes to MAC releases, I thought I was over that 'stage' since the start of the year, but am I going through a relaspse???  Geesh.  Or I just never stopped?
2. Crazy busy work week which is simply not sustainable. 
   
3. Neglecting my blushers.... I have been wanting to use some colors which have not seen the light of day, such as MAC Dirty Plum, Pleasantry, Naunce, PeachyKeen etc etc...
   
4. The Color Craft Collection, I have half intrigued and half 'hating' it.  And the fact that it is late is driving me insane cos the ONLY item I wanted is still not here yet!
5. Late nights
   
6. Short weekends
7. Eating lousy food

What are yours?

Hi, just thought I would do a quick overview of all my MAC eye brushes. There is a very thorough and detailed overview of all MAC eyebrushes on Temptalia and click here to check it out.

I just bought 225 today, it is a giant version of the 224 brush. 

All the brushes from the top, 217, 217, 222, 224, 225, 226, 227

* looking at the products in greater detail

The 226 brush is LE, from the BBR collection and also in the Color Craft collection. I only use this if I want to blend a precise area, and for a defined crease on my eyes.

The 226 brush had a tapered pointy tip which is very comfortable to use.

The 224 is a larger fluffy brush, and it is amazing for blending out harsh lines, and making your eyemake up look really 'pro'. It is also good for blending cream concealer for under the eye area.

A comparison of the 217, 224, and 222.

The 222 is a longer blending brush, with a pointed tip, this allows for a precise blending.  The 224 is a fluffy version of the 222.  It is less dense too, making it good for all over blending, you don't need to load this brush with any color if you are  doing just blending.

The 217 which is the one of the right, is a densely packed brush, it is good for application of color, blending, and even for cream products.  Love this multi purpose brush.  I put them aganist the light so you can see the density of each brush.

If you look at the brushes, from L to R, we have the 222 224, and 217.

If you are starting out, you  might just want to start with some that is multitasker, for example, the 217 is good for applying  color and blend out the edges.

The 225 and 227, both BIG brushes, but they feel amazing! And I find brushes like these good for applying face products on smaller areas, for example when you want to highlight or contour the nose area, or apply colour to the cheekbones.

The 225, 224, and 222 make great blending brushes.

OK, I hope this is somewhat helpful.  I don't use the MAC 219, 239, 242, etc because I feel those brushes can be commonly found in other brands and also I already own brushes like those.  And it also depends on the size of your eyes, the 'lid space' that you work with, because some brushes (esp the 224 or 217) can be too big for blending on your lid area if you have little lid space.  My sister uses the 219 'pencil' brush for her crease because it is so smaller she can do a more defined crease on her eyes.  My other sister doesn't use the 224  brush because she is perfectly OK with using the 217 for blending, and she doesn't like to blend out the colors too much which is what you will get with the 224.

So it all depends on your personal preference, and also the size of your eyes.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions, leave a comment!