Go NAKED!

Urban Decay's Naked was released last year for their fall collection. Trust me, this has been my ever -reliable palette whenever I do bridal, I just can leave home without it. I would simply describe it as the only palette that you'll ever need. Be it from soft neutral look too hot smoky glam, your collection wouldn't be complete without it. So far, its the best Urban Decay palette I ever tried. Packed in a velvety -chocolate color sleek case, which looks really sophisticated, you just got to have one.

Though I know this is not something new to us makeup junkies, I received a few messages requesting me to do a demo using the Naked palette, so here goes..

THE MUST-HAVES:

1. MODEL & CO 4 pc brush set -
Its my first time to try their brush and I actually liked it. The bristles are not too soft and not too hard, just enough to be able to blend well and the bristles aren't harsh to the skin.


2. LAURA MERCIER Oil-Free TINTED MOISTURIZER -
This time I decided to use a tinted moisturizer instead of the usual foundation. So far this is the best tinted moisturizer I ever tried, though a bit expensive compared to other tinted moisturizers, this one has a buildable coverage giving you the same result of a good quality foundation without having its usual heavy icky feeling to the skin. ( Read more about Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer on my past blog entry: http://makeupjournal.blogspot.com/2008/10/laura-mercier-four-steps-to-flawless.html)



3. Model & Co Blush Cheek Powder in Peach Bellini, Bloom Lip Gloss in Gyspy, BDB (Billion Dollar Brows) A hint of tint. I got all these from Beauty Bar Philippines.






4. NARS Lipstick in Schiap - This is the hottest shade of pink lip color that you'll ever find in the market today. It has a matte finish but it glides perfectly on your lips.





5. URBANK DECAY Ink for the Eyes - If theres one product from Urban Decay that I would recommend you to buy - aside from their 24/7 eyepencils and Naked Palette , its the UD Ink for the Eyes. It comes with the applicator angled brush to create the perfect eye line and the smoldering tip that gives it a good smudge to create a smoky or natural line. It blends with ease but the product doesn't wear off easily.

Go NAKED!

1. First of all, have your skin prepped. Do not forget to Cleanse, Tone and Moisturize. This time I used Juice Beauty toning facial mist. It smelled great and it was able to cleanse my face really well without the sting that the usual toner does to our face. Another nice thing about this product is , its organic, its all natural, so its prefect for sensitive skin. You can score this at Beauty Bar Philippines.

2. Apply your tinted moisturizer evenly all over the face. I always use a stippling brush when applying any liquid or cream foundation to my skin.
(Learn the advantage of using a stippling brush , read about it from my past blog entry here --
http://makeupjournal.blogspot.com/2011/10/beauty-bar-get-missy-lee-look.html)

3. After applying foundation or tinted moisturizer, dust enough amount of loose powder all over the face using a powder brush to set your foundation.

4. Contour - You have the option to contour or not, for daytime you can leave it as it is without contouring but for evening wear ,I advise you to contour your face to further enhance your facial bone structure . You can see the difference from picture 3 and 4 , picture 3 looks flat , while the last picture which was contoured looked so much better. This is also a must if you plan to take pictures. The contour itself gives you a complete look without adding any color to your face.

5. Groom your eyebrows ALWAYS. Comb, snip, shave , pluck or have a threading session with a pro, I don't care but If you want your eyes to pop beautifully, always groom your eyebrows. I really don't get it why some still prefer to have a bushy eyebrows. If you think keeping your bushy- stubborn eyebrows give you the natural look, you may want to think about it again.

(double click on the pic to see instructions)

For this particular look I used 4 shades from the Naked Palette: Half Baked, Buck , Creep and Virgin

6. Using an eyeshadow applicator brush , apply Half-Baked on to your lids until the crease line. Blend well towards the brow bone, make sure that there are no harsh lines.

7. Using your round tip eyeshadow brush, apply buck on your crease line. Blend by following the natural contour of your eyes. When blending, remember NOT to blend it too much because this might wash off the color of your eyeshadow completely. Jut use the right amount of pressure.

8. Deepen the crease in the outer corner of your eyes by applying and blending in Creep.

9. For highlights, add a touch of Virgin to your brow bone and inner corner of your eyes, blend very lightly.

10. Put on your eyeliner, using UD's Ink for the eyes.
11. Smudge it with the smudge tip, to give it a more natural - smoky effect.

and now your look should be similar to this:

12. Curl your lashes and add two coats of mascara. To those who refuse to use mascara, okay fine . But here's the reason why I prefer you to use a curler and a mascara:

The left eye, obviously doesn't have a mascara on . While the right eye, looked really bigger and bolder than the other eye, and its all because of a curler and a mascara. If you're not convinced, go try it yourself. :)

A nd for the final touches, put on your Peach Bellini blush on to the apples of your cheeks , this shade goes really well on morena skin. Swipe on your Schiap lipstick and top it off with Bloom's Gypsy lip gloss and voila!


Hope you like it! ;-)

Beauty Bar: Get the Missy Lee look!

Think of a happy place....what's the first thing that comes into your mind? probably a room full of chocolates?your dream travel destination? a carnival perhaps? If you ask me, I'd say Beauty Bar is the one! Being a certified makeup junkie that I am, this place is usually my sweet escape :) and I'm sure other makeup enthusiasts can relate :)) I love the fact that they carry high quality brands that are good alternatives to overly expensive hi -end ones.I've been a fan ever since I started exploring the art of makeup that's why I was so excited when I found out that they launched the Get The Look contest, I just dig into my stash , brought it with me to work, since we had a prenuptial shoot that day and did my look while we were patiently waiting for the shoot to finish :) Good thing I just had a trip to Beauty Bar few days before that, perfect timing to use my newly bought goodies :D

My entry name is Ms. Missy Lee, the look was bohemian-gypsy inspired and while I was surfing through the net I learned that Missy Lee was a famous gypsy name then...perfect! I didn't want it to look too "costume-y", so instead of the usual gypsy eye makeup, I did a much wearable smokey hue,and made sure that the finish is dewy and glowing. Remember, smoldering eyes don't always require black. Brown or gray is good if you want a softer look. I wanted it to look young and fresh that's why I opted for a dewy finish, while I used soft hues and coral shades which, by the way - goes really well with our gorgeous Pinay skin tone!

Thank you Beauty Bar for choosing my piece amongst all the fabulous makeup look entries! Now let me share with you how you can achieve the same makeup style right in front of your own vanity mirror.

THE MUST-HAVES:

FACE:

1. Face Primer or Moisturizer - Again, always start off with a clean, well-prepped canvass. If you want your makeup to last longer, start using a face primer or a moisturizer that suits your skin.

2. PALLADIO - (oil-free) Herbal Foundation - If you're fed up spending on really expensive tinted moisturizer ( I know, I am . I used to buy this hi-end brand of tinted moisturizer and the price is no joke!) Palladio's Herbal Foundation gives the same result! This is said to be a foundation, but it gives the same feeling of a tinted moisturizer. It doesn't give you the icky heavy feeling on your skin. Its lightweight, but has buildable coverage. It nourishes your skin, giving you a dewy healthy glow! Now if you have really oily skin, just make sure you keep an oil blotter with you, and you're good to go!


3. Natural Rice oil -absorbing Rice Powder - It is good as an oil absorbing highlighter and makeup setter. I've been buying this for my own personal use for three years now , this is a perfect alternative to expensive loose powders in the market today. It gives you the same good quality plus it doesn't clog your pores - its non-comedogenic!



4. Bloom Sheer Colour Cream Blush in Shy - I just love-love-love the shade of this blush,Im not a cream blush fan , but this one is perfect for my morena skin :) Its like Nars' orgasm (minus the shimmer) and it smells really good!!

EYES/EYEBROWS:



1. Prestige Brow Perfection Total Shaping Studio - its hard to look for a brow shader that actually delivers, I'm glad I found this at Beauty BaR because it works! For a more subtle and natural effect, instead of using an eyebrow pencil try using an eyebrow angled brush with Prestige Brow Perfection palette.





2. Prestige Brow Perfection Brow Building System - If you have eyelash mascara, you should also have this for taming those stubbron eyebrows.





3. Bloom Eye Shadow in Slate - I love using gray instead of black when doing my smokey eye and Slate gives me the perfect amount of gray!




4. Prestige Eyeliner in E 14 Charcoal - Finally!! a much affordable eyeliner that doesn't wear off easily, and most of all....its the perfect shade of gray :)






5. Smashbox Bionic Mascara - it served its purpose :))

LIPS:

1. Sara Happ Lip Scrub - Need I say more? read more about this fantabulous product from my past post -- http://makeupjournal.blogspot.com/2011/08/love-those-lips.html

2. Prestige Lip Color in Constant Coral - I am loving coral these days and this gives me the perfect pout!







3. Bloom Lip Gloss in Seashell - use it on top of any lip color and it always look good on my lips.



Before anything else, let me introduce you to my pretty little helpers . These are the basic tools I depend on when it comes to proper makeup application.

1. Stippling Brush - If you want a fast, flawless foundation application, this is the one. It was said that this brush was created to give the same effect of an airbrush, oh well - airbrush is airbrush but I'm pretty much satisfied with what my stippling brush can do! It does wonders :) If you want a foundation with smooth even finish - looking almost next to your skin? start using a stippling brush!There's a proper way on how to use it so start familiarizing yourself with it!
2. Applicator brush and Blending brush
3. Angled Brush for the eyebrows
4. Blush Brush (which could also double as your powder blush if you have limited number of brushes)

GET THAT LOOK!

1. Make sure that you cleanse your face, use a toner if necessary , put on your face primer or moisturizer

2. Leave it for a few minutes then apply your Palladio Herbal Foundation using a stippling brush. Make sure that you have an even application.

3. Let it sit for a while and then apply Bloom cream blush on the apples of your cheeks. You can use your stippling brush for application or carefully smudge enough amount of the blush against your cheeks using your finger tips.

4. Using a powder brush or a puff, simply brush the Natural Rice powder all over the face to set your makeup. Be sure to deposit just the right amount of powder. The use of powder brush will give you a more natural finish.

5.Groom your eyebrows - snip before you shave or pluck. Its the same way as how we treat our tresses, if it gets long, you have to cut it. Remember to GO SLOW. Draw them first if you have to , but pluck one hair at at time and make sure you take a step back to see if you are doing well.

6. Define your eyebrows - Apply the Prestige Brow Perfection total shaping studio using your angled brush. Practice defining your eyebrows by using the angled brush for a more natural effect.

7. Using an applicator brush, apply the Bloom eyeshadow in slate to your lower lids up to the crease, follow the contour of your eye and blend going to the direction of the brows ,careful not to reach the part of the brow bone area since this will give you a messy eye makeup. If you want to deepen the crease in the outer corner of your eye, blend in a darker shade of eyeshadow. when blending be careful not to totally diffuse the color, just use the right amount of pressure, and make sure that there are no visible harsh lines. For highlight, I used Benefit's Hi Brow pencil, just apply to the inner corner of the eye and brow bone, then blend using a brush or your finger tips.

8. Apply Prestige Charcoal eyeliner to lower and upper lash line, then smudge it gently by using a q-tip if you don't have a smudger tip. This creates a smokey effect instantly. However, do not smudge too much as that will just wipe the eyeliner off completely.

9. Apply lip moisturizer, let it set for a minute or two. Smooth on Prestige Lip Color in Constant Coral and top with Bloom Lip Gloss in Seashell.

10. Curl your lashes then coat it with Smashbox Bionic mascara- both upper and lower lashes.

11. Set brows using Prestige Brow Perfection Brow Building System.

Now just add some hippie accessories and match it with a maxi quilted dress, and the Boho Chic is ready to hit the scene! hope you had fun creating the look as much as I did :)