It's been such a long time that I've posted in this blog.
This blog is dedicated only for beauty and for beauty alone.
So the last blog post I did was about EOS lip balm last December if I'm not wrong. Even before that post, I have collected over time tons of make which I've yet to show you.
Anyhows, before 2012 ended, I've managed to haul more make-ups than ever before. Some some are drugstore brands while my newest add on to my collection are probably by far my most favorite when we talk about brand. Yeah, MAC is well known. And their products are great! Maybe not all are great but most are great. But, since discovering this brand, I've been longing and been doing more on line shopping.
Most of my friends are always amazed by my make-up. Not just on how I wear them but because due to the nature of my job, freaking sweating like mad dog to drenched in heavy rain, but my make-up still stays on just as if I just put them on. "WATERPROOF & WEATHER PROOF"..
Girls, the only advice I can give you in terms of make-up is that "INVEST IN GOOD PRODUCTS".
Price may vary, brands may vary but nonetheless, make sure that before purchasing any make-up, research on the product first. Or do window shopping before buying. this will help you save the time and probably the disappointment(s) that you'll probably have if you don't like the product.
DO NOT BUY CHEAP MAKE-UPS. I'm not saying that cheap is not good. There are definitely cheap stuffs like those drugstore make-ups which are good. An example is Maybeline, Loréal, Bourjois, Sleek and many more. These are cheap but good make-up brands. Probably in other countries they don't come cheap. But what I'm saying is, DON'T BUY CHEAP PRODUCTS THAT YOU'VE NEVER HEARD BEFORE especially like the ones that say "Made in China". Japanese & Korean make-up brands are great too! Sorry, but I don't trust those that says "Made in China".
Usually what I do if I'm buying make-up at the store is this:
Say, I go to SEPHORA, every Sephora outlet have beauty counters where all the product testers are laid out. TRY THEM!!! BUT! DO NOT TRY THEM ON YOUR FACE.. Here's what I do.
- Go to the beauty counter. Ask the artist questions about the brand. Tell her what kind of make-up you're looking for. Be specific. Remember, she/he's a professional make-up artist and she/he knows the product well. She/he knows the craft. And she/he knows your face type. They will do a test on your face. Remember every face has different type. Are you the oily face type? Are you the dry face type? The artist will advise you what you need and what NOT to use.
- This is important, DO NOT USE THE TESTER ON YOUR FACE. That tester has been probably lying there for weeks, months or probably years? Every make-up has a shelf life. For example, MASCARA has a shelf life of 3 months once opened. So after 3 months, it's time to throw that mascara and get a new one. Reason being??? That's because you are putting mascara on the most sensitive part of your face, your EYES! From the constant usage of the mascara, opening, applying, and closing, air goes into the tube thus No.1. DRYING UP THE MASCARA. You do not want to use dried mascara! It is harmful to the eyes. No.2. you're applying it unto your eyes and thus you are prone to bacterial transfer. If you go to any store which has mascara tester, you'll notice that most of the mascara testers are dry. No.3. DO NOT SHARE MASCARA. Sharing means susceptible to bacterial transfer which may harm your eyes. So, how you test make-ups in beauty stores? Use the back of your hand as your canvas. The back of your hand is the closest skin color to your face. Feel the make-up. You will instantly notice the texture of the make-up. Like it? Buy it. Don't like it? Leave it & move on. This applies to all kinds of make-up. From foundation to eye shadow to lipstick and so on. As for Mascara, the first thing you need to check is the wand. Is it too thick too thin, long bristle, and blah blah blah...
- Take your time in shopping. Doesn't mean that a brand is well known, the brand is good. Honestly, some brands are just over rated and expensive! If you do not have the budget then go for drugstore brands. They're equally good and yet cheaper! Again, research comes in and product testing. Some expensive brands, although they do sell great product, long lasting and such, some of their products just sucks. Great ads, over rated reviews by some, and so just coz you've seen and read doesn't mean it's good. Remember, you have to get your hands on the products first and check them out first hand before paying. Some high end brands such as Chanel or Armani or even MAC may have the same product color as drugstore brands which are equally great but price difference is staggering. So consider your options! A great example of High End VS Drugstore is the Armani Eyes To Kill, Maybelline 24/7 Eye Studio Color Tattoo and the Loréal Infaillible. All 3 products are the same. Texture wise, quality wise, not to mention packaging wise! Although Loréal differs. These product are what we so call "hybrid" in the newest trend of cosmetology. Not a gel, not a cream & not a powder, It's the best of both worlds. All 3 are long lasting most especially the Maybelline. Smooth texture, color pigmentation is amazing and yet Armani retails at USD33.00 on their website whereas Loréal and Maybelline are playing at USD7.00! See the price difference?! The only thing that's different is that, Armani is ARMANI. In close line with the high end circle such as Chanel, YSL, Lancôme and so on... It's the BRAND you're paying for! So think about it. you could save big bucks by researching and by being smart!
So those are my tips for window shopping. Now, online shopping however are different. Basically coz you can't test the product first hand. This can be tricky. BUT, if you know the product well and research about the brand and specific product you wanna buy and if you're comfortable about the product then by all means, go ahead!
My first online shopping for make-up was COASTAL SCENTS. Before I shopped, I made sure that I've researched all about the product and watched reviews from many YouTube beauty gurus. There's tons of beauty gurus on YouTube and they are honest in their reviews. So from there you can get infos about the products. Let me give you some YouTube gurus of mine, maybe you girls can check them out and learn tips & tricks from them.
Go check them out! They are my top 5 make-up artists. And I've learned a lot from them especially from Julia (Misschievous). Wayne (Gossmakeupartist) is the most brutally honest when it comes to reviews. All 5 artists are professional make-up artists.
So from my first online shopping came a few more. I have been addicted to ILLAMASQUA. It is a UK based brand. Not with the class of Chanél or YSL but not with the class of Loréal or Maybelline. Illamasqua is a "High Street" brand. Together in this circle are brands such as URBAN DECAY whereby the most celebrated creation they have is the NAKED PALETTE, MAKE-UP FOREVER, NARS whereby their most celebrated product is the NARS ORGASM BLUSH, and so on....
The reason why I love Illamasqua is that they're so unique. They're not over rated and not pricey unlike MAC and yet their product payoffs are spectacular. They defy the norms of the make-up industry and embraces imperfections unlike most brands whereby they want perfection. Illamasqua has extreme make-up artistry with their Creative Director Alex Box leading the team, to share make-up tips and tricks in their Masterclasses held at their Beak Street flagship store and Leeds Victoria Quarter. You can check this link to know more about the ILLAMASQUA ART TEAM. They also have collections like my favorite collections among all are the ART OF DARKNESS & THEATRE OF THE NAMELESS collections. And see what the Creative Director Alex Box has done for the collection. I am forever amazed by her and would really very much would love to be her progeny!
Okay, I am not promoting Illamasqua and I am not paid to do it too. It is just my honest opinion that their products are really good. My last 2012 haul was from Illamasqua.
Next point here is when doing your make-up it is important to invest in really good brushes. There are synthetic brushes and natural brushes.
Just an over view;
SYNTHETIC vs NATURAL
- Synthetic brushes are man-made brushes while Natural brushes are from animal hairs.
- Natural brushes are much more expensive than synthetic brushes.
- Natural brushes holds on more products such as powders, pigments and stuff than synthetic brushes.
- Natural brushes hold their shapes more better than synthetic brushes.
There are other quality brushes too that are affordable like REAL TECHNIQUES by Samantha Chapman from Pixiwoo. MAC also do quality brushes but be warned, not all brushes from MAC are good, there are certain brushes that are really good for a certain make-up.
It is important to have quality brushes. Not all brushes are of the same quality, that is a no brainer one! The reason being for having a good brush is because your face is sensitive especially the eye area. Using rough brushes will irritate your skin. The brush picks up, hold the make-up and transfers the make-up to your face. Bad brushes picks up so much product, holds up so much product but transfers less product. And that is a complete waste of money.
In the end, it is important that before buying a brush, try to feel them on your hand. NOT ON YOUR FACE. If you feel comfortable with how the brush feels on your skin then that may be the brush for you!
But to sum it up, INVEST IN QUALITY BRUSHES! Bad brush, Bad make-up!
I admit, I do spend a lot of money just on my make-up. They're my babies! I have this whole drawer full of make-up. I don't use them all at the same time but it gives me a great sense of pleasure to just open up my drawer, grab any random palette, open it up and I'd still be able to slap on colors to my face.
I do have some favorite buys from my collection. And some regrets too. But somehow, what I so with the regrets is take them out from where I hid them, use them, and build a new look. Maybe the first time I didn't like them coz I used different color combination, or maybe my lips was too dry & chapped, or my face was too dry, or I've forgotten to use primer and blah blah blah. There could be a number of excuses, but, think about it. You've paid for this product. Maybe this product needs a second chance. Maybe this product needs to be discovered by you. And maybe this product just needs some loving from YOU. Sometimes, it does work. But if you really don't like the product, well, you can do whatever you want with it.
This post is me not to brag about the amount of make-up I have collected (although I could). Haha. I just wanna share with you people my tips.
I could post every make-up I have on my drawer right now and a sample of looks that I've done but I'm just too lazy to upload and find those picture. So, maybe you can check them out on my FB.
Till here Candies! Cherios!
Much Love,
Ivy
