New Years Eve makeup tutorial (picture heavy)

Since it's almost New Years Eve, I wanted to create an eye makeup look that is suitable for a night out of celebrating. This makeup look could be worn with a sequin or metallic dress, or even a lbd with beautiful accessories.

Products used:

Foundation: Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Foundation

Concealer: Chanel Correcteur Perfection Concealer

Eyeshadow base+primer: Covergirl Intense ShadowBlast

Eyeshadow: Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette
Eyeliner: Maybelline 2-in-1 Impact Shadow Liner (discontinued in Hong Kong, could also try the Crayon Liner by Maybelline)
Mascara: Maybelline the Magnum (Waterproof)

PS: I apologize for the inconsistency in lighting in these photos as I am not a professional photographer

1) After applying foundation all over face, conceal your dark circles and add primer to eyelid

 

2) Draw an upper lash line using a black eyeliner (doesn't matter if it isn't perfect), afterwards smudge it out using a q-tip to give a fading effect.

3) Using a gunmetal/shimmery grey color, apply it to the outer half of the eyelid

4) Using a shading brush, starting on the outer corner, apply a light wash of shimmery black to the crease

5) Choosing a nude/soft brown color, apply it throughout the crease to blend out the shimmery black using a blending brush

6) Using the previous shimmer black shade, apply it over the outer corner to add drama

7) Using a  champagne color, highlight the brow bone, also apply it to the inner half of the eyelid to bring out the contrast as well as adding dimension to the eye

 

8) Pick a gold shade with more shimmer to it, dab it onto the inner half of the eyelid and blend it towards the black on the outer half.

9) Draw an upper lash line using a black pencil liner. Keep it thin to avoid it covering up the eyeshadow. Extend the upper lash line slightly and connect it with the lower lash line (only line the outer half and a tiny bit on the inner half of the lower lash line, the same gold shade could be added to the middle part of the lower lash line to reflect back to the eyeshadow on the eyelid)

10) Pick a brownish gold shade to highlight the inner corner of the eyes. Curl lashes and apply two coats of mascara

In this look I have avoided using false lashes so the colors on the eyelid could be clearly seen, and to create a more different look to what is usually seen in Hong Kong (thick eyeliner and dramatic eyelashes, covering up any eyeshadow that is on the eye)

To finish the look, some highlights on the cheek bones, contourig on the face, a light wash of rose colored blush with a nude lip color. The rest of the drama could be on the outfit or accessories you're wearing for the night out.

I hope you like this look, and have a fantastic New Years Eve

xox
v

Recent favorites

Aveda moisturizing treatment masque

I think for quite some time my hair has been getting very dry, but it never really annoyed me THAT much that I bothered to deal with it. Until very recently every time I wash my hair it occured to me that I should really face this problem. So I went to Aveda to look for some moisturizing treatment and I bought this moisturizing treatment masque from the dry remedy series. Let me just say I didn't really expect the price. I thought it would be around 300hkd for a large one but actually it was $450 while the $300 was only half this size.

Actually it's just that one day I ran out of hair conditioner and I never went out to buy any back. Probably one of the reasons why I felt my hair was getting more dry? When I rinse this hair mask off after around 2-5 minutes, my hair was SO smooth, much similar to using a hair conditioner I guess, but normally for conditioners because I really hate having this coat of i don't know, oil? conditioner? on top of my hair, I usually rinse it very thoroughly so I don't have any left on my hair, but after I rinse it, usually you can feel how your hair is less smooth already, since you rinsed off all the product. For this treatment mask, after I rinsed it off very thoroughtly my hair is still very smooth, I actually feel like its very moisturized for the rest of the week (even when I wash my hair daily)

I use this once a week now and so far my hair, looks better? I don't really know how to describe the difference, but it definitely looks more healthy than before. Whether this product is worth the price? I think yes. Only a small portion is needed every time and since it's suggested to be used weekly, this bottle is actually going to last pretty long. So, if you are looking for some moisturizing hair treatment, definitely check this out, I mean, you could always buy the smaller bottle just to try it out first.


Giorgio Armani Designer Lift foundation

One of my ALL TIME favorite foundations is the Lasting Silk UV from Armani, and I know that grace uses the luminous one, and we are both totally in love with Armani foundations because it is so smooth and thin while still having enough coverage, I have literally repurchased the same foundation for over 4 times. But for summer, in Hong Kong it can get really humid and very sweaty, so last summer I changed to using Estee Lauder's double wear, which is perfect for summer since it is so long lasting.

When I found out Armani was lauching a new foundation, I was so excited.

"Young, vibrant skin has a higher blue light retrodiffusion. Yet as we age, the blue light component decreases and a yellow tinge takes over, causing the skin to loose its natural radiance. Designer lift pioneers a bold movement towards including a precise dose of the magical Prussian blue pigment to diminish dullness, maintain flawless coverage, and “backscatter” radiance on the face."

Firstly, of course the price. I remember the other Armani foundations are about $420 which is not cheap. BUT I am definitely willing to pay that price for Armani foundations, they are absolutely totally worth it. This designer lift one, is actually $510, but I honestly could not resist in buying it, as I figured Armani works better than Estee Lauder in winter.

I can actually see the difference between the two. I think this designer lift is slightly thicker than the other foundations, but it's still very smooth and thin. Coverage is similar to lasting silk. But in comparision I think this new foundation is less yellow on my face, it has a slightly more pinkish tone, but very natural. I have also noticed that this foundation doesn't cause my t-zone to oil as much. So overall I think I will repurchase this instead of the lasting silk from now on.

Along with the foundation, I also bought the UV master primer. I used to use the pink bottle on the left, which is another primer from Armani. I like the one on the right better because its much thinner, and I honestly don't know why I bought the one on the left before instead? It's not bad, but it feels a little greasy and thick.


Daily eyeshadow

My beloved grace mailed me a Covergirl intense shadowblast a month ago, and since then I have been using it every single day. When I go to school, I usually only put on eyeliner and mascara for a very clean look. But ever since she mailed me this primer + shadow, I am in love with it. Also last week I purchased the L'oreal color infaillible in endless chocolat which is a very fine and intense metallic eyeshadow. It was $89 and with an addition of $5 you get a mini eyeshadow brush, so I thought I might as well give it a try (was originally looking for a stick shadow for some super quick makeup). But somehow in the end I even got a 25% off the L'oreal shadow itself, so that was a really good deal.

 

I think these two are both very nice shades, normally I only like matte eyeshadow, but the shadowblast has a pearl finish and the L'oreal one is very metallic, and it turns out that I love both of them very much. They both can be blended really easily whether it's with fingers or a brush, but I tend to like blending and padding it on my eyelid with fingers first and then work on my crease with the brush that came along. To my surprise this brush is really really soft, size is definitely great for travelling, not to mention it was on promotion for $5 only. Here's a swatch of the two products below.

The combination of these two give a really nice look, and most importantly it is super quick. Especially when you are in a rush but you still want to look nice, so I think this might turn into my daily makeup look because it's so simple and fast and I can choose whether I want it more dramatic or not.

OPI designer...de better!

This nail polish is SO beautiful. The glitter in it is so finely milled that all you see is sparkle on your nails. I was kind of thinking whether I wanted a silver nail polish instead, but in the end I felt this colour is just so different. It has kind of a silver base with a slight pinkish tone, it's just really really pretty, and sparkly, and the perfect nail colour for winter.

xox

v

Coming up...

FINALLY
another semester almost over

coming up...

reviews on:
Armani Designer Lift foundation
Aveda moisturizing treatment masque for hair
Covergirl intense shadowblast

xox
v

Latest addiction + disappointment

Yanagiya Apricot Oil for Hair

So this is my latest addition to my daily hair care routine, and I'm so in love with it! Having been awarded no. 1  in the hair care category of  the Japan Cosme Best Comestic Awards for two consecutive years, the product definitely lives up to its name. I first saw it in VivoPlus in Isquare, Tsim Sha Tsui and was instantly drawn to it as I have always been obsessed with those hair care stuff...you know, guys are always attracted by girls with healthy hair (Sorry, I'm going off the track again). Anyways, at a reasonable price of  around HKD$70, there's no reason not to give it a try, right?

Strange as it seems (who would ever imagine apricot has anything to do with hair care?), this product works so well for me. Sometimes I use it as a pre-wash when my hair is really dry, but for most of the time I just warm it up in my palms and rub it at the end of my hair before blow-drying. And unlike other hair essence oil I have used before, it is absorbed quickly so it won't make your hair look like an oily mess, or like you havn't washed your hair for a week.

Certainly one cannot expect overnight miracle, but after using it for a month and a half, my hair does become stronger and I notice less split-ends. I've only used half a bottle so far so I guess one bottle can last for three months? This is definitely the most effective hair care product I have ever tried, and  I guess the only drawback is that it's really difficult to find, like when I got back to iSquare trying to get another bottle, it was out of stock, and I couldn't find it in the Mongkok and West Kowloon stores of VivoPlus. (So I'm kind of desperate now.)

The Japanese brand also produces a range of hair products like Apricot hair water. So I guess people who don't feel comfortable about rubbing oil on their hair may like to try the hair water instead. 

---
Some disappointment

well as for me, I was actually super excited a while ago because i finally received some mascaras my friend bought for me from the US. this sounds really silly because it's actually just some mascaras from maybelline which I bet can be found from any drugstore. But then the thing is, they don't actually have the US version of maybelline in hong kong (asia I assume).

for me, its really hard to find good mascaras that not only give the effect but more importantly holds up my lashes well. thats because I have really soft lashes and they collapse right away if the mascara is too heavy.

I was actually really excited to be having some really good reviews for these. but unfortunately, there was some mistake. I NEVER, and i mean NEVER, use washable mascaras, because they don't tend to hold your lashes up as well as the waterproof ones, besides I don't ever have any trouble removing waterproof mascaras and since they work okay I normally just stick with it. But my friend accidentally bought the mascaras all in its washable formula, so now none of them work on me at all. They only work if I clamp the lashes, apply the mascara, and clamp and apply and clamp and repeat this process over and over again which I probably would never do.

It sooooooo bothers me. and now i could only use them on my lower lashes.

so I really have to say, this is an extreme disappointment on ALL the washable mascaras. because so far I havent used a washable one that actually holds my lashes up (I'm pretty sure you can all imagine what it feels like when once you apply the mascara on your lashes, you watch them collapse). and you know what, they suck (I really wanted to avoid using this word, but I can't help it) so much that there's no need to show any photos of it on my lashes.

oh well, I'm pretty sure next time there will be some excellent reviews.

xox