Here’s a red look that I did the other day – what can I say, I was feeling bold! I unfortunately lost the photo I usually take of the products used, so feel free to ask about any specifics! I still have a pretty good idea of what’s in there.
Enter: the photo overload.
Here are my new burgundy hilights :) It’s a little complicated to tell you just what we did, but the gist of it is that there are hilights in the front part to frame my face, and hilighted tips on the bottom as well. They’re super-subtle, super-perfect, and I’ll never have to worry about root touch-ups!
(yes, these were taken at different times on different days. Namely, it was cloudy on the first day.)
Will throw the rest of the photos up ASAP :)
For now, check out this link for my new hair colour and a RED red look!
This is a short post for Courtney/mediawar on lj – I hope this helps some of you!
Skin
That’s right – our skin is different. Surprise, surprise! Make sure to have yellow-based base products that will suit the very fair to the very dark! This doesn’t mean you have to have a zillion shades, though. Feel free to mix and match, blending a lighter and darker shade, as you would with any job.
When working with very dark skin, use two shades to avoid looking ashy: a lighter, slightly more pink one in the centre of the face, and a darker one around the perimeter. Always use natural colouring as your guide!
TIP: if you don’t have a shade dark enough, don’t fret! Do what you can (mixing a luminizer into foundation instead, for instance, or creating a very sheer TM in your darkest shade) and don’t sweat it.
Eyes
Depending on who you’re working with, the eyes could be very similar to Caucasian eyes — or very different. Case in point? Monolids, like mine!
When in doubt, use low-shimmer non-frosty neutrals. Be very careful not to bring the colour up too high, as it can get colownish fast! I know that if I apply shadow right from my lashline to my brow, I just look like a fool. Try a matte shade or concealer to even out the skintone and maintain a polished look between where your shadow ends and your brow hilghts begin.
TIP: due to smaller lid space (lol) a lot of monolidded girls look better with a horizontal colour placement instead of a vertical one, if that makes sense! For instance, instead of defining the “outer v,” I do an outer… blob, blending out and winging it a touch to give the eye some shape.
Brows
For Asians, brows have a tendency to… get very sparse and spread apart at the edges, if you get what I mean. (I was lucky not to get crazy brows!) Shape marginally unless you’re a brow expert or they’re a model and it’s part of the shoot – but always check with your client before you begin. If it’s for a shoot, use sfx makeup or concealer unless shaping is vital.
TIP: Brow powder and gel are a must-have. Use a medium to dark brown (never black) for natural brows; black should only be used in avant-guarde looks. I know the rules sound “strict”, but trust me – they’re just too harsh otherwise, even if your brow hairs are black!!
Cheeks
Go nuts with the cheeks. Keep very pigmented blushes in your kit if you know you’ll be working on darker girls, and don’t be afraid of layering the way you would with shadows! Contours, as always, are essential, but don’t go nuts with it. Sure, everyone loves a contoured nose, but don’t take it so far that the client is under the impression that their nose isn’t beautiful because it isn’t Western.
TIP: if you’re working on a personal client in a makeover-style job, rather than on a photoshoot, and you think a peach or a pink would work, ask the client what they prefer. If they’re not drawn to either, make the call — but if they pick one that really “calls” to them, even better! Cheeks complete the look, and they’re left feeling like they’ve played more of a part in their final look.
That’s all for now. As always, feel free to ask those questions! Sure, I’m not an MUA, but I am Asian, and I do work mainly on other Asians!
Oh, anonymous commenters. How we love your jealous, bitchy snipes.
Really? Only “kind of”? Honestly, if you’re going to insult me, insult me.
Tear ’em to shreds in your heads, girls. Have fun!
After numerous “OH MY GOD I LOVE YOUR SKIN” comments (and the much less startling “may I inquire about your skincare regimen?” ones — thank god for sane people, you keep me… well, sane!) I’m finally posting about my skincare regimen.
Applause.
Skin is one of the things I keep fairly drugstore, simply because I think that you can get great skincare stuff for cheap! Unless you have major problem skin, spending $90 on a .5oz moisturiser just doesn’t make sense.
Cleansing
I’ve been using something that just got discontinued (GOD DAMMIT) so I won’t tell you what it is. However, I’m going to switch over to Aveeno’s Ultra Calming foaming cleanser for the nighttime and a rosewater/glycerine blend in the morning, to try and help with the dryness (which I’m hoping is in part becasue of over-cleansing, though knowing my luck it probably isn’t.)
I have used the Aveeno once or twice out of curiosity, and it looks good so far! No adverse reaction, and it’s quite hard for a cleanser to make your skin breakout in my opinion – they clean, and promptly are cleaned off. The only reason they should be causing acne or oiliness is if they aren’t cleaning enough!
Moisturising
This changes on a daily basis for me, depending on what sunscreen I’m using. But, for the most part, I use Olay Complete for Sensitive Skin creme both in the day and the night. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it, right? It’s only SPF15 (boo) but I’m hesitant to try other things because I’ve only encountered failure when trying out new moisturisers.
It’s much more likely to screw up your skin with a moisturiser than it is to screw it up with a cleanser, as these stay on your skin all day long! However, you must be sure to wait at least 28 days before judging a new moisturiser – if it truly is clogging your pores, that’s about how long it will take for you to break out. Anything else and it’s either a coincidence or a form of allergic reaction (or irritation. It’s possible that a moisturiser will make it look like you’re breaking out after only 24 hours, simply because your underlying acne surfaces/reddens due to irritation!)
Priming and toning
Quite frankly, I rarely do either. My skin is still young enough that neither is really necessary, though I do on occasion prime. (For this I love The Body Shop’s Vitamin C Skin boost, a gorgeously smooth, fresh, and incredibly luxe moisturiser/serum/treatment.)
As for a toner? I’ll be switching over to morning-cleansing with a toner soon (once I can find a bottle of rosewater, dammit! Everyone is out of stock!) not because I want to tighten my skin, or extract oil, or anything along those lines. Rather, I’m doing it because I don’t want to over-cleanse!! I’m thinking that’s why I’m super-dry during parts of the day and slightly oily during others.
Acne
Fortunately, I’ve never really had a problem with facial acne – my problem is on my back! (ick.) To treat this, I’ve used Neutrogena’s Oil-Free Body Wash religiously (for the past three years or so!) following up with Clearasil Ultra Vanishing Cream (2% salycilic acid, 1.5% benzoyl peroxide). I still have acne, so this isn’t the holy grail duo for me, but they do really help tone it down. Plus, the body wash was released about a year ago in another scent – grapefruit, one of my favourits! It smells fantastic.
When I do have acne on my face – and I almost always have one pesky little zit, don’t get me wrong – I treat it with one of two things: Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10 (not available in Canada, so my sister and I stock up while we’re in the US. Canucks, you can pick up Persa-Gel 5, but not 10. 5/10% benzoyl peroxide.) or Mario Badescu’s Drying Cream (sulfer). The latter is a new addition to my skincare routine, and it’s been incredibly effective!
(Plus, the Drying Cream is meant to be used during the day and layered under concealer – it’s amazingly opaque and has very good hold, so not only does it treat, it helps colour-correct/conceal!)
*for those of you with major “teenage acne”, consider $50/month on a facial instead of on tons of expensive skincare products. It’s fun, feels great, and will help a ton (as long as you’re getting the right facial!) Just find a facialist that you like who knows his/her stuff!** on another note, make sure you keep your phone and cellphone clean to keep bacteria off your cheeks. I’m not even kidding. Spray it with some alcohol every couple of weeks or every month!
LOLfacials.Suncare
Always wear it! Please see the following links: PureScreen, specific listings, Skincare: sun
Masks etc
I only use one mask on a semi-regular basis: Queen Helene’s Mint Julep Mask. It’s very cheap and very effective – what more can you ask for? And, just for the record, it’s great on both my t-zone and my mom’s very oily one. (I just have to make sure I rinse mine off earlier if it starts to feel too tight as it dries.)
Other
Feel free to ask about any skin-specific recommendations and so fourth! Though I cannot promise I’ll be able to answer all your problems right now (oh god! Busy!) I do have a number of lists compiled for various products and for various skin types, found through reading a lot of reviews on sites like drugstore.com, Sephora, and Makeup Alley.
Aside from that – just don’t stress about your skin. We all have skin problems and they’re all understandable! Stress only makes it worse (yes, stress can cause acne!)
So here’s my big skin secret, and the reason why it always looks flawless:
For me, this means spot-concealing only where I have to, and setting only in those areas. Keep those hands away from your face – they get dirty when you’re out and about. Who knows what bacteria you picked up off that doorknob? Do you realy want that on your face? Powder (like my HG silica) is special-occasion-only, and foundation? Blog-look-only! I cleanse right when I get home, cutting down the amout of time my skin spends in makeup by half. And nothing on the weekends!
I know, I know, it sucks. But five years with mild acne and having it fairly exposed, as opposed to ten years with major cystic acne and a slather of foundation over it? I choose the former. Trust me – you’ll thank yourself for it when you’re twenty-two and have gorgeous, scar-free skin! (Unlike all of your friends. Poor things never got a chance to read this post *ahem*)
Here’s a slightly avant-garde look for you guys today! It’s based very loosely on the “future” Barbie look from their runway show back in… what, like, March? February? By loosely, I mean loosely — basically, all I took from it was “hey, I should work with pinks sometime!”
But I digress.
The whole face: (ahh the sun is giving me crazy eyes)
Cheeks: (strong almost hot-pink contour… why, you ask? Why not?!)
Eye only:
What I used:
And, if you’d like to see it, here is the far-more-gorgeous Barbie look! Nuts, yes, but feathers! Sequins! OHMYFRIGGINGODILOVEIT!
Just few quick photos! This is from back when I pressed my Swimming Pool into an empty MAC blot powder compact — I took the label from the EM jar and moved it to the compact!
First, I covered the MAC label in white-out. Then, after a half-assed attempt to take off the EM label without harming it, I put that one on top of the white-out (after it dried!) Smooth it out, and cover with clear polish if you’d like (it’ll help hold it down).
Major skin conditions are not taken into concern, but I’ve picked out ones that should be good for all skintypes. Why? Well, I have dry skin, my sister has combination (and a paraben allergy) and my mum has very oily skin. That gives me pretty much the entire skincare range to subject to product testing!
I want a…
super-fabulous, cheap body sunscreen: $ Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch, in the SPF of your choice!
scent-free facial sunscreen for drier skin:
$$$ MAC Prep and Prime SPF50
gorgeously sheer (and mattifying!) face or body sunscreen:
$$Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF55 PA+++
paraben-free physical suncreen for the face:
$$$$ Clarins Day Screen SPF40
cheap paraben-free physical sunscreen for face and body:
$ Neutrogena Pure and Free SPF60 (PureScreen; not recommended over NC25ish)
The “SPF” links lead to product pages and the “xxbrandxx” links lead to my reviews, if I’ve reviewed them. (They will all have links, eventually!)
And lastly…
If price was no object, I’d use… Clarins Day Screen
But reasonably, I’d use… Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection (for my face) and Neutrogena PureScreen (for my face and/or body)
And, on a budget, I’d use… Neutrogena PureScreen (or Ultra Sheer, if you have a darker skintone.)
Product: Clarins Plus Day Screen SPF 40
What they say about it:
Clarins UV Plus Day Screen High Protection SPF 40 is the ultimate natural, non-chemical day screen. It has anti-UV and anti-pollution protection with 100% micronized, microdispersed mineral filters that guarantees optimal tolerance for even the most delicate skin.
The good stuff: I love how this is a physical sunscreen, protecting with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide instead of chemical sunscreens. The texture is amasing – like the Shiseido sunscreens I’m so in love with, this is a milk-like lotion that goes on thinly and smoothly. And, though it looks quite greasy going on, after about two to three minutes it dries to a gorgeous velvety finish.
The okay stuff: This is a “day screen” rather than a moisturiser with SPF, so it has to be layered – some people may be bothered by this extra step! Though it’s quite scented, said scent fades within ten minutes of putting it on, leaving you with scent-free (no sunscreen smell!) for the rest of the day.
The bad stuff: This baby is $42/oz… more than four times more expensive than the awesome Shiseido SPF55! Though it’s not listed on the package (which is only one ounce – super tiny!) it’s also only good for six months, another major negative.
The verdict? Pass. Unless you have cash to burn and need a good chemical-free sunscreen, there is no way this could be worth it!
Stay tuned – tomorrow (Saturday) I’ll be posting a breakdown of which suncreens I think are worth it, and for who they’re best suited to! I’ve spent so much time researching, trying, and hunting down sunscreens that I live, breathe, and eat this stuff.
But not the last one. I hope. Because that’s just gross.
