Christmas Wish List

You know what? I don't even understand why people have to ask me what I want for Christmas.  There is no better gift than the gift of makeup! Okay, so you might think you don't know my style or that I might already have something, but 2 things to remember: 1) Call me Ms. Resourceful. If I have something, I will make use of it (unless we're talking about scary knock-offs) and 2) It's always best to have more than 1 stock of makeup that you really love.

In any case, if you really need to know (haha now I'm Ms. Fisher), then here are some items I am totes after:


1. Chanel's Rouge Allure Velvet Collection in L'Exuberante


I can't say it any better than Chanel: "Perfect to give and to get..."

This collection was made for me.

2. Temptu Airbrush System 

So I guess it's a good thing that I didn't get my airbrush kit yet, because this sleek, new set makes everything that came before it look old school.

This modern set is just what I need.

3. MAC Gareth Pugh Lipstick in Fervent


MAC and Gareth Pugh - it can't get any edgier than that. I am in love with the whole collection, especially the deep purple lippie that best represents the genius avant-garde designer's signature style. The Flight Lash falsies are out-of-this-world and ultra chic too.

Shadowy. Esoteric.

Flight Lash. Amazeballs.

The MAC Gareth Pugh Collection

4. Miss Piggy for MAC - 36 Lash and Penultimate Eye Liner

You have to admit that Miss Piggy was your first ever encounter with a diva as a child.  Not only am I thrilled about the fab lil' lady and the rest of the Muppets' return to the big screen, but also about this super cute "collaboration" that MAC did with the Muppet queen herself.  1 thing you can always expect from her - doe eyes - extra full lashes and killer winged eyeliner.  I'm not sure if I could pull off her trademark pink eyeshadow, but I sure am after that liner and those falsies.

Miss Piggy - forever fab.

Miss Piggy's collection > Wonder Woman and Hello Kitty's collection put together

5. Nars Modern Kabuki Collection

Rest assured that if I received anything from this collection, you would have given me a gift that would last a lifetime.  Each and every single thing is so gorgeous - too gorgeous - that I would never use anything; instead, I would put it on display.

I love my clients, but if I had this set, there's no way these would be touching their faces. Sorry!

6. Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

It's the best...and I need a new one.

Still the best according to InStyle for the past 12345...years and any makeup artist/fanatic that you'll come across

7. Mally Beauty Evercolor Lasting Liner

Marathon wear and 2 brushes to achieve multiple eyeliner looks.  Love it.

Not officially available here. Multiply sites are the way to go.

8. Guerlain's Rouge G Lipstick


For that million-dollar smile.

9. Viktor & Rolf for Shu Uemura Eyelashes


Finely feathered and packaged with lovely display masks.  I'd probably use them, but then keep them on the display shelf.

10. Dolce & Gabbana Makeover

I was over the moon when I found out that D&G crafted their own makeup line.  How fun are their sleek, gold compacts?

11. Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Glow Cream-Gel and St. Tropez Everyday Gradual Tan for Body


I refuse to tan, because I'm terrified of wrinkles and normally, I'm not into self-tanners.  However, when I came across these products through a friend, I have to admit I was a little amazed at how seamless and natural they looked when applied.  I wouldn't use these everyday, but on days when I'd want to warm up my look.

12. OPI Lincoln Park After Dark


Nail polish is makeup's sister so naturally, I'm always on the search for great shades to go with my makeup.  I normally wear darker stuff these days so I became an instant fan of this midnight purple color by OPI.

Possibly to be continued... ;)

Ready for RED

For some reason, red lippie shades can be quite daunting for some ladies.  I have come across clients that were literally scared to wear red, because they had tried it out before and felt pretty ridiculous.  Yet, upon swish of my choice color on them, they soon changed their minds and joined the society of ladies that love to rock red.

I honestly think that anyone can pull off red lipstick.  It is just a matter of putting on something that works specifically for a person based on their skin's undertones.  You may have heard of warm and cool undertones, along with some complex explanations of each, but it's really quite simple finding out which applies to you.

How to Determine Whether You Have A Warm or Cool Undertone:

1. The Jewelry Test - What suits you more, silver or gold jewelry? First hold up a silver piece against your skin then a gold piece (no worries, this works with real or fake garb).  If you find that gold suits you more then you have a warmer undertone. Likewise, if you find that silver suits you more, then you have a cooler undertone.

2. The "White Clothes" Test - Do you look better in true white or off-white clothes? If you wear true white well, then you have a cool undertone. Whereas, warmer or golden undertones are better dressed in off-white.

3. The Wrist Test - Look at your wrists under the sun (as you will see best under natural light) and if your veins appear green, then you have a warm undertone and if they appear bluish, then you have a cool undertone.

Remember that a) darker or lighter skin doesn't determine warm or cool undertones and b) some people are actually considered to have "neutral" skin undertones, meaning they have both warm and cool - therefore, they are able to wear both types of shades.  This is true for myself (though I normally prefer warmer, orangey shades) and it seems true for many Filipinas, since we often have such mixed ancestry.  Seriously, who do you know that is 100% Filipino?

Moving along, while I could spend days discussing the loveliest shades of red, I thought I'd mention just 1 of my fave shades each for warm and cool.

• Nothing warms my heart like Chanel No. 60 New York Red 

and

• YSL's Rouge Pur Couture in 18 is still too cool to be written off

Time has proven that red lips are classic.  It graced some of the earliest "it" looks since the early 1900s so we definitely can't call it a "trend".  So why skip out on this instant makeup element that can glam up any face?  

Once you know a shade that can create that "wow" factor for you, it is something that is nifty to have in your makeup kit at all times.

So...ready for RED?

3 gorgeous Pinays that always look fab in their red shades

I Heart Halloween

So I didn't have time to go really crazy with Halloween makeup trials this year, but of course, my oh-so-enthusiastic-about-Halloween fam dressed up. I have never gone a single Halloween (since my very first at 8 months old) without dressing up and I'm so glad that we never fail to carry on tradition.

My son and I had seen a blue ninja costume at SM last month and that was when we got the idea of creating costumes based on the Mortal Kombat characters Subzero and Kitana. With a whole lot of blue fabric over black ninja hoods and tights, we had our costumes done. Easy peasy.

Kitana reference. My version wasn't quite this daring.

With respect to makeup, since I was going to be wearing a mask that would cover my nose down to my chin, I decided to go all out on eye makeup with some smokey gray and silver with a more fanned out shape to mirror the character's choice of weapons - bladed fans. After adding a fair amount of liquid liner, falsies, and filler in my brows; I had my Kitana makeup!

Add caption

Not that it was going to be seen, but I still decided to go with a little cheek contour :)

Some people outgrow Halloween and leave it to the kids or never were fans of the freaky holiday to begin with (hello people with Christmas decor up way too early!), but I doubt this will ever faze me. It will always be one of my favorite times of the year, because it is the chance to not take everything too seriously. Yes, it is without a doubt, that I absolutely heart Halloween!

Eye Spy: Trending Eyeliner Styles

A girl can never go wrong with eyeliner.  The eyes say it all and there is just something about liner that really gives life to eyes. It can give an air of mystery, a sultry stare, and really just take the eyes from blah to ooh la la! From liquid to gel to pencil to kohl; eyeliner can either serve as an accessory to the rest of your eye makeup or it can stand alone.  It is for this reason that I am constantly trying to update myself on different looks to try out.

Okay, so there are eyeliner fails left and right like reverse wings (why would anyone want to make their eyes droop, why?), liquid over the whole lid (that would only work with kohl blended out unless you like looking as if someone pulled a prank on you while you were sleeping), and liner with mole trails (over it).

Nevertheless, there are 6 fresh styles that are exceptionally enticing and I am very eager to share these looks with you as well as tips on how to achieve them.  The common denominator with each of these looks is that the rest of the face is kept very toned down, but flawless with the exception of some highlighter and bronzer here and there (if you're into that).  Brows are well-groomed and lips are normally nude so that no other element on the face competes with the eyes.

Take a look at my picks:

Side arrow
Chanel runway

1. The "Side Arrow" or the contoured winged liner

As you can see, this look begins with the typical winged liner, preferably using liquid, and scoops inward at the crease.  As with the winged liner, you can begin your line at the outer corner of the eye and imagine an invisible line starting at the outer corner of your lower lash line (this is where you will do the flick).  You can extend the wing out for as long as you wish then curve the line inward in a subtle U shape.  Then you've got it!

Backstage at Dior

2. Two-toned liner

For this look, you may want to use gel liner and both angled and liner brushes because it's never a good idea to use liquid on your lower lash line plus brands like MAC and Smashbox have amazing colored gel liners.  I'm actually in love with this look, though I do agree with critiques from others saying that the red liner looks like wounds, so the color choices are up to you.  The liner on the lid is pretty typical so I'll just quickly break down the lower and upper portions.  On the lower lash line, using your liner brush (the one with the single pointed bristle), extend the inner and outer corners parallel to the lengths of your brows.  The same goes with the liner just under the brow line.  It is up to you if you would like to have the line cut straight (like the girl on the right) or a bit more curved (like the girl on the right).

The higher the eyeliner, the closer to God?
Photo source: www.refinery29.com

3. Cat eye to the sky

I quite like this for all eyes types, because makeup that goes against gravity is always flattering.  I would, however, define brows more.  Now, in order to create this look you will need a good smudge-proof pencil eyeliner as well as an easy smudge pencil.  You start with the smudge-proof pencil in the whole crease starting from the inner corner of the eye and stopping at the outer corner.  From there, you flick the line upward until the tip of your brow tail.  You then take your easy smudge pencil and fill in from the lash line until the crease again from the inner corner and stopping at the outer corner.  Following the angle of the smudge-proof pencil, flick and smudge upward.  Voila!

Photo source: www.ellegirl.com

4.Electric eyeliner

I also enjoy using various metallic lines for this look.  The brows are a little less defined for this type of liner and it is up to you if you would like to purchase the actual colored pencil liners for this or if you would like to use shadow.  For good quality, affordable colored liners, I suggest you check out choices from Elf or Urban Decay.  On the other hand, loose powder shadows work well for lining as mentioned in my previous post: http://wakeupmakeupmanila.blogspot.com/2011/09/metallic-addict.html
I believe it's pretty self-explanatory on how to line the eyes for this look.  Let me just tell you that the look is more striking and effective when the line fills in from the lash line to the crease as opposed to a thinner line.

Photo source: www.kimkardashian.celebuzz.com

5. The other Double-Winged Liner

Kardashian makeup doesn't always settle well with me (ever heard of matte?), but I happen to think that Kim K's version of the double winged liner is a lot of fun.  A couple years ago we saw double wings on the eyelid whereas this version has a supporting wing coming from the lower lash line.  I still think this liner can work on its own, though I'm not totally opposed to a bit of highlighter in between the wings and eye corners to make the look pop more.  Using a kohl eyeliner would be best for this so that slight blending/smudging can be done, especially under the lash line.  The upper line can be a little on the thicker side but flicked into a fine wing and the "supporting wing" will come from the extension of the lower water line.  Easy peasy.

Photo source: www.thestylestash.com

6. The "Spear"

This is sort of a hybrid eyeliner style, because you can see a little bit of cat eye, wing, and arrow in it.  It's very architectural, if you will, and that's why it needs to be paired with impeccable eyebrows.  This look requires a liquid liner with an ultra thin brush applicator in order to get the fine downward line coming down from the flick and to be able to adjust and create the medium closed line on the inner corner of the eye.  If you're not an expert at using liquid liner then you might want to try lining your eyes before applying bases and other makeup around the eye.  If you make a mistake, you can easily take a cotton bud and some makeup remover then start over again.  Line the eye, flick it upward, lightly drag it down and away from the lash line then close the inner corners and downward from the lid and around the tear duct.  You can do it!

So there you have it. 6 trending eyeliner styles that wow. My eyes shall continue to spy on innovative eyeliner looks, but until then, I do hope you enjoy and try these out.



If you'd like to send me inquiries, suggestions or just a few words, you can contact me at moniquejseneres@gmail.com

Metallic Addict

Metals occupy the bulk of the periodic table and they also happen to occupy the bulk of my latest beauty faves. The trend first made a comeback last fall on the high fashion scene in the US and since then, metal has been gracing eyes, nails, and even lips everywhere you look.  I feel that with stormy weathers looming around, having this sort of slight glistening on the face and hands is a nice contrast.

We've seen Dior, Giorgio Armani, Nars, and a number of top brands do brilliant metallics, but of course these products also go for brilliant prices.  So although I do have the Dior Holiday 2010 Five Golds Quint and a couple cream pots of Giorgio Armani's Eyes to Kill, what I've also been favoring lately for myself and clients are the loose shimmer powder pots from Australian brand BYS.

I took the liberty of doing swatches for the shades that I've been using:

(L-R) White Gold, Pink Bliss, Sky Blue, Bronze Treasure, Cosmic

I used an angled brush and as you can see, they are pigmented enough to use as great alternative liners (I especially love lining eyes with the bronze and blue), but they can blend out and be a tad bit more demure.  It all depends on how you'd want to wear them and the intensity you'd want on your lids.  When it comes to blending, I prefer to use the shade over the lid up until the crease then given a little smoke using brown in the crease.  This way, the overall metallic look doesn't get overshadowed (pun intended).

Sky Blue blended out for a softer look

What else have I been loving? Metallic nails! Though my nails have gone basic black this week, I have been wearing Orly's Rage regularly.  It's just so multi-dimensional. It's meant to look like strips of foil then in certain angles they either look gold, copper, or silver and also have a subtle shimmer to them.  They have a lot going on so for those that haven't tried this polish yet, if you're planning to, I beg of you to keep your nails short unless you want to end up looking like Laquita in 2032...or Nicki Minaj.

Here is a photo from when I first tested them out at Nail to Toe:

What a gorgeous polish!  As if actual gold and silver were melted down to create it

Again, there are top brands that make to-die-for metallic polishes like Chanel's Gunmetal Gray, but if you want to purchase something that's easier on the pockets and that is really unique, Orly is the way to go.

Bottomline, never mind the rain. Metal shines through any weather.

Truly Yours,

Metallic Addict

Orly nail polishes are exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Sprint Asia www.sprintasiabeauty.com and they should be available at all leading nail salons.


I am yet to see BYS makeup products in stores here, but I have seen a number of online sellers that have them on www.sulit.com.ph 

Mineral Flower Power

I haven't really been too experimental when it comes to moisturizer.  I've tried the usual Pond's, Olay, and even Shu for as long as I could sustain supply (not easy on the pockets); but other than that, I've pretty much stuck within that rotation.  Months ago, I was given some Mineral Flowers (Dead Sea Cosmetics) products and I must say, I do see and feel the benefits of dead sea ingredients.  And while these lines may not be new and launched over a year ago here, I thought I'd share anyway since I've gotten a number of inquiries about good moisturizers.  Besides, I haven't heard many people flat out endorse Mineral Flowers.

The whole Rose & Geranium line for Normal & Mixed Skin

I am actually pretty lucky when it comes to skin.  I don't easily get blemishes, I don't have dry spots and my skin falls in the normal to combination category.  However, I've often felt as though the sunlight has been sucked out of my face whenever I first wake up.  In other words, pale with sunken under-eyes.  So first, I started using the Mineral Flowers Rose & Geranium night cream and that alone had a visible difference in the mornings. My skin looked brighter and more supple, like beauty sleep had done me good.

So I figured, why stop at that? Might as well try out the day cream, the toner, and the facial mask as needed (which were also given to me).  Now that I'm fully satisfied with the results, I'm even considering trying out their facial wash and the rest of the line.  My skin looks and feels great so this must be working.

That's that mineral flower power

Okay, so obviously, different people have different skin types and some are very particular about scents (in fact, I usually don't like flowery scents but these are very mild). That being said, there are different lines for dry and sensitive skin or oily skin and different scents like Almond & Blossom, Chamomile, etc.  If you're interested in trying, and I am highly suggesting that you do, then there's a fair variety for all.

Mineral Flower Power!

Chamomile

Almond & Blossom

FYI, Mineral Flowers products can be found at all Watson's and PCX branches.
Product line photos from www.mineralflowers.com

MAKE AN IM*PAC*T

You may have seen these streamers all over Edsa lately and I'm pretty sure most of you have been just as curious as I have been.  Prior to the brand's arrival, I admit that I had not heard of it before.  So while I'm yet to try out their products, I took the liberty of finding out a little more for everyone's benefit.

Since most of the literature that I found on the company was in Indonesian (it is an Indonesian brand), I just tried to gather as much as I could from simply viewing their website and also soaked in some good reviews from Indo bloggers.  Basically, PAC was created by professional makeup artist Martha Tilaar and her team and mostly displays ultra bold paint and loose powder eyeshadow pots as well as lipsticks that wouldn't come in your usual shades.  With these products, the Martha Tilaar group maintains a makeup academy in their hometown and trains mostly in fantasy and avante garde makeup concepts.  In fact, their site offers a number of free tutorials that I happen to think are a lot of fun.

Take a look at some of their palettes as well as looks you can learn to do from http://www.pacbeauty.com:

Some looks out of their "artistic" gallery

A makeup tutorial that puts a spin on traditional Indonesian makeup

Futuristic beauty makeup

This is like Princess Lea meets Ice Queen

Using one of their best-selling kits complete with foundation, concealer, powder, lipstick, eyeshadows, and blush/contouring powder

Picks from an Indonesian designer. Those metallic pots are not too shabby, huh?

A better look at their makeup kit

Okay, so this is probably not the makeup brand for wallflowers, but for those more daring, this is something that you might want to try.  Fyi, their tutorials on-site give a complete breakdown of products to use with step by step application.  I, personally, think that PAC products are worth trying on self for special events and when doing makeup for more "out there" shoots and catwalk shows.  It really is the makeup brand that lets your imagination run wild.

See, as I've repeated several times since the first post that ever went up on this site, there is so much more to makeup than just putting it on.  So why not step outside of the box once in awhile?  At least once, throw caution to the wind and make an impact.

A couple months back when PAC arrived in Manila, my beloved makeup school Center for Aesthetic Studies (CAS) held a workshop/sale for the brand.  Perhaps you can stay tuned to http://www.casmakati.wordpress.com for the next or you can go ahead and check out their head office at 401 B Marvin Plaza Bldg., Chino Roces Ave. Makati or booths in Robinson's Department Stores.