i thought a long time about how best to write this post.
finally i decided that there’s no way of doing it without exposing my naked pictures to the world π
welcome to make-up 101.
and here’s a picture of my naked face. two actually. cleansed, toned and moisturised, but pretty much bare. and no photoshop too. you wont believe how much it pains someone who colors and paints for a living to put up a picture of herself without a single blemish photoshopped away -_- granted, i tried to take the best pictures of my bare face that i could, but that does nothing to hide my ghastly dark circles, sallow complexion, and blemishes all over my face.
π dont go and copy and paste the URL for the photos and show the whole world ok.
but what better ways to exult the wonders of make-up than to show a before and after? π
plus let’s face it, every girl loves to see before and after pictures.
of make-up, cosmetic surgery, photoshopping, weight loss and etc. it’s some innate perverse thing we all delight in.
so here we go!
i don’t normally pile on heavy make-up, unless it’s for some very special occasion/dinner, so what you’ll be seeing here is my very basic daily make-up for a natural but radiant look (i hope)
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step1. starting off with the base, usually i use either BB cream or sunblock, and for this post what i’m using is the following:
Coogi Flowertox BB Cream with SPF25PA++
i’m sure BB cream needs no introduction. most girls are aware of this “wonder” product and i must say i swear by it too!
this BB cream is light and doesnt leave my face looking cakey, plus it gives my sallow complexion a more pinkish boost π
step2. concealing my dark eye rings. this is by far the most most most most important step for me! i cannot emphasize enough on how much i need concealer. i have had horrendous dark eye rings since young, and further worsened by all the late nights i keep.
however much i sleep, they never go away and concealer saves the day on a daily basis.
this is my HG concealer: Beauty Tech Ice-Cream Concealer, which can be bought at SaSa for $39.90 (i think. sometimes they have promotions and it’s only $29.90!)
i’ve been using it for years now, either layered over Bobbi Brown Corrector or on its own.
here i use it on it’s own, as it’s a cream concealer it can go on very thick and conceals well. beware of piling it on too heavy though because it has a tendency to cause cakey lines around your eyes if you’re not careful. using an eye cream before applying your makeup helps too. i also use this concealer around the nose to reduce redness.
step3. powder to set off the BB cream and concealer.
i normally use Chanel Mat Lumiere or MAC Pressed Powder to lightly pat over my face once i’m done with the base and concealer.
this helps give just a wee bit more coverage and oil control, as well as evening out my complexion.
the key word is light though! too much powder can give a very artificial look at times and i’m not going for that look.
yay! dark eye circles/blemishes arent as obvious anymore and complexion looks brighter! π
done with the base, now we move on to the eyes!
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step4. eyeliner. my favourite and easiest eyeliner to use (which i’ve also been using for years as well) is KATE super sharp eyeliner! you can find it at most Kanebo counters. it’s quite cheap and lasts very long. the great thing about it is that it has a super fine tip so it’s easy to draw on plus you can control how you want to look by either using more pressure for a thicker line or going over it to get a darker line.
see the difference between the left side (with eyeliner) and right side (without), and both eyes done.
step5. curling the lashes, i use Shiseido Eyelash Curler which does an awesome job for me! cheaper eyelash curlers tend to pinch the eyes but this one fits the contour of my eye very well and easily curls my lashes.
this is where i normally stop for most days out, but sometimes when i’m feeling less lazy or i know i’ll be going out or will be taking lotsa pictures or something, i continue to do the following:
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step6. putting on mascara. mascara does wonders to open up the eyes and give me crazy ass long dolly lashes π the brand i use is Majolica Marjoca’s Lash Expander, it’s super good man, makes me look like i put on false lashes or something.. which is why i recommend it to be used with a very very light hand, or you’ll end up with spider leg eyelashes and look totally weird!
just gently brush it upwards from the roots to the tips in a gentle left/right zig zag motion.
step7. blusher, for the radiant look!
just take your favourite rosy pink blusher (which in my case is MAC springsheen, a peach pink with slight shimmer) and brush onto your cheeks. if you want to go for the sunkissed look you can light brush the tip of your nose/forehead with abit of blusher too π i totally recommend the retractable blusher brush from The Body Shop! it’s small, portable and feels really good against the skin π
step8. eye shadow for more eye definition, i normally take a light shimmery tone to highlight my brow bone and the inner corners of my eyes, a brown shadow to fill in the brows for a natural look (brow liner can look harsh if you dont do it right) and then a slightly darker tone to shade in the outer contours of my eyes. today i used Majolica Marjoca’s eye shadow palette and MAC’s Expresso eye shadow.
and lastly, abit of lip balm on the lips and i’m all good to go! π
yay!
before and after.
and more pictures
and taken with flash
phew. long post to write! but that’s all folks! π hope it was informative somewhat!
DISCLAIMER: all the above mentioned products are what works for me, and what works for me might not work for everyone else! so this is purely how i do my make-up, and not everyone likes it this way. also this is my first attempt at a make-up post so pardon me if it’s too wordy/not wordy enough/confusing/crappy/boring or whatever.
do leave a comment if you have any questions, or to share your opinions and your own favourite make-up products/ tips! π