here's making up for the past slacking months...

i did some more pro bono stuff for friends and family's christmas parties this month. not very hard to do since it's something i used to do - rockstar look. here are the pics:

my friend lei. she's one gorgeous woman with nice skin so one easy job for me.

one of my challenges though is too keep the girls "doable", and by that i meant, how to keep their eyes from blinking while putting in the eyeliner (which is ultra important in this look), etc.

belle here is sporting the alice cooper look. 'convinced her to chop her hair like that, too. hehehe

i did some of these girls hair, too. but i got to admit, i'm relatively newer to hair than makeup.

maan sports the same look as lei (above), only on a different occasion.

my only bonus is these girls are already pretty chicks, even without makeup. they have glorious skin, too so i didn't bother doing any concealing. im happy with what i did, and looking forward to more chances to get better with my craft.

P.S.

i've been hoarding some more mineral eye shadows recently and i thought they deserve some reviews, as well as my favorite PAC (yes, not M.A.C.) liquid foundation. Stay tuned!

review: some of my ellana mineral powder products for the eyes

i had been accumulating makeup since last year, and adding to my collection are Ellana products. this is a filipino company which sells mineral products ranging from foundation, eye powder, blushes, bronzers, concealers and lip products, among others. i registered as one of its direct dealers so i can buy from discount. i love their products a lot that i use it on people i do makeup on, and on myself on daily basis. but, for now, let me talk about the mineral eye powders i have been using for a while.

Ellana eye mineral powders in Laugh, Whisper, Preppy, Temptress, Dazzle and Carefree

Laugh is that frosty deep violet that can double as eyeliner. used alone and on bare lids, it creates a flattering shadow to the eyes, which is a glamorous alternative to the ho-hum neutral look we usually take when going to work. i like to use my finger and just gently pat them on my lids. i usually put a matte brown shade on my outer crease when i sport this look. when i like to just have (almost) bare eyes (as my look for day probably focuses on the lips), i make cat eyes by drawing a thin line and flick with this color using a damp liner brush. sexy but subtle. :) 

Whisper is more shimmer than pigment, a pale lavender that turns into a white-pinkish shimmer on the skin. i like to use this to put shine on dark lids, particulary on rock chick looks. as day wear, use sparingly though as this is intensely shimmery. used alone, it's very sheer especially on white to yellow skins. used on top of matte colors, fabulous! it's gives an extra ooomph to your base color.

Preppy is the apple green shade that is so wearable even on a meeting with the big bosses at the office. as our skin has yellowish tone to it, this shade just smoothly blends into the lids, but still leaves a hint of that fun, pretty apple green color. at work, i use it on the inner part of the lid and i take a matte darker green on my outer lid and crease. used alone, it's fun, too.

Temptress is the very deep forest green shade. i like it alone, because the color pops as i aim for the temptress-esque look :) when used on top of a base cream or shadow, you are left with only the shimmer, as the pigments get lost in the shade, unless you go for a more tamed, subdued look. pretty for lining the eyes, too.

Dazzle is the shimmery deep golden brown. i also like to pat it on bare lids for a sensual look. when used on top of a darker or even a lighter shade, the pigment pretty much disappears into your choice of base color. just like Temptress, it's nice on bare lids, and a fun eyeliner at the same time. just don't forget to dampen your brush for a deeper shade.

Carefree is the aqua green shimmer perfect both as used alone or on top of color base. i pat it on bare lids if i like to just brighten my eyes up, or pat it on matte shades of green or blue to sprinkle in some fun. this one is also more shimmer than pigment, just like Whisper.

i'm pretty much happy with what i can do with these colors. although the packaging is pretty inconvenient (like most pigment pots), i think these colors are great and you can do lots of things as you experiment and discover new ways. :)

my first gig, unofficially

yesterday was a lot of fun. i did a sort of Pro Bono gig for a friend whose friend runs a music studio. this friend of mine is a photography-hobbyist-turning-pro who did yesterday's promotional photos of singing little kids who will front a local artist's performance this week. i expected around ten kids, but i only got to do 5, one of which a boy so i did basically four girls aging between four and nine. 
the process was easy and challenging at the same time. see, kids have the healthiest of skins - they don't have pimples, dark circles, eye bags, black heads. they are basically flawless even without the foundation. but they are just kids. while i'm doing their makeup, some tinker on my brush sleeve, others endlessly ask you what each brush is for.  then they suddenly look up when you're putting shimmer powders on their lids. but, really, it was so much fun. 
i did a smokey eye/rock chic look on them, since the theme was pop rock. i did manage to not be overly dramatic about the smokey eye, and still retain their childish, innocent looks by putting barely there blush and nude lips . i'd say i'm happy with what i did. 
and oh, i was able to use my self-devised brush sleeve, which one of the stage moms there affirmed with. whatelse, hmm..i also used a belt and hung there this bag organizer i bought at the department store. that combination would become my makeup artist belt :)
i'll post pics of these things i mentioned along with the kids' pictures when they become available. till the next makeover!

new lippies

i recently purchased three new lip colors from NYX, and i surprised myself at buying them in three  different shades of pink. pink basically is my least favorite of colors. maybe because i think it doesn't look good on me. i'm more of the apricot, peach, terracotta kind of girl. maybe because i'm golden-tan. and it seems to be very safe to wear the said colors because they give a natural look. but since i'm still building my makeup kit, i had to have pink shades for my future fair-skinned clients. 
i believe i picked B52, Louisiana and Chloe, which glide on my lips like heaven and surprisingly rich/highly pigmented. i used B52 on the day i got them, and the color stayed put till i got home. i was like wow. me and my office girl buddies got them for 160php each from a local multiply.com seller. they were relatively inexpensive for such OK quality. about a month ago, i also purchased a lip color from 4u2, a US brand whose professional eyeshadow palettes i totally would recommend any makeup artist to get. they are highly pigmented, and the colors last all day. pretty inexpensive for their quality too. i got two 8-color palettes from them, each for less than 1000php. i'd say those purchases are really good deal. their ENVY line of lip colors, of which one i bought in shade # 12 looked tangerine-ish red. i was actually looking for orange that time and was already decided on a MAC one when i figured i don't need buy expensive stuff yet now that i'm not yet on board. the 4u2 lipstick glides on smoothly too. i think it was discounted at the time, less than 3oophp, so i was glad i controlled the urge to buy a revlon or l'oreal that time. 

intro...

yeah, i've been thinking of trying to get rid of other things that i'm doing. believe me, i do lots of stuff. despite the fact that i have a regular, daily 8hour job  (count out the 4hour total travel time), i still try to sneak in a few things to keep me sane.

more than a year ago, i bought lots of beads and wires and wire jewelry tools, thinking i can pull this wire wrap jewelry fever off. but a few days ago, i thought, no. i can't. jewelry making seems to be fun, but it needs 100% attention. and it seems that the materials i want to use in my designs aren't easily available in my area, or country, at worst.

and yet i have another hobby to ditch off (hopefully not forever). my sewing. i've been sewing since i first laid my eyes on my grandma's sewing kit. i made clothes for my fashion dolls, for myself, i stitched accessories, i repaired torn clothes. it's really something i like to do. but, as i said, i do too many things, i have so little time. sewing, isn't just sewing. you shop for materials, you design something, you make the pattern and cut the fabric carefully, then you sew. yeah, enough of my excuses.

and on to a (not so) new-found hobby. makeup. yeah, i'm the late-bloomer tomboy who wished i started tinkering into my mom's makeup kit in grade school. makeup is indeed fun. and aside from it being related to my first love, i can do it EVERYDAY! yes, i can. at work, at home, at a friend's wedding, a family member's birthday party. at this rate, i can become better without knowing it. if you know what i mean. it's only been less than a year and never was a day when i didn't think about it. sheessh, i guess i'm in love haha. but seriously, i think this thing of a hobby is gonna stay for a while. 

so, today starts the making of a makeup hobbyist. hobbyist, what a word; i just thought it now. because while i was typing the first sentence in this paragraph, i thought i didn't deserve to be called an artist, yet. 

hopefully, on my 100th post, i can already call myself a makeup artist. :)