Welcome Home, November!

Well hello there gorgeous!

Happy Monday and can't you believe it, we're in November! For some unknown reasons, I find November very exciting and hopefully the blog is the reflection of my feelings as well. This month is going to be a busy one for me, as it always is in November. During last weekend, I mapped out what I want to blog about and let me just say that I'm quite happy about this. Also, this month marks the start of our 5th month ever since I started blogging here. Time flies so fast, isnt' it? I am really thankful for every single one of you who have been coming here to read my blog. I just want to let you know all your comments, feedback, and readership are very appreciated.

During the weekend, I made a new banner for November and it's pink! Also, if you look closely, you will see the lyrics of "November Rain" embedded. Neat, huh? It took me a while to come up with something I feel good about and I hope you love the November banner as much as I do.

I don't know how the stars align this month but I have a lot to write. Beside the writing for school and blogging her, yours truly decided to join NaNoWriMo at the last minute! If you haven't heard of this organization, the National Novel Writing Month is held annually in November online for amateur and professional writers to write their novels. The goal is to complete at least 50,000 words during this busiest month of the year. I first joined NaNo in 2004 but did not finish the novel because I ran out of idea after word 2000! Then in 2006 I managed to string words together to finish the challenge but it was a crappy piece of word that I think I already deleted from my hard drive. This year I compulsively joined NaNo again to challenge myself to write. Writing probably is a challenge for me and at this point in my life, I need to put myself in a habit of writing everyday, rain or shine. Also, if you want to learn how to write, the only way to learn is to write. Obviously, there is no short cut for that. I am working word by word toward that 50,000 mark and hopefully a soon-to-be New York Times best seller is forming from me pounding on the keyboard.

And now for something different:


This weekend, I got an interesting question from reader Annie about loose pigments. Her questions prompted me to write a post about this topic. (And you thought I was just going to wish you a good month, don't you?) So Annie and everyone, please click "Read More" to know my take on this "controversial" subject (just kiddin'!)

Annie wrote:

As a newbie to makeup, is it better to have loose pigments? How do you use them, with a wet brush? Does that make blending harder? I am just wondering about this loose pigment craze. I just stick to the pressed shadows b/c that's what I know. maybe you could help me out. :)

Dear Annie,

First of all, I would like to thank you for asking me these questions. The pigments vs. pressed shadows has been a debatable subject since the existence of both subjects. Like everybody else, I was introduced to makeup by using pressed or pan shadows. It was until about a year ago that I started using loose pigments and I felt hard and fast for it. Although pigments was available from MAC and other theatre makeup companies, it was the rise of mineral makeup that brought this form of eye shadows to its popularity. So let me answer your questions one by one:

1. Is it better for a beginner to use loose pigments?

The answer is "It depends" (how politically-correct of me!) Since I had my feet wet with regular pan shadows, I find loose pigments a lot of fun to use and a bit easier to control in the amount of product to apply. Also, loose pigments are really versatile and can be used almost anywhere you want: face, eyes, lips, body,...

2. Does it make blending harder?

Au contraire, blending with pigments is quite easy. I highly recommend it for my smokey eyes look because I can get the look faster than using regular eyeshadow. Also, my blending brush is awesome, which makes blending easier.

3. Wet or dry application?

As I mentioned earlier, pigments are very versatile to use: you can apply it dry or wet. The wet application is called "foiling" when you use mineral pigments as the dried pigments look like tin (aluminum) foil. Until a month ago, I did not get the foiling technique and only used it dry but foiling really makes the color more intense and interesting to look. However, I use dry pigments when I do the smokey eyes.

Although people like to blend wet pigments together, I find the result quite muddy and do not recommend it. However, you can foil one color, let it dry and blend with a layer of dry pigments. The result is very stunning!

I meant to do a foiling tutorial forever but when I got to do it, the pictures did not come out nicely but I am sure it is in my agenda. The only complain I have on pigments is the messiness. Since most mineral makeup companies are selling their pigments in jars with shifters these days, the risk of spilling is less. However, I once spilled a copious amount of a custom-made color from a non-shifter 3-gram jar and regretted it. Also, the fall out when applying pigments is higher than that of regular eyeshadow. I always apply a layer of loose powder on the area underneath my eyes and brush it away after I'm done applying my eye colors.

If you choose to use pigments, I suggest you to get a good eyeshadow primer. Since most pigments do not have any chemicals to adhere to your skin, the primer is a layer that holds the pigments together. I use MAC paint pots and they work very swell for me. MAC shadesticks as well as Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP) are good candidates as well.

So when you are ready, I find NYX Ultra Pearl Mania to be a good and affordable pigment solution. Also Adorned with Grace and Silk Naturals have really nice pigments. I am going to post some swatches of pigments from another company during this week so y'all stay tune, ok?

That's all for Monday, folks. Again, if you have any questions, please send them in. I'd love to keep this section a regular on my blog and really appreciate your interaction. For the pigment lovers out there, if you have tips and tricks, please let me know in the comment section. The one thing I have to say about this topic is "pigments is fun to use".

By the way, it's T-1 to Election Day. If you haven't cast your vote yet, please do so now! Last days at the voting booths usually results in longer lines. So if you are eligible to vote, please practice your rights to democracy. I'm wishing all of you a wonderful week ahead.

Take care,
Your Makeup Blogger

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