My Makeup Blog: makeup, skin care and beyond: Summer Eyes + Beautiful Blogger Award

Hi everyone,

Summer is here and it comes with heat, rain, and humidity. This only means one thing: your makeup is going to melt! Nowadays, I keep my makeup to a bare minimum yet the products I use are hardcore enough to stand up against the heat.

I've always wanted to do an editorial style spread for my blog but I did not know how. Thankfully, Polyvore came to a rescue and here is my first spread. I hope you'll enjoy!

My picks:

Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner: came in a sleuth of colors, MUFE Aqua Liner is relatively new to the makeup scene, yet its staying power is quite astounding. I swatched the black eye liner at MUFE counter, walked around the mall, came back home, ate a meal and the swatch was still on my hand. Removing it, however, was quite easy. All I needed was soap and water.
L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Waterproof mascara: I have tried so, so, so many mascaras. Yet, the only brand that keeps me coming back is L'Oreal Voluminous. Their Carbon Black version is the darkest and thickest volumizing mascara I have ever seen from the drugstore side. And the waterproof property is quite astounding: you can sleep with this stuff on your lashes and it won't smudge on you. One pointer, though: use only 2 coats because 3 coats will make your lashes droop down like a sad doll.
Shu Uemura eyelash curler: you can get a more expensive eyelash curler but you won't get one as good in this price point. The Shu Uemura eyelash curler reached cult status so many moons ago that I don't even delve into the details. To me and many beauty enthusiasts out there, this is a must-have, period.
MAC paint pots: these are life-changing products to me. During the summer, I don't use a lot of eye shadows so a little bit of paint pots here and there would do. I especially love Bare Study and Rubenesque. They give enough pearlescent to my eyes without being too thick or blingy.
Make Up Forever Aqua Cream in Turquoise: nothing says "summer!" like turquoise and nothing screams "waterproof!" like MUFE Aqua Cream. I currently have a big crush on MUFE waterproof products. Not only are they sweat-proof and waterproof, they are also beautiful. The Aqua Creams are multi-functional: you can use them anywhere on your face and body, although a few colors are only specific for certain areas on your face.

Beautiful Blogger Award

Last week, Jordan from Jordy's Beauty Spot nominated me for the "Beautiful Blogger Award." Aw, thank you so much, darling!

Tell us how the idea of making a blog popped up and what makes you continue it?

I wanted to write something about beauty products for about a year or so before I started My Makeup Blog. I read beauty blogs about a year or so before that and one of my friends pushed me forward into opening this blog. At first, it was a lot of work and I had to learn everything by myself (still do, too!) But then, it became fun and it helped me through so many difficulties in my life, namely the thesis writing process and the job hunting pain. I got to make friends during the process and it has been a fun ride for me.

Describe a usual day in your life.

Since I just got a research position in a local university, I am still adapting to my new schedule. Right now, my day starts with me waking up and reading something from my Kindle Fire: the news, my multiple email accounts, Twitter, feed backs from this blog, and a few sites I frequent. That usually takes an hour. Then, I eat breakfast and go to work. Sometimes, I work at home while other days I travel. My schedule is quite dynamic right now. I usually exercise around 6pm for 1-1.5 hours before eating dinner. At night, I work a little bit, watch some TV, and read some books on Kindle Fire again. My day usually ends around midnight as I'm a night owl.

The best collaboration with a blogger.

I am lucky to have so many blogger friends and recently, I have quite a few guest blogging requests. All of them have been fun and I have to say it is my pleasure to collaborate with all of them

The worst collaboration with a blogger.

I have never had any bad experience with a blogger before. I think beauty bloggers are nice and supportive toward each other.

Describe what having a blog means to you.

This blog means a lot to me: it is not just a place where I get to showcase my love for makeup, beauty, skincare, and many other beauty-related topics but also my digital home. Of course, I got into trouble before when people in the scientific community found out that I am a beauty blogger and did not take me so seriously. However, I don't see being a beauty blogger as a problem to my science career as a lot of beauty topics are science related. I can use my scientific knowledge to educate my readers here and in print magazines as well. I guess I am a rare mix of science-beauty and this blog allows me to coalesce these two areas.

And now, here are my 5 nominees: