New Mineral Cosmetic Company: Pink Blossom Cosmetics

Hi everyone,

In February, Lilly Yang, the owner of Pink Blossom Cosmetics, contacted me and asked me if I wanted to review some products from her mineral makeup line. As a mineral makeup lover, I jumped into the bandwagon and after some emails, Lilly sent me a package to Vietnam! I appreciate that she took a risk to send her products because at that time, Pink Blossom Cosmetics only served domestic customers. Lucky for us, the transition time was short and I received the package about 2 weeks later.

Lilly was generous to send me 4 full-size eye shadows and 2 samples in clam shells. The packaging was beyond gorgeous as the products were housed in a beautiful box that I get to keep for display in my vanity table.

The box plus full-size eye shadows I received

The full-size eye shadows

Size comparison: full-size (left), sample (right)

 The full-size eye shadow is housed in your typical 5-gram jar with shifter inside and contains about 1.5 grams of material  whereas the sample has 1/8 teaspoon of mineral product in a clam shell pod. The full-size product is priced at $5 USD and the sample costs $1 UDS a pod.

The samples I got are Shimmering Sapphire and Jaded Away

See how finely milled they are

The swatch
(L-R): Chocolate Brown, Chocolate-tier, Sultry Taupe, Pink Blossom, Jaded Away, Shimmering Sapphire

 Here are the breakdown of the colors:

• Chocolate Brown: this is the most pigmented color of the bunch. It's a matte brown color that can be used as an eyeliner and eye shadow. You only need to use a tiny bit of it as it is extremely pigmented
• Chocolate-tier: this is a shimmering brown eye shadow with a touch of taupe. At first, I thought it would be darker than Chocolate Brown but it is actually lighter and sheerer.
• Sultry Taupe: I wanted to try a taupe color as I pretty much don't have a lot of luck with it. However, Sultry Taupe does not have a lot of purple as it veers more toward pink and brown. It is shimmery and sheer like Chocolate-tier and reminds me a lot of MAC Shroom and Stila Kitten. In fact, it might be a darker cousin of the later one.
• Pink Blossom: this is a color I specifically request since it is a multi-use pigment. I tried it as a lip, eye, and cheek color and it worked well. This is a shimmery hot pink pigment and like the other ones with the same texture, it is sheer but has stronger pigmentation than the other two.
• Jaded Away: is is a light green pigment with yellow shimmer. I was interested in colorful pigments to try at this was one that I like. It is very flattering and not so colorful since it is not a loud color. Like Pink Blossom, I like that it has more pigmentation than the neutral colors I tried.
• Shimmering Sapphire: while it looked dark and shimmery, Shimmering Sapphire is a matte dark blue pigment with micro-glitters so fine that you almost don't feel it. It reminds me of MAC Flashtrack.

The biggest surprise I got out of these pigments is its clinging power. After I did the swatch, I wiped arm with a piece of dry tissue and look at the result:

The thing did not come off completely! Then, I washed it with water and still saw some residues. Only after I washed the swatch with soap that the colors completely went away. To those who are afraid that mineral makeup might bleed or migrate, fear no more. The pigments from Pink Blossom Cosmetics did not budge when I wore them.

The ingredients are labelled in each jar or pod and if it is not lip safe, it would be stated so there. Also, the ingredients are pretty straightforward (mica, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate for more binding power.) Out of six, only Pink Blossom and Chocolate Brown are safe to use everywhere on the face where the other four are not lip safe. These pigments do not contain dyes or bismuth oxychoride, which makes my skin itch.

While it's nice that Lilly offered generous size and relatively inexpensive samples, I do find the clam shells to be hard to close. When I close them, pigments that are around the rim tend to fly out. Also, when I open them, I have to be careful not to overextend the halves of the shells so I don't lose pigments, either.

I'm so thankful that I got a chance to review this new mineral makeup company. Right now, Lilly does ship internationally. She also has a blog and Facebook page for Pink Blossom Cosmetics that you can come and read more about her company.

Disclaimer: I received the products from Pink Blossom Cosmetics to review. This review is not paid and the opinions are my own.

That's all for now. I hope you will support Pink Blossom Cosmetics.

Love,
Dao xoxo

P.S: Please show your support by following my blog and  subscribing to my feed. Thanks a lot!

Last Friday Night FOTD

Hi everyone,

A few days ago, I watched Katy Perry's new music video "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)". Her colorful 80s retro look caught my eyes and I told myself I had to recreate her blue and purple look (screen shots below.)

The perm, the bright makeup, and those plastic earrings remind me of the 80s. I remember some of my cousins used to rock those perms with sky-high bangs. Remember them? Good times :)

With the aide of my trusted Urban Decay Book of Shadows III, I recreated the look. Turns out it's not so difficult. After some serious blending, here is the result:

I heart the 80s, yeah?
Wanna know how I did this look? Jump!

A Super-Duper Easy FOTD

Hi everybody,

Thanked to NaNoWriMo, I didn't do so many FOTDs last month. As a result, the skin on my face seems to improve. In this FOTD, I didn't even wear foundation. For this look, I basically threw in a whole bunch of things just to make myself look more decent before heading out of the house.

Super-duper FOTD, sans foundation

 What I used:

MAC Sugar Trance lip gloss, NYC Blue Rose lipstick, MAC Blacktrack eyeliner, Shu Uemura blush, Stila "It Girl" palette (I only use Kitten), Wet n Wild Snow Sprite palette (blend the middle blue, green, and dark green together)
Brushes: MAC 217 brush, Coastal Scents eyeliner brush
Not shown: mascara, blush brush

 How to create this look

Apply Kitten to all over the the eye with MAC 217, using a light hand
Then, mix the blue and greens together and apply it to the eyelid as a soft wash

Line your eyes with Blacktrack, using the synthetic eyeliner brush

Apply blush to your cheeks, then layer lip gloss on top of the lipstick
The final touch? Mascara!

I have to admit, not having to apply foundation does save a lot of time. However, if I had to do it all over again, I would apply powder to nix the shine. This whole look is so simple, I would get out of the door in 5 minutes, which gave me more time to write.

That's all for now. This does not qualify as a FOTD. It's more of a sub-FOTD. I promise to do a real FOTD next week.

P.S: If you like my blog, please subscribe to my feed. Thanks a lot!

Video: How to Create a Unique Nail Polish with Mineral Pigments

Hi everybody,

Hurray! Today's post is special: this is My Makeup Blog's first video clip! I filmed it a while ago when my hair was still long. This video clip is going to show you how to create a unique nail polish using mineral pigments. That way, you can have an extra use of your own pigments to create some very unique shades. All you need are your base coat, top coat, a piece of wax paper (or foil), and some pigments.

Here is how to do it:

I finally learned how to edit a video clip using Windows Live Movie Maker. My current laptop did not have Windows Movie Maker installed when I bought it and it was available for downloading yesterday. I filmed this video clip from the webcam of my laptop, hence the Blair Witch quality.

Jump for the written instruction and more!

Custom Blend Foundation at Formula D Minerals

Hi everybody,

Recently, I got an opportunity to do a custom blend foundation for one of my friends. She's a strong supporter to Formula D Minerals, my tiny Etsy store, and she needed foundation. Selling mineral foundation is a lot of work as they are not fast selling items. Also, making mineral foundation is messy and requires a lot of tweaking to make it look right. Therefore, I decided to only do foundation whenever someone requested it.

Here's the foundation I made for her:

Customized foundation blend

The jar has a resealable shifter :)

Bonus Time at Formula D Minerals

Hi everyone,

Formula D Minerals eye shadows

It's Bonus Time at Formula D Minerals! From now until July 14th, for each purchase $10 or above before shipping and handling, you are going to receive a bonus eyeshadow of your choice. It's a sweet deal, everyone, and please take advantage of it.

Please specify the color you want in the comment section when you check out. If you choose not to pay with credit card or paypal, please clear it with me first. Your order may be delayed if you choose to pay with check, though.

The swatches of all the colors from Formula D Minerals are here. Happy shopping and thank you in advance for your patronage.

P.S: If you like my blog, please subscribe to my feed. Thanks a lot!

Smoke Out FOTD

Hello everybody,

The weather has been so hot and humid lately. I feel like melting all the time. However, it does not stop me from doing a smokey eyes look. I blame my friend M for it. She showed up in one of our writing workshops with a Wet n Wild black eye and body liner stick and a black lipstick. They were from last Halloween's collection and Publix put them on sale for a quarter each. By the time I got there to search for them, only the stick was available. Nevertheless, it was a good purchase and it reminds me of MAC greasepaint stick a lot.

Smoke Out FOTD. It's smoke-licious!

What I used:

• Art Deco eyeshadow primer
• Rimmel London Glam'Eyes in Midnight Jewel
• WnW Fantasy Makers Enchanting Body Wand (or MAC greasepaint stick in Slick Black)
• Everyday Minerals blush in Wet Sand
• Rimmel Max Volume Flash mascara
• L'Oreal HiP eyeliners in Black Shock and Gold Charge
• Urban Decay XXX Shine gloss in Quickie
• Korres face primer (not shown)
• Formula D Minerals foundation
• L'Oreal True Match concealer in C4-5

Blue Steel FOTD

Howdy, partners!

Ever since I started wearing makeup again in 2007, I always looked for an eyeshadow called "Blue Steel". That, of course, came from an obsession after watching "Zoolander", which I believe is the best comedy about male models and fashion ("Hansel, so hot right now!")

Blue Steel, baby!

To commemorate Derek Zoolander's signature look, I set foot forward to created a color named "Blue Steel" for Formula D Minerals. I wore this look to a party and got a lot of compliments on it.


What you need (products from Formula D minerals unless otherwise noted):

• The Ultimate Powder
• Dandelion blush
• Eye shadows: Something Blue, Baby Blue, Blue Steel, and Bella
• Foundation
• MAC Blacktrack gel liner and slanted eyeliner brush
• L'Oreal 6hrs plumping lip gloss in Plumped Pink
• Essence Kajal eyeliner in Cool Breeze
• Optional: peach concealer for under eye dark circles
• Brushes: kabuki brush from Swirled Cosmetics, foundation brush (to use with concealer), ELF eyeshadow brush, EcoTools crease and highlight brush, and Sonia Kashuk slanted eyeshadow brush

Posh Peacock FOTD

Hi everybody,

We're getting closer and closer to the weekend but it feels like I have a lot of things to do. Lately, I've been into the new Rimmel London products. This is my second post of the week featuring Rimmel (the first one is here.) Although summer is not officially here yet, I feel the urge to apply colorful makeup and have fun with it. The new Rimmel London eyeshadow singles and blush trios are really pigmented and affordable. I pair them with NYC Iced Orchid to amp up the colorful factor without making it look tacky.

Posh Peacock FOTD

What I used: Rimmel London Glameyes in Posh Peacock and Midnight Jewel, blush in Autumn Catwalk, NYC liquid lip shine in Iced Orchid, gold Wet n Wild eyeliner, Art Deco eyeshadow primer, CoverGirl Volume Exact mascara, MAC Studio Finish concealer and Blacktrack Fluidline, Formula D minerals foundation, The Ultimate Powder, and a variety of makeup brushes.

Peach & Cream FOTD

Hi everyone,

Last week, I realized my passport was about to expire. After filling what seems like a million pieces of paperwork, I was ready to submit them to get a new passport. However, I still needed one thing: passport photo. From past experience, I realize doing a smokey eyed look with nude lips for passport photo is not a good strategy. The photographer is no Richard Avedon and most of the time, you get florescent light instead of studio light. So if you do the smokey eyed, your pictures may end up with you looking tragic in it. And I am not even kidding you, I have proof. But to save your soul, I am not going to share :)

And this was what I came up with:

Peach & Cream FOTD

The players: MAC Blacktrack gel liner, Studio Sculp NC35 concealer (it's too dark for me!), Formula D Mineral's eye shadows in Bella, Quirky, Peach & Cream, and Granite, MAC lip glass in Sock Hop, Rimmel London lipstick in Crush, various brushes, (not shown) Formula D Mineral's foundation, The Ultimate Powder, (not shown) Flushed blush, various pencils

Eyes

• Apply Peach & Cream on the inner half and Quirky on the outer half of the eye, using ELF eyeshadow brush. With EcoTools shading brush (the chubby one), blend the two colors together where they meet.
• With EcoTools crease brush, contour the outer-v and half way to the crease with Granite. Since it is a dark color, use as little as possible.
• With the same brush, pick up Bella to highlight the brow bone and inner corner of the eyes area.
• Using MAC 266, apply Blacktrack liner and wing it out at the end.
• Fill in the brow with an eyebrow pencil and smooth it out with the eyebrow/lash comb.
• Curl your lashes and apply mascara.
• Optional: apply a silver or white eyeliner to the lower lash line to make your eyes look more wide awake.

Neutral but not smokey :)

Face

•  Apply The Ultimate Powder as a primer to your skin, using ELF Studio powder brush.
• With the same brush, apply mineral foundation
• With a concealer brush, apply MAC Studio Sculpt concealer to the under eye area and blend well.
• Set the foundation and concealer with The Ultimate Powder.
• With Sonia Kashuk flat top blush brush, apply Flushed to your cheeks.

Lips

• Apply Rimmel London Crush to your lips and top it with Sock Hop lip glass.
• Use NYX lip liner in Natural to line and define the shape of your lips.

Another shot of moi :)

 It was so hot that day, my face almost melted. My passport photo came out all right. It could have been a lot better but heat and humidity almost melted me away. Anyways, I got my passport back super quick because I spent extra money to expedite it. You will never know when you'll need your passport so please keep it as current as possible.

 That's all, folks! I'll announce the winner of UPrinting business card giveaway later today. Please come back to see if you are the winner.

P.S: If you like my blog, please subscribe to my feed. Thanks a lot!

Chic Orchid FOTD

Hi everybody,

I'm so sorry for the delay, it's raining cats and dogs today! For today's post, I am going to put some of Formula D's eye shadows to work. With mineral makeup, seeing the swatch is one thing and getting them to work is another. I wore these eye shadows for more than 10 hours with rubbing my eyes and crying in between. At the end of the night (around midnight), they still looked vibrant.

The look.

I tried to look fierce but obviously it didn't work :)

What I used

Formula D Minerals Swatches

Hola!

El Gato Supremo was supposed to blog today but this morning, I found him outside sun bathing. I think he is aiming to play the Chesire Cat in "Alice in Wonderland 2" or something. He's been working out and getting tanner to look good. With this rate, he will be called Mr. Six Pack Abs instead of Mr. Belly :)

Do not disturb! I'm enjoying nature, yo!

 With Mr. Belly Gato Supremo out of commission, I guess I'd better share the swatches of the eye shadows and blushes available at my shop, Formula D Minerals.

Blue quad: Baby Blue, Something Blue, Midnight, and Cookie Monster

 My favorite of this quad is Cookie Monster. It is bright and cheerful, like our beloved Sesame Street monster who's not Elmo. Baby Blue is very cute and Something Blue is simply gorgeous. You can use Midnight as a liner color, too!

Multi-tasking to the Next Level!

Hi everybody!

Thank you for your kind words on the opening of my Etsy shop. I really appreciate it! Today, I've been busy with all things Formula D related: taking, cropping, and editing photos, writing item descriptions, sorting things out, and posting each and every single item on my store. On top of that, I am juggling between Blogger, Etsy, and Twitter.

 And guess what? I am not doing so well with multi-tasking! *bite nails...hard*

To the reader who suggested me to do swatches: it is in my agenda. Tomorrow, I am going to take a bunch of swatches on my body, probably from head to toes, label them, and upload to Etsy. I understand how difficult it is to get an accurate picture of the colors. My camera can go so far when it comes to capture colors and I find the best way is to film in direct sunlight.

About samples: I will definitely have samples for blushes, powder, and foundation. I thought about doing eyeshadow samples but Etsy has this listing charge of 20 cents per item plus 3.5% commission price. In order to see the sunlight and make some profits, I have to price a sample more than a dollar each. When you compare to the full price ($3.99), I guess you realize it's better to purchase the whole jar.

 Yes, that's the downside of dealing mineral makeup on Etsy. As much as I want to offer you 50 cent samples, I can't :( And I'm very sad! I may do a sample bundle though. We will see!

If you haven't seen my shop yet, it is right here :) If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me here, my email, twitter, or at Etsy.

This is the Nine, my favorite colors (click for a bigger picture!)

That's all for today, folks! Thanks for staying with me! Now, go watch Glee or something :)

P.S: If you like my blog, please subscribe to my feed. Thanks a lot!

Introducing Formula D Minerals

Hi everybody,

I am so excited! Finally, after months of preparation, my Etsy shop finally opens! Ladies and gents, may I introduce Formula D Minerals!

The screen shot :)

If you read my cryptic post on Friday, you already had a peak at the eyeshadow collection. I posted the first 15 eye shadows today. For the first run, there will be 27 eye shadows, 4 blushes, and 1 powder. As time progresses, I will add more products to this line. And of course, I will add the rest of the products to my site tomorrow.

Shipping is relatively inexpensive: $2.00 if you purchase one item, and 25 cent each per additional item when shipped to U.S addresses. For international customers, it's $3.00 for the first item and 30 cent per additional item.

The eye shadows are priced at $3.99/item (that's a dollar cheaper than my planned price), the blushes are $6.99/item, and the powder is $8.99. (The powder is huge!) I am trying to make things in a reasonable price range so you guys can afford it while I don't go to the poor house :)

A Sneak Peak

Hi everybody,

I hope your Earth Week has gone well so far. I can't wait for the weekend! Today, I am going to do something I've never done before: I'm going to give you a peak of what I've been working for the past month.

Look at all those eye shadows! I won a giveaway!

Haha, just kidding! I didn't win any giveaways. But they do look lovely, right?

These are some bright colors

Everyday Minerals New Year Palette

Hi everybody,

We are days away from getting into the year 2010 and I already miss 2009. Some couple of days ago, my friends and I had an epiphany moment when we realized we no longer could write 2009 or '09 or anything with two zeros after number 2 for the year when 2010 starts. (And that's why we've been writing checks like crazy before 2010 begins!)

While the year 2009 has been good to me, mainly at the second half of the year, I am looking forward to 2010. The folks at Everyday Minerals agreed, and they came out with the New Year palette. While the Christmas palette is bright and cheerful, the New Year palette is rich and a little bit sinful in colors.

The New Year Palette

(L-R): Chamomille, Love Letter, Wine Tasting, and Wild Flowers

The palette, opened

Want to see the swatch and detailed description of each color? Jump!

Everyday Minerals Christmas Palette: Falala la Lovely!

Hi everyone,

It's Christmas Eve, how cool is that? Seriously, I need to get off the computer and go to the store to get some bread for Christmas linner (that's lunch and dinner together, people!) We are going to have some yummy food and I can't wait to devour them.

Anyways, the reason I am still blogging is this palette from Everyday Minerals:

The Christmas palette, how gorgeous is that?

Each year, EDM comes up with holiday colors during Christmastime. I received some eye shadows last year as gifts with purchase and I thoroughly enjoyed them. When a representative from EDM contacted me regarding products to review, I did not intent to receive any fun colors like this. It was a surprise to open the box and see the Christmas palette.

For those who are EDM fans, the colors from this palette are not very new for you. However, in the past, they were not on sale and you may not get the colors you wanted. Last year, I really wanted the gold eye shadow but got the silver one (Silver Bells) instead. This time around, the Christmas palette makes sure you get everything you want and even some more.

The cover

The back

Close ups and swatch are coming up after the jump!