Soft vs Crisp Liners

Hallo!

About 2 months ago, I got an opportunity to interview a Bobbi Brown makeup artist from Thailand. We talked and talked and all of the sudden, he told me he would do my makeup. Now, I had on full makeup with foundation and everything. Yet, he took it off and redid my makeup with BB products. Then, he took a look at my eyeliners and he was like, "This is too harsh on you. Let me show you how to do soft liner!"

And then came this look. It has a soft grunge edge that I like and you totally don't see a line because I already smudged it out. One of these days, Imma buy a tripod and do a tutorial on this.

While soft liners are very feminine and nice, sharp, crisp liners are always modern. I got me a liquid liner from Maybelline that's really black and shiny. On top of that, it has incredible staying power. While it doesn't look much in the pictures, I had quite a thick line.

Now, for those of you who have problem with they staying power of your eyeliner, I have a small tip: it's called layering! For the sharp liner look, I didn't even use an eye shadow base at all. Yet, it stayed for hours and hours without even a smudge or a smear. And you wanna know why?

I lined my eyes with a waterproof pencil liner first.

Yes, that's the tip, sweetheart. I did that to give myself a guide before using my liquid liner. While pencil liner is easier to use and wipe away, the smudge/waterproof formula is actually a nice base for the liquid liner to hold on to. If you take as much time as you can on lining with a pencil, the later part is going to be very easy. On top of that, your lines will look incredibly black, which is an obvious result from layering a black liner on top of a black base.

Also, did you notice how long and dolly my lashes look? 100% real lashes, baby, with the help of mascaras, of course! I'll share a secret on another day.

Ciao, sweetheart!
Dao xoxo


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My Lip Balm Army

I have dry lips for a while now. It's quite painful when it's cracked and so far, I haven't found any medicated lip balms. In conjunction, I realize I have a lot of regular lip balms that may or may not work for me.

1. Vaseline: not good, not bad, just is. I use it when I want something simple and scent-free.
2. I Provenzali: shea butter stick from Italy. I still have about 1/2 a stick and I don't use it as much anymore. I keep it mostly for sentimental purpose as it was a gift from Gio.
3. Miracle Apo: has the foulest scent in the bunch, also is tinted, also was thrown away after this picture was taken.
4. Nivea: it used to work, now it doesn't. Since it started to melt, I decided to contribute it to the trash as well.
5. Maybelline Baby Lips: my saving grace!
6. Maybelline tinted lip balm: smooth like Baby Lips but with a raspberry tint.
7. EOS: I have to say this is an acquired taste. It takes a while for it to work and then, out of the blue, it seems to contribute to my chapped lip problem. Right now, it is on hold.

So right now, I have a question for you: How do you make your chapped lips better?

I've tried lip balms, I also drink lots of water and take fish oil capsules. None of which seem to work. So...HELP ME!!!

With lots of moist kisses,
Dao xoxo


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Dynamic Duo #1: MAC Margin and Maybelline Fresh Rose Blushes

Hi everyone,

I've interviewed many makeup artists lately and they all said the same thing: when it comes to blush, use at least 2 colors. I am a monochrome kinda gal when it comes to blush but it took a bit of coaxing from a Bobbi Brown makeup artist to make me realize the importance of using 2 blushes. You look more natural, that's all!

Both Margin and Fresh Rose blushes are gifts, one from MAC team and another from my mom. Margin (the one on the left) doesn't look much in the pan. It looks like dirt with shimmer. My initial reaction was, "That's it?" and I pretty much did not have so much hope for it. But when I came home and applied it on my cheeks, wowza! It is this very light and fresh peachy color with a nice sheen, not too much shimmers to make your cheeks look all disco-ball but just a nice sheen.

Maybelline Fresh Rose on the other hand is just what it is: a nice rosy matte pink color. It's quite dry, not as soft and buttery as Margin when dusted on my cheeks. But since it is free and the color build-up is lovely, I've been using it non-stop.

And here's the trick to get the best blushing cheeks ever:

1. You need 2 colors: a lighter one to apply all over your cheeks and a brighter one to apply just on the apple of your cheeks. Depending on your skin tone, they can be either pink or peach. You can mix and match peach with pink like I do but if you want to be safe, just use 2 colors in the same family (warm or cool.)

2. With a fluffy blush brush, apply the lighter color all over your cheeks. Remember to smile!

3. Then, with a smaller blush brush with the size of the head a tad bigger than a quarter, brush the brighter blush just on the apple of your cheek. If you don't know what it is, smile and see the fleshiest part of your cheeks that protrude up on your face. You apply very lightly, skimming the bristles on your skin, not pressing the brush down at all.

4. Then, use the bigger blush brush and lightly blend everything together.

The reason I love Margin so much is the sheen: I don't have to use a highlighter at all. However, if you are around the NC-25 area like me, this is a tricky blush to use. You don't seem to notice it when you apply, but it is there bright and clear when your face is on film. I was a little bit heavy-handed with Margin before I went to an event and seriously, I looked like I was drunk. So, lesson learned: a little bit of blush goes a looong way. And also, blend well!

With love,
Dao xoxo



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