Pink Flamingo FOTD: a Halloween Look

Hi everybody,

You thought I forgot to do a FOTD this week, didn't you? Well, I didn't. I just waited to get closer to Halloween to post it.  This year's look is simple and I only used one eye brush: MAC 217. The products I used are a mix of drugstore and department store makeup. This is the first time I use the NYC eyeshadow duo called Island Sunset and so far, I like it. They are matte and quite pigmented as well.

Pink Flamingo FOTD

What I used:

Stuff not labelled: Layla foundation shade #4, EDM foundation in Tan for contouring, BareMinerals original mineral veil,  MAC concealer NW20
Brushes: ELF Studio powder brush, Sonia Kashuk flat top blush brush, StudioTools dual-fiber brush, MAC 217

Wanna know how to do this pink and gorgeous look? Jump!

Belly at Large: The Fire Cat and Self-Esteem

Happy early Halloween, everyone!

Today, I'm neither frabjous nor festive. Halloween is right around the corner and I know what the mamarazzi is going to dress up as. However, we are bound to cat-human confidentiality so I can't tell. Also, not having opposable thumbs makes it hard to type and I rely on her for all the typing. What a boogah, right?

So, the mamarazzi has been on a video editing roll lately. The latest victim, err..., I mean product is this video of moi doing the intimate grooming. With the intimate part aside, I must say it's a good video. The music choice is somewhat an irony. "Dirrty", you think? Anyways, just watch it:

Also, this article on Marie Claire really ticks me off. The author did apologize at the end but to me, it's an apology a minute too late. I happen to like that show "Mike and Molly", the characters are cute and they do have chemistry. I know a part of my allure is my chunky quarterback player size. The mamarazzi, however, has ceased to call me "chunky", "big boy", and "chubby" anymore. She said those words may hurt my self-esteem. Like yeah! I'm a cat. But still, words hurt, people!

I hope you'll enjoy your Halloween. Please remember, don't drink and drive. And please brush your teeth after you eat candies.

Love, peace, and tuna fish,

Mr. Belly

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All You Fashion & Beauty Edition Review and Giveaway

Hello everybody,

Recently, the kind folks from All You magazine sent me their latest Fashion and Beauty edition for reviewing and giving away. If you have not heard about this magazine, it is about living well without spending the big bucks. This Fashion & Beauty edition is the first of its kind to make its debut to the newsstand. At $5.99, it is packed full of tips and tricks as well as $37.75 worth of coupons.

Wanna know how much I like it? Wanna know how to enter the giveaway? Jump!

And... We Have the Winners!

Hi everybody,

It's been a while since I posted about the CLEAN anti-bacterial moisturizing hand cream giveaway. Recently, I decided to use Random.Org to select the winners. And... Ahleessa, Mrs. Shukra, and Joanelised: you guys are the chosen ones!

I will email you shortly for your addresses. Also, I can only send the hand cream to U.S and Canadian residents as stated in the giveaway. If you do not meet this criterion, I will have to ask you to forfeit the prize and I will choose another person as a winner.

There is another giveaway for a magazine later on today so please join.

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

How Arabian Makeup Artists Work on Their Clients

Hi everybody,

Recently, I bumped into a video clip so interesting that I have to post. I did a search for Arabic makeup and bumped into a few YouTube videos. despite the different looks, they have a few things in common. I could not help but post them up here for all to see.

1. Makeup lesson with Ahmed Qubeisi:

2. Special Event makeup:

What's so interesting about these video clips are:

1. The clients lie down in the chairs:
I don't know about the rest of the world but in the U.S, when a makeup artist does my face, I sit on a chair. He or she may hand me a mirror to look once in a while. But Arabian makeup artists are so cool! If they wore lab coats, I would say they were dentists. The clients just lie down as if they were in a dentist's office and the makeup artist just works on them.

2. Cleanliness is the key:
In the first video, the makeup artist wore a pair of gloves. In the second video, the client wore some sort of a protective garment while the makeup artist put a piece of cloth to clean the brushes. To be honest, I have never seen a makeup artist wearing gloves before. But it makes sense, since he or she touches the client's face.

3. The brushes are so small:
To be fair, the first makeup artist, Mr. Qubeisi, did use a mix of big and small brushes but the majority of time, the brush he used was a small detail brush. The same thing in the second video. Also, both of them spent a good amount of time on eye makeup. No wonder the eyes look so good.

4. The color combination is insane:
Red eyeliner on the lower lash line? I wouldn't even think of that. But hey, it works. Glad to know. Also, I have a feeling that Arabic makeup videos make the other ones look like child's play.

5. The pigmentation of their eye shadows are off the chain:
Don't you notice it? They barely use a lot of product but the colors are unbelievably pigmented! Also, they are not shy to use shimmering colors.

6. What's the brand of that eyeliner? I want to know:
Not only the eyeliners are pigmented, the tip is as thin as a needle. I know, there are many felt tip liners out there with thin tips but they are not as dark. The one in the first video is insane.

I hope one day I will have the courage to rock some awesome makeup like that. These video clips totally inspire me to do some bolder looks. I have been in such a makeup rut lately. I sure do need these!

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!

Lesson Learned: When to Buy

Hi everybody,

Today's post sounds like a mini-rant and feel free to tune out if you are not in the mood to read it. I totally understand.

Ok, with the disclaimer aside, I want to tell you this story. Those who know me well understand I prefer to keep my pennies in my pocket. While I have been blogging about makeup, recently, I found my way into nail polishes. The ones I featured here are not that expensive (less than 5 dollars so far.)

The nail polish industry is very competitive. You have these major companies such as OPI and Essie to produce various limited editions a year. Then, you have Sally Hansen's and many many other smaller nail polish brands to compete with the big guys. So far, whenever a shade from the big brands is popular, the smaller brands will sure copy. It works for us, the consumer, as we get some fantastic colors with relatively good quality for a lot cheaper. And that's the usual trend. The smaller guys (relatively, because I don't think Sally Hansen's is that small, btw) produce good dupes but rarely do they produce something so unique and sensational that make people flip.

And I did say "rarely", not "never", because once in a while, the moon and the stars aligned and Sally Hansen's would produce something great. The latest one was "Hidden Treasure" from the Tracy Reese collection. How it went under my radar still stymies me.

Really, this color is great. It is a layering color that makes nail polishes look like lacquer. Now, you can hardly get it anymore because Sally Hansen do not produce them anymore! If you go to eBay, you can find it for $25. No kidding!

And guess what? I was thisclose to buy it. The only reason I didn't buy: the price. It was 6 bucks at Wal-mart. I saw it, did a swatch, admired the complexity of it on my nails, and put it down. Yes, I freakin' walked away! Just because the stuff cost six bucks!

It could have died down but my friends had to bring it up. So I did a search on Google and guess what? That was the color I swatched at Wal-mart! I didn't remember the name but I had full intention to buy it later. When I came back, the nail polish was gone. Gone!

Since then, I have been to a Target, 2 CVS, and a Walgreens. Still, no sight of "Hidden Treasure." It drives me crazy.

So, lesson learned: things can go away. If you see something you like and you can afford it, buy it! Right now, I have my eyes on "Space Cadet" by Orly. It cost 8 dollars, a little bit out of my price range, but I am sure I will kick myself in the butt if I don't buy it.

How about you? Have you had something so awesome slipped away like I did? Or do you have something in your target list? If so, please share. I'd love to hear from you.

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

Belly at Large: True Colors

Well, hello humans!

With all the flashes and stuff, people think I have brown eyes. No, you're wrong. My eyes are blue, glassy blue. The mamarazzi said they look very dreamy. Want proof?

See, I have blue eyes. The irises are blue. The mamarazzi just failed to capture it!
Also, please don't mind the mess. I love to roll in them!

Same pose, with flash
My eyes looked...red?!

Flashes are great. They make things look brighter. But sometimes, flashes don't give you true colors. Also, I hate them. They are too bright!

Propaganda of the day: Cat People Are People Too.
I know, I know. Since I've been a constant fixture of My Makeup Blog, the last "dog people" reader has been long gone. Not my fault but it's not fair for la mamarazzi. She's been working so hard on it. Besides, I'm handsome, I follow her like a puppy, and I had a dog as my BFF. Nope, I don't make the last one up. It's fur-real and I miss her a lot.

That's all for now. This week has been a doozy. Now, I need another nap.

Ciao for now,
Mr. Belly

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

For Audrey by China Glaze Gets Me Compliments

Hi everybody,

Have you heard the news? Recently, a set of 10 rare Audrey Hepburn stamps were auctioned. The winning bid was 430,00 euros (606,000 US dollars!) Unbelievable! The detail of why the stamps are so rare is here.

The detail of the stamp before the auction started.
Source

Why I don't have 430,000 euros to bid on the stamps, I do have a bottle of nail polish that commemorate Audrey Hepburn in her famous role of Holly Golightly in "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Yes, I'm talking about China Glaze's For Audrey.

China Glaze "For Audrey"

Do You Love Your Hair?

Hi everybody,

If you have followed the beauty blogsphere lately, you would probably noticed the uproar against the Brazilian Blowout. Yesterday, NPR did a story on it and you can read it here. Coincidentally, NPR also did another article about the latest and cutest musical number on "Sesame Street." During the weekend, I put it on my Facebook account and I have seen it in a lot of my friends' Facebook updates as well.

While my hair is easy to maintain, I do have friends who wake up at 4 a.m to make their hair look more presentable. It is hard work but most of my friends did not take an easy way out by perming their hair. In fact, some of them actually left the perm and embraced their natural curls.

When I read the "I Love My Hair" article on NPR, I was very touched at Mr. Mazzarino's effort to encourage his daughter to love her hair. His mentioning of the Barbie doll also struck a chord in me. For a very long time, I was flipping magazines after magazines, trying to find an actress or a model who looked like me. My main reason was to see how the makeup tips and tricks those magazine articles mentioned would look on Asian women. I got none. Every month, I looked at the cover of Cosmo and wondered why they didn't put Lucy Liu on the cover.

I guess this video clip deserves a post on my blog. It's not just about loving your hair but also about loving yourself. Of course, there are many things you and I want to change about our outlooks. However, instead of putting ourselves under the microscope and dissecting all the flaws, we should embrace it. What we deem as flaws are the things that make us unique.

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Monday Musings: Anti-Aging Tips

Hi everybody,

I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Toys-R-Us kid!

When I was younger, I rarely used anything on my face except some occasional zit creams. I did not even bat my lashes at anti-aging creams, lotions, and potions. Hello, I did not have wrinkles. Also, my skin was super oily 365 days a year (356 on leap years.) Now, my skin has dual personalities: oily in summer and dry in winter.

Except for some fine lines underneath my eyes, I don't have any wrinkles whatsoever. I guess a combination of oily skin and (somewhat) good genes helps. Besides, my knowledge of skincare has improved significantly since I started blogging here as well. Needless to say, I am not so clueless anymore and here are a few anti-aging tips I'd like to share:

1. Sunscreen is your friend:
Don't listen to the tanning salons, the sun is not 100% your friend. While we still need 10-15 minutes of sun exposure a day for vitamin D production, baking our skins in the sun is not healthy. Sunburn is only the superficial and immediate result that shows on your skin. Wrinkles come later and so far, a cream to remove wrinkles have not been invented.

With that said, I apply sunscreen before going outside. Living in the Sunshine State teaches me to embrace sunscreen wholeheartedly. Since my skin is sensitive to chemical sunscreen, I use products with physical sunblock. My skin has never been happier!

2. Love thy antioxidants:
Drink 'em, eat 'em, slather 'em on your skin and you will reap the reward. A neat trick to remember the three most powerful antioxidants: embracing vitamins A, C, and E and it will ACE your life. Of course, it is easier to pop a multi-vitamin pill. However, our bodies absorb vitamins better through food and it should be the first route of absorption. I find drinking fruits with high anti-oxidants as a smoothie is the easiest way to get the 3-5 servings of fruits per day. For my skin, I am using a vitamin C serum. It is a miracle in an air-tight pump bottle and my skin drinks it up like a smoothie (no pun intended!)

3. Drink enough water: 
Did you ever notice how dull and haggard your skin look after a long flight? If you look closely, you will realize we don't drink enough water when we are on the plane. We would get a small glass of water and some salty pretzels if we are lucky. After the flight was over, the body was dehydrated and it showed on your face. This seems like a no brainer but you should drink enough water per day. Want to know how much is enough? This article from the Mayo Clinic gives you a few suggestions.

4. Move your body:
Around mid-day, my mind goes to hibernation mode and I just want to crash and take a long nap. If I push myself too much, by 5pm I am a crabby mess. Recently, I found a cure to that. It's very simple: whenever I feel overwhelmed, I just take a walk outside to enjoy the fresh air. A small walk makes a huge difference. After 10 minutes, I feel refreshed and I am ready continue the rest of the day.

Besides physical exercises, I find workouts with the mind-body approach to be beneficial as well. Yoga can only be boring as long as you believe it. If holding a pose for three counts of breath is too easy for you, try to hold it for six counts. You will be very surprised of how capable your body is once you practice yoga.

Those are the four anti-aging tips I apply every single day. How about you? Do you have any other tips? I'd love to read all about them in the comment section.

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

A Day with Belly

Meow!

Get that camera off my face. Or else!

Yeah, I've been in gangster mood lately, mainly because of the weather. It was cold for a while and it got warm again. I like it when the weather is cold. I can eat more. Anyways, the deadline came like a train and I had nothing in my mind so I decided to share a day in the fabulous life of Belly the cat.

This is how it goes:

Knock knock!

3 a.m: knock on la mamarazzi's door and ask for food. If she doesn't answer, continue knocking/scratching.

7:30 a.m: knock again for breakfast. The 3 a.m shift was snack. Usually, she would wake up but she can be grumpy. I don't know why.

Noon: check to make sure she's at home. Then knock/scratch the door to ask for food again.

Wanna know how the rest of my day goes? Jump!

Not so Neutral FOTD

Hi everybody,

Lately, I have been in a neutral FOTD state of mind. Don't get me wrong, I love colors. However, I found no excuse to wear bright and cheerful colors at all. I blame it on my dark nail polishes. This week, I've been wearing "Daddy's Girl" nail polish from Sinful Colors and it inspired me to do a purple/neutral FOTD. To some people, purple is a neutral color. However, bright neon purples are still bright to me. I found two palettes from my stash and went to town with them. The result is this:

Not so Neutral FOTD

It looks neutral, right? But don't let it fool you. Want to know how it really look? Jump!

Exuviance Heel Repair Equals Happy Soles!

Hi everybody,

During the summer, the kind folks at NeoStrata sent me a package with the Exuviance Heel Repair and some samples for me to review. First of all, the idea of having skincare for my heels is both intriguing and repulsive to me at the same time. Intriguing because I've never really paid attention to the area that lifts up my body. Repulsive because I am lazy. Having to put the cream on my feet is not just an effort. It is a habit-forming activity that I'm sure I cannot acquire overnight.

Exuviance Heel Repair ($38)

Want to know if I like the Exuviance Heel Repair? Jump to find out!

Can a One Dollar Mascara Beat DiorShow?

Hi everybody,

After reviewing DiorShow, I wanted to know if I could find a cheap mascara that could out pass it. Although I love E.L.F very much, I have never tried any of their mascaras. Frankly, the reviews on Makeup Alley put me off and I didn't want to waste my money. After the "Back to School" display at Target was taken down, a lot of E.L.F products were marked 30% off and I decided to grab a smokey eyes kit. Inside, I found this Lengthening and Defining mascara. The sleek design called my name and I decided to give it a try.

e.l.f Lengthening and Defining mascara
(a part of the Essential Eye Combo LE set)

 For some unknown reasons, E.L.F no longer makes it available as a solo item. However, if you search for it on their website, it is available as a part of some certain sets. The Essential Eye Combo contains this mascara and costs only $3.

The mascara at a whole

 It is a rather slim and sleek-looking mascara. The cap is made of metal (probably aluminum) while the body is made of plastic. The brush head is quite small and basic. This is a no-fuss, no-muss mascara.

The brush head

Now, the question is: how well does it work?

Wanna know the answer? Jump!

Gifts from Italy

Hi everyone,

Recently, my friend Gio and I did an impromptu swap. As usual, I sent her some American makeup in exchange for Italian makeup. Guess what? Her package arrived faster than both of us expected and I got some lovely Italian makeup.

Layla Hydro Tense foundation, Astra lipgloss, eyeshadow, and duo blush.
Gio also included some samples which I quickly stashed away

Close-up at the colors

Gio told me she loves the Layla foundation very much and sent me a bottle in shade number 5, which is a good match for me. My skin is still pretty tan from the summer and this foundation adjusted well to it. The blush duo is very pigmented. I am very surprised at how little I need to use to get a nice healthy flush on my cheeks. I haven't tried the eyeshadow yet but it looks nice and it is brown.

Guess who felt left out from all of the Italian goodies?

El Gato Supremo! He's currently holding the padded envelope hostage...

...which is a nice pad for napping!
Homeboy even drooled on it when he slept! (Don't tell him that, he'll want extra belly rubs to mitigate the situation.)

Thank you, Gio, for all of the makeup. I really appreciate it. Belly certainly appreciates his new pad. It's Italian, after all!

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

Belly at Large: Matchy-Matchy Outfit

Hello, home boys and girls,

Belly's back!

First of all, a disclaimer: I love Kanye and there's no doubt about it. His song "Stronger" spoke to my heart. But recently, Kan hasn't been the same anymore. Since last year's MTV's VMA, aka the "Listen, Imma let you finish but Beyonce had one a da bes' music video a' all time, all time!"

Then, last Saturday, I was watching Kanye on Saturday Night Live and found him singing not one but two songs in this same red outfit. My whiskers just dropped to the floor!

Like, come on, bro! What the heck was that? I know Mr. West has been into fashion and all but a red getup with a pair of red sneakers reminded me of a famous monster on Sesame Street. Btw, Whatshisface the blonde bear is a fan. Elmo, Elmo, Elmo! Yeah, that outfit looked like it came straight from the Elmo Collection out of Sesame Street. At least Kanye kept it classy and didn't show cleavage like some singer. Oh wait, he wasn't on Sesame Street. He was on SNL.

To add to the insult, Kan had to bunch up a whole lot o' gold filigree chains around his neck. Hello, Meryl Streep just called and she wanted her necklaces back!

Last but not least, where did he get those red sneakers? And please don't tell me Kan sprayed tan a pair of Air Jordan. I guess you got the gist. Belly did not approve the getup. It is ridiculous. Kanye could have done better.

Now, for those who want to keep the whole ensemble in the same color or color group, here's the way to do it. Yes, you are taking fashion advice from a cat. But this cat watches Tim Gunn on "Project Runway"*.

Wanna know how to work it? Jump!

Missing Summer FOTD

Hi everybody,

This year, I realize my makeup is veering more toward neutral with smokey eyes throwing in once in a while. Fall is here and I am kinda missing summer. Well, not really. In the Sunshine State, the sun shines approximately 300 days out of a year. Not so bad, right?

I did this simple FOTD using the cutting the crease technique to add drama to my eyes. I also used Viva Glam VI SE to add a pop of color to my lips. This look is simple and it is not as intense as the cutting the crease look I did in the past.

Missing Summer FOTD

Wanna know how to create this look? Jump!

Beauty Literotica: The Complete Eyebrow Guide by Trisha Bartle

Hi everybody,

As we all know, a pair of well-groomed eyebrows can change the outlook of your face. Although we spend so much time on applying eye shadows on our eyes, some of us do not realize the eyebrows are the key players that frame the eyes. For a long time, I was very skeptical at grooming my own eyebrows. The sheer thought of grooming them brought shivers to my spine.

The Complete Eyebrow Guide by Trisha Bartle

But fear no more! Trisha from Makeup Files spent time to write "The Complete Eyebrow Guide" to help those who have eyebrow grooming-phobia. In this e-book, you will find information to choose the eyebrow style you want (thick or thin), the evolution of eyebrows (from pencil-thin to the famous Brook Shields eyebrows in the 80s.) You will also get a look at the perfect classic eyebrows that many Hollywood stars sported (have you ever wonder how magnificent Vanessa Williams' eyebrows look?)

Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Secret Admirer is Love!

Hi everyone,

Slowly but surely, I am going to post swatches and reviews of the four Sinful Colors nail polishes I recently acquired during the last sales at Walgreens. Since my friend "Ink" highly recommended Secret Admirer, I decided to use it first and OMGee, it is one really nice color!

Sinful Colors nail polish in Secret Admirer

 The best description of this nail polish is a metallic gunmetal color with lots of silver shimmers. It is a very cool-looking nail polish that goes well with dark outfits.

Autumn Is in the Air!

Fall in the Sunshine State

Just like that, the scorching hot weather is gone. We no longer feel the fake boob-melting heat anymore (which is the good thing for those who choose to surgically enhance that part of their bodies.) However, as the weather gets cooler, there's less water in the air. Hence, I need heavier moisturizer for my face and body.

Face:

During summer, the Z Mei skincare system became too much for me. As much as I love it, the heat basically melted everything off my face. Therefore, I stopped using Z Mei in the summer, which brought disastrous flocks of zits to my face. It was not so cool.

Now that fall is here, I'm bring Z Mei back into my skincare life. So far, the face has adapted pretty well and my skin looks a lot smoother than it was.

Also, I am adding hyaluronic acid to my skincare regimen. I found out if I use the Marie Louise toner with my Z Mei night creme, my face is baby soft when I wake up in the morning. Hyaluronic acid is a wonderful moisturizer and it worths the price.

Belly at Large: MeMeMeMeMe!

How YOU doin'?

Ok, so I stole the pickup line from "Friends" and I stole this MeMe from somewhere, too. So what? Are you going to ground me, mamarazzi dearest?

Anyways, I am gorgeous *smile* Today, I am all about sharing and caring and stuff so I decided to do a MeMe. What's better than that, right?

Are you ready for this jelly? Jump!