Yza

A pre-debut shoot. :)  Please view my Flickr for better quality. 

Make-up for Starters (a.k.a. My Sister, LOL)

So... my sister, a college senior (I think, LOL), was asking me to teach her how to put on make-up the other day.  This wasn't the first time she sought for make-up advice from me, which got me thinking what was up with her.  She's usually the type to not really mind about how she looks and would just go out with a plain face.  For the past year, I think she's been using powder and whatnot, just because she was gifted them.  Nonetheless, I'm happy she's asking.  I feel like my hours of watching makeup tutorials/monthly favorites/etc. during breakfast paid off.  Yes, that is my guilty pleasure.  

Despite having no background or professional training on make-up, I've decided that instead of directly messaging my sister, I would come up with a blog post.  

I'm surprised at how fast I'm writing this.  Hahaha.  Anyway, the best way to learn I think is to watch tutorials on Youtube and try what they teach and experiment.  One of my favorite "makeup gurus" (as they call it in Youtube) is Tanya Burr.  But, I do pick up a few techniques from others too (Sonya, I will link my Youtube account to you so you can check. hahaha.).  

Collectively, it would definitely depend on you if you'd wanna skip some steps or take in everything I'd be writing.  These are just the usual things I do and use.  

The products I will be mentioning are not that expensive (sort of mid-range), cause this is aimed for starters anyway.

 On to the steps...

1.  Good skin care routine - This step would probably be the hardest in terms of recommending specific products, because we're all different when it comes to skin.  The point here is that, despite putting on makeup, we should have a good base for easier application and obviously, the healthier, the better.  As of now, I alternate between 2 cleansers (Olay & Face Shop).  I tone (and even clear makeup before cleansing) with the Bifesta water, which I really like.  It doesn't sting.  I use a serum for my moisturizer to absorb faster.  Its an additional step, but I think it helps.  For moisturizer I use Olay Total Effects for day and Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion for night. 

2.  Primer - This step is optional.  But to fully appreciate and maximize your base make-up, you might wanna add this step.  Now, I'm using Maybelline's Baby Skin.  You would instantly feel and see the smoothening effect.  I can't tell though if it helps with staying power.  Lol. 

3.  BB Cream / Foundation - If you're scared to jump right in, BB Cream might be a better choice as it would provide you lighter or a more sheer coverage.  It just might be tricky upon purchasing because shades are quite limited.  But if you're a confident one, then feel free to indulge in the magic that is liquid foundation.  There are several types, but I think the one that gives you best coverage would be liquid.  I am currently trying out the Ponds BB Cream in .  Revlon Colorstay is the foundation I use when I feel like I need extra coverage.  Foundation, might be a thing you can splurge on cause its your "base" and what first touches your skin.  Foundation is best applied with a brush in my opinion, but feel free to use your fingers or a sponge.  Fingers are better for BB Cream.

4.  Concealer - If you have dark circles and blemishes, concealer would be your best friend.  Sometimes, this is all I need under powder for everyday.  I am finishing up my Maybelline concealer as apparent in the photo.

5.  Powder foundation - Personally, I prefer powder foundation just in case I'd skip foundation or BB cream.  At least with this you'd already get to even your complexion.  You can use any powder (loose / translucent / mineral) to lock in your foundation or BB cream, especially when going for a matte finish.  Don't be fooled by the casing in the photo.  The casing is a former L'oreal product, which I believe has been faced out.  My powder at the moment is from Maybelline.  I broke my MAC Studio Fix and opted for a cheaper one to replace it.  I apply this with a powder brush.

6.  Eyebrow Kit - With all the powder and base make-up on, your brows might look less alive, so we have to groom them a bit.  I use the In2It eyebrow kit, which I find to be a good value-for-your-money product.  I use this to fill in gaps and bring back the color of my brows, especially those that have been stained by foundation.  Because my hair is has a bit of a color now, I try to even my brows out or make it a bit lighter by coloring the hairs of it with a brow tint.  The one in the photo is by Elf.

7.  Blush - This is the key to not look sick or pale.  Ever since high school I've used The Body Shop's Lip and Cheek Stain.  You can use your fingers to blend it in, but I use a kabuki brush cause it could easily transfer to your fingers.  Its more natural than powder blush.  Apply dots on the apples of your cheeks then blend quickly.  Apply little by little cause a lot of product might make your cheeks too pink.

8.  Bronzer - Ummm.. Sonya, you don't need this.  I use this to "slim" my face.  Lol.  Its usually applied below the cheekbones and the jawline to "chisel" your face.

9.  Eyeliner - This is probably the product that will give the most obvious effect.  It would make your eyes less sleepy.  Asian eyes, bigger.  Pencil will be the easiest form of eyeliner to use.  A dark brown shade will give you just enough definition compared to the usual black which will give you more drama.  So, it would really depend on what you're going for.

10.  Gloss - I decided to use the lip and cheek tint to give a little color (as if I constantly bite my lip, lol) then just top it off with gloss or balm. 

To improve application, brushes would also be a good investment, but some good ones could be really pricey.  This post would get longer if I start talking about what each brush does, but I'm pretty sure you could imagine how each one works.  I put them beside the products I use them with on the photos above.

Oh, and also, MASCARA!  But for my lashes, which are pretty straight and short, I really need to curl them first before applying mascara.  So, that adds lash curler.  So for eyes, liner, curler, and mascara are basically all you need.

So, that's it. :) Hmm... I hope this helped.

Late Night Editing

There's something about looking at old photos that make you wanna tweak them again and give another feel to each one.  The photo below is one I took for my friend's online shop. 

Here's the before: 

I'm all for keeping the photo as close to the real deal (color, contrast, etc.), but once in a while its great to experiment on color, gradient, etc. to make the photo appear dreamy and hopefully more memorable.  Here's my take tonight with the help of this tutorial:

The girl doing the tutorial took a lot of steps, but I just did those that I thought would help with the photo I was working on.  She was trying to get the style of Emily Soto, who I admire when it comes to photography.  My edit and shot doesn't come close, but I'm still happy with mine.  

P.S. I'm really loving Flickr's interface at the moment, but they crash a lot!  Hope they fix that soon. :)

Cold Tone

Late night blogging.  Late night editing.

 A few weeks ago I arrived home and was surprised to find our house and neighbor houses without electricity, basically there was a brown out.  I wonder if its called brown out in other places or black out.  If you know me, I'm not the type to panic and be disappointed when there are brown outs, unless I really need the electricity (for work and for taking a bath).  In most cases, I find it as a chance to unwind.  My latest "unwinding" session was in the form of self-portrait-taking.  Long time no self-portrait actually.  I've been into self-portraits since the beginning of my Flickr life and actually think I did better back then.  I just kinda stopped when I started getting a little chubbier, when I lost my tripod, and when I just got plain lazy.  But here I am again, resurrecting my old hobby.  

A shoot with no light?  Technically, I used an emergency light, but I just wanted to challenge myself I guess and play with the light.  I had a flash, but I don't think it fired for these 3 photos.  I want to note that the last one is straight out of the camera. :)

Now, lets wait till the next brown out. :)

Thoughts on Technology

This morning I forgot my phone.  I left it charging.  While driving to work, I usually review in my head the things I have to do once I reach the office.  That is when I realized I have left my phone at home.  No doubt, the number one thing I have to do when reaching the office is call somebody.  I couldn't go back just yet as I had an applicant to interview.  Every time I am in a scenario like this (or when I end up lining at the bank for almost an hour), I feel bare and restless like how girls feel when they don't have earrings on or in my case a watch.

Its funny how people now are so dependent on their gadgets and devices, when we've had several years of existence without them.  There's obviously the older generations who are affected by all these and even aloof of what kids are capable of these days because of technology and there's my generation who at least has tried a bit of both.  When I say both, I mean the "days before technology" and today.  Its also our generation who sorta saw and experienced the rise of all the gaming consoles, the growth of the cellphone, music players from Walkman to iPods, and the introduction of "touch screen" things.

What I'm just saying here is that I do appreciate all these gadgets and I am very thankful being one who's fortunate enough to have them, but I do miss the simpler things.  Pen and paper.  Card and board games.  Letters.  Actually meeting each other to chat.
 

Travel Diaries: HK Take 2

Hi there!

My family and I went to Hong Kong after Holy Week.  Last year, I went with a different group.  So, as it was my second time to visit, it was my family's first time and it was quite nice that I was showing them around some places I was familiar with.  The experience was very different though since I was with my family this time and we haven't been out of the country for some time.

We stayed at the YMCA Salisbury Hotel.  Almost everybody I talked to about our trip were curious as to why we booked in a YMCA Hotel.  Despite the images the name of the hotel might give you, it isn't bad at all.  The lobby was sort of rustic and modern at the same time.  The beaten up leather couches paired with great wooden coffee tables and side tables mixed well with the clean fixtures of the hotel.  

Other than being satisfied with our family suite (which had a King sized bed for the bedroom, a sofa bed in the living room, and a fantastic view of the harbor especially at night, in time for the light show), location-wise it was perfect.  A few minutes walk you could already hop on the train.  A few minutes walk to the right and you could shop at all those designer shops.  

Because of our failure to actually plan the trip, we ended up commuting via MTR everywhere we went except maybe for the trips to and from the airport (we took the A21 bus), which I think turned out better since it is pretty convenient and a fun way to explore the city.  Also, it allowed us to save money.  We bought tourist passes/tickets instead of the Octopus card that I think you put load on.  We had a lot of photos in the train.  Typical tourist moves.  LOL.

Since we were still really small kids when we first went to Disneyland LA, of course we had to go again.  

We rode one of the more thrilling rides in Disneyland, Grizzly Gulch.  And because it was raining hard while we were on the ride, we were soaked.  It was a fun experience even if in the photo we don't seem to look it.  

We decided to spend only half a day though in Disneyland.  Earlier that day we went to Ngong Ping 360 which is HK's infamous cable car ride.  There was the standard cable car and there was one where the floor was clear so you can see through it.  I applaud my mother for enduring it even though we all knew she was scared to death, especially when it stopped for a few minutes and the wind was swaying us.  LOL.

 Towards the end of the ride, on the way to the small town with the monastery, you would easily see the Buddha on top of the hill.  Too bad it was really gloomy and foggy on all the days we were there, raining even.  The ride would have been better.

We're lucky to have a dad too that's very keen on documenting EVERYTHING! hahaha.  Its like we had an official photographer or paparazzi.

During our last night we visited Temple Street.  The locals looked like they were enjoying their food very much along with a big bottle of San Miguel beer.  

I don't know what you call these things (photo below), but from what I saw, you write what you wish or pray for and hang it in the wall along with the others.  Pretty nice idea.

It was a great trip despite the shortness of it.  We brought home a ton of pictures that we don't even think were enough.  We had three cameras during the trip: a Canon 600D, Canon Rebel XSi, and the latest edition to our camera family, a Canon S110.  We wanted a small camera that we could easily bring and put in our pocket.  It has wi-fi too so you could easily send it to your phone, tablet, or your online accounts.  Above photos were taken by me, my sister, and my dad.  

How's everyone's summer?

Until next trip!

The Perfect Shade

I picked up this lipstick at the HK airport on my way back to the Philippines.  I'm quite excited about it cause its my first "luxury" beauty item.  Despite the cost (which doesn't seem that bad since I bought it in Duty Free), I just feel like a million bucks just holding it and knowing that I own such an item.  Its even cool how it opens and stays closed.  Photos won't suffice to demonstrate that.  Anyway, the point of this post is that, I think we should indulge ourselves once in a while.  :)

P.S. This is the Chanel Rouge Allure Lipstick in the shade no. 92. :)