Slash that Stash! Part 1 | Top 5 – Five to Survive

Today is all about makeup kit weight loss, sticking with stuff that works and what you need. Capsule kits are king this spring/summer because of all the holidays people will be taking and college girls are about to start school again this June. The makeup pouch, kit, sack…whatever… is what always ends up a burgeoning mess halfway out the door for girls who care (like myself) simply because we’re finicky and like trying different things. People are talking about paring down the kit but to make things easier for the variation among you I’m doing a 2-part series. First for today a bare minimum 5 products (excluding tools) for those who need to look done and don’t fuss as much and then a more trooper-esque 10 products next time for the hopelessly devoted. Bear in mind this is not as much about the branded products presented as it is essentially 5 general cosmetic items you will need to put a fresh, lightly done face on. This Part 1 post will also be segmented two ways. It will begin with the “5 to Survive” for makeup noobs (easy to use products with minimal tools) and then the 5 to survive for the part-time “pros” with more skill. Please note that these are recommendations and you can of course substitute different brands that offer the same sort of product. The mixes may or may not work for you but I’m free to present why I think they should work .

THE MAKEUP NOOB’S FIVE TO SURVIVE

So you need to primp and you don’t care as much as the rest of the female population ( And that’s okay, we are born in variants) but you need to keep staples on hand at all times to put a face on as needed. You may or may not be an athlete, social worker, a nurse, a spy (who sees you) or maybe a mother of 10 but whatever the case you do have more important pursuits than fussing with your face. You loathe needing skills to use different brushes other than a powder brush and the idea of using multiple eyeshadow and blending forever recycles itself…binned at the back of your mind. Maybe this lot is for you. I sacrificed eyeliner because mascara works for me at a bare minimum. If you can’t live without eyeliner add to the 5 and make it 6, no one’s stopping you hehe.

CLOCKWISE: 1.) A foundation or base product that can be built to conceal (Shiseido Perfect Refining foundation SPF 24), 2.) A lip and cheek product (Benefit ChaCha Tint), 3.) A volumizing waterproof mascara (L’Oreal False Lash Telescopic this is the non-waterproof , my WP one is already ugly to look at lol), 4.) A liquid brow pen (K-palette 1DayTattoo Eyebrow pen I cheated and used the eyeliner for the photo, but it looks the same), 5.) A mineral compact setting powder (MakeUp Factory Mineral Compact, you can also use MAC MSF Natural but that doesn’t have a mirror)

TOOLS FOR THE MAKEUP NOOB – See no worries, just the Shu Uemura lash curler and a retractable powder brush. My brush is an Ecotools one but you can locally get premium ones by Charm makeup brushes.

This Top 5 set I put together keeping in mind that people without the skill or any plan to add to what they can do with their hands should have convenient options. You can apply the foundation with your hands beginning at the center of your face. This Shiseido one I chose is as thin as a tinted moisturizer, comes in a dinky convenient dropper bottle and offers medium to full coverage so you can add more in certain areas to conceal more. While the foundation is still moist add the cheek tint, the one I chose by Benefit quickly stains which is why you have to massage it onto the apples of your cheeks immediately once applied. Fill in sparse areas of your brows with the brow pen and and perfect the tail. Proceed to powder the T-zone and chin with the Makeup Factory mineral compact. Lastly, curl your lashes and apply mascara thickly at the base of the roots and thinner at the tips. Read more to see the Five to Survive set I chose for part-time makeup pros.

My Valentine Makeover Giveaway! | Nationwide Until Feb.10, 2013

Hey, Beauties!  I’d preferably put up a Valentine Giveaway on the 1st of February to mark the month of love, but since there’s a major wedding the following week and I’m a bridesmaid I just really had to get this up sooner.  This, Ladies, gets the gussy going starting with skincare at least a night or two before VDay which also explains why I’m making the draw on February 10.  No sulking allowed even if you haven’t got a fella, bring on the pamper and polish because you’ve got to look your best!

The winner gets to take home ALL these prizes. It’s a fine mix of skincare, makeup, and haircare this time with brands like Laneige, Lush, Nivea, Benefit Cosmetics, K-Palette and more!  I’m so happy that I’m able to share these prizes with you just before Valentine’s Day!  In order to facilitate this giveaway I’ll be using an embedded Rafflecopter widget like the last time to make it fair for everyone.  Click read more to get to the list and close-up photos of these prizes and enter the giveaway by using the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this blog post .

The Spare Makeup Kit | Put Together in a Mad Dash

Okay, so I groaned when I realized I had scatterbrained-ly left my makeup kit in my uncle’s house.  It happens to the best of us.  My cousin, Ella, was kind enough to secure that baby the minute I texted her.  If you’re wondering, that illustrated ”Prettify” canvas pouch has most of my personal favorites. It’s a good thing I’m a makeup bug blessed with more than enough to choose from.  Without overthinking it (and in a complete hurry) I managed to put a small temporary kit together using the pretty Kate Spade polka-dot wash bag Mom got me. 

Let me significantly point out that this spare kit came together in 2 groups:

1) What I grabbed the moment I knew I left my kit the other day…

CLOCKWISE (sort of): Wet & Wild Megalast matte lipstick 902C, MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer NC30, Jordana lipstick Beige Glow, NYX Nude Beige lipliner, Korres Multivitamin Pressed Powder, Maybelline Volum Express Falsies Black Drama mascara, Okuma concealer (by k-palette), black Maybelline Eyestudio Eyeliner pencil

and 2) What I added in today with time to think.

FROM LEFT: Stila Smudgestick automatic eyeliner in “Halfmoon”, Za EverBrows pencil with brow brush, Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Eyeliner black (pot) & brush, Missha perfect concealer in natural beige, Nichido mineral concealer pencil (for small spots & perfecting the lip edge after lipstick), and Elizabeth Arden 8-hr Cream Stick.

You’ll notice i haven’t added a lash curler and blush product that’s simply coz I didn’t have time and I’m being super honest. I’d probably add a lash curler and my new NARS Zen blush to make this complete but that’s in the kit I left behind. I’ll have my main makeup kit back with me soon enough but these will see me through.

Beauty Spotting Jan 2013 | So new, so nice, can’t get them here, yet…

I like hearing about new items, even if I can’t get them.  There’s something pervasively thrilling about a beauty item that’s not quite within your reach.  You wonder how it might work, feel, or look on you and you start to imagine how you might come by it and there’s always a story to tell when you’re able to get something that’s not readily available.  Here are a few things I’ve spotted that are quite a delight to look upon and the idea of them is like honey to this bee.  Buzz.

ANASTASIA Bold and Beautiful Kit, for brows and eyes.

We begin with Anastasia’s quite necessary Bold and Beautiful Kit.  You have a Great Gatsby inspired box encasing 2 palette volumes.  One is for brows with 2 brow shades tweezers and a dual sized angled brush and spoolie.  The other palette is a quad of rich neutral colors for eyes also with a dual sided eyebrow brush.  This whole ensemble actually looks like something Urban Decay would do, but way classier.  You can also cheat looking like a bookworm with it.

Image from www.cybelesays.com

Bare Minerals READY Foundation SPF 20, hydrating pressed mineral foundation compact, comes in 20 shades to suit.

Now this new READY foundation product by Bare Minerals (it is about time they got pressed I believe), apart from its heavyweight price, could readily be (pun intended) an instant sellout amongst women 30 upwards in a humid country like ours.  I’m sure a lot of you have asked for Bare Minerals as “pasalubongs” before, like a couple of years back?  And probably still  have pots of the stuff sitting unfinished here and there.  Mineral makeup was a fun trend, but it was awfully messy wasn’t it?  Over here I’d confidently say more than half of the populace prefers to apply powder bases on to fight sweat and shine all day, all night.  They claim it isn’t drying even if it is a pressed mineral formula but what I’m wondering is why they pressed their eyeshadows before their foundation… anyway, I’m inclined to believe that their formula is a knockout considering the age of technology the world is now in.  These mineral compacts are already doing well, but they forgot to do one thing…they forgot to come here.

Now, after all that makeup talk we need something to take it off, oh, excuse me keep it on…or both?!  Shiseido brings to the world an innovative primer called the Fullmake Washable Base that works as a primer but emulsifies when it comes in full contact ONLY WITH WARM WATER.  It does the double purpose of helping your makeup stay well on but it also does the job of carrying your makeup off from beneath when you cleanse your face.  Its sudden emulsifying action reportedly won’t trigger with cold water, only with warm water, so no need to worry about sudden weather changes ruining your face.  Now the thing is…not everyone has heated sinks here, but will that stop me from wanting to try this?  Let me think…uhm, no, haha.  It’s currently pre-selling in Japan, British Beauty Blogger says, but I’m not sure if it’s also scheduled to arrive here in March when it launches globally.

My Nationwide Thanksgiving Treat Beauty Giveaway! – Open ’til Nov. 25, 2012

I would personally like to thank you for the support of all my readers, half of which I know are family and friends whom I hold dear.  The blog would not be where it is right now without your enjoyment, support, encouragement, and comments and so I’m very very thankful to you guys for being able to enjoy OR withstand my beauty musings and kikay outbursts LOL.  To the rest of you who I may or may not have responded to via your comments on my posts I pray you have a marvelous Thanksgiving.  Just the other day at a wedding I did makeup for one of the entourage guests I worked on turned out to be a reader who wasn’t referred to the blog by anybody I knew…which is a total first.  I was put in a surreal spot when I began doing her makeup, I was like “Really? You’ve actually been reading my blog for a year already?  This is too surreal…”.

I know that Thanksgiving is already this Thursday but so that more people can join this lovely giveaway (my biggest ever I think) I’m keeping this nationwide giveaway open until November 25th, this Sunday.  What you have here are a mix of beauty goodies and/or samples I got from the U.S., Hong Kong, and some excess items some lovely brands have been sending me throughout the year.  Only 1 or 2 things are items I fished out of sample boxes I was given only because I believed you guys would really like to check them out.  Some of the brands included are Estee Lauder, Clinique, Diptyque, Cetaphil, L’oreal, Human Nature, NYX, and quite a few more .

1 Clinique Turn Around Concentrate 15ml, 1 Clinique Liquid Facial Soap 30ml, 1 Clinique All About Eyes Cream 5 ml, 1 Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion 15ml,

1 NYX Luscious Lipgloss Palette 02 The Naturals, 1 Maldita clothing Member’s Discount Card, 1 Benefit Cosmetics Posie Tint Sample 2.5ml,

1 Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero-Smudge Mascara, 2.8ml Deluxe Travel tube, 1 Estee Lauder Hydrationist Moisture Serum 7ml, 1 Fresh Brown Sugar Eau de Parfum Rollerball,

1 Diptyque Philosykos Eau de Toilette Sample 1.5ml, 1 Diptyque Huile Precieuses, Precious Oils sample 10ml, 1 Diptyque Lait Frais, Fresh Body Lotion 10ml,

1 Max Factor Glossfinity Polish, 140 Cobalt Blue 11ml, 5 L’oreal UV Perfect BB Max 5ml samples, 5 L’oreal Youth Code Pre-Essence Serum, 5ml samples, 5 L’oreal RevitaLift Night Serum, 5ml samples,

1 Kai Beauty-M Brow Razor, 1 Human Nature Bamboo Body Scrub, Vanilla Paradise, 1 Davi Napa Lip Balm, 1 Sariayu Martha Tilaar, Indonesian Lipstick, “Kelimutu” (berry shade), 1 Comodynes Make-Up Remover Wipes, Combo Oily Skin,

1 Cetaphil Daily Advance Ultra Hydrating Lotion, w/ Macadamia Nut Oil & Shea Butter, 1 Cetaphil Daily Moisturizer SPF 15, 1 L’Occitane Rose Petals Hand Cream sachet, 1 Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream Sachet #23, 1 ZEN ZEST Cocktail Collection Body Spray, “Cosmopolitan”

Told you it was a hefty one!  Click Read more to get to close up photos of the prizes and use the Rafflecopter Mechanics widget at the very bottom which has the complete list of prize.  Use the embedded widget’s instructions in order to enter and join, there are 3 mandatory steps and 1 optional action for extra points.  IMPORTANT:  Remember, you must follow the instructions in the widget exactly, and REALLY leave a blog post comment before you click “I COMMENTED” on Rafflecopter because I will still check the blog post comments because that is mandatory for the giveaway.  This giveaway is open only to Philippine residents.  Read more to continue to Rafflecopter.