Tuesday, March 29, 2011

MIA.... Guess what I have started sewing again!

Hi Everyone,

OMG, I miss sewing so much. I have been pattern drafting a lot recently. It's been close to 6 months since I touched my sewing machine. Was never in the mood to touch the sewing machine during winter even though I was really wanting to sew a coat. It never happened! I was in hibernation mode.

Now I am back and working on a Mccall sewing pattern as well. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good pattern drafting book other then Helen Armstrong's pattern making for fashion design. I had a headache when I went thru this book/manual/textbook LOL!

I desperately want to draft my own patterns so any help from my fellow sewing enthusiasts would help tremendously. Anyway, I will be back with my completed dress soon.

Glad to be back in sewing! Yay!

Have a pleasant week everyone!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

OCC Lip Tar Swatches & Review

Hello fellow Lip tar fans,

I got myself some lip tars. Well, they are not made of real tar, so don't you worry! They are very pigmented lip colors that look like gloss but applies like lipstick. A little goes a long say. Super pigmented stuff I say! 

Being a Makeup artist, it is essential for me to be able to provide a variety of colors (includes eyeshadows, blushes, lip colors, etc...) based on the various makeup assignments. For me lip tars enable me to customize lip colors based on my clients needs and preferences. You just need a tiny bit of each color to customize a preferred color (if that makes sense! LOL). I am happy with my purchase.

Now for my quick review based on usage for the past two weeks. To be followed by photo swatches.

Color payoff
I can't repeat this enough! They are so pigmented! What you see in the tube is what you see on your lips when you apply. These puppies definitely conceal my pigmented lips

Longevity
It lasts for at least 5 hours. After that you will start to see that the lips get dry and the color starts to fade away. They are just a little drying on the lips. I wear a thin layer of vaseline or a lip balm before applying the lip tar.

Texture
It's not creamy. It's like a thin gloss that is rich in color. 

Smell
They have a peppermint scent, which is very pleasant. I like it!

Price range
Prices defer depending on which online seller. I know from the OCC website, they are priced at USD$13.00. I got mine from a UK online retailer called Love-makeup. They were priced at £8.99 each excluding shipping.




Hush 
OCC describes this as the perfect bridal pink, soft & neutral color.
For me this shade is a too light to be worn on it's own, however it's great for mixing. However, this will suit those who are of lighter skin tone.

Grandma
OCC describes this as a clean and classic true coral color.
It is a bright coral which has more pink. Looks ok when worn on it's own however, I would tone it down by outlining the lips with a tad darker lip pencil.

Momento
OCC describes this as a soft pink/plum neutral color.
This is a beautiful pink color for brown skin toned ladies. I like this one quite much.

Plum
OCC describes this as a deep, brandied plum color.
I truly agree! Beautiful plum/mauve color. It somehow reminds me of Mac fastplay lipstick. 

Demure
OCC describes this as deep purple with intense fuchsia undertones.
To me this is a straight up fuchsia color on my lips. Beautiful on olive/brown toned ladies. Reminds me of Mac Gulabi lipstick. Great of those days where you just want some drama on the lips without all out brights (weird)!

Petty Beige
OCC describes this as golden beige neutral.
It is a perfect shade nude color for my pigmented lips that does not wash me out. I love it!

Fondue
OCC does not seem to carry this on their site anymore however, some UK online sellers do.
I would describe it as a rich, chocolatey brown color. I would not wear this on it's own. It's too dark for my taste. It's definitely for mixing.

Safety orange
OCC describes this as a rich yet vibrant true orange color.
It is a very bright orange color with red undertones which can be worn on it's own but it's best to use a lip pencil to add some dimension to the look in my opinion.

NSFW - Not safe for work
OCC describes this as a true primary red color.
This is a lovely red colour for almost any skin tone. Great for a classic pin-up girl look.

Stalker
OCC describes this as a true,classic, pin up blue based red.
It is a blue based red. Another pretty red color for any skin tone. Somehow it reminds me of Mac rebel lipstick.

These are the colors I came up with after doing some mixing here and there. 





I hope this helps! 

Thanks for coming by!

:)



Thursday, March 17, 2011

Vibrant purple, green and Orange look Spring 2011

Spring is in the air! I am so excited. Had enough of winter, it's time to move on to sunny and warmer days. This is what inspired me to do this makeup look. It's all about keeping it colorful yet wearable. We don't want to be a walking rainbow ( do we?)!





Products used are:

EYES
Mac - Indianwood paintpot
Urban Decay - Ransom 24/7 glide on eye pencil
Tkb trading - Grape pop pigment
Tkb trading - Apple green pop pigment
Tkb trading - Tangerine pop pigment
Mac - Naked pigment
Urban decay - Zero 24/7 glide on eye pencil
Rimmel - Max bold curves mascara

CHEEKS
La femme - Peach blush

LIPS
OCC - Hush
OCC - Petty Beige


Thanks for coming by darlings!


Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Swatch & Review : NYX round lipstick

Hello lovelies,

It's swatch and review time!
Nyx is a cosmetic company that provides inexpensive cosmetics. I have used a couple of their products in the past years. For the price, I think they are quite average to good quality makeup. Since I have some lipsticks from them in my stash, I thought of taking the time to swatch them. Here is a quick review on how they wear.

Colour payoff 
 What you see in the tube is what you end up with when applied on lips
Longevity 
 Not very lasting on the lips. You definitely have to reapply after eating, drinking, etc... You can use a lip pencil prior to lipstick application and this helps with the product longevity.
Texture 
 All of them are very creamy and easy to work with. They don't dry the lips like some Mac lipsticks do.
Smell 
They have a mild fruity smell. I just can't point my finger at which fruit though.
Price range
 Very affordable. Depending on which seller/store, sometimes you can get them at USD$0.99. Usually they cost around USD$1.25 - $2.50

So here the swatches, I hope someday someone will find this useful!



















My favorites are :
B52
Frappucino
Hermes
Tea rose
Louisiana
Indian pink
Chaos


Thanks for coming by darlings!

Have a great week!

(PS: It has been nice and sunny in cold Sweden, I hope it stays that way. Spring, I really miss you!)


Saturday, March 5, 2011

My new face/foundation routine

Hello Everyone!

This is a highly requested video asking about my face or foundation routine. I try to keep things simple and minimum as much as I can. I don't like too much makeup. Beauty should shine through from within. Makeup is just an enhancement.




So here are the products I use:

Face base
Moisturizer - Akamuti Replenishing face cream
Toner - Akamuti Orange blossoms facial toner

Foundation/concealer
Nars - Sheer glow foundation in Cadiz
Loreal - True match foundation in caramel beige W7
Revlon - Colorstay in Toast
Mac - Select moisture cover NC44 or NW35

Face powder & Contour
Mac - Medium dark/ Natural & Shimmer MSF
Mac - Deep dark MSF

Brushes
Mac - 109 contouring brush
Ebay - Flat top synthetic brush
 (I forgot to include this brush in the video as it was in my 'to wash' bin)


Thanks for watching!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Ebay haul time and yes I am back!

Hello my Lovelies,

I know I have been MIA for a while. This winter is really hard for me. It's still cold and grey here in Sweden. However, there has been some Sun shine coming through on some days. I never really thought living in a cold environment can be this hard. Obviously, my body is so tuned to the hot, sunny and humid Singapore. I am really looking forward to Spring.... So badly! Please God hear me out!

Even though the past two weeks has not been that motivating for me, it didn't stop me from doing some online shopping. This time, it's ebay and a web-store from Hongkong.

Here are the items I bought and the links to the ebay sellers in case you guys are interested to know. Please click on the link so that you will be directed to the seller's ebay/web store.

12 color glitter powder - 180in_com
Synthetic flat top foundation face brush - ecdaphne888
100 mixed 3D nail art cane sticks - eleseed
20 color nail art 2-way pen brush - ebeautyhouse
UV Gel Nail Art Kit Set Lamp Buffer Edge Cutter Carver - www.bornprettystore.com 
10 pcs Clear False Nail tips Art Display Practice Wheel - www.bornprettystore.com

Tips on buying from Ebay :
This is based on my experience as I have bought tons of things from ebay for the past 10 years or so.

1) Make sure you to do your research on the items that you are planning on buying. It helps big time!
2) Check out the ebay seller's feedback rating. Check if they have any negative feedback. Sometimes, you can see a pattern on whether the seller is problematic or not.
3) Make sure you use paypal to pay. Paypal has some form of buyers protection so this way, you can protect your credit card details and also raise a dispute of the seller does not deliver in accordance to what you have bought.
4) Buying anything online is like taking a chance. So be prepared that some things may differ in size, shape from the pictures on the ebay store. 
5) Be prepared to wait for up till 3 weeks for the package to arrive, especially if you are living in Europe. This is mainly applicable if the item is shipped from Asia (eg, China, Hong Kong, etc...)


I hope some of you find this post useful. I am glad that I managed to pull myself together to post a video and type up this post. Trust me, I am having a really tough time right now! Maybe it's going to be that time of the month! Hmmm... I hope this phase passes soon!

Anyway, thanks for coming by my darlings!