Monday, April 21, 2008

homemade mixing medium

last week i was watching a tutorial by EnKoreMakeup from youtube on how to make a homemade mixing medium and i was pretty impressed with the results

to make the mixing medium... you basically have to fill a small bottle up with 3/4 water and 1/4 liquid glycerin (you can find that at rite aid for $4.99) and thats all

just remember you have to toss it out every 1 month or so because there are no perservatives in it so as EnKoreMakeup suggests, make small batches at a time

anyways this is just to show how to use it and also a swatch to show you guys the results
i used a shimmer powder from missha and my brush from the body shop to pack on the colors



simply add a small drop of the mixing medium onto the powder and MIX!



Left> with mixing medium
Center> with water
Right> just the powder itself


the green is much more vivid with the mixing medium :)

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

MASCARA

i absolutely love mascara. to me, it can completely change how a person looks.
but i know how tough it is to settle for one mascara..
i keep buying different ones and never stick with one brand.
i've been using mascara since my freshmen year of high school. i've probably tried more than 20 different ones (mostly drugstore ones). i've tried covergirl, rimmel, maybelline, max factor, loreal, clinique, este lauder, and more.
heres the thing... good for you if you can afford to buy expensive mascaras from department stores. but truthfully (even though i've been tempted so many times to get Dior Show/Fiberwig) i don't think it is necessary. we usually throw out a tube in 2-3 months (or at least we should) to avoid having bacteria grow in it, so buying a tube for 20-30 dollars is such a waste. i think it is also more about your technique (in other words HOW you put mascara on). i'll post my a run down of how i usually put on my mascara later on but for now heres a review of 2 mascaras i am currently using.



















the mascara on the top is from Max Factor and it is called 2000 Calorie. the one on the bottom is from Maybelline and its called Volum' Express Turbo Boost.
2000 calorie is great. one of my favorite mascaras. i've read somewhere (i think makeupalley.com) that it is comparable to dior show. it is super dark and makes my thin little lashes stand out and look FAT (and thats a good thing for lashes). It does not weigh down my lashes as much as other mascaras do. I have straight asian lashes that almost points down sometimes after I curled my lashes and put on mascara my lashes just fall straight down again but with this one I do not completely lose the curl. Also it does not really flake off by the end of the day (at least not for me) and I know that’s a big problem for some people. the one thing about it that bugs me sometimes is that it does clump a bit so after you apply it, you should probably brush it out with a lash comb. i think it was around 5-7 dollars so the price is not too bad. i would give it a 4 out of 5.



















Volum' Express does not impress me, just like any other maybelline mascaras i've tried. it does not clump much but it does not give me any volume as it promises. surprisingly though it does lengthen my lashes a little. i use this when i am feeling lazy and just want my lashes to look natural. But it does weight my lashes down a bit. after I put it on, my lashes just falls straight again, and so I do have to curl it again (like most other mascaras). i recently started using it for my bottom lashes too. it looks pretty nice, i think because the brush is straight and long, so all I do is put it across my lashes and gently push down a little. This mascara does not really flake on me either and i think it was around 5-6 dollars but i would still give it a 2 out of 5.
(The brush on the left is Volum' Express and the right is 2000 Calorie. )

as i've previously said the price of a mascara does not matter most of the time however i think investing on a good eyelash curler is important.
i've tried a cheap plastic eyelash curler and the revlon one but i have to say the one by Shu Uemura (the one shown in the first picture) is the best. it does not just bend and create a fold on my lashes like others. it really give a nice curl. it was about 20 dollars and they are available at high end department store, sephora, and other locations like that.

i used both of the mascaras together today and here are my results:













i'll do a review on two cover girl mascaras i also have soon!

this is going to be fun. :)

after seeing so many other interesting blogs i decided to make my own. hopefully i'll find the time to update often. eventually i'll add some of my beauty tips, product reviews, maybe some makeup tutorials, fashion-related stuff, and more... but most likely not anything about my personal life.
a little about me... i am a college study in southern california. i am asian and not skinny. i love to dress up and get all dolled up. i try to present myself nicely (most of the time).
anyways i'll come back with some exciting stuff soon until then chao~