Tuesday 31 March 2015

The best and most beautiful things are felt with the heart...

























Happy Tuesday!

Hope everyone's week is going by well! Yesterday, I had the opportunity to do makeup teamed up with the artists from Truebeauty Makeup Artistry, for a designer by the name of Lisa Marie Couture during Western Canada Fashion Week! Had tonnes of fun! Hopefully will be sharing some professional shots of it soon=)

Here's a look I did, inspired by Thailand's professional artist Pearypie. Her work is amazing and so is her creativity! To achieve the purple lips, I used "bright blue 014" and "red 017" from Makeupforever's Flashpalette. To create the star, Pearypie usually uses stickers for clean edges, but I used "white 010" from the flash palette again. That's it for now!

PS: Just wanna share with you guys one of my favourite verses.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." -Proverbs 31:30

Outer appearance fades, but inner beauty stays.

Love,
Carmen




Thursday 26 March 2015

About them brows - Cara Delevingne


Pencil thin brows, arched brows, straight brows, angled brows, Cara Delevingne brows, whatever brows- as long as they are your own natural brows, Id say...embrace them! Your natural brows are what's created to suit you the best. Love yourself for who you are, and how you were Created to be.

To change things up and just to have some fun with makeup, here's my take on the English model Cara Delevingne's eyebrow look. Asian edition. Full brows, yet clean and slightly arched. To achieve the natural looking "hairs" on my brows, I first used Mac's eyebrow pencil in "stud." I then proceeded to smudge out the lines so it would look more natural, and then I went over with greyish brown eye shadow. To finish off the look, I used mascara to gel up the hairs so that the arch would become more visible. Because I am of oriental descent, pulling off this look was super difficult. I had to use many shades of shadow to create more depth in my eyes, nose, and cheek bone area. Does anyone out there know of any good contours and skin toned shadows to recommend? So far I've been using MAC, but I'd love to try out new products!

That's it for now, it's almost Friday! Hang in there everyone! =)

Love,
Carmen


Wednesday 25 March 2015

When Life Gets Tough







When life gets tough, think of it as if these are mandatory tests and trials to make you stronger. Be flexible to change, and don't be afraid to be creative. Here's my take on indian-style makeup. To be honest, it was a bit difficult to pull off this look because after all... I am Chinese. I naturally have different facial features and structures. Nonetheless, I still had fun being creative with this look!  I've always loved the dramatic smoky eyes, and beautiful full lashes and brows that is the trademark in southeast Asian makeup. To achieve full brows, I used Mac's eyebrow pencil in "stud." The pen is fine enough to create small strokes on your eyebrows to give the illusion of hair. To get those full lashes, use a pair that is longer in length, and has thicker individual hairs. I bought mine on eBay. $2.19 for 10 pairs. Steal of a deal eh? Better than spending $8+ on a single pair at retail stores haha!

That's it for now! This will be a short post due to the number of images. Until next time!

Love,
Carmen

PS: you are beautiful- just the way you are!

Sunday 22 March 2015

You are Loved







Have you ladies out there ever despised the way you looked and compared yourself to others, wondering why you lack what others have? You cake your face with makeup, covering your imperfections, in hopes of hiding your real identity, your flaws. I encourage you ladies though, love yourselves for who you are. You are Created to be unique, to be different. At the end of the day, all the makeup needs to come off. I know it's hard not to compared yourself to others, and it may just be human nature for us to do so. But know that each and everyone of us is made with love, and that there's ALWAYS someone out there who loves us just the way we are.

"For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth." - Psalm 13-15
                                                                                               
For this look, I used Mac's Penultimate liner to create a well defined crease on my lids. I then used black eye shadow to define the crease even more. I then used some glitter I purchased off eBay to achieve a more glamorous look. For the lips, I used Mac's "Girl about Town" to balance out the eye makeup.

That's it for now! Remember to love yourselves and others, and that you are beautiful just the way you are :) At the end of the day, all the makeup will need to come off.

Be natural :) Keep smiling! You are made fearfully, and wonderfully.
Love,
Carmen

Monday 16 March 2015

A pop of Spring





Not too long ago while I was doing some online browsing on Sephora, none of the products really appealed to me other than for the Urban Decay waterproof liquid liner on sale from reg. $24 to $12. I've been trying to be more cautious of my spending this past year, so sale items really do matter to me. HAH! What's the fun of shopping without them bargains, right?!

Well here's a spring look I've done using Urban Decay's 24/7 waterproof liquid liner in Radium (blue) and Woodstock (Pink). On top of the liners, I dusted some pastel eyeshadows on top just to get that gradient effect. The liquid liners are smudge proof and stays in tact the entire day. Definitely another liner to add on to my list of bridal makeup must-haves!



Enjoy the rest of your week, everyone! Philippians 4:16

Love,
Carmen

Friday 13 March 2015

Power of a bold lip





So here's a look you might not want to wear everyday...barely there eye makeup with no mascara, and minimal liner, with a strong, dark, wine colored lip. Who would want to look like a vampire everyday?

The palette I used on my eyes is Burberry's "Dark Spice." The colors are very pigmented, but not creamy. Instead, it's got more of a powdery finish, which is easy to shade and blend.










On the lips I used MAC's "Film Noir" to get that dark, masculine look. I'm not too big of a fan of their matte lipsticks because I find that they do dry up my lips. However, with chapstick underneath, and a layer of clear gloss on top, the dryness won't bother you at all!

Alrighty, that's it! Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

PS: please bare with me on the messy posts....still working on this whole html and formatting thing...

Love,
Carmen

Sunday 8 March 2015

Simple & Innocent Bridal Makeup




Hi! Sorry for the lack of updates recently, but here's a sweet and innocent bridal makeup look using mainly neutral shades! On my skin, I am wearing a base primer from Holika Holika, then a foundation from MAC and Makeupforever. I then topped it off with a translucent finishing powder from MAC. I then also contoured and applied blush with a MAC palette and highlighted using a highlighter from Temptu. I'll show you all the specific shades in my next edit!

For the eyes and brows I used the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, and the Urban Decay 2 Basics palette. I tried to steer away from as much shimmer shadows as possible. Using too many shadows or foundations with shimmery properties would make you appear "ghostly" in photos because of the flashback, so keep that in mind! I also used a fibre mascara I bought while I was in Asia, and used some natural, but doll-like lashes from Taiwan.








Left: Urban Decay 24/78 pencil liner in Zero
Middle: Mac penultimate fluid liner
Right: Mac eyebrow pencil in Stud




Left: Nars
Middle: Banila Co.
Right: Mixture of both
That's it for now! Still working on the formatting of this blog. This whole html thing is just mind boggling. Bear with me!

Love,
Carmen