The Holidays are Upon Us- Part One

"The Holidays are Upon Us" is going to be a series I will be doing as my favorite Makeup Gurus on YouTube pump out holiday looks for this wonderful season. I hope you all enjoy and as always, have a Happy and safe Holiday!



So, with "The Holidays" nearing in, there will be plenty of family gatherings, company parties, and friendly gatherings. You have your outfits and you have your shoes, but what are you going to do with your makeup? You can't just leave it bare, that just won't do. How about doing a fast easy look to bring your holiday outfit together.

Here's a look that Marlena, aka Makeup Geek on YouTube, put together for a quick festive look.
Her YouTube Channel: Makeup Geek TV
Her Webpage: www.MakeupGeek.com

Smooth As Silk

L: Smashbox Photo Finish C: Smashbox Photo finish Color Correcting R: 24.7 Anti-aging Mineral Foundation Primer

Applying foundation primer is a step many people skip due to either they don't think it changes anything or just don't know anything about them. I was one of them that had no clue about foundation primers until I received a sample of Smashbox Photo Finish.


Smashbox  Photo Finish claims to "create a perfect canvas for foundation" by reducing "the appearance of fine lines and pores for flawless skin with a velvety-smooth finish." It also claims to "increase longevity" of foundation.


After I moisturized my face, I applied a small amount of Photo Finish to one side of my face so I could compare the difference. At first I thought the formula to be oily feeling but decided in the end it was more of a silky texture than oily. I honestly did not feel as if Photo Finish made my skin flawless nor has it increase the longevity of my foundation during later trials. On the plus side, I no longer felt the cakiness or the heaviness of foundation on my face. It was amazing. No matter how much foundation and make up I applied to my face, I couldn't feel it and I felt for once my face could breathe with the multiple layers of make up on. For this reason, that is why Smashbox Photo Finish has remained as a must have in my makeup routine.


A few years later, I was in a Sephora buying a replacement bottle of Smashbox Photo Finish when a rude sales associate, don't even get me started on how incompetent I think Sephora associates are in my area, recommended Smashbox Photo Finish Correcting Foundation Primer in the color green for me. Green being the color to counter act redness on the face. I kindly told her "no thank you," but with my eyes "to piss off." Later on when I got home, I researched up on the product and thought I would give it a try. Who knows, I thought maybe I could skip a step with the green concealer. Once the product arrived, I was eager to give it a go. Again, I applied a small amount to one side of my face to compare and contrast. Oh my god, what crap! The formula consistency was oily and not silky, it had a tendency to gunk up, and it did not help color correct the redness. What a POS product. Sadly, I am still a dissatisfied owner of this product because my dumb ass keeps forgetting to return it for something else. Fail on my part.


As for the 24.7 Anti-aging Mineral Foundation Primer, I had tried it once upon a time when I ran out of Smashbox Photo Finish and thought I would give another company a try. This of course being a drug store buy. I have nothing against drug store products. They can be just as good or even better than a high end product. Also, it having anti-aging agents in it made it more appealing to me since I am in the age group that should start thinking about slowing the process. Let me just say this is the worst buy for me in years. I felt as if I was putting vegetable oil all over my face, it had a horrid smell to it, and I felt every bit of make up I was applying to my face. I can't believe a product like this is even on the market.


Anyway, my ratings for these three products. Five stars ***** being excellent and zero being poor.











*** (3 stars)























* (1 star)



















0 (zero stars)














***As always, product results may vary from person to person. These are just my opinions and experiences with these products.

Be Gentle, I'm Delicate

When using a eye makeup remover, I look for several things-

1. How much?

2. Does it remove my eye makeup gently?

3. Does it leave an oily residue?

4. Does it irritate my skin?

These really are the main questions one should ask themselves when looking for a good eye makeup remover. With my youth starting to become a thing of the past, the skin around my eyes become thinner and require more TLC. So to me, finding the best eye makeup remover is essential.

For years, I have always used Neutrogena products. From acne treatments to makeup, Neutrogena has always had a place in my life. So naturally when it came to eye makeup remover, I reached for my trusted brand. The Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover claims on the front of the bottle- 

1. Effective and gentle 

2. Removes even waterproof mascara 

3. No oily residue.

My thoughts:

1. yes and no

2. yes

3. what it should read " I'M OILY AS HELL!!!!"

I never knew any better when I was younger and always had used Neutrogena Oil-Free (lies) eye makeup remover. I always and I mean ALWAYS hated the oil residue it left. I always hated the harshness of the formula. The cotton ball or pad always felt like sandpaper going over my eyes when this eye makeup remover was on it. We all know it takes more then a couple swipes to remover eyeliner and waterproof mascara. Having this go over my eye over and over again left my skin around my eye red, puffy and irritated. I have no clue why I used this eye makeup remover for so long. What a dummy I was. Plus, you can clearly see th oil floating around in the bottle.....oil free my ass.

Last year for Christmas, my wonderful fiance bought me an Estee Lauder perfume and with that came a discounted price of an Estee Lauder makeup goodies bag.....YAY! In that goodies bag there was several lipsticks, mascara, mascara primer, eyeshadow palette, blush palette, and eye makeup remover. All of it was great, but the prize of them all was the eye makeup remover. What Estee Lauder Eye Makeup Remover claims on the bottle-

1. Gentle eye makeup remover

What it claims on their website in product description: 

1. This gentle, lightweight formula works quickly and gently to remove powder eyeshadow and other eye makeup.

2. Sweeps away without leaving any oily residue- so you can reapply eye makeup immediately after use.

3. Oil-free formula won't damage skin

My thoughts:

1. YES

2. YES- over and over again!

3. YES

Since I don't really recall using any other products than the two mentioned in this blog so far, I have to say that Estee Lauder is the best eye makeup remover ever! It does all it claims. I love it! Repurchase- hell yeah! Recommend to a friend- you betchya! Of course, the Estee Lauder is a bit more in price, I think by like $8 or something like that, the result is absolute satisfaction. That is whats important.

Like all products- Results may vary but if you have the extra cash to spend give it a try and let me know what you think!

Eyes Wide Open

Eyelash curlers are meant to give your lashes a lift and make your eyes more opened and brighter. Sadly, all I get from most curlers are pinches to a delicate eyelid. Am I doing it wrong? Most would say so. The fact is, I am Asian and most Asian eyes are not like everyone else. My eyes are more almond shape. Most curlers are made for the common round eye.

Many will tell you metal eyelash curlers are better than the plastic ones. They maybe right, but for my eyes, plastic is better and a more comfortable fit. Afters years of searching, I had found the perfect curler for me. In the photo to the left is a plastic Sonia Kashuk travel eyelash curler and a Shu Uemura metal eyelash curler. I have been using the Sonia Kashuk curler for a year and a half and have yet to be pinched. This eyelash curler gives my hard to curl lashes the needed lift without any difficulties. I love it and would be lost without it.

For the Shu Uemura metal lash curler, it was made for the Asian eye in mind. I bought it after reading several reviews of Asian users stating that it doesn't pinch their eyes at all. Well, it's an okay curler. I still get pinched here and there, but I have it and still use it from time to time. I only use this one if I feel my lashes need more of a lift. So, I would take the hair dryer out and heat it up a bit before applying. If I lost this curler though, I wouldn't be heart broken just because I will always forever love my plastic Sonia Kashuk travel eye lash curler.

Still to try out......a heated eyelash curler. It kinda freaks me out though. Heated objects near eye = a scary thought.