Penmanship

I am always curious about what people's handwriting looks like, especially those that you met via the internet since everything you see is typed. A friend of mine, who is a bloggerista, Alicia @ Andersonondemand, was tagged awhile ago to do a penmanship survey. I thought is was different so I decided I would do it too.

Here's what you do:

There will be 8 questions you have to answer. All your answers have to be written down on paper. Once complete, take a photo of your paper with answers and post it on your blog.

Questions:

1. What's your name/ your blogger name?

2. What is your blog's name/ URL?

3. Write the following sentence-

          "The quick fox jumped over the lazy dog."

4. Your favorite quote

5. Your favorite song

6. Your favorite band and singers

7. Anything else you care to say?

8. Tag 3-5 people

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When I wrote my OCD really kicked in for this, I mean it really did. I think I must have written this over about 10 times before I said to heck with it. I honestly hate my handwriting. I wish I had the penmanship of some of my cousins, aunts and uncles. They all have such beautiful handwriting and I am jealous. I know weird thing to be jealous of. Oh well, LOL!

In Search For the Perfect Eyeliner

MUF Travel Size Waterproof Eye Make-up Remover
and Aqua Eyes Pencil in Black

My eyes hate makeup, they especially hate eyeliner. They tend to tear up knowing anything is going near them. It's always been like that no matter how gentle or how little eye make up I put on them. Due to the constant tearing, it makes it hard for my eyeliner to stay. So, since many "guru's" on YouTube recommended this product, I thought I would give it a go. I wanted to try their eye makeup remover also so I opted for the travel size available via Sephora.com.

Let me start of with the Sens'Eyes Waterproof Sensitive Eye Cleanser. I know in the past I raved about Estee Lauder Eye Makeup remover being the best eye makeup remover I had ever tried. Well this beats it hands down. The gel/lotion like consistency is very soothing to the eye and it took off my waterproof mascera effortlessly. No burning, no stinging, no oily residue to have to put up with. I LOVE IT! That's all I can say. I will be repurchasing this in full size in the near future.

Now for the eyeliner. Make Up Forever claims in the description that this Aqua Eyeliner is waterproof, smudge proof, and fade proof. My first test to see how waterproof this was- I washed my face and prepared it as if I was going to apply my makeup, but I only applied the eyeliner. After I let it set for about a few minutes, I hopped into the shower and washed everything except my face. After I dried off, I looked into the mirror and was thoroughly disappointed. I looked like a raccoon. The intensity of the color was good so in a sense it is waterproof, but staying put it does not. A few days later, I tested this on my waterline and sadly it disappeared a few hours later. It even disappeared around the outer conner of my eye where it tears the most. In the end, I do have to say, this is the most pigmented eye pencil I have used and it did last on my upper eyelid, but I can get similar results with cheaper eye pencils.

So, my search for the perfect eyeliner continues.....

My Newest Guru Discovery

LisaEldridge.com

About a month ago, Lisa Eldridge's blog was mentioned on a YouTube Guru gossip site comparing her to another known YouTube "so-called" celebrity makeup artist. Curious, I hopped on over to Lisa Eldridge's blog and read through many posts and looked through many photos in her gallery. After, I checked out her YouTube videos. Let me just say that Kandee Johnson ain't got nothing on her. Kandee Johnson, who claims to be a celebrity makeup artist, is unable to produce a portfolio of her work, yet Lisa Eldridge has and seems to do effortlessly. I am not saying Kandee isn't a celebrity makeup artist. I am just saying she lacks the essential ingredient that determines her career.

Lisa Eldridge's makeup style enhance the natural beauty that one already possess and does it well. From young to old, she captures the youth in all her models. Her makeup looks are fresh, clean, and timeless. I love it. Of course that isn't all she can do, but I would say that is her signature if anything.  

Her makeup looks have graced the covers of magazines like InStyle to Vogue, from China to Paris, and on super models to celebrities. Her makeup brush has seen it all and with much praise. On top of being a makeup artist to the stars, she is creative director to the makeup line No. 7. So, in between her career as a makeup artist, creative director, and being a mom, she some how finds time to blog and make YouTube tutorials to extend her creativity and knowledge to people like us. How does she do it? Anyhow, her work is amazing and I do hope you check her out.


Award winning blog: LisaEldridge.com
YouTube Channel: lisaeldridgedotcom
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lisaeldridgedotcom
Twitter: @Lisa_Eldridge

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.