Red Carpet to Real Life

If there's something we can rely on when it comes to red carpet beauty, it's that someone will go for the "classic Hollywood" look – flawless skin, minimal eye, siren red lips. It's makeup that allows you to look dolled up without seeming like you are wearing too much, most recently demonstrated by Skylar Grey at the Grammys:

Since everything else is relatively bare, the emphasis of this particular look is the skin. I always believed that blemish-free skin is the best indicator of health and beauty, and since participating backstage in NYFW, I now believe foundation and concealer can do anything, no matter what condition your skin is in.

That said, have an established skincare routine and take good care of your skin! It makes life simpler (and no doubt makes you happier). For this look, I patted on foundation with a flat synthetic brush then applied loose powder with a fluffy powder brush.

I shaded in my eyebrows then applied an eyeshadow color that's close to my skin tone on my eyelids and inner corners. I applied liquid eyeliner to the bottom of my lashes so it barely peeks through, curled my lashes, then coated them with mascara. I swept a light pink blush on the apples of my cheeks.

To finish, I applied red lipstick and gently blotted it with a tissue to minimize slipping and sliding. When I look at celebrity red carpet pictures I always think their lips look matte-ish, but I guess it's a natural side effect of having lipstick on for a few hours. It's shocking how none of them get their teeth red too. I mean, even if you have publicists and assistants galore to check on you, where on the red carpet are you supposed to dignifiedly (yes, it's a word) swipe a finger at your teeth?

Also, I'm a little odd about these things. When applying it on myself, I deliberately made it a little less "perfect" so it's closer to what I believe women look like in "real life." Not to say that women can't look impeccable when they want to, it's just a quirk of mine; I believe it makes me look more natural. For example, I shade in my eyebrows but don't draw it in precisely – I blur out the line with a spoolie so while my eyebrows look fuller, they don't look too shaded in.

Otherwise, while understated, I can understand the appeal for celebrities to default to this look. After all, just because they walk on the red carpet doesn't mean they should look any different from usual (though as a beauty journalist I wish for anything but just so I have something to write about). It's almost wedding-y in how classic this looks, which I guess if I had to be scrutinized while gliding down a long red carpet, I'd opt for something safe too.

This post is part of BlogHer's Celebrity Beauty Trends editorial series, made possible by Olay.

An Ode to NYFW

An ode to creativity. I hesitate to use the word trend, but there were a few shows this season (and last) that featured the floating crease line look. I know I have lopsided eyes and all but I've been itching to try it, so I did.

Since the emphasis was on the eyes, everything else was left (mostly) bare. I applied foundation and powdered myself down, then set to highlighting: all over eyelids, above cheekbones, down the nose, above cupid's bow.

For the eyes, I used a thin, firm blending/application brush (Shu Uemura Kolinsky Brush 5r. Honestly, I'm not sure what category this falls under) and swept the light blue shade (MAC Parisian Skies) just above my crease line. I lightly dipped the brush into the darker blue (Shu Uemura ME Blue 650, old formula) and with the first point of the contact from the outer corner, went over the line again. With a black liquid liner, I lined just the bottom of my lashes. It's a little hard to explain – it's not really visible, but it makes a difference.

A light sweep of soft peach blush and swipe of nude lip, and that's it!

The above was one of my first attempts at nail art. Let's just say it gets better. Base nails were painted in RGB Pink.

Products Used:
Chantecaille 'Future Skin' Foundation in Camomile
Guerlain 'Meteorites' Illuminating and Mattifying Face Powder 02 Teint Beige
Shu Uemura P Light Pink 315
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
MAC Parisian Skies Eyeshadow
Shu Uemura ME Blue 650
Le Métier de Beauté Precision Liner in Noir
Chanel Joues Contraste Tempting Beige
NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Buenos Aires
RGB Pink

3 Looks, 1 Palette: Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs 502 Coup de Foudre

I knew I wanted the Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs 502 Coup de Foudre ($59) ever since I saw promo pictures, if only because they threw that curveball of a coral in there. It didn't matter that it wasn't the most practical of colors to include in what is essentially a green palette, it's interesting.

The palette consists of shimmers - a coral, a seafoam green, an olive, and a steel gray. Out of all four, only the gray gave me problems. I had to pack on the pigment to get that swatch. I'm assuming it's because it's meant to be a liner and liner shades usually have that issue. That's disappointing for such an expensive quad, but at least it's workable.

Look 1

This look was an attempt to use all four colors at once. I asked the SA how she would use the quad and she said she would apply the seafoam green on the first half of the lid, apply the olive on the second half, then pat on the coral in the center. Use the gray as a liner shade (do note that I tightlined in all the pictures).

Look 2

I guess that's fine, but using the coral that way feels a bit like we're at a playground and we just want to make all the colors feel included. I also think if you weren't careful, it would make the eyelids look muddy. For my second look, I patted the olive shade on the center of my lids, then placed the seafoam green in the inner and outer corners, blending the edges together. I lightly lined both my top and bottom lash line with the steel gray shade.

On a whim, I used the coral shade on my cheeks. Look how pretty that turned out! If you're planning to do this, a light hand is crucial since eyeshadows are usually more pigmented.

Look 3

This was my favorite look. I was so excited to find that the coral was so easy to wear on the eyes! As for the look breakdown, I placed a swath of the coral on my lids, dotted the light green in the inner corners as highlight, and heavily applied the steel gray shade on my bottom lash line.

All in all, a fantastic eyeshadow quad to play with. I always thought I couldn't pull off green and Coup de Foudre convinced me otherwise.

Products Used:
Rouge Bunny Rouge Time Defying Foundation in Wheat Cream
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Light/Medium
Le Métier de Beauté Eye Brightening and Setting Powder in Revive
Guerlain Parure de Nuit Pressed Powder & Blush
Shu Uemura Mechanical Brown Pencil in Seal Brown
Guerlain Écrin 4 Couleurs 502 Coup de Foudre
THREE Flash Performance Pencil Eyeliner in 08 Eye On
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Burberry Lip Mist No.212 Nude Peach
(For Look 1 product breakdown, click here)

Full disclosure: This entry contains a sample product sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.

What Works For Others May Not Work For You

Case in point: I attempted to re-enact what I think of as the typical Asian smokey eye, where basically you rim your top lash line and 1/3 of your bottom waterline with black liner, add a ton of highlight in the inner corner and extend it to the edge of that 1/3 of black line. Color on lids optional. I used Le Métier de Beauté Nouvelle Vague, which has basically become my to-go eye palette for anything that involves black shadow. I swear that shade alone may be worth the $95 for the entire kit. On a side note, I love how frequent use changes my perception of a product. For reference, see my previous thoughts on the palette here.

Two things happened:
1. The tear duct-ish area of my right eye decided it refused to accept black liner of any form (when powder failed I tried liquid and cream. Nope) and I'm hoping it's a freak protest or my right eye and I will have words
2. I realized that even though this makeup is eye-widening and flattering on most Asian eyes, it's somehow just ill-suited to my face. I'm not saying it's ugly, it's just not the best thing I've seen on me.

The moral of the story, which I have already given away in my catchy post titling (!), is what works for a lot of other people may not work for you, but that's alright. You can figure out what does instead. After all, sometimes it's equally important to know what doesn't work.

The bonus I got out of this experiment is the really pretty lip that basically reaffirmed my love for Suqqu Creamy Glow Lipsticks and Le Métier de Beauté Creme de la Creme. Not that they needed any, of course.

Products Used:
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
Le Métier de Beauté Nouvelle Vague Eye Kit
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
RMS Beauty "Un" Cover-Up #22
RMS Beauty Living Luminizer
Benefit Dandelion
Suqqu Creamy Glow Lipstick 05 Suzumecha
Le Métier de Beauté Creme de la Creme Lip Creme

The Basic Makeup Application Tutorial

While this post began as a simple office makeup/first date tutorial, it ended up containing mini segments of how to apply and set concealer, how to apply cream blush, how to tightline, and how to apply lipgloss. So, it's really more apt as a basic makeup application tutorial. Basically, this is my long way of saying – grab a coffee/tea/root beer float and sit tight, ladies; it's going to be a long read.

Note that I said office makeup/first date above. To me, both situations ask for My Face But Better and that's what I had in mind when coming up with this tutorial. I arranged the steps below according to importance. As in, in a (very likely, in my case) situation where you're racing against time, which steps should go first. 1 and 2 are interchangeable depending on the scarcity of your brow hairs.

1. Eyebrows

Tutorial here. I've harped on this point incessantly so no more belaboring. Eyebrows = most important. Bonus points to those who actually have some.

2. Skin

The basis of good makeup is its canvas. This is why having a good skincare routine is most important in my book. I must be doing something right because my skin has been very happy of late and I am able to skip the use of foundation. All I do is pat some concealer onto problem spots (an upside down triangle under eyes, around nose, above and below lips). Don't blend it out too much so it actually stays where you want it to be.

Tip: Your ring finger applies the least amount of pressure compared to the others, so use it on sensitive areas.

As with all other makeup on the face, the trick to having it stay put is to set it with powder. Use an eyeshadow brush that's fluffier (but not overly fluffy) for this purpose. You want to pat it on, not blend.

3. Blush
Because nothing says corpse like unflushed cheeks. I kid, but it's true that color on the cheeks is a sign of health and vitality. It makes a person look brighter and happier.

There's a plethora of options you can go for when it comes to blushing. Powder, liquid and cream works the same as long as it adds the right amount of color to your face. For this tutorial I chose a cream blush. I picked up pigment with my ring finger then dabbed and blended it onto my cheeks.

On days that I don't contour, I am more specific about blush placement. I apply it above my contour line (see below, where my cheeks sink in) and extend it to the bottom of my cheekbones and blend out so it looks natural.

4. Eyeshadow (Optional)
This step depends entirely on how much time you have. The reason I placed it under the 4th step is because you should apply eyeshadow prior to mascara and eyeliner. But if pressed for time, I'd skip it.

I apply my eyeshadow in a sort of almond shape. Nowadays, I've been extending my shadow beyond the lid and blending it around the crease. No particular reason for this choice but preference.

5. Eyeliner/Mascara

Another recent practice of mine is to tightline, which means applying the liner at the base of your lashes and your top waterline. I have hooded eyelids that "swallow" everything I place on my upper lash line (for an example, view this post) and I used to draw a thick line so when I open my eyes there will be a thin line peeking through. Lately, I'm of the opinion that the real function of eyeliner is to accentuate the appearance of your lashes, and all I need for that to happen is have a thin black line at the base of my lashes. This way I also look good when I close my eyes.

Tightlining is not my favorite thing to do since my eyes are like open faucets. The trick is to get the right kind of eyeliner: waterproof, smudge-proof, pigmented, and with a soft tip so it doesn't irritate the delicate eye area.

Finally, apply mascara of choice.

6. Lips

This is simple enough. Apply your favorite color from the tube and you're set. Sometimes I like to soften the sides just a little by lightly going over the edge of my lips with a finger. I think it looks more natural; at least as natural as colored lips can be.

If you're not a lipstick kind of girl, you could just do a swipe of gloss instead. I like glosses since they're additional protection against the cold weather. In general they also look better on chapped lips, which I seem to have no matter what I do to them. When applying gloss, start from the center of your lips and smooth out the pigment to the sides. This makes your lips look plumper but not overly shiny.

Finished Look




Products Used:
Shu Uemura Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Seal Brown
MAC #204 Lash Brush
Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Correcteur in Light/Medium
Le Métier de Beauté Revive Eye Brightening And Setting Powder
Le Métier de Beauté Mystique Creme Fresh Tint
Shu Uemura Kolinsky Brush 15
Burberry Pale Barley Eyeshadow
Shu Uemura Kolinsky Brush 11
Three Flash Performance Eyeliner in Eye On 08
Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara
Le Métier de Beauté Marrakech Lipstick
Le Métier de Beauté Bondi Beach Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss