Makeover by Arnold Padilla

Last Sunday, I attended my friend's wedding. (Congrats, Jerry and Angela!) :D I know I could've done my own makeup, by I can't do my hair to save my life. (Yes, I don't know how to work le blower and hair irons.) I initially planned on getting a haircut, but decided to have my hair and makeup done instead.

Of all places, would you believe that our go-to salon is located very near Monumento? Not so glam, but I don't mind the place if I know I'm getting good results afterwards. I've been a paying customer of this salon for almost 9 years already. (Time flies!)

FYI: 98% of the products used on me were from MAC! 2% is for the falsies and Maybelline liquid eyeliner. :D

I went for the natural look since the event would be happening during the afternoon, and I wouldn't want my makeup to look too "party". I liked the overall look, but the contouring was a bit too dark and it was visible in broad daylight. Something to take note of on my next visit.

Before & After

HMUA: Arnold Padilla

Since I am the laziest when it comes to removing waterproof mascara, I requested for falsies and I loved it! I loved it so much that I didn't remove it until I went home from work the next day. (Yes, it lasted THAT long.)

I asked Arnold on what neutral MAC lippie would suit me for everyday wear, and he recommended Cosmo. When I swatched it, I was in awe since it was the exact pink-brown shade I like. (Wishlist!) For the event, I sported the bright pink shade Lickable. (My swatch doesn't do this lovely pink shade justice.)

Would you agree that I'm finally gaining weight? Haha :D

Arnold Padilla Hair & Make-Up Studio

287 Samson Road Caloocan City (beside Petron)

Tel. no. 366-5249

Cel. no. 0915-3090416

Res. no. 446-6849

Book your next hair and makeup appointment here on your next special occasion! :D

Love,

Helen

Ellana Poreless Perfection FOTD + Haul

A few weeks ago, I attended the Poreless Perfection Makeup Workshop with Julia Arenas, in partnership with Ellana Minerals. When Liz asked me if I could model for the workshop, I just had to excuse myself from Saturday OT work. Mwahaha! :D

The workshop was a small intimate one, and if I were the attendee I'd like it that way. I learned a lot of makeup tips, such as counter-shading, appreciating a not so pink blush and leanrning that it could work for me too, using blush as your eyeshadow (!), doing eyebrow makeup, combining a lipliner + lipgloss, and more! The workshop is perfect if you want to learn more about how work with mineral makeup. I was so amazed with Julia's magic hands. She used my Chai Tea Latte Foundation on me, and I have that at home, but I can't do it the way she did my base and made my skin look so flawless and poreless. This is the day makeup look she did on me.

Products used:

• Foundation: Ellana Loose Mineral Powder Foundation in Chai Tea Latte as base, French Vanilla Latte to countershade (reverse contour/highlight)
• Concealer: Ellana Loose Mineral Powder Concealer in Cheer (the exact shade counterpart for Chai Tea Latte Foundation)
• Blush: Ellana Mineral Blush Duo in Kitten/Peach Passion
• Eyebrows: Eyebrow/Eyeshadow Quad in Wish, Beloved, Hush, Intense
• Eyeshadow: Ellana Mineral Blush Duo in Kitten/Peach Passion

That's no editing or blurring or anything. It's just all Ellana Cosmetics! I love how the mineral powders settle nicely on my oily skin. After an hour or so, it look as if I have dewy liquid makeup on (but again, it's just powder!) :D

After the workshop was shopping! I stocked up on some old and new Ellana faves.

Ellana Loose Mineral Powder Foundation in Chai Tea Latte Refill (P330.00)

If you're not a fan, then you'll not be thrilled that this small, flat sachet would cost P330.00, but for me this one's more than 6 months worth of good face base! ♥

I've used my pot of loose foundation for around 7 months already. It was almost filled to the brim back then, and now it has been reduced to this! Can't wait to finish this so I can refill. Haha! :D

Ellana Let's Make It Last Makeup Primer (P450.00)

I think I can live without primer, but I've read tons of rave reviews on this. Plus, my new workshop friends were also all raving about this. Must be really good! I hope this can really make my base last then entire day, compared to the usual 5-6 hours wear.

They say this one's the liquid counterpart of the Sheer Velvet HD Powder Primer.

Ellana Mineral Blush Duo in Kitten/Peach Passion (P460.00)

This one's the ultimate blush of the day! I particularly love the blush shade Peach Passion, a nude warm peach blush with a subtle glow. It's so versatile and not corny even if you use it both on your cheeks and lids for a unified look.

Ellana Baby Buki (P400.00)

It's a slanted flat-top baby kabuki brush that comes in a shiny silver case. The brush density is nice and it picks up mineral pigments well. Sooo happy to finally gotten this one! :D

My growing and much-loved Ellana makeup stash! ♥

Whenever my skin reacts when testing different products, I always go back to Ellana mineral makeup to give my skin rest, and my skin rebalances and recovers quickly that way.

I'm raving so much not just because I'm an affiliate. In fact, I think I'm doing a bad job at that, because whenever my colleagues would chat me up and ask me where they could buy Ellana products, I'd tell them "The Ramp Trinoma" since Trinoma is just a stone-throw away from my workplace, plus I would love for them to discover their exact shade match in one go. Lol. But hey, if you buy online you'd still get 15% off on your first purchase! :D

Love,

Helen

Virginia Olsen Minerals 2014 Collection + FOTD

Just because I'm currently into mineral makeup (such a late bloomer, I know!), I'm excited to share with you some shades from Virginia Olsen Minerals 2014 Collection - in stores starting July 2014.

Shades:

Darling (matte)

Innocence (highlighter, for darker skin tone)

Soda Pop (matte)

Wine Matte (matte)

These mineral pigments have a very smooth and creamy texture, which makes is easily blendable and versatile.

Swatches:

Darling | Innocence | Soda Pop | Wine Matte

I know these are meant to be eyeshadows, while marveling at the pretty colors on my arm (with this swatch), I decided to get all creative and do a full face (and not just the eyes) makeup look using these 4 shades.

Innocence may be marketed as a highlighter (for darker skin tone), but it's pink and shimmery, so it also makes for a bright and girly eyeshadow. I used Wine Matte to define the eyes even more, by using it to line my upper lashline and also to fill in my brows.

My favorite thing about mineral makeup: you can create your own lip color! Soda Pop is bright purple with hints of pink, and it could pass for a radiant orchid shade. So I just mixed a lip gloss with the pigments to create this lip shade!

As for the cheeks, I decided to use matte Darling for that pretty, subtle, and most natural flush.

The best part is, no matter how much I play with mineral makeup, I don't get pimples or skin irritations. Virginia Olsen Minerals is 100% natural and free from parabens, bismuth, talc, and fragrances. The pure formulation makes it very ideal for sensitive skin, giving it a natural and flawless coverage. It also contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which are natural sunscreen ingredients to further protect our skin from the sun's damaging rays.

Prices:

• P165.00 for each eyeshadow (Darling, Soda Pop, Wine Matte)
• P280.00 each for the highlighter (Innocence)

These products will be available in the Philippines this July 2014 in www.virginiaolsen.com, www.lazada.com.ph, and The Ramp Crossings Shangri-La Mall.

Have you tried products from Virginia Olsen Minerals? Do share with me your thoughts! :)

Love,

Helen

FOTD: "No Makeup" Makeup with The Body Shop

I’m a fan of that fresh, no-makeup makeup look which you can wear to school or work everyday. I used The Body Shop products to achieve the look – 5 simple steps you can do in just 5 minutes!

Step 1: Apply The Body Shop Vitamin E Cool BB Cream on your face. This BB cream moisturizes your skin and evens it out at the same time.

Step 2: Use The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit to fill in your brows. Groomed brows frame your face and make you look more polished, so it’s extra important not to skip this step.

Step 3: Curl your lashes and apply The Body Shop Super Volume Mascara. No need for eyeliner or eyeshadow!

Step 4: Add a dab of The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain on the apples of your cheeks, and use a blush brush or your fingers to blend evenly. This cheek stain comes in a gel formula that won’t budge even on oily skin. Plus, it lasts all day!

Step 5: Apply The Body Shop Colourglide Lip Colour in 55 (a pretty pink shade) on your lips and top it off with The Body Shop Leona Lewis Lip Gloss in Deerlicious Petal.

The Body Shop Leona Lewis Lip Gloss

Deerlicious Petal and Deerlicious Coral

This is the effect when you mix both The Body Shop Colourglide Lip Colour in 55 and The Body Shop Leona Lewis Lip Gloss in Deerlicious Petal. So cute right? :D

Here's my no-makeup makeup look! If you liked this one, please help me by liking my entry for the "Leona Lewis Make-up Look" contest at The Body Shop, Philippines Facebook page. Voting is open from June 24 to 30, 2013, or until July 3, when they announce the winners. :D

To like this photo at Facebook, click HERE.

Thanks a lot in advance, it would mean so much to me!

I'd like to know, how do you do your everyday makeup? :)

Love,

Helen

Maybelline Pure Liquid Mineral Foundation + FOTD

It's a lazy Sunday and yet again, I am typing away about the one thing I love most: makeup! Today, I'll share with you a product that I have been using for a couple of months. I've shown you my lazy day makeup before, but on the days that I feel like I need more coverage and want to look more polished, I use liquid foundation. Since Maybelline relaunched their mineral makeup line, I got their Pure Liquid Mineral Healthy Natural Liquid Foundation in Beige Ochre 01 (BO1).

Maybelline Pure Liquid Mineral Foundation in Beige Ochre 01 (BO1)

About the product:


Ingredients:


While I love the idea of healthy makeup, I don't like it when cosmetic companies claim they're free from preservatives when they really do. It's a given fact that liquid foundations (or any type of liquid cosmetic) would spoil easily without chemical preservatives. This product contained 5 parabens: Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben, and Isobutylparaben.

Packaging:

This liquid foundation was housed in a plastic box (which I did not take a picture of anymore). The packaging of the foundation is made of tall and sleek glass with a pump applicator. (Plus points for being hygienic.) It also does not spill no matter how this will tumble in your kikay kit. I actually like this packaging better than the previous one (where you squeeze out the product from a plastic tube), because I feel that the glass keeps the product fresher for a longer period of time. Plus it looks nicer, too.

Make sure not to press too hard on your first few uses, or else too much product might be dispensed.

The shade I got was Beige Ochre 01, which was the lightest among 4 shades available (BO1, BO2, OC3, OC4). The reason why I did not bother getting the BO2 shade was because the previous Angelfit foundation I bought was BO2 and it was a bit dark for my skin tone. With BO1, I felt that my skin looked more glowing and fresh.

This foundation gives a light to medium coverage with radiant finish, which I think would be ideal for those with dry or normal skin. I have oily skin so my face would be shiny by mid-day or once I started to sweat. No problem though, because I can always bot or top this with pressed powder. (On some days I do, on some days I just wear it alone, especially when it's not really hot outside.) Without makeup, my skin looks pinkish and a bit blotchy because of post-acne marks, and this foundation really does its job of evening out my skintone and cancelling out the redness. For dark circles, this won't be enough though, you'll still have to use concealer.

So far, I'm liking this better than my Maybelline Clear Smooth BB Cream. I find that this foundation does not give off a white cast when taken with flash photography even if it has SPF 18 PA+++. For best results, use a foundation brush when applying this foundation. I've tried applying this product with fingers and blending it, but I liked the result better when a brush is used.

Price: P499.00 for 25ml (I got this on sale for just P349.00.)

Swatch/FOTD:

When worn

Face:
Maybelline Pure Liquid Mineral Foundation in Beige Ochre 01 (BO1)
Maybelline Angelfit Perfect Concealer in Light Beige
Maybelline Clear Smooth Shine Free Face Powder in Natural

Cheeks:
Snoe Glam Jam in Crush

Eyes:
The Body Shop 4-Step Smoky Eyes Palette in Golden Brown (Dark brown shadow used for eyebrows.)
Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Black
Maybelline Magnum Super Film Mascara in Washable Black

How about you, have you tried out Maybelline's Mineral Makeup line? How did you like it?

Love,
Helen

PS. Join my giveaway and get a chance to win Etude House Bubble Hair Color! Giveaway ends February 29, 2012.

FOTD: Flame Tree

As promised, here's a simple FOTD. I used just 5 products for this since I was in a rush. I call this my lazy day makeup. :D


Face:
Maybelline Angelfit Perfect Concealer in Light Beige
Maybelline Clear Smooth Shine Free Face Powder in Natural

Eyes:
Maybelline Eyebrow Pencil by Eyestudio

Cheeks:
Human Nature Mineral Blush in Rosy Cheeks

Lips:
Human Nature 100% Tinted Lip Balm in Flame Tree

I promise I'll do better next time. Haha. How about you, what's your lazy day makeup? :)

Love,
Helen

FOTD: Sweet Pink

This post is gonna be short and quick. My family was so busy today because of my niece's birthday party. My sister asked our favorite makeup artist to come over to our house so we would get all dolled up for the very special event.

Since it was a lunch party, the look was simple and not as glam. Here's the look he did for me - super fresh and light. I was not able to catch all the brands of makeup he used on me though.

• Powder Foundation
• Eyebrow Pencil
• Fanny Serrano Eyeshadow
• MAC Eyeshadow
• Eyelash Curler
• Maybelline Great Lash Mascara
• San San Cheek Blusher
• Laura Mercier Lip Glace

One product that got me very curious was the blush from San San. It was BRIGHT pink and I asked him "Can anyone really use this shade of blush?" and he used it on me! Surprisingly, it worked! The shade was something like this:

Image from HBC

I will look for that when I visit HBC. I hope it is not yet discontinued. :)


If you'd like to book an appointment with him, call (02)3665249 and look for Toybits. Their salon is located in Old Samson Road in Caloocan (very near Monumento LRT Station). :)

Love,
Helen