Showing posts with label thebalm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thebalm. Show all posts

Friday, April 29, 2011

About: TheBalm's "Luminizer" (aka Mary-Lou Manizer, or wateva...)



Unwieldy name aside, this is a lovely, LARGE compact of one of the most beautiful golden-ivory shades I've ever seen.
Reasons I love this:
1. It's the most gorgeous pale-champagne shade with smooth-as-butter texture which is not glittery or chalky. It is able to mimic that translucent dewy look liquid or cream highlighters give, but is so much more portable and easier to work with. The shade is also flattering for most skin tones.

2. This is a pretty good dupe for MAC's Retrospeck (which has slightly deeper base tones but identical highlights). As seen below, it is finer-grained and more opaque (Retrospeck is a Lustre) so while you won't be able to get that same flecks-of-champagne effect, it's easier to work with, more pigmented, and gives a very natural sheen when sheered out.

3. Look at the amount you get. Both products are marked up here in Asia, but you get 8.5g of product in The Luminizer (5 x MAC shadows at 1.5g), and an ever-so-cute mirrored compact, for about 0.5 times the cost of a MAC shadow.

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Tips for applying:
  1. I swipe this on my brow bones and cheekbones with a wedge sponge after applying my base, and before doing the rest of my makeup. By the time my setting powder goes over it, it's become a soft-focus highlighting sheen which emphasizes bone structure subtly.
  2. I sweep this over lids softly with black kitten liner. Apply red lipstick to complete the retro pin-up look.
  3. Dab this softly over the cupid's bow, and in inner corners of eyes to enhance your features.
  4. If you have light to medium skin, mix a tiny bit of this with your normal powder on a fluffy brush and apply over under-eye concealer for more illumination. THEN apply the rest of your makeup. (Caution: It may be easy to go overboard with this, so be careful and use a very light hand!)

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Lazy Face: Defined brown eyes

This is a quick and easy look for day, which does not require a lot of time, effort, or products.
What you’ll need:
  • Base, Powder, Primer
  • Soft brown shadow [MAC Patina]
  • Black liner [Any smudgy black liner will do]
  • Mascara [Canmake Gokunobi mascara]
  • Contour shade [MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural in Medium Dark] and Coral blush [TheBalm Hot Mama]
  • Nude-coral creme lipstick [Maybelline Watershine Pure #B32]
1. Apply primer to lids to minimize discolorations.

2. Trace black liner along lashlines, keeping color intense at the base of your lashes.

3. Apply soft brown onto your lids. I like to go just above the crease (eyes open), and not winged out.

4.With a smudger brush, apply the soft brown to lower lashline as well.

5. Use a matte black eyeshadow and the smudger brush to push a line of black into the base of your lashes as a liner.

6. Curl lashes and apply mascara.

7. Apply a shimmery coral blusher for a subtle flush. I use a light, light hand, to keep shimmery blushers from looking too scary.

8. Apply lipstick a coral-nude lipstick. [Maybelline Water Shine Pure B32 is actually lighter than the picture shows.]