Jelly Ombre Lip and Big Doll Lashes (feat. Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited)

Huge lashes, lavender cheeks, and a berry-stained "jelly" lip!

Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited in WN 20 S (top), PK 70 C (bottom)

Apparently, two-toned lips are in this season. (Apparently, I've been doing them for 2 years while they were completely out of fashion; boohoo...) I don't usually use glosses to do ombre lips, because there usually isn't enough of a visual contrast. But when I saw a very dark shimmery wine shade in the Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited range, I immediately thought "stained jelly lips!"


The Lips

In the grand tradition of the great Uemura-san himself, I swopped things around and did my lips before my eyes. Uemura believed a lip color could be applied first and thereafter be the deciding factor for the eye and cheek makeup you choose.)

Step 1: I applied a soft beige pink, PK 70 C (translates to "Pink 70 Cream" for you and me) over the lips. (Try MAC's Please Me Lipglass if you can't find this in your country.)

Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited in PK 70 C

Step 2: Next, I applied a deep berry gloss (you need to use something quite pigmented or it won't have this level of contrast) WN 20 S (translates to "Wine 20 Shimmer"). (Try MAC's Desire or Rebel Lipglass if you can't find this.) 

Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited in WN 20 S

*The US range seems to be slightly different from Asia (is anyone seeing a recurring pattern here???) so I listed alternatives with a similar color if not the same texture.

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The Eyes

The modus operandi is "doll-like". Rounded, widened, with huge lashes. You can apply lower lashes if you want, but this isn't meant to be a super-dramatic look, so I skipped that.

 Step 1: To create a rounded eye shape, I used the 88 Warm Palette and mixed up a few of the medium browns just to create a warm matte tone that's about 2-3 shades darker than my skin color. This I applied to the entire lid in a rounded shape, blending upwards almost to the brow near the center.

Then on the inner corners, I applied a little pale beige.

Step 2: Line your lower eye rim with a pale yellow liner like NYX Yellow. Next, use a dark grey or charcoal pencil to create definition and emphasize a rounded shape. You want to line it such that it's thick at the center of the eye, and then tapered to a thin point at both ends.

On the lower lash line, run the charcoal pencil along the outer half of the eyes, making it thicker at the outside.

Step 3: Here's one trick to easier eyelash application. Apply the glue directly along your lash line. This can be done if you're using one of the brush-applicator lash glues, or with a liner brush if you're using regular tube glue.

Step 4: Apply long, dramatic clustered lashes (I used Red Cherry #16s) and push them up at the center of the eye for doll eye.

The Cheeks

I wanted a "glowy" sort of effect to go with the eyes and lips, so I used a lavender blush (MAC Full of Joy just on the upper areas of the apples and up long the cheekbones.

Why don't you pick a lip and then decide your makeup today? ;)

400,000 Follower Giveaway! (4 Sets of Prizes)

When the hubby was away in Tokyo for a business trip, I got him to trawl through Japanese drugstores (painstakingly I might add) and bring me back some yummy beauty goodies so I could do a 400,000 follower giveaway.

I know these products aren’t always easy to get hold of in many countries, and the price isn’t cheap when you factor in shipping. (One Humming Book palette is SGD25.90 or 1,500JPY from the MJ site before adding shipping fees) so here's a chance to get hold of some of these!

A: Majolica Majorca Little Humming Book 1

B: Majolica Majorca Little Humming Book II (2)

Next are the new Canmake Stay-on Balm Rouges. They’re kinda like Revlon Balmstains except they have UV filters to protect the lips. (And as with most Japanese drugstore products, the packaging is darling…)

C: Canmake Stay-on Balm Rouge in 02 (Sheer Peach), 03 (Sheer Red)

D: Canmake Stay-on Balm Rouge in 01 (Sheer Pink), 04 (Sheer Nude)

INSTRUCTIONS

Whether you are on Blogger, on Instagram, on Pinterest, on Tumblr or on Facebook:

1. Take a picture of yourself in your favorite makeup look,
2. Hashtag #makeupbox400k
3. List the 4 sets in order of preference (e.g. B, D, A, C) or say “no preference” if you don’t mind either way!
4. Share your picture post with me before 15 May 2013

Facebook: Share on https://www.facebook.com/makeupbox.sg

Instagram: @makeup_box and hashtag #makeupbox400k (otherwise I can’t be sure your image is for this contest!)

Tumblr: hashtag #makeupbox400k

Pinterest and other platforms (link your post in the comments section of this post below)

Things to Note:

• I will pick a 1st-place to 4th-place winner based on personality, artistry, and/or humor. You don’t need a super-complicated makeup look to win this. It just needs to catch my attention! If theft or usage of someone else’s image is discovered, your entry will be disquaified.
• I appreciate effort. Wherever possible try to do a new post (even if the picture was taken awhile ago), rather than going back to an old post and adding a hash-tag. Come on people, that’s too little effort!
• The 1st place winner will receive the most-preferred item of her/his choice, and this means if both the 1st and 2nd place winners picked item C as their top choice, the champ will get it, and the runner-up will get her 2nd choice item. If y’all happen to pick different items as first-choice, then good for you!
• You CAN submit multiple entries but only one one prize will be given per winner.
• I will message winners to inform and obtain shipping addresses, so if you are using Disqus, make sure you are contactable. (You need to sign in with a valid email address when posting or I can’t reach you.) Failure to respond within 3 days (18 May) means forfeiture of the prize, and I will pick another winner to send it to!

Majolica Majorca Chapter 37: Translucent Aquatic Colors, a "Swan Feather" Pen, and a Quick Trial-run of a Cult-Favorite Fiber Mascara (in Brown)!

From this month, Shiseido will release a (somewhat oddly-named) limited edition collection called "Moonlight Virgin" in 2 parts. The first includes a "quill pencil"and a brown version of the Lash Expander Edge Meister mascara with the dual-sided comb tip. Now since me and the original Lash Expander go WAY back (I used it exclusively for about 3-4 years) I naturally grabbed the chance to find out 2 things:

• whether the mascara was as good at building length as I remembered
• whether the brown shade would show up (and look alright) with my dark hair and eyes

Starry, Starry Night: Navy and Silver Glitter Ombre Nails

(For the fabulous Yina of The Velvet Dolls.)

Super simple, and pretty darned quick to do. This nail look requires no ready-made glitter polish and no mixing of pigments into clear polishes. All you need is:

• A dark blue nail polish (I used L.A. Girl Dance Club)
• Repositionable glue (below) or nail foil adhesive
• A silver glitter (fine-grained)
• A soft blue eyeshadow (I used MAC Shimmermint)

[Requested] Reinterpretation of a Sparkly Gold Smoky Lid

This is not an exact recreation because my eyes are shaped a little differently and I wanted to blend the edges out more, but I'll run through the type of products you need tocreate this look.

I can't be 100% sure with the yellow lighting and difference in skintones, but the item I find can create this type of sparkly effect is a loose golden-brown sparkle like MAC's Reflects pigment in Antique Gold, used wet.

Reflects pigments are not glitter, and not regular shadows either. They are shiny mica particles larger than regular loose shadows so they sort of combine pigmentation with sparkle. Like glitters, they don't "stick" to the skin well and will fall out all over your cheeks, so you might want to do your eye makeup first, then clean up and do your foundation and concealer after.

To get them to go on like dramatic foiled metal, you want to use either a good creamy base or apply them wet (do use eye drops or a liquid sealant instead of pure water as they will rub off easily once dry if there is no ingredient that provides some tackiness).

Lavender-Chocolate: Soft luminous purple andbrown eyeshadow look that goes with pretty much any Lip color

This is a color combination that is not a typical beige-toned neutral, but still goes with pretty much any lip color you want to wear. It's also soft enough that you can use a light hand (skip step 3) and just wear it in the day for work or school.

I used just 2 shadows:

• A pale lavender (Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Ice Ballet)
• A deep rich brown (Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Rich Walnut)

Other than this, I had a chocolate brown pencil and black mascara.