My last hurrah with dark polish before I go all summer mode with my bright and colorful polishes.

Ahh how I missed wearing dark polish! There's just something about them that makes me happy. Anyway, here's my last dark NOTW post...at least for now. I'm determined to wear something colorful or bright on my nails for the month of April so dark polishes have to take a rest for now. Since it's technically Holy Week now, I figured to wear something that reflects this week's mood: gloomy and dark. Oh, this excludes Easter Sunday, naturally.

I chose to wear The Face Shop Wide Nails in PP402, a lovely dark eggplant polish. I am absolutely in love with this. It's such a royal color; I mean, it's my perfect violet. The polish has shimmer in it but it's so fine that it's barely noticeable on the nails. The formula of this polish is a bit on the thick side (definitely not like the NARS formula) but it's still lovely to work with because it goes on really smoothly and it helps that the polish is opaque on one go. But you know me, a second layer is always a must.

One thing that's a bit different is the brush. It's an angled paddle brush. :O My heart fluttered when I first saw the brush because, heh, I love me some angled brushes. I thought it would be a bit difficult to use but I was proved wrong. Apparently, the angled brush helps a lot in application! I can easily maneuver my brush especially in the cuticle area as well as on the sides, However, one downside with this brush is that sometimes the product isn't evenly distributed. Sometimes I think I have adequate polish on but turns out that's just the left side of the brush and the right side has too much! It's weird to explain it out loud so sorry for that! But overall, I think the pros outweigh the cons of the polish so it's all good.

Before I wrap this up, apologies for my rather bumpy nail swatch. The polish went so smoothly so I don't know why it all bubbled up! I didn't shake the bottle so I think it's either one of the top coats I used OR I may have applied a thick second coat. Because I'm too lazy to redo everything, let's just pretend I have textured nails, shall we? :D

Happy last Friday of March, y'all! Today I'll be sharing my thoughts/feedback on a new top coat I've been using these past few months, the essence Gel-look Plumping Top Coat.

So basically I bought this because I wanted to experience gel-looking nails without breaking the bank. Gel nails are uber glossy and look a bit elevated/embossed and apparently they last a long time. However, getting them done is quite time consuming and pricey, plus the removal can only be done in nail salons. So yes, long story short, I'm cheating by being a cheapskate lol.

I got the top coat back in Singapore and I remember grabbing it because it was the only bottle left. The 8ml bottle cost less than S$5 so that was a steal. The formula of the top coat is a bit thick unlike the new water-based top coats that are runny and thin. I'm happy to report that even if it's a little thick, it was a breeze to work with. I can easily apply it the first time and it didn't take long for it to dry as well. In terms of the "gel look" claim, yes, it does make your polish look extra glossy and the embossed/elevated effect is there for the first couple of days. As days pass by, I noticed that the top coat becomes thin which lessens the glossiness of the nails. The gel effect goes away by the second day so if you want to keep up the gel look, you have to reapply it every other day or so.

I guess overall it's a good top coat but it didn't blow me away with the gel effect. I feel like if you look past all the gel claims, it's just another top coat. Would I repurchase it? Probably not. Guess I'll just keep using it and enjoy extra shiny polish for a few more mani sessions.

When I decided to study makeup artistry after I graduated high school, I sort of went on a makeup spree, or rather a brush spree. I was obsessed with brushes more than makeup products and I just wanted to have buy every brush I see. Of course this was when I had absolutely no idea about makeup in general. When I entered makeup school, I got my first proper brush set (which was Royal & Langnickel) then I had two more brush sets when I went to my second makeup school. From then on, all I used were those brushes and everything else was forgotten. Well, until a couple of weeks ago.

It may be a bit cloudy these past few days but April's just around the corner and that means one thing: summer's in full swing, baby! I feel like April's the month where the sun is at its brightest and everyday is like an oven. Ahh, only in the PH.

Hello! I'm back with a new EOTD. Today's look was inspired by a beauty look I saw in Karima's channel a few weeks ago where she has this very simple eye look with a pop of color in the inner corner. I decided to make mine a darker, more shimmery version and it turned out good imho. Forrealz tho, I'd wear this!

The lid work consisted of two colors: a nice shimmery coppery/bronzey NYX shadow and a black brown shadow, Backdoor, on the outer corner. You could totally use a crease shade here but I opted not to because small lid space lol. After that, I just mirrored what I did on the lid on my lower lashline. For my pop of color, I used Label Whore, a really good dupe for MAC Club. Label Whore is one of those shadows that I thought was really pretty but I just didn't know how or where or when to use it. I believe I already used it on an EOTD post before and I think I used it on the lid but it was a mess to work with because the green sheen just goes away when you blend it. On this look, I used it as a highlight which means blending is very minimal so I get to keep the green sheen. It makes a really cool inner corner highlight, doesn't it? Not too bright but still makes the eye makeup interesting. For my brow highlight, I used Kinky then I lined my upper and lower lashline with the black pencil I have. I kept my liner simple and quite thin as I don't want to take the attention away from my inner corner highlight.

I think a one-shadow lid + Label Whore would look real nice too. I'm thinking Urban Decay Smog or even Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. Whaddaya think?

Products Used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

NYX Unnamed Shadow from the Makeup Artist Palette (lid;, middle part of lower lashline)

Urban Decay shadow in Backdoor (outer corner; outer lower lashline)

Too Faced shadow in Label Whore (inner corner)

Urban Decay shadow in Kinky (brow bone highlight)

Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner in Deepest Black

Graftobian Cake Eyeliner in Jet Black

Maybelline Volum' Express Hypercurl Cat Eyes

When it comes to nail polish, I always gravitate towards those with dark hues. Not necessarily black, but something close to it. Great examples are NARS Sharplines Left and Sally Hansen Flirt. These polishes make me really happy because they make me feel badass without making me look like a rebellious teenager. Don't deny it, we all had that phase where we thought black polish is so punk. Huuuuu cringe.

Nowadays I tend to avoid black polish and instead look for shades that are dark. Colored, but dark. But ever since I discovered Anna and Lily, my nail polish choices  have changed. Now I try to inject nudes and "clean" polishes. By "clean" I mean anything that doesn't have glitter or shimmer. I used to hate clean polishes but now they're the ones I prefer.

Since Anna and Lily love their nude and clean polishes, I decided to give one nude polish of mine a go. It's the essence Colour & Go in 162 Dare It Nude. It's a color I thought I wouldn't like but now that I'm wearing it, I'm totally digging it. At first glance, you'd think it's just your standard skintone kind of color but now that I'm staring at it intensely, the color's more of a fair French beige. It has a brown/gray color combo going on with a very slight pink undertone. On my photos it looks really light but trust me it's quite darker in person. This particular shade is right up my alley, I love it.

Now that I've raved about the color, lemme tell you some issues I have with this polish. It's not my first time to use anything from the Colour & Go line but for some reason, I found this polish hard to work with. It starts very smooth but when you get to the 3rd or 4th nail, it becomes gloopy and thick that you have no choice but to shake or roll it to loosen up. I did two coats on my nails and the second coat was a nightmare to do because once you get to the other hand, the polish is thick and hard to work with. It also likes to play pranks on you; it makes you think you've applied it unevely but after a little while, it even out. Not cool, kiddo, not cool.

Despite having some issues, I'm glad to report that it's not at all streaky and it didn't pool at my cuticles although I encountered some pooling on the sides of my nails. It's also prone to a little bit of bubbling no matter how careful you are with it. I find that this takes longer to dry than the other C&G polishes I have. Weird, no?

Overall, I think essence should keep the color but change the formula. It's such a gorgeous color, especially on my toes, but it has a really sucky formula. I did a little research and found some pretty good dupes for this: Deborah Lippman in Fashion (which is lighter), Deborah Lippman in Modern Love, Model's Own in Nude Beige, Rescue Beauty in Lounge Grunge, and Maybelline in Nude Skin (which has a heavier pink undertone).

You know those days when you suddenly think "Today's a really good day to use anything gold in my eye!"? Yeah, I feel you. I feel like gold is something I rarely use nowadays due to the strong pull of my neutral (read: brown) palettes and shadows. I remember being obsessed with Urban Decay's Half Baked! I think that was my default lid color during my beauty school days. Gold was my go-to shade then, methinks.

While I was rummaging through my makeup kit, I reopened my little box of pigments. The first pigment that caught my eye was NYX Hard Core. It's a gorgeous aquamarine/blue-green pigment with tiny flecks of gold. Ahh, pretty! I then decided to whip out my Catrice gold pencil and got to work.

First things first: pat that transition color down! I used my ever favorite UD Freestyle (not included in swatch pic) on my crease just to make everything blend better, Next, I lightly shaded my crease with MAC Folie. I wanted a light warm haze on my crease to ground all the colors I'll put on next. On my lid, I roughly filled it halfway with the Catrice Precision Eye Pencil in Gold Me Tight! then smudged it out all over until just before the crease. This will act as the base of the pigment, NYX Hard Core which I patted on top of the gold base to avoid a shitload of fallout. Going back to the gold pencil, I created a winged liner before lightly lining the eye with a black gel liner. Fore the lower lashline, I applied Folie once more; this step is optional. Highlighted my brow bone with UD Kinky, applied some mascara on my top and bottom lashes and I'm done.

This look actually reminds me of an EOTD I did last year but that's heavier, almost a bit Arabic/Egyptian. Don't ask me why but I always think that a gold/black liner is always a good idea. Maybe because it makes me feel Cleopatra-ish, Or maybe it's just because it's so damn pretteh to look at.

Products Used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

MAC Folie (crease; lower lashline)

Catrice Precision Eye Pencil in 090 Gold Me Tight! (lid, smudged; liner)

NYX Dramatic Chromatic Eyeshadow Pigment in 05 Hard Core (lid)

Urban Decay Foxy (brow bone highlight)

MAC Blacktrack Fluidline

Maybelline Volum' Express Hypercurl Cat Eyes

This is my second single eyeshadow purchase this year and I'm loving it.

One of my goals/resolutions this 2015 is to wear more makeup, or at least a little bit more than just lipstick. I've started this mini makeup routine since late January and it's simple and quick. I want to look a bit presentable and fresh yet not overly done.

For my base, I just go with the quickest duo ever: concealer + powder. Again, I don't want to look like I spent hours doing my makeup so all I do is conceal my dark circles and little spots here and there. I don't mind them peeking through, I just don't want them bare and out in the open that much. I like the idea of letting my skin breathe so I opt for powder as it's light and easy to use.

For the brows, I just tame them with my trusty (and muddy!) clear mascara. I already got a semi-full pair of brows so I can get away with not filling them in. I like them tame though hence the clear mascara.

For the eyes, all I do is curl them real good and add a waterproof, curl-holding mascara. I have short lashes so it always makes me happy and extra pretty when them lashes are curled and visible. I've been doing a lash routine that makes my lashes on point while still looking natural and people always ask me if I'm wearing lash extensions. Ahh, the power of a good curler and mascara.

For the lips, my go-to lipstick is still the same...and I'm running out! Thankfully I have a backup but I have a few tubes I can't wait to try out. I love MLBB lipsticks because I can just slap it on without a f-  and I'd still look good.

Products Used:

e.l.f. Clarifying Pressed Powder in Honey | essence Match 2 Cover! Cream Concealer | Sephora Lash & Eyebrow Mascara | Maybelline Volum' Express Hypercurl Cat Eyes | essence Longlasting Lipstick in 07 Natural Beauty

This look was bound to happen.

I mean, how could I not after that insaaaane finale?! Yes, I'm talking about How to Get Away with Murder. If you don't watch that show, shame on you cause that show is the bomb. It's been three days since that shocking finale and I still can't get over it. Ahh, I need the second season already!!

I was pretty much uninspired last Saturday. As in, no inspirations, no pegs, nada. Until I remembered the 14th episode of HTGAWM and the eye look Annalise always sported: a smokey sandwich eye. You know, where the inner and outer corners of the lid are the same shade, usually a dark one, and the middle is a really bright shade aka a pop. Youtubers and bloggers do it all the time and I think the official term is halo eye (...or not). Anyway, I've seen that eye makeup on her on a lot of episodes so I thought I'd do something like it. So yes, this is an inspired EOTD.

For the inner and outer parts of the lid, I used Darkhorse. I would've used a darker shade like Backdoor but I'm terrified of messing it all up so I opted for something that's easier to work with. As for the pop on the center, I used a combination of Copper Peony and WTF. Used Darkhorse on my lower lashline too, then I used Freestyle to help blend everything on the lid, then a slight dusting of Kinky on my brow bone. You all know I'm not comfortable using falsies but Annalise has full lashes so I decided to use the fullest lashes I have.

Gotta say, I'm quite happy with the outcome. I thought it'll be whack but hey, it ain't so bad. Viola Davis rocks the sandwich eye and hats off to the makeup artist/team who glams her up. I'll probably do more HTGAWM/Annalise K inspired looks in the future as it's really fun and surprising...just like that damn finale.

PS. So who do you think killed RS? My bet's on Wes but something's telling me it might be Laurel. Also, Lila's killer? Totally not the one I had in mind although it made perfect sense. I mean, it was sooo obvious!

Products Used:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Urban Decay shadow in Darkhorse (inner and outer lid; lower lashline)

Too Faced shadow in Copper Peony + Kat Von D WTF (middle lid)

Urban Decay shadow in Freestyle (for blending edges)

Urban Decay shadow in Kinky (brow bone highlight)

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion

Maybelline Volum' Express Hypercurl Cat Eyes

Sasa Falsies in 03 Sexy