Birthday Makeup Tutorial

Hello lovelies! :)

I finally filmed a video and a makeup tutorial today. I forgot how fun it is to film and make tutorials because it's been such a long time since I last made one.

Today's tutorial is a birthday makeup tutorial since tomorrow is my birthday (January 23)! ^o^

I thought it would be fun to try out a look (kind of like a practice) for my birthday tomorrow. I don't really have any extravagant plans but I am planning on going out to dinner with my friends tomorrow and possibly buying a drink (since I turn 21 tomorrow - legal drinking age in America. LOL).

The look I came up with is a smokey gold/bronze look that is slightly dramatic. I think it could be toned down or go heavier depending on personal preference. I love gold eyeshadows because they are somewhat neutral but flashy at the same time.

Here are some pictures I took:

Products used or mentioned in video:

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation in 003 Shell

MUFE Duo Mat Powder Foundation #201

N.Y.C. Kohl Brow/Eyeliner Pencil - Sable

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Urban Decay Naked Palette - Half Baked, Dark Horse, Creep, and Sin

MAC Eye Shadows - Blanc Type and Wood-Winked

MUFE Aqua Eyes 0L Black Liner

MAC Blacktrack Fluidline

Clinique High Impact Mascara

Ardell Duralash Flare Short Black Individual Lashes

Ardell Lash-Tite Adhesive

Sephora Sculpting Disk

EOS Lip Blam

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick - #070 Airy Fairy

Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer Review

Hello lovelies!

Hope everyone has been well since my last post!
I just wanted to post about my experience with the Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer that I had blogged about a couple weeks ago.

For a while now, I've been on the search for a perfect face primer. For me, the "perfect face primer" would be one that doesn't break me out (this is a must!), evens out my skin, makes my skin smooth for foundation application, decreases the appearance of large pores, and controls oil. Most of the primers that I've tried have failed in the "doesn't break me out" category as most primers have silicone or dimethicone crosspolymer, which my skin seems to have a bad reaction to. It's too bad since silicone is what helps with the pores and makes the skin feel really soft.
I really liked the MAC Prep & Prime face primer (w/out SPF) since it made my skin really soft. However, I ended up getting some bad cystic acne on my forehead. I tend to break out mainly on my forehead and occasionally around my nose. Never really on my cheeks.

I went into Sephora determined to purchase another face primer (after trying several and failing) and this time I was set on getting one without silicone. I read all the ingredients carefully for each primer and most of them had the word "silica" which made me cringe and put it down. One of the Sephora sales associates picked out the Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer as she said that it contained no silicone. Low and behold, she was right and I felt ecstatic. I thought to myself that "this may be the end of my search for a HG primer!"

The Tarte Clean Slate is made of all natural ingredients and contains these benefits:

It all seemed too good to be true and I tried some on the back of my hand and loved the consistency of this primer. It came out in a clear gel consistency:

After rubbing it on the back of my hand, I loved the finish as it felt smooth and matte. Perfect for foundation application.

I was so excited to share this purchase on my blog and posted the picture of the ingredients to share that there was no silicone in this primer.

However, after posting, one of my lovely blog readers informed me that this primer does contain silicone as it contains DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, which is basically a fancy way of saying silicone. When I discovered this, my heart dropped. My high hopes for this primer went down low for me.

Prior to using and purchasing this primer, I've been dealing with some strange cystic acne that I've never really had before. Mainly all over my forehead and for the first time ever, I got acne on my cheeks. If you're a twitter friend, you may have read a few tweets about my skin. The cause of the acne was unknown for me since I didn't really change any skincare routine minus one moisturizer. However, I was using brand new makeup products and it hit me that these makeup products may contain "dimethicone crosspolymer" that may be triggering my strange acne.

The first thing I went for was my HG face powder, MAC Blot Powder in Medium, which I blogged about earlier. I was nervous to look at the ingredients but I bit my lip and checked to see that it contained dimethicone and silica. A double slap in the face for me. >.<

After this discovery, I stopped using MAC Blot Powder altogether, but I still wanted to give the Tarte Clean Slate primer a shot since it was $30 and I had promised to review it.

So the outcome?

The Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer broke me out. Or to be more specific, my acne didn't get any better. Actually, they ended up looking more red and puffy than usual (ewww).

It's such a pity since the primer itself is great! I think this primer won't disappoint those who don't have over-sensitive skin or to those who don't mind using silicone on their face.

For people like me.... you should stay away from this primer!

It's interesting since after I stopped using MAC Blot Powder and Tarte Clean Slate Primer, my skin drastically improved within 2 days. I've also changed my skincare routine (which I will be sharing later in a video and blog post) and my acne has gone down and almost disappeared. It's pretty crazy actually by how fast my skin recovered.

Since I can't use my MAC Blot Powder in Medium any longer, I am planning on selling it on a blog sale or to anyone who's interested. I still have sooo much of it leftover and it's too much of a waste to just not use it or throw it out. The Blot Powder is really a great powder since it even was at one point, my HG powder. If you want to learn more about this powder, check out my blog post about it HERE.

Let me know if you're interested in purchasing it from me. :)

Hope this post was helpful.

Make sure to read those ingredients lists carefully. Don't be fooled like me! LOL

-minky

Quick Post: Pick Up Your Free Bare Escentuals Sample Kit from Sephora

Hello loves!
This is a quickie post, but I got an exciting email from Sephora today saying that they were giving free Bare Escentuals Sample Kit to all Beauty Insider members. All you have to do is print out the email that they sent you and bring it to your local Sephora store and they will give you one kit that matches you.

I picked one up today because... when it comes to free things... I need to go get it!

It's small, but I didn't expect too much since it's free.

It comes with a very-mini kabuki brush, a small tube of BareMinerals Prime Time, and bareMinerals foundation. They gave it to me in the shade Fairly Light.

Also, you can choose if you would like the Original SPF 15 or Matte SPF 15 foundation.

I chose the Matte SPF 15 foundation since it is good for controlling oil on the face (or that's what it claims to do!) I've never tried Bare Escentuals makeup before so I'm curious as to how this will work for me.

Hurry! Make sure to grab one of these if you can because I think they're going to run out fast!

New HG Face Primer? Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer

As many of my older blog readers and friends may know, I've been on the longest search of a face primer that will NOT break me out. I've tried several from MAC to other brands (high and low end) and most of them break me out. The only one that seemed to not irritate my sensitive skin was my Laneige Sebum Control Primer.
I've come to the conclusion that my skin is sensitive to silicone, which was in basically 98% of the primers I tried.
A few days ago, I stopped by Sephora and checked all the ingredients of the other primers I never tried. I was interested in the Laura Mercier Oil-free primer, but of course, silica was an ingredient in it.
The sales assistant suggested that I try the Hourglass Cosmetics Oil-free and all natural primer, but I honestly wasn't going to spend $52 on just a primer.

Many people find no use for a primer and I definitely have been one of those people before. However, recently with my breakout attacks on my face, I've decided to change up my face routine and include a primer that will mattify, control the oil on my face, and make my complexion look better.

Today, I went to Sephora again and purchased the Tarte Clean Slate Face Primer, which the sales assistant said that it is great for sensitive skin, has no silicone, and is made with all natural ingredients. I decided to make a small plunge and purchased it and I have high hopes for this primer.

Initially, I decided to just test it out on my hand and take pictures.  I will have a much more in-depth review once I've tested it out for at least a week.

The packaging looks nice and sleek.

I applied some moisturizer on half of my hand to pretend like it was my "oily" face. LOL. Hope that makes sense? xD

Ewww my hand looks dry. Sorry! >.<

I blended the primer all over my hand. It's nice and easy to blend.

Has no strange residue and feels matte.

There's no scent as well.

Could be a win!

I will keep you all updated in a more in-depth review. Hopefully, it's worth the money.

Mindy's 2010 Beauty Favorites and 2011 Updates/Plan

Happy New Year everyone!

I seriously cannot believe how fast the time went by.  When I look back at the past year, I feel like so much happened, yet it's all in the past and I'm glad that 2011 is a way to make a fresh new start.

When I look back at my blogging (on this blog) and my YouTube channel, I must say that there have been so many positive and supportive people who genuinely have kept encouraging me.  I want to name all of those people and thank them individually, but the list would be too long.  Thank you to all the new friends and kind people I've met through YouTube and blogging, who have really taken their time to reach out to me! I love you all!

For 2011..... (It feels strange typing that number!)

I'm determined to be more active on my blog and my YouTube channel. My family and friends are so supportive of this and I feel like it's a great way for me to sometimes take my mind off of the crazy things going on in my life. As a cellist and an avid performer, but a student at the same time, I find myself sometimes getting lost in my busy schedule. For this new year, I'm going to devote some more of my time here and my YouTube channel.

Speaking of which, I have decided to start a new YouTube channel and won't be updating my older channel. Further information about this will be posted in the next few days along with a HUGE giveaway for my 1-year on YouTube and this blog. :) I'm really excited to share this with you all. If you want to go on ahead and subscribe to my new channel now, that would be awesome! LOL.

http://www.youtube.com/MINKY3macaroons

I decided to compile my beauty favorites of 2010 into this blog post. (I'm going to try to find the links to where you can purchase these products if you're interested... Only if I can find them though ^o^ ) Click on the pictures as well.

Favorite Shampoo and Conditioner

Herbal Essences Hydralicious Featherweight Self Targeting Root to Tip Hair 

Shampoo and Conditioner

This affordable combo did wonders for my hair. I was surprised by the great results that left my hair soft and hydrated. Prior to using this, I've suffered from dry, coarse, and damaged hair. It smells nice too!

You can purchase it on Amazon.com or at your local drugstore:

  

Favorite Hair Styling Product

Garnier Fructis Fiber Gum Putty

This is another affordable discovery this year. Having permed my hair, I needed something that would help keep the curls stay in place throughout the day and this product was my favorite for doing that job. It's extremely sticky though!

You can purchase this on Amazon.com or at your local drugstore:

Favorite Face Cleanser and Face Oil:

Laneige Multi-Cleanser and Laneige Moisturizing Cleansing Oil
I've recently been addicting with cleansing oils because they take off ALL the makeup on my face. I think it's really important to take off every bit of makeup on the face before going to bed at night.  The Laneige cleanser and cleaning oil combo definitely does the job well and smells nice!


You can purchase this on Amazon.com (wow seriously Amazon has almost everything!):


  

Favorite Face Lotion/Moisturizer

Dove Deep Moisture Facial Lotion, SPF 15, Dry Skin

I've tried several facial lotions/moisturizers and this has been an old favorite. First thing's first... it doesn't break me out! It's extremely light and doesn't make my skin oily.

Buy It Here

Favorite Eyeshadow Primer

Urban Decay Primer Potion

The infamous Urban Decay Primer Potion would be my eye primer of choice. I bought the Urban Decay Primer Potion in the professional size that comes in the limited edition tube, which came out this past year (2010).  Eyeshadow colors look really vibrant and last a long time with this primer. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Favorite Eyeshadows

Urban Decay Naked Palette

This palette received so much hype this year, but I have to say that I see why it did receive so much love from people this past year. This palette is filled with so many lovely neutral shades and the color payoff is fantastic. I'm always impressed with Urban Decay eyeshadows and these shadows are worth the price!

Buy It Here

Favorite Pencil Eyeliners

Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes Liner in 0L (Black)

Although they are pricey at $17 each from Sephora or on Amazon, I find that these pencils don't smudge at all and they stick like they should all day. They're definitely worth the bucks in my opinion and if I could own all of them, I would... but I can't. I wish though! :D


This link is to purchase it from Sephora through Amazon:


or Buy It Here from Sephora


NYC Classic Brow & Liner Pencils

I know this category is for eyeliners, but I had to include this here because I love this pencil for my brows! I use the color "Sable" and it has this waxy consistency that makes my brows look well-defined and nice. I own a bunch of these pencils and different colors and I would have to say that they work fairly well as eyeliner pencils. The price is amazing as well at local drugstores ranging from ($0.93 - $0.99)

Favorite Gel Liner

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
Yes, the ever-so-popular MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack was my all time favorite gel liner in 2010. There was nothing to "not" like about it (if that makes sense!). This gel liner is not the cheapest at $15 from MAC, but it's cheaper than some other alternatives out there and this gel liner has great staying power. The color is not a jet-black, but I don't mind. It's worth it!


Buy It Here

Favorite Mascara

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara
I love this mascara because it really makes my short and tiny lashes appear long! The super skinny mascara comb is easy to work with getting down to the bottom of the lash to the top. I love it! I also own the Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous Mascara, but I don't love that one so much. 


Check out your local drugstore or buy it from here:

Favorite Blush

MAC Powder Blush in Well Dressed
This light pink blush looks really sheer and light in the packaging, but I have to say that it gives the best and healthy glow to the cheeks! It's very pigmented and I find that it's my HG blush. Most of the time, I don't reach for any other blushes because this one has made home in my heart. It's not cheap though >.< $18.50


Buy It Here

Favorite Eye Makeup Remover

Sephora Collection FACE Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover
One of my goals in 2010 was to find an eye makeup remover that would remove EVERYTHING off my eyes. This meant taking off the Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes liners (which was really tough), waterproof mascara, etc. I tried several drugstore eye makeup removers and none of them worked. Sadly, I decided to pitch in the extra money to try high-end ones. I tried Clinique's eye makeup removers, and sadly didn't work. I guess my problem was that I didn't want oily eye makeup removers. I tried the Lancome eye makeup remover and it worked well, but cost too much! Then one day, I walked into a Sephora, which wasn't my local one, and a very kind Sephora SA said this was the eye makeup remover she swore by. The price seemed reasonable (under $10) and she was insisting that I give it a try, I bought it and fell in love with it ever since.


Buy It Here

Favorite Foundation

Laneige Snow Crystal Dual Foundation
This foundation is light/medium coverage and feels so light on the skin. I love the scent and it really gives that natural look. I also love the packaging. I'm not too crazy about the concealer on the top though. Oh and one more thing... it doesn't break me out! :) It's not so cheap though being $40+ but a little goes a long way!


Buy It Here

Favorite Face Powder

MAC Blot Powder Pressed
You may have read my review about this powder. It's definitely become my HG powder this year and I will continue to purchase this if something else doesn't amaze me as much as this powder did. LOL. If you haven't read my review on this and my comparison of this powder with MAC MSF Natural, then check it out HERE.
I find the cost to be somewhat reasonable at $22, but I guess it depends on how often you'll use this. I like to use it to set my foundation or BB cream.


Buy It Here


oh and I couldn't forget my favorite drugstore face powder:

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder
This powder is also excellent for setting foundation and getting rid of oil on the face. I love this powder so much, I have 2 backups. I'm most in love with the low price!! 
Find it at your local drugstore or on Amazon:


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I feel like those are enough products at the moment, but I can totally see myself forgetting something right now and then regretting not putting it here. If I missed something, I will surely post it and let you all know!


Oh and I am still on the lookout for a great face primer (without silicone because I'm sensitive to it) and good sunscreen. I've tried so many different sunscreens this past year from high end to low end, but I've noticed that most of them break me out. T.T
If any of you have recommendations, please let me know!! It would be much appreciated!
xoxo


Good luck everyone for this upcoming year!
Happy New Year once again!


Love, Mindy

My Current Obsession: Cleaning My Makeup Brushes (MAC Brush Cleanser vs. Estee Lauder Brush Cleanser)

Hello lovelies!

Haven't blogged for over a week, but finally I have some chance to sit down and talk about one of my current obsessions at the moment.... cleaning my makeup brushes! XD

Yes! It sounds kind of silly, but I find that there's nothing wrong with being obsessive about cleaning brushes! It's good for our brushes and for our skin as well! I have to be honest though that I'm talking about spot cleaning rather than deep cleaning brushes. I deep clean my brushes maybe once a week or once every two weeks. I find it isn't that necessary to deep clean them often since I spot clean my brushes all the time.

When I first was looking for cheaper alternatives for brush cleansers, I decided to try out the Essence of Beauty Brush cleaners from CVS.  I'm a fan of their brushes so I had high expectations for the two cleansers I got.

One of the cleansers was meant for spot cleaning and looked like:

Image from: kizzy-online.com

I was very disappointed with this brush cleanser because it did absolutely nothing for my brushes.  None of the colors came out of the brushes and literally I felt like I was spraying water on my brushes.  I ended up throwing it out so I'm not 100% sure what are the ingredients.  I do recall it had a small scent of alcohol, but let me repeat that it did nothing for my brushes.  To add to that, it took so long for my brushes to dry! The price was nice though at under $5.

I also purchased the Essence of Beauty Extra Gentle Brush Cleaner (4.2 FL. OZ)

I ended up keeping this brush cleanser since it's meant for more deep cleaning uses.  I found that it did deep clean my brushes, but I would have to say that it didn't do much for removing colors from brushes, especially from my foundation brushes and my natural hair brushes.  There's an interesting smell to it, but overall, it's "okay" for the cost of $5.

I got tired of not getting the results I wanted when I spot cleaned my brushes so I opted for a more pricier brush cleanser from Estee Lauder.  The exact name is the Estee Lauder Hygienic Spray.  I have an older version of this spray brush cleanser... or I think I do? I can't seem to find it elsewhere online, but the current brush cleansers from Estee Lauder look awfully similar to the MAC brush cleanser.

Here's mine!

Here's the current brush cleanser from Estee Lauder.

This brush cleanser definitely did more for my brushes than the Essence of Beauty cleanser, but it still was hard to take off colors when spot cleaning. The price is $15 for this cleanser.  It did seem to spot clean my brushes but after a few sprays, the result wasn't what I was highly anticipated.  The cleanser is high in alcohol scent and brushes dry fairly quickly after each use.  What I do like about this spray is that it contains witch hazel and could also be used to sanitize hands, cosmetic pencils, and brushes.  I never attempted to deep clean my brushes with this brush cleanser.

I decided to give the MAC brush cleanser a try since it was cheaper than the Estee Lauder one at $12.  The MAC one is very popular and highly recommended for those who want good spot cleaning for their brushes.

I found the color of this brush cleanser to be a very pretty light pink! :)

I was so eager to test it out once I purchased it and the results were amazing! I remember that I tweeted about how much I loved this brush cleanser after my first use of it! I think I tweeted that I never felt so happy spot cleaning my brushes! xD The amazing factor was that the colors really disappeared from my brushes and my brushes looked good as new! Even the toughest colors somehow seemed to come off!

One thing I didn't like was the packaging since it didn't have a spray. In order to avoid losing product, I put some of the cleanser in a spray bottle.

If you don't believe me... haha... I gave it a test for you to see!!

Here's a showdown of the Estee Lauder Hygienic Spray Brush Cleanser and the MAC Brush Cleanser!

You guys can be the judge!

DUN DUN DUN!!! ^o^

For this experiment/battle, I chose to use a really highly pigmented eyeshadow to use with my MAC 217 brush.  The lucky eyeshadow was chosen from my Urban Decay Naked Palette.

The shade I used was Creep, which is a dark blue shadow with silver flex.

Here's the clean MAC 217 brush:

Okay.. now let's put some of the dark shadow on it!

First up is going to be the MAC cleanser.  I like to clean my brushes on a clean paper towel, but lots of people like to use facial tissue or towels.  Just make sure it's clean! :)

Here's the first tinkle... I mean spray! haha.

Okay, now let's get cleaning!

Spray 1:

ehh... not bad but didn't clean everything. As you can see on the towel, a lot of the pigment from the shadow came off. Let's give it another try!

Spray 2:

oooh! Getting there! Most of the pigment is off the brush! 

How about we give it one more little spray and I think it will do the trick!

Spray 3:

Ah yes! The result is lovely! It looks pretty clean now! :)

Okay! Shall we move onto the opponent... the Estee Lauder Hygienic Spray Brush Cleanser?

We have the brush with more eyeshadow again:

Let's get cleaning again! Woohoo!

Spray 1:

The first spot cleaning looks actually pretty good! I would have to say it looks cleaner than how it looked with the first spray of the MAC Brush Cleanser.

Spray 2:

The second spray hardly did anything! As you can see on the towel, hardly any pigments came off the brush.

I think this is the problem with this brush cleanser.  It doesn't thoroughly remove the pigments from the brush. If I only had the Estee Lauder brush cleanser, I would have to stop on the second spray because there's no point in trying to clean it any further.

I still wanted to clean my brush so I ended up using one more spray of the MAC Brush Cleanser and it did the trick!! :)

Good as new!

So what do you guys think?

I would have to say the MAC Brush Cleanser is the winner!

For deep cleaning my brushes, I like to use the technique with using Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Dawn Dishwashing Soap.  I feel that this method really takes off the pigments and kills all the germs and bacteria on my brushes!

Make sure to give those brushes a good cleaning!

Love,

Mindy