Lullabies and Lippies: February 2012

Let me share with you some pictures of celebrities whose make-up I absolutely adore!

1. Kim Kardashian

She obviously already has some amazing cheekbones, but I think the contouring and highlighting just made her face look all the more define, sculpted, and just more put-together. I mean, seriously. Just look at those cheekbones!

This is probably my favorite shot of her. Aside from those amazing cheekbones, she had on soft, smokey eyes with tons and tons and tons of mascara and liner. And of course, her signature pinky-nude lip (I hear her favorite pinky-nude lip combo is MAC Angel + NARS Turkish Delight!) I love that she made her eyes (and lashes) the focal point of this look by keeping the rest of her face very simple.

Queen of the Smokey Eye. I tell you, she gets it right every single time!

2. Blake Lively

She always looks so glowy and sunkissed! And if anyone can pull off the messy beachwaves, it's her.

Loving her sunkissed complexion! I'm also a huge fan of highlighting the inner corners of your eyes with a light, shimmery color to make your eyes appear wider and brighter. That peachy-pink blush also picks up really well on her blonde hair.

In this picture, she has her hair up, but she's still got that beachy-effortless look going on.

3. Lauren Conrad

Lauren Conrad's make-up reminds me a lot of Blake Lively's. Prolly because she's got the same beachy, boho chic vibe going on.

If you haven't already guessed, I'm super loving her thick, lush lashes! And her skin always looks so sunkissed and glowy and dewy. Ah, love!

4. Leighton Meester

Her make-up on Gossip Girl is always so so simple, yet classy. She always looks so polished and put-together. I think she looks like a porcelain doll. :)

See what I mean? Her make-up here reminds me of Marilyn Monroe's classic pin-up girl look. A more subtle version!

This one, however, reminds me of The Joker. Hahaha I'm just kidding! But seriously, I don't know what her make-up artist was thinking at that time. Oh well!

5. Taylor Swift

Who could forget Taylor Swift's signature girl-next-door look? And her signature winged-out liner? And signature curls?

Cat eye make-up never looked so good on anyone! And I love her peachy-pink glossy lips!

Straight hair looks really, really good on her too! I love how her eyes still stand out in this photo despite almost being covered by her bangs. Her eyes did all the work as the rest of her face was kept very understated.

❤,

Nicole

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Mascara is, by far, my favorite beauty item. I tell you, during hell weeks in school, I can totally skip my everyday make-up routine (which is really not a lot anyway), but not mascara. Even with unbelievably dark undereye circles and a multitude of zits on my face, I can just throw on some mascara and go out the door. Especially when you have not had enough sleep, curling your lashes and putting on some mascara can instantly open up your eyes and make you look more awake. It's definitely my 'desert-island' beauty product!

The thing about mascaras is that there are so many brands and kinds. There's high-end, then there's low-end. There's waterproof, smudgeproof, lengthening, defining, volumizing, curling, and regular. Then you get to the wands -- there are long, skinny wands, then you have ones which are thick, then you have curled wands, then you have really ginormous, rubbery wands. It all gets reaaaaally confusing. But I'll let you on a little secret: you do not need to spend your money on high-end masacaras!

Here's why:

You need to replace your mascaras every three to six months. (Mascara tubes are a breeding ground for bacteria. Replacing it every three to six months will ensure that you always have a fresh tube on hand. Expired mascara is NOT good, especially for contact lens wearers. Trust me. I was so hesitant to throw out a mascara which I really liked, so I continued to use it. Wrong move. My eyes stung and got all watery.)
Aside from the bacteria problem, if you don't replace your mascara regularly, it's going to dry out anyway. And your lashes will look crunchy, stiff, and flaky. Not pretty!
Replacing your mascara every three to six months can be quite costly. And it's really not practical to spend so much money on something that you're just going to throw out after six months.
Drugstore mascaras are just as good as high-end ones! Sometimes, even better. (My favorite mascara happens to be from the drugstore. It's the Maybelline Falsies and it only costs PhP449!)
Sometimes, you can even score really good deals on drugstore brands, like a 20% off or something.

Although I think drugstore mascaras are just as good as high-end ones, I do like to splurge and treat myself sometimes. My favorite high-end one is Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash. It gives you the thickest, darkest lashes ever! I believe I got this when I was in Hong Kong, so it was considerably cheaper than it is here. (I believe it runs for around PhP1,700-1,900 a tube here.) Although I really, really liked it, that is crazy expensive for a mascara! Which is why I never bought another tube of it.

My long-time favorite was the CoverGirl LashBlast Volume in Waterproof. I've probably gone through about five or six tubes of it. (Mascara junkie alert!) I find that it defines my lashes really well and volumizes them amazingly. As for lengthening.. meh, it's okay. Nothing spectacular, but alright. I also prefer the waterproof to the regular version because it holds up the curl a lot better (Waterproof mascaras have more wax in them, thus they hold up the curl a lot better than the regular versions.)

However, my CoverGirl LashBlast has been replaced (Sshh, don't tell!) by the Maybelline Falsies in Waterproof. I first got my hands on these about a year ago when I was shopping in Duty Free. I had already heard so many great things about it on YouTube and was so excited to see that they had it in Duty Free (At that time, Maybelline Philippines was not yet carrying this particular product.) At first, I thought the formula was a little too wet. So I gave it around two weeks to dry up a bit, and I loved it! The Maybelline Falsies gave me long, thick, fluttery lashes! When I started using this mascara, my friends would always ask me if I had false lashes on. There was one day when I had three different people (one was a complete stranger) ask if I had false lashes on. And my best friend always, always, always asks what mascara I have on whenever I use this. Amazing! The best part of it is that it can easily be bought from the drugstore, yay!

Here's what the tube looks like.

And here's a picture of me using the Maybelline Falsies.

I love how my lashes are still seen! Usually, they disappear on camera.

❤,
Nicole

P.S.
I'm currently trying out the Maybelline One By One mascara and lovin' it! Unfortunately, it's not yet available here in the Philippines. My friend Ico got it for me while she was in the States last Christmas. If you have the chance, go try it! :)

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Thought I'd start with this tag. It's a super old tag, but it seemed fitting for a first post. :)

1. LipIce -- or any sort of chapstick, really! This just happens to be my favorite.

A must-have for everyone! Keeps my lips super moist and well-conditioned! I use this first thing in the morning and before I go to bed. I also use this as sort of a primer to prep my lips before putting on lipstick. I put this on before I begin with make-up and by the time I'm ready to put my lipstick on, my lips are already super soft. :) Comes off clear, gives your lips a nice sheen, and has a nice minty-tingly feeling when you're putting it on. Has SPF15 too, which is always a good thing! My favorite is the lemon! You can get these at your local Watsons for less than PhP100.00 :) (Plus points for the good price tag!)

2. Benefit Benetint

This lip and cheek tint is perfect for lazy days! It's sometimes a pain to wear lipstick or lipgloss in this hot, humid weather. With this, you can slap it on in the morning and not worry about it smearing off. Looks incredibly natural, too! On your cheeks, it gives you that subtle five-year-old-that's-been-running-around sort of flush. On your lips, it just looks completely healthy and natural. I'm not the biggest fan of the packaging, but I guess it works. One bottle will last you forever. I've had mine for over a year and I'm barely halfway through.

* A more budget-friendly dupe would be the lip and cheek stain from Body Shop! That has more of a gel-consistency as opposed to the Benetint which is waay more watery. Works really well, too. :)

3. MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner in Petting Pink

I guess by now, you can prolly already tell that I don't like wearing lipstick or lipgloss on a daily basis. I prefer lipstains and balms just because they feel smoother. This is my favorite tinted lip balm because aside from its usual benefits (moisturizing, conditioning, etc.) it gives your lips a nice pink tint. And it has SPF12 in it too, which is always a good thing when you're going to be out. I always have this in my school bag so I can just whip it out whenever my lips are feeling dry or I'm just feeling a little blah. I got this as a present from a friend for my 20th birthday. :)

4. MAC Slimshine in Bare

First MAC lipstick I ever bought. I have already used this completely up -- the perfect MLBB shade for me. In between a lipstick and a gloss. It's not as thick or drying as some lipsticks can be. Slimshines have a high-shine finish, similar to a gloss, but have waaay more pigmentation than just a gloss. Unfortunately, MAC Slimshines have been discontinued, although they've come out with a new line of lipsticks with a similar formulation to the Slimshines (or so I've heard) -- the Sheen Supreme Lipsticks from MAC. The shade 'Bare Again' looks (and sounds!) similar.

5. Revlon Lip Butters

AMAZING! They're incredibly moisturizing as a lip butter should be, but give you intense color payoff, as well! You'd be surprised as to how pigmented these lip butters are! The downside to these are that they slide off or wear off pretty easily since they're just lip butters (not long-wearing). I find that I have to reapply or touch-up every 2-3 hours. They're a bit on the pricier side, especially for a drugstore brand, but well-worth every cent! Plus, the packaging is really sleek and classy-looking! Each color has a unique-colored lid to match the product. I think especially for those who are maybe just starting with make-up and not really comfortable with wearing lipstick yet, this is a good product to start with. :) My favorite shade is Strawberry Shortcake which is just a cute, wearable light pink color. I also really love Red Velvet -- dark, rich red with AMAZING color payoff! :)

6. MAC Lipstick in Pink Nouveau

Although I prefer lipbalms or lip butters, I do like wearing lipstick once in a while, especially if I'm going out at night. MAC Pink Nouveau is the perfect pink lipstick for going out at night! Looks crazy scary (Took me a while to get the courage to wear this out!), but you can really just dab a bit on your lips and blot, so that you get a sheerer effect. This has a Satin finish, so color payoff and staying power are both really good! :) It's a blue-toned pink, so your teeth appear whiter (Yay!). Looks incredible in photos, too! This is a nice alternative to bright red lips. I personally prefer pink to red lips any day.

*Tip: To avoid make-up meltdown (especially in the hot summer months ahead!), put on a bright lipcolor and go light on the rest of your face! A bright lip can easily make you look very put together, even with just some mascara on. :)

♥,

Nicole

P.S.
Tagging anyone and everyone who wants to do this!

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