Megan's++

Valentine's Day Look

2011-02-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

Eyes:
Too-faced Shadow Insurance (base)
Benefit Bella Bomba Blush (crease)
Urban Decay "Baked" (lids)
Bobbi Brown "Copper Penny" (lids)
Too-faced "Pin-up"(highlight)
Hourglass "Film Noir" (mascara)
Milani "Liquif' eyeliner" in black (liner)
MAC "Espresso" "Cork" (brows)

Lips:
MAC "Please Me"

Face:
Bareminerals "Light" (mineral foundation)
Benefit Bella Bomba Blush

Link of the tutorial:

Mini Bobbi Brights Palette Review (Holiday 2010)

2010-10-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

I just got this palette, and posted a video review. Here you go:
REVIEW

I did today's look with colors in this palette.

Here is the swatch picture (I use a little primer, apparently not enough for my dry skin).

Blue, Blue

2010-10-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

Ha, I'm back to blogging!

I really like today's look; it makes me feel energetic!

Products used are listed below.

Eyes:
Urban Decay "Jinx" and "Mushroom" (shadows)
MAC Painterly paint pot (base)
Milani "Liquif' eyeliner" in black (liner)
Milani liquid eyeliner (liner)
Hourglass "Superficial" (mascara)
MAC "Cork" (eyebrow color)

Lips:
MAC "Everhip"

Face:
Bareminerals "Light" (mineral foundation)
Too-Faced "Papa Don't Peach" (blush)

My Potential Graduation Look

2010-06-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

Birthday Party Look

2010-05-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

I just saw Michelle Phan's city-light-makeup video yesterday, and I really like it. Today, I'm going to a friend's birthday party, and I came up with my version of the look. I used purple instead of blue.

The link of her video is right here.

Recent looks

2010-05-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

I'm really busy recently because I plan to move. These are some pictures of my recent looks, and I hope to give you guys some inspirations, haha.

Strawberry and Chocolate look (bright pink and brown)

2010-05-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

Fun look for today, and check out my video where I wear this look!

Here are the products I used and their pictures.

Eyes:
MAC Painterly paint pot (base)
Baremineral "Beautiful Lisa" (inner 2/3 lids) (crease)
Too-faced "Full-frontal" (outer lids)
MAC "Motif" (tear-duct)
Milani "Apricot" (Blending color)
Too-faced "Pin-up"(highlight)
Fresh "Supernova" (mascara)
Milani "Liquif' eyeliner" in brown (liner)
MAC "Cork" (brows)

Lips:
NYX "Paris"
Stila "Pinkle Twinkle"

Face:
Bareminerals "Light" (mineral foundation)
Urban Decay "Quickie" (blush)

Teal look/ How to use mineral shadows

2010-05-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

Fun look! Here are the products I used and their pictures.

Eyes:
Too-faced shadow insurance (base)
Baremineral "Ell if I know" (lids)
Urban Decay "YDK" (crease)
Too-faced "Pin-up"(highlight)
Fresh "Supernova" (mascara)
Milani "Liquif' eyeliner" in black (liner)
MAC "Cork" (brows)

Lips:
MAC "Ravishing"

Face:
Laura Mercier mineral foundation in "Tender Rose"
Milani "Luminous" (blush)

How to use mineral eyeshadows

For some reason, mineral eyeshadow companies are very proud of the powdery quality of their products. However, it makes them hard to use, since they are more likely to fall off than pressed shadows. Fortunately, it is completely possible to make them stay longer on your lids, and to do so, you need to have a base and a mixing medium.

Base?
My favorite eyeshadow base is the Too-faced shadow insurance, because it's user-friendly and high-quality. Similar products include the primer portion from Urban Decay, Paintpots from MAC, various eye primers from all kinds of makeup brands, and of course any concealers. I don't recommend the Urban Decay primer because of the packaging: the weirdly shaped bottle traps products, so that you either risk your fingers to cut it open, or waste your money on the products you cannot reach. Paintpots are quite famous, but I prefer to have a transparent base for any shadows, instead of many colored ones. I've never tried primers from other brands, and you can explore if you want to :P. As for concealers, they usually do a ok job for very minimal eye makeup, but when it comes to bright colors, they don't guarantee a good color payoff.

Mixing Medium?
The most popular and well-known mixing medium is definitely studio fix from MAC. I've heard many good things about them, though I've never had one. Yet I don't really need one, since water works just fine for me. I usually dampen my brush instead of pouring water into my loose shadows, because it's neater and easier to control. You want your brush to be wet with no water dripping; pick up some color from the jar with the brush's tip, and transfer the color to the cap. Swirl the brush a little so that the eyeshadow goes on the bristles evenly. Then, you're ready to apply the eyeshadow!

Check out my Youtube Channel for details!

Post-Birthday Look

2010-05-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is today's look:

The look is very easy, and I only used two colors on my eyes, which both are from the Urban Decay Deluxe palette. I patted "Ransom" all over my lids and a little above the creases; I then used a blending brush to apply "Underground" in the creases and the sockets. In order to make the purple blue color vibrant, I dampened my eyeshadow brush, and used the color in wet. By the way, don't over mingle the two colors, since you want the bright color to stand out!

Here is the palette I used:

I especially want to mention the lipgloss I used today. It's from Palladio. It's opaque and nonsticky, and at the same time, it has a nice minty feeling, which makes my lips feel very comfortable in summer. Here is the lipgloss and its swatch:

Eyes:
Too-faced shadow insurance (base)
Urban Decay "Ransom" (lids)
Urban Decay "Underground" (crease)
Dior matt white eyeshadow(highlight)
Fresh "Supernova" (mascara)
Milani "Liquif' eyeliner" in black (liner)
MAC "Cork" (brows)

Lips:
MAC "Peachstock"
Palladio "Coco Creme" (plump 'n' shine)

Face:
Laura Mercier mineral foundation in "Tender Rose"
Urban Decay "Quickie" (blush)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Check out my Youtube Channel for more makeup tutorials!

Birthday Girl!

2010-05-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday!
My boyfriend and I went to Claremont, which is a nice and cozy town. The picture below is the look I've been wearing today.

Eyes:
Too-faced shadow insurance (base)
Baremineral "Purrfect" (crease)
Milani "Illusion" (inner 1/3 of the lids)
Estee Lauder #45 duo (highlight)
Hourglass "Superficial Lash" (mascara)
Darkness (false lashes)
Milani "Liquif' eyeliner" in black (liner)
MAC "Cork" (brows)

Lips:

MAC "Please Me"

Face:
Laura Mercier mineral foundation in "Tender Rose"
Urban Decay "Quickie" (blush)

My Hair Care Routine

2010-04-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

Considering the fact that I dye my hair quite often, and use hot tools frequently, it is almost unbelievable that my hair hasn't given upon me. In this entry, I talk about the hair care products I usually use. By the way, I have damaged hair with oily roots and dry ends; these products work for me, but I don't guarantee that they're ideal for you (disclaimer sometimes is necessary, isn't it?)

1. Shampoo
I found that most shampoos are not nourishing enough for me, such as Pantene and Garnier. I tried TreSemme too, but it's just ok. The best shampoo I've ever used and I'm still using is Olive Glossing Shampoo from the Body Shop.

When you use it, you'll see that the foam is pretty mild, which means that it's not washing away all the secretion on your scalp: because we need some to nourish our hair. It is the only shampoo that I can use without conditioner if I'm in a hurry. It is not saying that it doesn't clean your hair completely; it does clean your hair to an ideal degree. As for smell, it's very refreshing, almost minty. The biggest jar available retails for 15 dollars. Indeed, it's a bit expensive for shampoos, but the Body Shop always (literally, non-stop) has sales, and you get 10% off if you're a member.

2. Conditioner
Not surprisingly, I use the conditioner coming with the shampoo: Olive Glossing Conditioner from the Body Shop.

The formula doesn't seem really rich, but it's very nourishing. It's especially amazing when it comes to my massive split ends. The trick is that you need to apply it generously. I mean, it achieves better effect if you use the same amount as you use the shampoo: after all, the jars are of the same size.

3. Hair Mask
My understanding is that hair mask is a kind of "ultra-conditioner." I use Pantene 5 Minute Strengthening Mask.

The instruction tells you that you only need to use it once or twice at most a week, but I use it every time I wash my hair especially when it's really dry for some reason. It won't hurt you if you use it quite often; in fact, it works really well for me, and it did rescue my hair. The instruction also asks you to dry the hair before applying the products, and then rinse your hair, which I find clumsy. I use it after I put on the normal conditioner, primarily focusing on the ends. Not bad.

4. Leave-in Conditioner
I only use it when I feel a need, but it's a good stuff worth trying: Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion Smooth Vitality Smoothing Creme.

It gives your hair more shine and smoothness. I like using it before I curl my hair, and it makes my curls look sleek.

5. Heat Protection
TreSemme's Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray is the first and the only heat protection I've had. I've finished two bottles.

It smells divine!! It works amazingly too.
At first, I doubted its function, because I didn't understand why some liquid could protect my hair against heat. Anyone as cynical and skeptical as I am would say that it's just a new kind of advertisement. For this reason, I didn't buy a second bottle after finishing the first one. What I realize was that it became harder to dry my hair, and that the number of split ends increased. Therefore, I purchased another bottle, and these problems were solved. I mean, yes, I'm not a chemist who can explain how this thing functions, but I think it's effective according to my own experience. I tried to find alternatives, but many are more expensive, so that I just stick to it.

So, the items above are the hair products I usually use, and I hope it's helpful if you're wondering about these things.

Hi There!

2010-04-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

I think I should begin blogging, since sometimes writing is easier for me to state thing clearly than speaking in front of a camera nervously, haha.