3 Musketeers!!!

Hi everyone!!! Happy new year! I thought I'd post a new blog to welcome the new year so here goes...

My 3 musketeers! My favorites at the moment... that I use almost everyday of the week. (Hahaha, I tried to hold all three at the same time... kinda looks weird :/ Oh well)

Favorite Eyeliner: Almay Smudge Free/Waterproof eyeliner in black brown. This is my every day eyeliner because it lasts me ALL day, no need to touch up and its very affordable (I believe it's under 6 bucks at Walmart). I'm sure you can also find expensive brands at sephora but why buy $24-$30 eyeliners if you can find something comparable for under 6 bucks right? :)

Favorite Blush: PINCH ME by MAC. It's pretty rosy/peachy/natural color which I love. Like someone just pinched your cheeks! Perfect for all skin colors and you can wear it during the day or at night.

Favorite Lip Balm/Stain: Been trying to find THEEEEEE perfect lip stain but alot of lip stains out there just leaves a really ugly stain on SOME parts of your lips and it also dries it out. But with Laura Mercier's Lip Stain, prob be gone! My favorite color is MULBERRY. It lasts ALL day (unless you wipe it of course it'll come off) and it doesn't dry out your skin. It also doesn't leave that ugly line that lipsticks leave behind.

Anyway, those are my favorites at the moment. Again, I am not claiming to be an expert but I just love make up and what it does to people. These are my opinions only and it may not work or may not suit everyone. :) But I am one that will try anything and everything make up whether it's the expensive or cheap ones, pros or non-pros. Haha. So if there's anything that you folks are curious about, comment/send me a message and who knows I may have tried it already, if not, it may spike an interest and I might just try it just so I can blog about it. HAHA.

BTW, I am wearing all 3 faves on my picture above. Laters gaters!

The Best Foundation Ever

Ok, so I found theeeeeeee best foundation ever. Before I reveal it, I want to go over the other foundations that I've tried(thatare ok but it has some minuses to it... )

4. Bare Minerals - I went back to this powder 3 or 4 times... the infomercial is so catchy and it just makes me change my mind about them all the time and I fall in their trap. At the end of 30 days, I just really do not care for it. It makes my skin dry causing me to break out more. However, the coverage is small/med that it does feel light to use all day.

3. MAC studio fix - medium coverage, works best when applied with brush, however, it is comedogenic(meaning it clogs your pores) and may cause for you to break out. This is my go to powder when I just want a quick cover up and don't want to fuss with nothing else. One thing I hate when using this is when you take pictures, your face look a lot whiter than normal, making you look washed out or the camera used too much flash. It doesn't reflect light as well as I would like it to.

2. MAC sculpt foundation - this is their oil free foundation. It is a full coverage foundation and is rather on the thick side. It is perfect to use when you know you will be photographed as it reflects light very well(bounces the light back so that your true color comes out on the photos). Like I said earlier, it is a little on the thick side and I just don't like the feeling of packed on make up. Should you decide to use this, the best accompaniment for it is MAC's mineral make up sheer powder. It sets it just right without packing on more powder.

1. THE number one and my favorite at the moment is.... dun dun dun... Laura Mercier's Oil Free Foundation. I LOVE IT.

Ok, it is a little pricey ($40 for a bottle) but it will last you for a loooong time. Why I love this stuff? Perfect for daily and even on your special events where you will be taking photos! It doesn't make the photo look like the flash was too much, or that your face is washed out. It has a thin consistency which helps it glide on easily. TIP: I use my fingers (clean of course) to apply the foundation on to my skin. The warmth on your fingers will emulsify the foundation which will help it glide on to your skin alot smoother. Alot of old school make up artists still use that technique by the way. I love it. You don't even need to use powder to set it. If you do, I suggest just patting the powder(I use Make up forever, HD powder - love that stuff too!) on to the TZONE. This foundation is great for oily skin as well (I myself have oily skin).

Well, I hope this helps you sort out which foundation will work best with your skin! :) A good foundation is one product I suggest you splurge a little bit more on as this will definitely set the "canvas". A nice smooth canvas will then set what the ending "product" will be. :)

Welcome to my blog!

I have had this itching desire to do more than what my full time job has had to offer. I am a Banker that worked my way up from Teller to Personal Banker to Trainer to Business Relationship Manager, and now as a Bank Branch Manager. Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful with the opportunity given to me in what seems to be at a lightning speed for some, but it really was quite a journey and hard work. For some reason, my job at the bank has been such a stressful one lately, that I just had to find a hobby or something that would keep me sane… Just couple of weeks ago, I found "peace" when I started watching videos of make up artists at work and just shopping for the new colors of make up out there. It brought me back to several years ago when I first started experimenting with make up and trying different looks, applying make up on family and friends, working at make up counters and "glamified" portrait store, all while taking cosmetology classes in between. I felt at ease and it was my niche. My heart sang when I imagined doing that again. That’s when I decided, this is it… I am going to pursue my dream.

No I did not quit the bank… as I have other responsibilities to cater to… you know, like bills... wedding (more on that later) and such. But I decided to focus on my make up career on the weekends and blogging at night. I know I can make this work as long as I put my mind to it. So I may only have 1, 2 or 10 followers in the beginning, but my vision is to share my life with those who have listening ears (or seeing eyes?) as I try to conquer this dream of mine.

So this blog will consist of make up tips, make up and brand recommendations, and just anything in life in general to keep the spirits up. After all, I try to keep all the negativity away from my life as much as possible (although it may not always work). So this is it, no more turning back. Your comments and ideas will surely be fuel to my fire so I encourage them. Talk to you on my next blog!