MAC's A Rose Romance Swatches and Product Shots

It's a bit late for May and Flower Festival but despite the rains and gloomy weather (the only consolation being temperature has slightly lowered so we could wear a tad more makeup), but go to the MAC counter and flowers are ablooming with their latest collection, A Rose Romance, which features pretty girly and pastelly colors of light blue, pink, peach, lilac, and plum. They also introduced to this collection a unique gel blush, A Fix+ Rose variant, and fragrance, Dejarose.

I had the pleasure of being a guest artist during their launch so I got to experience the look firsthand up to the flowerettes on my hair. But in this post, I'd like to give a lowdown on the products in this collection:

For the lipsticks (my favorite things in the world), we have lustre finish instead of satin and matte.

okay, really yellow lights here but to the left is A Rose Romance (collection namesake), which is a pink shade with a tad of shimmer. Odyssey, at the middle, is a sheer deep plum. To the left is Way To Love, my personal favorite, which is a nude peach shade. All three are lustre finishes so this can help for additional lip-plumping. :)

The See-Thru Liquid Lip Colors are more of gel-based lip stains to give the lip a hint of color without shine. Just like candy or popsicles that leave a stain in the mouth during the times when we're not allowed to wear makeup in school, the concept of liquid lip colors are much similar, minus the sugar, calories, and colored gums and tongues.

From L-R: Loving Touch, Tender Tryst, and Secret Crush (I am so crushing on the names!)

The colors sort of already "absorb" into my skin, and that's the same way with the lips. They stain the skin rather than cover it with color, so the lip texture is still evident, to think that Tender Tryst and Secret Crush are rather deep-colored in the tube, almost like syrup. Loving Touch and Tender Tryst have translucent frost finishes, which means there's the sparkle factor, where Secret Crush, a red berry shade is sheer and staining the lips similarly as a cherry pop would.

Another addition to the collection is the Just a Pinch Gel Blush, which was quite new to me. It comes in a glass pot, similar to MAC Paint Pots and is in a deep red color that you'd think would work better as a lip tint or lip gloss. It's actually blush that delivers a hint of flush of color, so it's nothing too clownish or intimidating. I'm more comfortable blending it with my fingers (the warmth adds to the blending capability) rather than a brush. And just like the rule, apply this first before setting the face with powder.

See? Sheer flush of color!

We have two pigments available for the collection, Circa Plum and Mutiny. I wasn't able to catch the Circa Plum tester, but here's what Mutiny looks like:

Pigments deliver buildable color but can be tricky to manipulate so layer, layer, layer and blend, blend, blend.

The beauty powders live up the the word "beauty" by the rose shape:

Color is not like screaming blush but hints of color and glow. The one on the left is Blush of youth a "clean pink with gold pearl" to warm up the skin with a warm golden pink. The one on the right is Summer Rose a "soft violet pink with pearl.

A Rose Romance Collection is already available here in all MAC counters in Manila.

Bambi and Erika's Night Out Looks

Since I had two events to go to last night (both of which to reveal soon), both posh and cocktail-y, I had to look my best, not just makeup-wise. Since the second event had a nature theme but I wouldn't want floral-overload in the first one, I went something that doesn't spell floral overkill and something safer.

Here's Erika's night-out look. Since we would be standing all day, she decided to wear flats. Her curly hair was let down to make it more goddess-like and she chose white as her color.

Makeup kept neutral save for a wash of baby blue eyeshadow, definition on brows, mascara, and lipgloss. She just dashed from work here. Less preps and still looking fab. The white made her stand out from black LBDs and black pants. A simple silver headband and a silver bag were the accessories for her and she kept the simplicity of whites, blues, and silvers to channel the elements of sky, angel, and innocence. Erika's hair is already naturally curly so all she had to do was let it go from the bun she had all day.

I wanted to keep it safe by wearing black but played on makeup and hair

Black to make the makeup stand out (Dress by Isabel Ridon). I went for smoky cat's eyes in browns, coppers, and greens instead of traditional black and gray. Contours to bring out the planes of my face plus bronzer and highlight with a kiss of peach-gold blush for warmth and shape. I defined my eyebrows but softened it with blond highlights and added a lick of neutral sparkly lip color. I sported curls too, and kept them random (and it helped too that my hair is naturally random). Just like Erika, I kept accessories at a minimum - a basic black shawl, watch, ring, and earrings.

I call these earrings my good karma earrings. I blogged about them before, they were a gift to me by accessories designer Dennis Celestial and they feature religious images. I keep getting compliments about where I got them and how unique they are. I consider these my good karma earrings because everytime I wear them, I keep getting positive vibes - compliments on how I look, a good day, and even once protected me from harm. I thought that with the nature theme, it somehow conjoined with nature as its origin.

The contrast our outfits had (but they both had similar cuts) were purely coincidental. She was kidding me that our outfits were angel and demon, when it's actually sky and animal (the animal-printed accessories and cat's eyes in my case).

Curly Hair, tube dresses. Black and White. Innocent and Vixen. :) But we both had fun, nevertheless. :)

Fresh-Face Saturday

Last Saturday, I had to be at Starbucks Greenbelt at 9 am for our shoot call time. With zilch makeup on, I made use of what I could grab. Since we were doing an outdoor shoot, smoky colored eyes are a no-no since that's bound to makeup meltdown so I went for something light and presentable

At least during behind-the-scenes shots, I look pretty decent and I had the right amount of sleep. So here's what I did:

• Prepped face with moisturizer and SPF.
• Applied concealer only where needed - Watercolors eye perfector
• Used mineral foundation all over the face and set it with powder - Bare Minerals in Fairly Light set with MAC Select Sheer in NC30
• Defined brows. I went for stronger brows using MAC lingering and softened it with blond brow mascara (MAC Brow Set in Sophisticated)
• Tightlined the eyes with dark brown eyeliner. I used here my Kryolan eyeliner in dark brown and set with dark brown eyeshadow.
• Pale pink eyeshadow from lashline to crease. (my e/s was from skin food, forgot the name of the shade)
• Highlighter on cheeks and t-zone for an all-over glow and subtle contour (MAC Mineralize Satinfinish in Redhead)
• Neutral gloss for shine. (Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited in BR 750 S)
• Curl lashes and apply mascara (MAC Prep + Prime and Lancome Colour Virtuose Mascara)

So far I did this in like around 10 minutes pausing only to check if my brows are symmetrical.

Red at The Red Carpet

Spotted at the premiere of Ingenious Bastards at Cannes, the classic combo of clean eyes and red lips turned heads and two of the loveliest ladies in Hollywood show us two ways of sporting the whole classic old Hollywood glam look:

Superwoman Angelina Jolie ups the amp on her signature (and natural) full lips by giving it a red hue that compliments her making that red look striking and enhancing that pout instead of overkill. She chose a matte finish to keep it subtle and balanced it out with neutral eyeshadow, blush, and liquid eyeliner flicked upward to create her cat's eyes. She balances the whole look and keeps it soft by wearing her hair long and wavy and choosing a soft peach dress.

Zhang Zi Yi's soft and dainty features get some extra oomph by red lips (I absolutely think she looks fabulous with a red lip and makes her look super sophisticated). Her brows are defined so it frames her face. False lashes accentuated her eyes (or your fave mascara could do the trick), which were done in just neutral shades since red lips are the main focus. In contrast with Jolie's soft waves, Zhang Zi Yi pulls her locks up in a neat but romantic chignon and wears a strapless black gown drawing attention to her neck.

Image credits for both pictures: http://movies.yahoo.com

I personally like both looks, sice they're pretty effortless to do. :) The tricky one there probably would be the cat's eyes, but once you get the hang of it, it's cool.

Makeupbybambi Reviews: Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited BR 750 S

If you've seen me in most of my pictures (although not in shoot pictures as my looks are dictated by pegs), I'm seen most of the time with matte or satin lipstick in my signature color - red. I do divert to nudes sometimes, especially if I want that Angelina Jolie-esque look but it's usually in a matte finish. I prefer lipsticks to gloss because of color delivery since I like punches of color, staying power, and no tacky feel. Gloss for me tends to slide and stick and I find it uncomfortable especially if I eat or talk so I stick to lipstick in a long-lasting formula. For everyday, I've been sticking to tinted lip conditioner. I need tint on my lips since my lips have uneven color, so I need to hide that.

Last Friday, I visited the Shu Uemura boutique and after hanging out long enough, I went to make a purchase. I was debating whether to get RD 165, a rich creamy matte red but since I already made a matte red lipstick purchase, I wanted something new and different. As my eyeshadow colors are complete and so are my blush colors, I went for lip color instead in the nude spectrum. A friend of mine has told me I also look good with nude lip color so I searched and ended up purchasing this baby:

Shu Uemura Gloss Unlimited in BR 750 S. (Retail price: Php 1,000 at Shu Uemura counters and at the Shu Uemura Boutique)

When I handed it over to EJ along with my credit card, I said not to put it in a shopping bag and it went directly in my makeup box, since I brought it with me already and gave it a test run.

Shu Uemura states:

"easy-to-wear vivid shades in vibrant color. Each shade delivers intense color fidelity and brightness, 3 dimensional shine effect in a non-sticky formula that keeps lips hydrated and soft. Sheer Coverage."

Swatching the color, I saw tiny flecks of gold instead of big chunks of glitter. The brown is more on the nude golden side, instead of the deep, muddy brown that just doesn't look that good on my skin. The finish is sheer and not metallic, so it gives my lips just a hint of color instead of coloring it entirely. Kind of like the effect I see in MAC lipglass, another one of my fave lipglosses. I like that it was quite easy to wipe off my hand and it wasn't that viscous and uncomfortable on my lips. Texture-wise, this was rather syrupy instead of glue-like.

The brown wasn't muddy brown. Color-tint is quite universal. I could use this over lipstick in a matching color (say a nude-brown or slight brown-red or pink-brown shade) if I want a bit of oomph. My natural lip color still shows through. I might need still lipstick or lipliner to even-up my lips.

The reflective particles did plump up my lips a bit, yes (minus the sting, that is)? Who needs collagen now?

Flavor-wise, sorry to those who love flavor but this has no flavor at all. Odor isn't as strongly perfumed, but I like the scent nontheless. It also comes with a sponge-tip applicator that's shaped straight up yet this still works well with a brush too.

Looks like I found another non-tacky gloss that I could definitely wear, and maybe this could be a refreshing take when I want to look just natural and give my rich reds and pinks and plums a rest. Also, this could mean deeper eye colors too. :)

A Weekend of Shoots, Movies, Weddings

Hey happy Monday everyone! :) I kinda got my hands and eyes full from Thursday up to Sunday since I was bombarded with work. :) Just last Thursday, I had a client shoot for marketing materials for products. I did one makeup but three hairstyles. It was really fun too, and since I'm a regular of the studio, the studio environment had a good vibe. After dinner at Glorietta at ever-so-trusty McDonalds, I met up with Rudge since we had to do some shopping for our shoot the following day. We were like Project Runway running over to stores at G5 as it was almost closing.





Anyhow, the shoot was held at the photographer's studio/house. Rudge had this amazing concept we both fell in love with and his materials choices were absolutely fantastic and I loved the play of textures. Before I reveal the teaser shot and the actual shots, which would be out next week, here's the partial look:


Total team effort. :) I did the basic makeup, Rudge, me, and Mylene (the photographer) wrestled with my mile-long thick hair, and Rudge did the painting of the face using mixed media. I really can't wait for the shots because they're fantastic!

Anyhow, after we cleaned our faces, I dropped Rudge to his fitting and I went over to Rockwell since Mike organized a movie night for all of us as we watched Angels and Demons. I hung out at Shu Uemura first to visit EJ and Cecille then went over to meet Mike at Coffee Bean. Rudge followed thereafter from his fitting and so did the rest of the people. Okay... so we were 22 people occupying 3 rows of the theater. The movie was really great, although different from the book. I just had to close my eyes at the gruesome parts. And well, okay. I refuse to reveal spoilers here. :)Mike at the back with Tristan and Val holding the tickets. Strategically, Mike separated me and Dana so as we do not reveal any spoilers. :)

So here's the (partial) group picture after the movie

Poor Rockwell got a dose of 22 rowdy people on a Friday night. :) This night also united me and my girls who I missed dearly

You all know Erika (left) and me and here's Jovy on the right. I missed her since she started working and got really busy. She also models and she rocks at it really well. Love her new bangs and cat's eyes And check out my lip color. Nude color for once and cat's eyes. Yep. I was able to remove the makeup successfully.

I woke up early the next day since I had to do entourage makeup. I'm glad that I was assisted during the entire time because there were 6 heads to do. The preps were done at Diamond Hotel, and I just love, love, love this day and I love the simple but fab looks we did.



Just yesterday, I had a client shoot too for their personal portfolios. I was able to use my new curling iron, which worked really well in delivering big, bouncy curls.



Anyhow, when I got home, I got the biggest surprise since Glenn uploaded this picture at his site:

Photo by Glenn del Rosario

I'll wait for the rest of the sets before I finally upload this at Multiply. :)

So that's my workweek and now, it's rest and relaxation time :)

My Friend's Multiply Got Hacked

My friend told me last night tas his Multiply was hacked. He woke up from a nap and apparently, some people texted him that he posted offensive stuff in Multiply. Later on, his modelling albums got deleted one by one. Someone hacked his account. That hacker posted nasty comments in other people's guestbooks and also posted an offensive blog. Good thing he was online at that time so he was able to do serious damage control before it was too late.

Just this morning, I found out that not only did his modelling albums get deleted but also his personal pictures including his graduation pictures.

Hackers/posers, or whatever you call it, seriously, people, do these people have anything else to do but wast 3 hours of time destroying other people and wiping out a year of hard work? Gawd... I could think of 1,001 things to do when I'm bored.

As his friends, we all blogged to his defense and helped him stop the hacker. We also saved and grouped some of his modelling portfolios so that he could put up his site all over again. A friend of ours even tried to trace the hacker.

As a word of precaution, let's be careful of our Multiply sites. Many of us use Multiply as revenue for our portfolios not just because everyone's there but it's free, customizable, and user-friendly. Let's use passwords that are safe yet unpredictable and never reveal our passwords to anyone.

Take care all!

Shoot Away

I got serious coaching from model/photographer Glenn on this layout he wanted to do, a sort of sexy photographer kind of peg. It was fun doing this layout because it releases all inhibitions but at the same time challenging because your body will be your tool - literally... as a huge percentage of it would be shown. As makeup artist, I had to make sure that the makeup and hair still gets focused. I told Glenn though... make it sexy but I don't want anything too hoochie.

The pictures on camera as well as the raw (meaning untouched or unphotoshoped) were fantastic. Kudos to the two guys - Mike and Glenn for doing another fantastic job.

Photo by Glenn del Rosario (I pictured the printout here, hence the quality)

Photos by Mike Yu of Mantra Photography




Oh by the way, the two-piece could be purchased at http://www.underwearvillage.com/ Shameless plug. :)

Makeup here is extreme black-gray smoky eyes and light brows plus super full lips. Instead of the full-on wavy hair, I ironed my hair straight to emphasize its length. It's really long now. It's right down to the middle of my back already if it's ironed.

Pegs like these are fun since they let me play someone that's totally not me, so it's a good roleplay, like be a Giselle Bundchen or Tyra Banks kind of girl for like a few hours.

Nora Soho demonstrates Spring Summer Trends for Shu Uemura

One afternoon, on my way to an event, I was texting my good friend Yeoh and I found out that he's already here in Manila. Then I was like, "Hey, I got an event for Shu later, come with me!" Pretty much, he didn't have a choice and I needed a friend to tag along with me and I missed him dearly since he went home to Naga.

Anyways, so we trotted to Rockwell and did some window shopping on makeup and clothes. We met up with Mike at Coffee Bean and proceeded to the event at the second floor. Another thing was that the model for the event was also our friend so we were there to give out support.

Japanese food, iced tea, plus good stories to tell, the program hasn't started and I already had a good time. And so, we were introduced to Shu Uemura makeup artist Nora Soho, who demonstrated a very easy and colorful eyeshadow look on the model, Diane.

Nora introduced to us the star product, the Shu Uemura UV underbase which evens out skin and helps dissolve dirt that has accumulated on the face. She then applied base makeup and set everything with powder. After which, she proceded to the eyes.

She applied a cream eyeshadow in a neutral color from lashline to browbone to act as a base and a neutral-colored powder shadow on the outer browbone for highlight. She also advised us not to apply the highlight on the entire browbone area as that could have a hooded effect on the eye, especially for us monolids.

Soft pink eyeshadow was dusted on the eyelids. She advised also, that though pink might make the lids look puffy in Asian eyes, the technique is everything in moderation. She applied a sheer wash of pink and lined the bottom eyes with blue powder shadow. she used purple on the inner lower lids to sort of meet the pink and blue together. She then groomed the brows with ease to frame the face followed by blush and lipstick.

We were also introduced to the newest addition to the Shu Uemura makeup line - Painting Liner, which were individual pots of creme eyeliners in vibrant colors and three finishes - matte, metallic, and glitter. Colors, aside from the classic brown and black are white, pink, blue (light and dark), gold, silver, green, and purple. We watched how Nora gave Diane a classic cat eye with a twist, meaning she used not one but two colors -light blue and dark blue. She even dabbed a bit of silver painting liner using her ring finger on the inner cornes of the eyes as a highlight.

So here's Diane all made up:

I love the clean and classic look she has. here's her with makeup artist Nora Soho:

Thanks Yeoh for this picture! And here's a picture of Yeoh just for the event:

This event also introduced to us the Shu Uemura Learning Atelier, wherein anyone could learn makeup, skincare, and the latest trends. Classes are usually maximum of 5 and would be conducted by the brand's accredited makeup artists. These classes would be held at the Shu Uemura Boutique at the Powerplant mall in Rockwell.

There would be three modules namely:

1. Discovery (Php 6,000) which addreses basic on skincare and makeuip application.

2. Explore (Php5,500) - tips on foundation, coloc correctors, and professional techniques on contouring and my absolute OC-ness and favorite: lash and brow styling

3. Aspire (Php 5,000) - latest trends in makeup and advice on the best ways to ude the brand's tools and products to achieve avante garde looks as well as makeup artists' signature looks.

Each participant will be presented with a Shu Uemura Learning Atelier book and a starter kit as part of the module (yay!). Birthday coming up in a few weeks so maybe hmm....:-?

Anyway... after the event, I decided to give Yeoh a belated birthday gift and a thank-you gift:

I got him foundation for his shade since he needs basic foundation for his go-sees and some of his shoots. :) It's also a congratulatory gift too for a TVC and a fashion show. :) Then we met up with Mike for dinner and surely had a lotta good time. :)

Tag Time

I was blog-hopping when I saw this at Jheng's so I thought why not join the game?

What is your current obsession?
My work and everything else that falls under it... makeup, equipment, photshoots, fashion shows, and being both in front and behind the camera. I think that's pretty obvious by now. I've been getting suggestions to make it a hobby or sideline na lang and get a 9-to-5 but I'm like are you f---ing kidding me? There's nothing better than doing what I love to do most. Sure I model for a hobby but I love it too and when I do model, it's as if it's my job too.

What is your weirdest obsession?
Well, if you consider someone totally obsessed with her job weird, then so shall it be. Oh, children. I love playing with children I see at the mall, yet ayoko manganak pa (there are still plenty of shoots to do!).

What are you wearing today?
Big shirt and shorts. Both are gray (the original color). It's drab day today so dress down... no makeup, hair pulled back. Stay away from hidden cameras.

What’s the last thing you bought?
Chips. Junk food.

What would you like to have in your hands right now?
More gigs. :) Why more gigs? Because that means more dinero to get what I want.

What would you like to get rid of?
Excess inches off my hips, for one thing. And a truckload of junk.

What do you look for in a friend?
Well, I like friends who understand me and are true people. I don't like people to just use me and then abandon me like that. User-friendly? Ugh.

Who do you want to meet in person?
Giselle Bundchen. Britney Spears. Luv her abs. She makes me do 200 crunches per day.

What’s your favourite type of music?
I have no specific favorite. Right now, my feel-good songs are Lady GaGa's Poker Face and Britney's Womanizer. wla lang, It's such a pick-me-upper. :)

What is your favourite piece of clothing you own?
For accessories I have these pair of earrings that were a gift to me by accessories designer Dennis Celestial. They're religious images and each time I wear them, I somehow get good vibes in everything that I do. They're my good luck charms.
For outfits I can never go wrong with my maxi dresses and shorts since they make me look taller.

If you had £100 now what would you spend it on?
More shoes and bags

Do you admire anyone’s style?
Jennifer Aniston. I like her style since it's clean, classic, yet fasyon. for makeup I go for two extremes - Angelina Jolie's smoky cat eyes and nude lips and Dita Von Teese's simple winged eye and red lips.

What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Green Tea, Chocolate-Mint, and Wasabi

Tagtag to you. :)

Little Lamb So Cute

Oh look, just when spas I thought are for grownups, I find out two weeks ago that there's also a spa for babies! I attended a press launch on Rotavirus awareness hosted by GSK, and after the talk, a baby spa demo was given by the staff of Little Lamb's, a pediatric and wellness center that offers therapeutic massage to infants less than a month old and up to 19 years of age (dayumm! I'm __ years over age!).





Yep, there's such a thing and it's the cutest thing I've seen.

Lookie! The baby even has a robe-robe! And it's Pooh!

He sure must wonder why the grownups are all here.

I asked what oil they used and they said they use virgin coconut oil base so it's less irritating on the skin. I was shown three variants - Eucalyptus, Chammomile, and Citronella, which all smell good and have different effects.

I think the baby loved the massage because he fell asleep right after.

Little Lamb's also offers skin treatment for adults as well so mommies can also bond with their children.

Another Red Letter (and Lippie) Day

Guess what's inside?

The pretty tote came with my purchase. I couldn't resist. heeheehee...

Red Lipstick again!



Ruby Woo, a vivid, matte blue-red that can be seen ten miles away. One of my favorite reds at MAC and I'm collecting them already. So that leaves three out of the 5 reds I collect. I already have MAC Russian Red, MAC Hot Tahiti, and MAC Ruby Woo. The last 2 out there are M.A.C. Red and Viva Glam I


So here's my makeup for the day in tribute to the red lips.


First layer: Conditioner with lip conditioner in Popster
Lipliner: MAC lipliner in Beet
first layer: Russian Red
second layer: Ruby Woo
third layer: M.A.C Red
(note, blot between layers)
Line and refine edges with MAC lipliner in Redd
Lipglass: Russian Red

Makeup is just face powder, mascara and defined eyebrows - MAC eyebrow pencil in brunette set with Sophisticated. :)

Can't wait to swatch this soon. :)

Stripping it Off

It was legendary makeup artist Shu Uemura who said that, "Beautiful makeup starts with beautiful skin" and I couldn't agree more. Makeup adheres so much better with skin that's moisturized, clean, and even. Makeup does only much so as to cover flaws and enhance features, and imperfections such as pockmarks or bumps can still me seen. The skin shows our current condition.

Skin care for me is more than an investment for me. It is the largest organ of the body so we must take care of it. As makeup artist, good skin is much easier to work with and I get my job done at a faster pace. Skin care is something that I'm really OC about.

(Photo by Michael Yu of Mantra Photography)

Proper skincare can also mean less makeup dependency. I mean in my case, I really love makeup (my stash is a dead giveaway) but there are times that I want to just go out without the fuss, especially with this summer's unpredictable weather and humidity. The picture above, shows me without a stitch of makeup on - that's me per se, bare-faced and hair naturally air-dried . No smoky eyes, red lips, full-on foundation and contour, the 10+ coats of mascara and no photo-retouching. During the colder months, it was easier for me to maintain a better skin regimen since I don't regrease much but with summer, skin goes into hyperdrive for me, so I'm more OC with it than ever.

Although I have extra steps on skin care, I'll try to keep it basic as possible and un-intimidating. Just like the no-frills photo qbove, I've listed my tips in skin care.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT PRODUCTS FOR YOUR SKIN TYPE

Different girls have different skin types. Some girls are oily, some have dry skin, some have sensitive skin, and some have combination skin. Depending on your skin type, the right skin care products for you might be different from your friend or sister for example. For oily-skinned girls, you would need facial cleansers for oily skin and light moisturizers that will not cause your face to regrease every so often. Dry-skinned girls might need the extra boost of luxurious cream formulas. Sensitive-skinned girls may skip toner and must stick to products free of fragrances, dyes, or alcohol. If you must switch products or want to try a new product, it's best to try it out using samples or try doing a patch test first so to see how your skin reacts to it. Although I make reviews and all, what might work for me might not work for others. So before buying something, best seek out opinions, literature, reviews, and try the testers. That's why they're there.

I'm not saying to stick to mineral or organic-only or whatever products. I've been using products that have been working for me quite well. Some products do not work for me as well as they do on others. It's a matter of experience. I've learned now what products work for me depending on the season or climate, both here in Manila and abroad. I also choose products according to my age. My baby soap regimen on my face when I was 10 may not work now that I need anti-ageing ingredients on my skin.

REPEAT AND UNDERSTAND: CLEANSE, TONE MOISTURIZE.

Pre-makeup skin prep, this is my way to go. I cleanse my skin because even though I didn't wear makeup before going to the makeup table, there might be oils and dirt that have accumulated on my face and neck. I always want to start my clients and models with fresh and clean skin. Some even wash their face before makeup. I wash my face, whisk toner with a soft cotton ball, and moisturize to keep skin hydrated. Then, I let them sink in before doing the rest of my makeup.

NEVER PICK ON ZITS, ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT HAVE STILL YET TO POP

This could result in further irritation and scarring.

DO NOT FORGET EYES AND LIPS

I've never been OC about eye cream until I got older and since my eyes are my most-abused features due to eyeshadow, 10 coats of mascara and the occasional false eyelashes, I've added an extra step of eye cream that I tap on the eye area. I also carry sunglasses in my bag to prevent wrinkle-causing squinting and to protect my eyes from the glare of the sun.

Since I love matte lipsticks, my lips need extra hydrating power. My lips do not produce oil glands so I need lip care to keep them moist and supple. when I go out, I use lip conditioner with SPF (current product: MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner in Popster with SPF 15). At night, I slather on The Body Shop Lip Butter since it's not waxy.

WHILE AT IT, SUNBLOCK

So I'm not on the beach right? Yet I still need sunblock to protect my face from wrinkles, premature aging, dark spots, and cancer. I use makeup with built-in SPF or moisturizer with SPF if I want to go light.

EAT RIGHT AND SLEEP RIGHT

Beautiful skin starts from within. Remember in grade school we learned about go, grow, and glow foods? The "glow" foods care for our skin too and these include fruits and vegetables. I include them in my diet too. Sleeping 8 hours a day keeps skin in tip-top shape. A makeup artist friend of mine told me that the skin repairs itself from 10 pm to 2 am so bedtime should be around this time at least. While at it, I make sure I get enough sleep to avoid puffiness, dark circles, and sallow, dull skin. I figured that when I get good sleep, I have this glow that doesnt need much makeup.

NO SMOKING

I've discovered that it's true after I quit smoking 2 years ago. Smoking lets loose aging free radicals that can ruin the skin, not to mention the 1001 damages to the body it could do. Quitting can be hard too, for some. I was a Marlboro reds girl before and this was my secret, "The money I save could buy me the makeup that I want in time." It started off as that and then it kinda sunk in already. I tried to divert my attention somewhere else so I was able to stop the habit. My skin has been thankful since.

TOO MUCH CAN BE AN ABUSE

Don't just go to the department store and makeup counter and try on all these newfangled products all at once. Instead of thanking you, your skin might complain and if it could scream, it might cry out "TOO MUCH!" I stick with my cleanser, toner, moisturizer, sunblock, and eye cream for my face and lip balm that I've tried and tested and are okay for my skin type. I give my skin a rest before trying out a new product and see how it reacts. I don't go happy-go-lucky with facials or pro-treatments. I only go for a facial when I feel my skin needs a general cleaning. I don't go for diamond peels or microdermabrasion treatments if I feel my skin doesn't need it. If needed, I treat my face to a once-a-week exfoliation treatment with my favorite exfoliator and a facial mask.

STRESSED? DESTRESS!

A good workout, a spa visit, or simply visiting my favorite makeup counters or playing with the kids who live next door are things that destress me. Stress can wreck havock on skin, so I discover ways on how I could relax.

NO MATTER HOW TIRED YOU ARE, REMOVE MAKEUP BEFORE GOING TO BED.

Falling asleep with makeup on is a definite no-no. Before going to bed, I make sure that I remove all traces of makeup on my face even if I'm tired. I use Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil to remove my makeup because it's quick and easy and gentle on my face yet it could remove all the mascara I put. After I tried it, I've been stuck to it since. I have an affordable brand of cleansing oil, which I use too, to remove makeup during days when my makeup is lighter or my practice sessions. For eye makeup residue, I use Clinique eye makeup remover with cotton pads and cotton buds to make sure no eyeliner remains on my face. Then, I wash my face with facial wash, whisk toner, and apply my night creams. Also, I extend skin care to my neck and chest especially if I put makeup/shimmer powder/bronzer there too. Another secret I have is to keep a tiny bottle of cleansing oil in my purse or a packet of face wipes so I could remove my makeup at the car (or mall washroom) so there'll be less work to do when I get home.

So that's my skin care routine. Sure, it's a little military-like but like I said, I really think good skin is an investment. :) And like I said, skin care doesn't stop on just the products used but also on the lifestyle. :) Have a great week ahead!

Gender-Bender

See more at: http://makeupbybambi.multiply.com/photos/album/321/Gender_Bender#



Credits
Model: Rudge Arca
Makeup Bambi de la Cruz
Digital Imaging: Darrel Pobre
Creative Direction/Styling: Dennis Celestial
Shoes: Maco Custodio
Vintage Hats: Noel Manapat