Glamming Up With GlamBox Airbrush Cosmetics

I was invited to a blogger's event by GlamBox Airbrush cosmetics last week. I already chanced upon the product while I was browsing through the Rockwell sale a week prior to this and of course, I couldn't stop thinking about it for days. I wanted an airbrush set, with airbrush becoming in demand for makeup artists who do weddings and fashion shows. I'm reviving the former this year and I've done the latter a lot. So in this case, I think it's time I should include airbrush makeup in my roster of skills.

So anyway, after my shoot, from Greenmeadows, I went to Rockwell to meet fellow bloggers and check out this new baby that I have been obsessing for days that Mike and Nix are already growing tired of hearing me say, "I want an airbrush kit!"

The event was held at Astralis at Powerplant Mall, with a little corner reserved for bloggers. I had a chat with Valerie, who I met previously before and she gave me a lowdown on the airbrush kit. Plus an overview on how it works. So this is how the airbrush device looks like:

So this is the compressor. Unlike traditional airbrush compressors, this one is very compact and it weighs approximately less than 1 kg. The weight and size alone makes it perfect for travelling, so it's a plus for makeup artists who would want to maximize luggage space. Also, this device is user-friendly. All we have to worry about is the on/off switch, the plug (of course), and three settings - low, medium, and high. No need to compute and adjust for PSI settings. This makes airbrush makeup accessible to most of us, even to those who didn't go to airbrush makeup school and for makeup artists who don't like math :P. The low setting is for doing eyebrows or for hard-to reach areas. The medium setting is for blush and foundation. The high setting is for the body, like if you're doing body makeup (which I'll show you later).

So that's the compressor. Now, here's where the foundation comes out: the airbrush gun:

It connects to the compressor with a hose and that cup thing there is where you put the foundation. According to Valerie, 10 drops is good for sheer, everyday coverage. For weddings and special occasions, however, we might have to layer in more. That little knob behind the cup is what controlls the foundation. When you turn on the compressor, the only thing that comes out of the gun is air. For the foundation to come out, pull the little knob 1/4 or 1/2 of the way and not fully, so the foundation is deposited in one steady stream.

Speaking of foundation, here they are:

GlamBox has 4 shades of silicone-based airbrush foundation, three in yellow undertones and one in a reddish undertone. Aside from foundation, they also have two shades of blush and one water-based luminizer. These are formulated for airbrush makeup use. Airbrush foundation is different from the traditional foundation we use with a brush or sponge since they are thinner and watery. Traditional foundation would just clog up the gun (and we wouldn't want that, right?). Take a look at the swatches:

From L-R: St. Tropez, Cannes, and Florence (all yellow undertone)

Blush colors: Malibu (light pink), and Cancun (dark rose pink)

As you can see, these are watery and thinner as compared to our traditional foundation that we buy in our favorite makeup counters. These go through the airbrush gun without clogging.

So after we were introduced to the product, we were given a chance to try out the airbrush foundation for ourselves. We had a willing model, Jane. Without makeup, Jane already has flawless skin, with minimal pores and lines. She removed her makeup with wipes while Nikki primed up her face with makeup primer. According to Sophie, it's adviseable to use makeup primer with airbrush makeup because it does hit the pores.

Jane all primed up and ready for a makeover. :)

Sophie proceded to do airbrush foundation on Jane. Airbrush makeup was done in circular motion and making sure to hit all areas evenly. To further fine-tune the makeup, a concealer brush is used to blend the makeup to make it look like "second skin".

Before setting the makeup, I tried putting blush on Jane. Putting blush was trickier, as I had to make sure both cheeks were even and the blush ends up on where blush is supposed to end up. Now why airbrush blush before powder? Because airbrush blush is also liquid, and if I set the makeup with powder, makeup is bound to cake. After blending the airbrush blush, I couldn't let Jane leave like that so I completed her makeup. Doing makeovers make me happy too after all. :) I just did a simple look on her, just to make her look fresh. After that.... I wanted to up the amp by adding some Luminizer on her neck and arms, since she had an event to go to after.

And that's me, airbrushing Jane. See? The airbrush gun and I are already friends for the first time I used it. And that's without reading any manuals. GlamBox took away my fear from airbrush devices. BAMBI WANT! WANT! WANT! :P

So here's Jane all glammed up:

According to Jane, the makeup didn't feel too heavy or cakey on her. I like the fact that it looked like skin instead of makeup, and she looked glowing afterwards.

For those interested to order, GlamBox Airbrush Cosmetics is available at their website at http://glamboxcosmetics.multiply.com or you could check the product at the Suesh Showroom and Studio, 2F 34 Wilson St. Greenhills, San Juan, MM.

BTS Shoot 01-26-10

Last Tuesday's shoot for a magazine featuring Rachel as the photographer. Mike did a video documentation with his new toy, and I thought I'd share it with you guys:



ON HD!

I'm a kid. I wear pigtails and cartoon character t-shirts. Thanks Mike for using your toy for documentation. You're slowly convincing me to get a Macbook Pro.

Hey! Hey! Hey! Kotex Giveaway!

I remember three years ago, I gave up my comfort zone and turned in my 30-days notice to go back to school and study makeup full-time and be a full-time makeup artist. I could have done both school and work, but I wanted to focus on what I truly wanted and really study hard. Doing so was my own personal choice, and it was a good choice because I was driven hard to learn and focus on my craft, which eventually became my lifelong work.

Graduating from makeup school and getting my certificate was just step 1. I still had to make myself stand out, build my portfolio, my clientele, and establish a name (somewhat). It was difficult, with the gazillions of freelance makeup artists out there, and dozens more emerging each time a batch graduates from beauty school. In a cutthroat industry like this, I personally have faced a lot of challenges along the way. You know what I mean - the competition, the detractors (even going low-profile, they somehow find you, oh whelps, life.), and the never-ending opportunities that come your way. I'm happy to say that I've finally found the path where I truly belong having chosen to stay here for almost 3 years, hopefully forever.

One thing I learned from my teacher was to never settle for anything less. Whenever we were in class, he goes, "Never rely on photo-editing. There will be photographers who do not like to edit much. Make sure that when you send your model out to the shoot, your work is already flawless." The gist was, never settle for anything less, a philosophy I've carried out to this day.

It was easy to work and give out my optimum effortlessly during my normal days, but when that time of the month comes, it can be difficult. The cramps and migraines are horrible, the bloat restricts me to wear certain outfits that I swore fit before, plus it's uncomfortable to pose, move, and carry my stuff since I'm really conscious about having any "accidents." Of course, I can't use this as an excuse as clients and co-workers expect us to give our 200%, whether it be fever, flu, or that time of the month, which happens every month anyway.

Fortunately, Kotex has launched their new line, Kotex Luxe, which addressed all our needs when that time of the month comes - combining comfort and protection in just one pad. Now that's indeed, no compromise!

I was attracted with the sleek black packaging so when I was grocery shopping, I added two boxes of these to my cart. As you can see, the individually-wrapped pads were wrapped in my fave color - red. So I do not only get protection and comfort, I get presentation as a bonus, so it doesn't look too embarrasing on my pouch since it's just a thin red pack, at first glance, it wouldn't look like a sanitary pad.

That's one feature it has, it's ultrathin, meaning it won't bulge or be seen when we wear skinny jeans or leggings. However, this doesn't mean that we're not well-protected. In fact, it's got a MicroMax Core, a super absorbent core, anti-leak channels, and wider wings, which protect us from embarassing stains and prevent bunching. So that's feature #2, protection, which is pretty much obvious. As for me personally, I still could get away with my favorite leggings (which are the most comfortable and less-constricting outfits I have) and still be protected in all areas avoiding "accidents". I could move comfortably, reach for my stuff, pose, without worrying about anything. Lastly, with breakthrough fusion technology, Kotex combines dry-net and cotton-like covers so we get the dryness of net and the softness of cotton. So that's comfort.

So with these features, I guess Kotex has read the minds of the modern women today, addressing all our concerns when that time of the month comes, when we're still expected to give out our best in whatever situation we are in. Yay!

Anyhow, it's your turn now. Kotex is giving away sample packs to my readers and followers. Wheeee! Okay, so here's what you do:

1. Answer this question: What would you not compromise in your life? It could be a career choice, a belief, philosophy, whatever. :)
2. Send all answers via email at makeupbybambi@gmail.com.

I will be choosing winners by February 6, 2010 and announcing the winners by February 10, 2010. Winners would be chosen randomly.

To know more about Kotex, visit http://www.cosmo.ph/kotex

CoExist Behind-The-Scenes

This is what I call a fantastic weekend. I met up with Mylene, a photographer I shot with last year and she asked me if I could do makeup for her shoot with CoExist. The look was very cool and clean inspired with whites and silvers, with poufy messy hair. :)

Isn't the cocktail dress cute? Mylene at work. Me at work. This was her last look, and I darkened her eyes a-la Prada and Cams told me to pull back her hair. Yes I so love my black floral sundress :) It makes me taller.
She dipped in the pool. :D Not wetting the dress of course.

It was great working with Mylene again, after our headshot shoot last year. Collaborations like these help me practice as well as update me on my craft, which I have to do to keep me updated so I don't lose my skill.

Avante Garde Shoot Behind-The-Scenes

Omigod, this is super-duper delayed. Oooopsie... but since I was so swamped with lots of stuff, I just got to posting this today, while everything's all fresh. Anyhow, this was my shoot last year, my second-to-the-last shoot in fact, with my muse, Rachel.



This is the behind-the-scenes documentation I took while we were shooting and we asked also Rachel's assistant to hold the camera while I was being filmed doing the makeup. This was my no-sleep day, yet it was still a lot of fun :)

Chanelling Lucy for today's FOTD

My inspiration for this look was from the musical Jekyll and Hyde. The look here was my own adaptation of Lucy's makeup, one of my favorite characters in the show, which I find very old Hollywood. The eyes are subtle smoky since I like to have a defined crease but I needed to keep everything subtle and matte. Yet, the lips are rich and lush red without overpowering the face even with a defined eye.

This was taken when I got home at the end of my shift. As you can see, the concealer has somewhat faded revealing a bit of my red spot (eeek). This is actually a very good bridal look, especially if the bride wants to go for a classic and vintage theme. Or if you want the natural-but-pop-on-the-eyes-look, switcharoo to a nude-colored lipstick that compliments the blush.

Anyway, here's what I used for this look (all MAC of course):

Skin Care:

• MAC Wipes
• Lightful Skin Softening Lotion
• Strobe Cream
• Fast Response Eye Cream

Face:

• Studio Sculpt Foundation NC30
• Studio Sculpt Concealer NC30 on face
• Select Cover-Up NW 20 on undereye area
• Lightful Foundation NC30
• Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium to set the makeup
• Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium Deep for subtle contour on the hollows of the cheeks, jawline, sides of the forehead, and sides of the nose.
• Lightful Foundation in NC15 to highlight.
• Blush: Mocha on the apples of the cheeks blended outwards for a natural flush
• Highlight: Mineralize Satinfinish in By Candelight on the cheekbones

Brows:

• Lingering
• Stud on the tail of the brow to extend (blend with lingering with an angle brush for a natural look)
• Beguile to set

Eyes:

• Prep+Prime Eye in Light
• Ricepaper from lashline all the way to browbone as a base color
• Espresso to contour crease
• Soba on crease and blended towards brow, extending past Espresso but not reaching way up the brow
• Greensmoke on the outer crease blending with the browns.
• Humid on the inner crease, blending with the browns.
• (Note: The greens actually add a bit of intensity to make the browns less flat, a trick I learned watching Pursebuzz's interview with Eve Pearl on YouTube)
• Amber Lights and Paradisico to blend the lid and crease colors together, warming them up.
• Shroom to highlight the browbone, center of lid, and inner eye and to clean up and tie things together.
• Powerpoint pencil in Stubborn Brown to tightline
• Blacktrack to line upper eye.

Mascara:

• 3 coats of Loud Lash in Noisy Black
• 3 coats of Splashproof in Blacksplash

Lips:

• Burgundy to line lips and fill in.
• Diva all over the lip and blotted
• Russian Red followed by another coat of Diva.
• MAC Red on the center used as gloss and blended outward.

I really enjoyed this look and it was a great-pick me upper. Anyway, I'll be there at MoA again for another shift, and I hope today would be a lotta fun :)

Love From Bookstands and Paris

Browsing thru second-hand bookstores is like finding a treasure amidst a ton of other treasures. I was at Booksale the past week and while rummaging the back issues, I was able to find these gold mines:

They are back issues but just as good as well. What's really nice is that they costed me only Php65.00. The price of these two is even cheaper than the price of one current local magazine. I love In Style since it's really thick and filled with red carpet techniques, inspirations, and pegs that are really different from what I usually see. I really don't follow trends, so I'm not particular about the date. In fact, I'd be happy to own a 1940's vintage fashion magazine for really authentic looks back then. Vogue is well, VOGUE. :)

And speaking of Vogue, here's a gold mine, thanks to a very good friend of mine, Lucas, who got this from his recent trip to Paris:

Paris Vogue November 2009 issue. WIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My stylist friend has a collection of European magazines that he gets from sales and bookstores and he brings them to shoots since he gets his pegs there. As I browsed through them, I immediately saw why he gets inspirations there - the pages are absolutely hot, adventurous, and overflowing with art, fashion, and originality. You know what I love about it too? No inhibitions, anything goes.

Wiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so many new stuff to try! Love from Paris indeed. The pages totally whisked me to different worlds at flips and turns. THANKS LUCAS!

With these three magazines to get the creativity going....I definitely am itching to get back to work. :)

My Gender-Bender ATTITUDE,

I love the men's department. I shop there too and use men's clothes with my own girly stuff too. I also use men's perfume. Bambi loves pink. Bambi shops for boy's clothes for her. Bambi wears boy's colognes.

It surprises the guys at the fragrance counter that just when they are about to show me the "girl" counterpart of a fragrance brand, I go, "No, no. The guy's version is what I want." You see, in some weird way, there are certain men's fragrances that I like on me. They have this certain scent that I like with my body chemistry or something. There's something bold and daring in them yet they're frills-free and straightforward.

One such scent I like is Giorgio Armani's Attitude Extreme, which is the current scent I'm wearing now. I've been a fan of this, would you believe, I prefer this on me!

The bottle alone is an eye candy for me. It looks more like a high-tech spy gadget than something that belongs in my vanity, actually. The black glass and steel bottle looks great on my vanity in contrast with my palettes and colorful bottles of baby colognes and shower gels.

This scent has 4 key ra materials namely incense, patchouli, Ciste labdanum, and Ambergris accord, the top note (i.e. the first impression of the scent) is cardamom mied with star anise, which gives an energizing boost once whiffed. That's why I like men's colognes - that bold, energetic vibe could get me going at a hard day's work networking, shooting, and even posing. :) After the top note, the middle and bottom notes are woody and warm (responsible materials/scents: coffee, cedar, patchouli, labdanum) with a bit of sensuality so it's kinda like sexy but not too girly-sexy. It's sort of like mysterious-but-tough-but-still-sensual-but-can't-pinpoint-what-the-factor-is sexy. As of now, the scent has mellowed down into a mild, warm musk that's not too overpowering but you still get that oomph of the scent once whiffed.

How do I wear this scent? Since this is stronger than my baby colognes, and since my body chemistry is still different from a guy's, the key to wearing this is to use this sparingly. I spritz a bit on my wrists and dab them on my pulse points. The scent lasts practically the whole day. I don't like to use too much since too much could overpower my senses.

It's fun to go gender-bender for once and shop and try perfumes at the men's department. You'll see a sudden boost of energy when you find your right guy-scent-but-for-you. However, just like makeup, how a scent would grow on people differs. I also have tried other scents which aren't me. Trying all scents at once is hard too, since these different perfumes could compete with each other so it could confuse the wearer (and cause one helluva migraine) so here's what I do:

1. Remember those guys at the perfume counter give blotting papers? Get some of those when you go perfume shopping and narrow down your choices into like to your top 3 favorites (tip: try sniffing on coffee beans to neutralize the senses, that's why they're there)
2. Once you narrowed your choices, spritz one scent on one wrist, the other on another wrist, and another on the inner elbow. Walk around for 10 minutes so the scent/s react with your body chemistry.
3. Take another sniff on these points and go where your senses appeal most. :)

Guy's colognes have the appeal of frills-free fierceness, something which I like. Prolly that's what gets me attracted to men's colognes too. It somehow boosts my mood and spirit as it reflects my own personal choices and lifestlye. So that's my guy perfume story. Night y'all!

Review: MAC 129 Brush

Last Christmas, Santa fulfilled one of my wish lists that got scrapped off my must-have list since I already have it - A MAC full-sized brush. I'm happy to have had one more MAC full-sized brush, and something more dual-purpose.

MAC 129 brush, Php 2,050 at MAC counters.

I have a MAC 129 powder/blush brush. This brush is not only used to apply blush on the apples of the cheeks for a cheery pink glow but also powder foundation, loose powder, and highlight. This brush is made of natural hairs and the brush has a tapered and full, round head to get on those hard-to-reach areas. I prefer this size of brush too, for my powders since they get on the hard-to-reach areas like the undereye, sides of the nose, and ear areas more than a bigger and fluffier brush would do.



As a blush brush, this picks up pigment quite nicely and the blush results into a natural glow instead of a streaky and solid line of pink or red. It blends well and the super soft bristles do not hurt the facial skin.
It's also small enough to be used as a highlighter brush for a pop of glow on the skin. I use Mineralize Skinfinish powders to highlight the cheeks after a sweep of blush and blend these together.

As a warning though: when washing the brush, you might see some black on the water when you rinse it, even if you didn't use dark makeup that day. That's actually the dyes on the hair though. The hair was originally white but they decided to have it dyed for uniformity.

The full-sized one is definitely softer and rounder than the short-handled one, so quality-wise, this one is better than the short-handled one. To maintain its shape, I suggest keeping the plastic it comes with it and placing the brush inside the plastic guard so the bristles stay in shape. As with all brushes, maintenance and proper care is the key for making them last us a lifetime.

Makeupbybambi Welcomes 2010

First of all, Happy New Year to all of you!

I hope the new year and holiday celebration/s turned out really good for all of us. Pre-Christmas, I had back-to-back work that my sleep patterns went supah-dupah haywire making me sleep at 12 and wake up at 5 only to fall asleep and wake up at 8 -on a lazy day. During the holiday break, I was glad to take a few days off and normalize my sleeping patterns, and go to the mall to just have fun instead of work. Although I didn't travel as much as I did last 2008, I'm happy that my travel taking a backside paved way for more work for me and opened myself to new opportunities in meeting other people, working on collaborations, and really focusing more on my craft. I'm happy being able to do more magazine shoots this time, and even got a chance to do a spread for a well-known international magazine. Aside from shoots, I was able to do fashion shows and even work for theater and the makeup counter.

As a makeup artist, I was able to think out of the box and really work on my creativity and far from the "safe" pegs into something more outrageous. Racking my brains for inspirations was a real challenge for me, to thinking "How can my work be original?" or "What's something that I haven't done?" I've conquered my fear of eyebrows and in fact, although I do not do them 100% perfectly, I'm no longer afraid of playing with them.

I've also established into living and promoting the healthy lifestyle last year. Although I still drink cocktails occasionally, I'm proud to be 100% smoke-free. In fact, whenever there's a shoot concept, I politely refuse if it involves me holding a cigarette unless it's an anti-smoking campaign. Thanks also to my health-buff friends, I've been hooked on a regular exercise program, something which I'm thankful for since it helped me to be stronger and improved my muscle tone. Although I did lose weight towards the latter part of the year due to the work influx, I was still healthy in a sense that I didn't get sick a lot or was I rushed to the hospital for another ulcer attack.

I guess I was happier now than I was last year. I'm happy for the opportunities I got this year and the new people I have met and those people who have constantly stood by me. I'm happy also and thankful for the people that were before on a hi-hello basis to me that later on became my close friends. I admit I did lose some along the way, and I did have a whole lot of eye-opening experiences, but I guess nothing happens without a reason.

My goal this year is to just keep doing better at what I do and to just be happy and true to myself in any field I am in whether it be writing, modelling, makeup, or styling. I still believe on picking up a few more skills along the way. This year, I plan to ressurect my acting, a field i surely missed and to do more on the styling and makeup. Modelling ia definitely still there but with my age, I guess it's now time to be choosier with the pegs I do. As modelling would take a quasi-backseat, I want to do more travelling this year. I'm set to fly to the U.S. for a short stint next month and I hope to do more out-of-town and out-of-country gigs.

One thing I'd like to do more this year are weddings. I have a wedding to do in a few months and I hope to do more of these next time. I'm up to building my wedding makeup portfolio soon, side-by-side with my glamour and fashion portfolio.

And I end this post with my first-ever shoot for 2010 - where I modelled for Manny Librodo's photography workshop where I also did my own makeup and styling.

Photo by Aly Reyes

Photo by Alex Magallona

and here's proof thanks to Harie who took my rollers shot :P
So here's to more fun, success, and love. Happy new year friends! Thanks for being there. :)

Fekkai and Aucoin Cameos at Zoolander

I watched Zoolander a while ago for a comedy jolt to start my day. Anyways, I discovered at IMDB that among the celebrity cameos on the show included designers and whaddya know, makeup artists and hairstylists. Among them were cameo appearances by Frederic Fekkai and Kevyn Aucoin.

(image from beautynewsnyc.com)

Celebrity hairstylist Frederic Fekkai has been known to style and primp the tresses of Debra Messing, Kim Basinger, and supermodel Claudia Schiffer. He also has his own hair products line, a much in-demand luxury product internationally. He has also appeared as a guest in America's Next Top Model when the models had their makeovers done.(image taken from stylelist.com)

Of course, we all know the late Kevyn Aucoin, whose books Making Faces and Face Forward are considered beauty bibles of every makeup artist and makeup fanatic. He did Gwyneth Paltrow's makeup when she won the Oscars for her role in Shakespeare in Love, and he has done makeup for several other celebrities like Madonna, Tori Amos, Winona Ryder, and Christina Ricci. My favorite was how he transformed Gwyneth Paltrow to James Dean.

It wasn't a full shot but they did appear for a few seconds as Derek Zoolander's (portrayed by Ben Stiller) Derelicte hairstylist and makeup artist respectively. I wasn't able to find a screenshot online but I took a picture of it while I was watching it on TV:sThat's Frederic Fekkai's hand primping up a Derelicte'd Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller)

Here's a profile of Frederic Fekkai and the back of Kevyn Aucoin. :) This was the scene where Derek Zoolander gets primped up before the Derelicte Fashion show and he confronts his manager Maury Ballstein (Jerry Stiller). It's just a quick cameo appearance so better not blink to notice.

Of course, they were credited at the movie credits and at IMDB.