Makeupbybambi Reviews and Raves about MAC Penultimate Brow Marker

When I guested last February 9 at the MAC Counter in Makati, among the brow pencils, I spotted a new addition to the set. I was already told that MAC would come up with a liquid brow pencil similar to Rapidblack that's waterproof yet easy to use and looks really natural with any skin color.

I was like, "How could that happen?" I mean, brow products are tricky to manipulate in pencil formulation already for some inexperienced few. However, being waterproof intrigued me too since I really am looking for waterproof eyebrow makeup since it looks weird to start the day with perfectly defined brows and end the day without.

So first I swatched it on my hand. It was kinda watery and thin at first but it dried to a nice brown shade on my hand. And yes, it only comes in one shade, that's stated to be universal. This product came with MAC's All Ages, All Races, All Sexes collection. Quite apt, the name is Universal.

Here it is (on top) swatched with Lingering (below). Once dried. it's a bit on the warmer side than Lingering, which is quite ashy. Universal looks more like a darker version of Girl Boy, if Girl Boy were used as eyebrow makeup. Since this is watery, it's best to apply one thin layer first and then let it dry. Apply with a light hand first in feathery strokes with its ultrafine tip. It can get tricky though, since this is liquid. However, contrary to Rapidblack, which is a liquid eyeliner in a felt-tip pen form, the consistency of this one is lighter and sheerer so brows come out looking more natural.On my brows, it looks very natural. Actually, the usage of this depends on the person. Girls with lighter hair, complexions, and thinner brows could use this only at the ends and blend it in with matte brow powder. My hair is really dark so it looks quite well on its own. If I find this too strong though, I lighten a bit with Charcoal Brown or Cork.

And yes, this is very waterproof. I sprayed this with Charged Water and Fix+, it would not budge. I recommend this for shoots that involve a lot of water or for bridals or for girls who want to have a perfect set of brows without retouching up until the end of the day. By the end of my shift, I still had my brows on, and I actually had to soak my brows with makeup remover before they slide off.

This product is priced at Php 1,000, which isn't bad. Good brow makeup is really hard to find. It's limited edition though, but I'd be glad if MAC keeps this as a regular stock.

Falling in Love with LOVE ETC

Valentine's is sure filled with love and all, whether it be love for friends, S.O., work, or well, anything we love. The Body Shop was no exception to launch a new fragrance on Valentine's Season in a title that's very apt. :)

Hello LOVE ETC, the newest potion among The Body Shop's roster of scents that treat our senses. Before makeup, my obsession was shower gels and sprays and lotions and anything that smell nice, and I still love them. The retro fun logo is initially striking and I just love love love the colors juxtapositioned with the black-and-white portraits. :) Very pop.

The lotion comes with a pump that I could twist to lock and unlock so it's great if I want to bring this for travel and I don't want unecessary spilling of products and I'm too lazy to transfer contents to a separate container. It doesn't feel greasy on the skin much, so it's quite apt with the warmth that's happening right now.

Speaking of warmth, the scent is a mixture of fruity then it comes out sweet (like vanilla or candy) then a bit on the musk side. It's not really too heavy but not too light either. The scent is very feminine, so this line is definitely for someone who would want to feel girly and fun.

The Eau De Parfum comes in a very elegant-looking bottle that looks great on my dresser. The pink letters add appeal too. Like the lotion variant, this is more of a warm-sweet variety with a bit of musk on the bottom note. Since this is perfume, this lasts longer than body splashes on the skin and the musk makes it quite intense. I recommend wearing this better during the night or sparingly during the day, especially now that the temperature is rising really fast. The scent is very fun, very feminine, but a bit warm, which tames the scent a bit.

Girly and fun yet a bit warm and sexy....I guess the makers of this line wanted all of us to have the best of both worlds. Whatever personality you have, this is one fragrance that brought out the girly-ness in me. :)

How Makeupbybambi Spent Valentine's Day

Last Valentine's Day, I spent it at work. This time, I also spent it at work, but on a different set. Valentine's Day for me was spent at the backstage of the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium doing makeup for 9works production of RENT. :)

(this kit never fails to make me wide-eyed everytime I see it. *wiiii!!!!!*)

I got to the venue early to set up. yep, it's yellow lights for this since theater makeup has to be heavy handed as the lights could drown the color and they need to last long after hours of dancing, singing, crying, and all that energy onstage.

I love Rent, its message, and how it speaks to others. I could also relate to the characters because all of them are artists who chose to live their dreams and chase it, amidst the consequences and to "live each moment as if it were their [my] last," as Mimi's character would sing.

This is me, live from backstage :).

Anyway, this was my second day for Rent. I'm at Rent for only 3 days. This day, I did two shows and I was also assigned to do makeup for the character Angel, a drummer by day and drag queen by night who is HIV positive. The challenge here was to do quick makeup changes from boy to drag to boy to drag, with a challenging costume change from boy to drag in 2 minutes. It was fun though. It was my first time to do character makeup like that with a lot of costume changes. AJ helped a lot too and we had fun playing around with various looks and creating our own pegs.

This look is what we call Alexander McQueen meets Heatherette. Coincidentally, both Alexander McQueen and Heatherette are MAC limited edition collections. :) So what's my favorite Rent song? It's I'll Cover You, which constantly loops at my playlist.

I got home at around 11 pm here since the second show ended at 10. It was fun and tiring, my second time to do theater work. Yet it was a fun and rewarding experience since I got to meet new people and also watch the show... TWICE!

Extension of Contest: Kotex Entry

Hellowee everyone! I would like to make an announcement. Since everyone has been pretty busy with Chinese New Year and V-day, and work, I would like to extend my Kotex Giveaway Contest to up to the end of the month. I've been pretty busy myself for the past few weeks and I just got to really blog just now and catch up on posts.

Anyway, to the busy girls, you still have time to submit your entries. :) So email away!

Vanita Lingerie Sale

Just in time for V-day:

If you wanna give yourself and/or a friend a gift, drop by their lounge. :)

Carlton Launches Its First-Ever Store at SM Megamall

Travel bags are worth the investment. We need bags that could support heavy weights and withstand being tossed, turned, and toppled over without splitting to smithereens within days or weeks of usage. In my personal case, travel bags also function as gig bags since my equipment is heavy plus I tend to manhandle my bags as well.

I attended the media launch of Carlton Travel Goods at SM Megamall. Since I wasn't doing much that day save for a few errands, I thought I'd maximize this day by attending a press event as well. After my errands at Makati, I hopped over to SM Megamall and decided to check out the event over tea, Bizu, and a bonus glass of vino.

On display at the SM Megamall Atrium were the luggages. The hard case is perfect for the heavy traveller or for those carrying heavy but fragile equipment and it needs to be protected. I like the fact that it comes in fun colors too, so I don't get my luggage lost in a sea of black, brown, and navy.

I also saw the store, which happens to be on the third level, and took pictures of these babies on display. And yes, of course my eye catches the red luggage (more of this later).

When we registered, we were given a key with a little combination. What happens was that we were supposed to enter the combination on the suitcase and if the suitcase opens, we win a prize. Unfortunately, Lady Luck wasn't with me that day, so I didn't win.

Okay, so after that, the 2009 and 2010 collections were presented via a fashion show, which feature aside from the basic black and brown, pops of color such as red, purple, and lime.
After that, I picked a bag to go home with and be my travel-and/or-gig companion.
I got a Holdall bag from the Motif line. On storage it looks like a really thin bag but it expands giving way for more gear. Plus it came in red (rust red, specifically. perfect accessory to go with it? my signature red lipstick). I could use this for domestic travel (I'm definitely checking this in), road trips, and location shoots where I need more gear than I could use. The red would definitely pop out from the conveyor belt so there's less to worry on. As of the present, this bag is in stock in my closet, yet it sure can't wait till it gets used.

Wait for its first day at work!

New Makeup Case! Wheeeeee!

For prolly a year, I've been carrying a silver makeup case that fits the basics. Now, I have an addition to the family, and this I use for bigger shoots where I would be needing more colors and more storage space. Don't get me wrong. I still love my old silver one. In fact, I use it when I do makeup that calls for male grooming or if I'm just having one client whose face I already know (i.e. gigs where I don't need to bring more stuff). Of course I needed more storage to fit my ever-growing makeup space.

Nix was selling this since she upgraded to a three-tier malette. She was selling it for a really low price so I really grabbed the chance. Yep, I get my malettes second hand, as the first one was second hand as well. Nix really did take care of it, and I got it on top condition, save for inevitable signs of usage.

Now officially, the malette takes my identity, with a tag that states that, IT'S MINE!



And yes, it's filled now with all my stuff.

It's still three-tiered like my old one, but since it's bigger, it holds more space at the bottom compartment. I can place my brush roll and my bigger palettes inside easily instead of squishing them in my backpack. Aside from the extra space to hold my brush roll and palettes, I could easily fit my little pouch of skin care. Two days ago, I did makeup for a TV show and all I had to bring was this. So it really saved me luggage space.

Now that I have an extra malette, I think I have more room to place these new babies in, 'no?

The 401 on Passport Renewal

I got my passport renewed a few weeks ago. It was indeed paperwork and it does involve falling in line and no cheating. Although my international travel is quite scarce, it's important that I renew my passport because I'll never know when I could travel or would travel. So, better be prepared.

Anyway, I decided to write this post in order to help anyone who would like to renew their passport the old-fashioned way, meaning lining up, hands-on, no fixer needed. It was my first time to handle this myself, and this time, passport renewal requires personal appearance. I used to have phobia while handling papers like these, but it turned out easier than I expected. All it took was research.

The Preparation:

First of all, I gathered my materials. For application of my machine-readable passport, I needed:

• Present passport (in this case, the old green passport), with photocopies of inside and back cover plus photocopies of pages showing latest Bureau of Immigration departure and arrival tamps
• Original and photocopy of birth certificate (NSO-certified, which you could have delivered to you. Read details here. I found out how convenient this was, since all i needed was deposit the money in the bank and follow instructions, which were very self-explanatory.
• Pictures = the passport picture now is 4.5cm x 3.5 cm colored photo with Royal Blue background. With collar (white is always safe), and ears showing. no earrings/headpieces/glasses/colored contact lens. For the passport application, we would need three of these.
• Passport application form, which could be downloaded from the DFA website.
• Proof of existence, just for safety, like valid ID and photocopies of those as well

These are requirements that I had for my condition, since I'm for renewal and I'm single. For married women, newly-single/widowed, or first-time applicants, this could vary. So the first thing I did was to gather all the necessary papers. I ordered one copy of my original birth certificate from the NSO and it was delivered to me in 2 days. I'm glad everything was done online. I also downloaded and printed out my passport application form. I was also OC to photocopy all these documents for safety.

I also had my picture taken. There are specific requirements as to how the passport picture should look like. I just took an extra effort to make myself look presentable in the picture, meaning, I made sure my hair was fixed, I had a good shirt (with collar) on, plus makeup was kept light and prime look. No smoky eyes, heavy lashes, or deep lipstick.

After I got my materials right, I scheduled an appointment to make my life easier. Appointments can be made online through the DFA website. However, I don't get to choose my appointment schedule so once I got the email of my appointment date, I had to clear everything for that day. I also had to print that email out since I'll be showing that when I apply.

On The Day Itself:

My appointment was supposed to be 9 AM, but I decided to go there earlier lest the line be long. The night before, I gathered all equipment necessary plus I armed myself with a book to read.
During the day, I made sure I looked decent but not overdressed and wore my favorite footwear: FLATS, since I'll be lining up and walking. I also was told that I won't be entering the DFA which was right smack on Roxas Blvd, but it would be on the side-street, the one in between Cuneta Astrodome and the Maritime School. I had my appointment so all was okay. I was told to go to Gate 2 Window 1-4 and wait for my turn. How I knew where Gate 2 was? I asked the security guard. No fixer needed!

When my turn came, the girl on Window 1 asked for the printout of my appointment email. I handed it to her and checked my requirements. After which, she issued a receipt (yes my dears the passport isn't free). So I lined up on the cashier and paid for my passport (I gave an exact amount). After which, I was told to proceed to the auditorium for biometrics.

At the auditorium, I was told to line up on the line that said email appointments. Now here's where I needed to have my eyes peeled: The dude on the computer encoded my information on this form. He let me double check and see if all the information is true, correct, and free of typos. Once done, he printed this out, pasted my pictures and let me sign on the box. I then proceded to have my fingerprints taken and then I was done for the day. FAST! Some had the option of having their passports delivered, but I opted for picking up my passport myself, so I had to go back on the date scheduled.

Picking Up My Passport:

On the receipt, there's a date and time as when the passport would be ready. On that scheduled appointment, I went back to the DFA and went to Gate 3. Since my appointment was in the afternoon, lines were longer and I did wait a bit long. When we get inside, we weretold to place our receipts face-down on this box on the window with the first letters of our last names (like in my case, the window for people with last names that start with A, B, C, and D). The guys behind the window would get the clump of receipts and then look for our passports. I then had to wait for my name to be called, meaning I had to strain my ears and filter out the one voice that called out my long, legal, baptismal name, which I refuse to reveal in my blog.

Once my name was called (I had a very common last name, so I waited quite long), I went to the counter and the dude handed out my new brown passport. I checked it again and made sure there was no error and signed that I have received it.

I left the vicinity without any hassle, save for waiting in line.

The trick really, is to do a lot of research. Before I renewed my passport, I asked around and went to the DFA website. As you can see, I did this the traditional way, without having a travel agent with me. The appointment really helped though, and so did the downloadable form, since it saved me time and effort of filling up my form there.

It's relatively easy, since all I did was renew. For special cases, it could be a different thing. However, research really is the key for this, so it pays to read the site first for requirements. It does cost a lot, but it's definitely worth it. Also, it pays to come early too. :)