Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Struck Lucky Gold




I felt lucky today. For my afternoon lunch pole class, I just had the feeling of taking my pretty liquidy gold micro shorts to class today. These shorts were a surprise gift to me by my friend and (amazing pole dancer) Donna, who loves the color gold. So what's with the outfits? Well sometimes, we need pretty things to give us a boost, whether it be a statement lip color, a pretty smoky eye, and in this case... shiny gold shorts. ;-)

I'm glad there are Wednesday lunch classes at Gen Studios. I don't mind really travelling there since I have so much fun at classes. Food can wait (and yes, I really get hungry after pole, if you took the class you know why). Wednesday classes are open levels, meaning you have beginners and intermediate girls all in one class. But not to worry, they don't expect first-timers to do inverts and all the crazy spins. It's fun to get to know girls from other levels and they do help you out.

I used to be really weak at climbs, the type who couldn't go up one level. If you recall my first post, I was death scared of them. But hey, climbs in pole dancing are almost like eyebrows... Without climbs, we couldn't do the basic fantastic poses and all. So I gotta practice. And I'm glad with the proper spotting and strengthening and a lot of inspiration from my very patient teachers and classmates... I was able to go up a level more:



And finally up in a thigh hold without stepping on the pole. But then I was like, hmmm... what if.... I let go of the pole?

It's actually euphoric and a real picture moment. Thanks to my classmates Grace and Glenda plus today's teacher Kayleen for the pictures! Climbs are fun also, yet painful to do and there will be bruises on the shins, back of the knees, and in between the thighs (for thigh holds) but later on, the body would get used to the pain.
Now I need to practice my planks, and to conquer my fear of letting go of the pole in that position. As I'm writing, I sure can't wait for another lesson. In fact, I'm the type to get pole withdrawals if I'm not near my favorite dance partner for quite a while. Oh by the way, the one on the picture with me is named Rain. These poles have really nice names. I'm really eyeing on getting a pole for myself soon, so I could practice at home my spins and do more strengthening exercises and kicks so I get stronger. More on my classes soon!!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Glamming With Gaga for a Cause


Lady Gaga never fails to surprise us with her wacky costumes, out-of-this world hair and makeup, and her music that's meant to be hits guaranteed. I first fell in love with her in Poker Face and loved her more when she did Alejandro. Right now she shocks us with whaddya know, a not-so-shocking look that makes us look twice and verify if that is indeed, Lady Gaga.

photo from oliviasobsession.com

Last year, when Lady Gaga became a Viva Glam celebrity spokesperson, her signature shade was a pale bluish pink in a lustre finish. As she again does Viva Glam, she does so in a pretty and classic shade of nude. As the Gaga peg last year was pink brows, smoky eyes, and pink lips to match, this one is a rather tame version, that's almost bridal, if I must say - clean hydroluminous skin, subtle taupe brown eyes lined with lashes with the dark smokiness only on the lower lashline, and if there must be black, it wedges ever-so-slightly on the outer V to tie things together. It reminds me of the papercut bride bridal peg many MAC seasons ago (refresher picture below).
picture from pacificweddings.com

Hmmm... now that I stared at Lady Gaga's picture, maybe I should have used this as Jho's peg during our trial yesterday? Just kidding Jho. I love you!

Although the nude Lady Gaga lipstick is available already at the MAC website (US and Canada Launch date was February 2011), it's still not here in the Philippines. While at it, here's how they look like (photo credits from Temptalia and you could view her post here).

Iconic red and black Viva Glam packaging, check! Lady Gaga's signature, check! Nude lipstick check!
Same goes with the lipglass.

Much of the swatches and all could be found by google-ing them, so I had to rely on searching online to see if it's a good shade for me or not. I was able to find a good swatch here, since her skin's sorta close to my color, and to most of the colors I work on in general. It looks quite yellow-brown on the tube (it's actually a light neutral beige, as the MAC website describes it). Since this is an amplified finish, it goes on creamy on the lips, which would be a choice of someone who wants coverage without the dry cracked finish that some matte lipsticks cause.

On real time, here's how the Viva Glam lipstick looks on Lady Gaga as she promotes this product. I chanced upon this video on Facebook when Don shared it, which zoinked me to write about the upcoming lippie and lipglass as well.






Sunday, March 27, 2011

Jho's Trial Makeup




Although I've done makeup for Jho for so long, being tasked to be her makeup artist/veil sponsor on her wedding day coming up this May, I wanted to make sure that I get everything right so we still had our routine trial makeup session. As someone would be doing hair on her, I'll be doing makeup only. Also, I'll be airbrushing her makeup as well so I need to know the perfect mix for her makeup.
Prior to our trial makeup, Jho and I already did her prenup shoot with Christine. I've also had our fitting session and she showed me the swatches and pegs for the entourage's outfits. The colors were soft warm colors of blush pink, ecru, peach, and nude colors that were set in the rustic background of Hacienda Isabella. Jho has posted already pegs in Facebook as a reminder for all of us of the theme so we all have no excuse not to know the theme. All our (yep, including me since I'm entourage-ing) outfits would have soft and flowy chiffon layers and being the foodies we are were cut loose and flowy instead of body-hugging so our tummies aren't constricted as we stuff ourselves with food.

I spent this Sunday afternoon with two of my favorite people in the world. Jho and TJ arrived at our house, which isn't quite far from Blue Ridge on a lazy Sunday. Of course, as per all our requirements, each session we have always has pictures having TJ take all BTS shots just like we do in shoots. I was quite finished in setting up and since I didn't have an exact palette, I laid out all my makeup in the living room. In this trial makeup, we sure had a lot of pictures too!!!!!!


Makeup and equipment had their own pictorial. Prior to everything, here's a before shot of Jho with me.

Airbrushing was the choice for her makeup since the reception would be, again an outdoor reception on a humid summer day so I need makeup that lasts.


Here's Jho after I airbrushed her skin to bridal flawlessness.

For her eyes, I went for a combination of pink, peach, and browns. I used a light gold color on her lids and a mixture of warm pink, amber, and browns to contour. I like giving the eyes dimension and definition while keeping the whole eye makeup soft and warm. I didn't go overboard with the smokiness and used black only on the eyeliner, which Jho told me that we would need to make the eye makeup waterproof just to be safe in case she cries.

Finally, the lips and cheeks were soft colors of pink. For the lips, instead of a brown pink color, I went for one of MAC's bestsellers, Pink Nouveau, which looked great on Jho. At first I thought it was going to look editorial Barbie pink but it looked quite fresh.

Just in case, we tried red lipstick for her second look, since she was thinking about going red for the reception. We gave it a try, then tried deepening the eye makeup and taming the blush a bit since the lips would have a deeper color.

Red does look nice! Why not, right? She was asking me if it would go with the whole scheme. Since red is a classic color, it's pretty much okay to go red lips if she wants. But if she should decide to go back to basic pink, I'll do so.

I'll see Jho in this same makeup in less than a month!!!! But of course in-between and after her D-Day we would be up for more shoots, shenanigans, and food trips too!




Friday, March 25, 2011

Summery Bridal Shoot


June may be the default season for bridals and all, but for some reason, avoiding another heaven forbid flood or typhoon, brides have moved their wedding dates to summer where our only enemy is the scorching sun and traffic is relatively less than say a December wedding. Well, technically June is sorta summer-like as well as the showers start pouring in July. Anyway, praying for sunny wedding days to all my brides and (future) brides this year and in the future as I journey on to wedding makeup, here are the results from our bridal shoot a few weeks ago:

I told you guys, Karina looks very much like Nicole!
We did makeup here using the traditional method, since the very outdoorsy location didn't have outlets for hair equipment or for my airbrush compressor, but I used long-lasting products so her makeup withstands makeup meltdown. I experimented on using pewters and plums as well on her too, so I get to have more color palettes for brides.

credits:
Model: Karina Cabiling
Photographer: Christine Day Lorico
Gowns: Jazel Sy
Casting: Yeoh Egwaras

Monday, March 21, 2011

Tutorial: Inspired by Solenn's Eye Makeup


Tonight's tutorial is inspired by a magazine cover girl. Loving how clean yet sultry the makeup looks, I studied it for quite a moment and a eureka moment popped into my head. Why not make a tutorial right? So here's my tutorial inspired by Solenn Heussaff's makeup in her recent FHM cover shoot.


Solenn isn't a stranger to everyone. You see her in billboards along EDSA and C5 as she endorses a clothing line or channelling Hillary Swank in a soda ad. Of course, there's Survivor where despite being cast away in an unknown island devoid of makeup yet she still looked gorgeous and her tan just made her look more gorgeous. Aside from being the pretty face you see on TV or in print, she's also a painter, a makeup artist, and a stylist. Oh and she sings.
Clad in a simple chocolate brown bikini, her hair pulled back away from her face, I like how her makeup looks clean and fresh. Her cover makeup was done by industry bigwig Jigs Mayuga, who highlighted her best features making her look like, well still her.

So here's my tutorial to get the sultry, subtle, taupe-y smokey makeup.

Since the eyes are heavier, I used a different technique of doing the eye makeup first before anything else. What I did was to prime my eyes with a skin tone primer like MAC Paint Pot in Painterly from lashline to browbone for the colors to hold. Since we're using a blend of earthy colors here, I think skintone colors for the base would be best here. To catch any shadow fallout, I dabbed loose powder under my eyes.

After that, I did my lid color. I chose a satiny taupe color for the lid color. The best color here though would be well, MAC Satin Taupe, if it's still available but a good alternative, the one I used here, is MAC Dirty Plum.

I used a 239 brush to deposit color on the lid before blending it up.

The crease contour used warm brown eyeshadow like MAC Espresso with a fluffy crease contour brush and I swept this from the outer corner inwards blending it in.

Browbone color of course, and I always use my staple, MAC Ricepaper.
Now it's time for a bit of dimension. I blended some Amber Lights on the contour color so it's not all out flat. On the outer V, I used a matte black eyeshadow with a tiny contour brush to give more definition. It's not necessary to create a distinct winged shape. Just deepen the crease.

To give eyes some smoke, I lined top and bottom lashlines with smudgy soft kohl eyeliner before setting this with black eyeshadow powder. Setting is important so creamy products don't travel.

The shine and highlight on the inner corners of the eyes are highlights. I used a shiny color here, like MAC Nylon brushed and blended on the inner corners with a 219 pencil brush.

Now what did I miss? Brows! I defined my brows with my all-time favorite Make Up For Ever Waterproof eyebrow corrector in 0 and filled it in with MAC brow set in Girl/Boy. This step is followed by mascara before brushing away the loose powder.


Here's an eye detail so you know how it looks like more or less. Remember that I'm doing only guesswork and approximation and inspiration so it's not expected to be 100% identical with the one in the magazine.

The rest is actually easy. It's time now to clean up strays and smudgies before applying concealer, foundation, and powder as usual. Then, you could contour the face to create supermodel bone structures.

For lips, it's always the rule-of-thumb on focal point, which is to focus on eyes or lips, never both. Since the eyes are quite smoldery, lips have to be neutral. So, I used a natural colored lip color (TBS #42) before topping it with gloss for shiny and kissable lips.


Now it's time to pull the hair back to show off the makeup! Here's my take on the makeup tutorial.
The easy thing with this look is that it's not too precise on the wing or anything. All you have to do is just blend and make sure the colors look great.

Bridal Work: Zarah


I really like doing bridals because I love seeing the glow on a woman's face as she goes by the most important day of her life. For me, it's not because the colors are simple or it's the most lucrative MuA niche. I really like the accomplishment and the challenge of making someone look her most beautiful and how fulfilling it is to meet your bridal client again and she gives you a hug and says, "Thank you!!!"

My first bride for the year was Zarah. She was recommended to me by my wedding coordinator, Wonderful Occasions. She had her trial at the same time of her prenup, so back then I gave her simple hair. Zarah is actually a doctor, and she's specializing in pediatrics, which means she would be dealing a lot with children and adorable babies! Awwwwww!!!!! Our trial makeup was actually fun and her fiancé Mar was so funny there. He wasn't apprehensive with the makeup and even was so game with airbrush makeup. During Zarah's d-day preps, she told me Mar remembers the "brush na may hangin-hangin."

Anyway, back to Zarah. As usual, before trial makeup, I do consultation first, like asking wedding details, restrictions, and color and theme motifs and if the bride has some inspirations. Zarah gave me leeway with my makeup. She has a very traditional pristine white wedding dress, with nothing black or anything dark on it, as tradition says. I wanted to make her look like the classic bride, with clean makeup and clear glowy skin.

Here's a picture of Zarah before any makeup was done during her trial makeup in her apartment in Quezon City.

Prior to having anything on the face, Zarah mentioned that her skin's acidic, meaning her foundation shade would have to be adjusted a half-step lighter than her skin color so everything's all blended in. Another concern of Zarah is her undereye circles, caused by medical rounds and all-nighters studying those heavy med books and notes.

Since this was the day of her prenup, I just blow-dried her hair and flipped out the framing corners a bit for some shape since a formal updo on casual outfits would look O.P. in La Mesa Ecopark.

On her wedding day though, it's always better to go with an updo that defies gravity and humidity. Here's when smokey eyes are still okay for wedding, provided they are subtle. Zarah's wearing false eyelashes here, and since she told me that she gets too emotional, waterproof everything is the way to go.

A little back story and tip. For eyeshadow, I really go for a good eye base since I want them to hold. My holy grail of all bases are MAC paint pots, which dry to a cement-like finish and are good especially if you have oily lids or have a lid shape that's prone to creasing like mine. During my trial makeup, I used Fresco Rose paint pot on Zarah. When I packed the night before, I thought I packed Fresco Rose but I put Painterly instead! Ironically, jt turned out to be a better alternative because Painterly was practically skintone so it brightened up her lid area too. and the beige and taupe eyeshadows stayed true to their colors.
Detail on the eyes:

the view from the back, with a few decorative pins.

Nagfeeling-photographer lang with shadow-shadow silhouette effects. These are all pictures from my camera as Zarah's wedding was just yesterday.


Wacks and the designers now attach the veil. Now the rule of thumb, The veil shouldn't fall off during the ceremony so Wacks insured it by securing it with bobby pins.

Another shot by the hotel lobby before the ceremony.


And here she is as she walks down the aisle. I used airbrush makeup on her since the reception following would be by the poolside of the Renaissance Tower. Since it's an outdoor location, the venue's temperature and humidity isn't controlled and her makeup would be exposed to the elements, so going airbrush was the right decision. I even joked to her that since I used waterproof makeup, she could even go for a swim and her makeup would still be intact.

After a long day, it was eating time at the nearby mall, Robinson's galleria where I had my share of Goodles pasta, which I miss terribly as they're only available there.

Congratulations to Mar and Zarah and thanks to Wonderful Occasions for the referral!

Spotted at Philstar



While on my way to work last Friday, Cyndee texted me that she saw me at Philippine Star. Since we don't have newspapers at home, I had to ask a favor to buy a copy of Philippine Star at the nearest 7-11 hoping that me being in the newspaper is not in the police report or heaven forbid, the obituaries.

Guess what? I was at the Ystyle section of Philippine Star!


A little back story here. This was taken at the Powerplant Mall on a lazy non-work weekend. Someone approached me and asked if she could take my picture as she would be writing an article on spring fashion. It was all about spring trends and bursts of color, and probably my trusty fluorescent sandals and complementary plum sando (a dress to some, but for giant me, it's a blouse) which is a color harmony as far as the color wheel is concerned gets the seal of approval from the fashion police. MEEEEEE?!?!?!?!?! fasyon?

It pays to dress up on lazy weekends though, right?

Thanks to Philippine Star! :)


Sunday, March 20, 2011

Wonder(ful) Wonder Woman Day


Normally, 10 am-ish is a dead day in the mall but yesterday, at the MAC counter in Glorietta, it was a busy, busy, busy time as MAC Artists get ready for the much-awaited launch of the Wonder Woman Collection. You've seen it in blogs, you've seen it in the MAC website, and now it's here. With a WHAM!! and a POW!!! all black gets all comic as it pays tribute to the most iconic superheroine in comic book history.



Speaking of iconic, MAC's iconic red lipstick that made waves, Russian Red, gets a revamp as it joins the Wonder Woman Collection in a va-va-voom packaging.

Still in her signature Russian Red color, counter manager Kang shows us that Russian Red will always be the way to go.

The little nook of Wonder Woman makeup. ZOOOINNNGGGG!!!!!!

Displays Displays!

Even mascaras are revamped too. The first thing that got totally sold out by the time I got there (take note that I got there early) were the nail lacquers, which leaves me getting if not the supersize MSFs, the blush aside from the lippie. Everyone literally was oh-so-excited the line was so busy.

Happy-ness in me went home with two hauls, since I really, really behaved with my makeup purchases. I really missed my home-base.

Wheeee!!!!! Girl power!

I was supposed to get my all-time favorite Russian Red again, since it's my favorite shade and I'd love to see it in the Wonder Woman packaging. However, Al told me that since I have Russian Red already and I could get Russian Red anytime at any day of the year, to get the LE color Spitfire, which was a bright, creamy magenta color.

It's such a purty color!

Another pretty thing in the vanity is the powder blush in Mighty Aphrodite, which is a mix of a peachy coral with gold pearl which goes on as a sheer warm kiss of pretty color and to add a little accent is a coral pink for a pop of color on top. Not too glittery or shimmery that it could be used by anyone.

It's time to head off to work in a few minutes! I'll see how these two new toys fare as I take them with me to work.