My Cool Showertime Companion

My siblings have switched to all-organic and all-natural bath products and that's one reason why I'll have this in my shower for the next few weeks or so:

Presenting my Giga Ventures Aromatherapy Soap in Peppermint

My sister swears by these and tells me to use them. When she bought crates of these soaps last year, she thought of throwing a few bars at my direction (not hitting me on the head, though :P) and told me to try them. When she asked what I want, I just said, "just give me your favorites." and so I got a peppermint and citrus variant.

"contains pure essential oils which are carefully and meticulously selected. Aside from its highly moisturizing properties and the moods that they create, these oils have many known therapeutic values. Available in 5 variants: Citrus, Peppermint, Jasmine, Lavender and Chamomile, this soap will surely put you in the right mood after after your bath."

Packaging-wise, When you peel off the paper packaging, the soap is sealed in plastic sealing the scent, so just when I placed it in my soapdish, the whole room smelled like peppermint. I've always liked peppermint-based soaps, especially the cool feeling it leaves you after. It didn't dry up my skin much but I could feel my skin being cleaned of all debris I've accumulated after a hardcore workout. The peppermint cooled me down and jolted my system up to start my day. My problem with the soap, though, was that it was a bit too wide for me to grab.

Oh, and the cooling feeling is really divine, this would be great during the summer. I also love how the whole bathroom smelled like - it smelled like a spa.

Plus, it contains olive oil to moisturize the skin so my skin wasn't all crinkly and dry. But that didn't mean I skipped moisturizer, because I did, and what better companion to my peppermint soap than my peppermint-scented body lotion:

My Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Lotion in Eucalyptus Peppermint. :) Okay, not exactly one of those organic variants. My grandma's gift to me last Christmas and she'll definitely be thrilled to know I used it. :)

Giga Ventures can be found at:

Fashion Village, TIENDESITAS en Fontera Verde, Ortigas Corner E. Rodriguez (C5), Pasig City, Philippines

Level 2, Atrium, Shoppesville, Greenhills, San Juan, Metro-Manila, Philippines

Kiosk, Lower Ground Floor, Building A, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

It's even a great gift to give to friends too. My sister sent some to our relatives in the States and it's small enough not to crowd your luggage.

Okay that's it, I'mma gonna head out the door. :)

A Day as a Guest Makeup Artist

When MAC calls, I get all excited. :D

I got a call last week from MAC asking if I could guest makeup artist since they would have to be attending a training session from 1 pm to 9 pm on Monday at the Makati branch of MAC. That news was enough to put my energy up ten notches.

Basically, a MAC Guest Makeup Artist does what a regular MAC makeup artist does - either be on counter and sell makeup and do demos/makeovers and assist clients or go to fashion shows/theater productions where MAC is a sponsor. It's usually given to makeup artists who have worked in MAC or have extensive (and I mean really extensive knowledge) knowledge of MAC products.

So here goes... I had to be there on counter in all-black outfit, from clothes down to shoes with no prints or designs. Accessories should just be silver, black, or transparent and wear strictly just MAC makeup.

I left the house at 7:00 a.m. to go to Rustan's Head Office at 8 a.m. to get my temporary I.D. However, being in Manila on a MONDAY after payday... I expected this:

And I told the cab driver to step on it since I was running late :( Plus there was an accident along coastal road. Grrrrr.... I was stuck for a good 30 minutes in coastal and 30 minutes in Buendia. Grrrr.... Why not take the van that goes straight to Makati saving me cash? Because the line was so darn long. I got lost a bit and I was texting Kang for directions, and I arrived there and got my temporary ID! :D

Since my shift was at 1 p.m., I had a quick [late] breakfast at 7-11 and ran some of my errands before going to Glorietta where I changed to my all-black dress and stockings and (very comfortable) shoes since I knew I'll be practically standing up the entire day. I had a quick lunch too since I shouldn't be hungry.

The difference here this time was I entered the mall via the employee's entrance where I showed my ID and deposited my bag at the employee's lounge. I brought my cellphone and valuables with me. Then I got on counter where I was briefed on the products, stocks, plus I met Angel, the other guest makeup artist. The counter demo brushes were shown to me and so was the magical brush cleanser that I fell in love with. While waiting for customers, I did my makeup (which had to be all MAC)

The smile of a person being surrounded with MAC Makeup! :D My hair was up in a bun, the simplest and neatest style I could ever think of that would keep hair away from my face while making me look human.

Makeup used for this look:

Studiofinish Concealer in NC35

Select Sheer Foundation in NC35

Studiofix Foundation in NC 35

Blot powder in Medium

Blush in Dollymix

Mineralize Skinfinish in Light for highlight.

Blush in Gingerly to contour

Eyebrow pencil in Lingering to fill in brows and set with MAC charcoal brown and Brow Set in Sophisticated.

Paintpot in Painterly as a base and used the Smoky Eyes Palette from the MAC Holiday Collection to do my smoky eyes and then I lined my eyes with Black Russian Liners (from the Suite Array Collection) and set it with MAC carbon. By the end of the day I played with some color by dabbing in eyeshadow in freshwater.

Prep+Prime Lash and Loudlash mascara in Noisy Black

MAC lipglass in Prrr (if anyone of you saw me with red lips, that's lipglass in Russian Red)

Okay, so now I'm done with my makeup, it's time to proceed with sales. The first client asked me advice on her Studiofix as to how long should she keep her Studiofix foundation and what she should purchase, since she felt her skin has changed color. I showed her a slightly darker shade than what she is using and applied that shade to one half of her face and her own studiofix to the other half. After comparison, she bought a compact of her own shade. I opened the stock for her and showed her the condition of the product... that she purchased it in top condition and it came with an application sponge.

More clients came in and each client's questions had to be answered. I gave demos when requested and when clients are not on counter, we would familiarize ourselves as to where the stocks were. For a Monday, it was a busy day for the counter and products were flying off the shelves, mostly Studiofix foundation. Basically, it was fun. It's not just standing there and selling and promoting the products. We also have to give demos when asked and try to help them with their queries. Demos are given particularly so a client gets to know how to use the product and how to maximize it.

By the time closing came I washed the brushes and lay them flat to dry.

The MAC brush cleanser is just awesome in cleaning these babies. Not to mention it smells pretty good too!

It was tiring especially the peak hours when there were clients coming one after the other each with their different set of questions and needs. However, it was a great experience and I had a lot of fun.

Thanks to MAC for trusting me for this gig. :) I definitely had fun here. :)

Just In Time for Summer

Look what I saw at the supermarket shelves when I went grocery shopping! With the cold weather drifting away, we know summer is fast approaching now and Sunsilk has released its limited edition Summer Fresh Shampoo, which hits the market when summertime comes. This time,. it's got a new companion... Creme Silk Summer Shine conditioner, so our tresses stay fry-free during the summer heat when we're basking under the sun getting our tans

Okay, so I'm not hitting the beach (yet) but going out with that kind of heat intensity, I could feel my hair strands turning into tempura-like consistency (heeheehee), so the UV protectors they promise could help.

I'm on my second day of trying this so far (my first time to use the conditioner, since it just came out this year). I love the smell, it's very light and sweet and it reminds me of a favorite fragrance I bought off Macy's a few years ago that I really miss. I'm glad that there's no more of that heady and heavy scent in this edition.

So that signals that summer is about to come. Gotta get ready for beach season!

Heal The Pain: A One-Woman Show

Approximately a decade ago, I was reading an article in a magazine on my way home from our family vacation about how teenagers cut and deliberately injure themselves to help forget the pain and trauma they experienced. The article has caused much of an impact to me never to forget it up to now - every detail on how they coped with the trauma. Up to now the thought of cutting or burning yourself after being a victim of rape or whatever trauma happening strikes haunts me.

I got intrigued and did research and was deeply moved to do this mini-project: a photoshoot to bring out awareness and hopefully prevent self-harm.These are just a few test shots I did a while ago - my own makeup, posing, photography (using available sources - available light and my trusty P&S), and application on my crash-course on digital enhancement.

(model, makeup, prosthetics, digital imaging, and photography: Bambi C. de la Cruz)

Far from beauty and glamour to something socially relevant (and something that we should bring awareness to, as many do not know much about self-injury, at least when I talk about it), I want to do something that's not just making someone beautiful in the outside. As a professional makeup artist, I want to go beyond my task of making someone beautiful until she rinses off with cleansing oil or cold cream or whatever makeup remover. The hurt that the self-inflicted wound gives will not remove the pain she feels inside... it will only get worse and the scar/s left behind will traumatize her for years.

This mini-project aims to reach out to those people who do self-injury and to their friends to put action to this

Makeupbybambi's workweek

Since I'm a pro makeup artist, I have an erratic work schedule and while people are slaving off during weekdays, I'm basically at home resting from my full workweek. So here's a recap of what I did during my super absence in the blogging world.

Shoot #1: shoot with Bella. Bella is my new friend I met thru ModelMayhem. She's based in Indonesia and she came here in Manila for a vacation and we had a shoot with Stan Ong. :)

It was absolute fun and Bella's gorgeous. She reminded us of Anggun and she had such a fantastic personality.

After the shoot, I walked around Ayala Center (depositing my malette first at Rustan's) to run some errands when I decided to finally cab it (with all my stuff to head over to DPI Makati for another shoot). However, it was 5:30, a rainy Friday afternoon and the cab line at Greenbelt was long. Traffic was hell and cabs were picky. I finally got a cab who barely wormed his way out of Makati and going around the location was hell. Ang traffic mga tsong! Had I not brought all my stuff - big malette, small malette, and backpack plus handbag, I would have walked the whole of Pasong Tamo.

When I finally got there, I set up and immediately did makeup to maximize studio time. Of course, I got to pose too. :) The shoot is for my friend's underwear clothing business, which he would be launching online.

A preview of the shoot:

Photo by Glenn del Rosario.

Here's me with the director/photographer Mike Yu

That's two pairs of falsies on my eyes. Now I know how my models feel when I give them the heavy ones. I couldn't open my eyes. :P

My shoot marathon didn't end there since I had a shoot at another location at 8 am in the morning (with barely a few hours to sleep and wash my brushes). The gowns were avante-garde and so was the makeup. It was really fun since I got to meet a new photographer through Model Mayhem with a totally different style. I sure can't wait for the pictures which I would definitely post very soon!

By the way, when I finally did get home to unpack, I had to re-pack again and wash my brushes and reassemble for.... a Sunday shoot with my friend, Kirk Barbosa at Rouge Studio. It meant getting up early in the morning to have a shoot. The shoot had two pegs and we were done in a snap plus we even played with my prosthetics.

Here's the model, Kat. The first peg was vintage where there were soft curls, red lips, and winged eyes. Here's the second peg, a natural, beauty headshot with luminous skin.

By the way, foundation here used was Paul and Joe Moisturizing Compact Foundation #30 under Paul and Joe Creamy Compact foundation in Clair, in case you want to know how the P&J foundation registers on camera. I didn't have to retouch her much.

Here's the prosthetics mini-shoot I had with Bugsy, another photographer friend of mine who hung out during the shoot.

Bugsy and I with our "slashes"

Heeheehee... barely any of my guy friends would say okay to makeup but for prosthetics they sure are game. We even wore the prosthetics when we visited Apy and Ardin for their Life in Mono Shoot and the guards at the studio building actually thought we came from an accident. With matching acting!

The following day, I had a 6 am shoot at Shaw for a magazine. :) Details to follow, when the issue comes out.

Since I was really tired, I went to get a massage and fell asleep right at the middle of it.

I'll probably be sleeping until my hectic workweek ends. But really, Erratic or not, I would not have it either way. I love what I do and wherever I am, there's nothing else that I could think of doing, hence my uttmost decision of taking it professionally.

Right now it's back to blogging again to rest and to recap the nice stuff that ever happened this week. :)

Makeupbybambi loves Paul and Joe Creamy Compact Foundation

My cosmetics fair loot that I highly recommend. During CAS Cosmetics fairs, big brands usually go there to introduced their products and offer them at a discount. When Paul and Joe had 50% off on base makeup (their bestsellers) I just had to jump at the offer.




Regular refill cost: Php 1,450
I got the refills at 50% off so I got two. :)





I buy the refills because it's cheaper and it could fit my tiny makeup case better (tip for makeup artists)

The creamy compact foundation actually is supposed to be applied with a sponge directly on the face. For photoshoots, I put liquid foundation under it but for everyday, I use this alone (Remember to use a clean sponge!) I like the natural dewy finish it gave me. The difference between this and the moisturizing compact foundation and the light cream/liquid foundations are that this one gives a more matte finish with a bit of dewy glow. When I saw the compact, I thought it was pressed powder until Von of Paul and Joe told me that it's actually a cream-to-powder foundation with a natural finish and he showed me how it's supposed to be applied. When I felt it, it was silkier than your average two-way foundation and it had a creamy feel to it. It felt light on me and I didn't feel like I'm wearing foundation.

Not to mention I keep getting compliments on how good my skin is but they can't just know why. :)

Pink is So Pretty!

The reason for that bag above is that four shoes of mine decided to die smiling and the shoe shop told me that it could no longer be salvagable. Plus, it was super-duper affordable knowing how People Are People slashes their heels on sale.

I got the pink one for one thing I like pink and the last formal shoes I bought (along with the snakeskin bag) are black. Besides... pink is cute, flirty, and pretty.

The details are so pretty! breaking in them has never been so cutesy.

Instantly, I'm 5'11. I'm still breaking in these heels as I stopped wearing heels during the ballerina flats craze and I wore flats more because they're easier when it comes to work since I stand a lot all day. I do miss the heels and the height and the fact that I need them during parties and events. :)

How did it fit me? Surprisingly I was able to find a size that fits me better. I probably need cork to prevent my heels from sliding. Ang ganda tsong! Nagiging babae ako dito!