The Big Move

Hi everybody,<br /><br />People always said that you should address the elephant in the room. Here's mine: I'm moving and this would probably ended up being <i>the big move</i> of the decade.<br /><br />Without going into too much details, I would not say I didn't see it coming. However, I did my best to avoid this trip but the force was not with me. 2010 was a lousy year to look for job opportunities. Also, the school front did not work out for me, either. Which leaves me in limbo: I can't stay any longer than permitted but I don't want to go. Lousy, I know.<br /><br />So, for the last few weeks, I have been packing up and sorting things out for donation. It has not been easy on me, seeing things I've accumulated for whatever purposes to be discarded haphazardly. It has not been easy on Belly, either. The fact that I am about to leave does not sink in until a couple of days ago when he spent the night at my neighbor's house tossing and turning. I wish he could go with me and we would be together but it's not possible for a 20+ hour flight.<br /><br />Yes, I'm coming home to Vietnam where many social networking websites are blocked. This makes me angry: among the many problems in the society, the Vietnamese government has to block Facebook and Twitter. I hope to still get access to Blogger. Otherwise, I would not know what to do with this blog.<br /><br />I pray this move is going to be temporary. It is going to be the trip I planned for years but never materialized. I also pray that I am coming back to the U.S after this to finish my education once and for all.<br /><br />The uncertainty makes me nervous. I am one of those who always work on something and thrive toward a higher level. Yet, at this point all I can do is to pack and clean. And I'm exhausted while there are a bazillion and one other things to do!<br /><br />With all that said, the future of My Makeup Blog is also as fuzzy as mine. Maybe it will be more robust once I get home. Or maybe not. However, I can guarantee that I will do the best I can in my power to keep it going. Since I started blogging here, a lot of better things have happened to me and I'm thankful for it.<br /><br />That's all for now. I wish you all a good day and I will do my best to blog as often as I can. To Belly's fans: Belly is going to be ok. My neighbor is going to take care of him. She has been caring for him for 4+ years now, even before I met him. He is a sweet kitty and I am going to miss him very much.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/?action=view&current=endcredit.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/endcredit.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">P.S: If you like my blog, please </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Thanks a lot!</span></td></tr></tbody></table>

The Big Move

Hi everybody,People always said that you should address the elephant in the room. Here's mine: I'm moving and this would probably ended up being the big move of the decade.Without going into too much details, I would not say I didn't see it coming. However, I did my best to avoid this trip but the f…

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Black Swan FOTD

Hi everyone,<br /><br />A couple of days ago, the Academy Awards Nominations came out and Black Swan is one of the most nominated movies of the year. Although I haven't watched the movie yet, I love the Black Swan look Natalie Portman had in the movie promotion. Sadly, Black Swan did not get nominated for Best Makeup category. Yet, this is the look that's most replicated around the blogsphere and on YouTube.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_KgjmdSSZoEb4PDEFlR_-HwfTTjIdbIoW1bwPjF-roIUogKRPcJLH0RPEkJ2_FgxyciFCdWwQcnTq2DS7B7R5LQoQfxiVFVPESARh2-UKU9AdPdrrAcvlJzG8AJM1A9bM1tGCq86KB_p/s1600/black-swan-movie-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_KgjmdSSZoEb4PDEFlR_-HwfTTjIdbIoW1bwPjF-roIUogKRPcJLH0RPEkJ2_FgxyciFCdWwQcnTq2DS7B7R5LQoQfxiVFVPESARh2-UKU9AdPdrrAcvlJzG8AJM1A9bM1tGCq86KB_p/s640/black-swan-movie-poster.jpg" width="418" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Swan promotional poster</td></tr></tbody></table>My look is quite easy to do since I used mostly pencils. Wanna know how I did it? Jump!<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUwWoHIDmmOIT75aw9HBgYqeBlle1qfwN1POX9xR1rjzTxnKGd59v9anzdBjd7h-QdlQiMccYh9RX_83eIL3lR-EZreiEhauO_0i-Lfpbeq8Qx8IBfvoSxFf3C7lTZf1zD0g0PWDJc-oP/s1600/IMG_0630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUwWoHIDmmOIT75aw9HBgYqeBlle1qfwN1POX9xR1rjzTxnKGd59v9anzdBjd7h-QdlQiMccYh9RX_83eIL3lR-EZreiEhauO_0i-Lfpbeq8Qx8IBfvoSxFf3C7lTZf1zD0g0PWDJc-oP/s640/IMG_0630.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My version of the Black Swan</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVaxWIxTvggbuq1oIyYIEtI8J2ZYFQ8UBxSsSq9njut8dzxLXfHhtSePElB36v4UjRyHScxra17pyy1JbMcj7RE6IAblqrkiP7IMFJjNsC_gJ8gz4bfiagfVWtm1Vqev1o7mx9RdVngL4/s1600/IMG_0646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVaxWIxTvggbuq1oIyYIEtI8J2ZYFQ8UBxSsSq9njut8dzxLXfHhtSePElB36v4UjRyHScxra17pyy1JbMcj7RE6IAblqrkiP7IMFJjNsC_gJ8gz4bfiagfVWtm1Vqev1o7mx9RdVngL4/s400/IMG_0646.JPG" width="281" /></a></div>Stuff I used:<br /><br />Face: (1) Adorned with Grace foundation in Grace 3.5, (2) Caviahue thermal water to spray on (3) ELF Studio powder brush; finish with (4) The Ultimate Powder using (5) EcoTools retractable kabuki brush<br /><br />Eyes: (6) Fantasy Makers body stick in Black to draw the shape, intensified with the black eyeshadow in the ELF Drama quad (7) using ELF eyeshadow brush (8). Using Silver Lightning (9) to draw in feathers and smooth out with (10) Coastal Scents eyeliner brush.<br /><br />Lips: Using the retractable lip brush (11) to apply NYC Blue Rose (12). Then apply Fantasy Makers lipstick in Black (13) on top of it.<br /><br />Contour and blush: using Physicians Formula Healthy Skin bronzer in Fair (14) to contour using MAC contour brush (16); then apply Shu Uemura blush to deepen the contour line.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqlh9mynjzbOstNAwK6xE4KrKH7DIcaV-gY5UkDGXc7NQ1fIBDCURM98gaSWIxMhga-ZE64aeyBzIJHWe6PSAhwOX22IaOWYWvdd2TZFaq224f0NCdwOB35kIQKBwjC525c4IJHS47Ae1/s1600/IMG_0632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgqlh9mynjzbOstNAwK6xE4KrKH7DIcaV-gY5UkDGXc7NQ1fIBDCURM98gaSWIxMhga-ZE64aeyBzIJHWe6PSAhwOX22IaOWYWvdd2TZFaq224f0NCdwOB35kIQKBwjC525c4IJHS47Ae1/s400/IMG_0632.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up at the eye<br />The advantage of this FOTD are no mascara and brow grooming powder :)</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2lqWMQULK3vFs02S29wkuZYwAzVOEvQGJ9kGqxNoojSIQgvieYJjWvUlpfbhwDQ8w4Ei0xmUyDRM6YcSaxT5csD9DPLDiJZnQTehPgh2s7wdiBcZa15W53nb8UxX3cthGwO8lDAUwdqh/s1600/IMG_0637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2lqWMQULK3vFs02S29wkuZYwAzVOEvQGJ9kGqxNoojSIQgvieYJjWvUlpfbhwDQ8w4Ei0xmUyDRM6YcSaxT5csD9DPLDiJZnQTehPgh2s7wdiBcZa15W53nb8UxX3cthGwO8lDAUwdqh/s400/IMG_0637.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Since foundation is applied first, make sure to keep Q-tips and makeup remover handy.<br />Since the black pencil I use is not that dark, I layered black eyeshadow on top to intensify it.  I used the promo picture as a guide when drawing the feathers. I know a lot of beauty bloggers and YouTube gurus out there use white paints to paint the feathers but since I don't have it, Silver Lightning from L'Oreal HiP did the job quite well.<br />Also, make sure to layer some powder under your eyes to catch the fall outs.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAt-qjoCAwa-WKGplw5rsEpDwe8CjdPOFalLIXXassoX2uS9ti5liC4dGxIaqJ-h9s5sWCPDQcNh0WG04l55WryTucvnqW3NDuuAya5WmoYVz2F4mlnqHB4x1XAa6AGCGAylb9qJ6NvJtE/s1600/IMG_0641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAt-qjoCAwa-WKGplw5rsEpDwe8CjdPOFalLIXXassoX2uS9ti5liC4dGxIaqJ-h9s5sWCPDQcNh0WG04l55WryTucvnqW3NDuuAya5WmoYVz2F4mlnqHB4x1XAa6AGCGAylb9qJ6NvJtE/s640/IMG_0641.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contouring and applying blush the 80s Warrior style<br />I looked like Lord Orochimaru in Naruto here :) *cue soundtrack for super-villain*</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1hgJVI5Su9Ix2ctrYCIRXJ1F2DwvNqS9bbzK96ibbGQnkfT3SZDMrAVw0Iou4N5HR7-6TNhMyrvt_1LoZIxRjnVrrV5X70D0BER612Nfq4IjiMxYt-r9uykEUQTogwUWjQmy_3RAl4_D/s1600/IMG_0645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1hgJVI5Su9Ix2ctrYCIRXJ1F2DwvNqS9bbzK96ibbGQnkfT3SZDMrAVw0Iou4N5HR7-6TNhMyrvt_1LoZIxRjnVrrV5X70D0BER612Nfq4IjiMxYt-r9uykEUQTogwUWjQmy_3RAl4_D/s640/IMG_0645.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One last look at Black Swan FOTD</td></tr></tbody></table>Overall, I'm happy with the outcome. It's not so difficult but if I have to do it again, I would go with a black eyeshadow base like MAC Blackground paint pot. The chubby eye pencil, while is soft and glides effortlessly, is not true black. A white or silver paint is not necessary. I would still go with Silver Lightning, though, just for the ease of using it. Grace 3.5 is about a shade lighter than my skin color and since I used it wet and applied twice, it looked a lot paler on my skin. While I love how the lips turned out, I would rather go with the black lipstick instead of creating something blackened maroon.<br /><br />The key to creating this look is <i>precision</i>. Since you apply everything after foundation, a mistake can potentially mean wiping everything off your face and redo your makeup from scratch. Also, a lot of things used are black or dark, which means they can stain your clothes like crazy.<br /><br />If you root for "Black Swan" and/or Natalie Portman, I guess this is a fun look to do before heading out to watch this year's Academy Awards. This is a super-villain look so please don't go on a date or a wedding with this makeup on your face (unless your date is another super-villain or it's a wedding of two Marvel/DC Comics super-villains, ha!)<br /><br />If you haven't watched it already, here's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd7lttA5rVM">a link</a> to Jim Carey's spoof of "Black Swan." I laughed so hard while watching that video clip. Who knew that Jim Carey can really dance!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/?action=view&current=endcredit.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/endcredit.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">P.S: If you like my blog, please </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Thanks a lot!</span></td></tr></tbody></table>

Black Swan FOTD

Hi everyone,A couple of days ago, the Academy Awards Nominations came out and Black Swan is one of the most nominated movies of the year. Although I haven't watched the movie yet, I love the Black Swan look Natalie Portman had in the movie promotion. Sadly, Black Swan did not get nominated for Best …

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The Things I Learned from My Friends and Readers

Hi everyone,<br /><br />Every weekday, I make an attempt to post something relevant in this blog and hopefully, some of you would enjoy it enough to post comments. Through these comments, I've learned so many things. Some of them ended up changing my life big time. Here are the tips I've received from you, my readers and friends. I hope you'll enjoy!<br /><br /><b>1. Nubar 2010:</b><br /><br />It started with <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/lesson-learned-when-to-buy.html">this post</a> where I ranted about my stupidity and failure to bring Hidden Treasure home. Then, a couple of readers jumped in and told me to get Nubar 2010, which is a dupe of Hidden Treasure. Guess what? <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/i-can-haz-nubar-2010.html">I did</a>. And now, thanked to you, I can't stop applying Nubar on top of my nail polishes. My latest nail look:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMeFmNOWS1LUBIIszeEUjjo_LhJC-s0PIuYUk9USdTilI-5Jck7KL5stAD3Lx8NTkFkY3HRx_raGIn19hFIj8Cm9tsZUzS2UfsCmy8ocHUv2sBNQL-j2TJkR1874EaxDQHGh8TFsiTg2zN/s1600/IMG_0590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMeFmNOWS1LUBIIszeEUjjo_LhJC-s0PIuYUk9USdTilI-5Jck7KL5stAD3Lx8NTkFkY3HRx_raGIn19hFIj8Cm9tsZUzS2UfsCmy8ocHUv2sBNQL-j2TJkR1874EaxDQHGh8TFsiTg2zN/s400/IMG_0590.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black nail polish with Nubar 2010.<br />Gold gleam under natural lighting</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYwXeRQRA610yCOuwqXH8QYzJVa1q03lJ0f98fsbFllqxZkTnqMLBI_VyIO5MxNEcKrElbqkdc8aehrg58-DNP5LyNLShWAdnlJeeVN2kyVVk-uP6yxObf87MAp2stazLmQpbjRcl2RCH/s1600/IMG_0585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlYwXeRQRA610yCOuwqXH8QYzJVa1q03lJ0f98fsbFllqxZkTnqMLBI_VyIO5MxNEcKrElbqkdc8aehrg58-DNP5LyNLShWAdnlJeeVN2kyVVk-uP6yxObf87MAp2stazLmQpbjRcl2RCH/s400/IMG_0585.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and bewitching red sparks under yellow light.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>2. Wearing nail polishes:</b><br /><br />Until very recently, I didn't wear nail polish. But then, a whole lot of friends (online and offline) started to show off their nails and I began wearing funky colors. Needless to say, I'm not a nail addict but I do have a healthy stash of nail polishes.<br /><br /><b>3. Taking better care of my skin:</b><br /><br />When I started My Makeup Blog, skincare was an afterthought. However, as I went along, I realized the importance of having good skin and began taking care of it. As my blog progresses, a lot of readers express their enthusiasms in reading what I think about certain skincare products. That, my friends, is something money can't buy.<br /><br /><b>4. RE: mascara and eyelash primer:</b><br /><br />You guys are the most wonderful readers ever. And I mean it. When I blogged about <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/lengthening-your-lashes-with-hard-candy.html">Hard Candy eyelash primer</a>, I complained that it felt jumpy on my Voluminous Million Lashes. MissNessa commented that it works a lot better with mascaras with regular wands. I tried and voila, it works, even with the very crappy Sephora mascara sample I got for my birthday.<br /><br />So, thank you for the tips, tricks, and pointers. I've learned so much from you!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/?action=view&current=endcredit.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/endcredit.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">P.S: If you like my blog, please </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Thanks a lot!</span></td></tr></tbody></table>

The Things I Learned from My Friends and Readers

Hi everyone,Every weekday, I make an attempt to post something relevant in this blog and hopefully, some of you would enjoy it enough to post comments. Through these comments, I've learned so many things. Some of them ended up changing my life big time. Here are the tips I've received from you, my r…

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Belly at Large: Fighting

Hello humans,<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJUcNQU_HVjY92n3QoebOAiWt-wIHEcTFfNRrW1QTksx13xgMqK063x_H5V-EJCeZLG7bg936CjzbSLbZNiP318HB7ABm1W6JzCgXzlliL1Y_3CJ-_pRmxS8pmLJWJGjoK353JvJykgT1/s1600/IMG_0424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJUcNQU_HVjY92n3QoebOAiWt-wIHEcTFfNRrW1QTksx13xgMqK063x_H5V-EJCeZLG7bg936CjzbSLbZNiP318HB7ABm1W6JzCgXzlliL1Y_3CJ-_pRmxS8pmLJWJGjoK353JvJykgT1/s400/IMG_0424.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah, head scratch. The move created by humans to keep kitties under control</td></tr></tbody></table>My goal for the year is total global domination, baby! In order to do so, I need to branch out and do something other than posing and writing blogs once a week. The mamarazzi, being a starving artist and all, agreed to write comics in exchange of having the honor to rub my belly. Fair trade, I guess.<br /><br />Anyhoo, those who are interested of my new development can go ahead and cross the jump. The cartoon, which is <strike>badly</strike> drawn by la mamarazzi, is after the jump. Also, you get directorial comments from moi. See how wonderful I am?<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGbSBaklxM69IPNSM684fghzqYfcHtbWCQRZB7Fqsm6r9vW2IlqU8SO7vs8t0Qsqp9L593fAFZL_X9T63FCbOrGxBUwa0DKyIyoPCWTwFsFNU0c_wyT4dLbXZjB8vdhS2P1ZNzsjq4Z1G/s1600/IMG_0591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGbSBaklxM69IPNSM684fghzqYfcHtbWCQRZB7Fqsm6r9vW2IlqU8SO7vs8t0Qsqp9L593fAFZL_X9T63FCbOrGxBUwa0DKyIyoPCWTwFsFNU0c_wyT4dLbXZjB8vdhS2P1ZNzsjq4Z1G/s640/IMG_0591.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Correction: Written by moi, Belly the cat; Drawn by <strike>the incompetent</strike> Dao!!!<br />Also, the M on my forehead is my superhero symbol: I am SuperMeow :)</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYF25qdPAScArwF7wbIElfjEiS8EV8OTC9-0H1unu5UkK-R3ixgxQltZcO2sBb0cRKKNp0GuisfJmxUBDrrhAmqc1efqWSKzYo7qvTVxD57GFZg7nUZdpLcU-e9_pjDy8GsDM56552Dx7A/s1600/IMG_0592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYF25qdPAScArwF7wbIElfjEiS8EV8OTC9-0H1unu5UkK-R3ixgxQltZcO2sBb0cRKKNp0GuisfJmxUBDrrhAmqc1efqWSKzYo7qvTVxD57GFZg7nUZdpLcU-e9_pjDy8GsDM56552Dx7A/s400/IMG_0592.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belly: Oh yeah, you should be scared. You should be real SCARED!<br />That's the beginning of a Kirby Dance, btw</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbBxxvFNnlX1Rrfr7VlDxWGsp54VEtgR-vRGzkO0dPwruoBTwuVYUFwcRvxtTkJ2KnLmY-D2YpZHjdJBxZFY_sqDY-T1B3avVPgSxxHh5mXepPFirEXQvhrPYkUMWXh5b9w5GXDhXuqkj/s1600/IMG_0593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbBxxvFNnlX1Rrfr7VlDxWGsp54VEtgR-vRGzkO0dPwruoBTwuVYUFwcRvxtTkJ2KnLmY-D2YpZHjdJBxZFY_sqDY-T1B3avVPgSxxHh5mXepPFirEXQvhrPYkUMWXh5b9w5GXDhXuqkj/s400/IMG_0593.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belly: Well, in real life we didn't actually say those things. We just meowed at each other but la mamarazzi did a good job in translating from Meowlish to English.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_w6Qo8mxx7d6x00W5jVARf8-PzgSbwjXUTnEFSJ3oWvNyHkUVXnI05CsgGw5tsZbJ1w6jfm0CUSioLMhmBiPQI08gtPZxWhPXjoejWCeWanRH7Ql1Ne-6TEE22uokrt8jHghve_XpgxjY/s1600/IMG_0594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_w6Qo8mxx7d6x00W5jVARf8-PzgSbwjXUTnEFSJ3oWvNyHkUVXnI05CsgGw5tsZbJ1w6jfm0CUSioLMhmBiPQI08gtPZxWhPXjoejWCeWanRH7Ql1Ne-6TEE22uokrt8jHghve_XpgxjY/s640/IMG_0594.JPG" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belly: la mamarazzi captured my essence...NOT!<br />She ain't Stan Lee but for now, she'll do</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqEPuotr7xOdWj_gPhA6-pKUHUpEegFbZ8a5lSpPYAVjUB4pT_EQqIROhFqOLo2frBA72cJmUKXcJx-XbWMAQH9I1HdPBzxHuFF643mzdTSKiJ5SYRPj4RuSpkbBdugADvG78vnSEWn40/s1600/IMG_0596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqEPuotr7xOdWj_gPhA6-pKUHUpEegFbZ8a5lSpPYAVjUB4pT_EQqIROhFqOLo2frBA72cJmUKXcJx-XbWMAQH9I1HdPBzxHuFF643mzdTSKiJ5SYRPj4RuSpkbBdugADvG78vnSEWn40/s640/IMG_0596.JPG" width="592" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belly: ah, fighting scene. Just imagine a lot of hisses and merows and you'll get the idea</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizeCalM9pobuiHCUnFvmUkW5FkuaPZpyZ3Cg-AYOkK-_Z302tVrSBo14rCsIjcrNrW3MBM-zJD65sma_P9OqRB_Zs7fxUe9YOqhZWI-OoM6m3bJzaliMt51PZJS7qy79IPQBtnhe_IlNTg/s1600/IMG_0597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizeCalM9pobuiHCUnFvmUkW5FkuaPZpyZ3Cg-AYOkK-_Z302tVrSBo14rCsIjcrNrW3MBM-zJD65sma_P9OqRB_Zs7fxUe9YOqhZWI-OoM6m3bJzaliMt51PZJS7qy79IPQBtnhe_IlNTg/s640/IMG_0597.JPG" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belly: again, she is no Rembrant. But in her defense, my claws are HUGE. Love the last picture. My paws look so fierce!<br />Dao: to continue with "or so I thought!"<br />Belly: shhh, be quiet, don't embarrass me in front of the people!<br />Dao: there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I already tweeted about it.<br />Belly: *paw to face*</td></tr></tbody></table>Dao: I have to make this quick before Belly jumps back on the laptop and claims ownership of the blog. I suspect the little grey kitty to be a girl and Belly, although is very fierce, is a gentleman. He just chases her around every night to get her off his turf but other than that, no harm done. Besides, whenever I hear angry meow sounds outside, I open the door and squirt some water to break up the fight. It works all the time.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYBSCZR0exqNcUzcupRg5tSLaPmP7_1jEMjew_BTPXA_5olWUrn7HACjzj8NoU3wmggPWfIQca77QJYgrfvYLd-keraUh1902EYVUyd39gF5xRsqD1H0gJwG217j6ZCS25ErA_u3DHZb0/s1600/IMG_0457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYBSCZR0exqNcUzcupRg5tSLaPmP7_1jEMjew_BTPXA_5olWUrn7HACjzj8NoU3wmggPWfIQca77QJYgrfvYLd-keraUh1902EYVUyd39gF5xRsqD1H0gJwG217j6ZCS25ErA_u3DHZb0/s640/IMG_0457.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cross-eyed hero came home asking for more chicken!</td></tr></tbody></table>Sadly, I don't get any more chicken after a fight. La mamarazzi scolded me and said, "So, whose kitty came home after the fight pretending to be a good boy?" Then, she went on and on complaining that if I were her son, she would have bandaged me by now. Well, it doesn't happen. At least I'm a good fighter.<br /><br />That's all for today. I hope you enjoyed the story. If you don't, I blame it on la mamarazzi.<br /><br />Love, peace, and tuna fish,<br />Mr. Belly, who is a fighter <i>and</i> a lover<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>P.S: If you like my blog, please <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border-bottom: 0pt; border-left: 0pt; border-right: 0pt; border-top: 0pt; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!

Belly at Large: Fighting

Hello humans,Ah, head scratch. The move created by humans to keep kitties under controlMy goal for the year is total global domination, baby! In order to do so, I need to branch out and do something other than posing and writing blogs once a week. The mamarazzi, being a starving artist and all, agr…

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Get Voluminous Hair with Aveda Rosemary Mint Shampoo

Hi everybody,<br /><br />The cold, harsh winter days of 2011 have made my scalp very itchy. Mind you, I don't have dandruff and this year, I don't have flaky scalp during the wintertime, either. However, the itchiness drives me nuts. Between my regular organic shampoo and <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/neutrogena-anti-residue-shampoo.html">Neutrogena Anti-Residue</a> shampoo, my hair is clean. However, they couldn't stave off the itchiness.<br /><br />Then, I went to get a haircut at Aveda Institute and experienced their famous Rosemary Mint shampoo and conditioner. Twice. It took me the second time and the almost running out of shampoo at home for me to get a bottle of this shampoo. And guess what? This might have been the best shampoo I've tried yet.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSP37FdxM6NQWOqAFiH9Xfw0QDkSvnruxsvOJxuXrP4McEfLQp2VWxbUYodlvoI96NypmCS0n3MdJky2i4qiXxWwN9u_6v0MfWDMz9_duMNTXr-1epeC_XcnjFFL0pKnkj7vg0OUeqTVBS/s1600/IMG_0165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSP37FdxM6NQWOqAFiH9Xfw0QDkSvnruxsvOJxuXrP4McEfLQp2VWxbUYodlvoI96NypmCS0n3MdJky2i4qiXxWwN9u_6v0MfWDMz9_duMNTXr-1epeC_XcnjFFL0pKnkj7vg0OUeqTVBS/s640/IMG_0165.JPG" width="474" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aveda.com/product/CATEGORY10515/PROD5789/Hair_Care/Shampoo/index.tmpl">Aveda Rosemary Mint shampoo</a> (8.5 fl. oz, $10.50 USD)</td></tr></tbody></table> Wanna know why I like it so much? Jump!<br /><br /><a name='more'></a>First of all, while Rosemary Mint shampoo has been around for a while, Aveda recently changed its formula. Now, it does not contain SLS, which <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8917825">can cause contact dermatitis</a> to some people. I think my scalp as well as my face has this issue with SLS. Since I stopped using products that contained sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, my face and scalp have been behaving better.<br /><br />At $10.50 USD for the smaller size, Rosemary Mint is considered one of the cheapest haircare line at Aveda. (The other one is Shampure, their flagship shampoo/conditioner that probably exist as long as Rosemary Mint.) After using Rosemary Mint for the last two weeks, I've realized how amazing this shampoo is: it <i>volumizes</i> my hair, y'all!<br /><br />Seriously, it gives my hair beaucoup volume without using any other styling products. And I thought nothing like this existed. Not only my hair looks so voluminous on the first day but the bounciness also prolongs way into the second and third day. (By then, my hair started to resemble Robert Pattinson's hair. I know, TMI!) On top of that, the hair has a lot of shine. Although the best way to get more shine is to couple with the Rosemary Mint conditioner, I still have some <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-hair-secrets-out.html">Brilliant conditioner</a> left and it works just fine.<br /><br />Like other Aveda haircare products, Rosemary Mint contains essential oils. In this case, the two oils used are rosemary and peppermint leaf extracts. The whole hair washing experience is very therapeutic with the oils works on my olfactory sense. With the presence of peppermint, I feel more alert while washing my hair and my scalp has a tingling sensation. On top of that, rosemary oil treats the itchy scalp very well. I come out of the shower feeling refreshed and a lot calmer.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZJW_WhHK-7Iox7x0CW-K-AFEIdIEM5xcRur6TVuaSUPFPIkTFptGMZDirCMiVPLA4McTBb6L0t_v9MorrlkSWYXz3YszqTCd7G4_jKYJBe_MGyJtsxYjRGl6K4bE_oObD-wED5Pnhlzk/s1600/IMG_0166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZJW_WhHK-7Iox7x0CW-K-AFEIdIEM5xcRur6TVuaSUPFPIkTFptGMZDirCMiVPLA4McTBb6L0t_v9MorrlkSWYXz3YszqTCd7G4_jKYJBe_MGyJtsxYjRGl6K4bE_oObD-wED5Pnhlzk/s400/IMG_0166.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An attempt to capture the ingredients<br />The new formula does not contain SLS and parabens.</td></tr></tbody></table><blockquote>Ingredients: aqueous extracts/ rosemary leaf extract, peppermint leaf extract, sodium coco-sulfate, lauramidopropyl betaine, glycerin, babassuamidopropyl betaine, vinegar, camphor, menthol, cocamidopropylamine oxide, steramidopropyl dimethylamine, polyquartenium-4, fragrance, linalool, limonene, citric acid, sodium chloride, sodium gluconate, phenoxyethanol, benzoic acid.</blockquote>Like many SLS-free shampoos, Rosemary Mint lacks vigorous bubbles. However, since I already went through a couple of sulfate-free and organic shampoos before it, this is not a big issue to me. However, I find myself using about 2 quarter-size of shampoo to get my hair clean. A quarter-size amount of product only gives me a weak attempt to clean about half of my head. Also, if you have dry hair, this is not the shampoo for you. Since my hair is oily, it cleans the gunk out very well and leaves it in a squeaky clean state. I'm very impressed with its ability to clean without using any SLS in the formula.<br /><br />While I know Suave made a dupe of this shampoo, I decided not to buy it since it contains SLS. I tried a Suave shampoo before and I found myself scratching my head the same way Belly scratches his fur. My hair also came out in clumps. Yes, my scalp can get very sensitive sometimes.<br /><br />At $10.50 USD per 8.5oz bottle ($29.50 USD for the 33.8oz size), Aveda Rosemary Mint shampoo is an excellent volumizing shampoo. The tingling sensation from peppermint as well as the essential oil blend give me a nice aromatherapy experience every time I use it. If you have oily scalp with some lingering itchiness, you should give this shampoo a try. My itchiness is gone since I started using it, which is a huge relief to me.<br /><br />How about you? Have you tried Aveda Rosemary Mint? Do you like it?<br /><br />Disclaimer: I bought Aveda Rosemary Mint out of my own pocket. The opinions and experience are mine.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/?action=view&current=endcredit.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/endcredit.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">P.S: If you like my blog, please </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Thanks a lot!</span></td></tr></tbody></table>

Get Voluminous Hair with Aveda Rosemary Mint Shampoo

Hi everybody,The cold, harsh winter days of 2011 have made my scalp very itchy. Mind you, I don't have dandruff and this year, I don't have flaky scalp during the wintertime, either. However, the itchiness drives me nuts. Between my regular organic shampoo and Neutrogena Anti-Residue shampoo, my hai…

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Blushes High-Low: Benefit Coralista vs. Rimmel London Autumn Catwalk

Hi everyone,<br /><br />Belly was such a charmer: after bossing me around for years, he gave me Benefit Coralista blush as a <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/belly-at-large-three-products-to-make.html">Christmas present</a>. I can't complain: home boy has good taste. Coralista is one of those blushes that gives me a healthy glow without being too bright. However, after being a beauty blogger for almost 2.5 years, a lot of colors have become similar to me. When I did some necessary post-Christmas stash cleaning, I realized I have another blush that is somewhat similar: Rimmel London Autumn Catwalk. $28 vs. $5, which one would come out on top?<br /><br />Let the High-Low battle begin!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzE3cDhuR-BEJN1s06sU0evMGPRGFQahzpqOAdCjR2d4f0AIqVwyU0nCB6gkdVmw_4Cz4eLNQ5jNAXSX8K2mXgxuUA_ljjpH1kXQ14m7Getuyydy_BBm-QudkoGqjMadKxls2TMVxbsKLq/s1600/IMG_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzE3cDhuR-BEJN1s06sU0evMGPRGFQahzpqOAdCjR2d4f0AIqVwyU0nCB6gkdVmw_4Cz4eLNQ5jNAXSX8K2mXgxuUA_ljjpH1kXQ14m7Getuyydy_BBm-QudkoGqjMadKxls2TMVxbsKLq/s400/IMG_0041.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P229206">Benefit Coralista blush</a> ($28 USD): "a warm coral-pink powder that warms up your complexion"</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFt53gkonJtpQb3f2xzJpodhyWFRZz4b9u1OrtnWeb7DSTUSjPB3D1lj6HPcFr2Wzehx6K10MMx7noJlufqhO4cPkwWOQWqzuFvTI3xJJDHcfpWPC7XIzvx0WDyv2RB2zRmzkX6cmDODT/s1600/IMG_0045+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFt53gkonJtpQb3f2xzJpodhyWFRZz4b9u1OrtnWeb7DSTUSjPB3D1lj6HPcFr2Wzehx6K10MMx7noJlufqhO4cPkwWOQWqzuFvTI3xJJDHcfpWPC7XIzvx0WDyv2RB2zRmzkX6cmDODT/s400/IMG_0045+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It comes with a cute Itahake kabuki brush made of goat hair</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwmymEVl-BfoJg3MK7hqGXOogjCdHAqQntWxq4GEXyzg7U9MWR3yWBQQpBflm33bMsrkTmOPmNIKE3qqs8Ig4qf-5sSiwsivaL02zrTNqqL_Q76WlqpaGVokIN3JxYmWaendlA0bAymGh/s1600/IMG_0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwmymEVl-BfoJg3MK7hqGXOogjCdHAqQntWxq4GEXyzg7U9MWR3yWBQQpBflm33bMsrkTmOPmNIKE3qqs8Ig4qf-5sSiwsivaL02zrTNqqL_Q76WlqpaGVokIN3JxYmWaendlA0bAymGh/s400/IMG_0046.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up at Coralista</td></tr></tbody></table> Wanna see what Autumn Catwalk looks like? Jump!<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdS5io7A_TgGE69jWsPsb0-v7qeRwfeoiTN5cFgMwdiRQfnVsWJOjrl0wl0MnWtkrTaGU3t18ScAjfZsqhZuSJ4ZrKEGzv523W5L5XSq_MGnJEEV3xmObhtLv7uM1rlhv5dFTkMNHT8b7/s1600/IMG_0048+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdS5io7A_TgGE69jWsPsb0-v7qeRwfeoiTN5cFgMwdiRQfnVsWJOjrl0wl0MnWtkrTaGU3t18ScAjfZsqhZuSJ4ZrKEGzv523W5L5XSq_MGnJEEV3xmObhtLv7uM1rlhv5dFTkMNHT8b7/s400/IMG_0048+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rimmellondon.com/uk/products/face/Blushers/Multi-tonal+Blush.aspx">Rimmel London Lasting Finish blush in Autumn Catwalk</a>: it is a multi-tonal blush and highlighter ($5 USD)<br />This blush comes with a small brush: cute but quite useless to me</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhc4PV5v7RYLcZVkPzn5deV2MaHDtmYk-Wt6Z46NQG4GOjm6Yg4WOBnGoI0D_JhzrsVg4dtsI5GefvHr2IZjjQ6rSz2inYFJhIgcJKkZRZSqwe2ZKrg8brxvgHvco9mz-Ktp50ihLVjEmD/s1600/IMG_0051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhc4PV5v7RYLcZVkPzn5deV2MaHDtmYk-Wt6Z46NQG4GOjm6Yg4WOBnGoI0D_JhzrsVg4dtsI5GefvHr2IZjjQ6rSz2inYFJhIgcJKkZRZSqwe2ZKrg8brxvgHvco9mz-Ktp50ihLVjEmD/s400/IMG_0051.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up at Autumn Catwalk<br />Gotta love the embossed crown</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoRMrYKlLLyX75kk6JVt4P_Z4_4JVvEY0Pif_TpKYsugZ9Gcw_ROv_jq57KJ26CRiQNy5FRwTWHP3tkVkAjRnltjPnWYzBUTIyOcdWhwHAFCTnxoPrZ0wNpbxZ-kMOaF-9DCFx7DFRcrJ/s1600/IMG_0054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWoRMrYKlLLyX75kk6JVt4P_Z4_4JVvEY0Pif_TpKYsugZ9Gcw_ROv_jq57KJ26CRiQNy5FRwTWHP3tkVkAjRnltjPnWYzBUTIyOcdWhwHAFCTnxoPrZ0wNpbxZ-kMOaF-9DCFx7DFRcrJ/s400/IMG_0054.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The swatch</td></tr></tbody></table>As you can see, <b>Benefit Coralista</b> has only one color. Also, it is a lot lighter than Rimmel Autumn Catwalk blush, which is a multi-tonal blush and highlighter combo. However, this is where things get a little bit tricky: to some people, Coralista is not really a blush but an all-over face color that gives your face a nice glow like you just came back from the beach. <b>Rimmel London Autumn Catwalk</b>, on the other hand, is a full-blown blush and highlighter combination with two blushes and a highlighter. The lightest color is a highlighter while the middle and darkest shades can be used as daytime and night time blushes. See, I told you this is tricky!<br /><br />With all that said, the shades are quite comparable, with Coralista being more on a peachy side. However, as I did the swatch, I realized the middle shade of Autumn Catwalk is very close to Coralista but with a pinkier tone.<br /><br />Pigmentation-wise, Autumn Catwalk wins hands down. I still can't get over how pigmented this color is. Every time I use it, I have to remind myself to use a very light hand. Otherwise, I would end up with pinky clown cheeks. If I place my slanted blush brush properly, I can get the lightest shade on top to highlight and the darkest shade at the bottom to contour. The lightest shade has shimmer while the two other ones are matte, which is nice for the days you only want matte blush. Swirling the three shades together will get you a nice warm pink color. Again, use a light hand, this blush is very pigmented!<br /><br />Au contraire, Coralista is more of a natural and buildable blush. In fact, it is the only blush from Benefit that shows on my cheeks. Dandelion and Thrrob, although are very nice colors, did not show up on my skin at all! A sales associate from Sephora advised me to go with Coralista, since it has a more golden tone. This blush has some really fine shimmers that end up looking very natural on my cheeks. Whenever I wear it, reality is blurred: I can't tell if I'm blushing or if it's Coralista. This color matches my natural flushing cheeks, y'all!<br /><br />Weight-wise, you get more stuff from Coralista. Like many other Benefit blushes, you get 12 grams of powder. Autumn Catwalk, on the other hand, has 4.5g of material. Cost per gram, you pay $2.33/g for Coralista and $1.11/g for Autumn Catwalk. However, you get a cute goat hair Itahake brush with Coralista (it's soft but like many other goat hair brushes, it's sheddy, too!)<br /><br />The packaging of Coralista is more environmentally-friendly but since it's big and bulky and made out of cardboard, it is not the best option for people who travels a lot. Autumn Catwalk's packaging, on the other hand, is very sleek, albeit a little bit cheap-looking. However, I love the embossed crown at the center of the blush. It makes this blush looks a lot more regal.<br /><br />Rimmel London multi-tonal blush came out at the same time with MAC Spring Colour Forecast collection from last year. Azalea Blossom ombre blush was a big hit and immediately sold out right off the bat. A lot of people, and by people, I mean reputable sources *ahem* Marie Claire *ahem* singled out Rimmel London Lasting Finish multi-tonal blushes as good dupes. While Autumn Catwalk is not an Azalea Blossom dupe, its sister Summer Fever is. Since Summer Fever is too cool-tone for me, I did not bother buying it. However, recent trips to the drugstores showed me no sign of Summer Fever. I don't know if it's been canned (highly unlikely since it just came out last year) or people got wind of the dupe and bought it with ferocity.<br /><br />My verdict toward his high-low battle: <b>it's a tie!</b><br /><br />Hey, don't roll your pretty eyes at me. I have to admit this is a very tough venture. Both blushes are very nice. One is a budget blush that is very pigmented yet not quite finely milled while the other one is more expensive but has nice packaging and comes with a cute mini itahake blush brush. Most importantly, they make my cheeks look glowy. That's why it is so hard to declare one a winner to the other.<br /><br />So, what do you think about Coralista and Autumn Catwalk? Do you like them? Please let me know in the comment section, ok?<br /><br />Disclaimer: Coralista was a gift from Belly the cat, aka El Gato Supremo. I bought Autumn Catwalk with my own money while it was on sale with a coupon.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/?action=view&current=endcredit.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/endcredit.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">P.S: If you like my blog, please </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Thanks a lot!</span></td></tr></tbody></table>

Blushes High-Low: Benefit Coralista vs. Rimmel London Autumn Catwalk

Hi everyone,Belly was such a charmer: after bossing me around for years, he gave me Benefit Coralista blush as a Christmas present. I can't complain: home boy has good taste. Coralista is one of those blushes that gives me a healthy glow without being too bright. However, after being a beauty blogge…

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Revlon Fire and Ice Nail Polish and Lipstick Swatches

Hi everyone,<br /><br />Last week, I wrote a post to tease you about my <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/thank-you-revlon.html">prize package</a> from Revlon. If it were last year, it would have taken me ages to do the swatch since my Canon Powershot A590 is not that good in capturing colors. The new G12 is a beast: I took very close up pictures of these colors and they came out brilliant! Since I didn't have to do any post-shot color correction, this batch of swatches was done pretty fast. I hope you'll enjoy them!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">1. Nail Polishes</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9gm5TQ76VRKQUelZLeZ4KmftjQjJeKiAtqAKFit7htbar_G_XeXi4dkO39Hc0ddOUIqSkA9V2WmGgNUjapNquM8lJcVazBhWsCdkwrtnlTNqeSBN4UcdNroE1g3KHOHcwzavw1fCS2vh/s1600/IMG_3924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9gm5TQ76VRKQUelZLeZ4KmftjQjJeKiAtqAKFit7htbar_G_XeXi4dkO39Hc0ddOUIqSkA9V2WmGgNUjapNquM8lJcVazBhWsCdkwrtnlTNqeSBN4UcdNroE1g3KHOHcwzavw1fCS2vh/s400/IMG_3924.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L-R): All Fired Up, Temptress, Demure, Siren<br />(picture from last week's post with old camera, notice how the red showed up in this picture.)</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4lTQpzx1mpTuG5-rhfYMUEHjGEWpMnxbl4PfRIj0nlhV4BNiox0IYxCcIncq_0YmJw3XdKBHgDaieyiGprGqJFkmNr0uV81aYDoUe9PR5jCo7WQMoBv1YSzUlBgZL5QMgmBZPshk3Z4Nb/s1600/IMG_0343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4lTQpzx1mpTuG5-rhfYMUEHjGEWpMnxbl4PfRIj0nlhV4BNiox0IYxCcIncq_0YmJw3XdKBHgDaieyiGprGqJFkmNr0uV81aYDoUe9PR5jCo7WQMoBv1YSzUlBgZL5QMgmBZPshk3Z4Nb/s400/IMG_0343.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thumb: Fire and Ice, 1 coat; pointing finger: Siren; middle finger: Demure; ring finger: Fire and Ice, 2 coats; pinky finger: Temptress<br />Except for thumb, the rest of the nails were painted with 2 coats. I used Nubar 2010 on top of it.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQM07MFvi7mBMCCRA6Ki6bPLtkDuGT-MJ1Z84fH6uDmav_5iLLAVaTT60FVl74hp85R8MYByO1KAZCLCLZpPsAPaNcyrMqqxLtdcTlA_QSdBEtRJefSexZODkzRfT8cdiUGav_2FsQdQgL/s1600/IMG_0348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQM07MFvi7mBMCCRA6Ki6bPLtkDuGT-MJ1Z84fH6uDmav_5iLLAVaTT60FVl74hp85R8MYByO1KAZCLCLZpPsAPaNcyrMqqxLtdcTlA_QSdBEtRJefSexZODkzRfT8cdiUGav_2FsQdQgL/s400/IMG_0348.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Without Nubar 2010 top coat. All fingers were painted with 2 coats.</td></tr></tbody></table> The nail polishes are easy to paint, albeit Revlon brushes are tiny! The juices are creamy, which remind me of OPI cream formulas. Of the four, Temptress is the thickest. It was hard to spread the second coat. However, the rest of them spread out very nicely. The only downside I encountered was how slow the nail polishes bonded to the quick dry top coat I bought from Sally's. I made a scratch on Siren and when I fixed it by adding more top coat, I ended up messing it up even more!<br /><br />With one coat, these nail polishes look quite nice and sheer. Two coats and you have more opacity. All Fired Up looks very nice with one coat, as I still can see the texture of my nail. I've been wearing them for almost a week and since my nails are short, I haven't seen any chips at all.<br /><br />The lipstick swatches are after the jump. So jump!<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">2. Lipsticks</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2T7qiK0qbbl_yBOf5gC6pRHlXUNMGqWNNXqnruzoxgF0ihLFHZLLWwfSI6xYVkcZEGEl54zeC6kJ4S9oFJchbzkywMn815j00hJ4NE4yvuwZUq4KrBAVlQAb6_6e9ErHJWmHtojzEMSH5/s1600/IMG_0395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2T7qiK0qbbl_yBOf5gC6pRHlXUNMGqWNNXqnruzoxgF0ihLFHZLLWwfSI6xYVkcZEGEl54zeC6kJ4S9oFJchbzkywMn815j00hJ4NE4yvuwZUq4KrBAVlQAb6_6e9ErHJWmHtojzEMSH5/s400/IMG_0395.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L-R): All Fired Up, Siren, Temptress, Demure</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIgoInR-4wYPxkqnkpYmYOoulURS2wOu8Vi1L8hZDnLMOEM86qOqgOx1SIt3WkTH2mIAgkt178u-2dLA_d0oVaTawUbr3nhNvnKtyH_XWrRVlQFmOk7BG3GMfTa6k6MgCeDKduWm2u909/s1600/IMG_0355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIgoInR-4wYPxkqnkpYmYOoulURS2wOu8Vi1L8hZDnLMOEM86qOqgOx1SIt3WkTH2mIAgkt178u-2dLA_d0oVaTawUbr3nhNvnKtyH_XWrRVlQFmOk7BG3GMfTa6k6MgCeDKduWm2u909/s400/IMG_0355.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Demure, aka "My Lips but Better" lipstick</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjqA33I4gd13n8a07qgKhRVNmb4eMUM89v5z4TFFIbjoNEmoyLNIjNafiI2vRYuC98TL8ArsLMA9GAiWJlcY7jNWcfr8-SOtcm-kQuPAOdudpuIWerjTS6UDUM0S9lRCZOHfhw8l2LuKk/s1600/IMG_0358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjqA33I4gd13n8a07qgKhRVNmb4eMUM89v5z4TFFIbjoNEmoyLNIjNafiI2vRYuC98TL8ArsLMA9GAiWJlcY7jNWcfr8-SOtcm-kQuPAOdudpuIWerjTS6UDUM0S9lRCZOHfhw8l2LuKk/s400/IMG_0358.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temptress<br />These two lipsticks look similar on my lips. Temptress, however, has more pink while Demure is more nude with a touch of peach</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNciH3kFsiIWmBlDmeNpxVyc30FdkZUIjsMtmI9w8ahjHN9DP0JSNjWDnjVFpcsdNBdUy_KB2XqrJyr-CVdJapoV6ax_OIJB_Ck8vCzInLgXy_H_X7XIY5auDNLR3HCHvxnJgxUVF0fOCM/s1600/IMG_0362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNciH3kFsiIWmBlDmeNpxVyc30FdkZUIjsMtmI9w8ahjHN9DP0JSNjWDnjVFpcsdNBdUy_KB2XqrJyr-CVdJapoV6ax_OIJB_Ck8vCzInLgXy_H_X7XIY5auDNLR3HCHvxnJgxUVF0fOCM/s400/IMG_0362.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siren<br />Have you seen the FOTD I did with it? <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/fotd-baby-lets-meet-queen.html">Click here</a>!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rIPkhvm1gizY38wlnhOlRDTVwJ1Frf9aDDov7ChcfsKMITk-Z6hYmYufcjeu6Av1c8jkhkpJr4pk0Z0jxO0fcppHsut1cjoLVgaJWXax-cM4fR4RSMw2Z9xNTg-_OZ8x33Xyel0k57UR/s1600/IMG_0368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rIPkhvm1gizY38wlnhOlRDTVwJ1Frf9aDDov7ChcfsKMITk-Z6hYmYufcjeu6Av1c8jkhkpJr4pk0Z0jxO0fcppHsut1cjoLVgaJWXax-cM4fR4RSMw2Z9xNTg-_OZ8x33Xyel0k57UR/s400/IMG_0368.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All Fired Up<br />"In your face" red lipstick with blue tone</td></tr></tbody></table> Here's the thing: you don't notice the shine, do you? Yes, this is true: despite the "Super Lustrous" name, there's no luster in these lipsticks. The old ones (All Fired Up and Siren) are a bit dryer than the new ones (Temptress and Demure.) The texture reminds me of old-fashioned lipsticks where the wax content is high and you have to drag it back and forth around your lips in order for it to spread. Yup, these are the ones. However, what all that said, these lipsticks have good staying power. I can eat vigorously through a big lunch and still have some lipsticks left on me. In order to add shine, I layer clear lip gloss on top and it solves the problem.<br /><br />Siren and All Fired Up are true retro shades. Every time I wear Siren, I imagine myself as Christina Hendricks  in "Mad Men." This could be her color. All Fired Up is the red for those who love red. I've heard stories of makeup artists being harassed by clients simply because the red lipstick "is not red enough." Well, dahlin', the next time I hear that story I'll suggest All Fired Up to the poor <s>sucker</s> client. There's red and there's RED. And this is it, baby! MAC Russian Red has nothing on Revlon All Fired Up. This is fiery red, "push your claws out and paint the town with red" red.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />Demure and Temptress are nice additions to the Fire and Ice family. They are like granddaughters of All Fired Up and Siren who have their hair on pigtails and eat cotton candy. These two colors are cute and wearable. Had they not associated with this collection, Demure and Temptress would be quite passable.<br /><br />How much do I like them? Very much! The whole matchy-matchy thing is still new to me and I hope to wear these nail polishes and lipsticks more often. The lipsticks are my first Super Lustrous lipsticks I've ever had. My mom is a fan but for some reasons, I didn't buy any for myself until now.<br /><br />So, what do you think? These products are affordable: lipsticks are around $6-7 USD while nail polishes costs around $3-4 USD. Also, drugstores seem to have Revlon on sale all the time.<br /><br />Disclaimer: I won these products in a giveaway from Revlon.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/?action=view&current=endcredit.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/endcredit.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>P.S: If you like my blog, please <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a> Thanks a lot!

Revlon Fire and Ice Nail Polish and Lipstick Swatches

Hi everyone,Last week, I wrote a post to tease you about my prize package from Revlon. If it were last year, it would have taken me ages to do the swatch since my Canon Powershot A590 is not that good in capturing colors. The new G12 is a beast: I took very close up pictures of these colors and they…

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2010 Beauty Favorites - A Tag

Hi everyone,<br /><br />Stephanie from <a href="http://beautyandgardens.blogspot.com/">Beauty and the Gardens</a> tagged me to do a beauty favorite on products I used in 2010. Her answers are <a href="http://beautyandgardens.blogspot.com/2011/01/2010-beauty-favorites-tag.html">here</a>. Truth be told, 2010 sounded like such a long, long time ago but I also realized that I haven't done a tag in such a long time. So here we go...<br /><br /><b>1. Which lipstick/ lipgloss did you use most often in 2010?</b><br /><br />Gee, this is a hard question! I have a lot of lipsticks but I don't use any one too often. I'd like to rotate my stuff but if I have to choose, the nude/pink ones are my regular. MAC <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/lippie-week-day-2-mac-viva-glam-v.html">Viva Glam V</a> and VI seems to get more air time than others.<br /><br /><b>2. What was your favorite eyeshadow this year?</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicOavkTfQo14MkBvKupJqVLwLJehBdfQH8U5sfHuKYxXFY6pMnSAbP7mc1z6gWRfq_UuzOM9rVkEW7a1kKHnNn4xfV30kDKq2NMVPHzBO2Xmbh8f-hK02F8s1cSeTm0Ki1oIqs76q0Fxw/s1600/IMG_3689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicOavkTfQo14MkBvKupJqVLwLJehBdfQH8U5sfHuKYxXFY6pMnSAbP7mc1z6gWRfq_UuzOM9rVkEW7a1kKHnNn4xfV30kDKq2NMVPHzBO2Xmbh8f-hK02F8s1cSeTm0Ki1oIqs76q0Fxw/s400/IMG_3689.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />*Scratch head* Really, what kind of question is this? I can't single out one eyeshadow. It's not fair! But if I have to pick, I'd take my <a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-heart-urban-decay-book-of-shadows-vol.html">Urban Decay Book of Shadows 3</a> with me anywhere I go (which is a heavier task than I thought!)<br /><br /><b>3. What product for the complexion (foundation, blush, etc.,) did you use the most?</b><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GwXZEuwbO9oFwp2ffJjTjKsXjmkn-c6wXeCJsd6ACMhiBwtBv50MwDUNiPj1jQSbf_qUJ3rsAEtZvr6TJ-yMQY3iujjF__1yO8X1FJ9Ttx76Gg331ndjhbYzJTohF9L6OPTfhF6RVUi9/s1600/IMG_2593_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GwXZEuwbO9oFwp2ffJjTjKsXjmkn-c6wXeCJsd6ACMhiBwtBv50MwDUNiPj1jQSbf_qUJ3rsAEtZvr6TJ-yMQY3iujjF__1yO8X1FJ9Ttx76Gg331ndjhbYzJTohF9L6OPTfhF6RVUi9/s400/IMG_2593_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Formula D foundation (available upon request)</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYx21gB_2sHjqU0w_1Ozgj3w-y_Iwp0-S-gQHVDexSRgZKS5LQnWWhYguKmxVOBDNS9TSdacyP3aSaAxuaQ3fuOQV-VYj6jLAfov6o5n9HkZBBMCd06kUFInxeaSMMPp0wG2U6k76ZiJYw/s1600/It+Girl+Trio+jars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYx21gB_2sHjqU0w_1Ozgj3w-y_Iwp0-S-gQHVDexSRgZKS5LQnWWhYguKmxVOBDNS9TSdacyP3aSaAxuaQ3fuOQV-VYj6jLAfov6o5n9HkZBBMCd06kUFInxeaSMMPp0wG2U6k76ZiJYw/s400/It+Girl+Trio+jars.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ultimate Powder is the tall profile jar on the left</td></tr></tbody></table>*smile bashfully* Formula D foundation and The Ultimate Powder! I truly can't do makeup without them. Also, The Ultimate Powder has become a favorite among my friends. They duped it "the crack powdah" :D as it has the capacity to blur pores like no other.<br /><br />More Q&A after the jump. So jump!<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><b>4. Your favorite nail polish color of 2010?</b><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNRWLxUH3nRVwrNciIw1Ay_R0_VA1NzSw78w-epKqN-u9Of4ywHhVBfAi8Y4IWpK9QVEBzuoxO3nOfORAB0SOomGa3eR7Whmnu_lSJ-epE2KHLn5AUn2NlZRU5Kk8T523Ik1gNvQv2nCb/s1600/IMG_2696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNRWLxUH3nRVwrNciIw1Ay_R0_VA1NzSw78w-epKqN-u9Of4ywHhVBfAi8Y4IWpK9QVEBzuoxO3nOfORAB0SOomGa3eR7Whmnu_lSJ-epE2KHLn5AUn2NlZRU5Kk8T523Ik1gNvQv2nCb/s400/IMG_2696.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mymakeupblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/sinful-colors-nail-polish-in-secret.html">Sinful Colors in Secret Admirer</a></td></tr></tbody></table><b>5. Which skin care product would you not give up under any circumstances?</b><br />I'd say my sunscreens. Can't live with them, as my skin has the tendency to freckle pretty fast.<br /><br /><b>6. What is your favorite personal care product?</b><br />Believe it or not, I use baby wipes to remove makeup. I used up a travel pack and a full pack of the scent-free baby wipes from Wal-mart. They are soft and non-irritating. Also, they are cheap as hell! The travel pack contains 40 wipes and cost you a good old dollar. The full-size version would cost you 2 bucks if you buy the one with the plastic container. Right now, I am using 7th Generation baby wipes and they are softer than MAC wipes (I swear!)<br /><br /><b>7. Your usually worn fragrance in 2010?</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CdtLRcAHE5VCB0pB9d0dnYZTYb4ECzg0I0iXhyphenhyphenLj1RH-CUvC5sFLUuJeggSA2pwT9uTytfH-aJneH99BvAZkwRIsQttBz3RUSFZjIQMXGnHRwJe1hyphenhyphenY7Zh6jNb1U_eNaLR4fdbJsno1J/s1600/chanel-eau-premiere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CdtLRcAHE5VCB0pB9d0dnYZTYb4ECzg0I0iXhyphenhyphenLj1RH-CUvC5sFLUuJeggSA2pwT9uTytfH-aJneH99BvAZkwRIsQttBz3RUSFZjIQMXGnHRwJe1hyphenhyphenY7Zh6jNb1U_eNaLR4fdbJsno1J/s400/chanel-eau-premiere.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I don't have a constant perfume, either. But at some point in 2010, I was hot and heavy with Chanel no. 5. Eau Premiere is nice but it's really not my thing. I prefer the classic version a lot more.<br /><br /><b>8. What was your personal favorite jewelry piece?</b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCl8zGJuWC_oktDv2c4pRan3cN_2Wo7dn30fkvbl_WFlXoGvfEtjPQrlZogkkEYJ5tagXc65OugMvssJZ952b8y0A7x92UZ_BQAsDbjsSk30mtxYPLyaUt_uKZ1WuRXlWHtxLKc9CAftKT/s1600/IMG_3102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCl8zGJuWC_oktDv2c4pRan3cN_2Wo7dn30fkvbl_WFlXoGvfEtjPQrlZogkkEYJ5tagXc65OugMvssJZ952b8y0A7x92UZ_BQAsDbjsSk30mtxYPLyaUt_uKZ1WuRXlWHtxLKc9CAftKT/s400/IMG_3102.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />It's a big ass seahorse pendant I got at Michael's! Really, it's HUGE and the tail is movable, too! I think I got it for $4 since it was on sale. The chain is mine, btw.<br /><br /><b>9. What have you discovered in 2010 that is new for you (new products, inspirations, blogs, hobbies, etc.,)?</b><br /><br /><ul><li>quick-dry top coat and a reliable base coat from Sally Beauty</li><li><a href="http://750words.com/">750words.com</a></li><li><a href="http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php">Scrivener</a>: I'm waiting for their Windows edition to come out</li></ul><br /><b>10. Do you have resolutions for 2011? If so, what are they?</b><br />I stopped making new year resolutions a while back already. I'm notorious for breaking my plans, you see. Usually, it's the unplanned things that worked out beautifully for me. However, this year I set my intentions on a few things:<br /><br /><ul><li>Learn to take better pictures: now that I have a new camera, taking pictures shouldn't be that hard anymore. However, I still learn to take artsy photos.</li><li>Bring my butt back to school: the more I think and procrastinate about it, the more I realize I should be in school. This year, my primary goal is to get back into the education system and finish schooling once and for all.</li><li>Have a healthy relationship: this is going to be a real challenge but I deserve to see if the Schroedinger's cat is alive or not.</li></ul><div><b>11. Tag other people</b>: this is a lot of fun and I hope you'll do this.</div><div><ul><li><a href="http://www.beautifulwithbrains.com/">Gio</a></li><li><a href="http://www.makeupfiles.com/">Trisha</a></li><li><a href="http://www.aquaheart.net/">Stephanie</a></li><li><a href="http://ahleessa4realz.blogspot.com/">Alyssa</a></li><li><a href="http://makeupmorsels.wordpress.com/">Makeup Morsels</a></li><li><a href="http://www.macnunu.com/">McNunu</a></li><li><a href="http://www.jennysuemakeup.com/">Jenny Sue</a></li></ul></div><div>That's all for now. Happy MLK Day, everyone!</div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/?action=view&current=endcredit.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/shortylam/endcredit.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">P.S: If you like my blog, please </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/MyMakeupBlog" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">subscribe to my feed.</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Thanks a lot!</span></td></tr></tbody></table>

2010 Beauty Favorites - A Tag

Hi everyone,Stephanie from Beauty and the Gardens tagged me to do a beauty favorite on products I used in 2010. Her answers are here. Truth be told, 2010 sounded like such a long, long time ago but I also realized that I haven't done a tag in such a long time. So here we go...1. Which lipstick/ lipg…

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