makeup madness

ang hirap magpaganda...grrr!!!!!

so, i have a project that will require me to appear on cam, and everything has been going great! i think i'm doing a good job.  now, my only problem is--my darn looks.  huhu, i need to look good and therefore need makeup, tons of it! curse this spotty, ruddy skin of mine (just kidding, Lord. i'm very grateful).  but i do need to clean up a bit.

unfortunately, "a bit" is quite relative.  though the difference might seem tiny on screen, it sure isn't when it comes to the preparation, not to mention the effect on the pockets!

this is what the "natural" look requires:

1. toner for my oily face
2. primer to make my skin look smoother and to let the makeup last longer
3. foundation to even out the skin tone
4. concealer to minimize those terrid acne marks and my giant undereye circles
5. powder to blend it all in and keep shine at bay
6. eyeliner to make eyes pop
7. several shades of eyeshadow
8. brow powder
9. eyelash curler and mascara for the wide-eyed look
10. blush for a natural flush
11. lip balm and lip color so i don't look like a corpse

this means, unfortunately, that i'll have to break my Project 365 rule on makeup. aaack! i'm trying to limit though, and am determined to settle for cheap but good alternatives.  i need to buy #s 2,3,4, at the very minimum.  mind you, those are the most important items too, since my skin is really the devil here.

no wonder all those celebrities are shooting up! if you had to do this every day, you'd go crazy too.

wait a sec, what about my hair?!?!?!?!?

the holy grail

i think, right now, girls such as myself can consider 3 things their holy grail: Mr. Right, an ideal (but not necessarily perfect) career, and the right shade of foundation.  now, the former two topics have been mentioned several times on my other blog, so perhaps it is time to give the third a shot as well.

recently, i have been on the hunt for THE perfect foundation for my skin tone. i know, i know, what about Project 365, you ask? after all, i did say no buying of makeup. well, that was when i had an option of getting my makeup done for Sunday's big event. but my friend isn't available then, so ima have to do my face, as well as that of my mom's and ate cla's, myself.  anyway, i have a budget from my dad this time around.  i guess he doesn't want us to look terrible beside all those bigwigs.

so i tried out several brands at first: shiseido, cinema secrets, revlon, max factor.  i really wanted to try mac but didn't get an opportunity.  my main concern was getting the right color and coverage for my undereye circles and dark spots, but still looking natural. and by natural, i mean NATURAL.  so natural that people will think i just woke up looking all fresh and flawless.  the problem is, most brands and foundation types rarely get it right, in my opinion.  i see a lot of people looking good with makeup, but the problem is, i know they're wearing tons of product.  i don't wanna know that.  i want to look like a model, a movie star.  i want to look perfect. well, almost. makeup is not equal to cosmetic surgery after all.   and after trying those expensive brands, my search seemed futile. 

the no-makeup look from Becca

Cinema Secrets' cream concealer/foundations weren't yellow enough for me.  their Summer Sand powder might have been good, but i didn't think it was worth the price, especially since it didn't offer enough coverage for my undereye circles.  Shiseido also didn't have the right shade and didn't offer enough coverage.  Max factor totally got it wrong.  the best comment i received was that i looked ab it whiter than usual (un ang best sa lagay na yan), while the worst were that my eyes looked swollen and my eyebags magnified.  Revlon's shades might have worked but it still lacked that wow factor.  i'm still not convinced.

So, i looked to the internet, specifically google and girltalk, for help.  in my extensive web-surfing for the holy grail of foundations, i chanced upon bobbi brown's website.  of course, i can't afford her stuff, but the chance encounter did prove useful--the really cool graphics and instructional videos gave me an idea --i should just mix my own foundation! 

tons of shades but still difficult to get it right!

so, as soon as i got home, i whipped out the existing liquid foundations we had--gifts from my aunt.  they were obviously just surplus from her stash but i thought i might as well be green and use 'em.  one is CoverGirl in True Beige, the other is Rimmel in Sand.  True Beige is too light and too pink for me, while Sand is too dark.  i mixed them together, but i felt it still lacked the glow and the yellow tint that i needed, so i went on a search again. today, i found some good candidates from Nichido and Ever Bilena.  and the good thing is--they're much cheaper than the important brands (and made in the Philippines too)!  for 30ml, Nichido is less than P300, while EB is less than P200.  Nichido has Light, which is too light for me but may have the yellow i need to mix into my other stuff.  Natural is darker and less yellow, so it might be the good too.  EB has Gold and Beige--they're close enough to each other so i have difficulty deciding, but i think they're much better than the previous brands i tried. 

I'll let you know how it goes but i'm praying that it will work it out :)

PS - you might be wondering why i'm so bent n getting it right? aside from the fact that i want to look good, i also figured it might be a good idea to learn the basics of makeup, not just so i can help out my family and relatives, but also because it could come in handy in case ate cla decides to pursue her photography full-time.  after all, the bread & butter of most photographers are the shoots.  we could be an affordable 2 for 1 combo!

*other things also come to mind when talking about the holy grail of women. some of them are:

the right lipstick per category (red, pink, nude, etc.)

the right pair of jeans

the perfect white blouse

and the list goes on! we'll try to tackle those in the future. just see post under "the holy grail".

Beaty Secrets from the Bible

akalain mo!

found this cute site! will read and review soon.

Beauty tips that won't cost you a thing

ound some great tips on various sites and compiled them here. hope you like!

1. Exfoliate (but don't overdo it!) to slough off those dead skin cells faster.  i exfoliate 1-2x a week using Artistry exfoliating scrub. it cost like P1.5k but you only use a little bit and it's meant to last really long.  my sister and i have been sharing the tube for 2yrs now! that's like P375 per person per year on a really good product.

2. Steam your face once a week! it stimulates the blood circulation to your face and helps clean it. Steps: Clean your face. Fill a bowl with hot, steaming water. Lean over the bowl for 10 minutes with your face a foot above the water, and drape a towel over your head to create a tent.  Rinse face with lukewarm water, and follow with a facial mask then finish with toner.  i actually don't do this often but resolve to do so from now on; maybe it will help me keep my hands from pricking my zits and popping the blackheads.

3. Get physical!! when your blood gets pumping, a flush occurs on your cheeks naturally. it also keeps you feeling fit, strong, and happy! (remember Elle Woods' endorphins?) i'm planning to really go through with my workout wednesdays. i went jogging for 15 minutes last week, preceded and followed by stretches and lunges.  i also did a few (literally few) push-ups and crunches.  i WILL do the same today.  i also want to try to enter a ballet class, if my budget permits. hope it works out!

4. Sleep and destress.  apparently, the body works harder to renew your skin cells or something when you sleep. so, the next time your mom gets mad at you for oversleeping, just tell her you're doing it for your skin! haha. just kidding. 7-8 hours will do for every night, while it's also important to take a few minutes for yourself when you're feeling stressed to avoid it showing on your face. creases and furrowed brows are expensive to repair so might as well just prevent it.

5. Eat healthy! a well-balanced diet is good for both the inside and outside of your body. check this out!

6. Do good!  doing something for other people, especially the less fortunate or perhaps a very important cause, always brings about a different glow.  trust me, the most beautiful people i know don't have perfect skin or bone structure, and some of them are always dressed in just a shirt and jeans.  but their beauty radiates from within, and you can really sense that whenever you're around them.  my greatest aspiration is to be beautiful in this way too.  for some ideas, contact me or check out Hands On Manila.

to end, i would like to leave you with a poem often quoted by the most beautiful woman who ever walked upon this earth (my personal opinion):

For attractive lips
speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes
seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure
share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair
let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise
walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People
even more than things
have to be restored
renewed
revived
reclaimed
and redeemed
never throw out anyone.
Remember,
if you ever need a helping hand,
you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older
you will discover that you have two hands
one for helping yourself
and the other for helping others.
-Sam Levinson

Sources:
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/makeover/8-natural-no-make-up-necessary-ways-to-look-and-feel-glowingly-gorgeous-1361806/#photoViewer=2
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/makeover/what-to-eat-for-gorgeous-glowing-skin-1268136/#photoViewer=1