My Very First Brush Set

  I never really took makeup seriously then.  My routine was just simple and did not include the use of brushes.  But as I got more interested and passionate with makeup artistry I found that one cannot live on sponges alone hehehe =P

  It took a long while before I decided which brushes to get and a major factor is the price.  In between comparing different brands and sets vs. individual brushes, I found myself buying some cheap individual brushes to start with.  But this did not keep me from wanting more brushes. =P  So after some careful thought, I got myself the Charm Pro Brush Set.

EOTD: Happy Independence Day!

    June 12 is our Independence Day.  And in line with the celebration I have created this look earlier.  This EOTD is inspired by the colors of the Philippine flag.  I have tweeted this a while ago.  Sorry for the poor picture quality, my mobile phone camera is not that good.  However, I've taken some pictures using my DSLR while I was doing my makeup for this post.  These pictures should be decent enough to illustrate how I came up with the look.

How To: Correct and Conceal Dark Under Eyes

  Poor diet, lack of sleep and graveyard shifts contribute to my lovely under eye circles.  I'm not sure if you can see it in the picture but in person they are quite dark.  I believe the ring flash adapter I'm using helped lighten the area a bit =P  But I can't always bring with me my ring flash adapter nor a reflector hehehe So I have to find a way to hide them.

  Normally, under eye circles are concealed by using a concealer that is a bit lighter than the actual skin color.  This way it not only conceals the area but highlights it as well.  However, this technique does not work for me (or for those who really have dark under eye circles) and the result usually is ashy under eyes.  This is because of the bluish undertone that dark circles have and needs to be cancelled out.  Color theory suggests that opposing colors cancel out each other so to correct blue undertone I have to use an orange corrector.

EOTD: Classic Smoky Eyes, The Easy Way...

  One of my favorite eyeshadow application techniques is the smoky eye.  I find it the easiest way to do my eye makeup.  Not only does it look dramatic but it also emphasizes the eyes which is my favorite facial feature. Some people shy away from smoky eyes especially during the day but I love it that I try to pull it off anytime of the day.

  The classic smoky eye normally uses just one eyeshadow applied darkest at the lash line and blended upwards giving it a "smoky" effect.  The gradient gives the illusion of using more than one color.  Also, a smoky eye does not mean using only black or gray.  This technique can be used in applying either dark (black, gray, brown, etc.) or bright, intense, vivid colors (red, orange, blue, green, yellow, pink, etc.).  In this tutorial, I used a black eyeshadow because I love the drama.  =P