Makeup Look & What to do if you have no concealer!

Shaping your eyebrows, tweeze,shave or threading method??

Eyebrows frames the face.A well groomed eyebrows can do wonders on your appearance. Grooming your eyebrows the wrong way can make you look old, or add years to your face.

 You can look polish, smart and fresh by just grooming your brows and wearing a simple makeup.

Above picture is Laura. She is a very talented stage actress/singer  from Ateneo. If  you look closely, her brows has a pretty defined shape and only a little tweezing is needed to groom it.   But her right eyebrows has a "bald" spot.This is not a problem. Just fill it in with pencil or brow powder.

Common  mistake done by most women is using  black for their eyebrows, since their hair is black.
I recommend Taupe or light brown, depending on hair color and skin tone.

For Laura, I used a light brown shade from smashbox.  I used tweezers to groom her brows because the hair is very fine and the shaver cannot pick it up. I Just followed the natural shape of her brows.

Cel's eye brows in my opinion is over-plucked. Without makeup, she looks a bit older than her actual age.   So in I made the shape a bit thicker than the actual shape ( I did her prenup hair & makeup ) 

This technique can make you look younder and fresher. 

Notice the celebrities nowadays ( some though, over-do it! ) in movies, prints and tv shows, their eyebrows are full, thicker looking. Its because, thicker brows can automatically shed off a few years.

Note: This is because as we grow old, most of our facial hair (LOL ) will fall off or not be as full as they use to be. So by grooming your brows to appear a bit thicker can instantly perk up your appearance.

As for Rachel, she has very fine almost not seen eyebrows. Her right brows, has a scar so theres not hair growth.

See how a well groomed brows made her look fresh and young? Her eyebrow shape is a bit thick,  so I used a taupe shade with a little pink in it.

Eyebrow color looks nicer if its lighter than the hair color. But again, nothing is set in stone. It still depends on the over all effect you want to achieve.

Here I want Rachel to look Fresh. Visualize, Jennifer Connely. Dark hair, dark brows, Demi Moore and Camilla belle??

To refresh your memory:

The Verdict??

So whether to pluck,shave or thread is personal preference. Personally, I just shave my brows because its faster and easy to do and you could its already a routine for me. I rarely pluck my brows. I seldom resort to threading because I find it painful and stressful! hahahaha.

My advice, if your brows a virgin (hehehe) never been touched,shaped whatsoever, go to a professional. I mean, a reputable salon and not a soso salon.  Im not snobbish or picky but most small salons ( that sometimes uses blade -sorry im not impressed, im horrified and scared ) will either shave it to thin or not to your liking and they will insist they know better. Sorry if Im ranting.

 Its actually based on my experince ( twice!! shame on me right? ) awhile back when I was still working as a marketing professional designer and I had no formal training yet in makeup.

This is your face we are talking about. Invest in it. :-)

I always say, if you can spend money on the latest cellphone, or shoes, why not spend good money for your appearance??

A professional makeup artist can also shape it for you. I do this to all my clients. Then just follow the natural shape.

Tweezing plucks the hair at the roots so it will take longer for the hair to grow.  Shaving on the other hand, just cuts the hair at the skin, so it grows faster compared to when you pluck. If I dont shave my brows in 2-3  days, I can already see the stray hairs.

In my next post, I will probably talk about how to groom brows. Let me know if you gals want me to make a video on this. Otherwise, goodbye for now.

Stay Beautiful my lovelies!

Trick to soften your features!

Do you find yourself looking so strong whenever you groom your brows?? (looking like a man or looking like.."grrr' ?? )

Maybe you have facial hair that you're afraid to shave off fearing it will grow back thicker than before? Arm hair that makes you look like your a cousin of Kingkong? hahaha.

Fear not my leash. Umm, I meant my lovelies! I have been using Sally Hansen Hair bleaching cream for as long as I can remember.

I first learned about this when I was working as a Product Manager for Penshoppe. I will visit Photo shoots and work with fashion stylist and makeup artist like Lala Flores, Christ and Robbie Pinera. Who would think I would later be a makeup artist myself??

Anyways, Christ was the makeup artist  we got for Penshoppes endorser maxine, alongside Cogie Domingo. He lightened Maxine's eyebrows to match her hair color at that time.  I think that was 1998-1999. Ever since that,   I have been lightening all my unwanted facial hairs.LOL.

For softening your features,  lighten your eyebrows a bit and even if you have black hair, this will instantly soften your features. I also do this for my client brides that have darker brows that does not match their hair color.

 To emphasize my point, the above picture is me with black hair and brows.

When I dyed my hair, I of course lightened my brows. Using the same product on your hair to your brows to lighten the color is not advisable. It might cause allergic reactions and its harsh on your skin.

Ok back to the brows, it totally gave me a softer look. I didnt cut my hair. Its a fake bob, hair was tied with bobby pins at the back. I do this when I just want to give myself a different look.

Another example is Alica. This was her before picture. I did her makeup for her prenup and wedding.

On her wedding day, I bleached her brows to match her hair color. A few weeks before the wedding, I reccomended a hair colorist .she wanted to lighten her hair. I also reccomended a light brown contacts to make her eyes look bigger. For her reception, the makeup was a glam smokey eyes.

I love how Alica planned for her different look. Her prenup shoot was like a magazine shoot :-)

She actually attended one of my workshops and thats where we met. I have unleashed her inner Kikayness. hahahaha.

Simple steps for Flawless Complexion

Not everybody is born with perfect flawless skin. Most of us have to work at it. Yes makeup can help, but its still best to maintain our skin healthy. So I have listed my simple steps on how to achieve a flawless look.

1.Always Start with a good skin care regimen.

Look for a cleanser that can exfoliate your face gently & hydrate a the same time. There are a lot of products nowadays that offers anti-aging properties in their facial cleansers.

I personally use Olay Regenerist It also has small beads that exfoliates the skin. NU skin has a facial wash that uses Vit C to lighten, hydrate & cleanse face all the same time. But this is too pricey for me.

Dont forget to exfoliate to get rid of those dead skin. We shed dead skin everyday & we need to aid this process for new skin to emerge.It also helps produce more collagen.

2.Moisturize, moisturize!

When I was in my 20's I don't moisturize at all. BIG mistake people.

You don't have to wait till your 30 before you even think of buying a moisturizer. Also, people with oily skin tend to think that they do not need to moisturize. Guess what?WRONG!

Moisturizers will hydrate your skin..not make it more oily. If your skin is oily, you just need to find an oil free moisturizer or a water based or gel form kind to minimize the oily feeling on your skin. That is a very common misconception ladies!

Bodyshop has lightweight serum,I use this personally, this is mostly water, aloe & other natural organic ingredients that can help sooth, hydrate & lighten the skin. At Beauty bar, they have a VIT A gel for the eyes. Great for minimizing fine wrinkles plus it feels so cool.This gel reduces puffiness around the eyes. Just avoid heavy creams my lovelies if you have oily skin.

3.Use a good foundation and concealer.

I have pimple marks myself, but I just know how to "conceal" it to fake flawless skin.

Laura mercier has a very good camouflage concealer that is matte for under eye circles.

Bobbi brown peach concealer is also good. I use MAC Nc30, though it can be too "creamy" for some people. I just use a tiny bit.

For foundations, I use kryolan Ultra. This is in cream form & makes your face look dewy. I use this because I prefer a dewy look rather than a powder matte look. Unless its a Photo shoot, i stick to a natural dewy look.

Revlon color stay foundation is good, as well as their custom creation foundation. I sometimes use this as well.

It helps to emulsify the product by rubbing it between your fingers or at the back of your palm. You don't have to slather the foundation all over your face..just spot correct,like a concealer.

If you have oily skin-use an oil free foundation. Dry skin-cream or liquid is fine. Matured skin, look for foundations that has peptides that can plump sagging skin.

4.Use a Primer-Well, certainly not everyday, but primers are made of silicone and peptides, that coats the skin for even application of makeup. It makes the makeup adhere well on your skin so that it last longer. Smashbox primer is in gel form and this is my favorite. Its also oil free.They have a lot of colors to correct skin discolorations, but I personally use the clear gel. They have a new one that covers big pores, but its not available in the Philippines yet. :-(

5.Contour & highlight

Most of us filipinos, esp if we are already tan, we don't use bronzers. But matte bronzers, when used right can add dimension to the face, which is great for correcting face shape imperfections.

It can also add a glow to your face, just use it conservatively.

Highlighting add glow as well, so I recommend highlighting these parts;Bridge of nose, cupids bow, brow bone, cheekbones, center of forehead, chin & inner corners of the eyes. Powder or cream is fine. Skip the cream if your skin is oily.

6.Stay fresh by using an oil blotter.

I always carry with me an oil blotter. I use clean & clear. Recently, one bride showed me a cute oil blotter from kleenex. Its even cheaper that clean & clear. Just check Watson's or other stores for oil blotters. Bodyshop has one, but its a little pricey.

7.Pressed powder!

Use a press powder with SPF for daily use. Matte is ideal. I use Makeup forever matte powder foundation. But if this is too expensive for you, there are a lot of good drugstore powders like Loreal, Revlon and Maybelline.

8.Facial Spritz

Ok, so we dont normally have this. But its so always hot in Manila. I personally carry my own evian, so that when I feel so hot or dry, I just spray it on, to look & fell fresh. Bodyshop has a Vit c facial spritz, so I only use this when Im in an event :-) and I have to look my best. Otherwise, my evian is fine.

You can also make you own! Just buy an atomizer, add a drop or two of perfume oil, peppermint or mandarin, and viola! your dupe for these sort of expensive sprays.

9.Use sunscreen

Dont skip this part. Always always wear sunscreen under your makeup. Sometimes I forget, but trust me my lovelies, sunscreen will do a lot to maintain your young looking skin. SPF on makeup is not enough. It can only protect you for a couple an hour of two, but once your skin secretes oil & sweat, it can easily get rubbed off. Better to use a broad spectrum uva uvb sunscreen. I use NIVEA Spf 50 on my face & SPF 30 on my body, everyday.

So, there you have it ladies. I hope this helps!

Pls dont forget to support this blog by clicking the follow button!

Till my next post! Stay Beautiful ladies!!

My Skin Savior Products

I got asked a lot when it comes to skin care products. So I took a picture of all the skin care items I am currently using. So, this is a picture from my bathroom shelf. From the left, is my makeup remover, promegrenate from Elianto cosmetic. I like this a lot because it removes my waterproof makeup effortlessly. It removes the stain from lipsticks as well. Its good to invest on a good MU remover to avod tugging your skin & of course save time.

I also use ponds or beauty oil from Human nature ( it not shown here because its in my travel kit ) This is when i feel like massaging my face before I wash it with my fave cleaner. Just avoid putting on too much if you have oily skin or it may clog your pores.

The 2 astringents Im currently using is clean & clear & Ponds. But I am thinking of switching back to Neutrogena after I finish these two.

For Day creams-I use the Body shop whitening serum before I apply my Nivea sunscreen, spf 50. For Night, I use the Oil of Olay serum & night cream. The formulation of the night cream is a bit rich so I wait a few minutes before I go to bed to let my skin absorb the product first.

The anti-wrinkle cream is from Oil of Olay too. This fills in my fine lines so that it does not look too obvious. I also use the regenerist facial wash. Its in cream form & it has some beads to gently exfoliate the skin. It does not produce foam but I like the way it leaves my skin feeling silky afterwards.

The NU skin tinted moisturizer has SPF 15 already, and I use this everyday. I like the coverage & it gives my skin a dewy glow.

The almost used up Virgin coconut oil is for days when I feel my skin is really dry. I slather this all over my body before I take a bath.

The HELP ME retinol cream is new- I havent use this yet. Will surely do a review, once I start using it.

So thats it ladies..hope you learn something. let me know your trusted skin saviors & post your comments!

Contour in Makeup? effects & tips

Contour in makeup is a technique used by MUA such as myself to create an illusion of depth, shade or shadow .We also highlight prominent areas like nose bridge, temples, chin, brow bone to make our face appear 3 dimensional.

Contouring & highlight is the technique we use specially for Photo shoots (Makeup for Photography ) TV, Runaway & for weddings. In this picture you can see the dramatic effect of contour & highlight. The makeup for the two pictures is the same but I use contour & highlight for the picture on the right.

Obviously, in photographs, our faces become flat, specially, flash photography. You can see he picture at your right her nose bridge are more prominent, her cheekbones pop, and you will notice, I made her forehead appear shorter/smaller than the actual. With the right contour & highlight, we can make someone's face appear thinner than usual, hide imperfections or highlight a good feature.

So the next question is how to contour your face? It depends on your face shape. In my next blog, I will be posting an illustration on how to highlight & contour for different face shapes, as well as the how to choose the right products to use.

Watch out for that my lovelies!!

Stay Beautiful!!

Problem with wrinkles?Here are some tips..

I dont claim to be a skin expert. But being an obssessed skincare junkie, I get my knowledge from Mr.Google.:-) Thru research & experience, I get to know what is the best product for my skin..though I would love to buy these products, unfortunately, these products, except for galvanic, are not available here in the Philippines yet.

I posted pictures of the skin care products that uses the latest technology available.

Personally, I use NUSKIN galvanic spa. Lately, because of my busy schedule, I have forgotten to use it. Now, I started using it again. Frankly, I don't know what I was thinking. This product is so freaking amazing. It really gives instant results & with continuous use can really erase fine lines.

I also use Oil of Olay regenerist. Its just sad that we don't have their RX line, nor the Regenerist serum. But the one available in the market is really good too. I have been using it for a year now.

Another product I included here is Aveeno ageless vitality. It uses Biolelectric technology that talks to the skin to produce more collagen & elastin. Cool huh?

Though I don't really know if it works, I read a lot of good reviews on it. Go ahead & try these wonder products. As for me, I just hope I can get a hold of them very soon!

Stay beautiful ladies!

How to conceal eye bags & under eye circles

9 out of 10 women has under eye circles or eye bags. I am one of them. Fortunately, with all the products available in the market, concealing blemishes is not impossible. You just need to use the right product & do the right application.

To brighten the eye area, you need to use a concealer. With all the formulations available, it's quite easy to get confused. Just remember, choosing the right formulation depends on the type of skin you have.

Cream concealers are great for dry skin, though this has tendency to cake or crack up if not applied the right way. Always set it with translucent powder that is one shade lighter than your skin tone.

Other forms of concealers are liquid and stick. If you have oily skin, look for an oil free concealer.
Be careful in using concealers because you don't want to look like a ghost or have your eye area to light.

One trick I do is to apply a skin tone concealer or foundation on top of my colored concealer.

Other tips:
For brown under eye circles, use a yellow colored concealer and or powder. This will brighten you under eye and correct the undertone.


For purplish oe bluish under eye, use a salmon colored concealer
(remember, if you use a warm color like yellow over a blue or purple undertone, it will create a grayish color)


For reddish purple  under eye, use green colored concealer.

If you use a colored concealer, top it off with your foundation and blend well. 


You don't want to look like a rainbow right? The above tip is applicable for pimple marks as well. I use a q-tip for a more precise application.

I hope this helps, always remember, blend well. It's not enough to use the right product, you have to apply it the right away as well.

Stay Beautiful!!