Hi Darlings,
I'm back with another face of the day post! This one is a look I wore to a birthday party extravaganza!! It was such a fun evening event and I wanted to look my best. In this look I used Mulch, Woowinked, and Carbon eyeshadows from MAC. I really love how this look came out and its a great, easy look to do if you are in a hurry (which is me most of the time!). See below for details...
Here's the full breakdown...
FACE:
MAC Matte face primer
MAC Prolongwear Concealer (NW35) - for my under eyes
MAC Prolongwear Foundation (NC42 mixed with NW35) - applied to the face with the Sephora Platinum Airbrush
EYES:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Constructivist Paint Pot - blended all over the lid (use a fluffy brush for this)
MAC Mulch eyeshadow - all over the lid and feathered into the crease and along lower lash line (use a flat brush)
MAC Carbon eyeshadow - crease/darken the crease (use a fluffy brush)
MAC Woodwinked - highlight (use a dense brush)
Maybeline Gel Eyeliner (black) - along upper lash line (use an angled eyeliner brush)
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner (Zero) - along lower lash line/water line
L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara
CHEEKS:
MAC Blunt blush - contour
NARS Torris blush - applied to apples of my cheeks
LIPS:
MAC Prolongwear Creme - Till Tomorrow
MAC Lust Lipglass
Hope you guys enjoyed this post...stay tuned as always for more to come.
Sending positive thoughts your way...
CC
Hi Darlings,
Weight. This one word is on the minds of many, mostly because the majority of us want to lose some of it, or all of it. It's amazing what having "more" of you can do to your self confidence or lack there-of.
Growing up, weight was always an issue for me. I started out as a preemie weighing in at a whopping 4lbs 4 oz at birth (I know I was tiny, back then!!). As a child I was a plump oompa loompa, and then as a teenager because I grew to be tall (for Indian standards I am considered tall at my height of 5' 8") I would consider myself average.
Then I got married and gained the "happiness" weight (a staggering 30 pounds, man, I must have been really really happy!), which is a nice way of saying that basically, you let yourself go. Shortly thereafter, I was pregnant with my son, and put on a nice 19 or 20 pounds (which isn't so bad). Now, I should have lost those 19 or 20 pounds considering it wasn't a crazy amount of weight to lose, but I must have really not cared about how I looked because I really didn't lose much of the baby weight. I was hoping to give birth to a 30 pound child, but instead gave birth to a beautiful baby boy weighing in at 5lb 10oz!, There goes my idea of losing all the baby weight in one sitting. I didn't breastfeed so the hope of losing weight that way was also lost on me. Hence, I kept an additional 12 or so pounds (to my weight gain of 30 pounds already). A few more years pass by and I was pregnant with my daughter and gained about 22 or 24 pounds (again not too bad), and didn't lost much of it after delivery. I remember my last OB checkup before I went into labor I weighed in at 224 at 38 weeks pregnant and I thought to myself, well I know I'm not delivering a 60 pound child, so I really have a lot of work to do once this baby comes out. Well, she did about a week later at 6lbs 15 oz.
By the beginning of 2010 my weight was 205, I recall. I never thought I would ever weigh this much. If I was a linebacker playing for a major football team this wouldn't be so bad, but that wasn't me. I wasn't happy with what I saw in the mirror, in fact I hated the sight of me and tried to avoid mirrors at all cost. I never went clothes shopping anymore because none of the clothes that I would have liked to wear would have fit me at that size. This made me feel awful for a long period of time. I would even cancel plans with people because I didn't want to go out because of how bad I felt about the way I looked. It was then that I decided I needed to get back into a habit of adding physical fitness to my daily regimen and making a conscious effort to eat healthier. I joined Planet Fitness (in April 2010) and was determined to work out to be healthy so I had more energy. At 205 pounds I felt sluggish and I actually just felt "big". Plus, I was measuring my BMI (it was 31.2) and researching all of the possible health risks associated with being that obese (yes, I was considered obese at that weight for my height) and I decided I needed to get healthy.
I started to make mini goals for myself since saying that I wanted to lose 50 pounds would make me feel overwhelmed and ultimately like I didn't want to start this new venture. I decided I would lose 10 pounds for my first mini goal. I even wrote the number 195 down on a small piece of paper and kept it in my underwear drawer. That way every day it was a reminder of where I wanted to be. By the end of April of 2010 I was down to 198, really by not doing much just trying to be a little conscious of what I was eating and started working out about 2 times a week. I don't remember how look it took, but when I eventually saw that number 195 on the scale I was so thrilled and that's when I started to feel like I could really do this. I think that was about mid-May.
A friend of mine told me over the summer about how we should sign up for a 5k (3.1 mile) marathon. I thought, I could never run a marathon. The idea of working towards the goal of running a marathon really inspired me. I decided that was the push that I really needed to kick up my workout and really get motivated. In July I started going out for nightly runs about 5 times a week. I researched sample training programs online and stumbled across "From the Couch to the 5k" and followed that training program to a T! For a beginner runner, it was just what I needed. I remember that first night that I went out for a run, I started off by running for 60 seconds....by the end of September I was running 3 miles with no breaks in between! I was amazed at the transformation I made all by myself. By the time race day arrived in October, I weighed in at 179! I couldn't believe my eyes! It was such an amazing feeling, since I hadn't seen that number in years! I continued to keep myself motivated and finished the 5k race in 41 minutes! I was really proud of myself.
At the beginning of 2011 I weighed in at 177. There was a period of time towards the end of 2010 that I wasn't working out so much and fell slightly off the health conscious eating kick I was on (hench my almost stagnant weight). I decided at the beginning of January of 2011 that I really want to get into the best shape of my life and this was the year to do it. In 2010 I had lost 26 pounds and I am determined this year to lose 30 more. My goal for this year by July is to weight 145! At 159, I am 14 pounds away! It's amazing! I continue to run a minimum of 4 miles 3 times a week and I still make a conscious effort to watch my portions, and make healthier choices whenever I can. This is not to say that I don't splurge once in a while, but I try to follow the 80/20 rule (80% good, 20% bad). My next goal is to complete a half marathon in October and I plan to start training for this in June.
I hope this was interesting, insightful, and inspiring for all of you. For those of you thinking about losing weight and not sure how to do it, the first step is to figure out why you want to lose it and then start by making small changes and simple goals. Keep yourself motivated and don't let anyone tell you that you cannot do something. If you put your mind to it, the sky is the limit!
Sending positive thoughts your way...
CC
Hi Darlings,
I'm back with another review. I mentioned in a previous post that I was applying and blending under eye concealer with my finger tips (after I applied my eye cream, of course). This is something that I just started doing in the past few months, mostly because I'm too lazy to keep washing my concealer brush (MAC 242). I think with face brushes you would need to wash them at least every other day to reduce the risk of bacteria that can affect your skin. I was previously using the MAC 242 or MAC 194 brushes to apply under eye concealer. My issue with those brushes is that it does apply well, but does not blend really, so you would need to use either another brush to blend the product out or dirty your fingers (which I hate doing! sorry, it's a pet peeve of mine!).
I wasn't really on the hunt for a new concealer brush since I was already getting used to using my fingers (despite them getting dirty), and it did a good job of blending the product into my skin. One day on my lunch hour I found myself "window shopping" at Sephora at the Americana Mall in Manhasset (something I do quite often!) and I stumbled upon the Sephora brush collection to discover their Professional Platinum Concealer Airbrush #57!
What actually drew me to it was its size. As you can see from the picture the head is much denser and thicker than most typical concealer brushes, which is probably why it blends the product so well. I use this with my favorite concealer, MAC Prolongwear, to apply and blend and it really gives such a nice finish. It goes into your skin and gives a look that is seamless and natural. Best of all, I don't use a lot of product with it, so it helps in that way as well. I don't know how I didn't stumble upon this sooner, but I'm thrilled that I did!
If you are using any other concealer brush or your finger tips to apply concealer to your face, please go to Sephora and try this product out. You will be so glad that you did. Feel free to comment here about your experience with this product or any other tips and tricks for applying concealer.
Sending positive thoughts your way...
CC
Hi Darlings,
I attended a wedding last fall and wanted to do a makeup breakdown for you guys on the look that I wore. The wedding was of a South Indian couple and I wore a baby pink saree and wanted to wear a matching look on my eyes. I decided to go with MAC's eyeshadow in Mythology (gorgeous pinky - coppery shade). It's a really subtle eye that I thought would be appropriate for a daytime event.
Here's the full breakdown...
FACE:
MAC Matte - face primer
MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation - NC44 (I really didn't like the performance of this foundation...will explain in detail in a future post)
MAC Studio Finish Concealer - NW35 (for my undereyes)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Medium/Dark
EYES:
Urban Decay Primer Potion - Prime those eyelids baby (to ward off oil creasing on your lids and helps the shadow last longer)
MAC Mythology - all over the lid and along the lower lashline
MAC Swiss Chocolate - in the crease (using a windshield wiper motion)
Maybeline Gel Liner - Black (for upper lashline - great dupe for MAC's blacktrack fluidline!)
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner - Zero (for lower lashling/waterline)
L'Oreal - Voluminous Mascara (Blackest Black) - Luv this Mascara!!
CHEEKS:
MAC (blush) - Gingerly
MAC Mineralize Skinifinish Duo - Golden Highlight (for the tops of my cheeks)
LIPS:
MAC - Touch
There you have it...I really like how this look came out, it was really simple, quick and easy to do, all you need is an eye for the right color and a little imagination!
Sending positive thoughts your way...
CC
Hi Darlings,
In the effort to make this blog as interesting and as informative as it possibly could be, I decided to do a quick breakdown of the look I am wearing in my current profile picture and as shown below.
Here's the full breakdown...
FACE:
MAC Matte Face Primer
MAC Studio Finish Concealer - NW35 (under the eyes)
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish SPF15 (Cream Foundation) - NC42
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Medium/Dark
EYES:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Burmese Beauty Eyeshadow - all over the lid and feathered into the crease and along lower lashline
MAC Showstopper Eyeshadow - crease/darken the crease (I also did my brows with this)
MAC Prized Eyeshadow - highlight
(these eyeshadows were from the Burmese Beauty Eyeshadow Quad from their Feline Collection, Fall 2010)
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner - Zero (upper and lower lashline)
Diorshow Mascara
CHEEKS:
NARS Torrid
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Duo - Golden Highlight (to highlight the tops of my cheeks - this is my favorite highlight!)
LIPS:
Lip Balm - random balm
NYX Lipliner Pencil - Soft Brown
Victoria Secret Lipstick - Sweet Nothing
So there's the look....hope you guys enjoyed this quick breakdown! More posts and breakdowns to come.
Sending positive thoughts your way...
CC
Hi Darlings,
To give you a little background I'm a MAC NC42 mixed with NW35. I did try the Studio Fix Fluid foundation in NC44 but felt that it would oxidize on me and make me end up looking darker than I actually am (I suffer from a slight color complex). My skin normally starts out normal in the morning and by 11am I can feel an oil slick on my T-zone. I normally use Neutrogena's combination skin moisturizer after I have already cleansed my face in the morning, but these days I've been using this Indian creme (forgot the name) that doesn't make me shine so much. I have used primers (oil-free/anti-shine) but didn't see that much of a difference with the Studio Fix Fluid. After reading several other blogs on the internet I decided to try the highly talked about Prolongwear foundation and concealer. I happily went to the MAC counter and was matched for NC44, however, I felt the colors ran a bit on the dark side as compared to their other foundations. Then while reading another blog I decided to mix two colors together, NC42 and NW35 and whala! This custom creation was just what I needed and I fell in love (for the second time)!
NW 35 NC 42
The formula is outstanding! It really does stay on and keep going and I think the MAC website claims a 15 hour staying power (check the website for accuracy on that), but I have found that it stays on even longer. I don't even need to apply a powder to my face once I have applied the foundation with a stippling brush! It's true genius! It looks fabulous at the end of the night just as it does first thing in the morning. The only catch with this is (and this is a tiny catch for the overall quality and performance of the product) that it dries quickly, so you need to be quick because once its dried its set.
I know what you're thinking.....another beauty blog. There are so many blogs on the internet these days from just about anything and everything, especially beauty and makeup. So what makes mine different? That's a good question and mine is different because I consider myself to be a self taught artist with an eye for color and a knack for pulling a look together and I hope to share that with all of you! Here, I'll rant and rave about tried and tested beauty products, what worked for me, what didn't work for me, and my wish lists! I might even put up a few tutorials from time to time...but lets not get ahead of ourselves.
In between, I'll share snippets from my life and since I love to write I'll include posts about anything else that's on my mind (which is usually a lot!).
You're next question might be so who is this novice beauty blogger??? Well, in a nutshell I am of South Indian descent (I'm a proud Malayalee baby!), living in New York, a mother of 2 little ones and have been married to a wonderful man (yes, another Malayalee) for 8 years now! It's funny when you say all of that it really is a mouthful so you can imagine just how busy I am! And this is no surprise, but I love makeup!
I think even as a child when my dear Mom bought me my first kajal (and for those who are not familiar with this term, "kajal" is a very dark eyeliner commonly used by the women of India, the Middle East, and Pakistan), I was fascinated by makeup. I wore light makeup (eyeliner, translucent powder, mascara and lipstick) as a teenager and young adult but really got into the application and technique of makeup just about 2 years ago when I discovered MAC (ahhhh....can you hear the choir of angels singing in the background!). Just like others and most of you out there I am a MAC addict and loyal devotee. The bulk of my makeup train case is MAC, but I have also managed to squeeze in a little bit of Urban Decay, Nars, Benefit, and Bobbi Brown in there.
So there you have it, a little introduction into what you can expect here, who I am and what I love.
Sending positive thoughts your way...
CC
