I recently decided to do a no makeup face (and have it photographed) while having Sunday brunch. Sundays are meant to be days where you chillax and enjoy good company without worrying too much about how you look. Yet at the same time, in the presence of company, you do want to look presentable without being overly madeup.

So here’s how-to achieve a no makeup face:

1) You want to appear like you have no makeup at all yet still maintain a flawless complexion. Concealer is thus, your best friend in this no makeup face. Apply concealer and blend thoroughly to the dark circles under the eyes with your ring finger. Also remember to conceal any blemishes or other spots.
2) Next, dust powder foundation all over your face with a big fluffy brush for a natural finish.
3) Choose a natural peachy blush for that rosy flush and sweep it over the apples of your cheeks. I used the NARS Orgasm blush because it’s has lovely golden sparkles that brighten up your complexion instantly.
4) Light pink lips are the way to go in a no makeup face. I like the e.l.f Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Baby Lips for a hint of colour and gloss. Also because the lipstick is in the form of a pen, it’s so easy to carry around!

Do you have an alternative method to achieving your no makeup face? Share it with me or even better, show me!

The first thing that strikes you about the mascara is its bright green packaging; it is eye-catching and hard to miss. The entire thing looks futuristic and you might think, to youself, that green isn’t exactly a conventional color for a beauty product. But pull out the wand and here’s surprise number two: the comb is a rubbery one that is flexible. Wow, not only is the packaging bold, so are its claims.

Here’s what Maybelline says about this mascara:

This zero clump mascara creates stunning length with clean definition.

* Patented shaped-to-the-lash brush
* Ophthalmologist tested, Contact lens safe
* Waterproof; also available in washable formula

“Separated, sensuously long, no clump” lashes. Mmmmmmm… I like that. The promise of a no smudging formula would mean fluttery lashes that last from day to night. But could it withstand the hot and humid weather in Singapore? I’ve always had the problem of little mascara flakes on my bottom lids after a day of living in my mascara.

So how did this mascara fare? Let’s see.

Zero clump? CHECK!
Separated and defined lashes? CHECK!
Stunning length? Well, the lashes didnt exactly STUN me but they DID look longer.

All three claims FULFILLED! I’m impressed!

Although they never mentioned this, but another thing I really like about the mascara is it’s ability to hold a curl. Curl your lashes and sweep on about 2 coats of this fabulous mascara early in the morning and you’re set for the entire day! I came home after a long day and found my lashes sitting prettily curled just as I had curled them that very morning. On top of that, NO FLAKING! YAYYYY!

Here’s the evidence.

I’m SOLD.

I swear I’ve never seen my eyelashes looking so long and pretty before. In fact, I cant remember what my eyelashes used to look like before this mascara. Haha. Is it any wonder why I have 2 of them sitting in my drawer at this very moment?

Sadly, they dont carry this particular mascara in Singapore but it’s available at drugstore.com. In fact, I’m going to the Philippines in April again. Anyone wants me to get it for them? Lol.

Not too long ago I had a shoot where I had to be “naughty”. With big hair, glitter sparkles, dark eyes, dark nails and red lips, I was a rockstar drummer.

Although most of the other makeup was the make-up artist’s, the eyeshadow was mine. Proudly showing off to her the NARS eyeshadow I had gotten with the help of a close friend, she agreed that the pigmentation was fantastic and proceeded to use it for my look. I love the intensity of it!

Face of the Day

Face
Makeup Forever products

Eyes
NARS eyeshadow duo in Pandora
M.A.C mineralise eyeshadow in Cinderfella
Kate Gel eyeliner in Black
Maybelline XXL volume+length mascara

Outfit
White balloon tee: Forever 21
Gold multi-layered chain necklace: Forever 21

The first thing that strikes you about the mascara is its bright green packaging; it is eye-catching and hard to miss. The entire thing looks futuristic and you might think, to youself, that green isn’t exactly a conventional color for a beauty product. But pull out the wand and here’s surprise number two: the comb is a rubbery one that is flexible. Wow, not only is the packaging bold, so are its claims.

Here’s what Maybelline says about this mascara:

This zero clump mascara creates stunning length with clean definition.

* Patented shaped-to-the-lash brush
* Ophthalmologist tested, Contact lens safe
* Waterproof; also available in washable formula

“Separated, sensuously long, no clump” lashes. Mmmmmmm… I like that. The promise of a no smudging formula would mean fluttery lashes that last from day to night. But could it withstand the hot and humid weather in Singapore? I’ve always had the problem of little mascara flakes on my bottom lids after a day of living in my mascara.

So how did this mascara fare? Let’s see.

Zero clump? CHECK!
Separated and defined lashes? CHECK!
Stunning length? Well, the lashes didnt exactly STUN me but they DID look longer.

All three claims FULFILLED! I’m impressed!

Although they never mentioned this, but another thing I really like about the mascara is it’s ability to hold a curl. Curl your lashes and sweep on about 2 coats of this fabulous mascara early in the morning and you’re set for the entire day! I came home after a long day and found my lashes sitting prettily curled just as I had curled them that very morning. On top of that, NO FLAKING! YAYYYY!

I’m SOLD.

I swear I’ve never seen my eyelashes looking so long and pretty before. In fact, I cant remember what my eyelashes used to look like before this mascara. Haha. Is it any wonder why I have 2 of them sitting in my drawer at this very moment?

Sadly, they dont carry this particular mascara in Singapore but it’s available at drugstore.com. In fact, I’m going to the Philippines in April again. Anyone wants me to get it for them? Lol.

Face of the day

Face
La-Roche Posay sunblock 50++
Everyday Minerals Olive Golden Medium foundation
Covermark foundation (used as concealer)
M.A.C Pinch-o-peach blush

Eyes
Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer
Day Smoke from Too Faced Smoky Eye Shadow Collection
Maybelline Define-a-lash mascara
Kate Gel Eyeliner (review HERE)
Falsies

We were told to have waterproof makeup because obviously a swimsuit shoot would involve getting into the water. Without it, we ran the risk of mascara and eyeliners streaking down our faces like an emo goth. Highly unbecoming of beauty queens-to-be. I thus had to put the Too Faced Shadow Insurance to the test.

Here’s the product story from their website:

Your full-coverage insurance policy against all fading creasing melting blurring oil-slicked and hard-to-blend eye shadow accidents. Our silicone-based eyeshadow primer transforms any eye shadow into a perfectly blendable color-drenched intensified version of itself then locks it down perfectly until you take it off.

Promises of intensified, creaseless and lasting eyeshadow I had no doubts about. I mean, look at how gorgeous the Day Smoke colours turned out.

But what about in the water? Here’s how it fared after some time in the pool.

After splashing about in the pool (I didnt go underwater) and getting water splashed indirectly at my face a couple of times, THE COLOURS STUCK! I didnt have to do any touch-ups with regards to the eyes after the 3 hour shoot.

Did I mention I took the above picture after we got out of the pool and changed for the workshop?

The picture says it all.

But recently, I have been hardworking and other than merely slapping my all-important sunblock on my face, I’ve been applying mascara and blush to achieve a fresh radiant look. All within 5 minutes.

Here are my 3 steps to a 5 minute face:

Step 1. Sunblock sunblock sunblock.

This is one step you SHOULD NEVER EVER skip especially since we live in sunny Singapore so close to the Equator. Sunblock prevents the formation of age spots, freckles and blemishes from sun exposure.

I use La Roche-Posay SPF50+ sunblock which has been voted Best Sunblock in various magazines. Not only does it serve as its main purpose as a sunblock, it also gives my face a sheen as if I’ve applied tinted foundation.

Step 2. Blush

Sweep on a light pink or peach blush on the apples of your cheeks to brighten up your complexion. Pick a light colour for daily use because you dont want to end up looking like a clown or Pikachu! Keep the application light and use a fluffy brush for application on the apples of your cheeks.

Recommended products:
M.A.C Pinch-o-peach
powder blush
Nars Orgasm blush

Step 3. Mascara

I know that mascara seems the most cumbersome of the three to apply and would take you beyond the 5 minute limit promised above. The curling of the lashes to achieve a doe-eyed/wide-eyed look is the most time-consuming. But here’s a little secret I discovered to save you precious zzZzzZz time.

Tip: Curl your lashes the night before you go to bed.

This saves you the hassle of having to make sure your lashes are curled to perfection early in the morning. All you have to do when you wake up is thus apply 2 coats of your favourite mascara and you’re ready to go!

Recommended products:
Maybelline Define-a-lash mascara
Maybelline XXL volume+length fibrewig mascara

To help you with your 5 minute face, Im giving away these items! Please note that all giveaways are limited to Singapore and Malaysia addresses.

#1 – Everyday Minerals Sprung Blush Reserved

#2 – Everyday Minerals Kaolin Powder Sunlight Finishing Powder Reserved
This is an oil-absorbing Kaolin clay and light-reflecting Mica by Everyday Minerals. Use it a primer or finishing powder to help your skin tone have a softer and smoother radiant finish!

#3 – Bio-essence Tanaka White Skin White Perfecting Stretch Mask Reserved

#4 – ReFine Softening & Moisturizing NanoGel Treatment
These patches can be applied to your cracked heels, elbows or knees, just a few of the places tend to ignore. The patches contain Nano-AEP & Jojoba oil for softening and replenishing the moisture in your skin.

Application: Apply to elbows, knees or heels before sleep. To use overnight after your shower. Remove gel sheets the next morning.

You know the drill. Leave a comment with your name and email if you’re interested!

It’s my birthday month first week of next month! Be sure to come back to check for special giveaways. Im tying up with a blogshop and she’ll be sponsoring 3 items for you to grab on top of other goodies. Yay birthdays!

I’ll tell you what happened.

I walked into Sephora hoping just to chill and look at the pretty colours that deck the shelves of the various makeup brands one fine and dandy day; I had no intention of shopping for anything. And then, I realised that Pop Beauty was having a 50% off their eyeshadow wallets. Okay… Breathe, I said to my already excited little heart. Let’s go see if they’re worth checking out.

Lo and behold, they were p r e t t y awesome.

For a 24 colour eyeshadow wallet (they’re called wallets cause they’re flat and long and well, duh, like real wallets) whose original price was $65, $32.50 was a pretty good price for that number of eyeshadows. And convenience came in the form of the wallet which had everything – eyeshadows, blushes and lipsticks sans foundation. Imagine going out in the day without makeup and having a last minute meeting scheduled for the afternoon. What do you whip out? Your makeup wallet of course. Just slap on some lipstick, blush and maybe some eyeshadow if you have time. Sounds really inviting to a lazy bugger like me.

“Okay, let’s think about it”, I told myself. Afterall I really had no intention of buying anything and wasnt going to go on a spur of the moment shopping spree. Whilst walking around and browsing the pink shelves of the Too Faced counter, the salesgirl approached and whipped this out.

HOLY COW!

Smokey eyes in a beautiful black and purple packaging! And check out the gothic font.

It was hard to resist. I can feel my inner goth rock chick slowly creeping out.

So I succumbed. I bought it.

There were three different types of smokey eye colours (9 colours in total) in the palette: day smoke, classic smoke and classic smoke. Perfect for use in all different occasions.

Had my brother’s 21st dinner party last night and I decided to break out the palette. So here’s my face of the day with the Classic Smoke from the palette.

Isnt it gorgeous!?

The colours really stand out on camera and is soooo pigmented.

Face of the day

Face:
Everyday Minerals mineral foundation in Olive Golden Medium (my holy grail!)
Benefit Dandelion blush

Eyes:
Too Faced classic smoke in Smokey Eye palette
Kate Gel Eyeliner
Beauty Buffet eyebrow pencil
Maybelline XXL Waterproof mascara
L’oreal Voluminous mascara

Lips:
Maybelline Fruity Jelly lipgloss

Get the look here.