Another item off my wishlist :) Makeup Is Art book

 photo credited to Carla Gumin 2013

MAKEUP IS ART book

Well, im not going to post a review about this book because I havent read it yet. I just browsed it and oogle at the beauty photos inside. I've been lemming for this since 2011, and when I finally bought it last year I was so happy! I got this for Php1,500.00 which is not that bad for a thick hard-bound book.

Anyways, let me share some photos from the book. :) If you want your copy, I saw this being sold in Fully Booked, BHS.

THE Beauty Blender Sponge Review

 photo copyrighted to Carla Gumin 2013

Beauty Blender Sponge

Since Easter's approaching, let me do a small review on my newest favorite tool in my kit, an egg. chos. This is the beauty blender sponge, a sponge and not a pink easter egg.

During my makeup classes in 2009, we were taught how to use brushes to apply makeup. So I was skeptical when I saw this for a few reason:

1. A Php1,000 sponge

2. Can have product build-up which is a no-no for a makeup artist.

3. Disposable after a few uses.

So for short, I never bought it and never intended to. Until the whole cream HD foundation broke in. I first tried using a brush to blend and apply the cream into skin, then it's just too streaky. Luckily a friend told me that they have "beauty blender" sponge in Suesh at a cheap price. The suesh one, I loved it but then after less than 10 uses, it started to have product build up at the center and never expanded the same way it used to. Feeling that hard, gooey center when washing it is so scary that I decided to cut the sponge in half and yep, there it is, the kadiri-to-death product build up. After buying 3 sponges from suesh, I decided to give in and  buy the original Beauty Blender.

The shape of the beauty blender sponge is not a packaging tactics, and is design to make foundation application a breeze. The bottom part is used to "dab" into large areas of the face (chin, cheeks, forehead) while the tip is used for hard to reach area such as corners of the nose and eye area.

To use this sponge, you have to soak it into a room-temperature water and wait for it to expand.

It looks so tiny, like a five peso coin, when dry but when damp, it expands double in size.

 details

It yields an airbrush finish foundation, no joke! Since using this my foundation application was cut in half and the skin looked like it was airbrush. Another thing I love about this is that it doesn't "eat" foundations when damp. (I was told to never use it dry)

The downside of using a sponge like this is that you have to clean i thoroughly and removing the stain is such a pain in the A. The best way, for me, to clean it is with a solid baby soap. I rub it against the soap, and then squeeze the hell out of the dirt. Usually it removes the stain, but there are still faint spots that  ate left. Also, mine bled like crazy (cotton candy colored water, it's pretty!) for the first two washes.

Beauty Blender Sponge when  damped, size comparison beside a five-peso-coin

But over-all, I love it. Despite having a ridiculous price for a sponge, it was well-worth it. I have used this for about 4-5 times only, I will update you guys when it finally disintegrate on me.

What I love about it?

- Ergonomically designed.

- Creates an airbrush finish

- Washable

What I hate?

- Hard to clean

- Expensive

- For sure, disposable.

Will I buy it again? Hell Yeah.

(You can buy it at different suppliers in multiply.com)

Love, Makeup Mama.

Suesh Make-Your-Own Palette Matte Eyeshadow Review

photos copyrighted to Carla Gumin 2013

Suesh Make-Your-Own Palette Matte Eyeshadows

When I first saw these on Suesh in ATC, it instantly reminded me of Make Up For Ever's eyeshadows because of how huge the pan is. (I'll edit this and post a comparison between this, MUFE and MAC's) One thing that also got my attention is these are only Php90.00 a pop! How great is that?

There are huge varieties of colors and last time I saw, they added concealer and lip colors too. Upon swatching (with fingers), these are totally pigmented. The shimmery ones are soft to touch and pigmented as well, I'm not sure about how it is when applied with a brush, but it looks promising. But I got the mattes instead since they are so hard to find.

 Products info and ingredients

I have the shades 205, 028, 026, 086 and PC04. PC04 is a contouring powder according to the staffs.

As you can see from the ingredient list it contains Talc and a lot of parabens. I'm no expert at this but I think having so much paraben is bad for the skin. The product is 3.5g which is for an eyeshadow is a LOT of product. I cant even hit pan on my favorite mac eyeshadows which is so much smaller than this.

 Suesh eyeshadow comparison beside a five pesos coin.

This ginormous eyeshadow can be put in a magnetized palette which Suesh also sells. But doesn't fit a MUFE or MAC's palettes.

But is the price and size worth it?
See the swatch below.

Be my judge.

This is the swatch without primer on using an eyeshadow brush. My wrist is lighter than my whole body and it barely shows up. You can't even see the two highlighting colors.

And here it is swatched wet. Better, in my opinion, but it's such a hassle to wet eyeshadow for applications. I dont know if you still do that, but I dont. The highlighting eyeshadows are so-so in my opinion, but I used it quite a while and it works with primer on.

So is it worth it? You tell me.

Oh and I forgot, these eyeshadows are cased in a hard plastic like this. If ever you end up buying some, you dont need a magnetized palette, you can keep them in this. :)

PROs:

- Price. You can't beat a Php90.00 eyeshadow in a huge pot

- There are plenty of colors available

- Suesh's stores are convenient. For people who lives in the south, there's ATC. For those who are from north, they have one in trinoma and there's the heart of it all, Greenhills. :)

-Cased in a hard plastic. No need to be pressured to buy a magnetized palettes.

CONs:

- Pigmentation

- Staying power

Will I buy it again? Probably no. But I'm not gonna lie, I've been dying to try the lip colors.

Love, Makeup Mama

Bdellium Angled Blush Brush #942 Review

 photo copyrighted to Carla Gumin 2013

Bdellium Angled brush #942

One of the most crucial technique in makeup is contouring and highlight because it can make or break the end result of your base. Of course, with the right contouring powder it is achievable but the right tool is also a must.

Depending on the skill of the person, he/she can use different kind of brushes to contour. My favorite for contouring is the MAC  109 because of the size and density of the brush but unfortunately, I left or drop it somewhere from a makeup gig. And ever since then I've been trying to find a brush that have the same size of it. Luckily, I came across this baby. With the density, size and the slant (the helps newbies with contouring) it's really a good buy.

Bdellium, read with silent "B", brushes have anti-bacterial properties. I dont know how but I'm sold already having sensitive skin.

The angled blush brush is made from goat hair (assuming, the product info didn't indicate but it feels like goat 's hair) with a yellow bamboo handle. It's not scratchy, but it has a tendency to "scatter" after washing. But nothing a good brush shaper can't solve.

The size of the brush is perfect for hollows of the cheeks. Here it is compared to a five peso coin.

The density of this brush is good too. But it doesn't pick pigments that well, you really have to build the color with this brush. Which is good for some, but a little bit time consuming.

Also, the availability of this brush is scarce. I searched high and low for this brush. But luckily a friend gave me a supplier. :)

(L-R: Suesh Angled brush (from set), Suesh Angled brush (from Blush set), Beauty Cosmetics' angled brush (from 20 pro-set), Bdellium Angled Brush and Marinnoud Angled brush)

Here's a detailed comparison, with different brushes. The height of the bristles of the Bdellium is almost as high as the Beauty Cosmetics' one, but thinner in density and smaller in diameter. 

Battle of the density!

Look how beauty and cute the Bdellium beside the other angled brushes. Seriously, those brushes are small, but Bdellium one is tiny and perfect. :)

Will I buy it again? Hopefully! :)

PROs:

- Just Php800.00 (depending on supplier)

- The eco-friendly and anti-bacterial scheme sold this brush in an instant

- Size and density of the brush

-The handle is sturdy and long, professional looking.

- Soft, not scratchy

CONs:

Not widely available

The hairs have a tendency to "scatter" after wash

Note: Product is not sponsored and bought from own money.

Bride Clinic: Reason why a makeup trial is a must.

(photo grabbed from Tumblr.com)

Hello guys! I promise not to be idle anymore, so here I am, blogging about my most favorite thing in the whole wide world, makeup. Which is why I want to introduce to you a new segment in my blog called The Bride Clinic. It basically tackle (mostly beauty) issues brides have. And with this, I want to start with the basic such as a so-called "Makeup Trial".

So, what is a makeup trial? A makeup trial is done a few weeks or days before your actual wedding. It is the day where you can try and test your makeup for your wedding day. This is also where you will communicate with your makeup artist about the your issues (dark undereyes, oily skin, acidic skin, etc) and the type of hair and makeup you would like for your wedding. Depending on the makeup artist, a makeup trial can be done in a few times so he/she can give you suggestions. It is important to be prepared for this day. It is helpful if you have photos of the makeup and hair that you want and remember to be open-minded for their suggestions.

But why is it important?

Your photo will be taken, picture after picture. Even if you have a wedding gown designed by Vera Wang or was studded with bajillion of crystals, a makeup can make or break your whole wedding look. This is not a day for experimenting and the photos last a lifetime. It is the day you and your husband (with some guests, family and future kids) will look back to, so you dont want to look like a frosted cake or pale as a dead person.

Let me share a quick story that happened not so long ago:

I am always flattered whenever a bride would book me without a trial. It means they trust my skills enough that they dont need to have it done. Personally, I suggest trial makeup. Not because I doubt my skills, it's just I want my bride to be stress-free. But I'm just a person and I make mistakes too. There is one bridal client that wasn't aware she's acidic. So when I did her makeup, at first it was perfect. The foundation blends really well with her skin color. But after the makeup is done, and while she's having her photo-op with the photographers, her makeup turned darker. Not just dark, like 2 shades darker. Oh the horror of it. But there isn't time to re-do her makeup because we're pressed with time and all I can do is try to remedy it with a powder lighter than her skintone.

It was a lesson learned for me, because I dont want a negative feedback on my business, but it is bound to happen anyway. I'm not saying it is the client's fault, because it's not. It was my job to make sure everything is impeccable but I just go on and forgot to ask her as well.

That's one of the reason why makeup trial is a must. It's about communication with your makeup artist, so that in the end it will both benefit both of you. And there will be no element of surprise.

Another is this is your chance to try the durability of the makeup. Will it last for the whole day? Will your hair withstand dancing and moving? Does your hair frame your face well?. This can be answered with a trial. You can take photos with and without flash so you can see what you will look like. Again, this will save you the trouble.

I hope most of you understand, that this kind of work doesn't offend a makeup artist. It actually helps us work more efficiently on your wedding day. We also work faster as we know what to do already than tweak and tweak after until we get the client's preference.

So if you're getting married, dont hesitate to ask your makeup artist for a trial makeup. Sometimes they can do it for free or for a minimum cost. But what's a little more money for a picture perfect makeup and to remove at least one thing to worry about? Always remember, it is your wedding and you deserve the best.

I hope this helps.

XO, The Makeup Mama