Unpretty Rapstar (언프리티 랩스타) Cheetah (김치타) Inspired Make Up Look

While I might not look it, my favourite genres of music are hip hop and rap. My boyfriend got me hooked on a Korean reality/music TV show called “Unpretty Rapstar” (언프리티 랩스타), which features 9 female musicians rap battling for tracks with a renowned producer. Prior to watching the show, I had only been exposed to the upbeat girly-girl K-pop thing (and Psy). Unpretty Rapstar was a tangent from "normal" k-pop, as the contestants on the show masterfully strung phrases of both Korean and English together.

Enjoying the music was one thing but I also took notice of the beauty looks on the show. A majority of the 9 contestants on the show subscribe to the stereotypical Korean beauty look - puppy dog (downwards sloping) eyeliner, ombre stained lips, radiant skin, wispy false lashes. But one conetstant’s look (along with her stage presence and rap prowess) stood out to me most. Thick liner, dewy/wet skin, sculpted brows, contouring and a bold lipstick, topped off with a heavy band of false lashes CHEETAH (김치타) . In addition to her fierce makeup and nails, her wardrobe is also badass. 

And so... I went for it. 

Generally, the look is fairly simple. Winged liner, bold eyebrows, dark lips, lashes, a peachy brown wash of colour on the lid. The hardest part was creating dewy skin. For some reason I couldn't find any intensely dewy foundations, so I resorted to using a clear gloss on my eyelids and high points of my cheekbones (which messed up my eyeshadow and made my skin feel sticky... yuck). The result was a bit of a failure because my camera could hardly pick it up

FACE:

- Benefit Oxygen Hello Flawless WOW Foundation in All the Rage Beige

- MAKE UP FOR EVER Pro Sculpting Duo in #2*

- Wet n Wild Lip Gel (clear gloss)*

EYES: 

- Stila Stay All Day Brow Gel*

- Ardell Glamour Multipack in 105*

- Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil in M Black 01*

- Paul & Joe Liquid Eyeliner*

- Madison Street Beauty Moroccan Bronze (discontinued)

- Wet n Wild Lip Gel (clear gloss)*

LIPS: 

- Wet n Wild MegaLast Lip Colour in Cherry Bomb*

- OCC Lip Stain in Little Black Dress

Peace out

In another life, this would be my everyday makeup. Unfortunately, I don't think I was born to be a badass. For now, I'll just be a rapper in my dreams. 

Do you like k-pop/hip-hop/rap? 

P.S. Watch one of Cheetah's performances here.

 *Press samples denoted with an asterisk. 

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What's On My Face #2 - Blue Brows, Lilac Lips

This is what happens on weekends. PLAYTIME. While testing out the Hard Candy 1,000 Lashes Mascara in Indigo Blue*, I thought that my blue eyes/brows would go REALLY good with a cool toned lip. Why not, ya know? 

FYI. Coloured eyebrows are on trend. I'm taking a page out of Jenn of a Beautiful Zen's book. See Badgley Mischka SS15

mascara // Hard Candy 1,000 Lashes Mascara in Indigo Blue*

brows // Hard Candy 1,000 Lashes Mascara in Indigo Blue*

lips // OCC Stained Gloss in Hedonist, the Body Shop Colour Crush Eyeshadow in Boyfriend Jeans* 

eyes and face // pretty much the same as What's on My Face #1 (subtle full face makeup) 

On top of my regular makeup, I added a few very subtle hints of colour. I ran several coats of a blue mascara through my lashes and brows to build colour. On the lips, I applied a baby pink lip gloss and then patted a baby blue lip gloss to create a matte light purple. 

Blue brows and lilac lips aren't really appropriate for the workplace but a nice detour from the neutral blahs.

Have you ever experimented with coloured brows? ... or Would you? 

Press samples denoted with an asterisk (*) .

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What's on My Face #1 - a subtle full face

Happy New Year! New year, new kind of blog post. I'm finally back at home for 8 months (and working full -time). The holiday season meant that I'm supposed to put my best face forward, sport a bold red lipstick, with a heavy hand of gold glitter on my eyes. But I'm LAZY as hell. I want to wear a full face of makeup but not in the whole "I'm wearing a lot of makeup" kind of way. 

this is that face - a medium-heavy coverage foundation for my badly behaving skin, soft pink cheeks, a "this-looks-black-but-it's-purple" eyeliner, a wash of colour on the lids, natural-looking eyelashes, and a sheer lip colour. 

foundation // laura mercier mineral powder SPF 25 in natural beige

blush // make up for ever HD blush in 225*

highlighter // hourglass ambient lighting palette 

eyeshadow // chi chi glamorous nudes palette 

eyeliner // make up for ever artist liner in m-80* 

mascara // covergirl full lash bloom mascara*

lip balm // tata harper lip treatment in be adored*

tools // shu uemura eyelash curler, real techniques expert face brush, make up for ever artisan brush #158*

What's on your face? 

Press samples and purchased products featured. Press samples are denoted with an asterisk (*). 

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Natural, Glowy Makeup with 5 Products!

Less is always more when it comes to makeup, especially in the summer. Today - a natural, glowy makeup with 5 easy-to-use products from Almay! Almay is well-known for its range of "smart shade" makeup - a line that melds with the colour of your skin upon application. Cool, eh? 

Products Used: Almay Smart Shade CC Luminous Primer, Almay Smart Shade Skintone Matching Makeup in 200 Light/Medium, Almay Smart Shade CC Concealer + Brightener in 200 Light/Medium, Almay Smart Shade Powder Blush in 10 Pink, Almay Liquid Lip Balm in 700 Cantaloupe

< one > The Almay Smart Shade CC Luminous Primer is a pink-toned primer is perfect for cancelling and correcting the yellow tones on my face. The primer itself has a slight hint of coverage to even out the skintone and add luminosity.

< two > The Almay Smart Shade Skintone Matching Makeup in 200 Light/Medium is pretty amazing. Out of the tube, the product is white but as blend the product into the skin, little beads of pigment pop to match to your face. The end-result is slightly light and overly pink for my summer tan but since the coverage is fairly light the shade difference is unnoticeable. The product yields a natural satin finish (neither matte nor dewy). 

< three > The Almay Smart Shade CC Concealer + Brightener in 200 Light/Medium is a concealer duo. One side is an orange-salmon toned concealer and the other is a cream pink-toned highlighter. I apply the concealer underneath my eyes and the brightener at the tops of my cheekbones, on the eyelids as eyeshadow and on the cupids bow of the lip for some soft-focus highlighting. 

< four > The Almay Smart Shade Powder Blush in 10 Pink is so fool-proof that you could pile it onto your face and it would still look natural..But be forewarned, there's quite a bit of chunky glitter. 

< five > To complete the look, the Almay Liquid Lip Balm in 700 Cantaloupe is a light orange. It's sheer enough that it adds the slightest bit of an orange tint to the lips. I've used it in a natural makeup look but I can imagine it would pair well with a dark grey smokey eye. 

All in all, Fuss-free shade matching and flattering tones make for a simple makeup look. These 5 products work perfectly together to create a natural, glowy make up look! 

Have you tried anything from the Almay Smart Shade range? What's your favourite Almay product? 

Press samples featured 

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Bold Cheeks + Bold Lips - Putting It All Together #1

More often than not, I write a ton of reviews. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I try way too many beauty products than any regular human being on a yearly, monthly, and daily basis. No, I don't like every single product I've tried, but I do make a huge effort to incorporate new products into some sort of routine for at least a week or two. 

Then, after my review, comes the test of time. There are often products that I'll really enjoy at first, but then get bored of how they look on my face. I change up my makeup often. So, the real gems are the ones that I'll pick up more than a couple times a week. 

So... why not put it all together? This is a little summary of the things that I've already reviewed but still make their way onto my face. 

A couple days a week, I've been sporting a look that takes it easy on the eyes and puts all the emphasis on the cheeks and lips. 

The CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in 945 Warm Beige is currently my favourite drugstore foundation. It's quite heavy coverage and doubles up as a concealer, so it's perfection when my skin's being the opposite of perfect.

The NYC Big Bold Curl Mascara* isn't my favourite of all time, but it's volumizing and it doesn't smudge. I'm a firm believer in CoverGirl mascaras, however, all the ones I previously had on hand were past the 6 month mark and had to go into the empties bin. So instead, I've been reaching for this. 

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Revlon is a brand that carries some of the best formulated colour cosmetics at the drugstore and beyond. The Revlon Powder Blush in "Wine Not"* isn't as deep as the name suggests, but it adds a ton of warmth to a dreary face. Brushing the Revlon Highlighting Palette in "Rose Glow"* on top of the blush adds an intense glitter like no other. And it's no surprise that I'm wearing the Revlon Lacquer Balm in "Whimsical"* because I own 8 of the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Stain/Lacquer/Matte Balms.

It's always nice when I amp up the lips and cheeks because I find that my huge glasses kind of take over my face, so any brights don't look quite as bold. 

What have you been wearing lately? 

Press samples featured

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