Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Looks of the year!

With the new year round the corner, I thought I'd share with you guys some of my favourite looks from the year, which you can recreate for your new year parties! I'll post links to youtube videos of gurus doing the makeup as well so you guys can recreate the looks. Have fun!


Kim Kardashian's Wedding Makeup



Classy, beautiful and fit for all occasions. I loved her makeup.
 

Emma Watson's New York Premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II



I think it made her look like a fairy. But yeah, this is a love it or hate it one.



Chanel Christmas 2011

I thought this was one of Chanel's best Christmas collections. Their Christmas stuff are usually centered around the eye makeup but this year, it was more about the skin, lips and highlights. Very pretty. Plus, I'm a huge fan of gold makeup so that was an extra little something special for me.

J Lo's On The Floor


I have to agree with People magazine on J Lo; she is absolutely stunning. It takes more than makeup to look like this - skin care, diet and lots of exercise. That shall be my resolution for 2012!

Kate Middleton's Wedding Makeup

I was on the fence with this one, but I had to include her in the list anyway. Kudos first of all for doing your own makeup Kate. She likes the black pencil on the lash line and none on the waterline thing, which is pretty hard to pull off. I find that when I do that, it makes me look pretty flat. But for those of you who loved it - check out the videos below.


YSL's Spring 2011 Makeup

I don't remember there being a big hype about this collection, but I thought it was something nice and different. I didn't think YSL would lash out with a pink eyeshadow look for spring/summer. I'm pretty yellow toned so I have to be careful when wearing bright pinks because they aren't very flattering on me. But - this was too pretty to pass on. I've attached a video by RAEview which I don't think is the best, but have fun with this in your own way. Just make sure you pair your pink with a black eyeliner and pump up the lashes. Pinks are always good for parties. 

Victoria's Secret Makeup

This will be in my favourites list every year! It's all about fresh, simple and pretty makeup. They always have a very girly look that is flattering on anyone! Pinks, browns and highlights are the key to this look. Tanya from Pixi2woo does really nice renditions of the girls makeup, check out the two below.
  

Cheryl Cole's Elle Cover by Lisa Eldridge

The black and white pictures from this shoot caught my eye more than the coloured ones but this is the perfect example of a black smokey eye. Party worthy.
 
Nicole Sherzinger

She's been the talk of the town since her debut as a judge on The X Factor this year. Love her or hate her, you gotta admit - she's hell beautiful. Her makeup and hair are always perfect and her outfits are to die for. And if you notice, she wears minimal pieces of accessories but they are all gorgeous and over the top. I had to include her in the list!
  
Mila Kunis Golden Globe Awards 2011
Her Vera Wang dress and simple makeup were a hit at the Golden Globes. Her makeup was by Lancome and done by makeup artist Tracey Levy, who does Mila's makeup for most of the big events. She looks great with coral and the simplicity of the makeup was a plus for me.

That's all for today! Enjoy your new years everyone :)

Love,
Tasha

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Tag: 11 most reached for products

So, I don't know who created this tag or how I came about to know of it, but I thought it might be a pretty fun favourites video to sum up the year!
These are my 11 most reached for products of 2011 :)
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner
I, Natasha, promise you, Bobbi Brown's gel eyeliner, that I will purchase you for the rest of my life, even if other eye liners come up, I will be faithful to you as you have seen me through good days and bad, hangovers and lazy days. - Drama's over. This is the best stuff in the world. I've tried all sorts of eye liners and varieties of gel eyeliners but this has been the best. MAC's fluidline dries up really fast and I always can't get the black version of the Maybelline gel liner. I've been using this for about a year now and it's still as good as new. I also use contact lenses and some gel's get caught in my lenses when I use it on my waterline. This doesn't for some reason. Really great stuff. Available at any Bobbi Brown counter.

Vaseline Lip Therapy
Most important thing, ever. Lip balm. I don't believe in lip balms that come from cosmetic companies. I belive in lip balms that come from skin care companies. Vaseline has been around for years and it does it's job well without being too expensive. Put some on before you go to sleep at night and always use it under a lipstick. You'll find that your lips are much more hydrated and are less prone to peeling than if you were to just use a lipstick on it's own. Available at all drug stores.

RMK eyelash curlers
I go through these phases where I decide I want to wear no makeup for a week. Ok fine, so I draw my eyebrows and put some mascara on, but nothing goes on my face. I know everyone is crazy about the Shu Uemura curlers and yes they do work well. But an alternative would be the RMK ones. They feel more sturdy to me than the Shu Uemura ones and have a more rounded shape.  Go to the store and ask them to let you have a go at it. I think it's pretty subjective what shape you'd prefer because it depends on how your eyes are shaped. Available at all RMK counters.

Victoria's Secret Strawberries & Champagne Body Splash
The picture shows the bottle that I own but it's the old packaging, the new bottle looks like this: TADA! I bought this off my friend's blogshop and I've been using it everyday since! I usually spray it on after I shower and carry it around with me during the day. I only use my perfumes now when there's a special occasion or if I'm going out at night. I also splash a little of this on before I go to sleep. It's a scent that you can never get sick of! Available at the VS online store.

Simple Hydrating Light Moisturizer
I bought this randomly after I heard a colleague talking about it. After I got it, I stopped using all my other moisturizers. It's so light that it's perfect for my combination skin and for the weather! A little goes a long way with this as well. I put more of it on at night when I go to bed (air conditioning = very dry) and in the day, I use a small amount of this mixed in with a sunblock. It's so, simple (for a lack of a better word) and it feels so gentle on the skin. I think the word is supple, it keeps my skin really really supple. Available at all drug stores.



Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer spf 20
I'd choose this over a foundation anytime. When you buy a foundation, you have to take into account that we live in a humid climate so it has to have good staying power. I know a lot of people fear the words "long wearing" though. This tinted moisturizer is not too matte, it does get dewy after awhile, but it does not melt off the skin despite the humidity and the heat. I find that foundations tend to feel uncomfortable on the face after awhile once the heat gets to it. This has a light to medium coverage, is oil free and lasts all day on me. It's honestly the best base I've ever used. Available online or at True Colours in Takashimaya.

Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base
I don't like to use primers, I think it just creates an additional unnecessary layer. But! I love this. I don't use it as a base. Instead, I mix it into my foundation and it helps create a more natural effect that gets dewy through the day. It helps control the oil a little as well, so it's the right type of dewy for me. I use this the most with my Chanel Mat Lumiere or my NARS Sheer Matte foundation and I prefer it over the totally matte finish look. You just need a really little bit of this to make some magic. Available at all Chanel counters.

MAC Sunnydaze Pigment
This has been the most used anything on my eyelids for the year. I'm not sure if you can get it on it's own but I got it in the pack of 5 pigments (MAC Mischief Makers Sexpot/Smoky) from back in 2009. It's sort of an apricot-y colour. I use this on it's own in the day, and at night, I use it over the Blackground paintpot. Now I'm not a huge fan of browns, I think they make me look really flat. But this is lovely, it's pretty shimmery and has a silvery reflective sheen to it. Best pigment colour ever. Does anyone know if we can get this at the MAC store?

Lumiere Sculptee de Chanel
J Lo is the queen of highlighting. She always seems to glow in the correct places! I've been into highlighting in general and I want to buy this Chanel one but it's $100!

Some good ones you can try out are MAC's Pearl Cream Coloured Base (gold cream highlight) - look out for their Beauty Powders as well, Benefit's High Beam (peachy pink liquid highlight) & NARS Albatross (pearl powder). Places to use it - your cheekbones, under the eyebrows (at the arch), down the nose and at the cupids bow. If it's for the evening, you can be more generous with your highlight but keep it at a minimal for the day because it will catch the light. MAC makes a duo of an eyebrow powder and a highlight and Sleek make a contour and highlight duo that's pretty affordable! Get these from anywhere you want! Be adventurous with your highlights :)


MAC's Russian Red Lipstick
Or any red lipstick actually.

This is the first year I really got into the reds. I use it when I want a simple eye but still a sort of jazzed up overall look. I usually go with a winged out eyeliner, an earth toned blush and red lip liner to couple the lipstick - you can get a good red lip liner anywhere but the one I use is MAC's Chicory. It's not really red, it's more of a muted brown, but I like it. If you prefer, you can get MAC's Red which is a pure red. You have to try different tones of red and find the one that suits you the most. Judy uses MAC's Dubonnet which is really pretty too, it's a darker deeper red than Russian Red. Available at all MAC stores.

Covergil Lashblast Volume Waterproof Mascara
True story -  I have about 25 of these stocked up at home. Every time someone goes to Australia, my mum gets them to bring back this mascara. This has been the holiest of holy grails, mascara wise for me. It keeps my lashes curled till I take the product off with makeup remover and the product itself lasts much longer than many other mascaras I've tried, it doesn't dry up fast. It's cheap and good and waterproof. I know some people don't like waterproof mascaras because the formula isn't as thick as the regular one, but I get the smudgies under the eyes which drives me nuts. I've introduced many people to this and they all seem to love it! You can get this online, they don't retail Covergirl in Singapore.

That's all from me. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Love,
Tasha