Tutorial: How to apply false eyelashes

Here's a quick tutorial on how I apply false eyelashes. Measure the lashes first by holding it against your lashline, if it's too long for you, trim the ends so it fits; then apply lash glue across the band. I find it easier to use tweezers and look down, then apply the lashes across your lashline. You can lay the mirror flat or at an angle, depending on what works for you. Once you have applied your falsies, let the glue dry and re-apply eyeliner across the band to "hide it" for a flawless look. Then apply mascara like normal blending your natural eyelashes with your false eyelashes. I personally apply a little mascara before I apply falsies simply just to get it on areas that are hard to reach (rather than doing it while the falsies are on and risk disturbing it); and then I apply it after the falsies are on as well.

For lower lashes: I like to apply it also with tweezers, and leave a little space between the lash itself and your lower lashline so that you can fill it in with eyeliner later.













I forgot to take a pic after the eyeliner and mascara were applied, so I used an older pic where you can see how it helps blend the false eyelash with your natural lash. (For this original fotd post, CLICK HERE)



For lower falsies, you can shade a little bit of eyeliner to see where to place it, then apply your falsies and then fill the space with eyeliner....

CherryCulture.com Product Review: Eyeko Tinted Cream

I had the opportunity to try the Eyeko Tinted Cream which I was really excited about because I love tinted moisturizers, especially when you are trying to go for the “no-makeup” look or the glowy bronze look which is perfect during the summer. On days you don't want to wear full on foundation a tinted moisturizer covers your flaws or discolorations while moisturizing your face at the same time and you don't feel like you have anything on.

The Eyeko Tinted Cream is a three in one cream: Tinted moisturizer, eye cream, and a highlighter which creates a flawless base., making it a great makeup primer. It has an antioxidant boost and Vitamins C, A, and E for radiant skin with a sun kissed glow. It comes in a small tub, the same size as a normal moisturizer, and it has a soft mousse like texture that isn't thick but feels a little thinner than your normal everyday moisturizer. It is pretty easy to apply, as a moisturizer or as an eye cream, you would just apply it as you would any other moisturizer or eye cream, and as a highlighter you can apply it on places you wish to highlight such as the cheekbones, or the collarbone because the Eyeko Tinted Cream provides a nice natural sheen which again, creates that subtle glow.

It's a dark brownish copper colored cream in the tub, but it does not go on that dark, so don't worry about it being too dark for your skin tone because once you rub it into your skin, it disappears and all you have left on your skin is a subtle golden shimmer which can really bring out your features; especially when used as a makeup primer. You can apply your foundation on top if the Eyeko Tinted Cream (once it dries), and it can really enhance your look and give you a nice natural glow. You can probably even use it on your legs or arms as well, or to even enhance your summer tan. It doesn't have a strong fragrance or an overpowering smell, it's kind of hard to describe, but it's a light scent similar to that of a neutral moisturizer and sunblock lotion.

It's a great tinted moisturizer for the face and body, or anywhere you want a little shimmer. It only comes in one color and the tub is big enough to last you a really long time! And it's only $12 on CherryCulture.com!

Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble Day!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all! Hope you are enjoying the holiday with your loved ones! What are your plans for today?

As you can tell, my posts have declined. Why? I have been incredibly busy, and someone mentioned that she likes that I post/update everyday and that she hates that there are bloggers who make an "excuse" to not update. As much as I appreciate the compliment, I have to disagree simply because people forget that we are people too with REAL lives beyond the blogging world. As much as I would love to update all day and everyday, I can't. I unfortunately do not get paid to blog and on top of that I have products sent to me to review all the time, so it's a lot of testing and articles to write, in addition to my OWN posts. So yes I get exhausted where I find myself sleeping 4 hours a night- and to me that's fact and not an excuse. Above all, I have to think of the main reason I started this blog- for me. It was my way of keeping track of the products I used for a certain look, or as a tool for close friends- with me as the guinea pig for makeup and beauty products.

I have a FULL TIME job from 8am-5pm, my day starts at 5:30 am when I wake up, I come home to take a shower, relax, watch TV, or read, and unwind or just knock out. After staring in front of a computer for 9 hours at work, the last thing I wanna do sometimes is be ON a computer, let alone take pics, upload them, and then have to edit them. And watermarking them is necessary because people have been stealing my photos and entering them in makeup contests so that they have a chance to win a prize from someone else's hard work. I think some people just forget to see that life itself is constantly changing; schedules and priorities change. I for one have always loved reading, and I wanted to take the time out to actually read all 4 of the 'Twilight' books and make some time for myself. I am not trying to sound whiny or anything, but just wanted to paint a clearer picture of why I have not posted as much. I have just been so wrapped up with work (since we just moved offices), as well as taking the time to enjoy the other hobbies I like to do (besides makeup), and of course preparing for the holidays! So I apologize to you all who have been so used to my daily posts, I think I have spoiled some of you, lol. But I just hope that you CAN somewhat understand that it's just me and that I DO try and get to all your emails and questions as fast as I can in addition to everything else- at times it's just hard balancing everything, but I am purposely not ignoring you! :)

So what am I thankful for? I am thankful for my family and friends, for the lovely, mature and down-to-earth people I have met both offline and online (you gals!), for my health as well as my family's health, for my boyfriend, my awesome and caring co-workers, my wonderful job, and for the strength God has given me which in turn has caused me to be more determined and motivated more than ever. And just for you new readers who have stumbled across this and for anyone who was gracious enough to give me a chance rather than just judging a book by its cover. I am forever grateful for having such positive people in my life. :)

Today I am just spending Thanksgiving with the BF's family since my family is scattered in various parts of Canada and Washington, but at least for Christmas I get to see my sisters and 'rents.

Here is a pic of the new office (in the front) but it goes all the way around the back; they are changing out the receptionist desk, so the one here is the old one. It's pretty huge in comparison to the last two offices we had considering we are growing as a company and are continuously adding onto our crew. I started with this company since 2005 as the only girl, when there were only 5 people at the ENTIRE company (as it was just starting), and now in 2008, there are now about 35-40 people including our programmers. Crazy isn't it? And because we are growing, I am now managing one of our sister companies as well, hence why all my time has been towards my job.



My desk, and yeah I have a picture of Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen from 'Twilight') hanging on my desk because it was a little inside joke that I just ended up leaving it there, LOL. I HAD to put up my little Christmas tree since Xmas is my favorite holiday!


And so what Thanksgiving look am I sporting? Well gotta stick with browns like the color of the Turkey! HAHA









What I used:
[Face]
- MUFE HD Primer in "Mauve"
- Lorac Concealer Stick
- MAC StudioFinish Concealer in NC35
- MUFE HD Foundation in #127
- Dusted a bit of Purely Cosmetics Mineral Foundation in "Olive Beige" to set

[Cheeks]
- MAC blush in "Springsheen"
- MAC beauty blush in "Nuance"
- Milani Blush in "Luminous"

[Eyes]
- MAC PP in "Soft Ochre"
- MAC e/s in "Shroom" and "Ricepaper" all over the lid
- MAC e/s in "Bisque" on lower half of the lid
- MAC e/s in "Shale", Milani "Java Bean" & "Chocolate" mixed together on crease/contour of the lid
- MAC e/s in "Dark Devotion" from this year's holiday palette on outer-V
- MAC Fluidline Eyeliner in "Nightfish" (LE)
- Covergirl Exactlights Mascara for Brown Eyes (review coming soon!)
- Urban Decay e/l in "Bourbon" on lower lashline

[Lips]
- MAC Cremesheen l/s in "Modesty"
- MAC l/g in "Song & Dance"(LE) from the pink holiday set

Product Review: Make Up Forever Lash Fibers Mascara

Product: 5 out of 5
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Quality: 5 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5
Price: $20, Sephora.com or Sephora stores
Would I buy it again? Yes

What is it: MAKE UP FOR EVER Lash Fibers double your lashes for a full, fluttering look. It's a mascara base you apply before your mascara; the extra fibers help add length to your lashes for more fuller and longer lashes.

Ingredients: Water, Oryza Sativa Cera, Sucrose Sterate, Synthetic Beeswax, C18-36 Acid Triglyceride, Pentyceride Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, C77891, Polybutene, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Gylcol, Nylon-66, Ammonium Acryloyl-Dimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25, Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Panthenol, Hydrated Silica.

PROS:
- The wand is nicely curved so you can apply it to your lashes better
- No weird smell
- Actually had fibers that attach to your lashes so when you apply your mascara you have fuller and longer lashes
- Fibers didn't get in my eye like the Tiffa Mascara Base

CONS:
- Doesn't really hold a curl (not really designed for that anyway)
- Since it's white, it may not work with clear mascara

Comparison to Shiseido Mascara base? It doesn't really hold much curl, but it's great at lengthening your lashes. You can perhaps just do with curling your lashes with a curler. For the demo I didn't curl it at all....the Shiseido one is a clear base and it doesn't have fibers to enhance your lashes.

Overall? This is probably my favorite mascara base so far because it really lengthens my lashes!

FOTD: Purple, Pink, & Blue Eyes

Sorry for the lack of posts! We are moving offices at work so we've been packing and trying to work at the same time! Then I watched "Twilight" on Friday and I watched it again on Saturday with my friend Erica (hey I really want them to make "New Moon" and so happy that they are! So I had to help them meet their mark, lol). I won't spoil it for you ladies who have not seen the movie yet, but MY personal little movie review is that you should really read the book before you watch the movie in order to understand it. They took A LOT of the good parts out (essential parts in my opinion), and I know they had a limited budget AND it's tough condensing a huge book into a 2 hour movie, but I was a bit disappointed that they didn't develop Edward and Bella's relationship a bit more in the movie like it's done in the book. It was literally like they went from I want to kill to you, I hate you, to I love you in a span of a day (unlike in the book where it progressed)...but I still LOVED the movie just because of the eyecandy, Edward Cullen. LOL.

So I hope that "New Moon" will be A LOT better and stay true to the book, assuming they will have more of a budget for this movie...we'll see!

Anyway, here is a quick look I did the other day using last year's MAC holiday "Cool Eyes" palette...











What I used:

[Face]
- MUFE HD Primer in Mauve
- MAC Studio Fix Concealer in NC35
- Fyrinnae Mineral Foundation in "Sunstone"

[Cheeks]
- MAC Blush in "True Romantic"

[Eyes]
- MAC PP in "Painterly"
- MAC e/s in "Medallion" all over the lid (from last year's antiquitease "cool eyes" palette)
- Beauty UK e/s (the pink e/s on lower half of the lid)
- MAC e/s in "Trophy Pink" on top of Beauty UK e/s
- MAC e/s in "Modern Heir" and Beauty UK Purple e/s on contour/crease
- MAC e/s in "Shadowy Lady" on outer-V
- Urban Decay Glide Eyeliner in "Lust" on lower lashline
- MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"
- Exactlights mascara

[Lips]
- MAC l/s "To Swoon For" (LE)
- MAC l/g "Magnetique" (LE)

Myprettypinkbox.com

I was happy to receive my pretty pink box from Linda over at myprettypinkbox.com!

So what IS IT exactly? It's a cute decent-sized box full of samples (some are even more than a sample size, and some may be a full-size sample) from various companies giving YOU the opportunity to try out different products and companies. They have different samples each month, and it's selected at random. (CLICK HERE to see some of the cosmetic and skincare companies that are joining in the fun!)

It's a great way to try different things without committing to a product that may not work for you.

I do not know how much the boxes are, but you can definitely get more information on the website and even submit your email for a reminder for next month's box. So check it out!

Smokey Eyes Palette FOTD

Finally, here is the breakdown of the smokey eye I did a few posts back using the MAC Holiday Smokey Eyes Palette. (I finished all the "Twilight" books so now I have a bit more time LOL). For some reason the eyes look lighter in the full face pic, but it was much darker...

You can definitely make it darker and more "smokey", since I wore this to work, I didn't make it TOO dark (in the tut), but be as creative as you want! :)









What I used:

[Face]
- MUFE HD Primer
- MUFE HD Foundation in #127
- Purely Cosmetics Mineral Foundation in "Olive Beige"

[Cheeks]
- MAC Blush in "True Romantic"

[Eyes]
- MAC Holiday '08 Smokey Eyes Palette
- MAC "Gorgeous" e/s all over the lid
- MAC e/s in "Vex" on lower half of the lid (permanent e/s, not in palette)
- MAC e/s in "Satin Taupe" on outer-v and crease
- MAC e/s in "Dark Devotion" on outer-v and outer crease
- MAC e/s in "Carbon" on outer-v and outer crease
- MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"
- L'Oreal Double Extend Mascara

[Lips]
- MAC Adoring Carmine's "To Swoon For" lipstick
- MAC Holiday "Flashmode" lipglass











Apply "Carbon" on outer-V as well (forgot to take a pic but here's an old pic from another tut)

Product Review: Make Up Forever HD Primer

Woot! I am back with my product reviews! And I got a few emails asking about these recent fires, and no thankfully I was NOT affected this time, but thanks for your concern though! I appreciate it, but luckily it wasn't by me! So FINALLY I am doing a review on this primer since it's been on my vanity for about a month or so now waiting for me to do a review on it! :)

Product: 4 out of 5
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Product: 3.5 out of 5
Quality: 4 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
Price: $32, Sephora.com
Would I re-purchase? Yeah maybe...I think id also try another color...

What it is:
A lightweight, oil-free complexion corrector that enhances the skin's texture and primes the skin for makeup application.

What it does:
HD Microperfecting Primer deeply nourishes, moisturizes, and softens the skin, creating a glowing effect. Creates a protective layer on the skin allowing foundation to glide on easily and last longer.

What else you need to know:
The Sephora-exclusive primer comes in six color-correcting shades and one transparent shade.

PROS:
- I love the bottle and the pump, it's lovely and great to travel with
- The different colors represent color-correcting shades, for example the green one minimizes redness which is ideal for those with rosacea, the mauve (the one I have) counters sallow undertones, etc. (click on the Sephora link for what each color does).
- Smells like banana (at least mine does...hey I like banana!)
- The mauve really toned down the yellow undertones in my skin and made me look a bit brighter and luminous...

CONS:
- Too expensive for me, BUT it lasts a long time so it's probably worth it
- It FEELS like a moisturizer, and I don't like that feeling; I like the dimethicone feeling, similar to that of the Smashbox Photo Primer, Monistat Chafing Gel, as well as other primers. For some reason those primers (with dimethicone or any 'cone' in it) make me FEEL like I have primer on and I don't feel like my foundation is sinking in since it sorta 'sits' on top of my moisturizer preparing a smooth canvas on my face.
- Didn't really make my foundation last as much as some of the cheaper primers (such as the monistat gel or Jen's Camellia Rose Primer). (Feel free to type these in the search box if you want more info on these).

Overall? I love MUFE in general, so all their products never seize to amaze me; their primer is OKAY, I mean I can see myself buying it again, but I wouldn't call it my favorite and I am sure there are other primers out there that'll do what I need it to do: to help my foundation last and give me a flawless finish. The MUFE primer is too pricey for it to feel like another moisturizer, I would totally love if it had the same consistency as "normal" primers, but I would try out another color for its color-correcting purposes.

FOTD & Tutorial: Smokey Forest Green

A reader requested a smokey green look, the photos don't do it justice since the flash made it look a lot lighter than it is in person...also I used MAC e/s in "Bio-Green" which is a PRO only e/s, but you can get it at the MAC PRO stores without being a pro member. I think the closest dupe to it is either MAC pigment in "Kelly Green" & Ben Nye's "Chartreuse" (type it in the search box for a swatch/comparison).





What I used:

[Face]
- MUFE HD Primer in "Mauve" (purple, and yes a review coming soon!)
- MAC Studio Fix Concealer in NC35
- MUFE HD Foundation #127

[Cheeks]
- MAC Fafi Blush in "Hipness"
- Milani Blush in "Luminous"

[Eyes]
- MAC "Moss Scape" Paint Pot on lower half of the lid
- MAC "Bio-Green" e/s (PRO) on lower half of the lid
- MAC "Humid" e/s on outer-V and crease
- MAC "Fresh Green Mix" (dark side) near the middle of the lid
- MAC pigment in "Forest Green" (LE, from last year's "cool" pigment set) on outer-V
- MAC "Ricepaper" e/s as highlight
- MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack"
- L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara

[Lips]
- MAC "Myth" lipstick as base
- MAC "Propagate" lipstick (LE)
- MAC "Beaux" Lipglass from this year's Neutral lipglass set