Tips

Decanting and Organizing Your Makeup

Jan 24, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Beauty, Makeup, Tips 2 Comments Tags: decanting, Dior, eyeshadows, inuovi, MAC, makeup forever magnetic palette, mufe, nars, organizing, sephora, unii, z palette

Decanting and Organizing Your Makeup. Currently, I own about 60 individual pieces of makeup from various brands/ sizes, as of a few months I no longer buy eyeshadows or blushers unless they come in a palette or individual metal pans. Why do you ask? It is so hard to remember and have everything on hand at once. As a makeup artist on the go, having your kit organized is essential. Also, when traveling powder makeup falls apart sometimes so keeping everything tightly secured is a must, makeup in Singapore costs dearly, I have to import a lot of my stuff. In the summer I will be going overseas again, and before it gets too overwhelming (this means also thinking about the liquids in foundations, OMG OMG OMG), I began the dreaded task of condensing my stuff.

For the basics – in the process of customizing the 28 refills of various brands in one palette, I used a heated hair straightener, rubbing alcohol (in case of spilled powder), stanley knife and a tea spoon. To remove the shadows from the plastic case, use heat at the bottom of the product, once it is hot with the stanley knife start pulling the edges until it peels off completely. The easiest brands to decant are Sephora, MAC, Christian Dior, Chanel, Makeup Forever (prob the easiest and it comes with a magnet, bonus). The most annoying ones were Inuovi and NARS, if you make any mistakes, the spillage of powder with these brands is epic – this is where the rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle became a savior, a few sprays of it will literally put your powder back in one place, using a tea spoon and pressing it. I learned all these wonderful tips on Youtube.

For decanting I chose two UNII palettes and organized them with the color range you will see in the photo (neutrals/ greens). I liked the design, sturdy/ airtight features and the fact that they come with a magnetic base so the pans will definitely stay on. In hindsight, I wish the palettes were bigger and less heavy! For personal use UNII is a good buy if you don’t own lots of makeup, the case comes with a mirror and will fit into a handbag. For my next batch I will get two large Z-Palettes which seem to be the most popular and talked about ones among the makeup pros. Makeup Forever makes empty magneted palettes as well, cost is £11.50 at Guru Makeup Emporium UK.

Smoothies For Skin Glow

Jan 11, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Anti-Ageing, Skincare, Tips 1 Comment Tags: flaxseed oil, omega-3s, smoothie

I got the idea for this smoothie from this cool site called Paleta.com. This blend is so complete with skin-loving plant-based proteins, potassium, calcium, fiber, and omega-3s. The essential fatty acids in the flaxseed oil have anti-inflammatory benefits, which is helpful for red, irritated, and puffy skin. Note -as part of my own daily routine I started taking fish oils (Omega 3) a month ago and have to say there has been zero irritation as of late, something must be working, right?

In a blender mix the following ingredients

1 tbsp flaxseed oil
2 tbsp raw almond butter
1 small banana
1/2 cup organic apple juice
1 cup ice cubes

Photo credit Totalbeauty.com

Love For Your Lips

Jan 10, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Beauty, Lips, Tips No Comments Tags: cocoa butter, DY lip scrub, Korres, lush, olive oil

In some parts of the world it is cold outside or perhaps like us over in Singapore, the heat never seems to stop, the sunrays are strong and sometimes our lips get dry and chapped. The horror.

Here is a tip, for flaky lips gently brush them with a dry toothbrush for a few seconds and use lip balm to restore moisture. I like fruit tasting lip balm like Japanese brand Lush Lip Service in Cocoa Butter or Korres Lip Butter, excellent moisture and protection against chapped lips.

If you have a bit more time, do a DYI brown sugar lip scrub! It is so easy and most of all cheap. Mix a little bit of olive oil and brown sugar together, rubbing gently and rinsing it out with some lukewarm water. Tap dry with some tissue paper and then apply some lip balm.

Foods Good For Our Skin

Jan 2, 2012 By Norah Salazar in Anti-Ageing, Eyes, Skincare, Tips 1 Comment Tags: avocado, berries, food, green tea, skin

Saw this on my Twitter feed and thought I’d share a few of the names of foods that are good for our skin (and some can also be applied as masks). If they are good enough to be eaten they can also be applied to our face and hair, I have done the pure avocado hair mask, yes you are reading this correctly! Avocado is a great natural conditioner. Green tea bags can be used as a cold compress for swollen eyes and even a sunburn, the colder the better, you can prepare them wrapped in a muslin cloth to avoid getting it into your eyes. As for berries, you can use them as a face mask mashed up with a little bit of natural yoghurt.

1. Avocado

The avocado is known for its numerous properties that benefit the skin. It contains many healthy fats that plump up the skin and smooth away the dryness. Avocados have the highest content of vitamin E when compared with other fruits, which is a powerful antioxidant that helps strengthen the white blood cells.

2. Green Tea

The health properties of green tea are vast. The list of skin benefits that green tea provides goes on and on. Green tea, whether consumed as a drink or applied to the skin, can decrease risk of damage from the sun and thus lessen the risk of skin cancer.

3. Berries

Strawberries, blackberries and blueberries are all good for the skin because of their high antioxidant content. These 3 berries have been found to have the highest antioxidant capacity of any foods. They produce collagen which keeps the skin smooth and plump.

Party Looks For NYE

Dec 28, 2011 By Norah Salazar in Eyes, Eyeshadow, Makeup, Tips No Comments Tags: blending, cover girl lipstain, MAC, makeup tutorial, nye makeup, paint pot, Pixiwoo, Revlon

Leading up to the new year, I am going to be featuring some party looks using my editorial tearsheets from December and January issues of Simply Her magazine in Singapore.

The look above is a smokey reddish brown using a solid base of MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork (cream eyeshadow) all over the lid. Paint Pots dry fast so you have to work fast using your fingers or a sponge. Next step, use a shimmer/ metallic color like a reddish or dark orange working in the shape of a half moon across the crease (Halfway into your lids) and all the way into the tear duct. Note – use a blending brush like this one by MAC (or any other brand just note the fan shape of the brush), and blend the colors in a circular motion so they mash together nicely). Makeup technique takes time and practice so don’t get frustrated – watch how the pros do it! I really like Pixiwoos tutorials.

I should add the brows were filled in using a Kohl eyeliner pencil. If you want eyes to go the distance, dab a little bit of Makeup Setting Spray over the eyelids and eyebrows (see my post here about this topic).

Lastly, the lips were done using a lipstain base – you can use Revlon Bitten or Cover Girl Outlast, cheap and very good for long lasting strong colored lips. Over this, you can apply a matte lipstick of your choice (MAC or OCC liptars are the best).

How To Make Your Makeup Last !!!

Dec 19, 2011 By Norah Salazar in Eyeliner, Makeup, Tips, Uncategorized 1 Comment Tags: Makeup Forever, Skindinavia, Urban Decay

How to make your makeup last. Ever wonder how performers and celebrities who go on red carpets beat the sweat, oil and strong camera lights? They all use a magic thing called makeup setting spray! Think of hairspray for the face, an agent that prolongs the finished product. What I usually do is once I am done with foundation, powder and eyeshadow is to spray it at least a couple of times. If you have a special occasion like a wedding, ball, a night out in town with some dancing, makeup setting spray will act as a barrier against oil and sweat. If you feel like using glitter over your eyes, makeup setting spray also works wonderfully! Another step I add is using a q-tip/ cotton bud, I’ll spray once and gently dab it along the eyeliner line under the eyes/ eyelid, this will keep it nice. **Make sure you wash your face with a good cleanser or makeup remover wipes.

A few of my favorites are Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray, Makeup Forever Mist and Fix and Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray.

Winged Eyeliner

Dec 12, 2011 By Norah Salazar in Eyeliner, Tips 4 Comments Tags: duwop, eyeko, MAC fluidline, maybelline

Found this cool image on Tumblr, if you are feeling this look I definitely recommend having three items in your arsenal. Most important is a mirror preferribly an oval double-sided mirror like this one.

Next is using a gel liner and/ or a liquid liner like MAC Fluidline or Maybelline Eyestudio and for liquid I like Eyeko or Maybelline. Using gentle strokes AND a pointed brush (MAC, Sigma and ELF make good ones), start in the middle of the eyelid, closest to the lash line. Have some q-tips/ cotton buds on hand and a bit of foundation or concealer to correct mistakes. I usually leave the eyeliner last, meaning I’d have applied my eyeshadow or eye primer beforehand. Last but not least, use surgical tape on your eyes, angle it from the corner of your nose to corner of the eye. Watch this great video by Aussie makeup artist Rae Morris, she explains brilliantly here.

Another item which I happen to love is the DuWop reverse eyeliner pen. Once you are done lining and after letting the product dry on your eyes, gently trace the lines you’ve just done making sure you don’t touch the liner and with your hands, blend it together for a flawless, smudge-proof finish.

MUA Immaculate Palette

Dec 9, 2011 By Norah Salazar in Makeup, Tips, Uncategorized No Comments Tags: MUA, Superdrug

If you are in the market for a fabulous (and good value for money) eyeshadow palette, I highly suggest ordering the MUA Immaculate Palette, it is £8 (About $15 USD)!!! I got wind of this gem back in November, thanks to Twitter and following British makeup artist Karla Powell and the MUA team. Lucky for me, the husband travels to London often and is the guy who will go into Superdrug, get on the phone to Singapore and ask me what I need, nice guy right? For those who don’t know, Superdrug is a super-cool shop in Britain where you get cosmetic brands like MUA, Barry M, GOSH, etc, for like £1 or £2 for shadows or lipsticks. They do lots of deals, you can test products at some of their shops, you get my drift. When I was living in Upminster, Essex I’d go into Superdrug at least three times a week as it was just across the road from our flat. They stock all kinds of beauty goods.

The MUA Immaculate colour range is pretty lovely, browns, purples, pink, some shimmers not highly pigmented but GREAT layered with a strong base of colour (a cream shadow for example or using an eye primer should work out just fine). My prom and bridal party clients love this palette!!! BTW, MUA ships internationally and their fantastic product range is available for order here.

And Speaking of Hair …

Nov 25, 2011 By Norah Salazar in Hair, Tips, Uncategorized No Comments Tags: loreal, silicone free, sulfate free

There has been lots written recently on the use of salt-free and sulfate-free shampoo. If you know my story, I do color, straightening (Brazilian Keratin), and live in a super humid country called Singapore. Needless to say, lots of frizz going around and blow outs don’t last very long around these shores, it is the pits. In order to keep a healthy routine, I’ve been washing my hair less, using more dry shampoo/ baking soda in between and switched over to a color-friendly sulfate-free shampoo by L’Oreal Ever Pure Moisture Shampoo For Color Treated Hair. (There was a fabulous Watsons SG offer on L’Oreal products so I stocked up). In April while in London town, I had this fabulous Brazilian hairstylist take care of my waves, at the time she also suggested to get a salt-free shampoo to prolong my Brazilian Keratin treatment. She was right.

The results in switching shampoos have been good so far. Did you know that common sulfates found in shampoos that include sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate cause more frizz and will further damage chemically treated hair? I didn’t. Using cold water to rinse, silicone-free conditioner and air drying as much as possible are all tips to ensure healthy tresses year-round. I found a great website for a list of silicone-free shampoos and conditioners. **Please note: this is geared for people with wavy/ curly hair, if your hair is fine, straight or of a different texture, ask a professional if silicone-free is ok for you. I am just giving this as a reference and based on the results I’ve had so far.

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