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My Facial Experience At AsterSpring Centres Singapore

By Norah Salazar in Beauty, Skincare, Spa No Comments Tags: , , ,

The entrance of AsterSprings and the lovely staff

Having just travelled by air for more than 18 hours can cause havoc on the skin. Think the recycled air, lack of sleep, change of time zones and dehydration and being sat in middle seats most of the journey, less the ability to move and drink fluids, this was my case. It was time to sort my skin out after trying to recover from a bad case of jetlag and some unwanted hormonal breakouts. So I booked myself at AsterSpring Clementi for some much needed revamp. Before the facial, I filled out a rather extensive questionnaire plus I had my face analysed throughly. Some of the questions were as specific to my eating habits in regards to caffeine and alcohol. As I am familiar with the effects of certain foods and drinks on the skin when people come in for makeup, I was aware and understood the reasoning behind the questions. The therapist was trying to offer me the best suited facial for the needs of my skin as we talked about my answers. So, what were my needs and concerns? It is no suprise, I was dehydrated, have minor pigmentation and at the time had quite a bit of breakouts in the lower chin and around my mouth. Another super interesting fact was the spot positions, better explained to me in the Traditional Chinese Medicine method. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the spots on your face do not pop up randomly. The positioning of breakouts in the face is meaningful because in TCM different areas of the face relate to certain organs. The face is like a mirror of the body and mind (much like in Reflexology). My areas of TCM correlation are all in the lower intestine, colon and kidneys. I was in fact showing signs of dry skin and in need of a face detox, which is also how I felt on the inside. What I had done is called Face Mapping a procedure which divides the face into fourteen distinct zones and provides an objective view of the skin’s condition.

My therapist recommended I had an Intense Dermal Clear Facial a treatment that lasts about 80 minutes. For this treatment, a medical-grade facial machine is used (without any down time) and it involves ultrasound waves and high-impulse modes, combined with oxygen serum to stimulate skin cells. The Intense Dermal Clear Facial helps brighten the complexion and improve skin texture for glowing results. We started with deep cleansing followed by a lot of steam. I was also made aware that major extractions were necessary to clear all my blemishes out. At the end of the treatment I was given a double cooling multivitamin masque and an oxygen serum to further nourish my face after the extractions. I also had a lovely post pressure point head/ shoulder massage. During the session, I dozed off nicely and had a super relaxing time. My face for the next few days was a bit beaten, and I knew this was the course. A week later I was clear and glowing, as you will see through my before and after pictures. All the products used were Dermalogica and as I am a faithful follower of this fabulous skincare brand, I know it is good. Astersprings Centres are located islandwide in Singapore and this makeup pro highly endorses their service and facility!

(Left) before the facial, blemishes around the chin area, SO relaxed after the facial photo in the upper corner and lower corner photo is a week later, with makeup on and a super clear complexion. None of these photos are retouched!

Makeup Forever Aqua Water Proof Eyeshadow Pencils

By Norah Salazar in Eyes, Eyeshadow, Makeup 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , ,

A long overdue post! After attending a fabulous event put on by the Makeup Forever Singapore tribe, I left for my trip home so this is tracking back just slightly but newsworthy nonetheless. AND just as I landed in the US of A, the beauty press was raving about MUFE Aqua Shadows (Allure magazine, NBC, blogs) as well as during the Makeup Show Chicago when James Vincent talked about them at the beauty blogger preview. There was a lot of buzz going around and makeup artists were buying like crazya the show. As with any MUFE product, you are getting a versatile pencil, MUFE Aqua Shadow pencils double up as lip base or eyeliner too. I used them on clients and the results didn’t disappoint!

So, why are these pencils so wonderful?

a) The Aqua Shadow range is waterproof
b) Insane color payoff on its own
c) Colors are easy to blend with other shades [Tried and tested] d) You can use Aqua Shadows in black as an eyeliner or any of the colors [Use a small tip eyeliner brush, it stays on for days even when I remove my makeup] e) Two of my brides LOVED them [enough said] f) The pink and taupe are fabulous base for lipcolor [Tried and tested]

Now to the swatches and pencils!

Left to right 323 (silver), 30E (peach), 24E (pink), 8E (green), 6E (blue), 0E, (black).

There will be a separate post on the lipsticks that were revealed at the event.

Ageless Beauty

By Norah Salazar in Beauty, Makeup No Comments Tags: , , ,


I wanted to share some images from Illamasqua and their upcoming AW12 collection – Generation Q. The notion that makeup (and beauty) has an age limit is definitely something I do not relate to and a message I feel British brand Illamasqua delivers beautifully. Age does not define who we are on the inside or the outside. Age is not a number.


(The magic that is makeup artist Alex Box on the right – she is one of my many inspirations)

In typical Illamasqua style, they have created a message that no other brand has done. The new Generation Q campaign will go against the industry’s unspoken and despicable taboo, by featuring older models as well as young. Brilliant! More brands neeed to embrace this idea. And to take it a step further, the campaign features real women, not your typical agency models.

New Favorite Gel Liner

By Norah Salazar in Eyeliner, Eyes, Tips 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,


Currently living for my new Tarte emphasEYES™ Amazonian clay waterproof liner & brush, it glides on beautifully and is waterproof. It is a cruelty free formula – not tested on animals. It comes with a double ended brush for smudging and lining, it takes practice but it definitely works very well. My advice is to take your time with it, line gently and build your wing using tape around the end of your eyes. See this very helpful Pinterest tip here and here also.

PS. I bought mine at Sephora in the USA, not sure if it is available in Singapore (check Sephora outlets).

Makeup Artistry The Career

By Norah Salazar in Makeup, Personal 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , ,


Over the last years, I’ve been honing my skills in makeup, learning about brands, trying/ testing consumer and professional products, practicing every chance I get and watching You Tube videos, there is a lot of information out there to learn basics. If you are a good observer, advanced skills are at the disposal of us, via tutorial videos from people like Pixiwoo, Lisa Eldridge, Michelle Phan, EnKore, etc. A lot of makeup artists do not go to school, they are artists in other mediums, some have no schooling at all, they are born with this beautiful gift and learn on their own.

There is also something I wanted to discuss with my readers – art school, graphic design, painting and photography. In today’s competitive world of makeup artistry there are a lot of professionals like myself who come with a background of arts; whether it is university, continuing education, high school or even short courses, every bit helps. In university, I took A LOT of art electives because initially my major was going to be graphic design (I ended up having a change of heart but in reality I continued studying “art” in the form of appreciation and two years of studies in Spain and Germany plus the photography courses and oil painting, I never stopped. The truth is, there is no right or wrong way to learn makeup, if you have the inclination it comes organically. In my case, some may say I bloomed late and that is OK too.

Here is something I noticed after going through the haute couture shows, Peter Philips creative director/ makeup artist at Chanel is a trained graphic designer. Dany Sanz creator of Makeup Forever was a sculptor/ painter and then became a makeup artist. Scott Barnes (the man who created the J.Lo signature makeup look), studied Fine Arts/ Painting at Parsons School. There is a long list of professionals who first started with an art medium and then went on to makeup [I include myself in this bracket]. And then there is artists like Pat Mcgrath, Kevyn Aucoin, and Charlotte Tilbury. What do they have in common? No formal training as such, they learned by practicing and assisting like one does when you first start in this business.

Keep learning. The last two months especially, I was constantly inspired by every stop I had across the USA, last year I had a similar experience in London UK. If there are any buddying makeup artists out there reading this, I hope you this blurb motivates you to learn and persevere.

Photo source CHANEL HAUTE COUTURE Fall 2012, Vogue FR

My Trip To The Chicago Makeup Show

By Norah Salazar in Beauty, Makeup, Skincare 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


James Vincent at the Beauty Blogger Event on Saturday

For those who follow me on Twitter and Facebook, you know I’d been talking about the Makeup Show Chicago for months in advance. To say I was midly excited and eagerly waiting, an understatement! By the time June rolled on, I had already received an invite to the exclusive Beauty Blogger event on the 16th and was looking forward to meeting up with fellow Latina Lifestyle Blogger, Big Time Beauty aka Ashley Pena, a Chicago native, bridal makeup artist and blogger like me. Thanks to Ashley, I had been in contact with the Makeup Show PR team. Through my social media and Facebook reach I knew the makeup/ vendors that would be attending. I planned ahead and did my homework.

The Beauty Blogger event was held at Venue One on West Randolph St on Saturday afternoon of June 16th. I arrived just as James Vincent was starting to speak, (He is the Director of Artistry for The Makeup Show, The Powder Group and On Makeup Magazine AS WELL as a very accomplished makeup artist and body painter). As I took my chair, a huge canvas bag with goodies was set for me, as well as a very diverse of group of women in the room – good company! James Vincent talked about the products inside our bags as well as the opportunities in our hands not only as industry professionals but as beauty insiders. He was funny, quirky, inspiring, someone I’d definitely bond over many subjects not just makeup. I was struck by how fondly he spoke of his peers as well as his own assistant Bethany Townes, so refreshingly sweet. After the event, Ashley and I went over to have some deep dish pizza and chat. While we were eating, we decided to stop over at Ulta’s Chicago flagship store and walked some miles to work off the lunch. Perfect day.

Makeup Show Day 1 – Had a bit of a late start at noon so I knew I had a lot of catching up to do. When I walked in, I was very overwhelmed. There were A LOT of people at the show. The lines were long, there were booths like Obssessive Compulsive Cosmetics and Makeup Forever which were literally mobbed, impossible to even get a glimpse or swatch product. It took some patience to get through the places I wanted to definitely shop at, a lot of walking and stopping. Before the show I had a very good idea of what I needed and this helped tremendously. In spite of the craziness, people working all booths were super friendly, patient, helpful, this also includes people working as security and the Makeup Show staff themselves. Having attended Beauty Asia before, this was a totally different experience for me. Ashley had already been at the show earlier than me this day and she kindly guided me through the two levels of makeup/ hair heaven. I made some purchases, had a few booths I still needed to see and would sleep on a few other things for the next day.

Makeup Show Day 2 – For my last day at the show, I had a full night to rest and think strategically on what I needed and the workshops I most wanted to attend (airbrush and using cream pigments). My first stop was Obssessive Compulsive Cosmetics. Being the proud owner of a few lip tars, OCC’s iconic product I knew I wanted to try more colors and test out the concealers which James Vincent had talked about at the bloggers event. As soon as I got to the OCC booth, I was able to chat with the creator/ owner David Klasfeld, what a lovely man! David walked me through the ingredients (all cruelty-free and vegan), and I had the opportunity to swatch/ test/ try on myself all the colors and pigments I felt would most benefit my kit. After OCC, I stopped at Alcone, Embryolisse, Graftobian, Crown Brushes, T3 Micro, NARS, Smashbox, AJ Crimson makeup, Stila, Kevyn Aucoin, Temptu, Dante Disposable Products, Makeup Forever, Frends Beauty Supply, The Powder Group, Bloom.com. Midway through the show, I had a super nice surprise from the wonderful people at Skindinavia, they contacted me via Twitter and we had a chance to meet face to face! Thank you for the kind gift, things like this mean the world to me. The people at Crown brushes, Embryolisse USA, Smashbox, NARS, Frends Beauty Supply and Nigel’s Beauty Emporium, Makeup Forever were most helpful and extended their pro discount and full of advice.

On the earlier part of the day, I watched the amazing things one can do with a MUFE flash palette as pro-educator Brittany James used only this product to do a full face, the speed and understanding of color was insane. Later, I attended Cory Bishop’s Color Theory workshop to a packed house. He was fabulous and re-affirmed my love for color and beauty, Brittany was also really good during her workshop. After Cory’s talk, I spent quite a bit of time drooling over the Temptu Airbrush machines, [this will be my next big purchase]. I did end up getting a correcting palette from Temptu.

The Makeup Show Chicago was my happiest place on earth. I am eternally grateful to not only the Makeup Show people but the vendors, artists, Ashley Pena and my husband for being so generous and sweet. If you are an artist and beauty professional, the Makeup Show is a must!


My beauty loot

New Work For Agency of The Year Awards June 2012 (Marketing Magazine Singapore)

By Norah Salazar in Beauty, Foundation, Makeup 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,


I am super proud of this new editorial work, it is what makeup artists dream of, close-ups of lips, eyes, face, work has to be very precise (PRESSURE IS ON and we love that). When I got the news that this shoot was happening, I was beyond excited, this image was the cover of Agency of the Year Awards in Singapore for Marketing magazine.

Even better, the color of the lips is something I custom created myself using my trusted Makeup Forever Flash palette and on the face all Makeup Forever HD foundation for a clean finish. For this tone, I mixed a few hues and topped up with some gloss, although I’d say it was more a matte finish on the picture itself.

In Singapore you can purchase MUFE palette at the pro-store.

Top Products From The Makeup Show in Chicago

By Norah Salazar in Anti-Ageing, Hydration, Makeup No Comments Tags: , , , , , ,


Embryolisse cream – This gorgeous product sinks into your skin beautifully, bringing adequate moisture and makes an excellent pre-foundation product for the dry skin and combination skin types. I also ended up getting an oil-free matte version of it for Singapore clients with oily skin. It is a favorite product amongst the most experienced makeup artists, I had to get it and of course I tried both products on myself, good results.

Temptu Pro Neutralizer Wheel – When I attended Cory Bishop’s Color Theory class, I had an A-HA moment. Instead of just using layers of concealer to address redness/ purple/ darkness under eyes, a product like the Temptu Color Wheel corrector made sense, another must have in my kit.

OCC concealers – I am a HUGE fan of the liptars so when James Vincent suggested all makeup artists should have a try at the new OCC SKIN concealers at the blogger event on Sat, he was right! What an amazing product. Lucky for me I swatched and tried all the shades in the company of David Klasfeld, creator and owner of OCC. Formulated from the finest vegan ingredients available, these concealers also nourish and hydrate the skin with Cocoa Extract, Aloe Leaf Extract and Vitamin E. Of course, I pre-ordered a bunch of these puppies and can’t wait to use them on my clients.

Skindinavia Bridal Makeup Spray – After being a huge fan of their makeup setting sprays formulas for dry and oily skins, I picked up a bottle of this fabulous spray at the Alcone booth and am already a fan! Thank you Skindinavia for this wonderful product (and token of appreciation). Btw, Skindinavia ships worldwide. I use this over my eyeliner for zero smudge effect.

Smashbox Halo Yellow Correction Hydrating Powder – I’d been looking for a brightener/ color corrector/ skin balancer in yellow for a while now and this was a suggestion at the Smashbox pro counter at the show (Smashbox were super nice and extended their pro discount to me on the spot!). This is a product which will get used lots. I wish there was a cream version of it but for now a powder will do, little goes a long way with color correctors!

MGM Las Vegas Grand Spa and Health Club

By Norah Salazar in Spa 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , ,

I’ve been on a USA tour and of course, a spa was on my to-do list.  Lucky for me, the spa visit came at the end of the journey in the city of Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Spa and Health Club.   This was a special treat not only for myself but for my sister, for months we had anticipated some time for girlie pampering. 

For those not familiar with the MGM hotel in Las Vegas, it is HUGE, crowded, busy and goes on for miles with shops and restaurants.  As we made our way through the masses, I was not sure what to expect, the pictures on the website do not reflect the level of quiet and comfort – a major surprise to us.  This is a full service spa, complete with sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, full showers with towels, hair dryers, straighteners, clean hair brushes, refreshments, granola bars, locker room, slippers, plus a waiting room with sofas to fully relax after your treatment.

I opted for the Classic European facial which is 50 minutes it includes cleansing, exfoliation, mask, steam, extraction, moisturizers, and massage. After the consultation, my therapist suggested I try the diamond peel as an add-on, truth is my face had a few very noticeable deep pimples.

After the steam and cleansing de rigueur, my hands and feet were treated to a massage, followed by moisture under a warm wrap (bliss). Following the first part of the facial, I was told there would be a ton of extractions. A clay mask using an enzyme product was applied to help clear my skin and peel off the layer that needed to be “buffed”. Being a regular facial person I was well aware it needed to be done in order to help my skin shed unwanted dead cells/ pimples and blackheads. Phew. Yes, it may sound like a lot but this was done quite swiftly plus a shoulder massage would come at the very end. The diamond peel was not harsh at all, although I did feel the buffing effect happening.

The experience was so relaxing and chilled I nearly forgot I was in Vegas. The staff, bed side manners and service were stellar. After my facial, I chilled outside in the lounge, had cold green tea and a lovely 1-1 with my sister. My face today is peeling, no surprises as this sort of reminds me of the glycolic medical facial I had in Singapore, but at least I know in a few days my face will be as smooth as silk and radiant. If you are ever in Las Vegas, I totally recommend this spa! The products that were used on my face were all by Skinceuticals.

Le Petronille Skincare Challenge

By Norah Salazar in Anti-Ageing, Beauty No Comments Tags: , , , , ,


Weeks 5/6 of my Petronille Skincare Challenge –  I realize I am a little behind on the updates, it’s been very hectic around this neck of the woods between vacation time with the family, seeing friends AND networking time has ran out fast.  Week 5 I spent it in Miami, FL with a little humid air and normal heat conditions for this time of the year.  With less than 50% humidity and winds, I don’t sweat as much and the Petronille day cream worked perfectly under my concealer and sometimes dash of foundation. There were days were I went almost makeup free and with similar results, there was not a sight of oily t-zone (hurray).  At night time I still managed to put some of the nightcream with the elixir and experienced some dryness (even though I doubled up on the amount I was using).  I think this is quite normal for me as I tend to dry up when in a/c rooms such as the one in our apartment in FL.

Week 6 was spent in an old familiar place for me, New York city.  The climate in New York was unseasonably cool and definitely very mild which seemed to agree with my skin.  New York is a walking city and I dove right into the routine of subways, taxis, crowded restaurants and shopping centers. While in New York I didn’t spend a ton of time outside and my skin held up well both daytime and nighttime, there was no need for ac and both the creams and elixirs did their magic.  I met up with friends and everyone had nothing but compliments particularly on my skin (double hurray!).  Petronille agreed with me in all fronts and I highly recommend it! Thank you Luxola for introducing me to this fabulous brand.

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