Belle En Blanc

So once again, we managed to squeeze time out of our busy school lives to do another editorial post. Unfortunately we did not get too much time, so we apologize for the lack of images. We will make up it up another time, promise. :)

Taking time into consideration, we both agreed upon on doing a simple "all-white" theme. Well...mostly all white. Keep scrolling down for images! 

Model: Carmen

Photography: Doris

On the outfit (Doris): This might be one of the few times keeping our nails bare will work out perfectly. Even though accessories were once again kept to a bare minimum, it is clear they are the true focal point. The watch brought out a whole another dimension to an otherwise one-dimensional outfit. And having tucked in the blouse on one side in, we are able to distinguish denim from cotton. I am not much for symmetry as you might have noticed. I also like to keep things simple, styling one hand usually bare, and the other, with star pieces. However the last picture with C standing with the bag, hair, and arms hang straight down helped create the illusion of  a straight line thus giving the
impression of length.

On the makeup and hair (Carmen): Because the outfit is all white, the makeup was kept a soft, golden-peachy tone.  The starkness and brightness of the true white would have washed me out. My favourite bronzer to use is the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess in Soft Matte. The color is not too pigmented, buildable, and suits most skin tones. I focused the bronzer on my jaw line, and contoured the face and nose as well. Highlighting the bridge of your nose, brow bones, and your cheek bones with a light off-white shade will give you an amazing glow. I decided to only line my upper eyelid with a bold black gel-liner, and used a brown shadow to line the bottom to create a softer look. Going with the more natural look, skipping false lashes is a must. I recommend going for a light coat of mascara instead!

I have thin hair, so I decided to brush all my hair to one side to create more volume. I teased the hair and then braided it loosely for a casual look. To extend the length of my braid, I added 3 pieces of hair extension in the shade of my current hair color. Note: It's perfectly fine if the braid is messy. In fact,  the messier the braid looks, the better! Once you are done braiding, loosen it up by lightly tugging at the sides for added volume.

 

Products used:

Face:
- Skin 79 Super Beblesh Balm Triple Functions
- Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess in Soft Matte
- garnier eye roller

Eyes:
- Garnier Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller
- Tony Moly Backstage Gel Eye Liner (BK1)
- Sephora Luxe Noir Palette in Gold
- Estee Lauder Magnascopic Maximum Volume Mascara

Lips:
- Yves Rocher Gloss & Mini Mirror (no number/light pink)


The weekend is finally here! Time to relax, stock up on those study snacks and strap ourselves down for those upcoming assignments and exams. Work hard, and play hard!


xx,
C & D

The Modern Geisha

There is no look more profound for people with monolids than the "Geisha" look. With Doris' unique features, we managed to bring  the traditional Japanese look together with the progressive western fashion. The east and the west came together as one style to create an exotic, elegant, yet casual composition.

An old-fashioned and conventional geisha would be wearing substantial theater makeup. This necessitates the traditional pale skin with a heavy emphasis on vibrant pink eye shadows and a bold red lip. Black eyeliner would be used to hide double eyelids or emphasize the monolids. Heavily-filled in brows would then complete the look.

 

Model: Doris
Photography: Carmen

On the outfit and makeup (Carmen): 

Keeping with the theme, I chose a wrap dress to compliment D's figure.  I didn't want the outfit to be overcrowded with the floral designs so I decided to transform it into a top. By tucking the bottom into the shorts, the look seemed less ceremonial. I chose not to include any accessories in order to bring out the beautiful print of the dress, therefore plain tights were preferred. The bag and the shoes brought out the much needed warmth from the otherwise "cool" palette of colors.

Geishas have extremely pale, white skin, with exaggerated eye makeup, and red lips. Doris' complexion was just perfect for this look! To keep with tradition, eyeshadow was kept to a less intense. Light pink and light orange were used together with a light hand. This was to prevent it from overpowering the colours of the outfit. I decided to exaggerate the eyeliner, and have it thickened to emphasize her eyes. Blush was kept to a golden pink hue. As a finishing touch, I wanted the colour of the lips to be coral, as this would connect nicely.

On the hair and nails (Doris):
 Since the beginning, the trademark geisha hairstyle has always been a big bun adorned with traditional Japanese ornament strips. The level of skill required to replicate something even seemingly close is just not possible with the time we had. I would have been better off buying a wig. However, the bun I made looks all-too familiar and easily replicable. It's the infamous "messy bun" that has plagued us on tumblr and pinterest alike. After flipping my hair upside down, and securing the half ponytail, I began to pin random parts of my hair with bobby pins. To complete the look, pull out hair gently, from areas you want to "loosen" up and voila! You have yourself a messy bun.

 I was told by Carmen to make sure I kept my nails really simple (apparently I have a hard time doing so). Thus, I chose a blue-based grey. The nail color really blends in well, and I bet before you read this, it was not even noticed. :P Yes, I was as surprised as you were when I picked this up from Aldo a couple years ago. Having a rather decent selection of nail polishes was a nice surprise since they specialize in shoes afterall.


Face:
- skin79 super beblesh balm triple functions
- benefit the porefessional
- physicians formula gentle cover concealer stick
- benefit moonbeam
- estee lauder bronze goddess soft matte bronzer
- sleek makeup blush by 3 in lace

Eyes:
- etude house LUCIDarling fantastic gradation eyes in #8
- kanebo kate gel e/l in bk-1
- sephora luxe noir palette in gold

Lips:
- mac l/s in myth
- nyx l/s in orange soda
- sleek makeup blush by 3 in lace
- hyatt beauty l/g in 8

Nail:
- orly bonder basecoat
- aldo bauhaus architect
- poshe topcoat


Anyways, did you all have a good weekend? Maybe one day Carmen will post about her first day back to school on here so we can all have a good laugh. :) Until next time!

xx,
C&D

Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil, Beautymate Nano Cleanser, Clean & Clear In-Shower Facial, Biore Balancing Cleanser

 

    Having good skin is essential for your foundation or any makeup product to work seamlessly, not to mention the confidence bonus! Skincare for me is especially important because of the genes I inherited. My dad has oily skin prone to acne, while my mom has very fair, supple, radiant skin prone to freckles. My mom's skin type is normal, and in her case, she can literally pick up any product from the shelf at a drugstore and it would not cause her any problems. 

The five skin types are: normal, oily, combination, sensitive, and dry. While it is absolutely ridiculous to be so black-and-white in diagnosing your skin type, these categories give you a rough idea of where you stand.

In my case, I believe I have mostly combination skin with some sensitivity. This means that if I were to blot my face after a few hours, I could potentially find my T-zone (area around nose and forehead that form a "T") oily. The sensitive part means that harsh ingredients found in most drugstore brands here in Canada could really dry me out, give me a scaly effect around eyes, etc. I don't know about you, but I feel like I have to fight against my genes to achieve "normal" skin.

B i o r é   C o m b i n a t i o n   S k i n   B a l a n c i n g   C l e a n s e r

Bioré Combination Skin Balancing Cleanser 200mL

    I was sent this cleanser in my June Glossybox. I must say that was probably the box that made me want to stop subscription from Glossybox (I eventually did in July). I felt like I was paying $15 on easily accessible drugstore products that I had no say in. It felt like everyone got the same products no matter how unique their profile might have been. Also, most of the cosmetics came in really unflattering shades, I remember reading a blogger commenting on how they must have the shades that couldn't sell, and I couldn't help but agree!  This cleanser and the Wella Ocean Spritz hairspray were the only things worth keeping.

I had some doubts about this cleanser at the beginning (after trying another cleanser from Glossybox- Simple Kind to Skin Refreshing Facial Wash Gel - which felt like it was too gentle), but I was pleasantly surprised. I now use it every morning! First, I rinse my face with a bit of warm water, pump once onto my palm, lather it till it becomes foamy, rub gently all over my face, rinse with some cooler water, and pat dry with a clean cloth. The smell is what morning cleansers should be like, absolutely uplifting.

This product doesn't feel stripping to me at all, and if you have combination skin like I do,  I highly recommend this. Chances are people that gave bad reviews don't truly have combination skin. :P This cleanser is readily available at your local wal-mart or maybe even shoppers. It comes in a 200mL for around $5-6 CDN, a bargain if you ask me.

Clean & Clear Soft In-Shower Facial

Clean & Clear Soft In-Shower Facial 141g (Discontinued)

    This is something I leave in the shower shelf when I feel like deep cleansing. A lot of people rave about the St. Ives Apricot Scrub, and I would say it is a much gentler alternative. Actually, having just googled the makeupalley reviews which you can see here, I would sleep better at night if people stopped using it.

What you do is apply this in a thin layer all over your face, wait for one minute or so, (I usually leave it on a bit longer so it doesn't feel so abrasive when I wash it off) and gently rinse off. Sometimes I follow up with BeautyMate PURIFYING & BRIGHT Nano Cleanser for double cleansing. 

As with most exfoliants, please exercise caution and only use this three times a week, max! (I probably only use this once twice a week at most) Any more and you could be doing your face more harm than good. Usually after cleaning so thoroughly, I like to follow up with a face mask.

I would recommend this but sadly it's discontinued.

 BeautyMate PURIFYING & BRIGHT Nano Cleanser

BeautyMate PURIFYING & BRIGHT Nano Cleanser 100g

About the product:

"Beauty Mate PURIFYING & BRIGHT Nano Cleanser contains black pearl powder which can provide whitening effect; Morus Nigra Leaf Extract, it minimize dark spot from formulating. Applying nano technology, nano particles purify pores deeply and eliminate dirt and grease and leave a refreshed look."

- SaSa.com

    This might be my third or fourth tube of this cleanser. I reckon each tube lasts around 2-3 months. I ordered this through SaSa for around $5.50 USD for 100g of product. This is a white gel-like consistency cleanser, and in the past I've only stuck to cream cleansers because they are what I find to work best for my skin type. Perhaps later I will invest in a Clairisonic, but I will have to do more research that.

To use this, you wet your face with lukewarm water, squeeze out a tiny bit, lather in your hands and again, rub gently all over your face, and lastly, rinse off. 

However my loyalty might have to end at this tube because in the past few months I felt it was a bit harsh and too drying on me. I only use this at night and perahps my skin chemistry changed but for some reason I am not getting along with this like I have before.

Perhaps I better go back to cream cleansers..

Shu Uemura Sakura Cleansing Oil

Shu Uemura Sakura Cleansing Oil 50mL

    This is my first cleansing oil, so I'm not sure how I would compare it to any others. However, this is also probably one of the most famous. Mine comes in a 50mL bottle for ~ $13-14 (you can see the comparison to my hand), perfect for traveling and what not. It also comes in 150mL for ~ $30-32 and 450mL for ~ $80. Pretty pricey stuff. As with most things, you can find this on eBay.

I do not use this too often, mostly as a last resort, and also because my bb cream usually comes off through double cleansing alone. I have used this as a replacement for my eye makeup remover when I ran out, and I do use this to remove super stubborn mascara though, and it works really well.

Now, don't be fooled by the "oil" in this name. To use this, you have to make sure your face is completely dry. Now untwist the cap and you will notice there is a hole (much like the toners where you pour on your palm and pat on your face). This is the same concept, and really, a little goes a long way. Now gently massage your face, eyes (making sure not to get it inside) for around a minute. Now wet your hands with water and massage your face again, you will notice the oil is coming off in a milky white color, this is normal and you simply re-wet your hands and massage again. Repeat a couple times, and then actually wet your face with the water. Everytime I use this cleansing oil, I follow it up with another cleanser just to remove any traces of oil left over.

This works really well and I have had this for six months and only used up one-third of the bottle. However, I might not repurchase this simply because it is mineral oil based. A makeup remover I would really want to try right now is Taaj HImalaya Micellar Water, all the reviews make it seem simply divine (but is near impossible to get).

    These are all of my current cleansers, and remember what works for me might not work for you. If you think there is a cleanser out there that I'll love, please let me know!

What is your skin type? And what are some of your favourite cleansers?

xx,
Doris