Hidrocharme Mels

I got some new lenses. They are from Solotica, the same brand as the ones I got before, but this is a different style and color. This one is the Hidrocharme style which has a stronger limbal ring (black ring outside the iris) and the color is Mel, which means honey in Portugese, but looks green in person.

They were darker than I thought they would be at first, but after seeing them in different lighting conditions I was really amazed at how they transform. Sometimes they are dark green, sometimes they are light green, but they are always somewhat translucent and show up well. It's like how real irises change color in different light! Way to go, Solotica, you are my eyes' new best friend.

Nail polish

Someone asked me about the nail color in my Natural Glow makeup tutorial. It's actually Maybelline Salon Expert nail color in Unforgettable Red. The one I bought came as a two-pack with a free clear "base & top coat" polish. I think it was only somewhere around 5 bucks and I was looking for a nice red polish after seeing it on my friend. My friend has fair, warm-colored skin and the color really popped on her. On my hands, it doesn't look as dark as on her but comes out as a true red, with a hint of red pearl.



I really like this shade of red because it's a strong color that's classy without being TOO dark for Spring or Summer. It also really sparkles with the top coat. A bit of advice I can give with polishes (or any paint for that matter, spray paint included) is to use a top coat of the SAME BRAND as the polish. Different top coats have different formulas and if the ingredients of the polish and top coat are different it may chip faster and not adhere as nice. If you use the same brand, they are formulated to work well together and you know you will get nice results. I'm not saying to go buy a new top coat with each polish you get, but if there is one color or brand you really love, it would be worth it to pick up the top coat too.

Just in note with keeping eyes open, the polish colors I've been into lately include:
Red
Pale Opaque Pink <--my favorite, and what I'm wearing at the moment
Light Gold Glitter
White
Hot Pink




I know black was the "hot" color for a long while, but I'm ready for some new Spring colors! Opaque white is gonna be super hot this year for Spring and I can't wait.

Oh, I forgot to note that I'm (obviously) not a nailpolish snob. I'll try anything from the cheap to the nicer stuff. Nailpolish only looks fresh for about a week, no matter the brand so just try to find whatever color you love the most. :)

Beauty and the Color Wheel Theory

Have you ever wondered why certain colors look good or bad on you? Maybe you aren't sure if you can pull of a green top or purple eyeshadow. Since not everyone gets the chance to go to art or design school, I thought a lesson in color theory might be handy.



This is a color wheel. When it comes to beauty or fashion, the most important base color you are working with is your skin.

Analyze this:
Is your skin a warm tone? (reddish, pinky, peach)
Is it golden? (yellow, honey)
Is it cool? (olive, beige)
Is the shade lighter or darker?
When you tan, does it get an orangey undertone, golden undertone, or an olive undertone?

When you come to a conclusion, decide around where it falls on the color wheel. I have golden skin (yellow undertone) with a hint of warm tones. The shade is medium, but on the lighter side in winter. My tan color is golden to olive.

On the simple color wheel, I can approximately pick my winter color as "yellow-to-orange" and my summer color as "yellow-to-green."

The ideal colors to wear to balance out my skin are colors directly opposite on the color wheel. This means that in the wintertime, when my skin has a warmer tone, purples and royal blue really suit me. In contrast, certain bright reds, tans, and beige-tones really wash me out.
For the summer, my skin is more neutral in color, so I am able to wear the warmer reds and purples. I must note that my summer color is still quite warm though, and there are some rules that are more nuanced in each color family.

Generally, if you are warmer-toned, warmer shades look best. The same goes for cooler tones and cooler shades. For instance, turquoise, aqua, and royal blue are warmer colors in the blue family. These colors look good on my golden skin. Dusty blue, navy, and baby blue are cooler and make my skin look less lively.

Say you have pinky-peach, fair skin. Blues and greens probably look awesome on you, especially aqua and kelly green.

Say you have deeper tan, olive skin. You probably look really fantastic in maroon, plum, or burgundy. You can also look great in dusky pink and lavendar.

This isn't a guide that you must go 100% by at all times, but it really does help if you are trying to select any colored accessory including clothes, jewelry, nailpolish, colored lenses, hair color, blush, or eyeshadow. Go with colors that contrast your skin, but tones that match it.

Here's a list of my favorite colors to play with:
* jewel-toned green, blue, and purple
* warm pastels
* canary and banana yellow
* white
* black
* warm pinks (fuscia to hot pink to warm baby pink)

These are colors I avoid:
* any dusty colors (dusty pink, green, blue, purple)
* tans, browns, beiges
* orange
* cool grey and navy (these two work on occasion though)

Good luck matching and shopping with your newfound color knowledge!

Colored Contacts

I have so much fun switching up how I look from my clothes to my jewelry to my makeup. I rarely wear the same outfit twice, as I mix and match everything I own. Maybe it's just boredom, but I love the variety. Maybe this is why I was so drawn to colored contacts. Don't get me wrong, I am fine with my own eye color, but it can be exciting to see the changes that a face can go through simply with a little bit of color over your eyes.

I recently got a pair of lenses from the most natural semi-opaque brand, Solotica. The style is Natural Colors in the color Ocre. It was a lot of fun to glance at myself in the mirror and see the change, which was enhanced by heavier eye makeup. I even felt like at times, I looked less Asian, which is just weird. :/ For the most part though, I love this color! Just thought I'd share some pics.

Garnier Fructis Fortifying Deep Conditioner 3 Minute Masque

Let me give you some background on my hair. It is long with thick individual hairs. I have what feels like a lot of hair, but my hairdresser told me it is thinner on the sides than the top and back. For the last couple of years, I had permed my hair and highlighted it here and there. The result was unhealthy, albeit easy to style, hair.

After getting most of the treated part cut off, I wanted to make sure that my hair was well taken care of this time around. After a bit of research on makeupalley.com, I settled on getting this VERY inexpensive conditioning masque. You apply it instead of regular conditioner and leave it in for at least 3 minutes. The steam from the shower really draws the product into your hair and after I rinsed in cool water, I was surprised at how silky and soft my hair became! After putting some heat-protectant serum in my hair and straightening, my hair was the softest it's been in two years. I was very pleased with the results! Definitely buy this product. I highly recommend it.

Clear Care

I was recently introduced to this contact lens cleaning product called Clear Care. According to the company, it is "For Fresh, Clean and More Comfortable Contact Lenses." I saw my best friend was using it and it supposedly cleans lenses much better than regular daily solutions like Renu and Opti-free, so I decided to buy it and give it a try.

Now, this is a peroxide-based solution which should ABSOLUTELY BY NO MEANS GO DIRECTLY INTO YOUR EYE until it is neutralized for 6 hours from the special platinum disk in the case that it comes with. There are many warnings against this on the box and label. Which is why, naturally, on one of the first days that I have owned this solution, I managed to put a contact, soaked in the non-neutralized solution, directly into my eye.

I know, stupid! But I forgot that I poured out the neutralized solution from the last time I cleaned other contacts and put fresh solution in it when I reached to re-wet a contact I was putting in. Oh lordy was there pain! Searing, burning pain in my left eye! I rushed to the sink to take out the lens and rinse out my eye but it had already taken its effect. This was yesterday, and today my eye is still sore, red, and dry. I've heard it takes about a week to get back to normal. :(

Oh well. We live and learn, and become more careful with the things we put in our eyes!

Natural Glow

This tutorial is for a natural, everyday look. It's not heavy makeup, but more of a fresh, dewy-glow that looks like "you but better." I do have single eyelids, but I believe anyone can do this. It's quite easy and doesn't take many steps!


My tools:

FACE
-Dove Deep Moisture facial lotion
-Lancome Photogenic concealer in Camee
-Everyday Minerals powder foundation in Semi-Matte Golden Medium
-Everyday Minerals blush in All Smiles

EYES
-Urban Decay Primer Potion
-Revlon Colorstay 12-hour Eyeshadow Quad in Copper Spice (this is the only eyeshadow used for this whole look!)

-Shiseido eyelash curler
-Max Factor Lash Perfection mascara (in waterproof black for upper lashes and non-waterproof navy for lower lashes)

LIPS

-Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in Lilac


*Ok, first of all start off with a clean, moisturized face.


*Use Lancome Photogenic concealer to cover up any discoloration. The key spots I go for are acne hyperpigmentation spots, the redness around my nose, and on/around my nose to cover up pores.


*Prime eyes with urban decay primer potion. Dab, then blend over the whole lid, and a bit on the lower lid too.



*Add the light gold color underneath the brow.
*Sweep the coppery color to the lid in a thick line, sweeping and blending up at the ends where your brow bone is.


*Take the darkest color, dark brown, and use a thinner brush to sweep near the lash line, thinner on the inner corners and getting thicker as you reach the outer corners of your eyes.
*Use the copper color to thickly line the outer third of your bottom lids.


*Take a thin, angled eyeliner brush and use the dark brown shadow to line both the top and bottom lash line. Using shadow as liner looks very natural and doesn't smudge like liners do, but it still defines eyes. The result should look like everything is blended naturally like this.

*Curl lashes. I start at the base and pump the curler up to the tips of the lashes.


*Add Max Factor lash perfection waterproof mascara. Start at the base and wiggle up.


*Apply foundation and blush! (I forgot to do this until later for the tut, but I usually do this after concealer...) Mineral foundation is great for looking "glowy." I don't like using too much, since the concealer works to cover most imperfections.



*Apply Clinique Superbalm Lipgloss in lilac


FINISHED LOOK





Hope you like it! If anyone tries this out, definitely show me your results. ;)

New Day, New Blog

Hello, hello! Upon the questioning of a reader of one of my tutorials on Soompi forums, I decided to create a health and beauty blog. I'm no professional, but I do notice details in EVERYTHING. (I'm a design grad, what can I say?)

My name is Jen and I love things that work beautifully and efficiently. This includes hair, nails, body products, makeup... Heck I'm even happy if I can workout and have fun. Look out for updates on makeup tutorials and product reviews because, well, I love to share good (and bad) news.

Peace