Baking Makeup Technique: What, How To, and FOTD

Baking Makeup Technique: What, How To, and FOTD

Zelens Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Just when I thought I had the hang of strobing and highlighting, the trend changes to "baking". What next, the stir-fried makeup look? Or the parboiled one?
So what is the baking makeup trend? No, you don't stick your head in the oven. There are different ways of "baking" or cooking your makeup out there, but the majority of the beautysphere, particularly on Reddit, follows these steps:
1. After makeup, you apply a tonne of powder. Some recommend baby powder, but you can also use any old pressed or loose powder, or setting powder in your own shade.
2. Then, you proceed to dunk your face in a basin of water. Some do this by liberally spraying on a face-mist, but I find that leaves most of the powder on the face and actually combines with the powder "to create a sort of blancmange".
3. Post-dunk, pat your face dry - gently, please.
Fans of the trend claim your makeup will be set, matte and long-lasting. Let's see what happened when I "baked" my mug.

Scroll down for the lowdown on the baking makeup trend, and for a "baked" FOTD using the Lorac Pro 3 Palette and more. 

affiliate

Makeup Look: Becca Highlighter + Lorac Pro 3 FOTD

Makeup Look: Becca Highlighter + Lorac Pro 3 FOTD

Tom Ford Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, August 09, 2016

It took a while for me to join the highlighting bandwagon. I was apprehensive about how it would suit my skintone, whether I would look like Edward Cullen, or if I would have to replace/alter/avoid other products in my makeup routine, and so on.
Some months ago, I had tried "strobing" with reasonably decent results (see here), so when I received the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in the Cult Beauty Summer 2016 Goody Bag (here), I experimented with it. Here are the results.

Scroll down for a full-face makeup look using Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector, Lorac Pro 3 eyeshadow palette, Giorgio Armani Maestro Foundation and Tom Ford lipstick.

affiliate

What is Strobing? How to Strobe and FOTD

What is Strobing? How to Strobe and FOTD

Tutorials Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, September 18, 2015

Strobe lights. So I supposed "strobing" must be a form of heinous torture where beams of 50,000 lm/m² were shone into prisoners' eyes until they watered and their retinas just gave up and burnt out, as described in The Gulag Archipelago. Overactive imagination, much?
Turns out it is highlighting the face for a luminous look. If contouring "deepens" the shadow-areas and sculpts your face, strobing accentuates the brighter areas (apples of the cheeks, brow-bones, chin, centre of the forehead...) with a fresh glow. 
I usually prefer a matte look, as my face already produces enough oil to fuel a small country for a month. So I was leery of strobing at first.
Chances of my looking like a female version of Edward Cullen, Esq. a glitter bomb? Very high, I decided, reaching for my favourite highlighter. Nothing ventured.
And, this is the result.

The products and method I used to achieve this strobed makeup look are detailed further below. G'wan, look.

NARS Audacious Anna is a smoky mauve lipstick

NARS Audacious Anna is a smoky mauve lipstick

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Monday, April 20, 2015

I am trying to organise a gazillion things before leaving on a month-and-a-half sojourn in London (and hopefully Rome) on June 1. Flights alone are done. I've gone and booked at too many flats to stay and need to narrow them down based on location and facilities. It will be good to return to the UK and hopefully I can catch up with my former classmates at some point.
Sometime ago, I had done a post on the NARS Audacious lippies, featuring Jane, Anita and Natalie - click here to view it. At the time, I had said I would show you Anna by itself. Described by NARS as a "smoky rose", this is the lipstick in the Audacious line-up that will appeal to all mauve and deep-pink fans. This is the kind of colour you can pair with both strong smoky eye makeup or a subtle, everyday look. It is a work-appropriate, daytime lipstick.

Scroll down for more photos, swatches and deets about NARS Audacious Anna.

Birthday party FOTD with smoky eye makeup

Birthday party FOTD with smoky eye makeup

Smoky eye Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, April 17, 2015

Ft. NARS foundation, Cargo eyeshadows and Rimmel lip colour.

It was my birthday on Tuesday, and I did a smoky eye makeup look for the party at night. It has been a while since I did a smoky look. I opted for very deep grey-green eyeshadow, to match my dress, and paired it with a medium pink lip. I kept the rest of the face matte and mildly bronzed, though I oiled up as usual after a couple of hours. I also wore my current-favourite pair of earrings.

Check out the FOTD I wore to my birthday party below.

NARS Audacious Lipsticks review, swatches: Jane, Natalie, Anita

NARS Audacious Lipsticks review, swatches: Jane, Natalie, Anita

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, January 20, 2015

One swipe, 100% coverage. Forty shades of great. 

Forty shades of great - that is what the NARS Audacious lipsticks offer. Full coverage in one swipe, in 40 colours from corals, pinks and mutes to browns and reds. I am probably the last blogger to talk about the lipsticks that created such huge waves in Fall 2014, but better late than never. 
I only have one-tenths of these lipsticks (four). Of these, I am showing you three, keeping my favourite (dusty rose, obviously) for later. Left to myself, I would have settled for dusty rose alone; the other three were imposed upon chosen for me by my "can't-you-wear-more-colour" Mum and Sis. And, I love all these shades!

Check out my review and swatches of NARS Audacious lipsticks in Anita, Jane and Natalie.