dernier cri

It’s my dream to do such makeup for people. The soft airy touch of powder, the well defined eyes and light touch of pink on the cheeks and lips makes Han Hyo Joo look almost unreal. This girl makes a good makeup model because her face is a blank canvas which lights up to whatever the artist paints on her.

Ideas for wedding makeup? For the traditional, this might be a little ghost like.

Image from here

Lips is the most erogenous organ on the human face and Angelina Jolie can testify to that as her sexy lips is one of the most famous and identifiable feature among the Hollywood stars.

Lipstick is one of the most important makeup item that a woman cannot live without. My mother for one, thinks that all there is to makeup is lipstick. However she has no knowledge on how to choose the right colour lipstick which also means her lips always stood out in the wrong way.

Red coloured lipstick was the color of choice of the royals. Cleopatra allegedly mixed pigment from crushed carmine beetles with an ant egg base to get her russet-colored pout.

In ancient Greece, red lip paint was largely the domain of prostitutes. But as most trends are wont to do, the look traveled from the street to the elite, who created their berry and wine tints from mulberries, seaweed, and the considerably less safe vermilion. The reddish pigment derived from ground mercuric sulfide was ultimately deemed poisonous.

During World War II, women were encouraged to wear red lipstick into the factories and on active duty as a morale booster.

It wasn’t until the late fifties and sixties, with the addition of titanium, that lipstick began to diversify across the color spectrum. A collective embrace of light, frosted lipsticks in colors like pale pink, lavender, and white came into vogue, with German countess-turned-model Veruschka leading the charge.

The Siren Red

The signature lipstick colour which is a classic look since lipstick was invented.

The Hot Pink

For the brave fashionista which is not afraid to make a bold statement

The Orange Crush

Especially striking on the fair skin ones like the Gilmore girls’ starlet below. Matches her blue eyes too

The Nude

With a dash of pink on Rihanna. Very fashion forward, great with strong eye makeup

The au Naturel

For everyone. Making the lips look irresistable without too much exaggeration.

The Punk Black

Dark lipstick does not mean black lipstick. Instead the below is created with a dark berry lipstick. Black lipstick is passe.

Text in italic and photos are from http://www.style.com/beauty/thelook/050109_Statement_Lips/

For those who love your lips, do not miss the limited edition lip shine from Artistry this month. Five colours to match your every mood. Contain Aloe Vera to nourish your lips. And while stocks last too!

Summer Fantasia. Hana Academy’s 1st event of the year.

It’s our annual makeup competition and only 50 tickets are for sale. So contact me if you are interested to participate, interested to be a model or interested to drop by to just take a look. Look forward to seeing you there!

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I had this conversation with my colleague. “My pimple won’t go away. It just gets angrier and angrier” She says. Then I shared with her my remedy and she was convinced by my sharing that she got it from me.

Then my turn came to have not one by 2 angry pimples on my left cheek. Every girl (i hope) has their own remedies to getting rid of that pimple, besides hiding at home or squeezing it. Mine involves 3 different products for 3 different stages of that stubborn angry pimple. The pore cleansing masque, the blemish control gel and my recent addition, the soothing creme from the essentials series.

I have a post on how to use the pore cleansing masque and blemish control gel in my other blog. But I realize my earlier solution was not foolproof. From the minute the pimple pops up to the minute it heals and disappears entirely, there is this long period where the pimple gets red, angry and is an open wound. Here’s where the soothing creme will helps.

Its omega3-rich botanicals content and anti-oxidants of Vit A, C, E helps to soothe the inflammatory wound and allows it to heal faster. Because of its no-fragrance, non-alcoholic content, it is suitable for people with sensitive skin to use as well without side effects. The omega3 content comes from plants like black bamboo and chia so no fishy smells (who wants to smell like salmon?)

Best time to use the soothing creme? After applying toner and before moisturizer. The little bottle comes with a spatula with allows you to scoop the creme with dripping your fingers into it to reduce contamination. (how thoughtful?) And a little amount will do, as you would realize its watery texture allows easy absorption by the skin without making the skin feel stickiness. Ideal for anyone who thinks they have sensitive skin or even those who doesn’t have sensitive skin like me, I use it in place of a night creme.

To those who wants an outbreak free healthy face and skin, look out for beauty tips to come!

Choosing the suitable skincare regiment for the combination skin can be a uphill task. I know because my skin type falls under combination skin type.

 We tend to over cleanse our oily T-zone, yet our cheeks feel dry. And the over cleansing of the oily areas only makes it oilier (bet you didn’t know our faces secrete oil when it is too dry because there is no more moisture in the skin)

And you always wonder which kind of skincare line you should choose? for oily skin? for dry skin? buy 2 sets? use the cleanser that says for ALL SKIN TYPES? (usually such products REALLY DON’T work for all skin types. it is a marketing scam)

As a loyal fan of Artistry, I decided to give the newly launched line of skincare range for youthful skin – essentials – a try. And boy was I surprised how good it surpasses its predecessor – the clarifying system. FYI, I started with the essentials Balancing System for the normal to oily skin type.

For one, its toner is really good to control my oily T-zone. Good bye to shiny foreheads and nose. But the most wonderful thing is I no longer have to use another toner (for dry skin) on my cheeks because it is so hydrating! No more tightness to my cheeks area which is considered to be normal skin type! Save money for me too, because I don’t have to buy another bottle of toner next time. Yes cheapo I am.

Secondly the moisturizer is the best moisturizer I ever owned! No kidding. Because most oily skin type people will avoid using moisturizer thinking it will cause the skin to be more oily. Exact opposite, the more you need to use moisturizer but you have to find one that is light and matte for the skin. And the moisturizer I am using now is just that – matte and light when I just apply a little. Just squeeze about a five-cent coin area, enough to spread the face and neck

Third, oh the smell is just so gooooooooooood! in the beginning it’s a orangey smell, followed by the middle tone of jasmine and the more you smell it, it gives out the base notes of vanilla like ice-cream! Most importantly no irritation!

By now you can tell that I LUUURVE my essentials set so much that I thought I should just share abit more about it in my next entry. So lookout for essentials partie deux.