Sunday, March 28, 2010

Just Pack it! (Part 4-Beauty in the Beach)

I know right? lugging makeup to the beach sounds ridiculous, talk about the height of prissiness. But hey, we all want to look our best and some of us don't exactly wake up in the morning looking it. I'm just keeping it real peeps! and in line with doing so, I've streamlined the beauty stash you can't leave home without.

I've said it many times and I'll say it again: I love multitasking products. Nivea Lip Care Star Fruits is a lip balm that's tinted and fruit-flavored. My two faves are cherry and strawberry which leave your lips soft, supple and looking just-bitten. Leave the heavier lip glosses at home. The aim is DEWY not looking like an oil slick.



Speaking of oil slick, I suggest you start hoarding Clean & Clear oil absorbing sheets. Fine, let them call you a metrosexual guy but nothing turns me off more than a guy whose oil glands are more active than mine, and mine are pretty active. We have a saying and it goes: Oiliness is next to ugliness, but a dermatologist friend of mine coined the phrase: Oiliness is next to Saudi Arabia, haha get it? I stuff packs of these in all my bags and toiletry kits. Even as a makeup artist, there's one in every makeup box and touch up kit. Guess what? Clean & Clear makes them in citrus-smelling flavors too! in pink and yellow!


If wearing foundation or concealer is a non-negotiable for you, I strongly suggest a waterproof product to wear outdoors or none at all. At the beach, less is truly more and it's kinda futile to wear makeup that's not waterproof. Why? I'll make a bet it'll all slip off within an hour or two with all the sweat and humidity. By far, Shu Uemura's UV liquid foundation wins where waterproof, high SPF and flawless foundation is concerned. I've personally tried and tested this through a very bad skin phase due to my having hormonal imbalance. It's SPF 25 so you can use this in place of sun block or layer it with the UV armor (see in Part 3). Use only a pea-size amount to even your skin tone and cover the undesirables such as blemishes and under-eye discoloration. Skip the powder please unless you wanna look like a glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut.


The down-side to any liquid foundation is that it ain't exactly portable and touch-up friendly. It's very unhygienic to retouch with a liquid foundation: yuck where have your fingers been? From it's hall-of-famer Nobara line, Shu Uemura launches it's Nobara stick. Nobara is Japanese for "desert rose" which is the best-selling foundation of the brand. It's a malleable cream foundation which is highly adjustable, you can look very dewy or very matte - it's up to you! In a stick, I feel like I've just won the lottery. Touch up on the go? Spell fabulous.



I'm going a surf trip in two days and omitting the foundations from my stash. Luckily, my skin has cleared in time for this trip (thank you Doc!) and I'm able to lighten my load. Quite frankly, I'm relieved cos I really can't be bothered with having to bring makeup. I don't mind bringing my favorite bronzers though. Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer is perfect for enhancing a tan or faking one. Guerlain products are rose-scented, kinda reminds me of my grandmother's rose water. They also make a bronzing spray which I use for the legs called Teint Dore (ten-door).

My latest best-bargain purchase from MAC is the Skinfinish Mineralize powder in DARK. It goes on matte which is rare for a bronzer because a matte bronzer, well that's an oxymoron. So it's matte, it's a nice golden tan and it's mineral. Talk about value for money. This is a staple in both my personal and professional kit. Sigh, I love being a girl what can I say.


If you're trying to second-guess which eye shadows I'm going to tell you to bring, well shame on you. I'm crazy but not THAT crazy. I'm asking you nicely to leave them at home and opt for colored eye pencils or mascaras instead. Save the boring black and brown for later on in the year, instead try spring/summer alternatives which are way more fun. Did I mention that colored liners/mascaras enhance eye color? Urban Decay 24/7 makes the nicest metallics. I have the metallic green on the farthest left. I kinda regret not getting the other two beside it. Glides on easily and stays put!

I'm not really a big fan of Estee Lauder Cosmetics. I worked for the enemy for more than 6 years so you can't really blame me. I'm one to give credit though, where it's due and these mascaras made me do a quadruple-take. Colored mascaras are hard to find so when a brand comes up with not one, but FIVE shades - well that leaves my mouth gaping. Estee Lauder's Sumptous Color mascaras bring it to the finish line and then they take it all the way home. The blue and the purple, on opposite ends are my best picks.

Urban Decay known for being a major player in the color game comes out with their own winners. I love the fat brush and the packaging reminds me of a spray can that grafitti artists use for some weird reason. That rust/red colored one is interesting but pass on this if your eyes are tired or veiny.


My sister sent me these from California. Cover Girl Exact Eyelights mascara enhances eye color and there's a particular shade for each eye color. I have both black mascara shades and it's alright for my brown eyes. I'm not exactly wowed by it BUT i love that it doesn't budge or smear and has tiny shimmer particles which make my eyes look like they've got eyeliner on. I like that effect a lot. So that's it for now, have a good one this Lenten season and remember: Less is more! Have a great Easter!