A Big Thank You to Lashem and Chrislie Formulations

I was so happy to receive a package of goodies from Lashem & Chrislie Formulations in the mail last weekend!  I have never tried any of their products and was extremely humbled to learn that they are a fan of my work and wanted to send me some items to try and discuss a potential collaboration.

How cute is their tote bag?! I received a package filled with eyeshadow palettes, a contour kit, a lipliner, mascara, brow tint, eye cream, false lashes, and nail polish.

For those of you who are not familiar with their products, Lashem's brand features mascaras, eyeliners, lash boosters, and lash/brow enhancing serums + anti-aging skin care for the everyday woman.  Luckily for me, these products are formulated with gentle, non-irritating ingredients - I'm extremely sensitive to harsh chemicals in products, so these products are right up my alley ;-) .

Chrislie Formulations is Lashem's sister brand and they feature cosmetics like eyeshadow palettes, contour kits & lip, nail and eye products.

My first impressions:

  • I really like the packaging of the Lashem products - smooth and sleek, they look high-end and would look great on my vanity or in my purse. 
  • Confession: I had to swatch the gorgeous nail polish (because we all know how obsessed I am with all that glitter!) and I am pretty obsessed!
I will be trying out these products throughout the next full week or so and will report back :-) Again, a huge thanks to Lashem and Chrislie Formulations for their generosity!  

Obsessed! with MAC Soft Savour


You guys! I'm totally obsessed with this soft nudish-pink color - it's perfect for day and night and works great on my brides.  I saw this dupe list on Pinterest from Temptalia and wanted to share!  It's the perfect nude-y color for someone who doesn't want to go too nude - if you haven't tried this yet, I'd highly recommend it!  It can't be bought as a stand-alone item though, so if you want this bad boy, you're going to have to purchase the "All About Nude" goodie box from MAC!




Which Eyelash Curler is Right for You?

Did you know that not all eyelash curlers are created equal? 

I will FOREVER remember that one fateful day when I got to school one morning in 9th grade and my best friend (at the time) told me that she had literally "cut off" half of her eyelashes while using her older sister's Revlon eyelash curler the night before. 

First of all, I had never used an eyelash curler in my entire life at the time.  Secondly, I was horrified to see that her lashes were, in fact, half the length that they were the day before.  I quickly made a mental note to NEVER buy that eyelash curler for use and later on that night relayed the story to my older sister.  My sister scoffed and gave me one piece of advice that I live by to this very day: 

Shu Ueumura eyelash curlers are your best friend -- that is, if you've got relatively large, double-eyelid, long-ish eyes like me.  

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, $20 
Lucky for me, I have a sister who believes in splurging for a good product as long as the product is effective - and believe me, as a 14 year old high schooler, $20 was a huge amount to spend on a contraption that was meant to "open up my eyes" and make me look "more awake."  Ten years later, I am a believer and this is my go-to lash curler of choice.  Imagine my horror when Shu Uermura counters were all shut down in the US - thankfully, Amazon and my lovely best friend who travels to Japan often have kept me well-stocked.

For those of you who have monolid, short, or relatively small eyes, this Shiseido eyelash curler will be your best friend: 

Shiseido Eyelash Curler, $19
 What's so different about this eyelash curler, you ask?  The length of the eyelash pad is shorter, which ensures that all lashes will be curled.  The curve is also slightly flatter, which fits smaller eyes better.  This will prevent the seemingly inevitable "pinch" that eyelash curlers give when you're using an eyelash curler that is wrong for your eye shape, so beware, my lovelies!  When in doubt, keep experimenting with different eyelash curlers, but in my experience, these seem to be the best two in the market! 

2014 Pantone Colors

via Pantone.com
Behold, the 2014 Pantone colors!  I'm sure we all enjoyed having Emerald Green as our 2013 Pantone color of the year, but it's time for us to be on the lookout for these beautiful 2014 colors.  Whether it's makeup or fashion, these colors will be sure to dominate every store, brand, and beauty item.  I can already picture myself rocking a Dazzling Blue-hued eyeliner, paired with a Cayenne-colored lipstick.  Hemlock is my nail polish color of choice.  

Color Ideas:

1. Dazzling Blue: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Pencil, "Abyss" - $19 


2. Cayenne: MAC Mineralize Lipstick, "Style Surge" - $22
Photo credits: NotSoFrivolous.com

3.  Hemlock: Essie, "Turqoise & Caicos" - $8
via TheDailyVarnish.com



Sleek Makeup Blushes

I am so in love with these new Sleek Makeup blush palettes!   I was on the hunt for some affordable, matte blushes and came across these beauties from http://www.sleekmakeup.com/. 

Sleek Blush-by-3 Palettes
The best part?  Each blush palette includes 3 blushes and costs $12.49.  I have been using them on my clients & myself for the past couple weeks and I must say, I am thoroughly impressed by them.  For those of you who are not familiar with Sleek Makeup, they are sold at SuperDrug and other drug stores (surprisingly!) in the UK.  For the rest of us who are not able to access them so easily, Sleek Makeup products are available online.  Shipping is not bad at all  -  I only paid $6.50 or $7 shipping for 5 items.  I also bought their contour kit, which is AMAZING and only $8 for a bronzer and highlighter. 

More on the blushes:  Extremely pigmented and long-wearing (I daresay, even longer-wearing than my Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes).  Several colors are exact dupes of NARS blushes (Orgasm, eat your heart out!).  To be fair, not all of them are matte - there is, I believe, one non-matte blush (but trust me, they are not glittery or gaudy in any way) in each blush palette.  Extremely wearable and long-lasting.  Don't let the colors fool you -The colors look crazy bright, but a light hand will give you the pretty flushed look that you want. 

Quick Dupe Alert! Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Pencils

Anyone who knows me, knows that I swear by Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-on Pencils.  They are so pigmented & creamy (so there is no tugging on the delicate eye area!) and relatively long-lasting (with the holy grail Urban Decay Primer Potion, aka UDPP, of course). 

One other thing?  They're kind of expensive.  Say, $19/color expensive.


 Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Liners
Photo Credits: vampyvarnish.com
As much as I thoroughly enjoy paying $19 for an eyeliner, I was definitely on the lookout to find a cheaper but definitely comparable alternative.  My findings?

1.  L'Oreal HIP Color Chrome Eyeliner, $10
Photo credits: temptalia.com
The only issue with these liners is that there are only four colors to choose from.  The color payoff and wearability is definitely comparable to that of Urban Decay's.

2.  NYX Slide-On Pencils, $8

Photo credits: glamtrotter.com
 
These babies are as cheap and as close to Urban Decay's liners as I could find.  There are 18 colors to choose from and are a great alternative to the 24/7 liners.  They are smudgeproof and vibrant, and you can bet I'll be stocking my kit up with every single color!

As much as I enjoy higher-end products, working in the beauty industry (particularly in the product development side) has taught me that sometimes, the only difference between an $8 eyeliner and a $19 dollar eyeliner is marketing and branding.  I am, by no means, saying that all products are created equal - I truly believe that some products are worth paying more for.  However, whenever I can find a dupe and I can save some money, I am all for it! 

What are some dupes for high end products that you buy at a much lower price?

Website Up - A Work in Progress

I am so excited to announce that my website (www.tinatom.net) is officially open for public viewing!  I must admit, I am not the most tech-savvy, so creating my own website was a very daunting thought to me. 



The front page of my site - I have been having problems with my name loading with the correct font, but hopefully this is a one-time deal and I will not have any issues from here on out.

After several months of putting this project off/playing with settings and with the aid of my more computer-literate friends, my site is now at a good starting point.  Since I have a phobia of all things web and HTML, I used www.flavors.me to create my site.  This site basically allows you to customize your personal webpage by creating your own layouts & templates without a single HTML code.  I admit that it is probably not as versatile for those of you who want extreme customization and advanced features for your site, but for someone like me who is a web-developing noob, this works just fine ;).

Photoshoot with Founder of Maureen Koo Calligraphy

I have been so swamped with work and wedding gigs that I have not updated this in over a month!  I just wanted to share with you some photos from a photoshoot that I had with Maureen Koo, the founder of Maureen Koo Calligraphy.  Like myself, Maureen is an avid player in the wedding industry.  Her beautiful work has been displayed on numerous wedding invitations, menus, and signs. 

 


Products used:
Face: Missha Perfect M BB Cream #27
NARS Bronzer "Laguna"
Tarte Amazonian 12-Hour Blush "Exposed"
Benefit "High Beam"
Sheer Cover Concealer "Light"
Brows: MAC Brow Pencil "Spiked"
Eyes: LORAC Pro Palette
MAC Fluidline "Blacktrack"
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner "Perversion"
 
How cute is Remy, her 3-year-old Frenchie!?
 
During our photoshoot, Maureen fell in love with the Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream that I applied on her. (For reference, she is about a NC30-NC35 and Missha #27 Honey Beige worked perfectly for her skin tone). Missha's M Perfect Cover BB Cream has been my go-to for years - and after they came out with their darker colors (#27 and #31), I became a lifelong convert. I have used almost every foundation out there- but being the extremely oily, acne-prone person that I am, I was never able to use a foundation for very long without having to find a new one that would not break me out or oxidize on me. Missha's M Perfect Cover has become my absolute favorite everyday foundation - it has enough coverage to conceal my dark spots & acne scars, and stays on nicely throughout the day. It is blendable enough to sheer out for those who want a lighter coverage as well. For those of you who are on the fence, I highly recommend this product. The best part? Misshaus is offering a Buy One, Get One promotion on their site right now. Now I'm tempted to buy some extras ... 
 

A Fresh Start

Hi Everyone!

I'm excited to finally start blogging officially - My friends are constantly asking me for my advice & opinions, and I am oftentimes asked why I do not have a blog.  After all, it is pretty common knowledge around town that I'm quite opinionated and am not afraid to speak my mind, so I will make it my goal here to share my knowledge and tips with my beloved readers.

A little about me:  I am 23 years old, and have been fascinated by makeup since I was a little girl.  I was always amazed by how cosmetics can change a person - not just physically, but also mentally.  There is a certain confidence that a woman exudes when she puts on her Chanel lipstick or a pair of false eyelashes that is indescribable ...and actually pretty magical. 

As a child, I was not allowed to wear makeup - blame it on my traditional, wonderful Asian mother.  As a result of this, I used to take my sister's old MAC eyeliners and hide them in my backpack.  Once I got to school, I would apply it before homeroom in high school.  My first "luxury" cosmetic product? A Lancome Juicy Tube in Bolole, a delicate, juicy red with gold flecks. 



Fast forward several years and I am now a self-employed freelance makeup artist, as well as a freelance makeup artist for Chanel.  From 9-5, I work in a corporate marketing company within the beauty industry.  I am so blessed to be working in the industry that I am so passionate about every day (literally -- Weekends? What're those?) and this blog will be my outlet to express my thoughts & share my product knowledge.