Where Have I Been?

Howdy!

Wow, I've been out of commission for a week! What happened? Let me tell you how funny life is: the moment I was so determined to do a big revamp on the blog content and post more was also the time my hand decided to give up.

About 2 years ago, I had a strain on my right pointy finger that put me out for a week. I took a butt load of anti-inflammatory medicine and muscle relaxer and basically, I was out cold until I recovered. Since then, every time I get stressed out and every time it rained, I have this achy feeling on my right hand. The last time was around last November when I wrote my thesis. It was not a cool time for me and I was in a hand brace almost all the time.

Then, last week it felt like my wrist would twist out of my arm. I was so hurt and slept with the brace since then. I can do a bit of typing here and there but full fledge blogging is a bit too much for me right now. Today, I feel a bit better so I blog a little bit. I really miss you guys and I really miss blogging.

Also, if you haven't joined My Makeup Blog's 2nd Anniversary Giveaway yet, there's still time. Please click here to join. Also, Formula D is participating in the Christmas in July blowout sale on Etsy. Please support my shop, y'all!

I'll be back once I feel better. There are so many things I want to write about.

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Belly at Large: Hand Cream of Dead!

Hello home people!

Yeah, that's what you're going to get when you call me "home kitty". Again, only the mamarazzi gets the honor to call me that. Why, you may ask. Because she feeds me, roar!

Anyways, I'm going to cool down a little bit. It's too early to pick a fight on human. Besides, it gets in the way of my global domination plan. The last time I did it, I was in trouble. Remember this post? It was definitely not a good day for moi.

Thou shall not claw humans. Thou shall customize their books with thy teeth instead!

But it was not 100% my fault that I assaulted the mamarazzi. The hand cream of dead made me do it!

Source

The hand cream of dead is the Mint Green Tea hand cream from Green by Natures. The mamarazzi has been greening up her body care products. She bought it because it doesn't have parabens and petroleum by products but has shea butter and other lovely oils inside. I know she likes it because this hand cream keeps her hand moist and all.

But it freakin' burned my nose, man! The thing has peppermint oil inside and every time she touched me, it burned! So I gave her a bit of warning by pressing my tender claws on her pristine skin. Little did I know, my nails needed some manicures. They are awfully sharp.

Have you see my sharp claws? Wolverine has nothing on me!

La mamarazzi has a lip gloss of dead, also made by Green by Natures. Luckily, she doesn't kiss me. Eventually, we came to an understanding: she will not use the hand cream of dead when she's around me and I shall not give her my claws of dead. It was a good deal. The mamarazzi was so lucky.
The lesson is: humans, please don't use anything that contains pepper, peppermint, or hot chilli pepper when you're near cats. We don't like it and we will reciprocate by giving your our claws of dead or teeth of dead. This product is not bad, according to human standard. If it didn't contain peppermint, I could have even enjoyed it more.

Latest picture of moi. You think only Rob Patz can do that sunken emo look of his? The boy stole my signature look and he should wash his hair!

That's all for today. I hope you enjoy this post. La mamarazzi said the Banana Shea one was good and I wonder why she didn't buy it. I know, she's only human!

Love, peace, and tuna fish,
Mr. Belly, aka Belri neko-san in Japanese

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Moonlight Seduction FOTD

Hi everyone,

Purple is the new neutral, that's what they said. Recently, I browsed the web and saw this look that Michelle Phan did called "Moonlight Seduction". After watching the video for about 4 times, I realized I have the stuff to do this look and set forth to do it.

My Moonlight Seduction look

 I made a few modifications since my 88 palette is not similar to the one Michelle used in her tutorial. Overall, it was a relatively easy look and Michelle's instructions were clear enough for me to follow.

Another picture of the look. This one shows the eye makeup better

 Want to know how to do it? Jump!
First of all, please take a look at the video:

Stuff I used:

• Eyes: MAC Bare Canvas paint pot and Black Track gel liner, Coastal Scents 88 color palette, Fantasy Makers Sumptuous eyeshadow duo, Victoria's Secret Pink Gleam chubby eye stick, Voluminous mascara, eyebrow pencil, ELF eyeshadow brush, MAC 217, 219 brushes, EcoTools crease brush, Loew-Cornell 1/4' Maxine's mop brush
• Face: The Ultimate Powder, mineral foundation, concealer, NYC creme blush in Wild Berries, concealer brush, various flat top and kabuki brushes
• Lips: Urban Decay XXX Shin lip gloss in Quickie

Eyes

For those who have the same 88 palette as mine, the those are the colors I used on this look

#1: on the eyelid, #2 to highlight, #3 to layer over #1 (I can't find a good purple in this palette, but something with a pink tone will do), #4 on the outer v, #5 to emphasize #4, #6 close to the lash line, #7 at the inner corner of your eyes.

Open eye should look like this

Semi-close eye, please don't mind the fuzzy eyebrows

I know I have fuzzy eyebrows, you don't have to be mean to me!

And while we're at it, can I haz cheezburger, pleez?

Another close-up at the look

Overall, this is a relatively complicated look to do. I've never used so many eye colors in one look before. My norm is about 3-4 eye shadows/look. I highly encourage you to watch the YouTube video carefully before you attempt this look. Also, using proper tools is a must. Michelle used something that looked like MAC 217, 219, and Loew-Cornell 1/4' Maxine's mop in her video. These brushes are very useful not just for this look but in a lot of looks. I used EcoTools crease brush to apply the hot pink color as it gives me better precision.

I love the new NYC creme blush very much. It is so pigmented and easy to blend. Also Urban Decay XXX Shine lip gloss is a lot shinier than MAC lip glass but is a lot less sticky. I received it as a gift from my friend Sooji and I really treasure it.

What do you think?

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We're Gonna Party...

...like it's your birthday!

If you still don't know what I'm talking about, please listen to this song :) I always want to play this song on my birthday and I finally get to do it *big smile* I still think this is the best song Fiddy ever recorded.

The Beyonce version. I like it better than the original version with only 50cent

On the second thought, I don't think I'm going to party though. Probably just chill with my homies and eat some ice-cream :)

This is officially the biggest serving of ice-cream ever! We had it in a Mexican restaurant in Augusta, GA. It's a fried ice-cream, the best of its kind. Three of us could barely finish it!

And for those who like Pringles, there's something for you:

Have you ever tried Thai Sweet Chili before? Notice anything different? No? Let me show you :)

It's a limited edition item!

Now, even potato chips have LE. I think the limited edition trend is overrated!

Here comes the sentimental part: (you can skip if you want to but I dare you!)

2009-2010 have been good for me so far. I managed to finish my master's degree, which was a pain at some point. I got to be with my mom for six straight months, which was the longest time I've ever spent with her in 9 years. The blog got noticed by companies and I started to receive products to review around this time last year. The companies that sent me products trusted me enough to hold giveaways. To be honest, a big part of me having this blog is being able to give back to my readers. Doing reviews on new items is nice but being able to share the products with you is even better. I am so glad to be able to do so many times over and over again.

Another good thing happened to me is opening Formula D Minerals. So far, the patrons to my Etsy shop are friends and readers. I can't thank you enough to support my shop and give me positive ratings. Of course, Formula D is new and definitely needs your patronage. (And there's a bonus sale going, please don't forget that!)

With this blog, I get to meet new people everyday and I really enjoy the interactions. You guys are the best readers anybody can wish for. I am so lucky to have an opportunity to entertain you. Also, I feel very fortunate to become friends with some of you. It does not feel like just a place to mark my existence online anymore. After two years, this thing feels real. (You may think this is silly but those who blog know what I mean *smile*)

The past birthdays since I started blogging here:

• 2008: first FOTD (didn't know how to use the camera, ended up with yellow cast photos!), watched Kung-fu Panda with friends
• 2009: celebrated my birthday with MAC products. Coincidentally, MAC FF sale was near my birthday. I still love the brushes I bought.

This year, I'm waiting for my orders from Sephora and E.L.F. It's nice to celebrate birthdays with makeup, by the way. It's the gift that keeps on giving :)

And while we're talking about makeup, please don't forget to participate in My Makeup Blog's Second Birthday Giveaway.

P.S: If you like my blog, please subscribe to my feed. Thanks a lot!

My Makeup Blog's Second Birthday Giveaway

Hi everybody,

Last Wednesday was My Makeup Blog's Second Anniversary. Believe it or not, I was 500 miles away from home and therefore, didn't have a chance to celebrate this special event. As we all know, My Makeup Blog has grown leap and bound within its second year. I can't help but feeling very thankful for the good fortune that shines upon this blog.

To celebrate this landmark, I decided to do another giveaway with all of my favorite products. This time around, there are three prize packages. Yes, three! And international readers are welcome to participate. Let's go through all the prize packages, shall we?

Prize Package #1

This prize package contains Z Mei cleanser, toner, day and night creams, L'Oreal 24HR eye repair duo, L'Oreal Telescopic Explosion, Adorned with Grace minerals April 2010 Limited Edition eye shadow samples, and EcoTools brow grooming set

Adorned with Grace minerals April 2010 LE eye shadow samples

EcoTools recycled brow grooming set

This is my go-to kit when it comes to grooming my eyebrows. I love the mirror very much as it is sturdy and clings on to the mirror in my bathroom.

Want to see the other two prize packages and know how to enter? Jump!

Prize Package #2

This prize package contains Z Mei cleanser, toner, day and night creams, Yes to Carrots C Me Shine lip gloss in Rose Bliss and C Me Blush lip tint in Cotton Candy, Formula D Minerals eye shadows in Blue Steel and Kaleidoscope, blush in Radiance

Close up to the lip, eye, and face products

Another close up :)

Prize Package #3

This package includes Z Mei cleanser, toner, day and night creams, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear mini nail polish set, Yes to Carrots C Me Shine lip gloss in Playful Nudes and C Me Blush lip tint in Coral Shimmers, Miley Cyrus and Max Azria UK t-shirt (size large)

Close up of the nail polishes and lip products

Close up at the t-shirt

The Miley Cyrus t-shirt is the most comfortable t-shirt I've ever worn. Since it's for teens, the cut is a bit small for adults. If you wear a medium size t-shirt for adult, this one will fit you.

Also, Yes to Carrots lip products are my most favorite organic lip stuff I've ever found. Some people compared the lip gloss to MAC lip gelee and I do agree.

Each prize package worths $200+ USD. I'm not kidding, they are good stuff. Can you see I really look out for y'all?

And now, here's how to enter: There are two ways to win

1. Be a follower of my blog via Google Connection:

This is super easy and won't take you more than 3 clicks. You take a look on the right sidebar, the "Follow" box is right underneath my Twitter and RSS buttons. Just click on it and it will take you to the rest of the procedure.

2. Be my email subscriber:

This is like sitting in the front row seat of my blog: you get an email delivered to you everyday, on the day I blog. If I don't blog that day, you don't have any new mail to alert you of the cool stuff happening at My Makeup Blog. It does not take that long to register, either, and once you do, please verify your email address. If you don't, your entry will be voided.

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

Once you are a follower, just fill in this form. Please identify which package you want. And that's it, you're done! One entry per person, please!

For extra credits, you can do either or both of this: each will give you an extra entry

1. Blog about this in your blog: it does not have to be a separate entry, a link to this entry will earn you an extra raffle ticket to win.
2. Retweet this message on Twitter for an extra chance to win (just copy and paste it): MMB turned 2! RT @MyMakeupBlog for a chance to win one of three beauty packages worth $200+ USD. Details here http://bit.ly/9AIDEH

This giveaway is opened from now until 12pm EST or GMT +5, July 25th, 2010. Winner will be randomly chosen and announced here on my blog so please check back to see if you win. This contest is opened to all readers 18 or older, as long as my local post office can ship to you.

Good luck, everybody!

I would like to thank Z Mei Skincare, L'Oreal, and Adorned with Grace minerals for sponsoring products for this giveaway. The rest of the items in this giveaway came from my own pocket.

Also, please support my Etsy shop. Formula D Minerals is having a bonus time until July 14th: when you make a purchase $10 USD and above before shipping and handling, you get to choose an eye shadow of your choice.

P.S: If you like my blog, please subscribe to my feed. Thanks a lot!

Hairtag Giveaway Winner

Hi everybody,

Remember the Hairtag giveaway, anybody? Well, guess how many people participated? Exactly two!

Come on, guys! That was a Twitter giveaway and it was super easy: you tweeted and left a comment on the entry. Why didn't you guys join?

Since there are only two participants, I decided to use the age old method of picking the winner: flip the coin. Trisha and Elle were the participants and base on the order of the entry, Trisha got the head while Elle got the tail.

One toss and when the coin hit the ground, this is what we got:

Tail! Congratulations, Elle!

Elle, please email me your mailing address and I'll forward it to the kind folks at Hairtag. Trisha, I'm so sad you didn't win this giveaway. If I were Oprah, you could have won, too.

Again, congratulations to the winner and thank you Hairtag for sponsoring this giveaway.

P.S: If you like my blog, please subscribe to my feed. Thanks a lot!

Bling Out with NYC Starry Silver Glitter Nail Polish

Hi everybody,

I hope you are having a long holiday so far. Since July 4th fell on Sunday, we the people in the U.S of A also have Monday off. That's awesome, isn't it? Lately, I had an urge to bling out my nails. NYC makes it easy and affordable for me to do so with Starry Silver glitter nail polish.

Let's see:

• The price: 99 cents
• The level of awesomeness: endless!

I did a quick bling out French tip last week and here's how it looks:

A different take on French tip

Normally, I am not a French tip kind of girl. Don't get me wrong, I used to do it because French tips do go with everything. However, when they chip, the look is just horrible. Also, I am not ambidextrous so the nails on my left hand always ended up looking a lot better than those on my right hand. With DIY French tips, that's a big no no.

With this bling out version of French tips, I don't even need to worry about the evenness. As long as I pack my brush with enough glitters, my tips will look fine.

A closer look at the nail polish bottle and the nails themselves

Don't believe me about the lack of messiness? This is my right hand :)

Please don't mind my raggy looking nails. Obviously, I need to apply more hand creme to my cuticles :)

I love this cheap glittery nail polish. It has small white glitters and larger purple and blue ones. The large glitters may be harder to fish out but you need 3-4 of them for each tip. Two coats will give you enough large glitters.

How to do the bling out French tips:

1. Apply base coat to your nails
   
2. Apply 2 coats of Starry Silver glitter nail polish to the tip area of your nail. The thickness should be about 1/5-1/4 the length of your nail. Wait in between coat for your nail polish to dry.
3. Apply quick 2 coats of dry top coat and voila, you're done!

This is very simple yet glamorous. Even I, the one who has two left hands when it comes to nails, can do it. I hope you'll enjoy this bling out French tip nail trick.

P.S: If you like my blog, please subscribe to my feed. Thanks a lot!

Clare's FOTD: "The Time Traveler's Wife" Look

Hi everybody,

Remember my almost FOTD look I did last week? Well, I nailed Rachel McAdams's look on the cover of "The Time Traveler's Wife"! Yay me!

Don't believe me? Look:

Clare's FOTD

Say what, homies? You don't think I nailed this look?

Similar makeup look, right? The reason I don't look like her is because I don't have her face :)

This is a very beautiful and easy look to create. I think it's a proper look for a bride on her big day. Wanna know how to do it? Jump!

Stuff I used:

• Eyes: MAC Bare Canvas paint pot (not shown), Aura Science Hazel Brown (or MAC Espresso), MAC Amber Lights, the light color in NYX Shangri-La trio, VS Beauty Rush Bronzilliant, Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Bourbon, Rimmel London Flash Volume Lash, ELF eyeshadow brush, MAC 217 and 219 brushes, EcoTools crease brush
• Face: Korres primer with Oak and Quercetin, The Ultimate Powder, Formula D mineral foundation, Shu Uemura blush in P Brown 76, MAC 129 blush brush (not shown), Swirled cosmetics kabuki brush, Z Mei balancing toner
• Lips: MAC Thrills lipstick and Shiseido Maquillage RD332 lipgloss

Eyes

• Apply MAC Bare Canvas as an eyeshadow primer to the eyes from the lash line to the brow bone, then Bronzilliant from the lash line to half way to the crease
• Using ELF eyeshadow brush, blend Hazel Brown (or MAC Espresso) to the area covered by Bronzilliant, concentrating more on the outer corner of your eyes
• Blend lightly with MAC 219: I know this is strange but apparently, the 219 pencil brush does not disperse color like the 217 blending brush does
• Apply Amber Lights to the crease using EcoTools crease brush, then blend lightly with MAC 217
• Highlight using the lightest shade of NYX Shangri-La trio using MAC 217 brush: to think about it, this shade kinda looks like Stila Kitten. You can use Kitten if you don't have this trio
• Apply Bronzilliant to the lower lash line and apply Hazel Brown (or Espresso) on top of it, using MAC 219
• Line both the upper and lower lash lines with Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Bourbon
• Curl your lashes and apply Rimmel London Flash Volume Lash to both the upper and lower lashes
  

Semi-close eye

Face

• Prime your face with Korres primer with oak and quercetin: I find this primer to hold my makeup a lot better than the regular Korres primer
• Spray the Swirled kabuki brush with Z Mei balancing toner before applying mineral foundation with it
• Set the foundation with The Ultimate Powder
• Blush: apply Shu Uemura P Brown 76 blush using MAC 139 blush brush, using a light hand because this blush is very pigmented
  

Lips

• Apply MAC Thrills lipstick, using a lip liner brush, then top off with Shiseido RD 332 lip gloss
  

Tada, you're done! Squidward's nose :)

This is a simple and elegant look that can be used in many different occasions. I love the Hazel Brown/Amber Lights combo. Amber Lights does make everything look a lot brighter. For some reasons, I think it is a look that's suitable for weddings, too.


What do you think? Btw, the nail polish I wore is the famous "For Audrey" from China Glaze. I am going to do a review on it soon.

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