Showing posts with label rambling. Show all posts

10:36 AM 7
Hi Bellas!

I have all the entries for the Name My Domain Contest (dang why didn't I think of that title earlier) and thank you so much for participating! I had a lot of great entries. You guys are so clever! This weekend my boyfriend and I will go over the entries and announce the winner on Monday.

TGIF Right? I have a couple of things going on this weekend which should be fun.

Friday: This evening I'm going with my best friend and crew to do a bridesmaid dress fitting/try-on...my first wedding as a bridesmaid!

Saturday: I'm doing a wedding from 11pm to 3:30. Nine faces to makeover yikes! Luckily I have an assistant to help me out. The bride is so sweet. I made her a face chart which I meant to post today but I didn't have a chance to take a picture. We're actually using the Cult of Cherry quad for her night-time wedding look. After that, I'm doing a fashion show and leaving straight from the wedding to arrive there by 4pm. It should be fun...I'm using my Cult of Cherry products once again to achieve a dark lip look for this fall collection.

Sunday: I'm doing a bridal consultation for an Indian wedding, yay! I've been wanting to do arabic themed makeup for a while. I can get a little more creative with with this kind of makeup. The bride wants to try airbrush makeup...should be fun!

Besides that I need to do some major laundry and cleaning, lol. Any big plans this weekend?
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9:50 AM 22
Hi Bellas!

Friday at last! This week actually flew by for me.

Last night I had a photoshoot and didn't get to bed till after 1am! Tireddddd...but the shoot came out really well. I did a look on the model that I loved. I used blacktrack fluidline to contour her eyes and came out with a really Mod inspired look. I'm excited to get that one in my portfolio. I couldn't believe that the model was only 16! I guess I thought she was older because she was so tall. But I will say, her skin took to makeup nicely...no bags or dark circles that I needed to worry about covering up. Sighh...I miss those days, lol. I'll post pics soon!

This weekend I'll be busy again...Friday through Sunday I'll be shadowing a seasoned makeup artist and learning her trade. I'll keep you updated!

In the meanwhile, here's an email that my bf sent me with some really great advice to get you in the right state of mind for the weekend:

AWESOME ADVICE!!!!!
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today. I am thankful for_________ _____'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

'The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.'
Unknown
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11:38 AM 21
EDIT: i added more pics that my bestie emailed me from my birthday weekend with the girls :)

WARNING: Long post...pic heavy...

Hi Bellas,

I had a great birthday. It started the weekend before with my celebration with the girls. Each time one of the girls in our core group has a birthday, it always has to be a surprise/themed multi-day event, lol.

Friday Night, they involved the BF in the plan by making it seem like he was taking me to dinner. Instead, they surprised me at Agatha Christie's Mystery Dinner Theater. My BFFs were all there as well as my good friend from college. The show was hilarious! It was Harry Potter/Disney themed...and it was a murder mystery themed improv type show with dinner included. There was audience participating and I had lines! I was Minnie Rat (the ghetto version of Minnie Mouse i guess, lol) and I totally embarassed myself! My cue was when another audience member, Mickey Rat came in and we had an argument. I was just going to be animated with it...but to my shock he came in with a voice 10 octaves higher than I expected. He was trying to be Mickey for real lol. So out of nowhere I decided to make my voice 10 octaves higher (and yall know my voice is already high)! LOL, needless to say nobody could understand us...and the actors totally made fun of us the whole night. He he.






Afterwards, the girls handed me a card with a big picture of Oprah on the front. Inside, the card said that I would need to pack my bag for a girls' sleepover and to get ready for my "favorite things". They also handed me a sephora bag...inside was the Aquolina Chocolate perfume, yum! Chocolate is definitely one of my favorite things. When I arrived at my friend's apartment...the girls suprised me, it was decorated with ballons and confetti and lots of hot pink (another fav of mine)! They all had matching pajamas and they had bought me one too! (yay for victoria's secret semi-annual sale and the discount sleepwear, he he). They handed me a yummy drink called a pink panty (vodka, pink lemonade, whip cream and sprinkles!) and even got me a cake with my Makeup By RenRen logo imprinted on it!

My gorgeous cake

After that we bonded over chocolate fondue and snacks, and watched a bunch of chick flicks. Of course, in the beginning we all thought it would be cute to sleep on the living room floor like a real sleepover...but in the morning, with our sore backs and necks, we decided dang we are too old for that, lol.





In the morning, they told me to get ready. We all put on our makeup and sundresses and they drove me to the next location. It was brunch with all my friends there waiting! This brunch spot called Agnes and Muriel's is famous for their Southern Breakfast menu.



One of the besties Melissa and my former co-worker Sherrie, she just had a baby and still came out!

Group shot!


All the girls!


Talk about yum! We ate, drank, and were merry, and it was one of my best bday weekends ever. Talk about good friends!

Tuesday was my actual Birthday. The BF wanted me all to himself on this night ;)

So I had an amazing time on my birthday. So after going through 2 MAC makeup wipes, I finally decided on a look. I wanted something smokey and sexy like Nai Nai suggested but I wanted something with a bit more flare than usual. I was able to break out some of my fav colors from the last couple of collections and pair it with good old carbon—the key to any smokey eye. I wanted a nude boyfriend friendly lip, lol, so I went with a nude lipgelee and a pink lipliner. On top of it all, I wanted my skin to glow! So I mixed strobe cream with my foundation and then used MSF light flush to give it an extra something something. And of course, I couldn’t forget my lashes! I used one of my favorites – Ardell Gisele lashes.


Here’s the complete list of what I used (All MAC unless otherwise specified):

EYES
-bare study paint pot
-shore leave e/s(all over lid)
-warming trend e/s (middle of lid up to crease)
-carbon e/s (outer v and crease)
-gold reflects glitter
-gisele lashes
-revlon colorstay liquid liner in blackest black
-kohl pencil in smolder
-anastasis brow kit

FACE
-strobe cream mixed with satinfinish foundation
-selectmoisture concealer
-msf natural med dark
-sculpt & shape duo
-shy beauty powder blush
-light flush msf

LIPS
-subculture lipliner
-nude lipgelee

So after I got ready I saw this big bag from my boyfriend and of course I got really excited.

We headed off to dinner. Luckily it was at 8pm so I had time to get my makeup and hair together! He made reservations at this place called Dante’s Down the Hatch…it’s a really cool fondue restaurant where the inside looks like a pirate’s ship or something…they even have a bride over a moat with real alligators. It was fun doing the fondu thing. They had a live jazz band and we had our own booth which was sequestered off and looked like a mini cabin, tres cute!

The food was overpriced, but delicious.


Now for the presents! He already got me the two dozen roses and my hair for Friday so I wasn’t sure what all he was going to get me since those items and our $100 dinner were already a lot.

The first thing I pulled out was a dvd—the two disc special Little Mermaid! I love this movie…it’s definitely my fav Disney film. It was funny because the other week I was watching youtube videos on some of the songs (I especially love Kiss the Girl and Part of Your World)…and luckily Disney took this one out of the vault so I could add it to my collection.



The next item was so cute…he had a Makeup By RenRen t-shirt made for me! It was black with hot pink writing…it’s perfect because I like to wear all black for gigs. He told me the next ones would be better…he has the idea of printing them in mass so I could hand out to friends and clients for walking advertisement. He’s so clever!



I thought that the dvd and shirt was pretty much all that he gave me…but then he told me that there was a little bag inside. I didn’t even see it with all the mounds of tissue paper. I finally pulled it out…a Tiffany’s bag! Mind you…I have zero items from Tiffanys…I’m not huge into labels, but Tiffanys? Come on! I pulled out the perfectly wrapped box and what was inside….a ring!

Okay guys, calm down, lol, it’s not an engagement ring. We ain’t ready for all that now! Maybe in a few years, lol… But anyways, it’s a promise ring…I’ve been bugging him for one for the last year and he finally came though. I absolutely love it! It’s classic and simple and perfect for me since I hardly wear jewelry anymore.




Now the question is…how am I going to top this for his birthday in September? Yikes!
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3:12 PM 5
Hi Bellas,

Happy Friday! I’m glad for the weekend because it’s been a busy last few days. A lot of birthdays have been going on over here along with makeup gigs, and more. Wednesday I had a makeup tutorial scheduled with a client who is also a model. She told me that she gets her makeup done a lot, but has no idea how to put it on herself. I think that if you’re in the modeling industry it definitely helps to learn a thing or two about makeup application. This is especially true if you’re just starting out and trying to build your portfolio on a budget.

One thing that came up that I have to remind you guys about, is don’t keep reusing the sponge in your compact. She told me she goes through her crème compact foundation really quickly and doesn’t know why. I looked in and noticed that her sponge inside looked beat up, thin and lanky, and overused. Yuck! Sponges absorb more foundation and on top of it, need to be changed regularly due to bacteria buildup. I explained this to her and she realized that might have been a source of her recent breakouts. If you want to use a sponge, it’s perfectly fine. Just make sure to change it out regularly. They sell compact sponge refills in any beauty aisle. If you want to reduce how much you use…dip a sponge in water, wring it out, and then apply the foundation. This helps you get a lighter coat of coverage.

Today I have my hair appointment scheduled. I’m excited! I’m still not sure what I’m going to do but it’s going to look a heck of a lot better than what it’s looking like now. I’ll post pics soon!

Tomorrow I have the wedding gig booked…hopefully all goes well. Till next time, have a great weekend. Ciao bellas!

11:15 AM 19
Hi Bellas,

So today is the big 25, whewww! I would also like to wish a happy happy birthday to Alien Man as well...because our mamas decided to have us on the same day. There are also a few other bloggers who have birthdays this week so I want to say happy birthday to you too! Today is going well so far...I didn't take off of work because Tuesday is such a random day. I'm also taking off the Monday after 4th of July for my mini vacay back home to Orlando.

Tonight I have dinner plans with the boyfriend. He already surprised me with flowers this morning...he left a dozen white roses in my kitchen with a note that said "For my friend..." and then when I got into my car this morning, there was another dozen red roses with a note that said "For my lover...". He's on point so far...I can't wait for what he's got in store this evening.

With that said...I haven't got really anything makeup related. I've been re-organizing and packing my traincase for my wedding gig this weekend--7 bridesmaids, I gotta pack smart!

I've been trying to think of a fun makeup look to wear to dinner tonight, do you guys have any recommendations?

Love you all!
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11:47 AM 8
Hi Bellas,

How was your long weekend? Mine was fabulous! It was nice to relax and enjoy not working, he he.

I had half a day on Friday so I was able to get a lot done. I saw an early showing of Indiana Jones-Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I loved that movie. Not only did it crack me up but I think I was the only one in the theatre screaming every time there was an intense action scene.

Afterwards, a few friends and I stopped by at MAC and I was able to pick up the new M.A.C Collection-Neo Sci-Fi, Solar Fields, and Future Earth.

Here’s a video review I did this weekend.

I’m going to do a post with swatches tonight of comparable colors…woodwinked, bronze, satin taupe. That way you guys can see them in person.

All in all, thumbs up on the collection. The colors are all really pretty. I’m more of a bright eyeshadow girl but I can appreciate the gorgeous gold and bronze shades in this collections. I also loveeeee the bright orange lipstick, electro. I wore it out this weekend and rocked it! I also wore it with bronzescape and talk about shimmery! It was gorgeous. I actually paired it with my Milani Color brilliance liner in green and it looked really cool.

Saturday was decorating day. I also finished up most of the decorating this weekend. It was the Bf and I’s gazillionith grip to Ikea. I’m only missing a few random pieces (nightstand lamp, drawer pulls) that I can wait for my wallet to recover. Hopefully I’ll get some pics up soon.

Sunday we had brunch with my friend’s parents who were in town. I had a lox bagel combo with fresh fruit, yum! I also had to go back to Ikea to return something and pick up more stuff! The rest of the night I played with makeup and relaxed.

Monday-Memorial Day.
I woke up early to do a makeup lesson session. The client was going to turn 50 and traveling to Jamaica for a huge party. I taught her how to do one side of her face and she duplicated the other. We went for a gold/smokey look. It was a dramatic before and after! The power of makeup is unbelievable. I’ll post pics soon.

Afterwards, my friends and I decided to play like we were grown ups and put together a nice little barbeque. Talk about too much food! We had hot dogs, veggie burgers, turkey burgers, beef burgers, bbq chicken, marinated chicken, pasta salad, watermelon, potato salad, corn on the cob, and ice cream! Needless to say, we all have some major leftovers. We then had an intense game of scattegories, lol, watched Keeping up with the Kardashians, and called it a night.

I’m going to try and get a Neo-Sci Fi look done tonight. I haven’t quite decided on a look, so I’ll leave it up to you guys to decide. Hopefully I’ll have it up by tomorrow. I’ll be going out of town for the second half of this week. I’m heading up north to NY for a bachelorette party and some shopping and Connecticut for a wedding. I’m going to do my best to stay on my budget!

Stay tuned for things to come:
-Kim Kardashian Tutorial (filmed, needs to be edited)
-Kat Von D Tutorial (filmed, in editing process)
-False Lashes Tutorial (filmed, in editing process)
-Coastal Scents haul and review (filmed, needs to edited)
-Neo-Sci Fi Tutorial (needs to be filmed)
-Blue and Green Pigments Video (done, needs to be uploaded)

Till next time, ciao bellas!

9:34 AM 8
Hi Bellas,

Sorry I've been totally MIA. Like I mentioned...I am currently settling into my new apartment.

I just moved in last week so I’m still furnishing the apartment with furniture, décor, having the BF nail things into the wall…you get the deal. My hours after work are usually dedicated to running to Ikea, Target, Michaels…then coming up and unpacking or installing. With that said…I haven’t had all that much time to get to blog posting. But mind you, I think about my videos and blog on the regular. By next week I should be back on track…I plan on posting two videos a week as well as regular blog entries.

In the meanwhile…here’s what I’m working on:
-review of pencil me in cosmetics eye pencils
-look and tutorial for M.A.C Naughty Nauticals collection
-how to apply liquid eyeliner video (done! I will probably post this in the next week)
-updated bridal makeup entry with photos from the last gig (I received the pics, I’ll post to blog soon!)
-quick review and haul on M.A.C Dazzleglass

Stay tuned!
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12:15 PM 9
Hi Bellas,

Sorry i've been kind of MIA lately. I've got a bunch of posts saved as drafts but I haven't finished them. I also have videos that I need to upload. I've just been very occupied lately.

For one, I have terrible allergies. I also wear contacts on a daily basis. They are the kind that you sleep in. I hardly ever wear my glasses...maybe once every month and a half when my eye gets really irritated for whatever reason. However, with allergy season kicking in, I've been wearing my glasses for almost two weeks straight. This is unheard of for me. For this reason, I haven't been doing any makeup tutorials. I'm not insinuating that just because you wear glasses that you can't wear makeup...because you can. My thing is that my eyes are too irritated, my nose is too runny to even try. I actually did try and it was a hot mess!

Morever, i'm not trying to share my drama with everyone...but I decided that I need to move out of my apartment this week and my lease is up April 30th! I've been living with my best friend of 18 years since freshman year of college. The last two years another friend of ours has been living with us in a three bedroom apartment. We had a pow bow and decided that the best thing for everyone was for me to move out...both of them are single and I have my boyfriend around 24/7. You can see the complications that causes right? Don't worry...there's not tension or drama...it was a little emotional for me because my roomies are my best friends but in the end it's best for everyone. My boyfriend and I will be able to grow and i'll also become more independent.

With that said, I started looking for an apartment Monday and after some crazy hunting was approved for one Thursday afternoon! I'm so excited. The place is soooooo cute...it's smaller than I'm used to after living in a large three bedroom apartment for the last couple of years, but it's perfect for me and the boyfriend. Mind you, he still has his own apartment but we'll pretty much be living together like we've done for the past two years. The only difference is that I don't have to worry about bothering my roomies. I'm so excited to decorate!

Anyways, like I said i've been busy planning the move...making lists for things I need to buy since I'm going to be starting from scratch.

I haven't forgotten you guys...and I'm sorry for being MIA. I'm planning on posting a video in the next few days. Just a heads up...the next two weeks might be a little crazy because i'm not sure how much time and computer access i'll have during the move. However I have a few things that I've been working on that you guys can look forward to. They're all sitting there waiting for me to finish them up so you guys can take a looksy.

Blog Entries:
-New Michael Brushes Review
-Posh Brushes Review
-Pink and Purple picture tutorial entry for Lurve's contest
-My FOTD/interpretation of MAC's Naughty Nauticals using my own products
-Wedding Pics and Reflections
-MAC pigment sale

Videos:
-MAC full on lust look: smokey gray/blue eyes and pink lips per viewer request
-Tiger Eyes Video
-Blue and Green Pastel Easter Look using MAC pigments

Thanks for your patience guys, after I get over this little hump i'll be back in full force. Ciao bellas!
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11:09 AM 4
So I was tagged by a few of you…so hopefully you’ll get to know me better!

Things I'm passionate about:
-my culture- Philippines represent!
-giving and getting respect
-my friends
-my family
-my boyfriend
-equality among all races, sects, and genders
-makeup!
-seeing my friends and family happy

Things I'd like to do before I die:
-travel the world with my boyfriend-eating exotic foods and learning about new cultures
-get married to my BF, having kids, a nice house, a dog, the whole shebang!
-quit corporate life and have my own successful business
-have my name in headlines-not saying I want to be famous, but recognized for my work
-learn to be completely happy with myself
-start a non-profit organization/scholarship fund

Things I say often
-hey girl!
-get it girl!
-botch!
-I love you
-camp kukamunga (when something is crazy!)
-leery jeery (for creepy men who leer at you)
-that’s weird
-that’s interesting

Books I've read recently:
-The Rape of Nanking
-Girls of Rijaad

Songs I could listen to over and over
-Old school R&B – Mary J Blige Real Love – Whitney Houston – I wanna dance with somebody
-Where Did My Baby Go by John Legend
- Tainted Love
-Always be my baby – Mariah Carey
-Mo Town Hits

Traits I'm attracted to in my friends (in no particular order)
-loyalty
-will be there for me when I need them – from a flat tire, to a breakup
-friends that got my back-if someone tries to jump me, they better jump in too!
-able to tell me that I’m being whack and need to improve
-can confront me openly and honestly..i hate the silent treatment and pettiness
-good supporters and listeners
-can let loose!
-down to earth
-shopping buddies!
-able to laugh out loud
--friends that I can chill on the couch and watch the Hills with, to travel the world with, to attend church with, to go to the club with: I’m real hard core with the friends I have…most of my friends are the kind that I’ve known for years and that I can trust completely…I’ve keeping a tally of future bridesmaids!

I tag everybody!
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10:51 AM 17
Hi Bellas,

It’s been a crazy week. Sorry for being a bit MIA…I ran out of back up posts lol. As you all know, I had my wedding gig this weekend, Saturday to be exact. All went well…I got a lot of compliments on the makeup. I’ll be doing a more thorough post of what I learned and include pics and all that good stuff in a separate entry.

So like everybody and their mama, I’ve been sick once again. This really isn’t a surprise because I’m always sick…I’d say at least 50% of the time. It started on Friday when I was feeling a little weak…it didn’t help that it was raining the day of the wedding and I was running around without an umbrella, and up from 5am. Sighhhh…I think the whole infusion of pollen has something to do with it as well. I’m recovering now, I think I'm back to suffering from regular old allergies.

This week is another busy one for me. It’s my sorority’s founders week. For those of you who don’t know what it is…it’s a week to celebrate the founding of a chapter with an event each day. Many of the multicultural sororities and fraternities do this, and you have to reserve your week early in advance. This week is especially significant to me because I'm a founding sister of my chapter and this year celebrates our 5 year anniversary. Even though I’ve already graduated, I’m still extremely active with my sorority…it truly is a lifelong commitment. On top of it all, I’m also chapter advisor. The really cool thing about our sorority is that we’re super close to all the chapters in the area…there really is no need to compete since we’re a rather small organization, founded in 1975.

With that said, tonight I’ll be attending Georgia State University’s probate show. For those who aren’t familiar, a probate is a show where members of an orientation class “reveal themselves” to the public. Most often, the new members of a multi-cultural frat or sorority are kept secret and it's a big event to see who ends up joining what organization. The show usually involves costumes, and doing chants and traditions in front of a big group of people…mainly a crowd consisting of multi-cultural greeks. I’ve been requested to do the makeup of our new members in the probate…I gave them two options…if they want the whole shebang, foundation, concealer, primer and makeup…they’d have to pay me a kit fee of $20. This really isn’t bad because there are 4 girls and it ends up being $5 a piece for the use of my product. Of course they picked the free option where I’ll only do eyes, lips, and cheeks, lol. They are responsible for their own foundation and mascara so I don’t have to use my stuff. I’m also rushing to GA state right after I get out of work at 5pm and the show is at 7pm which doesn’t give me a lot of time to do the makeup! Our sorority colors are burgundy and grey…so I’m doing a burgundy and grey smokey eye (lol the newbies get so excited to wear anything with our colors), pink cheeks, and subtle pink lips. It’s easy! I budgeted 20 minutes for the four girls which should definitely give me enough time.

I did a run-through on my roomy last night and so far I think I’m using burnt burgundy pigment, hepcat, and print eyeshadows. I’ll post pics later!

Till then, thanks for hanging in there with me guys. Ciao bellas!
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3:29 PM 11
Hi Bellas,

So this video is sooo old, I just haven’t had time to post it. I did a review on shieseido mascara base…this product works wonders! It really thickens and lengthens my lashes and keeps the curl. Two thumbs up! I’m due for a new mascara soon…I haven’t really heard great things about MAC mascara…does anybody have any good recommendations on a good mascara? So far I’ve used fiberwig, diorshow, telescopic, define a lash, the sucky l’oreal one with primer on one side and mascara on the other. I bought the ELF mascara when I did the elf haul a few weeks back…but I haven’t opened it and don’t really expect it to be the bomb mascara either. I really like diorshow because it goes on nice and thick, but I wish the brush was a little smaller. I tend to like traditional brushes, not the new plastic comb-like ones. I’m leaning towards getting Shiseido Lifting Mascara since I love the mascara base so much.

Here’s the video on my review:


Notice my long, curly hair in this video…ahhhh nostalgia. I went to work today and got a lot of compliments on the ‘do…however, I have noticed that ppl say I look younger with it. Yah think so? I was trying to avoid that. When I was around 14…I tried to pull off the Meg Ryan spunky hair look…do you guys remember that? I ended up shaving another four years off with that look…I looked so young.

On another note, I can’t wait to get home and take a nap…the time change thing really messed me up. Today is the only free day this week I have to relax. Here’s my schedule for the week:
1) Tuesday: dinner /college roomy reunion and sorority stuff all night after that
2) Wednesday: sorority stuff all night
3) Thursday: sorority stuff all night
4) Friday-early Saturday: sorority stuff all night
5) Saturday: prolly going out at night with the sorority
6) Sunday: vacation planning meeting in the afternoon with my crew. We call ourselves the “get it girl” crew. As in, “get it girl!!!”. The first year started with my BFF Alex and me traveling to Barcelona, London, and Paris. The next year we expanded it to a group of 7 girls. We flew to Miami for two nights then took a 7 night cruise to Puerto Rico, St Thomas, Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos. This year we’re kicking it back up a notch and plan on going to Costa Rica, woo hoo! We’ll probably fly down there and stay for about 8 nights and travel to different parts of the country. Since we’re uber-dorks we have vacation meetings to plan, he he.

Fortunately all the sorority stuff will be done by this weekend. That’s what happens when you make a life long commitment to an organization…I’m also the chapter advisor to my sorority so it’s extra obligations with that one. It’s been taking over my life! Luckily I have a bunch of videos that are complete so I don’t have to spend time editing and making videos in my free time.

Thank God for my boyfriend because he really helps me out with them. I was out doing sorority stuff Friday night and I came home to see that he edited my import girl video for me. Not only did he edit it, add music and titles, but he also photoshopped my pics with a really cool effect where only my face is highlighted in color and the rest of the background is black and white. He said this is so people can focus on my makeup. He also changes the background of my youtube page now and then to mix it up…all without me asking! I really appreciate it because sometimes I get a little burnt out from all the video editing. He’s really into music as well and matches looks to the video songs…so if you like the music on my vids you have him to thank  I really lucked out with a BF so supportive, creative, and really into various art mediums. Thanks baby!

Here are the completed videos I have yet to upload, I’ll probably upload them in this order:
1) Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow Look #2
2) Basics of eyeshadow blending
3) Import girl look
4) MAC brushes
5) Tiger Eyes

I think this is good enough to last me two weeks. This week I’ll take a break from makeup and filming videos since I’ve got so much going on. I’ll just post the videos above.

Next week I’ll film more videos including:
1) Skincare routine
2) Tutorial using some new pigments I bought from CCO (frost, pastorale, cornflower, aire-de-blu, jardin aires).

Stay tuned, there’s a lot coming up!
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9:15 PM 17
Hi Bellas,

I had a fabulous time in Cali. I was there for about a week. My parents flew up from Orlando to meet me out there so we can visit my brother and some aunties and uncles. As soon as I flew in on Wednesday evening, my parents scooped me up and we drove 10 hours to Loma Linda, Cali where some of my relatives are. Talk about a delirious drive! My dad had to pull over in a rest stop to take a cat nap because the drive was intense. Ever since I got in a car accident after high school prom, i'm traumatized b/c i was sleeping in the back when it happened. Now when ppl drive herky jerky I'm too paranoid to sleep in the back. Luckily, we got there safe and sound. My Auntie Puring had the cutest dogs...one permanently had his tongue sticking out to the side b/c he had a stroke, awwww, he's too cute.

While I was there I had a few goals in mind:
1) relax, relax, relax
2) catch up with old relatives…some of which who haven’t seen me since I was 4 years old
3) spend time with my bro
4) get 2 moles on my neck removed (sounds weird right? But last time my mom was in Cali when I was in high school she had this Filipino lady remove the moles from her face…luckily I only had 2 on my neck that I wanted to get rid of)
5) get me some Filipino food and snacks!

I think I accomplished many of my missions. It was mainly me and my parents since my brother is in law school and couldn’t come down to south cali with us since he didn’t want to miss any classes. 85% of the time I didn’t quite know what was going on because my parents were speaking in their native language- tagalong, of which I do not understand whatsoever. That’s okay though…I just chimed in when I heard a sprinkling of English here and there… he he.

Stay tuned for lots of pics and captions!


Num num, honey dew bubble tea (my fav flavor!) in san fran's lil asian area (I was going to call it china town, but i'm not sure if it really is china town!). this was at a gelato shop we escaped too on the corner...there was some kind of festival going on...dare i say chinese new year? they had a bunch of booths set up...it was pretty cool.


Me in front of Harrah's Casino in Rincon, Cali. I had a few reservations about going to a Native American casino...but, I really had no choice lol, since my parents drove. It took a bit of trimming and zooming to get this shot right. Do your moms have the same problem when they hold the camera and take forever to take a shot only to have it wayyyy too far away and not centered? Zoom mom zoom!


Some cakes at the filipino bakery - red ribbon bakery in Loma Linda, Cali. I've turned this into a food blog! They even had Ube Cake or as I like to call it "purple stuff".


The famous filipino bakery - Goldilocks...kinda random how they chose a lil blond white girl for a filipino bakery...oh well! I had to come here and stock up on polvoron...we just don't have these things in atlanta!


Next Filipino Food stop...Jollibee fast food restaurant. The first time I learned of this was actually in the business school...this is one of the few fast food franchises that was not overtaken my McDonalds in it's native land...when I heard it was in Cali i've always wanted to go!


Me in front of alcatraz...hey the pic was a lot cheaper than taking the tour!


Look at all the sea lions! They were literally like 20 feet away off on Pier 39 in San Fran.


Me, my mom and auntie Tessie in front of Jolliebee. They thought I was so funny for wanting to take a pic in front, oh well!


The typical breakfast menu at jollibee..rice, slice of tomato, hot dog (sans bun), bacon, eggs, and another optional slice of meat...lol


Watching the bakers at the sour dough bakery in san fran...look at the alligator they made!


Me and my auntie's dog Chalupa...he's soooo tiny, can you see his lil tongue sticking out?

The dish I ordered at "tribu" a Filipino restaurant me and the fam went to. It was delish!


Me midway through my mole removing process...


The famous filipino pancit...num nums

Mom and dad at golden gate park...took us hours of getting lost to get there and leave there and we spent 10 minutes of taking pics and left, lol.
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2:01 PM 4
Hi Bellas,

Last night I went to sleep late and really paid for it  That’s what happens when you take a 3 hour nap after work he he. When I got up however, I was really productive. I cooked, laid out my work clothes, packed my lunch, and filed another video. I filmed my urban decay deluxe eyeshadow look #2. I pretty much finished editing it as well except for adding music and a few titles. What you guys might not see is that in a lot of my videos I sit there looking for products, sometimes wander off into space, watch the TV, basically waste airtime. I have to edit these moments out which are sometimes several minutes so that I can stay around the 10 minute deadline for youtube. My look was very cotton candy inspired-pink, blue, and purple. I put on some falsies, which I haven’t worn in a few weeks so it was a little awkward at first. If I had to choose my favorite falsies, I would choose Ardell Invisiband Wispies.



They are so lightweight they don’t make your eyes feel like they’re weighted down like other falsies. The invisiband helps it blend better and the lashes are long and curled enough to give a dramatic effect. I’ll probably post this sometime next week or so since I still need to post my Shiseido Mascara Base Review and Hot Hepcat look this week.

I’ve been a lot better about catching up on my blog reading . It may be because the BF is out of town so I have more time, but I love seeing what you ladies are coming up with. It really inspires me to try new techniques and what not. One look I want to replicate is putting a dark crease color on the inside 1/3 of the crease and the outside 1/3 of the crease, leaving the middle blank. I’ve seen PowPowBaby and Verdge do this look and I likey!

Well I’m back to work, writing this on the DL, take care bellas!
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9:46 AM 5
Hi Bellas,

How was your weekend? It went by way too fast for me. I caught up on my sleep so I should be back on track this week. This Saturday my roomy and I went to the park to do a nature trail shindig that was a couple of miles long. We didn’t even jog it, just power-walked, but I am sooo sore! It’s probably since I haven’t worked out since around November. On top of it all, the trail was super rugged at points and there was a lot of terrain and jumping up, down, and around tree stubs. My joints are sore! I think I’m getting old at the ripe age of 24. However, this has somewhat motivated me to get my workout on. I need to find a way to reintegrate this into my life. I used to work out during lunch until around November when I was reprimanded at work for my extra long lunches  I’m definitely not a morning person. I think I’ll try to do maybe 20 minute quick workouts at the gym across the street. That way I have enough time to come back to work within my hour limit.

I also had my little book club meeting that my friends and I hold every month and a half or so. I picked a novel by Iris Chang called “The Rape of Nanking”. Have any of you ever heard of it? It’s about the Chinese holocaust of the 1930’s that many people do not know about. It was pretty intense…especially since my group usually reads fiction. This was historical non-fiction with many pages of gruesome scenes. However, it was a really deep discussion. Good times!

My boyfriend left to go back home this weekend…he’s coming back today or tomorrow. He went to visit his sister back home in New Orleans. They’ve moved her from the ICU to another hospital which is more long-term. No major improvements so far, she’s still in a coma. But please continue to pray for her.

This weekend I was able to do a couple of video requests. I filmed and finished editing my MAC brushes video. Also on the cutting room floor is my Basics of Eyeshadow Blending Video. I still need to add my music to that one and render it though. Next on my list are a skin routine video and then another urban decay eyeshadow look. However, I still have a hepcat look tutorial and shisheido mascara base review that I haven’t uploaded to youtube this week. That will come this week.

In the meantime, here’s part II of viewer questions answered. Ta ta!
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2:14 PM 10
Hello Beautiful Bloggers,

So I’ve made a few videos that I haven’t had time to post on the blog. One was on starsmakeuphaven.com, a fabulous website! And another is part 1 of viewer questions. Sometimes I’m a lazy bum and it’s hard for me to respond timely to some of the questions I get via my yahoo mail and youtube inbox, sorry guys! But believe me, I am not complaining one bit…I’m glad to get so much positive feedback, it blows my mind sometimes.

I think being on vacation threw me off my regular groove because as I was editing my answering questions video I got all lazy with it and just cut it into two parts instead of doing one video, which I usually prefer to do. I also don’t want to cut short some of my answers because I want to make sure I come across clear you know?

So I’m going to post questions part II tonight. After that, expect a Hepcat Look video as well as a review on Shiseido Mascara Base. Those videos have been done, just waiting to upload them.

Upcoming videos I’ll be working on:
1) skin routine
2) MAC brushes video
3) How to blend eyeshadow tutorial
4) Curly Hair tutorial
5) Another urban decay eyeshadow look

Any requests, send them my way  I love you guys!

Questions Answered Part I


StarsMakeupHaven.com
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5:10 PM 10
Hey guys! Did you miss me? For those of you who didn't know, I was out of town for about a week visiting some family in Cali. Sorry I wasn't really able to check any posts because I was only able to use the internet for about 5 minutes the whole trip...just wanted to let you know i'm back and ready to partayyyyyyy, lol, j/k that was super corny. Honestly, I'm still feeling the jet lag. I got home yesterday about 10pm atlanta time and had to go to work this morning. I wish I had taken an additional day off to recover because I am sooooo delirious right now. Tonight I need to go home and just sleep and recover...but after that i'll be back with more posts :)
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3:21 PM 14
Hi Bellas,

Yay it’s Friday! I also get Monday off for President’s Day woo hoo! I’m so glad the week is nearly over. I’ve been having a stressful week at work…dealing with a lot of corporate red tape, having to go down to Human Resources, ughhh it’s a mess. Things are going to be different in 2008 though…always remember to fight for what you believe in ladies. One day I will carry out my dream…drop the chains of corporate slavery and amass my own cosmetic empire…and I’ll bring you all with me! He he.

Anywho, how was your Valentines Day? I got to work and like Nessa, was greeted with a surprise. Apparently when my boyfriend got up early “to get an early start at work”, he actually went to my office before me to deliver some goodies. As I walked down the hall towards my desk I saw this massive heart shaped balloon in the distance, and I mean it was big…I could’ve sworn I saw a bunch of older woman standing in my cube…I was like “why are they all up in my cube?” Then I saw the huge balloon and a bouquet of long stemmed red roses. I’ve always wanted flowers delivered to me like that  Too bad I hate my job so I was kinda depressed from all the drama that it diminished some of the fun. Funnily enough, the balloon has a multimedia capability…if you tap it, it plays music. Wow, that music was loud! It played “still the one…we’re still having fun and you’re still the one…”. At least 8 times yesterday ppl came by and randomly hit my balloon and it blasted the 15 second song….I was kind of embarrassed because I sit by a lot of the vice presidents and that junk is loud, lol. It’s funny how the day of love brings out the kid in all these corporate bigwigs.

The BF and I went out to dinner yesterday and then saw “27 dresses”…finally! That movie made me cryyyyyyyyyy. I’ll admit though, that’s not a difficult feat on its own. Even my boyfriend found the movie entertaining. It was our usual Thursday night date night. We’re officially celebrating Valentines Day on Saturday since we’ll have more time. I’m not sure what the BF has under his sleeves but he is full of surprises!

Back to makeup…
So I did a look using my new Fafi products the other day. I went back on Wednesday and picked up Fashion Frenzy Blush, the 2 other fafinette dolls I didn’t get, Perky paint pot, Nice Vice paint pot, Fun N Sexy lipstick, Bare slimshine, and cranapple lipliner.

First of all, I love Slimshines! What a great product for us dry lip girls out there. I like Bare Slimshine because it’s very natural…oh and it’s very boy friendly. I wore it on purpose during dinner on Valentines Day because I knew the lipstick wouldn’t show up on the BF during our intermittent dinner smooches. He’s usually paranoid about my glossy lips leaving traces on him, but it was not an issue with Bare Slimshine. I even made him look in a mirror after a kiss to prove that he was lipstick free  It’s not because it’s smudge proof, rather, because it’s a sheer balmy consistency.

Also, Cranapple Cremestick lip liner goes PERFECTLY with fun n sexy lipstick and totally it lipglass. I love it! It’s so much fun to wear such a hot pink lip…on top of it, it reflects blue and it’s super cool!

I couldn’t open Nice Vice paintpot because it was screwed on so dang tight, but I’ll have the BF get to that later. The Fafinette dolls will definitely stay in the packaging so I can sell them for big money down the road.

So I tried to recreate the look of one of the Fafi models…you know, the asian girl with the white and black eyeliner in the mail flyer?




I even filmed a video on this look but I decided not to post it because in the end, I looked crazy! It was just too extreme even for moi…however, I’ll share some pics with you guys because I love you so much. I photoshopped it by adding the radiant effect so the picture seems brighter…it adds to the drama of it. I will say, however, I would rock the hot pink lips from this look again.

Don’t be scared of me after you see the pics! I didn’t have a Fafi bob, so I just wore my colorful hoody.

Warning: this is definitely extreme makeup.





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3:07 PM 15
Hi Bellas,

How’s it going over there. So I’ve been officially reprimanded for me being on the internet too much. I was in HR meeting with her about moving to a new team for other reasons, and she mentioned that two managers had told her that I was on the internet a lot and that this was against company policy. Yikes! I didn’t get in trouble really, but that means no more ABB, beauty blogs, you tube, specktra, or anything during work hours. I also try to read everyone’s blogs daily, but now it will be more during my nighttime hours. Sorry guys! Can’t get into trouble!

So today is the official release date of the FAFI collection. Are you guys heading out there? I think I’m going to pick up the blush in fashion frenzy. I didn’t get it at first, but after reading Nessa’s blog…I think I will pick it up. I don’t have dollymix, which is supposed to be similar. Also, Mathieu, a boy wearing makeup, on you tube wore it for his Fafi’s Valentines look and he loves it! I think I will also pick up nice vice paint pot since it was sold out, two of the other fafi dolls I didn’t get (for collecting purposes-they WILL stay in the box) a pink paint pot (not sure which one yet) and fun n sexy lipstick, which was also sold out at the time. That’s it!

Have you guys ever clicked on the links portion underneath any you tube videos you‘ve ever posted? Why have I never noticed this before? My BF pointed it out to me last night. He said it’s because one of my videos before was linked on pursebuzz…I was like huh? I’ve always wished she would do that! Too bad I guess that must have been one of the days I was off with my daily reading of my blog. I looked on the links and I was randomly linked to a few blogs. One was in Portuguese! Wow that was so cool! LOL, sorry I sound like a dork. But it’s amazing how far our blogs reach people. Mrs. Lynne left a comment on one of my last entries saying it was fab how we could share these things over thousands and thousands of miles. It’s amazing isn’t it?

So my co-worker called me over to her desk today. She calls me her “makeup expert”. She wanted my opinion on what to get from www.eyeslipsface.com or ELF as many of us like to call it. She was so cute…she was like “what’s mascara for?” Awww, a newbie (and she’s almost 30!). Again everything on here is $1 except the make up bags. I suggest you split it with your friends so that way you get free shipping after $75.

Anywho, I’ll be working on my funky fafi look tonight. I’ll get the video out soon. Ciao bellas!
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1:22 PM 18
Hi Bellas,

Wow, I had a longgggg weekend. Currently I'm at work, TRYING to be productive but everyone is out for the day except myself and one other member on my team. Not to mention I'm super exhausted! Not only was it a long weekend, it was an expensive one too! Friday was my roomy's suprise party that we hosted in our apt's club house. We had food catered, decorated, ordered a specialty cake, and got her tickets to the lion king. Luckily I split the costs with my two other friends, but with everything we dropped $150 each, yikes! So after a late Friday night ending around 3am, I had to wake up to be at a bridal shower Saturday at 11am. I will say it was beautiful and so much fun. My table and I won a prize for a game where you had to turn a slice of poundcake into a decorated wedding cake. Fortunately, many of us at my table were avid viewers of the food channel and their awesome cake contests, so we took home the prize. I wish I could have taken pictures. After that ended around 2:30, my crew and I headed out to a warehouse sale. Basically, they bring together a bunch of chic boutiques in the area, and they set up shop in a warehouse and sell all their clothing up to 80% off. I was picking up $250 dresses for $30. I got 2 dresses, 1 shirt, and 2 pairs of bright colored tights for about $100. Pretty good deal for designer duds. After that we had to head over to the "Adult Items" store to pick up some toys for the bachelorette party. LOL, it was definitely an interesting experience. My roomy and I felt slightly uncomfortable with some of the "apparatus'" in the store...in the end we left with a coupon book and some edible massage oil.

From there we picked up food and immediately had to get ready for the bachelorette party in the evening. No time for a nap :( We got to the hotel, played games, there was even a stripper! LOL that was a first for me. Then we went out to the club where the bride to be did a bunch of dares. We ended up leaving early around 1:30 a.m. b/c we had brunch the next day with our roomy's mom. Her birthday was actually Sunday. So the next morning we dragged ourselves out of bed, had a great brunch. Then me and the birthday girl came home, got ready for the MAC Fafi event at 5pm. We got home around 7pm and I took a 5 HOUR nap. I could use another one, but that will wait after grocery shopping tonight. Whewww! Big weekend.

So to the FAFI event. This was my first unveiling and WOW all I can say is WOW. When my roomy and I got there was a line already wrapped around through a hallway. We could hear the loud DJ music blasting outside of the closed doors. We finally got in, signed the graffiti wall after waiting 20 minutes in line, and it was a madhouse in there!

They served beer, finger foods, and all the MAC artists were dressed in their FAFI shirts and had on cute makeup. I'm definitely going to recreate the look from the flyer with the white and black eyeliner. I had to wait for about 30 minutes before I could get some help with the colleciton b/c i wanted to make sure and try everything before I got it. I spent about $210...less than my $250 budget. The makeup artist was super nice, but he kinda sucked on putting makeup on me. I didn't mention it in my you tube video b/c I didn't want to be offensive but I can be honest with you guys. Maybe it's b/c he doesn't do makeup well on Asians? My roomy who's Colombian just looked at me with a grimace after she saw the makeup. In the video you can see how the eyeshadow looks non-existant on me...and I had to wipe off some of the gloss he put on me b/c it was super clumpy. Oh well! I'll do a look tonight and hopefully it comes out a little better.

So all in all...my thoughts on this collection. I was kinda disappointed. I picked up a lot of the items purely because of the packaging and so that I could add it to my collection. The eyeshadows are pretty tame...I guess this is a good look for spring but I was expecting bolder colors like from the C-Shock collection, which unfortunately I missed out on. I picked up Fafi Eyes 2 b/c honestly the colors in Fafi Eyes one looked like a basic white pink and charcoal, and I already had the pink venus e/s which was in that quad. The Irridescent Pressed Powder I got was pretty, I will say. It's my first IPP. The blush I got (Hipness) I also really liked. A lot of the paint pots seemed pretty basic...especially the pinks. I ended up getting Rollickin' (aqua blue) b/c I missed out on Electro Sky from the McQueen collection and they're kinda similar. I also got Cashflow paint pot b/c it's a nice metallic goldish green. I also picked up a few lippies...I will say the bright pink gloss is hot! I really like bright colors and I found it in this lipgloss. One makeup artist in particular rocked it and it was to die for...I think she paired it with a purple lipstick to give it a glossy fuscia/purple sheen. If only I took pictures! I only got 2 lipglasses and one lipstick b/c the rest were so so. Lastly, I picked up a fafi doll and a makeup bag to round out the purchases. I think i'll put the Fafi bag in my purse as a makeup bag and call it a day.

If I were you, I wouldn't go crazy and buy all the items unless you want to collect them for the packaging. You could skip the quads in my opinion. The colors are not all that and could probably be found in other permenent items. Some of the paintpots are definitely worthy, some aren't. The blush I got was really pretty as well as the IPP. Maybe get one or two lip products. All in all, you could end up spending $100 and get more than enough stuff from this collection. I hope heatherette is a little better...

See my videos below part I and II for swatches, my thoughts, and reviews:





I also did a look last night using Fafi Eyes 2 Quad. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of these eyeshadows. I found the colors too sheer and not really going well together. I went for a basic anyone can wear look so I hope you guys enjoy!

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2:38 AM 19
Hey guys,

So I knew it was going to happen eventually...but last night I checked my you tube page and I was officially struck by my first real hater. I posted a 3rd look for Valentines Day...it was a really funky hot pink leopard eye look. Just trying to have some fun experimenting with make-up. So I was looking at my comments left by the viewers and someone wrote "You are so ugly. That looks like a big mole. Your poor boyfriend." Say what? That was so uncalled for. Luckily some of my other viewers stuck up for me and responded back to the hater. I wasn't that affected by it and my boyfriend blocked the user and removed the comment. Then I checked my youtube channel page...and the same person who left me a comment on the video comment box also wrote another comment on my wall saying "You are so ugly!". Ummmm who does that? Does that seem a bit extreme? Of course this person has no profile, no picture, no videos, nothing.

I just don't understand harsh, unnecessary criticism like this. At first I brushed off this person, but when they took the time to write on my wall as well, that really bothered me. I know I'm not the first to experience this...but I just had to get this off my chest. So release release release...I just have to keep on keeping on. I want to thank everyone out there who is so supportive. It's difficult to put yourself out there sometimes for the world to see...and when haters make you stumble along the way it just makes it a little rough sometimes. You ladies feel me right? It helps to be able to share my feelings with you all since I know you can relate. With that said...whoever that reader is...I feel sorry for him/her because of all the hate in his/her heart...and I feel very fortunate that my heart is so filled with love and support from my family and friends. 'Nuff Said!
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