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how-to: add some colour for autumn eyes

September 14, 2013
how to
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IMG_5479many of us tend to shy away from colour when it comes to eyeshadows. i noticed the most popular eyeshadows in north america are usually the neutrals, like browns, taupes, beiges. i wonder if it’s because of the uncertainty of how to apply colour that turn people away from it. if applied in the right places, bright colours like orange are also very wearable!

 

how to…

here’s how to create an autumn look using vivid orange eyeshadow. you can follow the same steps using any bold and bright coloured eyeshadow to make it super wearable.

autumn eyes

 

 

so you can see a hint of orange peeking through which really subtly changes up the typical neutral eye. this would work great with purple, blue or even green eyeshadow; once those colours are paired with a matte brown in the outer corner of the eye, it automatically tones down the colour making it into an accent rather than an overpowering colour.

 

to finish off…

pair this colourful eye with a soft blush and a nice gloss and you’re done!

pk60s

 

natural makeup for monolid eyes

September 9, 2013
Beauty, how to
5 Comments

makeup for monolid eyes is a challenge for many asians. even more challenging is making the makeup natural, as opposed to drawing thick eyeliner across the lid in order for it to show up when eyes are open.

for aspiring actress amanda zhou’s headshots, we did a youthful look using matte brown eyeshadows to keep it very natural.

here is a shot of her eyes before makeup:

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how to achieve natural makeup for monolid eyes:

  • apply a brown cream base eyeshadow using a natural hair flat shader brush (brush 10) to create the desired shape for the eyes. be sure that the cream shadow shows when eyes are opened.
  • pat a matte medium brown eyeshadow on top of the cream base using the same brush, creating a gradation from the lash line upwards.
  • use a round pencil brush (brush 5R) to apply a matte deep brown eyeshadow to the outer corners of the eyes.
  • curl lashes, then tight line lash line with black painting liner. apply a bit of painting liner above the lash line as well.
  • apply a natural set of lashes and coat both the natural and false lashes with lots of mascara. then, use eyelash curler to clamp both together.
  • apply brown painting liner to bottom lash line and soften with matte medium brown shadow. apply mascara to bottom lashes.

and here are the photos taken by photographer denise grant in toronto:

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and here are some fun shots taken after the shoot:

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christian louboutin for shu uemura lashes!

July 5, 2013
Beauty, Creative, how to
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international artistic director for shu uemura, kakuyasu uchiide, designed a lovely pair of limited edition lashes for the christian louboutin exhibition at the toronto design exchange exclusively available in canada!

i used the rouge et noir lashes to create a femme fatale look captured by photographer mark darren mui and edited by the retoucher extraordinaire james mui. we wanted to create a sultry, moody photo composition to complement the seductive and enchanting lashes.

Laboutin-043

how to get the look:

face:

  • ultime8 cleansing oil
  • red:juvenus toner, serum and lotion
  • stage performer instant-glow
  • nobara cream cover stick 764 and pentagon sponge
  • face powder matte in colourless and brush 18R

eyes:

  • m black 990
  • p black 995
  • ir 985
  • me 472
  • natural brush 10, 10F, 10
  • black painting liner
  • brush 4F

brows:

  • brow manicure in ash brown

cheeks:

  • glow on 761
  • brush 20

lips:

  • nude lip liner
  • mon shu red lipstick (karl lagerfeld collection)
  • burgundy luxe lipstick (karl lagerfeld collection)

lashes:

  • rouge et noir lashes in collaboration with christian louboutin

visit www.shuuemura.ca to find out more about the lashes!

how-to: cherry blossom princess for shu uemura ob collection – pink editorial makeup

March 23, 2013
Beauty, Behind the Scenes, how to
8 Comments

the shu uemura spring collection designed in collaboration with japanese artist ob, features four princesses each with their own persona. the second makeup look that i did was based on the cherry blossom princess.

princesses

here’s a look behind-the-scenes at how i created the look using the pink spring palette on lovely model christine mccabe:

Shu-Spring-2

some retouching on set

 

FACE:

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EYES:

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  • load up natural brush 10 with light pink shade and press all over lids all the way up to brow and on lower lid
  • brush 11 and light pink shade to soften edges and extend slightly onto temples

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  • use brush 11 to extend light pink shade onto cheekbone area

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  • natural brush 10 and apply dark pink shade to crease; soften with brush 11

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  • brush 5R or 10 to apply dark pink shade along outer lower lid

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  • use natural brush 10 to layer light brown and deep brown shades into the outer crease area of eyes; soften with brush 11

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CHEEKS:
  • brush 15 to apply glow on in M soft orange 542 (blending into pink shade on temples)
  • brush 15 to apply glow on P vivid orange 551 to cheek bones (blending with the pink shadow and the M soft orange glow on)

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  • add more colour if necessary

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  • after having put on the lashes, i decided to deepen the crease area further with the brown shades

LIPS:

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  • line lips with nude lip liner

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HAIR:

soft princess curls hairstyle designed by Lip Lap of Initium Hair in Markham, Ontario.

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and here’s the completed image:

photo

hope you enjoyed the post! share with all of the makeup artists out there! have fun experimenting!

how-to: ocean princess for shu uemura ob collection – pastel editorial makeup

March 20, 2013
Beauty, Behind the Scenes, how to
1 Comment

for spring 2013, shu uemura collaborates with young japanese artist ob to celebrate the rise in a new sensitivity in art. according to ob,

“… reality lies in the world of ambiguity. In between the innocent, beautiful dream world and the physical world. That is what [she] want[s] to express in [her] collection.” – ob

she created a universe where four princesses can be found: cherry blossom princess,  moon princess, forest princess and ocean princess. for the collection, i had the opportunity to create four makeup looks using the new spring eyeshadows and lipsticks to reflect the four princesses.

princesses

this is how i created the ocean princess:

FACE:
  • apply UV brightening underbase using pentagon sponge to even out and prep skin for application of pastel colours
  • brush 18 to apply FA illuminating moisture foundation in fair beige
  • cover crayon to conceal darkness under eyes and redness around nose and lips. blend with synthetic brush 10.
  • brush 18R to apply face powder matte in colourless

EYES: (blue palette) click here to read my review on the eyeshadow palettes

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  • cover crayon on lids to even out skin tone for pastel colours. blend using synthetic brush 10.
  • brush 10F to apply brown painting liner on upper and lower lash line
  • natural brush 10 to apply light blue shade all over upper and lower lids…

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  • extend out to temples

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  • natural brush 10 to apply deeper blue shade to crease…

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  • …brush 11 to soften.

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  • brush 10 to apply light blue and deep blue shade to lower lid

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  • brush 10 and brush 11 to apply lavender shade above temples blending into the blue shade.

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  • brush 15 to apply yellow shade on cheekbone blending into blue shade on temples.

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  • fill in brows using hard formula in seal brown

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  • line water line with pearly white drawing pencil
  • curl lashes
  • apply natural mascara in black
  • apply oceans beads mini lashes
  • brush 2R to line upper and lower lash line
CHEEKS:

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  • brush 20 to apply glow on in M soft pink

LIPS:

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  • line lips with nude lip liner
  • fill in with light beige rouge unlimited
  • apply gold gloss to centre of lips

HAIR: designed by Lip Lam for Initium Hair

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and here’s the final image:

Shu-Spring-216-4

for the makeup artists out there, have fun experimenting with this look!

review for the ob collection to come soon!

how-to: spring 2013 trend – aqua marine eyes

March 17, 2013
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getting ready for spring? it’s time to pull out some colourful eyeshadows and to shop for some new makeup goodies to add to your collection! flipping through magazines and browsing online, i was inspired to create a aqua marine makeup look to reflect the spunky colourful liners seen on the runways this spring season.

loulou magazine also featured this look in the march 2013 issue:

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image taken from loulou magazine march 2013 issue

this is my version using the new shu uemura spring 2013 dream blossom blue palette:

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this look is so easy to recreate:

FACE: keep skin soft and fresh using minimal makeup

  • cleanse skin using cleansing oil (i like to use the fresh one – pink bottle)
  • hydrate skin so that makeup smoothes on nicely; for very clean and fresh looking skin, i recommend using the hydrabtility intense moisture filling
  • apply shu uemura bb perfector cream – available in stores in canada
  • lightly dust loose powder matte to areas that tend to get overly shiny i.e., nose and forehead
  • spritz face with depsea water (i’m currently using mint)

EYEBROWS: for a softer spring look, shape eyebrows so that they are more straight than arched

  • shape eyebrows using shu uemura hard formula (i use seal brown)
  • soften them using brush 6OB
  • i like to set my brows in place using the shu uemura brow manicure in ash brown

EYES: i used the dream blossom blue palette for this look. click here to read my review on the palette.

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eyes1

eyes2

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CHEEKS:

LIPS:

  • make sure lips are well moisturized. i like to use the depsea hydrability lip balm.
  • apply new ob sakura pink rouge unlimited for a cute pink pout

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have fun experimenting with this trendy aqua marine look!

how-to: spring 2013 trend warm smoky eye

March 15, 2013
how to
5 Comments

spring is finally around the corner! i’m sure we’re all looking forward to ditching those bulky winter coats and to tap into some of the new spring 2013 trends! march’s issue of loulou magazine outlined the hottest makeup trends for this spring. several of which can be created using the new shu uemura dream blossom collection.

the first trend that i’ll be featuring is warm and mysterious smoky eyes. i think this look is best achieved using matte eyeshadow shades while keeping skin and lips clean and neutral.

CameraAwesomePhoto

image taken from loulou magazine’s march 2013 issue

here is my version:

CameraAwesomePhoto_9

to recreate this look:

FACE: keep skin clean and fresh

  • always properly cleanse and prep skin. i used shu uemura fresh cleansing oil (the pink bottle) and the hydrability line.
  • apply pore eraser uv underbase using pentagon sponge
  • apply illuminating moisture foundation (my shade is medium light sand 564) using the same sponge
  • dust a very small amount of face powder matte in colourless on areas that then to get oily. we want to keep skin fresh, so use a minimal amount.
  • spritz face with depsea water (i’m using the mint one right now – refreshing!) to get a dewy finish and to set the makeup.

BROWS:

  • naturally define brows with small strokes following the direction of hair growth using hard formula (my shade is seal brown)
  • i like to apply the brow manicure to keep my hairs in place (i used ash brown)

hard formula

brow manicure

EYES: this look was created using the pink palette from the dream blossom collection (click here to read a review on the palettes) this technique works for monolid eyes as well.

eyes3

eyes4

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these are the brushes, products and tools that i used (click on images to visit the shu uemura website):

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2r

brush 2R

4f

brush 4F

5r

brush 5R

10

natural brush 10

11

brush 11

lashcurler

eyelash curler

painting linerstrech xtreme

                   brown painting liner                                       stretch xtreme mascara

CHEEKS: keep cheeks pretty neutral. add a bit of colour for dimension.

CameraAwesomePhoto_1

LIPS: for this look, keep lips very neutral so that the attention is all kept in the eyes.

  • line lips with neutral lip pencil
  • fill lips with new rouge unlimited in light beige

light beige

have fun experimenting! more spring looks to come!

how-to: monochromatic pink using shu uemura blossom dream collection

March 10, 2013
Beauty, how to
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the spring 2013 shu uemura blossom dream collection features three beautiful matte, pastel eyeshadow palettes. i used the pink palette to create this soft, monochromatic pink look, paired with the rainbow feather s false lashes.


 Shu-Spring-182-2A

to create this look:

FACE:
  • apply uv brightening mousse using pentagon sponge to brighten and even out skin tone
  • brush 18 to apply FA illuminating moisture foundation in fair beige
  • cover crayon concealor under eyes, around nose and corners of mouth. blend with synthetic brush 10
  • set with face powder matte in colorless using brush 18R
  • load up natural brush 10 with light pink shade and press all over lids all the way up to brow and on lower lid
  • brush 11 and light pink shade to soften edges and extend slightly onto tempes
  • brush 10 and apply dark pink shade to crease; soften with brush 11
  • brush 5R to apply dark pink shade along outer lower lid
  • pearly white drawing pencil to lower water line and slightly to inner corners of eyes
  • curl lashes
  • apply natural mascara in brown
  • apply rainbow feather S lashes
CHEEKS:
  • brush 20 to apply P soft pink 324 to apples of cheeks blending upwards towards temples
  • brush 15 to apply P light yellow 020 to cheekbones and to bridge of nose
LIPS:
  • lipbrush to apply rouge unlimited matte in bright pink
  • dab bright pink shadow over top

remember, the trick to wearing pink eyeshadow is to line the eyes softly with brown shadows or to add some brown shadow to the crease. this helps to avoid having eyes look irritated. have fun experimenting!

how-to: dream in pastels using shu uemura blossom dream collection

March 10, 2013
Beauty, how to
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for the shu uemura 2013 spring collection, i created a colourful pastel look photographed my mark darren. this is a soft, airy and dreamy look featuring the intricate rainbow feather s lashes.

Shu-Spring-82-2A

to create the look:

Face:

  • prep skin with uv brightening mousse for bright and flawless canvas (perfect for pastel colours)
  • foundation FA illuminating moisture in fair beige and brush 18
  • concealor crayon; blend with synthetic brush 10
  • set with face powder matte in colourless and brush 18R

Eyes: blue palette (click here to see a review on the palette)

  • load up natural brush 10 with light blue shade and press on to inner half of lid and extend up to brows. Place colour in inner corner and lower lid also.
  • repeat with the lilac shade placing shadow on the outer half of lid
  • extending up to brow bone.
  • repeat with yellow shade placing shadow on lower lid extending just
  • above cheekbone.
  • use brush11 to soften all of the edges dipping into the shadows to
  • add some colour
  • brush 10 to apply darker blue shade to inner crease of eyes
  • brush 6ob and brown shade to fill in brows
  • line water line with pearl white liner and dab some in inner corner of eye
  • curl lashes
  • apply natural mascara in brown
  • apply rainbow feathered S lashes

Cheeks:

  • brush 20 apply m soft orange to apples of cheeks
  • brush 15 apply p light yellow to cheekbones.

Lips:

  • bright pink unlimited supreme matte
  • 10G gloss

have fun experimenting!

how-to: emerald smoky eyes w/ karl for shu smoky velvet palette

November 6, 2012
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one of 2012’s holiday trends is metallic jewel-toned smoky eyes paired with nude lips. the karl lagerfeld for shu uemura collection has the perfect makeup items to create this look. i used the smoky velvet palette and two of the lipsticks (parisienne pink and celebrity beige) to create a very wearable holiday look. a fun holiday look is incomplete without lashes of course! i used the karl for shu mini lashes to add that perfect accent to my eyes.

parisienne pink – second from the right (a cool baby pink); celebrity beige to the far right (a slightly coral beige – my personal favourite for my skin tone; i’m 564 medium light sand)

karl for shu mini lahes! so cute with little crystals on the band

here’s how to create the look:

and here’s the finished look!:

this is with the parisienne pink lipstick. the blush is from the palette as well and applied using brush 15: pat in circular motion for a natural flush of colour

here’s the celebrity beige shade. i think it really compliments asian skin tones. the slight coral brightens up the shade for healthy looking lips (as opposed to other beige or nude lipsticks which can make us look pale and sickly!)

have fun experimenting with the amazing karl lagerfeld for shu uemura palettes! so many possible combinations. the eyeshadow textures are so smooth and easy to blend; it’s so easy to create very wearable or very dramatic looks.

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