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review: chocolat-donna collection – shu uemura 2012 fall collection

August 6, 2012
reviews
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i’m always so excited when shu uemura comes out with a new collection! each collection is always designed with art, beauty and quality in mind. from the packaging, the colours and the textures to the intricate details of the false lashes, everything is always so beautiful with a story to tell.

 

 

this fall season, talented international artistic director mr. kakuyasu uchiide came up with an elegant collection called chocolat-donna featuring two glamourous nail polishes, three eyeshadow palettes, two blushes and a set of partial lashes. when i was in paris with uchiide-san, he explained that he wanted to design a collection that would be a gift to women. what better gift to give to a lady than beautifully fashioned chocolates? uchiide-san was inspired by chocolate and champagne pairings and used his favourite flavours to come up with the unique chocolate palettes: orange & pistachio, raspberry & mocha and mint & vanilla.

these palettes are also refillable with any regular sized shu uemura pressed eyeshadows.

 

 

orange & pistachio:

this palette includes a glittery orange shade, a pearly pistachio green shade, a pearly peach shade, a cool metallic brown, a matte light brown and deep matte brown.

the textures are always amazing. highly pigmented and glide on smoothly. i can’t ever go back to using any other brand of eyeshadow! other makeup artists can surely agree.

 

raspberry & mocha:

this palette has shades of glittery brown, metallic pink, pearly pink, metallic plum, matte light brown, deep matte brown.

this one is my personal favourite!

 

 

mint & vanilla:

this palette has shades of: glitter gold, glitter mint green, matte beige, metallic warm brown, matte light brown, deep matte brown.

 

nail polishes:

celebration always calls for a bottle of bubbly; perfect pairing for chocolates. this collection has two shades of nail polishes: dark chocolate & icing glitter:

simply apply two coats of the rich chocolate shade to your nails, then apply the glitter polish to the tips the perfect diy manicure. it’s like having a glass of champagne with some dark chocolate truffles.

 

 

raspberry and abricot glow ons:

 

these pearly glow ons are like the rest of shu uemura glow ons: perfectly smooth and finely milled so they create the most natural glow. you can wear these shades alone (i particularly love using apricot shades of blush on deeper skin tones) or wear them together. i suggest applying the raspberry shade to the apples of the cheeks then softening buy applying the apricot shade over top.

 

 

choco-lash:

 

of course, to complete the collection, a pair of dainty partial lashes with golden detailing. these lashes are so easy to apply and make lashes look instantly fuller because of the feathery finish. when eyes are open, it adds fullness to the edges of the eyes and when you blink, there a glimmer of gold – so pretty!

 

the chocolat-donna collection is perfect for creating simple daytime looks that easily transition to glamourous evening looks. i love this collection because it’s extremely wearable and i absolutely love that all of the palettes come with a lighter and a deeper matte brown eyeshadows which is perfect for contouring. i’m also a sucker for collections, so the fact that the palettes are reusable/refillable with the  regular shu uemura pressed shadows is a bonus! this collection is available as of august 2012 in holt renfrews locations across canada so pick it up before it’s gone!

i’ll be creating some looks on myself using the palettes and lashes; remember to check back!

thanks for reading!

how-to: shu uemura glitter eye collection part 2

July 21, 2012
Beauty, how to
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My inspiration: Summer is a season filled with fun bursts of colour; Dazzling the eyes with glittery purple and blue hues is a playful way to create fresh and flirty eyes. balance the look with soft shimmery pink lips and rosy pink cheeks.

for our series of images for the shu uemura glitter eye collection, my photographer mark darren and i had the chance to work with beautiful and talented actress and model Sarah Lian. it was awesome to be able to work with her, as she is a shu fan herself and had done modelling for shu uemura malaysia when she was working there.

for the summer season, i wanted to create a look that was bright and punchy. i wanted to show off the beautifully pigmented new pressed glitter shadows. to enhance the colours, i used the new cream shadows as a base. this look can also be done for monolid eyes.

to re-create this look: (click here to see the shu uemura website to discover products and tools or visit your local shu uemura counter at Holt Renfrew)

FACE

  • apply stage performer instant glow to even out skin tone (with the chroma adjuster, it adjusts to your natural skin tone) and to smooth away lines and pores.
  • use brush 18 and apply face architect smooth fit foundation in 554 (medium sand).
  • use synthetic brush 10 and apply point cealer in medium beige to under eye area and blemishes
  • use brush 18R and apply face powder matte in colourless to set makeup

EYES

  • use natural brush 10 and cream purple shadow P796 and create a gradation from the lash line up, covering the entire lid
  • use natural brush 10 and press G blue 646 over the purple cream base, then apply G turquoise 641 to the centre of lid
  • use natural brush 10 and apply G purple the the outer corner of the eye and sweep inward
  • use brush 5R and G purple to contour the eye socket
  • use brush 5R and apply P790 to outer V
  • use brush 11 and apply G pink to soften the outer purple edge
  • use brush 11 and apply G white-silver 909 to brow bone and temples
  • tight line eyes with brush 4F and black painting liner
  • apply stretch xtreme mascara after curling lashes
  • apply false lashes black diamante or natural volume and line eyes with liquid liner
  • use brush 10F and press P790 to bottom lash line over top black painting liner. apply stretch xtreme mascara to bottom lashes.

CHEEKS

  • use brush 20 to apply glow on 345 (soft coral) to apples of cheeks
  • use brush 20 to soften edges and to highlight cheek bones using glow on P510 light peach
  • optional: use brush 20h and use glow on 761 to contour

LIPS

  • apply rouge unlimited supreme shine PK306 to entire lip
  • apply rouge unlimited supreme shine PK337 to centre of lips for dimension

FOR MONOLID EYES

the same steps can be applied for monolid eyes. photographer james mui helped me produce this lovely photo of amanda z. i used the exact same products and steps on amanda as i did on sarah, except i used the black diamante lashes on her instead and the foundation colour is 764. the great thing about darker coloured cream shadows is that you can use them to create a gradation from the lash line up for monolids to create the appearance of wider eyes.

when doing makeup for monolid eyes, remember to keep opening your eyes as you apply the shadow to make sure that it still shows when your eyes are opened.

use brush 5F to draw thicker eyeliner on the upper lid so that it still shows up once eyes are opened. paint on the painting liner creating a gradation from the lash line upwards.

have fun experimenting!

makeup meets fashion: in collaboration with aimeluxury

June 23, 2012
Beauty, fashion
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i got together with talented toronto designer monica mei of aimeluxury and my photographer, mark darren, for our first photoshoot together featuring her new collection. her clothing is so sleek and what she calls “seasonless” – a concept that i love. her collections can be found in retailers across north america; definitely something you must check out.

after bouncing around several emails and after having seen the pieces from her new collection that she wanted to feature, i knew that i wanted to have model stephanie nicholson on board for the project. monica’s collections are always so sophisticated, sexy and clean; i knew steph would be the perfect fit.

as for makeup, i wanted to do something sexy and smouldering, but that wouldn’t take away from the beautiful pieces. so i decided on a brown smoky eye rimmed with black liner to really make steph’s beautiful aqua eyes stand out. i also put a highlight of bronze glitter in the inner corner to keep the eyes bright.

Products used: (please click here to find the shu uemura products from the list below); some products may only be available in canada – please check with your local holt renfrew location.

FACE: stage performer instant-glow (base with chroma-adjuster), face architect smooth fit fluid foundation in 764 (medium light beige), face powder matte in colourless, glow on M561 (apples), M510 (highlight cheekbones, nose and forehead) and M761 (contour),

EYES: double-ended eye crayon (earthy brown end to draw contour of the eye – blend out with natural brush 10), ME 862 on lid and over the eye crayon base, M 895 to further define crease, M 813 for brow bone (brush11), black painting liner (brush 2R), G bronze (brush 5R) inner corners, ultimate expression mascara, natural volume false lashes

BROWS: hard formula in seal brown

LIPS: CR 330 and gloss BG 980N

 

 

monica graciously helped us with styling. i absolutely love her taste. everything that she put on steph is something i’d definitely wear.

perfect LBD with sheer sleeves.. love.

sexy jersey dress

versatile sexy blazer

 

more photos from her collection to come! stay tuned.

how-to: prevent travel break outs! keep skin clear

June 15, 2012
how to, reviews
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i love traveling. i absolutely have the travel bug! but the one thing that i dread most about traveling is break outs. because of the change in environment, diet and time zone, my skin tends to get quite bumpy whenever i travel. the worst is when i get those big pimples deep under the skin that take forever to heal.

good news is, i FINALLY found a way to prevent travel break outs! during my visit out west for shu uemura, my skin began to get bumpy as soon as i landed in vancouver – the airplane tends to do that to my skin; i’m convinced it’s all the bacteria! but i could be wrong lol – but luckily, national trainer for shu uemura lori lucas shared with me a simple trick to heal the skin so quick and prevent break outs. lori is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to shu skincare!

it’s as simple as this:

  • use LOTS, i mean LOTS of toner! i used to try to limit what i put on my face because i was scared it would irritate my skin, but actually, it really calms it down. i used two cotton pads of toner morning and night.

  • use shu uemura award winning hydrability alnight quench SOS moisture essence. it’s basically an instant facial mask. i call it a face mask for lazy people.. lol.. because you just smooth it all over your face before bedtime and you don’t need to wash it off. it’s got a high concentration of our famous depsea water (glacial water extracted from polar regions containing lots of natural minerals from deep in the ocean). don’t be afraid to put lots on! your skin’s texture will be improved dramatically over night, i swear!

  • spritz lots of depsea mist during the day. i also had a small bottle that i used on the plane. the re-filtered air tends to really dry out the skin and make it flaky. the skin will them produce more sebum which i find breaks out my skin. this restores moisture to the skin and calms it down.

what you’d be doing is normalizing your skin; helping it maintain balance. we tend to get dehydrated when traveling because we don’t drink enough water or eat enough fruits and vegetables. when we don’t drink enough water, we’re not expelling the toxins from our body. the toxins need to come out from somewhere, so that’s why we see it appearing on our skin. how sad. but i finally found a way to prevent all of this! feeding my skin depsea water throughout the day and night really prevented the bumpy skin! i couldn’t believe it. i’m so happy that i finally found a way to keep my skin nice even when traveling.

try it! it really works! go to any of the holt renfrews across canada and discuss with one of the beauty experts at the counter. test it out, trust me, you’ll love it.

how to create brown dolly eyes

May 16, 2012
how to
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for the prom fashion show event at holt renfrew yorkdale, i wore a brown dolly eyed look which turned out to be a favourite amongst clients and online shu fans. i’ve received a few requests on how to create the look. so here it is step-by-step:

 

 

SKIN:

for a dolly-look, it’s important to have “porcelain”-like skin. i don’t mean that it needs to be porcelain pale in colour, but it needs to be even and glowing.

 

 

EYES:

LIPS:

how to create warm sea green eyes with new shu uemura eyeshadows

May 14, 2012
how to
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the weather is getting much warmer! time to switch our darks for some colour. for those who always stick to neutral eyeshadows, a simple way to incorporate a bit of colour to your look is to switch your base colour eyeshadow in your shu uemura quad to a fun coloured eyeshadow. makeup is all about experimenting, so have some fun!

i chose to experiment with one of the new shu uemura eyeshadow shades: P light green 520. i simply used it as my base colour and did my makeup as i would normally. to keep the look soft, i used shu uemura brown painting liner on my upper and lower lash line rather than black, which can be a bit harsh. i also used shu uemura farfallina lashes, which are a mix of brown and black which keeps the look soft as well.

this is the look i wore to launch the new mamechiyo limited edition collection of uv underbases and cleansing oils (pick them up now before we run out! i’m stocking up on the bb beige uv underbase!):

here’s how to create the look:

FACE:

  • mamechiyo uv underbase in bb beige to even out my skin (especially those blemishes from occasional breakouts)
  • face architect smoothing fluid foundation in 564 (medium light sand)  (which is semi-matte because my skin tends to get a bit oily in the warmer months)
  • glow on in 561 (it’s a matte medium peach) on the apples of my cheeks, then i soften the edges on my cheekbones using glow on P510 (a pearl light peach)

EYES:

  • since the band of the false lashes is a little thicker than the natural lashes, i used brush 10F (flat brush) to press painting liner in brown in my upper lash line (creating sort of a base near the lash line)
  • use brush 10 and eyeshadow P light green 520 and apply from lash line up, creating a gradation form lash line up to crease.
  • use brush 10 and apply P medium brown 875 to lash line and outer corner. soften outer corner with m dark brown 895 and brush 11.
  • use brush 11 and apply m light beige 813 to brown bone and blend into the dark brown to soften.
  • use black painting liner and brush 4F to tight line upper lash line
  • use brown painting liner and brush 4F to line upper and lower lash line.
  • use brush 10F and m dark brown 895 to soften lower lash line
  • use brush 5R (pencil brush) and me gold soft gold 335 to inner corner
  • curl lashes, apply ultimate natural mascara in brown (it’s light and keeps the curl of the lashes so that the falsies can sit on top of them and use them as a base) and apply farfallina lashes which adds some serious volume and length!

click here to discover shu uemura eyeshadows

click here to discover shu uemura hand crafted brushes 

BROWS:

  • hard formula in seal brown. start in the middle of the brown and apply in strokes following the direction of hair growth
  • soften the brown using brush 6OB to brush through your brows

LIPS:

And here’s my lovely shu uemura team at yorkdale holt renfrew launching the mamechiyo collection and featuring our new rouge unlimited lipsticks and new eyeshadow shades:

my colourful photos for shu uemura mamechiyo collection

May 7, 2012
Beauty, Creative
2 Comments

shu uemura worked in collaboration with japanese contemporary kimono designer mamechiyo who designed the lovely floral packaging for the collection of four new uv underbases and for four cleansing oils. each of her designs were inspired by japanese botany: willow tree, cherry blossom, peony and plum.

to reflect the characteristics of these plants and to celebrate mamechiyo’s wonderful designs, i created a makeup look for each of the four designs. like mamechiyo’s designs, each of the makeup looks tell a story. i had talented hair designer carlos phang of Spellbound Hair Design on board to come up with the perfect hair for each of the looks.

with the help of my photographer mark darren mui and his sidekick james mui, my makeup looks came to life:

BOTAN – Peony (model: Amanda Z)

Inspiration: Young green leaves of the peony flower blooming in Spring; Its strong, fresh leaves supporting the soft, delicate flower. Bold deep green is paired with soft pastel green to portray this image.

UME – Plum (model: Aya S.)
Inspiration: During the cold winter months, the Japanese plum announces the coming of Spring. It brings a feeling of warmth during the chill of Winter; An array of cool and warm purple tones are blended together reflecting this transition.
FUJI – Willow (model: Effie Tsorovas)
Inspiration: Inspired by the Japanese willow tree. Its branches blowing in the wind creating whimsical colours with its leaves and flowers.
SAKURA – Cherry Blossom (model Ellen D.)
Inspiration: Cherry blossoms create a romantic and soft Spring atmosphere. The pinks found in the various species of cherry blossoms are so captivating. This makeup look portrays the intense pinks of some cherry blossoms, as well as the soft pink of others.
to see how i created these looks and for a list of products used, visit www.shuuemura-usa.com. it will be up soon!
our work is being displayed as we speak at holt renfrew locations across canada! here are a couple photos from the calgary location:
visit any holt renfrew location to check out the collection and to see my work!

makeup ideas for prom: holt renfrew prom fashion show

April 26, 2012
Behind the Scenes, fashion, how to, Media, Video
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prom is just around the corner! a very exciting time for those finishing up their high school career and a time where a shopping frenzy for the perfect dress and the right makeup look begins!

i was invited as lead makeup artist at the holt renfrew prom fashion show event at yorkdale mall this past weekend. i was so excited to create four different makeup looks to reflect four different types of outfits: vintage, brights, rocker and ladylike. to keep the look young and fresh for a teen, i decided to modernize some classic looks. here are my tips on doing this:

1. vintage look: to keep the look soft and romantic, try using blush as eyeshadow. use a light pink over the lid and a deeper pink in your crease. to make pink wearable around the eyes, remember to pair it with brown eyeliner and a set of fluffy falsies. 

makeup look created and done by patricia lee 


2. brights: take your regular natural look makeup and add a touch of colour on the outer edge of the crease colour.

makeup look created by patricia lee and done by shima

3. rocker: replace the black eyeshadow for the smoky eye with metallic shades of blue or purple.makeup look created by patricia lee and done by sarah yama

4. ladylike: pick a red lipstick with flecks of gold to keep it youthful and opt for a brown gel liner rather than black for the winged eye.

makeup look created by patricia and done by eva

all those tips will keep the look young which is much more suitable for the age group. most importantly, keep the skin looking dewy. beautiful makeup always begins with beautiful skin. here’s how to achieve the dewy look:
  1. skin care routine: cleanse, hydrate, treat, moisturize. for young skin, i recommend using the shu uemura depsea hydrability line which contains a high concentrate of depsea water – very moisturizing but light.
  2. makeup base: shu uemura uv underbase mousse evens out skin before foundation and gives something for the foundation to adhere to which ensures that makeup lasts all night.
  3. foundation: for a dewy glow, use shu uemura face architect illuminating moisture foundation. for the looks, i didn’t finish off with powder, but if you have combination skin, dust some loose powder on your t-zone.

here are some photos from the event. i had a great time working with my team at shu uemura yorkdale and had the honour of doing makeup for liv judd shopping editor of loulou magazine.

my romantic holiday makeup look published in Insert Magazine!

December 20, 2011
Beauty, Media
4 Comments

to celebrate the shu uemura wong kar wai holiday collection, Insert Magazine requested a soft and sexy holiday makeup look for their cover girl. the magazine also includes steps on how to recreate the look. i met the photographer and the rep from Insert Magazine at holt renfrew bloor location. to create the requested purple look, i used the wkw eyeshadow palette which also includes a cream blush. for asian eyes, i like to use a full strip of lashes before applying the partial jeweled love lashes; this helps to support the partial lashes and also opens up the eyes even more.

to view the entire online issue, click here.

summer to fall… go for matte lips and glowing cheeks: shu uemura novadiva collection

September 11, 2011
reviews
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the weather has been all over the place lately. some days it’s cold, some days it feels like it’s still summer! i don’t know what outfit to put on in the morning!

today was my friend’s bridal shower, so i decided to get dolled up with a mix of shu uemura’s summer collection and their new novadiva fall 2011 collection. i wanted a soft and slightly autumn look, so i chose matte lips – which is an awesome look for fall – and glowing peach cheeks. and of course, my nails are painted in shu uemura coquettish brown for a soft autumn look. for my eyes, i used the summer collection’s sunset gold palette with the black painting liner.

for my lips and cheeks, i used the new fall 2011 novadiva collection which can be found at holt renfrew. pick up your favorite shades of matte lipsticks now, as they are only in stores for a limited time!

so pretty! it’s the limited edition custom palette quod with decoration inspired by the pattern of lace in pearly black. it’s reusable for eyeshadows and blushers. my favorite!!

i put the novadiva fall 2011 cream cheek blush in gentle amber and the cream shimmer highlighter in radiant pearl.

this is one of the 5 rouge unlimited supreme matte lipsticks in angelic pink (i’ll add another post about the other colours soon!). the lipstick does not at all make my lips look dry and has extreme staying power!

with the radiant pearl shimmer highlighter and a sponge, i dabbed it on my cheekbones up to my brow bone (a c-curve).


i dabbed the gentle amber cream cheek blush on the apples of my cheeks with a sponge in a circular motion blending outwards. 

nail polish in coquettish brown.

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