Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Pinks and Purples Using Mineral Makeup and a Lobster Feast

Hello lovelies! What makeup products do you use when you travel? I dare not bring my MAC eyeshadows, blushes, especially mineralize blushes or skinfinishes when I go out of town even for just a weekend, for fear that they might break during transit. I will definitely mourn my products should that happen (every makeup addict’s worst fear). As such, I mostly bring my sample baggies of mineral makeup. They are very-travel friendly (no jars filled with minerals to spill, no potted eyeshadows or blushes to crack or break). Should you lose them, they’re not really too hard on the wallet to replace. I mostly tote around my mineral shadows and blushes when I travel. For blush baggies, I bring my trusty small condiment saucer, a.k.a. “swirly bowl” to sprinkle the mineral blush on before applying.

For this look, I used my mineral shadows from Aromaleigh, and a wonderful shade of blush from Cory Minerals called Naughty. I’d marveled at how pretty it looked on my skintone- it was understated enough (no clown cheeks here), but I also loved how it brightened up my face and gave a pretty, healthy, natural-looking flush. As I stated in a previous entry, the sample bags are miniscule BUT it will last you a really long time because a crumb or two are all you need for one application as this brand churns out really concentrated minerals. I just love the blushes because they are truly pigmented and finish is really awesome. As always, a grain or two of these blushes are all you need for a beautiful application of blush. Truly, the sample bags are tiny pigment bombs. I am definitely getting a full-size jar of the Naughty blush.

This is not actually a step-by-step illustration, as I only have three or so eye pics, but this will show the placement of the two shadows I used from Aromaleigh.


Apply MAC Butternutty shadestick on entire lid and brows. Smooth with finger. Apply Aromaleigh Candytuft foiled on the lid using MAC Fix+ Rose and Loew Cornell Maxine’s Mop 3/8″ (or the MAC 239).


Using the same brush, apply Aromaleigh Bellflower on crease and outer V.


Using the Pop Beauty Brown Eyes wallet palette, apply Shadow A on the crease using the MAC 224 brush. Apply Shadow B to contour the crease using the Sonia Kashuk blender brush. Blend everything using the 224. Apply Shadow C on the browbone using the MAC 227. Apply Candytuft on the inner to mid lower lashline, and Shadow D from the Pop Beauty Brown Eyes palette on lower lashline. (*Use picture above for reference.*) Apply Revlon Color Stay felt-tip liquid eye liner in Black on upper lashline. Apply mascara.

Face:
Monistat gel as primer
Earthen Glow mineral foundation in Yuan Yuan
Urban Decay 24/7 concealer pencil topped with
Bare Escentuals Well Rested
Aromaleigh Ultra Resolution Finishing Powder
Cory mineral blush in Naughty

Lips:
MAC cremestick lipliner in Sublime Culture
MAC lipstick in A Rose Romance
MAC dazzleglass in Bare Necessity

As I had mentioned previously, I am on vacation right now with my parents in California. My brother-in-law and his family treated us to this amazing Chinese seafood restaurant along Colima Road in Roland Heights. We waited an hour for a table, but the wait was worth it! Most of the customers were asian, so we knew that this restaurant really serves authentic asian dishes. We spent the time waiting gawking at platters piled high with lobsters and crabs at every table, and we were like homeless people outside, looking inside the restaurant while our mouths watered. We ordered the most succulent lobsters this side of town enhanced with the distinct flavors of Southeast Asia. Their house special lobster was probably the best I’ve ever tried, with this spicy-garlicky sauce that had everyone at our table licking their fingers. It was messy, but it was sure damn good! It was such a gastronomic delight, and I believe this restaurant is sure to satisfy most food connoisseurs. We also ordered their house special, the whole fish which was fried and smothered with this sauce with a burst of spicy, garlicky goodness. Their honey walnut shrimp was a blast as well.


Part of our spread clockwise from top: chicken fried rice, the french beef (partially hidden), hongkong style crispy noodles in sauce, honey walnut shrimp, of course the “I-died-and-went-to-lobster-heaven” house special lobster dish (it even had lobster eggs!) in chili, garlic, ginger and special sauce


The most amazing lobster dish I’ve tried (and reviews on Yelp.com agree with me).