The No Makeup Tag

I was watching Kefrank12's No Makeup tag video and decided to do it myself. I think the questions help you get to know me a little bit better and I'm always interested in knowing how other people feel about makeup.  The girl who actually created the tag is MissTiffanyMA and her video can be found here: http://youtu.be/Wi1P8mih-NA. Below is my video, and below that are the questions in bold, and my written answers.  I hope you enjoy the video!  I tag... YOU!

Direct video link: http://youtu.be/fBpSntzzP40

1. Scouts honor that you aren't wearing any makeup :)

I most definitely was not wearing any makeup of any sort in the video, except for whatever was left over of my lip balm (KORA Organics) from the morning.  I filmed the video at 3pm.

2. What is one makeup product you cannot live without?

Lip balm!  Or something like lip gloss to keep my lips moist.  I can't stand the feel of dry, "naked" lips!

3. What is one makeup product you can live without?


Setting powder is a product I can live without.  It's not an absolute necessity and often, I don't even apply it after doing my makeup anyway.

4. Do you feel confident without makeup on?


Yes!  I'm much more confident without makeup than I am with makeup.  I feel so self conscious when my face is done up. I can constantly feel it and always wonder if I've accidentally rubbed my eyes and smeared my mascara or something.  Oh, the stress it causes me, lol!

5. Which part of your face do you like the most?


My eyebrows.  I don't ever have to do anything to it.  I like that it's naturally dark, thus I can skip a step in my makeup routine (of "drawing on" eyebrows). In fact, my sister plucked my eyebrows for me when I was 10 and since then, I've never really had to do much to maintain them.

6. Where is one place you will never go without makeup on?


A formal event, such as a black tie gala, red carpet, formal, wedding etc. Anything that calls for sophistication and class.

7. Where is one place you can go without makeup on?


Absolutely anywhere.  I'm not fussed.  I think I mentioned in the video that I have been clubbing without makeup before.  But I've also been to a few weddings and parties without as well.  Not to mention all the fine dining restaurants I go to (on a date) sans makeup!

8. Would you rather go without makeup for a week? Or let your boyfriend do your makeup for an entire week?

I would never give a man control over what to put on my face.  Hell no!  LOL, and I didn't mean that in a sexual context.  I would rather go bare faced for a whole week than have him play makeup artist.  I go for several weeks without makeup anyway!

Kiss Me On My Tulips

This weekend is a low key one for me, so I decided to perk it up by wearing a super bright, fun colour on my nails.  Kiss Me On My Tulips is part of the Holland Collection by OPI, designed for spring/summer 2012.  I love pink nail polish, however this colour isn't all that unique.  It's a hot pink.  There are lots of similar pinks that you can find by O.P.I. and other brands.  I think that Chanel's Rose Exuberant is quite a good match and in fact, that's why I decided to get this one instead, to save a few dollars.

Perhaps I should have gotten the Chanel instead, because I find the formula of Kiss Me On My Tulips (which is a creme) to be a little streaky.  I had to apply three applications to get an even coverage.  It's not too bad, two coats would have been sufficient but I'm quite pedantic about little things like that.

The good thing about this colour is that is doesn't seem to chip as easily as some other colours by OPI. Being a creme probably has something to do with that.  Or perhaps it was because I applied three coats, which I rarely do. Hmmm?!

A day old, in artificial light.

A day old, in natural light.

Right after application, in natural light.

I really like the other colours in the Holland collection, so I'll probably get them at a later date. I love the look of Pedal Faster Suzi, but I have enough pinks as it is so I'm trying to venture out and discover other colours. Vampsterdam and Dutch Ya Just Love seem like good contenders!

My weekend is extremely low key, I haven't left the house at all yet but tomorrow is another day.  My nails will be flaunted then, although it's not hard to miss.  Especially in this drab weather!  Kiss Me On My Tulips is definitely a great colour to perk up your day.

Day to Night Eye Makeup Look

Last week was my birthday and I have been going out more than I usually do. This means I've had no time to redo my makeup for my night outings, so I've been doing the same day to night eye look each time.  Here's a breakdown of what I did.  I will possibly film a video at a later date, but for now here's some dodgy photos and what I used (I hadn't planned on doing this post so the night time eye photos were taken at the end of the night)!

Day look

Products used for day:

Primer: Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Lid: Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in #82 Emerveille

Crease & outer corner: NARS Ashes to Ashes single eye shadow

Eyeliner: NARS Pandora eye shadow duo (black)

Mascara: Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes in black

Night look (with worn out eyeliner)!

For my night look, I simply added a little bit of NARS black eye shadow from the Pandora duo to my outer crease and patted a tiny bit of the Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in #82 Emerveille to the center of my lids.  Then I lined both my waterline and tightline with Chantecaille Gel Liner pencil in Jet (black).  I ran some black eyeshadow over the bottom eye liner to smoke it out a little.  I should have used the NARS Larger than Life eyeliner because the Chantecaille one obviously doesn't have much staying power, even though it claims it does. Hmpf!

I didn't reapply mascara because I didn't want it to clump.  But I should have applied some false lashes.

A better angle of my night eye look.  The lighting made me look like I hadn't blended my foundation.  I look half dead, lol.

OOTD with my night makeup.  I think I was going to see a movie in gold class but it was completely booked out, so we just went to a regular cinema.  Usually I don't bother doing makeup if I'm just going to see a non-gold class movie.

So that was my simple day to night eye makeup look.  If you want a more dramatic night look then more black eye shadow can easily be added, as well as more mascara and false lashes.  Switching the bottom liner to something other than black (such as purple or teal) would also give the eyes a fun pop of colour.  In the future I think I'll give the colour pop a try.  So what do you think?  Should I bother attempting to film a tutorial or does this post explain how to do it well enough?

Taking It All Off

How do you take off your makeup?  Do you use wipes or a cleanser?  Perhaps both?  I'm going to be showing you how I take mine off, and why I choose to do it this way.  If you're a visual person, watch the video, then simply keep reading to find out more!  Otherwise, just keep reading...

Direct video link: http://youtu.be/T8UuEXLYM0k

First of all, I always tie back my hair to keep it out of my face and dry.  And before I do anything else, I wash my hands, mainly out of habit.  But washing your hands before washing your face is a good idea to minimize the transfer of bacteria anyway.

EYES

I use Lancome Bi-Facil eye makeup remover on a round cotton pad to remove all my eye makeup.  I like to remove eye makeup separately because some eye products, particularly the waterproof kind, are  difficult to remove.  I have used many different eye makeup removers, but the Lancome Bi-Facil is the only one that takes everything off in one go, without having to rub or tug at your eyes.  

I soak a 20 cent area on my cotton pad with it, then hold it over my eye for several seconds.  I lightly rub the pad on my eye and drag it off, taking off all my eye makeup with it.  I do just one eye at a time, to make sure I'm thorough.  If there's anything left over, I don't repeat this step, I simply move on to the next because it'll all come off then.

FACE

I use a cleansing oil to remove the rest of my makeup.  The one I'm currently using is the M.A.C. Cleanse Off Oil, but I am happy using any brand of cleansing oil.  They all work the same.  I squirt 2 or 3 pumps of oil into my dry hands, then simply rub it all over my face in circular motions.  I spend a good 2 or 3 minutes gently rubbing it onto my face to thoroughly dislodge all the makeup.  Once my face has had a rather nice massage, I rinse the oil off my hands, then rinse my face with warm water.

You could call it a day and leave it at that, but I don't like the idea of having any traces of oil mixed with makeup left on my face, so I always cleanse my face with Philosophy Purity Made Simple cleanser.  I use a fairly good sized amount and rub it all over my face as I did with the cleansing oil.  After half a minute or so, I rinse it off with warm water.  I then pat dry and follow with my moisturising routine (which I will one day post about).

So, how do you take yours off?

5 Minute Makeup Challenge

I filmed my attempt at the 5 minute makeup challenge, which was a huge fail. I didn't have time for lip gloss, powder or mascara! I forgot to have all my brushes nearby and my foundation, concealer and blush was just slapped on. The result was rather poor, I looked about the same as I did before I applied any makeup.  Plus my right tee-shirt sleeve was flipped up the whole time... wtf?!  How gangsta!  Haha!  Watch for the lols (plus a special guest appearance by my son)!

Direct link: http://youtu.be/uHH6dNSXCiE

Beauty School + Upcoming Birthday Haul + Lust Have It (March)

My birthday is 6 days from today.  I'm getting old, eek!  I suppose I'm getting to that age where you just don't want to tell anyone your real digits.  So let's just say I'm turning... 21?  Yeah.  That'll do!  Lol!  But if you do the math, it doesn't add up because I have a son who will be turning 10 in July.  Hmmm!

This weekend I will be away.  My birthday weekend really falls next week, but who doesn't want to take advantage of the long weekend?  By Wednesday I should be back blogging about all the things I did, eat, see, get.  If I'm lucky, expect a nice big birthday haul!  After all, Chadstone's VIP event will be held on the day just before my birthday... *giggles gleefully*.  It's like the universe has just decided to make this my year!

Speaking of which, I have gotten the ball rolling again for my longing to do a beauty course.  Last year I had planned on starting a weekend course and after a year I would have gotten a Diploma in Beauty Therapy, but the timetable and location just wasn't ideal for me.  And I left it far too late to enroll anyway.  It's hard trying to get qualified when there are two kids to work around and not much help available.

The school that I may be starting at soon is catered specifically for people who have kids to look after. Their hours are shorter and classes are only two or three times a week so this means that obtaining my Diploma will take much longer than a year. This is a good thing anyway because I can learn at my own pace.  If there's one thing I hate, it's to feel rushed!

Today I picked up my Lust Have It box that had been waiting for me since yesterday at my local post office.  I filmed a video, so if you're interested in seeing what's inside this month's box you can click play below or just click this link which will take you to the video.

Direct video link: http://youtu.be/bEMJbZhM12Q

See you in about a week!  I hope you all have something fun planned for the weekend like I have :

My Patch Test Experience

Last year my dermatologist referred me to a skin clinic to have a patch test done.  I had stubborn eczema that wouldn't go away, even with cortisone cream.  The eczema started off as two small patches on my neck that later spread to my whole neck, my face, my chest and my right arm.  He wanted me to get tested so that I could avoid whatever it was that was triggering the eczema.  I opted to go through the public system, which meant a longer wait but it also meant that it wouldn't cost me anything.

In January I had the initial consultation with the doctor who would be reading my patch test.  She told me to bring in all the products I used daily and explained to me what a patch test was, exactly.  I knew that sticking things on my back was part of it, but I didn't know that it would be done over the course of 6 days and that I wouldn't be able to get my back wet or sweaty at all for 5 days!  Eek.

In February, on Wednesday the 29th I had my "patches on" appointment.  I took in the products I had been using prior to my eczema appearing (moisturiser and face/body wash, perfumes, my shampoo and conditioner, etc). Before I went in, I had my final proper shower and washed my hair for the last time that week.  When I arrived, the nurse had my patches made up, then applied them to my back.

The non-showering began from this point on.  I didn't think I would be able to not have a proper shower for 5 days, but I managed pretty well.  I simply adjusted my shower head so that it was at waist height and showered my bottom half normally.  With my chest, neck, right arm and underarms I just wet a washcloth and washed myself with it.  I suppose it was kind of like giving myself a sponge bath.  I felt clean enough afterwards, but couldn't get over my back not being clean like the rest of me.  So I still felt "dirty", in a way.

The pre-made patches with 80 of the most common allergens.

The patches applied to my back.

The "bag of goodies" I took in with me to my "patches on" appointment.

The photo patch on my arm (covered with tape).

On Friday, March the 2nd I had another appointment.  The nurse took my patches off and labelled it with sticky tape, then got me to put my left arm with the photo patch (which was a perfume) into a UV booth for five minutes. This was to see if there was a change after exposure to ultra violet light from the sun (as is the case with photosensitivity).  After 20 minutes of having had my back aired out, an initial reading was done.  The nurse had a look and feel of my back to see if I had reacted to anything.

Sure enough, I had a positive result for nickel, and a possible reaction to my shampoo and moisturiser (noooo)!  I was sent home and warned not to scratch my back, even if it got itchy (which it sure did)!  It actually got so bad that my left shoulder and upper back got rather red and inflamed.  I was told to take Clarintyn and Nurofen and to apply a cold compress to the area.  After two hours it settled down and I was able to sleep.

The UV booth I had to stick my left arm in for 5 minutes.

Today, before I was seen by the doctor.

Needless to say, my weekend was uneventful.  I mostly stayed home watching videos and reading.  Even though I was doing my half shower, half sponge bathing routine twice daily, I was started to feel really gross and my hair was in desperate need of a wash.  I very nearly went to a hair salon to have it washed, but laziness and lack of money stopped me.

Today was the day that I finally saw my doctor again, who would do the final reading and tell me the results.  It was a strong positive for nickel, and while I had an initial reaction with the shampoo and moisturiser, it had died down over the weekend (the Clarintyn played a part in that)!  I was given information on how to avoid nickel and advised to switch shampoo and moisturiser because they were both organic and contained essential oils, which may have been the problem.  Nooo!

So that was my patch test experience.  Definately not something I would want to go through again, as the no showering thing really sucked.  But it was a wealth of knowledge and I'm now on the hunt for some decent non-nickel containing jewellery, a new shampoo, conditioner and a new moisturiser.  If you have eczema and want to know what the cause of it is, a patch test may be able to help you avoid a flare up in the future!