As with all my pictures, feel free to click for a larger version.
L-R: My Makeup Forever makeup pouch, Vidi Vici liquid concealer in 02, Waterproof Extra Black Mascara from Makeup Forever, MAC Pro Longwear Lipstain Marker in Runway Ripened, NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella, NARS Soft Touch Shadow Pencil in Aigle Noir, NARS lipstick in Russian Doll, Vaseline lip balm in Cherry flavor, NARS eyelash curler, MAC Fluidline in Blitz & Glitz, Bobbi Brown Corrector in Peach, Makeup Forever 6N brush, Shu Uemura UV Underbase, NARS Pleasures of Paris Palette
As a makeup artist, people will often ask me what I use. What I use on myself will sometimes find its way into my kit and vice-versa. I like to test things out before using them professionally. This is what I use on a daily basis (with little variation...I really am quite boring when it comes to my personal makeup). I prefer an understated, natural look with a pop of colour on the lips for every day wear. I do wear foundation occasionally but don't really see the need to and since Hong Kong is very humid, I find it's best to leave my skin bare-ish.
Let's start with the lips. I adore red lips...dark red, bright red, stained red...it really doesn't matter. I don't wear a lot of blush so I like that wearing something on my lips brings the whole face alive. I'm a MAC and NARS girl when it comes to lips. I hate glosses because my hair always gets stuck in them and I end up making this weird face when I try to keep my lips away from my hair. When it comes to lip balm, I find that Vaseline does the job and it only costs HKD 14.00.
Makeup base with SPF is a must for every day wear, even if I don't wear foundation. I find that everything stays on longer and having an extra barrier against the nasty car and bus fumes doesn't hurt either. And duh, it has SPF.
Concealer is a must for me because I like staying up late and naturally have very thin skin, especially around the delicate eye area. My tattoo artist once described my skin as 'translucent', and that it was like tattooing rice paper. Basically, everything shows! If I'm recovering from a late night of partying, I usually will lay on some corrector to take away the blue tones before using concealer. I
LOVE Vidi Vici concealer. It gives fantastic coverage, doesn't sit in the lines and blends seamlessly into the skin. I can't rave enough about this product! Sometimes I will apply it straight from the tube (it has a sponge applicator) but if I'm going for a more refined application, I use the 6N brush from MUF. I had previously used Laura Mercier's secret camouflage brush but found that the 6N is perfect for the under eye, whereas the LM brush is good for hiding other imperfections.
I'm really into lashes so of course, I can't do without my curler. I know everyone loves the Shu Uemura curler and I've used it myself and yes, it's fantastic but this NARS one was free and still does the job. This mascara is REALLY waterproof. I used it for my wedding and it stayed on even when I was bawling. It's super black and volumizes, lengthens AND curls. What else could a girl ask for?
When it comes to eye makeup, I usually go for golden brown tones or a dark brown smokey eye. NARS shadows are heavily pigmented and offer a lot of bang for the buck. In order to make the colour even more intense (let's say for a dramatic smokey eye), I like to smudge the eyeshadow pencil on the lash line and use my finger to blend it out before packing on the powder eyeshadow. It gives the powder something to hold onto and really brings out the colour. I also love that it glitters!
Eye liner is an Asian girl's best friend. Can't. Live. Without. It!! Which liner I use will vary with the kind of makeup I'm doing but I do tend to favour MAC's fluidline. I used to use Bobbi Brown's gel pot and it was my favourite for many years but I find that the fluidline stays on even better than the gel pot AND it doesn't dry up as quickly. This one in particular has a hint of glitter in it but is mostly black. It also stays put on the waterline which is a must for creating intense looks.
I have a few more items I didn't include and maybe some day I'll do a step-by-step tutorial... I just can't decide if it would be better to do a video or a picture post. Any suggestions?
