Waaaaaahhhhhhh! I totally miss you guys! In a nutshell, moving has been a nightmare...one of the water pipes in our new/old (85 years old, in fact) home busted last week and we haven't been able to use any water at all until just this morning. Then, last night, there was the strong smell of gas in our kitchen. The contractor checked it out this morning and confirmed that there was a gas leak! That's not the half of it...still tons of stuff to be done, but I think we're almost there...just one more week or so to go until I don't have to worry about fixing any more problems or making any additional improvements. I can't wait to get settled in already! This whole home ownership business can get complicated quick!
But ANYWAYS, on to more interesting things. Several weeks ago, the folks over at iVillage contacted me, asking if I'd be interested in doing a hair tutorial video for them. I'm a fan of iVillage, so of course I was thrilled! Anyways, it's been up for a couple of days now, but I haven't had the time to post. If you want, you can check me out on iVillage's site. I'll also post the YouTube video below as well. Hope you like!
Hello hello! I made this video a few weeks ago, but I've been having some problems editing it on YouTube. Well, I've finally gotten it (almost) right so I guess it's good enough to share now. :D
Here you go!
Hope some of you find this helpful. Happy Monday and enjoy!
I made another video! (wow, we're on a roll!) I've had about a week to get accustomed to my new haircut, and I think I've nearly perfected how to to style it on my own. I figured it would be fun to create a tutorial on how I get my hair from fresh-out-of-the-shower to photo-ready! :)
This was also a good opportunity for me to introduce a cool styling tool that I've owned for awhile, but could never find a purpose for until recently: the Conair Hot Air Brush. I realized that it's perfect for styling my new side-swept bangs. But enough talk, please check out my video to see how I use it to effortlessly get my bangs looking just the way I want them:
Hope you like! Thanks for reading/watching and TGIF!
Hey all! It's been forever since I've uploaded a video tutorial, but since I have a little time this week, I've been working on a few how-tos. Today I'm going to share a super-quick vid on how I go about my everyday foundation routine. This is one of the most essential steps towards makeup application, in my opinion. If you've got a good foundation, everything else falls nicely into place. :)
From bare-faced to foundation to full hair and makeup!
Off topic, but I kind of surprised myself with how different I look bare compared with full makeup and hair. What a transformation, right? I feel a little more confident once I've "put on my face", however I'm grateful that my husband prefers how I look without it. Lol!
Anyways, here's the video! Hope some of you find it helpful. :D
This is a video of Squirrel Monkeys experiencing Jell-O for the first time. It puts me in a great mood. I like to watch it every once in awhile. :D I freakin' LOVE monkeys...
Hope you all enjoyed! (hope no one here has monkey-phobia)
Hey all! It's been FOREVER since I did a video tutorial, so I thought I'd start again by doing a fun, easy, and colorful look inspired by and using some of my favorite Urban Decay products. Today I'm going to show you guys how to achieve a sexy, sparkly, poppin' pink look for your eyes:
These are the colors I used from my 15th Anniversary palette:
And I've been dying to use my Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Catfight (how appropriately named!) so now I get the chance to!
So, without further ado, here is my step-by-step video tutorial on how I got the look:
Overall look:
Well, I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Off to run some errands now. :D Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!
Hi! I noticed that my bright looks are popular so I decided to do a quick, full-face video tutorial with glitter eyeliner and pink lipstick. This is one of my favorite looks because it's easy to do, yet really high-impact. If you plan on trying this, prepare to get noticed!
:: Eyes ::
HIP Colorchrome Eyeliner in Black Shock
MAC eyeshadow in Carbon
WnW Cream Eyeliner in Black
Sephora Glitter Eyeliner in Teal
Maybelline Full N Soft mascara in Balck
:: Cheeks ::
ELF Studio Bronzer in Cool
:: Lips ::
WnW Silk Finish Lipstick in 511B Nouveau Pink
I hope you all found the video tutorial useful! Thanks for watching (and reading)!
Hugs,
Cat
p.s. Don't forget to enter my latest giveaway, one more week to go!
Oh, hey. So this is totally late since Halloween has come and gone for about a week already, but I had made a video tutorial on how to achieve the makeup look that I wore with my Lilah costume, you remember that post, right?
Anyways, here you go! My hair was all up in a towel and I was wearing a bathrobe because I had just stepped out of the shower, but I guess that's ok since it's all about the makeup anyway. :D
It's actually a fairly natural look that wouldn't be confined to just Halloween. I've worn this look for regular daytime activities, like work and school, minus the false eyelashes. Lol.
::Eyes::
Lime Crime Candy Eyed Primer
Urban Decay Chopper & Midnight Cowboy
HIP Colorchrome Eyeliner Pencil in Black Shock
Wet N Wild Creme Eyeliner in Black
Sephora Collection Glitter Liner in Blue
Maybelline Full N Soft Waterproof Mascara in Black
Daiso Eyelashes
::Cheeks::
ELF Studio Cool Bronzer
::Lips::
Smashbox Lipliner in Smashing Muse
ELF Essential Hypershine Gloss in Berry Cherry
Hope you all enjoyed the show. :D Happy Monday!
Hugs,
Cat
p.s. I styled my hair using my Spornette teasing comb. If you haven't already, enter my latest giveaway to win one of your own:
Since I have very straight, flat, Asian hair that's a slightly challenging to style, there was some preparation required in order to create this 'do. I needed to curl my hair for body and volume as well as tease the crown for added height and texture. If you have fairly manageable hair, you can go ahead and skip these steps. (lucky you!)
Here you go:
I really love this style! It's my favorite new updo because it's so cute and easy. Lately, the air has been so dry and full of static because of the change in weather, so this is a really attractive way to keep it under control. This could also be very pretty, adorned with flowers or feathers, for an elegant affair or even a wedding for the low-key, DIY bride!
For those that are interested, I hope you get a chance to try this. I'm really terrible with hair, so if I can do it, anyone can do it! :)
Hugs,
Cat
*BONUS*
After wearing my hair this way for 10 hours, I get the added bonus of shiny, bouncy waves and tons of volume:
Demure by day, disco by night!
How cool is that? I can wear my hair up while at work or school, and then take it down and be ready for an evening out on the town! :)
p.s. I used Spornette's Big Wonder teasing brush in order to achieve this look. You can win one my entering my latest giveaway!
Hello! I earned about $20 in CVS Extra Care Bucks, so I treated myself to a Wet N Wild mini haul, plus Essie's Spaghetti Strap (which I posted a couple days ago). Here's the look that I created with some of the things I got:
Scroll down for my YouTube tutorial on how to do it! Oh, but don't forget to check out the WnW products that made it possible:
Doesn't this eyeshadow trio remind you of Neopolitan ice cream? The colors are absolutely adorable and can easily be used for a natural look as well as a dramatic look. It's a shimmery palette with passable pigmentation for the price.
This was my absolute favorite buy of the bunch! WnW's creme eyeliner can rival brands that charge more than triple the price. The formula is smooth, glides on like a dream, and has excellent opacity and pigmentation. Sorry, but I don't think I'll be buying MAC's Blacktrack again! Though one can argue that there's less product, therefore lower price. Still, I usually only get halfway through my Fluidline before it dries out, so in that sense, this is truly the better buy.
I really wanted to love this waterproof mascara, but I just don't think it worked well with MY particular eyelashes. Unfortunately, I have stick-straight, wimpy Asian eyelashes which require a lot of work to appear curly with any semblance of length whatsoever. The formula for Waterproof MegaLength proved to be too heavy and completely straightened out my eyelashes after I had curled them. I either need to use a lash primer to hold my curl prior to using this or just skip it altogether. I imagine it would work just fine for all you non-asians out there with long, thick lashes. Although with lashes like that, I don't even know why you'd need mascara!
Ok, so this is the only thing I didn't use in the tutorial, but I'm really excited to review it in another post. Who doesn't love hot pink lipstick?
Okie dokie. So here's the video. It's a little on the longer side, and looking back, I feel I could have skipped a few steps or did some more efficiently. I could have probably edited better too, still, I think it gets the lesson across:
Overall look:
Thanks for reading and watching! Hope y'all found my latest tutorial helpful. :D Oh and in case you haven't yet:
Ok, so the video is up! Those of you who have been kind enough to subscribe to my YouTube channel probably already saw it, but it's basically a 5-minute tutorial on how to get this semi-smokey, baby blue shadow look:
I'd say it's a pretty wearable blue look and I used the Coastal Scents 88 Original palette to create it. If you don't have one, any similar colors will do. It's just important that you use a good eyeshadow primer, which is key to making colors look really pigmented and long-lasting. Here's the video:
I hope you guys have been enjoying them. I'm really new to being in action in front of a camera and to video editing, so these are always evolving. I don't really know how to incorporate really fancy special effects like a lot of the other bloggers out there, but I'm working on it. :D
Overall look:
The colors stand out so much better in photos than video!
Additional Makeup Details:
Eyes :: Coastal Scents 88 Original palette
Cheeks :: ELF Studio Blush in Pink Passion
Lips :: ELF Studio Glossy Gloss in Wild Watermelon
So about a week or so ago, I ordered this eyeshadow primer that I've been dying to try for ages! It's just that I've been loyal to UD's Primer Potion for so many years that it was hard to stray...but gee, look at how CUTE this is:
I just couldn't resist. The packaging is so unique and in the prettiest shade of blue ever! Let me introduce you to Candy Eyed Eye Shadow Helper by Lime Crime. Lime Crime is a really cool indie makeup brand run by the super-gorgeous and talented Doe Deere. I've actually been following her since before she started her makeup collection, she used to be a fashion designer AND musician!
Anyways, Lime Crime Cosmetics made an excellent first impression. To start, even the shipping packaging is adorable:
As you can see, I was so excited I forgot to photograph before busting the box open, hence the torn parts.
My little primer came prettily packaged in a purple and white box with a UNICORN on it! I believe the unicorn is Lime Crime's official mascot. I've loved unicorns since Legend and Lisa Frank back when I was a kid, so I was super stoked!
Candy Eyed was wrapped in purple tissue and came with some really nice, high-quality business cards and post cards. Obviously, presentation is really important to the company, so let's see if the quality of product is just as important:
I must admit, when I first opened the jar, Candy Eyed looked like a dried up little cake. However, upon touch, it just melted and had a soft, creamy texture that glided onto my lids very smoothly. It definitely did the job. My eyeshadow colors looked more bold and vibrant and lasted for 10+ hours on an unusually warm day with no creasing or fading. I would say that it's a staunch contender against UD's Primer Potion, costs $2 less (hey, I'll save $$$$ where I can) and comes in the cutest little container I've ever seen!
Photo taken late last night after 10+ hours of wear with no touch-ups.
So yesterday I posted a video on I make my hair curly. Today, I’m going to show you how I make it BIG! Remember the Spornette Little Wonder teasing brush I bought a few days ago? Well, you’re about to see it in action!
I curled my hair this morning and about 2 hours later it looked like this:
With a little bit of help from my Little Wonder, however, I can get it to look like this:
So here’s the step-by-step video tutorial that I made:
In addition to making your hair look full and voluminous when it's down, you can create a very pretty look by simply putting a clip in your hair. The bouffant from the teasing makes for a very polished and elegant hairstyle.
From yesterday.
I hope that I’ve been helpful! Since I’m really new to the whole video business, I would definitely appreciate feedback. What do you like? What don’t you like? What would you like to see more of? Do have any video tutorial requests? Let me know!
Hugs,
Cat
p.s. It appears I'm having a font problem. Although everything looks normal in edit mode, there seems to be a weird font-sizing situation going on when I publish my post. Sorry!
