I'm Alive

Haha, hello everyone. Oops, looks like I've been away for a bit. Long story short, I was busy with school, I graduated, and now I'm currently on the job hunt. This leaves little time for making videos and contributing to my blogs (I'm sure some of you are aware that I'm on www.AsianceMagazine.com, also)

I've been pretty active on Instagram because it's the easiest to maintain...snap a picture and write a short caption. No one has time for essays there. Lol. I do miss writing, however, and I'll try to be back a few times a week. While posting photos on Instagram is a lot of fun, I really miss writing out tips and tricks for makeup as well as comprehensive reviews for new products. Which reminds me to announce that, since building a moderate following on Instagram, I've had the good fortune to acquire some cosmetic sponsors these days who send me fantastic items to review, so I definitely look forward to catching you all up on some of my latest finds! :D

Anyways, here's a glimpse of some of the stuff you guys have been missing, in case you're not following me on Instagram:

As you can see, I've become rather adept at making faces. I look forward to blogging once again. Thanks for continuing to follow and stay posted for future articles on new products and new makeup techniques!

Hugs,
Cat

Navy & Gold Wings

Hi everyone! I'm enjoying my first, truly relaxing weekend in a long time, so I didn't really do anything very complicated in terms of makeup. I just thought I'd share a simple, navy and gold winged eyeliner look that I did today.

Whoops, forgot to number the pictorial. Lazy Sunday, indeed. So, I basically took some Ulta gel eyeliner in Ink and created a super-thick line on my lid. Then I made a flick at the end of the line and connected it to the primary line. Filling in that empty, little triangle of space completes the wing shape. Next, I outlined the wing in gold, using Maybelline Color Tattoo in Gold Rush. Then I took a little more gel eyeliner and lined my lower lash line. To finish, I curled my lashes, added a coat of mascara, and affixed a pair of Ardell Wispies. Nothing to it!

Well, the gold outline was a little challenging with the cream eyeshadow. I realized that I could have made things a lot easier by simply using gold liquid eyeliner…which I have. DUH! Oh well, lesson learned. XD

Happy Sunday, everyone and thanks for reading! <3

Hugs,

Cat

Easy Emerald Eyes with Stila Magnificent Metals

Almost done with finals and then I can go back to making higher quality video tutorials and full-face looks! Anyhoo, more Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish shadows arrived on my doorstep today, Metallic Emerald being one of them. I was simply too excited and started playing with it right away. Here's what I did!

Products/Instructions:

1. As always, begin with a primed eye and apply green eyeshadow to the inner and outer corners of your eyelid. I used the green shade from my Sleek Ultra Mattes V2 palette.
2. Apply Stila MMFF in Metallic Emerald to the center of the lid.
3. I'm really digging the soft eyeliner look these days. (foolproof) So I lined my upper and lower lash lines with a black pencil.
4. Accent lower liner with more green eyeshadow.
5. Darken outer corners with UD eyeshadow in Libertine.

To finish, curl lashes, apply mascara, and strip lashes, if you like. I'm wearing Ardell Natural Lashes in #106

Aren't these shadows gorgeously sparkly? (Well, ok, I did manually add that last little sparkle to make a point. XD) I'm so addicted! They're a little on the pricey side, $32 each, but coupon codes always pop up now and then, so keep an eye out!

Welps, one more final to go and I'm FREE…for a week. XD Happy Hump Day, y'all and thanks for reading!

Hugs,

Cat

White Gold and Wine Tutorial With Vintage Romance by Sleek Makeup

Good afternoon everyone! Here's a tutorial for my first look using my new Vintage Romance palette by Sleek Makeup. I love the way light gold looks paired with wine-colored tones, don't you agree?

Instructions:

1. blend Venice into crease
2. apply Madrid onto lid
3. blend Hollywood into outer corner
4. line top lash line and outer corner of bottom lash line with black eyeliner pencil (I'm going for a softness as opposed to my usual, sharp, liquid liner)
5. darken outer corner with Barcelona
6. highlight inner corner of lower lash line and tear duct with Madrid
7. blend a little Venice on the outer corner of lower lash line

Finish by applying Ardell Color Impact demi-Wispies in Plum to accentuate the purple tones. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I prime my eyelids first with Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden. This is a really beautiful palette with gorgeous, pigmented colors that are very blendable and compatible with each other. For only $12 each, I highly recommend it! I can imagine putting together a lot of vintage-inspired looks with this palette. I might try a 1920's Art Deco makeup look next. What do you think?

Thanks for reading and happy Monday! XD

Hugs,

Cat

Hi-Lustre Smokey Eye with Stila Magnificent Metals

So, I really tried to refrain from purchasing Stila's Magnificent Metals Foil Finish eyeshadows. Despite falling in love with the opaque, metallic formula…I just couldn't justify paying $32 for a single color. I went about foiling my metallic shadows and even read negative reviews about the Magnificent Metals to convince myself I didn't want them. Well, I found a 20% off coupon code a week ago and decided that $27, including tax and shipping for a single cake of Kitten wouldn't hurt. And now, Stila's website is having a 25% off sale with free shipping and no minimums…so I'm sort of eyeing the Emerald and Comex Gold now. XD

Anyways, here is a quick pictorial tutorial I did for the lustrous smokey eye I did the other say with Kitten. I chose this particular shade because it's a nude neutral with a touch of peachy-pink. I feel that it is among the most versatile of the Magnificent Metals. Therefore, if I could only have one, this one would be it.

Instructions:

• prime eyelid with UDPP in Eden
• apply Buxom eyeshadow in Pug wherever you would like to define your "crease". (because I have a nearly non-existant crease, I place the shadow in an arc above my natural fold)
• apply a soft pencil or gel liner to outer corners
• blend out eyeliner with Sephora eyeshadow in Starry Sky
• apply Stila Magnificent Metals in Kitten to lid
• line top and bottom lash lines. I used both liquid and pencil eyeliner.
• add a touch of Urban Decay's eyeshadow in blackout to deepen the outer corners
• highlight tear duct with a touch of shimmery, nude shadow
• to complete the look, apply Ardell Wispies eyelashes

A little of this stuff goes a long way. See that tiny little smudge on the brush? That was enough for one eye. This little cake will probably last me a lifetime!

I'd love to do a video tutorial on how to use Magnificent Metals as well as how to REMOVE them…I hear it can be challenging, but I've found a way to make it easy. ;)

Hope you guys enjoyed today's post! Happy Hump Day!

Hugs,

Cat

Shimmery Purple Smoke with YSL Pure Chromatics #13

Good evening, everyone! Hope you're all enjoying a lovely Saturday. It's raining here in my neck of the woods, but temperatures are still in the mid to high 60's and we're in a drought so it's much needed. Why am I blogging at 8pm on a Saturday? Because I'm staying in this weekend, and for the next two, in order to finish this leg of my graduation project. :P

Anyways, just thought I'd share my EOTD that I created with the Yves Saint Laurent Pure Chromatics Wet & Dry eyeshadow quad in #13. It's a really pretty, purple toned set of shadows that's decently pigmented when dry and very opaque and metallic when wet. Here is a smokey look that I did dry over primer:

I used the same technique for this look as I did with the Rose Gold Smokey Eye that I did a video demonstration for the other day.

Anyways, back to work for me! Hope you all enjoyed this post, however brief. :) Happy Saturday, everyone!

Hugs,

Cat

Rose Gold Smokey Eyes

Hey guys! Took a break from my usual, flamboyant looks and did a rose gold, smokey eye the other day. More subdued in color, for sure, but no less pretty, I think. I love using my face as a canvas for creativity, but I feel my best when I wear makeup that makes me feel more like myself. :)

Products used:

• UDPP in Eden
• Naked 3 (Trick, Liar, Factory, Darkside)
• Kate Super Sharp pen eyeliner in BK-1
• Maybelline Lasting Drama gel eyeliner
• Maybelline Full N Soft waterproof mascara
• Ardell Wispies eyelashes
• Wet n Wild Mega Shield lipstick in 364S Barely Legal
• Wet n Wild Mega Slicks lip gloss in 576-A Rose Gold
• UD Naked Skin liquid foundation in 5.0
• ELF pressed powder in Honey

Happy Thursday everyone! The weekend is just around the corner! :D

Hugs,

Cat

Video Tutorial: Bold Blue Winged Eyeliner

Hey guys! So, you've probably seen this look on me a few times in the past. It's one of my favorite eyeshadow looks because it's easy, requiring only a handful of products, but also manages to stand out.

Product list:

• Buxom Stay There eyeshadow in Pug
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tenacious Teal
• Kate Super Sharp pen eyeliner in BK-1
• Maybelline Lasting Drama gel eyeliner
• Maybelline Full N Soft Waterproof mascara
• Ardell #120 eyelashes

I paired these bold eyes with an equally loud lip for an electrifying effect.

Nothing like a bit of color to brighten a cold, rainy weekend! Check out my YouTube video to recreate this look.

I hope you like the video and don't forget to subscribe. :) Happy Sunday, everyone, stay warm and dry!

Hugs,

Cat

Tutorial: Teal Ombre Cat Eye

Due to the overwhelming response I received regarding the Teal Ombre Cat Eye EOTD that I did several days ago, I decided to create a video tutorial which illustrates the technique that I used to achieve the look.

This type of shading is flattering for everyone, but I love how it enhances my small, almond-shaped eyes. I've been doing this cat eye a lot, lately, with different color combinations.

In this video, I use a teal gradient, but feel free to use whatever color variation you like. Enjoy the tutorial and please subscribe to my channel, I would be ever so grateful! <3

Thanks for reading, and watching! Happy Monday, everyone! :P

Hugs,

Cat

Happy New Year!

Attended and all-day event with my wonderful family yesterday (there must have been at least 30 of us)! I did a festive red and gold look for the event:

Here is the product list for the look:

• Etude House Drawing Eyebrow Pencil
• UDPP in Eden
• Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadow in Gold Rush and loose pigment in Wild Gold
• UD eyeshadow in Cobra and Black Dog (Black Palette)
• Ulta Eye Crayon in Black Tie
• ELF Studio Blush in Twinkle Pink
• NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Plush Red
• CoverGirl Blast Flipstick in Stunner (the gold end)

I took a break from eyelashes because I wanted to be comfortable eating, drinking, and chasing after my adorable baby cousins! XD So, I am missing that extra oomph to my look, but I think it turned out alright anyway. :D

I was especially happy with my lipstick.

It lasted for well over 8 hours through eating and drinking without any feathering and very minimal fading. I never had to reapply and the color remained true in photos until the end of the day. 

Hope everyone enjoyed lovely new year celebrations and, if you don't celebrate the lunar new year, I hope you had a fantastic weekend! Happy Sunday, all!

Hugs,

Cat

FOTD: LORAC Mint Edition Set

Ermagherd! I feel so lazy today, lol. TGIF, right? Anyhoo, I've had this super adorable eyes/lips/cheeks set from LORAC since the holidays and didn't get around to cracking it open until today, isn't it the bomb-dot-com?

It even comes in it's own sparkly little clutch.

I just love the eyeshadow and cheek colors, so pretty and pastel!

And here's what it looks like when I put it all together. I decided to go for a cut-crease using the 3 matte shades and the darkest shimmer shade. Along with the cheek and lip gloss, the entire look pulled together rather nicely.

LOVE this kit, it's just so darn cute. Plus, I love all things mint, so I'm probably a little biased. I can imagine getting a lot of looks out of it. The lip color is super-sweet and the blush is extremely versatile. Can't wait to play with it some more.

Oh yeah: Happy Luna New Year to everyone that celebrates it. I'm looking forward to doing some cool makeup for the family gathering I'm attending tomorrow! Have a great night, you guys!

Hugs,
Cat

Glamorous Purple Cut Crease…with Purple Eyelashes!

EDIT: Someone who had my back kindly pointed out to me that I don't have a true monolid. Oops! Hope I haven't offended anyone by making that mistake. I have, since, decided to re-categorize my eye type as "hooded almond-shaped eyes" or, simply, "hooded eyes".

* * *

Cut crease eyeshadow is no joke.  But you know what's more difficult than doing a cut crease? Doing one on hooded almond-shaped eyes! This is why I'm so excited, guys. Where I have tried and failed before, I was recently able to successfully achieve cut crease shading on my eyes! Check it out!

I am sooooooooo stoked! And, hello, PURPLE EYELASHES!!! The folks over at Ardell Lashes are geniuses. But, yeah, I'm so happy to have been able to create such a clean, cut crease that looks impressive with downcast eyes, yet doesn't look awkward when my eyes are open. (which can happen with this look if you don't have a lot of lid space and shallow-set eyes)

Product list:

• UD Primer Potion in Eden
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Painted Purple
• UD Eyeshadows in Omen, Half Truth, and Blackout (15 Anniversary palette)
• Maybelline Lasting Drama gel eyeliner
• Kanebo Kate Super Sharp eyeliner pen (AMAZING, I'm dedicating a post to this tomorrow)
• Maybelline Full N Soft Waterproof mascara
• Ardell Color Impact Demi Wispies in Plum

Heehee, I'm so in love with these!

The downside to these lashes, is that, for some reason, the band is white! It looks really obvious on, so I had to paint in the band with black liquid eyeliner once I applied them. Problem easily solved!

Here is a full-face image of this look so you can see how it appears from a distance:

I wish I had an open-eye image, but they all turned out blurry. (getting used to using a DSLR as opposed to my iPhone camera, LOL) But, you can see that this is a pretty dramatic look with the purple. Honestly, I don't think I would have felt comfortable going outside. Luckily, it was my day off and I stayed indoors doing homework all day. XD It would probably look pretty dope in matte nudes/neutrals, though!

Okie dokes! I hope you guys enjoyed this post. it was a really fun look to do and really rewarding for me, especially, because I've wanted to be able to do a cut crease for so long and was finally able to achieve it! I'd love to try this in different colors, maybe make a video tutorial for it. What do you think?

Hugs,

Cat

Pictorial Tutorial for Teal Ombre Cat Eyes

Because I received a number of requests for a tutorial, I put together an image diagram illustrating the steps required to achieve the popular "ombre cat eye" that I did the other day.

It was pretty challenging to document, actually, because the look is pretty complex as it is and it made me nervous doing it step by step and photographing along the way. It's not perfect, but I think you can get the gist of it.

Product list:

• UD Primer Potion in Eden
• Maybelline Lasting Drama gel eyeliner
• UD eyeshadow in Blackout
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Edgy Emerald
• Coastal Scents Original 88 palette (3 teal shades of varying values)
• Maybelline Full N Soft Waterproof mascara
• Ardell #120 eyelashes

Instructions:

1. I applied Maybelline Color Tattoo Edgy Emerald from my lash line up to my natural crease on my pre-primed eyelid.
2. Using Maybeline Lasting Drama black gel eyeliner, I lined my upper lash line and sketched out a cat eye wing.
3. I lightly filled in the wing shape with remaining gel eyeliner from my brush.
4. I layered a light teal shade over the cream shadow of the inner corner of my upper eyelid.
5. Next I layered a medium shade of teal over the center of my upper eyelid.
6. Then I layered the deepest shade of teal over the outer corner of my upper eyelid.
7. Using a little more black gel eyeliner, I redefined my cat eye wing.
8. I lined my lower lash line with black gel eyeliner and accented it with the medium teal shade. Then I darkened the outer corner of my cat eye with a matte black shadow. (UD Blackout)
9. To complete the look, I curled my lashes, applied mascara, and affixed Ardell #120 lashes to my upper lash line.

No lie, my friends, this is definitely an intermediate/advanced look. Even throughout the 9 steps, I was constantly going back in and refining, sharpening, shading, blending. The results are worth it, however. So, practice, practice, practice and have fun with it! I'd love to make a video tutorial for this in a few weeks, but can't really do so at the moment because I'm super-swamped with school stuff. Thanks for reading and happy Monday! -_-

Hugs,

Cat

Video Tutorial: Sweet Valentine's Day Makeup

Alright guys, been working on this all weekend! New camera, new film format, let me know how you like it, your feedback is important to me. This is the first of two video tutorials that I'm making for my Valentine's Day makeup series.

In this video, I show you how to do a feminine, pink makeup look that's suitable for this upcoming Valentine's Day if you fancy a sweet, girly look. It's more natural and fresh-faced looking, easy to do, and low-maintenance because the eye makeup isn't too complex. (meaning, you're not going to have to touch up too often)

Alright, well, here it is! It's my first video in a long time, so I'm sure there are a few kinks and areas that need improvement, but I'm sure they'll get better as I become more efficient at making them. Can you believe I spent ALL DAY yesterday trying to figure out a soundtrack for this thing, only to opt for no soundtrack at all, in the end? LOL!

I just had to think about copyright infringement, and, ultimately, just because I happen to like a particular song, doesn't mean that I should force it on everyone else. I mean, my video is about 3 1/2 minutes, but that can be torture if the music sucks. So, feel free to play whatever you like in the background while watching this. ^_^

I also encourage you to watch in 720 or 1080 HD, the quality is so much better and you can see all my flaws and pores! XD

Anyhoo, thanks for reading and watching. Also, thanks for all the encouraging feedback. This blog was so dead...I almost decided to delete it at one point, but you guys brought it back to life for me. I've been inundated with life situations and school and this has been a fantastic creative outlet for me. I'm just having a ton a fun creating looks and blogging again. <3

Hugs,

Cat

EOTD: Gilded Gradient

I've been working on technique for creating ombre/gradient cat eyes in order to construct a straightforward, easy-to-follow tutorial. I experimented by using tape yesterday, inspired by the suggestion of others, in order to ensure sharp, clean edges. The teal look from earlier this week was very dramatic, so I sought to do something a little earthier and opted for gold. This was the result:

Haha, I found that the "wing" was a little more squared off and less fluid than when I did the design free-hand. But it still turned out pretty cool. I'm not accustomed to using tape to shape my shadow/liner, so I'm afraid I didn't angle it quite right. It probably would have looked better had I flared it outward a little more.

Again, this looked nice while my eyes were closed or downcast, however, due to my lack of lid-space, the full effect wasn't as apparent when I opened them.

Product list:

• UD Primer Potion in Eden
• Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream in Bold Gold and Bad To The Bronze
• Maybelline Color Tattoo Pigment in Wild Gold
• UD eyeshadows in Smog, Darkhorse, and Creep (original Naked palette)
• Maybelline Lasting Drama gel eyeliner
• Maybelline Full N Soft Waterproof mascara
• Andrea #53 eyelashes

Alrighty, back to work for me. TGIF, everyone, and thanks for reading! ^_^

Hugs,

Cat

EOTD: Teal Ombre Cat Eye

OH EM GEE, you guys! I am so stoked! So, I've been lurking the makeup blogging/vlogging/Instagram circuit again since I've been more active on StyleByCat, and I've been so inspired by these super-amazing looks that have been popping up. Artists are sooooooooo creative and talented these days, each one out-doing the next in terms of insanely gorgeous looks! Honestly, I can't even keep up anymore, lol!

Anyhoo, there's this ombre cat eye that I've been seeing a lot of them doing, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm really rusty with the creative stuff since it doesn't really fit my lifestyle anymore. (I've gone practical. Practical = BORING) Y'all know I love my blue/greens, so I decided to try a teal version. Turned out pretty good!

This was a super-duper fun look to do. I admit, it requires a steady hand and it looked kind of awful when I started it, but with some refining, it turned out pretty awesome!

Here is the eye makeup product list:

• UD Primer Potion in Eden
• Maybelline Lasting Drama gel eyeliner
• UD eyeshadow in Blackout
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Edgy Emerald
• Coastal Scents Original 88 palette (3 teal shades of varying values)
• Maybelline Full N Soft Waterproof mascara
• Ardell #120 eyelashes

Yay! On the downside, it doesn't look as impressive with my eyes open. DARN YOU, HOODED MONOLIDS!!! Which means I either have to walk around with my eyes closed, which I wouldn't recommend, or half-open, which simply looks dumb. Lol. Oh well. People can appreciate my makeup when I blink. Haha!

Woo hoo!

Darn, looks like I overdid my eyeliner! XD

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this post as much as I loved writing it. Happy Hump Day, everyone!

Hugs,

Cat

EOTD: Royal

Happy Monday, everyone! Just working on editing the video that we filmed yesterday. In the meantime, here's my groovy eye makeup for today, done in regal shades of purple and gold:

I created this look using some new products I picked up from Ulta over the weekend:

Fantastic colors, I'm really diggin' the gold pigment, it's so vibrant! Here is the complete product list for this look:

• Etude House Drawing Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown
• UD Primer Potion in Eden
• Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow in Painted Purple
• UD eyeshadow in Omen
• Ulta gel eyeliner pencil in Golden Egg
• Maybelline Color Tattoo Pure Pigment in Wild Gold
• Maybelline Lasting Drama gel eyeliner
• Ardell #120 eyelashes

I like to layer powder products over cream products in order to intensify the color, which is why you may see duplicate colors in my product list in 2 different mediums.

To balance out the eyes, I simply did peachy cheeks and a nude lip:

Oh, the blush is ELF Studio Blush in Twinkle Pink and lips are NARS Lip Lacquer in Chelsea Girls, btw. :)

Well, back to work! Thanks for reading and have a fantastic afternoon!

Hugs,

Cat

EOTD: Modified Retro

Happy Saturday, everyone! I had planned to do a tutorial over the weekend, but it's just been a flurry of events here in my neck of the woods, so I hope you don't mind me doing a simple posting of today's makeup. Lately, I've been really inspired by some beautiful, old Hollywood glamour looks, so I translated them into a version that would work with my eyes. Voila! My modified-retro eye makeup for today:

Product list:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
• Sugarpill Pressed Eyeshadow in Tako
• Limit and Nooner from Urban Decay's Naked3 palette
• Maybelline Lasting Drama gel eyeliner
• Ardell #122 eyelashes

The elements that make this look really stand out are the white shadow and the thin, elegant winged eyeliner. The light contouring under the brow bone with a dusty pink shade as well as the eyelashes add more dimension. I'm very pleased with how this turned out for me, overall. Better than I had expected, as I never thought I could pull off an Asian-version of this look.

Alrighty, well, I hope you all enjoyed today's post! I'm hoping to work on a Valentine's Day tutorial tomorrow (crossing my fingers) which also includes video. Of course, the project will take about a week or so to complete, but I'm aiming to work hard and be optimistic!

Enjoy the weekend, and thanks for reading! <3

Hugs,

Cat

EOTD: Aqua Friday

TGIF everyone! The weather is mighty fine here in the bay area (a sunny 70 degrees), which made me feel like painting my eyes a happy color!

For this look, I used Maybelline Color Tattoo in Edgy Emerald, topped with a matte shade of aqua from my Coastal Scents Original 88 Palette. I did a medium, winged line and partial lower lash liner with Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner. I finished with #120 Ardell eyelashes.

This look is simple, fun, and really makes the eyes stand out! Hope everyone is enjoying their Friday so far and is looking forward to a long weekend, like me! (celebrating MLK Day this Monday, no school, yay!)

Hugs,
Cat