Makeup for the Holidays

i'n going to spend the holidays in sydney, and apart from the age-old question of what clothes and shoes i'm going to pack, a new one pops-up this year: what makeup products am i going to bring with me? :D

as much as i would like to bring my entire collection, i can't =P so i had to pick favorites..

face

The Face Shop Span Oil Control Pre Makeup

Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet Foundation

Make Up For Ever High Definition Powder (forgot to include in picture)

The Body Shop Nature's Mineral Foundation
Ellana Bronzer in Harmony (forgot to include in picture)

cheeks

 The Body Shop Blush Trio in Warm Sunset

The Body Shop Solar Duo Blush in Radiant Pink

eyes

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Profusion Pearl Palette

The Body Shop Hot Brights Eye Liner

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

Maybelline Unstoppable Shiny Black Mascara

lips

NYX Round Lipstick in Indian Pink

NYX Round Lipstick in Watermelon

Smashbox Pink Power Lip Palette

other essentials i'm taking with me..

Suesh Personal Essential Brush Set

Charm Blending Brushes

The Body Shop Kabuki Brush

Suesh Brush Cleaner

Fanny Serrano Eyelash Curler
Make Up For Ever Sens'Eyes Eye Cleanser

i don't actually plan on wearing makeup every single day, but it's good to have my stash with me in case i want to get dolled up :D

happy holidays everyone! :)

Pink Vanity

my newest baby: the pink vanity case from Suesh! :D the boyfriend and i went to the big outlet sale at mall of asia today, and he got me this for christmas :) wheeee! :)

it's got 3 fold out trays, and the center compartment has adjustable dividers.

of course, i immediately filled it with my makeup stash when i got home :D i was so OC doing it! i put the eyeshadows and mascaras on the 1st layer, then the eye liners and lip glosses on the next. on the other side, i put the face primers and foundations together, and the blushes and finishing powders next to it. lastly, i  put the makeup remover, lipsticks, false lashes, and palettes on the center. i also put my face masks in here, just to use up the space.

as you can see, my makeup collection is pretty small (oh come on! compared to other beauty junkies out there! yes you! haha). it looks pretty packed already, but i'm sure i can squeeze in moooore stuff :P

thanks baby!!! *mwahhh*

Mini Kabuki Brush

ever since i bought mineral blushes, i've been looking for a mini kabuki brush to use for applying them. being the OC person that i am, i didn't exactly want to keep using my full sized kabuki (which i use for foundation) for blushes.

i decided to get the Mini Kabuki Brush from Suesh. it comes with a mini pouch and only costs P250. what's unique about it is that it opens up (but no, u can't separate them).

here are pictures from all sides:

i don't know if it's really designed that way, but the white side is way fluffier than the black side. they look pretty even from the side, but from the top, it's a whole other story as u can see. so i was quite surprised by that.

the brush is really small (that's why it's called a mini!) and fits snugly on my hand.

for size comparison, here it is alongside my full sized kabuki from The Body Shop.

this is how i use it:

i open it up and dip the black side on the blush. i use the black side because it's denser than the white. i find using the white one tends to get messy because it's so fluffy.

then i spread the blush on the apples of my cheeks using the black side.

and finally i buff it out by using the closed brush.

i also use the closed brush when applying finishing powder.

this brush lives up to Suesh's standards of super soft bristles. not scratchy at all! i did expect the brush to be more dense, it being a kabuki and all. but it serves its purpose (dual, in fact). very handy and perfect for touch-ups!

Personal Essential Brush Set

i already owned a blush brush, an eyeshadow brush, a kabuki brush, and a mini brush kit, all from Body Shop. but since i wanted to learn more about makeup, it was time to upgrade my brush collection ;)

i got the 10pc set from Suesh. i felt overwhelmed by the 16pc set and thought i might not really need all those brushes anyway (but then i ended up buying more brushes from M.A.C, haha, more on that later). the set is priced at P1800, but they slash off P700 from the price if u attend their makeup workshop. the entire package costs P3000. i used my Belle de Jour coupon, and i was able to get a 10% discount, yey!

the set contains a powder brush, blush brush, foundation brush, large eyeshadow brush, small eyeshadow brush, smudge brush, eyeliner brush, brow brush, mascara brush and lip brush.

these brushes are really soft, nice nice nice! :)