Cranberry Shade Inspired Look + How To Apply Pigment Eyeshadow

I was organizing my makeup stash today and rediscovered two eye shadows that I haven't been playing a lot lately. So, I decided to create a look using these two products. I am talking about A'pieu Creamy Butter Shadow in #4 Cranberry Kiss and A'pieu Mini Star Pearl Shadow in #6. They're both Korean cosmetic road brand products and are very affordable. 

The creamy butter shadow has very soft, creamy buttery texture that glides on your skin smoothly. The other one is a pigment shadow which contains micro sparkles. So, the application of this pigment shadow can be a bit daunting but once you learn the proper technique in applying it. Then, it'll just be a walk in the park. 

Here are the tips in applying pigment shadows:

1. Apply it before your face makeup so it is easier for you to clean up any fall outs.
2. Use a cream base eyeshadow or creamy primer to enhance the staying power and hold the pigments even better.
3. For easier/smoother application, spritz tiny amount of makeup fixer/facial mist or even water on your brush before application.
4. Try to look/face down when applying so as to minimize the amount of fall outs on your cheeks.

Now that you have learned some of my tips, here is how my makeup play day turned out:

You may check out the video below to see the rest of the products I have used and how I applied each of them. Thanks for reading and watching!

Keep Dolling Up,

Gelie (Jelai) xoxo

How To Create A Gradient Eyeshadow Look

Hey dolls,

Eyeshadow application could be as easy as applying one simple shade all over your lid or could be as complicated as applying  transition shades or creating a gradient look. This week's tip is about getting that gradient eyeshadow look in the easiest way possible.

It is important to familiarize yourself with the different parts of your eyes before learning the actual application. See the photo with labels below:

Basically, you only need 4 eyeshadow shades to create that gradient look. You need a crease shade,  dark shade, medium shade and light shade. 

Crease shade: anything that looks like a bronzer or something very close to your skin color but a thud darker. This shade is use to apply on your crease to carve out the sockets of your eyes.
Dark shade: any dark eyeshadows like ebony black/sandstone brown; preferably mattes. This shade is use to apply on the outer V and also on the lower lash line.
Medium shade: any medium tone that is one or two shade lighter than your dark shade. This shade is applied on your mid lid area and/or lower lash line.
Light shade: any shade that is lighter than your dark and medium shades like champagne, light gold, light silver; preferably with satin or shimmery finished. This is applied on your inner lid and could also be used as a highlighter for your brow bone and inner corners/tear duct.

Tip: You may also use your blush or any pink/coral shades to create a transition on top of your crease. 

Now, let's see how these four basic shades are use to create that gradient eye makeup look.

1. Apply your eyeshadow primer/base. I prefer to use a primer that looks like a concealer so it can double as a color corrector and the same time prevents my eye makeup from creasing. You may use a liquid concealer as a primer. Tip: If you have oily lids, I suggest setting your primer with a beige matte shadow/ powder before moving to step 2.
2. Apply your crease shade on the crease area. Just swipe your eyeshadow in a sideways motion.
3. Apply your dark shade on your outer v. Making sure you pack most of the dark shade on the outermost part.Don't forget to blend any harsh edges.
4. Apply your medium shade on the mid section of your lid.
5. Apply the lightest shade on the inner lid section. 
6. If your lighter shade is perfect for highlighting, use it to highlight the inner corner/tear duct and your brow bone. 

You may also watch my video to see how I apply my go to eye make-up look and learn more application tips. Enjoy!

Thank you for visiting my blog. Don't forget to subscribe to any of my social media accounts to get more tips and makeup look in the future.

Keep Dolling Up,

Gelie (Jelai) xoxo

How To Store Your Single Pan Eyeshadows (Low to No Cost)

Hello dolls!

I hope you all are having a great time. I was out of touch for a couple of days because I had to take a comprehensive exam for my graduate school. Well, I'm glad I got that over with and get back to you guys.

This week's tip is not purely makeup application tip, but rather a "storage" tip.

I do love using my eyeshadow palettes from Urban Decay, Stila and Coastal Scents. However, there are single pan eyeshadows in my collection that are invaluable. The problem is, since they are small and in individual container, I tend  to always misplace and lose them. So, last week, I decided to get creative and find an innovative and viable storage solution.

So here you go...

All you need is an old DVD case, sticky tape/glue, and of course your single pan eyeshadows.

In my case, I took off the plastic/title cover of the case just to give it a nicer, neater look and feel. Then, I began pushing out the eyeshadows from their original case. Most eyeshadows have a tiny hole at the bottom of the case so you can just poke it with sharp object (like needle) and easily dispense it from its case. However, some don't have a hole so it's rather challenging, so, a word of advise, don't force it coz you might break your eyeshadows. Like in my case, I have two circular eyeshadows from Essence and I've had trouble pulling them out. What I did was I just leave them on their original case rather than pushing them too hard.

Then, use your double sided tape or glue to stick them inside the DVD case. In my case, I did not use a glue. I explained the specific reason why I opted for the tape in my YouTube video below. 

That's pretty much it, dolls. That's how you transform a junk to something more useful for your makeup. Let me know if you have brilliant makeup storage tip that you'd like to share with us.

Hope this helps!

P.S.: I will post the winner for my makeup giveaway challenge early tomorrow. So, stay tune and good luck!

Keep Dolling Up,

Gelie (Jelai) xoxo

How To Maximize The Use Of Your Cream Concealer

Ever wonder how makeup artists get those perfectly defined brows, perfectly shaped lips and flawlessly applied eye makeup? Are you really getting the most benefit and use of your cream concealer?

Today's makeup tip and trick will answer all of those questions. I will  be sharing with you three awesome ways to maximize the use of your cream concealer. If you have been using your cream concealer just to spot treat your blemishes and skin discoloration, then, you probably  are missing out on some amazing tricks that your concealer can do for you. This trick will change the way you apply your concealer and change your look in the most subtle way.

Let's begin. In this makeup tutorial, you will only need a cream concealer  (the closest color to your skin) and a small brush  with defined edges. In my case, I am using the Mac Studio Finish Concealer in NC30 and a detailer brush from Real Techniques, which comes from their face brush set. 

Perfectly Shaped Lips/Cupid Bows

If you find yourself sloppily putting on your lipsticks- which by the way I am guilty of, then your cream concealer is your friend. A bleeding lipstick (lipstick that goes out of your natural lip line) is not so flattering. It will make you look like you do not know how to use your makeup or that you are a novice teenager, who have just discovered makeup. Either ways it's not good. This trick is especially useful when you are wearing bold vivid lip colors.

1. So, to give you those perfectly shaped cupid bows (see the circled part on the pic above), reach for your brush and cream concealer. Dab your brush to your concealer making sure you cover the tip of the bristles
2. Carefully draw the natural shape of your lips and give more detailed attention on shaping the curves of your cupid bows (the arch  on your upper lips). 
3. Finally, slightly press the concealer with your fingers so that the warmth from your hands melt or blends the concealer to your skin further. 

Perfectly Applied Eye Shadow or Winged Liner

This technique is especially helpful if you want to get a well-defined cat eye look (which I have two ways of doing, I'll share the other one next time). Or if you simply want to clean up the edges of your eye makeup, then this is also a good trick.

1. You might not see anything wrong on picture 1, but if you look closely, the darker shadow goes beyond the line where I drew my winged liner. You can go out with this look it is perfectly normal. However, if you want to put more emphasis on your winged liner, then grab your concealer and brush.
2. Draw a line where you want to get that crisp winged look and blend your brush further down to make sure you erase any smudges from your eyeshadow.
3. Finally, use your finger to blend your concealer to your skin. Tips: Remember to use your ring finger as explained on my previous post on concealing undereye circles.

Perfectly Defined Eyebrows

As I have mentioned on my post on how to define your brows, your brows are the most important part of your makeup. So, never disregard them because they are the ones that can pull off any looks you go for. Did I mention that concealer does not only create those clean and crisp lines below and above your brows, but also help cover up the tiny hair growth you have? In days when I am so lazy to shave or pluck  any regrowth under my brows, this technique comes in  handy.

1. After filling in your brows with brow pencil/powder/pomade, grab your brush and dab it to your cream concealer.
2. Following the natural shape and arch of your brows, draw a line on your top and lower brow line. If you overdraw the part where your brows start, use the excess concealer from your brush to lighten that part out. Tips: For covering hair re-growth, dab more concealer and build up the coverage as you desire.
3. Using your ring finger, blend the concealer to your skin making sure there are no harsh edges or weird patches. 

The picture below, shows a comparison of my defined and undefined look. Can you tell the subtle differences on the eyes and lips?

There you go, dolls. I hope I was clear enough. If you have questions, comments and suggestions for a next tutorial, please comment below.

You can also follow me on any of my SNS profile. See the sidebar on the right for the link.

P.S.: I am writing for ideafortoday.com. You can also see some amazing blog posts of any random topics from different bloggers out there.

Always remember! Everyday is a day to doll up,

Gelie (Jelai) xoxo