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 Choose The Correct Foundation Shade

Hello dolls,

There are many things to consider when buying a foundation. Do you want a pressed powder foundation? loose powder? stick type? or a liquid one? For this tip, I will be focusing on the liquid type and not specifically on the formulation but rather  on choosing the right shade. Choosing the perfect foundation shade could be very daunting, as there are so many different shades and undertone of foundation out in the market. So, I will be sharing with you the tips I learned over the years.

1.) Find your right undertone. 
This is the first tip on my list because this is the critical part. It is almost impossible to find the right shade of foundation without knowing your undertone. If you check out different kinds of foundation shade, you might discover that there are foundation that gravitates  toward pinkish tone and yellowish tone. Your undertone plays a big role in choosing between the two. 

There are three main types of undertone: warm, neutral or cool. One way to find your undertone is by checking your veins on your wrist - green veins (warm), blueish (cool), mixed (neutral) . Also the color of jewelry that compliments your skin, helps identify your undertone- gold (warm), silver (cool), both (neutral). You may also take this quiz to find out exactly what your undertone is   http://www.popsugar.com/beauty/Warm-Cool-Undertones-Quiz-1843402 . If you are on the warmer side choose a yellowish foundation. Otherwise, choose the pinkish tone. 

2.)  Do not judge the shade of the foundation merely on the color of the bottle.
This is probably the most common mistake that most of us do. I have been in this situation when I bought a foundation that looked exactly like my skin in the bottle, but when I got home I found out that it was way too muddy on my face and it made my skin  look older. Never ever decide just by looking at it because foundation can oxidize and actually change color a few seconds/minutes right after you apply it on your skin. 

3.) Swatch foundation on your chin area/neck.
Buying a foundation is pretty much similar to buying a dress- you have to try it on before you buy it. So, I advise always trying out the tester and try to get swatches of the colors you think fits you. The key to it is swatching it on the right place of your body. The common mistake though is swatching it on your arm or wrist. It is helpful, however, I wouldn't suggest it because most of the times, the  shade of our arm could be darker or lighter than the shade of our neck. When getting a foundation, match the shade to the color of your neck. You don't want a lighter face and darker neck, or vice versa. So, I suggest swatching your foundation on your chin area. In my case, I normally have makeup on my face while shopping so I don't normally follow this rule. However, I do swatch it on my neck. 

So, once you have swatched it/them on your neck/chin, your challenge is to find the one that is perfect for you. So how? Simply select the one that melts or literally disappears in your skin. Look at my swatches below. Which one do you think is my match? 

I am not sure if the picture does justice. The 3rd one is my perfect match! Once blended it disappears in my skin and is almost undetectable. At first glance you might think the 2nd one matches me because it has a yellowish undertone, however it is too dark and leaves and orangey tint on my skin. 

Tip: If you still can not find your match, get the one that is a thud lighter than your natural skin because you can still get away with it if you bronze and/or contour your face.However, if you get the darker one it could be a challenge. BUT, your darker shade foundation can be  used to contour/shade so do not dish it out.

3.) Ask for a sample.
This third tip is especially helpful if you still can not decide after swatching. If you are planning to get a higher end foundation, I strongly suggest asking for a sample that you can try at home before splurging. If you buy your foundation at a department store, clerks normally can give you a small sample if you ask for it. Explain to the clerk that you have heard a lot of good things about this foundation and would like to try it out at home before you purchase it. This usually works for  me. 

4.) Do not buy right away. 
In most cases, you are almost immediately tempted to get the foundation for two main reasons - it looks like it is your match and/or you are too embarrassed to tell the staff that you haven't actually made up your mind. For the first reason, I understand that you must be excited to see that this foundation shade could be the one for you. However, store lighting, especially the ones in department store, could be very deceiving at times. I suggest you take your time and get out of the store and check you makeup under a natural lighting (if possible). For the second reason, do not be intimidated/embarrassed to admit to the staff that you are still not sure about getting it. It is their job to help you swatch and choose the makeup for you so don't feel sorry that you are wasting their time. They are paid to do that!


I hope my tips are useful  and always remember that choosing the right shade for your skin is trial and error. Do not worry if you are wrong this time, there are still ways to make the most of the wrong foundation shades you have chosen. Try to mix them all up and create the exact shade that you think suits you. Also, consider the seasons. You can use your lighter foundation in the winter/cooler months and the darker ones in the summer/right after you get a nice tan from a trip to the beach. 

Keep Dolling Up,
Gelie (Jelai)  xoxo

How To Create A Slimmer Face With Contouring and Highlighting

Hi loves!

So, you have just applied your foundation and set your face makeup. Have you noticed something? Your face looks flat and you lose the natural definition of your facial features. Well, worry no more. I will help you bring it back and make it look even better.

This week's makeup tip is something a little more complex yet once mastered will create a big difference in your looks. I am going to be sharing with you my tips on how to contour and highlight your facial features to create a slimmer face and to bring out your facial assets. 

So, what is contouring? Contouring is literally like shading or creating a shadow on your face to recede a certain part of your face. With that being said, when choosing a contour shade it is best to choose a cool tone bronzer or just even a press powder that is two to three shades darker than your natural skin color. Never use a bronzer that is warm-tone or orangey because when contouring you are mimicking a shadow and shadows don't look orangey at all. In the photo below the first color on the left is a perfect contour shade, cool-toned with greyish undertone,  compared to the other two.  

What about highlighting? Highlighting is use side-by-side with contouring in  order to create a seamless look. It's purpose is to bring forward some of your facial features. When choosing a highlighter, consider your undertone. I suggest a highlighter with hints of pink if you are cool tone, whereas if you are warm tone, a highlight with golden finish will suit you better. If you are not sure about your undertone, a champagne highlighter is the safest choice. Also, make sure you don't use highlighter with big flakes of shimmer because you want to make it more natural and flakey shimmers will make you look like a  disco ball instead. ^^ Banana powder (yellow powder) will also work well for highlighting if you have a medium/tan skin.  

Ok let's begin... Below is an infographic I created on  basic contouring, highlighting and blushing. 

Contour the following parts of your face:

• Outer perimeter of your face- your hairline and along your chin
• Forehead (outer sections)
• Along the sides of your nose (parallel sides)
• Hollows of your cheeks - draw an imaginary line from the top of your ears to the tail of your brows. Tip: Do not take it all the way down near your mouth or else you will look like you have a beard. lol
• Below your lower lips - Tip: This will create a fuller lower lip.
• Crease of your eyes 
• Along your neck (draw parallel lines)
• Above and below your collar bones - Tip: This will instantly give you a model-like shoulders.

Highlight the following parts of your face:

• Bridge of your nose to the center of your forehead
• Above your cheekbone - Draw a C- shape from your cheekbone to the top of your eyebrow. Tip: This will give an illusion that you have a nice round cheekbones.
• Under your eyes - Draw a triangle following the tip of your nose to the edge of your eyes.
• Brow bone
• Cupid Bows (the arch on your upper lips) - Tip: This will create a fuller upper lip.
• Below the hollows of your cheek (only do this if you are using a banana powder not the shimmery highlighter) - This will clean up your cheek contour and make it more define.
• On top of your collar bone - This goes well if you contour below and above it.

Finally, I love to use two different kinds of blushes (totally optional). The first blush is what I consider a transition blush. I use a brownish blush (somewhat similar to my skin color) as a transition color between my contour shade and my ordinary blush. This helps create a gradient look. Then, I use my ordinary blush on the apples of my cheeks. Tips: There are different ways to place your blush depending on your face shape. Refer to the photo below:

Still fuzzy about the whole thing? You can also watch me in action.

If you are afraid on trying out this tip, all I can suggest is to practice doing it before you wash off your makeup at night so you don't have to worry going out with crazy face (if it doesn't turn out well). The key to it is having the right tools, practicing, blending and practicing again... Don't be scared to experiment!

I hope this helps. Let me know what you think. 

Keep  Dolling Up,

Gelie (Jelai) xoxo

Brownish Pink Monochromatic Look

Hey dolls,

I recently had a chance to participate at the Cosmo Beauty Expo held at Coex Mall Seoul, South Korea. I came home with several makeup and samples, which I haven't yet seen in any Korean cosmetic stores. So, it was very exciting for me to try out new things. 

Among the things I got from the event were 3 shades of eyeshadow pigments, 3 shades of lipnicure, 1 lip gloss, nail masks, foot mask, face mask and a bottle of organic guava juice (yummy!).

Here are the swatches of the three eyeshadow pigments (01 penny, 10 dorosi, and 13 carol) and the three lipnicure (pink brown, chiffon coral, and brick red). 

Being the makeup junkie that I am, I couldn't wait to try out the new makeup I got and so I created this monochromatic look from one of the eyeshadow pigments and a lipnicure I got, which coincidentally match so well. They both have a brownish pink shade, which almost look like "marsala" (the color of the year). 

Below is the complete list of products I used to create this look:

Face:

• Nars Sheer Glow Foundation (Fiji)
• Missha Undereye Brightener(Light Beige)
• Too Faced Chocolate Soleil - for subtle contouring
• Mac Bao Bao Wan Beauty Powder - for highlighting
• Essence Silky Touch Blush (Natural Beauty)

Eyes:

• Essence I love Stage Eyeshadow Base
• Look At Me Cosmetics Fairy Dust Eyeshadow Pigment (13 Carol) - applied all over my lid
• Etude House Give Me Chocolate Shadow in Cherry Truffle - I only used the coral color as a transition color on top of my crease
• Benefit Roller Lash Mascara
• Etude House Play 101 Pencil (number 7) - waterline nude eyeliner

Lips:

• Rire Lipnicure (Pink Brown)

I feel like this color suits well on Southeast Asian Skin Tone. If you have a morena/naturally tan skin like I do, I certainly recommend this shade of lippie and eyeshadow color. It is bold enough to be seen but not so over powering and it still comes out natural. 

What do you guys think about this shade? What makeup colors are you into these days?

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 Create A Perfect Winged Liner

A week ago, I was asked by a new acquaintance about how I precisely applied my eyeliner. I promised her I'm going to walk her through my tips on my next post. Well, I finally got the chance to do it. 

I have a couple of tricks on applying my eyeliner, but I will only be sharing one this time. This trick is especially useful when you want to create a cat eye or winged out look without being careful. This is actually the first makeup trick I learned over the years and it has never failed me. 

You will have to dig in your stationery drawer and pull out a roll of tape (any kind of tape but duct tape lol). Yeah! That's right! You'll need some tape and of course your favorite eyeliner.

See the picture and the detailed instructions right below it.

1. Cut a pair of about an inch and a half of tape (just about enough to cover the outer corner of your eyes). Then, stick them at the back of your hands, pulling and sticking them back and forth to get rid of the tackiness. Tips: Make sure all that sticky texture is gone before proceeding. If not, you'll end up removing your foundation or face makeup.
2. After getting rid of the extra tackiness, place the tape on the outer corner of your eyes. You can adjust the angle of the tape depending on your preference. In my case, I like to put the other end of the tape right at the tail of my brows. Make sure you are securely sticking the edge of the tape on the corner of your eyes so the products wont end up smearing under the tape and defeating the purpose.
3. Apply your eyeshadow. You can even sloppily do it because the tape will still keep the edge clean. Tips: Using this trick is the perfect time for you to play with darker shades on the outer V of your eyes or even go smokey. It will give it more dimension. 
4. Start drawing your eyeliner. I like to draw my wings first before drawing the inner corner. This is a personal preference. Tips: It's more flattering if your eyeliner starts thin at the inner corner and gradually grows thicker at the end. 
5. Complete and perfect any broken lines.
6. Carefully and slowly take off the tape.
7. If you have any eyeshadow fall-outs below your eyes or on your cheeks, you can use the tape to get rid of them. Gently tap the tape on the affected area. 
8. If you think the edge of your eyes are too overly drawn or obviously taped, dab the area with your ring finger to blend it out a little and to give it a more natural finish.

Here's my full face of makeup following the steps above. 

It's a no brainer! Right? Let me know what you think. Have you tried this technique before?  What other eyeliner tricks do you know?

P.S.: If you haven't done yet, make sure you subscribe or follow me on any of my social media accounts  and comment on any of my blog posts. So, you will have an entry to participate in my makeup giveaway which ends on Sunday (April 19th).

Click the icon below to follow me: 

Thanks!

Keep Dolling Up,

Gelie ( Jelai ) xoxo

Peachy Coral Spring Inspired Look

Hello Lovelies!

It is the time of year again when you put away your winter coat, set aside your deep colored makeup and pull out those pastels and colorful hues from your makeup  collection. Spring is here and it means that coral, peach and pink tone shades of makeup are back. 

So, I decided to create a very neutral makeup look yet still shouts for "spring". In this look, I played around with the shades of peach and pale coral. I just think that this color is the perfect shade for a neutral look in spring. It reminds me of a soft pastel petal blossoming and the thing about this look is it's very wearable and neutral so it's perfect for daytime.

Here are the products I used to create this peachy coral spring inspired look:

Face

• Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser Treatment Makeup Foundation (250  pure beige) mixed with L'oreal True Match Foundation (G3 Golden Beige)
• Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle (light pale)
• CanMake Colorstick (orange salmon)
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit
• Catrice Prime and Fine Highlighting Powder (fairy dust)
• Mac Mineralize Skinfinish (medium plus)
• Essence Blush (80 autumn peach)
• Essence I Love Stage Eyeshadow Base

Eyes

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade (dark brown)
• Clio Slim Kill Pen Eyeliner (black)
• Coastal Scents Warm Eyeshadow Palette
• L'oreal Butterfly Waterproof Mascara
• Nyx Jumbo Pencil in my waterline (milk)

Lips

• Missha Lipliner applied all over the lips before lipstick (BE01)
• Too Faced Melted Lipstick (melted nude)

If you have questions about the products I used or if you want me to review any of these products please let me know by leaving a comment down below or by simply sending me a private message on any of my social media accounts (find the links on the upper right corner).

I hope you are enjoying the warm spring weather and if you are somewhere tropical, please head out to the beach and enjoy the water for me. :)

Keep Dolling Up,

Gelie (Jelai) xoxo

Review: Too Faced Melted Kisses Liquified Longwear Lipsticks

This week's product review is my first review on lip products. My first two posts on this category were drugstore products from L'oreal, so, I decided to go for the high end product this time. It's going to be a set of lippie products from Too Faced; they  are the Melted Kisses Liquified Longwear Lipsticks. This line of lipsticks from Too faced comes in 18 different shades. However, I only own this exclusive set that includes four deluxe-sizes oftheir four best-selling shades in Melted Nude, Melted Peony, Melted Fuchsia and Melted Berry. 

I've had this set for over two months now and have worn all of  them in the past couple of weeks. Although, I'd say I've worn one of them more often than the three. Can you guess which one? 

The company claims that these products coat lips in bursts of intense color that lasts for hours. It's innovative, angled velvet tip allows for precise application. 

Did Too Faced live up to its claim? Well, continue reading to see my thoughts.

Packaging

As you can see, these lipsticks come in a tube packaging with an angled velvet/sponge tip applicator. The tube itself is very sleek and eye catching. I especially love the way they colored the tube according to the exact color swatch of the product inside. The colored tube just makes it so easy to distinguish and to fish out especially when you are in a hurry and just need to grab the exact color you want. Thumbs up for this awesome packaging!

Formulation

These lippies are liquid style almost like a lip gloss but more opaque or pigmented and less glossy. In my opinion the finish for most of them is semi-matte, but "melted nude" seems more matte than the others. When you first apply it, it might look a bit glossy but as the product sets into your lips, it turns into a matte velvety finish. Although they're semi-matte, they don't make my lips dry. The color pay off for all of them are really incredible and they all are very opaque. 

Application

As described above, it comes in an angled sponge/velvet applicator promising to make the application easier. I would say that the angled shape of the applicator is pretty smart. It just makes it so easy to carve out the natural lines of your lips especially when shaping your cupid's bow. However, I do feel like the sponge applicator absorbs a lot of the product and it just makes me feel like wasting most of it, but maybe I'm wrong. I do suggest to press the tube carefully so you don't end up dispensing a lot of products. If you end up pressing too much and dispensing a lot, the product could end up bleeding outside the perimeter of your lips.  You only need a pea-size amount to dot it in the middle of your lips and use the sponge applicator to spread the product all over.  The application is pretty easy and the only hard thing about it is having the right control as to how much product to press out. 

Wearability/Longevity

As the company claims, these lippies provide long-lasting wear. Do I agree? YES and NO depending on the shades. Yes, because I found the bolder ones (melted berry and melted fuchsia) to have longer staying power. I think it's because they are brighter and they leave a pigmented bright tint on the lips. However, the more neutral ones (melted nude and melted peony) are not as long-wearing as the other bold ones. They tend to last only for 3 hours in my case, but it could also be because I have a bad habit of licking my lips and unconsciously eating my lipstick in the process. LOL...

Price/Affordability:

My set of four deluxe size (smaller size) is cheaper than the  price of a one full sized melted lipstick.  As I checked it on Too faced website, it costs about $21 for a one full size. I believe the melted kisses set only costs about $24; it's about $6 for each one of them. It was a steal for a high-end lipstick! However, I do think that the melted kisses set is a limited edition and might not be available on their website. You might be able to find them at Amazon or eBay, though. 

My Final Take-aways:

Do I recommend it?

If you have money to splurge on a $21 lipstick then, yeah! go for it. However, I do suggest getting the limited edition set instead of getting a one full-sized. In my opinion, it is more practical that way, so you can test out different colors and see what you want. Then, if you are really in love with one of them, then you can go ahead and splurge on the fuller size. However, for those of you are on the fence about it and don't want to spend that much for a lippie,  I suggest checking on some other drugstore options. Like here in Korea, I saw a pretty similar lippie from a Korean brand name "Code", although I don't own one. So, if you are in Korea, try heading out to  your nearest Olive Young and check out that product. Let me know if you found a drugstore dupe of these products in your country.

Will I buy it again?

As I mentioned above, there is one color that I am obsessed about. It is the "melted nude". I love my nudes. I just feel like it suits my skin tone better than the cooler tone and bolder ones.  So, to answer the question, I'll definitely get another tube of melted nude, once I ran out of the one I have now. I am also interested in trying out their other shades. I will probably wait for their limited edition set and buy the sets instead  of buying them individually.

I hope this review is helpful and insightful enough. Let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading! If you like my blog and look forward to my next posts, please hit any of my SNS sites on the right sidebar and follow me there. Thanks, hon!

Keep Dolling Up,

Gelie (Jelai) xoxo

How To Have Long Lasting Curled Lashes

Hello dolls!

I know that not everyone (including me) is gifted with long, curly lashes. I envy those of you, who have naturally pretty lashes. Well, as for me, I have to take extra steps and tricks on my makeup routine to achieve my desired lashes- lengthy, curly and full.

This weeks makeup tip and tricks that I will be sharing with you is the simplest trick I know and use almost regularly. It is simple because you only need two things to achieve this look, well, technically three if I count the mascara in. It is an extra step you take before applying your mascara and the beauty about it is it only takes 30 seconds to do, but the effect will last you all throughout the day.

Ok! Let's start. 

1. All you need is a blow dryer and "metal" eyelash curler. If you do not have a blow dryer on hand, then your warm fingers are good enough to use. 
2. Place your metal curler in front of your blow dryer nuzzle to warm it up. Let the warm air from your blow dryer warm the curler up for about 10 seconds. Caution: Only use this technique with a metal eyelash curler. You don't want to melt the plastic one. Tips: As mentioned above, you can simply warm your curler by wrapping it with your warm fingers. Although, this doesn't work on me because I always have cold hands due to poor circulation
3. Then, wait about 3-5 seconds before curling your lashes.  Once the curler is not scorching hot, curl the root of your lashes by pulling the curler downward to your cheeks (see photo above on step 3). I'd like to hold the curler for 10 seconds.
4. Release the curler and curl the same lashes again. But, this time, start from the mid section of your lashes instead of the roots. Curl for about 10 seconds and pull the curler upward before releasing. Then, repeat step 3 and 4 for your other lashes. 
5. Apply your favorite mascara to further emphasize and enhance your curls. In picture 5 above, you can see the difference between my right and left eyes. The right one is the finished look but the left one is untouched. Tips: Waterproof mascaras will help your lashes hold the curl longer compared to regular ones.
6. Voila! You are ready to rock those gorgeous pair of lashes.

Curling your lashes with just your curler and just simply applying a coat of your mascara might give you that desired curled out look. However, taking this extra step assures you that the curl will hold throughout the day. I have proven and tested this and I hope this technique also works for you.

Good luck! Please let me know if it helped you. 

Keep Dolling Up,

Gelie (Jelai) xoxo

Concealing Undereye Discoloration/Circles

Hello dolls,

Waking up with an ugly discoloration under your eyes from a late night partying or working hard is a normal scenario that could happen to anyone of us. I really didn't know a lot about undereye circles until I began applying makeup and became more aware of my skin and what not. At first, I thought foundation will just suffice in concealing them but obviously it doesn't.

Don't  worry though, I have found an effective way of covering them and I am so excited to share it with you. All you  need are three things.  You need a color stick in salmon peach/orange. Well, you might think orange color corrector/concealer might look strange on your skin (I thought exactly the same thing at first), but actually you'll  be surprised as to how effective it is in covering any cool-toned discolorations in your skin. You will also need a concealer. You can choose to use a concealer that is the same shade as your foundation or if you want a more lifted and highlighted effect on your face, then a concealer that is two shades lighter than your skin is perfect.  Finally, the last optional thing you need is a dampened sponge. Or if you don't have one, don't sweat it out, your fingers are just as effective. Although, blending it with your finger might take a bit longer than blending it with a sponge. Finally, a translucent powder is also needed to set everything in place. 

Please find the step-by-step picture tutorial and the detailed instructions below.

1. Get ready with your orange color corrector, concealer, sponge (optional) and translucent powder. 
2. Start with a bare face (before applying your face makeup). Applying it before your foundation, works better because you don't want to mix your color corrector on top of  your foundation. You would want to use it to correct the exact shade of the discoloration.
3. Apply the orange corrector to areas with redness and blueish color.
4.  Use your "ring finger" to gently press and even out the product.  Tips: You would not want to be tagging or pressing too hard on the skin around your eyes since it is the softest skin on your face. That's why using your "ring finger" is important because it gives the lightest force among all your fingers. Always remember to use your ring finger when ever you are pressing product around your eyes including eye creams and eye primer.
5. Then, layer up with the concealer that's 2 shades lighter than your skin. Create a triangular shape along the corner of your nose. This will highlight the area and bring it forward.
6.  Repeat step 4.
7. To make sure everything is blended, take a dampened sponge and use a tapping motion to blend everything out. Make sure to blend it outward towards your temple.
8.  See the difference! You can then, apply the rest of your face makeup then set your undereye with a translucent powder. The translucent powder will not add anymore color to your skin it'll just set your concealer so it doesn't move throughout the day. 

There you go, dolls. I hope my tips are useful and that it helps you create a healthier well rested look. 

Let me know how it works for you.

Thanks for reading!

Keep dolling up,

Gelie (Jelai) xoxo

Soft Neutral Look

Subtlety is beauty.

Sometimes being subtle with your makeup is a way to go, especially during daytime or when you want to look pretty without trying too hard. I created this look for that purpose.  Actually this kind of look is my daily go to. I just feel comfortable with neutral eyes and lips. If I do have something to head out for the night, I carry my Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 and a darker lippie to touch up and add darker colors to the look.

Here are the products used to create this soft neutral look:

Face

• Shu Uemura Lightbulb Foundation (564 medium light sand)
• Revlon Colorstay Concealer (medium)
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit
• Too Faced Sweethearts Flush Blush (candy glow)
• Catrice Prime and Fine Highlighting Powder (fairy dust)

Eyes

• Nature Republic Botanical Eyebrow  Mascara (brown)
• Clio Slim Kill Pen Eyeliner
• Coastal Scents Warm Eyeshadow Palette
• Mac Single Eyeshadow (expensive pink)
• Faceshop Pro Lashes Edge Edge
• L'oreal Butterfly Waterproof Mascara

Lips

• Etude House Soft Touch Auto Lipliner (milky brown)
• Maybelline Bold Matte MAT7

That's it, dolls. What do you think about this look?

Keep Dolling Up,

Gelie (Jelai) xoxo

Dark Red Lips and Soft Champagne Eyes

Hello lovelies!

How is your weekend going so far? I hope you all are having a great one. In my case, I was invited to a Korean wedding held in church (my first Korean church wedding experience). It was a fun event but I ended up pigging out at the buffet reception and coming home in food coma situation.

Anyway, I just want to share the makeup look I created for that wedding event. I coordinated my makeup colors with my outfit, which was a red wine/burgundy dress with a black lace on the shoulders. With that being said, I decided to pick up my rarely worn burgundy lipstick. 

Just so you know, I rarely ever wear  bold lipsticks outside - most probably only on my makeup play day (when I'm at home and bored). I just don't feel like I can pull off  bold lips. I am more of a neutral/nude lippie gal. What about you?  Since it was a special event, I did try to get out of my comfort zone. I did end up loving my burgundy lips considering how well it coordinated my dress.

So much about the lippie, I decided to keep my eyes neutral and more subtle so as not to be too overpowering. I created a soft champagne brownish look. Read below to see the products I used and how I played with the colors. 

Here are the products I used to  create this look.

Face:

• Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Coverage Foundation (medium deep)
• CanMake Color Stick (salmon orange)
• Garnier BB Eye Roll On for under eye circles
• Mac Mineralize Skinfinish (medium plus))
• Sleek Blush (rose gold)
• Catrice Prime and Fine Highlighting Powder (fairy dust)
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit

Eyes:

• Stila In The Light Eyeshadow Palette
• Essence I Love Stage Eyeshadow Base
• Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in milk (use as an eyeshadow primer and waterline eyeliner)
• Clio Slim Kill Black Pen Eyeliner
• Nature Republic Botanical Eyebrow Mascara (brown)
• Etude House Drawing Eyebrow Pencil (dark brown)
• Faceshop Pro Lashes Edge Edge
• Maybelline Hypercurl Waterproof Mascara

Lips:

• Savanna's Lip Liner (black red)
• TonyMoly Kiss Lover Lip Click (Push Burgundy)

I hope you like this look. Please leave me a comment if you have questions about the products or if you just wanna say "hi".

Keep Dolling Up,

Gelie (Jelai) xoxo

How To Take Off Falsies And Waterproof Mascara

When I was fairly new to the colorful  world of makeup, I wanted to wear false lashes (falsies). However,  my fear of removing them kept me from wearing a pair. I was so scared of the thought of accidentally removing all my real lashes in the process. After doing some research and just trying things out,  I have found the easiest and safest technique to take them off.

The same technique can also be used in removing pesky waterproof mascara that never seems to come off no matter what you do.

Just follow the nine simple steps shown in the picture below and see the detailed instructions thereafter.

9 Steps To Remove False Lashes or Pesky Waterproof Mascara (100% effective)

1. You need some eye makeup remover, spoolie brush and face tissue. Pour some makeup remover to your spoolie brush.
2. Start by coating off the bottom part of your lashes as if you're applying your mascara.
3. Coat the upper part. 
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until your false lashes start to get loose.
5. Voila! Check for your falsies on your spoolie.
6. To take off any excess mascara on your lashes, repeat step 2.
7. Repeat step 3.
8. Brush any excess to your brows and eyeliner.
9. Finally, gently rub off the smeared oil and makeup with a facial tissue. Then, rinse off.

Let me know if this technique works for you and share any techniques you might happen to know.

Thanks for reading! And remember,  everyday is a day to doll up. 

Gelie (Jelai) xoxo