FOTD: Decency

Hey everyone!

I want to post a super duper quick FOTD from yesterday.  I had to make sure I looked presentable for a certain meeting I had to have with someone I don't get along with.  So of course, I had to look halfway decent without looking like I was trying too hard. Haha!  Here it is!  Yup, baby blue managed to sneak into the look somehow.

Face:

-Bare Escentuals Face Primer

-Lancome Teint Idole Foundation in Bisque 4

-CoverFX Setting Powder in Light

-Annabelle BB Skin Perfect Concealer in Medium

-Illamasqua Blusher in Thrust

-NARS Laguna Bronzer

Eyes: 

-UDPP in Eden

-UD Naked 2 Palette: Foxy, Bootycall, Tease, YDK, Busted, Blackout

-Milani Liquifeye Pencil in Black

-Inglot Gel Liner 77

-CoverGirl Waterproof LashBlast Volume Mascara

Lips:

-CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in Divine

Enjoy!

FOTD: Familiarity

Hey everyone!  It's me, Janny.  No excuses for my lack of posts whatsoever.  Yes, I have been super busy and lacking motivation lately.  Which is why I'm trying to go back to what I know and what makes sense to me--blogging.

If that didn't make sense, what I mean is, I have been working so much and worrying about so many other things that I have stopped reading blogs all together.  I miss constantly being inspired, and sharing ideas with fellow bloggers and beauty junkies about what moves me.  My career path is uncertain right now which is keeping me disoriented, so I'm coming back to what I do know: that I love makeup as an art and I love to share with other people who love it.

So here is a look I did during my short, but much needed Thanksgiving break.  Look familiar?  I've never done this color combination exactly like this before but it seems like whenever I try to do something fun and colorful, I always incorporate a bright baby blue in the mix.

Do ignore that smidge of mascara on my right (your left) eye.

Face:
-Laura Mercier Hydrating Primer
-Lancome Teint Idole Foundation in B4
-CoverFX Setting Powder in Light
-NARS Laguna Bronzer
-Illamasqua Blusher in Thrust

Eyes:
-UDPP in Eden
-Inglot e/s in AMC 70 on the lid, DS 477 on the crease, AMC Shine 27 in the inner corner, AMC 73 and 441 P on the lower lashline
-Wet n Wild e/s in Creme Brulee
-UD e/s in Blackout
-UD 24/7 Liner in Asphyxia
-Inglot Gel liner in 77
-CoverGirl Waterproof LashBlast Volume

Lips:
-Lancome Cover Fever lipstick in Rose Tempest (d/c)
-Quo lip gloss in Lust

I really have to challenge myself to stop using baby blue.

Sephora will NOT be doing a F&F Sale this year

Yes,  you read the title correctly, ladies and gents.  Sephora is NOT doing their annual Friends & Family 20% off sale this year.  I just got off the phone with customer service, and the nice man informed me that Sephora is trying something new this year.  Replacing the FF Sale is the "Spin to Win" event where you may spin a virtual wheel at Sephora.com and have a chance to win one deluxe sample, free shipping with $25 purchase, or 10% off your entire purchase.  To claim your prize, you must make a purchase online at Sephora.com.

How do you guys feel about all this?

Personally, I think this is garbage.  Absolutely one of the shittiest ways to thank your long time customers, especially since most of these spin-to-win offers are available often.  The Friends and Family sale was the biggest sale of the year and I know I'm not the only one who waits all year to take advantage of it and restock on supplies.  I don't remember exactly what happened last year but the sale was made a lot more exclusive so that it was more difficult to take advantage of, but at least it was still there!  I know some of the brands Sephora carries such as Urban Decay and Smashbox have their own FF sales, so I can see that taking this away could potentially hurt Sephora's business.

Meanwhile, I forgot to ask whether the VIB 20% off sale will still be present.  I kind of doubt it, since the FF one has disappeared.  I'll make sure to let everybody know when I find out.

Weddings, Raiders, & more: Some things I've been doing lately....

Hah!  A blog post!  A miraculous event coming from me nowadays, isn't it?  Part of the reason why I have neglected blogging (other than than being unable to upload pics).  This will essentially be a compilation of events I have done in the past month as I am trying to build up my career in the beauty industry.  Most of the pictures I took were, unfortunately, not of the actual event going on because I'm so busy and focused that I forget to do so.  But I wanted to share anyway :D!

Let's start at the beginning!

On Labor Day weekend, I helped do hair and makeup in a bridal photoshoot.  This shoot was for a wedding fair brochure a local wedding planner was put together, and also whom I was to partner up with but things didn't work out.  Still had fun though!  I did makeup and hair on the lady to the left and hair  for the lady to the right.  Here is a teaser of the photoshoot, as I'm still waiting for the pictures:

Bridal Shoot Teaser 090212
Models: Paula Carvajal, Thu Nguyen, Brittany Huynh
MUA & HairStylist: Janny Zheng, Jessie Nguyen at JVN's Glamour
Makeup: Motives Cosmetics via JVNsGlamour.com
Photog: Calvin Lu Photography — with Paula Carvajal, Thu Nguyen and Brittany Huynh at JVN's Glamour Studio.

Not too long after that, I helped Jessie out at a makeup launch party at Pure Organic Spa in San Francisco.  I actually applied to a makeup artist position at this spa, but it was just filled, and the spots that were open I needed a license for.  The spa itself has a lovely, calming environment and smells wonderfully like jasmine.  Here are some pictures that were snapped with Jessie's iphone:

 

And yes, I am indeed rocking some corn rows.  Here is a close up picture:

Pretty cool, huh?  Too bad they only lasted 3 days.  My scalp itched so badly by the third day that I had to rip them out.

The next day I hung out with Jessie (again!) to do hair at a wedding.  Between the two of us, we had five women's hair to tackle in approximately three hours.  I tackled two of them, but I unfortunately only took pictures of one.

 

The best part of this wedding was when....I MET JASMINE FROM JAZZYBABYCAKES!!!!  

She used to make some of my favorite makeup videos on Youtube, but she seems to have moved onto working for beautylish.  Man, I was so starstruck and giddy that I totally embarrassed her in front of the bridal party, most of which were her high school classmates and did not know that she had a very popular Youtube channel.  I couldn't believe I was able to meet her in person!  She is so super sweet.  I miss her videos :(

Two days later, I went to my very first football game.  Ever heard of the Raiders?  They're kind of a big deal in the bay area.  Well, I was very fortunate enough to be referred to the head hairstylist, Destiny, who does hair for the Raiderettes, the Raiders' cheerleaders.  From this event forward, I became one of her apprentices working under her as part of the glam squad for the Raiderettes, UC Berkeley Cal Bears Cheerleading and Dance team, and a few other cheerleading and dance teams in the San Francisco Bay Area.  While this is not a paid position, it is definitely a dream come true to have this sort of hands on training and actually seeing how the industry functions behind the scenes.  My very first gig with Destiny was at the opening Raiders game.  Next time I'll capture the work in progress but for now, here are some within the club house of Oakland Coliseum.

   

Ice Cube :O!

And my latest event was last Saturday.  I tagged along with Destiny to a wedding she was hired to do hair for.  I also had a chance to meet and chat with a MAC makeup artist, Kristine, at the gig.  The bridal party were very sweet and very chill.  I prepped and curled hair for two of the bride's family members while Destiny styled and put finishing touches on the bride and her relatives.  Again, I wish I had better pictures of the event.

Hair products!

Just some of the hair tools.

Makeup station.

Some beverages lol. 

Kristine doing her magic.

Destiny having just worked her magic and the photographer working his.

Wow, what a long post.  But yeah, hopefully now you guys can see why I haven't been posting too much lately.  I've been at these events on top of my school and part time job.  I've been out of the makeup loop but I'm trying to get back into it somehow!  Still working on trying to put on makeup everyday....it can sure get exhausting.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post.  Let me know if you enjoy reading stuff like this!

Help! Blog Pics Overload!

Hey everyone!

I have quite a few posts lined up but....I can't post anymore pictures!  Apparently with blogger, I only get 1 gig of space for pictures, and I don't know how to (or if it's even possible) to delete pictures from the Picasso album so that I can upload new ones.  Is there any other way to upload directly?  Or must I go on photobucket or some other picture hosting site, upload my pictures there, and link them here?  What route do you guys take.  Let me know which one you prefer!

Thanks in advance!  And when I figure things out, more stuff to come soon!

Beauty School Do's Episode I: 1940s Old Hollywood

Hey everyone!

This is going to be a fairly short post.  I've been so busy lately I barely have time to think.  I'm back in the states now and thrown back into work and school again, contributing to my absence here.  I took some pictures of some hair styles I did today on my creepy doll heads.  These styles are what I hope to use on some bridesmaids at an Old Hollywood themed wedding I'll be doing in about a week.  The request was for updos, since the bride's hair will be down.

I did some research to see what Old Hollywood hair would look like, and I didn't see too many updos.  So I  tried to incorporate the iconic S-waves and pin curls into an otherwise more modern updo.  I would have absolutely loved to incorporate some finger waves too, but my instructors said that is too old school, and the girls wouldn't like it.  Plus, I don't know how to do finger waves without a hairdryer, which definitely won't be available on site.

Style 1: 

Style 2:

Style 3:

That's all I have for now.  You are more than welcome to leave me comments, constructive criticism, and any tips and trick you'd like to offer.  I've been doing more with hair lately--it's something that I have been interested in before makeup.

ANDD......to brighten up your day, here is what my little set up looked like.  

Yup, that's my bathroom.  I brought all my family members in there to freak them out.  It was hilarious!

Time for sleep sleep sleep.  Until next time!

Swatches and Review: MicaBella Cosmetics Shimmer Powders

Helloooo lovelies!

It's been a little while, hm?  I do apologize.  In the past couple of weeks, I've been dealing with a million things at once including finishing the summer term for school, speaking with a potential employer, work, and packing for Montreal (where I am right now!).  So you've guessed it--I'm on vacation right now!  And I'm not doing much except for some shopping, eating, and playing Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door on Game Cube.  My life has been so hectic and stressful that being able to relax and not do anything has been such a luxury.  After a few days of that,  I start feeling guilty and I've had nightmares about not completing calculus assignments, papers on literary works, and reading.  Crazy, huh?  I haven't taken calculus in years, and I'm currently enrolled in beauty school.

Anyways, let's talk MicaBella.  I came across this brand a few years ago at The Westfield Mall in San Francisco.  They should be located at many Westfield Malls across the nation, and a little booth should be located on each floor.  You may also purchase MicaBella products from micabella.com.  But if you can, you should purchase them at the booth.  Not only can you swatch swatch them and check out the products in person, but the booths offer better deals on the products.  For example, an eyeshadow retails for $20 USD on the micabella site, but you can get them for about $15 each (or less if you buy more) at the booth.

You get 2.5 grams/0.1 ounce of products in each little jar, which also comes with a sifter.

When I made my purchase, I was offered 8 eyeshadows for $65, which comes out to be $8.13 per eyeshadow before tax.  Since I bought some eyeshadows, I was also offered their eyeshadow primer for 50% off ($10 instead of $20).  I'm a sucker for good deals so I indulged in both.

MicaBella does boast to be a mineral makeup line, but I am fairly certain their ingredient listing (on the jars) is incomplete, as every one of the eyeshadows have the same list of products.  I do know that the eyeshadows are not vegan, however.

Below are swatches of the colors I chose, and the MicaBella primer as compared to MAC's Painterly paint pot.  Swatches on the top row are done on bare skin, while swatches on the bottom row are swiped over the MicaBella primer.  Pictures of swatches were taken outdoors without flash.  As for the pictures of the products themselves, I don't remember the the light setting as these were taken a while ago.

The pretties.

Left to Right: Bronze, Passion, Patience, Sunshine, Insistance

L to R: Kelly Green, Freeze, Luck O' The Irish, MicaBella Primer, MAC Painterly Paintpot

MAC Painterly Paintpot & MicaBella Primer

Regrettably, I haven't given these eyeshadows as much love as I should of.  As they are loose eye shadows, I find them more of a hassle to deal with.  HOWEVER, they really are one of the best loose eyeshadows I have ever used. I will even say that the quality is right up there with Sugarpill loose eyeshadows.  The eyeshadows are finely milled and extremely pigmented.  They do lose some of their shimmer over a primer, so if you want the sparkle to shine, it is best to use them over a primer and a glitter glue of some sort.  There are a variety of finishes available, from shimmer to duochrome to matte, all of which are beautiful and wonderfully pigmented.

The primer is also a fantastic product.  I've had it for longer than my paint pot and it still shows no sign of drying out.  As you can see from the swatch, it doesn't go on transparent, and is a nice base color to work with.  The lasting power of the primer is as good as any of the more popular eyeshadow primers out there, but I find this one to be a better choice for loose eyeshadows as it is more tacky and holds onto powder products better.

Here are some looks that I've done in the past using MicaBella eyeshadows:

-Playing around with a lot of stuff ft. Sunshine
-Kelly Green Hysteria ft. Kelly Green
-FOTD: Lisa Eldridge Metallic Smoky Eye ft. Bronze

MicaBella isn't a brand I hear about too much.  What are your thoughts on this company?