Prom season is upon so many young ladies this month and I thought of creating some looks for inspiration . I decided to go for a wearable smoky look with a light pink lip for those who want a well dressed appeal but without going overboard. It can be adapted to suit a day look as well by toning it down like removing the false lashes and switching from a black eyeliner to a brown one. I kept in mind also the sweat proof factor of this look by using waterproof products that will carry you until the evening. Hope you like it and give me your thoughts on what looks you’d like to see for your prom.
“If it aint broke, don’t fix it.” a common sentiment that is expressed when a system or method works well, there is no reason to change it. In this beauty case, I am referring to a tried and tested beauty product called Ponds Cold Cream. Yes the one that our grandmothers and mothers used and continually use to keep their skin supple, smooth and glowing. A recent testimonial by the pint size singer from Australia, Kylie Minogue declared that her beauty secret for keeping her dewy glowing skin is this time tested product. She also mentioned that she preferred to age gracefully as she was not too happy with Botox injections she previously had. The Ponds company welcomed this unabashed declaration and testimonial, as sales of this wonder cream soared 120% in the UK after this statement.
Kylie Minogue, says her enviable wrinkle-free skin is down to using Pond’s Cold Cream (Source)
With the advances in technology, and better research and development, beauty products nowadays have come a long way in terms of advertising and promotion, ease of use, its ability to improve our skin and delay the ageing process and many other reasons to keep the consumer seeking instant gratification for the fountain of youth. Admitedly, I have used many other cleansers and moisturisers aside from Pond’s cold cream and my personal makeup remover is Lancome Bi-facil. But from time to time, I revert back to the tried and tested products and my only complaint is that the tub being sold here in Manila is too small and can be consumed in such a short period of time, you end up using it less than a month. Whereas the ones sold in bottles or with dispenser sprays tend to last you longer.
I am asked from time to time as to what is the best cleanser or makeup remover there is. The answer to that is always what works for your skin type will always be the best anything on your face. Personally, Ponds cold cream was my go to makeup remover since I was old enough to wear makeup. I remember that distinct smell which reminds you of hugging your grandmother or mom to kiss her goodnight. I have an aunt in her early 60’s who religiously uses this product as a moisturiser and cleanser and does not use soap and water to take care of her skin. She looks amazing. Is Ponds’ cold cream really all that great? Is there something you should know about Ponds before giving up on high priced cleansers? Let’s find out why this is still a cult favourite.
Why is Cream Cold?
The selling point of this cream is that it is a cleanser, makeup remover and moisturiser in one. The cooling sensation one feels when this cream is applied to the face is the evaporation of the water content off the skin. The first cold cream manufactured contained almond or olive oil, beeswax and water which did not have a long shelf life and spoiled easily. Through the years, Mineral oil was introduced to replace the olive or almond oil to make the cream more stable and long lasting. The other ingredients are to make the cream emollient. (source: Futurederm.com)
Ingredients
Mineral oil and beeswax. What’s there to be scared of? Mineral oil acts like a humectant by trapping water and moisture into the skin to make it supple while beeswax is a natural ingredient found in lip balms and other cosmetic products. Mineral oil is a derivative of petroleum jelly which is the main ingredient in Vaseline which is also a product that we use liberally on anything from mosquito bites to makeup remover to keeping our skin soft.
Who should use it?
People with dry skin should benefit from this cream as this will address the flakiness and rough patches on the skin. I would recommend using this for traveling specially to countries with cold to extreme temperatures because of the thick emollient consistency. In humid climates like ours, it can still be used, some women apply this on the face and wash their faces with warm water to remove any residue. You may also use this as a shaving cream. It won’t dry your skin like soap does.
Verdict
Ponds cold cream can stand on its own merits despite the proliferation of these expensive makeup removers slash moisturizers. It withstood the test of time and will continue to evolve to suit the changing demands of the coming generation. I asked my dermatologist once what items should I spend on and those that I can save on? Her simplified reply was, whatever that will be washed away with water should be those that we can save on, like soap and cleansers and whatever the skin needs to absorb like moisturizers, serums and creams can be splurged on. However its all a matter of preference. What I hope will not change is its simplicity and understated appeal.
Is Ponds still your makeup remover of choice? Why or why not?
The beauty of workingas a freelance makeup artist, is tying up with a salon from time to time. It is another venue to hone your skills and get a first hand experience of working with real women with real beauty issues or needs. Guess who happened to drop by at Elevation Salon,? Regal beauty herself, Mrs. Amparito Lhuillier! She walked into the salon a little past her appointment and reasoned the Manila traffic was to blame for her tardiness. She just came from her homecoming at St. Scholastica College in Manila.
While waiting for her to arrive , I immediately went to the internet to do some research about her and found photos of herself in many glossies with her trademark look of dark smoky eyes with a red lip, and I was thinking immediately a la Paloma Picasso. Only a few women can rock this look and being of Spanish lineage, it really is fitting although it may sound like a cliche look for most women of the same heritage. Pressure is on when you’re doing someone famous!
In terms of the look, I thought of doing something else for her but something in me decided to stick to her signature look. I will not reveal her age, but she does have a figure and stature of a model still in her prime. Defying gravity you say? (Did I mention she is also a Facial Care Center spokesperson? Beauty Secret #1 revealed. )
Armed with her little baon of beauty staples with her, I was surprised that she carries with her a handful of laminated photos of the hairstyles and makeup looks that suit or she thinks will complement her. This is a woman who knows what she wants! Due to her numerous social engagements, she has perfected her beauty routine to a T and mentioned that she has a lady that does her hair and makeup in Cebu that knows her face like the back of her hand and has been at it for many years now. On top of that this lady does her hair and nails, too, and Mrs. Lhuillier excitedly narrates that she does supply her with all the beauty things she needs whenever she goes abroad to keep her abreast of what’s new.
“Flaunt your assets but hide your flaws”With Thomas Ellsworth Senior Hair stylist at Elevation Salon
I was overwhelmed by her beauty. the hour actually felt like a blur, but she gave me the most wonderful advice:
“Flaunt your assets and hide your flaws”.
I just had to ask her about her famous daughter, Monique Lhuillier, the famous bridal designer who is making her mark in the global bridal fashion industry. Mrs. Lhuillier (being a proud parent) casually mentioned that she gave her daughter a small loan to start her business not thinking how it will succeed. She even told me that in the early years, she would go help her daughter during her trunk shows at Bergdorf Goodman and Lord and Taylor by steaming and packing the gowns and dresses and helping her sort out her orders in her high heels and cocktail dress.
Now that is what I call effective marketing — two chic sophisticated ladies selling bridal gowns!
And, of course, the rest is history. Now she says she can’t even afford the dresses that her daughter makes when asked if she always gets to wear her daughter’s own creations. Being the greatest supporter of Cebu fashion, she also proudly wears the creations of Jun Escario and Phillip Rodriguez alongside her internationally branded couture ensembles.
Spending an afternoon with her was like chatting with an old friend who you have not seen for years. She does get animated and her face lights up when you bring out the topic of philanthropy (which her event that night was all about). She does not have any airs around her, and spoke to everyone at the salon. She treated the staff with humor and grace. She also mentioned that she is planning to join a fashion show next month in Manila and the designer asked her to model and proceeds will go to a charity organisation that she supports. How cool is that? She made us laugh with her humor, and gave us a glimpse of her fabulous life which will always be fascinating to anyone.
Thank you Elevation Salon and Mrs. Lhuillier for a well spent afternoon.
And now, here is my breakdown of her makeup look. I was amazed at how she also combines low end and high end cosmetics when she showed me her lipstick arsenal. She actually uses Fashion 21 Cosmetics in Red Sea as her signature red lip. Mixed with that, she also discovered the color of the season, orange, which she perfectly mixed with her red one. She finally decided on MAC Dubonnet for this particular look. Check out the print of her blouse. She really doesn’t leave home without her red lipstick — or two.
A makeup friend Pia Reyes, extended an invitation to me last October 5 for the press launch of Estee Lauder Fall 2013 Makeup trends. She was also invited by Lillian Yeung Resident Makeup artist of the brand and I also met Fin a fellow makeup artist. I have a high regard for these three women who excel in their field, whose work is showcased in billboards, high fashion glossies and in commercial/film work. Fin was a contestant in the Mega Magazine Fashion Crew Season 2 with my good friend Alee Benson a noted and celebrated hair stylist in his own right.
Blair Patterson Director of Global Artistry for Estee Lauder shared with us the latest trends and techniques for Fall 2013. Guapo hotness diba!!!! He works with Tom Pecheux, the Creative Makeup Director of Estee Lauder during New York Fashion Week.
That’s me with his Guapo hotness. So okay, I don’t have any makeup on, I look like his alalay. He was surprised to find out I was a makeup artist. Talagang surprised! Me too, can’t believe I was in the company of greatness! Tee hee hee hee!!!!
Many lessons were learned or unlearned as Blair did 3 makeup demos to illustrate the trends which proved to be very wearable and applicable even in our humid weather. Let me walk you through them. As the catalog says, see it on the runway, see it on you.
Skin is in!!! Perfect dewy youthful looking skin has always been a timeless staple in beauty trends and serves as a perfect canvass for all makeup looks. Echoing his makeup philosophy, makeup should look natural, sophisticated and timeless.
He mentioned that all women should have 2 kinds of Foundation in their arsenal as skin tone changes depending on the season. He advises to get 2 shades of foundation, one that is 1 shade darker than our skin tone specially during the summer season and one that is matched to your skin tone during the cooler months. Makes sense? Combine both shades to create a 3D effect when applying makeup to highlight and contour the face but in a subtle manner. Stress on the SUBTLE effect. Makeup enthusiasts seem to be doing theKim Kardashian type of contouring and highlighting even on a normal day out which can be too much on a daily basis. He says there is nothing wrong with this makeup application, its just too much to wear everyday.
The biggest misconception about women applying Foundation is that it is used all over the face rather than strategically applying it to areas where coverage is needed. Use Concealer instead to cover blemishes and pat translucent powder all over it to set the foundation. He couldn’t stress it enough, skin should be perfect. This makes perfectly sense since we live in a humid climate, why pile it on and wear a mask?
His take on the dewy skin as demonstrated on the model below. Wish ko lang LOLZZZ!!! Talagang natural no? As the famous makeup artist Bianca Valerio mentioned, oiliness is next to DEATH!.. Sana Dewy not oily. Bwahahahahaha!!! So okay, I forgot to take a photo of the model with just natural looking foundation on. Blinded kasi, he is just too good looking. Promise next 2 photos will show the actual demo. But you do get the point ballpoint as illustrated in the catalog.
Dewy or Oily?
Red Lips another classic comes back in an edgy way, not tomato red or fire engine red but a deep burgundy color. For this look, red lips need to be balanced with a natural eye. In choosing a burgundy colour, look for a blue based tone. He actually took the trend one step further and did an Ombre Lip instead. Ombre Lips are two to three shades of lip colour applied to create a 3D effect on the lips.
To achieve a perfect pout, instead of lining the lips with a liner, Brian taught us to rub the lip brush all over the pencil and apply to the lips. Here is the shocker, he deftly expertly applied the lipstick using his ring finger and patted it so slightly in light layers until he achieved the perfect burgundy color. Start at the cupid’s bow which is the sexiest part of the lip. Any imperfections were erased by a foundation brush dipped into a little concealer and brushed it ever so slightly vertically on the edges as if you are sweeping downwards.
Blair’s take on Ombre Lips
He said this is a neat trick to do so as not to mess up the lip color, the natural sweeping motion will remove the excess color on the edges. Care to try it on yourself? I admit it was tricky at first but the secret is the use of feather light strokes on the edges. I was in awe on how he seamlessly perfected this, his fingers are bigger than mine! Expert nganaman. This model has perfectly blended foundation which I was supposed to take a photo of before he applied the eye shadow and red lip.
Metallic Eyes with Ombre Lips
Lastly, Metallics are coming back in a good way. A very subtle nod to the 80’s era. Metallic doesn’t mean Frosted. He said that makeup specifically eye shadows manufactured nowadays are not the same as the frosted looking ones that make you look swollen and glittering in a bad way. Eye shadows and makeup now are produced to play and reflect light to enhance the features of the face. Pigments are smaller so they reflect light more than absorb it. Cheeks are left natural looking with hollow diagonal contouring using light strokes again. Eye shadows are not expertly blended, but since his strokes are very light, one doesn’t see really the hard edges.
Blair’s take on Metallic eyes with Ombre Lips
More Beauty tips:
Advanced Night Repair or ANR to Estee Lauder fans. This miracle evening serum was applied on the high planes of the face and patted (not smeared) on to give the satin finish to the skin. Not dewy but semi matte. Blair touts this as a all around makeup tool to have. He mentioned that in a photo shoot specially for male grooming, this is always on his Makeup kit. Read the testimonials on the Estee Lauder website as to the wonderful benefits of this great product . I will probably try this beauty tip on brides if I do get the chance to get hold of one small bottle. It’s so mahal but probably worth it. Sabagay, a few drops lang is all you need. Pia and I looked at each other and joked we should get one bottle and share it.
Oh did I mention the wonderful gifts I received that morning? A big thank you to the Estee Lauder team and Lillian Yeung for the pabaon to all the makeup artists, bloggers and journalists that attended the press launch.
Blusher in Peach Passion Shimmer, Creamy Lipstick in Pure Color 75 Forbidden Kiss, Double Wear Stay in Place Dual Effect Powder Makeup in 36 Sand and Sumptous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara in 01 Black, all housed in this blue and white appliquéd cosmetic kit. How lucky can I get? I tried on the lipstick and it is just a gorgeous deep burgundy color. So flattering on any skin tone.
Loot Bag from Estee Lauder
Last minute Chika with Blair:
Trends for S/S 2014 – Geometric Eyes are making a comeback in bronze metallic hues, as seen on Derek Lam’s S/S 2014 collection. Photo taken from En.vogue.Fr website.
Estee Lauder SS 2014 Beauty Trends Derek Lam
Good News for Monolids or those with Chinita Eyes! – The global Spokesmodel for Estee Lauder as seen in the photo above is Liu Wen. A question was asked to Blair as to how do we interpret the runway trend with Asian eyes specifically the ones with Monolids? He said that this should not be treated as a flaw because the fact that the eye doesn’t have a fold or crease, there is a huge area or eye space to play around with colour. No rules, just experiment. Look at the face chart and model to prove his point.
“Pageant Makeup” – When Blair was beginning to apprentice with the legendary Tom Pechaeux many years back, he was asked to do makeup on a model to show what his skill level or artistry was like and if he had what it takes to be in his team. What Blair thought of as great perfect looking makeup with expertly blended eyeshadow and liner, Mr. Pechaux looked at his work and walked away muttering, “it’s pretty but it is pageant makeup”. Blair did not understand what he meant because he did what he was taught in makeup schools only to discover, it was considered Pageant looking. Mr. Pechaeux walked back and messed up his work and said, ‘Makeup should look worn, lived in not too perfect like Barbie.” He instantly had a lightbulb moment and it changed his perspective on how makeup should be applied and how it should transform and empower a woman.
High Def Brows – Blair’s philosophy in makeup as echoed by Tom Pechaeux is the often repeated mantra, “Less is more”. This also applies to the Brows. When Blair first travelled to Asia, he mentioned that he thought he could teach us Asians a thing or two about brow application. Boy was he wrong. He said he was humbled and “schooled” by what he saw in our local makeup artists when they showed him how we do our brows. If you notice in the face chart and in the models during Fashion week, brows are left naturally and neatly groomed and sometimes not even touched. To achieve a well groomed brow, choose one shade lighter than the hair colour and use a spoolie brush to rub the brow pencil in and apply colour to the brows. See the photos in the demo above.
Bronzer first before foundation – To lessen the intensity of the bronzer, apply this first before you apply the foundation. The Foundation will tone down the ruddiness of the bronzer.
Tissue vs. Powder – In setting the makeup, if you don’t have translucent powder, spread a tissue on the face or cheeks and use your blush or powder brush to brush over it. This will help set your makeup because the tissue will absorb the oils in the makeup.
Look younger or look glamorous – Blair also mentioned that here in Asia, the makeup philosophy is to make the woman look glamourous like a celebrity while that in the US, the makeup philosophy is to make the woman look 10 years younger. As an observer, he concludes that it is maybe due to a cultural thing in Asia as we aspire to look like celebrities versus our Caucasian counterparts who are constantly after the fountain of youth.
I now leave the last point to ponder on, and hopefully this insight will give you a glimpse of what the experts have to say about beauty and hopefully choose what beauty standard applies to you. Have fun, pick up a few trends to update your look and experiment, after all, its just makeup.
