Philippine Fashion Week 2013 Beauty Highlights

Fashion is no forte of mine and my comfort zone is with jeans, sometimes shorts, and a tee. Despite the lack of fashion know-how, I still enjoy looking at runway photos since I like scrutinizing the models' makeup looks. And speaking of runway photos, I've been looking through these photos from Philippine Fashion Week Holiday 2013 from a couple of weeks ago. To my disappointment, I wasn't able to go this year (I did get a couple of invites to two shows but alas, I got confused with the invites somehow - will not go into any more details about it. HA!) but hey, there's always next year. ;)

My favorite collection was "The Librarian" by Oz Go.

So what makeup looks dominated the runway this year?

All Shades of Pink

Pink always looks good on anyone when you're wearing the right shade of course. It's the most wearable lip color so I'm not surprised that this was a common look that week.

Penshoppe

Ruben Santos

SM Ladies’ Fashion and Parisian Shoes

Coral eyeshadow

Coral is so lively and gorgeous against medium to warm skin tones and it's not everyday you see women wear this standout eyeshadow color.

Eric Delos Santos

Jun Jun Cambe

Dark Red Lips

I'm an all year round fan of dark lipsticks since it gives off such a bold and confident statement.

Happy Andrada

Randall Solomon

Norman Noriega for JAG Origins

Return of the Gloss

I don't like wearing lip gloss because it's so impractical especially when you're commuting to and from work like me but on the runway, you'd definitely spot these women from a mile away with those fiercely shiny pouts. What I've learned from looking at these photos is that when the whole face stays matte, you can  easily elevate it with some lip gloss.

Oz Go

Russell Villafuerte

Xernan Orticio

Technicolor

The blue green eye shadow may be wearable but even though the avant-garde multicolored lips aren't, I think this is still one of the brighter and more adventurous looks from this year's runway.

Lizanne Cua

Embellishments

I loved Michael Cinco's collection and I love how the make up blends perfectly with his clothes. Makeup never looked more expensive when you have crystals adorning your face, too. You don't have to wear crystals on your face if you want to get the same pizazz as this runway look. You can use sparkly eye shadows or glitter mascara and liner instead.

Michael Cinco

Smokey eyes/Bleached brows

Who doesn't like a good smokey eye? It's so modern and sexy and with bleached brows like Lisbeth's, the contrast makes it even slicker .

Jerome Salaya Ang for Jag Origins

What were your favorite makeup looks from this year's Philippine Fashion Week?

*Images courtesy of Status

Read More

MAC gone PUNK

Thanks to the Met Gala - and now MAC- for putting the spotlight back to punk.

MAC is definitely on the bandwagon right after the MET Gala's successful (and some unsuccessful) punk-themed beauty and fashion looks. They've released their "limited edition" Punk Couture Collection which is comprised of dark shades - shades which I am a BIG fan of. But be warned, these products are actually permanent stuff they already have and they're reintroducing/repackaging it as a limited edition deal. I think their promo pic is gorgeous though.

(L-R) Boot Black liquid eye liner, Blacktrack fluidline, Dark as Night pro longwear lipglass, Darkside lipstick, Cyber lipstick, Dark Angel nail lacquer

Any thoughts on this "collection"?
 
*Images courtesy of MAC

Read More

A Big Night for Beauty: The 2013 Met Ball

It was Punk. It was Chaos. It was Couture. It was the 2013 Met Ball.

As if giving those pre-Les Mis locks a chop wasn't enough, she's gone blonde and proving she's not a bore on the red carpet. Loving the smokey lilac shadow she's wearing here, too.

Last night was an exciting event for us beauty & makeup lovers to gawk at and get inspiration from. This year's theme, Punk: Chaos to Couture, got celebrities to try out more adventurous and exciting hair, makeup & of course, fashion (it is a night dedicated to fashion after all).The night was definitely not for the faint of heart and I've listed here my favorite Met Ball looks. And remember, if it doesn't seek to be outrageous, it's not punk. ;)
 

Diane Kruger always brings her A game on the red carpet and see how lovely those pink tips and that steely grey shadow are on her.
 

And then there was more pink... I never would've expected Emily Blunt to be the one wearing the bright fuchsia shadow (c/o NARS) at this event but she did.
 

I know this is the classic Gwen Stefani look but out of all the red lips and flicked out black liner combos that night, hers was executed to perfection.
 

A spring look amidst a sea of theatrical and daring makeup - Hailee Steinfeld pulls off the dark green shadow and pastel pink lips beautifully. And if you haven't heard the news, she's the next Juliet.
 

Like I've said before, this wasn't for the faint of heart. January Jones sports one of the wildest looks with her bleached brows, graphic liner and tiny black crystals lining her eyes.
 

I'm not a K-Stew fan but I am a fan of her makeup here. Her green eyes just pop with that very smokey burgundy shadow against that beautiful pale skin. She cleans up well, doesn't she?
 

Miranda Kerr doesn't forget to bring the femininity (and a bit of sanity) back to the red carpet. Her soft curls and glossy deep berry lips are immaculate. This former VS angel did the vamped-up look best.
 

Dakota Fanning's been taking notes from last year's graphic eyeliner trend on the runways and I think it's pretty cool of her to still try out this trend now.
 

Emma Watson's makeup was simple: well groomed brows, flushed cheeks and soft pink lips. Nothing punk about this but I still thought her look was a cut above the rest.

What were your favorite Met Ball looks this year? And who did you think was truly inspired by the event's theme?

*Images courtesy of Beauty Editor

Read More

Beauty Onscreen: Natalie Portman

Intelligent and a versatile actress with those striking almond-shaped eyes and bone structure - Natalie Portman is my favorite actress of all time.

77th Annual Academy Awards 2005

The first movie I've ever seen of hers was Anywhere But Here on Star Movies. I think I was 13 or 14 years old at the time and I thought she was the most beautiful girl I've seen on TV. She played such a likable character in the form of the charismatic and mature teen, Ann, and she gave a moving performance that from there I wanted to watch every single movie she'd be and was in. My favorite Natalie movie would have to be V for Vendetta (Closer & Garden State are tied at second place) where she plays Evey Hammond and does a believable English accent. I never really not liked any of her films only with the exception of that tragedy of a movie called No Strings Attached. And after being on a short unofficial hiatus as a new mother, she reminds us that she'll be back on the big screen as Jane Foster in Thor 2: The Dark World on November 2013.

The classic Natalie Portman look is all about the browns, coppery and gold hues with slightly flushed cheeks and petal pink lips. Her eye shadow is almost always winged ever so slightly to accentuate that  almond eye shape and her eyebrows are feathery and never heavily drawn in. I think she's got one of the best pairs of brows in Hollywood. Now Natalie is no Emma Stone in the beauty department i.e. she doesn't experiment a lot with her makeup and hair but sticks to what she knows looks best on her. As someone who is quoted to saying, "I like to wear as little makeup as possible," she still manages to get those Dior beauty campaigns. Now here are some of her best red carpet makeup looks.

Smokey and tightlined at the 2012 New York City Ballet's Spring Gala

Thick lashes & sheer lavender pink lippy at the 2013 Vanity Fair Oscar Party

Cropped up & monochromatic with orange hues at the 2006 ShoWest Awards

Vamped up look with a deep red lip at the 2010 Black Swan New York Premiere

Gold eyeshadow & loose side waves at the 2011 83rd Annual Academy Awards

Pink lip & brown smokey eyes at the 2011 22nd Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards

Au naturel and wearing just a tee at the 2008 65th Venice Film Festival Photocall

Watch out for the second part of this where I feature her memorable movie looks. For being my favorite actress, I think it's only fair that she gets to be in more than one post. ;)

What are your favorite Natalie red carpet looks?
What beauty trends would you want to see her try out?


*Images courtesy of N-Portman.org

Read More

Edie Sedgwick, An Icon

The iconic muse of the 60's, a Warhol superstar, the It girl - she was Edie Sedgwick.

Edie was an heiress, a socialite, a model and an actress and starred in films like Ciao! Manhattan (1972) and Poor Little Rich Girl (1965). Her character drew many to her, including one of the most famous people at that time in American culture - Andy Warhol could not resist her.

Her look is one of the most recognizable makeup looks to date and set her apart from everyone else at the time. Edie was far from being glamorous but she was fabulous. In a nutshell, her look was wide eyed, heavy false lashes, thick liner, exaggerated geometric crease, thickened brows, pale lips, and slightly contoured cheekbones.When I look at photos and videos of her, all I see are her eyes and the enigma that surrounds them. She's a timeless beauty and even NARS paid tribute by releasing a limited edition Edie gift set under the Andy Warhol collection.

(L-R) Film Star Pure Matte Lipstick in '60s Nude Pink, Stylo Eyeliner in Carpates, Blush Duo in Deep Throat and Amour, Shimmer Eyeshadow Cream in Edie

I watched The Factory Girl (2006) with Sienna Miller and she's looking, acting and talking a lot like Edie in it - the makeup and styling were on point, too. Now I don't recommend watching the movie (I saw it because it was just there in my laptop. Taunting me.) and the saving graces here were Miller's and Guy Pearce's performances. I barely got through to the ending but it did spark my curiosity about the most famous Warhol superstar. There was something in her overall demeanor that captivates, I mean, watch this video and you be the judge.

That's one cool looking contour brush.

Yes, her beauty mark is real but I suspect that she darkens it - just how Sienna did in one scene in The Factory Girl.

 

 

You have to wonder why a beautiful girl like her wore her makeup the way she did and she does explain why this is so.

"I made a mask out of my face because I didn't realize I was quite beautiful. God blessed me so. I practically destroyed it. I had to wear heavy black eyelashes like bat wings, and dark lines under my eyes, and cut all my hair off, my long dark hair. Cut it off and strip it silver and blonde. All those little manoeuvres I did out of things that were happening in my life that upset me." - Edie: American Girl (source)

I thought she was far more beautiful and enchanting without the makeup.

The 60's had Edie Sedgwick, who do do we have now? Who do you think is the muse of this/the past decade?


*Images courtesy of Facebook & Stylebistro

Read More

MAC + Hayley Williams

Hello, Summer - The color of the scorching sun rays comes in a form of a bright orange lipstick.

The color reminds me of the movie "Sunshine".

Hayley Williams is undeniably on a sizzling hot streak. Paramore launched their fourth album last month and the music video for their second single "Still Into You" (which of course is still prompting some mixed reviews) was released just this week. In the video, Hayley's all pretty in pink and in other pastel colors and is sporting some crazy "shorter-than-the-average" Betty Paige-inspired bangs. Now MAC cosmetics has unveiled their collaborative efforts with Hayley which is an online-exclusive collection comprising of these four products: lipstick, eye shadow, mineralized highlighter and nail polish.

(L-R) Limited-edition shade of Sounds Like Noise lipstick; Mid-tone coral with a frost finish eye shadow; Velvet-soft powder with high-frost metallic finish; High gloss, Cream formula in bright orange nail polish

Vibrant orange may be her signature color but definitely not mine. I just don't like the color orange on me & I don't think the shades here would best suit my skin tone but I'd still love to try out her coral eye shadow. Seeing the collection on Hayley, orange seems like it was really made for her and her porcelain white skin.

I'm having serious eyeliner envy with this picture.

Now I'm definitely liking this makeup look more than their latest single but I am still a fan of her amazing voice though.

Are you feeling this MAC + Hayley Williams collaboration? Do you have any orange in your makeup collection right now?

*Images courtesy of MAC & Temptalia

Read More