makeupag.com

It’s been over a year since I’ve left the blog here at makeupag.com. Well, I’M BACK! I have been using makeupag.com for it’s original purpose as of lately - hosting my portfolio as a freelance makeup artist. The name of the site includes the initials to my first and last name - thou I don’t use my last name for freelancing as a makeup artist. I prefer angela rafaela or angie rafaela. I am looking into registering [angie rafaela] or [angela rafaela] with my state so I can do business under that name and have sort of a copywright over it. I have been using the username angierafaela on the internet for years. It’s me. Angela Rafaela is my full first and middle name. My father chose the first name [thank God!] and my mother chose my middle name. Growing up I felt like Angela was much too rough of a name for a young girl so I started asking people to call me Angie - and it stuck. The only place I’m refered to as Angela is at work - and even then Angie is used every so often. Rafaela, my middle name, was something I hated evers since the first time I heard it. In portugal, where I’m originally from, they tend to go by middle names - no one there know’s who Angela is - I’m refered to only as Rafaela. My family might not make the connection because of language/culture barriers but I always thought of the ninja turtle - Rafael when called by my middle name. My mother swears I was named after an Italian singer from her time [Rafaela Carra] but I couldn’t shake the thought of those ass-kicking turtles so I avoided and hid my middle name for years.  I still prefer to be called Angela, Angie (or my new favorite name) G, I now embrace the name Rafaela and I like the way Angela Rafaela flows. ANYWAYS, enough with the name calling, lol.

With all the talk about “going green” we are all (hopefully) more aware about the environment. I came across these brushes while browsing the makeup isle at the drugstore recently and I was impressed. I purchashed this set you see to the left [1206 BAMBOO 6 Piece Brush Set] and I’ve since traded both my MAC and Sephora powder brushes for EcoTools 1200 BAMBOO powder brush. The powder brushes’ brsitles are synthetic taklon and super soft. I feel that with some powder brushes, the bristles are packed too tightly and can move your foundation around when you buff the powder on your face [I'm referring specifically too MAC's #182 brush; the tappered shape of the brush may be the culprit]. This might just be my imagination but I prefer very soft powder brushes for this reason. You can purchase EcoTools brushes in sets or individually. I loved the powder brush so much, I bought a second one. The 1205 BAMBOO Lash & Brow Groomer brush is pretty much like any other brow/lash grooming brush; nothing fancy and gets the job done. The 1204 BAMBOO Angeled Eyeliner brush is similar to MAC’s 263 brush. It serves it’s purpose - lining the upper or lower lash lines. The same goes for the the concelar brush. The only brush I didn’t like was the 1203 BAMBOO Eye Shading Brush. The brushes bristles were too soft and the synthetic taklon bristles weren’t very good at picking up a lot of eyeshadow. I also had a lot of fallout with this brush. I find it inconvenient to hold a tissue/nakin directly under my eye while doing an eyeshadow look so a brush that allows for minimal fallout is a must-have for me. I would reach for this brush if I wanted to do a single wash of color on those days where I’m in too much of a rush to do a full eye make-up look, if all my other eye brushes were dirty. Overall it’s a nice set if you’re looking for brushes on a budget. I paid less than $10 for the set [that's about $2/brush] which is a total steal. The brushes are also all cruelty free and come in a natural cotton & hemp brush roll which is convenient for when you’re on the go and want to keep your brushes clean. You can easily wash the brushes with baby shampoo, dish detergent, etc. and they don’t have a foul smell after they’ve been washed - which is the case with some brushes. The brushroll is also washable. It’s a light cream color so it tends to get dirty easily but you can throw it in the washing machine with your whites and it’s as good as new. I’ve had the brushes for a month or so now and haven’t experienced any shedding. You can purchase any of the above mentioned brushes here.

I haven’t done anything this colorful in a while. This eyeshadow combo was one of my favorites at some point. Bright Sunshine eyeshadow and Stars N’ Rockets are two of the few eyeshadows that I’ve hit pan with; meaning I use them so often where you can actually see the bottom of the pan the eyeshadow is in. I was a MAC newbie when I first began depotting my eyeshadows and didn’t realize the importance of labeling them. For that reason, I can’t name every eyeshadow used for this. One more picture under the ‘Read More’ link.


Read more »

I got this Stila palette in the mail yesterday and I love it. I use MAC religiously and I had never tried Stila eyeshadows but I’m impressed. Although the colors are not as pigmented as MAC’s, the texture of the eyeshadow is very smooth and blends amazingly. My camera is acting up so unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures of the look I did using the palette but I used the baby pink in the inner lid with the darker pink on the rest of the lid and the green color in the crease and on the lower lashline. I used the white to highlight the brow bone. I really love the eyeshadow’s texture and how smooth it goes on. They are long lasting as well, thou I was wearing Urban Decay’s Primer Potion. I love new makeups ;]

I’ve had Teal pigment on my make-up wishlist for a while but I can’t justify buying  full jar of pigments anymore. It’s senseless. It will take years to use 1 jar so I prefer to purchase pigment samples. I recently swapped for samples of Teal, Melon, Lily White [which I was unaware I already had samples of] and Forest Green. I used my beloved UDPP to prime and Rolickin paint pot as a base. Teal pigment all over lid with a random black eyeshadow in the outer crease, amber lights e/s in the inner crease mixed with Dazzlelight e/s.  Mood Ring eyeshadow from MAC’s Heatherette Collection [Trio 1] was used to line the lower lash line. Mood Ring e/s used over Rolickin paint pot alone is a really nice look for those days when you’re in a rush and don’t have much time to color your face. Trace Gold blush and Other Worldly blush was applied on my cheeks using the 181 brush and Florabundance lipglass is on my lips.  Below is a close up of the eyes and two other eyeshadow looks from earlier this week; plus swatches of the pigments I recently swaped for and a mini haul from The Makeup Pro Store.

 Read more link is below.
* No worries, I did not wear that shirt. I refuse to be machy-matchy and match my eyeshadow colors to my clothes. It’s just TACKY. I changed into a deep purple top. A friend of mines actually asked me why my eyeshadow was teal when my shirt was purple and I advised her that trend should be left in the 90’s!
Read more »

This was my Saturday make-up. I thought I’d have trouble with make-up colors since this is the first time my hair is this dark but the lovely ladies on LJ gave me some suggestions and I actually find it easier to wear bright colors [which I love]. Black hair makes brights pop. Unfortunately I didn’t get any close-ups of the eye make-up but I used Chocolate Brown pigment applied all over lid with the 252 brush and Embark e/s in the outter lid blended up into the crease. I used Jest eyeshadow in the inner lid and Vanilla e/s to highlight the brow bone. I lined the upper lashline with Nighthawk Dual Edge Eye Pencil from MAC’s Heatherette Collection and applied mascara to the top and bottom lashes. On the cheeks I used Tan Blush from Cinema Secrets and Shimpagne MSF to highlight [I hear Shroom eyeshadow is a good highlight as well]. The lips are a combination of Twig-Twig lipstick [also LE but I forget from which collection] and Full on Lust [also LE from and from the same collection as Twig-Twig lipstick but I can't remember which collection at the moment]. I picked up Urban Decay’s Primer Potion at the mall on Saturday and oh how I’ve missed it. Nothing I have tried so far makes my eyeshadow last as long and keep it from creasing as this stuff. I don’t like MAC paints, painpots or shadesticks as bases. The paints I find eat away at the eyeshadow after only a few hours. The paintpots do okay for a few hours as do the shadesticks but they all crease and the colors aren’t as vibrant at the end of the day. UDPP is my Holy Grail of eyeshadow bases.

On Sunday I wore the same make-up as above only I used random falsies from Sephora [I am starting to love fake eyelashes] and substituted Twig-Twig lipstick for Up The Amp lipstick. As far as false eyelashes are concerned they are reuseable. I know many people discard their lashes after just one use. As long as they are disinfected and cleaned properly you can use them more than once. After I remove mines I let them soak in alcohol [pour a small amount of alcohol into a plastic cup] for about 5 minutes. Rinse them with water and remove the eyelash glue. You can peel it off easily. Make sure all the glue is removed. The cleaning of the lashes tends to make them lose their shape but after you are done cleaning them, wrap each lash around your index finger so that the hairs point outwards, do this for about 20 - 30 seconds and they should regain their curl. When you buy falsies do not throw away the plastic things they come in, use them to store your lashes until the next time you want to use them =) If applied correctly they should not feel heavy or irritate the eyes. I find the applying them with tweezers instead of using your fingers is a lo easier and more precise. Lash applying tutorial coming soon ;]

This was my Friday night make-up. (All makeup references are MAC unless otherwise noted) I am in love with Russian Red lipstick. For the eyes I dusted Knight Divine e/s all over lid using the 252 brush and lined the upper lashline with a Wet N Wild liquid eyeliner in Black. I used Lash Blast mascara [which I hate btw]. Compared to my HG mascara CoverGirl WATERPROOF Lash Blast, the original Last Blast is horrible. I wore Salsa Rose blush [applied with a very light hand] on cheeks and Shimpagne MSF to highlight, as always. 

.

I received this mailer yesterday. I had already seen the collection in person when I went to my Pro store on Saturday because my store tends to release collections a week early (yay!). The collection feautres 2 eyeshadows, Bitter, a shimmery yellow green, and White Frost, a vivd shimmery white. Both of the eyeshadows are part of MAC’s permanent collection. You can purchase them at any time. Both of the limited edition lipsticks are nice. Show Orchid which is a hot pink color and Impassioned which is more of a fuschia. Both are nice summer colors. I liked Impassioned more than Show Orchid, only because I already own a couple of lipsticks in the hot pink color family. The Prep & Prime Line Filler is amazing. Everyone with fine lines should gives this a try. It is a small collection and none of the other items in the collection really stood out. Translucent powder, eyeliner and eyebrow pencil in traditional colors. I might pick up Impassioned this weekend. I’ll post pictures if I do ;]

Announcing MAC’s 2009 summer lineup.

Rose Romance

Nordstrom Exclusive Quad- A Rose is a Rose
Solar White (frost)- Golden White
Contrast (Velvet)- Dark Purple/Blue
Seeds of Love (frost)- Frosted Peach
Petal Worship (frost)- Light, blue-based Pink

We already know about Double Dazzle (dazzleglasses, perm) and Style Warriors…

Other collections we didn’t know about:

Colour Craft:
This collection is all about mineralized products. Mineralized Blushes, Mineralized Eyeshadows, and 6 Mineralize Skinfinishes. One of the skinfinishes will be a repromote of Porcelain Pink
The facecharts for these were fun and very very colorful. Lots of pastels

Euristocrats 2- A collection of lipsticks. This time available in North America too!! This launches sometime in July

And the Nordstrom Anniversary Collection, this year will be…

Graphic Garden
Featuring 6 eyeshadow palettes, Lip Bags, and a new thing called Look Boxes will include items like mascara, liner, eyeshadow etc in one neat little box

Well, thats all I know for now. For the most part when scanning names I didn’t see many repromotes, just lots of new things!

I was reading thru one of my make-up books (I hadn’t read them in a while) and I came across some useful tips for blush placement. Most of us apply blush on the apples of our cheeks or directly under our cheekbones to make them more prominent. Makeup The Art of Beauty by Linda Mason suggests placing the blush vertically in a narrow line down the center of  each cheek to make a large face look slimmer. Placing the blush horizontally diminishes the appearance of a long narrow face. The book shows before and after pictures and the change is noticeable. Other books that are informative is The Makeup Book by Joy Terri and The Complete Make-up Artist  Working in Film, Fashion Television and Theatre (Second Edition) by Penny Delamar. They can all be found at Barnes and Noble. The Complete Make-up Artist is my favorite; it covers different areas of make-up (theatre, television, special fx, bald capping, etc.) instead of just beauty make-up. The Makeup Book by Joy Terri is more of a guide for personal use while the other two books are directed at those who want to get into the industry.

This is a blue look I did today. I didn’t wear it out the house, I was just experimenting.

Read more »

I was pressed for time this morning so this didn’t turn out great but surprisingly I got some compliments on it. I used MAC eyeshadow duo in Team Violet,  Stars N’ Rockets, Violet pigment, random liquid liner in black and random eyeliner in blue. I used Cinema Secrets blush in Terra Cotta (?) and Fullfilled Plushglass. I was running late and forgot to put on mascara so I used a brow gel (brown) instead. I was surprised, it holds a curl really well. You can tell by the way I look I was running late, lol ;x

Full face pictures under the cut.

Read more »

This is the eye look I wore to the MAC Pro store in NYC yesterday. My eyes get really watery in the cold so by the time I got to the Pro store the eyeshadow was all over th place. I went to the Pro store to check out the new  Sugarsweet collection but I was not impressed. I already own Stars N Rockets plus it’s a permanent eyeshadow. Club is permanent too and the other 2 limited edition ones aren’t must have colors. They are easily dupable. Dear Cupcake reminds me of Sunset B and Sugarshot is easily dupable by any other shimmery white eyeshadow. If you missed out on Aquavert from the Lure cllection [2006] then I would get it, it’s a nice pale green. None are must have colors in my opinion. The tricolour lipglasses are too sheer for me. I did like the creamy texture of the shadesticks but I wasn’t too crazy about any of the colors. The lipsticks weren’t anything special either. I was excited about Lollipop Lovin being re-promoted from last year’s Heatherete collection, but when I tried it on it was too sheer.  The MSFs were nice highlight colors but not to be used as blushes. Overall the collection is nice for MAC newbies to catch up on pre released limited edition colors. I skipped the Sugarsweet stuff and ended up getting  some permanent items instead. I’m starting my 5th eyeshadow palette! My 7th palette total; two of my palettes are blush palettes. I ended up getting a new 15 pan palette, Mulch e/s, Embark e/s and Antiqued e/s and Pink Noveau lipstick which I love. Here are some haul pictures.

Read more »