my cherry style

Sally Hansen French Mani (Sheer Romance) trial

2012-02-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

Helooo

This is my first-trial review of this french mani set plus my twist on the classic french tip =)

I bought this set some time back and have literally been keeping it in my handbag just in case I find myself having some time in between errands to do a french manicure ha! Yes, I'm crazy like that sometimes. Anyway, I know this product is ancient but it's my first time trying it out so there. Also, sorry about the camera phone photos HAHA! 'tis a camera-less night tonight. =)

Here's a Google image of the set (coz I'm lazy to put it back into the box and take a photo).

It comes with the whitetip guide as well - basically these are curved / straight stickers to help you keep the white tip painting neat.

I've actually never tried these french manicure sticker-tips, so I JUST had a go and yes, they do make life that bit simpler. The polishes, however.......HMMMMMM! I thought the striper brush on the 'Natural White' polish was really too thin. My tips were all wonky and I had to layer it on to get a smoother finish. I didn't even know you use striper brushes for the tips (?)

Then I apprehensively opened the 'Natural Color' polish, and although it wasn't a striper brush, I still thought the brush was too thin. Kinda like Essie's brush, and I don't like those either! It makes my polishing process much longer, I have to be a lot more concentrated AND it still never turns out the way I hope it will. PPFHT!

So there I am in my third coat of the 'Natural Color' and still I'm getting streaks and bald spots everywhereeeee. I took a second to stare at it while it dried a little, then decided this would not do. Instead of wiping it all off (I'm running low on polish remover, so technically this wasn't really an option), I decided to put that striper brush to work and try to direct the focus to a prettier point.

And tadaaaaaaa

It's 12:28am so I need to look at this in daylight tomorrow to see how I like it. So far my comments are:

- brushes too thin

- takes a while to try unless maybe you try thin coats and wait patiently.

- consistency is decent but ahh for larger brushes!

- striper brush in white polish will come in handy for other nail arts, for sure. =D

*shrug* perhaps I'll add an edit some time later when I've mastered the art of painting with thinner brushes, heh

Oranges & ...Papaya!

2012-02-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick photo of my nails last week. I just bought yet another orange polish. I dunno why I've been feeling extra drawn to oranges this month. The first orange polish I bought was OPI's In My Back Pocket some time back: the colour was pretty (a darkish mandarin orange) but I wasn't too happy with the opacity. It takes about 3 thin coats for me to be satisfied with it. So I decided to try China Glaze's Papaya Punch. The colour is a little too neon for my skin and there's the same opacity issue. My conclusion is that it's the colour that's the problem. Yknow how some colours just refuse to be opaque? *shrug* I'm tempted to try CG's Style Wars and Oh How Street It Is, but I dunnooo, what if it's all the sameeeeee

OK! enough blabbing.

I think in my frustration of having to do 3 coats, I didn't wait for the first coats to fully dry and that might be why the middle fingernail totally bubbled up as soon as I applied the topcoat, ugh.
Oh btw, this was my first time trying out China Glaze's Fast Forward Top Coat so at first I thought that was the bubble-causer but upon close inspection, there weren't any bubbles on the others, so yea.

I shall review the top coat soon! =)

Used:
OPI In My Back Pocket
China Glaze Papaya Punch
Acrylic mix and a bit of Nubar's Barricade
China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat

Borrowed & Blue (Bridal nail art)

2012-01-25T02:15:00.000-08:00

Haha I'm still enjoying my Mushu idea! (in Malaysia, we call this "syiok sendiri", or roughly translated to mean, um...."self-indulgent"? Doesn't quite fit it but you get the idea)

Anyhoo, I finally got around to doing a proper nail art with my not-exactly-new Essie polish. Its name suggests all things bridal, "Borrowed & Blue", and it's a lovely sweet baby blue that has lots of potential.
Took me a while to decide which Konad designs I'd try this time, but since we're going for a more bridal look, I went for lace and white.

Hmm..the photos look rather grainy here...I'll try to snap a few more later if I can and swap them if they're better. Bear with these for now.

So this is:
Essie's Borrowed & Blue
Konad m57 net design (I quite dislike the word fishnet for some reason haha)
my faithful white QY polish for that,
Konad m71 lace design
OPI Get In The Espresso Lane for the lace

Here are somemore (slightly grainy still) photos in different lighting.

Hope you liked this as much as I like it. My nails are feeling rather proper with this look *fake British accent*. =D

Year of the Mushu!

2012-01-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year is coming up and if you're in this region, you'd know it's the year of the dragon!
I really wanted to do a fun new year nail art for y'all so I thought long and hard about what I'd draw. Decided to try Chinese fans (see previous post for a photo of the attempt) but it didn't quite turn out as I'd hoped. So since I already had the fabulous Lemon Fizz as a base colour (loving the bright happy sunny yellow!), I decided to go for dragon.

Looking through some photos of dragons, Mushu came up and I was sold.
I mean, c'mon, who doesn't love MUSHU from the Disney movie Mulan!
So here you go, my Chinese New Year nail art just for y'all, in celebration of the year of the dragon!

Hope you like and HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR, may you collect manymanymany angpows!! =)

Day 28, 29, 30, 31 ha!

2012-01-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

Just some nail art I did for my aunts & cousins. Unfortunately I didn't take proper photos, so we'll have to make do with these quick just-before-we-headed-out-the-door shots.

I really like this combo - used my cheery pale yellow polish (China Glaze Lemon Fizz) and zebra-stripe Konad plate. Happiness!

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I honestly can't remember whose hands these are, lol! But if you've been following this blog/facebookpage, you've seen this mani before. Quite a popular one, lots of girls chose this design at the Taylor's Lakeside campus bazaars I was doing nails at last year =)

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Ok this was done for my aunt, sorry about the flash-photography, we really were just taking super-last-minute photos. This actually was a great combo as well, I'll definitely try it on myself soon. Used OPI Glamor Game and one of my first konad plates stamped with OPI Get In The Espresso Lane.

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This mani, I did it last week. It was a Chinese New Year trial mani. Wasn't sure if I could pull off the tiny details. Not too happy with the final look, definitely need to get some striping brushes!

Oh well, thought I'd share it anyway since I went through all the trouble of drawing it 5 times lol.

I used....um....lemme think:
China Glaze Lemon Fizz
Some acrylics for the fan
Konad plate for the flowers
OPI Glamor Game for little bits of shine here and there

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And there you have it, the last stuff-it-in-there post for my slightly failed Christmas project hahah!!

At least now I know that One Does Not Simply Start A Project During Christmas Month.

<3 and hugs if you've been reading! =)

[Day 27, Project E.L.F.] Oh good grief let's finish this up

2012-01-19T07:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is bad. Ridiculously dragging this project out wayyyyyy tooooo lonnnngggg.
It ends tomorrow! I think I have enough nail art photos to finish it up haha. Went for family reunion last week and ended up doing all the females' nails, about 80 nails! =D

But rewind to some "real" time photos, this is a nail art I did for Laura last year (I actually have more of such makeup/nail art photos from last year - enough to have finished this post actually, I just need to locate them! sigh)

Anyhoo, here's a repeat-pedi-turned-mani. Did it earlier in the project as a pedi for myself, and Laura chose this combo for her nails at a "new house!" party around Christmas time.

[Day 26, Project E.L.F.] Oh we're still doing this?

2012-01-05T22:43:00.000-08:00

*sheepish grin* Yes, apparently we still have 6 posts to go, Joni.

Okay so I did this in a rush last night, while waiting for some friends to decide where we were gonna have dinner (they went with Strawberry Fields, which has pretty good butter cream chicken/fish/prawn rice, in case you wanna know) =D.

I'm quite liking this one actually. It's bright, it's funky, and best of all it's so me. However, there is a bit of a backstory to the chosen colour. I originally wanted to try my new Rubi "I Like Pina Coladas", but I was in a hurry and most polishes that aren't pricey (at least here in Malaysia) almost never dry fast. I was hopeful and painted Rubi on anyway. Usually I can start stamping on the first finger I painted almost as soon as I've painted the last finger. I waited a bit for this one. Still not dry. Tacky, at best. Stamping is messy business especially if you're trying to do everything carefully with 10 wet-paint nails. I did my best and still there were smudges EVERY-freaking-WHERE. haha!

I removed it and against my better judgment, went for the Revlon um......ohcrap, left the bottle at the studio. Okay I shall update this part later when I know what it was called. Anyway, I haven't been impressed by Revlon's polishes either, the ones I've gotten take 3-4coats to be opaque - waste of time! And of course, there's my hatred for the base+topcoat. But the Rubi colour was gorgeous with this print and that was the closest alternative so there we go.

It did dry slightly faster than the Rubi. I'll give it that. But I also did try to put two thinnnnnnnn coats to quicken the process. There were still smudges everywhere but not as bad.
I'll also update this part about which plate I used since I left them all at the studio haha.

[Day 25, Project E.L.F.] ChocFudge Expresso

2011-12-30T09:27:00.000-08:00

Day twenty-five. Supposedly. =p

Side note: If y'all are actually reading this, thank you, you're the best, let's go for milkshakes, I know a good place.

Here's a simple mani I did earlier today while the boys chatted in a restaurant after lunch. Had the polish with me and wanted to try this new colour out. I've never been a browns person, I find it hard to get the right tones of brown for my already very brown skin. If you're not brown, this might be hard to understand, haha.

Anyhoo, I recently bought two browns from OPI: "Get In The Expresso Lane" & "A-taupe the Space Needle". Got it mainly for my occasional nail-art clients but of course I'll try any colour on myself.
This is the "Get In The Expresso Lane" matched with a detailed design from my m83 plate stamped with China Glaze's Lemon Fizz. The pastel yellow of the Lemon Fizz works as a stamping polish but of course you can't expect it to a strong colour. You can barely see that it's yellow but it's obviously not white, if you get what I mean.
Unfortunately, I was in such a relaxed mode today I totally didn't think of the wedding I'm supposed to attend tomorrow and the fact that I haven't planned what I'm wearing, let alone if it matches this dark brown hah! Hopefully it matches. Otherwise, hopefully I'm not OCD enough to change the mani =D

Hope you like!

I used:
OPI Get In The Expresso Lane
Konad m83 plate
China Glaze's Lemon Fizz as the stamping polish
Seche Vite topcoat

[Day 24, Project E.L.F.] White Christmas Dream

2011-12-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

HULLO!

Happy new year to everyone and I hope y'all have had a super 2011, and if it wasn't all that great, then here's to leaving it all in the past, learning from it and "cheers to the freakin' weekend" of 2012!

Okay so we're on Day twenty four that should be day 20 at least, lol. At least I've been trying my best, I can definitely say that. I really do have.
I promise I'll be as diligent as I can possibly be til the 31st day!

Here's a fun post - a snowman and some snowy christmas trees. If we can't have the real deal, we can at least have fun imagining it, eh? =D I did this on myself for a small Christmas party where we were supposed to dress Christmassy (but apparently not everyone got the memo, hmph), haha.

I hope y'all like this one, I had a lot of fun doing it (in a hot stuffy bathroom and in a terribly rush too lol). It was fun hiding it under my long bangs and only "unveiling" it at the party haha! I must have looked really funny trying to cover my forehead at the supermarket while grabbing a few things before heading to the party. ANYHOOO, ENOUGH JABBER, WOMAN!

[Day 23, Project E.L.F.] Zoe's Teenage Dream =D

2011-12-29T08:35:00.000-08:00

Haha! I had to, Zoe, the title was just calling me. =D

Zoe's a family friend, whose highschool prom was just yesterday. I helped her with her makeup, hair and nails.

The prom theme was "Teenage Dream". NO clue what they were hoping the prommers would wear, but I think Zoe probably made them proud with her curls and purpleish hair ala Katy Perry's 2010 VMA look.

Zoe was gonna wear a peachy-salmon coloured saree with this look, so we chose purpleish hues for her eyes, a light peach-pink lipgloss and 2 coats of mascara for her long lashes to match her dark purple nail polish. She chose to have a simple loose french braid to the side.

We also stamped her nails with this pretty floral design from my m20 plate. I'll try to get some photos of her in her saree at prom =)

[Day 22 Project E.L.F.] Shaina's nails

2011-12-29T08:18:00.000-08:00

For a "Teenage Dream" themed highschool prom. I wonder what they intended for them to wear, especially the boys =D

Gonna post another nail+makeup+hair done for this same prom after this.=)

[Day 21 Project E.L.F.] The wonderful thing about tiggers

2011-12-29T08:11:00.000-08:00

TIGGER! Who doesn't love the lovable t-i-double-ger-er? (haha how do you spell what he says!)

Did these zebra stripes for Shawna a couple days ago. She chose a happy orange (I've yet to try a whole mani with that orange on myself, lol) and it turned out more tiggerific than zanyzebra-ish.

I feel like doing an actual Tigger mani - perhaps next week (and in the new year)!

Happy new year and hope y'all had a super 2011, and if you didn't, *HUG*, here's to a brand new start.

<3

I used:
OPI In My Back Pocket
China Glaze Lemon Fizz
Konad m57 plate
QY black polish for stamping
Seche Vite topcoat

[Day 20 Project E.L.F.] Handmade Christmas presents Pt.2

2011-12-25T22:35:00.000-08:00

Boho necklaces! Also got this idea from Pinterest, and I added little touches to it like the satin ribbon and floppy end. Will make more of these too, hehe.

[Day 19 Project E.L.F.] Handmade Christmas presents

2011-12-25T22:25:00.000-08:00

Thumbs up for handmaking Christmas presents for girls! (boys, you are and forever will be difficult to get presents for)

I made these headbands out of t-shirts, learnt in on Pinterest (I know, I'm near addicted to it lol). They work great, and hopefully they last long since I didn't exactly spend too long securing it =p

I'll make more very soon!

In other news, isn't this such a happy tune to do an ol' skool twostep dance with coloured leggings and braided headbands (*ahem* see above, haha). I love it! and I love the brave key changes at the end - she's awesome haha=D This song really makes me smile coz it's just so fun.

[Day 18 Project E.L.F.] Hearts That Go Pow!

2011-12-25T21:36:00.000-08:00

Oh I love this one! Got the ideas of the cartoon heart and cartoon burst from Pinterest, loved the colours so here's the version I did for my cousin Andrea for Christmas!

Love the contrast of the pink and baby blue!

I used:
Essie's Borrowed and Blue for the base colour
OPI Silver Shatter on ring fingers
Revlon 915 Silver Screen on pointer finger
QY black polish for outlines
My own acrylic mix for the pink
QY white polish for the little dots in the hearts
Seche Vite topcoat

[Day 17, Project E.L.F.] Rubies for Jane

2011-12-25T21:18:00.000-08:00

Just bought a polish from Rubi (aka Cotton On) off the shelf. It's called "I Like Pina Coladas" (have you heard that If You Like Pina Coladas song? hahah!). Anyway, this polish is a beautiful bright peach/amaranth pink and so far it seems to be pretty good.

Did these snowflakes for Jane C. for Christmas! =)

I used:
rubi 'i like pina coladas'
my QY white polish
m59 plate and a pirated m59 plate that has those little asterisks in place of the snowflakes in the original haha!
Seche Vite topcoat

[Day 16, Project E.L.F.] Sweet As Bro

2011-12-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

Day Sixteen (yea yea I've given up on catching up on the date).

Titled specially for our kiwi HsuLynn =D

I am digging the next few nail arts (days 16, 17 & 18)!! Firstly, I got other people's nails so that was a nice change from my own skin and skintone. Also, the designs chosen are so cute!
Did these for HsuLynn, the illustrator. Totally loving the whole vintagey pastel colours, so purdddyyyyyyy....
What say you?

I used:

Essie's Mint Candy Apple

A cheap QY peachy colour

My regular cheap white QY polish.

Seche Vite topcoat

[Day 15 Project E.L.F.] Yummy Men!

2011-12-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

I saw this design on....hmm...no wait, actually my mom sent a picture of it to me first, then I saw it on Pinterest. It's so cute and I love the minty coloured background so I decided to copy the design!

I had to make an acrylic brown 'coz all my brown polishes aren't gingerbready-coloured enough so it didn't quite look right. I admit I had to google "what makes brown" to know which colours to mix HAHA! (it's Red and Green, btw, in case you've forgotten too) =D

This is pre-topcoat, I don't have a full photo of it post-topcoat that is clear enough without the lighting being right on the design so that you can't see anything. Mm, oh well. =)

And here are some other shots of the full gingerbread guy who hasn't been chomped on =P

Hope you like it! Shall I wear it for Chrismas Sunday?? I feel like changing it but at the same time I feel bad for the little guys lol.

I used:
Essie's Mint Candy Apple (the name itself is so December to me heehee)
My own acrylic mixture of brown
My cheap QY polish for the polka dots, icing, eyes, buttons. (white, black and red)

[Day 14 Project E.L.F.] The Imaginary Cool Christmas

2011-12-23T20:23:00.000-08:00

So we're in Malaysia. We have sun and rain. All year round. Once in a blue moon, you'll get sleet or hail and everyone runs out to greet it like it's Christmas.

But of course if you're passionate about December and all the hullabaloo that comes with it, you'll still be happy to see prettily decorated fake trees and foam snow shooting out of a hidden machine at your favourite malls so I decided I'd do snowy trees and what the heck why not throw in a snowman as wel, hee!

I used:
Essie's Borrowed and Blue
My regular white QY polish that I usually use for stamping.
Little dots of cheap polish for the snowman parts.

[Day 13 Project E.L.F.] Birthday Brights

2011-12-21T02:25:00.000-08:00

It should be Day 21. I really am sorry, but it's been hectic!

So today I woke up with the urge to wear bright cheery makeup. I decided to go with orange and purple, and chose two brights that matched from my 180 palette that I don't think I've used on myself before. Ok perhaps that sentence may not make sense to some. I have a 180colour shadow palette and there are loads of shades of yellows, golds, purples, greens, blues, oranges, you get the gist. Today I picked one of the oranges and one of the purples. Mm.

I think it looks fun! It took me for-e-ver to get the camera lighting right to pick up the colour - this is the closest to reality I could get. It does look prettier in reality (to me, at least, heh). I'll post a few more shots so maybe you'll put them all together in your mind and get a better idea of this look.

I will be wearing this combo again in the future, for sure =)

I'd recommend adding a bit of sparkle to your version if you want it to look Christmassy/NewYear'sy. Perhaps a shimmery orange instead of the matte one I used, or a tiny bit of shimmery highlight above the cheekbones/under the browbone.

Hope you like!<3

Day 12 Project E.L.F. - Snowflakes falling on my toes

2011-12-17T23:32:00.000-08:00

Wow. the title is so original.

and wow. i'm really good at this challenge, keeping up to date every day.

HA!

sorry guys, apparently I chose a bad month to challenge myself since I've got singing gigs and makeup gigs every week and lots of running around everywhere in between, it's so hard to sit down and take some photos of even whatever makeup I have on sometimes!

ANYHOO. I hope you like my snowflakes, albeit them being on toes, and I know some of you have pet peeves about feet photos. Here goes anyway!

I used:
OPI Just a Little Rosti At This,
Konad m59 plate with a cheap white polish I have that works great for stamping,
Seche Vite topcoat.

[Day 11 Project E.L.F.] BraidyBunch

2011-12-14T04:53:00.000-08:00

Name courtesy of John O. =D

Day Eleven.
This was purely experimental. I curled Tammy's straight hair into light waves, to make the updo easier to handle (it really does help, especially for fine hair)

This is her hair before curling.

Ok at first I wanted to do a more classic updo, inspired by those pin-up girls of the 50s. So I started with a sideways french braid and meant to curl her fringe into a poofy smooth curl. That's the top row you see in the photo below. But then I changed my mind halfway and decided Hey! I've Never Tried A Fishtail with Her Long Hair Why Don't We Try That Now Wouldn't That Be Fun? haha

So that's the fishtail end / lower row of the updo below. Then I wrapped the fishtail underneath the french braid and pinned it up, loosened it to add more oomph and played around with the fringe.

hahah!

[Day 10 Project E.L.F.] Holiday Eyes

2011-12-13T23:17:00.000-08:00

Day Ten.

Ah I finally found the photos I took for Day 10 & 11! Here's a party look you can try no matter what skin tone you are, this works for just about anyone! Gold is a hue that looks good on e-very-bo-dy. Blend that to the inner corners of your eyes, pat on a holiday-maroon-poinsettia colour and blend that towards the outer corner but not right to the edge. Keep the black shadow close to your lashline and only on the outer third of your eye. Blend it upwards into the crease of your lid. BLEND EVERYTHING TOGETHER, woo!

You can pat a bit of highlighter here and there (under your brows, above the cheek-apples, on the nose) if it's a late night party. Bring on the blush (try a richer colour to add to the holiday mood) and you DON'T wanna forget to curl and mascara up - that's VITAL to the look. =)

For the lips, if you're fair-skinned and brave, go red! (But consider toning down the maroon on the eyes, keep it light). You can also try a super nude or soft pink look, but don't go au-naturel and leave your lips blank, even a gloss is better than nothing.

Thanks to my sister, Tammy, for being the model!

[Day 9 Project E.L.F.] Snow in the Nude

2011-12-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

I'm LOVING this nude polish. SO pretty, and suits me so well, YAYY! Good choice, me! It's a pinkish nude color that I assume is meant for french manicures. I've found these colors extremely difficult to match my skin tone. It's usually too yellow, too pink, too pale, too dark, too gray, too transparent, too opaque. I figured a brand like OPI would have a nice largeeeee range of such colors and so began my search.

I'm not really the kind to just buy any color online and see what arrives, so this took quite a bit of thinking, evaluating google images and how true-to-colour they were. (ok this laptop's auto-correcting between British-American English is ridiculous!) After much thought, I figured I'd give OPI's Bubble Bath a try. Google images showed that it had justttt enough pink to not make me look like the living dead and was justtttt light enough to not make my skin look any darker.

Result: SUPER HAPPY. Just tried it for the first time yesterday. Three coats got me a good mid-opaque colour and it was great. It's slightly pinker than the pictures, the closest true-colour would probably be the thumb and index finger in this photo below:

Then I thought I'd add a little snowflake on the ring finger to add a bit of holiday cheer. I'm absolutely loving this mani, wheee!! (Try as I might, I couldn't get all the factors right in this photo below, so the point is just to show you the snowflake that came from Konad's m59)

I used:
OPI Bubble Bath (3 thin coats)
OPI Glamour Game (for french tip)
Seche Vite dry fast top coat
Konad m59 and my QY white polish

so digging this one!

[Day 8 Project E.L.F.] Braidband

2011-12-11T09:13:00.001-08:00

Hullo!

I just got back from Tampin. It's in N.Sembilan. Did a makeup job for an engagement party. Let me get permission before I tell you more another day. =)

Anyhoo, YES I KNOW I'M LAGGING BEHIND MY PROJECT. I had actually DONE the posts those days, then the internet decided Hey Let's Not Work Today. At All.

So instead of shredding pillows in frustration, I decided to sleep. But here are those photos!

Day Seven.

I did a simple braided headband with my hair.

This is actually just a french braid. If you don't know how to do this braid, feel free to check Lilithedarkmoon on youtube - she's just fantastic at hairstyles. For my headband braid, I sectioned off the "band" around the crown of my head. Basically, section off the entire area that would otherwise be under a regular wide headband. It can be as wide or as slim as you like. Of course, the wider it is, the easier/faster it would be to braid.

I did attempt taking photos of the steps but gah, it was pointless for various reasons. I need a photographer. This is the last one I'll post from that stack of lousy photos:

I'm starting my french braid from just behind one ear. Test out which side is easier to start with for you, it would probably depend on whether you're right or left-handed. For the first half of the braiding, I try to keep my whole head forward or nearly upside-down sometimes. Tilt and braid and see if that works for you as well. =)

Keep adding hair into the braid, and if you have bangs like mine and want that as part of the look, don't forget to leave those bangs out, haha!

When you reach the other ear, you can tie it right behind your ear, or keep braiding a regular braid til the end before tying it off. You can even pin the "balance" braid under your hairline if you're leaving your hair down.

Add some shine serum to the rest of your hair and you're done! Optionally, you can add some embellishments like clips, flowers, etc. Be creative and go for it.

[Day 7 Project E.L.f.] The Pursuit of ShinyHair.

2011-12-08T09:45:00.001-08:00

Actually I wanted to call it The Pursuit of Hairyness, but I figured the girlies out there might go "ew!" haha =D

And yes, I cheated. I chose sleep over Day 7's post. so sue me.
I'll post day 7 now, and 8 & 9 will come tomorrow.

SO. Today I decided I'd try one of those recipes you see online of home remedies, home beauty tips, yada yada. I chose one simple one that I had the ingredients for - honey & olive oil.
This simple recipe claims to give your hair that super shine. They even showed a photo of a glossy dyed hair.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm never one of those people that expects things to work exactly like how it's advertised, but I do expect some level of happiness to be gained.

Here's what I did:

1. Mix a spoonful of honey and about 4spoons of olive oil. Perhaps I should have put more olive oil since the original recipe I saw said "loads of olive oil". I figured she had thick hair.

2. Here's the BEFORE photo of my so-so hair-shinyness.

3. Work the mixture into your hair slowly. It should take about 5-10mins depending on your hair length and thickness.

I tied my hair up after application coz I didn't want an oily sticky mess on my neck and all while I waited for it to set.

The recipe says to leave it in for at least half an hour, but overnight is better.

I waited 4hours.

4. I assumed the next step is to shampoo it all out like crazy, condition, and dry your hair. The recipe failed to mention this part and how long it might take. I shampooed twice to get all the stickiness out. I used my Kadus Perm-care conditioner (it stinks a bomb but it's pretty good with conditioning). I blew dry my hair and brushed it smooth.

This was the result:

What say you? Any difference?

I think not much. So I'll give this recipe a 3/10 for concept. The idea that something that simple could be so good an after-effect is an ideal one I try to indulge in now and then. But clearly this one has just about failed the test. Next I'll try those lemony recipes for hair. Those sound more like it would do the job.

Oh well, live and learn! If this recipe works for you, do let me know and if you can, show me Before&After photos! =)

[Day 6 Project E.L.F.] 6 Things I Love Under RM10

2011-12-06T09:49:00.001-08:00

Day Six.

Well, this is pretty easy, although I would have had better photos if I was home, but I'm not so I had to change a few things a bit. These are six random items that I love using, that are all below RM10 (approx. 3USD). Hopefully this short list will give you a quick sorta review of the items. =)

#6 - Fun sized whiteboard that can be used as an ever-changing art deco piece, or a quick and easy to-do lister. Love it! PRICE: RM2 from a store called Ringgit Saver!

#5 - Single-coloured white/yellow Christmas lights. These are the best kind. They make ANY place look a hundred times livelier and cheerier. They're classy. They're classic. They'll match any colored theme!
PRICE: RM8.90 for a 100pc box.

#4 - Boar bristles hairbrush. This is a great option for backcombing and creating neat sections of hair. The bristles smooth things out without ruining the volume of the hair. PRICE: RM5 at Daiso

#3 - Wear & Throw bling. And by wear & throw, I mean it's so inexpensive that it won't last too many sweaty-skin nights before it starts turning color or starts rusting. But the good news is (and the reason why I keep buying them) that you can afford to change your mind ALL the time, when the fashion dies out you won't be stuck with a tiny fortune of never-wearing-that-again. =)

#2 - Elianto's nose shaper brush. This is a tapered round brush that's great for blending! If I had to choose one makeup brush, this would definitely be in the top finalist team. Blend your eyeshadows to perfection with this very affordable brush. =)

#1 - Screw pins! it's the new bobby for buns! These literally screw into your hair, providing a firm grip even with just one depending on how thick your hair is.

[Day 5, Project E.L.F.] Watermarbled

2011-12-05T13:18:00.001-08:00

Day Five.

Today I decided to go for a watermarbled nail art. Haven't done this in a while so I figured I'd give it a go and see what happens. I couldn't take a whole lot of photos during the process since you kinda gotta work fast and watermarbling is pretty messy so I can't exactly handle the camera AND have a beautiful gooey mess on my hands. =D

SO. I shall link you to a great youtuber who does fabulous water-marbling!
But first, here are some of my personal little tips for a successful mess:

1. Use vaseline or any petroleum jelly on the skin all around your nails, rather than sticky tape. I personally find this easier than sticking tape on every finger. Vaseline will help the excess polish to rub away much easier, or if you put enough, you may even be able to just wipe it off clean. (But using that much vaseline may mess up the surface of your water, be warned)

2. Work fast. Polishes dry pretty fast when you don't want them to.

3. Moisturise! After you're done, chances are the acetone from all the cleaning up will make your skin scream for moisture. Do it! I love Eubos hand cream, it's so good.

4. Have fun. At the end of the day, an activity like water marbling is supposed to be fun. Don't worry too much if your bull's eye doesn't quite happen the way you wish it would, or if you stuck your finger on the wrong side of the design (you'll get all this soon). ENJOY the experience =D

Ok, as promised, here's a youtuber who does awesome marbling. Watch her videos and be in awe of how gorgeous her bull's eyes are.

And here are some photos I managed to take of mine. The colours are quite minty but it doesn't really show up in the photo as I'd like it coz I only had orange lighting. I'll take better photos if I can tomorrow in daylight! =D

I promise I'll try to take better photos!

I used:

China Glaze's Holly-Day

Essie's Mint Candy Apple

Essie's Borrowed And Blue

[Day 4 Project E.L.F.] Four Quick Hairdos

2011-12-04T08:27:00.001-08:00

Day Four.

I curled my hair for fun with a hair iron while waiting to be picked up today. The outing got cancelled and since my hair was already curled I decided to try a few hairstyles and make that Day Four's post. Here we go, four super easy hairdos you can definitely whip up before running out the house - hope you like them!

___________________________________________________

HAIRSTYLE A

___________________________________________________

HAIRSTYLE B

(and by pins, I mean bobby pins. hehe)

Easy peasy. Just tuck in any flyaway bits and bobby pin them in. This is somewhat a relaxed low bun that reminds me of Adele for some reason.

_________________________________________________

HAIRSTYLE C

If a low bun is not your thing, how 'bout something more quirky and little-girly?

3.1 As I mention below, I do think it would look prettier with at least 5 sections, I dunno why I didn't think of it while I was doing this haha. So yeah, go for FIVE sections.

_________________________________________________

HAIRSTYLE D

Here's another quirky updo you can try. It would look great with longer hair but if your hair length is anywhere around my length, it'll do just fine as well. This is just a simple twist to the regular high bun, technically. =)

And there you go - four SUPER easy hairstyles for everyday. There are so many adaptations you could come up with to make any of these hairdos more formal or more casual, just take a minute to fiddle with your hair and you'll come up with something perfect for your December day! Thanks for reading!=D

[Day 3 Project E.L.F.] Peppermint Toes

2011-12-03T04:15:00.001-08:00

Day Three.

Here's an easy way to create the infamous candycane stripes! I'm still trying to match everything up to Day 1 & 2's looks, so I decided to do a minty green version.

And there you go, pretty easy once you get the hang of it!

I used:
Essie's Mint Candy Apple for the base,
China Glaze's It's Alive
Seche Vite Dry Fast Topcoat

Here are some other colour combos I'd suggest for this season:
- classic red/white candycane
- green/red
- green/white
- silver/white
- blue/silver
- gold/red
- silver/red
- gold/navyblue
- silver/grey
- white/pink
- be brave and try your own combos! =)

Thanks for reading and hope you like!

[Day 2 Project E.L.F.] Matching Green Peepers

2011-12-02T10:59:00.001-08:00

Day Two.

Which is being posted up pretty late thanks to late night traffic and everything in between. Nevertheless, here's an easy and natural eye makeup look to match the Holly-Day Nails look! This cheery daytime look is great for work, play, an afternoon date, or Christmas tea party =)

Ok, let's go!

(and by primer, I mean eyeshadow primer, not face primer)

9. Curl your lashes and apply a good mascara

and your eyes are ready!

Additional makeup tips for this look:
- Apply a powder foundation for a light feel
- Apply a salmon/light pink blush sssllliiighhhtly under the apples of your cheeks to add a bit of definition to your face shape
- A lip balm would do just fine for this look, but if you like, try a neutral/nude pink lipgloss or lipstick.
- The thing about a simple clean look is definition, and eyebrows play a huge role in shaping your fac. You really want to make sure your eyebrows are well-shaped for this look.

Now. I know what some of you are thinking...."Would this work on me? I'm fairer! My eyes are not that shape! I have no double eyelid!"

Ha! Read your mind.

Hence, a different eyeshape provided by my sassy model, Jane! Here's how to work this look:

5. Curl lashes, and mascara away!

Have fun with it, and thanks for reading! <3

*Special thanks to Jane C. who had to keep getting up off the comfortable beanbag she was sitting on to take some of these photos. And of course for providing her face! =D

** Disclaimer: ok, gimme some time to get these closeup shots right, it's quite hard to take photos where the colours show up on screen the way they are in reality.

[Day 1, Project E.L.F.] Holly-Day Nails

2011-12-01T05:28:00.001-08:00

DAY ONE.

This is my super simple Holly leaves and berries nail art. I initially ordered China Glaze's Glittering Garland from their Let It Snow 2011 collection but was told it had sold out, so I swapped it with the Holly-Day instead. It's a gorgeous holly-leave dark green that turned out much prettier than I expected, quite happy with it.

Two coats of China Glaze's Holly-Day and my nails were set for the art.

I used my acrylic paints for the red berries and green leaves. Just a teeny tiny dot of water and a teeny tiny dot of paint is MORE than enough. You don't even have to squeeze the paint out of the tube, really. Using a dotting tool, or a toothpick, or an orange stick, OR a satay stick, OR a tiny tiny nail brush, pick up the red paint and make the three berry dots.

Feel free to dot the berries wherever you like, I just preferred mine neater this time round. =)

Next, I took my tiny nail art brush and very carefully drew out the green leaves. Holly leaves are pretty tricky to draw (for me, at least), so my tip would be to draw a thin straight line as the stem of the leaf, then think of the number 3 except the tip and end of the 3 are connected to the tip and end of your thin straight line. Then repeat a backward 3 on the other side of the straight line.

Tip: Try practicing the leaves on paper before diving into your fresh manicure.

You're pretty much done at this point! I only drew holly leaves on my thumbs, 'coz ~~it was 3am and I didn't want to do anymore backward 3s coz my nose was leaking and I just wanted to sleep~~ I think it looks nice and neat this way.

I also added an extra thin straight line of shimmery gold (OPI Glamour Game) down the middle of the leaves, and an EVEN tinier dot of the same color on each berry, just to add that lil bit of shine and 2D effect.

TOPCOAT: Seche Vite topcoat. It's awesome. One coat of this and the whole look is gloriously glossy.

Hope you like this first Lacquer look and do show me your versions if you try them, I'd love to see your work of art! =)

Project E.L.F. (Eyes, Lacquer & Fun!)

2011-12-01T05:15:00.001-08:00

Hello!
I decided to take on a self-imposed project for this beautiful month of December. It's my favourite month that includes what used to be a full month of school holidays, my birthday, and of course Christmas! Yes, I am a sucker for all things Christmas. The carols, the decorations, the trees, the yummy smells, the sales, and food, the parties, ahhhhh....=)

Yes. I love the Christmas holiday month.

So. Project E.L.F. (Eyes, Lacquer & Fun!) is my personal 31day project of posting up makeup looks, nail art, and anything else fun that you can try this entire holiday month to look and feel good at work, college, Uni, parties, or even at home! Everyday this month, check this blog out (or Facebook@mycherrystyle) for a quick update, review, or tutorial and try them out yourself =)

I hope you like the updates and feel free to comment, tag, upload your own versions!

<3,
joni

[REVIEW] Le'lan Vital Extremist Liquid Eyeliner

2011-11-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

Next up for review! This is a fantastic liquid eyeliner from Cosway.

I took this photo mid year and have been meaning to review it with full-on photos of it on my (if not someone else's) eyes.

Welllllll, that's not gonna happen 'til I buy a new one coz it "mysteriously disappeared" during one of my Groupon makeup workshops, along with a whole lot of other products. Right smack off the table, GONE just like that - face primers, at least 3 of the SAME eyeliner pencils that I had to repeatedly replace again and again, brushes....sighh.

Anyhoo.
Review of said awesome eyeliner.

WHAT MADE ME BUY IT: I didn't. My aunt bought it for me for....Christmas last year, I think? I think it retails for about RM30, maybe? I can't remember.

WHAT I THINK: Yay. It definitely lives up to everything it claims to be, which is:

L'élan Vital Extremist Liquid Eyeliner defines and amplifies your eyes with the perfect line of the blackest black, adding sexy sophistication to your eye makeup.

•	Quick-drying polymer formula creates a flexible film for gloss intense finish
•	Waterproof, absolute smudge-free, super long-wear up to 15 hours
•	Firm, felt tip applicator gives up the perfect control to create a clean, precise line

The smudge-free part is my favourite. It really does STAY PUT. If you like your eyeliner to stay on for long hours, this is great. If you hate removing makeup and think it takes forever as it is, this is not for you. You'll have to use a good makeup remover for this one.
Okay, this is also an old photo, but I did use this liner for this look and it's probably the last photo I took of this liner in use before it ~~was stolen from under my nose~~ disappeared.
(liquid eyeliner for an Indian-inspired makeup look? duh!)

PROS:
Stays put / does not budge even after an entire day.
Is indeed very black.
Dries in good timing.
Has a glossy finish. (whether this is a pro/con depends on the look you're going for, of course)

CONS:
Has a glossy finish (refer to last 'pro' point.)
Is not as easy to remove as less-stay-put liners. You gotta work with a good remover.

SUMMARY:
YAY. This is one liquid eyeliner I'll be happy to repurchase, and I won't be hesistant to assure my clients that it won't leak mid-wedding dinner. =)

[REVIEW] Revlon Multi Care Base + Top Coat

2011-11-25T03:31:00.001-08:00

HEY!

yes I've been away from this blog for too long. But I'm back! And I'm excited to review STUFF. haha.

Okay first up is this Revlon base/top coat.

WHAT MADE ME BUY IT: I was in a hurry, I had a manicure client to attend to within the hour, and didn't have a good top coat on hand. Ran into the nearest local drugstore Watson (or was it Guardian?) and grabbed this 'coz I figured Revlon = should be decent, and for the price (RM29?).

WHAT I THINK: Ugh.
As a base coat, it's kinda sticky, and as soon as you touch it, the glossy finish disappears and it just becomes a matte-like layer of nonsense. Kinda like when we were younger and buffed our nails til glory came just to get that shortlived but super super shine.
As a top coat, you can imagine the lack of a lasting glossy finish is ridiculous. I used this as a top coat at 5pm, slept at 2am (7hours of drying time), and woke up the next day with nails imprinted with an extra bedsheet design on them. Total FAIL.

PROS:
Really? After all I've mentioned above? None.

CONS:
Sticky. Never dries. Turns dull, doesn't stay glossy at all.

SUMMARY:
UGH. Worst top coat I've tried. And I'm even comparing it to really cheap no-brand ones you get at random Chinese trinket stores.

Happy Deepavali nails!

2011-10-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Kolams are these very brightly coloured Indian designs made out of coloured rice laid out on the ground, usually during Deepavali. In Malaysia, we usually see the fancy ones in malls during Deepavali season. (like this one below at 1Utama, which I would like to see in real life, it looks crazy with the peacock and all!)

So! I decided to try creating my own lil kolam design on my nails and I just thought I'd share what I did in the spirit of Deepavali, hehehe.

Used:
OPI 'William Tell Me About OPI' (It's a dark dark red, really)
Acrylics for the design
Ring finger base: China Glaze 'Light As Air' + OPI silver shatter

Hope you like it and happy holidays! =)

The Zany Zebra

2011-10-13T00:28:00.000-07:00

*shrug* I dunno, just felt like doing something crazy at that moment. But after I did these, I promptly decided I wasn't feeling it. haha! So I swapped it with something else (I'll post that up soon too). I don't hate this one, but it could've been better, for sure. Perhaps I'll try sponging the colours next time. That might be a better idea.

I used the same image plate as the one with the leopard print. It's quite fun playing with these animal prints. I do wanna try a multicoloured PRINT rather than base colour though, sounds like a fun challenge.

Popped my leopard-print cherry!

2011-10-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

Haha! So I finally went for a bold leopard print for my nails last week. It's not something I've ever tried..I don't think I've ever worn ANYTHING leopard print, not even a scarf. Earrings, maybe? *thinks*.....I seriously doubt it...

Yeah so I bought a Konad plate that had a leopard and zebra print image recently (specially for Taylor's Lakeside girls who have been getting their nails done by yours truly at the bazaars, do join us on 15th and 29th Oct to get yours done!hehe). Bought a few others as well as you might have seen in the Facebook albums or right here.

I DIGRESS!

Here you go, my first "sorta realistic-coloured" leopard prints, hope you like!

I used:
- China Glaze "Light As Air" (Up&Away collection) as a base color
- OPI...hmm, I'm not at home right now so I can't check, but it MIGHT be "I Only Drink Champagne"?
- Konad M57 plate with black polish
- Just a cheap brown polish I had on hand to fill in the leopard spots

Natural health magazine cover

2011-09-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Hello! I just wanted to share this magazine cover 'coz yes, I did the makeup! It was pretty exciting as I've always wanted to do makeup for a magazine (ideally a fashion magazine, but I'm not too fussy hehe). Never expected to get a COVER shoot this quickly, and I gotta thank AdrianYCL for the opportunity.

Eleen (the model) was, well, REALLY TALL! Taller than ALL the cherrygoround.com models I've worked with. Poor thing had to bend so low or just sit down so I could touch her up during the whole shoot.

I'll post some other shots of her soon (don't have them with me right now) =)

Photoshoot girls

2011-09-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

Hiya! Just a quick post with a coupla photos from the photoshoot sessions of my makeup workshops. I've got LOADSSSS more to edit and send out to each girl, and while I love playing around with photos and all, this is gonna be quite a daunting process! Let's hope my eyes don't go bonkers after a while. (haha! I remember when I edited cherrygoround.com photos and after the last 50photos have been edited and you step back into real life, your brain tends to continue editting faces you meet in the real world! LOL)

ANYWAY, I strayed. Photos!

Nail art at Taylor's Lakeside

2011-09-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Hello lovely people!

Firstly, this is a little late but Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir batin, AND HAPPY INDEPENDENCE, beloved MALAYSIA! (those reading who've never been here, COME!)

Okay, so this past month I had joined a bazaar at Taylor's University Lakeside Campus (which is such a gorgeous place, btw) and to promote the makeup workshops, I thought "hey! let's do nail art for everyone so I have a chance to talk to people".

So I whipped out all my polishes and things, bought a few new image plates for bigger variety and plonked myself at my booth for three Fridays. My friend Michelle joined me on the last Friday as well. Here are some of the fun nail designs from all three weeks!

Argyle fingers

2011-08-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's been a while since I posted nail art, so here we go =)
I bought a few new Konad plates recently, and if you've been following me on facebook, you'd know I've been doing nail art the last two Fridays at the beautiful Taylor's Lakeside Campus. Can you believe I haven't really tried my new plates on myself??

So I was adamant that I would do a full set using one of the new plates today, and here's the combo I tried!

The base is China Glaze's "Light As Air", which is a sweet lilac colour I got from NailFiesta.com. It doesn't look as great on my skintone as it does on fairer skins, sigh..(it looked SO good on a fair skinned girl who did nail art at my booth at Taylor's last Friday). at least it looks nice on other people, I guess. i'm still jealous though, haha

For the art, I used my m60 plate with Revlon's 918 Silver Screen. Wasn't sure if it would work as a stamping polish, and I wanted to try something shiny. Glad it worked just fine!

I quite like it, but it'd probably look a lot better on fairer skin (again!). Also, the boys in my band laughed saying that it's a combo only I'd be able to see from close up. haha, Then they proceeded to poke fun at girls who do these things and the fact that boys won't notice it. pfft. some of us don't do it for boys, okay!
=D

Happy Monday!

The Coronation

2011-08-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

My friends, sister and I bought Groupon vouchers for classic manipedi-s at Kitsu Nail salon for only RM29 each and today, we went to get them!

Looking through the OPI colour wheels, I picked "DS Coronation". DS, as I now know, is Designer Series, and aptly named too because this shimmery polish is absolutely classy, I love love love it. OPI describes it as a "Silvery platinum crowned with diamond dazzle".

(I kept these photos somewhat large so you can see it properly when you click it.)

I knew it wouldn't be easy to photograph, you have to see this one in person to truly see its beauty and the depth of the polish! I don't quite know if anyone else would get that - "depth". I find there are some holographic polishes that look like they just go wayyyy deeper into the um..lil...universe...of your...nails.....okay so I don't know how to explain it. Anyway, the holographic glitter flecks are juuusttttt nice - teenytiny, loadsss of it, different sizes but it spreads very evenly and smoothly, you can't feel the glitter which is great. Ahhhhh, gorgeous =D

I didn't take note of the colour I chose for my toes, but they're sort of a dark dark brown with a tinge of golden glitter, but the DS Coronation was definitely the highlight, gonna look for it and grab a bottle as soon as Nail Fiesta.com opens again!

about the workshops

2011-08-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

Man! It's REALLY tough arranging these makeup workshops for all those who signed up through Groupon!

1. I don't have their phone numbers.

2. They have until NOVEMBER to book classes.

3. Each class must reach the minimum 8 people to be confirmed.

4. There's just 100 people who bought it via Groupon

5. There's loadssss of dates they can choose from!

That means everyone is choosing any date they want, and none of the classes will ever reach the minimum!

That means I have to get their phone numbers to call and ask them one by one if they can change the date!

THAT means everyday I make tonnes of calls back and forth back and forth just to arrange ONE class!

Now, TRIPLE all that work, because it's THREE workshops per person.

*faint*

Otherwise, I'm really enjoying hosting these workshops, it's fun watching everyone test out newfound skills during the classes! I hope you're/they're enjoying it as much as I am, haha. Those who come with their friends seem to enjoy helping their friends out, or just watching all the funny faces they're making while putting on their makeup =D

If you bought the vouchers from Groupon and haven't booked or contacted me, PLEASE DO SO immediately, having your number would be such a help. Please also be patient as I try my best to arrange all the classes so that everyone's happy and organized. Thank you, thank you and thank you! =)

up n runnin'!

2011-07-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

The makeup workshops deal on Groupon is up and running! We've already had the first two classes and there are dates lined up all the way til November 2011, phew!

If you've bought yours via groupon, please email me your NAME & PHONE NUMBER as soon as possible as it will help us all with the class schedules. If you haven't bought yours, read THIS to see how you/your friends can sign up! Thank you!! =)

3 Makeup Classes + Photoshoot for only RM60!

2011-07-06T01:03:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I didn't post my Groupon deal up on this blog! silly me.

Anyway, obviously the original deal is over, but you can still sign up!

Here's what it's about:

- 3 classes lasting up to 3 hours each

- Learn personal skincare, day and evening makeup

- Learn makeup techniques suited for individual face shapes and skin textures

- Free faux eyelashes

- A photoshoot where you get 3 edited photos

- Added complimentary vouchers. RM20 makeup voucher + RM5 gift voucher.

- Two locations available (please see below)

Fine Print:

> Classes conducted in English

> Bookings must be made at least 7 days in advance

> Minimum 8 students per class

> Bookings must be made between July 6th 2011 - Nov 20th 2011.

> Max. 1 reschedule, subject to availability.

> Tools and products cannot be taken home. Do bring your own makeup as I will be teaching you to use whatever makeup and tools you already have. I realize a lot of girls buy products and end up not using them or giving them away because they don't know how to use it. I'll teach you how! =)

TO SEE AVAILABLE CLASS DATES, CLICK HERE.
TO SEE THE CURRENT BOOKED CLASSES, SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG and check out the calendar =)

The best way to confirm your preferred class dates is to get 7 other friends to join you so that the class immediately reaches the minimum 8 students! I can add classes if everyone in your class can make it on a different day/time other than the schedule provided. Daytime classes are welcome too. Classes at your office/home/etc are available too (for a small transportation fee according to distance)

TO SIGN UP:

1. Email me at mycherrystyle@gmail.com with your full name, phone number and number of people you want to book for, your preferred class dates and receipt of payment.*

2. Make your payment of RM60/person to the following account:

Maybank Account Name: Cherry Go Round
Account No.: 5142 3581 9665

* IMPORTANT: The receipt of payment must be sent to me - either a scan/camera photo/email notification from bank/photo of bankslip/etc.

For more info/enquiries: call 0172044629 or email mycherrystyle@gmail.com.

Eco-friendly

2011-07-05T23:58:00.000-07:00

Hi! It's been a while coz I've been busy with setting up my Groupon deal online and answering lots of calls and emails and texts about the makeup workshop classes that I'm holding from now til Nov '11 - phew!
Anyway, more about that later.

My band will be performing at the Shell Eco-marathon this Saturday so I did eco-friendly-inspired nails!

I think the concept of this marathon is pretty awesome - Shell Eco-marathon challenges high school and college student teams from around the world to design, build and test energy efficient vehicles. With annual events in the Americas, Europe and Asia, the winners are the teams that go the farthest distance using the least amount of energy. Super cool, right?!

It's a shame the dark green doesn't come off as lovely as it is in person - it's such a gorgeous forest green with the slightest blueish tint and it's shimmery.

On my left hand: eco-friendly car logo, recycling logo, a gradient to show off the lovely green + a halfmoon, closeup of a leaf's veins, and a simple flower with a green rhinestone.

On my right hand: A leaf, a growing tree, an abstract (again to show off the dark green, heh), another abstract with two green rhinestones, and what is supposed to be a globe haha.

Teal and curls for the bridesmaid

2011-06-11T12:51:00.000-07:00

Went to Westin Hotel today to get Huey Ming's makeup and hair done. She was bridesmaid and wanted a halfup-halfdown hairstyle with light curls (her natural hair is super straight). The dress she picked for the dinner was a light teal maxi but she was still wearing the lilac wedding-ceremony bridesmaid dress when I took these photos, so let's just do some imagination and match the makeup with the dinner dress colour here eh? haha =D

I also did another bridesmaid's hair, but she had to rush off before I could take a photo. Did a french twist to match her dark greenish-teal dress. Hopefully I'll get some good pictures from them soon =)

Night look trial

2011-06-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

This was the bridal trial night look I did last week. She wanted strong eye liner and green undertones to match her dress. We'll use more feathery/wispier lashes for the actual day. The most important factors were moisturization and eyebags in this case, though. I used LOADS of moisturizing components and worked hard mixing between Sephora's concealer palette, MAC studio tech foundation and a bit of Maybelline's Angelfit foundation here and there for the eye bags. We tried two different sets of products for each eye to see which would work best with her skin.

I would post up a photo of the day-look we did on the other side of her face but we tried lash clusters on that side and decided not to waste time finishing the entire lash line. So the demo photos look hilarious half done. =D anyhoo. Actual day will be late July, looking forward to it! =)

Some of the products used:
- 3003 Hydration ampoule
- Revlon Beyond Natural smoothing primer
- Urban Decay primer potion
- MAC Studio Fix fluid
- MAC Studio Tech
- MAC fix +
- Sephora long wearing matte lipstick
- Sephora concealer
- Sephora compact powder
- Sephora ultra shine lip gloss
- and some

Inspired by India

2011-06-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

Attended my cousin's wedding recently and watching her makeup being touched up, I thought I'd try a makeup look inspired by India and Indian bridal makeup. Here it is:

I'm not really used to the liner being drawn that full-on from end to end on my own eyes. Thought it might make me look old. I probably wouldn't wear this out for a regular event either, it's a bit too much liner for my liking, but it works well for videos and stage. I actually took a youtube video for my personal channel with this makeup on and it looked good, but my vocals were in bad shape that day so I decided not to post it up (yea it was a singing video)

anyhoo, hope it like!

Nemo and Dory

2011-06-02T08:27:00.001-07:00

So I really wanted to try something fun and simple. SJ came over and was a great subject!
These are inspired by Nemo & Dory, from 'Finding Nemo'. They're such a cute funny pair..well, actually it's Nemo's father Marlon and Dory's relationship that's funny to watch but I wanted to do Nemo's "lucky fin" =p

Nemo's lucky fin! =p

Dorrrryyyyyyyy

Hope you like! =)

Silver stage-makeup with red hair

2011-06-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

hello! how's it going on your side of the world? =)

These photos are from my band performance back in February this year. I wanted the eye shadow to contrast my red hair but not look too over-the-top because it was a small venue and everyone was gonna be seeing it up close. Also, it was HOT! sticky sweaty face-melting hot. That said, I'm surprised everything stuck in place at the end of the performance. (I suppose we can thank MAC's Fix +, hehe)

I actually didn't take any proper photos of my makeup that night, so the ones above are cropped from larger photos. oh well, you get the idea =p And here's a random photo from that gig and some shots of me performing with my band!=)

All photos by adrianycl.com.

Thanks, Adrian!

Hope you liked it!=)

Earth tones

2011-05-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

Steph has nice brown hair and a soft tan so we did earth browns for this Cherry Go Round shoot. Similarly, Bella has gorgeously large eyes and sticking to soft black and natural tones brought that out nicely (and more importantly, matched all the clothes being shot that day!) =D

Black liner for Sophy

2011-05-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

Sophy came to her first Cherry Go Round photoshoot with thick eyeliner on. To save time, we wiped it off a little bit and worked with what was left (which was still quite a bit! hehe). Decided to keep the eyeliner-look on since she's used to that and go au naturel with shades of brown for the rest of the lids.

Smokey Gold for Sarah

2011-05-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

It's quite hard to go all crazy on the eyeshadow colours for Cherry Go Round photoshoots since it'll have to match all sorts of clothes, so I usually stick to nudes, naturals, black liner and the likes. Sarah was in the same photoshoot along with Katherine, and I did this slightly smokey black with satin gold look which seemed to work well for the clothes in that shoot.

Katherine's light emeralds

2011-05-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

Sheer satin green for Katherine's gorgeous peepers. This was in June 2010, I believe. I had to make do with a pinker lip colour than I would have liked, didn't have anything that would show up less pink at the time.

Juanita's Smokey Greys

2011-05-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

January '10 for another Cherry Go Round photoshoot.

This shoot was specifically in preparation for Valentine's so this look was "natural yet smouldering". If I recall right, smokey grey shadow with black liquid liner and long lashes did the trick.

Valerie's casual day look

2011-05-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty certain this was aquamarine blue or turquoise on her eyes, but it somehow looks more greeny in this Feb '10 photo.

Esther's silver smoke

2011-05-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

Makeup & Photography: Joni Lynne

Clothes: www.cherrygoround.com

Model: Esther L.

This was done around Dec '09, one of Cherry Go Round's earliest photoshoots for new products. There will probably be loads of CGR photos in here, since after all that is what I do too, heh.

Esther was quite a natural, despite it being her first time modelling, we had a few great shoots with her. =)

Belinda's photoshoot

2011-05-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

...which lasted all of 15mins before it started pourinnngggg rain and we had to go back.
Belinda wanted some shots for her portfolio (perhaps she can hang them up in frames in her dental clinic one day, hehe. yea, she's a dentist.)
She told me to think "GUESS or Topshop" for the photography direction and makeup. Would have loved a dark red lipstick but I don't have a good one yet! Must search for one soon.
So instead of dark red lips, we went for dramatic eyes. Here are some of the final shots:

We also tried to make do with the rain and get some "wet" shots. The weather, however, was just not in the mood because AS SOON AS we were ready to start shooting in the rain, it stopped pouring! So we had a miserable drizzly rain for our "wet" shots. Even then, we tried to make do by using a hose and lots of different poses haha! Ah well. better weather next time, hopefully

Makeup & Photography: Joni Lynne

Model: Belinda J.

French Curve

2011-05-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

Did these for Serene last Friday. I think I would like it even more curved next time I do this one=)

Polishes used:
Elianto's white (their tags seem to come off easily, this one didn't have one either)
Revlon's 918 Silver Screen
Revlon's 965 multi care base+top coat. Not too happy with this so far for the mani's I did recently, seems to take forever to dry. Haven't tried it on my own nails yet though, so a better verdict will come soon once I've done that.

This design was inspired by emeraldsparkled.blogspot

19th May Workshop

2011-05-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

We had a makeup workshop last Thursday where we learned basic makeup that suits each individual! I'm so glad everyone made it, despite the heavy rain outside. =)

Here are some shots of the girls doing their own makeup during the simple step-by-step lesson and asking questions along the way to fix common mistakes we all tend to make now and then.

Getting to know each other a little bit..

Doing their own makeup step-by-step..

Getting a little help and demonstration..

Checking each other's work-of-art out..hehe..

And walla!

Part of what was inside the goodie bags..

Pansy Me Much? + tutorial

2011-05-14T02:58:00.000-07:00

My nails had a series of unfortunate events, so I chopped them off yesterday and since I'd already had on some new polish, I decided to recycle what was left and added on happy yellow flowers!

Originally, I had on a maroonish polish (OPI Just A Little Rösti At This) which I'd done 2days ago. I felt like it was such a waste to wipe it off so quickly so I google-imaged "dark red" to see what's dark red that I could paint on to save the mani. This is what I chose from the images that popped up:

It looked easy enough and potentially cute, so tadaa! I quite like mine, despite my general ick for floral things. These turned out quite fun looking. I should go whip some 80s fashion outta the closet when I head out next =D

And here's my first tutorial attempt ever! You like it.