Holiday Party!



 Hey Everyone,

The holidays are here and its time to get festive!!! =)

Pull out the glitter, false lashes, and red lipstick!

Below are pictures of a look I created and wore it two different ways. In the first picture I made a headband (yes I made the headband) which is covered with glitter flowers to match my eyes for a real dressy night out. In the second picture I threw on a cardigan and switched my headband out for a brooch and tried to be a little more toned down. Whichever way you choose to wear this look know that you will be the belle of the ball (or maybe even the disco ball) lol

 Enjoy the pictures and give this look a try.

Animalistic!

Hello Everyone,

 Sorry for the delay in posting on my blog. Ive just been busy with work and the holidays! Anyways below are a few pictures of my animal print inspired nails. Every girl has been rocking animal print on their nails, its become such a hot trend. You can wear a more toned down version like I did in my first picture which is a little more subtle (leopard print). However you can plunge for the vibrant colours for a more statement look like the second picture of my sister in laws nails I did (tiger stripes with glitter accents). I hope you give these easy nails a try because they can glam up any look.

Good luck!

Intense Smokey Eye

Hello Everyone,

I hope all of you are doing well. Below I have posted a few pictures of my smokey eye look using deep purples, pinks, and black. For the lips I wanted to stay light, so I used the Revlon Lip butter in Peach. I added in a little bit of silver glitter at the ends and a few gems on my lower lashline just to add extra bling to the look. I hope you all enjoy and dont forget to enter my contest!! I will post the link below. Stay tuned for more posts :)

 http://makeupbyhk.blogspot.ca/2012/11/huge-contest.html

Huge Contest!!!

Hey everyone,

The contest that I have been trying to put together is finally here and I have TONNES of stuff that I'm giving away! This is all because you guys are so special and I cant thank you guys enough for supporting my blog and facebook page.

All you need to do is comment here a celebrity inspired look you would like me to re create. You can leave a message on facebook with a picture if its easier. The other way to enter is to send me an email to makeupbyhk@gmail.com with the picture of the look (anyway you choose to enter ill accept your entry however only one entry per person)

I will choose two winners and re-create both the looks for you guys. I will announce the winner by December 19th just so that the winners can get their goodies in time for the new year and holidays.

 On to the prizes!

One winner will get:

You will get Nail bliss stick on nail art (its black lace with gems), Smashbox Kit (including photofinish primer, black eyeliner, lip enhancing gloss, eye shadow primer and mascara). You will also get a Korres body butter in Guava and Pure Shea Butter from L'Occitane. Last but not least you will get one Buxom waterproof eyestick in Machete (Limited Edition) along with one Eyeliner in Onyx and a cute gold  coin purse/clutch from Buxom as well. I also threw in a bunch of samples that I got sent to me and I truly enjoyed their products.

The second winner will get:

A bedazzled tweezer and pocket mirror. Buxom  liquid eyeliner in Gold Dust (limited edition) and Urban Decay Primer Potion. Korres lip butter in pomegranate and Ion Repair Hair Solution 100% Vegan Protein treatment. Piovoine Flora Hand Cream from L'Occitane.  Last but not least the Swag Bag of Sexy from Benefit includes High Beam Illuminater, Porefessional Primer and Benetint. Likewise I threw in a handful of samples as well.

I hope you guys enter and good luck to everyone :)

International Makeup Artist Tradeshow 2012

Helloe Everyone,

I hope all of you had a good weekend! I started off my weekend by going to IMATS early Saturday morning with my wonderful sister in law. We both had an amazing time looking at all the exhibitors that came. My all time favourite moment was meeting beauty blogger/ youtube guru Lauren who is better known as QueenofblendingMUA (picture below). She was so sweet and down to earth it was a pleasure meeting her.

I also attended a Makeup Forever class where their makeup artist did an hour long demonstration and explanation on High Definition Makeup. There were so many great tips that were shared that I will have to do a separate blog post JUST on that.

So now on to all the goodies that I picked up at IMATS that I was super excited about:

Naked cosmetics had an amazing deal with their pigments. I managed to grab one which was $30 its the Broadway collection and the retails is $60! I purchased their eyeshadow base as well for $10 which the lady at the booth told me that when used under the pigments it turns them to a more mate finish (swatches below)

The swatches on the left are with the eyeshadow matte base underneath and the ones on the right are without it

The next stop was Pari Beauty. They had a few good things but I picked up 5 eyeshadows in their pan for a really good discounted price.(swatches below)

I also wanted to get Kryolan cake liners. I got two one in white and one in dark blue. They are meant to be used wet and their colour pay off is amazing. The lady at the booth was doing free hand makeup and so we decided to give it a try (pics below)

My ultimate excitement was to get my hand on some lip tars from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. I got three of their new lip tars that are not for sale yet on their website and the swatches are below. The picture of me above is wearing Yaoi! 

The colours from left to right are: Yaoi, Super NSFW, and Authentic.

Then last but not least I got some other goodies from vendors that I have not heard of before but they had some awesome deals. The brushes below are from Royal & Langnickel. They are super soft and good quality the brushes were all ranged from $1.50-$12. I really wanted to check out crown brushes but they were really not the greatest quality once I actually tested them out. Im happy with my purchases!

The stencils that I got are more for air brush purposes they were really cool ones but I only picked up two they were $4 each and we got a freebie aswell :) I also got faux flesh and fake blood which I can not wait to experiment with. Check out more pictures on my facebook page of the event.





  



Love it or Leave it? #1

Hey everyone,

Ive been trying out a couple new products and wanted to do a few mini reviews on the products after using them for a month ( a little bit over a month).

Revlon Photo Ready Powder: I picked up this powder only because my shade in the Rimmel Stay Matte powder was out at my local rexall. I love the Rimmel Stay Matte powder ever since my cousin introduced me to it because it is light and absorbs oil quick without leaving your face feeling caked. So I thought I would give this powder a try and give you guys my opinions on it.

Looking at the product there are clear visible shimmers in the powder. This is because this powder is made for taking photos so it would help in reflecting light. I really do like this powder but NOT for everyday, its a little too much. The feel of the powder on your face is light but the shimmers are obvious and would only work if your outside during the day or at an event at night (and obviously for pictures hence the name). The pictures I took were in natural light because I noticed with flash the shimmers were more obvious. However it is really good in coverage and on the face it looks really nice (my pictures below are of me wearing this powder)
                           
                            
                                      
The packaging is kind of awkward and big since im used to circular face powders that fit nicely in my makeup bag. There is a little brush inside the case but I didnt bother to use it and opted for my soft sigma brush instead. The concept of the product is good it can be achieved by using a regular face powder and a light dusting of a shimmer on top such as a MAC minizeralized skin finish or a shimmer block. However the convenience of a two in one product is always good!

So what do I have to say about this product? Love it! do try it and leave a comment on how you feel and what your thoughts are of the product

Toodles <3

Weekly Blog Post!

Hey Everyone,

Starting next month ill be posting weekly on my blog. This will give you guys an idea of what to expect every week so that my posts can be more consistant. Let me know what kind of posts you would like to see more so that I can come up with some kind of schedule.

A lot of people have been asking me about certain products that I have not tried so ill try to do posts on products that I have not already used and try them out so I can let you know what I think (Love it or Leave it).

I also want to expand my blog from just makeup onto hair aswell. Ive been continously practicing and learning from professionals and will be posting about hair products, treatments + hairstyles aswell.

Lastly whats the post for this week? Nails! I love doing nails. Ive been trying to come up with creative nail designs so the last week of every month ill be posting a blog post to do with nails. Ive been trying out a lot of different polishes, designs, and treatments that I would love to share with you all. Keep in mind I will keep the designs as easy as possible so that you guys can easily emulate them aswell. (mostly stripes, dots, and easy large shapes)

I hope you enjoy the pictures below of my funky nail design. I rocked this on eid with my colourful outfit.

October is very special!

Hey everyone,

First and foremost, sorry for missing in action. Ive been seriously busy with moving, getting married, working, and juggling clients in the midst of all of this. However I wanted to share a few pictures of my wedding day. This day was beyond amazing that it would take me forever to describe in a single blog post so I will just be very brief. It was really hectic and chaotic but I would never change it for the world. I love every minute of it and am so thankful for lovely family and friends that made it possible. A lot of people that day asked me "Did you get yourself ready?" and the answer is Yes! I did in fact get myself ready. This was a long process but I was beyond satisfied with the outcome and I hope you guys are as well.

On a side note, October is breast cancer awareness month. Loosing a close family friend to breast cancer was something that I will never forget. Watching this courageous women struggle through treatment but still remain strong and happy, it was something I can not even begin to describe. For every blog view/comment that I get I will match that number and donate the money to breast cancer research.
http://www.cancer.ca/ Ive provided a link where you can find more information/stories/facts about breast cancer and how to help!

Another reason why October is soooooo special is.............its my Birthday month. My birthday is just in a few days so in order to celebrate ill be doing a huge contest with a goodiebag worth over  $150. Ill have more information about the contest towards the end of the month but until then, Enjoy the pictures! To see more pictures visit my facebook page.

Wing it up!

Hey Everyone,

Long time no post I know, for that I do apologize! Ive just been really busy with work and thanks to all for your support I have been busy with clients! But I'm not complaining I love every minute of it. My blog has over 3100 hits, and I can NOT thank you guys enough for everyone who stops by. Ive been meaning to do a blog post of winged eyeliner for a while but never got enough time to work on it, thanks to the long weekend that just past I managed to squeeze in some time and compose this for you guys with a few handy tips and tricks, Hope you enjoy! :)

Tip 1: The Brush

This tip is really tricky depending no what you are used to using some people are better with a fine haired brush some people with a felt tip some people like to use a totally separate brush like an angled one but it really depends on what your hand is comfortable with which can only be determined with trial and error! (depending on how it turns out, lets just not leave the house after that session :P)

Tip 2: The Product

There are TONNES of eyeliner products from pencils, brushes, markers, gel, glitter, water activated, and even a wet eyeshadow will do but it all depends again on what suits your eye lids and what your comfortable using. *WARNING* your eyelids are VERY VERY delicate and sensitive so make sure you try your product on your hand to see if it tingles or not and even get a professional to recommend something that is good for sensitive eyes id try something like Tarte or Clinique they are awesome all natural eyeliners that don't burn!

Tip 3: NO PULLING!

Its natural to pull and tug on the top of your eyelids to get a straight line but its the biggest mistake people do when applying eyeliner. Its damaging to the lid and can cause premature wrinkles and crows feet...yikes!
Try taking a mirror and placing it below your face sort of below your nose and look downward then try applying your eyeliner. Another tip use really small strokes instead of a one swipe shot, it'll opt for less of a mess up! Another trick is to rest your pinkie on your upper cheek to help give your hand stability

That's all for my tricks and tips on eyeliner! Enjoy the pictures a lot of work went into creating them :) Feel free to leave comments and suggestions on what you guys want to see next on my facebook page and stayed tuned for a HUGE contest I'm planning for the end of August worth over $100!

Feelin Kind of Blue

Hey Everyone

I had a request to do some looks that were smokey! So I thought that I would do a smokey blue look since its my favourite colour and matched my outfit :) so here are a few tips about doing a smokey look

1. You don't have to use black! what I did in the pictures below is use 3 different shades of blue. I used a dark navy, light blue and then a even lighter blue to blend the crease and ofcourse the electric blue eyeliner on top. Sometimes black can be a little overwhelming however if you want to pump the look up and be more dramatic a little bit of black will do the trick just make sure you tap your brush so its only a tiny amount. To keep with the smokiness blend your black eyeliner on the bottom lashline a littler thicker for a more cohesive look and then add the dark blue on top to set it from smudging

2. Smokey eyes with a more toned down lip looks much more nicer. From personal experience on me and on clients, having a less bold lip with a smokey eye really plays up the eyes and looks a lot more classic, and then just top off with a nice lipgloss

3. Up the amp on the mascara or use false lashes! Since you are using a lot of dark colours and doing heavy blending your lashes may get lost so pull out your darkest black mascara and give yourself a good couple coats and if need be throw on some dramatic lashes to complete the look

So here are a few pictures of my smokey blue eyes and if you guys have any requests for a specific colour in mind please leave a comment below and ill do a whole series of smokey eyes with whatever colours you guys want! thanks so much for the support, Much love <3

A Night Out!

Hey Everyone,

I took a few pictures before going out with a couple friends day before yesterday, Ive been getting told to try wrapping my hijaab differently hope you guys like my attempt (nothing really different just a headband) and my very vibrant makeup. Its really tricky trying to mix colours that are NOT in the same colour category but just make sure you blend properlly and go over the harsh lines and the rest is history! Enjoy ;) and with that I leave with you a quote

"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it." 

~Pablo Picasso

DIY: So Clutch!

Hey Guys,

I was really bored a few days ago so I decided to clean up my jewellery drawer (don't judge its fun for me :D ), Anyways I had a wicked idea and I thought I would share it with you guys,

What you will need: A flat screw driver, hot glue gun, pliers, and a sephora bag or any type of string/ribbon you have in the house! (you only need the handles that you use to hold the sephora bag up), and old bracelet + necklace and a clutch

 I bought this bracelet set from forever21for like $4.50 a while back and everytime I wore the bunch there was one bracelet that would ALWAYS get caught on to my hijaab and my clothing and rip the threads out!

(Exibit A: on the bottom! it would always twist over on itsself and was SO ANNOYING!)



So I pulled back the ends that were holding the gems in with a screwdriver and kept all the gems and threw the metal bracelet away (be careful its kind of dangerous with the left over spikes that stick out) I also had a necklace with two leaves that fell off (I used the pliers to straighten them out to lay flat on the clutch to make it easier to glue down)

Just lay the design first on the clutch and hot glue everything down, the black string is from the sephora bag (trust me I used whatever I had laying around) and now that pastels are in this season I can actually rock this clutch with my outfits!

I hope you enjoyed this blog post! and good luck, happy cleaning and decorating ;)



Tips and Tricks: Mascara 101

Hey Everyone,

I get asked all the time what mascara do I use, how are your lashes so long, are your lashes fake?! Well here's the thing my natural lashes are pretty decent sized but...there are few tricks that I learnt that play up my lashes really well and ill explain them all in this blog post.

Tip 1: Formulation 

You need to find the right mascara formula that works best for your lashes. This is all through trial and error trust me Ive had my fair share of mascara's from high and low ends!

Voila! my handful of mascaras! If your lashes are really stick straight and not too long, go with a formula that isn't too wet because that will weigh them down more (choose something in the middle like the Buxom Mascaras found at sephora) just make sure you curl your lashes with a lash curler first at add some lift!

These type of brushes (pics below) are really really good for separation and volume at the same time! the one below is a wonderful light formulation doesn't leave your lashes heavy and awesome for everyday.

 The buxom mascara below is a tiny bit more on the wet side but its really really black and dramatic!

 On the other hand in your eye lashes are really sparse and thin choose a THICKER formula but separating at the same time (try the Covergirl Lashblast for separation and thickness or Loreal Voluminous below which is my favourite all time for a lot of volume but its not really separating so you might need to get a mascara wand and comb through your lashes with it after which is what I do I always end up using two mascaras for the best results even on clients)

Tip 2: The right wand

If you find a formula that works but not the right wand do what I do and double up I start with my Buxom lash mascara (2nd picture in this blog post) make sure my lashes are coated and separated and then add Loreal voluminous on top for a fuller effect and if I'm going out then ill use the smaller buxom mascara for a more dark dramatic look) that has a more compact wand and disposes MORE product. Try to use a smaller wand if you have harder to work with lashes it'll save you from have mascara spots all over your eye lids which can ruin your eyeshadow aswell. Another thing to remember is that small wands are wonderful for the lower lash line like the two pictures below of the Bare minerals mascara and the Rimmel Lash Max (these brushes will coat ALL the little lashes on your lower lashline giving a more cleaner and separated look)

Tip 3: Curl!

Always use an eyelash curler even if you think "yea right my lashes wont curl"..... just curl them! Try to curl at the base of the lashline 2 pumps and then move the curler up a tiny bit to the middle of your lashes and curl once more. This will ensure a smooth curl.

That's all for the mascara tips that I have so far. Let me know what you guys think and if this helps! and comment if you want more posts on mascara reviews or lash care posts (Ive been testing out a few things) until then, Take care :)

Bridal Photoshoot Part 2 with Saher S.

Hey everyone,

I absolutely could not wait to post these pictures I was up all night and then off to work early today but I just had to give you guys a sneak peek at the bridal session that I had with Saher! Saher has a really nice skin tone and she has large eye lid space so it was a lot of fun to work with her. I went more traditional with Saher and stayed with the maroons/reds and golden to play up her outfit and jewellery. I will be posting a lot more pictures on my facebook page tonight but until then enjoy!

Bridal Photoshoot Part 1 with Maham S.

Hey Everyone,

Last weekend was all about brides! I had a lovely time working with my gorgeous models Maham and Saher. Here is a preview of some of my shots from Maham's photo session, Maham has really nice soft features which were really easy to play up with some contouring on the cheeks and a cut crease eyeshadow style that always photograph wonderfully. I will post more pictures on my facebook page later on today until then enjoy! Thanks a bunch to the whole crew who made this photo shoot possible <3