#this is my first time using primer and foundation that matches my skin holy shit

[bassforte]

Yooooo I have never tried on this kind of make up before and I am living holy shit

[ugh-supersoldiers]

Holy bananas you are gorgeous! Eyebrows on point, hair color is bangin’, lashes lookin’ luscious. What’s your makeup routine?! It looks amazing! 💄✨

OMG thank you!!! Well my makeup routine is constantly changing but I will let you in on my everyday stuff down below. It’s hella basic tbh but I will list it below the cute for ya since you’re actually not the first person to ask:

GRACEY’S ERRRRYDAY MAKEUP ROUTINE:

- |I always start with moisturizer (I personally use Nivea daily essentials moisture boost because my skin in like the sahara) then let that sink in for a few minutes

- then I prime my skin with Smashbox photofinish primer (I don’t wear foundation but I find this helps make my concealer and blush look super even)

- next I fill my brows. I have pretty thick brows naturally but they’re pretty fair and patchy so I really like using the Nyx fill&fluff pomade brow pencil (this is nicer for anyone with unruly brows as it has a bit of a waxy formula that helps to keep your brows laid down)

- I then use a brow gel on top, to keep that shit locked down for the day (which I usually just make myself by mixing colourless hair pomade and a prefered shade of pigment, eyeshadow works fine.)

- next I go in with concealer, which I typically fluxuate between Fenty’s match stix matte skinstick in shade Bamboo, or L’oreal’s infallible concealer in shade cashmere when I’m broke (I heart university tuition) which I blend out with a Beautyblender or a beauty sponge from Quo (which honestly work just as well and are way less expensive)

- I’m super big on the over-blushing trend right now! I personally really like Marcelle’s velvety blush in shade soft coral, which I apply with my Morphe M405 brush. 

- I also love highlighter more than anything. I have too many, but I think in the pic that I just posted I’m wearing the Killawatt freestyle highlighter by Fenty beauty in shade lightning dust/fire crystal. Another massive fav of mine is legit any shade from the Tarte rainforest of the sea III palette. That shit is DOPE.

- I broze/contour maybe half of the time, but if I do I either use the Tarte amazonian clay bronzer, or a shade (called Tirimisu I think) from the clay play vol. II eye and cheek palette from Tarte.

- I have eyelash extensions on right now so I don’t wear mascara, but in the past I loved either the Too Faced better than sex mascara, or L’oreal’s lash paradise mascara (which is basically just a dupe for the better than sex one)

- And as always, you gotta set that shit. Now my lash extensions limit me from using anything with oil so I prefer the Urban Decay de-slick oil control setting spray. But prior to the lashes, I really enjoyed the Morphe x Jeffree Star setting spray (I’m not 100% certain if it’s oil free so I stopped using it)

Phew okay I think that’s everything? I typically don’t wear eyeshadow unless I’m going out or something but if I do I LOVE the Morphe 39S palette. It’s got a lot of really pretty soft pinks and purples as well as a nice assortment of neutral browns which I find really compliment my eye colour :)

[skinkcare-blog]

90 Questions, Beauty Edition

Helloooo, I’m starting to jumpstart my blog here. I really miss it, and a few encouraging people from my school have told me to start blogging and posting about what I love which is skincare and makeup. I saw two tags on tumblr and decided to form this 90-question tag. You’re free to take this if you want it, but I’d love to see your own answers!

1. Do you remember your first makeup item?

My first makeup item was most likely a cheap kohl liner that costed me like 20 pesos or something. Bands like Panic! at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, Greenday, etc. were really famous when I was in elementary school and my best friends started getting into putting heavy black eyeliner... of course, I had to follow!

2. Describe your perfect mascara?

I’ve got straight-ass baby lashes, and I think I’ve found my holy grail: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir mascara! It’s really good and doesn’t smudge on me. The first time I put it on I was aoskdfasdfjhaeuirjhj!!!!!! WOW!!1 Are those really MY lashes! Wow! I put it right before my law school finals and was really happy the whole time because I felt so stinking’ cute with my lashes, lol.

3. What kind of coverage do you prefer from foundation?

Full-ass coverage to hide my imperfections. But that’s usually uncomfortable, so when I just have school or stuff, I do like light coverage.

4. Favorite high-end makeup and skincare brands?

For makeup, I have a favorite brand for each item like eyeshadow, lipstick, etc. It’s hard to choose. But I freakin’ love everything that Anastasia Beverly Hills releases. For skincare, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Herbivore Botanicals. Everything seems to work for me and my collection of theirs is growing.

5. What cosmetic and skincare brands have you always wanted to try but still haven’t?

Boscia. Vinter’s Daughter. Sunday Riley (I keep canceling my orders because I just can’t justify the price tags. Ugh). Laneige. Indie Lee. Chanel. Giorgio Armani. Guerlain. High-end stuff my broke ass can’t ever afford, lmao.

6. Favorite drugstore brand?

Maybe L’Oreal. I love their clay masks and the Miss Manga mascara too much.

7. Do you wear fake lashes?

Yes! But they’re such a hassle, so only when I’m going to some party (or when I’m taking selfies lol)

8. Is there any kind of makeup you can’t leave the house without?

I would say lipstick, but the brows really make the face and these days I really can’t leave the house without putting on some dip brow. :( Kilay is life.

9. What is your most cherished beauty product?

I’ve got a lot since I’m finally, finally (after 120312932 trials and errors) finding my own holy grails, but it’s probably Glossier Cloud Paint in Haze. Started my whole “drunken blush” thing going on lately. It also lasts forever even on my oily skin. I put it on in the morning once, and when I went home my mom asked me “why are you so red? are you drunk?” And I just. Yassss.

10. How often do you shop for beauty products?

Too often for someone who’s kind of dirt poor and in law school, tbh. I pick up one or two items every week or two.  But again, as I’m discovering my HGs, I’m trying to cut down on my impulsive buying. (It’s hard.)

11. Do you have a “beauty budget” or do you spend freely?

As long as my parents are in a good mood I spend freely... just not excessively! 

12. Do you utilize coupons, reward cards and sales when you shop for products?

Of course, I try to. But sometimes I can’t wait to get my hands on a product so I just pick it up already!

13. What type of product do you buy the most of?

Lipsticks. I’ve got way too many. (70-something.)

14. Do you avoid certain ingredients in cosmetics and skincare?

Avoid parabens! And sulfates! And weird things like bird poop and horse fat! (I know right?)

15. Do you have a favorite place to shop for makeup?

Yes! Russian’s The Beauty Source in Makati! Super friendly people there. The sad thing is though, it’s all high-end. I mean I do tend to buy high-end stuff but things like La Mer are... phew. Never in a million years.

16. Do you like trying new skincare products or do you stick to a routine?

I love trying new skincare products because my skin is so problematic and I’m always trying to find things that’d work for me. 

17. Favorite bath and body brand?

I like The Body Shop, but my favorite scents are from Bath and Body Works.

18. Are you clumsy applying makeup?

I’m clumsy in general. So!

19. What do you apply first, concealer or foundation?

Foundatiooon. Duh.

20. What do you love about makeup?

It’s therapeautic for me, I found out. Like it makes me feel happy and calm whenever I do my makeup. Or even just do a swatch party.

21. Lipstick, Gloss, Lip Stain, Balm, or Lip Liner? 

I just discovered Peripera’s Ink Velvet tints, and though they’re a bit drying I love them. So I’ll go with those since they’re the only ones that stay on after I eat and stuff, lol.

22. How do you make your Lipstick / Lip Gloss last longer? 

I use lip liner, usually. And to make them last extra long you gotta stop licking your lips!  23. How do you pick a Lip Color that looks good on your skin color? 

I tend to not go for super light shades because those wash me out and just don’t look good at all on my skintone.  24. What are some cheap ways to take care of chapped lips? Good ‘ol lip butter and some sugar scrub. Or vaseline.

25. Favorite drugstore lip product? EOS lip balms are nice.

26. Favorite brand name lip product? Kylie Cosmetics (for liquid lipsticks and lip liners), Fenty Beauty (for dat mf gloss bomb!), Peripera (tints)! 27. Do you usually play up or play down your lips? Play down. I love MLBB shades. 28. Eyeliner in Pencil, Gel, or Liquid? Liquid. B-) 

29. How do you do a cat eye? 

I just... wing it! Honestly. I’ve been putting on fancy eyeliner since I was like 13 so I’ve got the hang of it now. (Still mess up sometimes tho. Blame the shaky hand.) 30. What do you use to remove eye makeup and mascara? Right now I either use Pixi double cleanse, Skininc coconut cleanser water, and Maybelline oil-based makeup remover. The Pixi one works the best but kind of stings my eyes. 31. How do you make your eye makeup last longer? Good eyelid primer! Setting powder!  32. Cream or Powder eye shadow? Powder since I have yet to try any cream eyeshadows. I tried using Glossier’s cloud paint in Dusk on my eyelids once... it was a weird, sticky mess. #nope 33. What tricks can you do to make your eyelashes look longer? If you’ve got baby lashes like me (who am I kidding, even babies have longer lashes than me), just use false lashes lol. 34. How do you brighten up your eyes? 

Glitter eyeshadow, inner corner highlight, concealer, nude kohl liner and black as FUCK mascara. Yes.  35. What color(s) go with your eyes? 

Warm shades. 36. Favorite drugstore eyeliner? 

I don’t use drugstore eyeliner!  37. Favorite drugstore eyeshadow? 

I also don’t use drugstore eyeshadow. I’m picky as hell. 38. Favorite drugstore mascara? 

L’Oreal Miss Manga voluminous mascara forever. 39. Favorite drugstore eye pallette? Eh, pass.

40. Favorite brand name eyeliner? K-Palette eyeliner! Asia represent!

41. Favorite brand name eyeshadow? Anastasia Beverly Hills for powder eyeshadow, Stila (Magnificent Metals Glitter and Glow!) for liquid eyeshadow. 42. Favorite brand name mascara? 

Marc Jacobs’ velvet noir saved my life. 43. Favorite brand name palette? 

Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour palette helped me lose like 10 pounds. 45. If you can only use one eye makeup product, what would it be? 

Mascara, okay. 46. What is the difference between an eye primer and an eye base? 

Imo eye primers are more of like the “glue” that holds everything together and an eye base is what goes over the primer as like. The base color. Makes everything bolder, brighter and last longer. 47. Any tips on applying falsies? 

Pray. 48. Favorite brand of falsies? 

I really love Lilly Lashes but they’re mad expensive (like $30). 49. How do you pick your shade of foundation? Whatever says medium lmao I go with that. I’m shit at picking foundation and concealer shades but I’m usually like a pure beige/medium/warm beige/nude warm vanilla things like that. Yellowy. 50. What's a good foundation for oily skin? 

ESTEE LAUDER DOUBLEWEAR FOUNDATION SAVED MY OILY ASS SKIN. 51. What's a good foundation for dry skin? I’m not sure.

52. What's a good foundation for normal skin? 

Probably the Fenty Beauty foundation and every other foundation in the world, you lucky ducks. 53. How do you pick a foundation for your skin color? You pick one blindly and hope it’s a match. Hehe. 54. Tinted Moisturizer, BB Cream, or Foundation? Foundation. I love tinted moisturizers in theory but they don't work for me (for some reason the NARS one stings?) and BB creams are TOO white for me. 55. What is a BB Cream? Blemish Balm cream. Also known as the culprit for my ghastly white face in old pictures. Boo.

56. What do you use to apply your Foundation? Either a beauty blender or a foundation brush by Artis, BH Cosmetics or Real Techniques.

57. How can I make my nose look slimmer or straighter? 

Contour, boo. 58. Cream, Powder, or Liquid Blush? 

LIQUID BLUSH CHANGED THE GAME FOR ME. 59. Favorite foundation? 

Estee Lauder doublewear. 

60. Favorite concealer? The Tarte Shaptape is real good imo. Not sure if it’s holy grail material but it’s good for what it’s worth. 61. How do you conceal a pimple? I fail at that.

62. How do you conceal dark circles? 

First you gotta color correct (I use the LA Girl pro concealer in the orange shade) and then you put on the concealer. Use a beauty blender to blend the orange color corrector first then the concealer.  63. How do you get rid of or lessen dark circles? 

If you know the answer to this that doesn’t involve water or sleeping early, please hmu. 64. What is your daily skin care routine? Morning: wash face with my The Face Shop Dr. Belmeur foaming cleanser, tone with witch hazel, put on vitamin c suspension (The Ordinary), then Hyaluronic Acid (also The Ordinary).

Night: remove makeup with the Pixi double cleanse, cleanse with The Face Shop ^ cleanser again, use a mask, tone, put caffeine solution (The Ordinary) under eyes, put hyaluronic acid, then rosehip oil (The Ordinary).

65. What is your weekly skin care routine? 

Theta’s it. I use masks like Herbivore’s Blue Tansy as often as needed and advised. 66. How do you prep your face for makeup? 

PRAYER.  67. How do you take off your makeup? 

Double Cleanse, wipes, and Micellar Water (Garnier). 68. What are some DIY face masks? 

Honey + avocado + apple cider + oats.  69. Where can you buy face masks? 

I usually purchase mine from The Face Shop, Herbivore Botanicals, L’Oreal and just korean brands. 70. What facial moisturizer do you recommend? 

I don’t know. I want to try the Fresh Seaberry oil though. 71. How can I get rid of or shrink my big pores? THAT IS MY CURRENT PROBLEM. :( 72. How do you highlight your face? 

I use a good high-end highlighter (my favorite one is from OFRA), wet my brush using MAC Fix+ after dipping it into the highlighter, and bam. Cheekbones, nose bridge, tip of the nose and cupid’s bow. 73. How do you contour your face? 

I use either Kat Von D’s contour palette, or Too Faced’s milk chocolate soleil. 74. How often should you clean your makeup brushes? Depends on how much I use ‘em.

75. How do you clean your makeup brushes? I either use some soap + olive oil or the Daiso or Beauty Blender cleansers. 76. What are some inexpensive makeup brushes? BH Cosmetics’ are really nice!

77. Do you prefer matte or shimmer eyeshadows? I used to love matte shadows but now I super love shimmer shadow. 78. Do you prefer matte or dewy skin? Can I have dewy skin that doesn’t look oily, please.

79. Do you prefer matte or shiny lipstick / lipgloss? Matte because it lasts longer. 80. When did you start wearing makeup? Officially started getting really into it when I was like 13. 81. Who taught you to put on makeup? Myself. 82. What is your favorite brand of makeup? Already answered this!

83. What product do you never leave home without? I always have lipstick in my bag, powder be damned.  84. If you only had $50 dollars for makeup and skincare, what would you buy? I’d buy all the shit I have in my Althea cart (all skincare)! 85. Who is your favorite beauty guru on youtube? BRETMAN ROCK. Does he count? 86. How long do you take to get ready in the morning? Like half the day.  87. What online makeup store is your favorite? Sephora! 88. Who are your favorite beauty blogs on tumblr? Temptalia. Does that count? 89. How long should you keep a product? Until it ain’t spoiled, lmao. 

90. What product are you hoping to buy next?

Honestly, I really want the Fresh seaberry oil and I’m waiting for it to be in stock again. 

[sweetnestor]

Story of Another Us | Week 8

university au, platonic af, now on ao3!

previous chapter | masterlist

Drowning beside you

“Wrote it down on the wall, she was screaming it out, Made it clear, she’s still here, are you listening now? Just a ghost in the halls, feeling empty, they’re vacant now…”

It was hard having to hear this song, much less sing it. But that was all I could do. It was one of the few songs that really captured exactly how I felt when it came to my relatives. I wasn’t singing it because I was going to post it on my channel, either. I was just trying to get out the bad feelings, but the more I sang it, the more I wanted to wallow.

“Hey Mom, hey Dad, when did this end? When did you lose your happiness? I’m here alone inside of this broken home…”

Sharing something so personal took its toll. I was crying on and off the days following when I uploaded that video. It felt like all these wounds had reopened and the bleeding would never stop. This was why I didn’t like talking about it. It just felt like all the pain was endless. I was thinking about how I felt when I was sixteen and suicidal, when I was twenty one and teetering on the edge. I could still feel my parents’ harsh words like it was yesterday. So I kept singing.

Externally, though, I tried to remain normal. I tweeted random crap, posted my MOTDs on Instagram, and played around with Snapchat filters like nothing was wrong. I still attended classes, usually after a small push from Mark or Jack. But everything felt weird. I felt incredibly vulnerable in front of them now. I mean, Mark knew about my family situation, but he didn’t know that I was suicidal for a period of time. Obviously, Jack didn’t know either, yet he was the first person I told. I wasn’t sure why that was.

A knock on my door interrupted my sad singing. Before I could even grant access, Jack walked in.

“You’ve had that song on repeat for a while,” he told me. “Are you sure you want to keep torturing yourself like this?”

I looked down at my keyboard and shrugged.

Jack approached me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “You need to get out of your room, okay? Can we do that?”

I nodded lightly and got up. He was easy to listen to. Despite how loud and vulgar he was on camera, he was very gentle when he needed to be.

“Good, now give me a hug,” he said, opening his arms.

I obliged and wrapped my arms around his middle. He really did give good hugs.

“You’re not there anymore, Bella,” he told me, rubbing my back. “You never have to be in that place again.”

God, he was going to make me cry again. I took a deep breath, choosing not to respond to his words.

“Let’s do something fun!” he suggested when we parted. “You wanna do your makeup?”

I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. That’s when you know something is wrong. Makeup was my happy place, and I didn’t even want anything to do with it in this state of mind.

“You wanna do my makeup?” he asked without missing a beat.

It sounded exhausting, having to pick up brushes, putting things on his face. Exhausting, but interesting. I had a somewhat thoughtful look on my face, and that was enough for Jack. He dragged me over to the bathroom and stood me in front of the counter where all my makeup was.

“Make me look beautiful! I want the cat eyes and the, the contour!” he said, sounding very much like his online self.

I gave a small smile, but wordlessly began to look through my products. I was opening up different palettes, looking through foundations, and picking out my cleanest brushes. I kept looking at Jack’s face, trying to imagine different eye looks on him.

“Your hair is green, but your eyes are blue,” I said in thought.

“Is that bad?” he asked in response.

“Some people might say it’ll make a lot of colors clash,” I told him. “But I’ll just use whatever the fuck I have.”

I grabbed an eyeshadow primer and one of my Too Faced palettes. I hadn’t done another person’s makeup since I stopped booking clients. I actually liked the feeling, It came almost naturally. I appreciated that Jack was letting me do this.

“Why do you always start with the eyes?” he asked as I sweeped neutral shades over his lids.

“It makes cleaning up fallout a lot easier,” I replied. “So you don’t ruin any foundation or concealer under your eyes.”

Speaking of, it was a challenge to find a perfect match for Jack. I was darker than him, so many foundations in my collection didn’t match his skin tone. Too pink, too dark, too warm! Eventually I decided to just dot one of my concealers all over his face and blended it in.

“So why do you have to have a lighter concealer?” he asked. He was full of questions.

“To look more awake. You can also use it to highlight different features of your face.”

“And now you have to find something even lighter to highlight me?”

I sighed. “Yup.”

I took my time on his face. The warm colors I used really accentuated his blue eyes, and I grew slightly envious of his long eyelashes. Due to that, and the fact that his eyes were ridiculously sensitive, I had to skip out on false lashes. Then, I added bronzer, blush, and highlighter to his face, making his cheeks stand out and chiseling out his features.

“Can you make something of those caterpillars?” he asked when it came to doing his eyebrows.

Are you questioning my skills?” I asked in response.

“No, never! You’re the master here!”

It wasn’t the easiest task, but I did it. Wish I could say that about my anxiety.

I finished off the look with a dark berry lip. It was a little bizarre to see Jack with a full face of makeup, but he looked incredible, and I was very satisfied with the result.

“Whoa!” he exclaimed when he looked in the mirror. His mouth was open in shock, and he was moving his head around so different parts of his face caught the light. “This is so weird…”

“Does it look good, though?” I asked.

“Of course! I’ve never looked better!” he said, posing dramatically, pouting his lips as he looked at his reflection. Then he went off to take a bunch of selfies.

I wasn’t sure if he let me use his face as a distraction or if he genuinely liked what I did. Either way, it got my creative juices flowing, and I really wanted to film a bunch of videos at once. I took out my phone and jotted down some ideas in my notes, hoping that this sudden spark of creativity would last long enough.

“Hey, do you wanna help me make a video sometime?” I asked as I followed his path out to the living room.

“We could do it now, if you want,” he replied as he snapped more photos of himself.

“I’d like to now, but I don’t have the proper materials.” I leaned against the doorway, still looking down at my phone. I hit the home button and was brought back to my main screen. My wallpaper was a picture of Perrie Edwards, and it suddenly rang a bell in my head.

Jack and I were at The Tube, tipsy and giggly as ever. I remembered us bouncing simultaneously in our seats to the music playing. I knew it was a Little Mix song, I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Hey, do you remember what song was playing at The Tube that one time?” I asked. “Do you remember at all how it went?”

“He was just a dick and I knew it!” Jack sang without missing a beat.

“Hair!” I exclaimed, finally clicking with it. “I remember! Mark fucking hates that song!”

“Yeah, you were telling me about it until he picked us up!”

I giggled but suddenly froze when we heard a knock on the door. However, I inhaled deeply and turned on my heel to go answer it. This was something I didn’t typically do. If I got a package in the mail, I waited until the mailman was gone. If it was any friend or acquaintance, or even Mark, they would have to text me when they’re at the door. But I just opened the door with very little hesitation. Luckily, it was Mark, Matt, and Ryan. They each were carrying a rather large box with three different cosmetic brand names on them.

“You answered the door!” Mark pointed out, sounding pleasantly surprised.

“I know right!” I replied.

“You got some packages sent to my house,” he explained, holding up the box he was holding. “Thought that would boost your morale, so we brought them over. And there’s more in the car.”

I moved to the side so the three of them could enter. They went to the living room and placed the boxes on the coffee table. Jack was standing in front of the sliding door, and he dramatically turned to face the boys, placing his hands on his hips.

“Hi boys!” he greeted flamboyantly.

“Holy shit, what happened to you?” Matt asked him in shock.

“What did you do?” Mark asked me.

“I was sad, so he let me put makeup on him,” I replied simply.

“And now I look beautiful!” Jack exclaimed as Ryan said “Gay!” over him.

I resisted rolling my eyes as he went to get the rest of the boxes. Then I sat down on the couch and gazed at the ones on the table. High end companies knew who I was? How?

“Why did they send these?” I wondered, completely blown away.

“‘Cause you’re great,” Mark said as he sat down next to me.

Again, I resisted rolling my eyes as I opened up the first bright pink box. There were several eyebrow pencils and gels in pretty silver packaging. The next box was black and inside were several shades of foundation and concealer, which was perfect for one of my video ideas. The last box was white and had an assortment of liquid lipsticks, eyeliners, and eyeshadows. I kept my excited squealing to a minimum so as to not seem ridiculous in front of the guys.

“I have no idea where to start,” I said, “but I’m gonna need volunteers.”

“Nope!” Matt quickly snapped as he dashed into the kitchen.

“He’s going first,” Mark reassured.

Needless to say, I felt better once I was surrounded by makeup and my boyfriend. I was happy that Jack was happy with his new look, and even more that he posted about it on Instagram. I even snagged my own photos of him and explained the details on my profile.

That pretty much marked the end of my little depressive episode. I explained it all to my therapist, and she continued to help me with coping. I was still a loner, having only Jack as my one true friend besides Mark. I was just learning to be okay with it. As long as you have one friend, you should be okay. As long as I had those two guys in my life, I felt like I had a shot at being okay again. I was hoping that I could get through this.

Hoping. I had hoped...

______

next chapter