Quick & Easy: Failproof Liquid Liner Trick

Even though I'm a visual artist, I do not have steady hands. My fine motor skills can be terrible at times so I can't do crafts or handy work for the life of me. Case in point, after I eat, the only clean area is basically where the plate used to be. Once, in eight grade metal shop, I dropped the acetylene torch and burned off the back of my shoe. I'm just generally clumsy. So my point is, if I can use liquid liner...then anyone can.

Watch the vid below for some tricks and tips that make lining your eyes far less intimidating. Before getting it perfect, you will need to take some time familiarizing yourself with the shape of your eye. One way to practice that is to take an angled brush and use wet or dry eyeshadow to line your lids until you get the hang of your eye contours. Then move onto liquid liner. At that point, my suggestion is to first start with a felt tip liner like the one I'm using from Revlon. It feels more like a pen, so it's a good transitional tool before venturing into brush tip territory.

::WATCH THE VIDEO::

Holy Grail Eyeliner: MAC FLUIDLINE GEL LINER

Now that summer is fast approaching, it's time for some makeup and style tips that will hold up against the heat. Owning a waterproof eyeliner that won't smudge under the sun or at the beach is a great start.

::MAC Fluidline Gel Liner in "Blacktrack"::

::THE HYPE::

You may already be familiar with MAC's popular Fluidline gel liner. But I had no idea how smudgeproof it is. Waterproof liners (pencil, gel, liquid) I'd been using till now would hold up all right...in varying degrees. But after an entire day out or a night of sweating at a club, each one would inevitably fade unattractively, crease into my eyeshadow, or melt into a set of dreaded raccoon eyes.

In contrast, MAC's Fluidline gel liners do not budge. You can even line your waterline with it and after it dries, it will remain intact. Not only do I have oily lids but I tend to sweat a lot in general, so if it works for me, it will definitely work for you.

Check this out. I brushed a little Fluidline onto the back of my hand.

I let it set for a second and then ran it under a constant stream of warm water for about 10 seconds.

The results? Absolutely NO change. Despite being saturated with water, the liner required a lot of rubbing for it to fade. Even so, I had to use makeup remover to wipe it off completely. (Note that this liner comes off very easily with makeup remover, so fear not its removal).

::HOW TO APPLY:

Super easy! Use any angled or pointed liner brush, dip it lightly into the product, and scrape off any excess. The liner is extremely smooth and glides very easily onto your lid so the steady hands of a surgeon is absolutely not a requirement. I also like its smooth texture because it won't tug on your lids and create premature sagging or wrinkles.

Use any of these liner brushes (bent pointed, stiff angled, stiff flat) depending on what works for you.

TIP: Just remember to cap the liner immediately after you're done to avoid drying it out.


::PURE MAGIC FOR CONTACT LENS WEARERS::

If you're like me and wear contacts, at some point in time you've gotten liner on your contacts halfway through your makeup application and had to rinse and replace them in your eye mid-application. (I'm blind without my contacts so I have no choice but to put my lenses back in before finishing my eye makeup). If this is you, then you'll also know that because you've rinsed out your contact, your eye becomes really wet. At this point, even a waterproof liner can end up smudging once you replace your lens, ruining all your hard work. With Fluidline, I've literally replaced a soggy lens THREE TIMES IN A ROW, and each time the liner stayed put as if it were freshly applied! This is really what makes it a holy grail product for me.

Revamping YouTube Site

Hi all! Just a quick note to let you know that I'm in process of deleting my old YouTube videos to avoid copyright-infringing audio or visuals. YouTube has gotten strict about copyright and "I don't want no trouble" (Jackie Chan voice). It sucks because some of the vids have gotten thousands of hits, but at least this way I can apply for YouTube partnership if I want.

I'm definitely planning to re-upload the more popular vids but for the most part I think I'll just film new footage now that I have an HD camera. :)

Outfit of the Day: Dolman Top

Hope everyone had a good weekend! If you celebrate Easter or had the long weekend off, hope it was a good one!

This outfit has nothing to do with Easter. It just happened to fall on Easter weekend when I finally began to feel better after a two-week sickness.  You know how little kids play "house"? Yeah, I never did that. Instead I played "animals" and "doctor" and sometimes "animal doctor" (surprise surprise). Anyway, so this time when I fell ill with the nastiest bug, I decided to play "American Health Care System". That's when you pretend you don't have universal health care so you can't really afford to see the doctor and you don't have insurance so you can't get prescription medication. So I didn't take any Western meds this time - only the vile Oil of Oregano and Chinese cough syrup.

Pei Pa Koa: Ancient Chinese medicine lol. "The formula originally created by Doctor Ip Tin-See, a physician for the Qing Dynasty." And this stuff WORKS.

Took forever but I still got better without the usual Big Pharm antibiotics, pure Medieval (or American? lol) style.

My point is that I finally felt better enough to do a bunch of social activities this weekend and film another OOTD video. Here are the pics!

My typical layered style with drapey Dolman/batwing top from Jean Machine, ruffled scarf from Forever 21, boots from Aldo, jacket from Bench. I love the Dolman style - it's so flattering! It hides any chunky spots (belly, chicken wing arms) and accentuates a sexy silhouette (shoulders, collarbone, waistline). Try it out if you haven't already! Jean Machine has been carrying a bunch of these styles lately. I have a zilion tops like this in various cuts and colours. They look perfect with skinny jeans or leggings. Or jeggings.

::WATCH THE VIDEO::

How to Travel in Style!

Rihanna, Rachel Bilson, Nicole Richie, Charlize Theron.

I read a post from The Fashion Spot today on how to emulate celeb style when travelling. I thought there were some great tips on how to prep your wardrobe so I'm sharing them with you.

*Content borrowed from The Fashion Spot

::LAYERS::
♥ Layers are always a great idea if your bod gets easily overheated or chilled like mine. It also adds a lot of interest to your look when you have different lengths peeking out. Travel-wise, layer up because there will be changes in temperatures whether it's on the plane or the car, or between Destinations A and B.

::PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE SEAT::
♥ If you're like me, you already do this going to public places, sitting on the bus, doctor's waiting rooms, etc. But cover up for sanitary reasons to reduce "skin-to-seat contact". Those seats have been sat on by god knows how many zillions of grody passengers.

::OVERSIZED BAG::
♥ A cute but large bag (could be an over-the-shoulder messenger bag) for snacks, books, cozy slippers while you're on the plane, and minimal touch-up makeup.

::COMFY WRINKLE-RESISTANT FABRICS::
♥ If you don't like to wear constricting jeans or dress pants on a long trip, I don't blame you. Try leggings (expandable elastic waistband!) and layers on top. Just be sure that what you're wearing is comfortable and won't wrinkle. Avoid jogging pants - too sloppy, and never wear linen - it will wrinkle.

::DARK COLOURS::
♥ There are several reasons for wearing a darker palette - it's slimming and looks chic, you can easily take your travel wear into street style territory with a funky scarf, accessories, and cute boots/shoes, and above all, if you or your seat-neighbour have any kind of accident en route (especially food-related), the stains or fallout won't show up as readily.

How to Find Your Personal Style

As you already know, Korean street styles is my ultimate inspiration. I definitely embody this particular look naturally, which may be why I'm attracted to it in the first place. But, chicken or egg is unimportant. I do know what I like and that's key when it comes to possessing a signature style. That being said, there was a time I wasn't sure about my personal style. So if that's your struggle, then I have some tips for you!

::Q: I DON'T KNOW MY PERSONAL STYLE/I'M STUCK IN A STYLE RUT::

If you're unsure about your own personal style, or want to find out what it is, try my trick: Save all the styles you see that you find attractive and that immediately draw your eye. Once you have a collection of about 10 - 20 pieces, look through them and you will start noticing some common features or key styles that the pics share. The rationale behind this is that it's near impossible to make the same comparison when you're glancing at random pics here and there, over time. But once you have a photo montage in front of you that you can sit down and carefully review, you will be able to visualize your preferred style almost instantaneously.

Conversely, when you don't know where to begin, it's equally important to examine what styles you absolutely abhor. Collect samples of pieces you find repulsive. Then take a closer look at exactly what you dislike about the style. This will help you filter out what doesn't work for you.

::Q: I LOVE A STYLE BUT I'M NOT SURE HOW TO EMULATE IT::

If there is already a style that inspires you but you're struggling to achieve it, I recommend doing visual research specifically on that style. YouTube and Google images of that particular style. Once your brain becomes saturated with the style in question, you will start to "think in that style". Not only will you start to understand what pieces are put together in which way to create the overall look, but you will train your brain to start doing the same when you pull outfits or go shopping.

Outfit of the Day: Relaxed Sunday Street Style

I'm a huge fan of street styles, particularly Korean. I think K-looks are always the perfect combo of edgy, cute, and cool so it's my inspiration for most of my outfits. Here's what I came up with for a casual Sunday dinner with friends.

Playing with different bags/clutches.

::WATCH THE VIDEO::