Weapons of Choice: Affordable Makeup Brushes + Where to get them

My favorite makeup brushes

 I believe that the tools we use to apply makeup on our faces are just as important as the makeup itself. I am a huge fan of makeup brushes. I have never tried the mainstream brands like Mac, Sigma, Zoeva, and Morphe to name a few. Fortunately, in the last several years, more affordable and accessible brands have made their way in the cosmetics scene here in the Philippines. Let me share some of my favorite brands and finds.

My Everyday Makeup Routine

     This is actually my first makeup tutorial post! Let me give you a back ground on my makeup "journey." When I was in high school, I always received makeup from my mom in the US. She would send me Maybelline and Covergirl mascaras and eyeliners, not that I knew how to put them on. It wasn't until my freshmen year in college that I started taking interest in wearing makeup. I had on simple makeup: powder foundation, mascara and blush. That was it! Then, my mom introduced me to Youtube beauty videos that I took more interest in the art and started learning simple techniques here and there. The first ever Youtube beauty guru I've ever watched was fafinettex3 or Aubrey, in real life, a Filipino beauty guru based in the US. Then I subscribed to the Fowler sisters, Elle and Blair (allthatglitters21 and juicystar07 respectively), Michelle Phan, Julie of julieg713, Kandee Johnson, the Pixiwoo sisters to name a few and I haven't looked back since. I am an official Youtube beauty channel fiend, watching a ton of tutorials everyday! I have subscribed to a ton of channels on Youtube all focused on beauty and fashion. Long story short, I have been influenced by this new form of media with regards to makeup. Watching on Youtube is like getting free makeup lessons from makeup artists with the likes of Lisa Eldridge without ever leaving the comforts of your own home.

     With that out of the way, here's my everyday makeup routine! I love to keep it simple and looking fresh and awake. My makeup routine has evolved ever since but I still keep it within my comfort zone, prefect for everyday.

  

Let's Talk About Hair.

Mi long hair.

  I'm not even going to make an excuse about my long absence. But I've decided to post a little something something. I was at a blogging forum awhile ago and I was reminded about my love for writing! Of course I am still in love with anything fashion and beauty related, but writing, boy, have I missed this. With that in mind, I've been going through changes in life lately. Got a new job AND the topic of this post, hair (style and color). What better way to keep up with change other than to just go along with it? If you know what I mean. I was going through a lot of changes the past few months, both positive and negative. I am at that point in my life where I feel soooo lost. I wouldn't go into details though because I don't want to attract negative vibes on here. This is my safe place. Here, I am who I want to become. One random day, a light bulb lit inside my head. I wanted to cut my hair short. It was the easiest change I could make in such difficult times. What came in mind was the "long bob" since I recently saw a post on Jennifer Lawrence's new do and a lot of other celebrities were rocking the said 'do. As much as I loved JLaw, I got inspiration from Julianne Hough instead. I just recently saw "Safe Haven" and loved her hair styling there. Her hair was really short in the film and I'm not THAT adventurous. Besides, my hair was a few inches above my derriere, and it was a sensitive subject. My hair was, after all, my comfort zone, my security blanket. So I went ahead and Googled long bob and came across this photo of Julianne:

Photo taken from Google Images

     Upon seeing this image, I immediately thought: "I'm so doing this!" I called to my sister and headed out to the nearest mall.

With my sister, before the fateful haircut

    

During the haircut. Look at the fear on my face. :))

 Et voila!

   
          Excuse the grainy photo. I was trying to capture a good photo of myself. I think I made myself proud. Haha! It took a bit of getting used to, but I was immediately in love with my shorter 'do! I can't remember the last time I had short hair. It's not that drastic, but I still think it's something different. :) Second on my list was hair color. My coloring was turning patchy. I do my own hair coloring. I always use Revlon Colorsilk. For this hair color, I had on "Light Ash Brown." I hated how it looked on photos, it was obvious I needed retouching.

Patchy, I tell you!

     I was at Watson's and decided to check out the color aisle. I was standing there for several minutes, even chatted with the sales attendant. I was staring at the wide array of hair coloring products that they were offering. I knew I wanted to go dark, for the meantime. But how dark? I've decided to go with Revlon Colorsilk in Dark Soft Brown. The turn out:

Before and after.

     There you go! I think it's closest to my natural hair color. I love it. :) What do you think? I believe always believe that when I want an immediate change in my life, I start with my hair. I'm weird like that. :)

Love lots,

Maple