L'oreal Press Kit

Photography by Lope Navo. Styling by Adrianne Concepcion. Make-up conceptualized by Jigs Mayuga. Model: Pauline Prieto

Tonic x Frou Frou

Last week, I was able to do a really fun video shoot. The video was used for Tonic (Shoes) and Frou Frou (clothing)'s fashion show. It was really really a great experience! Thank you to everyone who made this possible! I absolutely loved the outfits as well as the shoes. :)


The video teaser/behind the scenes : 



BTS Jessica x Tonic from Ynigo Santos on Vimeo.


The Final Video :

Check out tonicbykim.multiply.com and http://froufroufashion.multiply.com/ for the clothes and shoes used in the shoot! Thanks!

The Art of Contouring + Highlighting

Contouring and highlighting --- one of my favorite make up tricks. It is often ignored BUT I believe that every girl should learn this. It can dramatically improve and accentuate a person's features. I mean, nobody has a perfect face. Magazine covers? You'll be pleased to know that the same make up tricks were used on all those models. Make up makes almost anything possible: prominent cheek bones, a chiseled jaw, a defined nose, a smaller forehead, less round face, etc. With contouring, we're able to make those areas we want to look smaller or hollow recede; while highlighting will help make your face look alive, which can bring out a different glow in you. It's really easy, and the results are amazing.

To emphasize the effects of contouring and highlighting, I used Kim Kardashian because of her features. She's already beautiful to begin with, but you can see what a little contouring here and there can do.


See the difference? Her cheek bones appear to be more defined as well as her nose, which brings out her already beautiful features. I especially love contouring around my cheek bones to make my cheeks APPEAR smaller. It does wonders for pictures! It's REALLY, REALLY easy. It will take about 2-5 minutes depending on what method you choose. Some people opt to use liquid foundation, but powder/bronzer will do.


Here's what you will be needing:

1. An Angled Contour Brush - This is the MAC 168. No, it doesn't have to be this brand or this shape. A medium-sized fluffy brush will do. We want to make sure the brush isn't too compact (so we don't get too much pigment) because we'll be blending along the edges. Our goal is to look natural.

2. A Foundation (2 shades darker for contouring) - This is what we'll need for contouring. It can also be a bronzer, as long as it's not that shimmery. Too much shimmer for contouring might make your face look dirty. It's best to use a matte powder. Some make up brands like Smashbox, Nars, Make Up Forever have "Contouring Kits" available which include a brown and light shade for contouring and highlighting.

For highlighting, a shimmery light bronzer will do. I personally like liquid highlighters or luminizers, since they give off a more natural glow which seems to come from inside you, not on top of your cheeks. I use Lancome's Flash Retouche 04, which is a universal highlighter and concealer. I would also recommend Benefit's Luminizer, it gives that really natural shimmer. 




How to Contour:

1. Feel your cheekbones. With your brush, beginning from your ear, apply the powder towards the hollows of your cheeks. REMEMBER TO BLEND. No hard edges.


2. Next, feel your jaw line. Contour that area up until the area beneath the chin. 


3. Forehead. Contour from your temples to the sides of your hairline. DO NOT CONTOUR THE WHOLE FOREHEAD. 


4. Nose. Check where your eyebrows begin, this is where you will contour your nose, blending towards the bottom ending at the inner corners of the nostrils. 

Exaggerated Contouring

How to Highlight:

1. The area under your eyes. Highlight this area and add some blush in between your contoured area and your highlighted area. This will not only accentuate and define your cheekbones, but a pinch of color will give you that healthy glow. 


2. Forehead and chin. Blend, blend, blend!


3. The area in between your contoured nose. 


4. Brow bone. (the area beneath your arch up until the end of your eyebrow)


TIP: Apply a bit of highlighter to the area above the middle of the upper lip (the cupids bow) - this will make your lips pop, look extra pouty, kissable and full.

Good luck! :)

Summer Make Up : Go Light!

Aside from taking care of your skin (in the previous post), summer make up is totally different. The heat topped with our country's humidity will melt your make up before you even step out of your house. This sticky-icky weather will have your mascara running, your eyeliner melting away and your make-up disappearing by the minute.We don't want it to look like halloween! There are just a few adjustments that we need to take to still look fresh and beautiful, even if the weather is making it difficult.

Here are some tried-and-tested make up tips that can help your make up last in this kind of heat. 

1. USE A PRIMER - "Primers are definitely the way to go in summer," says New York City makeup artist Ashunta Sheriff. "They're incredibly light — they don't feel at all like a heavy, additional layer — and they really help hold makeup in place." We've got the evidence: In a research, primer helped volunteers' makeup look better and hold up throughout the day (even after a sweltering stint in our 80-degree, high-humidity chamber)  
- Taken from Good Housekeeping

2. GO SHEER

FACE - If you're used to using a lot of foundation: it would be best to switch to sheer; a lighter type of foundation.It's like switching to sun dresses and breezy clothes! I would suggest Make Up Forever's Face & Body Liquid Foundation (it's really light AND waterproof) However, it doesn't give that much coverage but it's enough to look flawless and fresh.

If you don't really like using foundation though, just cover up your blemishes (dark circles, redness around your nose and your lips) with your favorite concealer and set it with a translucent powder to make it last throughout the day.

LIPS - Skip the heavy, pigmented or creamy lipsticks. Switch to soft pinks and nudes instead. (Use a neutral lip liner all over your lips before applying lipstick, this will help the color last longer)

3. BRONZE - If you've been itching to use your bronzer, this is THE best time to take it out. PLEASE, BRONZE BELIEVABLY. It adds warmth to your skin and makes your skin look brighter and better. Apply it to the high points of your face where the sun naturally hits you:

• cheekbones (blended with a little blush for color)
• forehead
• A BIT on your nose
• chin
• ears (bronzed face + pale ears = fake!)
• neck

Don't cover every corner of your face; it's going to look fake and the goal of summer is to look NATURAL. Use a big fluffy brush to just have a hint of bronzer, smaller packed brushes might give too much color.

4. GO WATERPROOF - Mascara and eyeliner should both be sweat-proof. Waterproof products are the way to go, unless you're trying to sport a Halloween look! :O I would recommend using Maybelline's gel liners, Make up forever's aqua eyes or you can also find prestige waterproof eyeliner pencils in beauty bar which are more affordable. 

5. FADE-PROOF EYE MAKE UP - Use a cream base, then a shadow of the same color. This is a trick that's been used to make eyeshadow last longer in any weather. If you want to go natural, just use a eye shadow primer, and dust light eyeshadow over your lids. It will help make your eyes look brighter, giving you a more vibrant look. (You can use MAC's Paint Pot in Painterly just to help your eyes pop)

6. OIL CONTROL FILM - It's impossible to avoid sweating in this heat so it's best to have these ready for a quick touch-up. There's nothing attractive about having an oily, shiny face. Clean and clear's oil absorbing sheets should do the trick!

Hello Summer Heat!

Summer's finally here! Nothing beats lounging around by the beach with relaxing music and an ice-cold drink. Do you have plans to go to the beach this summer?

I'm sure most of you out there loooove tanning under the sun to show off that sun-kissed look. Unfortunately, a little too much sun will damage your skin in the long run. It will speed up skin aging and permanently damage some of your skin cells (Say hello to wrinkles!) Try to tan in the morning or in the late afternoon when the sun isn't too hot (Avoid 10 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m.) Your skin will thank you for it.

Always always always remember to have the following when you hit the beach:

• SUNBLOCK - Applying SPF isn't actually just a SUMMER tip. This should actually be done everyday if you're under the sun a lot. You'll still get a tan even though you apply sunblock anyway, so please DO protect your skin from the sun's harmful effects. Re-apply every 2-3 hours especially if you're swimming to keep your skin protected! 

Did you know? SPF measures how long it takes sunscreen protected skin to begin to sunburn (turn red) as compared to unprotected skin. For instance, if it takes unprotected skin takes 10 minutes to burn, then sunscreen protected skin with a SPF value of 15 will take 150 minutes to burn (10x15). Sun protection is important to the health of your skin. (thanks to google! haha)

• LIP BALM with SPF - Our lips are a very sensitive part of our skin. Having a lip balm in hand will keep your lips hydrated and prevent it them chapping. Dry lips are not attractive and painful!
• MOISTURIZER/LOTION - Always apply moisturizer for your face and lotion all over your body after you expose your skin to the sun. It needs all the help it can get to restore itself after being under the harsh sun all day. Apply a cold damp towel on those areas that are a little too sun burnt for about 10 minutes, this can also help your skin cool off. :) 

*** I don't own the last two pictures in this post. ;) I just searched them on google. hihi.

Portfolio Fun

I want to start this post with a big THANK YOU to Ago Coronado, Nina Jose, Nicole Lopez, and Raia Gomez. This is the shoot I did last December for my portfolio, and it turned out so much better than I imagined. I'm blessed to have such talented friends! Thanks guys!

 Post photo shoot. Harassed? Haha.

Enjoy the photos!!!!

Photographer/Editing : Ago Coronado

Model : Nina Jose

Make Up Artist : Gex Garcia

Stylist : Raia Gomez

Thanks to Nic for the Rusty Lopez clothes and shoes!

I'm soooooo proud of this shoot. It makes me believe that I can really pursue my passion for make up. I never thought it could be possible. I guess sometimes we just need to get past the fear of failure and start believing that we can be what we dream ourselves to be. It's surprising what you can do when you start believing. Things just fall into place.

Here's a little something for inspiration : 

8. PROCRASTINATION. This is one of the most common causes of failure. "Old Man Procrastination" stands within the shadow of every human being, waiting his opportunity to spoil one's chances of success. Most of us go through life as failures, because we are waiting for the "time to be right" to start doing something worthwhile. Do not wait. The time will never be "just right." Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.

9. LACK OF PERSISTENCE. Most of us are good "starters" but poor "finishers" of everything we begin. Moreover, people are prone to give up at the first signs of defeat. There is no substitute for PERSISTENCE. The person who makes PERSISTENCE his watch-word, discovers that "Old Man Failure" finally becomes tired, and makes his departure. Failure cannot cope with PERSISTENCE.

10. NEGATIVE PERSONALITY. There is no hope of success for the person who repels people through a negative personality. Success comes through the application of POWER, and power is attained through the cooperative efforts of other people. A negative personality will not induce cooperation.

( Taken from Napoleon Hill, #8-10 of Hill's 30 Reasons for Failure take from page 114 from his book "Think and Grow Rich: 70th Anniversary Edition". Hill was an American author who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature. His most famous work, Think and Grow Rich, is one of the best-selling books of all time. - Taken from TDL E-mail)

Back to Basics : SKINCARE

I know it's been forever! I've been working on this post for a while now but never found the time to finish it. I've been busy building my portfolio and I'm so thankful for its progress in the past few months. Anyway, on to the purpose of this post: SKIN CARE!


It's important to know that the most CRUCIAL part of your make up is having good skin. Make up looks best with a healthy canvas aka a clear face. It will be so much easier to apply make up because you won't need to apply so much product on your face (therefore not having that too-thick cakey look). You save not only time in applying make up, but you also save money on products you won't be needing. 


NEVER go to bed with your make up on. It's a mortal sin against your skin. Resist the desire to go straight to bed after a long night out, just remember the bacteria that will be accumulating on your face as you sleep. (Hello breakouts!) What's a few minutes of resisting sleep when you can have acne-free, healthier skin in the long run right? All you really need is a cleanser and a moisturizer before going to bed.


Here are some of the products I've tried and tested, I hope they work for you too.  


1. Shiseido Night Repair Moisture Recharge : 

I've been using this product for years, and I LOVE IT. It leaves my skin feeling soft, hydrated, and healthy in the morning.  It's really light when applied, and you only have to use a little of the product which makes it last a few months. I usually use this after cleaning my face with make up remover and a facial wash. Doing this religiously will really help keep your skin healthy and give you a more natural glow.

2. Lancome's GALATÉE CONFORT - Comforting Milky Creme Cleanser:

The make up remover for dry or sensitive skin. If you've experienced redness or flaking after using a remover, it's probably too harsh for your skin. This product actually doubles as a moisturizer and it's so easy to use! All you need is a cotton pad to massage it all over your face, and you don't even have to rinse it off. Although, if you have really thick foundation on I recommend that you use a facial wash after just to make sure you don't leave anything on your face. This can actually also be used even if you're not removing any make up because it also removes impurities that accumulate on your skin throughout the day.

3. PONDS Facial Wash:
No one really needs to overspend on facial wash, but please NEVER use regular soap for your face. Using a facial wash will remove dead skin cells, excess oil and dirt without stripping your face of its natural (and necessary) oils. I've been using PONDS for as long as I can remember and it's been doing its job pretty well for a really affordable price.

HOWEVER, the best skincare tip I can give you doesn't cost a thing: Rest, diet, and exercise. Our skin is an organ as well and it reflects what we eat, drink, how often we exercise, how much hours of sleep we have and how we feel. Keep your skin happy! Drink a lot of water, avoid smoking and drinking alcohol (they speed up aging and cause wrinkles), and eat healthy. Exercise. Sleep. Avoid stress. There's no skincare or make up product that can substitute what these can do for you. 


I hope this helps! Happy Thursday! :)