Look: Casual Red Lips

I sported casual red lips through out the summer and forgot to do a post about it:D. Laura Mercier Cherrywood has subtle satin finish that dries almost matte. People immediately picked up this color and complimented every time I wore it. I'm overwhelmed and puzzled! It isn't my very favorite. I want a deeper red but this brown-based red is really easy to work with. 

Anyway, I much prefer red lips paired with casual outfit for an outing to special occasions. Hope you like it. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Joanne xx

Face

Givenchy Mat Radiant Foundation

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Doll Face

Edward Bess All Over Seduction Afterglow

YSL Touche Eclat #8

Eyes

Burberry Taupe Brown Eyeshadow for brows and outter Vs

Urban Decay Primer Potion

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow Liquid Diamond 

Bobbi Brown Gel liner Espresso

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kil Stretch mascara

Lips

Laura Mercier Satin Lipstick in Cherrywood

Lately

Guys, I'm still alive. If you follow me on twitter, oh well, you probably don't assume that anyway. I don't have much time for my blog lately. And when the swatches don't do the justice or the product isn't tested thoroughly yet, I don't feel comfortable sharing my thoughts. It's just who I am. So here is a glimpse of what's coming up on The Convenient Beauty.

I have collected samples of several new foundations launched this fall. So far I've tried new Dior Skin Nude, YSL Touche Eclat foundation, Giorgio Armani Maestro. That new Burberry long-wearing foundation is still out of my reach :(. But I'm unsure if I'm interested in a full-coverage foundation for the winter. Beside those, I'm also trying out Tom Ford Traceless Foundation - the liquid formula; Bourjois Healthy Mix and Healthy Mix serum; and Givenchy Airy-Light Mat Radiant (the name suggests conflicting traits ?!?). So I'm planning on an updated and thorough version of my foundation comparison now that I understand much more about my skin and foundations.

In the past months, I also did some mini-adventures with Bourjois, actually a re-discovery of the brand, and Dolce & Gabbana. The latest obsession is Tom Ford Beauty. Since his line is heftily priced, I'll have to carefully test a few popular products before jumping into the next. The girls at my local Tom Ford counter already warned me that they would see me back there in the matter of days, though. They thought I'd love the brand so much. We'll see.

Oh, and there will be a giveaway for The Convenient Beauty's readers. I really appreciate your readership and have so much fun sharing my hobbies with you guys. Hopefully the prize will glam you up for the up-coming holidays ;;)

And, I will host a blog sale. Many items in my stash barely got used. You know how it's like when you're a makeup junkie ;). So I hope they'll find new owners who'll hit the pan or the bottom of the tubes/bottles.

That's all for now. On a random note, here is a picture of Zen Mobile. It puzzles me what they sell in there. You do zen while browsing the store or you must be zen mode to use their mobile phones? I mean how zen and mobility can happen at the same time? FYI, The store is located at the corner of Beechnut and Beltway 8 in Houston.

Look: Neutral and Hot Pink

Houston rises and shines at 93F today. The fall equinox has just came and technically we're in the middle of the fall. I'm sort of panicking as time flies by so fast and in a few months is Christmas. In the fare well of the summer, I thought I post this neutral look with a pop of pink.

Since the lips take the center stage, I kept the eye makeup neutral and sheen coupled with glowy cheeks. Everything is subtle and understated so that the lip can shine. Chanel Glossimer in Pink Teaser is a gorgeous bright pink that stays put and moisturizes my lips. It's also very wearable, and frankly you can wear this type of pink year round.

Please pardon my brows! In my own fashion, I forgot to do the brows that day :D. I hope you all had an awesome summer! xx

Face

Clarins Ever Matte Foundation

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

YSL Touch Eclat 

Edward Bess All Over Seduction Afterglow

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed

Eye

Dior 5-color eyeshadow Rosy Tan

Bobbi Brown Long wear Gel Liner Espresso

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Mascara

Lip

Chanel Glossimier Pink Teaser (limited edition)

Look: Meet Jessica - Part 2 Sultry chic

It's finally Friday! 

Before I get caught up with all the boxes in our garage, I thought I'd post the second make-over look for my friend Jessica. The first look focused on keeping everything natural. Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill in Pulp Fiction immediately popped up in my mind even before I did a test makeup with her. The pictures didn't do its justice! I wanted to create a shimmery silver eyes pair with natural pink lips and cheeks. All photos were taken by my friend Doan and edited by me :). 

Face

Korres Matifying Primer

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Dollface

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal

Eye

Guerlain 6-Ecrin Eyeshadow Palette in Place Vendome (dark grey for the brows and define the crease)
Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Eyeshadow in Pulp Fiction
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero
Bobbi Brown Party Extreme Mascara

Lip

Chanel Rouge Allure in Exquisite

This picture has nothing to do with her makeup. I simply adore the V-neck line in the back! 

I hope you enjoy the mini make-over with Jessica. Have great weekend!

Joanne

Look: Meet Jessica - Part 1 Natural Nude

I'm so excited to share my mini make-over of my friend Jessica. She was very kind to bring her own makeup bag. I ended using her Estee Lauder Foundation. 

Jessica also loves makeup though not as addictive as I do. When you talk to her, you can feel her positive and calming energy. I really love her natural coloring so I decided to keep her make up as nude as possible. I used peach and plummy brown to define her eyes and keep the rest of the makeup soft and nude. Photos taken by my friend Doan and edited by me :)

Face
Korres Matifying Primer
Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation
Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder
Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Dollface
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal

Eye
Boots No. 7 Mineral Perfection Eyeshadow Trio in Topaz
Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara

Lip
Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lipgloss in Beach

Hope you enjoy meeting Jessica! Have a great month of August!

Review: Tarte on the go blush/bronzer set

I had my eyes set on Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes for a while but never felt intrigued enough to actually purchase one. So when I saw this cute little set blush/bronzer at Ulta, I jumped to the opportunity. It contains a mini Dollface blush (0.11 oz) and a mini bronzer in Park Ave Princess (0.11 oz) ($15). They both have the same case as the full size version minus the mirror which I don't think it's a real loss. You can easily slide them in your makeup bag to touch up or travel.

 The design also resembles the full-size version.

The mini Dollface blush is a baby pink that mimics the blushing you have after a nice jog. It's one of those universal pinks that flatters all skintone. If you are fair, use a lighter hand.

The mini Park Ave Princess bronzer looks shimmery light caramel on my arms but it shows up rather sheer on my cheeks. It requires quite a build-up on my medium skintone.

Before purchasing this duo, I tested the full-size versions. The major different between them are the texture. This mini duo is noticeably drier than the full-size. And probably because of that, they both don't stay put pass 4 hours.

I love how handy (and adorable!) this duo is. You can hardly overdo these colors and the packaging is sleek. For price and the quantity you get, it's not a bad deal at all. Will I purchase this mini version again? No. I'd rather have a neutral blush that substitutes a bronzer and a wearable pink blush.

Here are some swatches....

Indoors

Outdoors, direct sunlight

Bottom line. Nice set for travel! if you can stuff one more blush in neutral color into your makeup bag, I would recommend you go with the blush.