Underrated Glam

I finally found the time to post this long overdue video I’ve been meaning to share with all of you! It also happens to be my best friend Carmela’s birthday today so I figured it was perfect timing to do so. Carmela and I always critique all kinds of makeup looks we see so over the years, we kind of developed our own preference when it comes to makeup. It usually consists of the same things: natural looking foundation, fuller looking brows, eyeshadow that’s never over the top, and beautiful lashes.

Don't get me wrong, we love glamorous makeup looks, but we also hate the idea of painting on a "new" face with the use of makeup to achieve it. We believe that makeup can be simple, clean, and not over the top yet still look undeniably glamorous. Hence, we came up with this Underrated Glam look! Underrated because it consists of colors, techniques, and other factors which make it quite different from the usual glamorous makeup pegs that first comes to mind. A makeup look that is glam doesn't always have to have a ton of eyeliner, a red lip, or glitter. Remember, you can always make your own makeup rules. You may find my tutorial on our take on a glamorous makeup look below.

This is the finished look I did on the gorgeous Carmelly! Like I said, glamorous doesn't have to equate to too much makeup.

Here you can see that I kept it simple with her eye makeup. I blended like crazy to achieve an eye that was still soft even if I used dark shimmery golds and browns.

And purple can be glam too! Sometimes it's good to give your red lippies a break from time to time.

AND OH YEAH, DON'T MISS OUT ON OUR BLOOPERS IN THE END! This video could have been filmed in a lot less time but Carmela just couldn't stop laughing plus I was getting so conscious filming around my friends HAHAHA.

No one can make me laugh harder than this woman. A HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU ILYSM!!

And that's all for now guys! Do greet Carmela a Happy Birthday if you can! I'm sure it would mean a lot to her. :)

City Blossom

The folks over at Issey Miyake were kind enough to invite me to the launch of their latest limited edition fragrance, L’eau D’issey City Blossom. I’m such a perfume lover which is why I was more than happy to check it out! For my own touch, I’ve also decided to pair the fragrance with a City Blossom inspired makeup look!

Here are some photos from the launch. I've never seen any perfume with a similar look. The silver and pink bottle was designed by street artist Mademoiselle and has confetti accents on it. Super unique and adorable!

City Blossom is quite different from my usual warm Vanilla based scents. It's very feminine and floral with bursts of citrus, pink peppercorn, and flowers such as freesia and magnolia. I found the floral accents to be too strong and overwhelming at first, but eventually enjoyed them after a few hours had passed. If you're on the lookout for a great floral and flirty fragrance, then hurry and grab a bottle of L’eau D’issey City Blossom while you can. Remember, it's limited edition!

Moving on to my City Blossom inspired makeup look, here's the look I came up with! It's a simple plum and pink eye look with soft pink blush and a pinky peach lip.

For glowing skin, I applied Benefit's That Gal as a subtle pink highlighter on the high points of my face. What I love about using this product is that it glows without being too shimmery and noticeable.

 For the eyes, you may recreate this look using whatever plum and pink eyeshadows you own. Apply the pink shade on the center of your lids and add a little definition to your crease using a deep plum color. I kept everything well blended and avoided any harsh lines using my MAC 217 brush.

 For blush, I didn't want it to be too pink so I used a very light lavender shade called Sex Fantasy by NARS. Please excuse the name HAHAHA.

   And finally, I wore my current favorite Happy Skin Shut Up & Kiss Me shade in Just Say Yes. It was perfect since I didn't want my lips to overpower the whole look. This shade is just very simple, fresh and girly!

 And that's the finished City Blossom inspired look! Hope you all enjoyed this post and watch out for my next video which will be uploaded this week :)

Closeup Winners

 Hi guys! Here are the Twitter usernames of my chosen winners for my Closeup Forever Summer ticket giveaway! I was really overwhelmed by the amount of entries I received, I wasn't expecting them at all! Thank you to all who joined and congratulations to the #Legenczaribeauty winners! Please message me on Twitter for further instructions on how to claim your tickets from me tomorrow. Below I've included @cat_womANNE's winning entry! She had me at "P.S. My date said I looked stunning" HAHA. YOU GO GIRL!

Tresemmè Backstage Fashion Show

Last May 6, I was fortunate enough to get invited to the TRESemmè Runway Ready Backstage Fashion Show! Initially, I had no idea what they meant by "Backstage Fashion Show", but later on I found out that the whole concept was to showcase the magic that goes on backstage while the beautiful models get ready for the show. 

But before I share some photos from the event, let me just share the makeup look I chose for the night! All guests were required to come in black and white so I chose to wear a very bold deep red lip. Here I'm using the shade Black Cherry from NYX.

I paired the dark lippy with a pretty strong eye. I know some people say you shouldn't wear a bold lip with too much eye makeup, but I love making my own rules when it comes to makeup! It's all part of the fun of getting ready for these kinds of events. I just decided to keep the rest of my face clean with light contouring and natural looking brows so that the whole look wouldn't seem over the top.

So going back to the event itself, here's a photo of the "backstage" area where the guests stayed while waiting for the actual fashion show to start. Like I said, the whole concept of the show was for the guests to be able to witness the top hair trends get recreated before the models hit the runway. It was such a cool concept and it was so amazing to see some of my hair idols Jing Monis, Lourd Ramos, and Victor Ortega in action! I was totally fangirling on the inside, drinking wine and keeping it classy on the outside hahaha!

Also around the backstage area were these mood boards of the pegs for the show. Being the makeup addict that I am, I was naturally drawn to them and couldn't stop staring! I thought the makeup looks were sooo on point and very unique compared to the typical makeup looks we see on celebrities and models nowadays. Some of these looks included white eyeliner and my favorite thick eyebrows! The makeup looks worked perfectly with the runway ready long hair that TRESemmè's Split Repair range caters to.

 When it was time for the actual fashion show, the guests were asked to move to the stage area wherein we were presented with exclusively created ensembles by Rajo Laurel, Francis Libiran, and Rhett Eala. The fashion show was so full of drama! Below you can see how they designed the stage in such a way that you still get the backstage feel to it. We were able to see each of the country's top hair professionals fixing some of the models' hair right before they walked on the runway.

All the designs were so stunning! My friend Pia and I were in awe the entire show. Below is a shot of some of Rhett Eala's designs which really got my attention cause of all the color sweeps and painterly strokes on full skirts. I have a soft spot for anything that reminds me of watercolored paintings.

And here's a photo of some of the models from Rajo Laurel's collection. His collection was full of fringes and was my favorite of the night!

And that's a wrap for my Runway Ready Backstage Fashion Show entry! I'm a firm believer in the power of TRESemmè products and how they can help you achieve some of the very chic looks from the runway. You can read my review on the Split Repair Range here! :)

Closeup Giveaway

I was lucky enough to be chosen as a Closeup Ambassador this year and some of you have been asking me how you could possibly win tickets to the most exciting summer party of the year —Closeup Forever Summer! Well I have some good news for you because I’ll be choosing 20 GOLD and 1 VIP Closeup Forever Summer Ticket Winners!

Here are the mechanics: (They're super simple, I promise!)

Tweet me your best #LegenczariBeauty inspired selfie with the makeup look you'll be wearing for #CloseupForeverSummer with a short explanation as to why fresh breath is a must on May 16! Remember to mention me, @legenczari, and use the 2 hashtags #LegenczariBeauty and #CloseupForeverSummer! Plus points for those who take looks and tips from Legenczari.com hehe.

I'll be choosing a total of 21 winners, 20 GOLD, while the best #LegenczariBeauty Selfie wins 1 VIP ticket! You guys have up until Thursday, May 14 7pm to send in your entries and I'll be announcing the winners on the same night at 9pm. Goodluck! :)

Beauty In Bloom

My favorite home-based brand, Happy Skin has come up with an amazing summer collection called Beauty In Bloom and I was lucky enough to be able to attend its launch a few weeks ago! The event was held at El Jardin at the Fort which perfectly fit the theme of the collection.

As I got to the restaurant, I was told that we could make our own flower arrangements before we headed on over to our seats. Not many people know this, but I actually buy myself fresh flowers for my room every month so it was no surprise that the flower arranging station was my favorite part of the whole event, next to being able to see the new Happy Skin products of course! Hehe.

 The whole place was set up so beautifully and all the guests blended right in with their bright floral outfits. Here’s a shot of me in one of my favorite skirts with the flower crowns they were giving out at the event.

 And here's a shot of my favorite part of the whole place. They filled this huge shelf up with makeup! *tear*

  And of course, no beauty event is complete without a station for all the makeup lovers to be able to try the brands' latest makeup innovations.

So now let's get to the fun part— testing the products out! The whole collection features the Get Cheeky With Me 2-in-1 Blush, Shut Up & Kiss Me Lip & Cheek Mousse in the shades The Morning After and Summer Crush, and Shut Up & Kiss Me Moisturizing Lippies in the shades Bride-to-Be and Hold My Hand.

But before that, I tested out their new Eye Am The One Mascara which was also launched in the event. This mascara is a part of their permanent collection. Being a mascara addict, I was excited to see if it can live up to it's "Holy Grail Mascara" title.

This mascara was formulated to lengthen, volumize, and curl your lashes, but what really sets it apart from other mascaras sold in the market is the fact that it was also formulated to nourish and keep your lashes healthy by the infusion of ingredients such as hydrolyzed silk which protects damaged lashes and Swertia Japonica which stimulates lash growth. And the best part for me is that it removes effortlessly with just warm water! If you're like me, who's guilty of using a ton of makeup remover and of rubbing your mascara off vigorously, then this is a life saver.

On the left are my lashes without any mascara and on the right are my lashes with just 2 coats of Eye Am The One. I really like the wand of this mascara cause it didn't give me clumpy lashes and I can't believe that I didn't even need to use an eyelash curler to achieve these results! Eye Am The One costs P899, a little more pricey than my other usual choices from drugstore brands like Maybelline, but with all the benefits it has to offer then I definitely think this mascara is worth it!

Moving on to the Beauty In Bloom collection, I was lucky enough to get some samples of the Shut Up & Kiss Me Lip & Cheek Mousse. I loooooove lip & cheek tints so I was very excited to try these as well. The 2 shades were actually originally from last summer's limited edition summer collection, but due to popular demand, Happy Skin decided to bring them back only this time, as lip & cheek mousse.

Double-duty products such as these are must-haves for those who are always on the go and those who love fuss-free makeup routines. I would compare this product to my favorite Shu Uemura gelato tint, only for this one, you need a lot less product to get some color payoff because it's very pigmented. You may also choose to layer on these shades if you wanna customize your own blush or lippy. Let me show you guys how I blend mine out for that perfect summer flush!

Here was my face before I applied any of the products. I just added some BB Cream as a base, put on a super soft brown eyeshadow, and filled in my brows. To prep my skin for the mousse, I made sure to exfoliate beforehand. This practice should be done for applying any kind of cheek tint because it ensures that the product will go on evenly and not emphasize any patches of dry skin. 

I started with my favorite shade, The Morning After which is a unique Muave shade that I don't see in tints very often. That's probably why I instantly fell inlove with it. For perfect application, I started with 3 small dots of the product on the apples of my cheeks and then used my ring finger to blend it out. You can stop here, but if you really want it blended perfectly, then you may use a stippling brush to blur out the edges. Here I used a MA

C 187 brush. I then applied the product on my lips. It comes with a pointed tip for easier application.

Here's me with the Eye Am The One Mascara On and The Morning After on my lips and cheeks. I am obsessed with this color and I've been wearing it almost every time I go out! It looks very natural, it lasts a few hours, and the best part is that it's SPF 15 as well for added protection.

So now I'm gonna be trying out the Summer Crush Lip & Cheek Mousse which is a bright pink shade. I decided to change up my hair a bit and add a little bit of plum eyeshadow on my lower lash line for a more fun and fresh look. Of course I also washed off the first shade of the mousse that I had on.

  And here I applied Summer Crush the same way on my lips and cheeks.

 And here I am wearing Summer Crush which I love since it instantly brightens up my whole face! I receive lots of questions on how to wear bright lip colors such as this one, especially for Filipina skin tones. Do not fear my lippy loving ladies, cause the Happy Skin team really ensured that all these shades will make every woman look absolutely blooming. Summer Crush would be a great color to start with if you're scared to try out brighter colors. It's very wearable, I promise! These amazing Lip & Cheek Mousses are P699 each or P1199 for a box of 2.

 Now I'll be trying the last item I received from the Beauty In Bloom collection, which is the Get Cheeky With Me 2-in-1 Blush. This blush comes in 2 shades, a pink Bride-to-Be and a peach Just Peachy. These are the most flattering colors for all skin tones and it's great how you can now have both in one palette! The palette also comes with a very useful cheat sheet if you need a crash course on how to apply blush.

For this last look, I put my hair up in a bun, added a thin layer of black eyeliner on my upper and lower lash line, applied nude lipstick, and contoured a little for a more sophisticated look that could be worn for evening events. Very #TitasOfManila, but that's okay hahaha!

I'm using my MAC 159 Duo Fibre Blush Brush for a natural application. Happy Skin designed this blush in such a way that all you need to do is sweep your brush across the pan, and you'll end up with a perfectly colored flush! I just applied the blush to the apples of my cheeks and blended it out. I only swept my brush through twice and it was more than enough for my entire cheek.

I was so pleased to see such a lovely color appear. Happy Skin really achieved their goal of having the best marriage of pink and peach hues. You may get The Get Cheeky With Me 2-in-1 Blush for P799.

If you guys are looking for some products to update your looks for the summer season, then the Beauty In Bloom collection is definitely worth a shot! Like I said, these lippies and blushes are limited edition so get them while you can and don't miss out on your chance to be beautifully blooming all summer long. :)