My First Ever OUTFIT OF THE DAY!! All Black Everyt'ng OOTD# & Au Naturel-esque FOTD#

Guess who!? 

Yup, it's me... again! Today's post is a double whammy; I have gifted you all with another
FOTD (Face of the day) and my first ever OOTD (Outfit of the day)! I initially planned to do an
OOTD as one of my first ever posts on this blog, but being the blog newbie I am, I couldn't grasp and still
cant grasp around the technique of getting the right position and angle of the camera to take the pictures!
So, s'cuse the crappy angles of the pictures! Sigh~ I'm sure I will learn as I continue this blog.
You learn from your mistakes right?!

Regardless, I hope you enjoy this post as I did have fun taking the pictures and shtuff. Although the
 pictures are nothing special, I did enjoy the new experience. If I'm confident enough maybe
I'll do a few more of these OOTD's in the future! 

Face- Loreal Paris LUMI Magique foundation W3, Erase Paste 2, Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer 010, Rimmel Stay Matte powder, theBalm Bahama Mama bronzer & E.L.F Contouring Blush & Bronzing powder

Eyes- Maybelline the Rocket Volum' Express mascara, E.L.F Contouring Blush & Bronzing power (the brown shade lightly swept across the eyes) & random grey eye shadow for my eyebrows

Lips- AVON glimmerstick for lips lipliner Mystery Mauve & E.L.F Lipstick nicely nude

Topshop speckled cropped jumper // H&M black shorts

H&M black thin belt // Some weird, constipated looking duck face xD

(I promise to work on my facial expressions the next time I do an OOTD, hahaha. xD)

Black Doc Martens 

E.L.F Lipstick Nicely Nude // Topshop Necklace // Topman Dogtags

Song/Video of the Month JULY 2013

Welcome back to another 'Song/Video of the Month' post! This month is July as you already know and I am super excited to show you guys my choice for this month! Now, unlike my last song/video, this one is not Western... but Korean! Surprised? No? Well, I'm sure you all know I love my Kpop music. :D

This song was just released 1 day ago and has already gained over 2 million views on YouTube!! Wow!! Congratulations F(x) with their new single 'Rum Pum Pum Pum'!!!!

It's seriously addictive, unique and just an overall joy to listen to. There are so many different elements to this song that you can't just listen to it once and take in all it's glory. Trust me, you're going to be either singing or humming this song all day long, #rum pum pum pum! I love how all the members have a good amount of lines between them, therefore are all under the spotlight equally in the music video. I especially love the overlapping of the different octaves between the members and the canon throughout the song; it's different and I have never heard it in any other Kpop song. I am seriously rating F(x), they are slowly becoming one of my favourite girl groups in Kpop. BIG UPS TO F(x)!!!! Wooo~

Bright Red Lips & Thick Eyebrows ~ FOTD#

Herro Everyone!~ Today's post is a face of the day; the makeup I have decided to put on my face... today!

(the image is a tad yellow due to lighting so I apologise for that)

Honestly, I didn't go anywhere today, just chillaxed at home and watched Top Gear. (Y) I was meant to go out today with my buds to Westfield and eat dinner but ofc me being me, I backed out due to laziness, cantbebothered-ness & stomach pains; the first two are seriously bad characteristics of mine. ><"

Any who~ with my new found freedom I decided to play around with the makeup in my collection and draw on my face. It's not that I have a lot of makeup but there are quite a few products I have that are hardly touched- tsktsk. I am the type of person that sticks to the same products every single day, so playing around with my collection once in a while will not only help finish up my products, but it'll also help me rediscover old gems. (Y)

The look I have tried to achieve today was inspired by the iconic pin up look; the bright red lips, pale skin, and bold eyes. But of course with my chinky eyes and chubby face, I had to work around and change a few elements to make it suit my features. 

Sorry for the picture cutting out my eyebrows & eyeliner!

Face- Maybelline Dreamy Creamy foundation 21 Nude/Beige Dore, Benefit Erase Paste 2, Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer 010, Rimmel Stay Matte powder 005, theBalm Bahama Mama bronzer, Bourjois chocolate bronzer, E.L.F blush (from the contour & blush compact) & Sleek highlighter (from the contour kit in light)

Eyes- Sleek Oh so special pallette (cream, black and brown shades), some cheapy grey eye shadow for my eyebrows, Loreal Gel Intenza Eyeliner Gold/Black & Maybelline the Rocket Volum' Express mascara Black Waterproof

Lips- Rimmel Lasting Finish lip contouring pencil 021 Red Dynamite

Hope you enjoyed this slightly short post! I have been uploading a lot lately since it's the summer holidays for me. But that will soon end this week as I start my apprenticeship on Monday! eeek! I'll most probably be posting tomorrow though, so I'll talk to you guys then! Laterrrr!!! ~ xx

My Skin Story: Acne

Acne: The occurrence of inflamed or infected sebaceous glands in the skin; in particular, a condition characterized by red pimple on the face. (Source from Google)

WARNING! PICTURES AHEAD.

For a person who hasn't suffered or doesn't suffer from acne, will have no idea how much it can affect a person's well-being and their life. Why so serious? Well let me tell you, for the past 7 years or so, my skin has been through so much that there are not enough words that are able to sum up the whole 7 years of what I went through. Bunking school/college, making up crappy excuses for not going out with family/friends, crying almost every single day, piling on the foundation and concealer and hating yourself whenever you looked in the mirror; those are a few of the things that I had to go through during my most difficult years of having acne. Yeah, it may seem stupid and vain to have sacrificed so much because of my skin but trust me, when your face is the first place a person looks at and is out on show 24/7, you'll understand where I am coming from. 

However, what makes my story slightly different from others is that my acne was never constant, it was mostly on my cheeks and it came and went at any time. One moment it'll be just a few spots here or there (plus a lot of scarring) but I could easily cover it up with makeup. The next moment, multiple volcanoes suddenly appeared onto my face and erupted like there was no tomorrow; the pain would be excruciating and you knew not to sleep on that side of the face that night. (Btw, this was during my most worst years: 2008-2012) I remember during every weekend morning when I woke up and laid on my bed, I had this little ounce of hope in me that somehow during the night, my skin had recovered and would be clear from all the scarring and spots but of course, no such luck. It was weird but I remember that as soon as I was conscious, my hand would almost automatically go to touch my skin; as though it would make me feel any better, I would smooth over the bumps with my fingers and just relish into the hope that my skin would clear itself magically. It was rather pathetic I must admit but it helped soothe me in a way, hahaha It's true! xP 

I would have avoided showing you pictures, but    
I think this way it visually tells you my story better       

I've kept the pictures small to avoid disgusting you guys.
As you can see my acne was mostly on my cheeks.    

I started to suffer from acne right after I hit puberty. I was around 13 years old  and was into my first few years of secondary school. My elder brother who is 2 years older than me was already suffering from acne at the time and thus I knew what I was potentially heading towards to. Funny thing; when I had not hit puberty yet and had skin as smooth as a baby's bottom, I had told my brother so confidently and was so sure of myself that I would never get spots when I grew up. Oh how I was so wrong. It was around the age of 13 when I knew I had to do something about my skin, and ta-da I discovered makeup! To be honest, not that I regret it but I now wish I had started wearing makeup a lot later than I initially did. I was so young and inexperienced with makeup, it makes me cringe even to this day to have thought that piling on foundation (Revlon's Colourstay Foundation Makeup) would have made my skin any better! I just made it worst! Gah~ you have no idea how bad it is to apply a super thick or layers of foundation to such affected skin; it blocks the pores and prevents your skin from breathing and healing itself. Plus, it looks TERRIBLE! During my earlier years of secondary school, my foundation was always either too pale or too orange, you knew I was a pro with my makeup skills. -note the sarcasm. 

Through out secondary school, having acne really affected my well-being; I was less social, I avoided big crowds of people, I hardly ever spoke in class, I would always visit the bathroom to check up on my skin, I always avoided peoples eyes when speaking and the list goes on. It was sad, I was always thinking about my skin and it made me super duper depressed. However, it has taught me a lot too, it has made me cherish the people around me who love and accept me for who I am and not for what I look like. It makes me confused yet amused when my close friend called Thamina; having stuck by me for more than 10 years tells me she never remembers me having acne. She may not know it but it makes me happy, it makes me believe that throughout all my years of suffering from acne, she has overlooked that not knowing it was a big insecurity of mine. A friend like her is one in a million. I never did discuss with my friends about my skin during the years of when I had acne really badly. I only started talking about the history of my skin around the time after we had finished secondary school towards College, when my skin was starting to heal and get better. 

Fast forward a couple of years and the trial of 100+ face products on the market, we are here today! Seriously, if I were to talk about every little aspect of my skin story, this post would never end. Hopefully if you have found this post interesting in any way and if you're interested in knowing more about my skin, I will do a series: ie how I treated my acne, products I recommend for acne prone skin and blah blah blah soon.

Thank you for reading this post, it means a lot to me! Until next time my fellow bald squirrels, Good-bye! x

How to: Glowy & Bronzed Face Routine

Hi everyone!! How are you all doing today on this humid summers day? I love the summer, it makes me happy to know that my legs now have a chance to match colour wise with my arms! Hahaha, no one likes a two toned body, nu uh gurl! xD

Today's post is all about achieving that beautiful and radiant glow to our skin! Yup that's right, I'm going to show you one of my many face routines; this one in particular is only achieved when I am actually bothered to wear more than 3 products! This routine is not necessarily my summer face routine, it's more so for when I have a special event to go to or when I just feel like wearing foundation, blush, bronzer and the whole shibang really. (bigsmileyface)

OKAYY ! Let's get started people! I hope you enjoy this post as I have put a lot of effort into it (not that I don't put 100% effort into all of my posts, but this one is like .... +256% more effort!) Btw, s'cuse the no eye makeup & no brows, I know and don't worry, the sight is hurting my eyes too! LMFAO xD

THE BRUSHES 

From left to right: E.L.F Stipple Brush / E.L.F Flat Top Brush / AVON Powder Brush / AVON Angled Brush /
Essential Beauty Powder Brush / E.L.F Crease Brush / Revlon Blending Brush 

THE PRODUCTS!

TheBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer / Benefit Erase Paste 2 / Benefit Girl Meets Pearl / Benefit 'that gal' Primer /
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum / Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer / Rimmel Stay Matte Powder /
Bourjois (Chocolate Bronzer) / TheBalm Hot Mama Blusher

LETS START!
Warning. I look pale, sick and tired in the first few pictures, hahaha. :D 

Starting off with primer, I dot it all over my face and blend it with my fingers. The warmth from your fingers will help melt the product and blend much better into the skin. A primer will help prolong your makeup and make it stay on longer compared to no primer used. The primer I use is Benefit's 'that gal' primer which will not only help prolong my makeup, but it's also illuminating and brightening, which is perfect for a glowy look we're trying to achieve for this summer!

FOUNDATION TIME!!!! Gawsh, I look like a pale dead corpse I do! Any who, I use Bourjois's healthy mix serum foundation which is hands down one of my favourite drugstore foundations! It's got great coverage, the colour match is awesome (especially for us yellow undertone ladies) and it has a fruity sweet stench which is pleasant whenever you apply it! I pump just one pump onto my E.L.F stipple brush and blob it all over my face. I then blend blend blend, and continue to blend some more!

My favourite step, CONCEALING! I like to use different types of concealers: one for correcting, one for brightening and finally one for covering. However as my skin is doing fine lately blemish wise, I have been skipping the last concealer I usually use for covering up my spots and blemishes. The two I like to use are my erase paste 2 and my wake me up concealer. The erase paste as you can see I like to put three dots on my most darkest areas of my eye bags, and once I have blended out the correcting concealer with my ring finger, afterwards I apply my second concealer on top of where I placed my first concealer plus everywhere! The Rimmel wake up me concealer is not heavy coverage but very light, so I'm not too scared to go all out with this one. xD 

Primer, foundation and concealer CHECK!

Next step is contouring! As some of you guys know already, I am quite insecure about my face shape -.- .. so I have to contour, it's a must for me! However, It's not about whether I have to contour or not, but I honestly think contouring goes well with the whole bronzey-esque look we're going for here anyways. :D Winwinsituation. The contour powder I use is from theBalm, it's a matte brown shade which is perfect for contouring, it helps accentuate and emphasize the hollow area of your cheeks which helps bring out your cheekbones. Thus it gives your face a more defined and slimmer look overall! (Y)

Hang on in there Buddy, we're nearly done! Next, I use Bourjois's chocolate bronzer which FYI, doesn't smell at all like chocolate. I like to apply this unlike the contour powder all over my skin: on my cheeks, forehead and my neck. This way, I'll be able to match the colour of my face with my neck and it'll also give a beautiful healthy look to my skin as though I've just been to the beach. Especially for me, my skin is quite pale and definitely does not match with my tanned body, therefore this is a good method using makeup to pretend that my face does match my body!

Of course for a glowy and bronzed look we can't forget to use highlighter! Either liquid, creams or powders work great but for me, I have been favoring using this liquid pearl highlighter from Benefit as it gives me an amazing radiant glow! It's almost like a rose gold shade which I feel compliments well with the bronzer I applied previously and the blush I'll be showing you guys in the next step.  

This blush is ahmazing guys. It's BEAURIFUL! It's called Hot Mama and it's from theBalm. It's a pinky blush with gold shimmers almost like glitter particles in it thus it goes really well with my highlighter. It's very pigmented so I like to use a big brush which helps lightly distribute the product on to my cheeks. Remember! When using pigmented blushes to always tap of the excess from your brush before you apply it on to your face! You don't want to end up looking like you're ready for the next act in the circus. I like to smile big which helps accentuate the apple of my cheeks, applying  it first at the back of my cheeks and then lightly brushing the rest towards the centre of my cheeks. I prefer a more gradient effect when applying my blush, most of the product goes to the back of my cheeks, which gradually gets lighter towards the middle as I don't want to emphasize the roundness of my football head. xD

Who said eye brushes can't also be used for our faces?! NO ONE!! I am using the same contour powder I used for my face, theBalm Bahama Mama bronzer and applying it first with my E.L.F crease brush which is a dense and precise brush to the specific area I want it. I then take a more fluffier brush, this one is Revlon's blending brush and blending it out to make it appear more like a shadow effect to make my nose bridge appear longer and slimmer. 

Yes we are aiming for glowy skin but not oily skin! As you can see my skin is already beginning to produce oils around the inside of my cheek therefore, it's important to use a mattiyfying powder to eliminate the shine we don't want. Of course we don't want to powder every inch of our face, only the areas that you produce a lot of oil: forehead, chin, nose etc. For me, I just need to apply some on my forehead and my cheeks and I'm set! Powdering our skin will also help our makeup last even longer especially since we've used a primer beforehand.

WE'RE FINISHED !!! 
(Check out the fish face and the thumbs up! Wooo~ but seriously though, I need some colour on my lips, my brows on, my mascara and my fjvh;doufvhwbvfudhvdbjvd!!) :)

I apologies for this post being very very long! I didn't even realize it would be this long, I just got carried away taking the pictures for each of the steps. ><" I hope you enjoyed this post regardless, I'm sure the overload of pictures made it easier to understand what I was trying to explain. Hopefully you're not sick of my face though, hahaha. xD If you did enjoy reading and looking at this post then I promise to do more of these in the future! (Y) Well until then guys, catch you later alligator!

Music to dance/workout to...

After School - Flashback

 PSY - Gangnam Style

 Brown Eyed Girls - Abracadabra 

 Big Bang - Fantastic Baby

 

Girls Generation - Mr Taxi 

  F(X) - Hot Summer

  EXO-K - Let Out The Beast 

  Jay Park - I Like 2 Party

 F(x) - Electric Shock 

 2NE1 - I Am The Best 

My week in pictures

This is where I get ready and put on my face !! ;D

Failed OOTD post, this is the only successful photo haha xD
Topman - Dogtag, Argos - Identity Rose Gold Watch

Bus journey to somewhere xD

My view during lunchtime at pre-apprenticeship

My computer at pre-apprenticeship learning Photoshop

Attending the summer fair at my local park

A quick OOTD before pre-apprenticeship

My scribble design 

Dinner at Frankie & Benny's with my buddy Sameeha ^^

The beautiful view in Canary Wharf

Another shot of the beautiful scenery in Canary Wharf

My view of the park as I was sunbathing

In the O2 browsing and strolling with buddy 

Cool looking building and a massive puddle haha xD

T'is I, Lillian & Yes, that's my face! FOTD#

Hello everyone and welcome back to 'The Bald Squirrel! I am finally writing up and updating you guys with a post. Well, I did upload a post a few days ago but that doesn't really count as it didn't involve a lot of writing from me as per usual. This post is going to be more in depth, more detailed and it's going to be a...

My 'no-makeup' makeup look ^^ (Look at that lovely mess behind me) xD

FACE OF THE DAY! How exciting! Finally, a post with my face in it! XD

As it was sunny, humid, boiling, scorching, hot and sweaty today, (the list could go on mate) it was my main objective to try and keep my makeup minimal that would hopefully stay on my face all day, rather than pile on the makeup that would easily melt off under the burning sun.

'Why bother wearing makeup then!?' 

Good question! How fast we all would be getting ready if we didn't have to look at ourselves in the mirror.. BUT sadly for me, If I were going out anywhere and if it was out with my friends especially, I'd have to have some sort of cosmetic on my face. I am just that type of gal you know~ but ofc there are a few exceptions like going to the gym, out with family, going to the shops etc. Generally though, I have to have at least my brows done, have some mascara on and some concealer on and then I'd be all set and ready to go.

As for today, I went for a 'no-makeup' makeup look. I love this look because it makes my skin appear glowy and radiant, it enhances my features and most importantly, it doesn't look like I'm wearing a lot of makeup and it doesn't look cakey at all! It's the perfect look for an interview, going out with friends and to the beach ( that is if you wear makeup to the beach) It's one of my favourite go to looks as it's easy and it's natural which is funny since a couple of months ago, I would wear heavy eyeliner looks daily to College and could never leave the house without it on! I know I know, I'm terrible but hey, I'm sure I wasn't the only one like that. Anyways going off track as always, this post is going to show you the products I use to achieve this look. Hope you enjoy! :)

Btw, it may be called a 'no-makeup' makeup look, but believe it or not, it actually requires a whole load of products to achieve this look.,. yah, mind-blowing right?! xD

Btw, it may be called a 'no-makeup' makeup look, but believe it or not, it actually requires a whole load of products to achieve this look.,. yah, mind-blowing right?! xD

Let's get started!~


FACE: I like to keep it easy and simple. Rub some primer on, slap some concealer on and dash the powder on and we're done! Ain't no one got time to be putting on foundation; the whole blending it down your neck and behind your ears business is definitely not an important priority of mine when applying my makeup on a hot summers day. I like to think that my skin is alright and yes, I did suffer from acne and still have acne prone skin so I am conscious of the condition of my skin. I use a brightening primer and 3 different types of concealers for various reasons: correcting, brightening and to cover. The powder I use is a mattifying powder to keep my oils at bay and prevent my makeup that I applied prior to avoid it sliding off. Oh yeah, don't forget to apply a sunscreen or a moisturizer with SPF to protect your skin from the deadly sun rays!

 Top left: Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder 005, Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer 010, Benefit 'that gal' Face Primer, Benefit Erase Paste 2 and Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer 53

CHEEKS: I have a round face so it's important for me to contour my chubby face. I need to somehow make my face look somewhat 3D rather than the flat pancake-ness it really is, hahaaha. xD
I use my Bahama Mama bronzer which is a matte brown colour to contour my 'cheekbones', nose and I also use it as an eye shadow for my eyes too. As for the E.L.F compact, I mix the two shades together and apply it in a 3 motion across my face to give more definition and colour to my face. I love this combo! <3

Bahama Mama Bronzer and E.L.F Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder

 Bahama Mama Bronzer and E.L.F Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder

Left to Right: Bahama Mama bronzer, E.L.F blush, E.l.F Bronzer

EYES/BROWS: Blah blah blah you guys already know about this mascara if you have read my other posts, it's ahmazing and great! Next, I use the Sleek oh so special palette which consists of neutral colours which are great for everyday use. I use the creamy white shade to highlight under my brow, I then fill in my eyebrows by mixing the matte brown and the matte black together using a light hand and tapping off the excess to do my brows.

Sleek Oh So Special Palette and Maybelinne the Rocket Volum' Express Mascara Black

These are the colours in the Oh so special and as you can see, I've already hit pan in 3 of the shadows. xD

These are the colours in the Oh so special and as you can see, I've already hit pan in 3 of the shadows. xD

Left to Right: Highlighter shade, matte brown and matte black

LIPS: It's not only your skin you have to apply SPF to  protect it from the sun, you also have to protect your lips too! Carmex is great as it has an SPF of 15 and it smells yummy too. I have had this pot for an extremely long time and it's still going strong! I love it and recommend it to everyone! (Y)

Good ol' Carmex

Hope you enjoyed reading this post! See you again soon! x