FOTD Flashback: MAC Kinda Sexy and Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed (15/09/2013)

The typical girly girl side of my personality has always been a firm believer in the statement that “a girl can never have too many clothes and shoes,” and since I’ve always thought makeup and fashion go hand in hand, I believe that a girl can never have too many makeup on her vanity desk, as well. The only thing that should be regulated about a lady’s fashion statement is the appropriateness of what they are wearing—you can’t expect not to get judging stares if you wear your bum day outfit and very minimal makeup to a club that requires a dress-to-impress dress code.

The day these photos were taken was one of the very infrequent days I tried to pull off the no-makeup makeup look, because if I remember correctly, I went to church for the first time in a long time on that Sunday. Although I respect everyone’s beliefs regarding how they do their makeup, I personally think my usual bold lip color and blush would not blend well with Church Sundays so I went with the most basic neutral colors. 😆

Please click the thumbnails for the larger versions of the photos (links to high-res versions are within the gallery).

Everyone has the right to express their artistic side in whichever way they wish, indeed, but there are countless unwritten “rules and regulations” to makeup artistry, and one of them is learning how to correctly adapt your color choices to the circumstances you are in. You have the bold, vibrant, and explicit colors for parties, clubs, plays, dances, and the like, and for everything else you aren’t sure of, there’s always the pink-brown-nude-beige spectrum… just make sure you choose a shade that’s fitting to your skin tone, else you might end up looking washed out!

On my lips, I wore the MAC Kinda Sexy, one of the intense warmer nudes from MAC’s matte lipstick line. I was so happy with how it looked on me that I can’t believe I was initially hesitant to wear nude colors (out of fear that I would look sickly pale). It took me quite a while to tick this shade off my wish list due to MAC Philippines’ not-so-extensive lip color selection, but it was all worth it in the end because I think I found my HG warm nude shade!

For my blush, I wore Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed, a matte nude with slightly pink undertones. I felt like I took a risk by getting a blush in a shade I did not usually wear, from a brand I was not familiar with (Tarte Cosmetics aren’t available here in the Philippines), but I ended up not regretting it by one bit—in fact, it ended up being one of my golden purchases because it started my precious Tarte blush collection.

OOTD: Boat-neck long sleeves in navy blue and white from Zara, two-pocket A-line skirt in navy blue from Bershka, Audrey slip-on boat shoe in patent navy blue and cognac from Sperry Top-Sider, crystal-studded earrings in yellow gold from Zalora, Bradshaw oversized wristwatch in yellow gold by Michael Kors, chain-linked logo bracelet in yellow gold by Michael Kors, and medium Jet Set open-top logo tote in cream by Michael Kors.

Cosmetics Used

• FACE
  • MAC Prep + Prime Skin Smoother
  • MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20
  • MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC20
  • MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium
• EYEBROWS
  • Benefit Brow Zings! in Medium
• LIPS
  • MAC Prep + Prime Lip
  • MAC Kinda Sexy matte lipstick
• CHEEKS
  • Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed
• HAIR
  • TIGI Bed Head Cocky Thickening Paste