Thought I would do a make up haul since I had just refreshed on some supplies. I’m not make up crazy nor do I know a whole bunch about make up but I thought it would be interesting to show you guys this and to tell you about my favorite place to get my Korean make up from Dara Beauty Market!
Life is always better with a pop of color, or in my case- lots of it, which explains why I cannot maintain a color schemed Instagram feed. Yep, I’m still pretty bummed out about that! HAHA. But in this case, I tried to mellow it out a bit by sporting an all white ensemble with neutral colors and little make up. Of course, I just had to ask my best friend to take my outfit shots and she would not let me leave until I put lipstick on. (Continue reading to fully understand what I’m talking about…)
On regular days, I’m always opting for clothes that are easy to wear and require very little maintenance. I only pull out the big guns when I have extra time on my hands or if I’m headed to an event. Cebu is a very laid back city so I try not to be as loud as possible when it comes to dressing up- just stylish enough to catch people’s attention but not make them question what I’m doing with my life. hahaha
On this particular day, I chose to wear this white neoprene dress matched with my favorite white heels. Neoprene, although it can get a bit warm, is a great material not only for bikinis but for apparel, as well. It’s great for keeping the structure of fabrics especially is you want something boxier or with more of a silhouette.
Now for the fun part!
I’m not a big fan of lipstick because I have extremely dry lips and I like to peel my skin off for fun so putting lipstick on just dries it out. Fortunately, my best friend sells amazing make up at the Dara Beauty Market and she’s always hooking me up with awesome products to help address my beauty needs. You can check out most of the products I use here.
I just started using the Peri’s Tint Marker and it’s easily become a favorite of mine. It’s easy to use, it sticks and it doesn’t dry out my lips convincing me that lip tint is the way to go for chappy girls like me.
Make up and fashion are two things that always go hand in hand and never without the other. As much as I love a bare face, I have to admit that applying make up is something I do religiously before doing a shoot to put my whole look together.
Recently I was able to do an eyeliner tutorial, but for this post I’m going to go into full detail on how I do my whole face for photo shoots using Korean beauty products purchased from Caffe Dara Beauty Market.
Step 1:
Start with a bare face.
To properly remove my make up, I used Nature Republic’s Forest Garden Tea Tree Cleansing Oil [P 250.00]. Used as a face wash, this product removes any trace of make up or dirt on the face, saving me so much time and energy in removing my make up. I hate it when I have to use face wash and then tons of make up remover to remove everything. This product does all of that in one go!
Step 2:
Apply a base.
Innisfree’s Olive Real Essential Rich Oil [upon inquiry] is a base that has an overall effect on your make up by making your skin glow a lot brighter. Some make up tends to dry out your skin but this product helps lessen that problem. If you have naturally oily skin then you might want to skin this step.
Step 3:
Conceal!
There’s no denying it, I need all the concealer I can get with my dark eye bags and uneven skin tone (from years of tennis/ swimming and any sport I could get into). But at the same time, I also need something light enough to enable my skin to breathe while still doing its job. With Face Shop’s Dual Veil Radiance Concealer (P 460.00), the inconsistencies in my skin are cleared out giving the illusion (yes, illusion) of even and smooth skin.
I top it off with Tony Moly’s BCDation with SPF30 PA ++ (P850.00) and any loose powder to lock everything in place and to avoid looking blotchy. Others prefer to use foundation before concealer but I’ve always done my make up like this and I’ve always been satisfied with the end results.
STEP 4:
CONTOUR & BLUSH
I found a really convenient way to do my contouring and blush on at the same time! By using the Holika Holika Love Fantasy blusher (P300++), I can contour my face and add blush on without having to take out so much make up since it comes in one tiny and not to mention cute container.
When it comes to contouring, there are different ways to do it depending on your face and preference. I usually like to work around my cheek bones, below it, my hairline and my jawline. This is to make my face look skinnier and to give it more details especially during shoots.
STEP 5:
BROWS
This set is a lot harder and took a lot of time and practice to get right. I won’t say perfect since I still need a lot of practicing to do but decent enough to frame my face.
For my brows I use Holika Holika’s Wonder Drawing Eyebrow pencil (P150.00), Mamonde’s Natural Cake + Eyebrow kit (P480.00) and TwistUp (P650.00). If you want to see how I do my eyebrows then let me know, I’d gladly do a make up video for you guys! ^_^
STEP 6:
EYE & LIPS
For my eyes, I’m currently obsessing over Tony Moly’s Backstage Gel Liner (P400.00) and Tony Moly’s Delight Circle Lens Mascara (P150.00). I recently did a tutorial on how I do my eyeliner with Faceshop’s All About Simple Liquid Liner (P150.00) but I still use the same technique with my gel liner so I’ll just go ahead and post the link here for your convenience. 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIEQyMAS-Pg
As for my lips, I use Berrisom’s Oops My Lip Tint (P650.00) that comes in various colors. What I love about this lipstick is it works as a lip stain, so I don’t need to worry about constantly reapplying my lipstick. Honestly, I’m not a big lipstick fan so the faster I can get away with it, the better.
And there you have it! A fully made up face, ready for a night out/ party or in this case, an outfit shoot.
For those who are on a tight budget, don’t worry, you don’t need to spend so much in one go to complete your set. I built mine over the span of a few months and I’m really happy that I chose to invest in quality make up. I used to use a lot of cheap stuff on my face which led to a lot of problems in the long run but these Korean brands are perfect for our Filipino skin and most of them are Paraben-free or mineralized which is great for those who have sensitive skin.
Here are more photos:
Dara Beauty Market (@darabeautymarket on Instagram and Caffe Daraon Facebook) sells authentic Korean cosmetics at cheaper prices. Make sure to follow them on their social media accounts to find out what products they have for grabs or you can drop by their store at Caffe Dara located at One Kenji Place, first street La Guardia, Salinas Drive, Lahug.
See you guys there!
xx,
Issa <3
Love, sweet, savory & magic! Not exactly how I would imagine using these 4 words in one sentence but it’s definitely charming, delightful, delicious and homey at Caffe Dara!
Love
This is what I love about Caffe Dara:
I love the cute graffiti/ wall art that is plastered all over the walls, the cozy environment and the fact that it’s a good place to go to if you feel like getting away from the common hang out places in the city.
SWEET
The warm coffee, other drinks to choose from and lots of dessert are definitely SWEEEEET! I love how they use geography in their drinks [lahugccino, among other names] and the cute containers/ drinks that they serve.
Ok, I’ll be honest… I mostly love how they serve beer at any time of the day! Scroll down for their STRAWBERRY BEER.
Blue LemonadeIced Dara LatteAlmond Cheese CakeStrawberry BeerSauna Tea
SAVORY
The different Korean food available on the menu! They have so many food that isn’t common is other Korean restaurants and I’ve seen their upcoming menu which is also equally awesome.
Caffe Dara practices an open kitchen policy which means that anyone can go in the kitchen and check the ingredients they use to see if they’re safe to use which I think is totally cool. I’ve tried almost everything on their menu [even the ones that haven’t been served yet] and it’s definitely something everyone who loves to eat should watch out for!
Spam Mayo RiceStickywichDara Dara ToastCheese NoodlesKorean Military Fried Rice (Actual Korean fried rice served in the military. True Story. The owner recently served in the Korean army for 6 months)
Magic
All the wonderful memories and the great time you have when you’re there!
Caffe Dara has been one of my most recent hang out spots whenever I have time to just sit back, enjoy good food, wonderful company and even to just relax. I’ve also been getting most of my make up here since they also sell Korean products there for cheaper prices.
For those who are wondering about their other products, here’s their menu:
Caffe Dara is located at One Kenji Place, La Guardia St., Salinas Drive, Cebu City.
