Alexandre

Situated at the heart of Bonifacio Global City, Alexandre is the perfect place to experience the smorgasborg of tasty treats that France has to offer. Alexandre's elegant and classy interiors goes perfectly with its offerings from the other side of the world.



This place delivers ultimate relaxation with its cool ambiance, coffee, and various pastries. I personally loooove the Almond and Chocolate Croissant! Whenever I go to Alexandre, I always find myself staying a wee bit more because of the comfortable surroundings, and the oh-so welcoming staff. Owned and operated by Alexander Guignard and her gorgeous fiance Anna Gala, Alexandre is their labor of love that will sure tickle the tastebuds of any discerning customer. Crepes, croisants, baguettes, salads, wines, coffee.. they have it all. And the best part is, its not heavy on the pocket at all!! Now that is a definite plus.

Visit a piece of France in 31st street, corner 1st Avenue, Fort Bonifacio Taguig. It's directly in front of Bonifacio Technology Center. Unwind, relax, study, eat.. you can basically do anything at Alexandre. Oh, and I forgot to mention.. THEY HAVE FREE WI-FI!!!!!!!!!!!! :))

Some of their items:

"Salade Niceoise" - Tuna Salad (also served with a bunch(and I mean a bunch!) of breads)


"Vive la Pizza" - They have this 1.2 feet.. WHOA! :)) This one is super yummy. Also a favorite.

(pictures from Alexandre's facebook)

Add them to your facebook account. They are very interactive with their customers :)Click here.

Review: Maybelline Impact Express Smooth Felt Liner

I was out doing some make-up shopping in Landmark,Trinoma when I chanced upon Barbi Chan of Maybelline in the Maybelline counter (wherelse??!! lol) Being a make-up freak that I am, I approached her and asked for a picture. We chatted a little ( ye-hesss haha), and talked about make-up.. and then, she whipped out this product that she was raving about... The new Maybelline Impact Express Smooth Felt Liner! She tested it on her hand.. and well.. it looks buy-able to me, being a smoky / black liner-loving girl that I am.

she's very pretty and skinny! :)

So then I bought it. Unfortunately I forgot about the price.. but as far as I can remember it is very inexpensive, at about 300 plus Php. It comes in only one color though, which is in black. I was in a hunt for a pen liner because I have to do very precise lines for a photoshoot. Let's see how Maybelline's liner delivered...

Description:
-Black
-Shaped like a pen
-It dispenses the black liquid on its own, with no twisting or clicking (which is not really positive since one has to guess about the amount of the product, or how the amount that it will dispense.
-Smooth felt tip ( can really draw precise lines, but it would be much better if it is a bit more stiff. After harassing it in the shoot that we did, the tip has become softer but very much usable still)

The product:
-very helpful in drawing precise lines, like a winged eye!
-dries up fast
-application is a breeze with this one
-easy to grip because of its pen form
-The color of the product is a little on the shiny side ( i like matte better)
-I tested the product on my lids and slept through the day wearing it. when I woke up, it is still intact. I forgot that I am wearing it and rubbed my eye vigorously.. and it produced one hell of smudge! (so much for the no smudge claim. lol. )
-If you're going to apply a second layer, make sure the first layer is still wet, because if its not, it will not adhere to the skin.. it will only remove the first layer of liner that you applied.
-after prolonged use, the felt tip will slowly get softer and softer
-this product will always keep you guessing.. one day it seems as if its about to run out because it won't dispense a generous amount, and the next day it will.

Some pictures:

I love how it can make very defined points! (Experimenting on myself here)

The product

The tip that makes precision a breeze

swatches: unsmudged and smudged. (excuse the glitter, its from another product. :))

Over-all:
-This product is a steal because of it's lovable price. It delivers the general purpose of a felt liner because of its precision. This is perfect for personal use. It won't smudge unless you touch with pressure/harass your lids. :)

Love,
Maru

Cheetah / Old Hollywood Photoshoot

As I am writing this, I've still got the make-up school hangover ( I even get dreams involving make-up!), and I'm wondering what to do next. I'm about to leave for Singapore in a few weeks, and it's a shame that I wasn't able to maximize my full make-up artist potential here. :( sniff. Oh well, I hope I can widen my network there so that I can probably score little make-up gigs here and there. I hope!

We culminated the end of our very fabulous make-up class with a photo shoot. There was an electric excitement in the air, but also a sad realization that we are all going to part ways soon. Aww, I miss them already :( Everyone was helping each other out, no pressures, just plain fun with the thing that we love most.. MAKE-UP!

Before we proceeded to the main make-up application to our models, the very creative Ms. Nina Dumpa was there to demo her amazing amazing skills. Her work shows that technical skills + creativity = astounding make-up. having the complete make-up arsenal won't do it for you.. one has to have that passion. Ms. Georginna Desuasido was also there to demo a bridal look, with the use of an airbrush. The finish was really really clean and natural.. perfect for brides , and for TV. With the HD technology looming over us, it helps to be make make-up as seamless as possible, because a flaw is a no no in the HD world.lol. Ms Georginna also shared really helpful tips and advices about being a make-up artist. She is an inspiration, as her neverending journey of learning is very obvious in the way she talks. She is always walking the path of reinvention. It was really nice meeting you Ms Nina and Georginna! :))

So.. for my first look, I emulated safari glam. It was all browns, bronzes, blacks, and of course the highlight of the face is the cheetah print. Rar! Here's a picture of my first look.. and I'm very happy with this one!

The second look that I did was Old Hollywood.. Romantic and elegant! Here's a pic:

Over all, I am very happy with the job that I did for this shoot, and I can't wait for the final pictures to come out! I'm so looking forward to collaborating with my other Make-up artist friends :) I hope to be able to at least shoot some before I leave..

Some pictures with the Basement people.. to bad our beloved teacher Cheryl wasn't there to send us off.. Please get well soon!!!!




That's it for my post! Ciao for now!!!

Love,
Maru

Basement Academy (6th day)

It's almost my last day in school, and I don't want to leave! In such a short period of time, I've grown to be attached at Basement and I will surely miss the place, and of course the people there. A special shout out to my inspiration and wonderful teacher Cheryl Cabanos, Sir Jeave Gabiana, Blue, Aldrin, Rick.. my classmates Janet, Tet, Karen, Tin, Cherrie.. I will miss you all! :(

Enough of my sentiment though, I'll write about my 6th day at school first. :) The day's topic was Black and white photographic makeup. Black and white pictures requires very heavy make-up, for it to register well on the pictures. Regular makeup will cause the face to be flat, drab, and well.. not so dramatic.

The eyes should be smoky. Two tone color works best for black and white (gray and black.) The contouring should be very intense, and the lipstick should be red (or dark).

Here's a picture of my model from full color to monochromatic:

(COLORED) Oh no!

(B&W) Oh yes!!!:))

That's it for my sixth day at school... I'm about to write about my finals in school which involves avant garde and old hollywood looks. I can say that I'm proud of the makeup that I did that day! Soon!!! :))

With the great lighting in Basement, we can't get enough of taking so many pictures! here are some :

An eye makeup experiment on my classmate Flip.:)
hello me!

Love,
Maru

Review and Tutorial: MAC Russian Red

Red lips brings images of Old Hollywood glamour, of elegantly dressed women sipping cocktails, and red carpets. Yes, it's that one thing you need to instantly add femme fatale to your resume. The red lipstick is like the LBD... classic, and never goes out of style. As long as women wants to glamorous, the red lipstick is here to stay.

With the wide array of lipstick colors that MAC offers, the company formulated several reds that suit different moods, characters, etc.. depending on what one wants to achieve. So then I bought Russian Red from Kate, that imports MAC from Canada and sells it at a lower price. Got mine for 600 only!!!! :)) Russian Red is a matte intense bluish red.. nice!

I was initially planning on purchasing Ruby Woo (matte vivid bluish red), but settled for Russian Red instead because both are almost the same, and 600 pesos sweetened the deal. When I swiped on Russian Red, I instantly looked as if I have somewhere important and star-studded to go to! lol. This lipstick is one staple that every girl should have!




Over all, it gives just the right red... and you can always layer to achieve what you want. Worn alone, it is perfect.:) Applying red lipstick is trickier though, you cannot just swipe it on like other nudes, pales, or pink. It requires precision and a lip liner!

How to wear red lipstick:
1. Carefully line you lips with a lip liner starting at the edges, and fill it out all the way in.
2. Apply lipstick with a lipbrush.
3. Blot with tissue to remove excess.
4. Dust with a little loose powder to seal it in.
5. Fill the lips again with red lipstick.
6. Blot again with tissue.
7. Remove any stray color outside the lip with a sponge or concealer.

An important RED LIPSTICK RULE: Always check your teeth of any red lipstick smear!!! that is so not elegant. lol. :))

Other Red lipstick alternatives at MAC:
-Ruby Woo (vivid bluish red.matte)
-Brave red (bright yellow red. cremesheen)
-Chili (brownish orange red. matte)
-Fresh Moroccan ( Brick red with gold pearl. frost)
-Lady Danger (Vivid bright coral-red. Matte)

Here's a shoot wherein I used Russian Red:

Love love love it! My theme for this make-up is Old Hollywood... a time of outrageously elegant women, especially in the entertainment industry. My favorite time in history!

Until my next post!

Love,
Maru

Basement Academy (5th day)

Hello world!

I'm back to rattle on about my make-up education in Basement, which is nearing its end. (soooo sad :( ) In a span of a five days, I've seen different skin tones, shapes, types, and so on. I've wrestled with keeping to heart the troubleshooting techniques (yes, this is face i am talking about still. haha) that I have to always, always consider. In a span of five days, I've learned so much already. Weeee!

Ms. Cheryl is not your typical teacher. When others teach the techniques, she also teaches what goes on behind the whole male-up regalia. The rates, the horror stories, the worst-case scenarios, and so forth. She is basically a peep-hole of what it is like to work as a full-time living and breathing make-up artist.

So, for the fifth day, it was all about bridal beauty! This may be the most lucrative of all the forms of make-up. Brides expect to be the most beautiful in the most reveled day in their life. And this is not just the bride we're talking about here... there's the MOB ( Mother of the Bride), MOG (Mother of the Groom), Maid of Honor, etc....oh, and let's not forget the groom with the manly make-up!:)

The main objective of bridal make-up is achieving NATURAL BEAUTY. Medium shadows, peach /pink blush, flawless skin usually does the trick.

I'm so looking forward to having my first bride! I'm keeping my fingers crossed! :) Calling out soon-to-be brides, I am ready for your taking! lol :p

I will post my sixth day at school, as soon as I finish this.. I hope. :)


Love,
Maru

Basement Academy (4th day)

It was raining men in Basement Academy on our 4th day. Yep, men of all shapes and sizes.. and they became the subject of our brushes and make-ups! All of them were really nervous with what was to happen, but as the night progressed, they warmed up to us and the army of make-up harassing them, and almost looked thankful for the facial scrutiny they received. haha.

Male make-up is a lot different from women's make-up! Although it is simple, the key is to find the perfect shade of foundation, and it is not associated with the color that is visible in the male model's face. Women's foundation application banks entirely in the compatibility of the skin color, and this is what will make the look natural and not cakey. With the guys, the foundation should be three-tones darker than the skin tone, as this will adjust accordingly. Applying foundation that is the same as the skin tone will immediately make your male model perfect for a role in the Thriller music vid. :) White, pale, ghost like, and worst of all ( what guys dread)... being obvious that they are wearing makeup! (which will brand them for life lol).

And the most important of all... Hold out on the eyeshadows!!!! haha :D

Luckily, I got the perfect foundation tone for my model. Surprisingly, the darker foundation I applied to him really matched his skin tone! Amazing ,really :) From the right foundie and contouring, his looks really improved after the make-up. I wonder if he will purchase the products that I used on his face! lol.

Day 4 was fun as usual, impromptu photoshoots for everyone aspiring to be a model (especially for Vincen, a former haircutting student at Basement.) Strut your stuff!

Some snaps from that day:

Tin's model

A candid shot of me applying brow powder, a must. :))

The Basement People, with Flip (Blue, Aldrin, Flip, Rick)

Janet (a classmate) in action :)

I learned so much in 4 days.. and I don't want to graduate soon! (Monday July 20). Wish me luck guys, I'm gonna pull-off a avant garde cheetah look, a make-up that I've been wanting to do for a long time already! rar. :))

Wish me luck! :)

Love,
Maru

Train Case

I have to pay homage to the thing that keeps all my make-up together.. my train case! I just had to rave about "her" since she's a real beauty, albeit her weight problem. lol. Since I don't have enough moolah to spare for a lighted case or a trolley, my current train case will do.

Here's a picture:

closed

opened

The padded interiors shield my babies from damage, and it the beautiful vintagey exterior is a nice plus! The only disadvantage with this train case is the strap. It's very thin and doesn't give enough support to the weight of the train case. I resorted to trading it with a laptop strap (a friend's idea) I found at home, which is far more durable.

Hooray for my train case, I love it! :)

Love,
Maru

Basement Academy (3rd day)

WOW.

Time really does fly when you're having the time of your life! And I'm loving every minute of it. :)

I was quite satisfied with my look for the third day, which was one-color smoky (which is a subtle smoky). It's like the instant noodle of makeup. Depth and drama is created, with the use of one pigmented black eyeshadow. And the best thing is that my model loved it!!

Tips when doing a (subtle) smoky eye:

-skip on the foundation and powder first ( except on the lids), so that unwanted pigment will not settle anywhere else on the face.

-for droopy eyes, utilize the "winged effect" to lift it up.

-4U2 ( available in Watson's) is really a pigmented black. and very cheap too!

-use light/nude lipcolor to balance the dark eyes, (MAC in Blankety gives a really nice pinkish nude color)

BEFORE

AFTER

What I used:
Face:
Lorea'l Tru Match Foundation in Golden Beige
MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC35
ELF Clarifying Pressed Powder (tone 4)

Eyes:
4u2 Dream Girl Quad (Black)
The Face Shop brow powder
The Balm Mascara
Prestige Eyeliner in Black
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

Lips:
MAC (amplified) in Blankety

My friends from LCI dropped by with their BF's which made the night extra fun. Kate, which sells MAC products also stopped by, which made us hover over her like bees to honey. ..and the lowered prices made her extra sweet! lol. My friends and I all trooped to JJ's Inasal after class, and once the food were served, it was gone in like, a snap. Yes, a snap. (Sisig rice was definitely an "I will return" food)

I learned a lot on my third day, especially with eyeshapes and eyebrows. Make-up has a technique, and at the same time a rythm to it, that must mesh well together. Considering the face structure, shapes, features, etc, is always the first step in make-up application.

On to my fourth day in class!

Love,

Maru

Basement Academy (2nd day)

Evening look was the lesson for the day. We were also taught how to transform the typical day make-up into evening make-up. In the evening its all about drama... nope, not about drunk-dialing your ex-boyfriend to profess that you still haven't gotten over him, but... IN THE EYES. ;)

On my second day, I'm getting the hang of how Ms. Cheryl Cabanos teaches... theory, lecture, tips, then demos, then actual application for us students. She constantly goes around, checking our work, never letting us get through the night without really absorbing the right way of application. WHICH IS VERY GOOD! 2 months away from delivery date (she is 7 months pregnant and very radiant :)), she is ever enthusiastic of her craft, and very relentless is making sure that her students learn. Thank God for Cheryl! :)

Her long time affair with make-up is equally inspirational, as she once belonged in the corporate jungle, with her own office, fat salary, and , well you get the picture. In spite of the ultra-luxe lifestyle, she braved what was once considered a very unglamorous job ( compared to the status of makeup artistry today), and pursued the call of pallets, foundations, lipsticks... she pursued Make-up. Her humble beginnings have grown to having expertise that is only inherited from experience and right attitude. :)

Back to my Day 2 at Basement Academy, I chose 4 colors for my evening look. 3 shades of monochromatic violets, and 1 black. Too bad I wasn't able to take a "before" picture of my model (again), and the lighting in the "after" shot washed out the color on her eyelids. Someone has to remind me next time! lol.

To document the day, here are some of our class pictures, with our glowing teacher :)





Can't wait for Day 3!!! :) I'm loving every minute at school... and to think this is just my second day!


Love,
Maru

Basement Academy (1st day)

HELLO WORLD!

This is my first formal foray into the blogging world, and I do pray I wouldn't disappoint. :) So.. for my opening salvo, a fitting topic would probably be another first, my first day of make-up school at Basement Academy. I was actually planning on enrolling at Lasalle College International since my bestfriend graduated there, RB Chanco is an acquaintance (and a good teacher), and I used to model there, so I have witnessed the basic dynamics of teacher to student and vice versa. But I wanted to start ASAP (as have 0 patience), and time is a big factor for me, so I considered Basement Academy. The fee in Basement is a little bit more than LCI, but the advantage is that they supply your models (no need to convince unwilling victims for a makeup experiment , lol), the course is finished in two weeks, and the number of students is controlled (limit of 9 students per class).

Oh, and I like their course coverage too, :)
Course Coverage:
a. Theory: skin, skin tones, texture, faces shapes, bone structure
b. Highlighting and shading
c. Eyebrow shaping
d. Blending techniques
e. Natural/Clean Beauty Make-up (daytime look, no make-up look)
f. Evening Make-up
h. Photography (color wheel, and lighting)
i. Black and White Photography Make-up
j. Dramatic/Glamour Looks
j. High Fashion/Avant Garde Looks
k. Bridal Looks (Daytime and Evening)
l. Television/Cinema

check out their website here

DAY 1

Met our beautiful teacher Cheryl Cabanos. The first thing I noticed was the friendliness of the people there. The Director and Co-owner Jeave Gabiana was very accommodating, and Blue (Assistant) was very very helpful. I warmed up to the people and the place right away.

Basement Academy Pro's:

• number of students (we're only 7 in the class)
• excellent facilities
• nothing to worry when it comes to finding models
  
• very friendly people
  
• great teacher
• the class continues later than the dismissal if needed
• certificate in two weeks (as compared to weekend courses)
• graduate students can always go back to Basement to practice, hang around, whatever.

Basement Academy Con's:
-nothing really to rant about right now since I'm just well into the beginning of my exciting make-up journey :)



For the first day, we were taught about the face shapes, different kinds/types of makeup, and all the technical stuff ( which is really important by the way.) Realization of the day : WHAT MAY WORK FOR ME POSSIBLY WON'T FOR OTHER PEOPLE.

We were also taught the "no make-up look" which is perfect for just everyday wear. Too bad I didn't bring a cam, hence the absence of a souvenir of my jittery first. Well , I'll just make it up for the second day, which I'll write about soon :)

Wish me luck guys! This is a make-up rookie asking for assistance! I'll be needing all the help I can get :D lol.

Love,
Maru