Giorgio Armani

Contouring Tutorial for Asians

December 12, 2012

I find contouring is particularly challenging for everyday makeup. I have tried different ways of contouring my face over the years, and I have finally figured out a way that enhances my typical Asian bone structure. The reason I said that is because if you are an Asian like me – you would probably realize by now that there are a lot of makeup tricks that work on other races but do not work on Asians/Orientals. That’s because our bone structure, facial features and skin tone are completely different to that of Caucasians, so one solution does not fit all..

To make contouring work, you really need to study your face and this exercise is more important than the amount of tutorials you watch/read. I have made a few generalization of standard Asian features which might apply to some of you.

Cheekbones: Asians generally have a bigger, flatter and wider face (sad but true…) Contouring cheekbones is never a mainstream makeup application as the highest point of our cheekbones is already over the nose bridge. Hands up how many times you have given up a pair of sunnies because it is sitting on your cheekbones rather than on your nose bridge?! Whereas for the Caucasians it is the other way around. The placement of our cheekbone is slightly different too. They are normally more prominent (slightly protruding) on the side of the face (below the temple areas), whereas Caucasians’ cheekbones are more prominent to the front.

Jaw: The gold standard of Asian beauty is that we don’t want chiseled jaws. We want a v-shaped face!

Nose: Kindergarten knowledge! Asian noses are much flatter, lacking of a prominent nose bridge, with a rounder or wider nose tip.

So based on the above ‘general Asian features’, I have put together this contouring tutorial.

STEP 1:

Cheekbones: Apply the contouring product starting from the hollow of the cheekbones all the way up to the temples. More product is applied on the side of the cheekbone for a slimmer face effect.

Nose: Apply the contouring product starting from where your eyebrow begins to fake a v-shape for the nose bridge. Bring it all the way down to the bottom of the nose for a more refined nose tip. I also applied a bit of product along the nostrils for a slimmer nose effect.

Jaws: Apply the contouring product starting from the side of your chin up to the cheekbone. More product is applied to the side of the jaws.

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STEP 2:

Blend, blend and blend. I find that a good blending brush really makes a big difference to the result. Start light-handed, and do not apply too much contouring product in the first place. Start blending within a small area then blend the residual product outward – that way it gives a natural looking gradient of shading.

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STEP 3:

How much to blend is really your personal perference. I wish my face was that small (see pic)! I just blend the contouring shade to cover the areas covered under my hands.

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Final Result:

contouring-tutorial-for-asians-frb-step5Added cream blush to the apple of the cheeks

contouring-tutorial-for-asians-frb-step6BEFORE AND AFTER

Left: With foundation only – my face is looking flat without contouring and highlighting applied.

Right: Final look.

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Products Used: Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate Intensity One, with Giorgio Armani Blender brush. Reviews coming soon!

 

 

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I don’t get more excited than finding the perfect soft milky pink lipstick – meet my lipstick of the moment which is the Giorgio Armani Rouge d’Armani Sheers 505 from the skin lacquers collection. Finding a light pink shade that works for me is not an easy mission. Most milky pink can be a little tricky to pull off for Asians with a yellow skin tone. I have made a lot of mistakes in the past (used to wear the most unflattering pink on myself), so I am glad I am a little more “tasteful” now and I know how to work out the right pink for me.

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The Rouge D’armani Sheers, skin lacquers collection just landed in Australia , and 505 was the only shade that caught my eye instantly, as it reminded me of my all time favorite light pink lipstick The Shiseido Doll Pink (which is shown in the comparison picture below) . As the name suggests, the formulation is sheer (but not as sheer as Chanel Rouge Coco Shine) with a glossy finish. Two or three swipes are enough for the color to show. The texture is light and has a good slip, and feels quite hydrating on my dry lips with a longer than average lasting power (about 3-4 hrs) than most sheer lipsticks.

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Compared to the other light pink (slightly blue based) lipsticks:

From left to right: Rouge d’Armani 505; Shiseido Sheer Gloss Lipstick Doll Pink; MAC Victorian, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Chance

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Overall Look:

Foundation: Laura Mercier Moisturizing Foundation

Eyes: Giorgio Armani ETK 29 Rose Titanium as a wash, and ETK 27 Oxidised Silver over the lid. (both shades are reviewed in this post)

Cheeks: Jill Stuart mix blush 105 sweet lock

giorgio-armani-eyes-to-kill-eye-shadow-29-27-Oxidised-Silve-rose-titanium-swatches-fotdI purchased mine at DJ for AUD$52. The collection is also available here online.

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I received a call from the Giorgio Armani SA that the Eyes To Kill Eye Shadows from the AQUA Collection arrived in Australia the day after I posted my beauty wishlist – perfect timing! After playing with the testers for about 20 minutes, I restrained myself to 3 shades for now – 27 Oxidised Silver, 28 Red Platine and 29 Rose Titanium. The entire collection is gorgeous but I thought I will make more use out of these shades compared to the others as they appear very wearable and “me”. The rest of the shades are more for a smokey look which are attractive but I have been rarely wearing dark eye shadows lately.

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There have been similar products released in the market by some cheaper brands, but I always have a soft spot for the Giorgio Armanis as they are the original. Especially when it comes to the presentation of the product, as each shade of Eyes To Kill appears to be made of multicolored and complex shimmery pigments which give a multi-dimensional finish, and I have not seen that in any other cheaper brand. They blend like a dream as well as last a whole day on my oily lids.  I generally prefer to use my fingers for application if I want to create a soft sparkly layer with a hint of color. Or to use my beloved MAC 217 if I want to pack on a decent layer of color.

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Eye Shadow Rose Titanium 29: Had I not seen it in real life I would have skipped it as I am usually scared of pink eye shadows. But Rose Titanium swatches beautifully, as it shows up as a pale pink that looks very flattering on my skin tone. It makes a great alternative to the usual beige-champagne base color which I am a little bored of now.

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Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Eye Shadow Oxidised Silver 27: It will be a sell-out. You can’t miss this one if you love taupe, and it has the perfect undertone of purple for me.

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Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Eye Shadow Red Platine 28 : It is another drop dead gorgeous neutral but complex shade. It shows up as a bronzy coppery gold on me with silver shimmer. I always wanted a shade like it in a portable glass pot so I can carry it with me easily.

giorgio-armani-eyes-to-kill-eye-shadow-Red-Platine-28-swatchGroup Swatches:

under the sun

giorgio-armani-eyes-to-kill-eye-shadow-27-28-29-Red-Platine-oxidised-silver-rose-titanium-swatchesIn the shade

giorgio-armani-eyes-to-kill-eye-shadow-27-28-29-Red-Platine-oxidised-silver-rose-titanium-swatches-1Blended out

giorgio-armani-eyes-to-kill-eye-shadow-27-28-29-Red-Platine-oxidised-silver-rose-titanium-swatches-2Compared to other ETKs

Top 28, 27, 29 Bottom: 15, 4 , 8

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Bottom Line: I think the color palette and the wearability of AQUA Collection surpasses all of its previous limited editions. It’s a versatile yet unique collection of eye shadows for the neutral lovers.

I bought these at David Jones for AUD$45 each. The new AQUA collection is also available here in the US.

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This is another post requested by my readers – A FOTD of dark smokey eyes paired with pale blush and lips. I hardly wear smokey eyes so I thought that was such a good idea for me to practice. I wanted to wear black eye shadows, and the Nars Pandora Duo Eye Shadow was the first one that came to my mind. I bought this duo many years ago when I was in the Nars phase, but had never worn them yet! So I am giving this duo a road test today.

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Pandora contains a matte black shade and a shimmery white shade, and it is regarded as one of the most iconic Nars duos (along with Rated R) to be collected. Surprisingly, it is not as difficult to wear as I thought. Both the black and white shades apply smoothly and evenly, and are easy to blend. It is very densely packed so I didn’t experience any fall out with this product using a fluffy blending brush (MAC 217).

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Face: I wanted my base makeup to look sheer and natural, so I opted for the Sunday Riley Tinted Moisturizer, and the Bobbi Brown Corrector for under eyes concealing. Then I set my makeup with the Tom Ford Translucent Finishing Powder.

Cheeks: A few swipes of Chanel Joues Contraste in Narcisse.

Eyes: Since Pandora is matte and can look flat on the eyes, I first used the Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill 13 Noifa for a sheer wash of color over the eye socket. This is my go-to product for quick  smokey eyes – it blends out beautifully with MAC 217 and the shimmer straight away creates a multi-dimensional layered effect without the need of applying 4 and 5 different shades! I then applied the black shade of Pandora starting from the lash line into the crease for a more dramatic effect. The white shade was added  under the brow bone to highlight.

Brows: They were done when preparing this eye brow tutorial, though this post shows the nose contour (step 5) better.

Lips: Applied with the Shiseido Sheer Gloss Lipstick in Doll Pink which is my favorite pale pink lipstick, then MAC Creme Sheen Glass in Partial Pink was layered on top. They go perfectly together!

More pictures:

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This post is inspired by some of my favorite bloggers who have done an extensive summary of the beauty products they loved the most in year 2011. I thought it was such a good idea to show you some of the amazing products that I came across last year (or years before..). As a beauty junkie I have way too many products to showcase so I will be breaking them into several posts, and today’s post is all about the best base makeup products that I have absolutely been in love with, and I am pretty sure my appreciation for them will be carried over to year 2012.

Unfortunately I haven’t had the time to review many products in this post yet, but I am sure they will appear sometime in the near future!

Best Makeup Primer: the award goes to By Terry Teint De Rose. The most luxurious primer I have ever used – the hydrating texture, the  scent and the pink rosy color just blows me away every time I use it.

by-terry-teint-de-roseBest Illuminating Makeup Base: the award goes to Dior Radiant Base. It gives a “your glow but better” effect.

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Best Tinted Moisturizer: the award goes to Sunday Riley Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer. One of their signature products. I was at Barneys shopping for Sunday Riley skincare, and I noticed there were so many (gorgeous) girls dropping by just to purchase this primer over a short time! So I had to have it and it is my holy grail makeup base now on a good skin day.

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Best BB Cream: the award goes to Dr Jart Blemish Base BB Cream, love the hydrating yet lightweight liquid texture.

dr-jart-water-fuse-blemish-base-balmBest Liquid Foundation: the award goes to Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Firming Foundation (reviewed here). I don’t know one single person who doesn’t love this foundation?!

giorgio-armani-designer-lift-smoothing-firming-foundationRunner up: Chantecaille Future Skin Foundation. This was my first high end foundation that I got it when I was in High School, and I was hooked on to it ever since. There is always a backup in my vanity drawer.

chantecaille-foundationBest Compact Foundation/Powder: the award goes to Tom Ford Translucent Finishing Powder. My new discovery and this is THE most finely milled powder I have ever used!

tom-ford-translucent-finishing-powderRunner Up: La Prairie Cellular Treatment Powder Foundation (old packaging). A little goes a long way and it gives a flawless coverage.

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Best Contouring Powder: the award goes to Suqqu Balancing Cheek in OSHAGECHA (the shade on the right). Provides a perfect subtle contouring that just blends in with my natural skin color.

Best Concealer: the award goes to Cle De Peau Concealer (have discussed in this post)

cle-de-peau-concealerBest Under Eye Brightening Concealer: the award goes to YSL Touche Eclat (have discussed in this post)

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Best Loose Powder: the award goes to La Mer Loose Powder. The most finely milled loose powder inthe market and gives a soft focus finish. This is my second tub and my first one lasted me a few years!

la-mer-the-loose-powderRunner Up: Cle de Peau Loose Powder. It has a slight pink tinge to it rather than totally translucent. Provides a brightening effect and a flawless finish.

cle-de-peau-loose-powderIf you haven’t read the 2011 picks by these beautiful bloggers yet, please do check them out.

Atelier Beauty’s 2011 Picks.

Delicate Hummingbird’s best picks for the foundations/powder/concealers 2011

Rouge Deluxe 2011 Loves and Thoughts

Miss Elaine-Nio Year 2011 Favorites, I am VERY sad to hear that she will no longer be blogging…

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Christmas is just around the corner, which means the party season is truly upon us! Are you all excited? I am, because the many “non-neutral-makeup” that I bought for special occasions are finally on high rotation of use. I attended a few parties after work last week, and I needed makeup that can transform my look from day to night within minutes. I thought I’ll give the Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Eye shadow 04 a try – I wanted this one so much until I got the Chanel Illusoire but I bought it anyway at SAKS to qualify for the gifts with purchase.

I love Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Eye shadows in general, and I have already reviewed the other shades in my previous post, so I am not going to review the quality of these eye shadows again. The shade 04 is a gorgeous taupe shade in the pan, but I am little disappointed that the color doesn’t show up on me quite the same as it appears in the pan. It pulls a little too gray with a gunmetal metallic sheen – such color can look too harsh against my complexion and I don’t feel comfortable wearing it alone. I personally prefer taupe with a brown tinge to it and that’s what this shade is missing.

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Compared to Chanel Illusoire:

giorgio-armani-eyes-to-kill-04-swatchMy Giorgio Armani ETK Eyeshadows Collection as of today:

giorgio-armani-eyes-to-kill--swatches

Bottom Line: Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill 04 is a stunning color but I think it takes the right complexion to pull it off. It allows you to create a multi dimensional smoky eyes within minutes, and also serves as a good base for an even more intense and dramatic eyes. I like it but not love it. I think there are better GA ETK shades to invest in, and if I have to choose between ETK 04 and Chanel Illusoire, I would go for the Chanel.

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Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Smoothing Firming Foundation with SPF20 is my latest foundation acquisition. I tried to refrain myself from buying new foundations because I have way too many, however this foundation is just too good to be passed upon testing at the counter so I promised myself that this will be my last foundation for this year! (although the new Sisley foundation SKINLEYA is calling my name every time I walk pass..)

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I love GA foundations in general, and if you have read my review here, you will know the Luminous Silk foundation has been my HG for years.  It is due for a replenishment but I was more than curious to try the new one out.

I was matched with shade 03 and 04 and it appears 03 is a perfect match for me. The SA also told me the shade 03 is equivalent to GA LSF 04 .

It has the signature GA foundation scent that lingers on my skin for quite a while. I find that the scent is quite pleasant and smells expensive. The texture of this foundation feels very unique – silky, dense and creamy in an emollient milky formula – GA describes it as a gossamer-like texture and I cannot find a better word than that! Compared to LSF it is  more creamy. Since it has a denser and more opaque consistency than most liquid foundations, a tiny amount of it goes a long way. It glides over the skin and spreads effortlessly, but for a weightless finish I like to use a foundation brush to apply a sheer layer of it, followed by patting my skin using the beauty blender just to make it more sunk into the skin. The result is extraordinary – flawless yet natural looking, translucent, dewy and feels weightless. It stays put for 10 hours of wear and still looks amazing by the end of the day.giorgio-armani-designer-lift-smoothing-firming-foundation-shade-03

On to the most impressive part:

A NEW Beauty Breakthrough has been introduced into this foundations – A NEW BLUE

Young, vibrant skin has a higher blue light retrodiffusion. Yet as we age, the blue light component decreases and a yellow tinge takes over, causing the skin to loose its natural radiance. Designer lift pioneers a bold movement towards including a precise dose of the magical Prussian blue pigment to diminish dullness, maintain flawless coverage, and “backscatter” radiance on the face.

I am normally quite skeptical with the so-called beauty breakthroughs, however with this one I can really see the difference. Most foundation shades are either yellow or pink based. As an Asian with not so yellow skintone, whenever I go for the yellow based shades they always appear quite yellow or even orange on me, and they wear into half a shade darker once it settles in with my skin’s own natural oil. As what they said, once the yellow tinge appears more prominent, I tend to look dull and tired.

I can really see the difference with the blue pigment used in this foundation. It counteracts the yellowness and brightens up my skin without looking too pinkish or white. Visually my complexion looks more lifted. At the end of the day it stills look radiant and fresh on me, almost like  I have a softbox cast over all my face all day! Truly amazing…

I pulled out some foundations from my stash that are similar to shade 03, and from the swatches I hope you can see the difference in the undertone.

From Left to Right:

Giorgio Armani Designer Lift Shade 03 – compared to the other pink and beige based shades, this one strikes a perfect balance.

DiorSkin Nude Shade 02- pink based

Chanel Mat Lumiere Shade 20 Clair

BECCA Luminous Skin Color Shade Cashmere

MAKE UP Forever HD Shade 125

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Shade B20

giorgio-armani-designer-lift-smoothing-firming-foundation-shade-03-swatch

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Bottom Line: Perfection! I love this foundation more than any others now. If you have normal to dry skin and looking for a new foundation to try, this is the one to go for! But ladies with very oily skin might have to stay away from it. The GA Designer Lift Foundation is available here or here.

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I played with the second eye shadow palette from the Giorgio Armani Fall collection – Jacquard Woven Eye Color Palette in 2 today. It is definitely more wearable than the first one that I reviewed earlier – I can see myself getting more uses out of this one on a day to day basis.

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The quality of this palette is the same as the other. All shades are moderately pigmented with a silky feel. They glide on smoothly and blend effortlessly and can be layered for an intense finish.

Shades description:

Silvery white in a sparkly finish

A pale silvery violet with a hint of grey in a sparkly finish

A taupe in a satin shimmery finish

A clay brown with tiny silver flecks – the silver flecks is only noticeable under certain lighting

giorgio-armani-jacquard-woven-eye-color-palette-2-swatch

Swatches: Under natural day light

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With flash to show the flecks

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The feature of this palette is that the mix of 3 cool tone shades with a dark warm shade. It seemed an odd combination to me at first, but when I applied them on my eyes, they blended in and complemented each other beautifully.

My macro shots of EOTD! I am still in the initial excited stage:-)

Upper: Applied the taupe all over the eye socket area then smudged the clay brown along the lash line and the outer v. Dabbed a bit of silvery white on the inner corner

Lower: Lined the silvery violet along the lash line, deepened the outer corner with the clay brown shade.

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Bottom Line: Both palettes are collector worthy items. They are beautiful, well designed and quite unique in terms of color coordination. However I am a bit peeved at the high price tag (particularly in Australia). At AUD$135 (equivalent to USD$140) for a palette with four reasonably sized eye shadows, it is too expensive for what it is.

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