Answers, part I

I divide these post in two parts, since my answers were a "bit" longer that I thought :D

So here's the first questions:

Anonymous said...

If you could use only one colour (and of course all of its shades) for your eye make-up, what would it be and why ? And also it would be cool to know what your ultimate favourite make-up brand is.. and why :) 

Tricky! Right know I guess I have to say brown. Or purple. Both colors have such a variety of shades, that they wouldn't go boring soon. 

My ultimate favourite makeup brand.. I guess I'd have to go with MAC. They have such large range, usually great quality, and they come up with cool ideas.

princessfats said...

I would LOVE to know what your photography setup is like, and how your pictures are so amazing! Camera, lighting, etc. 

dannibby526 said...

I'd love to know about your camera settings. I have a Canon EOS 50D as well and would like to know how you manage to get such amazing shots.

 Like said, I have Canon EOS 50D. Usually I use the kit lens that came with the camera, which is 18-200 mm.
My flash is external, Canon Speedlite 430EX II. I have a ring flash adapter from DealExtreme which I always use with makeup photos, if I use flash at all.
Settings vary greatly. It depends if I'm taking pictures indoors, outside, of full face, just the eye...
If there's enough light outside, I'll try to take my photos in natural light. Sometimes sunlight just isn't enough, and I have to use also the flash. Sometimes sunlight just isn't available (*g*) so I have to just with flash.
I recently discovered, that setting "A-dep" works quite well with ring flash adapter, both indoors and outdoors.
I also use automatic, manual, portrait and almost all the other modes, if nothing seems to work :3

I also want to make a note, that sometimes I take 100 photos of ONE look. Maybe one of them is good enough, maybe two, maybe none of them. :D

Miryam Oquendo said...

1. Including the use of the internet, did you teach yourself how to apply make-up? 
2. Is make-up artistry just a hobby of yours or have you ever considered taking this somewhere? Because you're SUPER good at what you do. 
3. What was your inspiration? What got you hooked on make-up? 

 1. I have to make a confession:
I've never really watched a single tutorial on internet. Not on blogs, not on YouTube. maybe to get inspiration, but not as "student".
So yes, over the years, I've teached myself completely to do makeup. As a child I always loved coloring books, but I never really liked drawing, 'cos I wasn't really good with it. Still the same thing: I love playing with colors, on paper and on lids, but I don't like to draw. I guess that's why eyebrows or lip lining aren't my strongest thing :P

2.  Yes, I've considered it. It's just that in Finland the whole makeup industry is so small, that you have to be trained professional to get a job. So I should first go to private makeup school (which costs several THOUSANDS, apparently 8 months is 7900 euros, somewhere around $10 000!), get the papers, and THEN I MIGHT get a job :S Like, Jesus.
So, unless I get REALLY lucky (either win in lottery or get noticed by some head honcho) I'll be here, writing this blog. Or maybe I'll get a job at McDonald's :S


3. I originally started with face painting. I don't know where did I get the idea, but I bought face paint palette, and started playing with it. Sometimes someone wanted me to to their makeup for  some LARPs or something, but I didn't consider myself very talented in it.
Instead, I always thought that I was talented in makeup application, even if I weren't :3
Many years my makeup was always the same: unplugged eyebrows, too light foundation and huge amount of matte powder, brown lips and purple eyeshadow.
I got compliments of my looks (for some sick reason), and I started to try and impress people even more.
I took photos of my makeup daily, and always wanted to do something different. Different colors, different techniques, different placement.  And by the time I got better.
I found new brands, new products, and I got interested in skincare and eyebrows and all the stuff I'd ignored before.
I got more compliments, and I wanted to do thing even better, to get even more compliments :D
I discovered that I really am quite good in doing makeup, and that inspired me even more.
And here I am. :)

More questions can be asked, I'll answer them in next post!

Ask Jangsara

(First of all, I'm having a flu, so I've been really lazy with makeup lately, as well as blogging. I'll try to get a real update with makeup stuff soon :P)

So, we al lknow that I'm a terribly bad at answering comments, sorry about that :(
But if you have some questions that you want to know the answer to, now is your time!

So ask a question, and I'll make a post where I answer to all questions asked!

While waiting my real post, you can go to my MSCHIC blog, and check out small lip tutorial:

MSCHIC by Jangsara 

Buy buy money!

So, I get lots of questions of where I buy my wigs, cosmetics, false lashes, contact lenses etc, so I decided to make a post about it.

Makeup:
Haha, me and buying makeup online <3

Here's some of my  favourites:

* fyrinnae.com - Unique loose eyeshadows and lip lustres

* brigettesboutique.com - MAC, some MUFE, Urban Decay etc.

* all cosmetics wholesale.com - MAC, Urban Dacay, Too Faced etc.

* MakeupGeek store - Great selection of MAC pigment samples

* cherryculture.com - IMO the best place to buy NYX

* asos.com  - Illamasqua, Barry M, Urban Decay, Too Faced etc.

* starsmakeuphaven.com - StarsMakeupHaven eyeshadows, build your own palette.
* mschic.com - My Holy Grail skin products

*Huutonet - Online auction for finnish users
* Sigma Makeup - Great brushes in great price, fast worldwide shipping 

Wigs:
Basicly I've bought all of my wigs from Ebay. I usually enter the keywords (ie. short white) and start browsing results price + shipping - lowest. Then I pick the nice looking, and buy it :D But here's some of the sellers I've bought wigs from:
* honeyplace
* handmade_jewelry_china
* koozuland
* xx2894
* professionalonly



Contact lenses:
I resently stumbled across this site, and it has a lot cheaper prices than in finland, and shipping was really fast, and FREE:
 * youknowit.com

Lashes:
Usually I order my lashes from ebay, but there's couple other online stores that sell great lashes too:
* glamlabel
* oooushop
*madamemadeline.com/ - GREAT selection of false lashes, including almost every pait of lashes I've used in my looks :D

Jewellery:
Most of my jewellery is from flea markets, it's aazing what you can find with with so little money. But here's some of the places/ sellers I've bought jewellery from:
* willrockon2008 -Great selection of pretty and wearable jewellery
*etsy.com/SerendipityLicious - Sweet skeleton cameo jewellery
*topshop.com  - Sometimes there's awesome jewellery <3

Rhinestones:
Again, all my rhinestones are from Ebay. Here's some of the sellers I've bought rhinestones from:
 * highquality*4*you
* wholesale-cn
* laqueerettl
* oooushop
* honeycatso

Camera accessories (lenses, ring flash adapter)
* dealextreme.com

FAQ (for) you.

I've been getting some questions from you and I thought I'd answer some of them.

- Why don't you do real video tutorials?
  First of all, english isn't my main language, so I guess nobody wouldn't understand a word ;D
  Second, I have a lousy webcam and I usually do my makeup on my desk, so I really don't even have a decent light :D I also have huge problems with my self-confidence, so that's a big reason too. You can't always show only your best side in video :/
AND (I'm good at explaining why not livetutorials :3) I have a bad eye sight, so I have to keep the mirror really close to my face to even see what I'm doing, so most of the time in tutorial you'd have to watch the back of my mirror :D:D

- How long does it take to do your makeup?
  It usually takes about from 15 minutes to half an hour to do my LOTD. A more dramatic look may take up to an hour or so. I've always done my makeup pretty quickly, so I don't do my makeup for hours :D

- Where have you learned to do makeup?
  I'm 100% self taught. I've never actually even watched any tutorial videos or anything.
  I started doing makeup when I was ~12 years old, back then it was only (too dark) lipstick, (too light) powder and mascara. During the years I have just copied looks from pictures or TV, and learned different techniques that way. I'm also a big time perfectionist, so I expect a LOT from myself, and I really push myself to limits while doing makeup.
I dream that I'd someday be a professional MUA, but getting the degree of a professional MUA takes a lot of money (about 3000 euros, which is roughly $4500 ), which is bit too much for learning something I already know. I know it would PROBABLY pay itself back, but I still don't have that kind of money.
I just sit here and hope someone will notice me and ask me to do makeup for Hollywood ;D
Anyone?
(Just kidding :D)

Inspired by the last question,  I started to go though my makeup pictures.
I started the whole LOTD thing in last april, and apparently that is about the time I've really learned how to apply makeup O_O
I've always thought that I knew how to do makeup, but I'm actually quite shocked at how much I've really improved in last ~6 months O_O

Here is a collection of my OLD LOTDs (they are not in any logical order, but none of them is more than ~3 years old):

 

Click to enlarge

Blending is quite horrible, same is the color payoff. My makeup is smudged, not to mention my eyeliner attempts. And I have thought those as a good makeup skills O_O

Back then I didn't use any primer or base, I worked mostly with my fingertips, a lousy cheap brush OR with sponge applicators.

You can also clearly see that I haven't payed ANY attention to my brows. I think I got them plucked for the FIRST time maybe two years ago *blush*

Now I have "real" makeup, and I mostly know how to use them properly too. Thank God.

But enough babbling.

Hopefully I'll be getting some makeup through mail tomorrow, so I'll see you then!