Si Daeng

Si daeng is Thai for red.  

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Before my love affair with purple, there was red.  It was my first love.  I had to end it, though, when we moved to Bangkok.  With the political situation and the number of times I've been mistaken for Thai, wearing a red ensemble is not ideal.  Kaya hanggang accessories na lang ako at baka hulihin pa ako ng pulis!  Afraid!

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Anyhoo, for this week's grocery day, I wore this:

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White shirt: Chatuchak

Blue and orange belt: Ukay ukay in Tagaytay

Denim shorts: Old Navy

Sandals: Fitflops

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Swatch Gent in si daeng (red).  A present from Richard.  Btw, use an eco bag when shopping!  Plastic bags are soo not fab!

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I wore red lipstick to match my red watch -- I know, kinda cheesy!  But what the hey!

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MAC Russian Red.

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Russian Red on the back of my hand.

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I love my MAC Russian Red for two reasons: #1 Madonna wore it on her Blond Ambition Tour and you know that anything Madonna is super cool in my book; #2 It lasts forevah!  I put on two coats yesterday -- one coat, blotted with tissue, then another coat -- and it lasted all day!  I ate merienda, drank lots a water (didn't leave any lipstick mark on my glass either), ate dinner and dessert with it and the color stayed on without retouching.  I kid you not!    I was surprised myself!  Richard came home last night at around 10pm and the first thing he noticed were my red lips.  

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MAC is a bit pricey but if you want to rock the red lips look without spending too much, a cheaper alternative to MAC (but not necessarily to Russian Red) would be:

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Revlon Plumpsexxxy in Latino Kiss and Maybelline Color Sensational in Summer Sunset.  Unlike MAC Russian Red which is matte (hence the staying power), these two have more sheen in them that's why I rely on Revlon Colorstay Lip liner in Red to make the color last longer.  

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Effective sya ha.  One time, during my nephew Eli's baptism reception, my mom asked me how come I still had lipstick on after eating.  Richard's tita Tess noticed it too.

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Swatches: Latino Kiss on the left, which is a warmer red; Summer Sunset in the middle, a cooler red; lipliner on the right.  

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Red lipstick truly is a classic.  It never goes out of style.  Some women are shy and afraid to wear red but I think it suits anyone -- you just need to find the right shade.  

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I personally like to wear red lipstick when I'm too lazy to put on make up but I still want to look "made up" because with red lipstick, you have to tone everything else down.  So what I'd do is, I'd line my eyebrows (probably the first and only thing I will put on if I'm too lazy for make up but I still want to look human), put on lipstick and I'm out the door.  Easy peasy.

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Dare to wear red!  It's not as scary as you think :)

MAC Wonder Woman

Wonder wo-maaaaann!  Finally, you're mine!

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I placed myself on voluntary house arrest because I was fighting the urge to get a piece of the MAC Wonder Woman collection.  Turns out, it was a wrong decision because stocks were running out fast!  When I checked out the MAC counter at Central World, all the items had small black stickers on them with the two words that every shopper fears the most: SOLD OUT.  Ok, maybe not all items because the eye shadow palettes, nail polish, colored mascara, pigments, cosmetic bags (super mahal!) and two shades of lipstick and lipglass were still available.  But I didn't really dig them so dedma na.  As far as I'm concerned, sold out na sya and it made me sad.  Richard told me to go and get it already since it was a "critical situation".  So I went for it.  Heehee!  I have the best husband ever!  He's very supportive.  Haha!

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My original plan was to buy lipstick but they were all sold out.  Only the bronzers and blushes were going to be replenished at the counters so I ended up with this:

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Mineralize Skin Finish (MSF) in Pink Power.  Love the packaging!

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It's a bigger compact and costs more than the usual MAC MSFs...

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...but it has three components -- blush, bronzer and highlighter so it's like buying three products for the price of one.

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I asked the make-up artist at Paragon to try it on me before I bought it and I liked it!  I like it very much :)  Apparently, you can use this product in many different ways: the dark shade in the middle can be used under the cheeks for contouring;  the pink shade on the apples of your cheeks as a blush; the lightest shade on the cheekbones as a highlighter; just the bronzer and blush together; or you can sweep your brush all over the pan as an overall bronzer.  Perfect daw for travel according to the blogs that I read.

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For me, it's perfect for summer.  I want to have that "sunkissed" look without the sun exposure.  Heehee!

Make-up ala Penelope Cruz

Before anything, I just want to say two things: #1 I'm no make-up expert.  I'm still learning the ropes via make-up blogs and YouTube.  And most of the time, I'm just practicing and experimenting so I sometimes wear make-up even if I'm at home.  

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Which leads us to #2 I wear make-up even if I'm at home because sayang naman the stuff that I bought if I don't use them.  I'd rather use my make-up like that than to just let them gather dust on my dresser.  And also, I want to look good when my husband comes home from work.  After a long day in the office, the last thing he wants to see is an ugly hag right?  So even if I gained more than 20 lbs. since our wedding, I want to look pretty kahit papano.  I want to be presentable when I open the door for my husband.  That way, I remind him (I'd like to think I do!) that all the hardwork is worth it.  Haha!  And I hope that it gives him something to look forward to after a long, tiring day at the office.

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That said, let's talk make-up.  In my previous post, I mentioned that I was able to save a lot of time dressing up with my simple outfit so I had more time for make-up.  Well, this was what I had on:

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My face, which was inspired by this:

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Penelope Cruz for Mango.

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Indulge me here for a bit.  Wala lang kasi akong magawa.  Haha!  And forget the fact that Penelope Cruz IS Penelope Cruz and I'm like, twice her size but I think my make-up is close enough, right?

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Kilay: check! I used my Bobbi Brown brow pencil in Mahogany + clear brow gel.

Nude shadow: check.  I used my Clinique Totally Neutral eyeshadow trio.

Eye liner: check.  Pero mas ok pala kung mas makapal.  I used Maybelline.

False lashes: wala!  Hindi ko keri!  But I used two coats of Bobbi Brown Party Extreme mascara after curling them with my Shu Uemura curler.

Subtle blush: check.  I used NARS Orgasm.

Nude lips: check na check!  Pero mas light yung kay mareng Penelope.  For my lips, I used NARS Bangkok and MAC lipliner in Whirl.

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It's not exactly like Penelope's but for a newbie like me, I think I did an OK job.  Again, I'm not an expert that's why I need more practice.  Lots and lots of practice :)

NARS Bangkok

 NARS pure matte lipstick in Bangkok

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I just had to have it because I live in Bangkok.  Heehee!  Ang babaw.  I wish they have Manila shade as well.  I'd buy that one too!  Also, the first time I asked about Bangkok at the NARS counter in Central Rama3, they told me it was sold out because it was one of their best sellers.  You know how I get gigil whenever I hear those two terms.  Haha!  I went back a week later and they had it in stock so yay!

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My "no make-up" look: Clinique Super City Block Oil-free Daily Face Protector SPF 40 -- it's a tinted sunblock so I just dabbed my MAC Studio Fix powder to get rid of the shine; Bobbi Brown brow pencil + gel, Benetint on the cheeks and NARS Bangkok on my lips.

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This lipstick looks great with clear gloss too!  I tried it with my Lancome juicy tubes and I felt like a movie star!  Haha!  But I don't really like wearing lip gloss because I can't kiss Aly if I have it on.  She hates it when I leave a mark on her.  So these MLBB (My Lips But Better -- this deserves another post) shades are really good because she thinks I'm not wearing lipstick so I can kiss her anytime.  Heehee! 

Lipstick for Everyday

I love the drama of red lipstick but let's face it: it's not something that you can wear everyday.  I need a bit of color on my lips so I won't look sick.  Haha!  I tried Benefit's award-winning Benetint lip and cheek stain, but it doesn't last long.  I also have Revlon's sheer Colorstay in Plum, which lasts longer but too dark naman.  So I've been looking for a lipstick that's good for everyday wear with great lasting power.  I wanted a nude-ish shade that will be perfect for days when I want to go a bit heavy on the eyeliner.  But after looking at the various nudes that the SA's presented to me, it may not be the right shade after all -- too light, too brown-ish, too orange-y... I want something that gives just the right amount of color; a shade that gives me the no-make up look.  My husband doesn't get this whole no make-up look thing.  He said why bother putting on make-up if you want to look like you don't have any on?  Ugh!  Men!  I'm sure the ladies get what I mean.

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Anyway, I found the One at MAC.

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MAC lustre lipstick in Capricious.

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This is how it looks on me:

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I love it!  Been wearing it nonstop since the day I got it :)