Saturday, October 26, 2013

Makeup for Nicole: Sexy Vampire


Ok so I've been a little remiss about posting Halloween makeup tutorials.  I may be the only person out there who isn't into Halloween...but after doing Nicole's makeup, well, I may now be a convert.  Unfortunately by the time I finished her makeup, the sun had gone down and these were the best photos I was able to take of her "after" poses.  

Aren't those contacts amazing?


I kid you not, those fangs were homemade by her SO

Makeup used:

Face (one shade lighter than her skin color since vampires are suppose to be pale)
MAC Studio Fix in C2
MAC Select Cover Up in NW20
No setting powder was used
Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray

Eyes
MAC e/s in Soft Brown
MAC e/s in Cranberry
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero
Lorac Pro Palette e/s in Black
Lorac Pro Palette e/s in White
Lorac Pro Palette e/s in Garnet

False Lashes
Model 21

Cheeks
MAC e/s in Mystery
MAC e/s in Wedge mixed with Soft Brown

Lips
MAC - Dubonnet
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero (outer corners)
Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Big Apple

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Recipe: Xiu Mai - Vietnamese Meat Balls


Let me introduce you to the Vietnamese version of the Italian Meatball Sandwich: Banh Mi Xiu Mai.  Served with a French baguette, the Vietnamese meatball version makes up what it lacks in Italian seasoning with the staple Vietnamese nuoc mam (fish sauce).  Stamped with mom's approval, I share with you MY recipe for Xiu Mai.

Ingredients
1 lb ground pork
1 medium shallot, diced
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp cornstarch
3 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp honey
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 egg
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp canola oil

Sauce
1 - 14.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 - 6 oz can of tomato paste
2 cups shrimp stock
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 shallot, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp of olive oil

Garnish
French baguette
Pickled carrots
Pickled daikon
Cucumber cut into matchsticks
Cilantro


Directions for Meatballs
1. Combine the panko bread crumbs with the milk and let soak as you prepare the rest of the ingredients

2. Combine the ground pork, shallots, cornstarch, fish sauce, sugar, honey, garlic powder, and pepper.  Allow the mix to sit for 15 minutes for the ingredients to marry.

3.  Add the egg, olive oil, and soaked panko bread crumbs to the ground pork mix and combine.

4. Form the meatballs. (Tip: use an ice cream scoop for uniformity)

5. In a 9 inch skillet, heat 3 tbsp of canola oil and brown the meatballs.  Set meatballs aside.

Sauce
1. In the same skillet used to brown the meatballs, heat the olive oil.

2. Add the diced shallots and allow to cook for a minute.

3. Add the garlic.  Allow the shallots to sweat and soften

4. Add the fire roasted diced tomatoes and cook.

5. Add the tomato paste and cook.

6.  Add the fish sauce and sugar.  Stir to mix with the sauce.

7. Add the shrimp stock slowly.  Add more for a more watery sauce or less for a thicker sauce.  I found that adding 2 cups of stock formulated my ideal sauce consistency.

8. Add the meatballs to the sauce and increase the heat to a boil.  Reduce to simmer.

9. Cover the sauce and meatballs with a lid and allow to cook for half an hour.

Assembly
1. Slice the meatballs in half and place inside the French baguette.

2. Pour some of the tomato sauce over the meatballs

3. Garnish with the pickled vegetables and cilantro.

Bon appétit!

P.S: Who doesn't love a giveaway.  Click HERE for information about my current giveaway!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Announcement: GIVEAWAY time!

Hey guys! I'm so so SO excited to announce that I will be doing my first giveaway!  If you follow my blog, YouTube channel, and Facebook page, you all know that one of my favorite palettes to use is Lorac Cosmetic's Pro Palette.  You can read more HERE as to why I love this palette.

Anyway, if you're interested in owning this same palette, here's what you have to do!

1. Go and subscribe to my YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/VinMaquillage

2. Leave me a comment on my latest video tutorial titled Fall Makeup Tutorial telling me WHY you want this palette. The comment must be on the YouTube page, not my blog =)

 


I will leave this open until October 28, 2013 at 11:59 pm PST.  A winner will be chosen at random for this gorgeous palette!

DISCLAIMER: Open to the United States only.


I'm not requiring the following but show some love and follow me on my Facebook page, blog, and Instagram so that you don't miss out on a future giveaway!

Instagram: VinMaquillage

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Fall Makeup Tutorial + Lorac Pro Palette sale




In case you missed out on my latest tutorial on YouTube...

Remember to thumbs up the video on the YouTube page and SUBSCRIBE!

www.youtube.com/VinMaquillage

If you're interested in getting the Lorac Pro Palette, it's currently on sale at DermStore.  Click HERE for the link


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Artisanal LA Fall 2013

I attended the Artisanal LA Fall 2013 event this past weekend with a gal pal of mine and was amazed by the work product and talent by the artisanal vendors in attendance.  From kombucha tea, gourmet coffee, Thai spices, savory beef jerky, to delicious melt in your mouth Waygu beef sliders - it's a foodie's dream.

They had a photobooth there, naturally.

For all of you whiskey drinkers out there, Velity sells something called whiskey stones.  These little cubes are hand milled in San Diego, California and are made from the highest quality 100% soapstone.  You freeze the little stones in the freezer and then drop them into your whiskey to keep it cold without diluting the alcohol content.  These make great wedding favors.

Look at all of those yummy donuts!

Next to the donut stand was The Humble Cup - each packet you see there is a single serving of roasted ground coffee that acts as its own filter and drip.  Pretty quick and easy clean up if you ask me! 

This is how easy it is to enjoy a single serving cup of coffee from The Humble Cup

Red velvet ice cream cookie from Chunk Chip Craft anybody??

Anybody who knows me knows I LOVE using honey in cooking.  Love.  It's a great alternative to sugar.  It's no wonder I HAD to immediately pick up 4 pounds worth of honey from Chaparral Mountain Honey.  The owner was a complete sweetheart who took his time to explain the differences in the various honey his company produced.  He even had his honeycomb present to boot!  He recommended his favorite flavor to me: Orange Blossom and it compelled me to immediately open my wallet to hand over my credit card.  I love the sweet citrusy scent and flavor of this honey.

They're packaged in jars and bear squeeze tubes.  I had to get me the bear squeeze tubes, though.  Oh so cute for something oh so healthy!

When we entered the vendor area of this event, my goodness there was a delicious scent of grilled meat wafting through the air and teasing our senses.  The source? Lone Mountain Wagyu beef.  This company has 100% fullblood Wagyu that are naturally raised on a family ranch in Golden, New Mexico.

Simple seasoning of salt and pepper.  Seriously.  That's it.  The meat was out of this world DELICIOUS.  How am I suppose to go back to ribeye after this??

Some delicious bread from Los Angeles Bread Bakers
Their pretzel bagel was pretty yummy

Los Angeles Bread Bakers display

These pretzel bagels were yummy!

I love carbs

Kombucha Tea from Better Booch
Kombucha Tea is a probiotic tea that is naturally fermented and contains enzymes, amino acids, B vitamins, and anti-oxidants.  I liked this vendor's Kombucha Tea better than the other ones at Artisanal LA as this one doesn't have vinegar notes in them.

Dragon Whiskers Candy: made of honey, peanuts, and sesame.  I wasn't a big fan of this but was fascinated by how it was made.

 The owner demonstrated how he makes the candy

From Cast Iron Gourmet, cajun flavored, Maple flavored, and Pepper flavored gourmet bacon.  I ended up buying a pound of the cajun bacon.  OH SO GOOD!

Macarons from Paris!  Loved hearing French again from a native.  I admit I only tried the espresso flavored macaroon and it was intense.  

I love tasting salts and was happy to see a vendor selling various salts: Hepp's Salt Bar.  This company boasted having a spicy salt.  Tres interesting, no?

Cute handmade paper flowers

My FAVORITE vendor at Artisanal LA was Le Pop Shop.  First, the booth was oh so cute with its color, whimsical, and playful display.  Second, we actually met Chef Katie Torres in the elevator heading up to the floor housing Artisanal LA, though we didn't know who she was at the time.  She was so friendly and was the one who recommended that we try the Wagyu beef sliders.  The night before we went to Artisanal LA, I saw a photo on Artisanal LA's Facebook page featuring Le Pop Shop's donut styled macaron and was determined to find this booth.  As we were walking around, my gal pal saw a little girl holding the donut macaron and immediately hollered for my attention.  I quickly looked around and found myself face to face with the lady in the elevator - none other than Chef Katie Torres, owner and master mind behind Le Pop Shop.  She was so friendly and sweet.  Worked with Iron Chef Mario Batali to boot!  Love it!  

Her Ice Cream Cake Pops are sooooo cute that I can't bear eating the ones I bought

Check out her website in the link I provided above.  There's a photo of a macaron shaped cake she created that deserves an honorable mention!

Ok who doesn't like salted caramel corn?  The guys here were hilarious and made sure we tried the cayenne salted caramel corn...and I'm glad they did because I HAD to buy a bag after the first bite.  Shout out to them for taking notice of my gal pal's lash extensions!

You can't beat cotton candy....especially when it's organic and all natural by Bon Puf.  The various flavors were to intriguing: chai spice and mango chili?  AWESOME!

Banzai Jerky, how your bacon jerky stole my heart!!  No preservatives, less sodium, less calories, and high protein.  No wonder figure skater Michelle Kwan loves Banzai Jerky.  Their original flavored jerky was delish but when the gentleman working there offered me a taste of their bacon jerky, I was sold!  Smokey, savory, and delicious typical of bacon but tender and satisfying as jerky.  Definitely one of my top 3 favorite vendors at Artisanal LA.  I wouldn't shut up about it the rest of the time at Artisanal LA.

Aaaaah a taste of Italy via gelato

Another vendor for kombucha tea by Kombucha Dog
I have to be honest - I do NOT like anything that has to do with vinegar.  This particular brand has vinegar notes to it so the flavor wasn't enticing for me.  What WAS impressive is that the creator of this company takes photos of homeless dogs, put them on the labels of his tea, and then tries to find them homes.  As a dog lover, this mission stole my heart.  For all of you kombucha tea fans out there, if you're ok with the taste of vinegar, gravitate this way.  Our furry friends are always in need of our help!

One of the last booths I visited was Lula Mae's.  LOVED it.  The pins she was selling just gave me a great laugh.  My type of humor!

She has other cute and hilarious items sold at her business so check it out!

Can't wait to see which other vendors will be at Artisanal LA next year!  Did any of you attend?  Which vendors did you enjoy the most and why?

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Review: Giorgio Armani Face and Eyes Palette in Neo Brown


While on holiday in Europe this past summer, I purchased my first lot of Giorgio Armani cosmetic products - a whopping 2 items!  This limited edition face and eyes palette from Giorgio Armani was one of the two.  The other is the the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation.  My review on that can be read HERE.  

This Face and Eye Palette from their Fall 2012 (yes, I'm a bit behind), called Neo Brown, has a Color-Fil technology for uniform color pay off.  This means darker colors apply darker and lighter colors apply brighter.  The top tier of this palette includes a sheer rose blush and the bottom tier is a trio of eye shadows: (left to right) Greige, Brown, and Earth Brown.  

The blush really does apply sheer.  It's described as a Sheer Rose but it appears peachy pink with a slight shimmer.  I'm not crazy about shimmer in my blush but I found that the shimmer didn't really transfer to my face.  You have to keep building this blush up in order for it to really show up on your face, thus, fulfilling its promise to be a sheer blush.  

The eye-shadows, however, are a different story.  From left to right, Greige is a shimmery cool beige color; Brown is a matte medium taupe brown; and Earth Brown is a dark matte espresso brown.  The pigmentation on these shadows are divine: they transfer in color almost exactly as they appear in the compact with a smooth buttery application.  The shadows also blended out easily and beautifully.  I was worried about the darkest brown shadow having fall down during application but that wasn't even an issue!  The shadows aren't chalky at all and adhered to my eyes better than most other cosmetic brands.

For those who prefer warm browns, this palette definitely falls in the cooler brown category.  However, even with my preference for warm browns, I was surprised to find myself loving how the colors looked with my coloring.



The packaging itself is a beautiful sleek black compact that makes it ideal for travel.  The closure is magnetic, adorned with the Giorgio Armani logo.  It is every bit as classy as Chanel packaging.

I was very fortunate to have purchased this palette 40% off courtesy of sale at Harrod's.  At $88, the higher cost seems justified by the quality of the shadows and blush, as they do not become chalky and remain smooth even after I've rubbed my brushes in them to transfer product onto the brushes.  I'd purchase more Giorgio Armani products when in the mood to spoil myself

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Makeup for Ashley: Homecoming

Before

After

It's Homecoming season and I couldn't be more thrilled when asked to do Ashley's makeup.  She was part of her Homecoming Court as Princess so some fabulousness is required.  Ashley wanted a very soft natural look, which was very easy to give her because this girl has gorgeous, healthy, and radiant skin.   I wanted to let the natural glow of her skin shine through to enhance her youthful beauty.

Skin
Moisturizer + Primer: Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre 

Face
Bare Minerals Foundation: mixed Fairly Light and Golden Fair to match 
Bare Minerals Mineral Veil as Setting powder
Concealer: Coastal Scents Eclipse Palette

Cheeks
Contour and Bronze: Nars Laguna
Blush: Sigma Beauty in Peche (Paris Palette)

Eyes
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink
MAC e/s Soft Brown
MAC e/s Sable
MAC e/s Amber Lights
MAC e/s Mylar
Sigma Beauty e/s in Versailles (Paris Palette)
Urban Decay e/s in Blackout (Smoked Palette)
Urban Decay e/s in Backdoor (Smoked Palette)

Lips
Revlon Colorstay Lipliner in Nude
MAC lipstick in Pink Plaid
Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Orchid

And here she is in her gorgeous dress and tiara =)

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Sneak Peaks: October 2013 Ipsy Glambag

All images courtesy of Ipsy

Sneak Peak #1:


Hellooooo Zoya nail polish!



Sneak Peak #2:

Sneak Peak #3:

Sneak Peak #4:

Sneak Peak #5

Sneak Peak #6
Aaaaand here's the cosmetic bag that the products will arrive in.  There's speculation that this month's theme relates to Breast Cancer Awareness but that's not the kitten pink color that I'm use to seeing.  Truth be told, that color matches the color of the season: a burgundy wine.  If it's just Fall/Autumn theme, I'm good with that.

Sneak Peak #7

There are definitely more sneak peaks this month!  

What I'm excited for:
Zoya and or Butter London nail polish
Ole Henrikson Vitamin C products
La Fresh Eco Beauty Oil Free Wipes
Buxom Lip Polish

Which products are you hoping for?


Stay tuned for more sneak peeks as Ipsy provides them.