Summer Staples: Neutrogena Body Oil & Rainbath Refreshing Shower Gel

These 2 stellar products from Neutrogena have been part of Mild Mannered Miss's summer repertoire for more than a decade now:

Neutrogena Rainbath Refreshing Shower and Bath Gel is a thick, amber coloured gel that softens and conditions skin leaving behind a pleasant scent identical to the Original Neutrogena bar soaps that my grandma used to hoard by the case back in the 80's. The formula is clean rinsing and leaves the skin feeling smooth, clean and refreshed--perfect for apres-sun! Mild Mannered miss give this 4 stars.

Neutrogena Body Oil -- my HG summer body oil! Just a few drops onto wet skin will leave you with a fabulous glow! Perfect for showing off your summer tan, this body oil is weightless and virtually vanishes once applied. Mild Mannered Miss loves this! 5 out of 5 stars.

Egg-cellent Facial Cleanser: Hado Labo Tamagohada AHA & BHA Cleanser

After reading all the reviews about this product, I was ecstatic when I found Hado Labo Tamagohada AHA and BHA Facial Wash in one of the local Japanese stores in Sydney. True it cost 3 times more than I would have paid for it in Asia but hey, all for the love of beauty products!

Tamago = Egg in Japanese. This creamy cleanser promotes smoother and clearer skin by using AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid), BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid) and Salicyclic Acid to gently exfoliate dead skin cells and unclog pores of impurities, resulting in a smooth, "eggshell - like" complexion.

The cleanser is paste-like in texture and has no scent whatsoever.

Low foaming and clean rinsing. 

Mild Mannered Miss loves this cleanser. Flakes and bumps are kept at bay with regular use and skin is left smooth and perfectly primed for makeup. Don't forget: it is imperative that you use a good sunscreen when using products containing AHA or BHA as they cause skin photo-sensitivity. 

An easy 4 out of 5 star rating from me.

Old Favorites: Palmers Cocoa Butter Lotion

Time and time again I leave you, time and time again I come back to you! Whenever I use Palmer's Cocoa Butter, I wonder why I even bother to use other lotions as this is one product I keep coming back to over the years. Why? Because it actually does what it claims to do--smooths marks, softens & relieves dry skin and it is cheap as chips! Have I mentioned the scent??? Straight up chocolate! So decadent, so delicious and so good for your skin!

Notice the dark pigmentation and fine lines on my hand before applying Palmers Cocoa Butter:

The texture of the lotion is quite thick but not greasy; absorbs in seconds and leaves your skin feeling quenched with moisture:

Voila! Dark pigmentation and fine lines have all but disappeared!

Tried , tested and proven over the past 10 years, Mild Mannered Miss highly recommends this product.  5 out of 5 stars!

Retro Hair

In makeup school we were taught how to do makeup that was characteristic of the past decades, starting from the 1920's up to the 80's. When I looked back at the photos I took for documentation I think I did a pretty decent job with the makeup but felt that it would have been much better if my models had true-to-decade hairstyles and props. Hehe, that's just me being OC. I really hope to do an "eras of makeup" photoshoot someday, complete with period hair and outfit. That might turn out a bit costume-y but, who cares, it's just for fun =)

Anyway, I found the perfect excuse to play around and experiment when an old friend asked me about 1950's hairstyles. That started a net-surfing frenzy! I love history so it was fascinating to read about background events in the 40's and 50's (mainly World War II) and how these events affected fashion, hair, and makeup. 

Not only did I learn a few techniques to add to my very limited hairstyling repertoire, but I also learned that "kirby grips" are nothing but hair pins, "victory rolls" have nothing to do with bread, "bumper bangs" have nothing to do with cars, and "hair rats" have nothing to do with rodents!  See, you learn something new everyday!

I went through A LOT of youtube hair tutorials  but here are a few that I found fairly easy to follow:

Faux bumper bangs using a hair rat

Bumper bangs without a hair rat (teased)

Real bangs and Victory Rolls

Victory Roll updo

Victory Roll:  "This quintessential 1940s hairstyle was (apparently) named after the manoeuvres performed by victorious planes at the end of World War II" (diaryofavintagegirl.com)

Had to stop myself after this since I had to do more "productive" but less enjoyable things.   Next on my list is the 1920's finger wave... and I'd really like to recreate my grandma's wedding hair =) 

Hmm, I wonder how they used to set hair without hairspray?  Beer?  Eggs?  =)

xoxo,
Makeup Doc

Recycling Idea for Loose Powder Sifters

Do you have an empty container for loose powder?

 Make it useful once more by turning it into a container for hair ties and bobby pins.  It's a nifty way to keep both together for easy access when styling hair.  

As with anything you place in recycled containers, don't forget to label! =) Ta-da!

Speaking of recycling, I really wish we had "Back to MAC" in the Philippines. In this recycling program of MAC Cosmetics, you can exchange 6 empty containers of the same type of MAC product (e.g. 6 lippies, 6 eyeshadows, etc) for a free lipstick or single eyeshadow. Early this year, I sent my BFF in NYC 15 years' worth of empty containers. We were able to get 4 lippies and 4 eyeshadows in one go!  Cool, right? So peeps think twice before throwing your old makeup containers into the trash!  =)

<3,
Makeup Doc

Welcome! =)

Hi everyone!

Welcome to a makeup and skin care blog brought to you by yours truly (Makeup Doc) and my BFF in Oz who has yet to decide on her pseudonym (for now let us call her Skin Care Sister).  We are collectively known as The Vanity Pair.  Haha, get it?  I swear, we are in no way connected with StarDuck and Mang Donald's!  

I thought I'd get the ball rolling by posting a video from Lisa Eldridge, one of my favorite youtube makeup gurus (and also probably one of the most legit).  So here we go... Makeup Trends for A/W 2012

I also follow Michelle Phan, Marlena of Makeupgeek, Pursebuzz, Koren Zander of Enkore, Wayne Goss, and my recent discovery -- Promise Phan!  She is Michelle's sister-in-law and specializes in transformations.  You should see her Johnny Depp video!  IMHO her skills are way better than Michelle's.  Promise!

Who are your favorite youtube makeup gurus?

<3,
Makeup Doc