How to find your own fashion style
DEAR LUCY,
I do not know how to find my own style. I am 22 years old and I am just starting to develop an interest in fashion. I honestly do not know how to put things together, I am always asking for input from my sister and even my two younger brothers (at least they give me an honest opinion). Where can I start? MARY-ANNE
It is good that you are open to getting input. Don’t worry, trust that you will find your style. I encourage you to look at fashion magazines, clip those that speak to you. When you go through your clippings, you will see that there is a pattern. Find out what that is and build on it. Please try to find a copy of Stylized by Liz Uy. It is fun and inspiring, the information is well edited that you do not get an overload of information. Offhand, I would say that you must start with the basics. And always go for quality, not quantity. You do not need to have so much of everything, but you should aim instead to have a closet filled only with things that flatter you and will serve you well in the years to come. LUCY
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Nail art at your fingertips
HI, REGINA!
I want to try my hand at nail art, but I don’t know where to get the tools I need. Is there any way to improvise? ALLIE
You’d be surprised at how easy it is to be resourceful when it comes to getting creative with your nails. If you really can’t find nail art materials, improvise with stuff you can get from National Book Store. You can fashion dotting tools by sticking pins with different-sized rounded heads into the erasers of standard No. 2 pencils. You can use Magic Tape or little label stickers to create stripe, moon manicure, or French tip guides. The results won’t always be totally clean, though, because that’s not what these items were made for. A good set of dotting tools is especially important if you’re doing something highly detailed. (I did a Yayoi Kusama-inspired manicure once with improvised dotting tools, and while it turned out well, the next time I tried it with real dotting tools that I borrowed from my art director at Cosmo, the results were a hundred times better and more precise.)
If you can make your way to Manila, the best place to go to pick up tools and other miscellaneous nail goods (like my favorite quick-drying Seche Vite topcoat, which is a must-have if you don’t want to wreck your nail art right after you do it) is Beauty Kingdom at 168 Mall in Binondo. Nail nerds (like me!) will go crazy checking out the nail art tools and nail embellishments there. My personal favorite: a full set of differently-sized dotting tools. The possibilities are endless!
REGINA
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Perfect brows in 10 seconds
DEAR RISSA,
No matter how hard I try, I really cannot do my own eyebrows. I always end up doing one eyebrow perfectly, and then messing up the other. Is there a secret or tip to achieve perfect-looking eyebrows each time? BELLE
No one does makeup perfectly and symmetrically, especially on themselves! There will always be that moment when one eyebrow is thicker, one eyeliner flick too long, or just one hand impeccably polished with your favorite color.
Fortunately, the beauty world has thought of everything. Please make sure to buy Christian Semi Permanent Eyebrow Makeup Kit (available at Beauty Bar). I first came across this in Hong Kong. Even if I’m very anal with my eyebrows and take my time grooming them, this was such a fantastic product that I got one for myself. The Christian Semi Permanent Eyebrow Makeup Kit contains three eyebrow stencils that are designed to create the most natural (and perfect-looking!) eyebrows in different thicknesses. The kit comes with an eyebrow powder and brush, too. All you have to do is place the stencil over your eyebrow and sweep the eyebrow powder with the brush. It probably takes just 10 seconds to do both eyebrows! I love it! It makes you feel like a pro and you get perfect eyebrows every single time!
If you have thick or full eyebrows like I do, opt for a light shade like taupe or tan. If you have sparse brows, go ahead and choose a darker color. A friend of mine got one for herself. Since she has thin sparse brows, it was important to her that the eyebrow powder lasted long. It amazingly lasted all day, no touchups needed. The kit is quite foolproof, too. The eyebrow powder has the perfect intensity that will look great even with a heavy hand. The eyebrow brush included in the kit is made of natural bristles and designed to cover the entire eyebrow while brushing over the stencil.
RISSA
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Send e-mail to Lucy Torres-Gomez at ltg@pldtdsl.com. E-mail Rissa Trillo at stylesos_rissa@yahoo.com. or follow her on Twitter @RissaMananquil. Send Regina Belmonte your questions at vivatregina.tumblr@gmail.com or tweet her @vivatregina.
