Contour vs Bronzer

Don't know the difference between the two? Don't know what products to use? Want to have a chiseled face without going to the doctors? It's really very easy to fake it. I've got you covered!

Contour
 

Nyx blush in Taupe

Hollow your cheekbones for that supermodel bone structure and slim down your nose to define your features.


Contouring is used to shape and define the face with the use of shadows. As such, contour products are matte and gray/taupe in color (to mimic the illusion of depth). In contouring, you push back the areas of your face that you want to shape. You can only put contour on the perimeter of your face, on the hollows of your cheekbones and on the sides of your nose. Putting the contour on other parts of your face will make you look muddy. And that's not a very good look. Remember to not overdo the contour and to build up the color.


Bronzer

Bronzers are double purpose.

The first use of bronzers is to add a flush of color to the face for that sun-kissed Victoria's Secret look.  With that in mind, bronzers are warm-toned (orangey and reddish) to mimic the warmth the sun gives to our faces. Bronzers are placed on the high points of the face, the areas that the sun hits: cheeks, nose, chin and some areas of the forehead.

The second purpose of bronzers is to add dimension to the face by using darkness. Just like the gray-based contour products, bronzers use darker colors to push back areas of the face to give the illusion of depth. Having no gray tone, you can put bronzer onto a larger surface area of your face to shape it (without running the risk of looking muddy). But also remember to build the color up because we wouldn't want to look orange and be suspected of being the stars of Jersey Shore.


Lowdown
In conclusion, you can use bronzer to have that sun-kissed glow or to softly define your face. Use contour to add shadows to chisel your features. Bronzers can have shimmer and are a wee bit orange or red. Contours are matte and gray in color. Bronzers can be used all over the face, while contours should be used in moderation and be placed on areas that naturally have shadows. 



Don't be afraid to experiment. In the end, it's your face and you have a choice in whatever the hell you want to do. If you're happy with whatever you're currently doing, YOU DO YOU!

xoxo Jam

Bridal Shower: 5 Fun Group Games

The bride and the sister

Bridal showers are kind of a last-hurrah-before-you-get-married party. A few months ago, I attended (and hosted) my first-ever kinky bridal shower for my sister.

Bridal showers are composed of the bride's closest family members and friends. Usually, bridal shower games cater to a small number of people for an intimate party of 5-10 people. My sister's party included 30 people. It was up to me to find fun games and tweak them to accommodate everyone.

Take into consideration that not everybody in the party know each other. The first step: give all guests name tags. The second step: let them count off 1, 2, 3; so in our case all the groups would consist of 10 persons. The third step: have someone fun & energetic facilitate the games. Get the guests pumped up. The fourth step: motivate them by awarding a prize (for the winning team).



1. Arrange Yourself According To...
age, birthday, height, number of boyfriends, years of knowing the bride, etc.

Veronica Marche

This simple and fast-paced game serves as the icebreaker for the guests to know a little bit about the people in the party. It will definitely pump them up for the following games!  


2. Bridal Pop Quiz
What is the bride's nicknames? When is the her birthday? What is the size of her panties? How many ex-boyfriends does she have? Where did the bride and groom have their first date? What is their theme song?

Wedding News Day

Grill the bride's friends as they recall all the information (and secrets) they have of the bride. Test their knowledge of quirky and fun facts about the couple. Make sure that you include diverse questions so every person can contribute an answer and no one will be left out.

3. Tissue Paper Wedding Dress

Ribbons

Give them a bunch of tissue paper rolls and crepe papers to make an unforgettable (and unwearable?) wedding dress. Have them catwalk their creations. Get the bride to say yes to the dress!

4. Penis Camouflage

From penis to a squid

This game requires you to add your own flare to the penis drawing. Make it into any decipherable object. As long as it doesn't look like a penis, and the judge (the bride) understands your work of art, you score a point! Give the participants 20 seconds to create their masterpiece. I'm sure that this game will make your tummies hurt from all the laughing.

5. Sex Position Charades

Chelsey

This is the game that you should totally play in your party. Name the position and ask them to demonstrate it. The more outrageous the position, the better. Or another alternative, act it out and let them guess the name of the position.

At the end of the day, all you have to do is enjoy and have fun. Celebrate with your bride-to-be friend and throw her one heck of a party. As Beyonce might say, treasure her last few moments as a single lady because someone liked it and will put a ring on it soon!

Jam is so corny. Uh.

Choosing the Perfect Foundation

It may be quite hard to find the perfect base for you. Our skin colors and skin types are different from one another. One product may look good on your friend but it might not work for you. You might be using a foundation right now that you feel isn't quite working out for you. There are several factors in choosing the best foundation for you and I'm here to help break it down for you!

Jam's HG Foundation

My holygrail foundation as of the moment is MAC's studio Fix Fluid in NC30. It has a very yellow undertone which I find I needed because some other foundations make me look quite grayish. It has a medium coverage (buildable to full coverage) & a matte formula. It also photographs beautifully with flash. It covers my pimple and scars quite well. A close second, or a dupe, to this is Revlon's Colorstay Foundation For Oily Skin. I use my Nars creamy concealer in Ginger to conceal scars the foundation wasn't able to cover. I then use my Make-up Designory loose powder to set my liquid foundation.


Tone:

pink undertone (cool) vs yellow undertone (warm)

This is the most crucial element in choosing a foundation. You see, our skin doesn't just have a gradient of light to dark. It also has an undertone. You might notice some people who have a pink or gray cast on their face that might not match their bodies.They're wearing a foundation with the wrong undertone. There are three kinds of undertones--cool, warm and neutral. People with cool undertone have a pink, red or blue tinge to their skin. The veins on their wrist are blue or purple. Caucasians usually have a cool undertone. People with warm undertone have a yellow, gold or peach tinged skin and their veins are green or olive. Southeast Asians are usually under this bracket. If you're in between cool and warm, you're probably neutral.

Shade:

Graftobian creme foundation palette

In my opinion, your foundation should match the color of your neck or your chest.  To avoid putting foundation anywhere else other than your face, swatch the foundation to match your neck or chest. The foundation should blend in with your skin. If ever you buy a foundation that's a tad light for you, you can always warm up your skin by bronzing and contouring your face. However, if it's a little dark, put a lighter concealer to highlight your face.

Coverage:

upper L-R: no foundation, light coverage of rimmel foundation
lower L-R: medium coverage of revlon's colorstay foundation, full coverage of graftobian cream foundation

 If you have fairly decent skin, you can choose among bb creams, tinted moisturizers or foundations with sheer to light coverage to even out your skin. If your skin is a bit problematic, it's best to use a foundation with medium coverage. You can opt to go full coverage but it may look quite heavy. You can always use concealer to hide stubborn blemishes. Take note that some foundations are buildable, meaning for every layer you apply on your face it will cover more.

Finish:


There are many finishes but we can categorize them into-- dewy, satin and matte. Dewy finish is very luminous and youthful. I shy away from this kind of foundation when I have active pimples because its reflectiveness tends to emphasize the bumps on my face. Satin finish is a middle ground of dewy and matte. It isn't too shiny but it isn't too flat. It has a satin/velvet feel to it. Matte finish is shine-free, which is perfect for me because I have oily skin. On itself, it may look flat, so make sure to add a bronzer  to warm up the skin and a highlighter to bring back some of the shine if you think you need it.

Form:

L-R: Naturactor cake foundation, MUD cream foundation,
MAC studio fix powder foundation, MUFE Mat Velvet+ Liquid Foundation

Cake foundation are water-activated foundations that have maximum coverage. They are commonly used in theater. Be careful in applying this because this foundation coined "cake face" which means having too much make-up (mask-like). Cream/stick foundation offers great coverage because they are thick. This is the best foundation for mature skin as it provides moisture and luminosity to the skin. To prevent the foundation from sliding, it is recommended to set it with powder. Liquid foundation is the most popular type and the one which offers the most range in terms of formulations for any coverage or finish desired. Powder/mineral foundation is best suited for normal to oily skin. If you have dry skin, moisturize well to avoid the foundation from clinging to dry patches. This can be used on it own, to set the foundation and to add additional coverage. Spray/airbrush foundation offers the best skin-like illusion. Though it gives the best finish, it is expensive and time-consuming for everyday use.

 Base:


Oil-based foundations, as the name suggests, use oil as its main ingredient. Cream foundations are usually under this umbrella. They provide the most opaque coverage, stays moist and will not cake up. However, they can smudge and fade. Alcohol-based foundations are the most lightweight kind but are quite sheer in coverage. Water-based foundations have a blend of water & oil and provide medium coverage that has a natural look and feel to it. Silicone-based foundations blend over skin very smoothly. They are lightweight and comfortable on the skin. Other foundations even have more formulations like oil-free and transfer-resistant ones that are great for people who reside in hot and humid places and for oily-skin people.


HD:  
 

Angelina Jolie with too much MUFE HD powder

High-definition foundation is a type of product with finely milled elements that are virtually undetectable on HD television and film. When using a product like Make Up For Ever's HD powder, use it in small quantities and brush off the excess afterwards. When being photographed, it is also important to take note of the spf of your foundation. A high spf content will leave you with a white cast when photographed with flash.



Tips: Moisturize first and apply a primer that will suit your skin type (mattifying if you're oily, hydrating when you're dry). Apply liquids and creams first. Powders come last. The highest coverage you should go for is medium coverage and from there, correct the discolorations with a color-correcting concealer and then apply your foundation or  concealer of the same color over it. It will more natural as compared to using full coverage all over your face, even in parts that do not need such heavy coverage. The most important thing to do is to blend your foundation! I usually prefer a liquid foundation with a matte finish because I oil up and sweat a lot. Set your liquid or cream foundation with powder so it won't move. I just apply a powder contour to bring back dimension and a  highlighter on top of my cheekbones and a light dusting on the bridge of my nose just so that I won't look flat. If you overdo the powder and you end up looking too mask-like, hydrate your face by spraying a mist of facial spray or setting spray.