My Asian Hype Box: Beauty Basics Ready For A Day At School

Always start your day with a smile, but a smile is not enough if those eye bags and under eye circles you're carrying are peeking through your powder. I'm a teacher and I have those days when I look haggard (every day) and pale. When one of my students asked me of my age, they didn't believe me when I told them I'm only 20. That's when they told me secretly that I look older than my actual age, telling me to actually put at least a lipstick and that hurt my confidence.

I was down, but later on I realized ... Why not upgrade my look?, And so one year later I'm changed and most of my students now appreciate how I look.

Are you always called boring?

Always angry and ready to roar?

Maybe it's the additional age defying parts that's making the statement for you?

Now say no more for an additional five years added up to your age. I will teach you make-up, beauty basics you can use without spending an hour in front of the mirror and sass your way to school. You will look pretty and still arrive early.

1. Moisturize before you start

The skin turns dry after applying make-up so make sure to put you're good moisturizer before starting your routine.

Aside from your face, also treat your lovely lips with a lip balm or petroleum jelly. Every night and before applying lipstick.

"I use petroleum jelly because its more affordable and works just as good as a lip balm"

"I used this one for 6 months now, but I'm still not running out of it anytime soon"

2. Prepare your skin with Primer

I use primer because I'm using a stick concealer that can be rough on the skin around my eyes and also it will help my make-up stick better and last long.

"I trust my Baby Skin by Maybelline to do the work for me"

"It looks like this which can be too thick for some and might cause breakouts"

"It covered the pores pretty well and holds make-up real good"

"I use this much to cover my entire face which is wide by the way ;). So a tiny amount goes a long way"

3. Use a concealer to be more natural

If you're like me who hates looking ca-key, I recommend using concealer instead of foundation or BB Cream. Honestly, I love both, but it looks too artificial sometimes so I'm using my trusty stick concealer by Infallible Concealer by Loreal to cover my entire face.

"This is already my second stick, a stick will last me around a month"

"I got the one in the shade Deep Fonce"

"This is how it looks like on me"

"Do I look attractive now? :)"

"After blending"

"How it looks under natural lighting. It look too light but in person it looks like my real skin"

4. Don't forget to trim those eyebrows

Remember those days when yours used to look like another head? Unruly eyebrows are both a turnoff and a big NO-NO especially to someone who faces at least 30 students every hour. Students nowadays tend to be more observant and of course more critical in terms of outward appearances.

So trim those eyebrows and apply a wax base eyebrow pencil or pomade to tame those wild hairs away.

I use the Flower Auto-Eyebrow by Nature Republic, its both affordable and manageable as a first time user.

"You can see how well loved this product is just by looking at it"

"Just be sure to clean it because the packaging tend to accumulate dirt"

I love the packaging, especially the spoolie brush. It blends well the product creating a softer look and you can easily clean it every week.

"I chose the color one which is Dark Brown. It's lighter than my natural Dark Brown hair, but looks natural.

Also, don’t forget to choose the eyebrow shade that’s closest or the same color as your natural hair strands.

"I usually just fill in my brows and accentuate my eyebrow tail"

5. Skip the eye shadow and rock your eyes with mascara.

It’s always great to add a bit of color to our eyes by adding eye shadows and to add more depth, but it's time-consuming and sometimes too high maintenance if you have an oily lid like mine. Instead, opt for mascara that can add volume or length to your naturally beautiful eyelashes unless, you're one of the few who are gifted with long angel like eyelashes. I’m so envious!

Black's and Browns are great for a more natural look. I use Featherlash Mascara by Loreal sadly, this was discontinued so I'm on the hunt for a new mascara.

"I got the one in the shade brown."

"I really love it! That's why I'm sad to find another mascara"

"I have somewhat long lashes, but this mascara helps form the curls and thicken the strands. It's also very light and doesn't irritate my eyes unlike the Shawill mascara"

6. Too pale and flat? Kiss your cheeks with a cheek tint or cream blush.

Don’t forget to add a little flush to your chubby cheeks with a light pink or coral shade blushes. I say, opt for a cream blush if you have oily skin for better hold, tint for a dry skin and powder blushes for normal skin.

It’s cute to have flushed skin, but avoid putting too much or else it might look like someone pinched you really hard or worse back handed you.

"Actually purchased this at the mall at a very affordable price. This is from forever 21 in coral"

"It's an orangey pink shade that glides smoothly and pigmented"

"I apply it by tapping 3 times from the apples of my cheek up to the ears then I blend it out"

Go for natural shades, and avoid too intense pigments.

7. Now finish up your masterpiece with a nude to a berry toned lipstick.

You can never go wrong with lipstick. Berries, nudes and pinks will never bring you down, but it’s good to have a lipstick that will stay on your lips than to stick to your hankie or worse your uniform. Go for Lip tints for a more natural look and long wear effect or go for matte, glossy finish for special events. For the year 2014 to present I've been using Nature Republic Eco Lip Crayon Rouge and Milky Moisture Tint by The Faceshop.