Coming Out of the Rain (Hot beauty tips for rainy days)

It’s that time of the year again when monsoon rains and tropical depressions will do good to the fashion industry.

For about a couple of months, we can forget we’re right smack in the middle of heat central and the cool weather clothes we oh-so-carefully reserved for traveling can actually be taken out of storage. Just think about all the fun you can have when your attempts to layer your clothes a la Olsen twins aren’t foiled by happy, old Mr. Sunshine.

You can role-play in your new sweater and be the New Yorker you always wanted to be while walking through the Greenbelt Park (think miniscule Central Park) to get to your dinner destination. Go South Park bargain hunting for oversized hooded sweaters and pullovers in the hidden recesses of the Pasay or Cubao ukay-ukay (second-hand thrift shops).

If you’re lucky, you just might find a North Face original from the early ’90s or something with a funky print or weird detail. You can decide to do something crazy at least once in your life and use a coat and lacy undergarments for props while you’re at it. A Le Divorce fan? Then Frenchie-fy your look with scarves to go with every outfit. Seriously though, the rainy season can be so much fun if you’ve got game.

Just bear in mind that although you’ll be surrounded by muted tones throughout the rainy season and conditions may be drab, damp, dark and cold – don’t even think of doing the bland and dull effect on your face, too.

By all means, feel free to experiment with all the dark colors you want for as long as you keep them limited to your clothing. Frankenstein’s Bride and The Night of the Living Dead are not exactly this season’s inspirations and the Goth look is dead and gone. So brighten up your face with citrus shades and take our word for it – going back to basics and looking healthy is back. Shu Uemura’s Xeng Zulueta shows us how.

On The Pink Side Of Freshness

No matter what your skin tone, whether you’re fair, dark or chinita, there is absolutely no way you can go wrong with a hint of pink – its just a matter of choosing what kind of pink will suit you best. Using pink is a foolproof way of getting the best out of your look.

Step 1: On the lips, Xeng layered on lolishine sheer and shiny lipstick with light reflecting pigments in raspberry red-pink (149) topped with lolishine reflects in fuchsia pink (000). These lipsticks are great for those who want incredibly shiny look of gloss without the stickiness.

Step 2: On the eyes, first apply a pale pearlized pink eyeshadow (P PINK 103) all over the eyelid. Second, bring out the contour with a darker shade in old rose (P ROSE 160) just until the crease.

Step 3: For the cheeks, you can use a bright pink gel or cream blush to achieve a natural looking flush.

Looking Luscious With Lime

Green has always been a refreshing color and when applied to the eyes, it can wake up your face by bringing out your eyes and intensifying the color of your iris.

Step 1: On the lips, Xeng used lolishine reflects in fuchsia pink. The lipstick contains tiny flecks of glitter that reflect light and give the illusion of gloss and shine. The color gives the wearer a flirty just-been-kissed kind of look.

Step 2: On the eyes, use the Lime Sorbet palette from Shu Uemura’s limited edition Boutique Birthday 22 collection. It consists of lime green shades in light and dark which should be blended well together. Don’t worry about the placement of the two colors on your eyelids – the shades work so well together that even makeup dunces will be able to apply them appropriately. Just try to be as symmetrical as possible. Then, to bring out the eyes even more, you can opt to use false lashes.

Step 3: On the cheeks, apply a rose-colored blush or you can choose to top off your rose blush with a pink one. To highlight the top of your cheekbones, you can use a white shade like the air color mousse in white.

Your Eyes On Agent Orange

Orange is a color that can instantly do something for you. For one thing, it gives you that healthy sun-kissed look without making you look overdone. But get this, it not only works for your cheeks. It does wonders for the eyes as well especially if you want a flirty, mysterious glow.

Step 1: On lips, smooth on a light orange glow to achieve natural-looking coral, glossy lips.

Step 2: On the eyes, use Shu Uemura’s Boutique Birthday 22 limited edition palette in Mango Fresh, which consists of a light and dark shade of yellow-orange. Blend in the two colors, you can opt to use the lighter shade in the outer portion of the lid but it also works the other way around. To bring out the eyes, curl lashes and apply lengthening mascara in black.

Step 3: For a fresh-from-the-beach look, blend a bronze and coral shade together on cheeks highlighted with a shiny peach hue on top of the cheekbones.