Makeup techniques I have changed my mind about

On to the second part in my epic trilogy *insert 21st century fox intro*. Wait, or is that a little outdated? Ok, *insert epic Marvel movie intro*. There! Cooler!
On to the sequel! From products, to now, techniques I have changed my mind about.

1. Eyeliner isn’t always necessary
No, this isn’t about the liquid liner specifically from the first post. I am talking any eyeliner… I am realising, as indispensable as makeup artists and enthusiasts often swear by, eyeliner isn’t always an essential part of makeup look. I KNOW, THIS IS ME saying it! But yes, when I examine and re-examine how I do my makeup, the eyeliner is slowly becoming obsolete to me. When I say eyeliner, I mean a thick black or dark line on the eyelid.

Wearing the tiniest bit eyeliner here. I love how open my eyes are.

2. Stopped plucking brows
People who know me IRL, or at least those that know me enough, know that I am obsessed with my brows. I love keeping them trimmed, proper and well groomed. A bit too obsessed if I may add. However, I’ve realised that, and I guess this would be the harsh truth of reality and getting old, my brow hairs are becoming thinner and sparser. No, wait, I don’t have bald brow bones just yet but this is a preemptive preservation of my brows so that I’ll hopefully have luscious brows well into old age.

Full luscious brows!

3. Stopped overfilling the brows
Yes, we’re still on the brows. The overtly carved out, very filled in, Instagram brows are OUT OF TREND and style. Bushy yet well combed out brows are IN and I LOVE IT! I very lightly fill them in now and just a little detailing on the tail end to give it structure and voila! Awesome brows!

Hey, I really prefer the one on the left despite it looking a little messier.

4. No more excessive highlight and contour…
…unless on stage. Yes, I preface this by saying that the excessive highlighting and contouring isn’t altogether disposed but it won’t be in practice for any other makeup looks. Even when doing the highlighting and contouring for stage makeup, there is so much that I’ve learned that the triangle of concealer under the eyes and the stripes of dark concealer all over the face isn’t applicable any longer. And yes, this is influenced by both TikTok and Robert Welsh (if you want to know more about Robert Welsh click on this link here to find out).

NOPE!!!

5. A transition shade isn’t always necessary
If you don’t know what a transition shade is, I implore you to take a look at the “Makeup Lingo Dictionary” page, linked on the side of the page or you can click here too. A transition shade has been knocked on our heads so much that it is basically stamped on every beauty makeup look at this point. Sure, it still does help blend two eyeshadows together but you can blend basically ANY two eyeshadow colours together. ANY!

Orange into green into blue and purple. No transition shade was used.

So I hope this helps in some way or another.
What are some techniques you’ve changed your minds about? Let me know in the comments! Looking forward to be more interactive with everyone!

Products I have changed my mind about

This is a three part series about how my thoughts, techniques, and application process has changed especially with the resurgence of various methods to do makeup in 2022 (wow my very own trilogy in the FiercePaint universe!).
So, this post isn’t about a specific product rather a type of product which I have changed my mind about. I must confess at least three of these was me learning off of social media and out of those three, two were because of YouTuber Robert Welsh (channel link here). Keep reading, you’ll understand what I mean.

1. Liquid liners
Hold it, I know you must be confused. No I haven’t changed my mind about the product itself but instead I am coming to realise that the traditional use of it to line my eyes isn’t something that is always necessary in a makeup look, especially if one has hooded eyes. When re-watching my Indian dance makeup videos on YouTube I’ve come to realise that the eyeliner doesn’t seem to flatter my eyes. In terms of Indian dance makeup, if I ever get to dance again, the dramatic winged liner with the liquid eyeliner would still be necessary. However, there are certain techniques I’d use to change the shape and it’s thickness. As of now, on a normal makeup look I do, both on myself and on others, I would not default to the winged liner. Having a dark line on the eyelids, depending on the shape of one’s eye, can be counter-productive and end up making the eyes appear, unintentionally, smaller.

Notice how thick the line is on the first two pictures are and how some of it disappears into my lids and to the side? Yeah…

2. Soft lip liners
This was influenced by Tati, yes that now infamous YouTuber. She raved on about the Essence Cosmetics lipliners that come in two variations; the twist up version and a pencil version that needs sharpening. Both of which I have reviewed and loved. I still think they’re great but not for their intended purpose anymore.

See here’s the problem with extremely soft lipliners, no 1, they are an absolute pain to sharpen, and no 2, they act more like lipsticks than lipliners. The frustration with the former goes without saying but the problem with latter is, lipliners are supposed to, in addition to making some lipsticks more wearable, be a long lasting base for a good lip combo. Even if the lipstick fades away, the lipliner is there to provide some colour. When a lipliner acts like a lipstick, it ends up wearing away just as fast the lipstick does, ergo completely negating its need. I would now opt for formulas that may not be as smooth to apply but are opaque, pigmented and really adheres to the lips.

3. Sharpening pencils
Vis-à-vis soft pencils let’s talk about sharpening them. In every pencil I have reviewed, be it brow or lip products, I’ve added this one ‘con’; “needs sharpening”. I hate sharpening makeup pencils with a passion! However, I’ve realised that as long as I am using a good quality sharpener and the product itself isn’t like the aforementioned soft pencils, sharpening isn’t that bad. Pencils often contain a lot more product and sharpening means you can get a sharp point for precise work. So, yea, I don’t hate it so much and won’t add into a con, unless the pencils are too soft for it.

4. Baking powders
So here’s the thing, I have done baking (for definition please visit the page “Makeup Lingo Dictionary”, link here) and still do but now, I think it ought to be reserved to stage makeup. It really does behoove performers to set their face in copious amount of powder as it will help maintain base makeup through perspiration. The flipside to this is thick, cakey makeup that does not look good up close and in person. Moving forward, I would only lightly set base cream or liquid makeup with just enough powder. No more baking for a day-to-day makeup look.

5. Eyeshadow base
Eyeshadows bases are typically liquid or cream products applied on the eyelids before application of eyeshadows to prolong wear time and/or enhance intensity. I have reviewed two, both from Essence Cosmetics, and, both loved and received good ratings.

So what changed my mind about these is, after using it on people and myself, I’ve noticed that these are essentially glorified concealers and on oily eyelids, it breaks down like a concealer does. It works only on specific skin types, and non hooded eyes. Eyeshadows on these concealer-like-eyeshadow-bases also tends to move around and smudge where it shouldn’t. The verdict is that I don’t think these make good eyeshadow bases. It doesn’t prolong wear because it has no element of adhesion. Now, what I would use are eyeshadow primers like the Urban Decay primer potion that aid eyeshadow adhesion to the eyelid rather than concealers or concealer like eyeshadows bases.

5 Makeup TRICKS I DO that you MAY NOT know…

Yes, I am aware that these aren’t best kept secrets completely unknown to the makeup world. I don’t take ownership to any of these tips as I am sure many do it and may have figured it out on their own. However, I figured all these out, on my own.

TIP 1
Use a lip balm as liquid lipstick remover.
If you aren’t yet aware, liquid lipsticks are lipsticks that apply like a lipgloss but dry down to a matte finish. They are often ridiculously difficult to remove and many stain the lip. So instead of repeatedly rubbing the lips with a makeup remover for removal just saturate the lips with lip balm, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then use a makeup remover to remove the product. It isn’t always foolproof but it certainly does ease the removal process.

TIP 2
Don’t immediately apply the second layer of mascara after the first.
This is a trick I do all the time but I haven’t necessarily seen it being mentioned as a trick/hack. I don’t apply a second coat of mascara immediately after the first one. Letting the first coat dry out a little tends to help with volume and building up the lashes without needing too many coats of mascara.

One coat.

Two coats. See! effective!

TIP 3
When using an eyebrow gel brush backwards.
What makes using an eyebrow gel even more effective is if the brow hairs are properly coated. So instead of just brushing the brow hairs in only a single direction, you ought to brush it on the opposite direction too. It helps with longevity because it will coat the brows hair fully with product.

TIP 4
Use brown eyeliner instead of black.
Many dark and brown skinned women gravitate to black eyeliner simply because it contrasts with their skin tone however, if executed poorly, can come off as unintentionally messy. If you have conquered the art of the eyelining/er power to you! Use the black! But if you want a more forgiving medium, and if you just want a different, more natural look, do give the often neglected brown eyeliner a go!

TIP 5
Use a blending brush to blend concealer.
This tip is the reason I decided to share these tricks in the first place. Using a beauty blender just pushes product into the skin. It doesn’t distribute it evenly. Using a blending brush, much like how it blends eyeshadow out, picks up just a little product and blends it out seamlessly. You can also target the product exactly where you want as opposed to applying it frantically in excess.

Add some concealer to the back of your hand or a palette and pick it up with the blending brush.

Slowly and purposefully build up and add coverage where necessary.

Do let me know if you do/are aware of any of these tricks. Thanks for reading!

Why it is a struggle loving makeup as a man

My latest YouTube video dives a little deeper into why it is still a struggle being a male presenting makeup blogger/YouTuber ESPECIALLY being Malaysian AND Indian AND darker skinned.

My 5 Favourite Beauty YouTubers (2022)

I did this back in 2015 but SO MUCH has changed about the beauty world especially on YouTube and there are people to be removed and new ones to be added. Of course controversies were taken into consideration. Other aspects I’ve considered is content change and how these creators have persevered and updated their content without losing popularity.

I had a top 10 list in 2015 and this has reduced to a top 5 list here. I have unsubscribed from so many and I watch much less. These days, I watch beauty content only when I need it, for example, if I need a special effects makeup tutorial or product suggestions, then I go looking for it.

So here they are, my top 5 favourite beauty YouTubers. Their names are links to their YouTube channel.

This is in NO ORDER OF PREFERENCE.

The first two are the two that have remained from my 2015 post.

1. emilynoel83

She was on my original list and she is on this as well. Emily Noel has been in the YouTube game since 2008! That’s like one of the originals of YouTube, before anyone even made money from YouTube! Her reviews, tutorials, hacks, tips and tricks are very in-depth and thorough and she is an absolute doll! Of course, like many original beauty content creators on YouTube, she has lost some audience and don’t pull the numbers she initially did but she’s sentimental and I always watch her videos.

2. NikkieTutorials

A transwoman rocked the YouTube beauty world for close to 12 years and I AM PROUD! She still is one my favourites! Of course not free of controversy, Nikkie has somewhat managed to weather them and still seem personable and humble. Most impressive of all is that Nikkie has managed to stay relevant and is still pulling large numbers in terms of audience.

3. Robert Welsh

Robert Welsh may be new to the YouTube scene but definitely not new to the makeup industry as he has many years of experience. He essentially helped changed the makeup content in YouTube and re-introduced some older, practical and useful makeup techniques that content creators are now embracing and parading as “new techniques”. He also does a lot of debunking videos, in which he takes too-good-to-be-true TikTok and Instagram makeup hacks and explains why they do or don’t work. I absolutely LOVE his take as I have been doing a lot of these myself for forever.

4. RawBeautyKristi

If there was a beauty YouTuber that THRIVED in 2020, RawBeautyKristi takes the spot! Her battle with infertility and her 2020 surprise pregnancy, her makeup palette launch debacle, her take on makeup, her candid confessions, all these makes her so endearing and you just want to be her friend! Not to mention she’s actually really good at makeup from beauty to special effects.

5. Trixie Mattel

YES, THIS is how I have changed as a viewer towards beauty content on YouTube. If you’re going to insert personality into it, make it funny and entertaining. Only relying on self deprecating humour isn’t going to cut it in 2022! And who else can do it better than a drag queen? The undisputable superstar drag queen extraordinaire, is, no other than Trixie Mattel (well, Rupaul too but we are talking about beauty YouTubers)! Serving varied content from music to food to toys to makeup, makes her a well rounded content creator. And don’t be fooled, she’s really good at makeup and if a drag queen tells you a product is good, the product is objectively GOOD!

In my previous post I included some Malaysian content creators as well but most of them have very sporadic content which makes it difficult to stay interested, however, I do have one suggestion.

NurFatinZakki

Just a heads up, although she does make content in English, a majority of her content is in Bahasa Malaysia or the Malaysian language. She’s really entertaining to watch and has some pretty good beauty makeup skills.

And, of course, subscribe to ME!!!!!!!

Harivaindaran K. Veeriah

More 1 Minute Reviews on YouTube!

So my 1 Minute Reviews on YouTube is a series of pictorial reviews from this blog that I’ve made into a slideshow-esque videos. I’ve only chosen products still available for purchase. The difference between my blog review and the videos is, the video would have some footage of me applying or using the product. I have already published 5 which I’ve shared here on FiercePaint (link here) and here’s a few more!

Thank you for still being here and following, and liking and commenting!

Thank you so so much!

These are all under RM10 but are they good?

Hi guys. How have you guys been?

I told myself that there would be a time I would either be held back or lose interest in posting on FiercePaint. When that happens I told myself that I wouldn’t blame and beat myself up. What I did promise myself is that I would always return to keep FiercePaint alive.

This is me keeping my promise.

Review posts have taken a step back because I am still finding it a little difficult to establish a proper photo booth set-up but I will get back to them.

Anyway, talking about this post, all these products I’ve reviewed and are priced under MYR10. I am also pulling from Product Empties as those are somewhat mini reviews I do for products I have finished.

I have omitted:
> Products no longer available (which includes product no longer provided by the seller I originally purchased from or those that are difficult to find).
> Products that may have cost less than MYR10 at the time the review was published but aren’t anymore.
> Products I purchased for less than MYR10 due to a promotion or discount but the original price is over 10 bucks.
> Irrelevant products. I sometimes feature products like underarm deodorant on my empties post so those products will be omitted.
> Products that have been repackaged or reformulated that are too far removed from the original post.

Funny enough I only have six. I will link the original review but if you don’t want to read it, I’ll just tell you if its worth it or not (GET IT or LEAVE IT or MEH).

Price: MYR 8.90
It is the In2It Lip Treat Lip Balm. Available at most Malaysian drugstores/pharmacy.
Review link (this is from an empties post).
Verdict: MEH. This didn’t impress me nor was it bad. It is cheap so perhaps try it? Who knows it might end up being your favourite.

Price: MYR 5 (my review has a different price that was posted and updated during time of posting).
These are the Althea A’Bloom Collection face masks. Available online from Althea Malaysia.
Review link.
Verdict: GET IT! Even at 5 bucks, it is still very worth your money! I personally recommend the Avo-Cuddle-Me mask.

Price: MYR 5.90
This is liquid soap for cleaning makeup tools (sponges, puffs, brushes). Available at Daiso Japan stores. The packaging has changed and there is a additional makeup brush cleaner as well which is apparently just as good.
Review link.
Verdict: GET IT! PLEASE GET IT if you regularly clean your makeup brushes and sponges!

Price: MYR 6.50 (Watsons), MYR 7.43 (Guardian)
Hand cream for sensitive skin. Available at drugstores/pharmacies. Can you believe this is a product where the price actually reduced? I purchased mine, way back in 2015 for 7.90!
Product empties link.
Verdict: GET IT/LEAVE IT. Sorry about the hung jury because I didn’t like the feeling of it on my skin but I can’t help but think that someone with extremely dry hands might actually benefit from it. The 25 ml goes a long way.

Price: MYR 1.50
Just your basic facial cotton pads. Available at all Tesco stores, now Tesco/Lotus. I apologise for the bad picture because this was when I initially started FiercePaint and I had no idea what I was doing! I plan on doing a comparison with the Muji facial cottons and the Shiseido ones so look out for that.
Product empties link (this was my first ever).
Verdict: GET IT. For how cheap it is, you could always switch to better ones if you feel necessary.

The curler

Price: MYR 5.90
Eyelash curler. Available at Daiso Japan. Again apologies for the bad picture. Of course the packaging would be different but they have a few varieties. This is all stainless steel.
Review link.
Verdict: GET IT! I confess, the Shu Eumura, or even some drugstore brand curlers could be better but for its price, it’s worth it and still functions! So I say try them out!

I hope you guys go check some of these products out!

Lookbook #4 Collaboration with Lakshmi and Geetha

Why did I name these “lookbook”? Hmmpph…. ANYWAY…..
These people have been on my blog before! You might have seen them if you’ve been a long time reader.
Or you could check out my list of Lookbooks, I have done 3 prior!
Lookbook 1 – link here
Lookbook 2 – link here
Lookbook 3 – link here
So, after eons, we’re back again on Instagram and it was a Nikkitutorials inspired look for a “glowup” series of posts!
Do check out my Instagram for all the pictures! But I share my look here…

• 

  
  
  

Eyes
Eyeshadow Base
Essence Cosmetics, I 🖤 Colour Intensifying Eyeshadow base (Reviewed available, link here)
Brows
Make Up For Ever, Brow pencil in 40 dark brown (Reviewed available, link here)
Essence Cosmetics, Make me brow in 02 browny brows (Reviewed available, link here)
Eyeliner
Essence Cosmetics, Super Last waterproof liquid eyeliner
Mascara
Essence Cosmetics, Volume Stylist Lash Extension mascara
Palette for eye makeup
Stila Cosmetics, in the light eyeshadow palette (preloved item that was given to me. May not in production anymore.)
IMAGIC Professional Cosmetics Chalice 36 color eyeshadow palette

Face
Foundation
Maybelline Fit Me Matte +Poreless in 338 Spicy Brown and 332 Golden Caramel (Reviewed available, link here)
Mac Cosmetics Studio Fix Powder in NW 43 (Reviewed available, link here)
Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder in 010 warm honey (Reviewed available, link here)
Highlighter
Essence Cosmetics Mosaic Blush in 30 kissed by the sun (I don’t even know if they make these anymore but review available, link here)

Lips
Wet n Wild Beauty Lip Color in Mochalicious (Reviewed available, link here)
Maybelline Sensational liquid matte in 07 barely nude

I’ve even posted a video! Do check my YouTube channel down below!
https://www.youtube.com/c/Hdaran?sub_confirmation=1

Also do check out Lakshmi’s Instagram page (@lakshmi86)
https://www.instagram.com/lakshmi86/

And also Geetha’s Instagram page (@geethavijaydoesmakeup)
https://www.instagram.com/geethavijaydoesmakeup/

YouTube; A Guide to Indian Dance Makeup

So, Malaysia is facing a second, almost raging wave of the pandemic and it seems that things have gone so out of hand that we faced a second movement control order. Again, with my resources cut off, taking pictures for review has been impossible. Which is why you’ve seen more of compilation lists and my YouTube channel updates.

Still, I believe my post has value. Especially this particular one since I put a ton of time and effort in both filming and editing it with the meagre resources I have in terms of filming equipment.

So if you didn’t already know, I used to be an Indian classical dancer. I even wrote about it extensively in a post of how blogging saved my life (link here). The one thing I did notice was how even experienced dancers had very little knowledge of makeup techniques. From what I’ve experienced, dancers are often left to do their makeup on their own after a brief tutorial or two by their teachers (sometimes even devoid of this), often taking years to fine tune and perfect it. I didn’t have that problem since I already knew enough about makeup and it was simply about picking up a trick or two, here and there. I would also often get so many questions on products that I used in my YouTube videos.

It’s safe to say that at this point, my dance makeup is as perfect as it can be. And so I decided to just compile whatever I know, including techniques, tips, tricks and also products into a series of videos on how to do Indian classical dance makeup.

There is an exception though.
Kathakali makeup is the only makeup I won’t attempt to teach! That is too intricate and too difficult to master unless one is a Kathakali dancer.

I mean, LOOK AT THAT!!!! I don’t know how to do that!!!

So here it is! My four-part series about Indian classical dance makeup.

Think twice before buying these!

I’ve did it, I’ve posted over a 100 reviews! 101 to be precise.

As you might have guessed from the title, this is a list of the poorer performing products from my reviews.

No, these aren’t products I regret purchasing. Those products you can find by clicking the link HERE. Regrets usually have no redeeming qualities. These however, I used, or managed to use and review. There is the slimmest chances that these might be your cup of tea.

As usual, disclaimers; these are my personal views and I don’t believe these brands are bad just these particular products.

Funny enough, there are only 3 products with this low rating (compared to those that had a >9). But that being said, there’s are 13 products (regrets) that I have deemed unworthy of even reviewing. Haha.

Two notes:
– If the product is no longer available it doesn’t make the list.
– These products have a <5 rating.

Missha The Style 4D Mascara
This has been marked down from MYR 18 to MYR 9 on the Althea website where I initially purchased them from, despite having a 4.5/5 stars. *insert eyebrow raise emoji* Must just be me then. Either way, judge yourself from my review or perhaps purchasing them (it’s just MYR9!).

Review link: https://fiercepaint.wordpress.com/2017/10/09/missha-the-style-4d-mascara-review/

Silkygirl Hydra Clean Makeup Remover
I initially LOVED this product but it started making my skin burn. To be honest cleansing waters do a better job for me.

Review link: https://fiercepaint.wordpress.com/2017/07/03/silkygirl-hydra-clean-makeup-remover-review/

Avon Simply Pretty Metallic Liquid Eyeliner
This pretty liner is not budge proof, smudge proof, oil proof or water proof, so unless you’re a dainty person who can keep their hands off their face, my personal suggestion would be, no. Just no. They have changed the design slightly but the bottle looks the same.

Review link: https://fiercepaint.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/avon-simply-pretty-metallic-liquid-eyeliner-review/