Cutest Cuddly Monsters for your phones, tablets and laptops! Iyu-Iyu.com

 My Iyu Iyu Monster Adventure

with Iyu-Iyu.com

Hello! We're Cute And We Know It!

Welcome! I'm so happy that you are reading this! For new comers, such a pleasure!

Don't these little monsters look so adorable?

Their handmade by these two lovely girls from Germany, Desi and Khanh of http://iyu-iyu.com/

Desi and Khanh are so sweet and so I think it is best that I let them describe themselves to you, the following is from their beautiful http://iyu-iyu.com/ website (click here):

Hello. Our names are Desi and Khanh. We are two designers based near Frankfurt am Main, Germany. We create and sell our own clothing and accessories. Our philosophy is simple: carefully thought out designs, hand-picked materials and self-employed production. This way we make sure, that each single item corresponds exactly with our expectations. The result: handcrafted items produced in small quantities, which are available on IYU IYU only.

You see they made each of these little monsters with much love and care.

Unboxing

Firstly, their packaging is amazing (well everything about their whole concept is amazing. you simply must check out their website   http://iyu-iyu.com/). I received the beautiful box above. It was very lovingly wrapped so that the white box would not be soiled or spoilt.

AHHHH imagine my delight when I opened the box!!!

Hahahah, so cute! I let out a big laugh when I opened the package and saw them for the first time! They really did make my day. They are so adorable. They are made of very soft and cuddly material which is still strong and sturdy enough to protect your phone, tablets etc (fluffy terry cloth [100% cotton] and a colourful inner lining [100% cotton]).

They sent me three monsters. One for a kindle (iPad Mini size), a iPhone 6 plus sized one and finally one for my iPhone 6. Yes I do carry around a lot of gadgets!

This is what they look like with your devices stored inside of them. It's very secure as half of the head acts as a kind of pocket, so your phone/device will not slip out. It is also very easy for you to take your device out as the material has a bit of give. See their website by clicking here :)

The little Black Tuxedo came as part of a gift box!

In the gift box you receive a surprise cracker filled with yummy candy, a keychain (so cute, so kawaii), a notebook and pencil, two post cards and some stickers.

I think this is a great gift idea!

The pencil has Iyu-Iyu on it

They do make cases for laptops as well see here (laptop cases)

They have so many more designs on their website (click here)  and they also have beautiful jewelry, see the following photo below!

beautiful accessories!

Being me, I like to think of different ways of using things

Sooooooo...

So the first idea I had, was to use my larger Iyu-Iyu monster (who I have named "Sparkles") as a travel brush carrier. I can also fit in a compact powder, concealer, lipstick and a small eyeshadow quad. As Sparkles is made of terry cloth and cotton, it is (I'm still not sure if Sparkles is a girl or a boy yet) really easy to clean. I can toss it into a washing net and then into the washing machine. 

The next idea I had was to add an optional wristlet or shoulder strap to "Mr 007" (yes, not a very original name but that's what he will be called i.e. the Tuxedo Monster) and PinkyPoo (the pink one) to turn them into a wristlet and a little bag. It's amazing how much each can hold along with my phones.

It's pretty easy to sew on the straps and I just recycled some straps from old purses.

What do you think?

Do be sure to check out my friends' Desi and Khanh's webstore! http://iyu-iyu.com/

  
Yours Truly and with Lots of Love, TeaCupofMakeup

MOTD Feb 15th 2016 I l - Guerlain's "Enjoy", YSL Tint-in-Oil & LM Laduree

I love Tulips!

Ahh... Spring (well in Australia, we're heading into Autumn) always promises so many things. Most importantly for us makeup lovers, the release of very pretty Spring collections from the various great houses of fashion and beauty.

This is Guerlain's Écrin 1 Couleur Eyeshadow in "13 Enjoy".  It is a single eyeshadow which is quite unusual for the House of Guerlain. They usually release a palette. I would describe the gorgeous case as being a colour between rose gold and copper. It has a good weight to it, which makes it more luxurious.

Enjoy!

I think it is very clever of Guerlain to jump on board the whole tech craze. The "font" used is very reminiscent of old computer games or arcade games. Very cute. When I tried this on, I very carefully use my brush around the "Enjoy" imprint. It come with a double ended sponge tip applicator. I normally toss those out. 

Swatch

It is a pleasant pale sunshine gold colour. Just perfect for those days when you need a pick me up. You can wear it on it's on, and I do recommend a primer if you have oily lids (and even if don't to really show off the colour). I like to wear it all over the lid with a bit of Naked 2 + Faint from the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette in the crease and outer corners.

This is a beautiful metal compact from Maison de Reefur with the Lip & Eye Colour "Queen".  I use it mostly as an eye shadow as it gives off a very lovely glistening effect. Used with the Guerlain "Enjoy", the effect is quite astounding. 

Maison de Reefur is a Japanese boutique in Yubinbango150-0033 24-7 Daikanyama, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Sarugakucho Plaza Building 1F. It is a very chic boutique. Very french. The shop is perfectly styled. They sell a mixture of their own brand goods as well as a carefully curated selection of items from around the World.

The interchangeable lip case (the case itself comes in different shades of silver and gold) has an in-built mirror. If you don't want to use it to contain the interchangeable lip shades, you can use it as a pill case, or a little case to store tiny things.

I love discovering beautiful makeup items. I was most drawn to the retro design. 

I am so obsessed with YSL's Volupte Tint-In-Oils. They have just released a few more in this amazing formula. It's yummy, it miraculous, I don't know how it works to be honest. HaHaHa. I think I like the packaging. No. Seriously, it smells delicious, and my lips feel so luscious after I apply it. I feel so Marilyn, so pucker-your-plump-lips-ish. Like I've just had a lip-surgery thingie (sorry, I've never done one, I think it's where they inject something into your lips??? The horror).

This is "No. 11 Love Me Nude". 

As you can see from the swatch, "No. 11 Love Me Nude", is more pink than nude. if you want a true nude, try "No. 3 Me" which is a more sheer no colour oil. This colour that I have here does coat your lips with a very pretty pink. It leaves a stain. The more you apply, the more intense it becomes, but I find that one application is enough for me, and then maybe a touch-up mid-day. 

I suppose if you really wanted to build up the colour, you could apply a layer. Then wait. Wipe off the oil, apply, and repeat the process, till you get the intensity you want. 

The oil does not taste like much. Maybe a bit sweet? It has a scent, but not much of a taste to me. Which is what I really appreciate about it.

This is the Les Merveillleuses Ladurée Pressed Cheek Color compact. The compact is made of plastic but made to resemble gilded ivory.

It's quite a delight to behold. The Les Merveillleuses Ladurée makeup range is very popular in Japan. The quality is amazing and the packaging oh so adorable. For more information check out their website (http://www.lm-laduree.com/en/)

Each compact is made to allow for interchangeable colours. It's a design that is quite common in Japan. Almost every brand I saw there has some form of this type of packaging. You buy the compact/container, choose the colour to place in it, and when new colours come out, you change it out.

The colour I chose is No. 21, It is a purplish colour. I wanted to try something different. I don't think I would have found the LM Laduree store in Omotesando in Tokyo without the help of my friend Saori.

        Yours Truly and Lots of Love, TeaCupofMakeup

A Pixelated Heart made of Makeupstore Products

Taken on 14 February 2016

This was a labour of love for Valentine's Day. I can't believe how long this took me to do. I think I even had a panic attack over it. It haunted my dreams for nights. I kept measuring those squares over and over and my furbabies (2 cats and 1 dog) ran over them, and I missed something and had to re-measure everything and then realised that it got so big that I had to buy a ladder to photograph it.

By the time I had it done, I had about 10 minutes of daylight left, it was about 7.30 p.m. in the evening. The quality of the photograph was pretty crap due to the bad lighting (I even had to change camera lens twice) and I had to make some edits on Photoshop.

So I had to document this process to remind myself to plan these things better. AND to keep the furbabies out of my workspace.

Though, I do like the sound of my cat babies purring though.

Yours Truly and Lots of Love, TeaCupofMakeup

Examples of Fashion Photography - Photos for Natalie From Luxe with Love

My Instagram Collage

So a couple of weeks ago, I helped FromLuxewithLove with a simple photoshoot. She loves the suburb Surry Hills where I live (it's a suburb located very close to Sydney's city centre) so it was super convenient for me, plus it was very fun and exciting to photograph a famous model/fashion blogger/content creator.

I used to do a lot more portrait/live subject photography/painting so it was nice to go back to my roots. A fair bit of my old photographs are of dancers. I have very fond memories of those photo shoots, as it was not only about capturing the beauty of the subject but also the energy and emotion that they were conveying through their movements.

One of the reasons why I picked up photography was to learn about the use of lights and shadows as I was concentrating on portrait painting for my Cambridge 'O' and then 'A' levels.

Live subject photography brings a different kind of satisfaction and joy which I do miss, so if you are a fashion blogger, actor/actress, dancer or anyone in need of good photographs for your portfolio, contact me, I'd be happy to assist!

My email is makeupmanic88@gmail.com

One of my favourite's from the day because of the hair structure

Love a girl in black @The Beresford Hotel

Industrial Chic

technically challenging photo

Screenshot from FromLuxewithlove's Instagram

Screenshot from FromLuxewithlove's Instagram

Yours Truly and Lots of Love, TeaCupofMakeup

Makeup Store - Diamond Collection

Hello Bling Bling

When I was shown this by Maria, my mind went BLANK.

It was the "sparkly sparkly" effect.

I said: "I want EVERYTHING". This was all that was available from the new Diamond collection on that day. I eagerly await the rest.

dream twin "velvet beam"

Oh you are BEA-utiful. This is the dream twin. The texture of the packaging is quite different. It's a bit like the NARS' packaging, that slight rubbery matte feeling but more, uhmm, velvety. It has embossed on it the "Makeup Store" logo. I'm still trying to work out what that font is.

The front section (which you press in to open the compact) is just pure crystals. I don't think they are Swarovski crystals. To be honest, I do not even know how much I paid for it. I'm sure I have the receipt for it somewhere, but the sparkly sparkly just made my mind go: "take my credit card...". I am frankly, every sales person's dream client.

Beautiful!

I love the whole concept of the new packaging. The organic pebble style embossed print of the makeup is divine. I think it really adds something to the whole Makeup Store experience. From use and in comparison to the old packaging, I feel like the new formula is more pigmented. It may possibly be because the embossed format gives you more surface area from which your brush can pick up the pigments.

One Swipe!

Yup, that's what you get with one single swipe. Extremely pigmented. The blush is a very flattering peach colour that works on fair to medium skin tones. The highlighter shade is a pretty champagne colour with microscopic crystals in it. Both work very well as eyeshadows too, so the multi-functionality of this compact gives you great value for money (I try to desperately justify every purchase).

The One Swipe from above on my skin

It transfers pretty well as you can see. That's my little test for how pigmented something is, swipe on the fingers, swipe onto the arms. My arms are fairly tanned as I do maintain our garden and we walk the dog. So you can see that the colours look good on a medium to semi-dark skin tones too.

microshadow trio "diamond"

The microshadow trio has a clear cover, and is all the better for it! It shows off the lovely tones.

love it -had to have a bigger photo

The shades chosen for this trio are perfect. You get two satin colours (the fresh pink gold and the rich plum) and in the middle a matte shade (a not quite white not quite pink colour).

From a design aspect, I'm very curious to know how they arrived at the decision as to where to "cut" the pebble design for each column. With each column, you can see there is one very very slim row of "pebbles" that is hanging over.

F*&^ that, it's beautiful, it's gorgeous, it's luxurious, you NEED this in your collection.

If you have been tracking the foray of luxury brands into the cosmetic industry like more recent entrants like Gucci and just a few years back Marc Jacobs, it's because women (and men) DON'T stop buying makeup during financial crises/downturns because it is considered a "comfort" product. Makeup is just good business... O.K where did that come from??

Back to the trio. You deserve to spoil yourself, or to be spoilt. This is so pretty. You pull it out, sigh and admire it and you feel lovely already.

The finger swipe test!

SEE... isn't it pretty? ONE swipe. That plummy colour is so complex. There's bronze and gold in it. I've tried it on as own as a smokey eye colour and it works beautifully.

no primer!

I think they pass the test. Three flattering, highly pigmented colours. 'Nuff said.

I'll keep you posted when the rest of the collection comes in (a lipstick).

Yours Truly and Lots of Love, TeaCupofMakeup

The Year of the Monkey by Giorgio Armani Golden Monkey Illuminating Palette

The 福 sign was so hard to photograph!

Welcome to the Year of the Red Fire Monkey! In honour of this most auspicious year, Giorgio Armani ("GM") released a special edition highlighting palette, which I think was aimed at capturing the affluent Chinese market.

I was told that only 10 of such palettes (o.k. it's really not a palette but just a highlighter compact) was sent to each Giorgio Armani counter/store and not all of them received it. You could also only purchase it as part of a set with two other items. I chose two limited edition Ecstasy Lacquers (more on those in another blog).

The Gift Box

The satin "pillow" is a tiny bean bag ;)

It all came packaged in a special red Giorgio Armani box (see above). You will note from the RED packaging and the use of the "福" sign imprint (which means "prosperity"), that the designers at GM were blatantly and unapologetically targeting a very specific market. Uhmm... I think they might have missed the mark with the black satin "pillow" though. Black, though forever chic and fashionable, is not a lucky colour, especially avoided during Chinese New Year. It's quite taboo.

Hey there monkey-moo

It's nice that the monkey was not a sprayed overlay. The imprint of the graphic design is not too shallow and not too deep. The compact is fairly light to hold. Almost flimsy.

There is that nice contrast between black and red from a design standpoint.

There is a brush included in the bottom level. The quality of the brush is so-so, fairly standard for all high-end brand included brushes. It is not dense at all. Same as Chanel and Dior and YSL. So-so. I have yet to come across a brand that includes a brush that makes me go:"wow, nice brush, what a bonus!"

A pretty "ordinary" brush"

The highlight is a neutral toned demi-matte shade. As you can see from the swatches above, it is a very pretty almost champagne colour (no perceptible pink-tones in it). To me it looks demi-matte, to other's it make come across matte. Definitely not a shiny highlighter. 

This is how the shade is described on the Giorgio Armani website:

"Celebrate the Chinese New Year with a Highlighting Powder of light gold shimmer, bronze and champagne pearls, stamped with a graphic monkey pattern as an ode to the year of the Monkey. This pressed powder leaves a matte,natural, and transparent veil over the skin, highlighting feminine beauty.This universal shade flatters every skin tone, highlighting the skin's complexion and reflecting light with its weightless texture."

The "non-shiny" factor makes this very wearable. I can see myself reaching for it as the yellowish undertones suit my Asian skin tone very well and is quite flattering on. I suspect that I will be using a fairly narrow brush, possibly one as small as the MAC 217 to pick up the colour and brush it on my face. Why would I do such a ludicrous thing you ask? WHY to preserve the darn MONKEY print of course!

The fact that it is such a limited edition item makes me very tempted to store it away in a ziplock bag with a moisture absorbing packet and locked away in one of my air-tight containers along with my other treasures. Never to be touched again, until I decide to sell it on eBay. 

Or maybe I'll just hit pan on this one, super fast.

This is the Chinese Character "福" meaning Prosperity
.

Happy Chinese New Year to all of you!

新年快乐, 恭喜发财, 年年有余! 

Yours Truly and Lots of Love, TeaCupofMakeup

Who is TeacupofMakeup?

Hi! I'm TeacupofMakeup, a.k.a. teawithmakeupmagic88 a.k.a. makeupmagic88 a.ka. makeupmanic88, a.k.a therealmakeupcollector

Ok. That was a lot names. It took me a while to find my identity, plus I had a few scary encounters with odd people. It's all good. This is JUST a hobby.

I am first an artist, I like dabbling in various mediums, oil paints, pastels, I've even tried my hand at sewing and sculpting using resin by casting my own moulds. Photography though, hits the sweet spot for me. I was given my first camera when I was 4. I carried it EVERY where. It really irritated my brother.

My parents were fairly indulgent. Film and film processing was not cheap then, not like the current digital age. I would hoard rolls of film. Slowly, with time, as my skills grew, the type of camera I used became more sophisticated. My first DSLR was a Nikon. I lugged that beast and a tripod every where I went, from age 13 - 17.

After that as digital cameras became more affordable, I was able to "upgrade" using money from part-time jobs. However, I really do miss the aesthetics of film photography WITHOUT the digital preview. I miss the smell of processing film in a dark room. Honestly, I can't remember how to do it now.

Now, on to the subject matter of this blog. M A K E U P

Right. I only started wearing makeup late 2010. AFTER I discovered the wonderful World of Sephora when we visited family in New York in the Autumn of 2010. A dear friend gave me a list of items to purchase for her at this strangely named place called "Sephora" (oh how ignorant I was then).

We were staying near Time Square which had a Sephora that was opened till Midnight. I walked in. I was clearly overwhelmed. A very friendly Sephora assistant came up and said: "Hi! My name is X (sorry the bright colours and scents distracted me) how can I help you tonight?". I handed over the list and she quickly filled a basket. Then she turned to me and said: "How about you?".

Oh no. That was the end. Or the start of a very beautiful beginning.

I love makeup now. I am an unabashed makeup hoarder. I need to sell off a lot of my collection as I am clearly in need of more funds to pay bills. I am so crazy, I keep my very special limited edition collectables in ziplock bags with those little packets of moisture absorbers and they are kept in an airtight plastic case. YUP. That's called makeup collecting.

The power of makeup (but see below)

So, in late May of 2013, being so influenced by such famous and darling youtubers like itsjudytime and fleurdeforce, I decided to start a Youtube Channel. Uhmm, I must say, I am hugely embarassed by 99.99% of the videos. The only thing I like about them is probably some of the intros. I started off with a $49 no brand name camcorder from Kmart.

I edit all of my videos on iMovie. I learnt the tricks as I went.

As I went, I got signed by an agency connected to Simon Cowell - what was I thinking??? The revenue share was pitiful. The agency did nothing for me and was ultimately purchased by Rightster.

All in all, I made 107 videos. AND I am determined to make more.

It is an extremely lonely, costly and time consuming hobby, this making of Youtube videos.

I've met some very genuine people though, and I have met some of the most kindest and sweetest people who have become friends. No agenda whatsoever.

I applaud every one who makes and posts Youtube makeup and beauty related videos. You have my greatest respect.

I actually look like this (most of the time)

SOOOOO, now I am back to photography mainly (though I think I will definitely return to Youtube once I get my courage/crocodile skin back), and through a different medium, being Instagram... tadah!

I'm really enjoying this new art-form "flatlays". It's fun! I can let my imagination run wild. As it is a static art-form, it gives me more room for creativity.

If you have seen my instagram page https://www.instagram.com/teacupofmakeup/  
Or you can see the photos on the right side bar "daily dose of...", you can see that I am constantly varying my style. That's what I'm all about, coming up with new and more creative ways of capturing "flatlays".

Being inventive and pushing the limits.

I'm also very skilled at Adobe Photoshop Pro and Corel AfterShot Pro 2 and numerous other editing softwares.

I even set up this blog all by myself. It's not sophisticated, but it's functional and I didn't have to purchase a blog skin. I suspect as I become more familiar with the html code for blogger, this blog will (fingers crossed, hopefully) look more sophisticated.

Yes, I do know that the famous Instagrammers have a consistent definable style, and that's great and probably why their so famous! However, I am a firm believer in the saying "Variety is the Spice of life". For example, an artist doesn't always paint the same picture over and over again, and if one does, they don't all look the same. A chef may cook a signature dish over and over again, but is also always reinventing the wheel, if you catch my drift.

OK, before you jump and start screaming at me, I state, I am not an artist nor chef by trade. I did train as an artist once  and I did have some of my pieces exhibited and my photographs published, but that's not what I do for a living now (sadly)... I also once trained as a musician and had hoped to make a living that way by playing in an ocrchestra blah blah blah blah BLAH... who cares about that really, let's just look at the pretty photos shall we?

Contact me!

If you would like to do a collaboration with me or would like help with product or fashion photography or video editing, email me at makeupmanic88@gmail.com - "There is no project too small or too big".

So, that's me in a Teacup. 

Yours Truly and Lots of Love, TeaCupofMakeup