Melweenie is a 20 year old Vietnamese-American currently studying at UC Davis.

UglyGirlMakeup is a blog dedicated to all the young men and women who share the same interest as Melweenie. This interest is beauty, and how the magic of makeup can help bring that beauty out of all of us uglygirls (and uglyboys)!

Have any comments, questions, requests?

Email me at melweenie@gmail.com

Melweenie's Youtube Channel

Designed by: %PURPUR.black-

Archives:
July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009

Thursday, July 31, 2008 { 9:17 PM }

Are you a beginner to make up, and a little turned off by putting on heavy eye eyeshadow? Here's a lovely informative video, coming from a real Ford model. She teaches the very basics of makeup that will give your eyes just enough :oomph: to take you away from the everyday dullness.

{ 8:50 PM }

Wednesday, July 30, 2008 { 12:08 AM }


Here's a funny story I found on Perez:

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 { 8:30 PM }

Songs used in tutorial

1. Damien Rice- Unplayed Piano
2. John Legend- Show Me

Monday, July 28, 2008 { 9:29 PM }

Up and coming British artist Adele has made the classic 60's mod look into her own. In the video for "Cold Shoulder," her mod eye liner, pure flawless face, and pale pink lip make a stunning combination. Its so simple but I can't get it out of my head! She's gorgeous.

{ 8:11 PM }

{ 6:06 PM }

It was my first time  making a makeup tutorial video, so I wanted to start out easy with a very basic eyeshadow application. For those who don't have much time before you have to go out the door, this look is perfect. I only use 3 different eyeshadows, and it took me less than five minutes to apply the whole thing. Enjoy!

Saturday, July 26, 2008 { 4:20 PM }




I was inspired to mimic a look that I came across by a youtuber by the name of MissChievous. In her video description, she describes it as "a natural glowing look ideal for formal daytime events, such as weddings." I immediately fell in love with it because the colors that she used blend together to create such a soft and pretty mixture of neutral smokey peachy goodness. I don't have any of the products that she used in her video, so I tried my best to recreate the look.
Its not exactly the same and is slightly more bronze in color, but it has a similar feel to it. Watch how she MissChievous created her look in the video below:

Friday, July 25, 2008 { 7:57 PM }

Not only is it a good song, but the video is so stunning as well. Gwen Stefani's heavily rimmed smoky eye is so fierce and makes her eyes look so piercing. If you're looking for any artistic inspiration, watch this video.

{ 7:45 PM }

Scandalous Beauty is one of my favorite bloggers that I follow. I love her videos because she is so knowledgeable and has so much experience in the makeup arena. One of my favorite videos that she has done is her tutorial on applying a matte foundation. When I saw this video I was a mineral foundation wearer who was growing more and more tired of the lack of coverage that it had given me, and she sold me on Studio Fix in this one. This is also where I found out about using the MAC 109 brush to apply foundation, which as you will see leaves a beautiful flawless finish on the skin.

Make sure to check out her other videos which are equally educational and entertaining! :)

{ 7:00 PM }






For me, keeping my makeup kit relatively small is important because I often need to pack my stuff to stay at my boyfriend's for a couple of days each week. Lugging around a huge makeup train case is way too much for me, so I pick out the tools that are essential and basic, yet have a lot of versatility to them to mix and match. So i compile the things that I definitely use every day, such as foundation, powder, blush, liner, and a few shadows into a medium sized Tupperware box :) I also bring a few brushes that I use daily into a plastic bag. I stuff all of that into my backpack, and I'm ready to go!!!

So for those of you ladies who are new to makeup and don't know where to start in terms of purchases, I've compiled a list of things that you need to have a small yet complete makeup collection.





1. Some form of foundation- Be it mineral foundation, liquid, pressed powder foundation, a foundation is crucial because I believe the flawless face should come first. I used to be a mineral foundation girl, but I finally decided that it just doesn't give me enough coverage. So I've switched to MAC's Studio Fix Fluid, which gives your skin a beautiful finish and you don't need to apply much to achieve it. If you don't need much coverage though, I think mineral foundation is a good way to go.

• If you want to try out mineral foundations which may be a slightly healthier alternative for your skin, check out
• Everyday Minerals ($5-12). So many people love this foundation, it has so many shades, and its soo cheap!
• Silk Naturals ($11.95). This mineral foundation is unique because you create your own shade, and is perfect if you just had a tan and need to darken your makeup the next day. It's very cheap as well!

• Looking for more coverage? Try a liquid foundation
• Try MAC's Studio Fix Fluid ($26). You really do not need much to even out your skin, it takes as little as a dot. It is definitely buildable, and it doesn't look cakey.
  
• If you're using a liquid foundation, try using MAC's 109 small contour brush ($32) to apply your foundation. This is a trick that I learned from fellow beauty blogger Scandalous Beauty-- it will blend your foundation like nothing else and create an airbrushed look!

2. Concealer- Make sure to apply some concealer to your under eye area and on your eyelid. This will brighten your face more than you know, and instantly makes you look more awake and younger. If you have acne scars or other imperfections on your face, rely on concealer to cover them, and NOT on slabbing on more foundation. If you do this, and put on less foundation, you'll look more natural and will feel less cakey.

• MAC's Select Cover Up is great, as it can offer enough coverage to brighten up your eye area and can be doubled up as a foundation as well. I use it to cover my acne scars as well. (if you have a really deep imperfection that is hard to cover up however, opt for something else because its not full coverage)

3. Loose powder to set your foundation- Applying loose powder after you apply your foundation will get rid of that "wet" feel that you have after you first apply it, and will help create a matte finish. Keeping your loose powder in your purse so you can touch up during the day will keep you from getting that oily look. Make sure you dab your face with an oil removing sheet before you reapply your loose powder so you don't get cakey.

• I use Bare Escentual's Mineral Veil ($19) - now available in translucent, translucent with a touch of warmth, and translucent with a touch of an ethereal glow.
  

4. An eyeshadow primer- The infamous Urban Decay Primer potion ($16). It's famous for a reason, it works! It intensifies your shadow's color, literally gets rid of creasing, and also gets rid of any fear that by the end of the day your shadow will end up in places you never knew it could land!

• if you want to mix things up and not use Urban Decay Primer potion, check out Too Faced Shadow Insurance ($17)

5. A matte brown eyeshadow- A brown shadow is the perfect color to fill in your crease. I always have some shade of brown in my crease every day, just because I feel like it works with so many colors.

• check out Napoleon Perdis' Dark Brown color disc ($22)
• or Milani's #18 Java Bean
  

6. A Black shadow- I'm a lover of the smoky eye, so of course I'm going to recommend everyone to at least get a black shadow. If you don't want a full on smoky eye, then you can dab a little bit of black shadow in your outer v, and it will create a very nice subtle definition to your eyes. You can also apply it wet to create an eyeliner!

• I use NYX's Black ($5). Cheap, beautiful, and it does the job!
  

7. A very light off white color for a highlight- Finishing your eye makeup with applying a highlighting color to the brow bone brings you one step closer to giving your eyes that special POP. No look is complete without it.

• You don't need to invest in a super expensive shadow for this, a drugstore brand will just do fine.

8. Pink/peach Blush- If you're not going to put anything on your eyes, at least put on a blush. A blush gives a finishing touch that will prevent your face from looking flat and lifeless.

• try NARS' Orgasm blush ($25). It's a subtle color that is a slightly shimmery pinky/peach in color and so many women love and use this blush!

{ 1:38 PM }


I call this look the "Purple Haze"-- I threw this look together using the NYX purple palette, which I believe you can purchase for $8.00 on the NYX Cosmetics website, however I've seen it sold cheaper at drugstores like Longs drugs. Its another example of how you can pull off a pretty look without spending a ton of money on the new MAC eyeshadow that just came out, or what not. NYX is just one of those brands that have quality eyeshadows for less.



Products used:

• Brow bone- Urban Decay polyester bride
  
• Crease- Milani Coffee Shop
  
• Outer V- NYX Deep Purple
  
• Middle of lid- NYX Prune
  
• Inner lid- NYX Purple
• Lashes- Maybelline Full 'n Soft mascara
  

Thursday, July 24, 2008 { 4:50 PM }



It took me a while to be brave enough to put some black shadow on my eye. Black is the hardest color to put on because you have to really pay attention to blending and the color isn't very forgiving when it comes to making mistakes. I find this look to be more wearable than the traditional smoky eye, as the black is focused more on the eye's "outer v" corner and less on the entire lid. Adding a lighter shimmery color to the inner half of the lid will create the illusion of a larger crease and bigger eyes. With a little help from my Ardell false lashes, the look is instant sultry glam.



Here are the products used accompanied by a step-by-step instruction:

• 1. Apply Urban decay primer potion as a base
• 2. Highlight the brow bone with a shimmery white color (Urban Decay- Polyester Bride)
• 3. Shade in the area right below the brow bone with a matte dark brown color (Napoleon- Dark Brown).
  
• 4. Apply a matte black shadow to the outer v (NYX- Black)
• 5. Apply a shimmery shade of light purple to the inner half of the lid, lightly carrying over the black (Bare Escentuals- Nude Beach shimmer)
• 6. Finally, put one some false eyelashes (Ardell)
  

This look was done with one brush-- the wet/dry shadow brush from Bare Escentuals, and with a little help from my fingers to blend the shadows together.

{ 3:47 PM }




I found it only appropriate to begin my beauty blog with a subject that is probably the most important factor when presenting your pretty face. Let's face it, it's your skin. Some of you may be blessed with perfect skin as it is, however some of us aren't so lucky! Oily skin, break outs, dry spots, scars, etc. and other painful skin problems can ruin your day. So, before you paint your face, I think that you should listen up and really pay attention to what works for your skin. Now, my skin is not perfect, however I feel like my skin has gotten A LOT better than how it used to be in the past. Here's my story on how I found the product that works for me: