NOTD: Pink tip daisies...

Hi everybody...

This time I decided to go easy on my nails... Now that spring is here spring color is on nails as well ... pink tips with daisies are my way to go...

Do you like it? Any questions/suggestions/comments? 

Glossybox March 2012

Hi lovely people…

After much dilemma on whether to post it or not Iam writing this… Hold your breath and get ready for the most astonishing glossybox…

Glossybox March 2012 The Harrods edition … with people around singing praises of their YSL, BURBERRY… helloo… what do I sing about? … probably how happy I would have been if only I got this box 20 years later.. when I am in my 40s and my skin is wrinkling and sagging….(NOM to any of the elderdly people... I am just venting out how I feel)

Anyways the contents are -

VERSACE - VANITAS VERSACE EAU DE PARFUM
BLISS blood orange and white pepper body butter
REVIVE - intensite creme lustre SPF30
LEIGHTON DENNY high performance nail colour
CLARINS - extra firming body cream

Did anybody else receive this sort of glossybox or am I THE chosen one? :( ;(

NOTD: bronzy brown nails

hello my beautiful people...

I can never get bored of brown on my lips, face or nails... I wanted to try out a brown with bronze manicure for future use..here it is...

I did this with the primark nail polishes... they were ultra thick and it has been really difficult
to blend to this design... I have left my ring finger with just brown to accentuate the affect actually... you can see how thick the nail polish is on that finger.. even with a single coat...

Iam not exactly complaining but with primark beauty I guess its fine to stick to a single color manicure... owing to the texture of the polish.. looks like nail art is not welcome for these babies...

The closeup at a single finger might give a better visibility of the affect... This is my first time I am trying this manicure so please bare my clumsiness with the cuticles...(I just dabbed nail polish remover before taking these pictures..)



Let me know how you like this look....

Review: Alida of London Facial Hair Remover

Facial hair is yet another problem girls have, which has numerous solutions but not sure which one works… So I was in search of yet another hair remover for the tiny hair below lower lip and I stumbled across the ‘Alida of London facial hair remover’.

On the package it is mentioned: gently removes hair leaving your skin velvety smooth.

There were strips in the pack which has hard surface on one side and a provision to stick on the other side. The strip (pink one) is to be placed onto the holder.. the picture shows an arrow pointing to the holder with a strip on it. To remove hair gently rub in circular motion. Basically the idea is to use friction or exfoliate using the hard surface to get the hair out.

Well getting to the point of review, this really did not work for me. At first I thought I was not doing it right. So I took a break of 10 mins and tried again. But no use. Infact my skin became red due to the rubbing and developed a burning sensation and I stopped there.

My verdict: Alida facial hair remover is irritating and did not work.

Facial cleansing tools: brush or cloth

There was a time when cleansing the face meant washing with a ‘face wash’ (instead of body wash or soap) and then came the time of specific cleansing milk/lotion. Then deep pore cleansing… exfoliation... ah will this list end?

Like all the above... there emerges a trend of using tools to cleanse the face instead of hand…  I remember few years back I got an automatic massager kind of thing from Singapore which had a kind of vibrating head and you could change one of the 3 attachments… one was the massage attachment, two was a sponge attachment (could not get the purpose still) and the other was a soft brush attachment. Essentially after applying a cream/gel/scrub on the face, this brush attachment could be used for cleansing, exfoliation and massage purposes .. all in one.. bliss.… but to my great disappointment my beautician then advised me to stop using it L

The reason she has given was: Imagine your face as a smooth canvas so anything harder than human skin would draw fine lines on the skin.. so bristles of this brush being definitely harder than skin are harsh on the face.. I felt this quite logical… after all our facial skin is very soft and extremely sensitive. Since then I refrained from using any sort of tools on my face… except for makeup brushes ofcourse.

Now I see the struggle returns…. Forget clarisonic… owing to the heavy price tag its not a household item yet… but then there are these face brushes and various scrubbers with natural fibre and what not around… I am confused… and then there is the muslin cloth of hot cloth cleanser…. And so many people writing wonderful reviews … I am really tempted to start using a facial brush… what do you say people?? Tell me your take on this…

Clinique Moisture surge review

Clinique Moisture surge… the ‘IT’ moisturizer.. thanks to COSMOPOLITAN magazine I say. So I had my chance to grab one of these… and as always Clinique did not disappoint me..

To start with, the tube looked like this..

And the gel in the tube looks like this.... I swatched on my hand a tiny bit

The name ‘moisture surge extended thirst relief’ scared me first. Cant afford to drench my oily skin in moisture you see and then comes the smart phrase ‘gel-crème désaltérant’ and that’s exactly what it is. It’s a real beautiful creamy-looking gel.

It is very light, non-greasy and has matte finish. My skin absorbed the product within seconds.. it almost disappeared. It makes skin feel supple after the application. The smell was not great but then did not really bother me much. Being a gel did not mean I had to take a 10 ml.. I actually needed very little for my entire face and neck. I continued my makeup as usual and no particular magic here but then at the very least I did not break out. Overall it’s a great product for oily skin.

Pros:

1)      It is a non-greasy gel

2)      It is very light and absorbed easily

3)      It left a soft smooth feeling after absorption.

4)      Small amount is sufficient.

Cons: practically none but then if you dig too deep…

1)      Non-scented. Not a pleasing smell

2)      Not a wonderful make-up base or anything like that. Just any other oil-fee moisturizer when worn with wakeup although Clinique moisture surge by itself is a very light product.

3)      Ofcourse expensive by default.

Would I re-purchase: Ah.. I want to say ‘No’ owing to my mission statement (remember I will use inexpensive drugstore products)... but if I happen to pass by a Clinique counter then YES I would ;)

NOTD: Blue Nails

Hi there.. I cannot wait to share my latest nail color… Over the years I have stuck to browns and pinks for nails mostly… I have never been a fan of blue nail polish.. but this time I cant stop admiring this color…

(sorry for the silly pic though... taking a picture of your own nails holding an SLR with one hand is difficult dear...) 

And the surprise part is ta da… It is a PRIMARK beauty nail polish …

This was a super duper surprise for me.. I did not expect it at all… They sell them in bunches of 4 and most of us always walk past these.. but being a brown junkie I picked this up. This bunch actually has 2 brown shades and a light off-white shade... and the blue one. I decided to try the blue for a change  and here’s what you see… Next time I plan to pick-up rest of these as well… For 2 pounds I don’t think it’s a bad bargain…

Let me know what you feel… Has any one of you ever tried PRIMARK nail polish??

19 Beauty Tips

We all know a lot of household tips for beauty/skin care. I just thought I will put my little collection here for easy reference… Here it goes..

1) Milk is a wonderful cleanser - use it as an alternative to your cleansing lotion on those odd days or give yourself a bath in milk for that smooth skin

2) Honey could act as mild bleach ... just apply a thin layer of honey on your face and wash off in 20 mins. ** Careful to not let it touch your hairline.. it might change the color there as well**

3) Ground cinnamon with honey is one of the best known treatments for pimples/acne. Make a thick paste of the two.. apply it on the pimple and sleep overnight. if not the pimple atleast the redness would be gone by next day.

4) Scrub your lips with a thin paste of crystalline sugar mixed with water.

5) Just like cucumber rings, potato rings can be used on eyes. They help reduce darkness.

6) Baking soda works. Make a paste with water and rub it onto your teeth for whitening or rub it onto your elbows to make them smoother or your underarms.

7) Tomato, Orange and Lemon are all natural bleach but ***NEVER EVER*** apply directly onto skin. That is too strong an acid for the skin. Mix it as part of a pack.

8) Powdered oatmeal with yogurt is a real quick face pack for oily skin.

9) Like your face give the hands and feet that extra care some time.. Apply the regular mud pack to your feet and hands as part of pedicure/manicure.

10) Mix olive and coconut oil (if possible have them little warm) and apply it to your scalp. Let it soak for about two hours and then take a head bath. Hair would feel smoother.

11) Fenugreek powder with yougurt is a great fix for dandruff. Apply it as a pack to your hair and wash off in 20 mins. Follow with a normal wash. *** Careful if you have sinusitis/breathing problems. This pack cools down the body which could lead to cold and cough ***

12) Tea leaf is a good hair conditioner especially for oily hair... it gives a shine on the hair. Dip the tea bags in hot water, after the black tea is ready.. cool it and rinse hair with this as the last step of your hair wash. Do not rinse with water after this.

13) Rose water used in food preparation is a great toner for skin and can be used in all the face packs for dry skin.

14) Scrub your lips with toothbrush to remove dead skin.. this is known. Do not use a hard tooth brush softly (gently) on your lips for this instead use a soft brush and scrub hard (thoroughly)

15) Using baby powder or dry shampoo on your hair leaves behind a whole lot of residue.. wash your hair the next day after the use. Otherwise this could lead to dandruff.

16) After a hot shower or steam bath, do not start with the makeup or even body lotion immediately. Allow to cool or give yourself a cold compression by with towel dipped in cold water if required. Otherwise the products might enter the pores of your skin.

17) To wipe your face after a wash with a towel DO Not rub over the face just press/dab the towel on the wet areas.

18) Always massage your face (even during makeup application routine) upwards with the finger tips.

19) Remember to sterilize everything that comes near your face… Loofah, foot scraper, body scrubber , makeup brushes and even your mobile phone.

Comments/Additions are welcome…

Haul: Maybelline, RIMMEL, Simple et al

Hey everybody… its haul time… this is a mixture of skin care and makeup… and the products are –

Ecotools bamboo powder brush, Ecotools bamboo foundation brush:  All the brushes I have so far are synthetic and I was going good with them. Thought I will try the bamboo brushes. So bought the basic foundation brush and powder bush.

Garnier Anti-dark circles roll-on: This was recommended by my brother.. wonder if anything can change the hereditary dark circles but then nothing wrong in giving it a try.. what say?

Simple kind-to-skin cleansing lotion: Simple is one of the best brands for oily problematic skin. I have been using their moisturizer so despite the fact that I don’t need it I picked up the cleansing lotion :D

Simple kind-to-skin eye makeup remover: This one looked water-like and any product with that consistency attracts me… J funny but fact.. So got this hopefully mild make-up remover.. gotta see how it works.

Maybelline volum’express mascara the One-by-One: I have been wanting to try this one for sometime now. As I mentioned in my makeup kit  I am not into those thick brushed mascaras… but I liked the little bristles on this brush so picked it up.

Burt’s Bees lip balm: My all-time favourite. I will write a post on this soon to tell you why..

Boots 17 Nail base coat: This is a first-timer. The bottle appears baby pink like the ones in the French nail polish kits.. indeed attractive.

Soap and Glory Kick Ass concealer: I actually went shopping to buy this.. a concealer. Ofcourse I added a few more :D… Sticking to my motto I wanted to try the drugstore concealer first.. so I got this one. Will post a review soon.

RIMMEL Stay Matte pressed powder: One of my favorite drugstore brands.. How could I not get something from them.. So got the super-hit pressed powder.

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation ( 030 Sand): I have never tried a mousse foundation so far and this Maybelline dream matte is very attractive in the pot that was put for trying on... really mousse like…  ofcourse looks like I woke-up very late so not all shades were available in the store… I just picked this shade ‘030 Sand’. On my hand it was rather shiny but I hoped on my face it would look fine… I would post my review on this one as well soon.

Boots 17 top coat: A base coat cannot come alone you see… so the top coat.

RIMMEL Lipstick Lock: My obsession with longstay lipsticks limits the choice of colors I can wear… I wanted to make the normal lipsticks stay long hence I got the RIMMEL Lipstick lock. I have no idea absolutely what it is like… just a blind pick.

Maybelliner superstay 24 hr Lipstick (Rose Dust): I already called myself obsessed.. so long-stay lipstick has-to-be there and its different brand Maybelline this time. BTW in this kind I have tried Loreal, Revlon and No.7 brands so far. I am a brown person and normally don’t wear pink on my lips but this shade ‘Rose Dust’ is really a sweet pinky..

RIMMEL exaggerate eye liner (Black) : I took this RIMMEL liner instead of the usual kohl pencil because of the water-proof claim. I told you already the water-line of my eye can ‘eat’ eye-liners .. So I really hope that it is not merely ‘exaggarte’d.. (Pun intended ;)

Oh that’s it… ?? yeah I guess.. that’s it for now… keep looking for my first impressions, reviews… ciao!

My skin care routine

Skin Care routine – seems a big term eh… All of us do it actually… Cleanse tone moistuirse… Even splashing water on your face before you sleep is a routine.. Isn’t it? Its part-cleansing , we could say :D Anyways so my routine is this…

My morning routine..

Mornings are very simple coz I am in a rush always… (bcoz I don’t get up early except for my yoga course).

Nivea cleansing lotion – I dab it onto a cotton wool , apply it to my face… count to 30.. just kidding.. ;).. wait for a minute… take a wet cotton piece and wipe it off. Generally there is very little or no dirt coz its morning…

 Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2 in 1 Wash and Mask – I just wash thoroughly with this face wash and I am done.  

No toning No exfoliation.. Ok next…. I am in front of the mirror… Moisturize with ‘Simple’ moisturizer and the rest follows…

 

The night routine….

Revlon Colorstay eye and lip makeup remover- I wipe all my make-up with this. Most of the days I don’t have foundation on my skin.. its only lips and eyes that I have to concentrate. This one is a greasy product unlike all my other products which are oil-free, that’s because I use long-stay products and I need something strong to get it off my skin.

Nivea cleansing lotion – Again I do the cleansing with this just like morning.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2 in 1 Wash and Mask – Now the mask. I apply a thin layer of this and wait for 5 minutes.. I love that tingling sensation it gives… it makes me feel its working on my skin… and wash it off to discover a fresh face..

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Cleansing Scrub – I do not exfoliate everyday but ATLEAST twice a week. This product is also Neutrogena Visibly Clear series. I take little of this product and scrub my face and the end.

I do not put any night-creams or moisturizers in the night. I believe we could start it from 30 onwards…  or whenever you see your skin changes to the drier side. I know it for a fact that it happens with age.. the oily-est, acne-prone skin of teens changes to ‘oily’ in 20s and then a little more in 30s.

Additionally….

• I wash my face with water or atleast wipe with a wet tissue during the day. So in all my face gets washed -  morning – post lunch – evening – night –four times.
• In winters I generally do olive-oil cleansing once-a-week.
• I have face steamer at home and in rare occasions I take steam followed by cold compression
• I put mud face pack atleast once a month.. its good if you could do once a week.
• I dab astringent on problem areas of my face whenever I see a disaster-on-the-way

My die-hard rules:

1)      I never sleep with make-up on, even the tiniest bit…. even on the latest of the latest nights I make sure I clean my face properly.

2)      I drink 6-8 glasses of water regularly.. there were times when I had 4-hrly reminders on my mobile.

Do tell me your face routine and products used…

Body Lotion Review: Dove, Nivea etc..

Body Lotions are the basic stuff that almost everybody uses everyday. So I thought let my first ever review post be on body lotions. These body lotions/creams are the ones that I have used since December. I have combined the lotion + cream variety for this review ... I know each of them are for different purposes but then I want to give my opinion to help on which one to choose when you stand in front of the aisle for a moisturiser for your body. In this review I would rank them in the descending order based on various parameters.

And the contestants are:

Nivea lotion light moisturizing and cleaning

Dove silky body cream

Vaseline essential moisture clean feeling lotion

 Johnson’s 24 hours Mositure  Body Cream

Just Desserts body custard vanilla

Fragrance –

I prefer body lotion/cream to have a mild and pleasant fragrance. I do not personally like the drugstore smelling ones or the strong fruity ones. So my ranking for fragrance is as follows: Just desserts > Dove > Vaseline > Nivea > Johnson

Consistency –

As I have both creams and lotions to compare together, consistency is one another point of comparision. Apparently creams are thicker than lotion, my ranking for the consistency of each one of these: Johnson’s > Dove > Just Desserts > Vaseline > Nivea

Ease of application –

It is not always true that you can just dab on a lotion while a cream is tougher to sink in... The lotion that was dabbed might not cover fully or provide the right amount of protection. By ease of application I mean how comfortably I was able to apply each one of these creams while having the right effect on skin. My rating is: Vaseline > Nivea > Just Desserts > Dove > Johnsons

Dryness control –

This is the most important factor coz its like the basic job of body lotion and my ranking on this: Dove > Johnson > Vaseline > Just Desserts > Nivea

Price –

Dove (300 ml - 5.49)

Vaseline (400 ml - 4.69)

Johnson (200 ml - 3.05)

Just Desserts (250ml - 2.99)

Nivea (250 ml - 2.59)

Depending upon the factors that matter to oneself, the choice of winner among these can be made. For example a good bet on fragrance + economics would be Just Desserts while fragrance with Dryness control would be Dove…

So tell me about your body lotion…

My 'Imperfect' makeup kit: MAC , Loreal

Make-up for oily skin is difficult and the chance to experiment is little as the side-effects could be even more difficult to handle. I want to start off by telling you people what’s in my makeup kit... and my opinions/mini reviews on the products. I have been using all these products for about an year now and my perspective for this review is more natural/neutral look...

1. MAC oil control lotion

This has been my basic moisturizer/primer/mattifier... Maybe I am supposed to put 3 different products for it but I cant.. I just feel it’s too many layers on my face. This one is in my staples... I have stuck to the oil-control moisturizer of MAC last few years.

Verdict:  thumbs-up! This product works as it says.

2. L’Oreal foundation

Oily skin and foundation.. Never ending story... what works for someone doesn’t work for another... so here’s my foundation tale. I tried REVLON colorstay which suited many but alas! not Divi.. good coverage, great looking but I had break outs and I had to work harder to get back to normal. When drugstore does not work, go beyond drugstore... so run to MAC studio finish. Again applauded by many. By far the best foundation. Wonderful coverage no break outs but then it feels heavy on my face and I take a lot of time to apply coz its really thick. So need for faster application gives way to Loreal Roll' On true match in N4 Beige.

Verdict: It is really easy to apply with the roll-on stick given and then I blend it a little with a soft sponge... but I look 'made-up’ and it does not stay long. Good for quicker and shorter occassions.

3. MAC groundwork paint pot

I have deep set eyes with heavy dark circles. So I have to spend time on my eye makeup starting with this as primer. This has also been one of my staples.

Verdict:  Its good. Does not crease. Nice color. but pickup a brush and blend carefully.

4. Loreal Touche Magique concealer

Under-eye dark circles are a monster, a prince (I mean product) will curb them is all I am waitinga for. I have tried concealers in the form of stick / lotion / powder. Nothing covered the looking natural way. Everything makes it obvious that I am working on my dark circles.

Verdict: For now due to the factors of ease of application and shade match, I am stuck to Loreal.

Not content. This one is changing soon.

5. Loreal true match mineral foundation

This is kind of my compact powder. It acts as a second layer of foundation as well as finishing powder.

Verdict:  Light coverage even as finishing powder. Tougher to apply with that little brush.

6. MAC eyeliner pencil

I use this eye pencil on my waterline it, doesn’t smudge but my eye 'eats it off' in sometime and then I need a re-application. It is just what any decent eye pencil would do probably.

Nothing on top of lid on a daily basis except for some party looks.

7. Boots 17 waterproof mascara

I think mascara is the most obvious thing that tells people you have make-up on you – the super color and long lashes aren’t natural to many people… so my mascara is pretty basic. I use it to separate lashes and kind of brush them a bit. 

Verdict: This mascara is not waterproof. No great brush. Just normal mascara.

8. L’Oreal Infalliable lip stick/ Clinique Butter Shine lipstick

I do not really like the fact that I have to keep checking my makeup. Could not help it with the foundation atleast wanna save re-apply my lipstick. So thanks to longstay series of various brands. Again I have tried quite a few here and the one I use is Loreal Infalliable lip compact in Golden sierra.

Verdict: Nice color. Truly Long-stay.  ofcourse dries your lips. Trust me on this one.. longstay = drier lips.

but have to manage with good lip balms.

On days I don’t feel like wearing this I go for Clinique Rum Kiss. Verdict: Smoothest possible lipstick. Glides on lips. Beautiful color. Great finish. But not long-lasting needs multiple re-applications in a day even without eating/drinking anything.

So my makeup kit is a MAC + Loreal hijack..

This post says imperfect makeup kit because I am still not completely happy about my makeup kit as you gather from my verdict about the products and I have just started working on new makeup kit with the following needs -

1) more economical drustore brands - this is my prime motto.

2) focussed mattifying + longstay - be it compact or foundation or loose powder.

3) lighter and faster-to-apply product on my lid to do the job instead of paint pot.

Please pour in your suggestions in the comments below on what I could buy next and keep looking for a haul soon...

Long story short...

I believe every girl has inbuilt interest in shopping.. in style... and in makeup... in varying degrees and if there was a scale to measure this I would be among the top-rankers ... :)
I love to help myself and others in working on our little ‘inadequacies’ to attain the flawless…

My interest dates to a loooooong way back… Back then mum dint really allow make-up (as in foundation etc) on me but I got my hands-on for helping friends and cousins… My first ‘big’
encounter with make-up was in 1997 when I along with a friend helped her sister with her wedding day-do… yeah… (now let’s not start debating why dint she have a makeup artist? Where were all her friends? Why two school kids? Its destiny… ;)…
and then I realized it’s so magical to turn someone beautiful (or atleast look beautiful)..
and two years later I did a full make-up routine, to my cousin, from moisturizer to lipstick all on my own…
and I never looked back… yap.. it’s a hobby… I know… but I love it… so let’s keep it going baby….

All through these years I have read so much and watched so many tutorials... So I am just like many of you reading this today. I have tried the following brands till now revlon, MAC, loreal, maybelline, maxfactor, Bourjois, RIMMEL and game for more...

I am just an average woman  who wants to do it right... experimenting, learning and sharing...
So see you around while I write on this blog.... :)


P.S... Did I sound like '27 dresses' at any point of time.. Ideally I am an early version of 'Confessions of a shopoholic' :D