Sunday, September 30, 2012

First Sephora Haul! And Swatches

Sephora! Sephora! Sephora! :D

My first time in Sephora (in Den Haag) therefore, I restricted myself to trying Sephora Products only :P


(above )
4 things. Not bad for the first time, eh? :P
Total damage: 24 Euros (everything was on sale!)


3-in-1 brush set! Snaps together magnetically. So cool, so handy for travelling!


Includes 1 liner brush, 1 crease brush and 1 smudge brush. Not bad for the price!


Eyeshadow duo in Gorgeous Pink No.04


I got this to complement my MAC Vile Violet, which has been sitting unused for months now. Hopefully I can now find a way to play around with purple-y eyes without looking like someone punched me! :P


Swatches of the Gorgeous Pink Duo. The pink one (left) is particularly pretty!


A shimmery brown bronzer/highlighter (I can't tell which I can use it as - both I guess) in Golden.


This bronzer/highlighter is SO. PRETTY! Its brown with slight golden shimmer, and depending on the time of the year and my skin tone (tanned or untanned) I can use it as a bronzer, all-over colour or highlighter! It has quite a strong fragrance, reminds me of talcum powder, but other than that, I love it!


Look how pretty the colour! :D


Sephora Rouge Lipstick in Rendez-Vous R16


I didn't get a chance to test this before buying it (it was in the sale stack). The colour on the packaging is quite different from what it actually is. The lipstick is matte, creamy and very VERY pink with purple undertones.. May not suit those with warmer complexions (i.e. sometimes me). The first time I tried it, I did not like it because I am not used to wearing bright lip colours, and it seemed too bright for my complexion. Also, I recommend using lip balm and properly hydrating the lips before applying it.

BUT.. If I use only a light layer, and a bit of gloss, its not that bad! And maybe I should start wearing bright colours.. I'm in the Netherlands! Who's gonna stop me! :D :P


Conclusion: For dreary days when colour is what you need.

:)

First Essence Haul: Basics

I have never tried Essence Cosmetics, but I wanted to pick up some basics from Kruidvat and they were quite decently priced!


(above) Sun Club Glamour to Go Eyeshadow set 
Large Blending Brush


These are the swatches from the eyeshadows. They're quite shimmery (and I'm not a big fan of shimmer) but some colours (especially the dark ones, and the light rosy golden one) are really pretty!

The brush is REALLY NICE! It blends so well, and its so soft and perfectly sized, I love it.

New Foundation: MaxFactor FaceFinity

When I came to The Hague, I was using the Dream Matte Mousse foundation by Maybelline, which suited me fine in India. But for the dry weather here, I needed a more liquid base to put on my face! 

I got:
Max Factor FaceFinity 3-in-1 Primer, Concealer and Foundation in One, with SPF 20
Shade: Soft Honey 77


A blob on my hand without anything on it before.



The first blob blended in, and a second blob for comparison.

It works fine :) Decent coverage (I don't need much anyway) Layers well, but I use it very lightly.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

January 2012: What I loved this month

My January 2012 favourite -

LUSH JILTED ELF SHOWER JELLY

Once upon a time, there was an Elf. Somehow, somewhere, he was jilted by someone... And he was very, very sad.


He cried and cried, until he realized what would make him feel better.. Something full of sparkles and vodka!

LUSH describes it as:

Inspired by a brilliant fig, honey and vodka cocktail from New York City, the Jilted Elf brings a dash of pizzazz to our winter showers. He's a verdant, sparkling jelly with the sophisticated and stimulating fragrance of ginger and cinnamon leaf oil. If you're feeling like a bit of a scrooge or if you just need a pick-me-up this holiday season, pop in the shower with the Jilted Elf. He's sure to work his holiday charm on you!
Brilliantly uplifting and warming fragrance.
This spicy fellow warms up chilly bodies; perfect for winter showers.
Honey and fig infusions are wonderfully softening on the skin.



When I got this, I was really excited.. A shower JELLY, how cool does that sound :D I've never used anything quite like it before.. Atleast not that I remember!
But the very first thing that came to mind was.. How am I supposed to use this? :-/
I tried a couple of things.. Scooping it out, using my hands, dunking it onto a loofah without letting it slip away.. But I've found that the best way to use this is with those scrubbing glove things you get at pharmaceutical department stores (also available at The Body Shop).
So this thing really WOBBLES. Its so much fun!


The Elf loved the sparkling jelly. Even though it sparkled, it didn’t leave sparkles on his body so it was just fine for an elf like him. It smelled fresh and clean and holiday-ish, with notes of ginger and cinnamon, so he knew potential future girlfriend elves would like it too. The Jilted Elf took out a scoop of jelly, squished it between his hands, lathered up in sparkling goodness and forgot all about being jilted. And he found that to really perk himself up, he could store the shower jelly in the freezer, then use it to take a VERY refreshing shower. Trust me, after a shower like that you aren’t thinking about being jilted AT ALL.

:D

xoxo

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Tribute to 2011 : Favourites this year!

My favourites of 2011! :D
In no particular order...




1. Birthday shoes - Charles&Keith!
(I love how India always has sales right before my birthday :D)
On sale, INR 1500









2. The Body Shop Strawberry Shower Gel
(Love them all but my pick for 2011 has to be Strawberry)
INR 340









3. The Body Shop Born Lippy Pink Guava Lip Balm.
(Maybe this was a limited edition or something, I haven't found it at any TBS -- Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bangalore, multiple airports -- after my first purchase)
INR 205





4. The Body Shop Hi-Shine Lip Treatment in Party Pink
(I guess you can tell I'm a sucker for TBS)
INR 600








5. Maybelline Colossal Kajal
(Discovering this gave me reason to celebrate. Now my all-time, go-to eyeliner and kajal.)
INR 150







6. M.A.C Carbon eyeshadow
(Finally a black eyeshadow I can always count on.)
INR 945








7. M.A.C 168 Brush
(My splurge of the year :P)
INR 1930








8. Garnier Pure Active Blackheads Removing Scrub
(It works!)
INR 150







9. M.A.C Fluidline in Waveline
(Bless the inventor of gel eyeliners. I'm in love.)
INR 1000







10. The Body Shop Baked-To-Last Blush in Shade 02:Coral
(Yes, TBS again :P)
INR 985







11. Bath & Body Works Pleasures : Sun-Ripened Raspberry Body Splash
(I carry this everywhere I go!)
Approx INR 500






Here's wishing goodbye, 2011. Hope for a better, brighter and goodie-filled 2012! :P
xoxo :)

LOTD: New Year's Eve, 31 Dec 2011

Its here, its finally here! The last day of 2011! My best friends are in town and we're planning to party all night and make this a memorable New Year's Eve. I personally believe that for a New Year's Eve party, you don't have to stick to any rules and can go as crazy as you want, in terms of clothes, makeup, accessories.. I almost bought feather earrings for this, but they were so flimsy I decided to give it a miss. I want feather earrings!

I've been wanting a cocktail LBD since forEVER! I finally found this in Bangalore this time -- Commercial Street (yay :P) It fits well, has nothing on it except the bow in front and I love it because I can accessorize it with almost anything.


I had the perfect dress, and then I ran all over Bangalore looking for the perfect shoes. My problem was, I already have SO many shoes that I was only willing to buy something that I didn't already have. Metallics are in this season, and I found this last minute, and absolutely love it! The golden is not ostentatious and it looks beeeaaauutiful when worn :D

The dress has a sweetheart neck and is strapless.I wear earrings all the time, and I was looking for something different this time. Found this necklace at Accessorize
(price INR 745).

And finally, a golden-brown-black look to match the outfit :D


Products used:
Eyeshadow primer (foundation+moisturizer)
M.A.C Gorgeous Gold
M.A.C Swiss Chocolate
M.A.C Carbon
(unbranded) Light gold eyeshadow bought at Khan Market, New Delhi
Maybelline Colossal Kajal
The Body Shop Define & Lengthen Mascara

Inspiration:

Happy New Year everyone, party hard! xoxo :)

EOTD: Wedding/Reception

I never, EVER use pink eye makeup.

I just dont.

No reason why.

But I wore a pink saree at my brother's reception.

I wanted to pair it with a dark brown, slightly smoky look, but my sister (and mother and aunt and...) insisted I use pink.


This was what it looked like. What do you think?


Product Review : Lakme Face Magic Daily Wear Souffle

I haven't experimented much with foundations since I hardly wear them for college or even days out... I still own one, but I don't like it much (I think its the Lakme one in a bottle). It doesn't seem to suit my skin tone and doesn't agree with my combination skin either :-/

There's a wedding coming up in the family next month, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try a foundation that would be easy to carry, easy to use and would suit my skin as well. I know I'm a NC 40 in M.A.C, but its difficult to translate that into the tones of any other brand :|

I was in Secunderabad, and walked into a huge store that had an entire floor dedicated to cosmetic counters.. I explored Maybelline, Bourjois, Lotus herbals, Colorbar, but didn't find anything small or convenient enough to carry to Orissa. I finally chanced upon the Lakme counter, and saw this product in its oh-so-cute packaging and with such an attractive name.. I couldn't resist picking it up, need or no need :P I remember the ads on TV long ago for this product, where one swipe on a painting evens out the complexion of the painting. Anyway, it was time to try it on myself.


The packaging is really cute, and the little pot looks so convenient! The label graphics say :

For longlasting, flawless radiance, apply Face Magic Daily Wear Souffle before stepping out everyday!
Discover Lakme's Face Magic Daily Wear Souffle. A lightweight water-based foundation that gently evens out your complexion. With the goodness of Sunscreen, Cucumber Extracts and Vitamin E, it provides UV protection in addition to soothing and moisturizing your skin, giving you a natural flawless glow.

Orissa in the summers is HOT, HUMID and death to hair and makeup. This sounded like the perfect product to combat the weather and attend the wedding. Its water-based, which is what I was looking for, and promises to even out complexion, which I need.

I asked the SA to give me the one that suits my skin tone.. Unfortunately, there were no testers. She gave me Shade : Natural Pearl for fair skin. I asked her about 6 times whether she was SURE it was the right one for me :P

Anyway, when I got home and opened the packaging, it looked something like this :


Um. Messy. Maybe it was the heat in the car while we were shopping, or the product was runny anyway, but it seemed to have spilt out from the edges. I removed the plastic cover from the glass bottle and well.. messy messy messy. :-|


I took a little bit on my fingers to check the consistency.. Its runny and definitely not very heavy. I was still unsure about the shade that the SA had sold to me.


I tried it on, and it went on smoother than I had thought. It felt cool and watery, and extremely light. Yay, just what I wanted :D And the shade was perfect. It felt a tad bit sticky for the first 5 minutes, then settled into my skin and I couldn't feel it at all after that. I dusted a bit of loose powder over it and I was done. My skin looked totally natural and like I was wearing nothing at all, even after the three layers (sunscreen, foundation, powder). This product may just convert me to a foundation-believer, especially since all my past experiences have been major fails (too heavy, too sticky, etc).


Lakme Face Magic Daily Wear Souffle

Shade : Natural Pearl for fair skin
Price : Indian Rupee symbol.svg99 for 30 ml (sooo affordable!)

Will I repurchase? Yes, if I manage to finish this one with my limited use :P

xoxo

FOTD after a visit to M.A.C

(FOTD = Face Of The Day)

My visit to the M.A.C store at GVK Mall, Hyderabad, was at 11 am, and the SA was extremely helpful. He let me try on any product that caught my eye and expertly applied the shades that he felt would suit my skin tone.

When I went, I had already done up my face with a tinted base, powder fix, basic black eyeliner and M.A.C Technakohl liner in Auto de Blu (pictured on left) that I own already. I had worn nothing on my cheeks, and just basic tinted lipbalm, for a day out to the movies and shopping with my guardian family.

The first thing I did at the M.A.C store was get
my skin tone re-evaluated to adjust for any changes due to summer tanning. I guess I haven't tanned much (thank you sunblock!), my skin shade is still NC 40. The SA blended the M.A.C Mineralize Satin Finish SPF 15 Foundation (pictured on right) on my face using a sponge, avoiding my eye area, thus preserving my eye makeup and still blending the foundation effortlessly into my skin.

The next section I explored were the blushes, and he immediately picked up a bright pink - coral powder blush and blended it into the apples of my cheeks up to my temples using a 116 blush brush. He used the colour "Fleur Power" (pictured on left) which M.A.C describes as "soft bright pinkish-coral" with a satin finish. The colour looks extremely bright in the pan but he blended it into my cheeks so well that my face looked immediately defined and added a pop of colour to my look. Much to my surprise, it didn't clash with the dark eyeliner I had applied and only made my look more "finished" than before.

When I left, the SA suggested that instead of removing the blush that he had applied to one cheek, he would rather apply it to my other cheek as well, so that I could wear it throughout the day :P That made my FOTD for an amazing day out at the movies and window shopping! The makeup stayed on all day, till I got a chance to take a picture at home. The final look :


I <3 M.A.C!!!! :D

xoxo

M.A.C Mini-Haul

I went to Hyderabad GVK Mall, and the first thing that caught my eye was the M.A.C shop! I was super excited, the new Peacocky collection was on display. After catching a quick bite, I walked in and went totally crazy about EVERYTHING. :P The sales assistant was extremely helpful, and I was the only customer for about 25 minutes. After a number of permutations-combinations-calculations, I bought :

1. M.A.C Venomous Villains eyeshadow in Vile Violet

Vile Violet is a "deep dirty blue purple", a limited edition eyeshadow from the Venomous Villains collection, part of the Evil Queen range. Its a matte shade and like all M.A.C products, is amazing quality and very pigmented. The colour flatters brown eyes like most purples do, and swatches on my skin like this :


Price in India : Indian Rupee symbol.svg 945 (pan of shadow with case)

2. M.A.C Fluidline Gel Eyeliner in Waveline


Thank God for gel eyeliners. More precise than a pencil, more forgiving than a liquid, gel eyeliners are the way to go for people who are unable to master the fine art of drawing the thinnest, most even and perfect line on the lashes. I usually use pencils, and have been on the lookout for a gel eyeliner ever since I watched videos and read reviews about it. I couldn't resist picking this one up, because once the SA swatched it on my hand I absolutely fell it love with the rich indigo shade this one gives. M.A.C describes Waveline as a "navy blue with low level gold pearl". Its a gorgeous colour, very different from any other blues I've seen in the market!

Price in India : Indian Rupee symbol.svg 1000

3. M.A.C 168 Large Angled Contour Brush

Ever since my love affair with blushes, bronzers and highlighters, I've been on the lookout for the perfect contouring brush and what better than the famed M.A.C 168! The fibres are soft, bundled together and haven't splayed out yet, which is a good sign. It applies the colour on my cheeks so beautifully and contours like a dream. M.A.C brushes are expensive, but definitely an investment (this justifies the crazy amount of money I spent on it :P).


Price in India : Indian Rupee symbol.svg 1930. It costs a bomb, but beats every other brush in the market.

Tutorials/FOTDs using the above products coming soon! :)

Also, when I was at M.A.C, the SA helped me try on a number of products that he felt would suit my skin tone well. He seemed to enjoy using the products on my face (:P) and advised me to keep it on for the rest of the day. Next post : FOTD of the day I went to M.A.C. :)

xoxo