Cupcakes and Cashmere

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.

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).