NOTD: Collection Star Nail Enamel in Sonam

My exams are over, and my birthday's in a week.
Nonetheless, I'm very very relieved and decided to treat myself a bit.
I was searching for rosy nail paints (Revlon Really Rosy has been discontinued, my favorite!! argh! ) and came across this one, and immediately snapped it up.
This is a part of L'Oreal Paris La Vie En Rose Collection, and luxurious and good quality a nail paint can ever get.
The shade is a universally flattering nude pink shade (looks especially beautiful on darker hands) perfect for a sophisticated but not over the top look for the nails. Very feminine and understated and super-classy.

NOTD: Indoor Light

Everything about it so perfect : the consistency of the shades ensure opaque coverage in a single coat, with a beautiful glossy sheen that will ensure you can go without a top coat. Dries super quick (45 seconds flat!) and stays chip free for a full week. My pictures have been taken on the fourth day, you can see how negligible the tip wear is!

NOTD: Indoor Light

Perfect for women who love understated chic glamour (my mom!)
Overall, total love.
Price: INR 299 for 5ml (not very value for money but then its Collection Star, and superbly high quality)
Will I repurchase? Yes. This is Perfection in a Bottle!

NOTD: Collection Star Nail Enamel in Sonam

My exams are over, and my birthday's in a week.
Nonetheless, I'm very very relieved and decided to treat myself a bit.
I was searching for rosy nail paints (Revlon Really Rosy has been discontinued, my favorite!! argh! ) and came across this one, and immediately snapped it up.
This is a part of L'Oreal Paris La Vie En Rose Collection, and luxurious and good quality a nail paint can ever get.
The shade is a universally flattering nude pink shade (looks especially beautiful on darker hands) perfect for a sophisticated but not over the top look for the nails. Very feminine and understated and super-classy.

NOTD: Indoor Light

Everything about it so perfect : the consistency of the shades ensure opaque coverage in a single coat, with a beautiful glossy sheen that will ensure you can go without a top coat. Dries super quick (45 seconds flat!) and stays chip free for a full week. My pictures have been taken on the fourth day, you can see how negligible the tip wear is!

NOTD: Indoor Light

Perfect for women who love understated chic glamour (my mom!)
Overall, total love.
Price: INR 299 for 5ml (not very value for money but then its Collection Star, and superbly high quality)
Will I repurchase? Yes. This is Perfection in a Bottle!

Avene Gentle Milk Cleanser: Review and Swatches

I did this mini haul from Nykaa.com recently, and they were VERY kind to send me a couple of samples, one which I’ll review today.

Presenting to you: the Avene Gentle Milk Cleanser.

What is: a creamy milky cleanser, suitable for sensitive skin. That’s it.

Packaging: a fat, translucent white tube, ingredients mentioned in the back, screw cap cover. No frills.

Texture: very very similar to double cream milk. Pure lushness.

Smell: a slight herbal smell, goes away post washing.

How it works: I use this on evenings, taking a small coin sized portion on my palm and rub it all over my face. I wash it over with a clean cotton cloth and warm water, rubbing it all off with the wet, warm cloth. If I feel a slight oily film, I wash it over with Cetaphil gentle cleanser, in the same process described above.

Effectiveness: Very, very effective. I wear high SPF everyday and a very matte, long staying foundation and waterproof mascara most days, and this takes off all of it.

On Top: Loreal Paris Pure Rouge lipstick; Middle: Maybelline SuperStay Lipstick in Eternal Rose, and the Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner -- all long staying makeup.

With a drop of the Avene cleanser

One swipe and result: Clean, stain free skin.

 I’ve tried removing long lasting eye makeup, lip stains, matte lipsticks – anything and everything, this works without leaving a trace. It leaves a slightly moisturizing effect which is nice for drier skins – but I like a very clean, oil free feel so I go it over with a water soluble cleanser as I stated above.

The best bit? It’ll never aggravate your acne/ sensitivity/ redness, provided you use it properly. I’ve used it day in, day out without it causing a single pimple on my face.

Pricing: INR 1400 for 200 ml. *gasp* Okay there’s where Avene got its head wrong; not a lot of people would buy a cleanser for 1400, considering there are equally good options on much cheaper prices. As of me, I’m truly head over heels in love with this, and I will buy the full sized bottle once I finish this.

Similar Products:

Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser

Lotus Herbals Lemonpure Cleansing Milk

Vichy Normaderm Night Detox: Review and Swatches

So I'm a really lazy blogger, I admit.

I've loved some products over the past few months now, and they'll soon be empties now.

First up among the soon-to-be-empties, the Vichy Normaderm Night Detox, priced at INR 900 from nykaa.com

What it is: A night cream for the really oily, acne prone folks.

I came across this on Caroline Hirons' amazing blog (go check it out if you’ve not done -- yet) while searching for a good cream without SPF that would not aggravate my acne.

Packaging: Green, sterile tube packaging. No frills, really hygienic and works well in dispensing the product out.

The full ingredient list is given on the side of the tube.

Smell: has a really light floral smell which dissipates very fast. I’m not a big fan of the smell, but thankfully it doesn’t stay too long to be a bother.

Texture: the cream is slightly dirty-white in color, very fluid and not greasy/too emollient at all.

The runny lotion like texture

On application: It absorbs immediately on seconds and leaves the skin feeling slightly matte, but well hydrated. Absolutely a boon for the oily skin folks, but those with dry skin and spots, you'll need to layer a slightly heavier night cream (Lotus Herbals Nutranite Night Cream and Dewsoft Lotion are both my picks) on top of it.

See how easily it absorbs, leaving that beautiful soft matte finish!

On waking up: Skin gets a wonderful glow without apparent oiliness, pores appear diminished, and the acne appears reduced. Skin feels, looks so very clean.

On prolonged application: it does actually reduce the overall oiliness of the skin with time. That means skin will be producing a healthy amount of oil (the healthy glow!) but you won't turn into oil mine easily. Skin appears really refined, imperfections (for me, acne marks) reduce over time, skin stays very smooth and hydrated.

Will I repurchase? I am not an oil mine much anymore, so I won't need it as often. That said, I’ll be keeping a backup tube, because who knows when I just might need it: P

Finally a product that does all it says. Sigh!

P.S.: Do not consider this to be an overnight acne/spot treatment, it is not. For something like that, look for La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo cream or Avene Triacneal. Or perhaps a dermatologist (your best bet). It essentially hydrates the skin without inflaming up the problems, because even troubled skin needs moisture. (I’ll revise that statement: Every-freaking-skin needs moisture!)

Maybelline New York LipGradation by ColorSensational in Coral 01: Review, Swatch and FOTD

Hi everyone! :)

Today I'll be reviewing the latest release from Maybelline New York, the LipGradation in shade  Coral 01.

The lipgradations have been made to construct an ombre lip- i.e. while the centre of lips

have the most color, it is slightly blended out to the edges of the lip, creating a little

cloud of colour on the lips. It is very much the in-thing in the Korean beauty scene right

now (for anybody wondering why, they are the leaders when it comes to creating trends

in makeup:  BB/CC creams, highlighters first all came from Korea)

Ombre lips or not, the lipgradation in itself is quite a good product, worthy on its own.

The lipgradations come in a dual ended tube packaging, one side carrying the lip

product, the other carrying the smudger. Both ends are housed in two different ends,

one transparent, the other matte black.

The lip colour is a very pretty dusty coral pink - a beautiful mix of pink and red, perfect

on fair to medium skin tones. It might look a bit stark on duskier tones though.

The lip product is very, very pigmented and very soft, if you apply much pressure, you

might end up breaking it, that's how soft it is. Once you apply, you'll realise it is

unnecessary to apply the lip product on the whole of lips, blending with the smudger

comes handy here. The finish is very matte, long staying and once blended, the creamy lip color settles to a powdery matte finish. It is surprisingly comfortable once dry,

however dry lips can just dab a bit of balm on top and they'll be set.

And here's my lip swatch:

The lip product stays long on the lips but doesn't survive meals, sadly. Thankfully it

doesn't stain and doesn't bleed and doesn't feather at all.

Here's my FOTD, simple clean lined eyes and the lip colour.

Without Flash:

With Flash:

Summing up,

Pros:

• Sturdy, travel friendly packaging, color coding makes it very useful to pick out a single shade if you've several from the range.
• The wide range of colors ensure that there will definitely be colours suited to most Indian skin tones.
• Very pigmented, easy to apply and blend with the smudger.
• The powdery matte finish doesn't shift or feather around or stain, definitely a winner here.
• The price:  Rs 500 for such a good quality lip product, very well priced!

Cons:

• The particular shade I reviewed, Coral 01, can wash out dusky skin tones.
• The lip product is very soft and prone to smudging on slight pressure.
• The matte finish can become a bit uncomfortable for dry lips.
• Rs 500 for just 2 grams of product is definitely not very value for money.

Rating: 4/5

Verdict: At the price of Rs 500 for 2 grams, it is a bit pricey, however considering the

pigmentation, and the wide range of shades, and the texture, it is definitely worth trying

out.

N.B: I had actually went to buy a lipstick from L'Oreal Paris La Vie en Rose, Eva's

Delicate Rose. The price point and the patchy pigmentation put me off, however I loved

the shade, so the helpful S.A. showed me this one, very very similar, at the fraction of

the price :P Same parent company, two products at two price points having same

colour!

Easy Date Night Makeup Look: Matte Eyes with Matte Red Lips

Today I've put up an easy date makeup look; appropriate for either a dinner out or a coffee, any time of the day as well as for special occasions.  I've chosen to wear red lips here, but instead of the de rigour shimmery eyes I've chosen to pair a simple matte eye look with the red lips, simply so to not take away any of the drama a red lip can give. Plus matte eyes help you to not look over done, or worse for a date- overdressed, while providing a gentle illusion of depth and coordination with the red lips.

Products used:

Primer: Colorbar Perfect Match Primer, on the T zone and chin area and the centre of forehead and eyelids and lips.
Foundation: Chambor Sheer Delight Ultra Matt Foundation - I've chosen a sheer one, to avoid the heaviness and too made up look a fuller coverage foundation gives; it lets the skin to breathe. Even for troubled skin, I'll advice to stay with a sheer foundation to let the good bits of skin shine through, while adding up with concealer on the places you might need.
Concealer: My trusty Kryolan Dermacolor in shade DFD
Powder:  Lakme Perfect Radiance compact in Golden Medium
For eyes:
Shadows used:  I used the Death By Chocolate palette from Makeup Revolution London: Lick Me in the eyelids, One More Bar in the crease and Bring Down Angels to highlight browbone and inner corner.
Liner:  Maybelline New York Colossal Liner
Mascara:  Maybelline New York The Falsies Mascara
Blush:  Oriflame Sweden The One blush in Luminous Peach
Highlighter: Revlon Skinlights Illuminator in Bare Light and the highlighter shade from Luminous Peach
For lips:
Liner:  Cameleon Auto Lip Liner in Rouge Red
Lipstick:  L'Oreal Paris Star Collection  lipstick in Pure Rouge

Brushes: Starter Kit and Blush Brush 

by Real Techniques
I started by patting the primer on my T zone, forehead and chin. Once it blended in, I applied the foundation all over the face and neck with my bare hands, no brushes needed. After the base was done, I ended up sweeping the compact all over my face to set the base in place.

For Eyes:

After the base was done,

1)  I went to prime my eyelids and use a bit of concealer to cancel out darkness and give an even skin tone.

2) As you can see in the pictorial above, I proceeded to apply Lick Me all over my eyelids, blending well with the flat base shadow brush.

3) I went on to do my outer crease up next, applying One More Bar, and blending it really well with the  dense, Deluxe Crease Brush all over the socket line till no harsh lines were visible.

4) With the Definer Brush I proceeded to highlight my browbone and the inner corner of eyes with Bring Down Angels.

5) I filled and defined my brows slightly with the Maybelline FashionBrow, and applied the liner.

6) Finally, thick coats of the mascara on both the upper and lower eyelids, and I was done.

I went on with a fluffy blush brush to apply the blush in an upward motion on my cheeks towards the temple, and applied the highlighter and the shimmer of the blush on the cheekbones, the bridge of nose, forehead, chin and the V of the upper lips for added sheen.

For lips:

I proceeded to define the shape of my lips with the liner, and then with the lipstick, filled in colour. Once a layer was done I took a piece of paper, blotted my lips well and reapplied the lipstick. I repeated the step, twice. This ensured that the lipstick had a very seamless finish as well as would stay on post meals.

So that's the final look. You can replace the red lip with any lip colour you like; a hot pink, a coral, a nude, anything and it'll look great!
I hope you liked my tutorial :)

Five Budget Pink Lipsticks for Indian Skin Tones

Five Budget Pink Lipsticks for Indian Skin Tones

Hi every one :)

Pink lipsticks are must needed in a girl’s vanity. They are perfect for a girly, soft look, a date night makeup or to jazz your everyday low key makeup, or even to pull a glitzy outfit together.

Finding pink lipsticks I like was not easy for me, most I came across were very blue toned and hardly didn’t have enough red undertones in them; hence whenever I wore them they looked flat and sallow on me.  I asked my sister (she’s medium-dark) about her favorite pink lipstick, and she sadly said she didn’t have any she liked because simply, she didn’t find one that looked good on her. So after copious research later, here I’m with five budget pink lipsticks that will flatter Indian skin tones.

P.S: You’ll notice most of the shades having a mild red undertone. Somehow red undertones compliment warm under toned Indian skin tones much better than cool toned lipsticks, which can make complexions look sallow and underwhelming.

So without any ado; here I go.

Lakme Absolute Gloss Addict Lipstick in Desert Rose:

The perfect light pink lipstick for light to medium skin tones. The color is a mix of pink with slight hints of red, very wearable. The texture is glossy, balmy, creamy, the product almost hugs your lips; a lot like Mac crème sheen range of lipsticks. The lipstick comes in a very classy transparent grey-black-white packaging which is travel friendly. The color doesn’t last more than 3.5 hours on me, but with a lip liner and a primer underneath, the wear time extends by an hour or so. The only con this has is that it washes darker skin tones out and the outrageous pricing!

Price: Rs. 800 for 4.2 gms (outrageous for Lakme but buy online, like I did—I bought for Rs. 640, definitely worth it)

Lakme Absolute Gloss Addict Lipstick in Desert Rose

Lakme Absolute Gloss Addict Lipstick in Desert Rose

Streetwear Ultramoist Colorrich Lipstick in Pink Persuasion:

Another gorgeous coral pink (pink with a hint of red). Not high on the ultramoist factor but these are very pigmented. The texture is matte, long staying but clings to dry patches, hence a lip balm underneath is essential. It stays beyond meals and with a lip liner, it stayed for around 7 hours on me, lunch and snacking included. The lipstick has a very vanilla fragrance which I love, but the packaging is a con: a part of the lipstick sticks out of the bullet and if you are not careful you might just nick the lipstick, however the cover is very cute!

Detailed review here: Streetwear Ultramoist ColorRich Lipstick: Pink Persuasion

Streetwear Ultramoist Colorrich Lipstick in Pink Persuasion

Colorbar Lip Definer in Berry Rose:

Rs. 599 for a lip liner! I was shaking my head when I bought it, however the texture and color blew me away! On lighter tones this rich pink color veers towards magenta, however on medium dark to dark skin tones it looks like a super flattering rose pink. The texture and pigmentation are on par with MAC lip liners, that’s just how good these are. They are matte yet have a slightly creamy feeling which ensures the liner goes smoothly on lips without any tugging. Highly recommend this to medium to dark skin tones; I can assure you won’t be disappointed!

Price: Rs. 599 for 1.45gms (might seem overpriced but very worth it)

Colorbar Lip Definer in Berry Rose

Colorbar Lip Definer in Berry Rose

Maybelline Lip Polish in Glam 6:

Maybelline lip polishes were very popular since they released; and with good reason- opaque glossy color, highly pigmented, very balmy and hydrating yet stay long, and even when the gloss is gone, they leave a very pretty stain! This color in particular looks very dark and plumy in the tube, yet it transforms to a rich, deep berry color which flatters medium dark and darker skin tones to a T! Lighter skin tones might find this color vampy and too dark though.  I love the packaging as well, chubby transparent tubes with a classy metal covering!

Price: Rs. 450 for 4 grams (a steal!)

Maybelline Lip Polish in Glam 6

Maybelline Lip Polish in Glam 6

L’Oreal Paris Rouge Caresse Lipstick in Aphrodite Scarlet:

This particular lipstick is very dearly loved by the women in my family, all of them, simply because this lipstick flaunts so many skin tones, from very fair to deep and suitable for all ages. The pigmentation is light to medium, depending on the amount of product on lips. The texture is hydrating, slightly glossy and leave a pretty stain post meals (which gets deeper on reapplication), even though the balmy feeling is gone. The color is a watermelon pink, a very flattering mix of blue and red tones. I love the fact that the stain is very much buildable and doesn’t cling to unflattering patches on lips. I highly, highly recommend this to anyone searching for a flattering pink lipstick and is confused; this looks so good on everyone!

Price: Rs. 550 for 2.8 grams

L’Oreal Paris Rouge Caresse Lipstick in Aphrodite Scarlet

So here it is. I hope you like this post and find your perfect pink among these! 

Budget Skincare Routine for Combination-to-Oily, Acne Prone Skin!

Skincare Routine for Combination-to-Oily, Acne Prone Teen/ Young Adult Skin (on a Budget!)

Part of my Skincare Kit

 

I’m sorry for the long hiatus. I shifted places, started having heavy workloads and didn’t own a laptop or PC for quite a long time. In midst of this, however, my ever present pigmentation issues started increasing. Acne made its appearance and got more stubborn by the day, and things soon started to go out of hand when I tried wearing makeup which before had never posed any issues for me. Skin stung, burnt, and there would be vicious zits on my face for the next day.

The entire situation made me rethink about my skincare….to be honest I never did skincare as much as I loved makeup.  So a visit to the derma, armed with his advice, plus sticking to a routine, involving proper cleansing, toning and moisturizing did WONDERS for my skin. It cleared up, had a glow, and pigmentation reduced. I still have a bit left , hopefully it’ll clear up as well.

One thing I must say is follow a routine like you follow a religion. Stick to it, every single day. And results will be there for you to see :)

So without any ado, here it is:

Cleanser: I use Cetaphil Cleansing Lotion for Sensitive Skin. THE best for damaged, irritated sensitive skin. No soap, no alkali, yet cleans powerfully. I advice against opting for the OS (for oily skin variant); that is too harsh, too dry on the skin. Plus it smells of disinfectant. So NO. Also, I double cleanse. Every single day I use a sunblock or any makeup, I use a cream cleanser and a clean cloth with some lukewarm water to clear off the entire gunk, and then follow up with Cetaphil. Never, NEVER sleep with makeup on.  You’ll be killing your skin and welcoming a fresh attack of new pimples/irritants. For the cream cleanser, I love the Avene Gentle Milk Cleanser, extremely effective yet very lush: P

Budget option: The Lotus Herbals Tea Tree Gel face wash or the Clearasil face wash. Both are wonderfully effective. For the cream cleanser, the Himalaya Refreshing Cleansing Milk is good, as well as Neutrogena Gentle Cleanser.

Toner:  Choose something without any Alcohol/Alcohol Denat in the first five ingredients. Alcohol damages the skin; it’ll simply refuse to heal. I liked the Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Toner, but the reformulation included alcohol and I simply decided to steer clear. My current love: Lotus Herbals Basiltone toner. So soothing.
Budget option: make your own rosewater with a bit of basil leaf and camphor added in it. Freeze into cubes, use one after a hot day. Bliss.

Moisturizer:  I feel one of the biggest mistakes I did was to not moisturize the skin properly. Oily skins, even if you’re an oil mine, moisturize. A light gel based formula/oil free formula does the trick. I use: Sebamed Clear Face Gel.  Oil free, soothing, moisturizing, controls excess oil. Sounds like a dream, but honestly, a god send product it is.

Budget: I find the Lacto Calamine for Oily Skin working just as well. Also Lotus Herbals Acnegel is a good option. Same for Clearasil. They ensure that you’re moisturized and pimples don’t grow.

Scrub: I scrub twice a week, no more, with some lukewarm water and a gentle hand. Clears the blackheads, whiteheads and dead skin. I like the Neutrogena Blackhead Clearing Scrub, but I do like Lotus Herbals Whiteglow Oatmeal and Apricot Scrub as well.

Budget option: The Himalaya neem scrub/apricot scrub.

Face Pack: I used a pack twice a week, post scrubbing, simply because I loved the glow I get post using one. I usually use the Avene Clearance Mask, and sometimes alternate it with the Lotus Herbals Claywhite pack. Squeaky clean, tan free glowing happiness :)

Budget option: The Himalaya Neem Face pack is one of the best out there for oily skins.
  
 
Sunscreen: Like cleanser and moisturizer, this is one product that is a must. My Holy Grail is the Lotus 3 in 1 Sunblock (SPF 40): non greasy, oil controlling and a pretty tint to boot!

Budget option: The Aroma Magic Aloe Vera gel is non oily, non tinted, gel based, oil controlling and non acnegenic and perfect for sensitive skin. The negative is the SPF20, but touch it up every couple of hours and it’ll be fine.
 

Treatment for Acne:

I used a Clindamycin Gel( Brand name: Nilac Gel/Clindac A) over an Adapalene Gel ( Deriva MS) on my zits all over the face. This however, is better used under the supervision of a dermatologist. Plus acne treatments cease to work if used continuously over a month or so. Use them with care. Acne treatments also dry your skin out, which brings me to my night cream and lotion.


 

Night Cream: I love Vichy Normaderm Night Detox. Works on shrinking open pores, clearing zits, reducing the overall oiliness of skin—yes, if used on for a month or more, it does make your face less oily in general. It does everything it states, over a period of time. Also works on acne scars and is absolutely perfect for sensitive skin.

Unfortunately, I do not have any budget option for this. It’s nothing like anything I’ve ever used.

Bonus: Using the acne and skin treatment my skin gets very flakey and dry, I use a drop or two of Dewsoft skin at the dry spots.  Intensely hydrates, and will not break you out J

Budget choice: Himalaya Nourishing Lotion is a good pick.

So here it is, my skincare routine.

I hope I’ve been of help!