Lakme Insta Light Instant Glow Creme - Review

Hi Everyone!

Today, I'm doing a quick review on a new product in the Lakme 9 to 5 range - the "Insta Light Instant Glow Creme".

What is it? 
Brand claims it to be - "...a unique glow creme,that gives you an instant glow.With luminising pearls and mineral powder you get an instant skin glow styled by an expert, everyday."

How does it work? 
It's a slightly pinkish cream that you apply to your face, just like a regular moisturiser. It promises to give an instant glow for everyday wear.

My experience with it: ...has been great!!
I could definitely notice a subtle, luminous glow on my face (unlike the more obvious glow of a Highlighter) & most importantly, this cream kept my face absolutely matte for over 4.5 hrs!! Yes, I would definitely recommend it for those, struggling with oily skins this summer! 

I tried using this on its own and then under my BB cream; both the times, I felt that the mattifying effect lasted for a long time. I did sweat, thanks to the humid weather, but then the skin remained non-oily for most of the time I was wearing this. The packaging states that it has Sunscreen in it, but fails to mention the SPF content. 

Overall, I think it's a lovely product for oily skins, to add a nice, matte glow to your face; with or without foundation/BB cream etc. With a price tag of Rs.79/- for a 20 gm tube, do give this a try this summer!

Who should give this cream a miss?
If you have dry skin, stay away from this product as it will further make your skin dry. It does not have a moisturizing effect. Also, it's not something that will conceal imperfections on your face. So if you're looking for that, then you'd rather go in for good BB cream or Foundation :-) 

Hope this mini-review gave you some information about the "Lakme 9 to 5 Insta Light Instant Glow Creme". If you've tried it, then let me know your thoughts in the comments section :-) Leaving you with swatches ... Until the next post, Ciao!!

Swatches - 

Swatch of the cream - unblended

Blended :-) visible difference, right?

Sleek MakeUP I-Divine Original Palette - Review

They're right! You should never commit until you're absolutely sure! And when I was, I said Yes :-) Love story? What love story? I'm speaking about my Sleek MakeUP I-Divine Original palette!! Lol

I was pretty happy and 'going steady' with my 3 lil eye shadows from Revlon Shadow links. I thought they were really nice, simple, suited everything I wore, what more could I want? But NO, I realized I was just 'settling' for them. I had always wanted a palette, but palettes were expensive & I didn’t seem to like anything so much that I could commit to buying the whole palette. So I was stuck in a "routine relationship" with my Revlon shadow links for about a year.

Then one day, while browsing makeup blogs, I found the 'Sleek MakeUP I-Divine Original palette' on a blog sale & fell in love! So here's a review/intro of the newest love of my life, who is here to stay...that's it, I'm committed!!

Packaging - The palette comes in the black cardboard packaging with a sneak peek at some of the shades inside. It has the name & branding done on the front, while on the back, there are other details like description, suggestions for possible makeup looks, ingredients & manufacturing details. 

When you open the palette, you'll find a conveniently sized mirror to create or touch up eye-looks on the go. It's just the right size to fit into this travel-friendly palette. The eye shadows are covered with a thin plastic film that states the name of each shade. The palette also comes with a dual-ended eye shadow applicator.

Theme - Sleek eye shadow palettes come with 12 long-lasting mineralized eye shadows that have been themed differently. The more popular ones that I've heard of are Oh So Special, Au Naturel, Storm, Vintage Romance, Sunset, Bad Girl palette, etc. with shades that flow with the theme, for e.g. Sunset Palette has warm, orange, "sunset-like' colours, while 'Au Naturel' has some lovely natural, neutral shades. As for me, I fell hard in love with the Original palette because it was sweet, simple & 'un-themed' apart from the extremely interesting names, of course!

Colour selection - The names have a distinct 'British' flavour to them & are based on the sights you might see or experiences you might have, when in the UK like London Eye, Big Ben, Cream Tea, Black Cab, London Rain, etc. The shades in the palette are beautiful and varied, with champagne shades, pinks & purples, tones of blue, copper, bronze & shades of green and olive.

Apart from Black Cab, a matte black shade, all the other colours are nice & shimmery. The shimmer isn't overpowering and tacky, it's very fine and looks wonderful on the eyes. Sometimes, if I can’t think of any particular combos, I simply use any one lid colour, blend the matte black in the outer V of the eyelid & get done with it..!! At times, I skip the black and blend a darker shade of the same colour on the outer corner for a monochrome eye-look (ooh! look at me, trying to sound like big-shot makeup artist!). 

London Rain & The Thames are from the Blue family, while London Eye & Big Ben are shimmery rose-goldish shades. Hyde Park & Banksy bring in the green tones to the palette; Sterling & Penny Farthing are the sultry coppery, bronzy shades. I also really like Royal, which is a totally apt name for a beautiful purple in the palette.

Texture & Pigmentation - The texture of these shadows is buttery smooth & they're deeply pigmented. They can be easily applied with your fingers as well as brushes, depending upon your preference. Most importantly, they blend like a dream! I'm lazy and don’t wear any eye-primer on a daily basis (Read about my cheat for an eye-primer HERE), however these eye shadows don’t need it. They're really long-lasting and stay on for more than 5-6hrs on my oily eye-lids. Hmmm, so I'm thinking if I can just get my lazy bu%& to religiously use primer for my eye makeup, these would easily last for more than 8-9 hrs.

My experience with the Sleek MakeUP Original Palette - I was impressed with the palette because all of its colours; being so different from each other, they're absolutely wearable. It’s a "match made in heaven" for me because it’s got all the shades/colours that I might actually get a lot of use from. If you're a beginner & are in the market for a shimmer eye shadow palette, then this just might be the thing for you :-); it's got almost every shade you might need! 

I have been using this palette on a daily basis for one-shadow everyday looks. The colour selection is beautiful and has shades like Cream Tea, Big Ben and London eye, which can be worn on their own, to enhance the eyes. And when I'm in a mood to match my eyes to my outfit, I have an array of shades to play around with! ;-) For more dramatic looks, I blend Black Cab in the outer-V of the eyelid & use Sterling, Penny Farthing or London Rain on the lower lash line to further define the eyes and add more drama.

Looks like I could go on and on about the different looks I have created using this palette, but wouldn't it just be more fun to show you rather than speak about it? So stay tuned for more eye looks, coming up on this blog!!

There you go, now you know why I've been seeing this 'sprightly young laddie' for over a month now! I guess he's got me 'committed' - hook, line and sinker - so to speak ;-) Phew, I'm totally 'knackered' after telling you that I think this palette is the 'Bee's Knees', I need something 'scrummy' for lunch now (Wow, I could easily be born in London, in my next life...lol!) 

Until the next post Mates, Ciao!!

Budget Friendly Under-eye Gels - Current Favourites

Hey Everyone! 

I love doing Reviews but I love to share 'Favourites' even more, because rather than just telling you what's new in the market, I love to tell you what I have used & has worked for me. So in my post today, I want to share with you, my favourite Under-eye Gels :-) 

I never had an issue in the past with dark circles or fine lines. Later, moving to a new city, new job, erratic timings and then a brand new chapter in my life, my baby :) everything started showing up signs of fatigue & stress on my under eyes. I developed dark circles and fine lines In the under-eye area. I didn't take them that seriously and used the same moisturizer that I used for my face, on my eye area.

Its only about 2 yrs ago that I realized it ain't doing anything for me. I needed something specific to the eye area as the skin there was more thinner as compared to the rest of my face. Something gentler, yet packed with hydration! So I tried a couple of new under-eye creams and here are 2 that have really shown results -

1. Aroma Magic Under Eye Gel -

I preferred a gel over any cream based product because of my oily, acne prone skin. This was my very first under-eye product and I was a little skeptical about it. 

The colourless gel is absolutely cooling & really soothes the skin. Since it's a gel and makes the under-eye a bit oily before it's completely absorbed, its best used at night, before going to bed. I'm not sure if it works that way for anyone else, but I had better sleep thanks to the soothing, cool gel on my eyes. I sometimes pop the tube into the fridge for about 10 mins before application & gosh! my eyes think they're in a SPA!! 

It does have the faintest scent to it, but it's never bothered me that much; you might not even get the scent lol I just happened to take a whiff of it, consciously for the sake of the review. 

Consistent use of the Aroma Magic Under-eye Gel has definitely helped me reduce fine lines, to a certain extent. I didn't see any significant change in the dark circles though :-) but I'm not writing this off so soon. I love this product even if it does only half of what it claims. It's absolutely travel-friendly and I know I wont skip on it even when I'm away from home. The tube I'm using is almost over now, but I'm sure at Rs.135 I will definitely get this again.

2. Iraya Manjishtha Eye Contour Gel –

I received this gel as a part of my subscription box & have been absolutely loving it ever since! This brownish orange gel contains Ayurvedic ingredients which are known to have health & skin benefits.

Manjishtha is said to improve blood circulation -  no wonder I don't see much puffiness in my eyes in the morning; while Lavender oil softens and moisturizes the skin - aah! another reason why I sleep better...Lavender!!!

Priced at Rs.395/- it may be more expensive as compared to the Aroma Magic gel, but I've definitely seen better results with this one. With a sturdy glass tub packaging, it might not be travel friendly, but a good bed-side companion for your eyes, when you're at home. It does have quite a strong scent to it & if you have an extra-sensitive nose or have skin that gets easily irritated with scented products then this one's not for you :-) 

Swatches - 

(L - R) : Aroma Magic Under Eye Gel
& Iraya Manjishtha Eye Contour Gel

Overall, I'd say I was lucky enough to find 2 eye products which were easy on the pocket & worked best for me. I alternate between them every two three days now & I must say I'm pretty happy with how they're working for me. 

Hope this post helped in some little way, if you're in the market for an under-eye product. Let me know in the comments below about your favourite eye creams and I'd love to try them out sometime. 

Until the next post, Ciao!

Favourite Lipsticks Series - Top 5 Reds

Guess who's back? Yes!! Along with my help,this morning, my 'Will to Write' is back. Hahaha, its like she brought it along with her. When she was on leave (without a substitute!!) I felt like all I did was wash utensils in the sink LOL. Some of my nightmares involved falling into the sink and being sucked down the drain, Phew! Now that she's back this morning, I suddenly want to sit and write.

So since I'm feeling absolutely positive and happy this morning (yeah, our help can have that effect on us Women!!) let's make this about something that makes us feel positive, strong and confident. I'm going to make this post a tribute to my favourite Red lipsticks - 

(L to R) Maybelline - Nonstop Red, Streetwear - Very Vampire,
Miss Claire - No.10, Laqa & Co. - Siren Song and Loreal Pure Red - Pure Rouge

(L to R) Maybelline - Nonstop Red, Streetwear - Very Vampire, 
Miss Claire - No.10, Laqa & Co. - Siren Song and Loreal Pure Red - Pure Rouge

Let's dive in...!

1. Maybelline Super Stay 14hr lipstick in Non-stop Red - 

This is a bright red with pinkish coral undertones. Fresh and young, this colour would be slightly more suitable for fair to medium skin tones. Thanks to the pigmented formula, this colour stays on for hours and is a no-fuss, low maintenance kind of Red. It's more of a day-time Red for me, I'd say. It's the kind of colour that's bound to get some attention without being 'in-your-face'.

2. Streetwear Color Riche Ultra Moist lipstick in Very Vampire - 

A bright orangey red, but a little more sheer formula which isn't as pigmented as the Maybelline one mentioned above. This is also a day-time wear Red and is overall a nice budget lipstick. But then, where it gains in price point, it loses in staying-power. This isn't a long-stay formulation and needs to be re-applied every couple of hours. So if, you don't mind touch-ups a few times in a day, go right ahead and get this!! 

3. Laqa and Co. Chubby stick in Siren Song - 

I got this one in my Fab Bag in Jan 2015. The shade is a deep red with brown and orange undertones. This pairs very well with saris and any kind of Indian ethnic wear. It's a shade that will suit all skin tones. If you've got this as a part of your subscription box, well..keep it!..but I wouldn't suggest you'd go in and buy it especially. When I want to steer away from a bright red lip, I reach out for this one to give my makeup a more mature and confident look. It's got a balmy texture, yet good staying power.

4. Miss Claire Soft Matte Lip cream in No.10 - 

A rich, deep burgundy kind of red that's best suited for evenings. The formula is matte, long-lasting for up to 4-5hrs, yet creamy and non-drying. Overall, I love this range for being absolutely budget-friendly & this shade especially has to be my favourite from the Miss Claire range. 

5. L'Oreal Paris Pure Reds Collection lipstick in Pure Rouge by Frieda Pinto - 

A deep, matte true red, Pure Rouge is rich in colour, has a creamier formula, and is much more long-lasting than its more reasonably priced cousins (all the above lipsticks). I haven't owned this one for very long, but its quickly become one of my favourite reds! I wear it mostly during the day and I'm confident it's going to rock evening looks as well. This is one shade that will suit all skin tones, yep it's THAT versatile and gorgeous!! (That instant pout in the selfie wasn't intentional, I swear! It just happened..lol I blame the lipstick hehe)

As you might have guessed from the pictures, I love Matte finishes and kind of avoid glossy lipsticks. In case, you wish to glam these up with some gloss, please feel free to top these with a clear gloss and you're done!! 

Here are some hand-swatches in Natural Light - 

Hope this post helped some of you who are looking to add a new Red to your collection. 

What are some of your favourite Red Lipsticks? Which one do you reach out for most? Any particular Reds on your wishlist? Lemme know all about them in the comments section below...

Until the next post..Ciao!!