My Experiments with Skincare - Baby Products

Hi Everyone,

You all know how I love multi-tasking products. Today I want to share a quick post today on how I multi-task with some of the Baby products that I have 'borrowed' from my almost 3yr old!. Apart from the obvious uses for these 'lil miracles', I use them in the following ways -

Baby Shampoo - 

1. To clean Makeup Brushes - The product is made to cleanse & soften 'real baby hair' ( ahem..I know what you're thinking...then what's 'fake baby hair'?!) so needless to say, its going to work wonders on makeup brush hair. This makes cleaning them, a breeze! It cleans away all the makeup accumulated within the bristles/hair & conditions them at the same time. Maybe I don't own as many, but I can double-cleanse all my brushes in 15 mins flat!!

2. To clean a Tangle Teezer - This lil product is a miracle in itself, but then keeping this clean is very important. The dust on our hair & dirt/grime that may have formed on the scalp can accumulate on the Tangle Teezer over a period of time. Its tricky cleaning this comb, due to the placement of the teeth; some are shorter, the others long & are placed in a crisscross fashion on the comb. 

A small, old toothbrush can be used
to clean the Tangle Teezer comb

I use the a Baby Shampoo on an old toothbrush and scrub through the TT. Once its thoroughly cleaned, I cleanse it with normal running water, shake off the excess water and leave it to dry. Voila! A 'clean as new' Tangle Teezer is waiting to untangle those knots in your hair, in a jiffy!

Baby Powder - 

1. As a dry shampoo - Let's face it! Mom or not, everyone's busy now a days. There are times when we have to step out without a hair bath, with 3rd or maybe 4th day hair (Come on now..own up! we've all been there some time!). For those slightly greasy hair days, shake out some baby powder (use a finely milled one!) on to your hand, rub it gently between your palms & massage it into the roots of your hair. Pay special attention to the greasy, slightly oily looking areas! 

I will admit this process is a little tricky since you'll need to know how much powder to take out, because excess might just end up giving you grey looking, dry hair...so try this at home sometime before you try doing this for a day/night out. 

2. To mattify a creamy lipstick - We all have that one gorgeous creamy lipstick, that we wish, came in a matte finish. 'Fikar not' my friends, after you've applied the lipstick, hold one ply of a dry tissue paper as a cover on your lips & dab some baby powder from the outside - Instant Matte Effect!!

Baby Oil - 

1. As a makeup remover - On days when you feel tired or down right lazy, a bi-phase makeup remover on a cotton swab can be your saviour! On days when you have some time or you feel your skin need some pampering, try removing your makeup with baby oil. I must say not only does the makeup melt off easily, it also leaves your skin - soft, smooth and moisturized. Do not forget to give it a quick cleanse with baby soap or any other gentle cleanser so that you get rid of any oily residue on your face.

I have been trying this out on my oily/combination skin for about 2 weeks now (not daily though!) & really liking the result. Makeup removal is fast & effective, without drying out my skin :-)

How about you? Do you have any products that you love to multitask with? Share them with me in the comments section below. Read my other multitasking experiment with makeup HERE.

Until the next post, Ciao!! 


Editor's note: I am not a Cosmetologist or a Professional makeup artist. I just wish to share makeup & skincare tips via this blog. Kindly use your own discretion when any using any makeup/skincare products. No one knows your skin, like you do!

Shimmery Blue eyes and N*de lips (Party Makeup look)

Hi Everyone!

Sorry about the late post, I am guilty for not being as regular with my posts as I’d like to be hehe... I usually write whenever I feel like and whenever I can, but mostly the two don’t happen together. Today was different, I felt that I had to sit myself down and write this post or else I’ll burst!! LOL Has that ever happened with you, that you feel the strongest urge to sit down and just write your heart away? Hey don't worry though, I will try to keep it short, crisp and to-the-point!

Today I will share how I created this 'Shimmery Blue eyes and N*de lips' look. It turned out really well that day and the best part about it was that I hadn’t planned on doing this. It just happened and turned out really great (or so I feel!!).

Here’s how I did it –

• For the Base, I used my trusty Lakme CC Cream and set it with Blue Heaven Compressed Powder for a matte look.

Lakme CC Cream in 'Bronze' & Blue Heaven Compressed Powder

• For the Eyes, I started with using a little foundation as an eye primer and set it with the same powder as mentioned above.
• Next, I took a flat shader eye shadow brush and dampened it by spraying a little water on it. I picked up the Faces Canada Blue Sparkle Dust with this brush and dabbed it all over my eyelid, being careful not to go above the crease. Since the pigment is wet, there is less fallout and the flat shader brush also helps. ('Fallout' is the extra eye shadow that 'falls out' on your cheek during eye makeup). In case, you do have fallout, wipe it off with a baby wipe or a dry brush gently, so that you don't mess up your foundation. Or better still, first finish the eye makeup and then go for foundation!

Faces Canada Sparkle Dust in Blue 

• Once I had the intense blue colour that I was looking for, I waited for it to dry. Taking a little bit of a purple eye shadow, I used this to blend out the harsh edge of the blue shadow on the crease. Since I have hooded eyes, I blended this purple shadow a little above the crease so that its visible when I look straight ahead. (Hooded eyes simply means that when I look straight ahead, there is very little space between the brow bone and eye-lid).
• Once the blue and purple were blended well, I lined my eyes with Elle 18 BlackOut liquid liner and used the Lakme Eyeconic Brown Kajal to line the lower lash line. I lined this only half-way and left the inner corners bare, to open up the eyes.

Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick in 'Bronze Orange'

• For some warmth on the face, I used the Lakme 9 to 5 Blush in Peach Affair. As I wanted the eyes to be in focus, I opted for a n*de shade on the lips. I used Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick in Bronze Orange to finish off the look.

I was always apprehensive of working with pigments but with practice, I've become slightly comfortable with them. I loved this look that I created and was absolutely surprised when it elicited a “WOW!!” from the Husband! Now who doesn’t like that eh? 

Do try out the look with Blue or any another colour of your choice and let me know how it turned out. Do leave me comments in the comments section below!!

Till then, in the words of my toddler, Baa-Byeee!!

Simple Makeup without Makeup Brushes

Hi Everyone,

Many of my friends ask me about the brushes that I use to create different looks. I tell them about the ones I have and they seem pretty surprised that I have only a few.

I am no "Makeup Guru" but I can assure you that to create simple, easy and daily wear looks, You dont need to have brushes!!. Yes, now calm down Baalikey and listen...ahem sorry read on! The funda, my friend, is simple - I use my fingers :-) and that works quite well for me. Let me tell you how I created this Green Eyes & Lilac Lips look without the help of Makeup brushes. 

1.  FACE –

a.   After cleansing, I used an oil-free moisturizer on my face to prep up the skin for the base makeup.

b.    Next, I used the warmth of my fingers to blend the Lakme CC Cream (Bronze) into my skin. This has become my absolute favourite for daily wear.

c.    I used the Chambor Radiant Touch Up Concealer on the dark circles under my eyes. Now although this concealer comes with an attached brush tip at the end, I took some product out on the back of my hand and used the ring-finger of the other hand to spread and blend this product under my eyes.

d.    Next, to set the base, I used the Chanel Illuminating Powder. I used this with an old sponge I had. This is the tricky part – applying powder to your face without a brush. You have 2 options – You can either use a sponge / powder puff, or simply use a foundation that sets to a powder finish (Lakme Absolute Mousse is a good foundation that does that).

e.    For blush, I used the Lakme Pure Rouge blush in Peach Affair. I lightly touched the blush palette with the middle 3 fingers of my hand and tapped them on my cheeks, where I wanted the blush to go. I blended the product by swiping in upward motions towards my temples and ears. Another option can be, to use Cheek stains instead of powder blushes.

2.    EYES –

a.    Revlon Shadow Links have small, easy to blend eye shadows that you can buy individually. I used the Khaki Green shade from this range on my eyes. I cleaned my fingers off the residue of the blush and used my ring finger to apply this shadow on my eyelids. Since the ring finger has the least pressure, it’s preferable to use it while swiping/applying the eye shadow. Your eyelids are saved from the tugging and pulling during application.

b.    For the crease area, I used the neutral brown shade from a local brand. I used my pointer finger to take this product & used ‘windshield wiper’ motions in the crease area, to blend the hard edges of the khaki green.

c.    Another tricky part is applying eyeliner without a teeny-tiny brush! No worries, I have a solution to that as well!! Use an eye kohl pencil instead. OK, so you have an eye pencil but it isn't the colour you want on your lash line? Then scribble with it on the back of your hand to make the tip a little blunt, so that you don't poke yourself in the eyes. Once done, dip this pencil into gel eyeliner or liquid eyeliner (of your choice) and slowly line your eyes with it. Remember to stretch a little and hold, from the outer corners of your eyes. I did that and got a nice finish.

3.    LIPS –

a.    The easiest part!! No brush required at all!! **hehehe** Swipe the lipstick bullet on your lips and purse your lips to evenly spread out the colour. With the edge of the bullet, sharpen the corners and outlines of your lips. DONE!!! I have used the Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in the shade 01 Lilac for this step.

Hope this detailed step-by-step post helped some of you out. I’d like to part with my “2-rupees Gyan” (LOL nope I aint a KRK fan!).

1.       Don’t be intimidated by makeup brushes and feel the need to own one for every step of your makeup.

2.       If you still wish to own brushes, get 2  – A good foundation brush for a flawless finish & a good eye shadow blending brush. 

     That’s all you need as Basics, my friend!  CIAO!!!

My Experiments with Makeup - Lipgloss / EyePrimer

I am a Mom, Wife, Entrepreneur and a Home-maker. I would like to believe that I juggle all my roles to the best of my abilities. I multi-task and expect my makeup to do that too! LOL So I experiment to see what other roles makeup can play, other than the one it is supposed to. Sometimes I fail, other times – JACKPOT!!!

This little guy – Lakme Absolute Plump and Shine upto 6HR 3D Gloss - was a gift. I loved the classy packaging overall but thought the colour would be a tad bit light on my lips. I tried using it over lipstick but then the tacky texture of the lip-gloss put me off. 

Recently I got myself an eye-shadow, which was a gorgeous shade but was pretty sheer. I knew I had to pack it on to get the true colour and also that with my oily lids, it would crease badly on me in about 1-2 hrs.  I didn't have an eye primer at hand (read – I'm too stingy to buy one!!) BRAINWAVE – Why don’t I try using my 'long forgotten' lip gloss on the lids as eye primer? RESULT –

EUREKA!! The above picture was taken after about 2 hrs after application of the gloss and eye-shadow.

How I used it –

1.       I took the tiniest…I repeat …tiniest blob of the gloss and applied it over my eyelid.

2.       After a few seconds, I dabbed my eyelid with a bit of baby powder to take off excess shine and stickiness from the gloss.

3.       Applied eye-shadow as I normally would. 

Gosh, it not only stuck on, but also showed up true to colour. The gloss itself was acting as a pale coloured base. I didn’t need to pack on the shadow and it didn’t crease on me for the entire time I was wearing it. I applied this makeup as an experiment in the afternoon, while my baby was sleeping. After he woke up, we went for a house party and came back post mid-night. There you go!! More than 9 hrs of great wear!! I am so happy that this little experiment of mine was successful. Try it out for yourself with the glosses that you use. If it works, then 'By God ki Kaasam', you’ll never have to buy an eye-primer ever again!!

Disclaimer – Your eyes are sensitive. Please be careful and use your discretion while experimenting with makeup.