Day-time Bronze Makeup Look

Hello Everyone,

Feels awesome to back at my home computer and blog away to glory!! I apologize for being away for this long & want to send my love to everyone who messaged me, wondering where I have been :-) You have been so sweet in your messages, telling me you're missing the blog & asking me to come back soon... I'm doing something right for sure :-) Thank you again for all the love & support..!!

I've been travelling for a month & have been missing my lil blog terribly :-) Now when there's travelling, there HAS to be some shopping right? So you're sure to see some haul posts coming up soon. Since I'm posting today after such a long time, I didnt want to start off with a review, so I'm going to start with something that I love doing more...creating simple, easy to wear looks & sharing it with you guys :-) I was in a mood to wear something subtle on the lips (...for a change LOL you all know I'm crazy about BOLD lip colours...hehehe) & here's what I put together yesterday.


































Let me tell you how I went about it - 

Base:

Derma Color concealer, Rimmel London Stay Matte powder,
Garnier BB Cream & Lakme CC Cream

1. After moisturizing my face, I dabbed on a mix of the Garnier BB Cream & the Lakme CC cream. I've been loving this combo - the Lakme CC cream is great for coverage, while the Garnier BB cream makes it a little more runnier & easy to apply. 

2. I then dabbed on the Derma Color concealer in D65 to the undereye area and around the nose to conceal any redness on my face. If you have dry skin, then you can skip the step, but I finished off the base makeup with my fav Rimmel London Stay Matte powder in 005 Silky Beige, since I have oily skin.

Maybelline Cheeky Glow in Creamy Cinnamon &
Wet 'n' Wild Rose Champagne highlighter

3. Then I applied the Maybelline Cheeky Glow blush in Creamy Cinnamon; this blush is great for everyday wear & I love using it during day-time. Another product that has become a fav since I got it, is the Wet 'n' Wild Fergie Rose Champagne Glow highlighter, which gives the softest glow ever!! This one, you can't go wrong with & will definitely suit light to medium skin tones. I applied this to the high points of my face - cheek bones, bridge of the nose, cupid's bow (right above the upper lip) & chin.

Eyes:

Wet 'n' Wild palette in Comfort Zone

1. I mixed the (left row) 'Definer' & (right row) 'Crease' shades from the Wet 'n' Wild Comfort Zone palette & used them as a wash of bronze on the eyelids, as I wanted a 'one-shadow' look that day. You can use any bronzey, warm shade you like. To brighten up the inner corner of the eyes, I used the (left row) 'Browbone' shade from the same palette.

2. I had a no eyeliner look in mind, so I just lined the lower lashline with the Lakme Eyeconic kajal in Black, to give them some definition.

Lips:

Miss Claire Color Rich lipstick in No.40

I applied the Miss Claire lipstick in no.40 (which I feel is a close dupe for Colorbar Velvet Matte Lipstick in 'Bare'). It's a *ude shade with rosy undertones. I felt it went really well with the overall look. 

Hope you liked this post! Apologies once again, for being away for such a long time...it sure feels great to be back :-)

Until the next post, Ciao!!!

StudioWest Haul & Review (Skincare)

Hi Everyone,

I had been wanting to get my hands on some of the StudioWest products ever since they were launched recently. Somehow, my timings didn't allow me to get to the mall & I settled only to see their pictures on other blogger profiles on Instagram :-P. One of the long weekends, around 3 weeks ago, I had a few errands to run & some shopping to do so I decided to check out the StudioWest line as well.

I almost missed the StudioWest counter thanks to the MOB of ladies there...LOL Do I blame them? Nope! If I had been there 15 mins early, I'd be a part of that MOB as well ;-) My disclaimer / apologies before you read on - This post does not have any makeup products as I didn't pick up any. I usually don't pick up makeup without swatching & that particular day, it was too crowded for me to stand, swatch & buy. :-) So here's what I randomly picked up from their skincare counter -

StudioWest Radiance Aloe Vera & Green Apple Deodorant Body Spray (Rs.185/-) :

StudioWest Radiance Aloe Vera & Green Apple Deodorant Body Spray

The spray scent is fresh & 'citrus-y'. If you like Green Apple as a scent, you'll definitely love this one! It has a lovely combination of Green Apple & Aloe Vera; you wont feel that one of the scents over-powers the other one. It reminds of summer & I'd have loved to use this during that time, if only they'd launched earlier this year ;-) I have been using this every single day since I bought it. The deodorant hasn't caused any burning sensation or inflammation to my skin, in fact I'd say it's mild but still very effective. The product stays on my skin for about 5-6 hrs even on an 'excessively sweaty' day.. lol sorry to gross you out but hey! I'm reviewing a deodorant right? ;-) I can only say I love the product & this will be a definite repurchase!!

StudioWest Radiance Aloe Vera & Green Apple Nourishing Body Butter (Rs.399/-) :

StudioWest Radiance Aloe Vera & Green Apple Nourishing Body Butter

This one was a slight disappointment...for a couple of reasons. First, the body butter fragrance does not match the deodorant :-( I was hoping that just like The Body Shop, an entire range will have the same fragrance irrespective of the product for eg. TBS Strawberry Body Butter & TBS Strawberry Body wash have the same scent. The Aloe Vera & Green Apple Nourishing Body Butter by StudioWest doesn't smell anything like the deodorant that I love!! The body butter has a more tangy, more sour fragrance which is a slight turn-off when you try & take a whiff from the tub. Once applied and blended into the skin, the sour fragrance goes away. Now I don't know if I got a bad batch, or they made it that way, but for a person like me, who loves "anything Green Apple", the Body Butter scent makes me cringe just a bit when I am using it.

Second, this Body Butter takes much more time to blend into the skin. Again, I've used TBS Body butters & my skin tends to soak them up quickly, but this one takes time to blend in. The trick I have discovered is to leave it as is, in the last leg of blending it in. If I keep it that way for a min or two on my legs & move to my hands, I see later that the product on the legs has been absorbed on its own & the skin is well-moisturized! It's very weird lol please don't ask me why that happens, I wont be able to explain why since I haven't done this with any other body butters I've used :-) I will be definitely finishing this one off for sure since I have bought it for 399/-, but will not be repurchasing it in the future! P.S. - The Body Butter tub doesn't even have a picture of Green Apple anywhere...isnt that a little weird? :-|

Overall I feel, I've had only 50% luck in this haul since I only bought two products. I'm yet to check out their makeup products & will keep you all posted on Instagram, when I haul some! Speaking of Instagram, here's a quick look at the pic I posted there raving about their nail colour. My friend S, whom I'd been shopping with, passed it on to me from her haul. I remember to have applied it on a Saturday & apart from slight chipping at the cuticles, this baby didn't budge till Thursday!! :-) This nail colour wasnt technically part of my haul, but since it's a really nice quality nail colour, I just had to share it with all of you! The nail colours get a 'Thumbs up' from me!!

StudioWest Maaya Nail Colour in Silver Saga
(Applied on Saturday; pic taken next week on Thursday)

Hope you liked this quick review & it helps you in some way when you go shopping next time! :-)

Until the next post, Ciao!!!

Durga Pooja Makeup Look

Hi Everyone,

Today I'm here to share a makeup look that I created for Durga Pooja. The festive season is a busy time & this look is simple, easy & quick to create if you've not had a chance to plan your look :-) I have kept the focus on the red bindi & red lips, trying to build the rest of the makeup around these signature features. Hope you like it...

Here's how I went about creating this look - 

Base Makeup:

After moisturizing my face, I applied the NYX Photo Loving Primer (purple variant for anti-dullness) & waited for it to settle. Then I used my HG "foundation" the Lakme CC Cream & set it with the Rimmel London Stay Matte powder. I swear I've not been reaching out for foundations at all & I've already gone through almost 10 tubes of the Lakme CC Cream :-P I used the Derma Color Camouflage concealer under my eyes to cover up the dark circles. (PS - Since I had about 20 mins before my lil tornado would get up from his afternoon siesta, I unknowingly missed out on clicking a couple of products. In this pic, the RL Stay Matte Powder :-( )

Eye Makeup:

I primed my eyes with this liquid eyeshadow from the tube; you can skip this step but I wanted some base for my eyeshadow could hold on to. I used the 'pinkish' shade on the right, from the Faces Canada eyeshadow duo & dabbed it in the inner half of my eyelid. On the outer half, I wanted something deeper, so I used the Calvin Klein brown eyeshadow to create a V-shape on the outer half. Went all out with my fav Sugar Cosmetics eyeliner in 'Eye Told You So' to create a winged eye. With the Lakme Eyeconic kohl in Black, I lined the lower lashline & later smugded it out with the same CK eyeshadow so that it doesnt budge. I used the MUA eyebrow pencil in brown to fill out my eyebrows. (Missed out of clicking the Sugar Cosmetics eyeliner, Lakme Eyeconic Kajal & MUA eyebrow pencil... sorry :-( plz dont kill me! You can use any liner, kajal or brow pencil you might have.)

Lips & Cheeks:

I used my one of my favourite red lipsticks, 'Pure Rouge' from the Pure Reds Collection by L'Oreal Paris. This is the famous Freida Pinto shade :-) I applied the Makeup Revolution baked blush in 'Loved Me Best' which has a reddish tone, since I wanted to tie in the bright red bindi & lipstick.

Finishing touches:

I applied a bright red bindi which I was very skeptical about at first. I have a round face already & I didn't know if this would suit me, but when I saw my pictures later, I felt it looked really nice & come on...this look would NEVAAA been complete without the signature red bindi!! It's an absolute MUST & I love it :-) I brought out my festive earrings (they're really heavy & I dont wear them often) to bring the look together. 

I really liked how the look turned out. The red-pink toned makeup, the bindi & the lipstick, the gold from the earrings...everything just seamlessly blended together!! The best part is that you can use the products that you might already have & re-create this look.

Hope you liked this post. What's your favourite feature to play up during Durga Pooja? The eyes, lips, blush or face? Leave me your comments below ... I'd love to know your thoughts :-)

Until the next post...Ciao!!!