Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

When I started writing this blog post, I suddenly realized that I just did not know how to write it. Foundations are not my cup of tea. I had never bought foundations in my life and the only foundation that I had during my teens and in college was the Lakme foundation which used to leave a scary whitish cast on my face and would become all messy and crusty after a few hours. So rather than looking like a ghost I chose to avoid foundations till recently.  It was only recently that I started searching for a good foundation. After reading countless reviews, testing innumerable foundations at stores and dealing with harrased SAs, I finally found my perfect foundation, the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation.

What Bourjois Claims (Sourced from the website)

70% More Radiance!

Bourjois’ 1st radiance-boosting fruit therapy foundation: a flawless complexion for up to 16 hrs!
• Apricot >  radiance
• Melon > hydration
• Apple > antioxidant
• Ginger > energy

It’s exquisite and glide-on formula blends onto the skin for a flawless, yet natural finish.
• 8Hrs moisture
• Lets skin breathe
• High tolerance dermatologically tested

Price and Packaging

Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation is priced at INR 990 for approximately 30 ml of product. There are around eight shades available among which I got the darkest one 58 Hale Fonce. The foundation is packaged in a slender lightweight plastic tube with a pump type dispenser. The light packaging means it is easier to carry around and a boon for clumsy people like me who drop everything.

Texture and Coverage

The texture of the foundation is extremely lightweight and silky. It is very easy to apply this foundation whether you are using a brush or your fingers since the texture is quite watery and runny. Since it is moisturizing it is great for people with dry skin who have problem with flaky skin and dryness after using foundations.

The Bourjois Healthy mix foundation provides medium coverage. Once blended it gives a nice dewy effect and an almost matte finish which I love. The best part is that it stays on for around five hours without any streaking or oxidizing. Moreover it looks natural and not like you have a mask on your face. I do have to set it with powder though as I have normal skin. For people with dry skin it will give a perfect finish

After Blending

What Do I Not Like

• The shades available may not suit Indian skin tones. I unfortunately got a darker shade but I now mix it with a lighter TM.                                     
• It is certainly not a full coverage foundation so do not expect it to cover all your scars. Small facial imperfections and marks are covered well with this foundation. 
• It has a fruity smell which thankfully disappears after application.

If you are looking for your HG foundation then do try this out. Please check the shades and make sure you select the right one. As for me I love this foundation but I now want to check other foundations especially from Maxfactor and Mac.

A Blog Award: The Versatile Blogger Award to My Baby

My baby just turned a month old and I received my first blog award followed by another one. Yes, my blog About Lipsticks and Blushes has been around for a month now and I have already received so much love from fellow bloggers that I am completely overwhelmed. Thank you Deepika and Jyoti for nominating my blog for the Versatile blogger award. I am elated and really have no words to express how I feel. All I want to say is thanks and I will keep trying my level best to do better.

Now The Rules for accepting Versatile Blogger award:

• Thank the person who nominated you and give them a shout out on your blog with a link to their blog.
• Share 7 random facts about yourself.
• Send on the award to 15 bloggers whose blogs that you appreciate and then let them know that they have won the award. 

Seven Random Facts about me

• I love books especially the Fantasy genre. I love J.R.R Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings and have read that huge three part series more than ten times.

• I like watching reality television series like Project Runaway or Masterchef

• I have a one year old named Aarushi who is a die hard fan of Katrina Kaif just like her dad and also loves cosmetics like her mom :P 

• Apart from makeup I love shopping for shoes and have got a cupboard full of that now J

• I love Christmas carols. Since I was in a Convent school we would have Carol singing practices and competitions a month before Christmas and I loved that 

• I love cats and have one named orange tabby named Ginie who by the way completely resembles a tiger’s cub

• I love the rains. I dunno if it is because I was born in August but I love the sound of raindrops, the smell of moist soil and getting drenched in rain.

Here are some people I would like to nominate for the award. They are my inspiration and I completely love them.

1. Jyoti from Everything That Matters
2. Emm  from Circular Insanity
3. Namita  from Vivacious Flair
4. Samyukta from I Simply Love Makeup
5. Ankita from Corallista.com
6. Eesha  from Makeup By Eesha
7. Krupa  from All About Ladies
8. Ankita of Novice Makeup
9. Divya of Miss Enchated
10. Lancy of Makeup and Beauty Tips
11. Bhumika from New Love - Makeup
12. Anshita from Vanity No Apologies
13. Tapaswini of Beauty Through My Eyes
14. Deepika of Divassence!
15. Tanveer from Addicted to Blush

Check out the blog by these amazing ladies and you are sure to be impressed. They are just amazing. Thank you Deepika and Jyoti once again

Merry Christmas!!! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Merry Christmas Everyone

Image Courtesy  http://www.wallcoo.net

Yay!!!! My Colorbar Haul

I had decided that I was not going to buy anything before the latest Mac launch. After all I needed to save money right for the biggest ever Mac collection to hit stores this year. :P Well, my resolution went down the drain thanks to a lot of factors. The first and most important factor is that the collection has not launched in this poor city of ours L. Secondly I went to Amanora Town Centre which is a sprawling new mall in Pune and surprisingly ended up in front of a Colorbar store. I had never ever seen a Colorbar store in my life and most of the Colorbar counters in Pune are so badly stocked that you cringe every time you go there and see those bad, literally falling apart testers.

So anyways I went all bersek and almost cried when I saw that they have around fifteen velvet matte lipsticks (Most counters I went had just three to four!!). They also had the new Colorbar kajals, the shimmery I glide pencils, the shimmer magic baked blushes, eyeshadows and even the makeup brushes. So happily I shopped and shopped and then discovered that on a purchase of more than Rs. 1200 you get a velvet matte lipstick free so shopped some more. Here is my tiny little Colorbar haul. Swatches and Reviews coming soon. Enjoy…

Colorbar Flat Eye Smudger Brush 122

Price: Around INR 600

The flat smudger brush is great smudging your liner, doing some crease work or even applying color under eyes. It is made of goat hair and seems expensive but I actually quite liked it.  The bristles are tightly packed and it seems a bit scratchy. It works amazingly well as a smudger.

Color Eye Shadow Purple Passion

Price: INR 300 (It was previously INR250)

A shimmery rich purple color. It is just the color I wanted.

Colorbar Lip Pot Bitten Berry

A beautiful berry color which reminds me of Christmas. I am in love with this color and the wonderful texture of this lip pot which by the way is a lipstick in pot and not a lip gloss.

My Freebies: Colorbar Velvet Matte Lipstick Crème Cup

It is a fabulous nude shade. The price of this is around INR 225 but I got it free..free..free.

Bourjois Paris Smoky Eyes Trio - Rose Vintage

Bourjois products have become quite popular in the recent years thanks to the great quality products at a fairly reasonable price. My love affair with Bourjois products actually started with these smoky eyes trios. One look at the eyeshadow trios at the counters and I decided I was in love. The cute packaging coupled with the fairly good pigmentation makes these trios a winner. I am reviewing my favorite out of the eight Bourjois smoky eyes trio. Known as Rose Vintage, this set of trio contains shades of pink, the type which you must have seen most women in the crappy serials wearing. I don’t know how it can create a smoky look but the shades in this trio are great for a neutral day time look.

Bourjois Smoky Eyes Trio Rose Vintage

Bourjois Says

"Manufactured with the same process which has made our Little Round Pots famous since 1863, these eyeshadows possess the same qualities of flexibility and softness: an ultra fine, silky, micronised formula for an amazing blend, lasting 8 hours.

The ergonomic, double-tipped applicator has been specially designed to outline your eyes according to your wishes.

And what’s more, its formula respects the delicate eye area :

- Enriched with mineral powders

- Free of fragrance

- Dermatologically tested"

Price and Packaging

The smoky eyes trio are prices at INR 625 for around 4.5g. The packaging is super, super cute. In fact it was the cute packaging that made me go over and check out the shades in the first place. The small round plastic casing is compact and easy to carry around. The see through cap makes it easy to see the round mounds of eyeshadows which contains one highlighter shade and two eyeshadows. The package also contains a dual tipped practically useless sponge applicator. On the opposite side listed are the ingredients and instructions on how to create a smoky eye makeup.

The dirty dual ended applicator: Its the only thing that picks up color from this quad

Texture and Pigmentation

Like its famous blushes, Bourjois eyeshadows too are made by baking. The texture is satiny smooth and it is easy to blend these eyeshadows. No chalkiness, and absolutely no fallout. The eyeshadows can be used dry as well as wet. I love the rose color of the eyeshadow especially the darkest shade.

The pigmentation is the only thing that might put you off but if you are a newbie then this eyeshadow works quite well. The pigmentation is not outstanding but it is buildable. To pick up the color you need to use the sponge tipped applicator provided in the package.  Used dry the eyeshadow has less pigmentation as opposed to when it is used wet. Other eyeshadow applicators do not pick up the color well. The color lasts fairly well. With an eyeshadow base it lasts for around six to seven hours which is fairly good. Here are some swatches. I tried my best to capture the beautiful colors but the camera just did not pick it up :(

Things I Do Not Like

• It is a bit pricey but I feel the quality justifies the price
• Pigmentation is less as compared to other eyeshadows. 

There are many great shades in this range to choose from. Apart from this trio I also liked the blue colored trio known as bleu jeans and the black trio. 

Colorbar Blush in Plum Brown

Despite all the hype about “videshi” makeup stuff in the market, I think there are some great Indian brands as well which deserve the love and attention of every makeup lover J. Notable among these are Colorbar, Lakme and Lotus. Colorbar especially is a favorite with amazing products at decent prices. I especially adore the velvet matte lipsticks and recently the crackle nail polish. I bought Colorbar blush in Plum Brown a couple of months back from an online shopping store and it is an absolute favorite. I use it all the time. In fact the days I use my other blushes my husband politely comments that something is amiss.

Price 

The price of this blush is around INR 300 for 6gm of product which is a lot. The price was recently increased from INR 250 to 300. The blush is housed in the top compartment. The bottom compartment contains a small brush and an attached mirror. The blush brush looks pretty okayish but I can never apply blushes with these type of brushes. My Vega blush brush works just fine.

Texture and Pigmentation 

The texture of this blush is soft and application is very easy and smooth. No problems with dry skin or allergies. The blush is a beautiful medium brown shade with a matt finish.

The pigmentation is quite good. Of course you cannot compare these blushes to Nyx or Mac blushes but for the price I find the quality quite nice. I need three to four swipes for the color to show. However you do get a nice natural glow rather than a clownish appearance. It stays on for an average two hours after which the color starts fading.

Swiped 7 to 8 times

What Do I Not Like 

·        The staying power is a definite con. You can extend the stay by applying a cream blush underneath.

·        The brush is really not very useful unless you are a pro at applying blushes.

·        If you like shimmery blushes then this is not for you

Do get this, you will definitely not regret it. As for me I am probably going to buy this shade for the rest of my life.

Maybelline Colorsensational Moisture Extreme Lipsticks: Dusky Mauve, Buff and Brownie

With so many reviews of eye makeup products, I think it is time I shifted the focus to lipsticks and blushes as well. After all this is a blog about lipsticks and blushes. I am hard core Maybelline fan. With Lakme hiking the prices and the quality going downhill and Colorbar stuff not being available easily; I shifted all my focus and love to brands like Maybelline and Faces. I love Maybelline lipsticks especially the Moisture extreme ones. Smooth, creamy and available in a range of shades, these lipsticks have become a favorite among makeup lovers. I have three shades of these amazing lipsticks, dusky mauve, brownie and buff.

Dusky Mauve

I love this lipstick and you can spot it on me almost all the time. I don’t know why I never picked these types of lipstick shades before. This is a beautiful mauve brown shade with a hint of pink as well J. It even has a nice shine to it. It is perfect color for me and different from the usual browns and nudes that I pick. Moreover I can usually wear it any time of day and it looks equally gorgeous.

Swatch of Dusky Mauve: One Swipe

Buff

This is a perfect coral pink. It is supposed to be a nude color but it is actually quite dark to be a nude color. It looks gorgeous on the lips. Since I am dark, it looks a bit neonish on me but I just love the color so much that I don’t mind.

Swatch of Buff: One Swipe

Brownie

This is the only moisture extreme lipstick that I rarely use. It is a dark brown with a hint of shine. I really don’t know why I got this lipstick. I usually use a light shiny pink Maybelline watershine lipgloss to tone down the color else I end up looking like a vampire.

Swatch of Brownie: One swipe

Price: A mere INR 220 bucks for these great lipsticks are certainly worth it. You can find discounts on these lipsticks on online cosmetic stores. Check Blab specials for some great deals.

Texture and Pigmentation: Super smooth and creamy, this luxuriously smooth lipstick glides on like a dream on the lips. Moreover there is no shimmer or chunky things sticking to the lips just a slight shine which makes your lips look beautiful. Moreover it does not feel heavy and sticky on lips which is such a boon

The pigmentation is superb. The lipsticks provide nice color in just one swipe which is pretty amazing. The only problem is since they are so creamy the staying power is much less than other lipsticks in this range like the Colorbar Velvet Matte lipsticks.

What Do I Not Like

·        The staying power is really bad. One meal and there is no trace of this lipstick on the lipsL

·        The creamy texture means more smudging..so keep a tissue handy.

·        Some people have complained about a fungus problem but I did not find any such thing on my lipsticks

I love Maybelline moisture extreme lipsticks. These are certainly worth the price and all the hype.

Lovin it!!: My Miss Claire Eyeshadow Collection

Eyeshadows have become my latest obsession. From cheap local brands to MAC I want to try them all. Recently while shopping for shoes from a local shoe and bag shop, I spotted some eyeshadow singles in a box. I was instantly drawn to these Miss Claire eyeshadows singles and ended up not buying bags or shoes but picking up three of these beauties. Later when I researched on the net, I found out that a lot of people have been getting these amazing eyeshadows which are made in Korea. The rave reviews on the net are certainly justified because these are some of the best eyeshadows I have judging by quality and the cheap price tag. Of course I went back and picked a lot of other colors as well. Now my collection has swelled up to around seven Miss Claire eyeshadows

Price and Packaging: They are priced at just Rs 95 for 2 grams!!!!! J J How cool is that. I think I am going to pick all the colors. The packaging is super cute. These round black “dibbis” with plastic see through covers are my absolute favorite. The shades do not have names but numbers which along with the list of ingredients and other details is written on the bottom of the “dibbi”. I can plop it into my purse and carry it anywhere.

Texture: The eyeshadows have a satin finish with a slight sheen. Blending is super easy as the eyeshadows are extremely smooth and do not have any fallout. They have matt finish eyeshadows and shimmery eyeshadows as well. The dark blue eyeshadow I have is a matt finish one. I think I also spotted a matt brown and an extremely shimmery silver gray as well in that huge collection.

Pigmentation: Pigmentation and the color payoff is awesome and one swipe gives you amazing color. There is no problem with creasing and even without a primer it stays on and on. With MAC Groundwork paint pot as base I think this lasted for more than seven to eight hours once!!!

0723: Simmery Olive Green and 0901: Golden Brown

0113: Metallic pink and 0951: Metallic brown 

0315: Cranberry, 0451: Matt Dark blue and 0418: Metallic Blue

What Do I Not Like

• Names people..someone give these beautiful eyeshadows some names. I get so muddled when I am searching for something.
• Availability is the biggest issue. I think you can find this easily in Pune and Mumbai. I don’t know about other places.
• Most shops having these do not have testers so it is a hit or miss. 

Go run and get this if you know where you can find it. You will certainly not be disappointed. I am collecting all of these:)

Bourjois Intense Extrait Eyeshadow No. 09

I am obsessed with lipsticks and blushes which is well, quite evident by my blog title. Recently however I have become quite an eyeshadow freak as well. This is all thanks to people or might I say experts like Rashmi, Anamika and Ankita. While I love eyeshadow palettes, I find the texture and pigmentation slightly lacking as compared to singles. However palettes are great for beginners like me who do not have expertise in eyeshadow blending and co-ordination. Anyways recently I came across the new Bourjois intense extrait eyeshadow singles. I never like Bourjois eyeshadows much. The previous round pot eyeshadows and the smoky eyes trio, I felt lacked pigmentation and were not very great to work with. However my opinion of the Bourjois eyeshadows changed once I got hold of this beauty.

Bourjois intense eyeshadow 09 is a dark matte brown almost black eyeshadow. The price of this product is INR 410 for 1g of product which is slightly less than the previous round pots which was around 1.5g for the around INR 500. I bought this from Stylecraze.com for around INR 369 J

Product Claim

Bourjois invents the colour shot eyeshadow and combines its historical expertise with modern technology to offer women pure color: intense, high coverage and ultra long lasting

Selected and highly concentrated pigments blend into a very silky, very easy to apply powder, for a perfect result in one stroke. To use as a liner, apply with slightly wet brush.

Packaging

The new intense extrait eyeshadows have a similar packaging as the old round eyeshadow pots. The only difference is the size and locking system. I love the magnetic locking system of these eyeshadows and the mirror which is super handy. The new intense eyeshadows also do not have an applicator which is well, quite a relief. I just don’t understand what we had to do with those stupid small applicators that Bourjois used to provide with the old eyeshadow pots (I ended up losing all the applicators with the old eyeshadow pots)

Texture and Pigmentation

The texture of this single eyeshadow is extremely smooth and powdery. In fact you have to be extra careful that you do not waste a lot of product. I used a small practically useless eyeshadow brush to apply the eyeshadow because every time I used a sponge applicator there was a lot of product wastage. Blending is super easy when you use a primer underneath. I use Groundwork paint pot as an eyeshadow base and the color look super beautiful with it. Moreover the eyeshadow stays on for a long..long time. I was out in the heat for more than four to five hours, sweating like anything but when I came back home, my eyeshadow was still intact. I haven’t tested it without a primer but I am sure it lasts quite long without primer as well.

Swatched once without primer

The pigmentation is awesome. I was quite surprised and elated. The color can be combined with other lighter brown shades or used all over for a smoky. I personally love the color. Although I was yearning for the matte black shade in this range, I can easily settle for this one as it is easier to do smoky eyes with this eyeshadow. Moreover you can also use it wet as a liner J

What Do I Not Like

Nothing. This eyeshadow is perfect. Moreover now that they are available online just about anyone can get access to these wonderful eyeshadows. Here is me with my little bundle of joy and masti.

I recommend this eyeshadow for all you makeup lovers. It is truly amazing. I am going to surely get other shades from this range especially the blue one.

My Teeny Tiny Stylecraze Haul

I love shopping and since I stay at home all day I have ample amount of time to browse through the amazing number of online cosmetic stores (Between changing diapers and feeding a fussy one year old). Most of these online sites are quite nice and I personally love shopping from Urbantouch, Blab and Cosmetix.

A recent entrant in the field, Stylecraze has become quite popular in a couple of months, thanks to the amazing array of brands that they have including Bourjois, Chambor and Maxfactor which are not available on other shopping sites. Moreover the site offers some great discounts on all products including Revlon and Faces (Sigh..they have a discount on the Revlon Colorburst Lipglosses as well). The best thing about this site is that they keep updating and adding to their stock. I ordered for the Bourjois Intense Extrait Eyeshadow 09 and a Faces eyeliner. The day I placed my order they had only two shades of the Bourjois Eyeshadow. However after a day or two they have all the shades in stock and the best part is that they have a great discount on it. Here are some goodies I hauled..Yay!!!

Bourjois Paris Intense Extrait Eyeshadow 09

Actual Price: Rs 410

Stylecraze price: Rs 369 J

Faces Eyeliner Purple

Actual Price: Rs 250

Stylecraze Price: Rs.212

My Free Goodie: Konad Nail Art Stuff

I do not use it so will gift it to my friend. The price of this is around Rs 250.

I Like

• The fact that they ship the order really fast. I placed the order on Monday and got the stuff by Thursday
• They have a seven day return policy
• They have COD and free shipping over INR250
• They stock some hard to get brands like Bourjois and Chambor and even offer good discounts on them
• They offer a free goodie J

What Do I Not Like

• They ship via Aramex and those courier guys are really irritating and unprofessional. Most of my online stuff shipped via Aramex does not get delivered at all. Thank God this one came safe and sound. This is however a problem here and may not be applicable everywhere.
• The packaging could be a bit better. (I guess we are just spoilt by those Urban Touch black dabbas)

For people in smaller towns and cities with no access to Boujois, Maxfactor and Chambor this site is definitely a boon. Have you shopped from Stylecraze? Tell me about your experience

This review has been written based on my experience from shopping on this site. I am in no way affiliated to the site or influenced in any way.