November Vellvette Box

After my disastrous October box I had decided that I did not want to get any more of these boxes. Then my sister who is more of a skin care fanatic comes home and sees the stuff that I have got and is really..really delighted. In fact the OPI nail polish and the Victoria Secret body lotion from my October box is now hers J. She convinced me to go for a three month subscription of the box and am really happy I did so. The November Vellvette box goodies are so amazing and are just made for me.

Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Moisturizing Gel: It is actually a night cream that revitalizes the skin. I so love night creams and just can’t wait to try it. The 50 ml bottle costs INR 2850

Forest Essentials Mashoba Honey and Vanilla Bath and Shower Oil: This just smells heavenly. I have used it just once and kept smelling my hand the entire day. The beautiful scent just lingers on and on. It is got a cream consistency and moisturizes the skin really well after a hot shower. This one is a definite winner especially during the winter months. The full size 200 ml bottle costs 1175 bucks.

Nyx Ultra Pearl Mania eyeshadow in Penny Pearl: A lovely loose eyeshadow that is glittery, finely milled and extremely soft. Penny Pearl is a reddish copper shade that looks beautiful on the lids and has minimal fallout. I tried a hurried look and although it did not turn out very well you can see how pretty the eyeshadow is. I haven't used a primer in this look and I did not observe any fallout or excessive glitter

I am so so happy. The body lotion and the gel are my first products from the brand. I am really excited to try the brightening gel and the body lotion just smells heavenly. Many people did not like the Nyx sample in the box as it is not really a luxury brand but I loved it.

How I Lost my Pregnancy Weight

Recently I went to a family function (my husband has a HUGE extended family in Pune) and after a lot of bending down to touch everyone’s feet and a whole lot of gossiping and complimenting each other’s saris, the conversation moved on to our favorite family topic “how I lost all my pregnancy weight” . Someone said I was lucky, others (the snobbish elders) claimed that I just dint eat anything while one very intelligent aunty asked me if I had been to any dietitian. I just smiled.

The Astounding Weight Gain

Pregnancy was one of the happiest phases of my life. I had no morning sickness, no BP problems or swelling of hands and legs. I was simply happy, glowing and eating like a monster. That is an understatement actually. From being an underweight 50 kg I had swelled to a whopping 68 kg by the end of my pregnancy. The entire “extended, slightly overweight family” was delighted to say the least. Someone even told me how I was now in their league finally J. I didn’t care really I was so..so hungry all the time and not to mention that sweet cravings (I had five dairy milks in a day). I was pampered and spoilt silly by my mom and both my sisters. Unfortunately I had to go for a C section during delivery but I recovered fast. Within days I was back on my feet and doing everything but there was one thing which nagged me now, my weight and that huge flabby tummy.

From being a happy mom to be I now became an extremely irritable mommy. I screamed and shouted and had just no patience for anything. I have no pictures of those days simply because I just did not want to face a camera. Thankfully my mom and sisters helped me tide over that postpartum depression and recovery phase of my life. As I had a C section I could not really exercise for at least three months but I did follow some basic weight loss tricks to shed the extra kilos.

I Ate

I know for people who are trying to lose weight these two words would be very surprising but that is what it is. I ate and ate. The only difference is that from eating high fat food with nothing but grease and oil, I switched to eating healthy. By healthy I do not mean uncooked veggies and stupid salads with loads of mayonnaise. I ate normal cooked meals six times a day. Before getting pregnant I was not much of a breakfast person but after I got pregnant I was hounded by my mom to have breakfast everyday (She called me up before breakfast everyday to remind me…phew mothers what would we do without you). I continued this after having the baby as well. I ate first thing in the morning and then after every three hours. This kept my metabolism ticking and I started shedding my pregnancy weight.

Image sourced from Google Images

It is best to stick to simple food like roti, subji, rice and dal. Please do not have the diet chiwda, low fat biscuits and what not. I just cook at home and eat fresh. I ate everything even the so called “fattening foods” like rice and potatoes and still lost weight. I even had my occasional chocolates and mango cheesecake. If you are a new mom trying to lose weight then please do eat everything especially if you are breastfeeding. Your baby and your body both need the food.

I Worked Out

This was the hard part and new mothers will agree with me. When you have a wailing baby and have been up all night you cannot really exercise. I did not really push myself. In fact it was only after six months that I started light exercises and yoga again. After my baby turned one year old I started working out for fifteen minutes each day. I combined this workout with yoga and simple weight loss exercises like squats, lunges and jogging. I did around ten surya namaskars in morning and the workout later in the day. I did not lose weight initially but after some time I felt lighter and more energetic.

Image sourced from Google Images 

Do Not Push Yourself

Having a baby is a great experience and I love spending time with her and enjoying everything that she does. I could not take this away from myself just because I wanted to lose weight. So I just took it easy. After all I am not a Victoria Secret model who has to lose weight to walk the ramp. Pregnancy weight is hard to shed and I had to give myself time. Of course in the meantime people did try to pull me down by passing off stupid comments like “You are now in our league” and “Bacha hone ke baad koi patla nahi hota” . I would just smile. After all when I am thin again people will still comment so why waste energy listening to them. Of course I still am not as thin as I was once but I am still at it and that is what matters.

me with my lovely Aaru

Mac So Chaud is So Hot!!!!

If you know me you would know how crazy I am about orange red lippies. If you don’t then ask my hubby who will tell you of the sleepless nights I spent just because I had a nightmare that the LE lipstick Scarlet Ibis is all sold out J. Well, what can I say now I have Scarlet Ibis and also this gorgeous reddish orange lippi in my Mac pro palette called So Chaud. Its gorgeous, beautiful, hot, totally wacky orange red shade with the red being a little more subdued than the orange. Mac describes So Chaud as being an intense reddish orange which is a perfect definition of this sexy color. It suits warmer skin tones because of the slight yellow tones in it. It is from Mac’s permanent line of lipsticks and is priced at INR 990.

The surprising part and the reason I love Mac matte lippies is because of its texture. Now So Chaud is a matte lippi which unlike other matte lipsticks is smooth and not drying at all. It stays on for well a long long.. long time. I was out in he heat for around six hours and the liipi had not even faded (How cool is that!!). The only thing is that when it does fade it tends to fade a bit unevenly leaving you with little bubbles of lipstick on your lips (I just take out a tissue and wipe off the lipstick and then reapply)

 Despite the high price tag and the uneven fading I love this lipstick and somehow wonder why I haven’t bought it before. Here are the swatches and FOTD.

Here is a comparison with Mac Scarlet Ibis which is a LE edition lipstick (It was launched in the Scarlet Ibis collection and will now again be re-launched with the upcoming Marilyn Monroe collection in India) . Both are similar but Scarlet Ibis has more red than this one. Both are beautiful with amazing matte finish and gorgeous pigmentation. 

Mac Pro Lip Palette in Editorial Oranges: Mac Crosswires Lipstick

I am still swooning over my Mac pro lip palette in editorial oranges. Other than the fact that I am a hardcore Mac fan who suddenly finds her wish coming true and gets six lipsticks in a single palette (sigh…), this palette also reminds me of my orange tabby cat. Yes I am a total cat person and have a beautiful tabby named Genie who is well probably one of the most spoilt and pampered cats in the entire world. See the swirl of orange fur on that oversized cat. Does it not remind you of So Chaud and Lady Danger and the beautiful pink nose is just the perfect Mac Crosswires….okay..okay I am just rambling. I know it’s the heady feeling that comes over me every time I see that palette.

Well, to get down to business. This Mac palette available only in Mac pro stores contains five beautiful orange and bronze shades all of which are thankfully there in the permanent line as well. The total weight is around 6g so you get around 1g of product which is ok for a lipstick lover like me who has literally a hundred different lippes in her kitty. I will be reviewing each shade separately as they are well all different and special.

So Chaud: An intense reddish orange

Sandy B: A light pink frost lipstick

Look at Her: A sheen supreme metallic copper lipstick ( my first sheen supreme lippi)

Morange: An extremely loud orange shade (There is no red or hint of any other color in this one..its totally orange “love”)

Crosswires: A coral pink shade

Bronze Shimmer: Its bronzy and shimmery (totally Indian weddings kind)

My favorite shade that resembles my cat’s nose (not meant as an offense my cat is like my baby) is Mac Crosswires which is quite a popular Mac shade. It’s a gorgeous pinkish orange shade which looks more pink on my lips which are dark and pigmented. Mac describes this shade as a clean pinky orange and that’s what it is (Whoever names these Mac lippies is just so intelligent) It looks “neonish” on fairer girls but on me it is more subdued and pretty. In fact this is a shade that suits everyone whether you are dark or fair. 

Crosswires is a Creemsheen finish which are quite nice not overtly drying and stay on for a nice three to four hours. They are pigmented and provide nice opaque coverage. Its like the perfect summer lipstick. In the swatches it lookes pinky but it does have hint of orange which my camera is unable to capture.

The lipstick is available in Mac stores in India for INR 990. It’s a great buy and if you are looking for the perfect coral lipstick then do give this a try.

NOTD: OPI Nailpolish in Strawberry Margarita

In my recent Vellvette box I got a mini OPI nailpolish of around 3.75ml. The full bottle is available at Vellvette site for around 520 bucks. Strawberry Margarita is a fun peppy bright pink color that is sure to lift your spirits on a gloomy day. Despite my lack of interest for nail polishes, I adore this one. Its opaque in about two coats and does not chip easily. the formula is good, not streaky and its easy to layer it on. Moreover, the beautiful watermelon pink reminds me of my favorite Mac Impassioned lipglass. It looks just like a nail polish version of that :)