Happy Diwali

Oriflame Very Me Cherry My Cheeks Sweet Coral

I have never been a hardcore Oriflame fan when it comes to makeup. Yes, they have some great skin care products but really except for the loose powder nothing has been remarkable in the makeup department. This Very Me blush however, changed my perception that all Oriflame products are duds. A lovely warm pinkish coral shade that looks lovely on the cheeks as it looks in the pan.

Price: INR 329 (I got it for a discount)

Packaging: A small chotu round "dibbi" with a see through cover. The cover shuts tightly and sometimes it becomes difficult to pry open the dibbi. The product inside is smooth and powdery. It can get a little messy when you open it as is evident in the picture. However, while applying the blush goes on smoothly on the cheeks.

Pigmentation: The blush is very pigmented. In the swatch below it is just one swipe of product.  If you have used the earlier Oriflame blushes you would know they lacked heavily in the pigmentation department but this one gets it right. The blush is smooth and blends beautifully as well.

Blended Out

My recommendation: Get it if you can get it at the price. Its worth every penny.

Mac Viva Glam Lipstick 1

As a makeup lover (um...more like a makeup fanatic), I know the feeling and heady rush you get when you get a LE product especially when its a Mac product. On the flipside it is also extremely disappointing when you cannot get the one thing that you have been lusting for days. This happened to me when the Marilyn Monroe collection released. Being a red lover, I wanted to get at least two of those lipsticks. Unfortunately each and every one was sold out :(. You can imagine how heartbroken I was. My hubby while sympathizing with me, asked me quite innocently why I was so crushed when there are such lovely shades around. And then the "batti" clicked and I started checking the reds in the permanent line. I had done it before but now I was searching for my perfect red with such renewed vigor that all the people in Mac started staring at me :P...And then I found it..my perfect Mac red..not an orange red or a pink red but a true retro red and no its not Ruby Woo..its Mac Viva Glam Lipstick 1.

Price: 990 INR

The color is gorgeous, a classic timeless red which I can imagine Marilyn Monroe wearing. The first Viva glam lipstick which has been around for 15 years has lost its fan following in these years thanks to its more flashy counterparts like Russian Red or Ruby Woo. However, one look at the intense red and the amazing matte finish and you are sure to be bowled over..

The pigmentation is fab, best of the Mac mattes that I have. The color glides on like a dream and stays on for hours and hours and hours (umm...actually the whole day) There is no patchy dryness or ugly flakes on the lips. Its almost like I am in a lipstick heaven when I wear this..love it so so much. The Viva glam lipstick have the same Mac packaging except for the red inside.

The best part is that each and every penny of the Viva glam lipsticks are donated to the Mac Aids fund. So you are not only getting your favorite shade but also doing some good in the process. Getting this shade has also made me realize that instead of lusting for LE products its a good idea to look at some fab permanent line Mac stuff. Here is how its looks on me and a pic of my darling baby as well (I am such a proud mommy when I see my little one growing up so fast :) )

VOV Eyeshadow Pencil

I have been MIA for so long that I was starting to miss my blog horribly. Managing home, work and not to forget a boisterous kid can be a tough job. Well, even with all this my makeup craze continues especially my search for cheap and wonderful products. Recently while getting bored at a ‘kirana ka dukan’ I spotted some makeup stuff (yes..yess the kirana walas keep makeup stuff these days..how wonderful for people like me J). The one thing that I was interested in was the eyeshadow pencils from VOV (btw I totally love VOV stuff, cheap and extremely high quality). I got a basic bronze to see how it works and I have to say that I am super impressed.

Price: I don’t remember 150 bucks I guess. It has a net weight of 3.5 grams. They are packaged like the chubby sticks from Clinque and the lip stains from Revlon. Love the cute easy to use packaging. All you need to do is glide it across the lids to get the color. No need for brushes and any messy business

Pigmentation and Staying Power: The color is a golden bronze shade which looks lovely on the lids especially when paired with bright red or pink lips. The texture is rich and creamy which means the eyeshadow glides on effortlessly. Unfortunately the creamy texture means it tends o migrate onto things, which includes your hands, other parts of the face. The staying power is almost nil. It is gone in half an hour!!! The color lasts for some time when used with a primer but there is no significant improvement in the staying power. I now use it as a base for my powder eyeshadows, mostly to bring out the color. This is how the color looks on my lids (which are very pigmented) without a primer.

My recommendation: Its cheap and the color is nice but really the time it lasts on the lids is a complete disappointment.

All my Skin Care Essentials

Wow its been so long that I did a blog post...well, the reason is not my laziness or anything..I just started working full time and let me tell you girls its a task handling the home and work along with a little one as well. However, I am taking my baby steps towards getting it all done and adjusting to everything. Anyways now that I have started working all that travelling and the horrible pollution in Pune is wrecking havoc on my skin. As a stay at home mom I hardly took care of my skin but now have to be extra cautious. So to get rid of those pesky blackheads and dull skin, I added some stuff to my skin care arsenal (um..makeup drawer). Here are all my skin care essentials that I am loving these days.

VLCC Matte Look Sunscreen Lotion (Price: 175 INR) Once I joined my office I made the cardinal mistake of skipping a sunscreen for a couple of days and then on the third day I looked like somebody had burnt my skin :() So now I make a rule to apply sunscreen before anything. The VLCC sunscreen with SPF 30 is great. It is not heavy or too oily and the best thing is I don't tan so badly nowadays.

VLCC Pomegranate & Aloe Vera Gentle Exfoliating scrub (Price: 219 INR) I dunno when I became this VLCC fan but I am using a lot of their products these days and believe me some of the new launches are really good. This gentle scrub looks like a cream with minute red particles which I am guessing is pomegranate. Unlike other scrubs, i does the job without making my skin all bruised and red. Love this:)

Fabindia Lavendar cleansing milk (Price: 180 INR): This cleansing milk with lavender essential oils and grapeseed extracts is something I cannot live without. I think if there is one skin care essential that I need for the rest of my life it is this one. It has this cooling sensation and removes makeup excellently (except the stubborn mascara).

Nivea Pure Effect Total Face Cleanup (Price: 199 INR): I had heard great reviews of it from fellow bloggers. Decided to get it just to see what all the hype was about and totally loving it. Yes it does look like bird poop but believe me it works very very well. I use it twice in a week as a mask and it makes my face look all bright and glowy.

Lacto Calamine Skin Balance Lotion (Price: 118 INR for 120 ml): I generally do not love the other variant of lacto calamine as it makes my skin dry but this one works fine form me. Good as a moisturizer and even gives you a slight glow.

I also got the new BB cream from Garnier but will post a separate review for that. Meanwhile I am loving these cheap yet very effective skin care goodies. Do tell me what your skin care essentials are and whether you are using any of these products. 

Mac Face and Body Foundation: N7

Finally it ended..my wait for the perfect foundation. As a makeup lover you would know the trials and tribulations of searching for the best foundation. Some are too dark, others leave a whitish cast and there are some that makes your face look like a jaundiced patient. I had heard great reviews of the Mac foundation and was extremely eager to try it so when it finally launched in Pune I grabbed one of these. Having tested this sheer, lightweight foundation for over a month now I can now safely say that it is the best things to have ever landed in my vanity.

Price: It costs around 1700 bucks for a 50 ml bottle. The bigger 120 ml bottles are available in Pro stores around the world. Its packaged in a chhotu bottle with a squeezy top.

Texture: The first thing that you notice about this foundation is the runny, watery texture. Now I usually stick to my tinted moisturizers or light water based foundations and hate anything which gives that plastic, cakey look but when I saw the texture of the foundation, I was a tad skeptical whether it would provide any coverage or not. Thankfully all my doubts were put to rest when I saw my face. The first layer of the foundation gives a sheer dewy look. It might look oily in the first go but once it sinks into your skin it gives a nice dewy finish. If you have extremely oily skin you would have to powder your face. I have a combination skin so I usually just powder my T zone only. Once you layer on the foundation a second time you notice the increase in coverage and by the third layer this seemingly sheer foundation gives full coverage with no cakiness!!!! The MUA at the Mac store recommended warming up the foundation between the fingers and applying it on the parts that need more coverage.

 The best part about it of course is that it stays on the whole day till the time I remove the foundation. You do not feel the heaviness on your face and the glow lasts forever and thankfully it does not oxidize on face. I apply it with the fingers or with a stippling brush and with both I get a nice finish. I haven’t tested it but apparently it is water resistant

Shade Selection: Mac Face and Body Foundation is available in 13 shades which is amazing compared to the limited shade selection of all drugstore brands. I got the shade N7 in this foundation. I dunno how the shade thing works but the other dark shades like C6 looked quite yellowy on me. N I guess stands for neutral here and matches me perfectly. This is how my face looks before and after using the foundation. (watch out for the before makeup ugly photos)

This is a great foundation and is perfect for me…I love it love it love it…Please do try it

Addicted to Body Shop Sweet Lemon Body Butter!!!

The Body Shop stores are so addictive. I almost imagine myself magically floating to the store with the colorful tubs of body butters, creams and gels each time I pass it. I can browse and look at the products for hours if only I did not have an irritated husband and a squealing baby while doing so. Recently I came across the Sweet Lemon body butter and boy oh boy I wonder how I missed it for so long. The citrusy, summery fragrance hits you hard when you open the huge tub and when you apply it on your body, it is just so so good.

Price and Packaging: It is priced at INR 775 for 200ml which is really a lot of product. It lasts me for months and sometimes I really wish they had smaller tubs. I got this when it was on a 50 percent discount J. It is packaged in a huge bright lemon yellow tub and you need to dig into the tub to get the soft yellowish creamy body butter. Its kind off unhygienic but its ok with me as I am now used to it.

Texture: Now I am not new to body butters from Body Shop. I had the Cocoa Body butter which is so thick and heavy that I had to wipe it off after some time. I also did not like the Shea body butter for its fragrance. The Sweet Lemon Body Butter on the other hand is meant for dry to normal skin. It absorbs faster than the other body butters I have used from this brand and leaves the skin soft and supple. This is a boon for me in winters as my skin is all dry and parched. This body butter works like magic on the dryness and keeps my skin so soft. It does not linger on the skin or leave any oily residue. It just keeps it nice and soft. Check out how it makes my dry and parched hands look all shiny and soft.

Dry and Parched winter skin 

After using Body butter

 The smell is just amazing, like freshly squeezed lemons. If you like citrusy, floral smell than you would love this body butter. I apply it at night before going to bed and wake up with the mild smell of the body butter. It is really refreshing for me and am totally addicted to it

Lakme Fast and Fabulous One stroke Nail Color Storm Green

I am having one of those dull days and nothing not even chocolates can cheer me up. So being the makeup fanatic that I am I just started browsing through my makeup closet (Makeup makes me so happy :)) and chanced upon this fabulous nail paint from Lakme. Now for everyone who knows me or at least has read my blog knows that I am not a fan (Thats a nice way of saying "hates") of our very own Indian Lakme. However their recent nail paint launch (well its not recent anymore), the Fast and Fabulous range is really really good. The colors and the quick drying part is just so nice and many beauty bloggers are in love with the nail paints.

I picked a beautiful green color from this range called Storm Green a long time ago from my hometown Cuttack where the only counters I can find is Revlon, Streetwear and Lakme. So anyways when you do not have many choices you do tend to pick up anything. In this case I am thanking my stars that I did pick this up. Its a gorgeous fun shades that instantly brightens my mood. It was launched for 175 bucks and later prices were increased to INR 199

Moreover I like the packaging with the square cap and the long brush. The only thing is holding the cap and applying the nail paint is somewhat tricky. However, you can easily miss the drawback when you have such a nice color. It dries very quickly too. Lame says it sets in 40 seconds and I can vouch for the fact, it does do that. Here is how one coat of the nail polish looks on my nails. I so want to add a layer of glitter nail polish on top but I just do not have one right now :P

Happy New Year 2013!!!!

Hope this New Year hails in happy times for everyone. Hope this new year there are lesser crimes against women, hope this new year we wake up and realize our responsibility to not only society but also to ourselves. May we never turn a blind eye towards the suffering of women be it on the road, on a bus or even in our own homes. Stay safe and enjoy the year