Deck and Dine

We all know about the charcoal mask and bubble mask that are making the beauty frenzy people go crazy, right? They are all over the internet and you just can’t scroll through Facebookor Instagram without seeing a video of a cute girl applying a layer of black gel like mask or bursting the bubbles on her face.

Coming back to today’s post, it is a review of a very interesting product that I received few days back from the house of Elizavecca, and it is called ElizaveccaMilk Piggy Hell-Pore Bubble Blackboom Pore Pack. It is actually a charcoal mask that turns into a bubble mask, a two in one product that claims to have the benefits of both the types of packs. Already a fan of Elizavecca’s Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask, I was so excited when I received this.

So without blabbering any further, lets jump into the review...

CLAIMS and INGREDIENTS:
A deep cleaning mask packed with charcoal that helps to lift-up and remove impurities and reduce the appearance of pores. It also helps in preventing further breakouts.

PRICE:-

$26. Around 29000 South Korean Won.

AVAILABILITY:-
Elizavecca Official Website, Aisan Beauty, Amazon.in, YesStyle

PACKAGING:-
Elizavecca has the most adorable packaging. This too comes in their signature fun and quirky squeeze tube with a flip top cap. The tube further comes in a quirkier cardboard box.

There is an anti-forgery tag at the base of the cardboard box, where you can scrape the silver leaf to reveal a secret number. Then you can enter the number on a check-box on Elizavecca’s official website. This is where you can check whether the product you bought is authentic or a counterfeit one. How cool is that!

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:-
The mask is black in color with a gel like consistency. The texture, though on the thicker side, applies smoothly. I would recommend using fingers for application, it gets difficult with a brush. The mask is actually a “non-drying” and “non-peel off” mask. It stays wet and sticky on the skin and transforms into grayish foam when massaged with water. It doesn’t bubble as much as it shows in the outer carton, but it does foam decently. Rinsing it off is fairly easy as compared to other masks and it doesn’t leave any residue.

HOW I USE:-

1. Apply a generous amount of the product on your face evenly (except the eye area) and neck. Leave it for 5 minutes.
2. Wet your hands and massage gently till tiny bubbles form.

3. It will get foamier as you keep adding water.
4. Wash off with tepid water and pat dry.

See the transformation of the mask

MY EXPERIENCE WITH ELIZAVECCA MILK PIGGY HELL-POREBUBBLE BLACKBOOM PORE PACK:-

My skin feels pretty good after the wash, soft and so smooth to touch. But the best part is my skin doesn’t feel stretchy or dry after using this, on the contrary feels much hydrated.

The various components (papaya fruit extract, lauric acid, myristic acid etc. ) present in the mask helps exfoliate the skin gently and loosen the dead skin, sebum and other impurities and then the 4% charcoal draws out the impurities from the pores. The botanical extracts soothes inflamed skin and help to keep the mask hydrating without stripping the skin off its essential moisture. All these make the mask a complete package. No doubt why it feels very different from the rest of the masks I have used so far.

Look at the picture below, I applied the mask on myself and as well as on my mother in law and husband. Reason? We have different skin types and trying it out together helps us identify the results of a product on our various skin types. (I had to plea and literally butter my husband to apply that mask on his face. I promised not to post this picture on social media. But as you know, promises are meant to be broken :P )

I have normal-sensitive skin and this was perfect for me, it didn’t leave my skin dry or stretchy. I didn’t feel the need of any moisturizer after this, but a layer wouldn’t harm either. My face was squeaky clean, bright and soft. It didn’t break me out or caused any irritation.
My mother-in-law has dry skin and her skin felt a little stretchy post washing, but nothing that a moisturizer cannot fix. She loved the feel and glow of her skin.
My husband has oily acne prone skin and this worked best on him. His skin felt so fresh, bright, clean and noticeably less inflamed. His skin felt less oily throughout the day and I could see a visible reduction in the appearance of the pores.

POINTS To Remember:-

Keep the product quantity in mind. I applied way too much on my first use. Just a thin layer will work fine.
Don’t cross the 5 minute deadline.
It stings eyes badly. Make sure you keep it away from the eye area.
Don't use on open wounds, eczema or dermatitis.

FINAL THOUGHTS:-
I really enjoyed the masking sessions with Elizavecca Milk Piggy Hell-Pore Bubble Blackboom Pore Pack.The journeys from a black charcoal mask to a grey foam mask is fun. I love experimenting with different products and this has my heart. Love how it gently exfoliates and cleanses my skin, without being too harsh. Skin is deeply cleansed and feels fresh, brightened and soft. I apply this before the night shower and the effect lasts throughout the next day. This is one of the best charcoal masks I have tried and is one of the very few PR products that I will actually purchase and repurchase until I find something better.

I just wish Elizavecca launches their product in India so that we can enjoy these beauties even more.

Would you try anything like this? Have you tried anything similar? Have you used anything from Elizavecca before? Let us know :)

* PR Sample. But review is honest as always.

That time of the year is here. After successful “Beauty Edits” in the past Myntra has come up again with another where they have promised to engage their customers with even better deals. If you don’t know already, “Beauty Edit” is a two day sale organized by Myntrawhere you can avail makeup, skincare and grooming products and kits at amazing rates. They run luring discounts on almost every brand and they are hard to miss.

Here I have picked a few products which are worth trying and are currently under Myntra’s “Beauty Picks”. I know I am late for the post and just a few hours are left for the deals to end! But it is better to be late than never. The discounts are at it’s best. So rush!

Wet n Wild Fotofocus Foundation:-
Rs. 599(45% OFF)
Rs. 329
A great foundation which provides a matte finish and medium coverage. It looks natural and feels very comfortable on skin. Oily skin beauties, you are going to love this to bits. It is reasonable and is cheaper now.
Read my review HERE.

LOreal Paris Infallible Stay Fresh Radiant Beige Foundation 150

Rs. 1200(30% OFF)
Rs. 840
A favourite of not only mine, but many. This is an incredible foundation and a must have even at the original price. It provides a heavy coverage, which I think can be controlled for a medium coverage as well. Just use sparingly :p . It works for me. The matte finish is gorgeous, comfortable. It stays the whole day without moving or fading a bit. Contains SPF. So, a fresh look and flawless complexion from day to night is right a click away.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer:-Rs. 650(30% OFF)
Rs. 455
One of my most favourite concealers available in the Indian market. It instantly covers dark circles and diminishes the look of puffiness. It has achieved a cult status. Get them now!

L.A Girl Pro HD Concealer:-
Rs. 595(45% OFF)
Rs. 327
Another favourite of mine. It works pretty well in hiding my panda eyes and lifting it up to look awake for the world. I have their darker shades as well and use them for contouring. Available at a discounted rate, this is one thing you shouldn’t miss.

Wet n Wild Photo Focus Pressed Powder
Rs. 499(45% OFF)
Rs. 274Like the foundation from the range, I love this compact as well. It sets makeup with a soft, satin finish and reduces shine throughout the day. True love!

L.A Colors Mineral Pressed Powder
Rs. 625(50% OFF)
Rs. 312
Surprisingly amazing. It does its job pretty nicely, better than many other expensive products and can be given a try.

Makeup Revolution Fortune Favours The Brave 30 Eyeshadow
Rs. 1950(50% OFF)
Rs. 975
The shades are very beautiful, has good texture and is decently pigmented. This palette can be used to create various eye looks. Great for beginners; for someone who is trying to ease out in the world of makeup.

Maybelline EYESTUDIO Blackest Black Dramatic Gel Eyeliner 950
Rs. 500(30% OFF)
Rs. 350My first ever gel eyeliner and is also one of my most favourites. It is jet black, creamy, incredibly pigmented and settles in a matte smudge proof finish. This is stunning.

LOreal Extra-Black Volume Million Lashes Mascara
Rs. 900(30% OFF)
Rs. 630
I have actually lost count to how many people I have recommended this. I am a crazy mascara lover and this one is one of the best I have tried so far. Absolutely amazing. I see myself repurchasing this again and again. You can checkout my review HERE.

Wet n Wild Wet n Wild MegaLast Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipstick:-
Rs. 499(50% OFF)
Rs. 249
I love this range. Creamy texture and settles in a very beautiful, plush matte finish, incredibly pigmented and stays pretty long. Nice to Fuchsia, Rebel Rose, Missy and Fierce and Give me Mocha are my favourites.

Wet n Wild MegaGlo Precious Petals Highlighting Powder E321B

Rs. 499(45% OFF)
Rs. 274
Another must have from the house of Wet n Wild. Its easy-to-blend formula and ultra-pearly finish a makes it a favourite of people worldwide. It is silky smooth and crazily pigmented and the glow it imparts is impeccable.

Wet n Wild Boozy Brunch To Reflect Shimmer Palette
Rs. 299(60% OFF)
Rs. 119
At this price, this is absolutely a steal. Don’t read, just go and get it.

MaybellineClean Express Total Clean Makeup Remover
Rs. 300(30% OFF)
Rs. 210
One of the most reasonable makeup removers in the market. It removes even the most stubborn makeup like breeze.

GUESS Women Dare Eau De Toilette:-
Rs. 3050 (55% OFF)
Rs. 1372
A very sophisticated and modern fragrance. The floral-woody-mask composition is sensuous and attracts attention. People will literally come and ask you about the fragrance you are wearing. At 55% discount, this is a steal.

Lotus Herbals Safe Sun UV Screen Matte Gel Sunscreen with SPF 50
Rs. 440(40% OFF)
Rs. 264
My go to sunscreen. The non-oily formula works great on my normal skin and protects it against the sun induced damages.

Philips Miss Fresher's Hair Styling Kit HP8643/46:-
Rs. 2140(39% OFF)
Rs. 1305
The kit consists of a hair drier and a straightener. They are pretty amazing. The hair drier has two speed setting and is gentle on your hair. The straightener has ceramic plates for gentle gliding, fast heat-up time, etc.

These are some of my absolute favorites. I have shopped a lot despite being broke. Some are new purchases and some are repurchases. Let me know what you ordered. Would love to see. Now rush!

*Note that additional tax will apply and it will be charged at checkout.

Many of you might already know that I am a crazy eye makeup lover and eye makeup brushes play a pivotal part in my life. They are absolute game changers and make life much easier. But finding the best makeup brush sets, especially eye makeup brushes, isn’t always easy.

But when another person who is as much of a crazy eye makeup lover as I am, a mentor, a fellow and a friend helps you in this regard, you can only be truly content to the core of your heart. Anamika Sureka, the owner of India’s biggest beauty blog Wiseshe, by way of launching her own line of makeup brushes, has made my life lot easier.

Read below to find out how her latest gift made my day... days…..

Introducing, Wiseshe Flat Eye Makeup Brushes and Pro Eyeshadow Crease Blending Brushes…

PACKAGING:-

The brushes come in sets of two and in chic, slender boxes which are very sturdy and protect the brush from any outside damages and dust. The spongy cushion present inside the box provides more protection to the brush and makes sure that the brushes stay in place and bristles don’t take any hit even while travelling.

THE LOOK, THE FEEL OF THE BRUSHES:-

The brushes have the traditional look of eye makeup brushes. The long glossy black handle looks so stunning and provides perfect grip. They are light weight, handy and are easy to use even when in hurry. The bristles are made up of pony hair, making it perfect for powder based products. The brushes feel so beautiful. Being made of natural pony hair they might not feel as soft as synthetic ones, but they will gradually become softer with time and use.

INDIVIDUAL BRUSHES AND THEIR USAGES:-

SET 1:- FLAT Eye Shadow Brushes:-

PRO Shadow:-
The bristles are soft and dense. It picks up pigments effortlessly and deposits the right amount on the lid. I just wish they were a little shorter in length.

PRO Smudge Brush:-
The bristles are short and densely packed, perfect for smudging. Other than smudging colors, you can easily use this to pack in eye shadow on the upper lid too. This did a beautiful job in smudging kohl as well. This is my favourite between the two.

Set 2:- Pro Eyeshadow Crease Blending Brushes

PRO Crease:-
It has a very unique shape for a crease brush, kind of an “eye-kabuki” brush. This is a great brush for applying the transition shades on the crease area and outer corners of the eyes to define and shape it.Going to and fro on the crease is a breeze now.

PRO Domed Crease:-

Again my favourite of the two. This is just perfect for my eye size and shape. It is soft, fluffy and dense and works beautifully in blending the eye shadows for a seamless finish. The dome shape makes it even easier to blend shadows. I love using it for light washes of color or just at the end of eye shadow application to blend the harsh lines.

CLEANING:-
These are very easy to clean. Just pour some brush cleaner (I use my homemade one) on your palm or brush cleaning pad (Read review HERE), and gently swirl the brushes on it. I didn’t experience any shedding while running my hands through them, nor while or after washing them. They didn’t lose the shape either.

FINAL THOUGHTS:-
I always prefer eye shadow brushes with natural hair over the synthetic ones and I am happy these are made up of natural hair. Few natural hair brushes which I have tried before were hard and poked and scratched my eyes. But these are absolutely wonderful. No matter at what angle you point it on your skin, there are no poking or scratching. These are very soft on eyes, yet firm enough to pick and deposit the right amount of pigments. Anamika did a fabulous job with this line of brushes. I love how the brushes look and feel. These are a joy to use. Perfect!

These might look expensive, but I guess are worth the investment. If you are gentle and take good care of the brushes, then these will easily last you for years.

I just can't stop playing around with them...

This is the eye makeup I created using these beauties... I tried doing a cloud eye makeup that is trending right now. My clouds are far from being "clouds"...but felt like sharing nevertheless.

AT A GLANCE:-

BRAND:Wiseshe by Anamika

PRODUCT NAME:-Flat Eye Makeup Brushes and Pro Eyeshadow Crease Blending Brushes.

Price:-
Rs. 1200 for each sets. Currently available at 50% off on Amazon India.

FROM WHERE TO BUY:-
Amazon India.
BuyWiseshe Flat Eye Makeup BrushesHERE
Buy Pro Eyeshadow Crease Blending BrushesHERE.

OTHER BRUSHES TO CHECKOUT FROM THE BRAND:-Wiseshe Cheek and Contour Brush (Read the review HERE)

Hello everyone,

I am back with a review of another face mask today. I am a big fan of face masks and when Elizavecca sent me a pack of their best selling masks, I was beyond elated. I have already reviewed their Tea Tree Deep Power Ringer Face Mask (Read review HERE) and today’s review is on Elizavecca Vita Deep Power Ringer Face Mask. So without wasting any time further, let’s get into the details…

PRODUCT NAME:Elizavecca Vita Deep Power Ringer Mask

PRICE:- $2. Around Rs. 200-250 in India. A pack of 10 sheet masks is available for around Rs. 2000.

WHERE TO BUY: Elizavecca Official Website, AmazonIndia, Shopclues, YesStyle, Style Korean, Beauty Box Korea, Althea KR, BeautyJoint.

CLAIMS AND INGREDIENTS:-
Unfortunately everything is written in Korean. I searched on Google, but didn’t find any as such. But as it shows “orange” (some websites says ‘lemon’ though) and I guess it might contain orange extracts which is rich in anti-oxidants that soothes and brightens skin and also lightens spots and blemishes.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION, TEXTURE AND FIT:-

The sheet mask had the correct thickness. Not too thin that it would dry off within minutes after application and not too thick that it won’t stay on your face or feel heavy. It is soaked with essence adequately and there is even a lot left on the packet which you can pat on neck, arms and even on face after taking the mask off. Coming to the fit, this feels pretty big for my face. The eye hole and the mouth hole, there are huge. This leads to unnecessary wrinkling of the mask.

HOW TO USE:-

Wash your face. Remove every trace of makeup if you have any.

Tear open the pack and take out the sheet mask.

Carefully unfold and align the holes of the mask with eyes, nose and mouth.

Now press gently and make sure you don’t have any air bubbles or wrinkles on it.

Now relax.

After 15-20 minutes, peel the mask off, apply the extra essence on your face, neck, arms and pat gently.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH ELIZAVECCA VITA DEEP POWER RINGER MASK:-

As I said I love sheet masking and keep on experimenting with different brands. I have heard so much about Elizavecca and hence was pretty excited to try these.

The mask was adequately soaked in essence and had a mild fragrance which didn’t bother my sensitive nose. I kept it on for 15 minutes (that’s the maximum I keep a sheet mask on) and it was still wet with essence when I pulled it off. I applied the extra serum on my neck and arms.

It does feel sticky and takes time to absorb. The Tea Tree mask I used before too felt sticky, but not as much as this and the tackiness too had vanished with slight patting and massaging. So I would advise you to apply this during your night time regime and wait for a few minutes before going to the next step. I didn’t apply anything else after it just to see how it works alone and also because I didn’t feel the need to apply anything else. As it was still feeling sticky I was wondering if I’ll wake up to a skin filled with breakouts or not, but fortunately I woke up to a soft, supple and immensely brightened and hydrated skin. It imparted a healthy, dewy glow and I really loved the feel. It didn’t break me out or cause any irritation. My skin looked brighter than it was after I applied the Tea Tree one. Also, applying makeup became a breeze that day.

I just have two issues with this mask. First, every detail about it is written in Korean. I know Elizavecca is a Korean brand, but when you are part of an international market, you should have a language besides Korean, a language that is understood by all; English to be precise. Secondly, the fit. I tried really hard to make this fit my face, but it was way too big. Wrinkling and air bubbles inside a sheet mask lessen its efficiency and that’s what was happening with this one. I had to run my fingers on it every minute to even it out. Touching my face during masking is something I don’t like. Other than these two, the performance and the result were absolutely great.

FINAL THOUGHTS:-

Overall, I pretty much like the sheet mask and would definitely want to purchase multiples of this. Considering the price point and effectiveness, they are really good. Feels truly amazing at the end of a long tiring day and skin feels brightened, hydrated and soft the next morning. I would also like to try the “Collagen Deep” variant from this range as well. My only disappointment1 is the fit, it could have been better. But again, not everyone has the same face shape and size. Considering that it is okay!
I would recommend these to all the people who love sheet masking. There are many other variants containing different active ingredients tackling different kinds of skincare concerns. So you can pick up accordingly. Do give the brand a try :)

Also, there is a charcoal mask from Elizavecca, the Bubble BlackBoom Pore Pack, and it turns into a bubble mask when massaged. You can check the review HERE as well. A must try as well.

So do try these and let me know. Will be waiting for your feedback.

* PR Sample. But review is honest as always.

Hello everyone,

Today I am here with a tutorial on an eye makeup trend that is all over Instagram right now, it keeps popping up on my feed and being a crazy makeup lover I just had to recreate this. And boy, it was fun! Due to lack of practice, the clouds of my cloud makeup were far from being ‘clouds’. I felt that the look wasn’t Instagram worthy, but the love I received on my teaser post was crazy and I can’t believe I got request for tutorials.

Your wish is my command and thus the tutorial… J

CLOUD EYE MAKEUP TUTORIAL:-

First let’s talk about the origin of cloud eye makeup, which is quite hazy. I thought Nikkie de Jager of Nikkie Tutorialsis the mother of this Instagram Beauty Moment. But recently she said that her look is a recreation as well. So no clue who actually started this, but it came in the spotlight around March-April this year.

Now without blabbering any further, lets begin the tutorial.

(The look is all about having a gradation and hence uses different shades from same/close color family. I have used pinks and purples. You can use anything of your choice, blues, greens, grey, black.)

Start by prepping your eyes and grooming your eyebrows.

Now take a fluffy crease brush and apply a wash of light pink eye shadow on the upper crease.

Taking a dark pink eye shadow on the same brush, go to and fro on the lower crease area, concentrating on the socket line.

Time to add depth to the outer corner; taking a dark purple on the same brush swirl on the outer corners of your eyes.

Now taking a clean fluffy brush just blend the harsh lines and the colors well, so that the colors melt into each other and don’t look like color blocks on the lids.

Pack on the colors again if you feel like.

After you are done blending the colors, with a flat brush dipped in concealer gently cut the crease, filling the lid with the concealer. (See picture for reference)

Take a bright orange colored eye shadow on the flat brush and apply just above the upper lash line, within the area where you applied the concealer.

Now taking a bright yellow eye shadow, pack in on the upper portion of the orange eye shadow, following the arc of the concealer area. Make sure you don’t cross that arc. (See picture for reference). Blend the harsh line in between orange and yellow eye shadow.

After you are satisfied with the intensity and color diffusion, you can then proceed with the clouds. Dip a small flat brush in concealer and start drawing clouds onto your eye lids. Set the concealer clouds with white eye shadow so that they don’t budge. (You can draw the clouds after finishing the whole makeup as well)

Now move on to your lower lash line. Buff some dark purple on the outer lash line and the dark pink on the inner.

Line your upper lash line and waterline with Kohl. (I used kohl on lower lash line and liquid liner on upper lash line). Smudge the kohl on your lower lash line.

Finally apply tons of mascara to round off the look. Apply falsies if you want to.

And that’s it. Your cloud eye makeup is complete :D

I know the look seems too complicated. But trust me, you will enjoy it thoroughly.

You can also skip the cut crease if you want to and just go straight with drawing the clouds. You can do cloud cut crease as well. I drew a few birds with a liquid liner, you can draw stars instead. Also as I said earlier, you can choose colors as per your mood and liking. The options are many, you just have to unleash your creativity.

Let me know what you feel about this look. Don't forget to tag me if you recreate this. Would love to see

Hello everyone,

I hope you all are doing great.
Well, I am unwell. I fell terribly sick last week. Got fever, which even reached to 103F, body ache, cough and throat infection. The fever has reduced, but I am still weak.

Coming back to today’s post, it is on a review of a product from the house of Elizavecca. Elizavecca is a well-known Korean beauty and skincare brand and as many of you already know, they were kind enough to send me a few of their bestselling products to try and review for you all. We have already reviewed ElizaveccaVita Deep Power Ringer Face Mask Review, Elizavecca Tea Tree Deep Power Ringer Mask Pack and Elizavecca Milk PiggyHell-Pore Bubble Blackboom Pore Pack and today on our review table we have Elizavecca Witch Piggy Hell-Pore Bifida Premium Ample.

Price:-

30,000 Won, around 2000 INR for a 50ml bottle.

Availabilty:-
Elizavecca Official Website

PACKAGING:-
The serum comes in a glass bottle with a dropper cap attached to it. The glass bottle further comes housed in a Elizavecca’s signature quirky cardboard box. The dropper makes it easier to apply. The directions and ingredients are written mostly in English, but I wish the claims were written in English alongside Korean.

Claims and Ingredients:- Helps in skin whitening, moisturizing and fighting signs of ageing.

How and When to Use:-

At night, I use few drops of this on cleansed skin and pat gently till the serum gets well absorbed. I wait for around 5 minutes and then follow up with my night cream.

My Experience with Elizavecca Witch Piggy Hell-Pore Bifida Premium Ample:-

(First let me tell you, I have seen people’s obsession with fairness since time immemorial and still don’t get the reason behind it. I don’t understand why the labels state that fairness of skin equates to loveliness of personality. Often people with darker skin tones suffer from lower self-confidence, which often impacts their personal and professional life. So for companies, “Whitening” and “Fairness” products seem like such an obvious business model. Having whiter skin is aspirational for many and products having fairness and skin whitening properties have espoused to be the cure for dark skin. You have to be fair, to be lovely. This is bullshit and I don’t believe in such theories. So, I’ll be reviewing this solely as an ample that fights signs of ageing and adds to your night time skincare regime.)

Let’s start by talking about the look and feel of the product. The ample is a clear liquid and with a consistency tad bit thicker than water. It gets absorbed into skin pretty fast and doesn’t leave any residue. You won’t even realize that I have applied something on skin. I use it right before sleeping and wakeup with fresh glowing skin in the morning. It boosted my skin’s hydration and brightness. It diminishes dullness and with continuous use you can even see a visible tightness of skin around lips and eyes. My mother-in-law had drooping skin around mouth and it improved to quite some extent. I could see a visible reduction of her sun-spots as well. I love how it increases the efficiency of other skin care products. On days when I don’t feel like applying anything heavy on skin, yet want my skin to feel hydrated, I just apply 2-3 drops if this and my skin feels just fine. I have even applied this as a primer for my makeup base. It mixes well with different products and can also be used alone.

This is our first ever ample serum and naturally we were very much intrigued to try it. You won’t notice any remarkable difference from the first use, but don’t lose hope and keep using this. It takes time, but trust me, it is worth the wait.

Overall, we are pretty much liking it and I recommend this to anyone who wants to add that extra boost to his/her skincare regime. The product is great, boosts skin’s hydrataion and radiance without irritating skin or feeling tacky. There is no artificial colorant or disturbing fragrance and the results are too good to ignore...

*PR Sample. But review is honest as usual.

Hello everyone,

Firstly, I would like to apologize to you all for not being regular here, in spite of many of you trying to keep me motivated and make me start writing. I really appreciate that ladies, love you all. I’ll try to be more regular from now on. I love this space and how can I stay away from here for long?! So I am back and back with my favorite makeup tutorial...tan ta naaaaa… Its time for Halloween, which calls for a Halloween makeup J

I didn’t have any plans to do Halloween makeup this year, nor had any plans to do a post regarding it. But I guess God, I mean the Devil was too tired to see me do nothing and when the friendly kicks on my lazy butt weren’t working, he just decided to give a harder blow and that too while I was coming down the stairs. Yes, I slipped and fell down the stairs and hurt my back. It is bruised and extremely sore. I can’t even sit or lie down; regular walking and moving are simply out of question. So all I can do is stand and walk with a lot of effort. I was just standing in my room, unable to do anything and that’s when it dawned, “Ohh, I can do makeup while standing. That’s how I do my makeup most of the times”. And thus, when it is my favorite Halloween knocking the doors, it has to be a Halloween Makeup.

And this is the result...

An inspired look, though this might seem to be little complicated, is insanely easy. I named it Zombie Nun. Actually I was asked by Pamela di to do a “Nun” makeup tutorial inspired by the movie “The Nun”, but I couldn’t find a white base color which I would have needed. Hence, I thought of turning the “Nun” into a Zombie Nun.

So, lets the tutorial begin…

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Gelatin Powder. (Mix it together with water and glycerin in 1:1:1 ratio. Microwave for about 10 seconds, take it out and give it a good stir and then again microwave for another 10 seconds. Repeat this microwave-take out-stir process for a couple of times unless it becomes liquefied to a gooey consistency.)

Fake nails

Cotton

Black oil or cream based color ( I used Kajal)

Red oil or cream based color ( I used red lipstick)

Liquid Latex (Mine is from Ben Nye)

Fake blood (You can use red food color)

A pair of Zombie contact lenses (Trust me, this makes all the difference)

NUN Costume ( I didn’t want to spend money buying something I probably will never wear again that’s why I made my own. For that you will need a white tshirt, a white scarf/dupatta and a plain black piece of cloth/scarf/dupatta. Mine is a plain black saree with an orange border)

A cross pendant. (I didn’t have one. So cut it out of a cardboard box)

TUTORIAL:-

Clean your face so that there is no dirt and oil. (If your skin feels too dry, you can apply a thin layer of moisturizer and then dust loose powder over it. But I wouldn’t recommend using a moisturizer as it can loosen the glue you would be applying.)

Take cotton and glue it on the apples of your cheeks and over your eyebrow area. Adding the cotton will make these areas protrude more and give the face a deep sunken look. Don’t apply glue directly on your eyebrow hair. Apply on the sides and then stick the cotton. It will be best if you can cover the eyebrows well.

For fake teeth I just glued the false nails on my mouth area, just above the upper lip and below the lower lip. After taking the photos I felt I could have cut and shape the acrylic nails to make them look more realistic. You can do that.

Now dip your fingers/ spoon on the liquid gelatin and drip it all over your face except the eye area. Cover the cotton pads as well. Tilt your head accordingly so that the trips can take desired shape. You can use spoon to drip the mixture down or use your fingers to drip, tap and pat sparingly to form falls and textures. This will give a melted, scrappy and gory look. If the gelatin on the bowl starts setting, microwave it for another ten seconds.

Once you have covered all your face, dust some skin colored loose powder to give it the appearance of your own skin.

Now apply black color on your eye area to make it look deep and sunken. Apply black on the mouth and in between the false teeth as well.

Taking the same black color on a small brush, go on the deep and inner most creases and holes formed by the gelatin.

Taking the red color go beside the black and on random creases to accentuate them. Don’t worry about getting perfect. Zombies are better when they are not perfect.

Drop or stipple fake blood on random places, wear the contact lenses, the nun costume, the cross and you are done :D

HOW TO WEAR THE NUN COSTUME:-

Wear the white t-shirt and clip it in the back to make it look like a turtle neck.

Tie the white scarf/dupatta around your head.

Finally wear the black scarf/dupatta/cloth as a veil over the white scarf.

THINGS TO REMEMBER:-

Don’t apply glue directly on the eyebrow. If you did by mistake, apply cotton ball dipped in warm water to loosen the glue and then slowly remove it. Don’t peel off; otherwise you might end up pulling out your brow hair.

Gelatin smells horrible.

Gelatin can get messy, more than you can ever imagine. So be prepared.

Wait for the gelatin to cool down a bit before applying. Otherwise you will burn yourself.

Always do patch test before applying the products on your face. Apply the glue, gelatin, blood on your legs or arms to see if you are reacting to anyone of them.

Lastly, while removing, gently peel it off. If it hurts a lot, soak a towel or napkin in warm water, place it on your face and wait for a few minutes. Then peel the gelatin off. It won’t hurt that way.

That is it. Hope you liked the tutorial. Don’t forget to pour in your comments and suggestions.

Also below are the comments I received on my trailer of the look on social media. Thank you… Thank you... Thank you so much. These mean a lot... I am truly overwhelmed.

The ZOMBIE NUN is HAPPY :D

Time for some behind the sense pictures :D

Hello lovely ladies,

Its been long since I have posted reviews of makeup products, actually it has been long since I have bought any new makeup product. Strange!! Not that I was in a shopping sabbatical or something, I mean I was broke as ever, but being broke never could really stop me from buying stuff. I just got bored of the similar things getting launched by brands. There were no variations, no uniqueness; just same old thing from different brands.

One evening, just before the Durga Puja, I was aimlessly strolling around the ‘lanes’ of Shoppers Stop, when the SA from the Chambor counter tried to grab my attention by literally swinging the tubes of the newly launched CHAMBOR Extreme Wear Transferproof Liquid Lipsticksin front of me and it is needless to say that it didn’t take him much time to hypnotize me. I came out of Shopper’s Stop with four CHAMBOR Liquid Lipsticks and today’s review is on the one that the SA used as the killing weapon, CHAMBOR Extreme Wear Transferproof Liquid Lipstick in shade 407. Chamborhas added 5 new shades to their “Extreme Wear” range and this one is one of those. I have heard only good things about this range, but have never used one. Thus with a happy heart and high hopes I came back home and after using them on and off for a month, it is finally time for the review.

Lets get into the details…

CLAIMS:-

INGREDIENTS:-

PRICE:-

PACKAGING:-
The liquid lipstick comes in a sleek, flat transparent bottle and a screw cap which has the applicator attached to it. The tube further comes housed in a box which has all the details mentioned. The applicator is of decent quality.

SHADE and TEXTURE:-
407 is a stunning, reddish fuchsia color which has a subtle neon tinge to it. It is bright, bold, and beautiful and how much red or pink it will pull totally depends on the light and skin tone. I love to wear this on my no-makeup days. Just a swipe of this and you don’t need anything. It lights up your face in no time.
The texture of the lipstick is like soft butter and applies smoothly and evenly without leaving any streaks behind. The liquid lipstick settles in a comfortable, sophisticated matte finish. I have super dry and flaky lips throughout the year, so I prefer to use this over a layer of Vaseline. Well prepped lips are a must when you are opting for this range.

COLOR PAYOFF and STAYING POWER:-
Saying “insanely pigmented” will be an understatement. One swipe is more than enough to cover lips and obviously any lip pigmentation. It has an amazing staying power as well. It lasted on me for 10+ hours and also fades evenly. It leaves a strong tint behind which looks beautiful and camouflages the fading of the actual lipstick. The tint though looks stunning, is actually a pain to remove. So you have to be careful while wearing it. A mistake can prove fatal as it stains really fast.

FINAL THOUGHTS:-

I am extremely happy with this lipstick. It looks stunning, is smooth, velvety, incredibly pigmented and feels super light on lips. It may take some time to dry, but once it sets, it is absolutely transfer proof. Good formula is something I really love. The matte finish is not flat and feels very comfortable, unlike most of the liquid lipsticks which make my lips look parched. Now I know why people are raving about this range. Yes, the price feels a little on the expensive side, but it is so much worth every penny. I mean I have used liquid lipsticks way more expensive than this, but feel nothing like this.

RATING:-
5/5. This is pure love.

Have you noticed how different it looks under different light? I am totally astonished ...

Have you tried any of CHAMBOR Extreme Wear Transferproof Liquid Lipsticks? If yes, which one is your favorite? If no, get one soon …

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the new section of my blog, “TUG of WAR” where I will be comparing various products from the beauty industry and give you my point of view on them so that it becomes easier for you to decide which one to pick. And the first war is between “Ruby Woo”, the ‘touted’ queen of MAC Cosmetics and its worthy opponent “Russian Red” which is from MAC Cosmetics as well.

Ruby Woo is an insanely famous lipstick from the house of MAC Cosmetics and every woman and every beauty enthusiastic man on earth dream of owning this beauty. I even know people who don’t wear lipsticks much or just love neutral shades, plans or saves money to buy Ruby Woo. They might not know the difference between a liquid lipstick and a gloss, but they know Ruby Woo. Russian Red on the other hand, isn’t that crazy famous, but is supposed to be the second name which people utter after Ruby Woo and has its own beauty and fan following.
And today, on “TUG of War” we will tactfully analyze these two beauties… Heres to eternal classic red lips…

Packaging:-
Both of them have the same packaging, the traditional MAC glossy black bullet case

Color and Undertone:-
Ruby Woo is a vivid blue-red. Absolutely true to it’s name, it is one of the most beautiful ruby red lipsticks that you can ever find.
Russian Red is an intense bluish-red as well. Ruby Woo has tad more pink to it than Russian Red.


Ruby Woo and Russian Red

As per how much cool or warm toned these lipsticks will pull, it totally depends on your skin color and lighting.

Texture and Finish:-
Though the colors have almost the same tones, the texture is what makes them totally different from each other.
Ruby Woo is from the Retro Matte collection. Because of this extreme matte texture, the lipstick takes effort to glide on lips and feels quite drying. My lips remain dry throughout the year and they feel ‘desertified’ when I apply Ruby Woo.
Russsian Red on the other hand is from MAC’s normal Matte range. It feels more moisturizing, glides beautifully on my lips and settles into a stunning and comfortable matte finish.

Well prepped lips are must in case of both these lipsticks, especially with Ruby Woo. It can even make the softest of lips feel and look parched.

Color Payoff and Staying Power:-
Both are incredibly pigmented, but due to the dryness of Ruby Woo you have to swipe it across your lips quite a number of times to get that bold coverage. With Russian Red two swipes are enough. Both of them have fairly same staying power.

Ruby Woo


Russian Red

My Thoughts:-
I had heard about Ruby Woo long before I actually purchased it. I didn’t even know about the brand “MAC” then. People no doubt love Ruby Woo, but along with all the good things I also heard how pain it is to apply and how drying it feels. While researching more about the lipsticks, I came to know about Russian Red and just fell in love with it. I started saving money and finally got my first ever MAC lipstick, Russian Red. And within a year, my love for red lipsticks crazily escalated and I not only bought Ruby Woo, but Riri Woo as well. I love all three of them to the core of my heart. Loved Ruby Woo more for the color and Russian Red more for the texture and Riri Woo for both (sad that it was LE).

Ruby Woo

Russian Red

So Which One to Buy?
Well, this now totally depends on you. If you are looking for the perfect matte red lipstick and are okay with the texture of MAC retro mattes, then you can blindly go for Ruby Woo. It looks flattering on every skin tone and at every age and at any time of the day and year. I have worn Ruby Woo to college, to office, while on vacation, to trips, even when shopping, on dates and to functions; a very wearable shade I must say. Russian Red on the other hand, is also universally flattering and is no less gorgeous, but I feel it look great mostly during evening or night outs. The main difference between these two is their texture. Whatever, Ihave been purchasing these two and will continue to do so till MAC makes them. For me it is hard to choose one between these two. I carry them both wherever I go and my makeup kitty is incomplete without these two.

I couldn't pick one. But could you? Which one is your favorite? Do let us know :)

Hello everyone,

I am back with my favorite section “Blushing Brides” and today I am here with one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen. The first time I saw her on MSB, I was absolutely dumbfounded. Can anyone look so beautiful and so ethereal on her wedding day? And every time I come across who looks so beautiful on her wedding day reminds me how dinosaur-like I looked on mine. She has something in her eyes, in her smile that can make anyone drool over her. So it is an immense pleasure to feature her on our blog today.

But before I start throwing questions at her, let me introduce this beautiful woman to you. Her name, as you all already know, is Atreyee Mukherjee, nicknamed as "Onam" by her loving dida (grandma), since she was born on the Onam festival (Kerala’s harvest festival day). Born in Kolkata, she later shifted to Mumbai, following her father's transfer of work, that is where she had completed her schooling and graduation. She returned in 2012 and completed her Company Secretaryship from Kolkata, since completion she has been working with a Battery Manufacturing Company here.

When asked about marriage she said, “Last year i.e. 2017 my parents decided that since I had reached a marriageable age, they should consider searching eligible grooms for me. I had a couple of criteria's in my mind for my groom, for example he should stay in Kolkata, since I am a single I have been very attached to my parents and needed to be in the same city as them. Secondly, we feel compatible to each other, like having similar kind of hobbies, values, financial background and of course I should be able to connect with the person mentally. My parents eventually opened an account with "Bharat Matrimony" and then started their search for an eligible groom.”

How did you guys meet?
“My mother-in law had contacted my father through the matrimonial site. Soon both the side of the families started interacting with each other, and eventually shared our respective numbers. My husband, Shounak and I started speaking to each other over the phone, after a week of interaction we decided to meet personally. We went to a restaurant named "Aira" at Parkstreet wherein we discussed at length about each other’s preferences, aims, families etc. He then asked me if i would like to see his school which was "St. Xaviers, Parkstreet", we took a stroll around the building wherein he showed me the classrooms where he had studied, the playground, the Principal's office etc. Every time he showed me around his school I could feel the innocence of a child who is still so attached with his Alma Mater. I realized that day he is a very emotional person and the entire time we spent that day gave me a nice positive feeling.
Shounak was the first match for me, and somehow I felt it would work between us. Both of us gave a positive reply to our parents once we came back home, and of course the families were elated.”

"To my parents who left no stone unturned to make these days the most memorable days of my life, my relatives who toiled during these five days"

So how long did you get to plan your entire wedding?
“We had a courtship which was almost eight months long, so yes I could plan out things for myself during the period. It is important to get a reasonable time as courtship, these are the days that you get to know your partner well over the time, the awkwardness of marring a stranger in an arranged set up reduces a lot if your courtship is long, it gives you time to be personally and physically comfortable.”

Tell us something about where you got your outfits and accessories, both wedding and reception?“My wedding saree was purchased from JAI LAKSHMI HERITAGE. It is a Katan Silk with zardosi embroidery on it. My reception saree was purchased from - INDIAN SILK HOUSE, it is an orange and gold kanjeevaram silk.

The gold jewellery were purchased from Kalyan, Senco and Anjali Jewellers.The mangtika, belt and nath are costume jewellery which I purchased from NEW MARKET, ground floor store. All of these are from "Shree Hari”

The veil was made by my tailor, I got a net which was of a color similar to my saree, got these laces and asked my tailor to stitch the dupatta for me.”

Below is her Mehndi look

Where did you get your makeup and hair done?
“The wedding makeup was done by Mr. Ujjaal Debnath, the hair was also taken care by his team.

The reception makeup was done by a family friend of my in-laws.”

Tell us something about your photographer?
“The photographers were "Passionate Photography" they have really done a good job. They were on time for the shoot, professional and extremely courteous. I am indeed impressed with the wedding album made by them.”

Any special moment you want to share with us?
“On our first month anniversary my husband surprised me with a beautiful bunch of roses and card which was delivered to me in my office, we eventually cut a cake and celebrated with our family. It indeed turned out to be a special memory for both of us.”

DECKandDINE says:-
As I said, she is one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen. From her drape to the makeup, everything was on point. Ujjwal Debanth is a magician no doubt, with Onam is herself so beautiful and every makeup artists’ dream. I love how she went with a different shade of red benarasi other than the ones we usually see on brides. The idea of going with a tailor made veil is perfect as well. She was glowing and her happiness reflected in her eyes. And as the saying goes, “A happy woman is a beautiful woman”.

Thank you Onam for sharing your story with us. Wishing Sounak and you a lifetime of fun filled moments, love and happiness. God bless..
____________________________________________________________________________________

Want to feature your wedding story with us? Send a mail to madhu.9615@gmail.com

Hello everyone,

Diwali is knocking at the door and as promised I am here today with the Diwali Look Book.

Our work life has kept no stone unturned to make our life monotonous and dull; the same routine, same type of clothes every day. Though I have the privilege to wear anything I like, but still, I hardly get chances to wear those beautiful sarees and glamorous kurtas or salwars sleeping in my cupboard. So during the festive season I make it a point to wear only traditional outfits. Bidding goodbye to jeans and tops throughout rest of the year is tough, but it makes for a happy story for these few days. I generally wear sarees when going traditional, as I find myself most comfortable in them. But for today’s look I thought of moving out of my comfort zone and choose an Anarkali instead.

Today’s look is requested by one of my readers who wanted me to do two Diwali special looks, one with silver jewelry and one with gold. Swatilekha, this post is hence, dedicated to you :)

Maybe this is the first time I had a look already drawn in my mind before I started creating it. The Anarkali I chose was Prussian blue with random prints on the border and sleeves. It also had a small jacket in the same random prints and colors. The jacket and anarkali had big silver findings attached on the chest and also tied on the latkan ends. Ever since I got this outfit, I wanted to do intense smokey eyes with it, accompanied by silver jewelry. And that is what I did.

So without blabbering any time further, lets start with the breakdown of the look …

MAKEUP:-

Eye Makeup:-

Instead of black Smokey eyes, I went with blue Smokey eyes.

I always prefer doing eyes first, so that if there are fall outs, I can easily clean them off before doing my base makeup.

Start by grooming your eyebrows and prepping your eye lids. Apply a wash of skin colored eye shadow all over your lid, crease and brow bone to get rid of any oil residue.
Now pack some matte blue eye shadow on the centre of your lid. (I went with a blue similar to the blue of my dress. You can choose your favorite shade of blue or any other color. Totally up to you. The blue eye shadow I used (the only blue eye shadow I currently have) has a terrible chalky texture, it refused to stay or even blend properly. It became patchy, moved all over my lids creating havoc. So choose wisely.)
Take a fluffy brush, swirl over a matte brown eye shadow and start swiping to and fro on the crease, blending any harsh lines.
Pack on the colors again if you feel like.
You can add a wash of black eye shadow on the outer corner to make it look smokier. I was already having a hard time with the blue eye shadow hence skipped it.
Now line your waterline with kohl.
Dip a pencil/smudging brush in the blue eye shadow, pat off the excess and start smudging the kohl with it.
Don’t forget to highlight the brow bone.
Once you are done smudging your lower lash line, line your waterline again to have a crisp look. Apply loads of mascara to round off your look.

This eye makeup is basically super easy and hardly takes 5 minutes to complete. I like my smokey eyes to be really intense and stark. You can play with the intensity and blend the colors out as per your comfort level.

Base:-
Clean off any fallout. Apply a moisturizer and pat lightly so that it sinks into your skin nicely. Apply dots of your favorite foundation all over the face and blend with a wet sponge. This will give a dewy finish. Do correcting and concealing if needed. My foundation is HUDA Beauty Faux Filter foundation and concealer is Maybelline Age Rewind.
Finally I applied a light wash of Ben Nye Loose Powder in Fair to set everything.

Cheeks:-
Apply your favorite blush on the apples of the cheeks and also your favorite highlighter on the high cheek bones and bridge of your nose. I went for a peachy pink blush from Ben Nye Blush Palette and my highlighter is Wet n Wild Blossom Glow highlighter.

Lips:-
As the eye makeup is intense, you can go for muted lips. Peach, subtle pink, peachy pink will go nice with the look. I applied Colorpop Dopey.

HAIR:-
I love to keep my hair natural and the crazy locks dominating me. You can go for funky braids or any other hairstyle of your choice.

ATTIRE:-
You already know it ;)

JEWELLERY and ACCESSORIES:-
As planned, I went with junk silver jewellery. My silver jhumka is from Amrapalli (PR product) and the finger ring is from Chandni Chowk, New Delhi.
The bag is a silver box purse with intricate design and pearl shell work.

My shoe is a simple black sandal from Inc.5.

That basically rounds up my look. The look is very simple to do and can be nailed within minutes. It is a very versatile look and looks great with almost anything you wear. If done in a proper way, smokey eyes can never go wrong. It is something different from usual festive gold toned makeup, so great for people who want to flaunt silver jewellery and silver toned accessories.

What are your plans for Diwali this year? What are you wearing? Let us know ..

See you tomorrow again, with another Diwali special look. Don’t forget to drop in your comments. ..

Hello everyone,

In India festivities are as much about lights, colors, new clothes, food and all the other pomp and shows as much as it is about spending time with near and dear ones. Since I can remember the pujas meant visits to ‘mama’r bari’, having food outings with dadas and didis and much more. It is not just the festivities for us, its festivities with family, and through all the bright colors we use during our festivals, it just conveys the happiness within us.

Amongst all the other festivals, for us Bengalis’, Durgapujaand Diwali occupy the most special place in our hearts. I always try to do something special for these days and thanks to my readers that they keep egging me on such occasions.

Starting today’s post, first I would like to thank you all for loving my last Diwali Look. (You can click HERE if you missed it) and as promised, today I am back with another one. This is again a requested post where a reader, Swatilekha Banerjee had asked me to do a gold toned makeup. I love makeup that has gold tinge to it, goes very well with our Indian skin tone and screams festivity.

So without wasting any time further, lets get into the details… My niece named the look, "Beautiful "Pipi" woman in Red Saree" .. Pipi is aunt in bengali :D

MAKEUP:-

Eye Makeup:-

I went for simple gold smoky eyes. No cut crease, no halo; just plain and simple golden smoky eyes. There was a time when this used to be my go to festive look. Looks stunning, is super duper easy to create and is immensely flattering on our Indian skin tone. I was about to apply the kajal on lower lash line when it donned, how about adding a dash of color on the lower lash line?! That’s what I did and it took the whole look to a completely different level. A colored liner can really amp up your look in seconds.
So lets go through the eye makeup tutorial.

Prep your eyes and groom your brows. Apply a skin colored eye shadow/ loose powder on your lids and brow bone so that there are no oil residue.
Start by applying a wash of reddish brown eye shadow on the crease.
Now take a matte black eye shadow and apply on the outer corners of eyes. Blend and buff well so that there are no harsh lines in between the colors.
Once everything is nice and blended, pat the gold eye shadow on the inner corner and center of the lid. Buff again so that the colors blend well into each other. Make sure you don’t over blend so that the colors move from their actual places and barge in other colors’ territory.
once everything is nice and blended take your gel/liquid liner and draw a wing. I am not comfortable in dramatic wings, hence baby wings for me. (This step is optional.)
Taking a matte green liner/eye shadow line the lower lash line. (I lined with a green liner first, but wasn’t happy with the shade of green, so took a green eye shadow of my choice and smudged the liner with it)
Highlight your brow bone.
Apply loads of mascara to round off the look. You can wear false lashes as well.

Base Makeup:-
For every detail on base makeup you can click HERE. Everything is same.

Lips:-
I went for nude lips, but red lips would also look amazing with the look. My lipcolor is Strip from Colorpop.

HAIR:-
Open hair as usual… My hair has its own life and they make me feel most comfortable when they are open. What is life if your hair doesn’t dominate you?

ATTIRE:-
After the Anarkali, this has to be a saree. I am totally a saree person. Saree feels like home to me, that’s what I feel comfortable in. Recently I got a saree from the house of Sringar. It is a beautiful tomato red soft silk saree with green and rich gold border and a green pallu. I love wearing saree in traditional way with open pallu, but this time I wanted to do something different and add some interesting twists and hence went for “Dhoti Style” instead. It was rather difficult with this saree due to the softness and utter smooth silky texture, but I was adamant. After a lot of struggle I could manage to drape it.

Wear your blouse and stockings (instead of petticoat). Now drape the saree around your waist keeping around 1.5m to your left (the non pallu side) and the rest on your right. Pin the section on the center keeping the right section over the left. Now take the left section and start pleating the vertically, like you would do on pallu. Take that from between the legs and tuck it on the back. Make sure you have nice pleats and the border is showing. Now pleat the pallu, take it from your left, going around your back to your right and then to front tossing it over your left shoulder. Pin the pleats well. Do pleats on the back portion as well so s should be visible on the hips. If there are portions left on the front, pleat them up and tuck on the middle.
The key of this look is to keep all the pleats neat and crisp. It sounds a bit complicated, but is actually pretty easy to do. You can follow this link for the video tutorial. Also you can click HERE to learn other unconventional ways of wearing sarees.
I paired the saree with a green blouse.

ACCESSORIES:-
Just a big gold jhumka and a pair of gold bangles along with my sankha pola.

That sums up my look. Hope you like it and find it useful as well. Tag me if you recreate.

Lastly, I would like to wish all of you a very Happy and safe Diwali. Stay safe and also pledge a safer world for all the friends who can’t speak up, but die or transfer into state of shock due to the sound of crackers. The thousands of birds, dogs and other animals, they need us. Lets pledge for a cracker and sound free Diwali.

Happy Diwali ..

If still not in Kolkata, Miniso, the quirky beauty and lifestyle brand from Japan has arrived near the city of joy in Howrah few days back. My first encounter with this brand was back in 2015. I was on a work trip in Shanghai, China and one evening while roaming around West Nanjing Road I just randomly entered their store and ohh! Boy!!.. I was absolutely stunned; such amazing stuff and available at such awesome prices. I don’t remember anything that I saw being above 500 rupees (after calculating the exchange rate, obviously). In fact most of their products were within Rs.200. From makeup and beauty items to skin and hair care products, from funky fashion accessories to stylish bags and shoes, from gadgets to other amazing electronic devices, from household items to books, diaries and pens, the store was jam packed with such cute, funky and quirky stuff. I absolutely loved the brand. So when Miniso opened their store in our vicinity, I was beyond elated.

Listed below are those that I feel are best from the array of products from Miniso Land. Lets have a look :D

MAKEUP, FRAGRANCES AND SKIN-HAIR CARE PRODUCTS:-
I am a fan of their of their skin and hair care range. You name it, they have it. From face wash, face mask, toner to creams, serums and luxurious facial oils. From exotic hand creams to very effective foot creams, their skin care range covers each and everything you can imagine. Their fragrances and makeup range is equally alluring. Lipsticks, lip pencils, chubby sticks, brow products, kohl, shadow, compact, loose powder, bb cream, foundation, they have everything. The store in Howrah, as just newly opened, doesn’t have a lot of stock, but has promised to bring more soon. Price: 150-600INRapprox.

FASHION ACCESSORIES, GROOMING TOOLS, BAGS AND SANDALS:-

Sunglasses. I am a fan of Miniso Sunglasses. They are so cute, of amazing quality and don’t burn holes in pockets. The range starts from 290 INR and goes up till 690 INR.
BAGS. Miniso houses cute, girly hand bags, purses, coin bags, wallets, casual backpacks. Starting from 190INR the prices go till 1000 INR.

You can check their range of makeup and grooming tools; makeup brushes, hair brushes, sponges, puffs, razor, face cleaning brushes, etc. I wanted to buy their silicon brush, but forgot to add it to the cart. Price ranges from 190 INR to 800 INR approx.

Sandals. Currently Miniso Howrah only sells flip flops. Priced at 450 INR +, though cute, I find these a little expensive.

CREATIVE HOMEWARE and KITCHEN NECESSITIES:-
This is where my husband straight heads and stays glued to. From sexy looking cutlery to trendy glassware and novelties, from utensils to other kitchen articles, like kitchen gloves and wipes, they have a huge variety of everything.
Price- Starts from 200 INR. The mugs and wine glasses are priced in between 200-300 INR. Other items are priced higher.

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS, ELECTRONICS AND OTHER ACCESSORIES:-

Neck Pillows. Cute, adorable and utterly butterly soft neck pillows, priced at 490 INR. You can also check this section for power bank, funky USB cables and headphones and ohh yes, hair dryer. The hair dryer is priced at 790INR here. I got mine at 600 INR from MINISO China.

STATIONERY:
You can check this section for cute looking pens, diaries, decorative tapes, etc.

WHAT I GOT:-
A makeup mirror, an acrylic storage box, a hand cream, a facial foam cleanser, a loose setting powder, a some home ware, glassware and of course, a sunglass. Apart from what I purchased here, I already have quite a few of the other items that I bought from Miniso China, hence skipped buying here.

Where is Miniso, Howrah located:-
Obviously in Howrah, at Avani Riverside Mall, just beside Health Glow and Big Bazaar.

Contact Number:
7980172738

Every time I visit a Miniso store around the globe, I never come out empty handed. So, if you are a sucker for everything cute and funky like me, then this is where you should head. I am using their products for three years now and can vouch for their quality. Just that I feel their prices in India are higher than what I have seen in China. Also I wish they stock more products and better variety of products, just like they do in China. Overall, I am just beyond happy with their store launch in Howrah and waiting for their grand opening of Kolkata store, which is going to happen soon.

Hello wonderful women,

Today I am here with a review of a product from a Japanese brand, Miniso. My first encounter with Miniso was way back in 2015. From then I am using their products on and off. Recently I got quite a few goodies from the brand and being a Miniso Japan fan, I am excited beyond words. Miniso has recently opened their store in Avani Riverside Mall, Howrah, just few minutes from Kolkata, so great news for people who love cute and quirky stuff. You can click the link HERE to see the best products to buy from Miniso Howrah.

Coming back to today’s post, today on our review table we have Miniso Lemon Scrub. This is a long pending post and I have actually finished the tube a few months back. So without wasting any time, lets get into the nitty gritty details.

ABOUT THE PRODUCT:-
Most of their ‘claims’ are written in Japanese and a little in Chinese. What I could decipher is that it is jam packed with lemon essence with other vital ingredients that gives you clear, glowing skin by scrubbing off dead skin without ripping off the essential moisture.

PRICE:-
10RMB, equivalent to 100INR approx.

PACKAGING:-
The product comes in a no-fuss plastic squeeze-tube with a flip-flop cap. The top shuts well so there is no fear of leakage even during travel.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION and HOW TO USE:-
The scrub is a clear jelly devoid of any granules. It has a silky texture and you will be able to feel that once you start spreading it over the skin.

Squeeze 1-2 pea-sized amount of the scrub on your palm and dot it over your face and neck.
Start massaging the product gently with your fingers, spreading it uniformly all over your face and neck.
Within a few seconds you will see white particles crumbling over your skin; those are your dead skin.
Wash with plain water and pat dry.

WORDS OF CAUTION:-
Do a patch test before using it on your face.
Start with small quantity and increase only if truly required. But don’t exceed 2 pea-sized amounts.
Don’t use on the skin around eyes.
This will give a mild tingling sensation. Stop using it you find it uncomfortable.
Don’t keep it on your skin over 2-3 minutes.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH MINISO LEMON SCRUB:-
The first time I squeezed this product out of the tube, I got disappointed. There were no granules and I always thought that scrubs are meant to have tiny granules to exfoliate well. How come this will even work on someone’s skin? I tagged it as a bad buy and with zero hope I started applying it on my face. Within a few seconds white tissue like particles started coming off on the surface of my skin. It was tingling as well. I literally got frightened thinking that the product has gone bad and I have used a stale thing on my face. I washed off immediately fearing reactions. But oh my God, my skin felt so soft. That’s when I took time and actually read the directions of use and then laughed so hard at my own stupidity.

Anyway, from then onward I had enjoyed using this product quite a bit. I used it only once a week and felt that was enough. You can use the scrub twice a week at max.
Though I didn’t notice any change in the appearance of the blackheads, but overall my skin felt incredibly soft and smooth after each use. Sometimes I did feel the need of some added hydration after using it, but it is nothing that a gentle moisturizer couldn’t fix.

Overall, it is a decent product and does its job nicely. It never caused any irritation or broke me out. At such an affordable price, this is indeed a steal.

Miniso has quite a few variants of this and I hope to try them someday. Currently I am using Innisfree’s Wine Jelly Softner and soon will be reviewing that. Have you used peel scrubs? Or peeling face washes? Which is your favorite? Let us know ...

CHAMBOR Extreme Wear Transfer Proof Liquid Lipstick Nocturne 406 Review

There was a time when liquid lipsticks were not easily available in India. Many or should I say most brands did not have liquid lipsticks in their lip cosmetics range. But luckily we have come across a considerable change in this aspect. Now liquid lipsticks have become pretty common and many brands are coming up with a wide variety of them. Currently I am obsessing over Chambor’s Extreme Wear range, especially the shades launched recently. I have already reviewed CHAMBOR Extreme Wear Transferproof Liquid Lipstick 407 (you can check the review HERE)few days back and today I will be reviewing CHAMBOR Extreme Wear Transferproof Liquid Lipstick 406.

Lets get into the details…

PACKAGING:-
The liquid lipstick comes in a sleek, flat transparent bottle with a screw cap which has the applicator attached to it. The tube further comes housed in a box which has all the details mentioned.

The applicator is of good quality and picks up the right amount of product.

SHADE and TEXTURE:-

406 is a stunning, rich rose red; the kind of roses which are dark, beautiful and mystic all together. The lip color has right amount of red, maroon and burgundy to it. Bold, beautiful and sensuous. How much dark it will look and how much red it will pull totally depend on the light and skin tone. With this on you don’t really have to worry about rest of your makeup. A savior on no-makeup days; just a swipe it on, put some mascara and you don’t need anything else. It lights up your face in seconds.

The texture of the Chambor Extreme Wear liquid lipstick 406 is super soft and applies smoothly and evenly without tugging or leaving any streaks. It settles in a very comfortable, sophisticated matte finish. This doesn’t accentuate my dry patches or sink into fine lines. I have dry and flaky lips throughout the year, so I prefer to use this over a layer of Vaseline. Well prepped lips are a must when you are opting for this range.

COLOR PAYOFF and STAYING POWER:-
Gorgeously pigmented. One swipe is more than enough to cover lips and obviously any lip pigmentation. It has an amazing staying power as well. It lasted on me for 10+ hours and also fades evenly. It leaves a strong tint behind which looks beautiful and camouflages the fading of the actual lipstick. The tint though looks stunning, is actually a pain to remove. So you have to be careful while wearing it. A mistake can prove fatal as it stains really fast.

The lipcolor looks a bit darker in real

FINAL THOUGHTS:-
I was looking for a lip color similar to this since long. I love how the underlying red tone makes this maroonish lip color so different from anything available in the market. A very unique shade which I feel is universally flattering. Very fall appropriate.
I love this lip color. It looks gorgeous on lips, is soft, velvety, applies smoothly, incredibly pigmented and feels super light on lips. It may take a minute or two to dry, but once it sets, it is absolutely transfer proof. More than good colors, good formula is something I really love you know. The matte finish is not flat and looks very sophisticated and feels pillowy and comfortable on lips, unlike many liquid lipsticks which make lips look and feel like deserts. The price is a little on the expensive side, but it is so much worth it. Trust me, people have reasons to rave about this range. I love it and you are going to love it as well.

RATING:-
5/5.

Have you tried any of CHAMBOR Extreme Wear Transferproof Liquid Lipstick 406? Have you tried any of CHAMBOR Extreme Wear Transferproof Liquid Lipsticks? If yes, which one is your favorite? If no, get one soon …

Have you ever saved money to buy a particular beauty product? I have, quite a few times, especially during my college days. And even after saving, spent days and nights thinking “whether it is actually worth buying”, “whether I actually need it in my life”, etc. Anyway, after many such brutal wars in between my mind and heart, finally and as usually the heart own and I bought my first ever bottle of Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Foundation. The decision to spend money on something I seldom wear was difficult to take, but this was in my wish list since long and couldn’t be happier.

And now it is time to get into the nitty-gritty details of it…

What Estee Lauder Claims:-

Price:
Rs 3300 for 30ml.

Packaging:-
The foundation comes in a frosted glass jar with a golden screw cap. The bottle feels and looks luxurious. The glass bottle further comes housed in a violet box with all the details mentioned on it.

My Experience with Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Foundation in 1W2 SAND.

(SHADE, TEXTURE, FINISH, COVERAGE and LONGEVITY)
Lets start with a detailed analysis of my skin: I am fair (NC20 in MAC). I don’t have acne or pimples currently, but have a bit of scarring left by ex-pimples. There is slight discoloration on the side of mouth and forehead area. My skin is normal which goes dry in winters.

I am in shade 1W2 SAND and Estee Lauder describes SAND as “soft beige with warm to yellow undertones”. This particular shade is for fair-light skin tones and suits my NC20skin beautifully. There are total 56 shades, so finding the correct shade for you won’t be a problem.

Being a liquid foundation it has a medium runny texture, feels very smooth and is easy to blend. The finish is polished matte and it sets almost instantly, so you have to work fast blending it well into the skin. As the finishis matte, a clean, well prepped skin is indispensable. Otherwise it might go streaky, might look unblended and will just sit on top of your skin instead if melding with it. I use this foundation over my usual moisturizer and spreads beautifully, giving a nice blended look without sitting on top of the skin.

Coming to the coverage, it has a medium to highcoverage and it does, cover and conceal amazingly. As it has a high coverage, one can go overboard easily and end up with a cakey, plastic like face. So you have to keep the quantity in mind. Start with a little and build up slowly. Know where to stop. When applied in a thin layer with damped beauty blender, it could actually look pretty natural.
True to its name, it stayed in place all day, without transferring or fading and didn’t seem to visibly sink into my pores or fine lines even though I didn’t use primer.It is great for Indian summers, the finish doesn't make your skin look sticky and sweaty.

Summing up “LIKES” and “DISLIKES”

What I LIKED about Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Foundation in 1W2 SAND:-

Has SPF.
Truly Long Wearing.
Polished matte finish.
Beautiful texture.
Blends easily and settles quickly.
Medium-to-full coverage.
Covers and conceals redness, marks and scars beautifully giving a smoother looking skin.
Transfer-resistant; waterproof.
Great for Indian summers.
Doesn’t highlight wrinkles or patches if skin is well prepped.
Doesn’t clog pores.
Doesn’t oxidize.
Oil-free; fragrance-free.
Dermatologist-tested.

What I don’t like aboutEstee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Foundation in 1W2 SAND:

The packaging though looks classy, is not at all travel friendly. Once I travelled with it inside my handbag. I made sure that the cap was tightly shut, but it leaked during travel leading to product wastage. Also while pouring the product, I pour more than required and putting it back is messy and unhygienic. I wish it came with a pump dispenser.

Final Thoughts:-
I am not someone who likes foundation with high coverage or with absolute matte finish. This foundation has both and absolutely loving the foundation. I don’t how and why, but slowly I fell in love with it. I might sound like a teenager, experiencing love for the first time, but this is basically how I feel. I love how it conceals imperfections, gives an even and smooth finish, yet looks very natural; I love how it feels and looks throughout the day. I was in a double mind before buying this foundation, but I am very glad I took the step and finally bought it. Whenever I need to wear foundation, my hands automatically reach to it. I have been trying a lot of foundations out there looking for THE ONE and I guess I have finally found it. There is something about this foundation. This photographs beautifully as well.
I would highly recommend it if you are looking for high coverage, long staying foundations with a matte finish. Just keep your skin well moisturized and well prepped. The vast range of shades helps you to pick your correct shade as well. So go and get yourself one. You won’t regret.

RATING:-
5/5.

Which is your favorite foundation? Have you tried Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Makeup?

Winter is here; time for fuzzy socks, cozy blankets, hot chocolate, and of cracked feet, dry scalp and scratchy skin. With the amazing benefits that winter brings, comes the woes of the cold weather as well. I have dry hands and feet throughout the year and it becomes worse in winters. That’s when body cutters come to the rescue. The Body Shop, as we all know, makes amazing bath and body products and last year I got a chance to try few from their Shea Butter range. I have almost finished the tubs and thus before tossing it away, I thought of doing a quick review for you all.

Today I shall also be reviewing The Body Shop Shea Lip Butter along with The Body Shop Shea Body Butter. Without further ado, lets get started…

What THE BODY SHOP CLAIMS:-

PRICE:

Body Butter:INR 1,045.00for 200ml
Lip Butter: INR 245.00 for 10ml

Where to Buy:-
The Body Shop Official Website and THE BODY SHOP outlets across the globe.

PACKAGING:-
The body and lip butter come in round pale pink tubs with screw caps; simple, fuss free and travel-friendly. You can easily toss it in your handbag; the tubs are small and don’t take much space in your bag. But I personally don’t like dipping my fingers on the tubs due to hygiene issues, so I carry a spatula and q-tips with me, spatula for the body butter and Q-tip for the lip butter.

My Experience with The Body Shop Shea Body Butterand The Body Shop Shea Lip Butter

Body Butter:-

The body butter smells delicious and has a soft, creamy texture which blends easily and beautifully into skin. It gets absorbed with slight massaging and doesn’t leave any greasy feel behind. It keeps my skin soft and smooth and prevents my skin from further drying out. The body butter kind of acts as a barrier that helps to seal in moisture. You will need small amount, so the tub will last you long.

I apply it in the morning before going out and top it with my sunscreen. My skin remains scratch free for almost the entire day. Yet sometimes, I love to reapply it again midday, not because my skin feels thirsty, but because I love the fragrance and feel of it on my skin. I reapply before going to bed at night.

Lip Butter:-

The lip butter has an amazing fragrance as well, tastes sweet and has a thicker texture, but becomes soft and creamy when you spread on lips. This, unlike many lip butters in the market, doesn’t leave a waxy feel on your lips. But it kind of just sits on your lips and takes forever to soak in. You can apply this alone for instant hydration, slathering it on your lips before going to bed. You can also apply this for prepping your lips and dab on a tissue before wearing lipsticks or can even keep it for an added moisture barrier underneath your super dry matte liquid lipsticks.

This unfortunately doesn’t provide long moisturization, so you have to reapply frequently. I apply it only during day, rub hard sinking it in, but don’t apply it when hitting the sack at night. Because I have very dry lips which flake throughout the year and for the night repairs, I need something heavier and more moisturizing than this. Nothing, I repeat, nothing can beat Boroline there.

Summing the LIKES and DISLIKES:-

What I like about The Body Shop Shea Body Butterand The Body Shop Shea Lip Butter:-

I love the warm nutty and aromatic scent of the duo
Rich butter texture that sinks into the skin
Non greasy and non-sticky
The lip butter doesn’t feel waxy
The body butter provides ultra-rich moisture and replenishes skin
Protects skin from further dryness
The lip butter makes lips soft and supple.
100% vegan.
Cruelty free.
Easily available both online and offline.
Decently priced.

What I DON’T LIKE about The Body Shop Shea Body Butterand The Body Shop Shea Lip Butter:-

Tub packaging.
The lip butter sits on top and needs effort to blend and sink it in.
I wish the lip butter kept my lips moisturised for a longer time period.
The lip butter doesn’t heal dry or chapped lips.

Final Thoughts
I love The Body Shop for their amazing products. I love how in spite of having a thick consistency the body butter just melts and gets absorbed easily and quickly into the skin. I love how amazingly scented it is and how wonderfully it works, nourishing and replenishing my skin. But I am not so impressed with the The Body Shop lip butter and the reasons I have already stated. But that is because I have dry, chapped lips and the lip butter does nothing other than providing moisturisation for a short while. It might work for you, but unfortunately didn’t work for me.
I have been using body butters from TBS since long and have never been disappointed, but my first experience with the lip butter isn’t that good. So I’ll skip buying the lip butters from them.

Rating:-

BODY BUTTER: 4/5

LIP BUTTER: 2./5

Have you tried The Body Shop Shea Body Butter and The Body Shop Shea Lip Butter? Or any other variants? Which is your favourite body and lip butter? Let us know

Hello everyone,

I am back with my favourite section of the blog “The Blushing Brides” and with one of my favourite women, Pamela Sumit Sarkar. This is actually a long pending post and Pamela di had already sent the write-up and pictures long back in 2016. I was planning to upload it on her anniversary date that year, but totally forgot to do so. Sorry Pameladi. But better to be late than never, today is 9^th December 2018, her 12^th Wedding Anniversary and here we are sending them all the love and best wishes as they celebrate another year of love and affection for one another.

Happy Anniversary Pamela Di. You are one of the most wonderful women in my life. You have stood my me, you inspire me and I look up to you for every little thing in life. Featuring you on “TheBlushing Bride” is such an honour. I hope my readers will find this post as beautiful and helpful as I find it to be …
Lets have a look…

How did you guys met?
“Well I first got a call in the evening from him and got to know that a common friend of mine shared my number with him without letting me know. I was in a bad relationship then and Sumit (my husband) came as a boon for me. After that call, he kept on calling and we used to talk and he pulled me out of the abusive relationship. We met for the first time at Asutosh College. It was October 2005, my Part 1 results came out that day....well Yes inspite of so much tension, I chose that day to meet. It was for a short time. But I guess something clicked unknowingly and even after several fights, disagreements and also unconditional possessive love, here we stand together hand in hand dealing with our life for the last 12 years along with our son.

Introducing Rik Babu :)

After a courtship of 8months, without any prior intimation (as I was willing to try out a ‘live in’ relationship, as I don't believe that love can only be legalized by the institution of Marriage), he called me and proposed and all of a sudden I get to meet his family, who were more willing and eager to bring me home. My father objected being a typical father of a single pampered daughter but of course at the end, gave in and both the families met and the date was fixed.”

So how long did you get to plan your entire wedding?
“The Date was fixed in the month of June, 2006 after getting the desired venue. My social marriage date was 9th December, 2006 which was just a good day and not a typical marriage date (it was not a shubho bibaho logno). We celebrate two days. One is 5th December when we did our registry and the other one is 9th December. We got practically 5 months to make the arrangements and preparations. Well first that came in my mind is that I lost 15kilos before my wedding date. The venues on both sides were booked along with the caterers. Food being an extremely important part of both the families, menus got decided too. After Pujas in the month of October, we selected our cards from numerous shops at College Street. Being Central Kolkatans, we always depended on them for every occassions. The lights, decorations, flowers were contacted but they were done in the last week!!!”

Tell us something about where you got your outfits and accessories, forboth wedding and reception?
“Well even though we all dream big things, still we cannot override the works of destiny. My wedding was not a grand affair 12 years back with renowned Makeup Artists and Designers and Photographers. And given a chance I won't change anything that happened 12 years back. It was a simple wedding with loads of sincere love and blessings and that was enough to live an eternity with.

I chose all my sarees, suits, cosmetics, skin care, hair care stuff, shoes, bags and everything both sides. I wanted to wear a red traditional benarasi and bought it from Priyo Gopal Bishoyi after a good hunt. My red benarasi was a lot like my cousin sister's as I wished that only. I had teamed it up with simple red scarf (chunri/dupatta) and gold jewelleries from my mother, grandmom and aunts ---- all were there for generations---- and were from PC Chandra and Senco Gold. Mehendiwas done by the mehendi artists from Gariahat.

My Gaye Holud Sari was initially the yellow cotton saree (taant) and then had to wear another yellow cotton saree gifted by mother-in-law during the gaye holud process.

I chose a red Taat Benarasi for the morning Rice Ceremony on the Reception Day. And my Benarasi was my choice too from Adi Dhakeshwari Bastralaya, Gariahat Branch. It was a beautiful light pink (godhuli/twilight pink) one but was very very heavy unlike my wedding benarasi. I was excited to wear it and I wore both the benarasis several times after that as they were very easy to carry anywhere.

I wore the Jorowa jewelleries done with rubies on my reception. It was my mil's gift to me. What irked me was I had to wear a 3kilos heavy flower tiara from 6pm till 2am at night and it was so tiring to smile for most of the unknown people from 1200 ones.”

Where did you get your makeup and hair done?

For my wedding day , my MUA was Sangita Do from a parlour in my locality which was very much popular and was pretty modern in comparison with others. I have irritation with anything on my forehead. So my MUA didn't make the traditional art on my forehead and kept it simple along with the overall makeup. That was the first time i wore red on my lips. She only did my hair. I then had grown my hair long and so no false buns were needed, nor did she used any setting sprays on my hair. She did a big high bun which was not at all heavy to carry. She helped me to wear the sari too along with the jewelleries.

I was new so couldn't say much about my reception look but the outcome actually made me happy. My MIL arranged the MUA from her known salon parlour and honestly I liked her work a lot. She did more or less same job with my hair too. Just puffed the hair in the front part to give volume. The only pain was that heavy weighted flower tiara.

I guess that was when I first saw a new light about Makeup Faqs. Lol!!! That was when I first wore a deep red shade which was completely unlike me 12 years back.

No big photographers were appointed to do the job, mostly due to financial troubles because my father met a fatal accident few years back from then, and lost half an inch of his leg. So there was a financial crunch and I never forced my parents to go overboard with the expenses back then. That we got their blessings and love from my big joint family was more than enough. The appointed photographers did a good job with capturing the right moments and making the album full of memories to cherish a lifetime. But the video was a bit drag initially with awful songs and scenes so they had to edit it again. And yes just after two days we went to Lachung, Yumsumdong, Gangtok and Darjeeling for our Honeymoon with my newly-wed sister-in-law and brother-in-law.

Any special moment you want to share with us?
“Oh well there are both special and funny moments that make me giggle and smile whenever I think about them. I am a "ghoti" as in we originate from West Bengal only unlike my husband who is "Bangal"😉😉😂😂 So we have a ritual of "Aiburo Bhaat", the last grand eating ceremony of a spinster or a bachelor. So it was celebrated just before the grand wedding day. It was a pretty much grand a ceremony where all the near and dear ones, relatives, friends and family showered me with gifts, gold and blessings and the lunch spread was pretty much elaborate too which extended till dinner. So at lunch I was served many courses of bengali food and my mother, aunts and grandmom blessed me with hugs, love and gold and all became very emotional as they all knew that I will be leaving soon and I was the most pampered child at home.

Another special moment was my sindur daan ceremony at 'bashi biye' the next day after wedding. With that red vermilion on my forehead, something actually changed within me. It was such a strong feeling.

Funniest moment for me was when I was about to leave for my in-law house with hubby and practically everyone was crying and I was the one consoling everyone instead of crying. But yes my father was not to be found in the scene and I caught only few glimpses of him when the car left the door. Being a single daughter, I was very much attached to him and it took him a long time to actually accept another man in my life.

Any advice you want to share with all the readers out there?
“Well, just live the moments. Forget the grandeur and cameras, the show-offs are momentary only. What lasts are those little moments with your family. We need to accept that there is a difference between the life before and after marriage for both the brides and grooms and it takes a good solid time to accept and get accustomed in 24x7 schedules after marriage. So enjoy the most before getting married, draw and paint your life in such a way that you would never regret after marriage, in-laws and babies. And enjoy your wedding day. Enjoy the food unlike me, laugh and smile with the rituals and glow with all the love and blessings showered on you that day.
Don't rush to get married. Choose wisely. And then enjoy the whole life with your spouse. And go for your honeymoon as soon as possible.”

“Thanks for featuring my story. I know I wrote a lot as usual but this is a memory of a lifetime and it's hard to miss out points.”

DECKandDINE says:-

I just love your choice of sarees and jewelry. Love your wedding makeup. Glad that the not-so-famous makeup artist didn’t turn you into a disco ball and a completely different person, unlike what many ‘famous’ makeup artists of these days do. Who needs a highlighter when the glow is from within?! Sexiness of happiness you see… J You looked beautiful and impeccable. Your pictures are natural and treat to the eyes. Loved going through your story. May your hearts always remain as caring and passionate as when you fell in love.

Sending all my love and best wishes .. :)

Year 2017, sometime around May, the Huda Beauty Faux Filter Foundation first hit the market. Beauty enthusiasts from all over the world went gaga over this foundation which claimed to give a “photoshop finish” to your skin. People literally fought to get hold of the bottles which were selling off like hot cakes. A brainchild of Dubai based blogger, entrepreneur and beauty guru Huda Kattan, this foundation promises to give an 'airbrushed finish for a second skin look'.

This ‘game changing’ foundation remained out of stock everywhere due to their high demand and getting hold of a bottle wasn’t that easy. Also, I didn’t want to jump into something just because everyone was doing so. I wanted to take my own sweet time and after a few wars between my heart and heart, I finally thought of giving this foundation a try.

I know it’s been a while since the launch and my review is quite late considering that, but better to be late than never.

Let us get into the nitty-gritty details…

CLAIMS-

PRICE-Rs 2990 for 35ml

AVAILABILITY-
Online at Nykaa
Offline at Nykaa Luxe stores across the country.

PACKAGING-
The foundation comes in a super luxurious looking bottle with a pump dispenser. It looks like glass, but actually is plastic; doesn’t look cheap or fragile. Love the ombre effect. The bottle further comes housed inside a black box which has all the details mentioned. The bottle is sturdy and travel friendly and I absolutely love the overall packaging.

INGREDIENT CALLOUTS-Free of sulfates SLS and SLES and parabens. This product is also cruelty-free and made with recyclable packaging.

EASE OF CHOOSING SHADES-
Available in 30 different shades. The shades were pretty difficult to navigate online, so I thought of picking it up from the Nykaa Luxe Store, New Delhi and it was even more difficult there. The shades are actually so close to each other that it becomes difficult to differentiate. I am NC20 in MAC and Sand in Estee Lauder and I was matched to #Chai210B which is for ultra light skintone with beige and golden undertones. Generally I prefer my foundation a little darker than my actual skin tone. I can go out wearing a foundation darker than my actual skin tone, but never with one that is lighter. #Chai, though matched perfectly, looked very stark. I then started swatching shades darker to it, and frankly speaking I didn’t find much difference between the shades in that spectrum. I remained confused amongst Chai, Custard, Macaroon and Cheese Cake. After spending an hour and freaking myself, my husband and the shop assistant out, I finally settled for Cheesecake 250G which is for deep light skin tones with golden and peach undertones, just to be on the safest side.

G– Golden, has yellow undertones.
N– Neutral neutral tones.
B– Beige, has blue tones.
R– red, has red undertones.

TEXTURE AND APPLICATION-
The first thing you will notice about the foundation is its strong fragrance. I have a sensitive nose and detest strong smells. This gives me itchy nose and I wish it was fragrance free.

The texture is thick in one word and being on the thicker side blending becomes a little tough as compared to usual liquid foundation. Best way to blend it seamlessly is to start with small portions, blend and then move to the next. Like right cheek first, then left, then forehead and so on. Also, blending with a wet sponge gives a smoother finish than with a brush.

COVERAGE-A small pump is enough for me to cover the entire face. And boy!! This foundation definitely has a high-coverage. I used a tiny amount and still it was enough to conceal every flaw that my skin has, giving it an even finish. It beautifully hides my pigmentation, dark circles, spots and scars on my face. As it has a heavy coverage, it is easy to go overboard and cakey with this foundation, so keep the quantity in find.


Can you guess which side has the foundation on?

FEEL and FINISH- The product claims to have a ‘radiant matte’ finish, but on me, it set into a dewy finish. I have normal to dry skin and any foundation that says matte, sets into matte. But this didn’t. It had a dewy, shiny finish which needs powder to set properly. Otherwise it just creases and sinks into lines and pores. Also, being on the thicker side, this foundation does feel heavy on my skin and the finish isn’t as natural as I wanted it to be.

LONGEVITY- You can wear this over your daily moituriser or over a primer. I would any day recommend it over a good face primer. Over a moisturizer I have to stay cautious, as it might move or sink it into pores and lines. But over a good primer, I can never get enough of how amazing the foundation looks. I keep catching glimpses of myself throughout the day and it definitely looks way better and ‘natural’ over a primer than over a regular moisturizer.

FINAL BITS and BYTES-
I love foundations that melt in your skin giving a natural finish. As per this, I love how it conceals and corrects everything and saves the time of using a concealer and corrector separately, but again hate the factor that it feels heavy on my skin. The foundation does give a ‘faux-filter’ finish like claimed, but it doesn’t look natural, the way I personally like. It photographs really well and also looks more natural on pictures, but in real I can see and feel the foundation on my skin. This is definitely not an everyday foundation and is great for parties and shoots. On one hand I love the dewy glow it imparts, on the other hand I absolutely hate that smell. So overall, it has been a decent purchase. I am not totally bowled over, but I quite like it when I want to go bold with my makeup.

So if you are a lover of dewy looking skin and are looking for an Instagram-worthy glow and heavy coverage, then this is your sure thing.

RATINGS-3.5/5

Hello everyone,

A very very Happy New Year to all of you. Hope the new year is treating you all well. I am just back from two weeks long vacation and am still recovering from the festive month and vacation mode.

Anyway, today I am here with a review on one of Maybelline’snewest launches, Maybelline City Mini Eye Shadow Palette in Graffiti Pop. Well, not exactly new, this range of eye shadow palettes got launched during the late summer last year and I had picked up one for me. I needed purple and teal for a look I was planning to create at that time and couldn’t find colors apt for the look. I started searching online and that’s when I bumped into this palette. Though I fell in love with the color palette, but thinking about my previous experiences with Maybelline eye shadow palettes, which haven’t been quite smooth, I chucked off the idea of buying it. I wasn’t ready to spend 750 bucks on a small palette which might not even serve my purpose.

And just after a day or two, I got a notification from Nykaa saying that they are running amazing sales and I saw this palette at a whopping 70% off. That time, I didn’t think twice and ordered one. And today goes the review…

WHAT MAYBELLINE SAYS:-

PRICE:-
Rs. 750. I got it for Rs. 225 only.

AVAILABILITY:-
Nykaa
Amazon
Myntra

PACKAGING:-
The palette is small and looks very cute. It easily fits into my bag making it great for travelling. There is a dual ended applicator as well; one end has a sponge and the other end a brush. I personally hate sponge applicators as I find them to be useless. However I was glad to see the brush and though it isn’t much flexible, yet will do its job in case you don’t have anything else to get your work done.

SHADES AND TEXTURE:-
With 6 beautiful shades, Graffitti Pop is the most colorful of all the palettes in the range. From that flamboyant blue, the bright purple and the beautiful plumy black to the soft peach, minty blue and satiny neutral, this palette has a lot to offer. You can amp up your look from a subtle day look to bold night look in a jiffy. Just let your creativity flow.

The texture of the shadows is soft and non-chalky, making them easy to apply and blend. They go really smooth and effortlessly. Satiny eye shadows generally have good textures, but surprisingly the mattes in the pallet are equally good. The shades barely have fallouts. And, they work dry and wet both.

COLOR PAYOFF and STAYING POWER:-
They are decently pigmented and over a primer they not only come out darker, but stays longer as well. I have used the colors wet and it works amazingly well like that too. I wore the colors for 7 hours at a stretch and didn’t notice any creasing or uneven fading as such. The colors were almost as it is. I wore the teal as a liner using a wet brush and it didn’t budge a bit. I needed a good makeup remover to remove the colors, especially the teal one.

MANDATORY EYE MAKEUP:-

FINAL THOUGHTS:-
I wouldn’t say these are the best in the market, but yes, they are decent, convenient and even more amazing if you get good discounts. I pretty much like the palette; the color combination is amazing, the texture is beautiful and the color payoff and staying power are pretty good as well. So if you are a beginner and want to ease yourself out into the world of colored eye shadows or just someone who wants to build up his/her collection, then you can definitely give this mini palette from Maybelline a try.

I am glad Maybelline didn’t disappoint me this time. I am eyeing Concrete Runway from this range, the smoky shades and the pop of blue of that palette is to die for.

Have you tried any palette from Maybeline’s city mini range? If yes, how were your experience and which one did you like the most? Let us know

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