Friday, August 19, 2011

TGIF!: NOTD & EOTD

Just my Eye look and Nails I did for a day out!




All I used except for primer & mascara, was this baked eyeshadow duo from body shop.

Bodyshop Baked eyeshadow in  Quartz


I used the pink shade on lids and the black-plummy shade in the crease and outer corner. I also used the darker shade as a liner on the upper and lower lashline. 



For the nails I used Isadora's Graffiti polish in "black top" over a purple resist & shine polish by L'oreal. 


Weekend is finally here, YAY!.... hopefully I'll get some blogging done!


Monday, August 8, 2011

NOTD & mini Review

I bought ETUDE HOUSE Petit Darling Nails Matte nail polish in "Java Blue", which is a matte black shade, from a Korean ebay seller recently. Though the shade is very pretty, I'm not a fan of the brush or the polish formula. The bristles of the applicator brush are not straight and leave streaks, and the polish stays matte only first few hours! It also seems to sorta crack, and make nail ridges very prominent, as you can see in the pictures. $5 down the drain! Definitely will not recommend!


Etude house "Java Blue" on ring finger, Street wear shine divine in "Black Divine" on the rest.



Well needless to say I didnt leave it like that for long, and changed the ring finger nail paint into something different. I used a sponge to apply blue and violet polish over the Etude house polish and following that I applied a glitter polish over it (Inspired by AndreasChoice outer space nails video). 





Products used:



Have a lovely Week ahead!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

NYX Jazz Night palette: Swatches & mini Review

I got this palette in the mail a couple days ago, here are the swatches and a mini review, as I have not got around to using these properly.

Except a few shadows (blue and purple in first row, brown and light purple in the second row) I am not liking this palette as much as I wanted to. The shadows seem to get muddy while trying to blend. 
I went against makeupalley reviews and bought this, sadly this is not an "exception to the rule".

The good ones:
I like the purple one in the first row a lot, it goes on well and is pigmented. The blue and brown come next. The light purple/lilac also goes on smoothly and makes a good pair with the darker purple. 

The not-so-bad ones: 
The butter-yellow and silver in first row are just "meh". The greenish brown in second row is pigmented but the color isn't really something special and the greenish tone doesn't show out well. It turns muddy when I try to blend. The blue with pink sparkle is just another ok color. It is a little powdery and would result in fallout under the eye for sure, and the pink sparkle doesn't show at all.

The ugly ones: 
The back one in the first row is one of the worst black shadows ever, I had to swipe it thrice to get that much color to show up. The shimmery white in the second row is extremely chalky and doesn't show up.


Price: $8-$12



NYX Jazz Night Palette



Swatches are in the same order as the palette above

  NYX Jazz Night Palette swatches



 Nothing very special about this palette unless you want some specific color here. I think its better to get the singles.

My rating: 3/5


LUSH reviews: Lemony Flutter

Guest post by Saba, 

Lemony Flutter is a cuticle cream, but I read in makeupalley and lush website that it can be used as a moisturizer. I love to use it as a lip balm. I'm one of those unfortunate people who have acutely dry lips. My lips tend to get very dry and dark in dry weather, with me licking my lips constantly. Where vaseline based lip balms fail, Lemony flutter helps not just with moisturizing but also keeps it from getting dark. It's a very good overnight lip treatment. This product is truly amazing, I use it on my lips, elbows, knees, hands, and feet. It keeps my cuticles in shape and leaves nail with natural sheen. Sometimes I apply it before I scrub my hands and feet, it makes it easier to scrub off the dead skin and leaves my hands and feet soft. This one is a heavy duty moisturizer and a definite must have in winter.

Info from the lush website :Softens hard skin all over the body, especially the cuticles. We made Lemony Flutter to soften your cuticles; it's our thickest cream out there. It's so good at softening your cuticles and nourishing your nails that Lush customers have been using it to soften and nourish lots of other body parts like their feet, elbows and knees. Fortunately, it's a very reasonably priced cream, so you can afford to use it as widely as you wish. Take more care of your extremities and invest a small sum in a Lemony pot


Price : £ 5.95 / 50 gm . ( price varies from country to country )




 Ingredients: Fresh Organic Lemon Infusion (Citrus limonum), Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Beeswax (Cera alba), Lanolin, Soya Oil (Glycine soja), Organic Cold Pressed Avocado Oil (Persea gratissima), Organic Cold Pressed Flaxseed Oil (Linum usitatissimum), Mango Butter (Mangifera indica), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), Perfume, Organic Cold Pressed Wheatgerm Oil (Triticum vulgare), Lemon Oil (Citrus limonum), Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia), Tagetes Oil (Tagetes minuta), Chamomile Blue Oil (Matricaria chamomilla), Triethanolamine, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), *Citral, *Geraniol, *Citronellol, *Limonene, *Linalool, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

















Pros :
*Beeswax and lanolin in the product keeps lips and skin moisturized for long, it withstand washing, eating, drinking.
*A good cuticle cream , which is multipurpose .
*Reasonably priced,  when taking into account the shelf life ( 1 year and 2 months from manufacturing date ), quantity, and thickness of the cream ( a little is enough to moisturize) .
*It smells like lemon in a pleasant way.
*Compact in size to carry in my handbag .

Cons :
*Available only in lush store and website
*It may melt in peak summer
*Unhygienic because it comes in a tub
*It has parabens

I'll keep repurchasing lemony flutter from lush .

Rating: 4/5

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Review: Milani LIQUIF'EYE Eyeliner Pencil

There are few things that I make sure I have back ups for. Milani's LIQUIF'EYE Metallic Eyeliner Pencils are one among those. I first heard Emilynoel83 talk about these on youtube, then Vintageortacky and finally Marlena of MakeupGeek. I was intrigued because all of them said these were the best eyeliners and compared them to Urban Decay's Glide on pencils. Now, Urban Decay's liners are $18 each and these babies from Milani were around $6. They come in five colors and I had my eyes set on the black, brown and golden one.

Picture taken from Beautyjoint.com with permission




Milani's LIQUIF'EYE Metallic Eyeliner &  LIQUIF'EYE Liquid Eye Liner Automatic Propel Pencil



I got these online from cherryculture.com and instantly fell in love. It was hard to get these because they were always out of stock on all except blue and silver one. When I bought it they were $5.49 but now it is $6.99. The gold one was still not in stock so I bought the black and brown one. I also got the Milani LIQUIF'EYE Liquid Eye Liner Automatic Propel Pencil in purple.
Now, onto the review. These eyeliners are super soft and don't tug my eye area at all. I especially love the brown one for a softer and natural look. I usually love tight lining my upper lashline/waterline and these dont irritate or make my eyes water at all. The automatic pencil in purple one is a dark purple with purple glitter in it. I feel that its not as smooth as the other two and not as long lasting either.

Price: $6-$8

NET WT 0.04 OZ / 1.2g ( Milani LIQUIF EYE Metallic Eyeliner Pencil)
NET WT 0.01 OZ/0.28g (Milani LIQUIF'EYE Liquid Eye Liner Automatic Propel Pencil)






Ran it under some warm water and rubbed my fingers over it. As you can see the black one has faded and the purple glitter is all over. Brown one actually does much better than the other two.

I left it on my hand for the next 12 hours and this is what was left. The purple one was almost completely gone. The other two fared well under a whole day of hot weather, cooking, typing etc.


Try it:
* Super soft and glides on smoothly
* Stays on Waterline for atleast 2-3 hours, starts fading after that (I've very watery eyes). (Except the purple one which has glitter so cant be used on the waterline)
* Stays on Lashline till I take it off (I have worn it maximum for around 9 hours).
* You can smudge it easily when you apply if you want to do a smokey look or soften harsh eyeliner, it sets after about 1 minute and then it wont budge.
* Totally worth the money
* Milani's LIQUIF'EYE Metallic Eyeliner pencils can be sharpened, unlike the LIQUIF'EYE Liquid Eye Liner Automatic Propel Pencil (purple one).

Trash it:
I don't like the purple one as much as the other two, even though the color payoff is amazing. I should mention that you definitely need a makeup remover or Whichever is your preferred method to remove waterproof makeup. It might be a con for some, but to me it just means I don't have to worry about raccoon eyes :)

My Rating: 4.5/5 for Milani LIQUIF EYE Metallic Eyeliner Pencil
                    3.75  for Milani LIQUIF'EYE Liquid Eye Liner Automatic Propel Pencil in purple

You can buy these online from: cherryculture.com, beautyjoint.com

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Get in on this Amazing Giveaway!



Makeupdiary.org is doing this amazing giveaway!
Its open Internationally and there will be three winners. The prizes are amazing, go check it out

http://www.makeupdiary.org/2011/08/makeup-diarys-huge-just-because-thank.html

Monday, August 1, 2011

Review: E.L.F Daily brush cleaner is cheaptastic!!!


I used to be a fingers person, thought brushes were just pretentious as far as foundation application is concerned. But after using Sigma F80 I just cant get over how much better the result is. But the downfall of using brushes is cleaning them and the long long time they take to dry. Its impossible to wash brushes daily and also your brushes wont last long. So I wanted to try out the E.L.F daily brush cleaner, which is cheap and in my opinion does a pretty good job.  I cant compare it to the Mac one as I've never tried it.

Daily Brush Cleaner





 From the website:
An anti-bacterial daily brush cleanser for quick cleaning in-between makeup applications. Disinfects brushes to provide a fresh and clean application every time. Helps to keep your brushes lasting longer for extended use.
Ingredients:
Water(Aqua), Alcohol Denat,Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Methylparaben.

Net Weight: 8.5floz (250ml)

Price: $3 or £3.50

Before:
Sigma F80 brush after applying foundation 

After:

Sigma F80 after cleaning with E.L.F Daily brush cleaner

As you can see from the photos it does a pretty good job of getting the foundation out. There is still some foundation left in the middle of the bristles but I am not gonna complain about that. It disinfects and cleans the brush after every use in an economic and effective manner, and I can happily deep clean the brush at the end of the week. Some people might not like the smell, though I think that its not disturbing or strong. You cannot smell much of it after cleaning the brush.

There is only one complaint that I have. It doesn't do a very good  job of cleaning my eye brushes, also it makes them kinda dry. It might just depend on the brush hair though.


I feel that if you want to clean your brushes daily and not worry about the drying time and longevity of your brush then you should try out the E.L.F  daily brush cleaner.

My Rating: 4/5


Sunday, July 31, 2011

LUSH reviews: Grease Lightning

I love products with tea tree in them and an acne product that is transparent is another big plus, but I didnt really like the Grease Lightning for its intended purpose as a spot treatment. I really wanted to love this product as I break out a lot around the time of the month. As a spot treatment it didn't manage to dry out or shrink my acne much, but it did prove to be useful as a post-popping  and  preventative product. I generally don't like to pop my pimples as I always scar really bad, but sometimes you can't sport an ugly whitehead around. So, I use a hot towel on the pimple before popping it and then as an after treatment to prevent infection I like to use Grease Lightning. As it is mild and natural, it does not irritate my skin at all.  I also like to spread it around the area where I usually breakout (chin and forehead) as a preventative measure.

It has a runny-gel like consistency and dries clear. It tends to peel off a little after it dries.
I am about to finish my bottle which has lasted me almost 4 months now!





From the Lush website:
Thyme for tea tree! Brand new, super effective spot zapping face gel, aloe and witch hazel. The thyme, tea tree and rosemary antibacterial infusion dries invisibly and you can feel the witch hazel shrinking mini-volcanoes. Go, Grease Lightning, you can now feel confident enough to rule the school. Or office.


Ingredients
Thyme; Rosemary and Tea Tree Infusion (Thymus vulgaris; Rosmarinus officinalis and Melaleuca alternifolia), Water (Aqua), Organic Aloe Vera Gel (Aloe barbadensis), Sea Water, Grape Juice (Vitis vinifera), Carrageenan Extract (Chondrus crispus), Lavender Oil (Lavandula angustifolia), Witch Hazel Extract (Hamamelis virginiana), *Limonene, Perfume, Methylparaben










Price: £5.65/45g (Rs. 406) (Lush prices vary in each country, I bought it online from the Lush UK website)

Try it: 
* It has a very soothing effect on the skin
* Doesn't sting or burn
* Transparent unlike most pimple products
* Smells like thyme and tea tree, not overpowering or gives-you-a-headache kind of smell
* Hygienic pump bottle
* Does not dry out skin or cause skin peeling like other pimple/acne products


Stay away/Trash it:
* Not a good spot treatment, so if you are looking for one, you should keep looking.
*Contains Methylparaben (A good sunscreen with UVB protection should be enough to counteract the side affects)


I dont think I would buy it again because I need something a little stronger than this, but if ever my skin becomes too sensitive from using benzoyl peroxide, I would turn to this.

My Rating: 3/5


Buy online: Lush.co.uk ships worldwide

Friday, July 29, 2011

First look at the "Look of Love" Set by Too Faced


Every time I say the name of this collection I have the urge to sing along with the The Zombies "the look of love is in you eyes...the look your heart can't disguisssseeeeee.....". Uhm! Moving on...

I got this as a birthday gift from my sweet sis and, was dying to do a post about it. Everything about this set is so PRETTY. I haven't got around to trying the primed and poreless or the lash injection mascara yet. I just didn't want to start using a brand new mascara. I am already trying to finish off the ones I'm using now, before it's time to trash them.



Look of Love set


The collection includes : 
Too Faced Makeup Bag
Too Faced Flatbuki Brush
Too Faced Primed & Poreless (Mini)
Too Faced Blush and EyeshadowTrio
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (Full Size)
Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara (Full Size)
Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Barely Legal (Full Size)


Price: $45 or £32 (here in Sweden it's 495 kronors ($78) O-O)


  Too Faced Makeup Bag: Its a pretty pink bag and perfect to carry makeup when you travel.



      Too Faced Flatbuki Brush 

Look how cute that little brush is!!!
Its super soft and perfect as a blush brush, and due to its small size perfect for your travel brush collection.




The blush is sheer and has gold shimmer in it. The eyeshadows are perfect for a simple look. Teddy Bear is a frosty champagne color and Totally Toasted is a shimmering brown. Both the eyeshadows are super silky and quite pigmented.


Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara
I will write a review on the mascara once I get around to trying it out.


   Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Barely Legal

Barely legal is a very pale pink color. Its goes on a little sheer and has a plumping effect on the lips. It tingles slightly and doesn't burn my lips, but then again the plumping action is very subtle. The flavour and the smell of the gloss is kinda sweet and yummy. 


This is a Limited Edition set, and its actually a very good buy if you like TFSI and want to try out the other Too Faced products. The number and size of products you get for the value especially makes this a steal. Personally, I'm not a fan of pink but I kinda like the whole pink and pretty look of this set a lot.

You can buy this set online from asos.com.


NOTD : Lets Crackle!!!


Don't you hate it when your nail polish doesn't dry quickly and you mess it up!!!

I do it all the time. I end up with patterns on my nailpolish from my bed sheet, my own fingers or the edge of my laptop, especially when the nailpolish is on the thicker side and takes ages to dry. The perfect solution to that is using a crackling nailpolish!

So my NOTD/W was supposed to be this pretty corally pink polish: 


But after a nap and messy patterns, it ended up into this:


Isadora Graffiti Top Coat in Spraycan blue



I love Graffiti/Crackling/Shattering nail polishes and definitely recommend you to try this easy peasy way of spicing up your nails without worrying about clumsiness or lack of fine artistic skills! :)

Products used:
Base - Two coats of Pink Service nailpolish in "Baby"
Top - One coat of Isadora Graffiti top coat in "Spraycan blue"


P.S: Do let your base polish dry before you add the top coat, even if you have messed it up!

P.P.S: There is another good thing about using these crackling top coats. Once your nail paint starts to chip from the front you can add just a little bit of base polish to cover the chipped areas and save the day. Because of the graffiti patterns it wont look weird =). I do this when I am feeling lazy and don't want to sport chipped polish somewhere special. Ciao!



So the story begins...


On a bright shiny day like any other, a shy, young girl of 12 tip-toes into the bathroom and locks herself inside. Heart thumping, she pauses and listens for any footsteps or shouts of anger. Slowly she walks towards the big mirror holding the object she has been so curious about for so long. She had finally given in and carried out the dark deed of slipping it out of her sister's closet and into her little hands. It was a wee little mascara from Revlon. She had seen her sister applying mascara many times and, each time, her sister had squished her plea to let her try it JUST ONE TIME!. So there she was applying the mascara on her eyelashes, brimming with joy, but, alas it was a disaster. Her lashes end up stuck together, the black messy goop is all around her eyes. It takes her hours to get the waterproof mascara completely out of her lashes. Her hopes shattered, she swears she wont touch a mascara again...... Time passes and she has many messy eyeliner trials, cakey, ashy foundation encounters. Being all clumsy and butterfingered she muses that probably she wasn't meant for the shiny, pretty world. The poor thing gives up! stashing away the gifts of makeup her sister buys for her. To just be looked at and never really used.....

Now in her 20s, at last, she discovers Youtube, online shopping and the very many beauty blogs on the internet. When the sleeping dragon finally awakes, she realizes how much she loves this world and how much it beckons.....She was Addicted!!!
 
  
Hey there, you are reading the very post first of a beauty/makeup junkie. Well, who says you need to be good at something to undeniably love it, huh!?
My eyeshadow blending always leaves something to be desired. Matching perfect eyeliner on both eyes is ever so elusive and fake eyelashes don't even come into the picture. So here I am, taking baby steps, learning and enjoying each minute of this fabulous and addictive world of Makeup!

Lets have an adventure, look for some gems, like UDPP and Sigma F80 (my current love!), have a laugh and lots of fun!!!
Come join me on the journey! :)