March 29, 2015

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy - Queen of Hearts (600) Review (dark Indian Skin)

Hello Nail Lovers!

Gel nails are the current trend along with nail art. As Gel nail manicure is expensive for each week, you can take advantage of the gel nail polishes available. In India we have collection of Gel nail polishes from Lakme, Revlon, Avon there might be more I am not aware of yet. Revlon Gel Nail polishes have been in the market for some time now. 

Price & quantity: 11.7 ml - Rs 425. I bought for 340/- in Flipkart. You may also check Amazon.

These nail polishes are imported, they are not yet listed in Revlon India Website.

Queen of Hearts is a beautiful regular red shade. Hence it's wearable by all Indian skin tone, fair to deep skin girls. The brush is nice, formula is thick and just right to give a classy finish. It gives opaque finish in single coat itself, but it's good have 2 coats to get the gel look. 

I am not wearing top coat in the below picture as I had to do some nail art.  

Thanks for reading, and happy manicure.


Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy - Full House Review (dark Indian Skin)

Hello Nail Lovers!

I loved having gel nail manicure when in USA, I missed that here in India. But have an alternate Gel Nail polish. I have tried the ones from Lakme, and posted some reviews in my blog. My latest acquisition is from Revlon called Revlon Color stay Gel Envy Collection. I have bought several colors from this range, and this is my second review.

Price & quantity: 11.7 ml - Rs 425. I bought for 340/- in Flipkart. You may also check Amazon.

These nail polishes are imported, they are not yet listed in Revlon India Website. Revlon describes these nail polishes as :
"Create salon-quality color in 30 vibrant shades with our revolutionary 2-step system. Brush on the base + color in one, and then finish with the protective ColorStay Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat™ for superior strength. Together, they create vivid color, brilliant shine and gorgeous life-resistant wear"
 Full House is a turquoise shade. This shad though looks lovely might look washed out on deep Indian skin tone and very much wearable for others. I did some nail art on top to balance the look. Two coats of this nail polish will give a salon manicure finish, believe it or not.

The brush is nice, formula is just right to give a classy finish in two coats. I have the pictures below with one coat of nail polish, without any top coat. Just the nail polish. It;s shiny but wears off in 3 - 4 days without top coat, especially if you do lot of cleaning, cooking etc. 

Would meet you all soon with another Revlon Color from this range. Happy Nail painting !!!!



I did some nail art with striping tape, I am not an expert ;)



March 24, 2015

Lakme Absolute Sculpt Studio Hi-Definition Matte Lipstick - Mauve Fix - Swatch Review ( Deep Skin tone)

Hello Ladies,

I posted this picture for people to get some idea on color. You can buy from Flipkart. I bought mine from Flipkart - click here for direct product link.

It's priced at Rs.700 for 3.7 gm . Flipkart is now selling for Rs 630. Isn't that great.

For the swatches click here - I have some 4 colors here.

Mauve Fix is a not a deep mauve color, but light. Good enough for all skin tone. I am MAC NC45 and this is how it looks on me.

The color pay off is good, in single swipe to cover any pigmentation. Very good wear time. Application is easy but dries to a matte finish soon. So it;s essential you have lip balm underneath.




Thank you for visiting. Please do you post your comments if you like it.

Lakme Absolute Sculpt Studio Hi-Definition Matte Lipstick - Plum Spell - Swatch Review (Deep skin tone)

Hello Ladies,

This is said to be the color Kareen Kapoor is wearing on the Lakme Absolute Sculpt Lipsticks Promotion.

You can buy from Flipkart. I bought mine from Flipkart - click here for direct product link.

It's priced at Rs.700 for 3.7 gm. It;s currently available for 630.

For the swatches click here

This is a beautiful plum color, how ever the resultant color does not look like how it was on Kareena, could be due to the skin tone I am not sure. I have applied the lipstick using a lip brush to outline and define my lips.

Nice color pay off, good wear time. It;s a must to moisturize your lips before applying this lipstick as it dries down to a matte finish. I wouldn't mind wearing this to work :) I just love this color. I ordered this without even trying, as a matter of fact I didn't try any of these shades just placed order.

This is how it looks on my NC45 skin tone.














Lakme Absolute Sculpt Studio Hi-Definition Matte Lipstick - Crimson Touch Swatch, Review (Deep Skintone)

Hello Girls,

I posted this picture for people to get some idea on color. You can buy from Flipkart. I bought mine from Flipkart - click here for direct product link. I am adding some more details to this post now.

You may buy from Flipkart. This is the direct link for this product. It;s now available for lesser price girls ! So hurry!

Price : Rs.700 for 3.7g

You may also look at this post for more details. For the swatches click here

Crimson Touch is a beautiful Pinkish Plum shade. Use a lip brush or pencil to outline and then fill using the brush for a well defined look.

Lipstick covers pigmentation even in single swipe. It has good wear time with or without meals. I will soon try to post similar colors from MAC / Loreal / Maybelline.

I didn't want to bore you girls with long story, I kept it simple. This is how it looks on me, I am a MAC NC45.



Please do post your comments after reading, and let me how you liked this lipstick. Thank you for reading.

Lakme Absolute Sculpt Studio Hi-Definition Matte Lipstick - Swatches Review

Hello Girls,

The wait is over, I am so happy to be a product owner of some shades :) (giggle) that's all I could lay my hands on without trying or looking at swatches. I am medium - deep skin tone person, and the choices I made didn;t deceive me. I am a fan of Plum, Berry, Mauve, Red and Wine colors. Shades such as Coral, Orange, Peach, Rosy pink (light) does not suit me.

I am sure you all would have searched and read a lot about the latest collection from Lakme. I do not want to bore you all with that. However there are 15 shades ranging from Red, Peach, Coral, Pink, Plum etc. Something for all, meaning everyone would find at-least some colors suiting their skin tone.

I bought from Flipkart. They are priced at Rs. 700 for 3.7g.

The packaging is classy similar to Gloss Addict Glass tube. Nice and travel friendly.

Below are the swatches of the following Shades. I will post individual reviews of each lipsticks after this. First thing first so this would help you to decide.
These are the shades I bought, and will review. For now the swatches for you :

Burgundy Affair - Click here for detailed review
Click here for Crimson Touch Review
Click here for Mauve Fix Review
Click here for Plum Spell Review
Lakme Coco Shot Review
Lakme Red Flames Review




Out of these 4 shades, I found similarities between the shade in the swatch. In that case photos of me wearing these lipsticks might help.

Plum spell is very intense compared to Crimson Touch. Burgundy Affair and Crimson vary in thier undertone making it different yet look alike.

Below are two more colors as addition to this collection. Coco Shot and Red Flames.






Please post your comments if you like it. Do let me know which one did you like the most !!!




March 22, 2015

Lakme Absolute Gloss Addict Lipstick - All Swatches on dark skintone

Hello gals !

You must have already tried some of the lipsticks from this range. Early this year I came to know Lakme has added 4 new colors to this collection. They are Berry Crush, Fine Wine, Perfect Plum and Rustic Red.

Each of these lipsticks are priced at Rs 800 for 4 ml. You might get for discounted prices at Purplle and Flipkart.

As the name says they are like gloss, very shiny and hydrating to lips. Most of the shades are wearable by almost all Indian skin tone.

The lipstick case is very classy with a glass cover, and can be closed with a click sound. The name is printed on the cover as well as at the bottom of the lipstick tube.

The name would be printed on the package itself like shown in the below picture.


Lipsticks would have glass cover


These are the new 4 shades launched in this Absolute Gloss Addict Collection



These are the swatches of the new shades.

These are the Gloss Addict lipsticks I have with the Swatches.








March 21, 2015

DIY Summer Delight - Home made Cucumber Body Scrub

Dear Ladies !

Something cool during this summer, another easy body scrub. Yes nothing but cucumber. We all would have learnt Cucumber is cool. There we go. Grab 1 or 2 from your kitchen and let's prepare this scrub.

Slice cucumber and puree in blender.
Sugar
Oil of your choice
You can squeeze in juice of 1 lime

Add mint - leaves if you have while blending optional though.
Essential oils of your choice few drops (optional)

Add all the ingredients in a large bowl, mix well.  Add more sugar or oil as required to bring the right desired consistency. There you go, your scrub is ready. Store in refrigerator. Take when needed. Very refreshing and moisturizing for the body.


Home made Lime , Orange Citrus Body Scrub for Summer

It's summer !!! Time for some refreshing scrubs to go then spending all those pennies in expensive products from different brands.


This is another simple easy recipe. Very refreshing with the freshness of lime and Orange peel and nourishing, moisturizing with oils.

You do not really need to dry the lemon and orange peel. I blend them fresh to a coarse paste like in the picture. You can use all the oils you have, you may mix and match as preferred. Finally some sugar and Lemon juice.

In a large bowl mix all ingredients together to form a nice scrub as desired. You may add more sugar if required.

Store in an air tight container and use as needed. This lasts for couple of week and then can prepare another fresh batch.



Orange Peel Citrus Body Scrub

This is very refreshing during summer, be it day or noon or evening. Just rub on your body while showering. This uplifts your mood and you would smell all orange. This is not only aromatic, but also nourishes your skin.

I used fresh orange peels, didn't dry them. You can store them in a zip lock or a box in fridge so that you get to collect required amount of peel for your recipe.

This is all you need.

Orange Peel - a bowl full
Cold pressed olive oil or Sweet Almond oil (or both) - 1/4 bowl
Honey - 1/4 bowl
Sugar - 1/2 bowl
Essential oil few drops (Lavender / Rosemary etc.)

Blend the orange peel to a coarse paste. In a large bowl mix all ingredients to form a paste. You may add more oil / honey / sugar as required to balance the consistency. Store in a air tight container. Use everyday and this can last up to 2 week.


Lorea'l Paris Color Riche Le Vernis Nail Polish - Belle RenContre (217) Review

Hello Gals,

I wanted to try the nail polish collection from Loreal Paris and finally I could lay my hands on few. After a long wait I finally tried this last week and I would like to share it with you all.

I absolutely love the nail polish bottle, it's cute with the golden cap. The product comes in one quantity that's 5 ml and priced at Rs. 250 in India. Most vendors offer discount and you can buy for 225 or less with coupon codes. Buy from Flipkart.

The color is a beautiful pink, in the bottle. When applied it's very opaque and shiny but dries to a matte finish. Single coat is more than sufficient. You do not need a top coat, if you prefer you may. I am enjoying this for a week now, no chipping till 6 days. This shade is just nice on medium to deep skin tone, Even people with fair skin tone can wear this.







Eye Liner Guide for Beginners - Indian skin tone and weather

Hello Friends,

I am writing this post as some of my friends insisted. They wanted tips on using eye liner. I am posting some of the pictures of the eye liners I use for daily wear and casual wear. Type of eye liners I use. What ever being said and done, I am no expert or artist, I am just sharing my experience that might be handy for deep skin tone individuals. 

As beginners try to use pencil liners, as they are easy to use and maintain. In India there are good black pencil Kohl / kajal liners from reputed brands such as Lakme, Maybelline, Revlon, Loreal Paris etc.

To do the upper lash everyone has their own style which they are comfortable with. They draw uniform line, or have the line thin towards the inner corner and broader as it progresses outside. Some try to do the classy Wing look.

Try to pull the upper lash outwards slightly with one hand and try to do the liner with the other hand. Either from middle to outside and then to inside or Inside to outside which ever way you are comfortable with. Try to do thin line in short strokes with break. You do not have do the line in one shot. Close & open your lids and relax in between. Only practice makes it perfect. Fill the gap if found any.

You may also learn the technique of tight lining your eyes from Google.

Below are some pictures on the type of eye liners I use and other details.


Pencil liner comes in different types. Regular pencil that need to sharpen using sharpener this would definitely result in waste of some product. There are two types in the twist tube liners. One is two way meaning you can twist up and down when needed, the other is just one way. If you accidentally twist it all the way up to test the length there is no way twisting back. 

Secondly, the product itself has some description about it such as long wear, water proof, smudge proof etc. 

Then comes the color and last but not the least price :(:(


I am wearing black eye liners. You can see the brand the picture next to it. You may also see the liner thickness and style to get some idea.

Last picture, I have tried to illustrate one eye with eye shadow and thin line, one the other bare lash and thick line.



Here are some pictures with colored liners.


Now some do's and don'ts

  • If your eye lids are oily or you are in a very hot humid location, you would sweat. Try to buy water proof, smudge proof eye liners.
  • In spite of using a smudge proof liner you might still experience the melting, in that case you can do two things. 
          -  dab little bit of black eye shadow on the outer corner of your upper lash and all along the lower lash 
         -  use a eye primer then do eye makeup
  • Have at least an eye shadow and then do your eyes, to pop out if you have time.
  • Invest in a economic yet good brand Mascara to get a fine super finished look.
  • When you want to highlight your eyes, keep your face and lip color minimum. 
  • You may also learn the technique of 
Some Don'ts
  • Don't give stress on your eye lids while using the eye liner, be gentle
  • If you are a beginner do not over do your eyes, keep it minimal with your upper lash alone or upper lash and outer corner of lower lash.
  • Finally, do not sleep with your makeup on. Use a good eye make up remover, or wipes or cleanser. Other alternate is Vaseline Gel, although its not advisable its cheap and handy. After using any remover, you might want to cleanse and wash your face with face wash as we need to remove any reside and left over oil. Moisturize before going to bed.
I hope this post is helpful for some. Please add in your suggestions too.

Thanks for reading.




March 15, 2015

How to make easy foot scrub at Indian Home

Making foot scrub is not rocket science. It's prepared from items from our kitchen. Just don't throw away the skin from lemon or washed ginger. That's all we need for this.

Ensure the Ginger is washed before using the peel from it. Lemon we need little juice as well the peel. You can either chop finely or blend in the mixer coarsely.


To make this scrub we need the following:
  1. Lemon juice - from 1 or 2 lemon
  2. Lemon and ginger peel
  3. Oil (Extra Virgin Olive or Coconut or Sweet Almond Oil)
  4. Sugar one bowl
  5. Honey - as required
  6. Essential oil - few drops in available (optional)
  7. Add all the dry ingredients in a bowl, add lemon juice mix well
  8. Then add honey and olive oil little by little
  9. Mix well, ensure the mix is semi solid. It should not be too think or runny. 
Store in a air tight container or jar. No need to refrigerate. You can keep this upto 2 weeks. I use this every other day to scrub my feet from knee to toe, it's very moisturizing too. You do not have to apply body lotion to your feet after that. My feet is dry, so honey and oil is good.

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy - Roulette Rush Review (dark Indian Skin)

Hello Nail Lovers!

I loved having gel nail manicure when in USA, I missed that here in India. But have an alternate Gel Nail polish. I have tried the ones from Lakme, and posted some reviews in my blog. My latest acquisition is from Revlon called Revlon Color stay Gel Envy Collection. I will start posting reviews one by one. 

Price & quantity: 11.7 ml - Rs 425. I bought for 340/- in Flipkart. You may also check Amazon.

These nail polishes are imported, they are not yet listed in Revlon India Website. Revlon describes these nail polishes as :
"Create salon-quality color in 30 vibrant shades with our revolutionary 2-step system. Brush on the base + color in one, and then finish with the protective ColorStay Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat™ for superior strength. Together, they create vivid color, brilliant shine and gorgeous life-resistant wear"
 Roulette Rush is a beautiful red with pink undertone. Hence it's wearable by all Indian skin tone, fair to deep skin girls. The brush is nice, formula is just right to give a classy finish in two coats. I have the pictures below without any top coat. Just the nail polish. It;s shiny but wears off in 3 - 4 days, especially if you do lot of cleaning, cooking etc. It's been 7 days since I wore it, my nails have grown, time to change the polish ! Will catch you all with another post soon.

Thanks for reading, and happy manicure.




Konad Shining Nail Art Pen - Silver A101 and Gold A103 Review

Nail art has conquered the globe and is making women of all ages go crazy behind it. Even I have started experimenting it. Have tried doing marble nails with some nail polish and it was all funny as I am still learning. Anyways this post is on Konad Nail art pen, gold and silver shimmers.

I bought from Jabong.com on discount and yeh! I absolutely loved it.

Price - 410 INR , 11 ml.

The package is amazing, especially the bottle shape with it's curve. It's quite heavy and classy though.

These nail art pen has striping brush suitable to draw lines, designs and fill colors. The formula is think, and the color is so rich, it stands out. Easy and smooth application. It's worth the price, and it's imported. I am sure this goes a long way.




Gold and Silver diagonal lines using Konad Shining Nail Art Pen





Faces Splash - Nail polish - All that Glitter, Shanghai Shimmer Review

Hello Ladies,

I am back with a nail polish suitable for nail art, as these are glittery colors. There are glitter powders, but that looks too weird when we go to IT companies and meeting. This one is just apt. Not shiny or like party wear. 

You can either make it as top coat or for your nail tips, just looks nice.

Price : Rs.99 each, for 7 ml. I bought from Purplle.

I am not sure about the difference between Faces Canada and Faces. The bottle label said manufactured in India. I will have to buy one with Faces Canada Label to check. If any one has more details please share.

All that glitter is a beautiful color with gold glitters. Very light and not dense.
Shanghai Simmer is a silver shade with glitters. 


I am wearing Shanghai Simmer on my ring finger as top coat over the nail polish. I have applied All that glitters on the tips of my Middle and Ring finger. Apologies, I will try to post separate pictures only with these nail shades. 

I am sure this would have given an idea. It's suitable for all Indian skin tone.





OPI Nail Polish - Black Cherry Chutney Review - on deep Indian Skin

Hello Girls,

OPI is a reputed international Brand for nail polishes. I always adored dark shades but didn;t want to apply black, as it would not look apt on deep skin tone. Alternatively bought this one after looking at the swatch.

I have seen OPI, Konad and Sally Hansen been widely used in Salons in US but its expensive in India. I bought OPI Black Cherry Chutney from Purplle.com.

Regular Price - Rs 670 for 15 ml. I bought for Rs. 556 on discounted rate.

I loved wearing this color. It;s not black, a beautiful black berry shade. It didn;t look odd on my hands or feet. It's shiny. good formula nice finishing. You would not need top coat. Below are the pictures of me wearing this beautiful shade.

Unfortunately I wasn't in a AC room and had bubbles while applying the top coat. I will post another picture soon.  Hope this gives an idea to girls like me. This is one of the best alternate colors for Black.




Revlon Orbit Nail Art Moon Candy Nail Enamel-280 - Dark Indian skin

I have just started to learn nail art and experiment. This nail polish caught my eyes in Jabong.Com one of the popular eCommerce sites in India. All these sites run promotional sales every other day and I bought this on discount.

Actual price : Rs.375

The tube has two sides with individual brush. The base is dark color with glitters on top. The glitters and base color compliment each other. I bought couple of them and gave a try.

The base of Orbit looks deep purple when applied it looked Navy blue on my skin tone. The glitters appear baby pink but it's clear you can see it on my nails.

It's different for a change and trendy. I was little disappointed as it started coming off from the edges on day 4, I also felt like it's breaking. I would use this completely and never buy this again. Not sure if it's only on my nails, I use to do all house hold chores. Below are the pictures.


March 1, 2015

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick on deep Indian Skintone - Tumultuous Pink

Hello Ladies,

This lipstick is part of Value Set which I bought last fall, and funny I wore it only in Feb this year. Finally and I loved wearing this color around from afternoon till I went to bed. 

There is no complaint about the package, the small tube is cute and travel friendly. The lipstick is a fuscia pink color, very bright and damn gorgeous. I was hesitant to wear at first due to my skin tone, but it brightened my face instantly and was a plus along with my white dress. I never tried this shade but bought online, and I do not regret it :) 

The color stayed on me for several hours, although the little creamy texture disappeared after couple of hours. Leaving behind the color yet I didn't feel my lips dry. I always have a layer of lip balm underneath so this was a hit for me. 

Below is the picture of the lipstick swatch and me wearing it.




Estee Lauder Mini Lipsticks Swatch Review (Estee Lauder Lip Envy Set Review)



I have fallen in love with Estee Lauder Products during my visit to US. I have tried few of their products and I am a huge fan of EL now. During last fall they had several holiday value gift set ranging from makeup, skin care and perfumes. One such item is their mini lipsticks with a small cute case.




The lipsticks are small size suitable for travel. For lipstick lovers who have collections and end up wasting finally, this is a good choice. This is an ideal gift set too.

Cost of lipstick set is $37.50. Quantity is indeed less 0.04 oz.

The lipstick shades are Envious, Tumultuous Pink, Dynamic, Desirable



The formula is very good, creamy texture, smooth on application and hydrating to lips. Good coverage in single swipe, lasts long, doesn't settle in line. It lasted on me for 6 hours without meals with the rick color behind. Didn;t bleed even in the hot humid weather.

I am absolutely loving this lipstick. It suits my deep skintone very well except for Desirable. I will post individual post for each of these lipsticks.

Review - Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lipstick - Tumultuous Pink  on deep Indian skintone