LUXOLA: NEW HAUL POST!

HAUL POST FROM LUXOLA.COM!

By Shikha Koli

Luxola is in the spot light these days and has been newly launched in India. It is Asia's No.1 beauty destination/website that caters to all your cosmetic needs based in Singapore. Now people in India can also order from Luxola as the website now ships to India and even offers free shipping for products worth INR 2,500 and above. 

As I am slowly trying to build my makeup kit both for my makeup artist career and impending marriage, I recently did a Luxola and MAC haul myself. :D More about the MAC haul in another post. 

I bought mostly Sleek makeup and brushes from Luxola.com Let us see what all I got. 

Products I Bought:

1. Sleek Eye shadow palette in Sunset:  This palette as a total of 12 eye shadows and each shadow is about the size of a dime. As the name suggests the sunset palette  has very pretty reds, oranges, golds, and neutral colors which work very well with all our bridal and traditional Indian clothes. It is mostly a shimmery pallet and I am planning to use this pallet a lot during my wedding time. Even a bright blue and matte black has been thrown in. I really like this pallet a lot. <3

2. Sleek Eye shadow palette in Garden of Eden: Similarly this palette  has colors representing a garden. So you get all shades of greens and browns. It is a good mix of shimmer and matte. I really like the variety of browns you get in this pallet for a smokey eye look. 

3. Sleek Blush by 3 palette in Lace: These are the new blush palette by Sleek consisting of 3 blushes in one compact case. The lace palette consists intensely pigmented 2 matte and one shimmer powder blush. 

The three blushes are; Crochet (coral), Guipure (rose gold), and Chantilly (light orange) colors. It is a nice a palette especially for light to medium skin tone. Pigmentation is great and comparable to Nars Blushes. 

4. Sleek Contour Kit in Medium: This is a pressed contouring powder and a highlighter in one. 

5. Sleek Brow Kit in Extra Dark: This kit has a wax and a powder for defining eyebrows. The brow kit also comes with one mini angled brush, one mini blending brush and tweezers. 

6. Sleek Makeup Pout Polish SPF 15 in Perfect Plum: Its a decently pigmented lip balm/stain. I tried this and I like its moisturizing qualities and pigmentation as well as the taste and smell :P Will definitely be trying more colors from this range. 

7. Sleek Blush in Pomegranate

8. Sleek Blush in Sunrise

9. Sigma Flat Kabuki Brush F 80

10. Sigma Blending Brush E 25

11. Sigma Small Tapered Blending Brush E45

12. Zoeva Luxe Petit Crease Brush 231

13. Zoeva Smudger Brush 226

14. Zoeva Bent Fine Liner Brush 315

15. Zoeva Buffer Brush 104

16. Real Techniques Shading Eye Brush 

17. Real Techniques 2-in-1 Folding Kabuki Brush

So a total of 17 things I purchased and am totally excited about them. So far I am loving everything. Luxola also sent me a free sample of Eucalyptus handmade soap which will come in handy while travelling. 

I am mighty impressed with Luxola. Nothing came broken as everything was well packed and reached me very quickly after I placed my order. I think within 4-5 days I received my parcel of placing the order. 

I would recommend this site to everyone and they always keep having 20-30% off and various other offers. So take advantage of them you all. Happy Shopping! :)

Bye Girls!

Kara Facial Wet Wipes

Purchase of Kara Make-up Removal Wipes

By Tanuja Kelkar

Hi Girls,

You would wondering how come I am writing during the middle of the week. The thing is that I am pretty excited right now so felt like sharing it with all of you. In my office, there are always in-house brands and NGOs putting up items for sale for employees. I have purchased many things in these sales. This weekend, again there are going to be lots of items for grabs. :P

During my lunch break, I went to see the items on display. I shortlisted some and decided to come back later with money. The sales attendant gave me 2 complimentary wipes J Yay.. I love anything and everything free. Later on when I purchased Kara Make-up removal wipes with seaweed and lavender (packet of 10 wipes), it was the closing time for them. By then they seemed to be in a hurry to shut shop and wanted to clear off their stock. So, they gave me an entire packet of the complimentary wipes, each of which is packaged individually. Yay.. It was like buy 10 and get 12 free.. Good deal na?!

I shall be reviewing them soon.

Bye

Jordana Easy Liner for Lips: Swatch - Sedona Red

By Tanuja Kelkar

Hello girls,


In our previous post, Shikha had swatched and reviewed 5 shades of Jordana Lip liners. So, I thought of swatching another shade of the same line that I own for the benefit of our readers. The shade is Sedona Red.

Here it goes.

My Palm swatch:

The lip liner is a deep shade of red with pink undertones. I would pair this with maroon, dark pink and deep red lip sticks. This isn't really the kinds that could be paired with a bright red lipstick.

I have been looking for a bright red lipstick with orange undertones, which I think will suit my wheatish complexion. I am looking for something that will stand out, but not as bold as Mac Lady Danger. Any suggestions?

Bye for now.

Travel Memoirs – East India

By Tanuja Kelkar

Hello girls,

Had been away for long. This time I was away on a work trip for around 10 days. Trust me when I say that it was very hectic. Every single day, I had to travel for long hours by car/train/bus. To add to it, I had to put in long hours at work too. This meant that my sleep as well as skin care regime had gone for a toss. I wrote this post while waiting at Kolkata airport, however by the time it was complete, the boarding announcement was made and I had no time to post it and then my internet connection and work kept me away from the blog.

Here are a few pictures captured during the trip.

1) Saw this beautiful rainbow while travelling in Odisha

















2) Victoria Memorial, Kolkata















3) Lush green fields in Jharkhand (captured from the train)

















4) Excellent Sales guy - He was a train attendant who was selling biryani. Congratulating people on their purchase by saying Wah Wah, Wah Wah, Wah Wah!

 5) Coal Mine - Its very different from what we see in films

6) Iron Ore Mine - Iron Ore mines are beautiful and scenic

 I somehow managed to squeeze in sometime for some sight-seeing and shopping at Kolkata. Watch out for my next post on my Shopping in Kolkata.

Wedding Mua Finalized!

Hello Readers!

Me and Tanuja have been away from the blog because Tanuja is a corporate slave :P and  I have been busy with my wedding preparations. Its just two months away! :D I am super excited and anxious about it. Am literally  having day dreams, night dreams and sleep less nights over it but all in a good way.

Today, I am going to write my wedding makeup artist search.

Bridal Makeup Artist:

This was a tough  search with a funny ending :P

For my engagement I had got my makeup done at a salon (Gossip) near by my home. She did a good job and I got many compliments. So, the thought of wanting her for my D day came across my mind but she works out of a salon and I wanted to get ready at the venue. I like the feel of getting dressed at the venue and  having someone's undivided attention and not sharing the room with a dozen brides. At venue means better photos too. Plus who wants to get stuck in Delhi's high wedding season traffic? Not me.

So I decided to let go of her or keep her as a backup and start searching for a good makeup freelancers in Delhi. In case nothing works out I will go to her salon to get ready. :(

Chandini Sing's salon was my other no. 1 choice but her salon is so damn far off from both my residence and wedding venue, that she just wasn't an option for me. :'( :'(

So, I literally took many trials both paid and free of charge from various famous freelancers across Delhi and some refused to give trials. It really annoys me when people refuse to give you trials. I mean how are you suppose to trust someone with your makeup on one of the most important days of your life? 

In spite of all this I still wasn't satisfied with anyone. Some did over the top makeup, some very subtle, and some would just do what they like and not listen to you. So, I decided to give the whole bridal makeup thing a break. 

One day I happened to go to the salon where I got my engagement makeup done to ask about pre-bridal services, facials etc. While in conversation with the lady she asked me have I finalized my makeup artist for the wedding? I said No (with a sad face)... but I am looking for someone who can get me ready at the venue. To my surprise, she offered to do my makeup at the venue instead of the salon if I wish to take up her services and not take any other bride in the evening for that date. :) 

I was ecstatic to hear that. I thought it was a very sweet gesture and I know she does a good job since she has done my makeup before and knows what looks good on me and what is my style. So, I finalized her on the stop and my Wedding MUA was done! 

Its funny how I went crazy in search through out the city for trials and in the end I booked someone who was in the mind all along right from the beginning as a backup option, just assumed like most salons she wouldn't be willing to come at the venue. :p he he 

Well I am glad everything turned out well in the end. 

Thats it guys..

Bye!

Jordana Easy Retractable Lip-Liners

Review : Jordana Retractable Easy Pencil Lipliners

By Shikha Koli

By now you all must be knowing Jordana is an American drugstore brand that packs in a lot of punch for your buck. After NYX I usually find myself looking for Jordana's products. So once again for all our budget beauties world over, we bring to you review and hand swatches of 5 out of the total 12 shades available in Jordana's easy & retractable lip liners.

Skin Tone: NC 40-45

Skin Type: Dry-Combination

These retractable easy pencil liners come in a total of 12 shades and I bought five from my Cherryculture.com haul. I am not pleased with the darkest shade 'Terra Kiss' but than it was an online buy and Cherryculture online swatches suck big time! Oh well.

Avaliable shades: Coco Loco, Cabernet, Terra Kiss, Rock n Rose, Honey Dip, Plush Plum, Latte, Sedona Red, Silver Lilac, Tawny, Baby Berry, Sugar Bronze. 

So there is a shade for everyone and to go with every possible lipstick shade. 

Shades I bought: Baby Berry, Terra Kiss, Tawny, Silver Lilac, and Plush Plum. 

Packaging: Packaging is great. The entire pencil body color corresponds with the lip-liner color, so it is easy to trace a particular shade in your makeup stash. Have to give pointers for the retractable function as it prevents product wastage and sharpening consumes no time for lazy people like me :P

Texture: These lip liners are fairly smooth with a semi-matte finish and glide on the lips very smoothly and give full coverage. It was difficult for me to write swatches of these on paper, as they were so soft and smooth. :) However, they do there job perfectly and outline your lips and prevent lipstick from bleeding. 

Swatches:

I guess the swatches are pretty self explanatory but still I shall describe them for our readers benefit:

Silver Lilac: It is a mauve color and goes very well with pinks, plumps and mauve lipsticks. 

Terra Kiss: This is my least likable shade. Its way to dark and gothic. Will go well with extremely dark      Autumn and Winter shades like Sin, Noir, Black, Cherry Black, Mac Media etc I wish I had bought the Sedona red instead! :(

Plush Plum: Another mauve but a bit deeper shade which will go well with all plumish and very dark pink lipsticks and deep mauve colors.

Baby Berry: My most favorite out of all the colors. It is just like its name..'Baby Berry'. It is a bit lighter than Plush Plum. I would probably pare this up with every pink, purple,berry and even pink nude lipsticks I own. :D

Tawny: This is close to being a flesh color. It reminds me of Mac Spice, however it has a slight pinker tinge to it. It is a perfect nude lipliner for pigmented lips. It is the perfect lipliner for all the nudes lipsticks out there. It can be worn alone or with any nude brown or nude pink lipstick. A definite must buy neutral lip liner IMO.

Verdict: I think these lipliners are great bang for your buck. They are soft and creamy with a soft matte finish yet not give you the tugging feeling very hard lipliners do. I love these for there price, quantity, color selection texture, finish and quality. Highly Recommend them! 

Urbandesichics rating: :-*:-*:-*:-*:-/5 Taking .5 off for unavailability issues here in India. 

Berina Hair Spa Treatment Nourishing Cream: Review

Hello,

Like mentioned in my last post, I have recently bought a Hair Spa product. A hair spa product is something that I was on a look out, ever since I got my last Hair Spa done. I went to an upscale salon, where they use high-end products like Toni & Guy for shampoos, serums etc. However, I was disappointed to see that they use the regular L'oreal product for Hair Spas. That's when I decided to look for a DIY Hair Spa product and I stumbled upon this one at New Beauty Centre.




Price: INR 170 for 100 gm (I got it for INR 133/-)


The product:
It is packaged in light blue coloured tub with a white screw lid. Many destest this kind of packaging; but I love it. It helps me use up the entire product and hence, there's no waste :) Also, I use boxes like these to store my junk jewellery.
product is white in colour with a creamy consistency. It has a sweet smell, somewhat like bubblegum.











My experience:
I decided to give some TLC to my sister's long and thick tresses, which aren't very well maintained. As per the instruction given by the SA, my sister shampooed her hair and then we used a towel for soaking water from her hair. Next, I combed her hair and detangled it. After that, I made
partitions in and started applying it to the complete hair, being careful to not let it touch the scalp. (I don't think it would have harmed it, but didn't want to take any chance.) It took me around 20 minutes to apply it completely. Then, I gave her a 2 minute head massage and then steamed the hair using an electric steamer. Then after waiting for 10 more minutes, we rinsed it off with lukewarm water. On drying, her hair felt softer and more manageable. The fragrance lingered in her hair for around 2 days.


What I like:

• Sweet Smell
• Hair feels softer and more manageable after usage
• Non-drip cream
• Complete value for money. I can get my Hair Spa done atleast 6-7 times with this much content. That means a Hair Spa will cost me approximately Rs 19 as against a minimum of Rs 1400 that I generally spend :)

What I dislike:

• Chemical ingredients :(
  

Overall Verdict:
I will surely repurchase this one. I give it 4 out of 5 kisses. :*:*:*:*

July Shopping Haul

By Tanuja Kelkar

Hello girls,

Been super duper busy at work for the last few days. I went went out shopping for a few essentials and immediately wrote a post, but the CA final result dates were announced and I was very anxious so just couldn't get myself to completely it. My younger sister had given her exam and she cleared it :) Yahooo. I also travelled to 3 different places in the past one week. It was super hectic. Finally, today is the day for presenting my latest buys. Here we go

 1. Nail cuticle remover

I am totally addicted to removing the dead skin around my cuticles. I do it almost on a daily basis and when I misplaced my own tool I had to make an urgent dash to the beauty store to buy it. It saves me a lot of money on manicures and pedicures. This is a must buy for every girl.

2. Make up brushes

This is my first ever purchase of a make up brush. Now you may wonder how how I been applying my make up? My mom had bought some brushes years ago from a friend who used to sell products from one of those networking products. I used those mainly. Recently I misplaced those too! :0 so finally had to buy. I don't like the brushes that we get with the products generally.

3. Hair Spa product

Now every other salon offers this service at a different cost off course. I discovered that whether you go to a high-end salon or a mid-range one, they all use L’oreal hair spa. Now, I can't purchase L’oreal as they test on animals. So, while purchasing I had to be extra sure and ended up buying Berina Hair Spa, which is cruelty free.. Yay.. I can't wait to use this one. My next review is going to be on this one.

4. Hair application brush

Now to apply the hair spa product, I thought of using a brush like the salon guys as I feel it will help in smoother and easier application.

5. Aryanveda Spa facial - Papaya

Now I had to get a cruelty free facial kit and that too a mini kit which was economical too. So after spending a lot of time looking around, I zeroed upon this one. I didn't want to buy a Lotus product as I already have one and wanted to try something new too. I plan to use this soon.

6. Banana Boat Sport Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50

Had heard a lot about this “waterproof” Sunscreen so decided to buy it. I have started going for swimming lessons on weekends. So, this will surely be handy.

This time around none of my purchases were impulsive :)

P.S. I have already tried out some of these products in the last few days and can't wait to share the reviews of the same :)

Beauty Regime for Dry Skinned Beauties

Products I use to keep my skin Clean & Clear:

 By Shikha Koli

Hello girls, 

Sorry I have been lately away from the blog. Its just 4 months to go to the D-day, so preps are going on. :D

So this post is on some of the products I use as my usual skin care routine to keep it clean and clear :D

1. L'oreal Dermo-Expertise Pearl Perfect Facial Foam: I have been using this to cleanse my face daily since the last 4-5 months. It has lasted me long because I use a pea-size amount and only at night. Over use dries my skin out so I use no soap in the morning. But I like the clean effect it gives to my skin. 

2. Cauvery herbal Sandalwood face pack: I don't know have much information about this face pack as my dad got it for me from god knows where. :P But it is very good. It is a ready made paste that you liquify a bit with rose water, milk or toner and apply it all over. Sometimes I even use it as a body scrub too. Gives a cool sensation to the face and smells wonderful. I use this once or twice a week. 

3. Forrest Essential Facial Toner in Panchpushp: Got this toner recently and have been loving it. It tones, hydrates and does not sting atall. Suits my dry n sometimes sensitive skin a lot. This toner is amazing and I recommend it to all skin types. It is gentle and does the job well. I use it daily.

4. Forrest Essential Rupam Facial Cleansing Paste: I use this once or twice a week mainly as scrub for face and body. It is one of the best scrubs I have come across. It exfoliates well and smells good enough to eat. I have reviewed this in detail here :)

5. Vaseline Total Moisture Body Cream: Any skin care is incomplete without Vaseline. Vaseline has been around for ages and it is indispensable for us as an important skin care product. People have been using the jelly form as lip balm since ever. Now the Indian markets are flooded with various Vaseline body creams like Cocoa, Fairness, Cooling effect etc. I use this daily..(if I remember too) right after I shower to lock in moisture and keep me hydrated all long.  

6. Mabelline Baby Lips: Now everyone has seen the Alia Bhatt advertisement promoting these baby lips lip balms by Mabelline. I'm no fan of her but I surely am of these cute chapsticks. Since I have dry skin its mandatory I have dry chapped lips too. So 'Baby lips' comes to my rescue always and I love it totally. It keeps them moisturized all day long and gives me baby soft lips :) It is tinted but does not give opaque color to your lips but just a slight tint. Since I have pigmented lips it just gives shine to them. Yes...I cannot live without my 'Baby lips' lip balm! :*

So that is it girls for today. Hope you enjoyed knowing about the products I use to keep my skin behaving good and keeping it clean and clear. What products do you incorporate in your daily skin cleaning regime? If you guys want me to review any of these products in depth plz let me know.

Bye :*

Review: Lotus Herbals Nutranite Skin Renewal Nutritive Night Cream

By Tanuja Kelkar

Hi Girlies,

The word "girlies" makes me so nostalgic. Being from a Convent school, this was the most frequently used term used to address others whose names we didn’t know. I was discussing with my sister the other day, and was wondering how this word would have come into existence. If any of you know it, let us know :)

That reminds me that I have been out of school since more than a decade; and that means I am in my dreaded late twenties. :O Now with age, the quality of our skin deteriorates. So, I finally decided to invest in a night cream last winter.

Never having used one before, I sought the help of a Sales Assistant and she recommended me Lotus Herbals Nutranite Skin Renewal Nutritive Night Cream.

My Skin Type: Oily, Sensitive and Acne-prone

The brand claims: It is a luxurious nutrient-rich night cream that helps renew the skin while you sleep. It repairs the damages caused by dehydration and exposures during the day to give a supple and renewed skin.

The packing says that it is suitable for all skin types however the SA suggested that this one Is especially suitable for my skin.

My Experience:

The cream comes packaged in a glass box, which is bulky and maybe inconvenient for some to carry. I have no issues with it though. Some may find it unhygienic too. But, I prefer such packaging as I don’t like to waste even .5 gms of the product. Hygiene is also not an issue for me as I don’t share it with anyone. This cream has a yummy citrus, grapefruit like fragrance which I love.

I had previously tried a couple of moisturizers at night previously; however none had lasted throughout the night. I bought this during the winters and started applying it on a daily basis at night. A small quantity is more than enough to cover my entire face. I massage it gently into the skin and my skin feels supple. I am not sure about skin repair but yes, it is moisturizing and hydrating. In the morning, it does not feel stretchy at all. However, once the weather changed I could not feel the same effect. My skin looks too greasy. So I will avoid it for the time being.

 Pros:

• Light on the skin
• Hydrating and makes skin supple
• Fragrance not overwhelming

 Cons:

• Not an all-weather product

Overall Verdict

In dry weather, it did a good job on me. However, now with rains and increase in humidity, this cream feels greasy on me. So, I have kept it inside my cupboard only to reopen it post rains. I will surely repurchase it once my stock gets over. Not really a skin rejuvenating product, but a decent night cream.

I would give it 3.5 kisses out of 5 :*:*:*: