Makeup My Passion !!

Review : Dove Damage Therapy dryness care shampoo

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 06:55:00 +0000

Hi all !!

I'm back after so many days, finally feeling good and energetic now, so to begin with i'm going to review Dove damage therapy dryness care shampoo. Last couple of months i had very dry and frizzy hairs, so i spotted this shampoo and decided to give it a go. I have already finished this shampoo, and now is the time to review it..

Claims :-

Nourishes dry, rough hair to restore softness.

Price : INR 210/-

Quantity : 375ml

The bottle is very sturdy and has flip top cap, and is very huge. It has all the necessary details on its front and back. I actually like the packaging of dove products.

Leaves hair looking healthy, soft and smooth without weighing it down.

According to the diagram above, i had intense damage (yep, i had minor split ends, some breakage and hairfall that began after i stopped using Loreal Paris hair fall repair anti-hair fall shampoo, because i gave Tresemme anti-hair fall shampoo a chance, which obviously didn't work for me ).

The shampoo is pearly white in color, and if closely observed you can see some shimmer particles in it, though i don't think they interfere with the working of shampoo, and also they don't make your hair shiny disco ball types. The shampoo lathers very well, and rinses off pretty well. Sorry i can't remember the fragrance, as i've already finished it months back, but then we all know that dove pretty good fragrance.

I was sharing this shampoo with my mom, and while it worked pretty well for her (O yea she has blessed hair, and 1000 times better hair quality than me..) it wasn't a blessing for me. It used to make my hairs greasy by the 2-3rd day post hair wash. It used to weigh down my hair, used to make them greasy and then i was forced to change my shampoo, cause it wasn't working the way i expected it to. Whereas, my mum used to love her luscious hairs. It didn't help in hair fall too, and therefore lets not talk about the breakage.

I don't have any major dislikes against this shampoo, but it was just a wrong pick for me cause it worked wonderfully for my mother, at the same time it made my hairs a greasy (that too when i skipped using the conditioner). I will suggest this shampoo to those girls who have extreme dry hairs, whereas girls with greasy and oily hairs should stay away from this shampoo.

Have you tried Dove damage therapy dryness care shampoo ??

Godbless !!

Review : Himalaya's Purifying Neem Scrub

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 06:13:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Sorry for being MIA, but its not easy to deal with the stubborn winters and wisdom tooth pain (not 1 but 2) at same time. Today i am going to review Himalaya's Purifying Neem scrub, this is a pending post, since i bought it back in august. I'm not aware if this can be bought separately or not, reason being, this was a part of Himalaya's combo pack (neem face wash, neem pack and this scrub).

Claims :-

Exfoliates & purifies for clear problem-free skin.

Price :- INR 65/-

Quantity :- 50gms

Key ingredients :- Neem & Apricot.

The packaging is typical Himalaya's, i.e a tube with green flip-top cap. I don't have any complaints with the packaging.

What i love most about this face scrub is, that its perfect for my skin. The formula is neither too creamy nor runny, the scrubbing agents are not abrasive but melt down to some extent, while they still provide an efficient scrubbing action. The scrub is cream based, but it doesn't makes my skin oily (i have combination acne prone skin, and don't opt for cream based scrub). The fragrance is very subtle and gentle, won't bother your nose. It scrubs the skin really well, and i usually use it after a hot shower, cause the skin pores open up and its more sensible to work with a scrub then.

I'm not disappointed with this neem scrub, since it works well for my skin type, and will recommend it to normal-oily skin girls. Oh yes and you are planning to buy it, better check out Big bazaar, as you might spot the combo that i got, it makes sense to buy the 3 at a slashed price. Following is the swatch of scrub, i love the green and orange granules

Have you tried Himalaya's purifying neem scrub ? ?

Godbless !!

Review : Forest Essentials Ladies Essential Kit Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 07:13:00 +0000

Hi all !!

First of all a very happy and prosperous New year to all of you ! The first post of 2013 is going to be the review of Forest Essentials Ladies Essential kit, whose part 1 you can read here. My decision beauty wise, is to take care of my skin, probably extra care since i have sensitive skin (and i should not forget the acne i got last year), and do more tutorials for all of you. Okay, enough of chit-chat, i shall move on to the review part.

Price : INR 975/-

Availability : From Forest Essentials Website here.

Content : -

Facial Tonic Mist Panchpushp - 50ml
Face Wash Saffron & Neem - 50ml
Sunscreen Lotion Sandalwood & Aloe Vera - 50ml
Revitalizing Facial Cream - 15gms
Refining Facial Scrub Walnut - 15gms
Luscious Lip Balm - 5gms

This is how the kit looks once opened, btw i love the cute packaging !!

The products that i'm going to review today are :-

1. Forest Essentials Facial Cream - Sandalwood

There are no.of things you will love about this cream. To begin with the fragrance is just soo amazing, i can't really explain the fragrance, but its spicy and sweet (why can't i describe the fragrances ) , it stays easily for more than 4hrs, and even after that it lingers on for a while. The texture of the cream is light and it easily gets absorbed into the skin, i have used it on face, on hands and it moisturizes pretty well, without making the skin oily (but that's subjective, since i have used it in Winters, whereas i doubt it will definitely make my skin oily in summers)

Ingredients :-

Olive oil derivatives 5%, Kasturi Manjal 5%, Sweet almond oil 4%, Sev fruit ferment extract 2.5%, Kokum Butter 2.5%, Apricot kernel oil 2%, Sandalwood oil 2%, Cylindrica Root Extract 2%, Anantmool 1.5%, Nagkesar 1.5%, Rice bran extract 1%, Imidazolidinyl Urea (Paraben free) 0.5%, Base QS

Overall, i like this cream, since its multipurpose and as for my face it hasn't broken me yet, so + points for that. Also i love the fragrance so much, that its almost impossible to avoid using it. The small pot has 15gms of product, and if used on-off it might last you for 4-7weeks, depends totally on usage.

2. Forest Essentials Lip balm - Kerala lime glaze

Well, this isn't the lip balm that is mentioned in the contents or the website, but my pack had Kerala lime glaze lip balm instead of Kokum butter and honey lip balm. This isn't an issue for me, as long as i have 6 products in the kit. The lip balm melts easily once rubbed against the lips, and releases this sweet lemonade fragrance, that increases my craving for a perfect lemonade in this weather. The lip balm has no flavor, and is clear. Upon application, the lips become soft, and it imparts a glossy and fuller lip (although it no where claims to give a sexy pout). I have used the balm under lipsticks, and on its own too and it survives approx 3hrs, and during that time period the lips don't really need re-application. However, it didn't repair my dry lips totally, and also in post period i felt a need to apply balm again. To sum up, it works nicely while its on, hydrates lips, makes them soft and supple, but once its gone the lips aren't significantly healed.

Ingredients :- Nothing mentioned on the back of jar.
Quantity : 5gms

3. Forest Essentials Facial Scrub - Walnut Gel

I have a love-hate relationship with this face scrub. I normally detest any walnut scrub, since its too harsh for my sensitive skin. But still i was very much excited to use this scrub, reason ?? See the swatch below. The texture of the walnut gel scrub describes itself, its a gel based scrub which has fine powder of walnut. Being gel based, it works perfectly for my skin type, but still the powder of walnut is too brutal for my skin, no matter how less amount i take to scrub, i always end up with red skin that feels overly scrubbed (no i don't scrub like an idiot !!) But for dry skin this is going to be a perfect scrub, because the walnut powder even though is not gritty or chunky, but still works effectively. Somehow i don't feel this is going to work for sensitive skin.

Ingredients :-

Crushed walnut seed powder 32%, Aloe vera gel 20%, Vitamin E 1%, Akhrot Powder 3%, Agneemanth 2%, Kachoor 2%, Base QS.

Overall the kit is worth the price you pay, but i still feel that it will be a good option if they allow the customers to customize their kit according to their choices, this is just a personal choice. However the basic stuff in the kit is perfect for all. Also i love the packaging of the kit, just apt for gifting somebody !!

Have you tried Forest Essentials Ladies essentials kit yet ?? What product would you want to try out of these 6 products ??

Godbless !!

P.S :- Product sent by the brand for consideration, however it hasn't affected my opinion.

Review : Benefit Full Finish Lipstick - La La Land

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 06:01:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Hope you had a fantastic Christmas !! Well mine was absolutely incredible : fog, chilly winds , in short a perfect Christmas (without snowfall !). Moving on, today i will be reviewing another Benefit Full Finish Lipstick, in shade La La land, you can read review of No competition here.

Claims :-

Your search for the perfect lipstick is over! From naughty nudes to red carpet reds, these rich, seductive full-finish lipsticks give you the coverage and color you've been longing for. This creamy formula with medium to full coverage. Leaves lips with a smooth finish. With 20 glamorous shades to choose from, you'll want them all!

Price : $18

Quantity : 3.0 gms

Ingredients :-

OCTYLDODECANOL, OCTYLDODECYL NEOPENTANOATE, DIISOSTEARYL MALATE, POLYETHYLENE, C10-30 CHOLESTEROL/LANOSTEROL ESTERS, TRIDECYL TRIMELLITATE, HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE, STEARYL DIMETHICONE, PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE, BEESWAX (CERA ALBA), VP/HEXADECENE COPOLYMER, EUPHORBIA CERIFERA (CANDELILLA) WAX, MICA, COPERNICIA CERIFERA (CARNAUBA) WAX, TALC, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, BHT. [+/- : TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE (CI 77002), RED 7 LAKE (CI 15850), RED 28 LAKE (CI 45410), RED 6 (CI 15850), RED 33 LAKE (CI 17200), YELLOW 5 LAKE (CI 19140), CARMINE (CI 75470), RED 30 LAKE (CI 73360), BLUE 1 LAKE (CI 42090)]. N° 04948/N

By the way, i absolutely love the quotes they have in each lipstick !! Packaging is sturdy and classy, even though its black, it has asymmetrical design on the bottom of the lipstick. I have no complaints with the packaging, since i have carried it in my purse a lot of times.

The shade La La land is described as "nude rose" ; the swatch in their official website is a bit too dark, but the actual shade is a perfect nude rose. While purchasing this shade, i was skeptical, cause i haven't tried much nude shades as they tend to wash me out completely. But this is an exceptional shade, its a perfect combination of brown+pink, and toned down to a level where you can get a 'nude' lip look. As far as texture and staying power is concerned, I already love these lipsticks since they are opaque, give full coverage, are moisturizing, and stays for good 3hrs.

The shade will easily suit fair-medium girls, and i'm NC 43.5 (with pigmented lips) but still it works perfect for me !! Following is a single swatch.

I'm looking forward to buy more of these lipsticks as and when StrawberryNet stocks more shades. Totally loving these lipsticks.

Have you tried Benefit Lipsticks ??

Godbless !!

EOTD : Purple-Cranberry soft smokey eye makeup tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 14:37:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Just a quick Eotd i did today, it was actually a requested look by Rekha from Glitter and Gorgeous. The inspirational pic (which i'm not including btw, cause my interpretation turned out to be extremely different lol) had lots of warmth in terms of eyeshadows used, the original shades used were Warm copper/orange, brilliant gold, some cranberry (all in pearl finish), and a matte purple. I did the look using the closer shades, but the result isn't as warm and appealing, however i did the step by step look, so here's how the final look :-

Step 1 :- Prime lids using an eye primer, then set it using an eye shadow that matches exactly your skin tone, you can use your compact for same. Note - i had applied the primer on lower lid too, because you won't want your kajal/eyeshadow to smudge. After that i blended a matte purple eyeshadow all over the lid (actually above), and pulled it up as far as i could, the blending is entirely upto you how far you want to feather it. Similarly place some on the lower lid too.

Step 2 :- Then using a flat eyeshadow brush, i applied 'Overground' (from sleek glory palette) which is a light bronzy shade. After that i used some cranberry shade (you can use any red/magenta to add more warmth) just in the socket area. However i didn't blend it.

Step 3 :- The inspiration pic had used dark brown eyeshadow to add more depth to the socket and crease, i accidently took black eyeshadow on my brush , my bad !! so you must have understood why the whole look changed. Blend the brown/black (whatever you want) in the socket, and place some on the outer lower lid. Then add some golden eyeshadow in the inner corner, this will highlight your eyes and widen them up. Highlight your brow bone using a matte eyeshadow, and apply lots of mascara.

If you're wondering what i have on my waterline, umm its the black eyeshadow's remains This is the final look.

I paired some nude lipstick with this look, and I was good to go for any party but of course i didn't

Share in your thoughts about the look. What are your plans for Christmas ??

Godbless !!

Review : Kerastase Oleo-complexe - Versatile Beautifying Oil

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 05:25:00 +0000

Hi all !!

If you follow me on Facebook, then you all probably know that i have been drooling over the new Kerastase Elixir Ultimate Grand Crus oils for quite some time. Today i will be reviewing their Oleo-Complexe grand crus oil, that is suitable for all hair types.

Claims :-

Versatile beautifying oil with Oleo-complexe. The exceptional combination of camellia, argan, maize, and pracaxi oils. Suitable for All hair types.

Result : Hair is nourished, protected and enhanced, leaving it feeling light, soft and supple with incredible shine.

Price : INR 2200/-

Quantity : 125ml

Shelf life : 3yrs

It comes in a plastic see through golden bottle with a pump dispenser, that allows you to work efficiently without wasting product. All other details are mentioned on the golden cardboard carton. I really like the pump dispenser, and 1 shot is enough to cover my hairs (they're till my waist). If you're thinking that it is expensive, then I must say that it is expensive, but still considering the amount one has to use, this bottle will easily last more than 8months or even max a year.

In the past i have used a couple of leave-in treatments, or hair serums and potions, and they all tend to make the hairs greasy at some point (probably early as compared to Elixir Ultime). The serum (i know its oil, but let me call it serum ! ) is runny but still has a thick consistency, and it looks like a gold potion !! The packaging is thick and a bit chubby, but still light weight, and no ways i would never carry it around.

Now let me tell you, if you are a fan of exquisite fragrances, then you'll really want to sniff this at least once !! Well the very first time i wasn't able to detect any fragrance, but when i rubbed between my palms, it immediately released the fantastic aroma. The serum makes the hairs very soft and shiny, and yes light too. Following is my experience according to the claims :-

As a pre-cleanse product : No doubt, i have used it before washing my hairs, and it works just as fine any hair oil, but the results are bit more good. You'll experience softer and shiny manageable hairs.
As an intensive leave-in conditioner : Mostly i have used it after head wash as a leave in treatment, it works fine, but to be honest i expected it to help me in de-tangling my hairs, and it doesn't helps with that. Therefore without the "detangling" factor i surely loose a few strands while combing my hairs.
As a heat protectant : I don't blow dry my hairs, but for occasions i have straightened my hairs, and applied the grand crus oil to tame and maintain the transformation. It works nicely with straightened hairs
As a finishing product : I have used this a no.of times as a finishing product, and it helps in taming any frizz ( i do have a lot of small hairs in the crown area that keep on showing ), it tames them to an extent.

OMG my hands look so chubby and weird :|

One thing i'd suggest is not to go overboard with this oil in case your retouching your hair, or using it to tame your hair, as it will tend to get greasy and the hairs will go horribly oily by the end of the day. But it works just fine if you're using it as a pre-cleanse product or a leave-in treatment. However you use it, the end results are soft, shiny, lightweight and manageable hairs !! I only am disappointed a bit because it doesn't helps in detangling the hairs.

If you want to know what variant will suit your hairs according to the needs, then check out this app here on Kerastase Facebook page, and if you want to buy it you can locate your nearby Salon by using this app, or if you want to win a brand new Kerastase Oleo-Complexe then do check out my giveaway here.

Godbless !!

P.S : Product sent by the brand for consideration, however it hasn't affected my opinion.

EOTD : Christmas Bell inspired !! I'm in christmas mood ..

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 06:22:00 +0000

Hi all !!

I'm already excited for Christmas , apparently December is my favorite month of all the months, not only because its winters, but also cause of Christmas. I had this idea in my head since last so many days but cause of my health i wasn't able to implement it, today however i tried my hands on to do a Christmas inspired Eotd.

This is however not wearable otherwise, but if you happen to go to Christmas themed parties or any other functions (perhaps a fancy dress competition ?? ) this can be your safest bet.

The inspiration is the classic Christmas bell, therefore i used a copper e/s to make the bell, a matte red e/s to draw some ribbons, and a matte green e/s to draw the leaves. The base was kept white, inspired by the Snow, and to add a bit vibrancy to the whole look i decided to do a matte green eyeliner.

If you're wondering why i drew the bell on the brow bone area, you can also draw it below your eye, if thats ok with you. Doing it on the brow bone area is easy compared to the area below your eye, since you can control the application.

Please excuse the dark circles, they get "accentuated" when i'm sick. Anyhow i didnt feel a need to do a tutorial for this, but still let me know how you like it.

Godbless !!

Review : Gosh Velvet Touch Lipstick - Burgundy

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 13:21:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Today i will be reviewing a lipstick by Gosh, and the shade that i have is perfect for Winter season, as well as for girls who like dark red based burgundy shades. The lipstick i have is from the Velvet Touch range, and is extremely light and glossy, to know more about it read the rest of the article..

Claims :-

GOSH Velvet Touch Lipstick gives an intense and long-lasting colour to the lips due to a high concentration of colour pigments.

This amazing creamy lipstick contains light reflecting pigments which gives the lips a bright and shiny look.

The colour pay-off is fantastic and it stays put on the lips for hours and hours. GOSH Velvet Touch Lipstick contains vitamin-E which protects against free radicals and vegetable oils for extra care and protection of the lips.

Intense and long-lasting colour
Fantastic shiny look
Extra care and protection of your lips
Creamy consistency
Easy to apply

Good tip: For an even more lasting application, use Velvet Touch Lip Primer before applying..

Price : €10.99 (i bought this from Strawberrynet last month, its out of stock i guess, and sorry i don't remember how much i paid for it, but i assume not more than INR 450/-)

Quantity : 4gms

Shelf life : (not mentioned, since there was no outer box)

The packaging is matte black case, and kind of attracts dirt, but i usually keep all my lipsticks in a small container, and don't carry them along often. The packaging can seem boring to some, for me its fine since its sturdy. At bottom you can find the shade name and no., unfortunately i don't know if these lipsticks originally come in any box or not, i received it like this only (perhaps i think it had a plastic sheath around it, not sure). The cap fits in properly, and will not loosen up.

The formula is extremely light and glossy, it almost melts in when i apply the lipstick. There's no pulling or tugging required, and 2 swipes will give enough intensity, whereas 1 swipe might help you to have a sheer look. However, i sometimes do feel that it can settle into the fine lines (alert !! girls with extreme dry lips should scrub their lips, apply a balm and then use it). The other thing is, that if i apply it more than twice, the formula tends to transfer (teeth, cup of tea and what not !!) so if you're not happy with the intensity of color you get in 2 layers, its better to blot and reapply again to get a better color pay off. For me 2 swipes cover all my lip pigmentation entirely. On fair girls it might look more red.

In above image i've swatched the lipstick once on my arm, and you can see its sheer but definitely buildable. Whereas on my lips, i've used 2 layers. Today i used this lipstick at around 1pm, had my lunch, took a nap, and the lipstick is still there, although the glossiness is not the same, but the remains don't look like a stain, all in all it survived for 5hrs straight and even lunch.

This shade is perfect for girls who are into reds, especially if you're looking for a shade that can be used in the winter season. However this has to be purchased from strawberrynet website (out of stock as of now).

I'm kind of impressed with the batch of lipsticks i bought from the website, i have already reviewed Benefit Lipstick (which btw is missing since i went out of station ), Kanebo Lipstick . As far as this lipstick is concerned, the only thing i don't like is that it transfers a lot if layered more, but otherwise it stays and survives straight 4-5hrs.

Have you tried Gosh Velvet Touch lipsticks ??

Godbless !!

Review : Lumiere Cosmetics Lumi Lip glosses - Dahlia & Vineyard

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 06:39:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Today i will be reviewing two lip glosses from Lumiere Cosmetics, from the Lumi Lips range. The shades that i have are Vineyard, and Dahlia. I don't really remember using a lip gloss that gives a silk kind of feeling on lips, although we all have used glosses which are creamy or glossy. So if you want to know more about these, read on..

Claims :-

High shine for that "wet look" glossy finish. Enhanced with moisturizing jojoba oil that is long wearing and surprisingly not "sticky".

Price : -
Mini size Lip wand : +$3.00
Large Lip wand : + $8.50

Ingredients : Not mentioned
Shelf life : Not mentioned

Description :-

Dahlia : Deeply pigmented red with a slight sheen.

Vineyard : Rich deep plum with a hint of shimmer.

As you can see these are sample lip glosses, small and handy. I'm not aware of how much quantity is there in these sample glosses. Anyways, moving on to the review part, i love love love its texture. The texture is a so silky and spread on lips easily without any hassle. These give amazing shine to the lips, almost wet look, but they aren't gooey or sticky.

The shade Vineyard looks deep plum/purply in the tube, but when applied it turns out to be a subtle gloss, almost nude, which gives amazing shine to the lips. I have pigmented lips but it enhances them without looking weird.

Whereas the shade Dahlia is a deep orange influenced red, has very tiny shimmer that imparts a more glossy finish, and this gloss looks almost neonish orange. On my pigmented lips alone it looks weird and not that good, but if paired up with a lipstick beneath it works greatly.

The staying power of these glosses is average, they stay for around 2hours with that intensity, and afterwards they start to fade. One thing however to be noted is, that they have this impressive silk sort of texture, that moisturizes the lips nicely, these are light and free of fragrance lip glosses.

Out of both the glosses, Dahlia is certainly best in terms of pigmentation, but otherwise both the glosses have the same characterstics. If i will buy these in future, then it will be only because of their texture.

Have you tried Lumiere Cosmetics Lumi Lip Glosses ??

Godbless !!

P.S :- Product sent by the brand for consideration, however it hasn't affected my opinion.

Review : Forest Essentials Ladies Essential Kit Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 06:20:00 +0000

Hi all !!

So here I am with the review of Forest Essentials, Ladies Essential Kit, whose teaser i posted a couple of days back. There are total 6 products in this kit, out of which i'm going to review 3 products, and didn't wanted to club everything in 1 single post. If you want to know more about this kit, read on more..

Price : INR 975/-

Availability : From Forest Essentials Website here.

Content : -

Facial Tonic Mist Panchpushp - 50ml
Face Wash Saffron & Neem - 50ml
Sunscreen Lotion Sandalwood & Aloe Vera - 50ml
Revitalizing Facial Cream - 15gms
Refining Facial Scrub Walnut - 15gms
Luscious Lip Balm - 5gms

So these are the 3 products that i'm going to review today :-

1. Forest Essentials Delicate Facial Cleanser - Kashmiri Saffron & neem

This face cleanser comes packed inside a 50ml see through bottle, with a stopper that controls any spillage (which can be annoying to remove until you pin it) and a gold cap. The small bottle may look small, but has enough product to get you through 3-4weeks if used once every day. I have carried this face cleanser while i was travelling, and the bottle is sturdy enough, and there was no spilling.

Ingredients : - Steam Distilled Rose Water 30%, Steam Distilled Marigold Water 10%, Steam Distilled Jasmine Water 10%, Steam Distilled Kewada Water 10%, Neem infusion 5%, Organic Honey 2.5%, Nagkesar 1.5%, Anantmool 1.5%, Pure Saffron Extract 1%, Kumud 1%, 2Phenoxyethanol (Paraben Free) 0.5%, Base QS.

Use within 6months of opening. Expiry :- 12months from manufacturing date.

My Experience : The very first use, i must tell you exceeded my expectations, my face was glowing and clean as if i got some facial done. This was quite surprising to me, since i don't expect instant results from products which are natural, and believe they work and show results over time. But to be honest the cleanser is very very good, and brightens up your face, and your face stays likewise unless you exhaust yourself and start looking dull. The texture of the cleanser is thick gel kind, but comes out easily out of the bottle, 1 dollop is enough to cleanse the face thoroughly, it lathers well, has this amazing rose water + kewada water fragrance which is mild but appealing. Other thing is, it hasn't dried out my face like the normal face washes would have in this winter season, so i'm definitely putting this in my to-buy list in future. Highly recommend this face cleanser to all.

2. Forest Essentials Facial Toner - Panchpushp

Again, this facial toner comes in a 50ml bottle transparent bottle, same packaging, has a stopper lid inside.

Ingredients :-Steam Distilled Rose Water 20%, Steam Distilled Marigold Water 20%, Steam Distilled Bela Water 20%, Steam Distilled Kewada Water 20%, Saffron Water 20%

Use within 6months of opening. Expiry :- 12months from manufacturing date.

My Experience : Mostly i use all the facial toners in my homemade face packs, simply because i find them too sticky to use it directly on face. But this toner is quite good. Normally when i use other toners, it leaves a sticky feeling, and a thin layer everytime, but this toner does not. It acts like a quick face energizer, leaving a fresh and healthy skin, which isn't oily or dry. It looks like saffron water, and has a very pleasant fragrance just like the cleanser. As far as open pores are concerned, i don't have this problem in the winters, so can't judge it that way. Even in face packs it helps in diluting and making a good mix, and the end results are pretty convincing, which otherwise were not that good. If you are a fan of toners, then you must try this.

3. Forest Essentials Sunscreen Lotion - Aloe Vera & Sandalwood
Same packaging ; 50ml see through bottle, stopper lid, gold cap.

Ingredients :- Cold pressed organic Almond oil, Steam Distilled rose water, yasad bhasma, aloe vera extract, glycerin, sandalwood extract.
Use within 6months of opening. Expiry :- 12months from manufacturing date.

My Experience : Usually i don't use sunscreens which don't mention the SPF factor, and other details. Also this sunscreen lotion has not been given much priority to get thoroughly tested (thanks to the Winters !!), but speaking of texture, its a stable liquid mix, that blends easily without leaving any greasy feeling behind. Also the lotion gives off this cool feeling when applied (not menthol like !! ) which is soothing, and will be of great help especially in summers. It smells of almond and a bit of sandalwood (i'm not a big fan of both , since the presence of almond in it kind of makes it heavy). But yea again in these winters, i haven't used a separate moisturizer when i used this lotion, it alone is is very moisturizing. All those people who love natural Suncreen lotions must give it a shot

I'm all in all very much impressed by these 3 products; although i give sunscreen lotion a benefit of doubt, but the other 2 products are quite impressive. And its a great way to try and use these products when bought in this ladies essential kit. I personally love the pink box (or dabba as i love to call it) cause its perfect for a gifting option (with products or without )

I will be reviewing the rest 3 products in coming week, let me know if you have tried these products individually or not. What are your favorite Forest Essentials Products ??

Godbless !!

Review : Kanebo Treatment Lip Color - Very Berry

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 06:17:00 +0000

Hey all !!

Hope you all are doing well in these Winters. As for me, i'm still en route of recovery, but somethings in life can cheer you up more than the medicines, and what better than a bright berry lipstick in this fall season ?? If you're looking for a berry lipstick which isn't murky and dark for winters, then i must introduce you to Kanebo Treatment lip color , in shade Very berry.

Apparently this isn't a well known brand, atleast among Indian consumers, even i wasn't aware of this brand, until i opted it as a promotional gift when i made some purchases from Strawberrynet.

Claims :-

Provides fresh & delicate color for lips.
Gentle formulation & velvety soft in texture.
Makes your lips look naturally beautiful.
Contains milk essence for lasting moisturizing effect.
Keeps your lips moist and comfortable.

Price : INR 957/- (after discount as mentioned on Strawberrynet)

Quantity : 3.8gms

The lipstick is a refill form, i.e. it doesn't comes with the outer bullet casing as we normally get in our lipsticks. It has a small cap to cover the mouth, and all this is housed inside a shiny silver carton that bears all the necessary details (errr.. its missing the manufacturing/expiry date). Inside the carton you also get this small pamphlet describing the steps of setting the refill in the lipstick, and also has this sticker (having lipstick's shade no. and name) that you can then stick to your lipstick.

The ingredients are very well included :-

The lipsticks work in the same manner, just that it doesn't has an outer body like the lipsticks usually have.

The shade Very Berry is exactly as its name suggest, its a bright raspberry shade that instantly brightens up the face. It doesn't has any blue undertones, and will suit most of the Indian complexions. On fair girls it might turn up more pink.The texture of the lipstick is semi-matte, but it glides soo softly on lips, and you don't need to put extra pressure to have it through. It is superbly pigmented !! Superbly, it can cover up any kind of lip pigmentation, without settling down in the fine lines. However, i'd recommend girls with dry lips to exfoliate and moisturise the lips before using the lipstick for their own benefit. The good thing is, since its a semi-matte lipstick, you can opt to make it look glossy by adding a clear gloss or any other gloss.

It survives the whole day, even if i keep munching the whole day, it will still survive and at the end of the day you will get this bright stain on your lips, which obviously needs to be removed with a makeup remover. The staying power on an average is 7-8hrs, and i believe on most girls it will survive the whole day without any extra touch ups. I haven't experienced it transferring much, though it sets pretty fast and doesn't bleeds.

Following is a swatch in flash, and i have used only this lipstick.

In Flash

In the following image, i had some lip balm on my lips, and is clicked in day light.

In daylight

It is totally worth the money (if you decisively buy it), or for me lets say its 'total paisa vasool' and a great promotional gift I wasn't expecting a lot from it, since it was a comparatively new brand to me that i had no knowledge of, but it has surpassed my expectations and if in future i shop from Strawberrynet again, i will choose other colors from this very range as a promotional gift. I'm totally digging this lipstick for this season, however this is one shade that can be used throughout the year.

Don't forget to enter the Kerastase Elixir Ultime grand Crus giveaway (read details here) and tell your friends about it so that they get a fair chance to try out their luck.

Do let me know if you like the color, and have you ever tried this lipstick ?? Do you know any dupes for this shade ??

Godbless !!

Teaser : Kerastase Elixir Ultime Grand Crus & Giveaway !! (Closed)

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 12:45:00 +0000

Hola !!

Hows everyone ?? Sorry for being MIA, but i'm not well since last week, nevertheless i'm here to post a teaser of upcoming Review of Kerastase Elixir Ultime Grand Crus oil - Oleo Complexe. Before that here's a bit more about the rest of the variations.

I've been using Oleo Complexe ; which is meant for all hair types. These are beautifying hair oils, which can be used in a number of ways. You can use it as a leave in treatment, as a conditioner, as a serum to tame hairs, or to retouch hairs when required.

I'm going to give away one full size bottle (i.e 125ml) of Kerastase Elixir Ultime Oleo complex to one lucky winner.

All you have to do is tag along the following rules and fill in the following Document. Please make sure to fill correct information, the giveaway is open to Indian Residents only. Here are the simple rules :-

Like Kerastase India Facebook page here, and Like us on our Facebook page here.
Follow Kerastase India on twitter, and our blog's twitter account here.
Subscribe Makeup My Passion via email to get the updates (Just fill in your email id in the big white box on the top right side, confirm the link you received in your inbox, and provide us with your email id with which you have subscribed the updates).
Tweet about the giveaway (tagging both Kerastase India & Makeup My Passion ) and provide the link detail in the widget.
Visit Kerastase' application here on Facebook, try it out and let us know in comments which variation you would want to try.

If you have doubt please mail me at makeupmypassion7(at)gmail(dot)com. Once you have filled the form, please leave a comment below to confirm your entry.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All the very best !!

Godbless !

Review : Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo - Edgy Emerald 50

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:35:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Today i will be reviewing the latest and hottest Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo in shade Edgy Emerald. I won this among other goodies in Divassence's Giveaway. I had always wanted to try MAC paint pots, but unfortunately last year when i was on my MAC shopping spree, the paint pot i wanted was out of stock, so i kind of lost hope that i'd ever try something like that. But fortunately, Maybelline came up with these amazing color tattoo's which are no doubt a better option if you want to try out something like mac paint pots. Read on to know more..

Price : INR 350/-

Quantity : 4gms

Claims :- 24hr intensity, cream gel smoothes on for vibrant color that does not fade.

The color tattoo is housed inside a heavy glass pot, with black cap that has the details on it. However there aren't much details mentioned, such as ingredients list, manufacturing/expiry date etc, which is like major concern !! The problem could have been solved if they packed this pot inside some cardboard carton that could bear the details required. On the other side, the pot is quite heavy, and since its made of glass i sometimes fear that if due to my clumsiness it falls, it might break. Not sure if it would survive any such accidents or not

Coming back to the shade, its a beautiful toned down emerald color, has a frosty finish due to minimal shimmers in it. This serves a great base especially for color such as blue and green, and you can easily control the intensity by blending in more. The texture is creamy, and working with them is easy since they don't instantly set, but you get enough time to work, blend and it easily sets then, however it doesn't means that it leaves your lid wet or sticky. You can barely feel that you have applied anything on your lids, because it blends so easily without leaving any patchy feeling.

Maybelline has launched these tattoo's along with a brush, which is a good idea since digging in fingers again and again in the pot isn't much hygienic. The brush is good for application purpose, though you still need to use either a blending brush or your fingers to blend it in to get a desired effect. They are superb in terms of staying power, i haven't tried them for straight 24hrs, but this thing will stay easily and survive more than 10hrs !! And even then it won't fade, you will have to use a makeup remover to get rid of it.

Here's a swatch of it, left is one swipe, and right one is blended swatch.

Here's a simple EOTD, and i have used the same shade as an eyeliner. This survived whole day without budging and moving, though it was a bit difficult to remove it from the very inner corner of the lashes. The shade here looks frosty and icy, something which is good since i love winters Lol.

Did you get Maybelline Color tattoos ? Which are your favorite shades ???

Godbless !!

Teaser : Forest Essentials - Ladies Essential Kit

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:18:00 +0000

Hey all !!

Today i'm posting a teaser of Forest Essentials Ladies Essential Kit. Will review it in coming next week, till then sit back and check out all the contents.

Since there are 6 products, i will review the kit in 2 posts, because i don't want to leave anything and will cover all the points.

Godbless !!

Tidal wave : Eye makeup tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Finally after so many days i've done a tutorial today. I won Glitter & Gorgeous's giveaway a month ago, and apart from various other stuff i also won Sleek Glory Palette, so i will be using that palette in this tutorial. Also this is last "summery" tutorial for this year.

Step 1 :- To start off, i primed my eye lids with MUA Eye primer, blended it all over and under the lid to prevent creasing of the eyeshadows. After that, with very light hand i applied Maybelline color tattoo in shade Edgy Emerald, and blended it only over the lid. If you don't want to use a green eyeshadow, then you can apply the color tattoo more and intensify the shade.

Step 2 :- Then, using a flat brush i packed on "District" , a teal green eyeshadow, on the lid, leaving some bare spot in the inner corner for highlighting. Then using a stiff angular brush, i made a thick wing using "Picadilly", which is a beautiful pearl scent navy blue.

Step 3 :- Then to avoid the monotony in the crease, i opted for a bright yellow (Circle) eyeshadow to add in some spark and brightness to the look. I also brushed in some navy blue eyeshadow along the bottom lashes, and used "Tube" on the inner corner to highlight.

This is how it looks after tightlining the eyes, and applying mascara.

Products used :-

I did some changes in image editing, so let me know how the images look, did you have any difficulty loading the page ??

Godbless !!

Review : Living Proof Live Cell Cleanser Complete

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 13:08:00 +0000

Hi all !!

This is Another product from my trials when i was suffering from Acne a couple of months ago, however this facewash/cleanser does not aims on clearing acne or any such problem, but umm just cause the name was quite interesting i decided to buy it. Read on to know more about it..

Claims :-

Living Proof Live Cell Cleanser Complete is a gentle foaming cleanser that effectively removes dirt, stubborn makeup and clears clogged pores. It moisturizes skin and controls oil production. It promotes even skin tone by softening and smoothening skin instantly.

Living Proof supports the fact that healthy glowing skin comes from healthy growing cells. All its products are scientifically created using Bio-Active Phyto Placenta embryonic cells proven to 'kick-start' cell growth and renewal.

Price : MRP 360/-

Quantity : 150ml

The cleanser comes packed inside a sturdy see-through plastic bottle, with upside-down flip top cap, and all this is housed inside matte plastic carton. The packaging is sturdy enough, but i doubt that flip top cap isn't strong enough.

I specifically wanted a face wash for after care, i.e once my acne was clear i wanted to take care of my skin by using something gentle and efficient. Initially i wasn't having high expectations from this cleanser, and thought maybe its too expensive, but when i received it, the bottle was huge, so if you're wondering that 360/- for a cleanser is too much (which i know isn't) then consider it worth cause it will easily last you long. I, on the other hand have used it no.of times as a body wash too !!

The texture of the cleanser is runny, and a drop or two will lather enough. I have washed off my makeup a lot of times using this cleanser, and it does a decent job, however in case of waterproof makeup such as eyeliner, it doesn't removes it efficiently. The fragrance of the cleanser is very mild and gentle, and of course very mild that i can't even recall and compare it with anything else. It didn't bring any significant change while i was having acne, but was mild enough not to aggravate the situation. As a body wash also it has been very mild and good to use, because it lathers well and washes off easily, leaving the skin squeaky clean.

IMO, its a mild and gentle face cleanser, perfect for oily/dry skin since it leaves skin clean, supple and healthy without stripping off moisture, and it has been good in my aftercare routine. !! Not sure if i would repurchase it or not, but its totally worth trying once.

Have you tried Living Proof products ??

Godbless !!

Beautiful Things Make Beautiful Things !!

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:50:00 +0000

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."

- Audrey Hepburn

We all know Forest essentials very well !! My very first forest essentials product made me its fan, although i haven't been much able to lay my hands on other stuff. But oooh you have to see their new TVC, its soo enticing and rustic !!

Enter a fantastical world where beautiful Apsaras, mythological celestial beings use Ayurveda to create luxurious Forest Essentials products in their forest factory.

By the way have you noticed their title ?? It is "Beautiful things make beautiful things" !! No doubt its true, but the moment i saw the video, every single thing made me think about the whole process. I wonder how in ancient times, people studied ayurveda and made all these trust worthy recipes, which are tried and tested, and till now don't fail us, here although the apsara's (angels) are doing it . The video itself is so enlightening, and made me think that people used to get all those precious elements to make such worthy products, and hence beautiful things definitely made things beautiful.

Other than that, a beautiful inner self makes the world more beautiful, a life lived worth is nothing more you can ask for. Or for example, what you eat is what you are, i.e eat healthy and you will be healthy, use natural and beautiful things and you will be so !!

There is no doubt Forest essentials products are so good, for e.g. Tejasvi Facial Ubtan, Soundarya Facial ubtan, Narangi & Nagkesar Facial Ubtan, etc are some of the most raved products !!

I'll end up with this beautiful quote :

"It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But... it is better to be good than to be ugly. "
- Oscar Wilde

Check out the video and do comment what do you think about it

So do you agree Beautiful things make beautiful things ?? Drop in your comments.

Godbless & Stay beautiful !!

Review : Lumiere Cosmetics Crimson Veena Blush

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 06:31:00 +0000

Hi all !!
Today i will be reviewing a blush from Lumiere Cosmetics, and the shade is Crimson Veena Blush. These are my first mineral blushes, and to be honest they're pretty good !! What else do you want when these don't really clog your pores, don't wither away soon, and give a pretty glow to your face ?? Well read on to know more..

Ingredients :-

premium grade serecite (colorless mica), mica, iron oxide, avena sativa, titanium dioxide may contain : carmine, tin oxide, calcium aluminum borosilicate.

Description :-

Subtle deep warm red, used sparingly you can control the depth of this soft textured, mostly matte, red blush.

Price :-

Large jar 4gms : +$12

Mini jar 2gms : +$6

L-R : Crimson Veena Blush , Medium - Golden Cashmere, Indian Red Blush Bronzer

Out of following 3 jars, Crimson blush is the first one, and the 2nd one is a loose powder (foundation/concealer/base) and the 3rd one is also a blush, all soon to be reviewed.

The packaging, as you can see is a see-through plastic jar, with a black cap, and comes without a lid or something else that can help in controlling the amount. Since it does not comes with a lid other than the cap, one can experience massive fall out too, and if you're clumsy enough you can drop it easily, therefore lot of attention goes into when you are using these. And of course, bottom has the shade name.

The shade Crimson looks quite dark in the first pic, well it isn't, and is described as warm matte red blush. The real color can be seen below in the swatch pic. This shade is mostly a dark peachy color, who's intensity can be controlled to get a light peach flush, or get an intense red flush. The color is definitely buildable, and very very pigmented !! In fact a very light dip in the jar is what you need to work with, because if you get more, it will be difficult to blend such a pigmented shade.

It will suit fair, medium and dusky skin tones easily, while i doubt if it will suit dark skin. Since a very small amount is required, a small jar will eventually last you long (unless you use it daily). The shade is very natural, and easily gives a natural glow and warmth to the face, easily cheers it up. Although its described matte, i can definitely inspect some very light "shimmery" particle, which aren't visible on application, but they impart a glow on your face, which is something you'll appreciate. For me, this falls in the "daily-wear" category, because its not too loud, and isn't shimmery or pearly, just what you'll need for everyday !!

Its staying power is just amazing !! I have combination skin, and other blush sometimes just stay for 4-5hrs, but this blush has lasted me more than 5 hrs (w/o primer) , and sometimes even whole day until i washed my face. With a primer it will easily survive whole day without withering.

I highly recommend this blush because it has very high staying power, didn't break me out (cause i have acne prone skin), lasted pretty well for more than 6hrs on my combination skin, is matte and apt for daily wear, gives the desired flush to your face without making it OOT. My only concern is the packaging, only if it had a stopper lid to prevent any fall out. These can be bought from Lumiere Cosmetics website here

I have a small giveaway going on the FACEBOOK page here and here , don't forget to check it out.

Have you used Lumiere Blush's ??? Would you try this out ??

Godbless !!

P.S :- Product sent by the brand for consideration, however it hasn't affected my opinion.

Review : Benefit Full Finish Lipstick - No competition

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:13:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Today i will be reviewing Benefit Full-Finish Lipstick, in shade NO COMPETITION, that i bought from Strawberry.net. Read on to know more..

Claims :-

Price : $18

Quantity : 3.0 gms

Ingredients :-

The lipsticks packaging is just soo classy !! It comes packed inside a cardboard carton, very very classy because it's carved from the front, and has a slip-in card (the above one which says "Men may come and go, but lipstick is forever"), every lipstick has a different name, and has different quote inside. The lipstick's case itself is quite impressive, although its black, but at least to me its classy. The casing tends to get finger prints, cause of being glossy.

The packaging has everything mentioned on it, the shade name, ingredients etc. These are slim lipsticks available in 21 shades.

The shade No Competition is described as 'heathered plum' , heather means use of lighter and darker contrasting colors to produce a mottled effect. The shade is a really pretty plum shade, not being too dark or purply, but a balance between plum and pink. In the bullet it might look a bit dark, but once applied it looks perfect. The texture and finish of the lipstick is creamy, and moisturizes the lips very well, and even after the lipstick weathers off the lips don't dry out. This is quite an opaque shade, and layering it can make the color more bold, which still looks pretty, i.e. you can play safe with this color.

This is its swatch i day light :-

The staying power of the lipstick is very very impressive ; it stays for more than 4hrs (excluding meals) without budging, and even after 6hrs the tint remains strong. These lipsticks hydrate very well, so you can skip using a balm. Applying the lipstick is easy as its creamy and glides on easily on lips, it doesn't settles down in fine lines. On fair girls it might look more pink, or say berry pink (depends on the lip pigmentation) .

Here's a lip swatch, the top picture is taken in flash, and bottom one without flash in day light.

I'm pretty much happy with the purchase, because there's nothing to complain. The texture, finish, staying power and most importantly pigmentation is very remarkable. Also the quote cited inside every lipstick is a mood lifter (as if lipstick alone was not ). I have one more lipstick from the same range to review, which i hopefully will review in coming week.

Have you tried Benefit Full Finish Lipsticks ?

Godbless !!

Review : Lakme Eyeconic Curling Mascara

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 12:49:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Today i will be reviewing Lakme Eyeconic Curling Mascara. Ever since my Lashem's Double Trouble mascara finished up, i was looking forward to get myself a mascara that was perfect for my requirements. I wanted a mascara whose formula was light, jet black in color, and made the lashes stand out, i mean not poker straight, or to much clumped. Buying this mascara was a bit of a gamble i did, cause i've never really been into Lakme products. Read on to know more...

It comes packed inside a carton like this, which has all the details on it.

Claims :-

Complete your look with lots of Eyeconic Curling Mascara. The mascara gives the eyes an intense black finish and comes equipped with a curling brush that helps give curves to your lashes. It is also enriched with D-Panthenol – a moisturizer which keeps lashes soft and smooth. The product makes the eyes look brighter and adds a perfect sparkle to your entire look.

Price : INR 250/-
Quantity : 9ml

Directions :-

Now what i love most about this mascara is, its wand ; its perfectly bent to give that required curl and volume to the lashes. Although i don't know how it fairs with lashes , mine on the other hand have been quite luscious in past 2 months. The formula on the other hand is very very nice, it doesn't clumps the lashes, is very light, doesn't gives a feeling that your lashes are heavy, is black and is easy to work with. The only problem i face is while working on the inner corner ; every time i try to cover the lashes in the very inner corner, i blacken my eyes (so noottttt goooddd !! )

The mascara survives almost whole day ; didn't flake, didn't budge, also it doesn't mentions anywhere on the package that its waterproof, so i kinda ruined my mascara twice like that !!

Here are the before and after pics, i'm sure you can notice the difference

Its a very good and worth budget friendly mascara !! Does a neat work, makes the lashes stand out, and most importantly doesn't clumps, so that ways it gives a good time to work up on those lashes. I really recommend it for every day use.

Here's me wearing the same mascara in the latest tutorial i did here :-

Have you tried Lakme Eyeconic Curling Mascara ??

Godbless !!

Review : Street Wear Color Rich Lipcolor - Pink Carnation

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 04:58:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Today i will be quickly reviewing a lipstick from Street Wear ; Street Wear Color rich lipcolor in shade Pink Carnation. This was an impulse buy from my sister, and since then its been with me. I've used it a couple of times, and even though at first i thought it won't suit me, it surprisingly did suit me !

Note : The lipstick looks dark and berry red / brick red in pictures, but its not that dark.

Claims :-
Creamy in texture, Street Wear Color Rich Lip Color is highly moisturizing lipstick. It possesses long staying power and does not fade off or gets smudged. Moreover it comes in nice packaging and is quite affordable.

Price : INR 140/-
Quantity : 3.5gms

The packaging of the lipstick is, umm to be honest looks quite cheap, flimsy and boring !! Its matte black, and the bottom of the lipstick as its name and no. And look at the manufacturing date of the lipstick , 2009 ?? really ?? Why didn't she check that before ..

The shade pink carnation is a very sheer and subtle pink, with no blue tones, that made it look so pretty on me LOL . The shade is sheer, build-able, but layering it more can make lips flaky !! It glides on very easily, but isn't very moisturizing (umm maybe thats cause its dry now -- manufacturing date). It will suit fair-medium girls, but for the record i'm NC43.5 and have pigmented lips; it still did a good job on me ! And on me they survive 2-3hrs excluding meal.

Following is a swatch in day light :-

These lipsticks are pretty decent at the price you pay, but they're certainly not that great !! Put in another 50bucks and you can buy Faces Go Chic lipsticks which are super cool (10/10 for packaging, pigmentation, staying power, moisturizing etc). For all those who want budget friendly lipsticks, and don't mind re-applying , should consider these as their fair candidates.

Have you tried Street wear Color rich lipcolor lipsticks ??

Godbless !!

Tutorial : Beyonce Inspired Smokey eye makeup

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 06:37:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Today's tutorial is my interpretation on Beyonce's Smokey eye makeup, which was requested by Apoorva a couple of weeks back ; very very sorry Apoorva for responding so late to it, i was stuck up with a lot of work. But i hope you like the tutorial..

Following is the reference picture she sent me ..

Photo Courtesy

The look is very easy and one can accomplish the same by using a brown and black eyeshadow and a kohl pencil. Beyonce has perfectly defined eyes, still maintaining the messiness, the brows are nicely combed upwards to get that edgy look, overall perfect for college girls (yeaa... girls just rock this smudged kohl look !!)

So lets start the tutorial :-

1. I started by priming my lids : i have used MUA eye primer. Blend it properly all over the lid and under the lower lashes as you will be applying kohl/black eyeshadow there too, so you want it to survive.

2. After that i packed on some brown eyeshadow all over the lid, and used whatever was left on the brush on the lower lashes. I've used Lumiere Cosmetics Eye pigment - Deep auburn (review coming soon).

3. After that using an angled brush, i lined my eyes ; both top and bottom. Don't worry if you get it a little messy, you can cheat it as we will be lining the eyes again with a liner. If you have a kohl pencil then you might want to line your eyes using that, and smudge it a little.

4. Then using a small fluffy brush, i added some depth to the eyes using a mix of black+brown eyeshadow, and blending it in the crease. This step is Optional, But necessary because it will prevent your eyes from looking flat and 1 dimensional. If you have natural deep socket you can skip this step.

5. Then put kohl on your waterline and make sure to tightline your upper rim of eye so as to avoid any flesh color from peeking in. I also used some gel liner on top of the black eyeshadow to get more intense look, this is role reversal which will also prevent the black eyeshadow from creasing.

After that use lots of kohl to get luscious lashes, if you can use falsies then brilliant !! But i'm already loving 2 products dearly for giving me the lashes you can see below . Make sure to highlight the brow bone using any eyeshadow that matches your skin tone, and fill in your brows to get defined frame. !!

Sorry for the crappy pics and swelled eyes, here are the products used :-

MUA eye primer.
Lumiere Cosmetics Eye pigment - Deep auburn
Sleek Au naturel palette - noir, honeycomb.
Maybelline Gel eyeliner
Lakme eyeconic Mascara

Hope you liked the look Apoorva

Godbless !!

Review : Maybelline Colorsensational Lipgloss - Cranberry Cocktail 605

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:52:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Today i will be quickly reviewing Maybelline Colorsensational Lipgloss in shade Cranberry Cocktail, i know its late but i wanted to share my opinion over this range, and special thanks to Aayushi for gifting the gloss on my bday !!

Claims :-

Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Gloss gives sophisticated shine and luxurious feel. Comes with a fabulous color range that is wearable and look amazing. These lip glosses last longer, and even when they wear off they leave behind a very even lip tint that lasts 8 hours through eating.The gloss is very pigmented. Even a sheer thin layer is true to the color of the gloss.

Price : INR 260/-

Quantity : 6.8ml

Shelf life : 2yrs (i guess)

Some of the best seller shades from this range are Hooked on pink, touch of toffee etc. But i must say cranberry cocktail itself is a very different cranberry red shade, that will suit almost every skin tone.

The gloss comes without any outer carton, simply wrapped in a plastic sheath. The gloss has no details mentioned on it, except for the shade name and no.on the bottom. The applicator is stiff doe-foot but manages to carry out enough amount of product to cover single lip.

The shade cranberry cocktail is a vibrant red shade, without any pink tones, and looks absolutely gorgeous when applied. I have pigmented lips, and that sometimes makes scenario difficult because i can't use sheer lipgloss. The gloss is definitely very pigmented, and yes even if you apply it with a light hand you can manage to cover your lip pigmentation to some extent. The formula is moisturizing, and you obviously do not need a separate balm underneath this, but make sure to exfoliate your lips before because when it withers off, it leaves your lips flaky.

The gloss survives pretty decently for 3-4 hours without meal, and even after meal you can see the tint it leaves behind, which is even. The consistency of lipgloss is light and glossy, not creamy like Colorbar True lip gloss or Revlon Colorburst lipgloss. There is very minute shimmer in the gloss, which isn't easily detectable ! Also the gloss can be layered for more intensity as it doesn't settles into fine lines, and can be layered on top of your favorite red lipstick.

Following are the swatches in day light :-

I'm not much comfortable in putting lip swatches, but here it is for your reference ..

Top : In sun light Bottom : In Day light

IMO these glosses are very good and worth the price one pays.

Have you tried Maybelline Colorsensational Lipgloss - Cranberry cocktail ??

Godbless !!

Review : Original Source Vanilla and Raspberry Milk Shower Gel

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 07:02:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Today i will be reviewing another shower Gel from Original Source's Vanilla and Raspberry Milk Shower gel. I've been using this since a long time, and the best thing about it is its fragrance !! Read on to know more about it..

Claims :-

When we want to be, we can be a patient bunch here at Original Source. For this little treat we were really put to the test. We waited 82 British Sunrises for the raspberries to become lovely and ripe before squeezing them with Vanilla Milk for this beautifully moisturising shower cream. Made with 100% natural fragrances, this little pink bottle of joy smells just divine, give it a sniff, you’ve got to agree! Smother yourself in this cream to smooth your rough bits.

Price : INR 179/-

Availability : online on Urbantouch here

Quantity : 250ml

Shelf life : Not mentioned (or should i say i'm unable to locate it on the bottle)

Ingredients :-

The shower gel is packed inside this sturdy plastic bottle, very very sturdy, and has a black flip top cap. The graphic details are very cute and mentions almost everything (except for the shelf life.. i cant find one). The bottle is transparent and you can see the yummy milky shower gel inside. The flip top cap itself is very sturdy, so no complaints with the packaging.

The consistency of the shower gel is "milky" , yesss... it is milky, as if milk has been reduced to a thicker consistency, but still runny. Its a pale pink-milky shower gel, and it releases heavenly sweet fragrance of strawberry as soon as you open the cap, and then the entire bathing experience is Ecstatic. The fragrance however stays till the time you're in shower, after that you can't detect its presence. The shower gel lathers pretty well, but since its kind of runny i end up using more of it. It gets off the skin pretty easily, and doesn't dries the skin, but girls with dry skin certainly need to follow up with a moisturizer.

As far as the fragrance's staying power is concerned, it depends from people to people, some might not want to smell as that of a strawberry milk shake, and some might actually like it, so to know that eventually you'll have to try it out yourself. As for me, i loved using it for that sweet and heavenly fragrance that cheers up the mind and calms your senses as well. On top the brand is vegan, and the bottle is recyclable !! I'm very much convinced with this brand and will be getting other fragrances too !!

Have you ever used Original source shower gels ??

Godbless !!

Review : Lumiere Cosmetics Eye pigment - Georgia Peach

noreply@blogger.com (Upasana) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:04:00 +0000

Hi all !!

Today i will be reviewing Lumiere Cosmetics Eye pigment in shade Georgia Peach. These are my first set of eye pigments, and i'm already loving these because of their texture and feel, read more to know about them..

I was sent 2 eye pigments, and i'm reviewing shade Georgia peach today, another one is Deep auburn which is a soft brown pigment (review coming soon).

Loose Eye Pigments

Lumiere eye pigments come in a wonderful variety of shades and textures to complement any eye color and/or preference. Wear each shade alone or mix and match to create a custom color. They can be applied dry for a subtle look or wet/foiled to make a more dramatic appearance - this will also give you longer wear. Can be worn with or without an eye primer.

Claims :-

A soft medium peachy shade, silky matte texture ; matte eyeshadow.

Price :-

Mini jar sample (1gms) : +$5

Large jar (2gms) : +$8

Being a peach pigment, it helps to neutralize any redness, darkness around my eyes, and before and after pics look so good. The texture is definitely "silk", and is so easy to glide it over the lids, not chalky. Also the pigmentation (the color is "peach" and might or might not show up on certain people) is fabulous, it covers up all my redness and any kind of dark spots around my lids, so basically it gives me a clean eye effect without looking overly peachy.

The sample jar is made of plastic, with a black screw top, and the whole bottom is see through so you can easily locate the shades you want. My only concern is that i wish it had a sifter lid to prevent any fallout from the mouth. Although i'm not sure if the full jar has the same packing or if it has a sifter lid.

Following are the swatches of both the pigments :-

And here is how it looks on my eyes :-

Without a primer, it stays for more than 5hrs on my lids, without getting creased (it means a lot to me), but if i'm out in sun, it tends to crease and make the lids kind of sticky (not literally). I'm actually surprised by its staying power and the fact that it stays the way it was applied, i.e doesn't fades. Once i even thought of using it as a blush, but it might be a bit too pale for me to use, so skipped the idea.

Overall a worth product, since the 1gm sample jar itself has a lot of stuff, so in case you want to haul you can get yourself set of sample jars. These obviously have to be ordered through Lumiere Cosmetics Website here

Have you tried Lumiere Cosmetics Eye pigment in shade Georgia peach ??

Godbless !!

P.S :- Product sent by the brand for consideration, however it hasn't affected my opinion.