April Favorites!

Here's some products I've been loving the past month!

-Real Techniques Blush Brush: This is one of the brushes from Samantha Chapman's brush collection sold at Ulta (she's one half of the Pixiwoo sisters on youtube!). It may be a bit big for some people, but for me this brush applies both sheer and pigmented blushes flawlessly! The shape is just perfect for defining my cheekbones smoothly without creating a terrible stripe of blush. And the best part? It's VERY affordable!

-Rock and Republic Blending Blush: I've been using this brush to blend out colors in the crease and it does the job perfectly. It's a bit too fluffy for precise blending, but it does a wonderful job blending the crease with a bit of Mac Wedge at the tip!

-Mac Hush Cream Colour Base: I've been using this to give a glow on the tops of my cheekbones. It's a very pretty pearl with a touch of peachy/pink.

-Nars Mekong: Ever since I got this eyeshadow I've been using it nearly every other day. It's my favorite for defining the outer v and running along the outer part of the lower lashline. It's such a gorgeously pigmented sparkly brown and it goes with just about any other colors.

-Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Peach: This is a more recent acquisition so it's not included in the swatches I posted. It's a really pretty orangey-peach gloss that I can throw on alone or over any nude or orange-toned lipstick. I really love the colorburst glosses, they are fantastic quality for the price!

-Rock and Republic Eyeshadow in Ambition: Been using this color towards the inner part of my eye with brown or green eyeshadow looks. It has a gorgeous pearly yellowy-gold sheen.

-Bobbi Brown Corrector: I found this at my CCO a few weeks ago and it has become a vital part of my foundation routine. I don't have very dramatic under eye issues, usually only when i'm extremely tired however the corrector still makes a huge difference to me. It just brightens my eyes so I always look very fresh and awake. I set it with Laura Mercier transluscent powder and have not had a problem with creasing. Really wonderful product!

-Illamasqua Blush in Hussy: This was a purchase I made earlier this month when the Sephora VIB 15% sale was happening. It's a gorgeous matte bright pink watermelon. I will have to do a separate post on this blush because it is SO wonderful, I am in love. I have been itching to splurge on more of their blushes because the quality is impeccable!

What are your favorite products at the moment?!

Mac Ever Hip Lipstick with Swatches

Today I went by the mall near me and of COURSE i had to walk by the makeup counters...I was pleasantly surprised that one of the Mac makeup artists told me they had one Mac Ever Hip lipstick left in stock (from the recent "Fashion Flower" collection, see temptalia for more info!). Online it seems like makeup lovers have been freaking out over the repromotion of this lipstick, so I would have been crazy to pass up something so wonderful, right? Nothing else had really caught my eye but this lipstick so I went ahead and got it. This is my second mac lipstick ever and after trying it on I am SO glad i purchased this! It's the perfect color for spring and summer!

On to the pics...

Ever hip is an extremely gorgeous creamy pinky-coral. I think it pulls a little bit more pink on me, which makes it more wearable on my skin tone. It's also a Cremesheen formula. To be perfectly honest, the only other lipstick from Mac I have is "Fanfare" which is also a Cremesheen formula. I can't compare it to the other various Mac formulas, but I really love the texture. It's creamy, glossy, and not completely opaque (though you can build the color up to be!). It's extremely moisturizing on my lips, I just love this lipstick formula!

I attempted to find a dupe within my revlon lipsticks (my favorite drugstore brand for lip products!). Overall, I didn't find anything identical in my collection...

-Mac Fanfare and Revlon Pink in the Afternoon are much more pink. Fanfare is also a bit darker.

-Revlon Smoked Peach, is a matte, and is more orange

-Revlon Rosedew looked the most similar out of all of them when swatched lightly, but it was still much too rosy in comparison.

-Revlon Peach & Revlon Demure are both too orange as well.

No complaints from me for not finding a dupe, I love not having two of the same thing in my makeup collection! ;)

Hope the swatches were helpful! If you are a pinky-coral lipstick lover, then this is definitely one to get your hands on. It would also be a great lipstick to try if you're a girl that doesn't do really bright lipsticks (especially those bright oranges and corals that are very popular this season) but still wants to wear some color. I think it would be beautiful on all types of skin tones!

Cute little gifts from Maybelline NY+ NOTD!!!

Hey everyone!!!
Hope all of you enjoyed the Royal wedding of Will-Kate yesterday!!! Loved Princess Kate's dress and makeup <3 What about you??

Anyhow, let's come on to today's post which is nothing much a short preview of some gifts which I received on shopping from Maybelline & Loreal. I bought two lipsticks from Maybelline and a thing or two from Loreal and these are what I received free- A cute handy purse mirror and a Colorama nail polish 8ml.
The mirror-

It's a cute double sided handy mirror which can be easily carried around anywhere!!!




The nail polish-

An orange colored nail paint from Maybelline....I never apply nail paints but as I wanted to share these cute little things with you guys so here's a NOTD....I'm really bad at it...so plz don't laugh!!!



So guys...what do you think of these cute little things from Maybelline??
Have a great weekend!!!

"neutral french cherry blossoms" "rainbow brite and starlite" "designer filigree" grey purple and pink...nail art designs for friday!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_D-RP5Di8Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q95npNckL1E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqhF-c7frNI

Kelier Purple Shatter Nail Polish NOTD: Shatter is now Colourful!

Wow, trends sure move fast! Remember back in ye goode olde times (well, more like a few months ago) when shatter/crackle polishes only came in boring black? Now, if you've ever wanted to shatter in a more colourful manner, you can! First it was China Glaze, and now all the other nail polish companies are following suit! Finally, the colourful shatter trend has trickled down to the comman woman, and shatter polishes are now available for cheap - and in colour.

I got my Kelier Nail Instant Cracking Nail Polish from Born Pretty Store, where they are currently selling them in a variety of colours for the low, low price of US$4.52 per bottle - and you get a discount if you buy more than one! As I'm sure you know, the Hong Kong-based Born Pretty Store has been on the radar of nail bloggers of late, for their cheap supply of nail products and tools.

Here are the results of the Kelier purple shatter polish on my nails. The base is Color Club's Who Are You Wearing?, a beautiful (if sheer and annoying to apply) off-white colour with a tinge of griege, that purple-grey hybrid that's been so popular in nail polish collections since 2009 or so.



One of the first things I noticed about the Kelier shatter polish is that it takes longer to dry and shatter on your nail. If you watch, you can even see the crackle lines forming! I even had enough time to take a few quick snaps, so you can see the polish shattering!

Here is what the polish looks like when first applied. As you can see, there aren't any shatters yet.



However, very quickly, the polish starts shattering from the area where the polish layer is thinnest:



And then you see more shatter lines forming as the polish dries and crackles further:



Aaannd...done! Ta-da!



As with other shatter polishes, how thick or thin the polish is influences how it crackles. Just like the Barry M Instant Effects Nail Polish, the thicker the layer, the less cracks you get, and the larger the cracked pieces are. So depending on how shattered you'd like your polish to be, you can adjust how much polish is applied on the nail. As you can see in the photo below, the ring finger has the thickest layer of polish, while the index finger has the thinnest layer of polish, and both shatter differently.



One of the things that I found odd about the Kelier purple shatter polish is that it peels off very easily, even with topcoat over it. Even though I had topcoated over this mani, I found that the smaller cracked pieces were starting to peel off the next day. I'm not sure why this is - perhaps the polish dries too slowly. I'm speculating that some fast-dry drops may help, but it is a little bit of a disappointment.

One last thing I noticed is that this is hard to get off. It doesn't remove easily, making removal a bit of a pain, but I suppose it's worth it for the cool purple shatter effect, right?



So would I recommend this? Yes, as a cheap, easily-available alternative to some of the other coloured shatter polishes out there. For my girls in Asia, who find China Glaze's coloured shatter polishes difficult to get hold of, this could be an easier to find alternative. However, the problems I had with peeling and the difficulty of removal mean that I would love this polish more if the formula is improved.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Makari Clear Acnyl Cream-Review, swatches & pics

Hi ladies,

I was not feeling well since 2 days so you couldn’t see my new post and I’m sorry for that. I received many mails from readers regarding this absence and I really appreciate the fact that they all missed me...thanks a lot!!

Today I’m reviewing about a product which has really surprised me. It does happen sometimes that brands with less fame work even better than the highly popular brands and products . After seeing its effects I can only say that I’m very much impressed with this product.

Makari Clear Acnyl Cream

Makari Clear Acnyl cream is a formula for acne treatment.

What the product claims-

See the picture below...hope it's clear enough :D

Net weight-

100 ml but I got two sachets as a sample

Price

Exact price is Rs 3000 and you can buy it from Makari's Indian website

For US the price is $52.45 from makari.com

How to use it?

Apply twice daily on the face or any other parts effected by blemishes and acne with a gentle massage.

In the mirror of my own experience

Although my skin is normal but always it changes with the weather....as a result it becomes a bit oily in summers but still never had I faced any pimple problem. But unfortunately this time I had to face this problem for I had a pimple under my lower lip...which although a tiny one looked really irritating so somehow I had to get rid of it.Coincidentally...as one may call it....my sis was here for 6-7 days and she too was facing the same problem as she has oily skin and she was really disappointed due to her pimples near her nose.therefore on my suggestion, she applied it twice daily and after 5 days they all disappeared!!! We both were amazed and after this experience I can say this clearly that I’m highly satisfied with this product.

The Good points-

Honest claim.

Helps to get rid of all the acne and pimples.

I love its light fragrance.

The texture is neither too thick nor runny.

So easy to apply on the effected areas.

The results come up in a very natural manner. The pimples fade out gradually and after that the skin from there becomes clear and soft in its natural ways.

It doesn’t dry out the portion of the skin after recovering it.

The formula is highly effective.

The Bad points-

There is only one bad point in this product and that is undoubtedly it's high price which is too much for a common man to get it and enjoy it's advantages.

Therefore in my opinion a company's prices should be such that even common man can afford it.

Overall verdict-

I’m really impressed. It does what it claims. A customer buys any product with this hope that it works for him because he reaches after reading its claim about the problem. But if it disappoints him it’s a crime in my opinion. So it is a honest brand as far as this product is concern.

Rating- 4/5

I wanted to give full points to this but its high price has decreased its rating.

Recommendation-

Yes, if you can afford it, then of course. It’ll surely work for you!!

So ladies, have you tried any Makari beauty products?? How did you find it? You can check out their products at their website.

If you want to purchase their products, go to their website and order now coz they're even having some good offers these days. I’m also impressed with their quick service. I got my stuff only within 24 hours.

Have a great weekend ahead!!!

Disclaimer-Product by PR

30 Day Makeup Challenge: Day 13

Day 13 - Where do you keep your makeup?

I keep my makeup in my bedroom in plastic stackable drawer in a bookcase :)

30 Day Makeup Challenge: Day 14

Day 14 - Favorite Youtube guru(s)?

My favorite gurus are:
- 3TanjaJ3
- jazziebabycakes
- MakeupByTiffanyD
- MakeupGeekTV
- Petrilude
- QueenofBlendingMUA
- SayAnythingBr00ke
- Xsparkage

Butterflies Freehand

I know I have not been posting as regularly lately, been busy with my final week of classes. In fact I actually had to do 4 take home tests for my psych class. It is my own fault for not getting them in the first place, but at least I was able to complete them :D

So earlier this week I did this free hand mani for color club's contest on facebook. The original grass inspiration is from robin moses, but the butterflies actually came from a painting I did for my brother and sister-in-law a couple years ago. I hope you like it.

The first thing I did was just add a few leaves in Wet and Wild SaGreena the Teenage Witch. 

This is also a great color to do the whole nail it, absolutely gorgeous.

Then some more leaves in a lighter green, Lime Light from Nina Ultra Pro.

The butterflies are much more complex.

While this image is a little blurry, it actually turned out great. I used a black nail art pen for the outline, then used a brush to dot on the orange in the blank areas. The orange is Crushed by Sally Hansen.

This butterfly is done similarly, with the nail art pen to do the outline, filled in the blue with Marine Scene from Sally Hansen, then used a brush to add the little white dots to the wing edges.

I really loved doing this manicure. I even left it on until it started chipping simply because it was a lot of work and turned out so nice. The right hand did not turn out as great since my left hand does not like to cooperate with my bran to do the small details, but it looked ok. lol

Get Your Bagology Reading at Sudocrem Tube's Facebook Page!

Can the contents of your bag tell your personality? Can you read someone's character by what they carry in their bag? I know what you're thinking - how much can your bag tell about you, anyway? Well, maybe how much money you have, or maybe, how neat or messy you are? Well, you'll be surprised!

As part of the launch of the Sudocrem Skincare Cream Facebook page, the Sudocrem folks are having Debbie of handbagtherapy.com perform bagology readings for anyone who uploads a photo of the stuff in their bag to the Sudocrem Facebook page! Isn't that cool?

Now for the unintiated, Sudocrem is a skincare brand, most famous up to now for their nappy rash cream. Now, Sudocrem has branched out into facial skincare, and the brand has launched a blemish cream, the Sudocrem Skin Care Cream. And as part of their launch, they have tied up with the handbagtherapy.com folks to give you a shot at having your personality read through your bag!

This personality analysis works for guys as well as girls (come on, guys, don't pretend you're not curious!), and I couldn't resist giving this a go. Here's the photo I uploaded (OMG, everyone knows now that I carry a hot pink plastic purse and a neon orange plastic purse in my bag, and we can see how ancient my mp3 player is....)




And here's the analysis I was given. As you can see, it's really, really thorough - not just "you like bright colours":


"Thank you for being so excited about your handbag reading which I hope you will enjoy. So let’s get on with it... I can see that others describe you as popular and sociable. People will see you as someone who has a lot of friends or that you know a lot of people. I sense that friends will say that you are a very polite, and courteous lady. Your friendliness is genuine! You are a proud lady – perhaps of your skills, or maybe of your friends and family. This is a wonderful quality about you –to take such pride in work or loved ones. Please remember that you can still be polite AND be more honest with expressing your feelings or your own needs. I sense that this might be difficult for you to do sometimes. Your bag is encouraging you to be brave! Be confident knowing that people who count will love you even if occasionally you put you first! I think when you write then you can be very positive and find a great clarity of words and thoughts, so perhpas you can build on this in other parts of your life. I sense two more important things from your bag: firstly that you are looking for some inspiration in your life, or in a new project- I suggest you look for inspiration connected to health or something about growth. Secondly You are a very sympathetic and empathetic lady but please,please, please - make sure that you are not spending time with people who are cowardly (hiding from the truth) or who are deceitful in nature as they will ‘suck you in’. If you spend time with anyone sick or ill, it is not your only duty – you also have a duty to be young and active and healthy. So, seek out things and people to help you achieve that too! Above all, take care of YOU! Find balance and keep things in perspective. It has been a pleasure to talk about your bag with you, thank you."

Wow! Is that analysis amazing or what? Now to be fair, I'm not sure I totally agree with the reading - I don't think I'm popular or sociable, LOL! But she's spot on in that I do love writing, and writing helps me sort out my thoughts. I guess that's why I'm writing a blog, right? And for some of the rest, I feel a bit ambivalent, like the bit about finding inspiration. But it definitely is thought-provoking, and gave me a lot of food for thought!

So if you want your bagology reading, head over to the Sudocrem Skincare Cream Facebook page and upload a photo of the contents of your bag soon! The bagology readings run until 10th May, so we don't have all day!

Pink Wednesday - Swirly

No this is not the kind of swirly Nelson gives on Simpsons. I did a drag Marble. :D

The base color is 2 wet coats of Sally Hansen's White On, with dotted Orly Gorgeous, which I then swirled around using a bamboo skewer for grilling.... I could not find some good pointed orange stick and I find these work just fine. Plus they were only $1 for 100 of them at Food Lion(a local grocery store). So yeah drag marbling is easy and pretty fun. :D

robin moses "nail art slide show" compilation 1, "angry birds" "sweet and simple" purple with blue leaves ...wednesday designs up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8SdnMANKCY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQoNCwl-ES8

St Tropez Skin Illuminator Swatches and FOTD!

One of the exciting shiny new products that have been released of late are their range of Skin Illuminators! These are making quite the splash, given that St Tropez's product range consists mostly of bronzing, self-tanning products and related suncare products. But here they are, with a line of products that appeals to people who wouldn't have an interest in bronzing.

The Skin Illuminators are making their debute for Spring/Summer 2011, and they are packaged in sleek, flat tubes.



Just in case you didn't know, although these are new products, St Tropez has actually had the Skin Illuminator out for awhile. The first Skin Illuminator was the Violet shade, and back then there was only one shade, so it was just called Skin Illuminator. It came in a smaller white tube, and contained 30ml instead of the 50ml that we have now. Yay for increased product size!

Anyway, the story goes that the first shade of Skin Illuminator proved so popular that St Tropez decided to supplement the Skin Illuminator with more shades, Rose and Gold. But for nostalgia's sake, here's the old tube:



The products come in a squeeze tube, and you can squeeze out a bit at a time, just enough for what you need.



Here are swatches of all the three products. You can see that they give off a distinct coloured sheen, which is very pretty.



L-R: Violet, Gold, Rose

And just because I know you guys will be interested in seeing the products up close and personal, here are close-up shots of all the the products one by one.

For starters, here's the Violet Skin Illuminator. This one doesn't have any discernable glitter or shimmer bits, it just produces a kind of purple-blue sheen on the skin, which I think is very cool. I can imagine this one being uesd for all kinds of effects, from subtle to out there. If you're afraid of having a blue glow on your face, it can be blended in. But the violet shade would be good for people with sallow yellow skins.



The Gold Skin Illuminator will probably be much sought after in the Western markets by customers looking to enhance a tan. This one doesn't give off much of a iridiscence like the Violet shade, but it has a certain glow. It also has more discernable bits of gold shimmer, but nothing that would draw your eye too much.



Lastly, the Pink Skin Illuminator. I can imagine this being very popular among Asian girls, since pink-tinged primers and creams are all the rage in this part of the world. This one has the least sheen adn iridiscence, and is the most subtle in terms of effect, so I think this could very well function as a skin primer under makeup as well. It has a soft pink glow, which is very pretty.



To end off, here is an FOTD (Face of the Day) I did with the Pink Skin Illuminator. The Skin lluminator is used on my cheeks, over a matte powder blush. As you can see, it just adds a soft kind of glow that isn't like a glitterbomb. I really like this effect.



As you can see, other than the colour, all three are slightly different. The Violet Skin Illuminator has the strongest sheen/iridiscence, while the Pink has the weakest. The Gold shade also features tiny speckles of shimmer, so depending on your preferences, one may suit you better than the other. Then again, of course, you could just get all three!

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

BEAUTYUK SET TO MAKE A STATEMENT THIS SEASON-A preview

Hey everyone,
I'm here with another preview of a new collection by Beautyuk cosmetics. But before that let's see what this brand says about itself:

Born and bred in the UK (hence the name), beautyuk has grown from strength to strength since its humble beginnings five years ago. We are a family run business, which is quite nice really in a world full of big, scary, faceless corporations, and it means we can provide a much friendlier, more tailored service for our customers.

We have big plans to become the number one colour cosmetics brand in the market and we think our website makes our statement quite nicely - we hope you like it.

BEAUTYUK SET TO MAKE A STATEMENT THIS SEASON

National fashion cosmetics brand, beautyuk, has launched its brand new range of cosmetics, this Spring 2011.

From baked blushers to false eye lashes and lip lusts, products are now available and in Superdrug.

The new range includes:

Baked Blushers and Baked Eyeshadows

Lightweight and rich in pigment, baked blushers and eye shadows are ‘must-haves’ for your make up collection this Spring/Summer.

Sheer in texture, the baked powders are perfect for building up colour, with no cracking or crumbling – allowing you to intensify your look with several sweeps of your brush.

Avoid looking ‘cakey’ this season and opt for these dome-shaped powders, which will allow for an even application, leaving you with the ultimate smooth finish.

You can choose from 5 different colours of baked blushers and 6 baked eyeshadows, each retailing at £3.99.

Pearl Eyeliner

Applied in the same way as any normal liquid eyeliner, these pearl eyeliners dry like no other; providing you with a unique pearlescent finish and fitting with the opalescent Spring/Summer 11 trends.

Available in 8 shimmering shades, each retailing at £3.49.

Lipstick

Our brand new, subtly Mint flavoured lipsticks that give you either a wet or dry look. The ‘wet’ gives you the ultra gloss look, whilst the ‘dry’ gives a super matte finish for those looking for intense colour.

Selecting your shade is easy as the actual lipstick is injected inside the lid – enabling you to see the real colour at first glance.

11 shades to choose from, each retailing at £3.49.

Mascara

The 3D FX Mascara in black is ideal for creating thick, luscious lashes. The dryer formula helps you to build up the product for striking eyes. Applying after lashes have been curled provides maximum results.

Retails at £3.99.

Extend Mascara in black

The only lengthening mascara you need – visible extra length instantly!

Retails at £3.99.

False Lashes

With 4 types of false eyelashes to choose from, instantly transform your lashes to match your mood. Each retails at £3.99.

Lip Lust

Lightly scented and richly pigmented, and offering superb coverage -this diverse selection of lip-glosses will bring a new dimension to any look. Flavoured with papaya, mint or strawberry and applied with a soft and svelte applicator.

Available in 11 gorgeous shades at £2.99 each.

Visit www.beautyukcosmetics.com for further information.

-ends-

Notes to editors

Baked Blushers, £3.99

no.1 - candy shop, no.2 - royal rose, no.3 - pink glaze, no.4 - baked peach, no.5 - peaches and cream

Baked Eyeshadow, £3.99

trio no.1 – midnight, trio no.2 – earth, trio no.3 – meadow, no.4 – beach, no.5 – wave, no.6 - sunrise

Pearl Eyeliner, £3.49

no.1 – stardust, no.2 – sphinx, no.3 – oceania, no.4 - blue lagoon, no.5 – rich mahogany, no.6 - purple haze, no.7 – sorceress, no.8 - eclipse

Lipstick, £3.49

no.1 – innocent, no.10 – passion, no.11 - brown sugar, no.2 – candy, no.3 – snob, no.4 – tango, no.5 – sunset, no.6 – vampire, no.7 – in the buff, no.7 naughty, no.9 – gossip girl

False Eyelashes, £3.99

no. 7 – catwalk, no.8 – chic, no.9 – diva, no.10 - lush

Lip Lust, £2.99

no.1 - st tropez, no.2 – diamond, no.3 – date night, no.4 sweet sixteen, no.5 barbie girl, no.6 – oh baby, no.7 – playboy, no.8 – envy, no.9 cocktail, no.10 – Moulin rouge, no.11 – office chic

So girls hope you liked these products!!! Have a great week!!

Follow Beautyuk on Twitter :D

Take care xxx

Disclaimer-Information by PR