Marsala 2015 Pantone Colour of the Year Makeup Picks

This year's colour is super awesome and one my favs in terms of makeup. It's a rustic wine shade. It looks amazing with medium to dark skin tones, but fair girls can pull it off too. It's festive, but toned down, it could also be used for everyday makeup. I just went through my stash and picked out a few of my wine/rustic hued makeup products that I just need to use more off (me being the neutral look kinda gal).

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Box o' Blushes

How can any makeup junkie pass this up? Reason? 6 of Benefit's famous boxed blushes, each of them around 2/3 of the original sized boxes for just a fraction of the total price. Let's face it, who actually goes through a whole blush? This palette gives us blush addicts the perfect opportunity to try out cult products without breaking the bank.

The cardboard box, the palette and a little pamphlet with tips and ingredients 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light

It's no secret this product has been on my wishlist for a while now. I really had to make the tough decision of choosing between the 3 in 1 palette where I could have the tinier versions of three of these powders, or just one. The singles come in 6 shades of various shades and finishes. I decided to go with the one called 'Diffused Light'. I already have plenty of bronzer shades, and highlighters, so I thought to get this one which has a pale yellow hue with an almost matte finish, to be used as a setting powder at the end to help keep the makeup on longer, and to diminish the look of redness and give 'clarity'. It cost a pretty penny. How do I feel about it?

 

Rave: The Beauty Blender Sponge

On a whim, well slightly more than a whim (endless positive reviews) I finally tried out this seriously over priced tear shaped sponge. It's really not much to look at, one would even think for a minute how to use it. Well it just goes to prove that looks can be highly deceiving. Even though I think it is ridiculously over priced for a sponge, after seeing the end result I can safely say I feel it is worth the investment. I am talking about the original beauty blender and not the countless dupes.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

This product has a cult following in the beauty world. When you say highlighter, this one will definitely pop into mind if you have even remotely heard of it, and since becoming the proud owner of this gorgeous makeup product, I must say I agree with all the hype. It is also marketed as an eyeshadow and a blush, but it can't work as a blush I think, not even on a very fair skin tone. But it can make for a beautiful eyeshadow.

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick

I was so excited to get this product for two reasons, first off it is my first Too Faced product..yay! Next because whereas jumbo lip pencils (balm, stain, tint, long wear or otherwise) were all the rage, the new 'thing' are the liquid lipsticks that claim to be super long wearing and opaque. This line has six regular colors, but since they are a bit pricey, I decided to go for a color that I would get the most use out of. So on with the review:

Shade: Melted Nude

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in 04 Peach Club

These are old news now, but I couldn't pass off not not owning at least one of these babies especially when they were on sale. When these first came out there were rave reviews, nobody had anything bad to say about them, and the packaging was also to die for. The color selection is somewhat limited, but even within the 8 colors they have, there is something for everyone from pinks to reds to peach, and they are all matte.

The one that I ended up bringing home was the bright corally peach one. This color is somewhat out of my comfort zone, but life is short right?

Essence Haul and Mini Reviews

After a great many days I happened to venture into the local beauty mart. I was not really expecting anything new, but Essence had a few new products on display. Some things I had already read reviews on, and most reviews were all good. A couple of items were on sale at half price. Most Essence products are priced between 12 and 22 dhs, which is a very good price, especially for the price. I am glad with all the products in my haul and am generally pretty impressed with the brand.

So these are the things I bought:

From L to R: Waterproof eyeliner pen, XXXL Longlasting Lipgloss Matte Effect in 05 Velvet Rose, Rebel Soft Matte Lip Glosses in 02 Rebel Delight and 01 Mauve Like a Rockstar, All About Matt Oil Control Make-up Base, Essence Blush Up in 10 Heat Wave

A close up of the products open....

The Perfect Palette Tag

This one has been done to death all over the net. So here is my take on it. This tag consists of a series of questions about the makeup palettes that you own and so without further ado let's get into it....

Urban Decay Electric Palette Dupe

It no surprise that when this palette came out, I was intrigued. It was a colorful pressed pigments palette consisting of 10 pans. These bright and bold colors are not so easy to use on a day to basis, unless that is your thing, I'm the more neutral kinda girl, with an occasional pop of color on the lash line (top or bottom depending on the mood). But on closer inspection (on other blogs and looking at swatches) I realized that even though they were nicely pigmented, the color range could have been better. There are 2 blues and one green blue type of color. That's a lot of bluish tones in a palette of 10 eyeshadows. Also it hit me that I had a wonderful rainbowy palette in my stash- the 42 matte eyeshadow palette that has 10 blushes on the bottom for good measure at like half the price. I'm not saying there will be an exact match for every shadow but they'll be coming quite close, except the shimmery silver obviously.

Urban Decay 24/7 Habitual Travel Eyeliner Set

If you're looking for the creamiest, softest (no tugging or pulling required) and the most pigmented of pencil eyeliners, you don't have to look any further. This set will satisfy all your eyeliner requirements for any and all occasions, be it simply a family dinner or a lavish party.

There are 4 eyeliners that are approximately 3/4 of the size of the originals. There is a deep egg plant purple, a turquoise with slight shimmer, a dark chocolaty brown and the blackest of blacks. 

The Body Shop Drops of Youth- First Impressions

Catchy name, paraben and silicon free, this product drew me right in, even though I am no skin care fanatic. But after finally accepting that I am getting on in my years and that the word 'youth' did not anymore involve me, it was time past time I do something about it. After reading lots of reviews, most positive, I decided to take the plunge myself.

Drops of Youth

At first I thought it was something from the tea tree oil range, but I quickly realized my mistake. I bought the bigger bottle, to be frank it was the sales lady who talked me into it, because obviously buying the bigger bottle would be more economical etc.

The Body Shop Face and Body Brush

I know it's been a while, but nevertheless I'm back again with another review, this time about one of my all time fav brushes.

I don't have much experience with MAC brushes, but I do have my fair share of Sigma brushes and some of the Real Technique brushes and both are wonderful, but as far as a powder brush is concerned, I relly like this one.

The Body Shop Face and Body Brush

Beauty Wish List

What really reels you in when buying beauty products? Reviews? Recommendations? Packaging? Price? Ah, let me answer that...all of the above. Lately I've been eyeing a few products that I'm just itching to get, and I wanted to share these things with you as well...

My co-author on this blog already has a couple of these things...I'll put in the link to her review. So let's just hop right in...

theBalm Nude 'Tude Palette

theBalm Nude 'tude Palette with the cover

I guess when it comes to neutral eye shadows, I'll always be partial. They just look good on everyone, and if you have the right palette, you can pull of so many diversified looks to suit almost any occasion. Staying in tune with the Urban Decay Palettes, which are just amazing, theBalm brought its version of a neutral palette as well, and I gotta say...it does not disappoint.

The back

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

After having done reviews for eyeshadows, lipstick and blushes, I thought its time for a foundation and I didn't have to think twice about which one to choose. Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Liquid Foundation has been my favorite foundation ever since I got it 2 years ago and is my go-to foundation for formal occasions or also on bad skin day when I want a perfect flawless base. 

Revlon Matte Lipstick in 003 Mauve It Over

Matte lipsticks are back with a bang. I've always been partial to a good matte lip. This particular line from Revlon has something for everyone, whether you're a nude lips girl, to a hot red one. There are a couple of beautiful reds in this collection. But my personal favorite is the one called Mauve it Over. The name sounds so cute.

Setting Your Makeup

So after getting the perfect makeup for an event, you'll obviously want to set it so that it lasts you for a good six to eight hours. The best way to do that is to set it either with a translucent setting powder (white) or with a setting spray. The reason you don't want to set it with a pressed powder or colored loose powder is because all that hard work you put in to get the intensity of everything just right can change quite a bit by adding on more color at the end. Translucent powders will not do that, neither will setting sprays that are all the rave these days.

My go to:

The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist and Chanel Crystalline Powder

NYX Eyeshadow Bases in Skin and White

We all know how eyeshadow primers help prolong the wear of eyeshadow and make them more vivid, it's been written to death on all makeup blogs...and they really are great. These are a couple of gems from the drugstore at a very reasonable price.

NYX Bases in Skin and White

They do one white one that has some shimmer in it as well. But I opted for these two.

Makeup Regrets

Usually I don't have products I don't like because I do a lot of research before buying them. However, sometimes I have had the bad luck of bringing home a product with great expectations in mind, only to be disappointed because it was not all that it was hyped up to be or worse, it could not work for me.

I love reading about other people regrets also, it has helped me make more informed decisions as to invest in a product or not. So I thought it would be fun to do one myself.

So lets dig right in....

Benefit Eye Bright Jumbo Eye Pencil

Sometimes, I like putting a white toned pencil in my inner rims to make my eyes look more wide awake as opposed to black kohl which is more intense. I've been using this jumbo pencil for a while now and thought I like the product itself, I do have some issues with it also.

Noe this is a slightly pink toned pencil. I believe they do one which is more flesh toned and beige called High Brow.

My Five Top Pink/Pinkish Lipsticks

Pink is such a versatile makeup color, and most used. It's pretty much a safe bet with most makeup looks.
These are my most versatile and loved pink/pinkish lipsticks in a wide range of shades. All of them are just classics and must haves.

From left to right:

1. Rimmel London Lipstick in 070 Airy Fairy

2. Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in 001 Lilac

3.Chanel Rouge Allure Lipstick in 70 Adorable

4. Boots No.7 Moisture Drench Lipstick in 30

5. Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick 02

The Tarte of Giving Pure Delights Lipsurgence Set

Now I realize that writing a review on a limited edition item is pretty pointless because if you like it, you will probably not be able to get your hands on it, but the point of this post is to give you my opinion on the lipsurgence liptints by Tarte. Now all eight of these shades (4 glossy and 4 matte) are also limited edition but at least you'll know what they do for you and then it's just a matter of shade selection from the permanent line.

Lorac Pro Palette

I love my neutrals and Lorac Pro Palette is absolute eye candy for all you neutral makeup lovers out there. Though I love shimmers but they can be a bit over the top while getting ready for day time parties or small get togethers. Therefore, I was on a hunt for a good palette with matte shades. And when I saw the Lorac Pro Palette with 8 matte and 8 shimmery shadows and that too in the neutral colors spectrum, it was love at first sight. Really!! :)

Rimmel Stay Blushed Liquid Cheek Tint

Blush is so in these days and companies left and right are coming out with new formulas and innovative new products to add that extra bit of color to your cheeks. And adding blush is the best way to look more refreshed and adds that bit of health to your face. I am such a cheek product fanatic so I had to pick up one of these to review for you all.

Shade 002 Touch of Berry

There were only four shades available of which 2 were more coral and peach toned and the other 2 were pink tones. I picked up the darker of the 2 pinks since I did not really want a coral and the lighter of the pinks just did a vanishing act on me.

The Body Shop Oil Free Balancing Foundation

This is one of the very first foundations I used. I remember using it on my engagement day and I remember getting plenty of comments. To this day I love this foundation and the few that I have actually repurchased. The reason is that the climate back home is quite humid and even the a pretty dry skinned girl can end up with unflattering oily skin.

I'm in the shade 03

Most Frequently Asked Makeup Related Questions

I always enjoy reading posts on the personal preferences of different makeup junkies which prompted my co-author and I to do a collab on these most frequently asked questions. It was a lot of fun doing this post. So read on and enjoy:

1. What cosmetic brand have you always wanted to try but still haven't?

Rahima: This is going to sound crazy but I still haven't tried Makeup Forever. I'd like to give their famous foundation and flash palette a go, not to mention their lipsticks.

Mahwish: Ohh there are many. Giorgio Armani particularly their foundations, Illamasqua and Hourglass are a few of them.

2. What was your first higher end makeup item?
Rahima: The first real high end makeup product I ever tried was the Chanel Vitalumiere Foundation. Still love it, but sadly it has been discontinued.
Mahwish: It was Lancome Teint Idol Foundation and Blush. My awesome SIL, Rahima, introduced me to the world of higher end makeup and from that day there was no looking back.

Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in 006 Ultimate Orchid

I featured this product in an Orchid schemed post I did a few days ago (click here). The reason was the most beautiful light mauve pink color that directly attracted me as being the most beautiful lip color for a no makeup makeup look. I am a huge fan of Revlon lip products, including their glosses and chubby stick type balms and their classic lipsticks, but sadly this one product just does not even come up to that mark even by a fraction.

Revlon Liquid Lipstick in Ultimate Orchid

NYX Slide-On Eye Pencils

I have a very conservative style when it comes to makeup. I stick to my neutrals and rarely steer towards bright and bold colors. But recently, I decided to step out of my comfort zone (hence the Maybelline Blush in Hot Tamale (reviewed here) and Mac's Russian Red Lipstick (reviewed here)) and on seeing a 50% off on NYX Slide-on Pencils, I grabbed 6 of the shades because what better way than colored liners to bring a pop of color to your otherwise neutral look.

Top to Bottom: Sunrise Blue, Jewel, Purple Blaze, Golden Olive,
 Azure and Golden Bronze

Play it up with Orchid

A confession before we start: I use the term "orchid" rather loosely. When it was declared Pantone color of the year, I thought to myself, it is indeed a beautiful color, but not one so easily incorporated into daily life, especially for me who is an all neutrals kind of gal. This prompted me to have a closer look into my collection and see what I could qualify to be included in the 'orchid family' and though I didn't have a lot, I came up with a modest little bunch of makeup items that I could "broadly" pass of as being in the orchid color scheme.

Top: Clinique Quad in Plum Seduction, Wet n Wild Palette in Petal Pusher
Bottom: Diana of London Blush in 06 Charming Cherry, OCC Lip Tar in Hoochie, Essence Lipstick in Funky Funky,
 Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in Ultimate Orchid, Essence Eyeshadow Base in 08

Benefit Rockateur Boxed Blush

The verdict is in- this is officially the best universal natural blush...ever! First impressions are not always the last impressions, because when I first saw it, the first thought that came to mind was that how in the world would such a color even show up on my medium skin tone. But it did, and it was just love at first try. This is my first Benefit boxed blush and I get the whole craze behind them.

Benefit Blush Rockateur

My Current Everyday Makeup Routine- Makeup Application 101

We love our makeup products, they are our little handy helpers. But with so many options and overload of information it becomes difficult to make simple choices, like to use a matte or glossy lipstick, to use a tinted moisturizer or BB cream, or what type of concealer to use. The options are limitless. But most of us have that one standard method of applying makeup that works for you. So in this post I'll be telling you about how I do my standard everyday makeup and what products I am using, and little tips on how to add variety while still sticking to your routine in a time effective way.

March Favorites

Hello friends…

I am here with my first post in the “Favourites” series. Some things I have been loving and using the past month. Some new discoveries and some old favorites. Here goes...

Essence Multi Color Blush in no.10 How Cute is That?

People are forever coming out with ways to save time. Life is so fast paced these days, with hardly enough time to get all the things that need to be done, get done, that multi tasking products really come in handy. Lately lots of such products have been hitting the market. A good time saving, multi tasking makeup product should have three qualities, ease of application, easy to handle packaging and longevity of the product itself. So this little gem I found on the Essence counter qualifies in all three departments.

Dior Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Shade 257 Organdi Pink

Lip glosses are so pretty. Though to be honest, I do not have the passion for them as I do a lipstick, I still enjoy the sight of them in my hand bag. And of course it adds a nice shine to your lips when you need it or soothe parched lips in case you don't have a balm on hand.

Lip glosses are again, one of those products that I feel you can find easily in a drugstore. Some even beat the higher end ones. But lets face it, a dior is a dior period!

I don't think I'll ever splurge on a dior gloss ever. But having a sample size (still a pretty good amount) makes me feel all girly and feminine. This range of glosses comes in such a lovely array of colors.

My Skin Care Routine

It's sketchy at best. I have some skin care products that I have been pretty much using all my life. Since I never did have problematic skin, I just stuck to my favorite face washes, creams and such. I not strict about the regimen, but it exists and it was one of my resolutions to adhere to it better. Broke that one months ago. But I thought I have been asked about what skin care products I use and so today that's what I'll talk about. Let's be clear, skin care is important.....and it shows.

In the words of Coco Chanel:

MAC Lipstick in Russian Red

I love my neutrals, be it eyeshadows or lipsticks. I tend to shy away from bright/vibrant colors when it comes to lipstick which is probably the only reason that I didn't own a proper pure red lipstick till now. I never even felt the urge to swatch them in stores and my eyes just used to skip over all those beautiful reds and bright pinks. 

We've Reached The Big 100

Yippee. That was a squeal of delight. I just realized that this is the 100th post. That's just amazing!! I started with a zeal and I knew I'd stick it out through thick or thin. But actually seeing a milestone reached is just out of this world.

I want to dedicate this little post to all my readers. I hope to continue to bring you my honest opinions on what's out there on the drugstore and department store makeup shelves and bring more little juicy bit and pieces as we go along.

A big shout out to all of you...

Maybelline The Rocket Volume Masacra

Mascara completes the makeup look and for a makeup product, it is the product that has the most maximum impact on you face I feel. I love mascara, and considering most of the time I just don't have the time to curl and do layers, I am always looking for one that will do the job in one quote. For an everyday look I don't like to go for super pumped up lashes, but yes, I like them to give that lift and fluttery effect. For special occasion I do layers and appreciate a mascara that can give me a seriously heavy look. In my experience, mascara is one of those products that the drugstores are doing just as good if not better than their department store counterparts. I must say the this one really did deliver.

Special Announcement

My dear friend Mahwish will be doing a post every Tuesday on this blog about makeup/beauty products. She has done a few guests posts, but she will now be my partner in crime as a co-author. Like me she loves trying out new products, always on the prowl for dupes and painfully honest in her opinions. 

So welcome Mahwish, good luck and happy posting. To the readers, I'm sure her posts will keep you entertained and bring you useful information about beauty products. So a big welcome on board to her.

Please feel free to leave any comment or query in the comments section below.

Avon Magix Tinted Face Perfector in Light

Another review on yet another face primer. If its the one thing I've learnt over the years is that a good primer can make a world of difference to your look. This caught my eye because a. it was in a compact form and b. it was tinted so it could serve as a single product for those days when you don't have time to put on layers.
So how did I think it fared?

The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimiser (Primer)

I've always been a fan of The Body Shop, I especially love their Vitamin E and Vitamin C range of skin care products. Back in the day of the acne and break outs, the tea tree oil face wash was a staple on my bathroom counter. As my skin matured, it settled and became less oily, so now I alternate between the Vitamin C and Vitamin E ranges. So when a friend of mine asked me to recommend a primer I immediately thought of their mattifying silicon based primer, which is also pretty good. But as I was admiring the impressive array of products in each range I saw this particular product...

Since my friend has pigmentation issues and pores, it made more sense to go for this though I didn't even know this product was on the market. It seemed like a better fit for her. So she bought it. 

Guest Post : Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in 70 Hot Tamale

I am a huge fan of Maybelline brand in general but their blushes always tend to disappoint me. So when I heard that they are coming up with this new line of blushes called the Dream Bouncy Blush which have a revolutionary gel-like formula that applies like a cream and sets like a powder, I was quite intrigued to try one out.

I decided to pick the most vibrant shade of the collection called Hot Tamale as I had nothing like this in my stash.

How to Achieve That Beautiful Glow

A young woman asked me recently, how these models and Arab women get that super glow going on? What was the secret? Was it some product or was it a technique? Well the answer is that it is a combination of both. The dewy/glowy look makes you look instantly younger, fresher and for lack of a better word, 'hot'. This look is especially suited for the cooler months and for those girls who have dry or normal to dry skin. If carefully done, girls with normal to oily skin could also pull it off but I would not recommend this type of makeup for girls who have huge pore issues or super oily skin.