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.

Elf Blush in Peachy Keen

I have always been a fan of the Elf contour and blush duos, they make for an excellent dupe of the Nars duo, infact I like the Elf better. The bronzer is better and more contour appropriate and the blush is not as glittery. But this is not a review about that, I want to talk about my most favorite everyday no hassle day time blush..Elf's Peachy Keen.

Peachy Keen

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

Well what can I say....I'm a sucker for UD eyeshadows. Ever since I heard rumors that a third installment of these shadows was being released I kept telling myself over and over that the colors would not be good for my skin tone, that it was not a must have and that I could just as easily do without. Yeah that worked out well enough, till now! Ah my resolve was broken and rightly so, because honestly as far as neutral palettes go, this is probably my favorite. I admit the first 2 offer more variety and diversity, but this one is unique and takes rose gold to a whole new level.

The Naked 3 Palette

Find out more about it...

theBalm Girls Lipstick in Amanda Kissmylips

I'm a huge fan of theBalm Instain Blushes and Eyeshadows, particularly the Balm Jovi Palette. I've reviewed that here. So naturally I was curious about the lipsticks. I hadn't heard about these at all. I wondered why. The colors looked decent enough, but to be frank only one stood out to me to be unique and different. But you have to hand it to theBalm for their fancy slightly questionable names (and packaging).

theBalm Girls Lipsticks

I have the one that is the third from the left. Yeah it is scary looking...

Pond's Age Miracle BB Cream

Oops, still stuck in history with BB creams when CC creams are the 'in' things these days. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good product whatever the time line may be regardless of popularity. Speaking of popularity, why aren't these more so I ask. The one or two reviews I have come across were positive, but this product is just another underdog that deserves a bit more respect.

I would have bought it some time back, but I couldn't because I could never somehow find my shade. But then I did, so hear are my thoughts...

Shade Beige

NYX Matte Bronzer in Deep Tan

I'm a big fan of bronzers. They're used to either warm up the complexion or for contouring. And though I hardly ever do the former, I always always do the latter. It's makes my somewhat round face look slimmer and I like the effect.

My all time favorite is the Chanel Bronze Universel Bronzing Base, but it is a cream product. If I had to choose one favorite all time powder bronzer, this would be it. And for good reason.

It comes in a couple of more shades but this is the deepest. I could have gone a shade lighter, but I just think if the product is more pigmented I can always use a light hand, and the product will last longer. Since I use bronzer primarily for contouring and not bronzing, a deeper shade makes more sense.