The Colossal Kajal 12H Extra Black Pencil

I've got a tonne of eye pencils all tucked away in a nifty little box. There's something so pretty about them, all the pretty colors and packaging. But black is the one colour you can not have enough of. It's most used and anybody can use it and look good. It is also enough to do an entire eye look. In a hurry just swipe it across your lids and smudge, BAM! Instant smoky eye. Then go over closer to you lash line, tight line on the upper and lower lids. Gorgeous smoky eyes in under 2 minutes. Generally speaking, you'll be looking for a formula that is matte, stays put, yet is pliable enough to smudge out when you apply it and is very very black. So does this product fit the bill?

MAC's Satin Taupe, Is It Worth the Hype?

I just love using palettes that have a good variety of eyeshadows. It's very convenient. It also enables you to get creative. A few lovely ones that spring to mind are Urban Decay's Vice 3 (review here), both the Lorac Pro Palettes and the Naked Palettes. With all of these, I don't really have to use primer, just a light hand with concealer works (but just set with powder) and they last all day. They just need a dab in the pan for good colour payoff.

To be honest, I am just not a fan of singles. Although the Satin Taupe from Mac is housed in a quad, I'll still say its a single. But is it worth it? MAC eyeshadows are pretty expensive and it could set you back quite a bit to make a quad. I remember thoroughly researching MAC eyeshadows when I wanted to build mine.

Satin Taupe was probably the most hyped best seller. I liked the swatches too (though I thought they looked different in each picture-but more on that later). And so it was that I became the proud of owner of this eyeshadow.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Intense Balm

Having worn more or less matte lips consistently for a couple of weeks now, this morning I felt like a different finish was in order. Also, I was sleepy so I was looking a little lack luster as it were. The culprit I suspect, was that midnight dessert that chased away my beauty sleep only for it to come right back at me in the wee hours of the morning.

So I just went through my usual routine in a very routine way, but jazzed it up a little with the Rimmel Lip Balm Jumbo stick in 200 Keep Mauving. Although I had used it on a number of occasions before, I only just noticed its awesomeness this morning.

These are available in a variety of colours, all of them very pretty, but since I shy away from reds and pasty colours that totally wash me out, I picked up the browny pinky shade in Keep Mauving. I don't really see the mauve in it, but okay. 

April Favorites

April passed by very fast, I guess I'll be saying that for May as well. I mean its already the 7th. Sadly this month, I feel like I've gotten myself into a makeup rut. Getting ready for work in the morning is one of the best parts of my day, but this past month I've been sticking to very neutral looks. This was a complete 360 degree turn from last month. You can read that post here.

At any rate, I still don't see myself reaching out for more bolder looks any time soon, I'm suspecting it must be the summer heat. Naaa... who am I kidding, it's just a rut, pure and simple.

On with the show: Excuse the grubbiness on few of the products, its a result of sometimes rushed mornings.

Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Instant Smoothing Serum

Well time just keeps on ticking away, and although I have rather good skin for a woman in her late 30's, I can't be kidding myself that the effects of aging won't catch up sooner or later. The objective of course, is the latter. I usually have skin care samples lying around that I use every now and then, but when those ran out I actually panicked, ever so slightly, but panic I did. And so as my brother, his wife and 2 children and my mom were on their way out to the department store, I invited myself to tag along. "Oh, don't worry about the kids, I'll keep an eye on them, you all just concentrate on your shopping," I said. Little did they know about my diabolical plan of giving them the slip at the beauty department. At any rate, I managed to tell my mom to hang on the kids while I step away for a moment. A moment, that's a laugh. The choices were endless. I ended up picking up the product mentioned above. I hadn't read any reviews and had no idea what I was signing up for.