Loreal True Match Blendable Powder- Worth it?

Hitting pan is one thing, but finishing a makeup product right down to the very end is truly a moment of great victory and pride. Most girls would start thinking about either a repurchase of the same product or an alternative midway between the two.

I am one to always keep trying new products, so after I cleaned out my MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Powder, I broke out the Loreal True Match Super Blendable Powder.

Sorry for the murky bit, the tape left behind sticky residue and the powder just keeps getting on it.

For the review just read on.

Dupe for Urban Decay's Naked 3 Palette

It can't be argued that dropping about 6 to 7K Pak Rs. is not an easy task for most of us common folk. And so we turn to the cheaper versions that are out there, only are they really close enough to be called dupes?

Thanks to makeup bloggers and other beauty junkies out there, close enough alternatives to the more expensive products can be found on the click of a google search.

Bringing you a very good dupe for the Naked Palette 3- Makeup Revolution's Iconic Palette 3...

Read on for swatches and other details...

Makeup Products I have Fallen out of Love With + 1 Acquisition

It's all about perspective. 3 makeup products that I had intense love for, a couple of which I have also used extensively, now just lie there on my vanity, pretty much idle. Let me reintroduce:

From the left:

1. Loreal Blush in 04- Rosewood
2. Urban Decay's Naked Palette 3
3. Color Pop lippie in Tulle

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick (540 Hollywood Red)

Price: Depends from place to place, but the price my sister got it for was 1000 Pakistani rupees.

Packaging:  Such a nice and decent looking packaging. It kind of gives a high end lipstick look. And I really like the fact that the red line of the lipsticks have red and silver packaging and the neutral lippies have neutral kind of packaging.

Mini-Rave: Blender Cleanser

I should have taken pictures, but I was skeptical. So I went ahead, in utter desperation, for there was no way my makeup brushes could be used without a deep and thorough cleansing. After a wonderful wedding in the family, (confession: quite a bit of brush sharing went on), my poor brushes were just begging to get all the gunk off, especially my slanted Sigma kabuki foundation brush (love love love).

My sis in law told me I should use her Beauty Blender Brush Cleanser. I looked at her and it with an one eyebrow up to my hairline. Really, a glorified bar of soap? This was going to give me pristine brushes, after trying every shampoo and makeup remover? Ah well, what had I to lose, things could not get any worse right?

Our First Z-Palette... The Experience

By 'our,' I mean my sister and I. She called one fine evening last week asking if I would like to get a z-palette, they had turned up on a makeup selling site and things usually sold out fast. Being a makeup junkie, and having so many singles just sitting in the darkest recesses of my lower most drawer, I thought, shouldn't I  have one already?

"Yes, yes, we'll split the delivery charges".

"Do you want the pink one or the zebra printed one?"

"We'll draw straws, flip a coin or something," Who was I kidding? It would have to be the zebra printed one, and she knew it.

There was some delay in the package, and for a time, all was forgotten until the phone rang this morning, "I'm on my way and I have the loot."

I made a bee-line to my drawer, pulled out my shoe box that held the poor desolate singles and few trios. Piling out the shadows and knowing it would require a complicated algorithm to derive which lucky one would make it into the new fancy lodgings.

Some eyeshadows that made the list.

Clinique Cheek Pop in No. 15 Pansy Pop

Finally! These fantastic blushes from Clinique are old news now, but how does that saying go? Old is gold. Quite a long while back my sis-in-law reviewed the couple she had and they were just brilliant. Read her review here. This product has been a long time coming and now that I have it, I'm over the moon about it.

Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in 15 Pansy Pop

Stila Eyes Are The Window Shadow Palette - Mind (All Mattes) Review

I had a resolution this year- that I'd hit pan on my Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. It was within my reach and I would have done so by now, had it not been for the culprit which is the subject of this review today. My sis-in-law sent this beauty a while back. I had seen this palette making the rounds but it did not prepare me about the actual feel of the packaging or the buttery consistency of the eyeshadows themselves.

Makeup Tips to Slash Years Off

Another year bites the dust. It's been a roller coaster ride. As experiences led to more wisdom and eye-opening lessons, the skin went on to mature as well. Getting older is generally dreaded, especially after 35. Personally, I believe it's beautiful. The little wrinkles attest to all the times you should never have gotten up, but did. The little bit of salt and pepper says you have learned a thing or two, the reading glasses that you now need to read the fine print just proves that your inner voice is now smart enough to say, "Hey! Read the fine print."

That's not to say that you should just let yourself go. Keeping ship shape regardless of age obviously begins with a healthy life style, you know... healthy diet, plenty of water, regular exercise, the usual, but makeup can help boost your look by kicking a few years off, making you look more vibrant, fresh and that of course, leads to more confidence. Look good, feel good has a lot of truth to it.

Here are a few tips that women can incorporate in their daily makeup routines that lead to more younger look:

Makeup Favourites: 2015 Edition

It's been quite a year. And it's almost over, 2016 holds new exciting unknown adventures. Thought I should really get on top of this one, have been doing a favourites of the year regularly and it's time to see what made the list of the most used, most loved products of this year.

This year the theme of my go to look has been the no makeup makeup look. Seriously, looking at my most reached for lippies I saw no hues of wine, burgundy or red. Not even deep pinks. I've used them on occasion, but not enough to make the list.

There's an idea for a new year's resolution: use more deeper shades.

I just love seeing what everyone out there has in their stash and what they love most. So let's just get into mine.

Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Ginger Pop and Plum Pop Review

Clinique Cheek Pops are by far the most beautifully packaged blushes I have ever owned/seen. Just take a moment to admire the cuteness of these beauties. The moment I laid my eyes on them, I knew I had to get one and ended up with 2 out of the then released 4 shades.

Clinique Cheek Pop Blushes in Ginger Pop and Plum Pop

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua- My Holy Grail Foundation at Last

I realize that I have been absent from the blogging arena for a while now. Some things went down, but the dust has finally settled. Suffice it to say, the reviews, tips and makeup related posts will now a be a more frequent part of your feed.

Right, moving along... as you all know I am a self-professed makeup junkie, but among the makeup categories, foundation takes the prize. The wisdom of all top-makeup artists makes so much more sense; a flawless (or as flawless as can be) base, makes for the ideal canvas for the rest of the paraphernalia on your vanity. I should totally do a post on my humble vanity ( ahem ahem) sometime soon. But I digress.

This puppy has been in my stash all sealed for a while now. Come the dry winter months combined with my prior experience with the big sister of this foundation (find the review and dupe here), I gave it a go.

Tag by 'Allure By N'- 11 Things You Did Not Know About Me

I was so excited to write this post since even though I have done tag posts before, this is my first formal one in which I have been specifically tagged.

She has come up with some interesting questions and I hope to answer them as honestly as I can although some appear to be quite mind boggling...

Maybelline Color Drama Velvet Lip Pencils

I thought that these pencils would a little bigger, but they are smaller than your average jumbo lip pencils. When I first caught a whiff of them online, I was intrigued since they looked very nice and were reasonably prized. They are not the retractable ones, they need to be sharpened. This is a plus for me since I like the tip to be sharpish to get a clean lip line.

It was a pleasant surprise to receive these from my sister-in-law (also co-author of this blog) though I believe she has left the heavy lifting to me...(I'm ducking).....nevertheless, I tried them out albeit just once. If you want to know my first impressions, read on.

Shades: 510 Red Essential and 210 Keep it Classy

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.

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.

The Top 5 Beauty Mistakes I Used to Make

Though I've never had professional training in the field of makeup application, being an avid fan of learning new techniques and keeping up with what's going on in the makeup world is a passion I take quite seriously. Through the hit and trial method I have come to a few very important conclusions when it comes to applying makeup, generally speaking. I wanted to share these insights with other younger aspiring makeup fans out there about what I have picked up over the past 20 or so odd years since I became interested.

March Favorites

Here we are almost in mid-April and I am just now posting this. It happens right. So without wasting any more time I'll delve right into it.

Makeup: Best of 2014

So another year has ended. It's been an interesting year in terms of makeup, all sorts of looks trended from the no makeup makeup look, to the vampy lip to the super chiseled look. This year I noticed there have been quite a few products that I have been using quite consistently, some I rediscovered. So without further I ado, I give you my 2104 fav makeup picks: