Wet n Wild Color Icon Blusher

Next to the lip color, blush is the easiest way to freshen your face instantly. It is the make-up basic that brightens and enhances the natural look of your face without it having to be a bold addition to your routine. Just 2 things to be careful about, where to apply blush based on your face shape and cheek bone structure; and be careful not to overdo the application. This is a quick pick-me-up year round.

REVIEW: Wet n Wild Color Icon Blusher

Purchased from: Walgreens/ CVS

Purchase date: September 2012/ May 2013

Purchase Price: $2.99

Size/ Amount: 0.14 oz.

These are the most pigmented drugstore blushes I have come across. You just need to use a very light gentle swipe of the brush to get color on the cheeks. They last for 4-6 hours before you have to touch up. They come in 4 shades. What I like about them is that they do not add a ton of glitter on the cheeks. It was a learning experience to be very light handed with application as the first few times I ended up with clown cheeks. You will also need to tap or blow off the excess from the brush. They come with a small angled brush, which does not really work. It comes in plastic packaging with a black base and a transparent top. This does not come with a mirror. The packaging is light but sturdy so that is a plus.

Here are the 4 shades:

831E Pearlescent Pink

Peachy pink with gold shimmer. The shimmer does show through but overall it gives a beautiful sheen. You can go without a highlighter here. It gives the skin a natural glow. I would say this is the lightest blush of the lot.

831E Pearlescent Pink

831E Pearlescent Pink

831E Pearlescent Pink swatches

832E Heather Silk

Medium pink with plum undertones. It is completely matte. It does have a hint of mauve. It gives a rosy flush to the cheeks with cooler undertones.

832E Heather Silk

832E Heather Silk

832E Heather Silk swatches

833E Mellow Wine

Pink with coral & red undertones. It has a hint of shimmer. Not as much as Pearlescent Pink. This one also gives a nice sheen to the skin. If someone wants to try a coral blush but does not want to go full on coral, this is a good one to start with.

833E Mellow Wine

833E Mellow Wine

833E Mellow Wine swatches

834E Berry Shimmer

Berry with a gold undertone. It does not have shimmer but as you blend the gold comes through. It also has tones of brick red and the color is quite intense. This one gives the most impact with least product. This is the one where you need to be very careful and use an extremely light hand. This is the one I could not find in Walgreens and had to get it at CVS.

834E Berry Shimmer

834E Berry Shimmer

834E Berry Shimmer swatches

Side by Side blended out Swatches

Overall, very pigmented, buildable, affordable, great quality. J

Fergie Center Stage Collection- Photo Op Eyeshadow- Desert Festival

REVIEW: Fergie Center Stage Collection- Photo Op Eyeshadow- Desert Festival

Purchased from: Walgreens

Purchase date: May 2013

Purchase Price: $3.99 (On sale- Retail price $4.99)

Just like all Wet n Wild eyeshadows this one rocks. It is pigmented, super blendable and can create multiple looks with one palette. I got this one as I love the corals in it and it compliments my brown eyes. The colors work very well with each other. The palette comes with a double ended sponge-tip applicator.

I used an eye primer with the shadow and the pictures are after 6 hours of applying the shadows.

SHADES:

1- Beige: Has a satin finish with very light shimmer. It is towards the taupe family. Beautiful as a highlight or inner corner shade.

2- Matte coral: A totally matte shade in an orangish coral. Very easy to apply.

3-Dark brown with shimmer: It’s a multi-colored shimmer which shows up when you apply but not like crazy glitter. As I don’t like glitter this works for me. This does have a hint of dark purple mixed with brown.

4- Peach: This is a beautiful peach shade with a satin finish. It does have very light shimmer. It is a beautiful all over the lid shade.

5- Dark Brown: This is a totally matte dark brown. Intense color and great for the outer corner.

To create the look:

(1) on the inner corner and highlight below the brow.

(4) all over the lid. Concentrated on the center.

(3) on the outer corner.

(5) on the crease. Blended very well.

(2) Above the crease shade. This creates a gradual gradation- first the matte brown, then the matte coral then the highlight shade.

Overall- Love this palette and really enjoyed working with it :)

The Do’s and Don’ts of shopping for Make-Up…How to stay in budget

Just like any other make-up lover, I spent endless hours watching you tube videos of my favorite Beauty Gurus and reading blogs, looking at swatches, comparing the brands, learning about new products. All this, of course, lead to the inevitable temptation to try them out myself. The ‘need’ quickly turned to ‘want’…and the ‘want’ became ‘I have to get that for myself NOW’. Before I realized it, I spent way too much, and the feeling is similar to the guilt after eating 20 hot wings when on a diet.

It is so hard to resist the colors, textures, cute packaging, the excitement when you see the new display, the fun in going through the shades, opening the product, swatching the product, trying it on the face. It’s the feeling you get when opening presents on your birthday or Christmas morning. The flip side of this is that very often we end up spending way more than we budgeted for. Also, we end up getting products that are highly discussed & very popular without considering if it will work for us and our routine. Does it suit our skin type, our skin tone, our comfort-level with techniques, how practical is it in our daily life…these are just some of the factors to consider before we splurge.

Beauty Gurus have a substantial make-up collection as they need to try them and review them for the rest of us. A lot of them are make-up artistes. They use these products as a part of their job. For most of us, make-up is a fun and artistic activity that makes us feel good about ourselves. It is awesome that we can get all that advice and guidance from the videos and blogs so that we are not wasting money on a ton of bad make-up. These reviews steer us towards the products that will be beneficial towards improving our make-up experience. The objective is to create a make-up collection that is perfect and tailor made for you.

I just wanted to share a few pointers that help me stay on track, besides the deals and sales:

• Looking for Dupes: Dupes are drugstore or less expensive alternatives to premium products. There are plenty of dupe videos and blogs that are extremely informative and spot on. Some of the gurus are so detailed in matching every aspect of the product that it’s mind-blowing how similar the dupe is to the high end product. You can get the same look for a fraction of the cost.
• Returns: Most drugstores, ULTA, Sephora are very good when it comes to taking back opened products. Keep the receipt till you know you are sure about the product. Once you swatch and try a product, if it doesn’t look, feel or perform like you expected and you know you are not going to end up liking it, return it. There is no point in keeping products that you know for sure are going to be forgotten and stashed away.
• Skin tone: Each skin tone is different and a product that looks amazing on a lighter or darker skin tone might not necessarily be flattering on you. It has happened to me on numerous occasions that I love the way a blush or lip color looks on a beauty guru and when I try it on myself it doesn't show up at all or looks like it doesn't belong. It’s very disappointing because you love it but it’s better to make sure you invest in a collection that is meant for you.
• Beauty Gurus with matching attributes: A helpful source is to make sure you follow beauty gurus that have a skin tone, eye shape, face shape similar to yours along with the ones you love to watch for entertainment & education. This way there is a higher likelihood of a product/look working for you.
• Get palettes/sets instead of singles: Palettes and sets give you a wider variety of shades and products at a value price. Also this gets you to try other shades and create your own looks. Make sure that the singles you get are the ones that are your holy grail or not available in sets/palettes or are so unique that they cannot be duped.
• Find matching products in your stash: When you see a look you love concentrate on the colors & technique not the actual products used in the tutorial. It is of course easier to follow exactly what the guru is showing but sometimes that ends up being expensive. Look into your collection for matching shades. Learn the technique and how to mix colors while using your collection.
• Be creative-experiment: Use blushes and bronzers as eyeshadows. Use lipsticks as a cream blush. Use the same brush for powder, blush and bronzer. Use concealer as an eyeshadow base. Your black eye pencil can be your black shadow. The jumbo eyeshadow can be your liner. Use sponge-tips and Q-tips. Let your imagination take over and let your make-up multitask.
• While Shopping, be alert: When you see a product that makes you drool, take a step back, 'pause' your heart and 'play' your mind. Is it similar to something you already have? Is it worth the price? Is it going to be a part of your daily routine? Sometimes it helps when I walk away, sleep on it, go through my collection at home and then decide if I still want it. Browsing your entire collection on a regular basis will make sure you are not missing or forgetting what you already have.
• Make a list: I find it useful to make a list of drugstore and high end products that I would like to try based on the videos/blogs. That way when I get tempted towards an impulse buy I can check my list to see if it will replace something there or do I need something on that list before I get this one. I also maintain a list of dupes of the high end, so if I am unsure of the product and how it works for me; I first try the dupe before I invest in the high end product.

These tips have helped me create a collection that I love and use to the fullest and are customized just for me. And of course stay in budget. Hope this helps :) 

Dove Dry Shampoo

REVIEW: DOVE REFRESH+CARE INVIGORATING DRY SHAMPOO 

Purchased from: Walmart

Purchase date: May 2013

Purchase Price: $3.94
Size/ Amount: 5 oz (141 grams)

Dove Dry Shampoo

I have normal hair with fine texture. My 3^rd day hair is oily at the roots and dry at the ends. On days when I don’t have time to wash my hair I wanted to have a quick alternative to keep my hair looking and feeling fresh.

This is the first Dry Shampoo I have ever tried and here is how I used it-

I parted my hair just at the roots and sprayed it on the hair n scalp in sections.

It leaves a white powdery spray on the roots.

I just let it soak in for about 10 minutes.

I ran my fingers all through the roots to loosen up the remaining powder as some of it had already disappeared.

Then brushed my hair with a round brush. This took out all the residue that was left back, which was very minimal.

Thoughts:

It sprays on like a hair spray and it leaves a white powder on the scalp when you initially spray it on your roots. This is the substance that seems to soak up the excess oil.

Once you leave it in for a few minutes and brush it out, the powder goes away and leaves no residue.

It does add a bit of volume.

It is clean and refreshing on the scalp.

It has a strong fragrance. It smells like a powder/shampoo.

The hair does not feel powdery but when you touch your scalp you can feel a slight powdery residue.  

I will be using this more and it seems to be a quick solution to the oily scalp 3^rd day hair problem.

Chilli Paneer (Gravy)

Sauce Base Mixture for Chilli Paneer- (prepare in advance)

Garlic – 8 cloves ( minced very fine)

Spring Onion – 1 bunch – chopped (green part and the onion part)

Coriander leaves – 3 tbsp ( chopped)

Dry Red Chillies – About 5 or 6 depending on spice level – Chopped very fine

Chilli Powder – 1½  tbsp

Water – 1 tsp

Tomato Paste – 3 tbsp or Tomato Puree – ½ cup

Soy Sauce – to taste (approx 2 tbsp)

Vinegar – 2½ tbsp

Sugar – ½ tsp

Spicy Chilli Oil – 4 tbsps

Cornflour – 2 tbsps mixed with water

Salt, Pepper to taste.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the garlic and sauté it for a min or two. Then add the spring onion (greens) and the onion part, dry red chillis and coriander leaves.

Stir fry over medium flame for few minutes and then add the remaining ingredients, except cornflour mixture.

Bring to boil and simmer for about 3 -4 minutes.

Add the cornflour mixture and stir to make the sauce thick.

For the Chilli Paneer

1 Onion – cut julienne (strips)

1 green pepper (capsicum) – cut julienne

3 – 4 green chillies, cut in slits

Paneer – 1 pack cubed.

Heat oil in a pan, add green chilies, sauté, then add the onions and green pepper and stir fry for a min. Add the paneer (if frozen, bring to room temperature and then add when soft). Add the sauce mixture and continue to stir fry until the sauce is combined and with the rest of the ingredients. Enjoy with Noodles, Rice or even as a wonderful appetizer.

Enjoy :)

Paneer Kadhai

Paneer Kadhai

1/2 kg paneer cut into cubes
ghee/butter/oil
Cumin seeds
1 onion
2 cups tomato paste or 1 fresh tomato and 1 cup tomato paste
2 Green Peppers
1 Red Pepper
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt


Chop the onions finely into strips.Cut green and red peppers into long thin julienne.
If using fresh tomato cut that into strips as well.
Add oil to a hot pan and add cumin seeds. When they splutter add onions and saute onions till it starts to turn slightly translucent.Add ginger garlic pase & fry well.
Add coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder,turmeric,tomato paste ( and tomatoes) and salt.
When cooked a little add the red and green peppers and allow to soften.
Add the paneer cubes and cook it all together adding little water to combine everything so the paneer doesn't break.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Enjoy:)

Milani Color Statement Lipsticks

It seems almost natural that the first thing I should write about is a lipstick…or a line of lipsticks…The MILANI COLOR STATEMENT LIPSTICKS. I have been reading and seeing swatches of these and was very excited to try them out. I was really praying that the excitement should not die down as has happened in the past. I saw the Maybelline Vivids collection reviews and swatches. Got all excited, went to Walmart, swatched them on my arm and was a little disappointed. They did not appear as I thought they would and for my medium Indian skin they did not work. But, lo and behold…the Milani ones were sooooo awesome. They were super pigmented as Milani claimed. Almost all colors were perfect for a medium skin tone. And it was a tough choice as all of them looked so amazing. That made it clear that if you want to try all lipsticks from one product line…hands down, this is the one.

REVIEW: Milani Color Statement Lipsticks

Purchased from: CVS

Purchase date: May 2013

Purchase Price: $5.79 (Sale- Buy one get one 50%)
Size/Amount: 0.14 oz / 3.97 grams

The lipstick comes in a muted golden lipstick tube with the shade as a border on the bottom. The name of the lipstick is in gold at the bottom with a corresponding number. It comes in 4 lines- Orange & Reds, Pinks & Corals, Plums & Berries, Naturals & Browns. It comes in 5 textures- Cream, Pearl, Vinyl, Matte & Metallic.

The first thing I noticed is the cap closes real tight. It takes a tug to open it as it has a small protrusion on the tube that clicks when you close. I liked this as it gave me a feeling that it is secure and air tight. As I browsed through the colors the choice became harder. Each color was prettier than the previous one. Finally I picked up 4 of these to try out. I only swiped them once on my lip without going over it in order to test out the pigmentation.

**Both these are without flash. Just taken with different lighting.

Now for the swatches...

Plumrose (17)

This is from the Plums & berries line. It has a cream texture. Beautiful pink, not bright, not frosty, a very wearable pink. For those who want to try a lighter pink lipstick this is perfect.

Plumrose

Plumrose

Plumrose

Uptown Mauve (20)

This one is also from the Plums & Berries line. It has a cream texture as well. This is a mauvy magenta plum color. You will see in the pictures, all without flash, that it can look towards purple and pink. 

Uptown mauve

Uptown Mauve

Uptown Mauve

Best Red (07)

This is from the Orange & Reds line. It has a matte finish. In person, this looks like a brighter orangish red, a wonderful start for someone wanting to try a red lip. Though it is a matte finish it did not feel dry on the lips. It was slightly harder to swipe on the lip but nothing that would stop me from loving it.

Best Red

Best Red

Best Red

Naturally Chic (25)

This is from the Naturals & Browns line. It has a cream finish. This is a wonderful neutral. I have tried many nude lipsticks but they all look ash-ey on my lips. This had the perfect amount of pink in it to add color whole still looking nude.

Naturally Chic

Naturally Chic

Naturally Chic

Final Thoughts:

I came home, tried the first one. It was love at first swipe. It was full-on color and absolutely easy gliding. I always use a lip liner for my lipsticks but these looked fabulous even without it. They seemed to attach nicely to your lips without clinging. It did not emphasize the lines on the lips. It did not give a wet feeling but was nicely moisturizing. The lipsticks have a mild fruity fragrance that disappears within a few minutes.

I was trying it on my lips at night; I took it off with lotion, applied lip balm and went to sleep. In the morning, my husband asks me if I slept with lipstick on. I checked in the mirror and my lips were still stained from it. So it certainly is long lasting. For the deeper shades I would suggest using a make-up remover to get it off. It leaves minimal or no transfer onto glass or mugs.

Overall, I am in love..the formula, the pigmentation, the feel, very impressed. I will most likely be getting the whole collection barring a few frosty or metallic shades that may not go with my skin tone. Love, Love, Love!!!

Tags: Milani, Milani Color Statement Lipstick, Plumrose, Uptown Mauve, Naturally Chic, Best Red, Milani Color Statement Lipstick Swatches, Milani Color Statement Lipstick on lips, Milani Color Statement Lipstick on medium skin tone, Milani Color Statement Lipstick on Indian Skin tone

A lip product is one make-up essential that is the easiest and fastest way to ‘dress-up’ the face. It does not require much technique so even a beginner with no make-up skills can start with a basic lip color and embark upon a colorful, fun and enriching journey into exploring make-up land. Ever since I can remember, one of my very first memories is my mom just using lipstick in a maroon shade and looking so pretty. Her make-up routine was very simple…clean face, moisturize, pressed powder and of course the lipstick. It made all the difference. So as most daughters who follow mom’s footsteps, when I was ‘allowed’ make-up, the first thing I ever tried was her Lakme (an Indian brand) sheer maroon lipstick. It made me feel so special, grown up and oh so pretty. Till today, even if I am running super late, that is exactly the routine I follow-with one addition…clean face, moisturize, pressed powder, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick.