Addicted to Blush

Image via Wikipedia Read a really useful post on "how to make lipstick last longer" on Rati's Blog (read it here).

I thought I would add my own two bits  - which is really two bits, although a slightly expensive method.

1. Exfoliate lips well
2. Apply Lip Tint a shade similar to the lipcolor. Let it dry
3. Apply Lipstick.

That's it. You are done. Now even if the lipstick wears off, the lip tint will still lend a wash of color to the lips and prevent them from looking naked.

You can chatter away, eat all oily food and not bother about re-touching. 

You can get a variety of lip tint colors from Bourjois for around Rs. 500/-

Image via Wikipedia
The recent devastating earthquake at Haiti was hit by a series of rumors that the Americans were behind it – it was caused by a U.S. test of an experimental shockwave system that can also create "weather anomalies to cause floods, droughts and hurricanes.  This claim was first made by Venezuela and soon Russia and some other European countries backed the claim Frankly I don’t know what this world is coming to. News gets harder and more unreliable by the day, and I find it hard to separate my fiction from fact. It is the same with beauty and skin care. From the very famous “Lipstick has lead – don’t believe us? Use your gold ring to prove” hoax,  to “Mineral oil will suffocate your skin” Below is a quick list of some of the biggest beauty myths that a lot of people still swear by. MYTH #1 CHOCOLATE  CAUSES ACNE Nothing you eat causes acne. Rather it is what you don’t eat (like Vitamin A and fiber) that can cause acne. Some people think that they absorb the oils fr…

Himani BoroPlus Healthy Skin Advanced Moisturising Lotion - Phew, now that I have gotthe longish name outta the way, lets start the review.

What it claims: Its unique advanced moisturising formula penetrates deep into the skin and helps heal dry skin from inside. it replenishes moisturise and forms a moisture sheild on your skin, whch leaves you with nourished, soft, amooth & healthy skin.

Enriched with natural goodness of pure malai, badam, rosewater and saffron. It is pH balanced and dermatologically approved.

Directions: Apply it all over the body, morning and night. A preventive curative and healing ayurvedic lotion for dry skin diseases, minor cuts and wounds, chapped skin and cold sores.

Image by hampi.info via Flickr Hey Ppl !!

Sorry for the sudden absence. Went scooting off for a 3 day trip to Goa. Which was great, btw.

Came back to a whole lot of posts to catch up on. Will be reading & commenting in the coming few days :)

Goa was terribly hot this time (34 degree C in Mid - Jan?!!?). Very sunny. Very Humid. None of my make - up would stay put, so I finally gave up and stuck to using only a smudge proof eyeliner and a red lip tint. Nothing else would stay put.

I had rented a bike for the trip, and despite my best efforts (sunglasses, caps, scarfs) ended up tanning my arms quite badly. (My legs though are looking quite nice with the tan)

My face too got sun burnt (I did use sunscreen!). As a result I have red patches on my cheeks and my face is looking un-clean (like there is a layer of sand on it still). Except around my eyes where i wore huge 70's sunglasses. So I am walking around looking funny - with white circles around my eyes!

Luckily I carried my cold …

Controversial topic once again. And I would like to admit right at the start that a few months ago I was anti-mineral oil in skin care.

After suffering a very, very bad case of allergic reaction that caused my skin to wrinkle, peel and flake with Nivea (which by the way took 3 months to recover from), I carefully studied all the ingredients in Nivea and vowed to ostracize them for life.

One of these was petrolatum or mineral oil or paraffinum liquidum. I kept away from any lotion that so much had a hint of this in the ingredient list. Convinced by the huge online propaganda that this is devil’s own skin care lotion and has been put on earth to wreak havoc on all our skins.

Until 2 weeks ago.

I was experimenting at home – making some lotion. I didn’t want to waste my precious almond and jojoba oils, so for the starter experiment I decided to use mineral oil(Johnson’s Baby Oil). Once I got it right I would use the “better = natural” oils.

So I melted some beeswax, added mineral oil, and…

I have Rati – who writes this wonderful blog called "Indian Makeup & Beauty Blog" to thank for this recommendation. What it claims: Juicy candy lip gloss is highly recommended for those who want the ultimate shiny lips. Its ultra creamy formula with a skin conditioning agent gives the lips a soft and supple look. This deliciously irresistible lip gloss comes in 8 lip smacking flavors. So go ahead...treat your lips! Price: Rs. 199 /- for a 9 ml tube I have the shades  “Just Berry” – a purple looking gloss which applies clear with silver shimmer - looks very cool toned and “06 – Strawberry Twist” – a pink looking gloss that also is clear with pink shimmer - this is more warm toned.

Pros: 1.A great substitute for lip blam. They are very nourishing and moisturize while they shimmer away prettily. 2.Good staying power – they stay on for upto 4 hours. 3.They smell really nice though it fades away quite quickly 4.The packaging is very cute and they are easy to apply on the go.  No …

One of my readers had asked me to do a review on Lacto Calamine Lotion. I have never used this product before in my life (except one time when I got chicken pox). So for this purpose I went and purchased a small bottle to try out for a week.

I bought the aloe moisturiser lacto calamine lotion meant for dry skin.

What does it claim: A lot apparently. They claim this is skinsurance. A daily use formula with Kaolin & Special Moisturizers.

Discover Skinsurance for Dry Skin.
1. Moisturisation
2. Protection
3. Dead skin Removal
4. Acne Control
Apply everyday for soft, clear skin.

Ingredients: Aqua, Light Kaolin, Sorbitol soln 70%, Propylene Glycol, glycerine, Aloe Vera gel, Castor oil, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Carbonate, Simethicone and  permitted colours, emulsifiers, preservatives and perfume.

Price: 30 ml bottle costs 32 Rs. This is the smallest size. You also get bigger sizes. 


Pros: 
1. The lotion is tinted, it can be worn during the day as a great tinted moisturizer. Only problem is that the…

Image via Wikipedia MLBB = My Lips But Better

I have finally found my MLBB shade, after hunting up & down, far & near. Most were too brown, too blah, too beige, too pink. Untill I found this....

Presenting Lakme Enrich Sugarbloom, shade no 652 - a shade that is a mixture of plum tempered with the right amount of brown.

In fact it is the exact color of my lips. Exact. When worn, my lips just seem more evenly pigmented, but not like their natural color has been tampered with.

While frankly I am not too enamoured by the shade. I think it is a good piece to keep to wear for interviews and other formal/serious functions. I tend to gravitate more towards berry colors personally.

What's your MLBB? 

Image via Wikipedia So which one do you prefer? Shiney, Sparkley, Glassy Gloss or Deep, Intense, Creamy Lipstick? Or both - one layered over the other?

Frankly I want to like lipstick. Really. I love the tons of shades, creamy intense color payout, the defined professional look, long lasting effect... but it doesn't look good on me at all. No matter what shade I try, be it nudes, reds, pinks or simple browns.. Somehow my features & looks don't lend themselves well to intense make up colors.

Lip Gloss on the other hand am not too fond of, it has hardly any staying power, is very sheer, looks a little OTT, when travelling, it streaks on my face when it catches my hair strands... Oh I could go on & on, but I always get the most compliments when I wear gloss, be it clear or sparkly or tinted. People tell me I look fresher and my skin glows ..

I hate spending on lip gloss considering that it has zilch staying power. 

So after a year of trying to make myself a lipstick user/…

Image by Warm 'n Fuzzy via Flickr Hey All!
Haven't really been shopping for new make up since some time, so I don't really have a lot of new products to review. A splurge seems due one of these days :-)
So I have been doing a bit of reading in the mean time. And I came across this article on factors that affect skinaging. (read it here)
The study was done on pairs of twins, to neutralize genetically gifted good skin. The study concluded that there are some environmental as well as lifestyle factors that contributed to accelerated skin aging.  Please understand that skin aging is a normal phenomenon, that will happen to everyone. However the degree to which your skin will age or be able to recuperate against the damage will be defined by your lifestyle and the choices you make.
Lifestyle Choices that Age the Skin

Smoking: The most dramatic facial aging was associated with smoking. Every 10 years a woman smoked added an average of 2 ½ years to her perceived age. Uneven skin tone,…

Hey All! A very Happy New Year 2010 to all of you!

Kicking off the new year, I read a very interesting / controversial post today morning on "Why are Lush Products so expensive?" at the Beauty Brainswebsite. (Read it here). This is one of my favourite sites to solve all my cosmetic queries.

Now this is not to bad mouth Lush (who I am sure make amazing products, which a lot of you swear by) or to make anyone feel bad about buying any of the products. It is after all a free choice society. I just wanted to share my perspective on how companies work and their pricing strategies (comes easy to me, after all am a Manager :-) )

During my MBA days I did learn about this exclusive high pricing strategy adopted by some companies to give a sense of quality and exclusiveness.

The price/quality relationship refers to the perception by most consumers that a relatively high price is a sign of good quality. The belief in this relationship is most important with complex products that are h…