I have a soft corner for Lakme. It does a desi girl's make-up loving soul good to see desi make-up brands. And even if I rant until I am foaming at the mouth because of their abysmal selection of foundation shades (the whole population of India seems to be categorized in all of four shades), I always check out their make-up when I'm in India. I had Lakme's Nine to Five Forever Silk Eyeliner in Gypsy Green in my make-up travel tote and never looked at it until, well late in December last year. And it instantly made its way to my Top 10 Products posts.
Don't think less of me for typing this but "Oh My GAWD. LIKE, OHMIGOD!" This stuff blows Make-up Forever and Urban Decay out of the water, and Lakme is desi. The pencil eyeliner comes in one of those self-sharpening plastic pens, pretty standard. The application is so smooth, and buttery. After I put it on, I thought there was no way it would last, not with a formula this smooth and non-tugging. But then life is full of little surprises. Lakme's Forever Silk Eyeliner needs about 20-30 seconds to set, but once it does it stays on. Rubbing it repeatedly doesn't even make it budge. It literally comes off only when you take it off with make-up remover or face wash. It lasts really long on my waterline as well, much longer than Make-up Forever or Urban Decay. With the latter two, I find that their pencil eyeliners put up a valiant fight but do not come close in application, smoothness, and wear.
The colour I got, Gypsy Green, is a muted, very dark olive with slight gold shimmer. It is very sophisticated and is in the same family as Clinique's Eqyptian creamshaper. I believe there are five or six shades available in this range (Lakme doesn't list the shades on their web site). I'm also not sure about pricing as I got this a while back (lakme doesn't also list it on their web site).
If you're like me and love to make pilgrimages to make-up counters in every country you set foot in, do check out Lakme's eyeliners. I'm actually going to get some more as they can't b
After I had a baby, all days seemed to blur into one. However, I couldn't shake this gnawing feeling that something might be off. There might be something different in the next couple of days and then it hit me! It's almost New Year's. I have a bunch of postings I wanted to do and un update on the foreign service (yep, I know I said I would write one and I will, just after my interview is done and hopefully I can give a clearer picture on how I tackled it). So without further ado, here is the first stand-out product for 2011.
Having a baby changes a lot of things, not just in your life but physically too. For one, you'll have nights where the baby is finally asleep but you'll stay up, offering silent prayer in the hope that post-partum hair loss will NOT turn you bald. The other is that your skin will change like the wind and everything will make it break out. In fact it is so frustrating you'll want to tear your hair out. And then you'll cry realizing if you did, you actually will be bald.
Biotherm states that Biosource Foaming Invigorating Cleansing Water, is, well, a soap free, self-foaming cleanser with a lovely airy mousse quality. It is very gentle and doesn't leave any filmy residue behind. Since my skin is combination to insane (read oily and dry on different days), I found that this cleanser really balances my skin and beings it close to normal. The cleanser itself is marketed towards combination to normal , and I would have to agree. I don't think it would be very well suited for very oily skin types.
So how does the cleanser actually get rid off make-up? Pretty well. I can rely on it to remove most of my make-up except any stubborn mascara or eyeliner. Since I use a separate eye make-up remover anyway, I can skip this problem. The quantity is generous and one pump suffices to clean and remove make-up in one go. I'm not a huge fan of high-end cleansers, this particular one is worth it.
Edited to add, I got this cleanser at Sephora in Malaysia (KL). I can't seem to find it in the US website for Biotherm, however it is sold in many places in KL. I will update on whether it is only sold in Asia.
Padma Lakshmi isn't one to really go overboard or even dramatic on the make-up. Nars kalahari is a great duo that will help achieve her look.
I was browsing the net when I chanced to see this picture of Priyanka Chopra's make-up posted by her on her website. Of course, I had to blog about it. It looks like she uses YSL's Effet Faux Cils mascara, Bobbi Brown's stick foundation, and a MAC blush that looks an awful lot like Peachtwist. What color do you think the blush is?
First off, sorry for the late updates. I flew solo (say it again slowly, it gives me shivers just merely writing this) with baby halfway around the world. I thought I was she-woman. I even roared. I started updating my blog and making a few videos, ready to hit publish. And then baby started teething. I have two words: Holy Frijole. Interpret as you wish.
That aside, I used to love the effects of latisse. My whimpy lashes got a huge boost and I was sure I had a deer or two stalking me out of jealousy. And then I got pregnant and couldn't use it anymore. I still can't use it while nursing. My lashes were never the same. I thought I could sometimes see my deer-stalkers point and laugh "oh, how the mighty have fallen." Although my lashes have never been able to compare, Hourglass's Film Noir Lash Lacquer gives them an extra oomph and is very visible in photos.
I admit, the lacquer is a bit of a pain to apply, it comes with a brush applicator so you literally have to paint your lashes. The formula itself is fairly thick but viscous and while it doesn't sting and burn my eyes, I can't imagine people with sensitive eyes loving the feeling if it happens to fall in. The color is a beautiful glossy black and in one coat does thicken the lashes. You will also probably need to have a clean mascara wand or spoolie handy as the lash lacquer can make your lasts clump together as if they were having a reunion of sorts.
The reason I do love and recommend this product is that it really does give that extra oomph, especially in pictures, and opens up the eyes beautifully. Paired with a primer, I get beautifully think lashes. Much more than with mascara or primer alone. It can put your look from lovely lashes to a luscious looking fringe. An that to me, makes it worth it.
Agreed, I might be a bit too lazy to use it every day. But for those days where you do want a bit more drama, even with a volumizing mascara, this, especially when pared with a primer, really ups the drama.
I am stil editing my video on Padma's look but here is the inspiration pic. I wasn't able to find the exact pic I used for inspiration but it isn't too heartbreaking as it is very similar to this look just with more pigmented lips.
My battle with my skin during pregnancy has been well documented in my household. From hormonal outbursts of despair to crying spells, suffice it to say my skin was a painful, dry, dull, lackluster mess. Oe thing that made a significant impact was the crystalift.
I'm not a huge fan of physical exfoliants. I am wary of broken capillaries as I have fairly thing skin, and, to day the least, physical exfoliants have a tendency to break me out. I've had microderm abrasion done before and while the results were nice, I didn't feel like spending so much on treatments.
My skin during pregnancy was dry, extremely irritable, and painfully slow to heal. I also battled cystic acne, which was thankfully not that reagent but when it did occur it was incredibly painful and left a scar. I got the crystalift out of desperation and I have been thankful I got it ever since,
The machine is small and compact and has varying degrees of exfoliation. Each capsule is good for one use and It is recommended to do one session every week. The only negative thing about this is that you have to keep buying capsules, which come in a pack of four.
The wand is easy to control and has decent suction. The exfoliation is not medical grade but my skin looks much better after every use. It restores as much of a glow as it can and I have found that it is very helpful in preventing breakouts. After i started using this, my cystic zits significantly decreased and whatever breakouts I did get were much less painful and big.
Personally, I feel it does a much superior job to the home kits where I had to manually exfoliate. However, I think that if your skin isn't as hormonally imbalanced as mine was (which is a polite way of saying my skin took on a life of it's own and sought to destroy me), the crystalift machine might be excessive. But if you want something that exfoliates thorughly, then this might be worth looking in to.
I've previously blogged on some make-up that is work appropriate but I thought I'd do a series on make-up that's quick and easy for work. Now that I have a three month old (I can't believe he's that old already, but my under eyes definitely know it's been that long), time really is of the essence when it comes to myself. I have mastered the art of squeezing in every bit of make-up and skin care into very little time, much like I've mastered the art of sounding sane even though I can't remember the last time I slept.
MAC Cork eyeshadow
MAC Cork eyeshadow
I know, looking at the shadow, you think I've lost my mind. Although that scenario is quite possible, this shadow truly is a life saver. Cork is a matte, warm, medium brown, and it's very close to the natural colour of my lids. Only without the unevenness or possible veins you can see. It instantly makes me me look polished and professional and imperfect for the most conservative environments. If you want to jazz it up a bit, just add a more exciting liner and it's still office appropriate without unleashing your inner teenager. The shadow itself lasts well, but over primer it lasts a good 6 to 8 hours. For those days where you're applying shadow while drinking your morning coffee, Cork is perfect.
The fabulous Aishwarya Rai has gorgeous make-up, well pretty much always, but I especially love her lipstick in this look:
Wet 'n' Wild's 922 Wildshine Lip Lacquer (called enamored) is a very close match, especially for the fairer skinned amongst us.
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