Favourite Nude Lipsticks

No girl can ever have enough nude lipsticks. Ever.

I was never the one to wear nude lipsticks because they weren’t really a trend in India until recently. Until a couple of years ago, lipsticks meant ‘adding colour to your lips‘ and not the ‘my lips but better‘ rage that is possibly the most everlasting beauty trend there ever was or ever will be. It was unfortunate that brands rarely catered to nudes that complemented India skin — because brown-skinned girls need nudes that aren’t concealer-nudes, you know what I mean?

It is still a happy challenge for me to find nudes that I really like to wear, versatile nudes that don’t wash me out or make me look pale. I prefer pinky nudes to browny nudes because that’s what flatters my skin tone. I don’t wear nude lipsticks without a lip liner because they always apply patchy on me and the actual colour doesn’t come through. Lip crayons and matt lipsticks are more forgiving that way. I always carry M.A.C Mehr in my handbag, because no matter what makeup look I’m wearing, I know that Mehr is gonna take me through the night.

I tried to stop at five favourites. I really did. But it wouldn’t be fair to the love we share. For nudes.

My favourite nude lip products from left to right – Lacy Luck, Ruffle Trim, Mehr, Nudist Peach, Rebel Rose, Fleur and Taste the Sweets

Nykaa Mattelicious Lip Crayon in Lacy Luck and Next Level Nude

If you have heard me talk about these lip crayons before (see link to an older review here) then you have been here a long time, so thank you dear friend.

Every shade in this range of lip crayons is divine, but the nudes steal the show. Both Lacy Luck and Next Level Nude are the right tones of nude for fair to medium Indian skin. Lacy Luck tends towards a neutral-toned brown whereas Next Level Nude is a warmer, pink-undertone nude.

Wearing Nykaa Mattelicious Lip Crayon in Lacy Luck

At the risk of being deathly repetitive, the formula on these crayons is nothing like I have ever come across before. They go on creamy, set to a matt finish and stay forever. They are affordable and made by an Indian brand. They make me proud, that’s all.

P.S : I cannot seem to find my Next Level Nude, so if you want to see swatches, see an older review post here.

Nyx Lip Lingerie in Ruffle Trim

I contemplated for months before I got involved with these lip lingeries from NYX. I really wanted to try these lip lingeries but the colour selection runs very pale for medium Indian skin such as mine. Finally, after looking at a million swatches online, I decided on Ruffle Trim — the only shade that looked vaguely wearable for my skin colour.

I’ll be honest — the first time I tried it, it was that whitish, pale, lifeless concealer nude on me. I looked like I had been frost-bitten. But, I was determined to make it work. Because, the formula of these liquid lipsticks is silky smooth to apply, it is opaque, the finish is non-drying, and the staying power is phenomenal. They don’t apply patchy or cakey on reapplication, they feel satiny smooth on the lips and survive meals.

So, I wore all my makeup — smokey eyes and what not, and wore my soul companion —M.A.C Lip pencil in Spice underneath Ruffle Trim. It made a world of a difference. Look at this picture of me wearing Ruffle Trim and tell me you wouldn’t buy it. Tell me, baby.

Wearing NYX Lip Lingerie in Ruffle Trim

M.A.C Matt lipstick in Mehr

This. lipstick. is. life.

There is nothing to say about Mehr that hasn’t already been said before. I might need to bring out the poetess in me to try to express my undying love towards Mehr. Mehr and I, we have a history. Again, if you know of our history, you have been here since my second post, and that’s forever. And, I love you.

The most universally flattering cool-toned pink lipstick to be ever experienced by mankind, Mehr lives with me in my handbag just as much as it lives with me in my heart.

Wearing M.A.C Mehr

It is the only M.A.C lipstick that you should own no matter who you are, where you are or what you look like. I know that most of you here probably wear Mehr all the time — Respect.

Wet n Wild MegaLast Catsuit Liquid Matt Lipstick in Nudist Peach and Rebel Rose

This is a fairly new favourite, and might even be a temporary infatuation. Wet N Wild is a refreshingly cool drugstore brand that is finally available in India. These lipsticks were all the rage when they were launched so it was obvious that I had to give them a go.

Wet n Wild MegaLast Catsuit Liquid Matt Lipstick in Nudist Peach

The pigmentation and colour pay-off on these is fantastic. However, they are drying. They need gracious amounts of lip prepping with lip balm or lip primer. But, the nudes are worth it. Always, right?

Nudist peach is a warm-toned, pale peachy nude. If you are any deeper than me, then you might not be able to pull off this shade. It is flaky beyond two coats, and it isn’t opaque in one. So, application will require some skill, some trial and error. It will also require a lip liner underneath — ideally in a neutral, deeper colour (Like M.A.C Spice or M.A.C Boldly Bare for Nudist Peach, and M.A.C Soar for Rebel Rose). The same principles go with Rebel Rose, a shade that comes close to Mehr but is just a tad bit deeper, tending towards a mauve-ish, dirtier rose rather than a fresher, rosier pink — if you know what I mean. I don’t think you do. Just look at the pictures, okay?

Wet n Wild MegaLast Catsuit Liquid Matt Lipstick in Rebel Rose

Would I recommend them? Well, yes. Here, in the beauty world we make a few compromises just because they are worth it. Look at it as wearing stilettos even when your feet are killing you.

L.A. Girl Matt Flat Pigment Lip Gloss in Fleur

I am on the fence about these, I really am. The colours are so beautiful, the pigmentation is spot-on, they are transfer proof, the lasting power is great, they set to a flat matt finish (not sure why they are called pigment glosses), but, they are so drying that putting on two coats means absolutely no kissing. I don’t know how else to explain it! They tend to be powdery or flaky on reapplication and that’s a complete turn-off for me. But, I’m in it for the colour (Timeless is my non-nudey favourite from the range, a colour that grows on you).

L.A. Girl Matt Flat Pigment Lip Gloss in Fleur

Fleur is a warm-toned nude beige with a hint of peach or orange in it. It is a dupe for the Kat Von D liquid lipstick in Lolita, and it flatters most skin tones. It looks deeper in the pictures and the swatches, but is way more nudey in real.

I can bear drying formulas of lipstick, I can make it work. But, be warned — this liquid lipstick isn’t everybody’s piece of cake. However, they are priced very reasonably, so you might give them a shot. The darker colours will be less forgiving, so tread with caution there.

M.A.C lip pencil Spice/Soar topped with Essence Nude Lip Gloss in Taste the Sweets

Finding happiness where I least expect it is everything my life is about. This Essence lip gloss that costs too little takes me back to my teenage years when lip gloss was in vehement vogue. After the matte fixation, I see beauty butterflies finding nectar in the good ol’ gloss once again. The wet, juicy, full-on lips are coming back with bigger, better promises, and it’s time to Taste the Sweets. This colour is a beautiful warm, milky pink that smells of candy, doesn’t feel sticky, re-applies like a dream and looks even better. Best paired with a MLBB lip pencil underneath, you’ve got yourself some legit soft glam swag.

M.A.C lip pencil Spice topped with Essence Nude Lip Gloss in Taste the Sweets

That’s all I have for you today.

As strange as it might sound, I have real relationships with my lipsticks — so if my writing sounds like I’m talking about love all the time, know that there is enough love to give to deserving humans and deserving lipsticks. Enough and more.

Until next time, XOXO

Right time

Better an oops than a what if – Beau Taplin

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For a long time now I have wanted to write this post – ever since I read this quote gracefully hand-lettered on a toilet seat cover by @stephankunz – ‘Create something today, even if it is shit’.

I have spent weeks, sometimes months, ruminating over plans, decisions, and to-dos – never realizing that in this time, I might have accomplished something worthwhile. That 6 months later, I wouldn’t still be making these big plans but seeing some real results. Maybe successes. Maybe failures. Maybe a change in plans or maybe a shift in focus. If nothing else, I would at least have something to look back on, reflect, learn, observe or analyze.

Aren’t we all always waiting for the right time? – once the kids grow up, once we finish our exams, once we lose some weight, once we get married, once we make some more money, once we retire, and the full toss excuse – once we find time.

But, you know this already – you will never find time. You will never make time. You will never prioritize your plans. But, you just might prioritize something that eventually becomes second nature – like 5 minutes of deep breathing at waking, cooking at least one meal at home everyday, exercising thrice a week, reading for at least 10 minutes in a day (even if it is the morning paper), doing what you love at a fixed time twice a week, meeting friends, or just spending a few minutes connecting with yourself.

I understand that you think you are busy. Ask yourself why and be honest. Have you bitten more than you can chew? Do you find it hard to say no to people? Are you helping people at the cost of your own wellness? Are you organizing your life? Are you sleeping too much or too less? Are you in a relationship where you share love and responsibilities? Are you ashamed to ask for help or hire it? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you already know the problem and the solution. It’s bloody common sense. But you can’t seem to get your head around it. You can’t seem to fully accept it. You are so addicted to the rush, the chaos and the ‘no time to think’ autopilot mode, that it has become second nature to you (and not the things that should be). This frenzy is now a part of your brain biology, it’s what makes you tick, it’s what makes you feel important, it’s what consumes your mind. This feverish high enslaves you, dominates you and controls you, almost willfully. So you go on with your days, engulfed in the daily grind of worldly things, and forget the joys of thinking, feeling, reflecting, perceiving, accepting and changing.

The thrill of being spontaneous, the satisfaction of cultivating hobbies, the desire to learn a new skill, these simple joys are long-lost in the furtive current of our hectic lifestyles. We are constantly juggling, traveling, housekeeping, babysitting, or just being kicked around like a muddy football under pouring rain. We never give ourselves a break. A break doesn’t have to be an expensive holiday that takes months of careful planning and adds more stress. A break could be a small outlet to release the tension, to relax the muscles, to stretch the body, to exercise the mind, to reflect on your day or to simply switch off from the world.

It could mean that you use your day off to attend that theatre class, or leave the baby with your parents and go watch that movie, or buy a pair of dumbbells, a skipping rope and a yoga mat, and start sweating. Stop waiting. For Monday, for when your period will be over, for when the baby sleeps, for when you can wear that dress again, for things to come to your front door. Hustle, organize, regroup and attack. Start up. Start over.

Being prepared for a planned future situation/event is extremely critical. But, taking too long to prepare will do exactly the opposite of making you prepared. It will drown you in self-doubt, questions, fears, and more uncertainties than you first began your research with. And that is exactly what happened to me when I wanted to start this blog. I knew too much too soon, and it made me want to ditch my dreams and chicken out. Blogging needed everything I didn’t have – time, money, some tech understanding, blogger friends, knowledge of photography or a talented photographer, discipline and social presence. And the one thing that I did have – serious competition – wasn’t of any help either.

I started this blog on my bestie’s birthday (so September will call for twin celebrations!). All I needed to hear was someone telling me that they believed in me. The desire and inspiration to start writing, and the hard truth that nobody would actually read it unless I told them to (blessing in disguise), helped me find the will to write my first post. But I did it. And as planned, I did a post every five days. I had no views and no followers. But once I had begun, I had given myself the push, the drive. Everything that followed was just an organic flow of events. Change can be life-altering, a necessary tête-à-tête with some massive discomfort and yet a wise reminder that anything is possible if you do the hard work, and do it well.

As of this date, I have no sponsors or affiliates. I work alone, for me. I still post every five days and look forward to it more than you probably do. As much as every blogger dreams of big collaborations, I’m just grateful that I began my journey last year. Now I know what it feels like and I know I love nothing more than clicking on the ‘Publish immediately’ tab of my wordpress account. I have more than half a year of work behind me and that is a source of motivation in itself, a sort of self-commitment to my work, an accountibility to my readers and a lot of feedback, statistics and analytics that can only help me make better decisions. I’m not harping on a ‘what if’, but rather making plans for a ‘what now’, and that’s more than I can say for all my years of endless excuses.

So, please don’t be afraid to start something new. This is the right time. Your time is now. Start before someone else does.

In my definition of success, my blog is a personal success. If nothing else, it will always be my tunnel of love reaching out to you. Maybe, this post will make better sense if (and when) my blog also becomes a business success. But, then it would just be a boring old success story. Today, I have nothing to lose and I want you to know that it doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that you are here, and if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be here either.

This is my time, right or wrong. I’m finally doing what I love and I’m in it for the long haul.

What’s your story?

Until next time, XOXO.

Contour. Strobe. Bake.

Gone are the days when makeup meant some Nivea cream, some Ponds powder and a Lakme lipstick. Today, we have an overwhelming number of brands, products and techniques, and with it comes the strange, confusing, drag community terminology! This lingo is hurled at you by the beauty YouTubers, the beauty blogosphere and even at those parties where you know no-one. The hoity-toity girlfriends seem to be gushing about Kim K’s ‘baking‘. Nope, she ain’t baking no cupcakes my baby dolls! But if Kim K’s makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic is ‘baking‘ her face, you bet it’s legit.

Now, you may not have tried it yet, but you have heard of contouring. There also seems to be some vague memory of strobed supermodels on IG. But, ‘baking‘ or ‘cooking‘ are terms that seem like hobbies or chores, not words that you associate with makeup.

So, today let’s get this drag queen mumbo-jumbo settled once and for all. Here’s your quick guide on contouring, strobing and baking — what it is and how it’s done!

Contouring

If you dream of chiselled cheekbones, a cinched nose and a structured jaw line like the supermodels of Cosmopolitan magazine, then contouring is your bff. Contouring is the push-up bra for your facial bones, sculpting your natural features, and defining the high points on your face.

There are several ways to contour, but the basic principles remain unchanged. Prep your face with a moisturizer, eye cream and primer. Now, you have two options.

Contour using foundation

1. Use two shades of foundation to contour — Pick one shade that is lighter than your skin tone for the centre of your face (space between your brows, centre of the forehead, under the arch of the eyebrow, bridge of the nose, cheekbones, cupid’s bow and chin) and another that is slightly darker than your complexion for the perimeter of your face.
2. Blend the two shades seamlessly with a damp beauty blender or a stippling brush. This will create a subtle illusion of depth and dimension to your facial features.
3. Finish up with concealer, bronzer (optional) and blush.
4.  Go ahead and highlight the high points on your face using a highlighter (read below to understand strobing).
5. Do your lip routine (sneaking in customary pouts in front of the mirror), choose your fragrance for the day, dress up, strap up the heel and ba-ham! You’ve got yourself sculpted supermodel vibes in 5 simple steps!

Contour using a cream or powder contour

1. Use a foundation that is as close to your skin tone as possible. Once you are satisfied with the way it looks, move on to the next big step.
2. Use a matt powder or cream contour that is cool toned but not too ashy (to avoid looking like a walking orange sunset) to mark the areas that you want to contour.
3. These should be as follows — the hollows under your cheekbones, your temples, along your hairline, jaw line, the sides of your nose, the tip of your nose, and if you wish, the crease of your eyes.
4. Be very precise and control the placement of the dark pigment as contour products are generally very concentrated, pigmented and smudgeable.
5. Use a powder or cream highlight to naturally define the high points of your face (space between your brows, centre of the forehead, under the arch of the eyebrow, bridge of the nose, cheekbones, cupid’s bow and chin).
6. Buff out the two products (contour and highlight) using a dense stippling brush/buffing brush or a beauty blender to achieve a sculpted airbrushed effect.
7. Continue with points 3, 4, and 5 from the previous heading.

Phew! That was much more difficult to explain than it is to do. Watch Lisa Eldridge or Kathleen Lights on You Tube transform flat faces into those of chiselled goddesses, and any lurking doubts shall be buried at sea.

Strobing

When people started saying  that strobing is the new contouring, I wanted to throw my hand at them. First, I’m supposed to master this weird face painting technique then I’m told ‘forget everything you learnt about contouring! It’s time to strobe!’ So I just rolled my eyes in disdain and googled ‘strobing’!

Strobing is just a fun word for highlighting, just one of those things that drag queens say to make you feel absolutely inadequate about your knowledge of beauty.

Using an excess of highlighter to achieve a dewy (not sweaty), shimmery, youthful glow or a lit from within finish is the basic idea behind strobing.

1. Use a highlight that best complements your skin tone for a subtle sheen. The universal guide goes something like this :- fair skin — champagne tones; light to medium skin — pink champagne tones; olive skin — golden tones; deep skin — terracotta tones.
2. Use a hydrating moisturizer to prep your face. If you decide to use a shimmery highlight, the rule of thumb is to use all other products (like foundation, bronzer, blush, contour) in a matt finish. This is the fine line between the frosted 90’s look and the naturally dewy, uber-chic millennial look.
3. Use the highlight in only those spots that catch light (space between your brows, centre of the forehead, under the arch of the eyebrow, inner corner of the eyes, bridge of the nose, cheekbones, cupid’s bow and chin) and not all over your face. Going overboard may take you from a sorted mess to a greasy mess in just a few swipes. Go slow, apply with a light hand, always dusting off excess product and building intensity as you go along.
4. If you have oily skin, skip the T-zone or any other greasy spots so you don’t enhance them. For girls fighting acne, keep a mile’s distance from shimmery highlights that may accentuate your spots. In such cases, I would suggest you contour using foundation (as mentioned above) or use a matt highlight.

Critical takeaway – To highlight, use your finger tips or a tapered fluffy brush. Use your stippling brush (with which you applied your foundation) to buff out and blend the contour-highlight-blush in order to avoid stark makeup lines.

Baking

Now that you are familiar with contouring and are trying to wrap your head around strobing, allow me to introduce you to the last member in the jury box — baking.

Baking simply refers to letting translucent powder sit on your face for 5-10 minutes, that allows the heat from your face to set your base foundation and concealer, and then dusting it off your face, leaving you with a creaseless, flawless canvas for applying the rest of your makeup.

1. Hydrate your eye area with a rich eye cream to minimize the appearance of pores and fine lines, and to plump it up.
2. Apply the first coat of concealer (this may be a skin-tone concealer or a colour corrector fluid) under your eyes and to cover any redness around your nose. Concealers (especially dewy ones) usually contain oils that tend to crease and seep into fine lines, if not set correctly with a powder. Blend the concealer and allow it to nest for a minute before the next coat.
3. Next, apply the second coat of concealer, one that is lighter and brighter than the first to make your under eyes pop, to lock in the first formula of concealer and improve its lasting power. Cover and smooth out any imperfections (I don’t like the word but its apt for this context).
4. Dust on translucent powder with a small fluffy brush over the entire patch of concealer to set the base makeup.
5. Bake away. Dampen a beauty sponge in setting spray, dip into translucent powder and pack the loose powder generously over the concealer area.  Sit tight for 5-10 minutes, looking like someone straight out of a circus.
6. Using the same brush from step 4 and a pressed powder, swirl the brush over the baked powder and dust it away. Add more coverage and blend any harsh concealer lines.
7. Boom, you’re baked!

For a classic demo, watch Heidi Hamoud bake her makeup and pull-off poreless, picture-perfect skin.

To be brutally honest, I rarely strobe when I do my makeup, discounting the inhibited swish of a subtle highlight on my cheekbones. I do contour the hollow of my cheekbones and my temples once in a while or just use some bronzer to add dimension to my features. I don’t really ever bake. Unless, I have bananas about to rot that need to go into a cupcake asap. Yeah.

There are a tonne of loose translucent powders or banana powders available in the market for you to try the art of baking. The Laura Mercier one (not available in India) is highly sought after by the blogger community (and Lisa Eldridge) but a great drugstore alternative is the Makeup Revolution Luxury Banana Powder (which I use to set my base and love deeply).

I hope this post has helped you feel more in touch with the overwhelming world of makeup and beauty. I understand that such topics are better demonstrated than read about, but I hope my post will help you feel less intimated by the ever-evolving space of beauty.

Until next week, XOXO

The Wars Within

Where there is love, there is conflict.

A close friend recently told me something that brought me a sense of inner calm, a sense of familiarity with the demons inside me, and a sense of forgiveness for my greed to feel truly happy — a foreign addiction that seems to have consumed my being recently. He explained to me, ever so patiently, that life happens in phases. At every phase, we feel differently, we want differently and we act differently. Once a phase is over, the magic that governs it, is over. Something that seemed extraordinary is now ordinary, its beauty is diminished, its craving is long-lost, and the reasons for its existence now seem null and void. The strong attraction that once felt unnerving, irresistible, all-pervasive — now leaves behind a blur of lack lustre memories. And it’s time to move on — move on to the next phase of wanting something exactly the opposite, of being someone you didn’t recognise yesterday, of living in a new present with new rules to break, and new pinnacles to conquer.

But, this too shall live its time and pass. The phases will come and go, making us and breaking us every single time. Phases of falling in love, being in love, falling out of love, and falling in love all over again. Phases of feeling content, of feeling lonely and forlorn, of feeling lost, and of feeling found once again, not to never be lost again. Phases of being submissive, compromising, adjusting, and being rebellious, taking charge and wanting to rule the world. Life happens in these phases that take you by utmost surprise, catching you off-guard and sparking a silent conflict in your soul — the wars within that were waiting to be fought.

You can’t be sure when one phase ends and another begins, but you wake up one morning, and just like that, the magic starts to unravel. The birds begin to sing. The light begins to burn bright. The heart beats begin to fasten — and life comes a full circle. You unlearn and relearn. You start at the beginning. You start breathing a new air. A lighter, languorous, lackadaisical, languid, air.

You feel a bit self-indulgent, almost as if you were lying in bed, daydreaming and possibly fanning yourself lazily. You see romance at every crossroad. You want to relive a past that wasn’t what it should have been. You speak in puzzles. You embrace the seven sins. You act mysterious. You find insurmountable pleasure in living under the radar. There is thrill in the unspoken, almost as if you were smiling to yourself about a secret crush from high school.

As an older phase ceases to exist in your conscious mind, you feel every sensation with more intensity, every emotion with boundless vigour and your highest highs become a habit-forming way of life — a really bad drug that gives you a really good trip. Because that’s what drugs do. At some point, you feel like a stranger, outside looking in — not recognising your true self. And yet, you know that this is the truest you have ever been to yourself, to your dreams and to your silly mind.

The world around you never changes, but perceptions begin to creep in like nasty viruses waiting to proliferate and flag their posts. These perceptions are a work of drama, an emotional turmoil, a clashing of generations, a perplexity of unfavourable options — they are everything but the way you take in the world through your senses. But, these are your wars. The wars you are fighting within, with weapons of thought and action, with faith in the unknown, and with wild promises for the future.  A war with no real enemies, just a conflict between old and new desires.

Everything around you urges you to stop fighting, stop messing with destiny, stop asking questions that don’t have answers, stop playing with fire and stop tickling the monsters. But at this juncture, you have walked too far away from reality. You can’t go back. You can’t walk away. You can’t stop walking. This is you in your new phase, the phase of exploration, of revival and of setting out to find your new truth. You are on your journey to soul-searching, with nothing but love on your side. And time. And a bit of music. And along the way you will realize, that’s all you’ll ever need to be happy.

Every phase is an afterlife of the one that just passed you by. Every phase gives you a chance to understand the meaning of life, of your being, of love that cannot be fathomed. As you gracefully stride from one afterlife to the next, you leave behind a small part of you — for those who you left behind. And yet, it seems as though you now have so much more to give, and a heart that’s so much more willing to receive. Where there is love, this is conflict. But where there is love, there is true will. There is true might. And, there is a real dream. Every phase of your being will bring you to this final war within — this quest for fulfilling a love that consumes, this thirst for realising a surreal phantasmagoria.

But this is where you bloom and find your roots, where you spread your wings and find the wind beneath them, where you chase a rainbow and find your happy place. This is where you sit down cross-legged, accept that life has given you your chance, and watch sunsets together. Nothing can ever come to you if your cross your arms so tight and crush the desires that now define you. Open your eyes, your mind, your heart and your arms to love. In every form. Allow it to be the reason you breathe. Empower it to transform you. Grant it the freedom it needs to grow. Concede to its funny little ways. Let it be the guardian angel in your flood and your fire. And finally, spare it the pain of separation. Live with it, for it, by it, and by no means without it.

Be the chaos in my soul that gives birth to a shooting star. Be the rainbow in my heart that takes me to the world in you. The world I’m falling in love with.

Disclaimer – Posts like these can be deeply personal and tend to be more than just words in 5 long paragraphs. Show kindness if you wish to leave comments. Walk away if you don’t have anything nice to say.

Until next time, XOXO

Must-have travel eye palette – NYX Lid Lingerie

I have to put this down in writing — NYX Professional Makeup is my all-time favourite drugstore brand. Over time, I have tried a lot of products from NYX starting with the soft matte lip creams when they first launched in India, to their primers (angel veil), lipsticks, slide on eye pencils (black sparkle is my favourite), slide on lip pencils (nude suede shoes is the perfect neutral-toned nude), and so much more. I have never been disappointed by a NYX purchase, discounting the odd occasion when I ordered a wrong shade of bronzer or concealer for my skin tone.

Today, I’m reviewing this really gorgeous matte eye shadow palette from NYX, aptly named as Lid Lingerie, inspired by the much-adored lid lingerie eye tints that were launched earlier.

NYX Lid Lingerie Shadow Palette

In this palette, you get six creamy matte eye shadows that are velvety smooth, well pigmented and easily blendable. They come in a compact, sturdy pan with deep, wide individual pans. This is something you can easily throw into your purse when you are out and about. It’s handy (snugly fits into my small palms) with universally flattering shades that can be used to create at least a few unique looks.

The six shades are well suited to all skin tones, and overall, it’s a neutral warm-toned palette. The shades do not have names, and the palette doesn’t come with a mirror (bummer!). The shades include:
Top row — a cream (pink undertone), a dull lavender (least pigmented), a mid-tone rust
Bottom row — a dark brown, a rosy peach, a burgundy (brown undertone)

NYX Lid Lingerie Shadow Palette

NYX Lid Lingerie Shadow Palette – top row swatches, one swipe

NYX Lid Lingerie Shadow Palette – bottom row swatches, one swipe

The peach and the lavender are both great as transition shades. All the shades except the dull lavender, swatch well without a primer. The lavender is also a bit cool-toned for my Indian skin and tends to make me look darker. So instead, I use the peach as a transition shade across my lid or as an overall lid colour to set down my eye primer.

The dark brown and burgundy in the palette are very similar on swatching and on the lids. I would have prefered a more true burgundy, a deep red tending towards purple rather than towards brown. But, that is just a personal preference. I’m all about plums and burgundys when it comes to shadows.

There is some inconsistency in the colour pay-off across the pan but that doesn’t bother me as the shadows are easy to pick up with a brush and build up quickly. There is some kick-off, but for the price and overall quality, I can discount that. Tapping off excess every time you dip in, should take care of the fall-out. The lasting power is 5-7 hours with a primer and a setting spray. A primer definitely enhances the application of the lighter shades.

This palette has 4 shades that are close dupes of the cult classic Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette (which I do not own but have seen swatches and wish to invest in someday) — the cream highlight, the lavender shade, the peach and the dark brown.

I know this is meant to be a matte palette, but I certainly miss a shimmery highlight and tend to reach for my Morphe 35F or another powder highlight to finish off the brow bone and inner corners of my eyes. The cream highlight is just a bit boring and pale for my Indian skin. However, I do use it as a highlight when I’m using shimmery shadows on my lids. So, all is well. Porcelain and fair-skinned girls may get more wear out of the cream shade.

I would say that this is the perfect travel palette for work trips or daytime looks, and especially if you are just getting into eye shadows — because the price point is great, and the shadows blend without much effort. They are also not so insanely pigmented that you end up looking like a racoon, the moment you touch the brush to your lids. Such value for money too.

NYX products are generally of great quality and even though they aren’t a cheap drug store brand, they give you your money’s worth and then some. Nyx, as a brand, is always experimenting with new trends in the beauty industry and is every beauty blogger’s dream drugstore brand. This year, I plan to experiment with some more products from NYX and I’ll keep you posted.

Until next time, XOXO

The WAIT.

There was our time, when we learnt about beauty, boys, sex and everything else worth knowing from our parents, our peers, our books and our social interactions. We became self-aware and aware of the curious world around us by experimentation, by taking risks, by putting ourselves out of our comfort zones and then learning to be comfortable with our discomfort. It was a slow, lazy, long process that added up to 12 years of childhood, 6 of adolescence and probably a few good years of early adulthood — our twenty-somethings spent in discoveries, failures, heart breaks, dealing with fears, apprehensions and learning to understand our minds and bodies.

We live in such a contrasting world today. There’s Google. And that about sums it up. There is no ‘age‘ to do anything, be anything, know anything or learn anything. No social triggers, no sense of curiosity and no unanswered questions. Just a perfect world of instant gratification. Pardon the cynical tone, but it scares me to fathom how our children will fare in the face of failure or rejection, of having to wait for their time, of gaining resilience through pain or strife, and of accepting an undesirable fate.

In stark contrast, the 80s child lived a life dominated by eagerness, curiosity, patience and an attitude of embracing ‘The Wait’. I remember how we would wait for a whole week to watch a particular song on television as only one show on Sunday morning played Bollywood numbers. Then with FM Radio, the wait was cut down to a few hours until the same number played again. With CDs, it was just a matter of finishing homework and listening to our favourite songs till mom said it was time for dinner. With smartphones and You Tube, we have done away with the sweet pain of ‘The Wait’ or the ‘longing’ — and, the satisfaction that comes after the longing ends. With this, we have taken away from the simple joys of life — now having to depend on more complicated, more demanding expectations of joy — always seeking it, never finding it.

The self-help section in the bookstore is doing some great business, as we sit here and try to map our road to happiness. Unknowingly, we have redefined the parameters that determine happiness. For instance, happiness is not just about having a healthy, happy baby but also about getting back in shape, breastfeeding and making a big deal out of it, getting back to work, being the perfect mom, being the envied multitasker, being the mom without any dark circles and the one who makes it all seem like the swish of a magic wand — bloody effortless. But it doesn’t end there — we are always craving more and more before we declare ourselves ‘happy‘. Is it of any surprise then, that our children feel the same pressure? The same hopeless quest for happiness and fulfillment? The same disconnect from nature, from being ‘present’ in a moment, from all things that money cannot buy, and from their own disconcerted souls? When did contentment become so hard to come by? And why did we start footnoting happiness with a ‘conditions apply’? And why oh why is it not okay to live the simple, calm, easy, lazy life?

I exemplify motherhood in this crazy obsession with happiness because I am guilty of it myself. In yearning for more of everything (time, personal space, money), I lost moments with my son that were never coming back. I had, by my own doing, victimized myself — and made others feel miserable for it. It’s not something I like to admit, but I must acknowledge the immense pressure I put on myself to fit into a certain frame, in a certain amount of time — always beating myself up for not being good enough. It may have been the sway of the waters, the social media influence, an inability to trust the beauty of time and my lack of judgement in taking the right decisions that led to this meltdown and thus, this never-ending happiness crisis.

Unintentionally, I had begun to believe that it is not okay to rest, heal, switch off or to wait till I found my bearings. Because waiting is wasting time. But, is it?

When I was pregnant, I read a fun book on French parenting (Bringing up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman) that I knew I was going to practice when my son would be born. And I did. My one critical takeaway from the book was this process of educating the baby, by helping him understand from an early age, that there is no such thing as instant gratification. This means that it’s okay to let him cry for a bit before he is picked up and cuddled or while he waits for his food to be served to him. I practice this principle with my son to this day, holding on to his favourite toys or food for just that extra half-minute, though it still doesn’t stop him from yelling his guts out. However, it took me a surprisingly long time to put the same principle into practice while I struggled with the (self-inflicted) pressures of being a first-time mom. It goes to show that being self-aware is not the same as believing in the theory of it. It’s a conscious choice we make every few seconds, with every new thought and every action that accompanies it.

If only, we as parents and as individuals can remember to take the time to heal, to forgive ourselves, to grow, to learn, to teach and to stop and smell the flowers, I think we can safely assume that our children will, once again, find happiness in the ‘little nothings’ of simple living. Despite the fast-paced, competitive, emulative world of social media, let us please please remember that waiting is NOT a bad thing. It’s the way of the world, and in its time, it will teach us a thing or two about life. Nothing wrong with that, eh?

Now, close your eyes for a few seconds and remember that one thing that you loved longing for. Something that filled your heart with joy when it finally happened?! Like waiting to see a loved one after a long separation? Or, finally seeing your dreams turn into reality? Or perhaps, waiting for a first kiss?

And then there is the ultimate kind of ‘The Wait’, the one where you don’t know what it is that you are waiting for, but you know for certain that something’s amiss. The beautiful thing about our cosmos is that, even though we cannot fully comprehend it’s love, it’s love fully comprehends us. It gives us what we need even when we aren’t looking for it. It’s trickery is wrapped in serendipity, and in endless, boundless grace. Remember, these aren’t accidents. These are your cues to undertake your journey of crossing the mountains and valleys, all the time knowing that as long as you are breathing, your moments are never in vain. The universe is watching over you, ticking off one wish at a time. Listen to the voices and the signs. Because very often I find myself looking up and saying ‘It was you all along, wasn’t it?’.

‘The Wait’ is like a poetry of magical emotions. It is delayed gratification. It is good for your soul — because ironically, it leads you on to the path of long-lasting, fulfilling happiness. Every beautiful thing will happen in its time, and adhering to this credo should be the mantra we live by. Because after all, waiting for the good things in life is the sweetest kind of longing. A longing that will eventually fill your soul with flowers and star dust, and all things magic.

Until next time, XOXO

50 random facts about me

Fifty may seem like TMI* about me, but it had to be fifty, because babydolls, this is my freakin’ 50th blog post! You heard that right! FIFTEEE. Gimme my five seconds of legit gloating.

Now, let’s move on.

I need to start with a Disclaimer – If you meet me and ask me if any of this is true or wish for me to divulge more saucy stuff, know that I’m going to pretend to not know you. Just sayin’.

Let’s get the basics out of the way.

I am 32 years old, a single child, and have spent most of my life in Bangalore, India. I’m a post-grad in Molecular Genetics from the University of Leicester, UK. I’ve been married to my college sweetheart for almost 8 years, and have a restless two-year-old to show for it. I’m a terribly impatient mom — saying that I’m selfish maybe taking it too far, but I wasn’t meant to be a mom (not everyone is), which means it takes some serious mind and muscle work for me to be a good one. My toddler doesn’t bully boys, doesn’t bang-up girls, doesn’t do drugs and doesn’t watch porn. Yet. So I guess, I’m doing okay-ish. For now.

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50 random facts about ME

I wore braces till I was seventeen. I’m glad no boys wanted to kiss me until then.

The first time I coloured my hair, I had a mix of purple and light brown streaks. Yes, I thought it was cool.

When I was pregnant with my son, I had a recurring dream of delivering a baby boy who looked exactly like Shivraj Kumar (no offence intended). So, when people tell me that my son doesn’t resemble me but my husband, I’m almost grateful for it.

In Kindergarten, a boy named Alok wrote ‘I LOVE YOU’ on the first page of my notebook. I was really angry that he had destroyed my notebook. Completely missed the point there.

The evening before I went to watch Bryan Adams live for the very first time, I sang his songs for 2 hours (okay, more than 2) in my angelic voice at my bestie’s house. Her parents are kind people; they didn’t throw me out.

You know how everybody has a song. Mine is ‘Let it be’ by the Beatles. Makes me happy and sad at the same time.

**I have done no crazy things in my life (yet). I’m always safe, prepared and skeptical. Sometimes, beyond reason. I’m working on it.

People look at my face and think I’m a bitch. My confidence often comes across as arrogance. This is a statistic inference from first impressions data that I have collected over the years.

I thought I was in love at sixteen, with the college playboy who never ever looked at me once. Hiss loss, not mine.

I once fed an entire box of crayons to Jimmy, the dachshund — my grandma’s pet. He obediently gobbled it all up.

My biggest pet peeve through my growing years was hair that would fall in front on my ears, no matter how hard I tried to tug it behind. I guess it was a subtle expression of my beauty blogger genes.

I still haven’t found my perfect pair of jeans.

My first kiss was messy, uncomfortable and not at all magical. But in time, practice made perfect.

I wore only one pair of really comfortable platform heels throughout my pregnancy and the year that followed. I still have those shoes.

The saris and blouses in my wardrobe are always arranged by colour. It kills me to see a purple amongst the pinks.

I often mix two languages when I speak. I’m aware its annoying.

I hate public speaking. It gives me the nerves. I can hold a conversation, but not a forum.

I always walk slightly oblique. It’s painful for those who walk next to me. But, I can’t help it.

However, I can draw a pretty accurate straight line free hand. Not that you would care.

If I could live anywhere in the world, I would live in London.

I once read the Roget’s Thesaurus end to end. True story.

My daily affirmations almost always include ‘I will own a Classic Chanel Flap in navy soft leather with silver hardware’. I’m talking about a bag, in case you were wondering.

I was once gifted a ‘cauliflower’ for Valentine’s day (cauli-‘flower’, get it?). I’m not sure if it was meant to be a joke or if I was being made a joke of.

I got all my sex education from my two best guy friends. I still prefer discussing sex lives with them rather than my girlfriends — gives me a fresh perspective on things.

I can live on bread, all day, every day. Ironically, I’m gluten sensitive.

I don’t watch television. Never did.

I have an incurable fetish for fairy lights, rickshaws (prints, models, anything!) and lipsticks.

I once had a really bad trip after drinking some ‘bhang’ (buds and leaves of cannabis crushed and added to sweetened milk with nuts and spices, legally sold in many parts of India). I realized I’m not made for this stuff (Refer to point 7 with **).

In college, my zoology professor would showcase my record book diagrams to the entire lab class and say creepy stuff like ‘Look at her curves. They are beautiful!’ Eeks. I can’t possibly make up stuff like this!

We all know our best angles. I’m not mad about my right side. I always pose on my left.

I am an Aquarian (born 25th January) by the book. If Linda Goodman needed her words to be personified, I’d be the perfect candidate for the spot.

I go nowhere without my crossbody bag. I had a Satya Paul one which I wore for so long that it had become a part of my personality (friends had started calling her ‘bagvati’). I have the same one in a different colour now. Yeah, I can be boring.

I can’t blow a balloon. No hidden double meaning in there.

Even at my fattest, I could lock all my fingers behind my back. I’m not pretzel-flexible but I’m generally quite okay. You guys need to stop visualizing. I said STOP.

I painted a life-size ‘tree of life’ on our living room wall in our previous home as a form of mental release when I was going through a rough time being a first-time mother. I’ve never felt so peaceful as I did when I was painting it.

I hate pineapples on pizzas. I’d rather have a piña colada.

I have travel anxiety. I never fall asleep the night before.

Show me roller coasters and anything with G-forces in it and I just scram. So much for being a fighter pilot’s wife.

I’m a homebody, a plant mommy and a cushion hoarder. Sometimes I can be the award-winning wet blanket. But, I like my space.

One time, me and my (most notorious) girlfriend, finished a whole bottle of wine (belonging to someone else, at that someone’s house, when that someone wasn’t home) in less than 20 minutes. We mixed the last bit with some yogurt because we wanted to see how it tasted. Bad idea. I’m yet to return a bottle of wine to this phenomenal human.

My favourite colour is Rose Quartz, Pantone colour of the year 2016. I dream of owning a Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer in this colour.

Eating clean, sugar-free, gluten-free, home-made food is the biggest challenge I face every single day. But, every time I feel weak-willed I scroll down Kayla Itsines IG page, and the motivation returns. Anyway, as the genius blogger Mark Manson writes in his book ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck‘, this is one of those ‘good problems’ in life, the ones that you enjoy giving a f*ck about.

I find table manners annoying. I love eating with my hands, licking my fingers and making happy noises when I’m enjoying my meal. I’m a boring adult in all other respects.

I sucked at physics. I never understood circuits, right hand/left hand rules and what not. So imagine my horror when we had a not-so-small electrical fire in our previous house! Electrical fire — two words that made me feel like Sandra Bullock in Gravity — lost in space.

I believe in the magic of the law of attraction. I believe that I attract everything that’s beautiful in my life right now. Beautiful people, beautiful things and beautiful thoughts. It all began in my head.

We move every other year (as do all defence personnel) and we carry our world in our 8 custom-made steel trunks. My trunks have names, and so do their corresponding locks and keys. They are named after some of my favourite fictional characters — Minion (smallest in size), King Julien, Wall-E, Dexter, Ikran, Snowy, Maximus, and Calvin.

I have a 5 cent coin in my wallet since my post grad days in the UK. It reminds me of how tough life as a student can be for someone earning in rupees and spending in pounds. It reminds me that frugality can teach you some of the most important lessons in life.

I literally have only five close friends. I’m content with my little tribe of nonsense people.

When I type on my computer, I visualize being ‘Carrie’ from SATC. Best. Series. Ever.

I have fallen in love only twice.

Happy to leave you with some food for thought. And that’s fifty weird things about me that you don’t really care about.

*TMI stands for too much information

Until blog post 51 and fifty thousand after that, XOXO! Thank you for sticking by me, you know I love you.

Colorbar liquid lipsticks – the unsung heroines

Review: of the Colorbar Kiss-proof Lip Stains in three shades – Rustic, Royal Pink, and Haute Latté

The History

There are some really praise-worth, affordable drugstore brands that get swept under the carpet for the sole reason that nobody wants to talk about them because nobody ever talks about them! Colorbar USA is one such brand. I have never heard an influential beauty blogger review them, speak about them on social media or work in collaboration with them. And, honestly, I’m not sure why.

I have been a huge fan-girl of Colorbar USA ever since I ventured into makeup in my adolescent years. One of my early favourites used to be the perfect match primer that I used for many years and still consider worthy (though I have discovered other better ones). It was the first ever primer I tried (on recommendation from the SA at the Colorbar Kiosk in the mall), and never looked back after that.

Over the years, I have experimented with a lot of products from their range — the super pigmented, bold blushers; the exhaustive range of nail laquers; the intense, precise feline eye liner; the extreme comfort-wear matt lip creams; and the smashing selection of lipsticks in so many finishes and colours (‘Tangerino‘ being my most loved lipstick, a real fluorescent, bright orange).

Makeup look wearing Colorbar Kiss-proof lip stain in ‘Rustic’

Their packaging is always fabulous, their prices are fair and their quality is as good as it gets for a drugstore brand of their calibre.

As it goes, the Colorbar liquid lipstick was the first ever liquid lipstick I bought, and I wasn’t disappointed. In comparison to the drugstore brands that retail in India and sell liquid lipsticks, these are by far the most superior in pigmentation, colour range, non-drying formula and lasting power (the L.A Girl Matt Flat Finish Pigment Glosses and the Wet n Wild MegaLast Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipsticks come closest to these). Not everyone can (or wishes to) spend two grand on a trend liquid lipstick from Huda Beauty or Smashbox (now available in India); even if I had to buy one that is priced as such, I would rather ‘collect’ a M.A.C lipstick—without a flicker of doubt.

Colorbar Kiss-proof lip stains in Haute Latte, Rustic, and Royal pink (from top to bottom)

I have ‘Icon‘ from Huda Beauty sitting in my e-cart for the past 2 months and I know I’m never really buying it. I just mix and match my Nykaa Matte-ilicious lip crayon in ‘Pink on Fleek‘ with my Colorbar liquid lipstick (kiss-proof lip stain, as they call it) in ‘Rustic‘, and I’m nearly close enough to ‘Icon’. Not to sound cheap or frugal, but when cosmetics are imported to India, they get heavily taxed (close to 40% with GST!), making it really expensive for most of us to justify the purchase of products from these brands, no matter how great they may be. It’s not fair, I know.

The Review

I own the Colorbar kiss-proof lip stain in 3 flattering shades and can’t recommend them enough. They are matt, opaque in one swipe, not too drying (use a lip crayon, mousturizing lip pencil or lip balm underneath), and survive small meals. They tend to fade in the centre of the lips after a couple of hours but reapply without flaking or caking.

Swatches of the Colorbar Kiss-proof lip stains in Royal Pink, Rustic, and Haute Latte

The colours are all wearable, with a mix of cool-toned and warm-toned shades. ‘Rustic‘, my favourite, is a complete dupe for the M.A.C matt lipstick in ‘Chili‘. I own both, and use both (call me crazy!).

Colorbar Kiss-proof lip stain in ‘Rustic’

The cool-toned shade ‘Royal Pink‘ was my first one from the lot. It’s got a fluoro undertone and can look pale if you overlayer — but, with one coat, it’s so so beautiful. There was a time when I wore only this lipstick. Hubs hates the colour, but I don’t always go by his beauty advice. Obv.

Colorbar Kiss-proof lip stain in ‘Royal Pink’

Makeup look wearing Colorbar Kiss-proof lip stain in ‘Royal Pink’

However, this last one (Haute Latté) always gets me the compliments. This mauve-ish brown shade looks different on different skin tones and flatters medium Indian skin. I use the M.A.C Pro longwear lip pencil in ‘In Anticipation‘ under this lip stain, just to add a tad bit of pink to the brown. It works well for winter evenings or a night out, keeping eyes basic.

Colorbar Kiss-proof lip stain in ‘Haute Latte’

Makeup look wearing Colorbar Kiss-proof lip stain in ‘Haute Latte’

These aren’t super cheap, but if you are the girl who loves rocking the perfect liquid lip, then give these a go.

The Future

I personally cannot justify the purchase of luxury makeup and always stick to some of my favourite drugstore brands. As long as you know what you need, and are willing to do the research, you can find anything and everything at the drugstore level, without compromising on quality or packaging. Makeup Revolution London, NYX Cosmetics, L.A.Girl, PAC, The Face Shop, Innisfree, and Nykaa Cosmetics are some brands that make amazingly good quality, reasonably priced, trendy, well-packaged makeup that is perfectly suited to fulfil any beauty needs that you may have. Just remember to do your research; every brand has some products that exceed expectations and some products that just don’t make the cut. No one brand excels at everything, and that holds true for luxury brands as well.

Limited edition collaborations between drugstore brands and luxury players always result in some unique, trendsetting, admirable quality makeup; this would be the time to make some handsome investments.

Most products that I mention on my blog belong to one or more of these brands and fall under a similar price bracket. I want girls to know that makeup doesn’t have to be a huge investment; almost every cult classic has a dupe that is simply as sterling as the original. So, do not be disheartened by beauty bloggers who began their own luxury makeup brands and didn’t think of you.

Until next time, XOXO

All time loves – bath, body & hair

Today, I’m doing a basic round-up of all the bath, body and hair products that have been my holy grail of treasures for the past few years. Some have become available for purchase in India only recently, but others have been around forever. I never tend to talk about these because I assume that these already might be everyone’s favourite products. However, I realize I have some first graders in my gurukul, and wanted to do a post dedicated to that audience.

Also, to be blatantly honest, sometimes I enjoy doing the typical beauty post where you can leave your mind aside, and read with your heart.

Almost everything I mention here is easily available, affordable and extremely functional in its category.

NAILS

Sally Hansen Salon Formula Polish Remover (for artificial or sensitive nails)

I’m not sure what this is ‘enriched’ with (maybe Chamomile), but this thing is a miracle. If you often wear dark-coloured matt nail polishes, then you know how annoying it is to be left with stained cuticles even after your polish is swiped off. Also, it takes a Herculean effort to get it all off neatly. This remover does the job in two easy swipes. It is quick, efficient and doesn’t leave cuticles feeling dry. The bottle is large and will last you ages. The pricing is almost too cheap for the quality (and often, it is on discount). Complete no brainer; get it now!

BODY

The Body Shop British Rose Body Butter

In perfect honesty, this is the only body butter that hydrates and keeps my skin silky smooth till bedtime. It’s the one that I stock up on at half price sales; it sits in my bed stand drawer  and doubles up as hand cream or foot cream when I’m too lazy to get out of bed to fetch one. However, it doesn’t last very long (quantity-wise), especially if you lather on the layers as generously as I do. The body butter in Olive used to be my favourite (not an easy one to love, but one that grows on you), but since the launch of the British Rose body butter about two years ago, I’ve changed teams. I also own the British Rose Eau De Toilette and the British Rose Petal Soft Hand Cream; the fragrance happens to be my most worn fragrance for 2016-2017.

If you prefer a different fragrance among the body butters, you know you are spoilt for choice with The Body Shop. There is one for every mood, every skin type and every girl. Without a doubt, one of my most repurchased products of all time.

The Body Shop White Musk Talc

I had this gang of girls at work who were my Body Shop haul buddies. They were my ‘social influencers’, if I can call it that. Almost every single pay cheque during sale time was swiped clean at The Body Shop, and often a mental wish list of what the current pay cheque couldn’t cover was diligently maintained.

At the time, ‘white musk’ was a highly sought after collection from The Body Shop. I’ve bought them all — the perume, the body lotion and the body talc. With its pastel lavender packaging, buttery smooth texture and sweet musky fragrance, the talc was something I always went back for. The only drawback was the small quantity of the product (100g) for the price you pay. But, with somethings, you just pay because you can’t not have it in your life. Tell me this hasn’t happened to you!

The Body Shop now do a ‘white musk smokey rose’ collection for women and a ‘white musk sport’ collection for men. I prefer the original; musky but feminine.

FACE

The Body Shop Chamomile Silky Cleansing Oil

I know this post is beginning to sound like a sponsored Body Shop rant. But, it isn’t. They truly deserve all the love.

So, if you are just starting off with makeup, look elsewhere. Although cleansing oils are the best for removing make-up (waterproof as well), they take a tiny bit of time, effort and organization. I was introduced to this helluva cleansing oil by one of the most darling beauty bloggers of the UK, Amelia Liana (her blog is called Liana Beauty). I started following her a couple of years ago and she continues to be my favourite person to watch. When I’m watching her, I’m in my beauty zone and I’m feelin’ good. Her videos, pictures and recommendations are all really well captured, almost like a story.

I bought this cleansing oil to see if I could manage the whole drama of warm flannels. But, once I tried it, there was nothing else that was as effective or felt as ‘CLEAN’ as using this beauty.

So basically, with cleansing oils, you take two pumps of the oil in your palms and gently massage it onto your face and eyes. Then, you run a soft flannel under warm water and rub off the makeup with the flannel (you also have to wash the now-kaleidoscopic flannel). You repeat the process if you have a lot of waterproof makeup on. Then, you move on to your skin care. I’ll admit I stopped using this product after my son was born because I just didn’t have the time or the energy at the end of the day for all the extra drama. But, last year, I bought a fresh bottle and I’m back in the game.

If you really want to go to bed sans makeup, bring home a cleansing oil. However, if the SOP is putting you off, do the next best thing — micellar water. See an older post for more information and recommendations on these.

FRAGRANCE

Davidoff Cool Water Sea Rose

By now, you know that if it’s got Rose in it, I’m all over it.

My first bottle of this perfume was a present from my Dad for my birthday. The first time I sprayed it on me, I knew that I had found my fragrance soul mate. This scent has subtle notes of the Japanese Nashi pear, sweet notes of pink peony and lingering accords of musk (yes, I googled it). I am pathetic at describing fragrances but I can tell you that it takes me to a hidden valley of flowers in a forest. It takes me to a happy place. I’m already on my second bottle and I’m worried it’s half empty.

HAIR

Batiste Dry Shampoo (Original)

Finally, finally available in India, Batiste is the best drugstore dry shampoo available for retail in India. I know a lot of reviews complain about the dry shampoo leaving a white cast on the scalp, but that’s only going to happen if you don’t spray it from far enough or if you spray too much of the product in one place. Moreover, working it in with your hands makes the white powdery residue disappear. I know Batiste has a coloured version of the dry shampoo (Divine Dark), but ladies that’s gonna get on your clothes and will create a mess when you finally wash your hair clean. I prefer the original. You just need to know how to use it the right way.

Sometimes, I go five days without a hair wash (I’ll admit I don’t like the feeling of fake clean scalp), but can still go to a party looking great with a high ponytail.

The dry shampoo does make my scalp very dry and I have to oil my hair, wash, and condition generously the following day. But, it is such a saviour on bad hair days that I don’t mind the mild inconvenience.

If you have never used a dry shampoo, this is a great place to start. I have tried some products from the BBlunt hair range (including the dry shampoo) and I’m sorry to report that they do nothing to my hair. Just a lot of hype, not a lot of good.

L’oreal Professional Paris Hair Spa Deep Nourishing Creambath 

I realized that not a lot of people know or talk about this product, and I don’t understand why. This is the conditioner that is used in salons for the L’oreal hair spa treatments and it is THE BEST conditioner I have used so far. Not as expensive as Kérastase or other luxury brands, L’oreal is always a brand you can blindly trust when it comes to hair products, be it their hair serums, setting sprays or studio shampoos.

The only secret with this product is that you need to leave it in your hair for at least 15 minutes to feel the magic. Apply generously on the lengths and ends of your hair and wash off in LUKEWARM water. Please do not wring your hair, furiously tug or beat it blue with your towel. Use your man’s softest tee to gently press and drain the water from your hair. Apply hair serum of choice and allow to air dry or blow dry.

Livon Hair Serum

As unbelievable as this might sound, this stuff rocks. I would never have put it in my hair, if it wasn’t for a free sample that I received and had in my handbag when I stayed overnight at a friend’s place and needed something to tame my freshly washed locks.

I didn’t brush or blow dry my hair that morning and kept wondering why my hair felt so light, smooth and flowy! I couldn’t believe that something that costs 50 bucks (INR) can tame my frizz. So, just as an experiment I bought a bottle and started alternating this one with my usual L’oreal Absolute Repair serum. And, the results were mind-blowing! I can’t explain why or how, but I love this stuff. Take one pump of this potion, rub it into your hands and run it through towel dried hair. Style as desired. Try it and tell me if this is a freak discovery or what!

Most times, you don’t need money to buy you happiness. Proof’s in the pudding. Try it. The serum, not the pudding.

Toni & Guy Heat Protection Mist

If you heat style your hair often, then it is absolutely essential that you use a heat resistance spray before any heat treatment. There are a lot of great options in the market, but this one has been a personal favourite forever. Recommended to me by a stylist at the Toni & Guy Salon where I once went for a haircut, this spray does what it says and does it well. I’m already on my third bottle and I will buy a fourth. Pleasant smelling, does not weigh the hair down, does not leave an oily residue, doesn’t make hair clump, protects it from the ill effects of heat styling — it’s everything you need in a heat resistance mist.

I also love the Batiste heat protection spray (Shield my locks), but have been using this one even before Batiste started retailing in India, so my loyalties lie with T&G.

MULTITASKER

Lavender Essential Oil

I’m a sucker for all things lavender. Sometimes I just type lavender in the search bar of Nykaa and see what I can find. Not only does it smell like heaven, it is such a handy multitasker. Use it in your bath, use it to soak your feet, use it mixed with water and placed on top of an evaporating tea light candle stand, or mix it with coconut oil and apply it to your face. It has calming and soothing properties, that make it so ideal for spa days at home. And, who doesn’t like coming home to the smell of lavender fields?! Instant relaxation therapy.

So, yesterday my two-year old dropped my bottle of lavender essential oil (to my utter surprise, it didn’t break!) and my babysitter was really worried that the whole house was smelling of it. Although I was a little stressed looking at the ghastly mess, I didn’t mind the lingering scent of lavender filling my entire home.

On that note, I hope you find something that you would like to try from my list of favourites. Are there some holy grail products from your bath and beauty stash that you think I absolutely need in my life? Tell me in the comments down below!

Until next time, XOXO

The Chutney Chef – Series 3

I’m excited to share with you some more (yes, they are never-ending!) chutney recipes from my mum’s kitchen. These are chutneys made from veggies – trust my mum to be innovative with chutney-making! These chutneys have a relatively small shelf life and won’t last much longer than 4-5 days in the refrigerator, so stick to small quantities.

If you haven’t seen my older recipe posts, see here and here for Series 1 and Series 2 of ‘The Chutney Chef‘.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

Tomato garlic chutney

What you will need
3 tbsp. groundnut oil (or any flavourless oil)
1 tsp. mustard seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
A pinch of fenugreek seed powder (made from dry roasted fenugreek seeds)
1 whole garlic, peeled and finely diced
4 large tomatoes, finely diced
1 tsp. red chilly powder
Salt and sugar to taste

Method
Heat oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter completely. Now add the asafoetida and the fenugreek powder. Next, add the garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Finally, add the tomatoes and the red chilly powder. Add salt and sugar to taste. Cook the tomatoes on a medium flame for 10-15 minutes until they are completely cooked and reduced (until the tomatoes release the oil into the pan).

Carrot chutney

What you will need
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 tbsp. groundnut oil (or any flavourless oil)
1/2 cup grated fresh coconut
3 green chilies
1/2 tsp. split black lentil (urad dal)
1/2 tsp. split chickpea lentil (chana dal)
4-5 curry leaves
2-3 sprigs of fresh coriander, washed, towel dried and roughly chopped
1/2 inch piece ginger, chopped
A pinch of asafoetida
Salt and jaggery (or sugar) to taste
1 tbsp. juice of tamarind

For the seasoning
2 tsp. groundnut oil (or any flavourless oil)
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/4th tsp. split black lentil (urad dal)
1/4th tsp. split chickpea lentil (chana dal)
4-5 curry leaves
Pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1 dry red chilly, quartered

Method
Heat oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add urad dal, chana dal, asafoetida. Allow them to roast. Add the carrots, ginger, green chilies, curry leaves, and fresh coriander. Sauté till the carrot is partially cooked. Add salt and jaggery to taste. Add the tamarind juice. Add coconut and sauté for a minute.

Allow it to cool and grind to a coarse paste.

Seasoning method
In a small non-stick pan, heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds, allow them to splutter. Add the rest of the seasoning ingredients and roast for 2 minutes. Allow the seasoning to cool and add it to the ground chutney.

Ridge gourd chutney

What you will need
2 tbsp. groundnut oil (or any flavourless oil)
1 ridge gourd, cubed with the peel (tender)
1 tsp. split black lentil (urad dal)
3-4 green chilies
3-4 sprigs fresh coriander, washed, towel dried and roughly chopped
1/4 th cup grated desiccated coconut
1 tsp. white sesame seeds
8-10 curry leaves
A pinch of asafoetida
Salt to taste
A pinch of sugar
1.5 inch piece of dried, deseeded tamarind

Method
Heat oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add the urad dal and sesame seeds. Once they are roasted, add all other ingredients, except the desiccated coconut. Cover and cook on a medium flame until the ridge gourd is soft and tender. Cool, and grind coarsely along with the desiccated coconut. Add water while grinding, if absolutely necessary.

Until next time, happy chutneying! XOXO