Outfit Details

Necklace - Accessorize

Rings (Gold and Platinum) Midi Ring - Forever New. Heart Tattoo = my favorite. 

Crystal Pendant and Chain - Swarovski

Bag - oasap.com, Rings - Forever New, Watch - Micheal Kors, Mint Dress (whatever you can see of it) - ASOS.

For a change I thought I'd include a style/fashion post. Since I have no one to take outfit pictures for me, these little "Details" posts have got to do.
Once I find someone who can take a decent picture of my outfit, I'll start updating that section of my blog too. Until then, thoughts?

Oh, and I shall leave you with this - I have two cats, one who usually sits passively and watches me blog/take pictures/put on my makeup, his name is Snowman, pictures coming soon), and the other - who needs to be a part of everything. Meet my attention seeking diva, Qoco.

Qoco, my helper/disrupter. Whenever I'm setting up for pictures for my blog, you will find her sitting right next to the products, waiting to pounce of 'em. Not to mention posing. She loves the camera. 

The Chanel Face

More like The Chanel Base, but oh well.
Chanel - just the name invokes a sense of luxury. Who doesn't want to own that quilted Chanel bag or a little black dress? Until I can afford it, the Makeup has got to do. I don't own too many Chanel Products (3), but the ones I do own I use and love to death.
When buying Makeup, whatever the brand, my first instinct is always to try out face products - I think bases are my thing. For the sake of this post, I kept my makeup relatively simple because I just wanted to show you how well these products work together. There's just something about pairing products of the same company together, isn't there?
Vita Lumier Aqua gives you this gorgeously dewy finish has light-medium coverage. Somehow it manages to conceal all my spots and scars (as is evident) eliminating the need for concealer. It was also one of those days where I woke up after a loooonng restful night of sleep and hence did not have to battle my dark circles. I lightly dusted the Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre all over my face - focusing under the eye and around the cheeks to keep my foundation in place and help it last all day, because this day was a long 'un.
I skipped the bronzer (shocking, I know!) and headed straight for my Le Blush Creme De Chanel in Presage (62) which looks so natural. I don't blush by nature, but my face does go a shade of almost beetroot red when I work out - not attractive in the least - but this is a "I wish I blushed this colour - heck, I wish I blushed at all" kind of natural.
The rest of my face consisted of eyeliner, running a bit of NARS Coconut Grove through my eyebrows and my NYX San Paulo on ze lips! Curled 'em lashes just for definition sake and left it at that.

What are your favorite Chanel Products?

A Bridal Eye

I think this one is pretty self explanatory. Basically, a while back, I did this eye look on a bride. She was super adventurous and was dead-set on smokey eyes with a twist. We decided not to go super matching, but still tie it in with her outfit, hence the colour in the bottom. I loved the way it turned out, so I thought I'd recreate it for my blog.

What do you guys think?

Rekindled Love - Woodwinked

Lets all just take a moment here and admit. No one does eyeshadows like MAC does. Sure, Bobbi Brown and NARS have amazing quality, Makeup Geek does brilliant Mattes, Urban Decay makes awesome palettes, but NO other brand has the extensive shade and finish range as MAC.
My love for MAC eyeshadows dates back to my first dabble with makeup - which ofcourse was an eyeshadow - Goldmine. How I loved and cherished it... okay, now that we're over the trip down memory lane. Lets get back to the topic at hand. Woodwinked. *insert angles singing*
Described as a "warm antique gold", its a Veluxe Pearl finish which is every lazy persons dream. Woodwinked seems to have some kind of orangey-duochrome-thing. When you pat it on the lid, it comes off golden, but as you blend it in the crease, it turns a subtle shade of orange - lid colour and crease definition all in one. WIN.
I love it. You need it. Everyone needs this. I'd go so far as to saying - if there was one eyeshadow from MAC every girl should own, its this one. Heck, if I could only have one MAC eyeshadow, I'd say this one.

What do you think?

The Daily Cleanse

Good skin is something we all take for granted. Even if you don't wear makeup, I think taking care of your skin is something that should always be a priority. Coming from an Indian family where "au naturale" is the mantra when it comes to hair/makeup/skin, its difficult for us to imagine what your skin actually requires. 
The one thing my mother always told me to to repeatedly was wash my face twice a day and wear sunscreen regularly, which is half the battle in itself. Once you get past just using soap/face wash twice a day and start using sunscreen, you can slowly add a few more products - or five.

When I started getting into makeup, my idea of taking it off was using a makeup wipe (shock, gasp, horror) followed by washing my face. I did this for over a year before my skin took a turn for the worse.
Whilst on the desperate quest to find something, anything that would help rid my of my blemishes I discovered that the solution isn't in just one product - its an entire set of things. It was time to change the way I look at my skincare. If you can spend tons of money on buying Makeup/Shoes/Hangbags/Clothes, you can sacrifice some of that money for good skincare products.
First up - Cleansing. Cleansers come in different forms - Oils, Balms, Micelle Solutions, Foaming Cleansers etc - your face wash and Makeup remover essentially cleanse your skin However, it isn't enough to just remove your makeup with a makeup remover (please don't use wipes, I beg you) and wash your face. You need to do more. Take it from me, I learnt the hard way. See, its important to get rid of the days dirt and grime before you decide to add things (Products with AHA's [Glycolic Acid] or BHA's [Salicylic Acid]) which are good for your skin. But more on that in a later post...

In the morning, I usually just wash my face with my SebaMed Clear Face Cleansing Foam with a pH of 5.5 (This really helps if you have blemish prone skin. Its one of those products that you need to leave on your face for 3 minutes and then wash it off. I know Caroline Hirrons is dead against Foaming Cleansers, as are a lot of people, but this seems to work for me) and then the other products in my skincare routine.
In the evening, even if I'm not wearing Makeup, I like to start by using my Bioderma Micelle Solution all over my face. I use that to get rid of the majority of my makeup/days dirt (hello polluted and dusty air, my skin thanks you. NOT), followed mostly by the Clinique Take a Day Off Cleansing Balm to get whatever is left off my face. Once I wash that off, I use the SebaMed Cleanser once again to make sure everything is squeaky clean. This is followed by my nightly skincare routine.
Bottom line - clean your face.

What are your favorite cleansers?

Faking the Glow - MAC Strobe Cream

MAC's Strobe Cream is one of those products that have been around for ages, with almost always positive reviews, but its something most people seem to overlook as its a part of MAC's permanent line - belonging to the skincare section. I first spoke about it here as more of a first impression on the product. After two months of constant use I have fallen in love to the point where there is no turning back.
There are some products that I would repurchase till the end of time (Chanel Vita Lumier Aqua, Chanel Pondre Universelle Libre, NARS Casino Bronzer.. I think I'll post about this) and the Strobe Cream recently made it into that list. Applause all around.
Strobe cream is essentially a moisturizer, which has a pearly pink-lilac sheen to it. Now, don't let that scare you, when it meets skin it blends in beautifully giving you that very natural "glowing from within" kind of glow. Once you put on your foundation, concealer and powder over it, this still manages to come through and make the skin look really healthy. Every skin related compliment that I've gotten recently (and those are few and far inbetween normally) have been when I've been wearing this. Coincidence? I think not.
This product does have skincare benefits also, so thats one more excuse for you to buy/want/need this - all in the name of it being good for your skin.
I typically wear it over a moisturizer as my skin is pretty dehydrated, but I have worn it on its own during warmer days and it is decently hydrating skin. I reckon if you have normal skin, you can get away with just this, if you have oily skin and find this too heavy, MAC has a Strobe Lotion I think? Which is a lighter version of this.
Quick fact - it costs INR 1950 for 50ml, but I think they have a smaller size.

Next on the glow inducing wishlist? Le Blanc De Chanel (always out of stock - which makes me want it more)

Current Favorites

I give up on my hair. Its official.

When I first started this blog, I used to religiously post my monthly favorites. I love watching favorites videos on youtube, but somehow unless you're buying makeup regularly or have an extensive makeup collection, your favorites end being pretty much the same products - which there is no point in repeating month after month. So, I thought I'll post a more of a "currently loving" or "what I'm loving" type thing.
Also, included for your viewing pleasure is all of these products on the canvas that is my face.
For base, I've been loving the MAC Strobe Cream - it adds some serious life to my dull and dehydrated skin. Foundation wise the Bourjois Happy Light Foundation hasn't left my face since it has some into my life. Light and longwearing, perfect for summer! Another more recent favorite of mine is the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, I can use it under my eyes, to hide my spots and scars without worrying about it fading away because this things lasts.. long.
I've been contouring with the Inglot 357 Matte so much offlate that I've temporarily moved my bronzers to the back of my face drawer.
For the eyes, I've been reaching for my Makeup Geek Eyeshadows a lot! Creme Brule is the perfect transition shade for me, so I start with that, I then use Cocoa Bear to intensify the crease (sometimes I mix it with Mocha) and vanilla bean to highlight. For my lid, the Bobbi Brown Metallic Eyeshadow in Cognac has really been a go-to. I generally pat it onto my lid with my fingers. I also use MUG Corrupt as a smudgy liner towards the outer corners of my lashline. For mascara, a new discovery of mine has been the Max Factor Lash Extension Effect Mascara which gives unbelievable length and separation, its also surprisingly light and not at all  mascara-ey (if you know what I mean?)
And lastly, for lips, I haven't stopped wearing the Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Sultry. Once again, long lasting, compliments BB Cognac and easy to wear.

So, these are my favorites, what are yours?

Colour Coordinating - Lip and Cheek

When I got my Chanel Cream Blush in Presage - and used it on my cheeks, it reminded me of another product I used to have but threw away because it was over 2 years old. The Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Cabo Coral, I loved it so much. I used it on my lips and cheeks pretty darn often.
I'm not really a matching kind of girl - but when I saw the Chanel Blush, a similar lip colour was something I was sure I could get on board with.
So when I saw Lily Pebbles post about the new YSL Baby Doll Kiss and Blush things - something hit me - my NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp! It was pretty identical in the tube, and when swatched, you couldn't really tell them apart - both matte and creamy. It was meant to be.
In the above picture, I am sporting my Chanel Presage as well as NYX Antwerp. Though subtle, I think it really works with my skintone.

What do you think? Do you like this whole colour coordinating thing?

The Do-It-All Concealer

How often do you see individual product reviews on Colliding Interests? What's that? Never? Well, not never, but very very VERY rarely. When I love a product it will be mentioned time and again (Chanel VA, Armani LSF, Anastasia DipBrow, y'know the drill). But when its a really cannot-live-without-it product or a major disappointment (MUFE HD Primer) I review it individually.

SO, lets talk concealer - its something I would prefer not to have to live without. I have tons of pesky acne scars and under eyes that have seen better days; safe to say, I need concealer.
In my quest to find the perfect concealer I have gone through MAC's Moisture Cover Concealer, MAC Select Cover Concealer, Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer (2 of these) and MUFE's Full Cover. :rantstart: Let me just say that I have been matched to the wrong shade in ALL of the above concealers by instore MUA's. Even a couple of months back, when I was trying the ProLongwar Concealer, the MUA tried to match me to NC45, seriously? DO I LOOK LIKE A 45?! :rantover: 

Apart from the shade being wrong, I would never repurchase any of them - except the MUFE Full Cover which is brilliant, I just need a darker shade. The texture was just off (MAC Moisture Cover), the longevity was crap (MAC Select Cover), it clung to dry patches (Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer [ironic, I know])
and over all just wasn't great.
The MAC Pro Longwear Concealer is one that I have been reading/watching rave reviews off - but for some reason never thought to buy it - when I finally made up my mind, it was out of stock. EVERYWHERE. I went back to the store repeatedly, waiting for them to get stock of it - but alas, it was not meant to be. About a month ago when I went for probably the 8th time, the MUA (who I know pretty well, considering how often I go to MAC) offered to give me some to use until they get stock - which is what you see in the above pot. For reference, I am NC42 in MAC. Which is still a tad too yellow, but nothing I can't work with. So for the last month, I have used only this (except the Bobbi Brown Corrector) every single day.
Firstly, a little goes a very long way. Secondly, it covers all my acne scars without looking cakey. It doesn't cling to my dry patches, and stays on pretty darn long (8 hours on last count - without primer).  I can get away with using just this under my eyes - but I prefer using a light layer over my Bobbi Brown Corrector. I have also used this as a foundation, and it performs just as well, if not better - Especially on particularly sweaty days. With the exception of it being a bit too yellow (hardly noticeable to anyone without a magnifying mirror), and the pump (which sucks - but I just pump it into the pot [that's what she said] and use it from there) I cannot find a single fault with this concealer.
This really is the do-it-all concealer. I don't have any product that I would consider "Holy Grail" (the most over used phrase in the Beauty World), but this is probably as close as it gets.

I will be repurchasing this product possibly till the end of time. Its THAT good.
For reference, it costs INR 1500. (WHY MAC WHY WOULD YOU INCREASE YOUR PRICES?!?!)

Have you used this concealer? What do you think?

P.S. Did you notice the Pages and the Social Media Icons that are new to my blog? I actually learnt basic coding for some of it. Check 'em out?

Battle of the Lip Balms

Lip Balm, a very boring, but necessary step in your skincare regime. I use more lip balm than lipstick. Mostly because I have a chronic case of dry-flaky-chapped lips. I have been on a quest to find a lip balm that actually works, since I've tried several; here is a round up the good, the bad and the meh.

The Good
Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream - I bought this on a whim because my previous lip balm was disgusting, the first thing that really made my day was the smell - I can't stop sniffing it, it smells that good. When I started using it, my lips were in a gross peeling state, and one night of this seemed to fix that. I've been using it everynight ever since. The Maybelline Baby Lips is the perfect daytime lipbalm. Easy to throw into the bag and reapply, with a formula light enough to wear a matte lipstick on top; it doesn't hurt that it smells and tastes good too! I have the tinted formula in berry, I think.

The Bad
These two Lip Balms I really hate. They are the worst lip balms EVER. First up - La Roche Possay Ceralip (the disgusting lipbalm I was using when I bought the Nivea Lip Butter), a brand I've never had a bad thing to say about, so when I saw this, I thought "why not?!" I'll tell you why not - for one, it seemed to make my lips dryer and more flaky, using this constantly even made my lips bleed because of how dry and cracked it was (gross but true). I really did try, infact, I used it for 2 weeks non stop until my lips were too sore to use it anymore. The Nivea Vitamin E Repair and Beauty (what?) lipbalm is another major failure in my books. It wasn't as bad as the LRP Ceralip, but still dried my lips out. Whats worse is that its a pale pink/grey colour that makes you look like you're dead. No no, NO! Never again.

The Meh.
Neutrogena SPF 15 lip balm (which my mom swears by) and the MAC Tendertone in Purring are exactly that - meh. They do a pretty great job at moisturizing your lips, but on dry/chapped lip days, these won't help - no matter how much I use and how often. Its sad through, because the MAC tendertone smells almost as good (if not better) than the Nivea Lip Butter.

What are your favorite lip balms?

The Accidental Contour

Have you guys heard of the Kevin Aucoin Sculpting Powder? Every blogger/youtuber seems to rave about this product - Incase you don't know what it is, it is a cool toned grey-brown powder that you use to contour. The colour is supposed to mimic the actual shade of your skin's shadow.
Now, I have never tried this product, but I've never seen anyone with tanned/dark skin use it, which I presume is because it comes in only one shade, which seems to work very well for pale skins. Until I get a chance to actually use it, I might never know what its like.. but until then...
...I can use my Inglot 357 Matte. An eyeshadow I have professed my love for several times. Now see, this is a warm brown colour, - so you must me thinking "how is this related to the KA Sculpting powder?" well, patience, grasshopper. See, on my skin, it seems to have some kind of taupey-grey undertone. So my brilliant mind decided to try it as a contouring product. And voila! Its just warm enough for it not to look ashy, but cool enough for it to work as a contour shade while really sculpting out those cheekbones.
I've honestly stopped using my bronzer to contour, I just use it to bronze now - because this is so perfect.

I love products that can multitask and my guilt for ignoring this colour due to my MUG shadows has now totally evaporated. Model cheekbones, I'm here. 

Matte and Sultry

So everyone knows by now that the Revlon Matte and Lacquer Balms have launched in India. I actually got them the day after they were launched and I was really disappointed to see that most of the more neutral matte balms hadn't come here.. that didn't stop me from picking up the Revlon Matte Balm in Sultry. Sultry seems to be the most wearable shade of the range they bought here - I'd call it a plumy pink brown, which is perfect for everyday. Some of the colours pulled almost neon - very good for bold lip lovers. But for the rest off us? I demand the rest of the range - ya hear me Revlon? And while you're at it, I'd like the SkinLights range aswell, THANK YOU.
I've been wearing it on most days since, and I must say this is better than my beloved Balm Stains - the matte texture is very light and leaves a stain after about 4 hours on me - unless I eat, then it just disappears.
I think Revlon have really outdone themselves with the formula of these, hydrating and matte? Its a total winner for me in every aspect except price.. lets talk about that for a minute. INR 800?! RIDICULOUS.

I love this lip product - but at the price, I don't feel the need to own the others. Sigh.
What are your thoughts?

First Impressions - Bourjois Happy Light Foundation

I don't think I've ever seen a "First Impression" blogpost before, if you have, let me know? I love watching these videos on youtube, but somehow I just cannot ever think of starting my own Youtube Channel - so I thought I'd just do a post.
If you know me, you know my taste wanders to the higher end cosmetic brands when it comes to Base Makeup. But lately, I have been finding a fair few gems in the more "budget" makeup brands.. such as the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams (post here) or the MUG Eyeshadows (Here, here, here and here), but the one thing I haven't really found is a good foundation. Now you also know much I love my base products - be it illuminators/ primer/ highlighters/ foundation/ concealers/ bronzers.. the one product over the last month or so that has been a stand out for me was the Bourjois Happy Light Illuminating Primer. I found myself reaching for it practically everyday since I got it - needless to say I was curious about the foundation from the same range.
Colour Match - I have never found a good shade match in drugstore foundations, for whatever reason, and when I saw that they had only 5 shades in the Happy Light range, I was not confident. I thought I'd probably be matched to the darkest shade in the range - 54, but the sales girl insisted that I try 53, which at first looked too light for me; but it blended into my skin so beautifully and ended up looking exactly like my skin - but better.
Packaging wise - it comes in a glass bottle (which means not great to travel with; you probably can travel with it, not a big deal for me) with a coral/pink pump (Hygenic, easy and perfect! It should be mandatory for all foundations to come in either a tube or with a pump) - its so pretty! I'm usually someone who hates anything but monochrome packaging, but who can resist this?
Also, I'd like to point out that this doesn't seem to have SPF in it. Atleast I can't see it on the bottle. A lot of people seem to find the lack of SPF a bad thing - but I really love when foundations don't have SPF (If my beloved Chanel VA didn't have SPF 15, it really would be the perfect foundation) because I can use it at night/when the flash is on and I can look glowy and natural sans the disgusting white cast. During the day, I'd just use it over my regular Sunscreen (Neutrogena SPF 50+).

Makeup - Bourjois Happy Light Fondation in 53, Bobbi Brown Corrector in Dark Bisque, Chanel Loose Powder (under the eyes), Inglot 357 Matte to contour, Anastasia DipBrow Pomade, Eyes - Makeup Geek e/s in Cocoa Bear, Galaxy and Corrupt, Max Factor Lash Extension Effect Mascara, Revlon Matte Balm in Sultry

Bourjois Happy Light Foundation is suited for dryer skins, I have gathered - it provides "8 hours of hydration" according to the bottle - which is something someone like me, who has dehydrated skin really yearns for.
As you can see from the first to second picture above, all I need is one pump to cover my face and blend it into my neck. The texture is a little on the runny side (not as runny as Face and Body though) and it glides onto the skin pretty easily. As I said earlier it did look a bit too light but it blended in with my skin really well. Coverage wise I'd say its sheer-medium. Dabbing a little more product over certain areas really gave me the coverage I needed; it also imparts the most healthy looking glow to the skin which looks so natural and really lovely. I also feel the need to mention that it does have a slight fragrance - but nothing that lingers.
For reference,I didn't powder any part of my face except the undereye area to see how the foundation wears on its own.
If you're someone who doesn't like the feeling of foundation on your skin - you might like this, as I just couldn't feel it. Is that why its called "Happy Light?" Hmm.

Incase you were wondering - I had eaten, and with that went away my lipstick - entirely. Sigh

As you can see - after about 4 hours it settles into the skin a little more - everything still looks pretty great - not a bit of wear in sight. I thought my skin was looking pretty darn good.

I didn't bother reapplying the lip colour for some reason - oh yeah, I just forgot

So this is after a little more than 10 hours. It looked a lot more worn at this point, and had started disappearing around my scarring - you can also see that my undereye concealer seems to have faded a fair bit; but after 10 hours, it was totally expected.
There was no clinging to dry patches, no oxidizing, and most importantly, not once through the day did it look like I was wearing a ton of makeup - I was even complimented on my "glowing skin". Really, if that doesn't tell you how this foundation seems to have performed, I don't know what else can.

So my first impression of this foundation would be - LOVE. Its so light and covers everything I need covering while making my skin look healthy and really fresh - I can see this becoming a summer staple. Just one little point though - I'd suggest getting one or two shades lighter than you normally do - just because the Happy Light range seems to run more yellow and darker than its Healthy mix counterpart. Oh, and it costs INR 1495 for 30ml.

Do you like these First Impression posts? Should I make this a regular feature? What are your thoughts on Happy Light?

P.S. Have you noticed my new blogging schedule? I post Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:30am IST.