Night out #10

I love the idea of tone on tone makeup. Which is exactly why I tried creating something a bit more tonal when I was going out a few weeks ago.
For my base, I used the L'oreal True Match in W7 around the perimeter, keeping it away from the centre... For the undereyes, chin, nose and forehead, I used a combination of NC42 mixed in with NC35 in the MAC Prolongwear Concealer. After setting these areas with the Ben Nye Banana Powder, I bronzed up the perimeter of my face with the NARS Bronzer in Casino. This helps add dimension and makes my roundish face seem even more oval and well defined. I went in and further contoured the cheekbones using the Inglot Eyeshadow in 357 Matte.
For the eyes, I started with Makeup Geek Eyeshadow in Creme Brule and Cocoa Bear in the crease faded out to the brow bone. I repeated this processes till I was happy with the intensity. I then used the Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in Cognac all over the lid and blended it out into the MUG shadows. In the outer third, I used Makeup Geek Corrupt to smoke out Cognac... Once i blended everything in again, I used the Maybelline Gel Liner to create the wing, followed by 3 coats of the L'oreal Miss Manga Mascara. Since the eyes were a bit too dark for my liking, I used MAC All That Glitters in the inner corners to brighten my eyes.
For the lips, I used the L'oreal Matte Moisture Lipstick in Maple Mocha.

Overall, I was rather pleased with this look.
What are your thoughts?

Sick Days - A Little Makeup Pick-Me-Up

So, I've spent the last few days sick and confined to my bed... first it was a cold and a cough, then it just got worse and worse and worse. Today however, I was sick of the coughing and looking like death, so I took matters into my capable hands (shamlessplug).
To start with, I decided to pamper my skin. Yes, I've been hydrating like a mad person over the last few days, but my skin still looked dull and lifeless. The Body Shop Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Mask came to my rescue. Dabbed a generous amount of this stuff to my face and rinsed it off after 20 minutes and my skin looked SO MUCH better.
After a nice hot shower, I decided to put on some makeup, for the first time this week (It's Friday today, so in my world, big deal). I find that when I'm sick, my eyes get all dull, and thanks to the coughing and the lack of sleep, my undereyes looked a bit like Edward Scissorhands... to fix that I used the MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NW 35 to correct the purple undertones, and topped it off with my MAC Prolongwear Concealer in NC 42, pretty much all over the centre of my face... sheered out to the edges to give me that highlighted effect. After quickly setting everything in place.. I decided to finally sort the lifeless zombie face situation with a little blush (fun fact - haven't used blush in a good 3 - 4 months). Instantly, the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful bought some much needed life back into my face.
To brighten my eyes, I went for some shadow, but the real star of the show are my Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers that lift up lashes and make me eyes appear larger and brighter and more awake. After some lashings of mascara, I felt entirely human again - until I started coughing... But I look so much better, which makes me feel better.

So there yah go. These are my little pick me ups for days when I'm deathly ill. What are yours?

Facial Oils for Every Occasion

So, I've been having a moment with oils lately.
For some reason until recently, oils have had quite the bad reputation when it comes to skincare. As someone who used to have oily skin, I used to shy away from oils because of the general stigma around "oils are bad for oily skin", which is pure bullshit.
Having said that though, with my now dehydrated skin (that would probably have never gotten to this stage if I had just moisturized or used said oils) which is slowly returning to normal but sensitive and acne prone... oils are a blessing.
To start, I'd like to take a moment and write a tiny little ode to the best kind of oil in my life... The Body Shop Cleansing Oil. I've mentioned this a few times before, but it is now a staple in my daily life and my kit, and let me tell you, there isn't s single person this oil hasn't wow'd. One pump, followed by a gentle massage and a damp cloth or water to was it off... it cleanses your skin like no other, getting every bit of makeup (including waterproof mascara) in the most fuss free manner till date. Priced at INR 1095, it isn't something that breaks the bank, but will change your life. For certain.
The next best thing I've discovered (more recently) is the Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil for Dehydrated skin, which is making my skin better with each passing day. It's a heavy oil that takes sometime to sink into the skin.. and heavily fragranced (so beware of that) but once it sinks in, it can calm the worst of my breakouts without much effort. I use it at night every alternate day or just over a particularly bad blemish more regularly and it has done nothing but wonders to my skin. It costs a bit of a bomb at INR 2450, but I've been using it every alternate day for a while now and it hardly seems to have made a mark on the bottle.
The Body Shop Vitamin E Serum Overnight Serum in Oil is another favorite I've talked about before, but thought I may reiterate my love for. Priced at INR 1695, this oil is seems to work for a lot of skin types (My mother who has normal to oily skin swears by it) and with my dehydrated skin, it works like a dream giving me all the moisture I need. I use this in rotation with my Clarins Oil. It also seems to help my acne scars which is always a win for me.
Finally, the ever famous Bio Oil that claims to do a LOT. I use it on my body especially in areas where I have stretch marks from hitting the gym or losing weight... it hasn't worked miracles, but I can see them slowly lightening... I'm pretty sure I will continue using this at night just because of the smell and the moisture it gives me, even if not for the stretch marks. Bio Oil costs INR 450 (which is good because I go through this stuff like it's going out of style)

So there you have it, my little arsenal of oils that I think work wonders.
(Little disclaimer, like every product - different things work for different people, just keep that in mind)

What are your favorite oils?

Embracing the Cool Tones

Honestly, I'm not a cool toned girl. Don't get me wrong, I think so many warm toned women can pull off the cool tones effortlessly. The cool taupes, silvers, greys and blues... I never really thought I could until I found this little gem while looking for something other than what is now my signature bronzey eye.
This little Wet n' Wild Trio in Silent Treatment that Aditi sent me during our exchange was rediscovered over the last month, and I've got to say, I LOVE IT.
I know people always go on and on about the quality of these shadows for the price... and I'm rather late on the bandwagon, but holy smokes!
Buttery, silky and easy to blend, why don't I own more?

In terms of colours, I really think the 'Browbone' colour reminds me a lot of MAC's All that Glitters, while the 'Eyelid' colour so is similar to MAC's Satin Taupe. If those two have been on your wishlist and you have access to this brand, getittttt!
Rest of the face consists of MAC Prolongwear Concealer in NC 42 to hide the scars and the dark circles, Chanel Loose Powder to Set it in place, Bobbi Brown Bronzer in Dark on the cheeks and MAC's Rebel blotted out on the lips. 

I'm SO in love with this little trio that I am not totally okay with embracing the cool tones on my own face! Bring on the silvers.. heh.

What are your thoughts?

P.S. Does anyone know where I can get some Colourpop Cosmetics? Etsy Seller? Amazon/ebay seller who doesn't charge a boatload in shipping? Hook me up, people!