Fall Drugstore Makeup Essentials

I cannot express to you how happy I am that I live in a place that has fall again. I remember loving this season as a kid, because of the leaves, the cold but not freezing weather, and the indoor heating. Now that I'm old(er), this is the perfect opportunity to dress like it's colder (Chennai, I love you, but I can never wear a jacket without burning up) and wear vampy lipstick all day every day. I know I've been away from the blog for so long, and I apologise (I didn't give up, I swear) but going back to school and taking exams after a year takes some getting used to.

Anyway, now that I have a Walgreens loyalty card, that gives me wonderful access to the best deals a s***load of excuses to buy things for my fall face.

So, let's get into it.

Base: Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in Honey Beige

I could do a whole other blog post, raving about how brilliant this is, but I think I will contain myself. For a girl who has never worn foundation, I was on the fence about even getting one. I wanted something with light-medium coverage as my skin has been behaving this year *hopes to God I don't jinx it*. I've heard brilliant things about this foundation, and decided to try it out. They have two formulas - A dewy smooth one and a matte finish one. I decided to go for the dewy one because I figured I could always set it with powder if I wanted to mattify it a bit. I started using this really carefully (I despise anything heavy feeling on my face) and a tiny bit goes a long way. I literally use a blob as big as half my pinky nail and sheer it out over my skin. And it does a brilliant job of giving me this even, glowy base which looks natural as hell. No brush required, it goes on well with your fingers.


Lips: Milani Matte Lipstick in Sangria

I own two families of lipsticks. Reds and wines. I have one pink one which only gets pulled out if I'm wearing this particular saree (no joke). On a student budget, I feel like spending $17 on a MAC lipstick is quite atrocious. I started looking at lipsticks that were just as good in the long wearing matte department and I was disappointed again, and again and again. It was like going on a string of terrible blind dates (as I said before, the US drugstore for some perfectly good reason that I'm sure they have, does not let you test products before you buy them). And then, this Milani lipstick happened. It is the most brilliant reddish wine ever. Such a good formula as well and very easy to apply. It lasts me through two 'eating sessions' without a single touch up. It's also very forgiving and doesn't cling to any dry patches. Although I would always advise a lip scrub before any dark lipstick. Will definitely be trying out more from this line.

Elf Studio Blush in Gotta Glow

So with the whole strobing trend going on, I realized I had to jump on  the bandwagon before I turned eighty. I walked into the Elf Studio here in the city and hand a browse around. I have never seen so much cheap makeup, so well organised, in one place. Mind = blown. I picked this up because it was a hefty $3, and it swatched beautifully. I use this on my cheekbones, my browbone and down the center of my nose if I'm going out somewhere special which is usually my 6:30 class. It's also a dupe for NARS Albatross which has a shameful $30. Yes, 10 times the cost. And this one does just as good a job as a highlighter, I'm sure. It really gives you that glow even if you're running on two hours of sleep and lots of coffee.

Elf Studio Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Gala

When I was having a browse in Sephora, looking wistfully at the $30 shampoos and the $40 tweezers, I came across this beautiful brown sparkly eyeshadow from the Sephora own line. It was around $14, and I realized that nothing I said or did would justify that purchase to my bank account or my soul. At the Elf Studio, there were these weird, cushiony, creamy shadow pigment hybrids on display. When I swatched Gala, it reminded me of that Sephora shadow and I put it in my basket without a second thought. It's a brilliant color, I use it as both a base and a wash of color by itself. There's a little bit of fallout but it stays in the eye area so it isn't so bad. I can see myself wearing this a lot in the holidays.

So there you have it, my fall face. I pop on a bit of liner and mascara, but these are the products I've been using pretty much every time I need to look adult and act adult.
Happy Weekend!

A Bronzed face and Berry lips

I recently had the pleasure of  having my makeup done by my best friend and MUA Shrutilaya a.k.a Shlaya - visit her blog here. Okay, no one really calls her that but any of you who read her blog, you'll know who I mean.

This whole situation was for some work that she needed to get done, so as I have absolutely nothing to do these days, I was like OK PROFESSIONAL MAKE UP = SELFIES.

Clearly, I have my priorities down.

But I ended up being absolutely obsessed with the look she did on me. It was this clean bronzed face, with some strobing (basically a highlighting technique that is very much in vogue, you end up looking like someone lit you up from within. So glowy and pretty) and a nice berry lip.
I think this is something that I'm going to be wearing a lot, perfect for both day and nighttime makeup, depending on what kind of lip you go for.

She used a bunch of pro products on me, which I am probably never going to own, but I thought, for the benefit of myself and my readers - I asked her for breakdown with products that you can definitely find in and around your area/online.

Foundation - L'Oreal True Match - I've used this personally and they have the most amazing range of shades, so the chances of getting almost an exact match are pretty high. I love the finish. Definitely try it in stores before you buy it online, though.

Highlight - To highlight under the eyes, cheekbones and forehead, use the Maybelline Dream lumi Touch Concealer a.k.a the broke girl's Touch Eclat.
Use the Revlon Highlighting Palette in Bronze Glow as your bronzer/highlight mix on your cheeks and for any contouring that you need.

Also, use setting powder only under the eyes and around the nose. We don't want that dewy glow to go away! 

Eyes - Use the darkest shade in your Revlon Highlighting Palette on your eyelid, and the lightest shade on your inner corner. Finish with some generous coats of mascara to really open your eyes up, on the top and bottom lashes. (I personally love L'Oreal Paris Volume Million Mascara)

Lips - There are two suggestions that she gave me that'd work with this look, MAC Rebel and the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush. But you can literally wear any berry lipstick/balm/stain that you think would work!

I know have additions to my 'Things to buy when I'm not broke' list.
Sigh.

Have a great weekend!

A Tiny June Favorites Round-up

I realize that off late, since I've become a grown up and shit, I do tend to try out new products every month. Because I'm now willing to experiment and sometimes, new products find their way into my makeup/washbag/bathroom cabinet.

And I'd like to share.

The first thing I want to rave about is this palette my UK-return friend MUA got for me. It's the much talked about Collection Eyes Uncovered Nude Bronze Palette. I've been stalking it on Youtube and people say it's the best thing since sliced bread. The pigmentation was said to rival the Naked's, for gods sake. So when she came back with this I was ecstatic. The color payoff is insane, and when I used them wet, they looked like a MAC paint pot colors, I kid you not. If anyone has access to it now, buy it. If you're not in a place where you have access to it, make friends with someone who does, and buy it. Did I mention it's 3 GBP/4.73 USD/300 INR? For 6 amazing shades?

I used to be a die-hard user of Dove shampoo back in the day. But suddenly, it stopped working. My hair started falling out and it just made it SO DARN FRIZZY. But over the past year, I've been loving it. It's really been working with my hair, making it super soft and manageable. When I saw that they had come out with the new Dove Nutritive Solutions Oxygen Moisture I was desperate to give it a try. And oh wow, does it work. It's a clear blue shampoo (different from the signature opaque liquid) and it actually volumizes and softens! There are so many claims that shampoos make these days (I think I've tried something from every brand and have been thoroughly disappointed through the years) but this, I feel actually DOES something. I bought the tiny bottle to try it but BIG SALON SIZE WITH PUMP HERE I COME.

I've been on the lookout for a starter night serum for a while now. I wanted to know how my skin would react to having something other than cream put onto it at night. When I was browsing Purplle.com at 3am, as you do, the Richfeel Skin Logix Advanced Night Repair Serum popped up. It had some rice protein in it's formula, and was a tiny bottle (245 INR for 25ml). Apparently, washing your face with rice water, it makes your skin softer and firmer. I did some Googling and the reviews  for this product were good. My face has been giving me pretty much no trouble but I have noticed that it's becoming pretty dull. So this had claims of brightening (I hate the term whitening) and I was like, gimme.
It has a little droplet applicator, and I dot it over my face post wash. I gently massage it in till it absorbs (it takes about 20 seconds). I will say that it is not the most amazing smelling serum. It is not unpleasant, but I think it's the rice protein that makes it smell like well, wet rice. Just bear with it till it sinks in.
I am happy to report that my poor sunburnt post-Andamans face is more or less back to normal, with some added life thrown in. Really happy with this.

Lastly, I've already raved about this in a previous post, but the Maybelline The Colossal Liner (on sale!) had to be thrown into this post. I've been using it every time I require liner on my face. And it's brilliantly jet black and matte, no half hearted charcoal grey situation.

So that was some rambling. I hope you guys have a great week!

Drawing the Line

I recently had someone ask me what the best liner for summer was. And when I thought about it, I realized that for the Indian climate/any other hot and humid place where your make up is likely to sweat off, you DO need something with staying power. And even I, subconsciously, switch up my liner during these months as well.

So here are my two favorite liners at the moment.

So the Maybelline Colossal Liner is something that I've been wanting to try for a while now. I'm not the biggest fan of felt tip liners, but this had claims of it being the 'blackest liner' ever. And I needed it. And I am happy to report that these claims were true. It is incredibly easy to use, very VERY black and makes my morning cat eye a painless job. I will say though, that this one isn't waterproof, if that is what you're after.

And for you ladies that have are tormented by the oily eyelid syndrome - check out the Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner. It is a tiny little brush-felt tip hybrid (a flocked tip, is what they call it). It is VERY long wearing. The only downside to this for me, was that it wasn't a matte liner, which is something I prefer for everyday use. But if you're down with a bit of shine - go for it. It dries really quickly and lasts ALL day. And one thing that I personally like about this is that at the end of the day when you're taking off your make up, this comes off very easily - it almost flakes off with water. So no panda eyes.


What liners have you guys been loving this summer?

The Mid Week Therapy Night

There are those days at the end of the week (or even in the middle) where I need some serious relaxation/pamper time. When your budget is tight and you don't exactly have the facilities required for a bath tub AND no Wi-fi in your PG (yes folks, it is true),
To be honest, I think it's given me time to really switch off when I get home and spend time reading or watching Desperate Housewives on TV.

But all in all, these nights are when I really get to spend some 'me' time and chill the f*** out.

I usually start off with a nice warm shower (hot water damages my skin like CRAZY). The Palmolive Thermal Spa Skin Renewal Crushed Coconut Body Wash is one of the best scrub-cream wash combinations ever. I feel like a hula dancer when I step out of the shower. Really moisturizing, gets the job done. Although it says to apply it with a loofah, I feel like that defeats the purpose of getting down and dirty with the scrub. So I use it with my hands first and then go over it with a wet loofah.

After that, this is the time where I work on my face. The Jovees Apricot and Almond scrub is what I use to get all that grit off my face. It's not harsh at all, but gently exfoliates, leaving your skin feeling soft and supple.

Then, pore strip time.
When people ask me how much my tattoos hurt - here is an answer. 1 pore strip pulling = 5 tattoos.
But the satisfaction of seeing all the goo from your pores on that strip is satisfying to the nth degree. I used the Clenz U (much Wow) carbon strips from Health n Glow. You get 3 in a pack for a little over 100 INR, so it's pretty worth it, cause they're really nice quality too.

I paint my nails because well, makes me feel ladylike.

And for my beverage choice - I love a cup of Cadbury's Cocoa. For you tea drinkers, Tulsi Ginger Green tea is my alternative. You get this at places like Fab India or Nilgiris. 130 INR for 25 sachets or so.

Like I said, my room is a Wifi free zone, so I love curling up in bed with my drink and listening to Radiolab podcasts - DEFINITELY check them out here. They really simplify science and technology for challenged people such as I. A book that I've been loving lately - The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. The 'real' story of the Dracula. Chilling, gripping, and makes me sleep with my light on...

Another favorite I've had this month is my headphones. They're these - the Philips ActionFit sport headphones. They fit SO snugly, they NEVER flop out, and they're so comfortable to fall asleep in. I credit my S.O for helping me out with this, I know 0 about headphones/audio paraphernalia and this was a pretty sweet deal at INR 539.

So this is how I unwind and destress. This doesn't even have to be on a weekend. Just whenever you have a couple hours to yourself.

Try this, I swear it works!