Have a Very Harry Christmas a.k.a Winter Favorites

To anyone who got that reference - please be my friend if you aren't already.

I've been doing a little decorating in these parts, and I thought I'd share. I love anything festive and sparkly, so this time of year is my time. The streets are lit up, Fifth Ave has all the christmas windows, there are sales EVERYWHERE and caramel lattes are a thing.
I ordered my tree off Amazon, and got these dinky little decorations from Jacks, which is like the dollar store, I guess. I'm surprised by the quality of some of the decor they have, for 99 freaking cents. One day, I will be able to afford Kurt Adler, but until then...

I've discovered so many new products this year, especially since I've moved (woot woot for consumerism and capitalism in the U-S-A) and some of them, I've been reaching for a lot.

You'll probably wonder why I have so many hair products. Well, the thing is, my hair gets very temperamental when it gets cold. It loses the frizz that humidity gives it, but sometimes it feels so dry that I wish I could put some body butter on it.

I've tried a lot (and I mean A LOT) of combinations but the one thing that has been working is anything that is sulphate and paraben free. I can see that my scalp is healthier, hair is shinier and my hairfall has reduced (it's still there, but at least it's less). And hair masks. They have been miracle workers for those days where my hair feels like hay. Now that the heating has turned on, and there is practically 0 humidity, oil massages and hair masks are the way to go.

The Hask Macadamia Oil Shampoo and Conditioner (around $4.99 each depending on where you get them) has been making all the difference in the world. It has a sweet, almost vanilla-esque scent that lingers. The shampoo does it's job but the conditioner is the star of the show. Even in the shower, after I rinse it off, I can feel the difference. Super manageable, smooth hair. I usually let my hair air dry, but now that it's getting colder, I finish up with a hair dryer so I don't catch a cold. They're the worst. I highly recommend both.

Bath and Body Works need to stop having flash sales. It's one street away from school and I have to pass it when I go to the station. I picked up some hand sanitizers (5 for $6) because Purell makes me sneeze, and I need to put sanitizer on every day cause like 99% of NYC, I use the subway. There are nasty germs on the subway. Ones that flu shots can't take care of. The Be Joyful PocketBac is my favorite - I much prefer this to the old packaging cause it's just SO DAMN CUTE.

My cuticles have been looking pretty shabby lately, and I feel like that's something that everyone forgets to take care of. No matter how much lotion or hand cream you put on, those suckers always seem to flake and look pretty gross. This Ella and Mia cuticle oil is amazing. It applies like nailpolish, which is pretty innovative. Reduces mess and fuss. And it works. It's a thick, clear oil that you can paint on and rub in (I recommend doing it post shower so it absorbs better) and makes your nails look like you actually give a shit.

Milani Matte lipsticks are life. I went to Duane Reade with a few friends and convinced one of them to buy Sangria. You can check out the post about that here. The forumlation is amazing. And when it fades through the day, it leaves a forgiving stain, instead of being patchy. I will say that it takes some getting used to at the beginning because the lipstick takes time to set and really get matte. I bought the Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Black Cherry. It is an AMAZING vampy maroon, with some deep brown undertones. I was looking for a vampy maroon that didn't have purple undertones forever, and I've been after Black Cherry for almost 2 months now. But it's ALWAYS been sold out in stores. So when I saw it restocked, I just had to. I'm one of those people that buys makeup with the intention of using it up - and I'm already almost done with Sangria, so I'm pretty proud of myself.

I've spoken about the Wet'nWild nailpolish in Disturbia too in this post, but it is an amazing, opaque color that is perfect for the holidays. Super vampy with a hint of shimmer (not glitter) which looks very put together. Also totally hides ugly cuticles.

And last but not least. I went out and bit the bullet. And bought a Bath and Body Works candle. Okay look. I've never understood why a drugstore brand needs to charge $22.50 for a candle. How good could it be? When they were on sale, I decided to get one as an end-of-semester present. And the verdict? I totally understand why they're pricey. Okay, I would never buy one full price. But. It burns so slowly, the scent fills the room in under a minute AND, it lingers. It lingers like you've used a freaking diffuser! This candle, Winter, is a beautiful blend of icy mandarin and pine - both sweet and woody at the same time, which I enjoy.

So that wraps up my post. I've left links if you want to buy anything too! I hope you like my tiny little tree as much as I do. I doubt I'll take it down till February...
Happy Holidays!

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!