Christmas & New Year gifts ....

It was a lovely Christmas and New Years day..I went out for Phillip Island with my family we had a good time it was nice to just relax and spent some time together ...the weather was perfect and Phillip Island is heaven. I had some lovely food throughout the day...though I wasn't feeling well but nothing could stop me from enjoying the holidays:) for New Year we went out to see the fireworks and this is pretty much what we do each year:)
I received some lovely gifts from family and friends for Christmas and New Year. And I am so thankful for everything I got.

Max Brenner "Chocolate by the bald man", Body Shop body butter&soap set, bareMinerrals and benefit makeup sets, Candles, L'OCCITANE fragrances, Narciso Rodriguez fragrance.

I bought Lush gift sets for my friends.

I wasn't feeling well so I couldn't capture the beautiful scenery of  Phillip Island and my lack of energy kept me from waiting to watch the penguin parade... but the whole day was wonderful.

Phillip Island

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year:)

November Favourites...

It's a little bit late to call it "November favourites" but I just wanted to post this because it's the last month of this year!! though I have to say that it just doesn't limit to the month of November I've been using some of these products for more than a month now. The next time I do a favorites post will be my 2013 favorites...it's crazy how quickly this year has gone by!

The two products I have tired in November and I am very excited to share with you are the Napoleon Perdis freebies that came as a bonus with a magazine, I have never used any product from this brand before. I am in love with three of the products but the two that made it to my most favorites had to be the lipgloss and Lash to Lash mascara in black... there is no name mentioned on the lipgloss and I have no idea if these were limited edition exclusive for the magazine. Anyways these two are just too good I wear this mascara every single day ever since the first time I used it  and the lipgloss is a gorgeous milky pale pink mostly I top it on a lipstick, it has clear shine and stay put for a long time.

Mac Studio Finish Concealer in NW 30 is perfect for hiding my blemishes and my horrible dark under eyes. One more product I am currently loving is Mac lipstick in Chilli...I like dabbing it on more than rubbing on my lips because it sheers out the pigmentation and the colour looks better on me this way...it's a gorgeous fresh red colour.

I don't like to wear a thick layer of foundation everyday so I have been using  Maybelline Fit Me foundation in 310 it provides a light coverage and even out my complexion and I hide my blemishes with the Mac studio Finish concealer which goes very well with this foundation. I love this foundation, it completely hides the rough and  dry patches and provides a lovely healthy glow to my skin.

Givenchy Very Irresistible is another favorite, I have this in a 4 ml bottle. It's quite musky for my usual taste but I still like it because it is the only strong smell among all other perfumes I've got... may be it's different that's why I am liking it. It is most definitely a night time floral musky scent.

I will end this post with a rather boring product that really worked for me and it is the REDKEN Scalp Relief Soothing Balance Shampoo... I started feeling  a little bit of discomfort while brushing my hairs sort of hurt as someone is pulling my hairs and I had a itchy scalp too so I thought this product might help and it did...it also fixes my frizzy hairs making it smooth and manageable. I usually get irritated scalp during winters so I believe that I may not need this shampoo during summers...nonetheless it's a fantastic product.

I am also going to write a post on my 2013 favorites too... I just finished second semester of my university, it means a lot more time for blogging and fun. 

Hope you all are looking forward to the coming holidays, some family time, good food, lazy mornings and plenty of fun:) 

Mini Haul & Enjoying A Freebie

It's definitely the weather that's been bothering me, always  going up and down.... For the past couple of days I haven't been sleeping well due to sickness and wake up tired each morning with runny nose and sore throat, so it took me a while to get this haul post up and guess what when taking pictures I totally forgot to include the other items I picked up along with these goodies. I am most exited about the SK ll facial treatment essence came as a bonus with Marie Clair October issue, so worth a try... I have yet to try out this free sample first before I decide and spend big bucks on this miracle water full size bottle. 

I also picked up a matte top coat by Revlon which turned out to be a disappointment, it takes forever to dry and looks very chalky ( can anyone suggest me a good matte top coat). I have been loving Burt's Bees cuticle cream and Revlon  lipstick in Mink, its the colour that Halle Berry wore in a Revlon add. I am yet to try out the Moroccan oil treatment. I enjoyed this yummy Malaysian lunch with my sister yesterday.

My Sunday started with runny nose and sneezing :( I am now gonna go and get ready for a dinner. I hope you all having a lovely Sunday.

Essence Eyesdaow Palette,Eye Brushes,Hand Cream-Review

I have been wanting to write the reviews of  essence products for quite a long time and finally managed to write this blog post, 

I like sharing cheap and cheerful thrills :)

I picked up an essence eyeshadow palette in glamour to go 'sun club - 02 long beach' (a permanent collection palette). Its a gorgeous inexpensive eyeshadow palette for everyday use, it has eight eyeshadows and a dual sided applicator.

This shimmery eyeshadow palette includes warm colours - a  shimmery gold,bronze, a deep semi matte brown , a light brown, a light shimmery pink, yellowish highlighter, a copper colour and last but not least a grayish taupe to finish a beachy look.

I paid Rs.450, not a bad price to pay for a pretty little palette. Eyeshodows  have a good staying power if used with a primer. Shades in this palette work very  well together.

essence 24h hand protection balm  has a non greasy texture and it absorbs quickly leaving my hands soft and smooth. It has coconut oil and shea butter to repair damaged dry hands. I can't say much about the 24 hour claim because I can't  keep away from washing my hands for this long.

I also picked up two eye brushes form essence and I am loving both brushes. One is a smokey eye brush round, fluffy purple which I use to blend my crease eyeshadow precisely...it is very soft and just the prefect size for cease area.
The angled brush is a blue haired synthetic fibers gel eye liner brush  but I use it it apply my normal liquid or cream  eye liners. It is a perfect brush for an amazing price...it applies my eyeliner very smoothly and evenly. Both brushes didn't shed after washing. 

I paid Rs. 200 for each brush. Both these brushes are quite good quality at this price.
Essence products are available at Target and Priceline in Australia.

You can visit essence website here .

Some Favorites And Life Lately....

Hey everyone...I haven't updated my blog for ages. I missed blogging so much and attempted for a blog post several times but honestly I wasn't quite there. Now I have started to think that if I miss blogging so much and think about getting back to it each day than I must start it again. I've moved to Australia and with that move I had to focus and adjust with so many new changes. Life has been very strange and surprising with some new and "bothering"  developments.

Nothing has been inspiring me over these months, I didn't try a lot of makeup and skincare products but whatever I've bought and used I really like it. I'm including pictures of some of the products I've used and pictures of my elder sister's baby shower.

Here is a glimpse of the upcoming reviews.

 

I have plenty of more products that I'll be reviewing.
See you soon with some exciting reviews and fashion posts :)

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Eyeshadows Review & Swatches [Turquoise Teal & Timeless Black]

I bought Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 HR eyeshadows in July, Its not a new product its been out for a while now, I've been really enjoying this product:)

Left: 20 Tourquoise Teal , Right: 60 Timeless Black

Packaging,Texture,Coverage:

I love the packaging it is a glass jar with a black plastic lid, once it is open it is good to go for 24 months.

The texture of this product is a mix of cream and gel....some of these are more creamy and smoother.Both of these colors have buildable coverage, which provides versatility, you can wear them lightly or build the colors to get opacity.

Staying power is the highlight of this product since these are marketed as the "Tattoo 24 hr" eyeshadows...I think it lives up to the expectation. Once it is on it is hard to take off . They do feel heavy and dry on lids after a couple of hours but do not appear so!

Timeless black: I already have a lot of black eyeshadows so I wasn't really exited for this one...but this turned out to be my favourite it is a gorgeous semi matte Black, coverage is buildable...it can be worn as a smokey soft black or as an intense black.It is creamier than Turquoise Teal.
Turquoise Teal is a gorgeous blue with silver blue shimmer, the chunky glitters makes it a little hard to blend this color, this shade is not as smooth and creamy as Timeless Black. The color is buildable and can be worn as a pretty light blue or a deep blue.

Both these colors are hard to take off, a lot of rubbing is required, a good oil based remover should be used for a gentle easy cleansing. 

I find they work fine without an eye  primer, a primer doesn't really make a difference in terms of staying power, blending and pigmentation. Maybelline Tattoo eyeshadows are pretty good alone. Eight new "gorgeous"colors are introduced in the limited collection for Fall 2012 .I think some of the gorgeous colors should be included in the permanent selection.

Why I like these:

Buildable coverage which makes it versatile,  perfect for oily/sweaty lids, extremely long lasting, amazing price, nice packaging, good quality, good color selection, both Turquoise Teal, Timeless Black and most colors from this range will suit any skin color.

I can't wait to try more colors.I need to pick up at least 3 more.

Price, Availability: These are available at most drugstores, Maybelline is a widely distributed cosmetic brand, costs around $6 to $9. Names of eyeshadows are different in UK and USA.
I got them for 6 euro each.
You can get them from Naheed super market Karachi, I haven't seen them anywhere else in Karachi.
Check out more colors from this range HERE .

Aren't these pretty?  Do you think Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 HR eyeshaodw range is a drugstore answer to Makeup Forever Aqua creams, Mac's Paint Pots or Stila Smudgepots?

e.l.f Mineral Lipsticks in Pouty Petal & Rosy Raisin - Review Swatches

Its been quite a long time since I last undated my blog and this post is long over due.You must have read quite a lot of reviews of e.l.f mineral lipsticks by now. I bought them a few months back, I just wanted to try them so I picked up the colors that received raved reviews. Packaging is very nice, simple black tube with "e.l.f " written on the top of the cap.

Left: Pouty Petal , Right: Rosy Raisin

(Without Flash)Left:Rosy Raisin, Right:Pouty Petal        (With Flash) Top: Rosy Raisin, Bottom: Pouty Petal

Rosy Raisin is a sheer cool toned pinky brown with a hint of silver, the fine silver shimmer is almost unnoticeable on lips.
Pouty Petal is a sheer cool toned pink with gold shimmer, shimmer is very fine but noticeable on lips.

These lipsticks has the same feel that maybelline mineral lipsticks had, smooth and light weight...both colors are very sheer and very similar.I have to rub them on my lips to get some color.They glide on very smoothly almost like a lip balm. Staying power is average. Once the lipsticks are opened they should be used within 6 months, ingredients and other details are mentioned on the box of the lipsticks,each e.l.f lipstick contain 3.8 grams of product.

I don't have dry and chapped lips but when I take off these lipsticks my lips feel dry and chapped,I don't mind it because I don't wear same lipsticks everyday.Each lipstick was £3.5 when I bought them from UK website now they are available for £.5  , and you can choose from 16 colors.(prices are different in different countries) Check out e.l.f UK website HERE to view more colors of e.l.f mineral lipsticks.

Have you tried any mineral lipsticks from e.l.f...Its a good product and worth trying out!

Cheap & Cheerful :)

I must be having a lucky day...I bought some really good stuff without spending a lot, inexpensive products are not always less good.

Sunsilk straight and sleek- anti frizz lotion is a thick white lotion that can be used on damp or dry hairs to control frizz, I thought it is also a heat protector but its not but it can be used with blow dry and strengtheners it doesn't provide heat protection but it cuts down the time of blow drying or strengthening:) I personally use it alone usually on dry hairs when I don't feel like spending time on straightening...when the first time I used this product I was like.... wow!!! it givess the softest look and takes away all the frizz and makes my hair soft and manageable.I bought it for only Rs.192 and its Thailand made.

I am a lip balm fanatic...I have so many lip balms I need to finish first and I keep on buying more in cute jars. I bought the red jar (apple flavor) for Rs. 100 and I use it almost every day but it is still as good as new, it leaves my lips soft and glossy with a little cherry tint.The Banana Boat sunblock for lips spf 30 for Rs.60, not really fond of the medicated smell but the best part is that it kind of absorbs in the lips and its not glossy and greasy so I really enjoy wearing this.

Young Chin Lightning Eye Cream Dark Circle Diminisher is for Dark Circles but honestly it hasn't lighten up my dark circles.. I love it because it hydrates and brightens up the eye area and it absorbs very quickly and feels fresh around eyes not heavy or greasy, perfect as a day eye cream for just Rs.150. ingredients included are  cucumber extract, vitamin A,E&B3, Aloe Vera.

I bought this new eye curler because my beloved Maybelline eye curler doesn't fit my eyes anymore...I am not sure  why and its weird..did it happen with anyone of you? I bought this eye lash curler for just Rs.100.....the curve perfectly fit my eyes and it keeps my lashes curled  for 3 days...crazy good:) and I got the brush for just Rs.120 this is the softest brush ever and I use it as a blush brush, blending is quick and effortless with it.

I never use refreshing/cleansing wipes because they dry out my skin but these cool&cool refreshing wipes are alcohol free and the best wipes I have ever use to remove makeup. sometimes I use it alone and sometimes after using my cleansing lotion I just sweep it all over my face and it removes every tiny bit of makeup.

I am so glad I found some good cheap alternates and I am able to save some of my money.Do you want to share your favorite cheapy:) 

________________have a nice day______________

LIFE LATELY.......Ramadan,Eid, Cooking & Shopping!!

Hey everyone:) I hope all of you had a lovely Ramadan and Eid...I was very busy for the past few weeks...I got very sick on chand raat  and I was in bed till 4pm on the first day of Eid, it kind of took away the Eid fun:(  I am feeling quite well now.

I bought some makeup and skincare products over the month for Eid, some nail art accessories,The Bodyshop's vitamin C scrub and eye cream, color studio nail polish,essence eyeshadow palette,foundation and eye brush, L'Oreal blush, Maybelline color tattoo cream eyeshadow.
I bought lots of jewelry and had fun shopping through out the month...

 

My independence day celebration was grocery shopping with my sister:) we were so tired and got  stuck in a traffic jam:(  had our aftari at chatter box, an amazing aftari in one my favorites places to eat out.I got my dinner packed and ate it the other day.

 Cooking was highlight of the month, the odd cooking and eating hours in Ramadan really puts me in a lazy mood!

this is what I got packed for dinner and bought this cute independence day cupcake,it was the only cupcake left waiting for me...I guess!

Sheer Khurma and Rasmalai for eid:

  It was a wonderful and busy month of Ramadan as usual:) My busy schedule kept me  from blogging ...now life is back on track!

ILLAMASQUA - FIGHT FOR A FAIR BEAUTY PRICE

Cosmetics giant Illamasqua is making a stand against the global giants of cosmetics, who force Australian customers to pay up to 61% more than UK prices. It's entirely unjust that a woman in the UK pays just $24 for a lipstick, while a woman in Australia has to pay $40 for exactly the same product.

 Illamasqua is an independent British colour cosmetics brand and, in the short time we've retailed in Australia, we've heard time and again your frustration over the inflated pricing of cosmetics compared to the rest of the world.

We have listened and want to slash our prices across our range in Australia. But first we need you to demonstrate to the industry that if we can make this change happen, you'll commit to buying our products. So please sign your name, make your mark, tell your friends, clench your fist and cry "hell no!"

I am so glad that finally a giant cosmetic brand took note of this, please go ahead and sign this petition to make it successful :) 

Please click here to sign the petition

www.illamasqua.com/fairpriceforbeauty

Learn about the campaign here

www.illamasqua.com/fairpriceforbeauty/about-the-campaign

Almay one coat dial up Mascara & Almay crayon contour eyeliner [Review]

I have sensitive eyes and my eyes easily get irritated,itchy and watery if  I use a wrong product but I am still not sure what is the ingredient that irritates my eyes so I try my best to buy the eye products that claims to be save for sensitive eyes.Almay products are save for sensitive skin so I thought to try this one and it came with a free eyeliner....which I think is now discontinued.

Almay one coat dial up mascara has 3 different adjustable dial .When you rotate the purple part of the mascara it allows you to control the the product and the length and volume required for lashes.When the dial is twisted it opens up the tube and allows the brush to pick up more product to make lashes look full, fuller to fullest.My favorite volumizing mascara is Rimmel's volume flash but since it irritates my eyes I can't use it for up to 3,4 hours, Almay one coat dial up mascara has never irritated my eyes. I hardly twist up to the 3rd dial because it is super volumizing and lengthening and looks a bit odd for day time so I normally adjust the 2nd dial,the formula  is very thick so it is perfect for fine lashes. The wand is stiff and short but I really like the plastic bristle brush...it is small in fact it is a nice decent size, perfect for my eyes and it easily paints the inside and outside lashes. It has a good staying power, I didn't experience any smudging, clumping or flaking.I bought the blackest black for my lashes.Not very impressed with the thick tube looks more like a gadget than a mascara, I like nice sleek packaging but if the product is good I can absolutely ignore the packaging.

Honestly this mascara is pretty volumizing and lengthening.I really enjoy using this mascara, it volumises and it is super pigmented.

you can view this mascara HERE

Almay crayon contour pencil was a free gift with this mascara.I am not a fan of crayon pencils, it is not very black and it is quite dry but it has a great staying power,once its on it stays put forever. I just recently discovered that it has a sharper at the end:)) 
 

CATRICE Photo Finish Liquid Foundation 18h [Review]

After trying out a bunch of foundation at Naheed super market I bought CATRICE photo finish liquid foundation, and I think the time spent, was worth it.I am definitely going to try out more products from Catrice, the quality is very good among other "affordable" brands.

with flash

Catrice Photo finish liquid foundation 18h  comes in a nice a glass bottle with a plastic lid and a pump dispenser.All the details about the foundation including the ingredients are mentioned on the bottle.This foundation is heavily fragranced I thought its going to give me a major headache but it didn't happen:). The texture is very interesting its like a whipped cream and its very easy to blend on face, no matter how much you shake the bottle, the foundation won't drip out, it won't even move. it looks dark in the tube but it isn't very dark on my skin, it is a good match for my complexion, I bought the deepest color 050 deep bronze, I wouldn't recommend it for dry skin because this foundation is very silky when applied on face and after 3 minutes it sets to a semi matte finish ,it is suitable for combination to oily skin. I apply it with my fingers and use a buffing brush later.It doesn't require a touch up for at least 5 hours.The coverage is buildable you can layer it on for a heavy look or just use a light layer.I have never tried any photo finish HD kind of foundation so I can't make any comparisons but this foundation photographs very well, it gives a  flawless and glowy look to my skin, the "soft focus effect" claim is 100% true.

You can view more shades of this foundation HERE ,ingredients HERE, Claims HERE

What I like About Catrice Photo Finish Liquid Foundation 18h

Easy to blend, smooth silky creamy texture, nicely packaged, provides a lasting finish, semi matte foundation but doesn't look heavy and cakey,  lightweight non greasy on skin, didn't break me out,doesn't require frequent touch ups, photographs well, good color match for my skin, its perfect for lighter to dark blemishes and acne coverage, doesn't clog pores.

Price I paid Rs. 820 for 30ml at Naheed super market.

I am definitely going to repurchase this foundation.

I recently announced a ZARA handbag giveaway hope you will join it here

Have a nice day:)