Detangling my hair knots with the Tangle Teezer Salon Elite and Compact Styler Hair Brushes

Now I never thought I’d be reviewing a hair brush on my blog, but when the darn thing costs you a bomb, you do it. Also, this product seems to be really coveted, so I thought I’ll just put in my experience and maybe if you’re really interested in buying it, you can read a well rounded review before spending your $$$.

About the brushes:

Tangle Teezer Salon Elite is a professional detangling brush which will effortlessly banish tangles and knots from all hair types. Featuring patented, uniquely designed teeth which flex and flick as they glide through the hair, Tangle Teezer Salon Elite eliminates tangles and knots on contact and minimises breakage, damage and splitting often caused by tugging and pulling on the hair shaft

Tangle Teezer Compact Styler Detangling Brush is an innovative hairbrush that is just too fabulous! Extremely cute in size and high on style, it can be tucked into your bag and pulled out in lesser than a minute to recharge hair in seconds. 

Here’s the creator, Shaun

My Experience Tangle Teezer Salon Elite & Compact Styler Detangling Brush:

Pouting with the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Mad About Mauve : Musings & Swatches

Company Claims ~

For seven decades, women everywhere have indulged in the bold, luxurious shades of our most iconic lipstick. Super Lustrous™ creates unforgettably seductive lip color in four finishes — crème, matte, pearl, and shine.

My experience with Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Mad About Mauve

Multipurpose Drugstore Gems : Maybelline Clear Glow BB Stick in Radiance and Fawn

Maybelline Clearglow BB Stick was one of my goto base products for summer, when I needed full coverage I opted for the Lakme White Intense Foundation & when I was lazy I just used the Kryolan concealers to fake the appearance of perfect skin. Anytime in between, I relied on these Maybelline BB Sticks. I loved using them A LOT because :

-They have medium coverage

-They are very lightweight

-Blend in to the skin easily

-Matte finish

-Long wear time

-Easy to take off

-Has SPF 21 and PA+++ which means it has broad spectrum protection. Read more in my sunscreen post. So its perfect for giving you extra protection in hotter months.

However it has one very big con – Maybelline Clearglow BB Sticks are available in only two shades. JUST TWO.

Packaging : the Maybelline Clearglow BB Sticks come in a foundation stick kind of packaging, you can use a brush to take a product from the tip of just glide it across your face. Either way, it’s a bit unsanitary so I make sure to sanitize them regularly. I like this style though; its pretty convenient to use and see how much is left, and you can finish up the product completely. 

Shades : Radiance is a light color that will suit fair skin tones. Fawn is a darker color that will suit medium to deep skintones. Both shades seem to have pink undertones. I’m NC42 in MAC and Radiance is 2-3 shades lighter than my skintone and Fawn is 1.5 shades darker. 

Texture : They start out creamy but once blended, they settle into a matte finish. I set my face with a powder afterwards. These are not meant for dry skin (there’s a liquid variant). They are very lightweight. I use it by gliding the product directly from the tube on my face. Both Radiance & Fawn are easy to blend. I don't think they gave my skin any sort of glow.

Coverage : The coverage is medium imo, its definitely higher than what the Garnier BB cream offers. I find that I can cover small spots and blemishes with the Maybelline BB Sticks. I do not have many imperfections on my skin except for some pigmentation around my mouth and dark circles which require the use of corrector & concealer separately. I do not have large open pores or acne scars so I cannot comment how this product will affect them.

For an embarrassingly long period of time, I thought Fawn is a perfect match for me & I wore it on my whole face. In my defense, it looked perfect in the mirror !! After I had my picture clicked couple of times, when I hung out with friends & so on, I saw that my skin looked 2 shades darker and I was really surprised and I wondered why that’s happening… my skin looked right in the mirror dammit. Either the color oxidizes or its darker for me, right ? I realized that it is indeed darker than my skintone and it oxidizes a bit too. This was a huge bummer, Maybelline Clearglow BB Stick was one of my goto products & I couldn’t use it anymore :/

Because I really liked the Maybelline Clearglow BB Stick , I decided to purchase the lighter shade – Radiance. I mixed these two to get a match for my skintone. However, since summer has ended, I’m using these two in a new way – for highlighting and contouring. Fawn doesn’t have a warm undertone, my contour doesn’t look muddy. Since the Maybelline Clearglow BB Sticks have medium coverage, the effect is very natural and I like it that way. If I want to take it a step further, I set them with the highlight & contour shades from the Sleek Face Form Kit. If you are very fair, Fawn can give you chiselled cheekbones.

Weartime : these are the longest wearing amongst the BB creams I’ve tried. I found that it was still there on my skin 7 hours after I first applied it. It did fade overtime, but not completely. I feel like they do oxidise a bit overtime. I needed a makeup remover wipe to get it completely off. In contrast, the Garnier and Deborah Milano BB Creams fade away in 5 hrs and a facewash is enough for getting rid of them completely. I have a normal skintype, though it was normal-combination in summers.

Product vs Price :

Price : Rs. 250 / $3.8

Qty : 10g / 0.35
Availability : Nykaa 

I think that for the product, the price is right!

Overall Verdict : 4.2/5

The Maybelline Clearglow BB Stick is a great buy, especially if you are on a budget. It provides a medium coverage which is great for everyday wear, brunches and errands. Unfortunately they are available in just 2 colors so you might have to buy both to find the right match for your skin. They can also be used for giving your skin a natural looking highlight and contour, which again is perfect for everyday!

FACES Ultime Pro Eye Shadow Crayon - All Shades and Price Info : Dancing Queen, Last Christmas, Night Fever, She’s Got D Looks, Staying Alive, Uptown Girl

Style your eyes with the new FACES Ultime Pro Eye Shadow Crayon

Get gleaming eyes with the launch of the all-new Ultime Pro Eye Shadow Crayon from FACES Cosmetics that will light up your eyes in an instant.  This new age multi-tasking eye shadow crayon in a pencil format doubles up both as an eye liner and an eye shadow, promises to be your go to makeup item to glam you up any time of the day! Easy to apply and even easier to carry it in your bag, FACES Ultime Pro Eye Shadow Crayon makes for a hassle-free travel makeup.

Available in vibrant hues, these soft and creamy eye crayons glide on effortlessly to create mesmerizing eye looks for any occasion. From soft shiny to metallic, FACES Ultime Pro Eye Shadow Crayon gives a flattering finish, is waterproof with a long-stay formula that feels comfortable on your lids, all day long. It is easy to blend and non-sticky, besides being perfectly suitable for use as an eye liner/ pencil.

Being dermatologically and ophthalmologically tested, FACES Ultime Pro Eye Shadow Crayons are completely safe to use. Made with a wax-based formula, these alluring crayons are free of paraffin and preservatives too.

So create those bold eye looks you crave for with the versatile FACES Ultime Pro Eye Shadow Crayon!

Price: Rs. 599

Available in 6 shades:

FACES Ultime Pro Eye Shadow Crayon- Dancing Queen 

FACES Ultime Pro Eye Shadow Crayon- Last Christmas

FACES Ultime Pro Eye Shadow Crayon- Night Fever

FACES Ultime Pro Eye Shadow Crayon- She’s Got D Looks 

FACES Ultime Pro Eye Shadow Crayon- Staying Alive

FACES Ultime Pro Eye Shadow Crayon- Uptown Girl

This is a pretty exciting release from FACES cosmetics, who doesn't love the convenience of crayon eye shadows ?

Dancing Queen seems like a cool dark brown

Last Christmas seems like a lovely turquoise shade

Night Fever seems like a gorgeous warm gold shade

She’s Got D Looks seems like a metallic deep blue, perfect for smokey eye makeup

Staying Alive seems like a cranberry shade but I hope its aubergine! 

Uptown Girl is a mystery - is it red ? pink ? coral ? 

I wish they launched a beige shade too, it would make a perfect base color!

Enliven Silicone Free Hair Conditioners Review - Mango and Passionfruit, Raspberry and Red Apple, Kiwi and Fig

I haven’t talked in detail about any hair conditioners on my blog because most of them have stopped working on my hair in 6 months. So I really had nothing to talk about them. Enliven Hair Conditioners are a little different because they are silicone free, so I felt like sharing my thoughts on them. I started out with the Mango & Passionfruit variant, however when I let my mom & sister try it out, they loved it a lot so they purchased the remaining variants – Raspberry & Red apple, Kiwi & Fig for themselves. All three literally perform the same, the only difference is the fragrance. Raspberry & Red Apple smells the best.  

My Experience with Enliven Hair Conditioners :

Does It Live Up To The Hype? Clinique Ginger Pop (01) Cheek Pop Blush Review, Photos, Swatches

The Clinique cheek Pop blush is my first foray into the world of high end makeup. I bought it because of the beautiful gerber-daisy embossing on the pan & all of the hype around its one-of-a-kind formula. Beauty bloggers & vloggers had given it glowing reviews & it was touted to be a game changer in the world of blushes.

Clinique Claims :
Vibrant yet natural-looking cheek colour that looks virtually powderless. In a silky smooth, stay-true formula with shades for every skin tone. That just-pinched look, simply effortless

How to Use
- Swirl colour onto brush and sweep over apples of cheeks.
- Gently blend colour up towards cheekbones and temple.
- Reapply to build to desired brightness

Blessing For Dry Skin ? The Body Shop Shea Shower Cream Review

The Body Shop Shea Shower cream is a thick cleanser, its consistency is right between the Brazil Nut Shower Cream (runny)  and the Cocoa Butter Shower Cream(very thick). It has a heavy musky fragrance that smells lovely. It does feel like its perfumed, if you are not a fan of strongly scented products you might not like this. When I’m using the shea shower cream, my bathroom is filled with the fragrance, however the scent doesn’t linger on my skin post use. I have been using it everyday since the cold weather began in pune, that is, almost 2 months. Right now I have less than half of it remaining.

I have very dry skin, mainly because I’m very lazy about moisturizing , so when the cold weather rolled in I started using the cream-based products in place of gel based bath products. The Body Shop shea shower cream was my first choice (over the other shower creams I had) because it claims to have ‘shea butter’, which is known to be an excellent moisturizer. Initially I though that the shea shower cream didn’t do anything for my skin as my skin remained dry as it was before. For a week I switched back to a shower gel and I saw the difference slowly. Some of the driest parts of  my body started getting dry patches which did not happen whilst using The Body Shop shea shower cream. Therefore, I switched back to the shea shower cream and I’ve decided to use similar products for the cold season.

Since it is cream based, I do not use a loofah with it because I feel that the loofah soaks up all the product. It’s a bit of a bother for me because I need to purchase those bath gloves so that my body can get a bit of daily exfoliation. I’ve been meaning to purchase it and a lot of other things from The Body Shop but I keep forgetting :/ The shea shower cream claims to be soap free, but there’s no way to confirm it because they haven’t mentioned any ingredients. It doesn’t lather so maybe the claims are true. My body does feel clean after using this, but sometimes I feel the need for deeper cleansing, which is why I need to buy those gloves asap. Since it is a thick, cream based cleanser, I do not recommend it for hotter months.  

Product vs Price :

Price : Rs. 425 / $6.4

Qty : 250 ml / 8.4 oz

Shelf Life : 12 months

Availability : The Body Shop Website | Flipkart | Amazon

It comes in a transparent  plastic jar so you can always see the amount of product left, which is so convenient. I do wish it had a pump dispenser though.

Overall Verdict : 4.5/ 5

The Body Shop Shea Shower cream is a must have for dry skinned people in the cold weather. If you’re on the way to haul products for the cooler months, this should be on your list! Its not even winter and I already feel super cold, I plan on repurchasing the cocoa shower cream for winters and I will repurchase this shea shower cream too, if I'm not bored of it by then.

Colorbar Matte Touch Lipsticks in Pink Romance, Feelings // The First Lipstick I Ever Purchased (Now Discontinued ??)

Sometimes we do hoard makeup and forget about the ones that are already part of our collection. One such item from my makeup vanity is the Colorbar Matte Touch lipsticks, mainly the shade Pink Romance, which is the first lipstick I ever purchased as an adult. I bought this two years ago (in May). Until then I relied on tinted lipbalms & lip glosses. Obviously, I never got around to reviewing it till today. Do you want to know the story of how I came about to purchasing it?

It was a day before my internship would begin in some large IT company. I was roaming in a mall with my sister & I was telling her how I wanted to buy a lipstick to wear to work. I was also quite nervous about the commencement of my internship so this was a way to lighten up my spirits. We both walked into the standalone Colorbar store & I told the SA that I wanted the shade ‘Bare’ from the Velvet Matte range. The SA told us that range had been discontinued & was reformulated to this range – Matte Touch. However, all the names were completely different. The SA had a sheet with her which mapped the shade names from the Velvet Matte(VM) range to the Matte Touch(MT) range & that’s how I ended up trying Pink Romance.

When I tried it at the store the SA said that it looked like a perfect MLBB on me & my sister liked it too so we decided to purchase it. I was nervous about how it would look in natural light coz the lights in the Colorbar store are all white so most shades end up suiting your skintone as it appears 3-4 shades lighter. My sister also made a purchase, she bought the lovely Rose Quartz lipstick from the Soft Touch range. My sis wanted a coral shade too and I asked the SA to map the shade ‘Peach Crush’ from the VM range to the MT range and the shade we got was none other than – Feelings. My sister tried it on & loved it, but I really didn’t like it on her so I dissuaded her from buying it; I could see that the shade wouldn’t suit her in different lighting. However, my sis went back a week later and bought the shade Feelings anyways…and she ended up disliking it so she gave it to me. Btw, I got to know the shades ‘bare’ & ‘peach crush’ from all the lovely indian beauty bloggers, so I was able to purchase & recommend them ease :)

Pink Romance has some sentimental value because it’s the first shade I purchased and it was perfect for my skintone, I was so happy it didn’t wash me out. A lot of things can go wrong when you’re buying lipsticks so make sure you check online for recommendations suiting your skin type & then only try some shades at the store. If you want to save on money, try the colors at the store & buy the ones that suit you online. This is something I’ve resorted to doing because the prices of drugstore lipsticks in India are going through the roof nowdays.

PACKAGING ~ When I sat down to write this post (initially planned as a review & not this chat/rant) I realized that the packaging of the Matte Touch range has been changed, my lipsticks have a body that’s half pink & half steel colored, whereas the new range is completely steel colored like the Soft Touch range. The older packaging is so much cuter in my opinion. I guess the lipsticks might have been reformulated too.  These two shades are still listed on the site, here and here, but I don’t know if they’ll be the same colors. I’m gonna have to visit Colorbar & compare my shades with the new Matte Touch range. The tubes have a mirror finish & can easily get dirty due to fingerprints. As you can see from the pics, the tube of Pink Romance is dirtier because I'm always popping it in my carry bag. 

PINK ROMANCE ~ The perfect MLBB shade for my skintone (NC42 in MAC). This shade is a muted pink-brown. The brown undertones don’t always show up on me. The color varies, it looks like  light pink / pink brown/ peach on me in different lights. From the lip swatches you can see how it looks on me in natural light.  It looks like a nude color, but its not a nude on me, might be so on deeper skintones.

FEELINGS ~ It’s a gorgeous reddish coral shade. In some of the swatches of it, I could see hints of pink too, but they don’t show up on me. This is one of the colors that will perk up your face. It will wash out beauties who have deeper skintones though. It suits my NC42 skintone, doesn’t wash me out.

TEXTURE ~ These Matte Touch lipsticks aren’t really ‘matte’ when applied. They look satiny, and I need to use my fingers to blot them to a matte finish. These tend to settle in lip lines :/ Pink Romance needs 1-2 swipes to become fully opaque on my pigmented lips, Feelings gives opaque finish in a single swipe. They are actually pretty comfortable on my lips, unless I’m in office AC environment, they don’t feel dry for at least 3 hours.  AC in office is more concentrated than AC in malls. Over the course of wear, they do dry out my lips. They don’t look patchy, which is a huge plus.

FRAGRANCE ~ They have a strong fragrance that lingers for sometime after applying the lipstick

WEARTIME ~ Pink Romance lasts for 3-4 hours till I need touch up & Feelings is good for 5 hrs. Pink Romance doesn’t survive meals well whereas Feelings being a brighter color manages to survive meals, the color fades just from the centre of my bottom lip. They are not transfer proof.

Pink Romance (click to zoom) 

Pink Romance swatch

Pink Romance lip swatches

Pink Romance lip swatches

Feelings (click to zoom)

Feelings swatch

Feelings lip swatches

Feelings lip swatches

PRODUCT VS PRICE ~ 

Price : Rs. 475 / $7

Qty : 4.2g /0.14 oz

Shelf Life : 3 yrs.

So the quantity you get is more than other lipsticks currently in the market. When I purchased these, they costed Rs. 500, I’m surprised that the price has reduced (instead of going up) in 2 years.

Overall Verdict: 3.9 / 5

The Colorbar Matte Touch Lipsticks are good quality lipsticks are quite budget friendly considering the prices of drugstore lipsticks currently. They need to be blotted to a matte finish, but they are not patchy & they wear well over time. The packaging is quite chic too! Pink Romance has a special place in my heart, the shade is easily dupeable though.

Let me know your first lipstick purchase & experience in the comments!

Makeup Tools Review : Real Techniques by Sam & Nic Chapman Core Collection Set

So finally I’m reviewing the Real Techniques  brushes that I got in February. I have this rule where I test out makeup tools for atleast 6 months before I review them because I feel like anything wrong that can happen with tools – becoming rough, loosing shape, loosing bristles- will most likely happen within that period & then I can give a well rounded review. I have been testing this set ever since I got it in February, I actually had to resist opening the packaging while taking the pics back then because I was so excited to finally get my hands on them. But enough talk, lets get on to the review.

#SkincareWeek Finale: I Heart the Bioderma Sensibio H2O Makeup Removing Micelle Solution

Let me tell you a story…

There was a girl who was all about makeup

She hoarded & hoarded & then some more…
...every day she played with it but..

then she realized she needed to take it off at the end of the day….but with what ?

Everyone she followed & loved were gushing about something that looked just like water but worked like magic

But she resisted….she had been deceived by similar promises before…

She tried others in the market, some didn’t do it all & some left her longing for more...

so she wondered if she had overlooked Mr.Right..

…maybe…maybe not..but..No...maybe if...nah…uhh..mm… the indecision went on..

One day she decided to dip her toes into that magical pond & see what it was that everyone loved…

..

.

.

Bioderma Claims that the Sensibio H2O :

• Combines performance and very high tolerance
• Cleanses and removes make-up from the face and eyes
• Soothes and clears up irritated skin
• Produces a feeling of instant freshness
• Non-rinse
• Meant for sensitive to intolerant skin
• Even removes water-resistant make-up
• One bottle of Sensibio H2O sold around the world every 5 seconds!
• Fragrance-free formula
• Alcohol-free
• Paraben-free
• Hypoallergenic

Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Peg-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Mannitol, Xylitol, Rhamnose, Fructooligosaccharides, Propylene Glycol, Disodium Edta, Cetrimonium Bromide.

My Experience with Bioderma Sensibio H2O :

I'll get right to it, I love the Bioderma Sensibio H2O to bits. It has changed makeup removal from being a burden to a routine I look forward to. The fact that it is so easy to use plays a key role here. I like to soak half of my cotton pad with the Sensibio H2O and use it on my face & neck. Of course I use more cotton pads as needed. You do need a lot of quantity of the product here, so I find it best to do the routine twice. The first time I go over my face thoroughly, the second time I use a fresh cotton pad soaked with the Sensibio H2O and sweep it around my entire face just to check if there's any makeup still left. It has some kind of soapy fragrance.

It does take out the most stubborn makeup easily. It feels just like water, which makes its results seem even more extraordinary. If you've ever worn a shimmery/glittery eye shadow, you'll know the pain of completely getting rid of all those shimmer/glitter particles from around your eye. And Bioderma Sensibio H2O takes all of it off easily. Even waterproof mascara, liners are not safe from it :P Yes, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it takes off waterproof makeup. I haven't tested it out with Maybelline waterproof mascaras though, that will be the true test ! Also, I apply 1-2 coats of mascara, so if you use more, it gets harder to remove. The amount of makeup you are able to take off using the Sensibio H2O also depends on how you use the product, you may have to hold it for a few seconds/move it in circular motions/move it across...just find the right technique that works for you, but trust me, it does take off your makeup!

What is micelle solution / micellar water makeup remover ?

Such products are made up of micelles which are tiny surfectant molecules suspended in a liquid.These tiny molecules latch onto all the unwanted particles on your face and dissolve them, unlike traditional makeup removers that end up smearing makeup all over your face! Micellar waters do not require the use of any other skincare in your cleansing routine, including water! They can be used as makeup remover, cleanser & toner, all sans the use of water. Magical, isn't it ?? Its the perfect companion for travel, you can cut down on packing a ton of products.

The Bioderma Sensibio H2O micelle solution doesn't leave any residue on my face. However, when I wash my face I feel like I'm washing a soapy layer off my face & that's actually this solution. Its claims to be non-rinse, i.e, you do not need to wash your face post using this. But like I've already said, it does leave some kind of residue behind so its best to wash your face. Initially I used to combine Bioderma Sensibio & TBS Camomile Oil to take my makeup off but slowly I've realized that I don't need both, either one is good. The evidence to this is that I don't wake up with breakouts if I use just one of them the previous night to take off my makeup. More importantly, it doesn't change the balance of my skin, my skin doesn't feel more oily or more dry than it already is.

Product vs Price :

Bioderma Sensibio H2O is available in 2 sizes in India.

Price: Rs.599 / $9 || Qty: 100ml / 3.3 oz

Price : Rs. 860 / ~$13 || Qty : 250ml / 8.4 oz
Shelf Life : 12 months

Availability : Flipkart | Nykaa | Amazon | Purplle 

It is very pricey, plus I need quite a bit of it if I'm wearing lot of makeup. I wish it was cheaper :/ :( But Bioderma is a luxury French brand so what else can we expect ? I also wish we could get the 500ml bottle which comes with a pump. I'd definitely recommend getting the smaller bottle first, incase you don't like it later on. You won't waste more money that way. The small bottle is also super useful if you're travelling. As you can see, I have already repurchased it, I bought the smaller one first & when it was almost over I bought the bigger size. I think I will always repurchase it, even if I try other makeup removers. If you have combination/oily skin type, the other variant Bioderma Sebium H2O, might be the right product for you.

Overall Verdict : 5/5

I definitely recommend everyone to try the Bioderma Makeup removing Micelle Solutions. This particular range (sensibio H2O) is meant for sensitive skin, if you have oily/combo skin, it may not suit you and there is another range of micelle water for your skin type(sebium H2O). I do not have sensitive skin, yet I loved using this product! I remember scoffing at videos/reviews which raved about the Bioderma Sensibio H2O because I didn’t believe in the hype. Oh how the times have changed…its like being a selenator forever & then one day you realize your true calling is a smiler (miley cyrus supporter)....sorry no, its not that dramatic. =P

#SkincareWeek is a special series - Each day of the week I presented you with a new skincare product. 7 skincare products carefully tried & tested out for you! This was the final post, hope you enjoyed the series! 
See more from this series  : 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1