Review : Does the Deborah Milano 5 in 1 BB Cream live up to its claims?

Hey everyone, I'm gonna write about my experience with another BB cream. This is actually the first BB cream I brought, before the Pond's and the Garnier BB Creams, but for some reason I've ended up reviewing it after both of them. 

About my skin: Normal-dry right now. I don't have any major pimples just minor blemishes, some pores on the nose (not visible), no scars that I need to cover, so light coverage foundations are fine except for dark circles and pigmentation around my mouth where I need full coverage.

What is a BB cream? 
After a search on internet:- BB cream stands for blemish balm, blemish base, beblesh balm (apparently because of a trademark in Korea on the word "blemish"), and in Western markets, beauty balm. The formula is reported to have originated in Germany where, due to the cream's soothing and skin-regenerating properties, dermatologists have been using it for healing scars caused by laser skin surgery. A famous South Korean actresses then started using it for beauty purposes and since then a craze was born. The trend that started in Korea spread to Japan, China, South East Asia and has since made its way to Europe and the USA.
But every company which manufactures a BB cream promises some additional benefits like fairness, mattifying skin, glowing skin etc. Healthy competition or false promises? Decide for yourself!

Cost:- Rs. 625 / $9.25
Quantity:- 30ml / 1 oz
Shades: 01 Fair, 02 Beige, 03 Sand, 04 Apricot and 05 Amber.
Shelf Life:- 3 years. To be used within 6 months of opening
Availability: Here & here

Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm Tease (130) Review, Swatch

I never would have pegged myself for indulging in the Lacquer Balm range of Revlon, but the impressive performance of the Matte Balm Range (I got 3 shades) combined with the amazing online offers, I decided to try out the Lacquer range as well. Sadly, Revlon seems to be discontinuing the JBKBS range in India, and well before I could get  a chance to try it out!

Company Claims:

All new Revlon ColorBurst Crayon Lacquer Balms are bold shiny lip balms in eight exotic shades. These uber chic lacquer balms are enriched with large particle shimmer in order to reflect and refract the light.

• The shimmmer particles create a brilliant crystal like shine on the lips.
• Just like all the Revlon crayon lipshades and balms these Lacquer balms are enriched with triple butter complex of mango, shea and coconut butters for balm-like moisture.
• These lip lacquer balms have a pleasant peppermint fragrance.
• It comes in a hand bag friendly pen like shape with twist-up packaging.
• Available in 8 vibrant shades:
  Vivacious (215), Whimsical (115), Coquette (110), Tease (130), 125 Flirtatious (125), Enticing (150), Ingenue (145), Coy (140).

Price: Rs.800 / ~$13

Qty: 2.7g / 0.09oz

Availability: Jabong | Amazon | Flipkart | Nykaa

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen - Review, Swatch, EOTD, Price in India

Company Claims

Liquid Eye Pen is a unique innovation from the Revlon Colorstay collection that integrates the convenience of a felt-tip pen with the dramatic effect of a liquid eyeliner. This revolutionary pen eyeliner comes with a uniquely designed high technique felt tip for precise and neat application minus any mess or hassles. The highly pigmented formula produces rich and pure colour that blends in beautifully with your eye makeup and has the perfect consistency for quick application. The felt tip provides amazing control over the eyeliner application, making it as convenient as drawing on paper, allowing pressure control to vary the thickness of your lines with effective accuracy. Draw thin lines for subtle emphasis and a natural look. For a more dramatized evening look, draw thicker lines along your lash-line and look no less than a diva. Easier and faster to apply than traditional liquid eyeliner, this Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen eyeliner formula is smudge-proof and provides long-lasting colour that does not wear out up to 16 hours.

Directions for Use:

To apply, draw with short, feathering strokes from inner to outer eye area. Apply as close to lash-line as possible. Apply more pressure for bolder application. For best results, store the product in a horizontal position.

There are just two things I expect from my liquid liner – Effortlessness & efficacy.  Literally, just that much. I’m ready to a pay good price too, anything south of Rs. 1000, which is quite a bit for something that will at max contain 2ml of product.  So you tell me, is it too much to expect ?

My experience with Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Liner Pen:

Price: Rs.630/ ~$10

Qty: 1.6g

Shelf life: 6 months

Nail Polish Crush ! ~ Rimmel Lively Lilac

So its official, I have a crush on this nail color. Its called “Lively Lilac” and its from the Rimmel I <3 Lasting Finish Range. I just can’t stop wearing it. It’s a lilac that doesn’t look dull, and unlike most pastels, it doesn’t make hands look tanned. Very “lively” indeed. Its brighter than it looks in the some of the pictures. With Lively Lilac, one coat is nice, but not enough. My nails need two coats for complete opacity. It is definitely streaky but you can even out the streakiness by layering. The polish looked nice and fresh for 5 days after which I removed it. It did fade from the tips but that’s something I experience with every polish, even the ones that claim to stay for 10 days! I was happy too see that except for tip fading, there weren’t any major problems in the wear, it didn’t chip or turn yellow-y(that happens when your fingers mix with turmeric). I don’t do any work in the kitchen with my hands though, I just wash them a lot. Now here’s the sad part: Firstly, it makes my nails orange, and secondly, I’ve had this polish for just a month and its already thickened up so much. It might have thickened up because I’ve used it every week, but still, this is not something that I expected after owning the polish for just one month.

Price: Rs.145 / $2.40

Qty: 8ml / .27 oz

We all need a little yellow sometimes! Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Mellow Yellow (360) Review and NOTD

Today I’ll be telling you about one of my all-time favourite nail colors, especially for summers, though I have worn it in winters as well. Ever since I saw a pastel yellow nail polish by Inglot, I was besotted! I knew I had to have that in my collection. But my vanity is a bit conscious; I wasn’t ready to spend Rs.600($10) on a nail polish, though in hindsight it seems more logical! I tried to find a budget friendly pastel yellow and after a lot of searching I found Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow (360) in their Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear range.

There are 45 colors in the Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear range.    

Mellow Yellow is a bright pastel yellow color! It is the prettiest, not-in-your-face kind of yellow I’ve come across. The best part is that its not overly expensive. I got it for Rs.250(~$4). If you love bright shades, you must try out a color like this, instantly cheers you up! I’m not a fan of the bright, proper yellow because it won’t suit my tanned arms, this relatively paler shade goes really well with my skin tone.

Straight from my bathroom - The Body Shop Limited Edition Blueberry Shower Gel

Hello ladies! Looking forward to the weekend? I know I am! ;)

This is the first time I’m reviewing a shower gel on my blog. I seriously don’t think these things need to be reviewed because it’s a matter of personal choice, tastes and preferences. However, I love to know about all the shower gels/creams out there because I like to try out new ones every time, so when I find a blog post about the same, I go and check out the product. The Blueberry Shower Gel is a new release all over the globe by The Body Shop. It’s supposed to be special/limited edition but its priced the same as the regular shower gels. I’ve read a lot of reviews about this one and the general consensus is that its a much loved product. But did it rock my world? Read on to know :)

I thought a picture in my bathroom was appropriate...:)

Price: Rs.425

Qty: 250ml

I’ve been through countless The Body Shop shower gels and creams: Strawberry, Raspberry, Cocoa, Chocomania, The Brazil Nut and now the Blueberry. There’s a reason I keep buying them although The Body Shop unfairly increases the price every few months- they’re good quality and sometimes, especially during winters, my skin needs some TLC and TBS has the creamiest shower stuff.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder (009 Amber) -Review, Photos

Do you really need a mattifying powder in the fall? Well I need it all year. Maybe the sun, after summer, rests for the rest of the year, but my skin doesn’t! Although nowadays, it doesn’t get oily that much, thanks to the cooler weather. 

I’ve tested the Rimmel Stay Matte powder for two months under different weather conditions and different cities, and though I’ve not worn it every day, I can give you a fairly good idea if this will be worth purchasing or not.

Price: Rs.230.

Qty: 14gm

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow in Bold Gold - Review & Swatches

Before I got the  Maybelline Tough as Taupe color tattoo, I’d had a tryst with another one – Bold Gold. Frankly, I wasn’t impressed. Unlike the Tough as Taupe, Bold Gold was hard and flaky and applied patchily on my eyes. It just wouldn’t smooth out and if I tried to put more it would just get worse.  I wonder why the huge difference? If anyone has had a similar experience then do  share it with me. I’ve seen all reviews describe this as a pot of gold which is a dream to apply; pot of gold I agree, but dream to apply? Nah.

Cost:- Rs.350/-

Qty:- 4gm

Shelf Life:- 3 yrs 

Maybelline Eye Studio Master Drama Cream Pencil in Midnight Master 400

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com

Like I've mentioned in my Maybelline Haul post, I wanted these pencils because of their names. Come on, "Master Drama", "Midnight Master", these are pretty attractive names to a beauty enthusiast. Also, I saw the Maybelline website photos and these are supposed to be waterline safe, the model in the picture has it on her eye lid and her waterline. So why not? How often do you come across a cheap brown eye liner which is automatic i.e does not have to be sharpened? Not very often. But this post is about Midnight Master which is a Black eye liner. Sorry if I have confused you!

[UPDATE:]  you can find the swatch for Bold Brown here

Price-12.90SGD (Rs.591.95 currently)

Quantity- 0.28 gm/.01 oz

If and when these pencils release in India I'm sure they will be cheaper than the Singapore price.

What Maybelline claims:-
Master Delivery- applies corner to corner with a skip-proof creamy glide
Master Intensity- creates dramatic eyes with a rich color payoff
Master Wear- Lasts 24 hours for a smudge resistant wear.
Ophthalmologist testes. Safe for sensitive eyes. Contact lens safe.

My take on Master Drama Cream Pencils:-
For both the pencils i.e, midnight master and bold brown, my views on packaging and texture are same.