Not just another nail polish ~ Maybelline Color Show in 503 Denim Dash

This post just goes to show that a little bit of research goes a long way. Ok, “research” is an exaggeration, a little bit of “googling” goes a long way. When Maybelline Color Show Nail Enamel launched in India, I was one of the many, many ladies who said “halleluiah!” Unfortunately, I wasn’t in Mumbai then, and I wanted to get my hands on them, who wouldn’t want to? They cost just Rs. 75. I was really surprised and elated to see the nail polishes on online websites so soon, it was like…destiny.

But it was hard choosing among the colors, especially since I had never seen them in the store, and I wanted to try different colors, ones I’ve never tried before. Also I purchased these two months back, so back then, they weren’t there on the Indian beauty blogosphere either.

 I started googling the names from the Maybelline India website, and I did find a helpful  blog, whose name I completely forgot, in which the writer had reviewed a MNY Color Show from the denim range which had released last year in US. I guess google hit that post because I typed Maybelline Color Show Denim Dash, and the US name was similar. I really regret the fact that I hadn’t bookmarked the blog, the writer described the shade so beautifully, so accurately, I was sold.

I ordered Denim Dash and one more color, because I loved the look of the denim range Color Show enamels and I hoped this would be similar. Well, it is!

Rave!! Garnier BB Miracle Skin Perfector - Review, Swatches, Photos

I’m completely in love with the Garnier BB cream. I know its nothing new, its been here for a while etc. but I got to know it this year. I've been wearing it for a couple of months now, though not everyday because I don’t get the time to “make up” every morning, yes, seriously , I don’t.  In these few months, the weather went from rainy, to sunny, to humid, to bitter cold, and back to sunny. Its basically just vacillating between summer and winter, and oh, it rained yesterday! So I guess the concept of “seasons” has just gone to hell now, you just can’t predict the weather anymore. Anyways, my intention isn’t to complain, I’m just saying I’ve tested this BB cream under all weather conditions :-D

Cost- Rs.199.

Qty- 40g

Shelf life-  36 months.

Also available in a 18g variant.

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

A step towards Fall with Avon Nailwear Pro+ in Midnight Plum

Everyone seems to be  gearing up for the cold weather, but for us Indians, its slightly different. I know for a fact that its still warm and humid in Chennai, but Andhra Pradesh is struggling with cyclones, Mumbai is still hot and humid, and the place where I’m staying has alternate days of cool and hot weather. But I like this weather better than rains, although I love rains and we really, really need them; they’re kinda party poopers, what with making every thing gloomy and dark and so picture-unfriendly! Its nice to see some light through an open window for a change.

 Speaking of weather changes, there’s something else that’s gotten a dramatic transformation – Fashion and Make up trends! The bright, vibrant summer colors have been replaced by cool taupes, browns, deep reds, plums and my favourite… purple! Its no secret how much I love purple, you've probably cottoned onto it seeing the lilac background of the blog and the headings, all written in different shades of purple.

Stuff That's NOT Working Out #1 - Pond's Whte Beauty BB+ All in One Fairness Cream SPF 30 PA++

Okay, the title gives away everything now, doesn't it? But I've still made an effort to write this review so your attention will be highly appreciated!

I'd brought Pond's BB+ cream on Independence day, i.e 15th of August, and its 15th of October today(my! how the time flies!). Which means enough time to test it out, but still I wasn't able to wear it more than 3 times. Why? Because I'm allergic to it :-(

Cost: Rs.125 (There's a 9gm pack available for Rs.99)
Qty: 18gm
Only one shade available
Its pricer then the Garneir BB cream which is Rs.99 for 18gm.

Maybelline Colorsensational Bold Matte Lipstick - MAT 2 Review & Swatches

If you have read this post and this one, you’ll know how much I was yearning for the Maybelline Bold Matte lippies and how disappointed I was that they had not yet hit the popular malls. I checked out Inorbit Mall after a few weeks and finally found the lipsticks in stock! The same day I had gone to Kryolan in Oshiwara and tried some lipsticks there as well(Read about my haul here), because of this my lips were already really tired.

At lifestyle, I asked the Maybelline SA to just swatch all the colors on my arm. Initially I had planned to try out all the colors on my lips but they were just too worn out. Out of all the colors swatched, I felt that MAT 2 was the least bold. On my arm, under the artificial lights of the store, it looked like a pinky-red. So I put a little of that on to my lips, fell in love and brought it. And here’s where the real adventure starts...

Nails! ~ Autumn with Colorbar Nail Lacquer in Autumn Rose? Umm..

I don’t think I’m mistaken when I say that Colorbar nail polish in Autumn Rose is a popular color. Its a color my sister brought within 2 minutes of entering the Colorbar store, just going by the color of the bottle, without ever seeing/hearing about it on any blog because she does not follow beauty blogs. After she purchased it, I saw the color and went “You've chosen a really great color!!” Because I knew of its popularity, and it looks coral-pink in the bottle, soo cute. 

So later, we went to the food court of the mall and decided to paint her nails to kill time, till the food we ordered was ready. And.. both of us were disappointed by the color of the nail polish. It came out neon pink on my sister’s nails, a color that doesn't flatter many hands.

Cost:- Rs.175/-

Qty:- 9ml

Another Haul It Is….

If you are a beauty blogger, humour me. 
Do you have backlogs that stretch up to a mile or more? Do you find yourself indulging in shopping at any and every opportunity?

For me, it’s yes to both. I’ve done so many hauls and I know realize, that I should have at least posted them first. For me, product reviews take a lot of time. I like to test creams /lotions, concealer/foundations/BB creams for the span of 1-3 months to see how they perform under different weather conditions and different face conditions(breakouts, clear/irritated/tanned/sensitive skin). The thing is, I mostly have a clear skin, I don’t break out, hence no scars either. So I tend to stretch the review up to my time of month, when I do happen do get few pimples. And for brushes/tools, I like to test them for 3-6 months. So that’s my explanation for some of the delayed reviews.

Pictures of stuff that I can post, like nail polishes, lipsticks, eye shadows etc. are lying watermarked on my laptop, waiting to be seen on a monitor other than my own. Why the delay for that? Honestly, its because of three main reasons: academics, wifi and laziness. So here I am, trying to overcome the last and battling the 2^nd reason, with a haul post for you guys. Don’t you just love hauls?  Me: yes...oh yes

I brought most of the stuff in the first week of September, so yes, reviews will follow shortly after my exams next week.

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 

Online shopping experience - Review of L'occitane online store and a haul!

Hauls…don’t they make everyone happy? [Well, except those on the paying end, if you get my drift ;-)]. I know you can hardly call 2 products a haul but what else can you call it? A tiny haul?? Hmm yea .. Ok, that actually works! So last month, sometime after mid-July I got to know about L’occitane(LOX-EE-TAHN) sale. They had a flat 40% off on skincare and flat 50% on makeup.  Luckily, they have an online store that delivers to my sort-of-remote college area. I felt so lucky when I saw that. I've never been to L’occitane because of their freakishly over-priced  goods, but a flat 40 and flat 50 felt criminal to pass up. Since I was late, most of the good stuff was pretty much gone, but I did find two things that I liked.

here's the site : in.loccitane.com

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com