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 

Colorbar Soft Touch Lipstick in 043 Rose Quartz - Review & Swatches

MY EXPERIENCE

The Colorbar Soft Touch Rose Quartz lipstick is a matte lipstick.

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com 

COLOR V/S SKIN TONE: It’s a nice berry pink, more pink less berry, and its perfect for all skin tones & one can use it for day as well as night wear. It suits my skin tone & my sister's. Her skintone is a honey tan shade & it’s a popping pink color on her which stunningly suits her. I highly recommend it for dusky skin tones as it’s a truly fun color to wear.

~Lotus Herbals Purestay Lip Gloss in Rose Bud- Review & Swatches~

{Psst...If you need a quick review just check "The Good" and "The Bad" points mentioned below!}

There are some products that make you 'oooh' & 'aaahh' when you look at their packaging, or feel their texture, or see their pigmentation and... and so on. And then, there are those bad eggs which just ruin your experience despite their attractive looks. Is Lotus Herbals Purestay Lip Gloss one of those misleading products? To me, yes. I was disappointed by my bad experience because this product has received great reviews all over the web, and I'm like, 'Why me??' *Sob*

Qty:- 8gms

Cost:- Rs.395/-
I got it for Rs.263/- or less, and I wouldn't have paid more than that.

Shelf Life:- 3yrs.

Description/Company Claims/Ingredients:- (copied from the website)

Purestay Lip Gloss is a lightweight, high-shine, perfectly pigmented preservative free lip gloss with rich, long lasting colour and nourishing shine that creates the appearance of fuller lips. Available in 10 shades.

Ingredients:- Evening Primrose Oil, Grape Seed Oil and Vitamin E.

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com 

Well, this is how I felt about the Lotus Herbals Purestay Lip Gloss in Rose Bud :-

(I have this product since 4 months)

~What I purchased on Independeynce Day..!~

Hello everyone!! As promised, here is the post about my haul yesterday on 15th August. Also, I just want to do some rambling and some complaining so bear with me.....^_^

First off, I was supposed to post this yesterday, but my laptop started having problems. It didn't detect my phone or my camera. And it kept getting off like it was low on battery, which it wasn't btw, so I decided to let it rest for a day.

I reeallyy wanted to check out the Maybelline Bold Matte lippies but they weren't stocked at any store in R-City mall or Phoenix Market City...pfftt.. 

Anyways I got...

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com

Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick 20

1. Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate 20- The Rimmel counter finally had those Kate Moss lippies, but unfortunately only 2 were left...argghhh... One was a pale nude color and the other was a bright fuchsia. Any guesses which one I took?. Price: Rs.215/-

 Stay Matte Pressed Powder

2. Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 009 Amber- I've wanted to buy this since May but every time I'd go to the Rimmel counter the SA would be absent/missing and the other SAs would direct me to their counters. This time also the SA was missing but a nice Sally Hansen SA helped me with all the stuff I wanted to try out. Price: Rs.195/-

Pond's BB Cream

3. Pond's White Beauty BB+ Fairness Cream- Normally, I ignore all products which have anything to do with fairness because that's all rubbish, but this BB cream has become quite popular so I thought why not? Price: Rs.125/-
*I wore it on 16th and it gave me a zit instantly*

The Stay Matte powder costs Rs. 230 now, and the lipstick costs Rs 250. However I managed to get it at the old price from Westside, isn't that nice? The SA told me that the next time I purchase anything I will be charged the new price...Okies ^_^.

Also spotted...

Rimmel 1000 kisses lip tint. It has a balm on one end and a brush which dispenses color on the other end. The stain feels like the one left by a marker, and it seems like it might settle easily into lines and require you to continuously apply a lip balm. Price: Rs.550/-

Rimmel gel liner. There was a single black gel liner, having the same bottle  design as Revlon gel liners. I'm not into black so I didn't get it. Price: Rs.550/-

At the Bourjois counter:

The new Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayons available in 4 shades.They had light pigmenttation. Rs785/-

At the Colorbar store:

New baked eye shadows! In some really pretty shades too. But I forgot to ask the price..oops.I saw some eye shadow pigments as well.

Happy Independence day to all Indians!

Wow, 66 years of freedom, and now a whole new year ahead for us. Happy Independence Day dearest Indians!!!

I'm back at home, I'll be spending the next few days here. I saw almost three movies today, Iron Man, Gandhi and English Vinglish. Of course I went to a mall to check out the sales, but I was upset by the lack of  decor. There were decorations, but it just too plain to take any notice. I wanted to check out the new Maybelline Bold Matte lipsticks but this particular mall had not yet got the stocks and I was very, very disappointed about that. But I found some things to haul anyways, I always do! ;-)

I had dinner at Mainland China, which is one of my favorite restaurants. NEVER order prawns here, they don't clean it out properly and just give it with the guts...ughhhh. 

But moving on,

The day wasn't perfect, but nothing can beat the feeling of happiness and satisfaction you get after coming home from a college hostel....(yipppppppeeee!!!!! woooohooo!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Hope you all had a great day!!!

Lots of love...
Me :-)

Nails! Colorbar USA Nail Lacquer in Exclusive No.15

Pastels are in for 2013. I've always loved pastels. They look so pretty, girly and innocent. In my summer vacay, I purchased a lot of stuff from Colorbar and obviously I went gaga over the colorful nail polish display.

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com

I'd say Exclusive No. 15 is a seafoam green color. If you google seafoam green, you'll see that its actually a green with blue undertones. I'm loving it. Its so pretty, and I have a skirt that matches it, yipee! Now, if only I could find shoes which match each and every nail varnish I love.

Cost:- Rs.175/-

Online Shopping Experience ~ Review of Jabong.com

Hey, I'm gonna do a quick review on my shopping experience with Jabong.com. I had shopped a long while ago...

About Jabong:
Jabong.com is a young and vibrant company that aims to provide good quality branded products. Jabong.com caters to the fashion needs of men, women and kids across footwear, apparel, jewellery and accessories.
At Jabong.com we strive to achieve the highest level of “Customer Satisfaction” possible. Our cutting edge E-commerce platform, highly experienced buying team, agile warehouse systems and state of the art customer care centre provides customer with:
Broader selection of products
Superior buying experience
On-time delivery of products
Quick resolution of any concerns 

They have ALOT of brands, including Accessorize and The Body Shop.

Like every other online shopping website in India you have two options, COD( Cash on delivery) and online payment. If you choose COD, you will have to pay an extra Rs. 39. 

They have a very nice website, however, in the cosmetics section, they have a separate page for each shade which is really very tiresome to browse through. Like, for a lipstick which is available in 9 different shades, they have a different page for each shade instead of making just one page and putting all the shade options within that page.
I would have included the screenshots of the website, but its sales period, and anyways the interface will keep changing, review is more important. :-)

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com

When did I place my order?
I placed my order on 23rd June.

What did I order?
I ordered 3 items:
Advanced Hard As Nails Color - Jewel Frost
Single Eye Shadow 47-Kiwi
Orange/Golden Sling Bag
I choose online payment. I got a 10% discount because my order went over Rs.2000. Yay!
Total = Rs. 1822/-

When did the order package reach me?
On 26th June though Javas couriers. Pretty fast delivery, I'm very happy :-D

How's the experience?
The number of brands available, the discounted products, plus additional discount and the fast delivery were super impressive! The customer service was also very helpful, I called them and inquired if the products were actually in stock because sometimes there is a delay in updating the online sites, and they obliged, that too so nicely and politely.  Its not that I'm not used to good customer service, but some shopping portals (majorbrands.in for example) have poor customer service.
The products came in a big plastic bag which was sealed properly, there was loads of bubble wrap used. The purse was separately bubble wrapped. Nothing was damaged.
There's one thing I would like to point out though, I received a free hand cream with the Sally Hansen nail polish, honestly I picked out the nail polish for the cream, but the hand cream expires this August(i.e August 2013). I was expecting the product to be old, but not a month away from its expiry, ew! I think that was quite disgusting and they should not have given such an old product.
Other than than blip, the overall experience was nice. I would advise you to check the products your gonna buy with the customer service first, especially the expiry date.

Here are a few pics, I haven't shown the purse. I came home late that day so it was quite dark and I had to use flash, that means bad pics :-|

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com

The large plastic pack and the bubble wraps inside it.

Here's the bubble wrap containing the cosmetics

Inside the bubble wrap...

(Left to right) Sally Hansen NP, near to expiry hand cream and NYX single e/s; Unpacked

Overall verdict:- 4/5
Plus points for the fast delivery, nice customer service and the discounts.
A minus point for giving me an almost-expired hand cream. Freebies should be useful too!

Other online shopping experiences:

• Review of Nykaa
• Review of ASOS online store
• Review of Slassy 
• Review of majorbrands.in
• Review of L'Occitane online store
• Review of Sleek Makeup online store

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com

Online Shopping Experience Review and Haul - majorbrands.in, Aramex Delivery

If there's anything I like more than shopping, its online shopping! Its so relaxing to know that despite the extremely sunny/ stormy weather, I can still get my hands on necessities, that too by just sitting at home. Online shopping helps you become aware of brands you might not have heard before, products you wouldn't have thought of trying, products from international brands too and best of all is that most of the stuff is priced lesser than that at stores.

Recently, I did a major Inglot haul at www.majorbrands.in . MajorBrands is actually a retail organisation which is a partner for brands like Mango, Aldo, Aldo Accessories, Charles & Keith, Inglot, La Senza, Bebe, Nine West and Promod in India.

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com

A few screenshots of the site:

My favorite smudging & eye makeup brush ~ Bourjois Double Ended Applicator - Review, Photos, Price

You know, I'm not crazy into make up(yet), its just the stage of testing waters, so to speak. Since I can't wear make up on a daily basis to college, I'm constantly on the look out for pocket-friendly quality products. Moreover, I'm not an earner, till then, I want(read: try) to spend(read: waste) as little of my parents money as possible, on my vanity.
Make up brushes are important and there are really good quality brushes available at reasonable rates, but not in India, still that doesn't justify that I should spend four grand on a brush set from a high end brand when I can definitely find a dupe in a drugstore brand. Trust me, its all there, you just have to search for it. And when you find such a product, you know that you have gotten lucky.

Speaking of getting lucky, well.. I did! I found this amazing brush!

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com

Bourjois Professional Double Ended Applicator

Cost:- Rs.150 (How many of you don't believe me? Yep, thought so!)
I think its price may have increased to Rs.185/- now, not sure though, but that's still cheap!

Review : Faces Eye Shadow Brushes - Eye Shadow Brush and Angled Eye Shadow Brush

Faces Cosmetics is such godsend for budget make-up enthusiasts. I'm not a fan of their glittery eye shadows because they have ALOT of fall out but pigmentation wise they don't disappoint. Faces launched these February and they are very reasonably priced! Whenever I see affordable make up brushes my mind goes into overdrive. I feel like, I HAVE to try them, I have to try them..arghh I Have Toooo.... I scoured Indian make up and beauty blogs but I couldn't find reviews on any of the new eye brushes. So I just went ahead and purchased these in April(online), and yes, I have been using them for quite a while.
I picked  up two brushes, the Eye Shadow Brush and the Angled Eye Shadow Brush. Here's a review on the brushes and also a word on how I use them in my eye make up routine.
Cost:-  Rs.249/- for each brush.

*UPDATE: mybeautyexpress is now crazybeautyland.blogspot.com