How To Sanitize Your Makeup !

Hi pretty ladies! 

You know how we can get a little crazy shopping makeup? I don’t think I’m a hoarder, but I definitely have a lot of makeup. The thing is, once some of my makeup crossed a year or so, I started feeling little icky about using it! I do keep my makeup in the best condition and I’m sure anyone would, after all, that stuff goes on your face. But I still felt like it’s gotten pretty old to continue using and throwing out just a year old makeup was out of the question. Then one day, one of my favourite youtubers aka Sineadycady, did a video about sanitizing makeup and voila! It was exactly what looking for. I immediately started collecting all the stuff I would need (that’s why I ordered those spray bottles from eBay) and sanitized my entire makeup collection. I also looked through some blogposts for further help and now I finally have a guide that I follow every time I sanitize my makeup. Actually, this post was supposed to go up in August but better late than never. So here I am, sharing all that I’ve learnt with you!

What you’ll need:

1. Rubbing alcohol: Just ask any medical store. The pharmacist I went to said that its used to sanitize a body part before injection.

2. One spray bottle (I bought mine HERE)

3. Q-Tips/Ear buds

4. Cotton pads

5. One bowl/glass

Why rubbing alcohol?  It is used for disinfection or to soothe, cool, or warm the skin. It is a type of denatured alcohol and is unfit for human consumption. Rubbing alcohol is most often used to disinfect medical instruments and human skin, especially in the case of minor injury or to prepare the skin for an injection. If left on the skin for two minutes, 70% ethyl alcohol will reduce the bacterial count by 5%. People should be careful when applying rubbing alcohol to the skin, as it can be toxic if used over large parts of the body. It can be poisonous if inhaled, so it should be used only in well ventilated areas. It evaporates quickly.

Let's get started...

Why I've been missing

Hi everyone,

I know I've been gone since the end of August and its almost FOUR months since. If I've ever felt that time passes quickly, I've never felt it more strongly in the past three months. At the same time, I felt that it could not pass fast enough. Confusing huh? Remember back in June when I mentioned I'll be entering my final year soon? (this post) Well, that's what happened. That's what got in the way. I reached a point where I realized that I could do only one thing perfectly and I would have to leave the rest so that I could do it right. I felt that that was a wise choice, once I finished that, I could continue with the rest of my life. And so I did exactly that! I decided to forgo all sources of entertainment -movies, social media, hangouts and all hobbies - blogging, reading, running, just so I could concentrate on final year placements and I'm happy that I did because I was able to secure an awesome job. I wasn't able to stay completely away from Twitter though..oops. I'm sorry I just abruptly stopped without any explanation, but I honestly didn't think it would take sooo long :( I thought I'll be back in a month, but then it slowly became two and three and finally I got a relief in the form of holidays. But I'm glad that busy phase is over, and now I can do some fun stuff and catch up on all that missed out on ! 

For all of you who were worried, all your messages warmed me right up! It feels nice to be missed :)

PS: hope you like the new theme, Happy Holidays !!!!!!!!

Four Fountains De-Stress Spa Experience

Last weekend, I got the opportunity to try out Four Fountains De-Stress Spa and I’d like to share my experience with you. I went to the Powai branch, which is moderately easy to locate because of the banner outside the building. If you're confused, you can always call the spa and ask for directions.

From my visit, I can conclude that Four Fountains is really serious about de-stressing. The waiting area has a backrest which has been specially handcrafted using wooden beads to massage the back. There is an aroma of lemon grass diffused throughout the spa, I’m a huge fan of citrus-y scents. The door handles massage pressure points on the palm which releases pent up stress and right after your spa is complete, you are served green tea which helps to stay relaxed. The ambiance has mostly wooden bits and bobs, like a cabinet housing some candles and show-pieces.

Rave!! Parachute Summer Refresh Body Lotion Spray

During summers, I came across this really pocket-friendly, innovative and super useful lotion from Parachute. Parachute happens to be brand that I tend to overlook, but luckily, I spotted this during one rare trip to a convenience store. This is a body lotion that has to be dispersed with a spray… yeah! Something that can get through the nozzle of a spray has to be very thin right? Well this one absolutely is! It’s a very lightweight lotion that spreads easily, get absorbed quickly and moisturizes the skin as well. I’m very finicky about lotions being lightweight because I hate the feeling of having something on my skin.

Price: Rs. 120 / $1.99

Qty: 100ml / 3.38 oz

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

Utility Pouches from India Circus and How You Can Use Them

Recently I got to try out the ‘Utility Pouches’ that India Circus sells. In case you don’t already know, here’s a bit about the brand:

India Circus is a contemporary design label offering affordable and sophisticated designs by renowned designer Krsna Mehta, Design Director of India Circus. The collections offer various life-style products, ranging from home decor to personal accessories. India Circus designs seek to introduce modern sensibilities to Indian aesthetic traditions. With an All-Indian palette, India Circus draws inspiration from the flora & fauna as well as the rich heritage of India. IndiaCircus’s philosophy is very simple. We seek to bring to you a range of products right from home decor to personal accessories that is flavoured with the Indian aesthetic. Neither are our products too traditional and archaic, nor are they very futuristic. They all are a fine balance of the old and the new, the classic and the chic…in short, completely contemporary.

The site has crossed international frontiers and today has partnerships with groups such as WestWing, Fab.com, HauteLook and so on, with maximum traction coming in from buyers in  Middle East, Asian countries, Australia, Europe, America & Canada. IndiaCircus also has offline tie-ups in France, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, USA & Indonesia. The aim of IndiaCircus is to target specialty & concept stores (dealing with interiors/home accessories) as well as departmental stores.

You can buy the products online from http://indiacircus.com/. They ship to over 200 countries

I must say, I have been enjoying these utility pouches, or makeup bags as I like to call them, of late. They are pretty great multi taskers with respect to storage, and the fact that they have quirky prints and pretty colors makes them all the more reachable. I haven’t used both bags for long, but so far the quality seems great. Here are the two pouches that I choose:

The Body Shop Lychee Blossom Shower Gel... Yeah, Lychee :D

I’ve tried a lot of fruity skincare products in the past, raspberry, blueberry, cocout, passionfruit… You name it and I have tried it.. Or so I thought, till I came across this Lychee Blossom shower gel by The Body Shop. I have never come across ‘Lychee’ (or as I like to spell it ‘Litchi’) in a product before. Did you know that this exists, or maybe I’m not the only one living under a rock all this time?

Rave!! NYX Single Eye Shadow in Purple (Review, Swatch, EOTD and Where to Buy)

Today I have an exciting product to share with you! Yes, its an eyeshadow, but its not just any shadow, it’s one of NYX’s bestselling single eye shadow – ES32 Purple. Since Orchid happens to be Pantone’s Color of the Year this year and Purple falls on the deeper end of this spectrum I thought I’d share this little delight with you! Frankly, its much easier to wear purple than orchid on the eyes, especially for Indian skin tones.

Price: Rs.375 /~$6

Qty: 2.7gm / 0.09 oz

NYX single eye shadows are not listed on the NYX website but I seriously hope they’re not discontinued!

I got it from Nykaa HERE. Nykaa displays ES32 as a taupe-ish color but don’t be mislead by that wrong picture. ES32 is a purple shade.

Its listed on eBay here.

Maybelline Total Clean Express Eye and Lip Makeup Remover -Review, Price, Demo

I have not had the best (to say the least) experience with makeup removers in the past. Makeup remover is a vital part of my cleansing routine because once you start wearing makeup, you’ll need some cleanser which is powerful enough to take off all those long wearing products yet gentle enough to not harm your skin in the process. Because of these high demands, I don’t mind spending a bit more this part of my skincare, however, even expensive brands can fail to fulfil such basic requirements. I was on the hunt of a good makeup remover and along the same time, the Maybelline Clean Express Makeup Remover had just been introduced in the market. I’ve almost always had a good experience with Maybelline, also the attractive packaging lured me to try out this makeup remover. I have tried the old Maybelline remover but I found it very oily so I was hoping this one would be better. 

Cost: Rs.275 /$4.50

Qty: 100ml / 3.4 fl.oz.

Can be purchased from Jabong, Nykaa, Flipkart, Amazon

You can read about my experience with Jabong and Nykaa.

Company Claims(taken from Maybelline India website):

Total Clean Express Eye and Lip Makeup Remover

Remove makeup within minutes with Maybelline New York's Eye & Lip Makeup Remover.

Wipe away makeup in a flash with the MNY Total Clean Express Eye & Lip Makeup Remover.

Removing makeup becomes a piece of cake with this powerful eye and lip makeup remover. Designed to be 2x more effective, this remover wipes off eye, lip and face makeup in seconds. Featuring fast-acting dissolving agents, this makeup remover easily breaks down stubborn eye makeup to give you squeaky clean lids and lashes. The best part is that it leaves absolutely no residue!

Here's why you'll love it:

• Features the Bi-phase formula that removes all type of makeup without leaving a residue
• Enriched with fast-acting dissolving agents that instantly break down stubborn eye makeup
• Dermatologist and allergy tested for increased safety
• Cleans and moisturizes lids and lashes

My Experience:

Empties #2 - Empties And Some Nearly-Empties

So finally my second empties is here! Yay! I never thought I’d reach here so soon :P This time I have stuff that’s completely finished and stuff that’s nearly about to, just like 2-3mls of the product left.  A lot of the products haven’t been reviewed here so I’ve kept a couple of mini reviews in here as well. For more mini-reviews check out my Empties #1 post and Skin care post.

(These are the nearly empties)

(l-r) VS Mist, Pucelle Mist, Neutrogena Cleanser