OOTD: Bangkok Visit

Hiya beauties,

I was in Bangkok last week attending a conference.. while the meetings were nothing to write home about, the parties and all the masti certainly were. I was let down in the shopping department big time! Too many fakes, high priced low quality stuff and a bad attitude towards Indians... add a sultry weather to that and phatttt goes the shopping...

So, this conference is a big affair in my company and vain girls like me obsessed over our outfits and look the entire time. I know everyone does it... only few admit it! This is also the time Indian girls wear a lot of dresses and skirts, things that we don't normally wear in India, specially when we take public transport...

So here are my looks from my time off and the parties :)

At Bangkok Airport

This is me after a whole night of waiting for the flight and then travelling. Those denim capris are the most comfy i have ever worn and am so glad I picked shoes over flipflops at the last minute. My feet were very thankful :)

You see the paintings behind me? Those were some large murals that adorned the walls... I had to get a pic... :)

At MBK Mall

We arrived at the wee hours of the morning and left as soon as the malls would have opened. I changed into a fresh shirt and put some makeup on... got fried in the 20 minute commute... it was H.O.T!

This is MBK mall, erstwhile shoppers paradise... now filled with junk! I felt so sad to see the novelty taken out of the shopping. I guess its still cheap for the west but it is at par with what we get in India now.

Although a lot of people visit MBK to sample the eye candy. I can bet that most Indian men do it. Why else would they be roaming around idly in a mall that sells women's clothes, shoes and bags?

Boat Cruise on Cho Phraya River 

The cruise was a windy affair. I opted for a black jacket and tights with pulled back hair. My makeup was minimal and i am berating myself for leaving my concealor at home. I just wanted to avoid an oil slick by the end of the evening and so the emphasis was on mattifying. What do you girls think?

Makeup for the Cruise

Final Evening Outfit

For the final evening, I wanted a fuss free look. Something that'll allow me to dance all night long without a bother. I kind of achieved that with the blow dried hair and my shirt worn over the jacket!

Yep, a transparent jacket goes over the sleeveless silk top but i reversed it to let the pretty embroidery show. I am wearing the same top here the correct way!

I went in with loads of highlighter and shimmery blush and got a fake glow :P Oh and am proud of the custom lip colours on both days. Didn't I tell you? On the cruise day, I wore MAC Lip Pencil in Spice under Faces Lip Pencil in True Red and topped it off with MAC Twig. For the final evening, I wore Maybelline Hooked On Pink under MAC Cosmo. And my liner here, is blue.. not black ;)

I got some falsies for this event but contracted an infection :( am not even wearing Mascara :(

Glowy Makeup for the Gala Night!

What happens when you party till the wee hours for four days in a row, eat and drink like crazy and do absolutely no physical exercise save for dancing?
You Bloat Up! Like crazy... all that beer and vodka... all those entrees and burgers... all those fries and colas... and the delectable desserts... oh, where was I? Yes... enjoyable as they are, they show up immediately and I looked pregnant the next morning! Heavily pregnant... someone even asked me! How mortifying!!!

Easy Breezy Look

That's the preggers look on the right....! The fun part is, I was actually pregnant ( 5 months) on the last trip two years ago and not many people knew... not many found out! If that isn't a cue to lose weight... what is?

How did you like the looks?

First Day

My daughter started playschool today! Time flies...!

Review: Lotus Herbals ColourDEW Nail Enamel in Candy Drop

I won the Lotus Herbals Mother's day contest and they sent me a hamper. The hamper contained Lotus nail paints and I must admit that I am in love. Not puppy love but true, everlasting love. These nail paints are that awesome!

Check out the swatch below. My apologies for the blurriness. It is a phone camera.

Lotus Herbals ColourDEW Nail Enamel in Candy Drop

What Lotus Says
ColourDEW™ is a range of 10 exciting Nail enamels all together in a new packaging. Natural and safe, Acetone, DBP and toluene free, Fast drying, Flat and sturdy brush. Smooth application

What I Think   
I got strawberry shake in the hamper and within 2 days I bought Candy Drop. Both shades have amazing pigmentation coz one swipe gives decent coverage and dry in a jiffy! Perfect for those who are always rushing or running after a toddler!
Don't even get me started on the lasting power. I went 5 days without a single chip wit strawberry sparkle! F.I.V.E whole days... a boon for lazies like me who do their nails once a fortnight or only on special occasions!

What it Costs

Used to be 99 a pop for the longest time. Now, they have increased the prices to INR 110. This still goes cheaper than Lakme Absolute and Colorbar. Though at par with regular Lakme and Maybelline Colorama, the quality beats them by a long shot!

The Good

1. Amazing Pigmentation
2. Great Formula
3. Applies like a dream. No Streaks!
4. Awesome Lasting Power. Really... this is the duracell of nail paints :)

The Bad

1. The long handle makes it difficult to fit in boxes and drawers. I have been storing mine horizontally :(
2. Availability is an issue with all Lotus Colour Cosmetics

The Ugly

Ugly? What Ugly?

My MAC Temptation List

hi girls,

I went over to the only MAC outlet in Kolkata last weekend and was so freaking overwhelmed that I did not even remember the shades I wanted to check out. Didn't help that the SA wasn't warm. In fact, she seemed totally stressed about something! Maybe she was just having a bad day...

So, I decided to make a list of all the MAC goodies I wanna try out.

Foundation: I am NC40 and totally love my Studio Fix powder. But I do feel the need to have a liquid foundation on hand sometimes. Since I have burned my hands with all foundations but MAC, I want all my foundations from MAC only. Oh and before you think I am the dumbest beauty blogger who forgot this, lemme tell you that I am tanned so bad that I cannot even think of buying a foundation at this moment

Lipstick in Mocha: Ever since I saw Rati sport it in this post, I love this shade. Though lord knows I do not need another Brown / Nude in my stash! But look at the colour peeps, how could you not love it?

MAC Mocha Lipstick
Source: www.makeupandbeauty.com

MAC Mocha Swatch
Source: www.makeupandbeauty.com

Lipstick in Amorous: I love this shade because it sits in that perfect place between nude and bold. Its bright, but not too much. I saw this at Rashmi's blog and it was an instant love! I did swatch this at the store though and found it a tad dull for the coming summer months. What do you girls think?

MAC Amorous Lipstick
Source: www.makeupandbeauty.com

MAC Amorous Swatch
Source: www.makeupandbeauty.com

Lipstick in Craving: Zara totally deserves the credit for this! I swatched it in the store and it looked amazing :) The only reason I didn't pick it up was because I knew I was forgetting some shades. I later remembered Mocha :p

MAC Craving Lipstick
Source: www.wiseshe.com

MAC Craving Swatches
Source: www.wiseshe.com

Eyeshadow in Expensive Pink: Given that I wear eye shadow only on special occasions, this is a lovely shade for me. I think it will go with any Indian attire and I can simply use it as a wash over the lid and use a coloured liner to finish off! Again, I need to thank Rati for this gem. This was out of stock :(

MAC Expensive Pink Eyeshadow
Source: www.makeupandbeauty.com

MAC Lip Erase: A wonder product that erases the pigmentation and allows the real colour of the lippie to show thru? Sounds like the answer to my prayers!!

By now, all you guys must know I am a lippie gal.... I prefer my base to be of sound quality and long lasting. For colours, I quite like the drugstore products. But these lippies made to the list because they are quite unique (IMHO). I'd love to have these in my stash :)

So what makes to your MAC Lust List?

Beauty Tip - Tightlining

Hey girls,

Am trying to get my blogging mojo back so bear the nonsensical posts for a while. Yeah, I am talking to my maybe ten loyal readers out there!!! :)

I love the effect of tightlining on my eyes but am terrified of doing it. A klutz like myself will end up poking her eye all the time. Not to mention the fact that pulling up the lid will cause sagging. So, I cheat!

To tightline, I line my lower lashline heavily and shut my eyes immediately. I blink a few times till the kohl transfers to the upper lashline and repeat this process a few times. Voila, tightlined eyes :)

What are your beauty cheats?

Lipgloss or Lipstick?

Lipglosses may be my flings, but Lipsticks will remain my true love forever!

Image Source: maybelline.co.in

Realised this after spending lotsa bucks on Maybelline Colorsensational gloss in Hooked on Pink (Yes, I have the lipstick too. No, I haven't tried the combo)

ImageSource: LakmeIndia.com

and Lakme Absolute gloss in Candy Shine, Elle 18 gloss in Melon Flame,

Image Source: lotusherbals.com

Lotus Seduction gloss in Lychee Sqaush (gave it away) and an Incolour Gloss.  Most of my glosses are unused. I had bought 4 tubes 4 years ago for my wedding. Gave them all away. Now, I am on a mission to finish up my glosses. So far, have only managed the Elle 18 one. Wish me luck!







Are you a lipstick girl? Or a Lipgloss Girl?

Glossybox Giveaway Winner

Heya Girls,

With my vacation in Goa which left me quite tanned and the deadlines at work, I haven't been able to blog much lately. I have even missed out on reading my staple! But things will continue to be crazy for some more time I expect...

Anyway, this announcement was due in the first week of March. Sadly, the enthusiasm went down due to the withdrawal of glossybox and them gifting vouchers instead. I wish they'd come back soon and we do have another beautybox in the Indian market.

Anywhoo, so I did this a few days back and informed them about the winner. Its time to tell you guys too :)

So you can see that I had 6 entries. A big thanks to all of you who participated. And Random Org picked....

And so the winner is Suma's Mom! Congrats to both of them :)

My Bridal Looks

There is love all around us. Specially today, you see talks of valentines on TV, on FB, on Blogs etc etc... For me, V-day was just another day... My marriage anniv was 3 days back and since we celebrate on 11th, we don't bother with the 14th... Every year, I do a wedding related post on FB but I missed this year. Hubs reminded me last night and I was like I am late by 2 days.. what's the point now... And then Suma posted this look and we got chatting. She suggested I do a post on my wedding look and I was like great idea!

I had a full blown Punjabi wedding with three major functions and two smaller ones... can you imagine the stress and the fun?

Chownki Look: Blue Lehnga 

The first one is from the Chownki we had... chownki is a four hour musical tribute to God. It is loads of fun because the presenters add a bit of comedy to lighten up things, they add mythology and spiritual stories and bhajans that are lively enough to be danced to! I wore a turquoise net lehnga for this evening. My makeup was done professionally and it was kept quite simple. The emphasis was on contouring and my nose has never looked better :)

Chownki Look: Blue Lehnga

The contouring is sooo visible in the second pic. But this was the first time I was exposed to it. The power of make up was slowly being revealed to me.

Keertan Look: Blue Salwaar Kameez

Anywhoo, the next function was a small Keertan and I wore a suit this time. But guess what, this was also turquoise! What can I say? I was on a colour fixation those days and everytime I went shopping, I singled out turqouise clothes :p So the look was very simple with compact, a light pink lippie and a crystal bindi.

Mehndi Look: Yellow Kurti & Red Dupatta

So up next was my Mehndi and Sangeet which was a very small affair. I didn't do anything fancy for that evening. Just a Yellow Kurti with Red Bandhani dupatta over red capris... 

Engagement Look: Red Saree and Curled Hair

Next day was the Engagement and Sagan. I chose a red (see the repeating colours!) saree and got my makeup done at Ambika Pillai's salon in Delhi. This is my most favourite look amongst all. I think it is festive without being overly dramatic :)

Engagement Look: Makeup

Are you still reading? Well then we are at the last look. The D-day... I was a typical bride complete with a 15 kg lehnga, lots of kaleerein and regular dulhan waala makeup. I realised that all Ambika Pillai brides look the same. :(

Wedding Look: Red Red Red!

So, what do you girls think?

Makeup when Hosting a Dinner

Hey girls, how many of you have hosted a lunch / dinner at home? All on your own? Stressful! right? I get goosebumps even thinking about the effort involved... cleaning and polishing everything, hours in the kitchen over food, the crockery, the knick knacks and what not... And when the guests finally arrive, you'd be running around making sure they are comfortable, managing the kitchen, watching the kids etc etc....

So, what kind of makeup do you wear at such a time? Here is my look and the learning from playing hostess:

Simple Makeup while playing Hostess

Face:

1. MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in Fix+
2. Maybelline Blush in Apricot Flush lightly on the cheek bones

Eyes:

1. Avon Glimmersticks Diamond in Jade Green
2. Lotus Herbals Kajal

Lips:

1. Maybelline Coloursensational Lipstick My Mahogany

That's it. Just 5 products! Who had the time for more? And yes girls, the first lesson is:

1. Less is More: The lesser number of products you apply, the lesser time you' take and will probably catch a few moments to relax before the early birds arrive. Every party has them early birs who will land in ten minutes before the time... :)
2. Use Mattifying Base: Specially if you are oily/combination skin like me. All the running around in and out of the kitchen or last minute cooking and frying will leaving your face sweaty and oily. Having worn a dewy base to begin with is not a good idea. Keep blotting papers in your kitchen for a quick dab once in a while
3. Keep is simple: Unless you are hosting a Wedding type ka event, keep your makeup as simple as you can. Let your amazing hostess skills dazzle them... the time to shine with your makeup skills is another day. The reason is that on a casual / semi formal party at home, you have no clue how your guests will be dressed. India does not have a concept of strict dress codes. It is better to be the least made up woman than the most
4. Don't forget the Hair: Now I am guilty of this. Usually, I just shampoo them and leave them to air dry after running a wide tooth comb. Not very becoming. An then I secure them with a hair tie or clutch clip to hold them away from my face during meals. It looks terrible. Specially in the pics. More so, when the group pic is taken at the end of the evening :(  For my last party, I decided to brush my hair just before the guests arrived and coat them with a leave in conditioner... much better results!
5. Touch Up: Its your house for God sakes! Just sneak into your room and do a quick touch-up if needed :p

Weight loss Drama?

Hey girls, how many of you have gone through the weight loss drama? The gymming, the dieting, the sugar ban, the caffeine ban, the juice diet, the gm diet, the soup diet, the yoga, the pilates and god knows what else.... how many websites or books have you tried to read? What happens when none of that works? When your resolve crumbles bit by bit,everyday.... How do you keep yourselves motivated?

Giveaway: Share the GLOSSYBOX Love

Hi girls, so we all know that Glossybox is coming to India. Right? And we also know that promotions are doing rounds big time. Now Feb being the month of Love, I thought we should share some love... some GLOSSYBOX love! And so, I bring you the Share the GLOSSYBOX Love giveaway... it is your usual giveaway, with a glossybox as a prize but... with a bit of a twist :)

GlossyBox India Giveaway: Share the Glossybox Love

So, to enter the contest you have to do the following:

1. Like the GlossyBox page on Facebook and leave your facebook name in the comments
2. Add a comment to the post below saying "If I had a glossybox to share with someone I love, it would be _______ because _____" and leave your friend's email id :)

That's all! Easy right? So where is the twist you ask... well, I was coming to that. You see, this contest runs throughout Feb. So it ends on Feb 29th. In the first week of March, one comment will be picked on random and the Glossybox will go to your friend :) Your friend will love you for it. Right? You can comment as many times as possible and nominate your mom, sister, MIL, SIL or even your boss! Please do not nominate yourself. Those comments will not be considered as valid entries... so if you want to win, patao your BFF... get the maska out girls and let your charm do the work... :)

After the winner is chosen, I'll mail them and they will have 48 hours to respond after which another winner will be chosen. Oh and one more thing, please ensure your friend in a resident off India.

So, what are you waiting for? Spread some love ladies!

Outfit Post: Travel during Pregnancy Part 1

Hi ladies, travelling during pregnancy can be a pain... More so when it is an international travel. Right? I went to a conference when I was pregnant. Let me take you back in time on that journey and tell you what I learnt on What Not To Wear when travelling during pregnancy.

Day1: Flight from India to KL

Maternity Outfit 1: Tunic & Tousers

Here is me at the Singapore stopover. Am wearing an empire waist red tunic from Pantaloon and black maternity pants from Mothercare. I wore nude flat soft sole sandals throughout the trip. What worked in this outfit is the empire cut that draws attention away from my bulge and was quite comfortable as I sat through the six hour flight. The material of the tunic is crepe though which is quite thin and did zilch to keep me warm in the freezing plane. I had the foresight to carry a warm stole that helped. The trousers were all right.
Learning: I felt a jersey top would have been a better choice. So the cut and the fabric has to be comfortable. A stole or a light shawl is a must.

Day 2: Beach Party

Maternity Outfit 2: Flowy Maxi Dress

Maternity Outfit 2: Flowy Maxi Dress with Statement Necklace

We had a day long conference on day 2 where I wore a Kurta with leggings (fortunately the dress code was business casual) but the highlight of the day was the beach party in the evening :) I wore a flowy maxi made of chiffon underneath a dark blue cami and a statement necklace in matching colours... We had to wear our id card at all times so the lanyard takes away the glory of my necklace here :(. I had a light foundation, kajal and nude lipstick on... I was confy in this outfit throughout the night and the dress did not emphasise my bump again. It allowed me enough freedom to walk around on the beach mingling with people and shake a leg or two when the music came on :) Oh and i had flip flops on my feet... c'mon its a beach party!
Learning: For the day event, I am glad I opted for my regular maternity attire of a loose Kurta and leggings.  It was no different than a normal day at work. Do not unnecessarily break out of your comfort zone. In the evening, well... if you are gonna be at a party, ensure that your clothes allow you enough movement for dancing and stuff... if you are in something figure hugging, you can end up looking quite awkward! Again, comfort is the key

How did you like this post girls? Would you like to see more of these posts?

GLOSSYBOX Beauty is coming to India

We’re GLOSSYBOX Beauty, an idea born from a team of beauty lovers who got tired of wasting time and money buying the newest beauty products without the opportunity to try them to understand if they are right for us. GLOSSYBOX Beauty has grown to become the world’s leading premium beauty subscription company. We are present in 14 countries on 6 continents, and we are now COMING TO INDIA!

Isn't that great news? They launch in march!!! Yippedo.....

Review: Colorbar Velvet Matte Sultry Pink Lipstick

For the last two and a half years, I had reverted to wearing nude lips most of the time. When not wearing lippies like Oriflame Pure Colors Lipstick in Vintage Rose, I was wearing very light colors like Lotus Herbals Pure Colors Lipstick in Mod Mauve or my Nivea Starshine lipbalms. Around 8-9 months back, I realised the pattern had to be broken and began venturing into bolder colours. My journey is a story for another day. For now, I'll share my latest one with you guys. Ladies, I bring you the Colorbar Velvet Matte Lipstick in Sultry Pink. I'd gotten this back in November and had swatched it immediately for you guys. But after using it for the last two months, I can't get enough of it!

Colorbar Velvet Matt Lipstick Sultry Pink Tube

Colorbar Velvet Matt Lipstick Sultry Pink Colour in Tube

What Colorbar Says

For a rich lip colour with a creamy shine, the Velvett Matte Lipstick, available in 45 stunning shades infuse the lips with vibrancy. Its unique 2-in-1 formulation gives the lips a creamy, yet matte finish. A one of a kind product in India, it has super softening agents that give the lips a soft and supple appearance while keep them nourished with Vitamin E. Staying on up to 5 hours on application, the Velvett Matte Lipstick can be further accentuated with lip gloss and lip liner.

What I Think

Someone said the other day "Colorbar got it right with the Velvet Matte". I disagree. I don't think they got it right. They got it DAMN RIGHT! That's how awesome these lipsticks are. I have Bare and Sultry Pink and am totally berating myself for not getting one of these sooner. These are just brilliant!

In the lipstick world. we associate Matte with drying. For someone like me who has prune lips (thanks for the phrase Zara!), Matte lipsticks can be horrifying. But these are not drying at all. The lipstick is quite creamy and has a lovely finish. Even though this is a bold colour, it does not bleed at all. With a lipliner underneath, it does not settle into fine lines. Without one, it does after 3-4 hours. Its starts to fade after this time leaving a nice even tint. And guess what, it survives a full three course meal and coffee! I've tested that out too :) 

Sultry Pink is a bright berry pink with reddish undertones. Following Lisa Eldridge's advice, I wear it in three different ways. Check out the swatches to see what I mean!

Colorbar Velvet Matt Lipstick Sultry Pink Swatch with Flash
(As Lipstain, Two Swipes & Single Swipe)

Colorbar Velvet Matt Lipstick Sultry Pink Swatch without Flash
(As Lipstain, Two Swipes & Single Swipe)

1. Lipstain: A lovely warm berry lipstain that lasts all day and can be glammed by topping off with a gloss / lipbalm
2. Single Swipe: The low intensity colour makes for good office wear specially with a neutral outfit and or eyes. If you don't have time to do your makeup in the morning, just swipe this on and you wont need anything else
3. Two Swipes: It builds up to opaque brilliance in just two swipes. Looks fantastic and makes for great evening wear. But the best part is, it can even be worn when you want a glam look in the daytime! It is not over the top at all :)

What it Costs

At INR 225 for 4 gms, this is a steal!!

The Good

1. Great Pigmentation
2. Awesome lasting power
3. Non-Drying
4. Transfer resistant!

The Bad

1. Colorbar is not as easily available as its counterpart Indian brands, like Lakme
2. It has a synthetic smell that lasts a long time

The Ugly

Nothing is ugly about this one... its a beauty!

Final Rating

9/10

Corallista's Anniversary Giveaway

The lovely Ankita is hosting her first anniversary giveaway along with Stylecraze. Check out this post for details!

My French Manicure

Do you girls like my French Manicure? :p

Swatch: Bourjois Paris Blush in 33 Lilas D'or

Hi girls, I got this blush for my b'day last week and have been wearing it everyday ever since. I love how natural it looks. The shimmer scared me under the store lights but I have been wanting this ever since Cynthia wrote about it on her blog saying this is a Nars Orgasm Dupe. When the SA mentioned that this is getting discontinued, I knew I had to pick it... :)

Do you have this blush? What do you like / dislike about it?

New Hairdo: Bangs & Layers

Hiya girls, when I tweeted about my new hairdo, Zara and Ankita wanted to see it. So, I went ahead and clicked a few pics. 

Say hello to my glasses, making their first appearance on the blog!

I know the pic is a little blurry, but we have had no sun for four days now and the lighting is bad :(. So the hairdo is a full bang on the forehead with the length cut out in gradual layers. There is a story behind the bangs. Do you wanna know it? Heck, I'll tell you anyways :)

I got a side swept fringe in my last cut and that grew out to an irritating length. When I was to head out to christmas & new year parties, I had no time to visit a salon. So, I took a pair of sharp scissors and hacked off the fringe into a straight crisp bang. Easy, eh? So this is what I looked like on Christmas

The quality isn't that great either. This was taken on someone else's digicam at night

Can you see how the rest of the hair fall in unruly layers? So to tame them, I headed out and got a proper cut this Friday. I love the bangs... haven't had this hairdo since I was a little girl :)

Happy New Year

hello girls... it comes a tad late here, but wish you all a very happy and colourful 2012 :)

i had a terrible last week.. with an eye infection that made my eye swell and shut. Thankfully it was down by new year's eve and we were able to head out to a get together. So how was your new year's eve?

Here is my outfit for the new years and guess what, I wore a RED lip!!! I was certain I'd never be able to pull one off. You fabulous ladies at Blogsville always tempted me with the red lips and I had wanted to try one before the year ended. Well, I did. I have minimal makeup on in the pics because the infection was still there and I didn't want anything near my eye. Not even concealer. So you guys get to meet my DARK circles. Be nice to them ;)

I've had the skirt and the top from before marriage and that means these are at least five years old. I don't wear skirts that often and so the ones I have suffice. Its quite sad really because I love wearing skirts. This one is from Sri Lanka. There is this awesome store in Colombo called Fashion House where clothes are CHEAP! I think they sell export surplus and rejects because I found a lot of stuff with the labels ripped off. The quality of the clothes is excellent though! The top is from Westside or Pantaloon. I don't recollect. It is a paisley print georgette with tiny sequins on it. I really like it for night time wear. My footwear is from a local shop in South Delhi. Grey snakeskin with kitten heels. Bet you guys didn't need to know that, huh?

And here is a very tired looking me with bare eyes and dark circles. Here is my product breakdown:

Face:

• MAC studio fix powder foundation over my face, avoiding the eye area.
• Colorbar radiant pen highlighter over cheekbones
• Faces mineral blush in Pink Topaz

Eyes: BARE

Lips:

• MAC Lip pencil in Spice
• Avon Simply Pretty Lipstick in Cherry Red ( it stayed on after 4 hours, snacks, drinks and a full meal) I am not sure if this was due to the lip liner or the fact that I dabbed a tissue over the lipstick and reapplied it. A bit of both I guess.

My fear of red lips is slowly fading away. But I do realise that I need a flawless skin and warm toned red to carry off the look. Cool toned reds just look horrible on me. So, what do you think girls? How did I do?