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?

My Karwa Chauth Look

So Karwa Chauth came and went.In north India, some women are more excited about the outfit, accessories and makeup than the actual fast :p And honestly, you can't blame them. The fast itself is not much to get excited about. Soooo, here is my look for this year.

This pic was taken in the evening after the pooja. So excuse the oiliness please (and the fake camera smile!!!)

Face: 

• Crabtree & Evelyn moisturizer followed by Lotus 3 in 1 sunblock
• MAC Studio Fix powder foundation in NC41
• MAC Fix +
• Garnier Light Anti Dark Circle Eye Roll on in Medium as under eye concealor
• Faces Mineral Blush in Amber Rose

Eyes:

• Colorbar Creme Foundation as primer
• ULTA eyeshadows in Blue in the inner corner and Gold in the outer corner
• MAC Siahi on upper lashline
• Lakme Black Satin Kajal
• Oriflame Visions Mascara 

Lips:

• Lotus balm in Velvet Rose
• MAC Twig Lipstick  

I wore this look even after the Pooja when I changed into a more comfortable pink cotton salwar kameez. The flash makes Twig appear a lot more pink. In reality is was more brown. The best part is that the pink became more apparent when I wore pink. 

So what do you think about this look?

My first FOTD - Inspired by Mehak

Mehak of Peaches and Blush did a fab tutorial on dewy makeup. Dewy skin has always awed me and I have always been jealous of those with supple glowing cheeks. When I read mehak's post today, I realised I could try this out. So, I did and I am not brave to put up before and after pics so just a few of them go here...

So, what do you guys think? I feel that I need to good concealer and that I should stick to matte. I skipped powder and compact and my skin was oily in less than 30 mins. Sigh, the dewyness isn't for me...

I used Lakme Perfect Radiance foundation, Colorbar creme compact as concealer, Colorbar Radiant Glow Highlighter pen, Oriflame visions mascara, Lotus kajal, Nivea lipbalm in pomegranate and ULTA lipgloss in nude.

You are never too old to learn!

We have heard this quote over and over again. have we not? Although learning gets difficult as we grow older, we need to keep learning. Specially in beauty! New skincare ideas, new makeup trends... there is so much to learn! Is there not?

If you are dabbling with basic makeup, you need to start small. Get a hang of what suits you and what does not and then proceed with high end brands and experimental looks! Trust me, it is very very easy to go overboard and look garish! :(

I have found some excellent sources to learn about makeup and skincare.

YouTube
YouTube is a gold mine of information. But it is also very easy to get lost here. The first time I searched for makeup videos, i was overwhelmed! Plowing through piles of videos led me to Michelle Phan. She is a gorgeous blogger whose videos will have you hooked. She is a professional MUA and her videos are shot very well. The best part is that she goes over the technique as well. You can clearly see her movements for blending, eye shadow aplication etc. Little tricks are embedded in her videos! And she is pretty too...
Kandee Johnson is another MUA I watch quite often.... I like her easy friendly style...
There are tons of them and I don't want this post to seem like an endorsement, so I'll stop here...!

Blogs
There are tonnes of beauty blogs out there where you can pick up fantastic tips! My favorites are IMBB, Indya Beauty, Wise She, Indian Vanity Case and Peaches & Blush. There are so many more that I read and enjoy. But these are my daily must haves! :)

Makeover Games
These are fun and addictive! You can play with colours and products and see how a certain colour looks on you! Yup, they allow you to upload your pics and change everything from hair colour to eye colour. You can spend hours and hours here! I like this one from Daily Mokeover

Practice
And finally, you can learn all the theory you want... but you have to practice! Try the tricks when you have time at hand. I know, its difficult but you can't get perfect unless you get your hands dirty... Set out an hour every weekend where you practice. Eventually, you won't need that long... :)