Sale Alert - Week Ending June 29th, 2012

Hey Pretties

I'm back with a roundup of some of the sales that are going on in the virtual beauty world, both national and international (have found some real beauties!).

This will be a regular feature on my blog every Friday, so keep watching this space for all your sale news...Shop On!





Indian Websites:

Stylecraze - Flat 10% off on all e.l.f products and BeYu cosmetics products.
New launches - The Body Shop, BeYu cosmetics

Medplusbeauty - Save 30% on Panasonic Hair Dryer, 25% off on Votre Skin products, 20% off on Enliven beauty products

Urban Touch - Buy Luxury perfumes starting @ Rs 600
New Launch - Forest Essentials

VioletBag - 20% off on Konad products

Goodlife - 20% off on Roots hair brushes, 10% off on all eye makeup products, Upto 20% off on Basicare products, Flat 10% off on all Jovees products, 10% off on skincare products.

Slassy - Upto 20% off on Freshline cosmetics, 15% off on Chambor products, 45% off on an Organic Surge Color Protect Shampoo + Conditioner Combo Offer

Flipkart - Most of the products here are being sold at a discounted rate. I'm definitely getting something from Deborah Milano since I can save upto 20% off and from Diana of London where I can get upto 15% off!

Healthkart - NYX products are upto 35% off, 5% off on all Lotus Herbals makeup products, 10% off on all Revlon products.

International Websites - (These ship to India)

Strawberrynet - Extra Special Discounts upto 50% on a selected range, Upto 60% off on Perfumes and Face Masks. If you purchase above USD 75, you will get a free Korres compact powder (till 3 July)

Cherryculture - 20% - 50% off on selected items

Asos - Upto 50% off on beauty products

Apothica - Upto 20% - 70% on most of their makeup and skincare products

All Cosmetics Wholesale - They specialize in providing discounted quality makeup brands like MAC, Urban Decay, Chanel, Stila etc at wholesale and below wholesale pricing. A clearance sale upto 50% off is currently going on for most of these products. Although the clearance sale looks very tempting, I'm not too sure about how old these are though. 


Beauty.com - This shop sells various brands like philosophy, Orly, Elizabeth Arden, Urban Decay etc. 
They have a clearance sale going on for some of these brands where you can save upto 20% off.

Beauty.com has partnered with MyUS to provide service to customers worldwide. MyUS.com membership can help you to save up to 70% on international shipping rates. They can provide you with a US street address, receive packages on your behalf, and then ship your order overseas. MyUS also helps prepare customs paperwork for your shipments.Check out their website for more details.

That's all for this week...Stay tuned for the next edition on Friday 6th July..


XOXO

I Want To Feature You on My Blog!

Hey Pretties

Apart from a being a beauty and makeup maniac, I am also a huge fashion junkie. One of my fav pastimes is to browse through beauty and fashion magazines/websites and I can do this for hours on end!!

On my blog, I want to start a new section where I want to feature you. I want to know what you love...What is your fav outfit? Your fav accessory? Your fav piece of jewelry? Love that shoe? Share with me and other readers as well. Let us all drool together :))))

If you are interested, please send me an email with your pics and some info about yourself and the product to poutpretty@gmail.com. I would love to put it up. Everyone is welcome.Indians, Non-Indians, young, old...no discrimination at all!

Looking forward to your enthusiastic participation...Don't disappoint me please pretties :)..Give a new blogger some encouragement :P..

If you are a blogger, Ill provide the link to your blog. If not, well Ill give you the opportunity to show off :P

To start off, here's me sharing my current fav earring..its a silver filigree with pearl drops that I picked up from Tashkent. Like?

Love

D


P.S - Lets share some of our mutual love by following each other? What say?

My latest love - Avon's Color Me Pretty Nail Enamel in Flirty. Review and Pics

If anyone had told me about a year back that I would be going bonkers over nail polishes, I would have given them a whack on their heads. Seriously!...I used to be a certified nail polish hater!!! I hated any color on my nails and always kept them natural. Maybe a clear polish at times. But then something happened...I started looking at all your lovely blogs, your nail art lured and enticed me no end and I thought ok why not try one and see how it goes? I bought Maybelline's Colorama in Coral Chic and was hooked.....And thus started my love affair with nail polishes....

Well now that I've told you my story lets get down to the real reason why I'm writing this post. And the reason is to let you know that I have finally found what I've been looking for. A super hot pink nail polish and guess what? Neither is it from any high-end brand nor ridiculously expensive. Well ladies, let me introduce you to my latest love..Avon's Color Me Pretty Nail Enamel in Flirty!

Let me share why I'm lovin this beauty..

1. Color - A HOT HOT Pink which will look good on anyone's hands despite their skin color. One coat is bright. Two coats is whoaaa...This will also be a very good base for those who are into nail art. If you love bright pinks on your nails as much as I do, go for this.

2. Price - Flirty is really affordable. Think I bought it for about 60 bucks!

3. Texture - Won't say its the creamiest polish around but I quite like how smooth it is to apply. No ridges on the nails.

4.  Staying Power - Beats most of the pricey brands in this department. I've been wearing this for 4 days now and no chipping!

What I did not like was the really tiny bottle. The packaging is pretty cute but the quantity is not. Would have loved to have more of you Flirty!

Here are a few pics of me wearing her......

P.S - I haven't had a manicure in a while so please excuse the state of my nails :D

The Body Shop Moringa Beautifying Oil - Review

Hey Pretties

Remember that Mirinda ad where everyone used to go Mirindaaaaaaaaa after drinking it?......Well, If The Body Shop features me in their ad for the Moringa Beautifying Oil, that's how I'll be saying it too...Moringaaaaaaaaaa.

These beautifying oils have generated a lot of interest since the ads came out a week back and I wanted to check for myself whether they would be any good. I had my heart set out on Chocomania and Coconut but Chocomania was not available and Coconut smelled too much like our very own Parachute coconut oil so I picked up Moringa. 

At TBS Store

   
According to TBS, these are cold pressed dry oils made from Kukui nut oil, Sweet almond oil and Community Fair Trade marula nut oil that can be used on the face, body and hair to moisturize, smooth and illuminate. They are available in 11 different fragrances to complement the body butters (although I didn't really see 11 of them in the store. Think I saw about 6) so there is definitely one for everyone! I was a bit apprehensive of trying on an oil on my face and body during this weather but the results have left me pleasantly surprised. Let's see why.


Packaging - Its very basic and simple yet quite cute. The oil is dispensed through a very small nozzle which allows you to control how much you want and believe me you do not need a lot of this. 

The cute bottle

Fragrance - I've always loved how the Moringa Body Butter smelled and the oil did not disappoint me. It's quite subtle and not overpowering at all. The Body Butter is actually stronger than this. What I don't like however is the staying power of the fragrance when I use it on my body. It lasts for about 2-3 hours after which it wears off. On my hair, it lasts for about 3-4 hours. 


On my hair - The first time I tried this on my hair, I made the mistake of applying too much and it made my hair greasy. Next time, I was more careful and applied only a teeny tiny bit. I have tried this in all sort of ways. I have used it on dry hair and it made my hair really smooth and glossy. I've scrunched up my damp hair and applied it like a serum and it made my hair super soft.You just have to make sure that you do not apply a lot. I have dry hair so this has worked really well for me. 


On my body - The only gripe I have is that the smell does not last for long. Other than that, I love the effect on my skin. Its really lightweight and absorbs quickly. It’s also a lot quicker to use the beautifying oil rather than lotion if you’re in a rush since oil just sort of distributes itself much more smoothly. And the best part is the very subtle glow that my skin gives off after applying the oil.

Its really light

And absorbs super fast

On my face - This I was the most apprehensive about. Even though I have normal skin, it is susceptible to breakouts and specially in this weather, I wasn't really sure how it would react. Well, when TBS says its a dry oil, believe me they mean dry!. Ive been applying this to my face for a couple of days now and absolutely loving the results. I'm actually using this as a substitute for my moisturizer and it's doing an excellent job. It absorbs into the skin really fast without leaving behind any greasy residue and its really really hydrating. A tiny bit on a slightly damp face and I'm sorted for the day. And believe me this really illuminates!!! It leaves behind a very subtle sheen which lasts throughout the day. Kinda like what a highlighter does! For those with oily skin, you might want to start off by testing the product on a small area of your face to see how it reacts before applying full on.

All in all, a great product from the TBS stable and I greatly recommend these oils specially to those with normal to dry skin.You will love the results!


What I don't like is the quantity and the price. I was expecting a much bigger bottle than the100 ml specially at Rs 895. But the good thing is that you need such a small amount that the bottle will last for quite sometime.

So TBS Beautifying Oils or TBS Body Butters? Hmmmm tough choice really because both are so good. But since I have to make one, I'll go for the oils in summer and the body butters during the cooler months. Don't think the oils will be that effective during the winters. 


Will I repurchase? Absolutely. I'm patiently waiting for the store to bring Chocomania and Cocoa Butter :)


To finish off the review, my rating for TBS Beautifying oil in Moringa on a scale of 1-5 ? A 4.5! (Taking away .5 coz of the price and quantity) 


Hope you liked the review. Do comment and let me know if you have given these oils a try. Waiting to hear from you:)


Till next time


Adios...

My Monsoon Makeup Must Haves and Wishlist

Pitter patter rain drops, Pitter Patter rain drops, and I’m wet throughhhh.....

Ahhhh atlast the rain Gods have shown some mercy on us Kolkatanas! The monsoon has finally set in to give us relief from the scorching heat and terrible humidity. Before we all start complaining of water logging, traffic jams, pot holes, dreary and dull weather, lets revel in the monsoon mania!...

In this post I will talk about my absolute monsoon-must haves and the products that are on my wish list to see me through the rains. We all know that despite the romanticism associated with the monsoons; this season is not really conducive to looking good. Its humid, there's a lot of moisture in the air, the skin becomes dull and greasy and makeup does not last for too long. The products that I have mentioned below are my life saviors and help me look all fresh n pretty. Hopefully my list will also help you to breeze through the coming months and make a splash of the good kind!

1. Tinted Moisturizer/BB Cream- Unless, I need to go out at night, I almost always skip foundation during the day during this season. My face tends to sweat a lot and I don't really want it to be a runny canvas!. I like to keep it fresh and dewy with only a hint of base so a tinted moisturizer works best. Mixing moisturizer with my favorite foundation (MAC Studio Fix in NC 45) does the trick for me. This year as well, no heavy duty stuff on my face but I might give the Maybelline B.B cream a try to see how it holds up.

Maybelline BB Cream

2. Waterproof & Smudge proof Eyeliner/Kajal - Well no one wants raccoon eyes so this is an absolute must. I use MAC's Blacktrack & Maybelline's Colossal Kajal when I want to go black. For color, I love the Glimmer sticks from Avon. This year, I'm in the mood to try out the matte AMC gel liners from Inglot after reading such good reviews from all of you. They have such fab shades!!..Below are the two that's on my wishlist.       

Inglot #82 Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel

                                                                

Inglot #82 Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel

                                                                                      

3. Waterproof Mascara - Not just for the monsoons, this is a must have for me all year round. I am currently using Maybelline's Volume Express Cat Eyes mascara which unfortunately never released here. This one gives me super long lashes but it's getting over and I have no means of replenishing. I've read some good things about the L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara so that's what I'm getting next.

L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara

4. Blush - There's nothing better than a dust of blush to add color to the face. Since I go very light on the base, a blush is a must have. My current favorite is MAC's Desert Rose, a gorgeous rosy pink. During the monsoons, I go for the matte blushes simply because of its lasting power. I don't want to be retouching my blush every couple of hours! The one that I'm lusting for is another pink blush, MAC's - Fleur Power. Its not matte but a satin finish but according to all you bloggers, this is the color for all skin tones. Well, I'm gonna listen to you and get this:)

Fleur Power

5. Hot Pink Lipstick - I like my lips to go bright during the monsoons and I like it matte. The glosses and creamy ones tend to bleed and their staying power reduces considerably so those are a big no no for me. I also steer clear from nudes and like wearing bright colors. My current favorite is MAC's Party Parrot, a very very bright neon pink (Review here). On my wishlist, are two more hot pinks. L'oreal's Color Riche Made for me Intense Fuchsia and Inglot's Witchy Watermelon.Aren't they gorgeous??

Witchy Watermelon

L'oreal's Color Riche Made for me Intense Fuchsia 

These are a few of my makeup must haves for the rainy season and the products that I've been saving money to buy. What are yours? Do share in the comments below.

Till next time..

Enjoy the rains pretties..

XOXO

Sneak Peek – My Saturday mini haul!

Here’s a sneak peek at what I hauled. Reviews coming soon  )

The Body Shop Chocomania Body Scrub, Chambor Powder Matte lipstick Rubis Rouge, The Body Shop Moringa Beautifying Oil

Are you planning to buy anything this weekend? Do comment and share your hauls..

e.l.f Classy – You Ain’t that Classy to me! – Review and Swatches

So e.l.f is now available in India and like any makeup enthusiast, the moment I spotted the ad on stylecraze, placed an order for some of their products. Classy was one of them. This was the first time I was trying out an e.l.f lipstick and I was really excited. The essential lipsticks are supposed to be one of the best budget lipsticks around and I’ve read some pretty good reviews of this particular shade. Bloggers have raved about how Classy is such a ‘classy’ product and some have even gone on to write that this is their HG lipstick! You can well imagine how much I was looking forward to it. Alas! All my excitement kinda vanished into thin air when I actually tried this on!!!Its such a big dud  ((((…Read on to know why.

1. Packaging - Nothing extraordinary here. Its pretty basic but I liked the clear ring where you can see the color of the lipstick.

2. Fragrance – The first thing that hit me when I opened the package was the really strong smell. Dunno about you but I just hate lipsticks that have any kind of smell be it sweet, sour, salty, fresh, plasticky whatever and boy does this have one! Its a citrusy kind of smell which I did not like.

3. Color - Now this is something that I liked. Its a light blue-based pink with slightly purple undertones, perfect for everyday use. During the day, it looks more pink but you can see the purple undertones in the pic that I took at night. This is a color which will look good on most skintones. Im an NC 45 and it did not wash me out . For those above 45, this might be too light but fair and medium skin tones will rock this.

During the day

Under artificial light

4. Pigmentation – Before trying it on my lips, I swatched it on my hand (A gal has to take pics!) and was really disappointed. I had to rub the product nearly 3-4 times to get the actual color. Same for my lips and it didnt even apply evenly. For me, pigmentation of a lipstick is the real deal. It can be the most moisturising and long staying lipstick in the world but if there ain’t enough color, I’m not interested. What’s the point of buying a lipstick then right? And Classy just does not give me enough color.

Swatch taken during the day

5. Texture – It goes on really creamy and glossy and is pretty moisturizing. It did not dry out my lips so that’s a plus point.

6. Staying Power – Not that great. It stayed on for about a couple of hrs before fading away and no..it did not leave any pink stain behind.

OK so now that I’m done dissecting all aspects of the lippie, let me tell you what was the real deal breaker for me…Well, the thing BROKE!..First time I opened to swatch it on the back of my hand, it just broke into two pieces!!! Apparently, that is the case with the essential range of e.l.f lipsticks. Most of them are very susceptible to breakage so if you have one that did not, you’re lucky!

Broken into two!!

If I were in the US and this cost me $1.50, I would not complain at all but I live in India. Here, its priced at Rs 299 (I got it at Rs 269 from stylecraze) and with that money, I can get far better quality lipsticks ..read Colorbar, Maybelline, Lotus, Avon etc. However, even though this one let me down, I’m not ready to give up on this range yet. Will try maybe one more to see how that goes and then form an opinion.

As for you Classy, you just didn’t work for me baby 

Let me know if you have tried Classy or any elf essential lipsticks? Or if this review helped. Share your comments below!

Shopping Alert!! – UK Beauty Website Offering Free Shipping Worldwide!!

Hey Pretties

I was surfing the net today when I came across this UK website http://www.feelunique.com/ and was zapped by the range of products they offer.

This is what the company says about itself –

Launched in October 2005, feelunique.com is one of Europe’s fastest growing online beauty retailers bringing you outstanding value beauty, grooming and health products straight to your door for free!

Choose from a diverse selection of over 15,500 products across hundreds of well-known brands from luxury salon & spa brands to high-street saviours, as well as eco-chic natural & organic staples. With new products arriving every week, you’re sure to find something uniquely yours.

And believe me, they do have a huuuuuge list of brands available. Here is a sample..

Benefit, Bliss, Burt’s Bees, Caudalie, DuWop, Lancome, theBalm, Thalgo, IMAN, Rimmel, Yes to Carrots, Stila, The Big Brush Co, Palmer’s, Mavala, Kerastase, Essie etc etc….and the most awesome part….FREE WORLDWIDE DELIVERY!!!

I also checked out reviews that some bloggers have posted of the website and they all have very good things to say. What I noticed however was that unlike strawberrynet, there aren’t any discounts available so products are a bit pricey. Some of them are on offer but for most, we will have to pay the regular price. They do give some freebies though on certain brands.

Dunno if any of you have tried feelunique but to me this is a precious find and I had to share with you. Already planning my Benefit haul! 

Do let me know if you have ordered anything from this website. A review will be very helpful. If not, wait for one from me soon….

Till next time…Ciao!

XOXO

P.S- I have not been paid to write this post and I have not tried this website yet. Just wanted to share what I found while searching the net.

Sale Alert

Helloo Pretties

Having a good start to the week? Thought ill bring you some cheer and let you know of some of the sales that are currently going on in the online shopping world. I have featured both Indian and International shopping websites and these are sites that I shop from regularly. So let’s get started and save some of that moolah…

Stylecraze – Flat 10% off on all e.l.f and china glaze products. A community blog sale is on as well.

UrbanTouch – 20% off on selected H2O products and 15% off on Colorlife Beauty products

Goodlife – 10% off on L’oreal Paris and upto 7% off on Lakme products

Slassy – Upto 15% off on Chambor products, Save Rs 100 on any 3 FACES nail enamels (use coupon code FACESNAIL3) and Rs 200 on any 5 (use coupon code FACESNAIL5)

The Body Shop – 15% off on Body Butter and Beautifying Oil and you get a free gift with purchase of Rs 2500 and above (this one is in the store)

Strawberrynet – Upto 65% off on Bonus Pack specials. Includes both skincare and makeup.

Coastal Scents – The Essential Dream set featuring a Classic 5 Piece Brush Set, Shadow Worx Classic Primer, Creative Me #2 Palette, Reach Mascara and the Pristine Cleansing Blend now at $17.95.

Beautyjoint – Upto 50% off on makeup

Blanc to Noir – They have a sale on some NYX products but what’s made me very excited is to see the availability of Rimmel London. B2N here I come!!

Cherryculture – 25% off on all L.A Colors products till 20 June. Use code LAC12.

That’s about all that I have for this week’s edition of Sale Alert. Will be back next week for another round. Meanwhile, if you come across a good sale, do share the good news and comment below..

XOXO

NYX Shiva

One of my favorite pastimes is to browse through online shopping websites, specially the makeup ones. I can do this for hours at end. Comparing prices, checking out what’s new, hunting for good deals, all of this gives me such a thrill!..It was during one of these lazy nothing to do but browse new makeup sites evening that I came across Shiva. More than the color, what attracted me to this lippie was definitely the name. I still can’t figure out the connection between Shiva and a fuchsia lipstick. But then if we can apply Poseidon, Apollo and Zeus on our lips, why leave Shiva behind?? Right?

If you are looking for an affordable (Got this for around 160 Rs from http://www.beautyjoint.com) fuchsia lipstick with purple shimmer and a decent staying power (about 2-3 hrs), this is not that bad. The round lipsticks are well known for its super creamy texture but this is actually quite matte. I like the fact that I don’t have to keep it in the fridge during summer as is the case with my other NYX lippies. Pigmentation is not that great. One swipe will not give you a whole lot of color so you will have to build on it. The smell is too plasticky for my taste but I’m living with it. A dupe of Shiva would be Maybelline's Iced Orchid.

Other than the gorgeous color, there’s really nothing extraordinary about this lippie. Tad disappointed  …kinda expected Shiva to knock the Apollo’s and Poseidon’s out of the park!

Take a look at the pics…

  

MAC Party Parrot

All celebrations must start off with a bang and to celebrate the birth of my blog, I will showcase the most amazing lippie that I have in my kitty….MAC’s Party Parrot released as part of the Iris Apfel collection. This color is really really BRIGHTTTTT….somewhere between a neon, coral and dark pink. Seriously, that’s the best definition I can come up with it. When I saw it first at the counter, I was like OMG who can pull that off?? But when the SA tried it on me, I fell in love. The color instantly brightened up my face.I do admit there were some nudges and glares while I was wearing this but who cares right? I felt beautiful and I bought it.

The color payoff is super and it lasts for a really long time. Being a matte finish, its not dry and quite comfortable to wear.  This is a limited edition so not available anymore but gals do get it if it is released later in some other collection. You can wear it as a stain if you are not that daring but Ill say just go Full On.

Its 5.30 a.m and I won’t really shock you with my early morning pic wearing this so here is the swatch. 

Aloha World!

My dearly beloved makeup products

You have been an integral part of my life from the moment I spotted you sitting all on my mother’s dressing table. From the moment I picked you up, I knew this was the beginning of an eternal love story. You have been my constant companion through times of joy and sadness, through phases of being thick and thin and it is only fair that I return some of the love that you have been showing me through all these years. So here I am with my personal ode to you. Here in poutpretty, I will celebrate you. I will write about you, put up pictures of you and also encourage others to share their love for you. I will not discriminate between brands, your different colors and avatars and will embrace you in all your glory.

Here’s wishing me and you a long and pretty life together.

Love Always

poutpretty