Avon Ultra Glimmersticks Lip Liner Deep Plum - Review, Swatches

Avon recently launched the Ultra Glimmersticks Lip Liners and they very kindly sent me the shade Deep Plum to try out. The Ultra Glimmerstick Lip Liners are made with the new Avon True Color Technology that contains innovative self-renewing pigments that release rich color to look sensational. Read on to know my thoughts on this new product.

MAC Viva Glam Rihanna Lipstick - Review, Swatches, Photos

I just realized that it's been ages since I wrote about a red lipstick and considering my obsession with reds, that's completely unacceptable! So here I am bringing to you a lipstick that's not yet released in India but a worldwide rage currently. Presenting the MAC Rihanna Viva Glam Lipstick that I picked up in Singapore last month.

In Singapore, MAC lipsticks are for 29 SGD which is around Rs 1400. At that time, my conscience had really pricked me after I bought it. It was saying " Couldn't you have waited for a few more months? It would have launched in India at a much lesser price!!" But now that our dearest MAC have hiked their prices, I know that when it launches here, it will probably be of the same price that I paid for in Singapore. So no guilt feeling now at all :D.

MAC Viva Glam Rihanna lipstick looks different from the usual MAC lipsticks. The bullet is a frosty red and I love how funky yet classy it looks. Strangely, it does not have MAC's signature vanilla smell. It is a frost finish and described as a 'blue-red'. I don't agree with MAC's description at all because it's a bright red with warm undertones and I do not see any trace of blue in it, at least on me. The lipstick has a hint of gold and pink shimmer that does not transfer on to the lips and the pigmentation is amazingly good. The texture of the lipstick is quite creamy and it just glides on the lips. It is slightly hydrating and lasts on me for about 4-5 hours and does not stain the lips on fading. To sum up the review, I love this lipstick and if you love reds too, grab it when it launches here. Don't get put off by the frost finish because it hardly looks frosty on the lips. It just looks HOT!

Here are more pics of the Viva Glam Rihanna lipstick on me. I've gone for a very OTT look here, pairing a bright red lipstick with bright blue eye shadow from The Body Shop Color Crush range. The inspiration is a look that TBS created for Jatinn Kochar's show at the Kingfisher Ultra Bengal Fashion Week that I attended last saturday. I know it's really 'theatrical' but then makeup is all about experimenting and having fun right?

What do you think of the lipstick and the look? Do share in the comments below.

MAC Retro Matte Lipstick Dangerous - Review, Swatches

Hey Pretties, sorry for MIA for the last few days but I was involved in something really interesting. Attended a workshop in Mumbai along with 19 other beauty and fashion bloggers to learn more about the art of video blogging. The workshop was organised by Be Beautiful (of Hindustan Lever) and You Tube and was super fun. I stayed at the Grand Hyatt, met fellow beauty bloggers Ana, Jyoti, Ritu, Deeptima, Apurva, Samyukta, Hina, Shanaya and a few fashion bloggers, got some good tips on vlogging, ate a lot, spoke a lot and the icing on the cake - got to see Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Sridevi up, close and personal. I have put up pictures of the event on my Fb page so do check them out if you are interested.

Coming to today's post, I'm gonna talk about something very dangerous! Nah, don't get scared. Not going to give you any gyan on beauty or health hazards. Just gonna talk about my favorite thing in the world and guess what that is? The Lipstick of course! And this one is a color that came out with the MAC Retro Matte collection a few weeks back. The shade is Dangerous and I freaking love it!

The color is an orange red matte and a close cousin of the famous Lady Danger, which is brighter and has more orange. I picked up five shades from this collection - All Fired Up, Relentlessly Red, Flat Out Fabulous, Dangerous and Fixed on Drama. While All Fired Up and Flat Out Fabulous is still with my sis-in-law in Singapore, the rest are with me and I love the colors. By now, all of you know that the Retro Mattes have a super matte finish and gets really dry. You do need to prep your lips before applying these, else your lips will just look terrible. Make sure to exfoliate and apply a lip balm before putting on the lipstick.

Dangerous is a bright orange with red undertones and will go very well on all complexions. If you love reds and oranges but also want something that's not too bright like Lady Danger, go for Dangerous. If you can still manage to get one at the store, that is. Not sure if MAC plans to make the shade permanent but I really hope they do coz it's a beautiful color. The texture even though is dry does not tug or pull while applying. Don't expect it to glide on the lips but it's not too uncomfortable either. The color stays on for nearly 5-6 hours on me and on fading, leaves a light orange stain. After a couple of hours it does get very dry so a lip balm is very much needed.

This is how Dangerous looks on me. The picture was taken after an entire night of pandal hopping and no sleep hence the zombie like look. And my eyes are really not disproportionate....just due to lack of sleep :D

Did you buy any of the Retro Mattes? Which one is your favorite?

Lancome Rouge in Love Lipstick Midnight Crush - Review, Swatch

Like I said some days back, I have quite a few lipsticks to show all of you so do get ready for a major lipstick fest on the blog. I was actually supposed to start it off last week but got completely engrossed in the Durga Puja madness and everything took a backseat. I had a fabulous time and it was four days of full on masti!. Eminent journalist Vir Sanghvi once wrote this about Durga Puja in Kolkata and it beautifully summarizes what the festival means to us … “the essence of Puja is that all the passions of Bengal converge: emotion, culture, the love of life, the warmth of being together, the joy of celebration, the pride in artistic expression and yes, the cult of the goddess. It may be about religion. But it is much more than just worship…..” I ask all of you to come to Kolkata once during the Pujas. Believe me, it will be an experience you will never forget J

Apart from non-stop hogging and having fun, the Pujas are also about looking your best and one product that helped me do that is the Lancome Rouge in Love lipstick in # 383N Midnight Crush. I got it a week before the Pujas and been wearing it practically everyday since then. A lot has been written about the Rouge in Love lipsticks and believe me it’s absolutely worth the hype.  It's the best I've tried till date. Way better than MAC or NARS!

Midnight Crush is a bright raspberry color that is absolutely gorgeous. Lancome says that the Rouge in Love lipsticks:

·         Have an airy texture that glides on effortlessly & comfortable to wear.

·         Contains moisturizing & repairing oils that soften & smooth lips.

·         Formulated with new generation polymer that ensures long-lasting color.

·         Loaded with radiant silicon for a glossy effect.

·         Offers medium to full coverage & durable luster

The lipstick truly lives up to each one of the claims listed above. It looks luxurious and feels luxurious on the lips, glides on effortlessly, is richly pigmented so you need only one swipe to cover your lips, gives a beautiful glossy finish and stays on for nearly 5 hours. I’m usually not too fond of scented lipsticks but love the faint berry smell of this.

The Rouge in Love lipsticks comes in a wide variety of colors and finishes.

• JOLIS MATINS: Fresh, light shades, subtle, soft brilliant color. (Identified with the letter "M" in the shade number)
• BOUDOIR TIME: Flashy, trendy shades, bright color reflection. (Identified with the letter "B" in the shade number) 
• TONIGHT IS MY NIGHT: Deep, head spinning shades, deep lacquered effect, luminous color. (Identified with the letter "N" in the shade number)

This is how Midnight Crush looks on me :D. 

Now a decent lip swatch.

Midnight Crush has made me a fan and now I’m obsessed with the RIL's!. I don’t have a Lancome store in Kolkata so strawberrynet is my only source of buying them. There, the price is around Rs 1920 (the price changes depending on the dollar rate) but I do get a 10% off on all purchases. In stores, I think it’s around 1600. The lipsticks are definitely expensive but totally worth the price. Highly recommended!

If you want to buy Midnight Crush from strawberrynet, click here. 

Have you tried any Lancome Rouge in Love lipstick? Do share in the comments below.

NARS Casablanca Lipstick - Review, Swatches

While going through my lipstick stash last week, I realized that I have a lot of shades that I've not yet shown you all so expect quite a few lipstick reviews over the next couple of weeks. Starting off the 'lipstick fest' with a classic shade, Casablanca by NARS.

NARS describes Casablanca as a 'classic, full bodied coral' but it's actually a very pretty subtle peachy orange. Out of all lipstick colors, the one I find toughest to carry off is an orange. When there was this huge craze over the Colorbar Velvet Matte lipstick Obsessed Orange, I got caught up in it too and bought one. And I hated it coz it did nothing for my skin tone. It made me look dull and sallow and I've never worn the color since. Buying the perfect orange is not an easy task but I can guarantee that you can buy Casablanca with your eyes closed. The color is not too bright nor too light but somewhere in the middle and is perfect for warm skin tones.

I am a big fan of NARS lipsticks specially for their texture and finish. Casablanca has a satin finish, gives a slight sheen to the lips and has very good pigmentation. It feels weightless on the lips and is extremely comfortable to wear. The color lasts for around four hours on me and does not make my lips dry but neither is it moisturising.

If you are looking for a subtle orange no shade can be better than Casablanca. I bought it from strawberrynet about a month back for around Rs 1700. It's expensive yes but every NARS lipstick is so worth the price. Unfortunately strawberrynet does not have it right now but they do stock up frequently so keep a watch out.

What is your favorite orange lipstick? Do share in the Comments below.

MAC Ablaze Lip Pencil - Review, Photos, Swatches

MAC's Trobical Taboo collection has hit our Indian stores and I managed to get hold of the one product I wanted desperately, the Ablaze lip pencil. Well I actually wanted the Feline eye pencil as well but no luck there. Both these products were sold out at the Kolkata store the very day the collection launched and in desperation I turned to my friend Shikha of http://www.sorellegrapevine.com/ who was in Mumbai at that time. She being a sweetheart went to the store despite being ill and got me Ablaze which thankfully was the last piece left. So I was destined to get it :D

Ablaze is described by MAC as a 'bright apricot' and I have to say that MAC went terribly wrong with that description. I for sure have never seen an apricot with a bright orange red color!. Ablaze goes on completely matte and bright on the lips bordering towards neon if you swipe it around 4-5 times. The color is hot and that's the only reason why I was so desperate to have it. I've read Temptalia's review where she says that the pencil has very good color pay off but it is very dry on application and I absolutely agree with her. Its one of the driest lip pencils I've used and you really need to tug and pull for even, opaque color. You will probably ask why I spent Rs 990 on a pencil that's so dry and that too knowingly. Well, I have a few reasons:

1. The color is gorgeous and will go very well both on its own and with my end number of red and orange lipsticks.
2. I love bold, bright, neon lip colors and this one is quite unique. Also stays for nearly 5-6 hours.
3. The color looks great on me
4. My trusted Mocha Rose Lip Balm from the Rosebud Perfume Co can take care of the dryness very well

So there you have it. My reasons for buying this pencil and if these got you curious, check out Ablaze at a MAC store. Well by now its probably sold out but no harm in asking.

Take a look at the swatches. The hand swatch looks a lot brighter coz I swiped around 4-5 times and the pic was taken under direct sunlight. On the lips, I swiped twice.

Liked Ablaze? What's your favorite MAC Lip Pencil?