Skin Care With the Obagi360 System

The Skin Care Industry is at an all-time high, and only expected to grow in the upcoming years. This boom raises the question, “at what age should we be doing something about our skin health?” There are many different answers to that question and each are dependent on each individual consumer, however, it is probably a safe generalization to say that everyone wants a healthy, smooth, young skin appearance. With that being said, while you are young and still have a generally smooth skin complexion, our skin health isn't really a huge priority. In several reports, researchers have found that the average age of customers starting to use professional-grade skin care products is approximately 41 years of age. But skin health needs to be looked at as something more than just for mature people. It is ideal for any individual at any age, and it is also more than just looking good on the outside. Sure, it is a huge factor in deciding to begin a skin care regimen as skin appearance has both visual and social impacts as it clearly reflects the consequences of aging, but it also has many physical health benefits that are not visible on the outside. This clarification is hope that many people will start taking their skin health more seriously in their younger years, rather than begin when damage is already apparent and visible. 

Kaya Insta - Brightening Micro Mask - Review

Insta Brightening Micro-Mask is a light silky gel, transparent rinse-off mask with a unique combination of botanical extracts of Scutellaria Baicalensis, White Mulberry, Saxifraga Sarmentosa and Grape that work together to give you visibily brighter and radiant skin in just 20 minutes. The unique Micropatch technology releases the whitening active into the skin even long after the mask has been removed.

Kaya Insta - Brightening Micro Mask

Price - Rs 1800 for 15 ml

Ingredients - Aqua, Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract, Butylene Glycol, Morus Bombycis Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Disodium Sulfite, Sodium Metabisulfite, Pueraria Lobata Raat Extract, Methyparaben, Algin, 2-Phenoxyethanol, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum

How to Use - Apply generously over entire face and neck post cleansing. Leave it on for 20 Minutes and then rinse with water.

Lime Crime Velvetine Utopia - Review + FOTD

You guys already know by now of my love for matte bright shades and the latest addition to my stash is the new Lime Crime velvetine in the shade Utopia. I must thank Reshma of Dazzlegloss3 who was very sweet to get this for me and ship it all the way from Australia. Both of us did a makeup swap and I got lots of Aussie makeup which I'll show you in a few days time. Let's talk about Utopia today.

Lime Crime Velvetine Utopia

7 Secrets of the Goddess by Devdutt Pattanaik - Book Review

Lakshmi massages Vishnu’s feet. Is this male domination?

Kali stands on Shiva’s chest. Is this female domination?

Shiva is half a woman. Is this gender quality? Why then is Shakti never half a man?

Taken literally, stories, symbols and rituals of Hindu mythology have much to say about gender relationships. Taken symbolically, they reveal many more things about humanity and nature. Which is the correct reading?

The fourth title in the bestselling ‘7 Secrets’ series focuses on the Goddess, and respected mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik tries to unravel the secrets locked within her stories, symbols and rituals.

I have been a history and mythology buff for as long as I can remember and I thank my grandfather for making me one. It started off long long back with me listening to stories from him every night before going to sleep of powerful Gods and Goddesses and that fascination with mythology never left. It was a friend of mine who introduced me to Devdutt Pattanaik's books a couple of years ago and the first one I read was 'Devi' and I was smitten. Devdutt Pattanaik is an Indian physician turned leadership consultant, mythologist and author whose works focus largely on the areas of myth, mythology, and also management. What I love about his books is the simple style of storytelling which is backed up by solid research and facts. It is not religious propaganda in any way but a conscious effort to unravel the secrets behind each story, ritual and tradition that we've grown up listening and following.  This is the latest book in his 7 secrets series and the author takes us on a tour of the stories, myths and beliefs associated with seven Goddesses - Gaia, Durga, Kali, Gauri, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Vitthai.

Oriflame The ONE Illuskin Foundation – Review + Swatches of all shades

In October, Oriflame launched The One, a new range of color cosmetics and this month’s products include the Illuskin foundation, Concealer, Volume Blast mascara and the Eyeliner Stylo – a sharp liner with a firm felt tip end. I’ve already spoken about the two shades of the Eyeliner Stylo in an earlier post. Today, it’s the turn of the Illuskin Foundation.

Oriflame The One Illuskin Foundation

Inside My Envy Box Anniversary Edition

The October My Envy Box is an anniversary edition and has been curated by the Vogue India team. Want to know what's inside? Read on.

Maybelline Festive Fireworks InstaGlam Box

Maybelline Festive Fireworks InstaGlam Box

Still wondering what to get for the makeup crazy women in your life this Diwali? Worry not coz Maybelline has come out with the perfect gift - the new Festive Fireworks InstaGlam Box. The box contains five of their best selling products and comes in three variants - Coral, Pink and Wine. I've got the Coral box and these are the products in it :

1. Colossal Kajal
2. Hyper Glossy Liquid Liner in Black
3. Cheeky Glow Blush in Fresh Coral
4. Color Show Nail Polish in Coral Craze
5. Lip Polish in Glam 1

The price of all these products is Rs 1244 but you save some money because the box is priced at Rs 999. I've always loved the Maybelline InstaGlam boxes that have come out in the past and this one is again a favorite. The selection of products is great and anyone you give it to will be delighted to get it. And why only as a gift? You can buy it for yourself too. What better occasion than Diwali to give ourselves a treat right? :D

P.S - PR Sample

An evening at the movies wearing the new Oriflame The ONE Eyeliner Stylo in Blue

Hiya lovely people. How did you spend your weekend? I watched Annabelle Sunday evening and I had a lot of fun! I'm a huge fan of horror films and this was on my agenda for a long time and I finally managed to watch it. Can't say I loved it too much though. It was scary yes and the image of the doll will probably haunt my dreams for a couple of days but I expected a lot more spooks. It was kinda 'thanda' for me. Have you guys seen it? What did you think?

Makeup today was very basic. I just wore a La Roche Posay BB cream that I had bought in Paris, a tinted lip balm and the new Oriflame The ONE Eyeliner Stylo in the shade Blue, a very dark navy blue that looks almost black on the lids. Oriflame recently launched The ONE range of color cosmetics and the October launches include :

• The ONE Illuskin Foundation SPF 20- Rs.799/-
• The ONE Illuskin Concealer – Rs. 349/-
• The ONE Volume Blast Mascara– Rs. 529/-
• The ONE Eyeliner Stylo– Rs.499/-

Oriflame The ONE Eyeliner Stylo

Oriflame launches 'The ONE' range of professional color cosmetics

Direct Selling major, Oriflame India, unveiled a scintillating and exuberant addition to the Oriflame family, and welcomed the stunning Bollywood diva, Huma Qureshi as the face for the brand’s color cosmetic range- The ONE.

The range of cosmetics, inspired by the successful and contemporary woman, is set to be the reason for every woman’s delight.

The evening rendezvous witnessed a dazzling fashion show characterized by flair and panache, where renowned models like Sonalika Sahay, Noyonika Chatterjee, Donna Masih, Anchal Oberoi and Krishna Somani amongst others, walked the ramp along with the show-stopper Huma Qureshi, who launched the new range amidst much fanfare at the Residence of the Ambassador of Sweden.

M.A.C launches A Novel Romance Collection

Fall in lust with A Novel Romance, a color collection teeming with luscious shades that will have you feeling overwhelmed with desire. Eyes tantalize in Electric Cool Eye Shadow, Fluidline Eye Liner and Mineralize Eye Shadow quads, as lips provoke in seductive shades of Lipstick. Cheeks flush in shimmering Powder Blush, and Nail Lacquers tempt you to take the plunge in intriguing nocturnal hues. 

LIPSTICK 

Myself - soft shimmery nude beige (lustre) 

A Novel Romance - light cool dusty pink (cremesheen) 

Good Kisser - mid-tone fuchsia (matte) 

Hearts Aflame - mid-tone brick red (matte) 

Lingering Kiss - deep plum red (matte) 

INR 1,450/- 

LIPGLASS 

Bared for You - soft rose gold 

Reckless Desire - sheer pearlescent lavender grey 

Pure Fiction - mid-tone violet pink 

Wanting More - washed-out lavender 

Talk Sexy - dark purple 

INR 1,450/- 

HAUTE & NAUGHTY TOO BLACK LASH 

Haute & Naughty Too Black Lash black 

INR 1,850/- 

BRUSH 

213 Fluff 

INR 1,800/- 

224 Tapered Blending 

INR 2,550/- 

A NOVEL ROMANCE QUAD 

My Fantasy pale neutral olive (veluxe pearl) 

Fall in Lust mid-tone cool grey mauve (frost) 

Dance in the Dark deep blackened brown (matte) 

Rising Passions greenish charcoal with gold pearl (velvet) 

INR 3,100/- 

AN AMOROUS ADVENTURE QUAD 

Sable gold plum with bronze pearl (frost) 

Sex & The Oyster mid-tone seafoam green (veluxe pearl) 

Brawn mid-tone plum brown (satin) 

Black Tied black with silver sparkle (velvet) 

INR 3,100/- 

STUDIO NAIL LACQUER 

Before Dawn - green grey 

Midnight Storm - deep magenta 

Sunset Sky - mid-tone crimson 

Midnight Strata - dark violet 

Midnight Ocean - dark royal blue 

Midnight Sky - deep charcoal 

INR 990/- 

FLUIDLINE EYE PENCIL 

Atomic Ore - gold 

Earth Sign - deep brown 

Deep Blue Sea - deep ocean blue 

Metropolis - deep metal gray 

Water Willow - deep khaki green 

BRUSH 

242 Shader 

INR 2,100/- 

ELECTRIC COOL EYE SHADOW 

Pure Flash! - pale champagne 

Love Power - soft shimmering rose 

Superwatt - light shimmering taupe 

Coil - copper bronze 

Gilded Thrill - gold (frost) 

Switch to Blue - rich cobalt 

Highly Charged - rich purple with pink pearl 

Blacklit black - with multidimensional pearl

Smoked Purple Makeup Look for Autumn/Winter

As much as I love my bright reds and hot pinks, I find it very hard to resist dark and vampy lipstick shades. MAC's Dark Side is an all time favorite and I wear it irrespective of which season it is. Last month, MAC launched the Pro lipstick shades and one color that I was drawn to was Smoked Purple, a dark black purple matte color very similar to Cyber from the permanent range. Cyber looks terrible on me but somehow Smoked Purple did not when I was trying it out at the store and after I got a vote of confidence from the SA, came back home with it.

MAC Decodes the Runway Looks from Day 2 of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week

Day 2 of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week saw designers Gauri & Nainika, Malini Ramani, Manish Gupta and Samanth Chauhan showcasing their creations on the ramp. Here are the makeup looks created by Mickey Contractor and Sonic Sarwate.

Gauri & Nainika, Malini Ramani - Only for the runway!

Manish Gupta and Samant Chauhan - Love the glowing radiant skin and bare lips.

MAC Decodes the Runway Looks from Day 1 of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week

Mickey Contractor, Sonic Sarwate and the MAC team are at the ongoing Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week working their magic on the models. Presenting the looks they did for Tarun Tahiliani, Hemant and Nandita and Pallavi Mohan on Day 1. Face charts with product details are included so you can try out these looks for yourself. 

Hemant and Nandita - The most wearable of all the three. My favorite!

Pallavi Mohan - If I wear a yellow eye shadow on the lower lash line, I'll probably look like I've got jaundice but on the models it sure looks good.

Tarun Tahiliani - Love the bright and vibrant makeup but pink eyes and red lips will be a bit too much in real life. The combination of the turquoise and pink looks lovely.

Which look do you want to try out? Do share in the comments.

L’Oreal Paris Lucent Magique Blush of Light Glow Palette Blushing Kiss - Review + FOTD

Rose gold packaging + three colors in one palette that give an 'immediate, rosy, healthy glow'. Enough for me to swoon over the L’Oreal Paris Lucent Magique Blush of Light Glow Palette Blushing Kiss? Read on to find out..

L’Oreal Paris Lucent Magique Blush of Light Glow Palette Blushing Kiss

MAC LE Fluidline Eye Pencils from A Novel Romance Collection - Review, Swatches

MAC launched A Novel Romance Collection in Kolkata last week and as expected, 90% of the collection sold out on the first day itself. This time I wasn't really too excited about the lipsticks but what I really wanted were the Limited Edition Fluidline eye pencils. And a couple of the Electric cool eye shadows too but again, sold out :(. I managed to get three Fluidlines for myself - Black Brilliance (basic jet black), Water Willow (a dark black-green) and Evil Twin (Blue purple). I also wanted to get Metropolis and Earth Sign but both were unavailable :(.

MAC Fluidline Eye Pencils from A Novel Romance Collection

Gift the M.A.C Cosmetics Look in a Box this Diwali

Look in a Box features a selection of kits offering thoughtfully designed looks in universal shades and finishes to complement your skin tone. Two Face Kits come in colour waves of cool taupe and plum and warm beige and coral. Three Look in a Box Kits are designed in distinct colour schemes of pink, coral and neutral.

Look in a Box – All About Coral:

Look in a Box – All About Pink: features shades of fuchsia and bright blue pink. Includes one Lipstick, one Lipglass, a Veluxe Pearlfusion Eye Shadow Trio and Technakohl Liner –

Look in a Box – All About Nude: features shades of soft pink with pearl and midtone beige-pink. Includes one Lipstick, one Lipglass, a Veluxe Pearlfusion Eye Shadow Trio and Technakohl Liner.

Look in a Box – All About Coral: features shades of soft rosy coral and deep chocolate brown. Includes one Lipstick, one Lipglass, a Veluxe Pearlfusion Eye Shadow Trio and Technakohl Liner

Priced at Rs.4,800


Look in a Box – All About Beige: features shades of soft tan, copper and pewtered bronze. Includes six Eye Shadows, two Powder Blush, two Lipsticks and the duo-handled 275SE Brush/316SE Lip Brush.

Look in a Box – All About Plum: features shades of cool-toned lilac, soft pale pink and silver warm grey. Includes six Eye Shadows, two Powder Blush, two Lipsticks and the duo-handled 275SE Brush/316SE Lip Brush.

Priced at Rs.5,800



Available in select M.A.C stores across New Delhi, Mumbai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Noida, Chennai, Bangalore, Ludhiana.

Avon Far Away Gold Perfume - Review

If you like rich, exotic scents then you must get your hands on Faraway Gold, Avon's latest perfume. It is an oriental floral fragrance and features peach, orange, jasmine, vanilla, ylang-ylang, amber and coconut notes. I received the perfume about a week back and I've been wearing it everyday since then which says how much I'm loving it.

Avon Far Away Gold Perfume

Experiencing the Matrix Biolage Advanced RepairInside Treatment + Hair Makeover

Do you know what cause hair damage?

1. Excessive heat styling when done without heat protection and
2. Overprocessing when done using incorrect protocol and poor quality products

Hair gets damaged from both inside and outside.

Inside - damaged protein bonds & a broken hair skeleton making it very porous
Outside - undernourished, rough, dull, lifeless and prone to split ends

Matrix Biolage is now here with the 1st dual repair treatment that reconstructs hair from inside and outside and I got to experience the Biolage Advanced Repairinside treatment recently at the Matrix Technical Studio in Kolkata. Suman Das, the Matrix Training expert carried out the treatment on me and also explained how the treatment and the products work on the hair. Biolage Advanced RepairInside brings together the goodness of Nature with Soya Oil and the power of molecular science with Arginine to effectively repair damaged hair. These rich ingredients help in creating a powerful combination to reconstruct damaged protein from inside and restore the cuticle shield from outside.

Memebox Jackpot Box 8th Place - Review, Unboxing

Memebox had come out with a limited edition Jackpot box late August priced at $32 and you could get products worth $155 to $1000 depending on the 'place' you got. I stayed awake till 2 a.m with a few fellow bloggers trying to snag one of these boxes. I always have horrible luck with contests/giveaways etc so wasn't really expecting to get a first, second or third place box. Got eighth place (at least wasn't last!)  and my box contains products worth $165. 

Axe Signature Collection for Men Suave Body Perfume - Review

I actually thought I would give this perfume to a friend of mine and write his review of it but then one whiff and I said "No way am I giving this away". So here I am sharing my thoughts on Suave, the new men's body perfume by Axe priced at a very reasonable Rs 225.

Axe Signature Collection for Men Suave Body Perfume

AXE celebrates the signature scent of a man with it’s first-ever collection of AXE Signature Body Perfumes. This definitive collection features four invigorating fragrances that bring alive the masculine scents with a blend of oriental spices and sweet woods, and are perfect for all occasions. 

Available in four zesty variants – Suave, Mysterious, Intense and Rogue, each of these definitive fragrances is a combination of sensual, warm and sophisticated aromas that you will love at first sniff and that will impeccably personify the true scent of a man. It provides its wearer a lively, spicy bouquet with stimulating notes that include green hazelnut, tonka, tahitian vanilla, mimosa flower, rosemary and lavender. It's an evocative but mature construction that's great for a broad variety of casual activities. With the new AXE Signature Body Perfumes, let your fragrance be your signature scent!