Tag Archives: Blush

Sugar Cosmetics Contour De Force Palettes/Minis Review, Swatches + Giveaway

Sugar Cosmetics Contour De Force Palettes/Minis Review, Swatches + Giveaway

Sugar Cosmetics Contour De Force Palettes/Minis Review, Swatches + Giveaway

Hi guys,

Sugar Cosmetics is back with yet another launch, this time they have launched face palettes. It’s called Contour De Force Palette and has a bronzer, blush and a highlighter.

GET DISCOUNT USING ‘BTXSUGAR’ on https://in.sugarcosmetics.com

Palette 01 is called Subtle Summit and Palette 02 is called Vivid Victory, each of the shades in these palettes are sold individually too as minis i.e. mini bronzer/mini blush and mini highlight. (Buy HERE)

The quantity is the same i.e. 4g in both, palettes cost Rs.799/- and minis cost Rs.299/-. So palettes are more economical, also more travel friendly.

They have a cardboard packaging and it’s not super sturdy but won’t bend or break that easily too. The palettes come with a mirror. 

The palette 01 has Blush 01 Peach Pink, Bronzer 01 Taupe Topper and highlighter 01 Champagne Champion.

01 Subtle Summit

Peach pink is a soft, peachy pink blush, Taupe Topper is a cool toned bronzer with gray undertone and the highlighter Champagne Champion is a muted champagne gold.

01 Subtle Summit

The Taupe Topper bronzer is more of a contouring powder than a bronzer and works really well. I loved it. The blush is very muted and would need layering to show up, more suitable for fair skin tones. The highlight is also very subtle and muted, it gives a soft glow suitable for day time, but it’s not like one of those blinding highlights. I personally prefer a stronger highlight though.

02 Vivid Victory

The palette 02 has Blush 02 Pink Pinnacle, Bronzer 02 Woody Wonder and highlighter 02 Gold Glory.

Pink Pinnacle is a deep rose shade, Woody Wonder is a warm brown bronzer (this is more of a bronzer) and Gold Glory is a muted golden bronze.

02 Vivid Victory

The blush is very pretty and would work for all skin tones, bronzer is quite light and would only show up on fair skin tones and the highlight is again subtle and muted, would work for all especially deeper skin tones.

I feel they should have interchanged the bronzer in both the palettes and then palette 01 would be perfect for fair skin tones and 02 for deeper skin tones.

I like the bronzer 01, blush 02 and highlighters both, but 02 more. The texture is really smooth and the powders are very finely milled. These palettes are perfect for day time use and travel, both the highlighters are very subtle and muted, if that’s what you prefer in highlighters.

I do like and recommend the new Sugar Cosmetics face palette, the combination is again an off for me, just like I mentioned in the eye shadow quads HERE.

I am giving away the minis on my Youtube channel, the video embedded below, join 🙂

What do you think about the new Sugar Palettes? Have you tried them?

Faces Ultime Pro Face Palette Fresh, Glow Review & Swatches

Faces Ultime Pro Face Palette Fresh, Glow Review & Swatches

Hi guys,

Faces launched their new Ultime Pro Face Palettes recently. They are available in two variants, Fresh and Glow. I have both of them and have been using them since quite a few weeks and here are my thoughts..

Claims: With the bronzer, illuminator and blush all in one travel friendly pack, just add this one palette to your work bag or vanity and you are ready to go! The light shimmering color of the blush gives your cheeks a natural looking glow. Its silky smooth texture blends perfectly on your skin and feels super light, besides lasting all day long. The bronzer is the perfect blend of iridescent micronized pigments that dresses your skin in a radiant tan and a healthy looking complexion. Exalt your complexion with the Illuminator, as it sculpts adding radiance and homogeneity to the skin. With two shades to choose from, namely ‘Fresh’ and ‘Glow’, FACES Ultime Pro Face Palette complements all skin tones and flatters your skin like never before.

FACES Ultime Pro Face Palette is a light weight formulation which doesn’t make you feel uncomfortable or heavy all day long, but is rather fabulous on your skin. Not only that, it is easily blendable and gives you the most glamorous look for the day. With excellent shading properties, FACES Ultime Pro Face Palette will impart just the right dose of pretty to your look. Besides its extremely safe on the skin as it is paraben free.

MRP: Rs.899/-

Faces has already launched a bronzer and highlighter, and they have included the same two in this palette along with a blush. I absolutely loved this concept, the trio makes it very handy to carry around and travel with.

I love blush/bronzer/highlighter trios as you don’t need separate products and can do all three on the go.

It has a basic black packaging with a see through clear top. It doesn’t come with a brush or mirror. Though the palette is quite handy, I feel it has to be handled carefully or the outer cover would break, if dropped.

The bronzer and highlighter is the same in both the variants, only the centre blush is different. Fresh one has a day wear matte mauve blush, while the Glow one has a burnt orange blush with gold shimmer, appropriate for night time/heavier look.

Fresh
Glow

The palette and even the powders individually have a sandalwood scent. I personally love the scent but many don’t like any kind of scent in their makeup.

Fresh
Glow

The powders have medium pigmentation but are buildable. The bronzer is not very warm toned, so I use it as a contour too and I didn’t think the colour would show up as a contour on my skin as it’s quite light. But on building up, it did contour and define really well. Unfortunately the bronzer shade won’t show up on deep skin tones. However, the blush and highlighter would work, especially the Glow blush would look pretty on deeper skin tones.

I love using the Fresh one, as it’s very natural and gives a nice pink flush to the cheeks. The highlighter though has to be my favourite out of all three. It’s a gorgeous warm toned gold highlight and works very well with our Indian skin.

Here’s how Fresh looks on me, have used all three..

FOTD with Fresh

I absolutely loved the highlighter, it’s not OTT and neither very light/unnoticeable. It’s very pretty and again buildable if you like a blinding highlight.

This stays on for 6-7 hours in summers currently.

For fair to medium skin tones, both the palettes would work. For deeper skin tones, the bronzer won’t show up but the rest two blush and highlight would work.

At 899, getting all three products is really amazing. As individually the bronzer and highlighter are sold at 650 each, you get three products here and this is total value for money!

I absolutely love it and recommend it.

Huge Makeup Geek Haul: How to Buy, Prices, Shipping, etc.

Huge Makeup Geek Haul: How to Buy, Prices, Shipping, etc.

Hi guys,

So I did this huge Makeup Geek Haul a few months back and was caught up with something or the other and couldn’t post this. I had to click pictures, so I didn’t use anything and I was dying to use them!

Finally I got around clicking pics and doing this post. I would be doing another post for swatches as there are way too many pictures in this post already.

I am mentioning a detailed description of each product, prices, how to buy, etc. in this post.

Starting with the Full Spectrum Eyeliner Pencils..

Claims: Define your line. Ultra creamy and richly pigmented, Makeup Geek Full Spectrum Eye Liner Pencils apply effortlessly to create a vibrant display of color on the lids. Choose from a full spectrum of color—available in 10 dynamic shades.

  • All our Pencils are Cruelty Free — we do not test our products on animals
  • Paraben Free
  • Pencil product weight is 1.20 g / 0.042 oz

Price: $9 each (Buy HERE)

I have the shades Ocean, Mint and Orchid which are very unique and beautiful! Just pop this on your lower lashline when you don’t feel like doing much and you will still stand out. I highly recommend getting the Nude one too for the waterline.

They come with a matching body and are easy to identify. They need to be sharpened though.

Best part about Makeup Geek website is they have very good swatches of all their products on different skin tones.

Coming to eye shadows which is Makeup Geek’s best selling product till date..

Claims: 

  • These are all highly-pigmented – just check out the swatches!
  • Half the price of high end shadows without sacrificing quality
  • These pans can be placed in empty palettes such as Z-Palettes.
  • Eyeshadow pan weight is 1.8G / 0.064 oz
  • With a separate palette, you can build your own custom palettes (and save the extra cost and the plastic that eyeshadow compacts bring)
  • All our shadows are cruelty-free — we do not test our products on animals
  • These eyeshadows are Paraben-Free

Price: $6 each (Buy HERE)

Makeup Geek eye shadows are super affordable and have amazing quality! Easily comparable to MAC, Anastasia, etc. which are very highly priced. They have all the shades possible and you will find all MAC eye shadow dupes in Makeup Geek. I would anyday recommend getting these over a high end brand.

If you are just starting out with makeup/eye shadows, I have bought these basic nine shades which everyone should have in their vanity. So if you are confused and don’t know which shades to pick, go for these nine 🙂 I have done a lot of research before zeroing on these shades, so you can trust me.

I got the shades..

Creme Brulee
Cocoa Bear
Shimma Shimma
Moondust
Cosmopolitan
Bitten
Corrupt
Frappe
Mocha

I also picked a few foiled shadows. If you already have all basic ones and are looking for something fancy or need 1-2 foiled to work along with the basics, I would recommend these.

Claims: With these rich and intensely-hued shades, the new Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadows go beyond your standard line of cosmetics, introducing you to a new and powerful cosmetic experience. This cutting-edge formula offers a creamy texture that is a hybrid between a powder shadow and a cream shadow that is on a level of its own. The intense pigmentation combined with an opaque, metallic finish make these shadows a dream to work with. These can be applied effortlessly in just one swipe with no primer required! Our lineup includes a diverse array of rich colors and a smooth silky formula that we believe help elevate pressed eye shadows to the next level of exceptional quality.

  • These are all highly-pigmented – just check out the swatches!
  • These pans can be placed in empty palettes such as Z-Palettes.
  • Eyeshadow pan weight is 1.8G / 0.064 oz
  • With a separate palette, you can build your own custom palettes
  • All our shadows are cruelty-free — we do not test our products on animals
  • These shadows are Talc and Paraben-Free

Price: $10 each (Buy HERE)

I picked..

In The Spotlight
Grandstand
Starry Eyed
Magic Act
Day Dreamer
Ritzy

Makeup Geek also has pretty good blushes and contour powders, again all in pans. You can pick up the pans and an empty palette and make your own eyeshadows/blush/contour complete eye and face palette.

They also come in compact individually. In compact they are priced at $15 and the pans are priced at $10.

Claims: Get cheeky! Soft and subtle to bright and bold, Makeup Geek Blushes blend effortlessly into the skin to add the perfect dose of radiance to your cheeks. Their finely milled powder guarantees a smooth, buttery feel and a flawless application, every time. Rich pigmentation combined with a fade-resistant formula offers buildable, long-lasting color. This Talc-free formula is also great for sensitive skin

  • These are all highly-pigmented – just check out the swatches!
  • Half the price of high end blushes without sacrificing quality
  • Blush pan weight is 4.25G / 0.15 oz
  • All our blushes are cruelty-free — we do not test our products on animals
  • These blushes are Talc and Paraben-Free
  • Made in the USA

Price: $10 each (Buy HERE)

I picked Romance and Spellbound

All Makeup Geek powder products are majorly talc free and hence they are more creamy and pigmented and don’t give crazy fall outs or feel patchy.

Coming to the contour powders, many people contour with a bronzer which is warm toned and that is fundamentally wrong. Though you can make it work, there are no rules. But a warm toned darker powder will warm up and bronze the skin for a sun kissed look. For contouring or creating a shadow or cutting the face as pro call it, you need a cool toned powder which is slightly ashy or grey. Not too much or it would look muddy. There is a very thin line in between and very few brands and products get it right.

Makeup Geek makes both warm and cool toned powders for all different skin tones, so you can pick whatever suits you best.

Claims: Super soft and buttery smooth, Makeup Geek Contour Powders blend like a dream and have been specifically designed to accommodate skin tone extremes and everything in between. From the lightest of light, to the deepest of deep, we have your shade. Choose from a complete lineup of 8 unique shades—four with warm undertones and four with cool undertones.

  • These are all highly-pigmented – just check out the swatches!
  • These contours are Talc and Paraben-Free – great for sensitive skin!
  • Vegan
  • All our contours are cruelty-free — we do not test our products on animals
  • Contour pan weight is 4.25 g / 0.15 oz
  • Made in the USA

Price: $10 each (Buy HERE)

Both the blushes and contour pans are 4.25g which is huge and enough for a lifetime even if you use them daily!

I got Complicated and Infidelity.

And finally I have some sparklers in the shades Zodiac, Solstice and Stargazer

Claims: 

  • A sparkle beyond compare, Makeup Geek Sparklers go where no cosmetics company has gone before! Loose, reflective particles create a glitter-like effect that is out of this world.
  • For maximum impact, Sparklers are best applied with an eye-safe cosmetics adhesive. A galaxy of gorgeousness awaits—light up your universe with Makeup Geek Sparklers!
  • Completely Eye-Safe: Uses Reflects to create a Glitter effect
  • Jars fill weight is 4G / 0.14 oz
  • All our Sparklers are cruelty-free — we do not test our products on animals
  • They are also Talc and Paraben-Free

Price: $10 each

Now many of you had questions related to shipping and customs. Makeup Geek ships worldwide and they use either Mail Service i.e. normal post and UPS i.e. Expedited and more expensive. I opted for Mail Service and it took me almost 2 months to receive it. Mail Service cost $8 to $12-13 depending on the weight and UPS costs $40-41.

I had to pay customs of Rs.250-300 which is pretty reasonable for so much stuff. Again if you order less, you might not have to. Customs duty cannot be predicted though.

I would highly recommend shopping from Makeup Geek. It’s a paradise for eye makeup lovers especially. All Makeup Geek products are top notch in quality and they keep adding new shades and new products. They have recently launched highlighters which are again fabulous!

I will do swatches of all these in a separate blog post, as it would be too image heavy.

P.S: Happy Holi! This is my kind of Holi 😉

Have you tried anything from Makeup Geek? Your favourites?

MUFE Ultra HD Foundation, HD Second Skin Cream Blush Review, Swatches

MUFE Ultra HD Foundation, HD Second Skin Cream Blush Review, Swatches

Hi guys,

So if you saw my First Impressions video, I had used the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation and the Second Skin Cream Blush in that. Unfortunately, the lighting in that video was poor. I did test it out quite a few times later on, and of course have natural lighting better pictures. So let’s get on to the review first..

Claims: Developed specifically for the film and TV industry’s most advanced technology, Ultra HD Liquid Foundation creates a naturally flawless complexion—on and off camera. Completely invisible under the latest, super-focused 4k lens, this revolutionary foundation features uniquely-coated pigments that provide medium to buildable coverage with an even lighter weight, second-skin texture that looks just like skin. This lighter weight formula delivers the very same flawless results as before when applied with a flat foundation brush in a tap and stretch motion

Long lasting with a natural finish, Ultra HD Liquid Foundation is formulated with hyaluronic spheres to ensure comfortable wear on all skin types. Now available in an expanded range of 40 shades to match all skintones, Ultra HD is the perfect everyday foundation for a flawless complexion – and an unretouched life.

MRP: INR 3400 for 30ml

Availability: Sephora stores

Shades Available in India: 15

How to apply: Apply two pumps of Ultra HD Liquid Foundation in thin layers, starting in the center of the face and stretching outward.

Buildable Coverage: For best results, apply with a flat foundation brush or sponge

Light Coverage: Buffing brush

After the Make Up Forever HD foundation’s massive success, they launched the Ultra HD which is even better and meant for super high definition pictures and videos i.e. for 4K lens.

It comes in a similar packaging with a pump as the HD foundation, only the HD is completely black while the Ultra HD is silver at the center body.

It is very runny and light weight in texture, it has 80% water content, so you don’t feel like you have foundation on even with multiple layers.

It has medium coverage which is buildable, but you won’t get a complete coverage with this, you will need a separate concealer for blemishes. You can build up the coverage in thin layers, and still it will never look cakey or heavy. It will give you a natural skin-like finish and it will be hard for anyone to say you have foundation on.

I have the shade Y375 Golden Sand. Y is for yellow undertones and R is for red undertones, I guess.

I love love how natural it looks, it blends into the skin seamlessly and looks skin like. I have never come across such a natural foundation. It photographs really well. If you prefer matte finish, you can use a powder to mattify it, it will not look powdery or cakey whatsoever.

It stays put through the day and does not wear off or settle into lines or crease, even on the edges of the nose or the laugh lines.

I agree it is pricey, but I definitely recommend it for days when you are going to be photographed or have a special occasion. This is meant to be used for high definition photography and does that job amazingly well. It is invisible even on 4K camera and looks like skin!

HD Second Skin Cream Blush

Claims: Products in the HD range come from a generation of formulas designed to create makeup that is flawless, natural and invisible to both high definition cameras and the naked eye.

Unlike any other cream or powder blush*, this unique formula melts on the skin for an extremely natural flush of color with a long lasting result. Its blendable, second skin texture allows for easy, controlled application.

Formulated with the perfect balance of silica powder and synthetic mica, HD Blush has a soft focus effect that diffuses light for a radiant finish. Its blend of waxes and oils creates a lightweight texture that easily glides on the skin for a flawless result.
Studio-tested with HD camera.
Dermatologist tested. For all skin types.

MRP: INR 2600 for 2.8g

How to apply: Remove a small amount of HD Blush and apply it with a brush, HD Sponge, or the fingertips, depending on the desired result.

Shades Available: 16

I have the shade 320 English Rose, it’s a beautiful muted rosy pink shade. I love the texture of it, it has a cream to powder finish. So once you blend it in, it settles in just to give a soft flush of color. There is no slip or greasiness and the color won’t slide off.

Blended, Unblended

The best part about this HD blush is, even though it is quite pigmented, it does not look OTT on the face. It just gives a soft flush of color and is very easily buildable and blendable.

I love the natural flush of color it gives to the cheeks. Also loved the shade 330 Rosy Plum, both the shades 320 and 330 are perfect for everyday wear and would work on warm Indian fair to medium skin tones. 330 one would work on Medium to Dark too.

Again being HD, it photographs really well.

I have used both here..

and here..

Overall, I would say, HD products are a must have for someone who gets photographed often. If you are a bride to be, I would definitely suggest the Ultra HD Foundation and the HD Blush. They have HD Concealers and Powders too.

Have you tried the MUFE HD/Ultra HD Foundation? Or the HD Blush? Your thoughts?

P.S: PR Samples. Honest Review

Lakme Sun Kissed Bronzer, Moon Lit Highlighter, Illuminating Shimmer Brick Review, Swatches

Lakme Sun Kissed Bronzer, Moon Lit Highlighter, Illuminating Shimmer Brick Review, Swatches

Hi guys,

So as you all already know, Lakme launched these new products in their ‘Illuminate and Shine‘ collection during the last fashion week. This is a Limited Edition range brought in collaboration with Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

This range also has Illuminating Foundation and Shine Line liquid eye liners which I guess are permanent, only the bronzers and highlighters are LE.

There is one bronzer, one highlighter and two shades in the Illuminating Shimmer Brick i.e. Pink and Coral.

Lakme had this bronzer and highlighter earlier too and it was LE at that time too, so those two are like a relaunch. But I love the new addition of the Shimmer Brick.

All three come in same packaging, a flat round pan with a clear plastic cap. There is no brush, no mirror, no other compartment. The product is stand alone.

Sun kissed Bronzer

Claims: 

  • Limited edition makeup bronzer designed by fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee
  • Contains luxurious micro fine pearls
  • Blends effortlessly for a natural sun kissed glow
  • Dermatologically tested

MRP: Rs.725/- for 9g (Buy for 600 HERE)

The bronzer is half and half with one part being lighter and one darker. It is very smooth in texture and though shimmery, the shimmers are not gritty or chunky. I found it slightly orange though, I wish it was a little more brown based. Also if one part could have been matte, that would make it ideal for contouring + bronzing

Moon Lit Highlighter

Claims:

  • A limited edition highlighter designed by fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee
  • Ideal for strobing
  • Reflective shimmer finish
  • Contains fine velvet pearls to give your skin a stunning glow

MRP: Rs.725/- for 9g (Buy HERE)

Coming to the Moon Lit Highlighter, one part is a white based lighter highlighter and one is a dark brown based highlighter for deeper skin tones, which is exactly the same shade as the bronzer. So this is actually be a bronzer-highlighter duo.

Bronzer part feels exactly the same as in the Sun Kissed Bronzer, I love the lighter highlight part. It gives the most stunning soft, natural highlight. You can use this on an everyday basis and no one would know that you have highlighted! But if you prefer stronger highlights like me, layer this twice over a creamy highlighter and this will stay in place whole day, giving the most blinding highlight ever 😀 See it in action in my video HERE

Illuminating Shimmer Brick

Claims: 

  • A limited edition blush palette designed by fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee
  • Comes with a hint of shimmer
  • Luminous silky formula makes your cheek glow
  • Blends effortlessly

MRP: Rs.725/- for 10g (Buy HERE)

My most favourite out of the three is the Illuminating Shimmer Brick. I have the shade Coral. Both the shades Coral and Pink are beautiful! Both would work for all skin tones, but if I have to suggest one, I would say Pink for fair and medium skin tones and Coral for deeper skin tones.

It has 5 strips of color, with the top ones being more highlighter like and the bottom ones being more blush like. So you can either use them individually or just swirl the brush all over and use on both blush and highlight part for an all over glow! The peachy coral tones work really well the gold based highlight colors and together combined, they give the most amazing peachy gold glow. This product is perfect for brides too!

All blended together

The best part about all three is that they double up as eye shadows and look really good on the eyes. As the colors are bronzer and warm toned, they make nice lid colors and highlight for inner corner and brow bone or just a wash all over the eyes.

Overall, in my honest opinion, I would say go for the illuminating shimmer brick and the moon lit highlighter. You can skip the bronzer as the darker part in the moon lit highlighter is exactly the same. But if you are deeper skin tone and prefer deep highlighters only, go for the bronzer and skip the highlighter 🙂

I hope you liked the review, do let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Oriflame The One Illuskin Blush Review, Swatches

Oriflame The One Illuskin Blush Review, Swatches

Hi guys,

This post was in my drafts since a long time, I have been using these Oriflame blushes since a few months and here are my thoughts..

Claims: Versatile duo-shade blush lets you create perfectly contoured cheeks. Darker shade sculpts and defines while lighter, shimmering shade highlights. HaloLight Technology™ for subtle lustre. Light, silky texture and comfortable to wear.

MRP: INR 599 for 4g (On offer: INR 449)

They come in three shades and have a small, tiny square packaging. Very light weight and handy, perfect for travel. They have a mirror inside, they do not come with a brush though.

Luminous Peach: It has a satin finish deep peachy coral blush and a beige and silver highlighter

Shimmer Rose: It has a satin finish peach blush (ya it’s peach and not rose) and a peachy gold highlighter. The highlighter is beautiful, and more like blush actually since it’s peach and can be worn like a blush

Pink Glow: It has a matte coral pink blush and a beige pink highlighter. If you like matte blushes, this one is for you

The best part is you can use them individually or combined, they look good both ways.

L-R: Pink Glow, Shimmer Rose, Luminous Peach
L-R: Pink Glow, Shimmer Rose, Luminous Peach

The names are pretty confusing though coz the rose is also a peach shade and most of them are in peachy coral family. But the plus point is they work beautifully on all Indian skin tones.

You can use only the blush side for day time and combine both for night time or even use both together for day time, since the highlighter is very soft and satiny and not shimmery.

My favourite is Luminous Peach and it will look good on all skin tones from fair to dark. They are pretty pigmented and all these swatches are just one swipe, you do not need too much or do not need to go over many times with this. Staying power is decent, they stay for 4-5 hours. Only disadvantage is you need a Oriflame representative to buy these.

For the price point, they are quite good and I would say definitely buy one of these during their offers. Recommended.

Have you tried the Oriflame The One Illuskin Blushes?

My Top Favourite Blushes

My Top Favourite Blushes

Hi guys,

Today I am listing my top favourite blushes, 5 out of 6 are matte and perfect for day time. Only the Jordana one has shimmer but that is not much visible on the skin.

Maybelline Cheeky Glow Blush in Peachy Sweetie

It’s a light dusty rose pink and completely matte. The most affordable blush in the market and is pigmented enough! I recommend this to everyone, even if you are not a blush person and would like to own just one and not invest much in it, you can try this.

L’Oreal Paris Lucent Magique Blush of Light in Fuchsia Flush

Another super gorgeous hot pink shade! This is very bright and pigmented and you have to go with a very light hand when using this. It is priced at INR 850 but will last you forever. Absolutely love the packaging.

Marks & Spencer Limited Blusher in Damson

My go-to everyday blush, this is a light n*de mauve kind of shade, you can go lightly with this or layer for more intensity. The most natural looking blush I own

Jordana Blush in Sunlit Bronze

Again a very nice, everyday neutral shade. It’s a light brown with some shimmer. Very pigmented and use it with a light hand again as otherwise it might look muddy.

Sigma Blush in Cheeky

It’s a muted rosy brown shade, perfect for medium to fair skin tones.

MAC Bite of an Apple Blush

My most favourite blush ever, it’s a medium coral pink and looks beautiful on fair to medium skin tones. This will even show up well on deeper skin tones.

All the pictures in this post are clicked with the new Coolpad Mega Selfie Maker 2.5D! It has 8MP front camera and 8MP rear camera! I absolutely love the Royal Gold Color, and it is not at all heavy for 2500 mAh battery.

The pictures are vivid and true to colour! They have not been edited at all, only resized so that the post doesn’t take long to load. It is standard 5.5 inch screen and looks super stylish and expensive! 16GB internal memory and 3GB RAM, it supports dual 4G too.

This is the selfie I clicked with it, both a screenshot and the actual selfie.

It has Whiten, Smooth, Slim and Enlarge features for the front selfie camera. This is the Smooth effect.

It is priced very affordably at INR 6999 only!!! I can say this is the best budget smartphone I have come across! The sale starts on 24th August, you can register for it right now, go HERE

Do you like the pictures? What are your favourite blushes?

Givenchy Poudre Lumière Originelle & Le Prisme Blush Review, Swatches

Givenchy Poudre Lumière Originelle & Le Prisme Blush Review, Swatches

Givenchy launched the Poudre Lumière Originelle & Le Prisme Blush in 41 – Lune Rosée as a part of their Spring/Summer 2016 La Révélation Originelle Collection.

I have been trying out both these since the past few days and here are my thoughts on it..

Givenchy Soft Powder Radiance Enhancer

What it is: A limited-edition highlighting powder that lights up the face with a natural-looking glow while accentuating the skin’s freshness.

What it does: Poudre Lumière Originelle – Soft Powder Radiance Enhancer gives the complexion a delicate illumination. Inspired by Givenchy’s couture designs this unique highlighting powder is imprinted with a unique lace motif. Apply it generously over the entire face to create a fresh-faced glow. It can also be used on the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, the center of the chin, and the forehead to enhance the overall structure of the face.

What it is formulated WITHOUT: Parabens

What else you need to know: Nicolas Degennes tells the story of how an angelic beauty is created through the La Revelation Originelle Collection: an idea of innocence with universal vitality. The Givenchy Woman will define her own aura, like an enhancing halo to reveal her zest for life. The light of the divine, the light of the diva. This product is free of talc.

This product is free of talc.

MRP: $57 (India,Rs.5075/-) for 10g

To start with, the packaging is gorgeous! Just look at this highlighting powder and the lace motif on it. It is very, very finely milled and super smooth to touch. It comes with a mirror but no brush/applicator.

I did read a few reviews online and majority people said the lace print doesn’t allow the product to get loaded on the brush and one doesn’t get any powder or pigmentation. They scraped the lace print and loved the result with the actual powder beneath.

While I haven’t scraped the lace yet, but I do go over the powder, quite a few times, to get the desired amount on the brush.

Also it has no colour or shimmer and you won’t feel you have applied anything, untill you swirl it a few times on your face. I use it all over the face coz it is too light to be visible only on the high points of face. It is soft white in colour with a light pink sheen. I don’t think this would work for dark skin tones, coz it will look ashy, it is lighter for me too.

No glitter, no shimmer, no metallic finish, just a soft sheen which instantly makes your skin look naturally glowy. It gives a beautiful radiance to the face and it stays so throughout the day. I will surely be trying the powder, after scraping off the lace too. But this is just an all over use powder which gives a soft glow to your skin.

It is definitely very pricey and limited edition too, would not recommend it for darker skin tones or people with oily skin.

Givenchy Le Prisme Blush in 41 – Lune Rosée

Enliven your complexion with the limited edition Givenchy Le Prisme Blush in 41 – Lune Rosée, a luscious compilation of pinks and corals.

The epitome of freshness for springtime, Lune Rosée blooms to life on cheeks with its illuminating colourway featuring peach, light pink, rose pink and coral. Use each section separately for a tailored result, or swirl your brush across all four for customised colour that completes your fresh-faced spring look.

The ultra silky texture of Le Prisme Blush glides across the skin like a silken veil, caressing cheeks with its elegant look and feel. Givenchy’s exclusive powder atomising technology ensures that the powder particles are extremely fine and of identical size, ensuring a more even and intense result.

Apply to the apples of your cheeks with the included blush.

MRP: Rs.3500/- for 7g

It comes in a square black packaging and has four different blush colours i.e. peach, light pink, rose pink and coral. It also has a mirror and a brush with a brush compartment beneath. That makes it ideal for travel.

Though the colours are quite bright, they are not that pigmented and you would not go overboard with them. The most pigmented is the Coral shade.

The powder is very fine and smooth, and the blush is easy to apply. You do need to layer it 2-3 times for the colour to show though, coz they are not that pigmented. The blush though, once applied, stays on for a good 5-6 hours. I use all the colours combined usually, which gives a soft peachy coral color with some sheen.

Swatches of Blush
Blush, Blended together

There are many different colour options in Le Prisme Blush, this one in Lune Rosee is Limited Edition. I absolutely love the colours, but I do wish they were more pigmented. This is not a must have from this collection.

FOTD with the Blush and Highlighting Powder

Overall, I think the powder is quite good and do recommend it, especially if you have dry skin, but only get it if it matches your skin tone, or else it would look ashy. Not a fan of the blush coz I expected more pigmentation.

What do you think of Givenchy Poudre Lumière Originelle & Le Prisme Blush Lune Rosee?

P.S: PR Samples. Honest Review

MAC Sheertone Blush Pink Swoon Review, Swatches, FOTD

MAC Sheertone Blush Pink Swoon Review, Swatches, FOTD

By Ishleen

Hello gorgeous ladies!

How are the winters going for you? Delhi has started to turn out cold—like really cold! And with cold weather, my skincare regimen goes off the drain—quite literally! No, not because I want to, but because I become too lazy to wake up early in the morning, or take my lazy bum out of the warm blankets at night to undergo a proper cleansing-toning-moisturising routine! And water intake you may ask? Yes, that pretty much is negligible too! Yes, I am that kind of lazy!

But looking at all those wintery-flushed rosy-posy cheeks, I so envy girls with naturally pink looking skins! And this is when the dire need to get some really cheeky-naturally-enamouring blushes comes to play! So if you are anything like me, and you want a pure matte blush which gives your cheeks the look that you would expect to have right after a run in the winter morning, girl, you need Mac Sheertone blush in pink swoon in your life! No kidding here!

The deal with the blush is that I am straight heads over heels in love with this little tub of pink goodness and have no cons to state whatsoever! So I am starting with what I like about the blush and will be explaining each aspect of it on the way! Let us dig in then!

Price: Rs.1450/- for 6g

Packaging and Price: Okay, like all mac powder blushes, this one too comes in a matte black tub with a see through lid and all the details on the back side of the tub! What I personally love about my mac blushes is the way all of them come in this really chic outer cardboard packaging which makes me feel so good about my vanity! Hmm, height of my vanity, I know! But I did spend 1450 bucks for this little tub—a classy packaging is the least I could have wished for! 😉

Shade: How can I even begin expressing the major drool attack I had when I saw this blush at the mac store about 3 months back—but me being the miser me, I needed double-trouble-quadruple assurances about the supposedly pale, cool toned looking blue based pink blush to be suitable for us warm Indian skins! And when I could not find a suitable answer to my anxieties, I had to go on and take the lunge and was I taken for a surprise? Although the blush is undeniably cool toned, blue based candy pink it looks so darn natural on the cheeks that it is hard to believe that I actually have worn a blush, or if I just heard Diljit Dosanjh say my name (fan crush, sorry :p)! Yes, it looks that natural and gives a nice flushed look to your cheeks—especially in these winters! Yum!

Pigmentation and Coverage: Coming from the sheertone range, this is indeed a very sheer-tone blush and if you swipe your finger across the blush pan, you will not find much product upon your fingers! Which trust me girls is the perfect thing for a daily wear blush like this one! It is so sheerly pigmented that there is no chance you can go overboard with this baby! Plus, if you are a newbie who struggles with the clown-cheek look every time you play with your makeup, Pink Swoon is here to stay! And the good part is that it is totally buildable and can be layered up as per your needs and taste!

Texture and Finish: The blush is such a classic example of a matte baby pink blush man, I cannot even tell! Not an ounce of sheen to be seen—just a daily wear mate pink, so undoubtedly it gives a very natural finish to the cheeks! The texture of Pink Swoon like all mac powder blushes is utterly smooth and not at all chalky or excessively powdery! But what I personally love about Pink Swoon is that despite being devoid of any shimmer or glittery sheen, it catches light at all the high points of your face and gives the face a luminosity—a natural radiance, if you know what I mean!

Staying Power: Although the shade is quite light and I use a couple swipes on my NC 39-40 skin for it to show up as a natural swipe—it stays put for quite some time! I mean I have never worn my makeup for more than 7 hours at a stretch and except for a slight fading at the hairline this blush despite being so light stayed for a good 6 hours in direct sunlight! And mind you, I do not wear primer under my makeup generally, so I can just guess how long it would stay if I had a primer on!

So this is pretty much it for the review of this glorious little pinky tub which is a new cult-favourite in my stash and is my daily wear blush! The only thing which I think can be a downer for some that it is not going to show up on skin tones above NC45 or so! But if you can manage to make it work, go grab it ASAP!

Rating- 5/5

Love it!! <3

Editor’s Note: It indeed looks gorgeous Ishleen, especially on you! Loved it.

Have you tried the MAC Pink Swoon Blush Yet? Your favourite blush from MAC? Mine is Bite of an Apple which was a LE

MAC Matte Blush Raizin Review, Swatches, FOTD & Dupes

MAC Matte Blush Raizin Review, Swatches, FOTD & Dupes

Written by Ishleen

Hello sweeties!

So here I am with my very first blush-review on New Love – Makeup! Thanks Bhumika mam, for giving me a chance! :*

Mac blush in Raizin is my second blush, and is perhaps the most impulse purchase till date! I went out to buy a good pair of shoes and got home this rather muddy looking blush (just in the pan) as I wanted a good bronzing powder!

Claiming to be a makeup addict and a beauty blogger for over two and a half years now, I could no more make excuses to avoid blushes just because they can look dominantly clownish if applied improperly! But after having tried my hand on a blush (also from mac) I knew I had to take a step forward with this dark brownish-red blush!

So coming to the main review now, keep on reading to know more!

About Mac Raizin Blush!

Claims: A blush that provides fantastic colour with ease and consistency.Designed by and for professionals, formulated to provide fantastic colour with ease and consistency. Applies evenly, adheres lightly to skin to achieve a natural-looking application of colour that stays put all day.

Dermatologist tested
Non-acnegenic

Directions: Choose appropriate brush and glide brush over the blush. Tap off excess powder and apply blush to skin using sweeping strokes and blend well.

Price: INR 1350 for 6 grams of product

This not so gorgeous looking blush belongs to the Mac permanent collection of blushes. Mac permanent line blushes are available in 5 stunning finishes, and Mac Raizin comes under the Matte finish; so you know it’s bound to be drop-dead pigmented no matter what!

Packaging: The regular line MAC blushes come in a very specific, matte black round casing with a see-through lid! The packaging looks quite sturdy, strong and is indeed very classy to look at! If there is one thing that a mac blush is not—it is flimsy! The lid is very sturdy and spill-proof as it has a click-sound lock mechanism—which is very reliable! One thing which I am not sure if I like or dislike about the MAC blushes is the fact that it does not come with any applicator! I guess that is not much of a con though, because those tiny little brushes which do come with blushes are somewhat useless—at least, most of the times if not always!

Shade: Okay, I’ll be true to you guys! One look at the blush, and I wanted to look away—real bad! But it just struck me that this kind of a shade was such which I could really use as a blush as well as a bronzer! And a double duty product always gets a yes from my brain! 😛

Outside
Indoors

So coming to the real hue, the blush appears to be a rather muddy looking red toned brown in the pan! Really unflattering, even for the most dusky Indian skins if you ask me! But on application, guys take my word for this; it was the most spectacular earthy-toned blush my cheeks had ever adorned! It looked so flattering that I had to pick it up—no second thoughts here! The blush has very beautiful and quite evident red undertones which add to the earthiness in the blush and makes it much more wearable!

Texture: okay all you blush-lover’s; when was the last time any MAC blush disappointed you? I can’t remember any such instance! Just like all iconic blushes from Mac, the texture of Raizin too is silky, almost satiny smooth—not at all chalky or too powdery despite being a powder blush!

Pigmentation and Colour Pay-Off: Coming from the matte collection of finishes—this blush is the not the one to be trusted with mediocre pigmentation! This is crazy pigmented—like insanely pigmented! Talking of the colour pay off—one swipe of my finger, and the earthy reddish brown powder covers up the entire fingertip and does not allow the skin to peep through—yes it is THAT pigmented!

Staying Power: I have never had a problem with the staying power when it comes to Mac—and Mac blushes generally stay put on my oily cheeks for a good 6 hours! Mac raisin is a bit different in this aspect—but different in a good way though! Being on the darker side of the spectrum, it stays on for a tad bit longer duration—it stayed “even” atop my foundation and powder for more than 7-8 hours while fading evenly! And this was without using a primer—I can only guess how much it will stay had I used a primer underneath my base!

My Take on Mac Raizin Blush

I am glad that my impulse purchase did not fail me this time—as it did cost me a lot! 😛 Being an Indian skin type, I know that this blush will work for us desi beauties fantastically! And as it is a powder blush, it did suit my oily, acne prone skin very well! Secondly, like most Indians, I too have very prominent yellow undertones and the red undertones in the blush do help in accentuating my natural skin tone! I just need to dip my brush very lightly in the pan and use it on the apples of my cheeks, blending it towards the hairline during summer months! But I plan to use it in my hollows during the upcoming fall as I like more bronzed kind of a skin in winters!

Do not care to swirl the brush in the pan as the pigmentation is such that the slightest overdoing will offer no scope for forgiveness! All in all if used judiciously, this blush is a go to for Indian skin tones!

Though the most underrated of blushes in the market, this one is the most muted, neutral blush especially for deeper Indian skin tones! And if you are fair to medium, or have skin similar to mine, more power to you as this particular blush will double up as both a blush and a matte powder bronzer which is very flattering!

Pros:

  • Silky-smooth texture
  • Matte brown with red undertones
  • Tremendously pigmented
  • Long-staying
  • Fades out evenly
  • Classy packaging
  • Can double up as a bronzing powder
  • Easily blendable

Cons:

  • Can be a bit expensive for some
  • Will look ruddy on very pale skin tones
  • Does not come with an applicator

Will I recommend?

If you have a native Indian kind of warm skin with yellow undertones—man, go for it! This will give you the most natural earthy kind of warm glow you could only think of! A very wearable blush especially for the deeper skins! Do not let the pan frighten you with its muddy brown appearance—it’s red undertones are indeed very flattering for the Indian skin!

Rating: 4.3/5

Editor’s note: Thanks Ishleen for this lovely review, the blush is perfect for deeper skin tones.

Dupe Alert: Few dupes of MAC Raizin blush are La Femme Blush in Sienna, NYX Cream Blush in Tan (Milani Sunset Beach is said to be a dupe but it is slightly on the orangey side)