OOTD: Two Diverse Outfits (Maxi Dress & Monochrome)
Hi guys,
If you follow me on my social media, you must be knowing I had attended the Reliance Trends’ Tarun Tahiliani show at Lakme Fashion Week and I had to pick two outfits from the new Reliance Trends collection and wear one of it for the show.
I tried a number of outfits as you can see here..
Finally I went with these two.
First is this super pretty royal blue maxi dress which is from their in house brand ‘Fusion’ and it has an Indo-western feel to it obviously as the name goes.
I love the print on top, the fit, the flowy fabric, the color, everything about this dress and also it is super comfortable! I had been living in this maxi dress for entire day for 2-3 days in a row since it felt so comfortable.
If it would have been available in more colors, I would have bought all of them 😀 And guess the price guys!! It retails only for Rs.799/-!! Beat that. Definitely recommend checking out ‘Fusion’ at your nearest Reliance Trends store and buy this if you spot it! There were some other shirt dresses and halter dresses too which were quite pretty.
I wanted my 2nd outfit to be completely different from the first. Since the first was bright and colorful and Indo-western, I went with a monochromatic black and white semi-formal look in the 2nd.
I chose this textured white boxy top with an embellished neckline with a simple black pencil skirt. I love the waffle print texture and the neckline is super pretty. You don’t need any additional accessories with this top. This top was priced at Rs. 799/- too.
Other accessories seen in these looks are my infinity layered neckpiece and my hamsa hand harness. (Both seen HERE). I wore my silver Forever 21 loafers with these.
I mentioned about the launch of the new Lakme Absolute Lip Pouts HERE. They have launches it in 6 matte and 10 creme shades. The matte shades are out already and the creme ones would follow soon.
What the Company claims: Lakme Absolute Lip Pout are a playful take on lip tints with excellent colour pay off. Lip Pout is your go-to lip tint for that effortlessly vibrant and playful look. So play with your pout & experiment with different lip trends.
MRP: Rs.650/- for 3.5g
Shades Available: 6
Tangerine Touch Scarlet Rose Magenta Magic Raving Red Pink Fantasy Victorian Rose
Today I am reviewing the shades Tangerine Touch, Pink Fantasy and Raving Red.
On the pencils, they mention ‘Lip Tint’, I guess it is their old product Lakme Absolute Lip Tints which they have now re launched in these matte and glossy Lip Pouts version with a new name.
These come in a lip crayon format and have a twist up mechanism. The outer colors are according to the shades and all have a silver cap. The crayon format is very travel friendly too.
The texture and finish of this is completely matte and it kind of reminds me of the Inglot AMC Lip Pencils. These are decently pigmented but as expected very dry. You will definitely need a lip balm underneath and they are very unforgiving if you have dry lips and will accentuate them. So scrubbing lips is a must with these.
They stay for around 5-6 hours but do not survive meals, thankfully they fade off evenly. I think I expected more in terms of staying power and pigmentation. They transfer 1-2 times at first when they are not set which takes some time.
Pink Fantasy is a blue based rose pink
Tangerine Touch is a bright orange
Raving Red is a pinkish red
L-R: Tangerine Touch, Raving Red, Pink Fantasy
The colors are not something very unique or different, the usual normal basic shades, I feel there should have been 1-2 more shades like mauves, plums or bright Ruby Woo kind of red.
L-R: Pink Fantasy, Raving Red, Tangerine Touch,
I swatched the Pink Fantasy first, hence it looks better on the lips. By the time I swatched Tangerine Touch last, the scraping/removing the previous swatches made lips very dry, hence the Tangerine one looks patchy.
Here are these on me..
L-R: Tangerine Touch, Raving Red, Pink Fantasy
I also like Magenta Magic and Victorian Rose and would love to try those too. I absolutely love matte lipsticks and Pink Fantasy is my favourite out of these three, followed by Tangerine Touch.
I am so glad these are priced at Rs.650/- coz all new Lakme Absolute launches have been priced at around Rs.800 since quite some time.
Overall I would say, I am very happy that Indian companies are coming up with matte lipsticks and these convenient crayon forms. I only expected a bit more in terms of shades and staying power, I hope they come up with more shades. But at least they are priced decently, these are already out in the market and also available online.
Rating:
Quality: 3.75/5
Value for money : 4/5
Availability: 4/5
Overall rating: 3.75/5
Have you checked out the new Lakme Absolute Lip Pouts yet? Your favourite shades?
Review: AcryGel Nail Extensions at Jean Claude Biguine
Hi guys,
I got Acrygel Nail Extensions on the 20th of August at the Jean Claude Biguine Salon at R City Mall. So you must be aware of acrylic nails and gel nails, AcryGel is the perfect combination of both. While Acrylic powder makes the nails look very stiff and fake, gel nails are too soft and don’t stay long enough. Acrygel picks up the best of both the worlds, it is neither very soft and nor too stiff, feels exactly like natural nails and stays long too.
In India, only Jean Claude Biguine does Acrygel nails yet, of course this is very popular outside India, and I see other salons catching it up soon.
A nail technician at Jean Claude Biguine attended me and started with the service. I shared with her my concern that I have tried gel nails before and it completely ruined my nail bed, so I would go with extensions. She told me this won’t harm the nail bed.
Step 1: Nails are cut, filed, buffed and cuticles and pushed and cleaned exactly like in a normal manicure.
Step 2: She applied extensions on my nails with glue one by one. Extensions start from half the nail bed and not the cuticles.
Step 3: The extensions are cut according to the desired length, buffed and filed. I went with square shape as my nails never stay square and I wanted to see how it looks on me.
Step 4: Then a mix of acrylic powder and gel is applied on the nails and the nails are kept under the UV light. This is done twice.
See how they look seamless and just like original
Step 5: Nails are again buffed and they look seamless and exactly match your natural nails by now.
Step 6: You can select any polish you like and change it later but only make sure you use an acetone free nail polish remover.
I went with French manicure since it stays for a long time and minor chipping doesn’t affect much. It’s been 15 days today and my nails still look amazing! The French mani is still there and looks good. I think I will keep it for 5-6 more days before changing the polish.
The extensions stay for about 1-1.5 months and then you need to get them removed at the salon when nails are overgrown. My nails grow pretty fast and I kept the nails and extensions short purposely.
Overall I am super happy with my nails. I do my regular activity and stuff I do with my normal nails and there hasn’t been any issue at all. I would have definitely gone for this at the time of my wedding had I known this earlier!
Duration: 3 hours
Price: Rs.3500/-
I absolutely recommend Acrygel nail/nail extensions. If you are someone who just cannot grow their nails or would like to try extensions just like that, go for Acrygel ones at JCB. Also I would recommend French manicure than normal polish coz it stays forever!!
Update: 3 of my nails came off in 22 days :/ I got all of them removed yesterday i.e. the 26th day coz it was looking very uneven and bad. Also my nails have lost a layer with the glue and are very thin and brittle right now though only the front half from where the extensions started. I hope they grow quickly coz right now they are so weak that they keep bending in any activity I do and that hurts the nail bed.
Have you tried nail extensions yet? What do you think of them?
P.S: Services were provided by JCB but that has not affected my review.
Unboxing & Review: September 2015 Anniversary Fab Bag
Hi guys,
I received the September Fab Bag today and I recorded, edited and uploaded this video all today 😀 So that you can decide whether or not to order the September Fab Bag.
This is their 3rd anniversary bag. It is a red and black glittery pouch. I am not a fan of glitter pouch as such, but it is big enough and good for travel.
Products I got in the bag:
Makeup Revolution Focus & Fix Liquid Concealer in Medium- Full size (Rs.550/-)
Kama Ayurveda Rose Water (Full size Rs.250/- for 50ml)
Just Herbs Rejuvenating Beauty Elixir (Full size- Rs.985/- for 15ml)
Skinn by Titan Celeste for Women and Raw for Men – 2ml samples (Full size- Rs.990/- for 50ml)
Now I was quite excited to read ‘theBalm’ at first, but then noticed a small 1.2 ml sample and got a bit disappointed. I wanted a bigger sample, at least a deluxe one. Not very happy with the small perfume samples too, the 9-10 ml body mists are much better which I got in previous bags than this tiny 1-2 ml vials.
I love the fact that there are 3 full sized products though one is a smaller bottle i.e. the Kama Ayurveda Rose Water. I have used it before and I quite like the Kama facial sprays. I am happy with the Makeup Revolution full sized concealer too and the Just Herbs Rejuvenating Beauty Elixir. I have used such facial oils/serums before and I have always loved them, so looking forward to trying this one.
Overall, I am happy with the bag but I got a bit excited thinking it would be something very unique since it is the Anniversary issue. A deluxe sized theBalm product would have been perfect, but nonetheless it is a good bag and I recommend it. Only make sure you get the concealer in your shade match.
A monthly favourites video, I have way too many favourites this time and also I realised I went on and on, I had to edit a lot of stuff coz the original video was about 25 minutes :/
Here is the video:
List of products:
The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Body Scrub & Body Butter (Review HERE)
Bioderma Photoderm Max Mineral Compact SPF50+ (Review HERE)
Lakme Absolute Face Stylist Compact – Rs.1000
Bioderma Sebium Purifying Foaming Cleansing Gel – Rs.1350
Za Total Hydration Amino Mineral Gel (Review HERE)
Dove Nutritive Solutions Oxygen Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner– Rs.83 for 80ml, Rs.91 for 80ml respectively
Today I am talking about the hair concerns/problems most of us face. From dryness, greying, hair fall, split ends to dandruff, itchiness, oily scalp, etc. there are so many different hair issues one faces at every different point of time.
If you have dry scalp and hair, it is mostly itchy, flaky scalp, dandruff and frizz that one faces usually. If you have oily scalp and hair, then hair looks weighed down, greasy and dull. Greying of hair, dandruff and hair fall is like very common for all hair types, those are some common hair problems.
This is my natural hair which is curled..no extensions
I have talked about hair fall and how to grow long, healthy hair before HERE and HERE.
Chemical treatments like coloring and straightening/rebonding are the main culprits when it comes to dry or damaged hair. Coloring especially using a light color/bleaching rips off the moisture from your hair strands and makes it very thin. When you compare it to your natural hair, the colored strands are half in thickness and look dry, dull and frizzy. Rebonding is again chemically changing your hair structure while leads to terrible hair fall! Avoid chemical treatments and coloring as much as you can.
Straight Hair
Heat styling is again something that causes hair to become dry and frizzy, you should avoid using heat especially if you have dry hair. Keep it occasional and if you cannot avoid it, then use a very good heat protectant before heat styling.
A good healthy diet and proper sleep can change the way your skin and hair looks and feels completely. Hair needs iron, zinc, protein, etc. and if it is not getting those nutrients from the diet, it will start falling as they won’t be strong enough and not grow at a rate they should. Proper sleep can help reduce your stress and also some amount of exercise/yoga helps manage stress and keep it in check.
Pollution and sun exposure are other culprits which damage your hair. Always carry a scarf/umbrella to protect your hair. Tie and cover your hair when you are swimming or working out, so as to protect it from chlorine or sweat respectively.
Dry hair which does not get enough nutrients also leads to split ends since the ends of the hair are not getting nourishment. And heat styling ,etc further dries out the ends.
Apart from a proper diet and managing your stress, you need to avoid coloring/chemical treatments/heat styling, etc. and nourish your hair with the right products.
Hair oils/serums/heat protectants, etc. are here to help your hair and keep them hydrated and nourished. Oil your hair twice a week and shampoo 2-3 times a week to keep dirt and dandruff at bay.
Oiling helps you in many ways as it is something that goes within your scalp and nourish your hair from the roots. Hair oils are the only hair care product that actually work from within and go onto the scalp. Don’t worry about using excess oil as the scalp will absorb only as much as is needed. I am currently using the Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil once/twice a week. Even if I forget to oil it overnight, I use it at least one hour before shampooing. Whenever I oil my hair, the hair is smoother, shinier and tangle free post shampooing, even without a conditioner.
Also, deep conditioning helps me keep dandruff and split ends at bay. For dandruff, the best thing is not let your scalp dry and if you are suffering from too much dandruff which just doesn’t leave you, try a few home remedies. For me, soaking methi/fenugreek seeds overnight in water and blending them with curd and applying half an hour before washing my hair works. Also lemon juice works at some times.
So these were some of the hair concerns, causes of it and how to avoid/cure them.
What do you think of hair problems? How do you manage them?
ZA Total Hydration Amino Mineral Refreshing Gel Review
Last month, Za launched their Total Hydration Range in India. The Fresh Foamy Cleanser and the Amino Mineral Refreshing Gel are released till now.
I have been using the Amino Mineral Refreshing Gel since quite some time now and here is my review.
What the Company claims: This Award Winning Gel minimizes stickiness and thoroughly replenishes skin’s moisture giving it clarified glow and vibrancy. Spreads effortlessly forming a water veil that instantly restores skin, reduces flakiness and roughness in dry skin and sebum induced stickiness in oily skin. Makes skin Bouncy Fresh and Dewy Radiant all day long! Moisture charge in just 10 seconds!
How to use: Dab an appropriate amount (approx. 0.6 g) on several spots over face with the fingertip and smooth over from the center of the face outwards.
I have always liked water based moisturizers and makeup products and I am glad that now more brands are coming with water based products, few years down the line it was all about heavy creamy moisturizers and then only Fabindia had a Vitamin E moisturizer for oily skin which was water based and super light. That was my Holy Grail then and now I got so many options.
To start with the packaging, it is pink in color! I mean how many girls can resist pink packaging, tell me 😀 It has a tube dispensor and a swivel cap. I like that the dispensor is tiny and you can dispense only the required quantity and you don’t need much per use.
I take a tiny pea sized amount for my face and it’s like enough. It looks like a thick serum and is milky white in color and gel like in texture. It blends completely into the skin in a minute and settles down.
It leaves no trace of oiliness or stickiness. It is hydrating, moisturizing and yet very light. It does control oil too for some hours. My T-zone is oily and it remains oily free for a few hours even without setting with a compact.
Since you need very tiny amount, the 50g tube will last me quite long and the price comes out to be pretty economical. I think this is one moisturizer that will be suitable for all skin types since it takes care of both dryness and sebum/oil.
I haven’t broken out with this and I have been using it daily, I think this is my new HG. I absolutely recommend it.
Za Cosmetics is available online on Nykaa, Amazon.in, etc. and also in most of the Shoppers Stop outlets.
Rating:
Quality: 4.5/5
Value for money : 4/5
Availability: 4/5
Overall rating: 4/5
Have you tried any water based moisturizers? Which is your favourite?
Review: Reliance Trends Tarun Tahiliani Collection at LFW W/F 2015
Hi guys,
I attended the Reliance Trends Tarun Tahiliani show yesterday evening at the Lakme Fashion Week.
Tarun Tahiliani’s “Easy Glamour” collection was an eclectic line of ready-to-wear pieces presented by Reliance Trends at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2015.
The ramp had a full length mirror on stage and a rack of clothes as the backdrop, a very stylish video featuring the hot Lisa Haydon modelling Tarun’s collection was playing in the background.
Ujjwala Raut opened the show wearing a looped black midi. The collection was predominantly black with some red and other colors popped in between. A lot of tribal prints and stripes were seen with some leheriya print.
Dolman sleeve top, poncho draped skirt, corset dress, lungi dress and many such interesting silhouettes were seen on the ramp.
Asymmetric kurta with leggings, the black dhoti sari and choli, maroon jumpsuit with embroidered printed belt created a perfect Indo – western fusion.
Dramatic borders were used on most pieces in rust, blue and mostly gold. The velvet bustier belts brought whole looks together. Models wore a nose ring through the middle of the nose and super huge round earrings which added to the tribal element.
He also created the ‘jumpsuit-sari’ with the pleats and draped dupatta which looked quite interesting. Peplum quilted gilets, satin draped lungi cowl gowns, saris with velvet obe belts and printed tees with satin dhotis were quite unique. The kedia style blouses, attached capes and caplets were seen in majority of the pieces.
Kalidaar jackets, 3D floral motifs, bright gold embroidery and velvet hemlines took the basic pieces to a whole new level adding glamour to the outfits.
Overall a lot of luxe separates were seen with endless mix and match possibilities.
The super hot Chitrangada Singh was the perfect showstopper, she wore a black draped gown with a velvet cape which had gold embellishments.
Tarun Tahiliani being the “Czar of Couture” did manage to create a super amazing prét-a-porter/ready-to-wear collection for women! I cannot wait to check out more pieces from the Reliance Trends Tarun Tahiliani collection.
Did you like the Reliance Trends Tarun Tahiliani collection? Your favourite piece?
L’Oreal Professionnel Tecni Art Extreme Splash Review
What the Company claims: L’Oreal Professionnel Tecni Art Extreme Splash is a wet-look gel that provides long-lasting hold
Suitable for all hair types, the lightweight gel leaves a visible shine without excess residue
Create a range of hair styles with definition and ultimate precision
Inspired by the explosion of wet looks on runways and red carpets, L’Oréal Professionnel creates Extreme Splash– an elastic-hold, wet look gelée for an ultra-sleek, yet supple effect that lasts, even in extreme conditions. Its revolutionary unbreakable technology includes a mix of high-fixing, texturizing polymers and glycerin. It can be used on dry or damp and on any length. Extreme Splash is ideal to create wet looks – from a slicked back, after-pool look to the wet look ballerina bun, or even dual-textured styling effects.
The New Limited Edition Extreme Splash Gelée from L’Oréal Professionnel is a pliable, flexible and high-shine gelée , ideal for creating an extreme wet, slicked-back look, for all hair lengths and types.
•Strong hold gelée – Force 4
•Extreme shine finish
•Pliable and flexible formula
•Completely re-workable
•Non-greasy finish
Provocative shine with elastic hold that lasts even under hot backstage lighting. No visible residue. Non-greasy. Washes away easily.
How To Use: Apply from roots to mid-lengths.For a side-swept wet-look: Bring hair over to one side and comb the gel through from roots to mid-lengths.
MRP: Rs.700/- for 150ml
Ingredients:
It comes in a black and blue packaging with a black pump dispensor. It is a thick gel with a blue tint, be careful of the quantity you take as you need very little of the gel.
You know how Preity Zinta has her signature wet looking curls all the time? And the sleek tight hair buns and side swept hairstyles on the runways..well it is all thanks to a product like this one.
Hair sprays stiffen your hair, so when you want to keep your hairstyle in place but still don’t want that super stiff look of a hair spray, the L’Oreal Professionnel Tecni Art Extreme Splash will come to your rescue.
There are days when I want my hair parting and pouf to stay in a certain place, is when I take a bit of this product and set the hair in place and then it doesn’t budge and the pouf and parting stays throughout the day. The hair do take the shape but are not as stiff as with a hair spray and you can still move them with ease.
It is not something I would use on an everyday basis, only when I want to create a particular look. If you are a guy who loves using gels and creating spikes, this is the product for you!
It is not very expensive as 150ml is a super huge quantity and this will last forever as you need just a bit of the product every time.
Overall, I would say if you are someone who experiments a lot with hair and creates different hair styles, then you can try this. Not something for regular use or if you keep your hair open or tied in a full or half pony everyday. Definitely recommend it to guys! And if you are a girl with curly hair who likes Preity Zinta like wet curls.
I am not much into sleek hair styles, so not something I use much and I would not repurchase it.
Rating:
Quality: 3.75/5
Value for money : 4/5
Availability: 3.5/5
Overall rating: 3.5/5
Have you tried any hair styling product that gives a wet look?
Today I am reviewing a brand that has been around since ages, it was the very first face wash for most of us, ‘Clean & Clear’. Also the first to have come in a small bottle packaging which then became its trademark.
Today, it has launched so many different variants of face washes and also scrubs and moisturizers. One such range is the ‘Morning Energy’. I had read a lot about it and also seen them, but never really tried them untill now.
I am so glad I did! They come in their trademark bottle packaging and different variants and sizes.
Variants:
Brightening Berry (brighten dull skin)
Energizing Lemon (energize tired looking skin)
Purifying Apple (purify oily skin)
What it claims: Morning energy Face washes are specifically designed to wake up your dull looking skin in the morning.
Benefits of the product
The gentle face wash contains natural extracts of Strawberry, Lemon or Apple and its unique formula is enriched with soft BURSTING BEADS® that gently burst with an energizing fragrance on your skin and let you experience a new wave of freshness every morning.
Recommended for
Those who want to freshen and energise their tired skin.
How it works
This gentle face wash works like a charm to transform your dull skin. If you’re looking for a burst of morning energy at any time of the day, look no further!
The rich foam thoroughly removes oil and dirt. Its special ingredients help prevent common skin problems, without drying out your skin. The natural berry extract leaves your skin looking fresh and glowing.
Directions:
Apply a small amount on wet palm and work into rich lather. Gently massage onto face, avoiding the eye area. Rinse off thoroughly. Use it twice daily for skin that’s beautifully clean and clear! Follow with the CLEAN & CLEAR® OIL FREE MOISTURISER for best results.
Ingredients of Berry:
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Acrylates Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Polyethylene, Petrolatum, Red 30 Lake, Fragrance, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract, Ferric Ferrocyanide, CI 16035, Cl 42090
Brightening Berry IngredientsEnergizing Lemon IngredientsPurifying Apple Ingredients
Lemon has Lemon Fruit & Passionflower extracts, Apple has kiwi, orange, grapefruit & apple extracts.
MRP: Rs.110/- for 100ml
I love the transparent bottle packaging, it lets you see the exact quantity plus the colorful beads that can be seen through the bottle look really nice. It has a flip cap and you can control the exact quantity you need per wash. Also the small tiny bottles that come in smaller size are perfect for your handbag or travel.
Lemon has golden yellow and white beads, Berry has pink and white beads and Apple has green beads in it.
Clean & Clear has come up with this beautiful #seetherealme campaign with this Morning Energy range which basically tells the teenage girls to show the world their real self and not be judged by looks, shape, size, colour, clothes, etc. I think it is a fabulous initiative coz the teens is when we are most conscious of the way we look and what people comment, etc. and it is very important for us to stay confident through that age.
Coming to the face wash again, it has small tiny beads which don’t melt, they just wash off and exfoliate a bit gently. I like gel based face washes, they are easy to use and wash off. It foams well, smells amazing, and is actually great to lift your sleepy head in the mornings!
It won’t remove your waterproof makeup, etc. but it is not even meant for that. It is a basic, regular face wash that refreshes you and removes oil and dirt. It is targeted towards the college girls and works perfect for them.
I love the Brightening Berry, smells so yumm! These are affordable, easy to carry and come in a range of sizes and variants. Absolutely recommend this to the college going girls, the smallest bottle is perfect for your handbag.
