Today I am talking about some of the current fashion trends. The time period currently between fall and summer is like a mixed one, there are certain summer trends that are still going strong like the Boho dresses and Maxi dresses and there are certain fall/winter trends that are also seen quite a lot already like the Plaid and leather jackets.
Shoe wise, you can already see a lot of boots, but there are tied up stilettos, etc. also still IN. I love these Stuart Weitzman ones.
So currently it is like a mix of both summer and fall/winter as the fall is just starting yet. I am loving the boho and off shoulder dresses a lot too. Of course here in India, it is mostly the summer trends only throughout especially in Mumbai.
What comes in fall/winter here are just light shrugs or light layering.
So Dove has launched new ‘Nutritive Solutions’ (called ‘Advanced Series’ in US) and Oxygen Moisture is their first launch as a part of it.
What the Company claims: The new Dove Oxygen Moisture range comes with an advanced solution that gives your hair the balance of moisture and volume. This new range with innovative Oxyfusion Technology can put an end to your daily dilemma, leaving you with hair that is beautifully nourished, smoother and looks 95% thicker.
Dove Oxygen Moisture shampoo is a transparent, lightweight formula comprising of oxyfused moisture ingredients that instantly disperse on the hair. This formula helps to gently cleanse and nourish hair, leaving it beautifully bouncy, and full of natural volume.
Enriched with the Oxyfusion technology, the Dove Oxygen Moisture Conditioner delicately moisturizes dry and dull hair, restores smoothness and leaves hair looking thicker. With the new Dove Oxygen Moisture, you no longer need to choose between well moisturized hair and natural volume. Oxyfusion technology for Dove promises you both! So leave your hair worries aside, and breathe life into dry, dull hair
Dove Oxygen Moisture Shampoo
Directions to use:
1. Apply shampoo through wet hair. Lather and rinse thoroughly.
2. For beautifully smooth and bouncy hair follow it up with New Dove Oxygen Moisture Conditioner
MRP: Rs.83/80 ml, Rs. 176/180 ml, Rs. 292/340 ml (Buy Dove Shampoo)
Ingredients:
Dove Oxygen Moisture Conditioner
Directions to use:
1. After shampooing, apply along the lengths of wet hair, focusing on ends.
2. Keep for 1-3 minutes and rinse off thoroughly.
3. Use conditioner every time you shampoo for beautiful, smoother hair
I have already shared a mini review of this in my August favourites YouTube video HERE. I have been using it since more than a month now. This is the first Dove shampoo that is in transparent, gel form. The packaging of both the shampoo and conditioner is like the usual Dove range with a flip top cap. This one is white and blue.
Also the transparent gel like formula of the shampoo has a slight blue tint. The conditioner is white and creamy and rich like usual conditioners.
Now I have used Dove quite a lot and it has always worked for me, but many told me Dove gives them major hairfall. The only reason I see is that the Dove shampoos were always very rich and if someone has thin or fragile hear prone to breakage, the richness of the shampoo would be weighing down the hair causing breakage. I have never experienced any hairfall with any of the Dove ranges though. But this range is perfect for all of you did not like the previous ranges, coz this is very light and not that rich.
This shampoo will not weigh your hair down and will not give any hairfall. In fact I love the way it cleanses thoroughly and gives a nice bounce and volume to the hair. The conditioner is rich though but if you apply it only towards the ends, it should work. And the hair will retain the bounce.
I love the fresh smell of both the shampoo and conditioner. My hair is well behaved from the time I have been using this combination. There have been no frizz issues and I get the desired volume and bounce too with the smoothness of course.
Sorry I am unable to find the swatch pics in the folder, would update later.
I am happy with the price point too, and these smaller bottles are good to carry for a trip too.
Overall, I am loving this range and definitely recommend giving it a shot.
Rating:
Quality: 4/5
Value for money : 4/5
Availability: 4/5
L’Oreal Paris Mat Magique Compact Powder Review, Swatches, FOTD
Hi guys,
L’Oreal Paris India is on a roll and launching a lot of new products, the latest being the Mat Magique Compact Powder. Just 2 months ago they launched the Infallible range which had the Infallible 24H Powder Foundation too. And now a new range of compact powders 😀 Well, we are not complaining 😉
What the Company claims: With 5 shades, specially created to suit Indian skin tones, Mat Magique compact blends smoothly into your skin to give an impeccable coverage without looking cakey. At a special price point of just Rs. 399, L’Oréal Paris Mat Magique compact is easy to apply and frees you from touch ups, every time you decide to go out. The new compact from L’Oréal Paris is also enriched with SPF 34 PA+++ to help protect your skin from the sun and make it look blemish free, healthy and radiant all day long.
INNOVATIONS & INGREDIENTS
Mat Magique compact – It’s the Matte that does it all! Infused with Volcanic Perlite Minerals Mat Magique compact lets you stay shine-free, worry-free, and flawless for 12 hours.
I have the shades G2 Golden Ivory and N6 Nude Honey which are like the closest match for me, G7 Golden Amber is the darkest shade and N2 Nude Vanilla is the lightest.
At first, I love the transparent and pink round packaging, it looks pretty on your table or in your bag too. The bottom base is also transparent and you have the mirror and a round, white thick sponge in the lower compartment. Now the mirror being in the lower compartment and the product on upper, it would be a bit of a struggle to take the sponge and go up and down again and again. Outside India, it had a rectangular packaging with sponge and powder on each side and mirror on the front.
L- Golden Ivory, R- Nude Honey
I am glad that the shades are all warm and suitable for Indian skin tones! Most of the products including the previous Infallible 24H Powder Foundation were a bit light and gave a strong whitish cast. Thankfully, these ones match Indian skin tones perfectly and do not look white or ghastly at all.
L- Golden Ivory, R- Nude Honey
And SPF34 PA+++ is the highest protection I have seen in a compact powder yet! Kudos to L’Oreal Paris for adding in such high sun protection factor.
Coming to the coverage and staying power, it gives light to medium coverage which is perfect for daily use. It stays on for quite a few hours and absorbs oil and shine for almost 5-6 hours and keeps it at bay, thanks to the Volcanic Perlite Minerals. Post 5-6 hours, you notice a bit of shine but not too much, just a touch up with this and you are again sorted for few hours.
It is not very powdery or not too drying, but it is not creamy either. If you have dry patches on your face and you use this compact without using a moisturiser, then it will cling to the dry patches. But in a hour or two, it won’t feel dry coz it balances with the skin’s natural oils.
The price point of Rs.399/- is amazing!! Absolutely happy with L’Oreal Paris to keep the price low, it is one of their rare 2-3 products that are priced below Rs.500/- 😀
And coming to the shades, I have Golden Ivory and Nude Honey. Golden Ivory is slightly light for me and Nude Honey is slightly dark. But these powders oxidize a little bit during the day and hence Golden Ivory settles to match my skin.
Here are the swatches..
L- Golden Ivory, R- Nude Honey
I am wearing Golden Ivory here.
Wearing Golden Ivory
Overall, I am very happy with these compact powders. They have everything you could ask for in a compact from coverage to staying powder to keeping oil at bay to sun protection to the perfect shades and price. Highly recommend them! And they would work for all skin types.
Rating:
Quality: 4/5
Value for money : 4/5
Availability: 4/5
Overall rating: 4/5
Have you tried the new L’Oreal Paris Mat Magique All In One Transforming Powders?
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?
