a very late birthday haul

hola mi chikitas,
so my birthday comes in may and its July now. if your wondering why such a late haul, let me explain. well i happen to live India ( yes please, don't get bored yet hold on ). i also happen to be a college student ( an undergrad studying something related to biotech/pharma ... no no no don't leave yet ). and my college follows a semester pattern (trying to get to the point.. must stop rambling). and if you have been there , done that then you may very well know that , semester exams last whole month long ( yesss now its off my chest ) . so my birthday fell before the beginning of the exams .
so after my exams got over , i tagged to one my favorite beauty shopping destinations..........CRAWFORD MARKET, CST , MUMBAI.( yeah i know big deal.... but for a suburb girl like me it is  a very big one). it has two places beauty palace and beauty center close to each other . for my yearly beauty shopping trips , i prefer those places because they multiple brands covering all hair , skin , makeup arenas under one roof..

my previous shopping trip was last year . and it was my birthday then too.

who's excited to see what i got ???? hands up in the air ( okay not so much, you will hit the roof... hehehe )

doesn't this sight make you feel just happy ????

1. MATRIX fortifying shampoo and deep smoothing conditioner:-

(400 ml and 196 g respectively)( 355inr and 295inr, i got both at 550 inr with discount at beauty center)these are the largest sizes available.you can call this duo my hg hair duo. i have tried several shampoos and conditioner combos form various brands and even Matrix themselves, but nothing beats it . every time i do something stupid and ruin my hair , i come running to this . best smelling hair care ever. just like the standard head and shoulders , i need to have it in my shower at all times. this is one of the few hair luxuries i actually allow myself.

VEGA professional makeup brushes:-

1.angular blender(200 inr)

2.eyeshadow(250 inr)

3.buffer brush(450 inr)

kinda expensive part of the overall haul. i just randomly decided that i needed new brushes when i passed the VEGA counter. i picked up the ones that caught my fancy. now way in hell am i passing up an opportunity to buy professional brushes.  do own the normal Vega ones. but these are in a way different league( as in better)but it made me feel a bit guilty about being disloyal to my beloved real techniques brushes. guess these new ones could keep them company and they would be brush bffs frolicking in the pink sand of the clouds amongst unicorns( ahem ahem , you don't like UNICORNS.what is wrong with you o_0 )

JOVEES Tea Tree oil control face wash (115inr)

JOVEES anti blemish pigmentation face mask(195 inr)

i Had never tried anything from jovees before. the face wash is for college use. and the face pack because the s.a recommended it for my acne scars. its supposed to give a glow. lets see

INCOLOR glimmer blusher:- NO 19 (i guess around 200 inr but i got it for 175 inr)

this is supposed to be a dupe for MAC's stereo rose which i haven't seen in person. i didn't know this when i bought it. i don't personally like baked blushes, eyeshadows etc  due to their inherent grittiness. but the soft focus coral shimmer won me over. so so pretty. sadly my picture does it no justice.

KRYOLAN IKONIC GEL LINER PENCIL :-violet gem (180 inr)

the blogosphere is abuzz with these beauties. thankfully i could snag one of the prettier shades.

KRYOLAN EYESHADOW DARK BROWN (350 inr)

if you follow me around, you know how much i love meself some krylon . after the success with blush in T1, i decided to get my hands on something to contour my flabby cheeks. the s.a was super knowledgeable and recommended that i start out with a powder eyeshadow till i get a hang of things. the shade isn't as dark as it appears in the picture. 

KRYOLAN ULTRA FOUNDATION REFILL OB2(300 inr)

i got this as a undereye and spot concealor. the s.a matched the shade perfectly. despite being full coverage foundation, i loved how light it felt on the undereyes. a slight peachy tone for negating dark circle. loving it.

MAYBELLINE DIAMOND GLOW EYESHADOW - 01 COPPER BROWN( 475 INR)

MAYBELLINE WATERSHINE LIQUID GLOSS- CARAMEL CREAM(210 inr)

can you believe it despite using maybelline for so many years i had never tried their glosses or powder eyeshadow? not even the original quads. these shimmery ones are the only ones available now. i stuck to safer n*de colours for college etc.

SCARLET LINE VELCRO ROLLERS:- (40 INR)

i have poker straight , fine but lots of hair. i m hoping these will make some difference. if they do , i will go ahead and buy bigger ones. ain't the purrrple prrrrettty?

LACTO CALAMINE SUN SHIELD SPF 30 pa ++( 199 inr)

lactocalamine is synonymous with being the first base makeup for many Indian women. i am no exception. i still religiously use it. they came out with sunscreens this Summer with decent SPF rating. two variants are available- for oily to normal and normal to dry. i chose the oily version . this stays in my college bag as i leave home applying the lotus matte sunscreen spf40.

FACES CANADA STACKABLE PIGMENTS in WILD( 699 INR)

i love using pigments, despite all their drawbacks. maybe more than eyeshadows at times. the beautiful shades and the versatility win me over every time. i succumbed and got this beauty. plus it doesn't hurt that this is stackable. i am not going to lose these. ( not that i have lost... just saying)

LAKME ROSE POWDER 02WARM PINK ( 100 INR)

LAKME PERFECT RADIANCE COMPACT 03 GOLDEN MEDIUM (170 INR)

if you have oily skin then you need the lakme rose powder . cheapest and best on the market .

the compact is again for my college bag. nothing special , standard stuff.

VOV SOFT MATTE LIP CREAM IN 01, 05, 11( 75 INR EACH)

i saved the best for the last . these are dupes for the nyx matte lipcreams . and they smell like fresh vanilla muffins. i got three to test out the shade range and i am planning to get more. :)

hope you all enjoyed my crazy haul. if you would like me to review any of the above. let me know in the comments below.

love ,

vj 

p.s:-

5 things i m loving at the moment:-

1. the rains, cooler climes , romantic weather

2. fuk fuk fukrey - just watched it with friends... bholi panjaban rockssss

3.vacationsss yayyyyyy

4.a large bowl of super cheesy home made mac n cheese

5. did i say vavctions.. oh yeah i did.... then it has to be the long hours i get to spend doing my favorite activity ... napping (hehehe)

3 things i m not loving

1. falling rupee rate... bye bye firangi makeup (boohooohooo) for the time being

2.people hitting other people( me) with umbrellas in the eye or elsewhere when walking in the streets.

3.super oily skin and frizzy hair due to increasing humidity .

share what you like and don't like in the comments below. i so love reading such stuff. maybe we can gossip about it too ( wink wink)

disclaimer :-

all the products mentioned above are purchased by me . i have never received money in return of a glowing review . my loyalty lies to my readers . 

i can be contacted on vj.neglur@gmail.com for any queries and information .

Save Our Skins :- Lakme intense whitening

hello everyone,
 quick skincare review here. so this is what has been saving my sin this summer . i bought the lakme intense whitening night cream is the winters but stopped using it due to the dryness and sensitivity i was experiencing due to the effects of topical retinoids.

price :- inr 299 for 50 g 

packaging:-

the packaging is standard as is with all other perfect radiance products . white with pink and silver accents .this comes in a jar with a screw top. not very hygienic. i use it with a sanitized ice cream spoon.

ingredients:- the list is considerably huge . please click on the picture to read .

what it claims:-

wake up to visibly radiant skin with Lakmé Perfect Radiance NightRepair Crème. Renew and repair with Chronosphere Vitazyme C & Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) at night when your skin's renewal process is at its peak. This lightweight creme leaves no residue leaving your skin smooth and radiant.

• Chronosphere Vitazyme C
• Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
• Continuous Release Technology
• Suitable for All Skin Types

 my few pennies:-

it may be a cream but the texture is more akin to a gel that turns to lotion upon blending in . this makes the cream wonderful to use unlike some very heavy creams which are very difficult to blend. 

this has a fragrance and it made my skin tingle at least fro 2 minutes when i applied the cream .

what it did:-

•  this reduced my overall face oiliness within 2 weeks.
•  lightened my acne scars.
•  reduced discolourations
• extensively removed tanning from my forehead and nose.
• my skin upreared brighter the next morning.

what it didn't do :-

make my skin any whiter or lighter . i wasn't expecting it to.

thus , all in all IT WORKS. 

it kicked ass of a 2300 inr cream that is extensively promoted by stars as well as bloggers. i wont mention which. guesses welcome in the comments below. 

rating:- 4/5

one deducted for lots of chemical ingredients and jar packaging.

i have found my Hg night cream. have you ?

let me know in the comments below. 

love, 

vj

PS:- the rains are literally lashing India... loving it or loathing it ?

CAUTION:-

before using any skin care product be sure to consult your dermatologist or your gp . user's discretion advised .since the product  worked on someone's skin it may not mean that it might work on other skins too.

disclaimer :-

all the products mentioned above are purchased by me . i have never received money in return of a glowing review . my loyalty lies to my readers . this is a p.r friendly blog .

i can be contacted on vj.neglur@gmail.com for any queries and information .

see what i got in the mail - urban touch haul!

hello beauties,

something made my weekend ! i know the title is such a dead give away. this black box can make any gal happy.

 so i recently got my semester results and since i had scored good ( obviously better than my or my parent's expectations ) my mother decided to give me a small "baksheesh" . i was flying in the sky since it was sans any conditions which indicated i could shop to my hearts content . a big hurray to moms ! 

given my schedule , i couldn't go out of my hometown to shop. i live in a very "townsy" sort of a place. so buying my beloved makeup here is a big no no. i headed to one of my favourite online shopping sites "URBAN TOUCH" .

guess whats in the box !

i have shopped from there before and always have had fantastic service.

a few glitches here and there easily smoothed over by excellent, responsible and prompt customer service.

i agree its expensive and the offers or discounts are less compared to other sites but the black box packaging is versatile and tempting!

peek a boo

SO LETS SEE WHAT I GOT:-

(from left to right)

• basicare powder brush:- i actually needed a blush brush . but being the butterfingered me i chose the powder brush instead . i realised this when the invoice mail came. thought it was too late and what the heck, this brush is perfect for applying blush to my chubby cheeks ! 
• faces long wear pencil in forest green:- getting seriously addicted to these  Faces pencils. after navy i decided to try a different shade . after seeing a few reviews online , i set my sights on this. this is a perfect shade for pop of colour for college.
• nyx mega shine lipgloss in french kiss:-  me, a lipstick gal, was brought down to her knees by the power of the fabled NYX megashine lip glosses. its perfect as centre-of-the-lip colour to bring some dimension to the lips and as the name says " mega shiny".
• nyx powder bronzer in days of maui:- with my ulta bronzer broken, i was in search of a new budget bronzer. this is the only product i haven't tested yet , so will get back to you soon about it :)
• lakme perfect radiance intense whitening night cream- this has replaced my hg l'oreal pearl perfect. lovvvvveeeee it ! it is a miracle in a jar. if you want to know more do let me know in he comments below. 
• loreal superliner 24H gel eyeliner in black:- it has received the highest rating as the best drugstore eyeliner on various blogs. its a perfect addition to my a.m college makeup routine.

hope you enjoyed my haul!

see you soon.

love,

vj

disclaimer:-i did not receive any voucher etc to shop. all the above products have been bought by my own hard earned money .my loyalty lies to my customers. i have nothing to disclose.

colorbar precision waterproof liquid eyeliner - review and swatches

hiya
eyeliners are such must haves . be it in the form of kajals , pencils , liquid or whatever , we Indian girls are obsessed with defining our eyes. admit it gals!
lakme, maybelline we give our love to all those liners but somehow this little gem from colorbar hasn't been making waves much . i have had this for about 6 months now and i m totally loving it !
read on to find out more about it ........
price :- 250 inr but i had got it before the price hike and from an online site so i had gotten it for about 180 inr
net quantity :- 2.5 ml
so the cost to wt ratio comes at about 100 which is okay .

what the company says,

The Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner is long-lasting and does not smudge, crack, flake or peel. With its high definition flexible felt tip applicator, one stroke is enough to define a fine or thick line. Fast drying, Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner is suitable for sensitive eyes and those who wear contact lenses too!

my experience:-

i got this about six months ago when i was bored with using my current liners . so let me admit this was an random unintended purchase but i don't regret it at all . i am more of a liquid or gel eyeliner gal than a pencil eyeliner gal .i do not enjoy pencil eyeliners for the following reasons.

• they do not go on as smoothly
• they are not as intense
• they smudge
• and the worst part, they tug at times which is a strict no-no if you have sensitive eyes

i love my eyeliners mostly matte finish . but this shiny one won me over. a funny thing about this is that it appears totally matte in the swatches . however, it turns a bit shiny when applied to the eye.maybe its just my lids . i really  but the shine isn't leather finish like lakme eye artist . just enough shine to make your eyes look healthy and pop.

the applicator has a felt tip wand just like my vov liquid eyeliner .a long handle that is easy to hold annnnd an incredibly stiff felt tip brush. by stiff i mean really stiff. so stiff that i hurts at times if you hold to too firm . but an advantage to it is that it is easy peasy for beginners to use. since the wand isn't floppy, the liner doesn't end up all over your lids .

notice the shine-thinner line

as you can see in the images its not as i intense as i would like it to be. i have to go over the line many times to get the desired intensity. this however at times , ruins the lines. the drying time is decent, about 30 seconds or so. just an observation is that if you make a thicker line , it dries very slowly.if you have hooded or mono lid eyes this is a real problem . it tends to smear on the top lid and spoils the eye makeup.i learnt it the hard way when i applied it to my mum and she has hooded,wrinkled eyes. all the beautiful makeup that i had so painstakingly done got spoilt. :(

the shine is more obvious in flash- thicker wing

i took images in various angles to show intensity and the finish- thicker wing

it turns kinda matte on eyeshadows. however , if you are using it on a pigment it kinda picks up colour from the pigment  and turns that coloured. i mean i was wearing a copper pigment at a family function and many people asked me where did i get my bronze eyeliner . i was like "uhhhhh! bronze! i m toh wearing black ! "

on bare skin and over shadows

with flash

water sprinkled

staying power is pretty decent . i usually apply it in the morning before i leave for the college . it is there till afternoon and by evening, its barely hanging. a part of the original line is there and the rest has morphed into soft, smoky definition.if you are not a smudge-and-rub baby like me , it will surely last.

rubbed lightly

a claim that the company makes is totally false. this liner is not water proof. its just mildly water resistant. this may not be a good thing if you live in rainy or humid climate. i am kinda fine with it.its does not flake off, peel or hurt your eyes like maybelline ultra liner. it removes off easily with some soap and water.

do i like it:- yes

will i repurchase it :- no. i m still on the lookout for my HG liner.

will i recommend it :- yes surely. to someone who doesn't wear liners for a long span of time and particularly to newbies.

rating:- 3/5 . -1 for not being waterproof and -1 for not mentioning ingredient list neither on the packaging or on the site!

have you found your hg liner? what is it ? let me know in the comment below !

love , 

vj


p.s:- i guess i won the oasap giveway . i might be getting dress H50 . has anyone else won it? i m so confused.

  disclaimer :-

all the products mentioned above are purchased by me . i have never received money in return of a glowing review . my loyalty lies to my readers . this is a p.r friendly blog .

i can be contacted on vj.neglur@gmail.com for any queries and information .

my first fotd ever - feat loreal infallible eyeshadow endless chocolat and kryolan powder blush t1

hello everyone,
i apologize for  the m.i.a state that i was in . my pc broke down.
so i have for you guys first time ever, my well made up mug

njoy the pics,

u can see the blush perfectly here . i dont normally wear my blush so heavy .

the swatches on my hand had stayed on even after a shower 

products used

products used - face 

PRODUCTS USED FACE :'

• lakme 9 to 5 creme compact shade- marble all over face and neck with provided wet sponge
• maybelline clearglow compact in 02 nude beige to set the foundation
• kryolan powder blush in t1 just at the apples of the cheeks ant blended towards the temples . first featured here
• real techniques contouring brush for applying the blush

products used- lips 

products used- lips 

PRODUCTS USED LIPS:-

• maybelline color sensational lipstick in 265 autumn rush - beautiful pinky brown . i dont know why it doesnt get much love?

products used- eyes

PRODUCTS USED EYES:-

• loreal infallible mono eyeshadow shade - endless chocolat . first featured here .all over the lid
• avon precision glimmer eyeshadow in dune for inner corner and brow highlight
• maybelline eye studio drama gel eyeliner upper lash line
• faces lengthening mascara top and bottom lashes 
• oriflame beauty smooth definer in brown lower lashline and waterline for au naturale open eyed effect
• oriflame beauty eyelash curler
• real techniques base shadow brush
• real techniques accent brush
• real techniques shading brush
• health and glow eyeliner brush 

hope you like it!

do let me know what you think about it and if you would like me to review any of the above mentioned products,

subscribe, follow, comment , rate and be fantabulous !

love,

vj

 disclaimer :-

all the products mentioned above are purchased by me . i have never received money in return of a glowing review . my loyalty lies to my readers . this is a p.r friendly blog .

i can be contacted on vj.neglur@gmail.com for any queries and information .