Buyincoins Haul and my Experience

Hello!
Today I am going to review my latest splurge-a 120 eye-shadow palette that I bought from the online shopping website www.buyincoins.com.Beside reviewing the palette I will also be sharing my shopping experience with them.This was my second transaction with the site.
It is a Chinese site catering nearly all over the world without any shipping charges and the prices are unexpectedly low.They offer a free tracking code for orders over $30.Below that there is usually a choice of "free shipping","express shipping" and "shipping with tracking code".I say usually because the available options vary depending on the product you choose to buy.While I was able to opt for free shipping for my first transaction,the second time I had to pay a nominal amount of $0.34 for tracking code. I really don't mind that and the tracking code was actually a relief.The product arrived exactly 30days after they confirmed that my parcel have been sent to the post office.Yes!it takes that long at times to arrive!My first package had arrived within 15days and I have even seen packages arriving as early as 7-8days for a friend.The packaging consisted of the palette sandwiched between two thick sheets of thermocol and lots of bubble wrapping.Going through numerous other reviews I was very sure that eye-shadow palettes never arrive intact and I was preparing myself for at least a couple of broken shadows but when I opened the parcel,I was at awe that not a single shadow has broken.So it can be concluded that packaging is good enough.The best part is their customer service.I have never communicated with them over the phone as they were always very prompt about replying to my mails and messages through my account at the site within 24hours.They accept payment through paypal,master card and visa card of any bank but I felt paypal is the best.You can also avail discounts.There is referrer's discount for your first transaction.all you have to do is enter a referrer's id while creating your account and you will get 5% discount on your first transaction.Other than that they have coupon codes.Just message them querying about availble coupons at the moment and they will sent you the code.There are dozens of codes published around the blogosphere but most don't work so directly contact them for discount coupons instead of picking up random codes from the web.

Now,let come to the palette.Matte eyeshadows are my favorite part of eye makeup but sadly quality shadows at affordable price is asking way too much in India.Though I love nuetrals but it's always helpful to have other hues at hand and hence I thought of giving this beauty a shot after repeated (sparkly)disappointments with Palettes available in India.If you browse through the site you will find at least 10-12 variations of 120 palettes ranging from nudes,metallics,and combination of different finishes.I got 120 Makeup full color Eyeshadow palette #3 though #5 is reviewed all over the web and ahrdly any information availble about this one as this seemed most feasible for me.That is,it consists of such shades that I am likely to use extensively.
Description:The box is of matte black plastic without any mirror and click locks.Inside there are two palettes decked one above another each consisting of 60 shadows.The palettes are quite fragile and I am sure won't survive the smallest of the fall.The upper compartment consists mostly of warm and radiant colours while the lower one is dedicated to darker,cooler and more subdued hues.

The upper compartment

The lower compartment

Price-Rs.873(this includes the tracking fee)
The palette consists of 32 mattes,12 glittery,and rest satin and pearl finish.I find most shades apart from the sparklings and neons,and blues wearable.
Texture: Except for 3-4 sahdows in the whole palette the rest feels like butter on skin.I have never experience such soft texture from an eyeashadow before.Though soft most adhere well to the eyelid without any fall-outs and without primer though few are too powdery and hence challenging to work with.
Pigmentation:Very vibrant.Even the lightest mattes show up well on my lids when paired with a primer.Without primer the mid-tones to darker one work well enough but lightest of the lot get washed out.
Staying power- So far I have wore these shadows for 14hours at a stretch with primer.At the end of the day only the shadows at the outer-corner of my eyes had settled in creases and in one deep crease on my eyelid a little.But the color was intact-no fading.Do I need to say more?I have oily eyelids and the weather in Kolkata in the month of March at the moment is not that make-up friendly.

Swatch Gallery:

looks created using the palette.

The first look is created using the peach shadow(5th shadow 2nd column palette-1),brown(6th,2nd column,palette-1)as transition colors,matte red(6th shadow,10th column,palette-1) all-over the lidand lower eyelid,matte black(6th shadow,column 9,palette-2) outer half of the eyes and matte chocolate brown(5th shadow,7th column,palette-2)as blending color between red and black.Neon yellow(4th sahdow,8th column,palette-1)as highlighter in inner corners.Satin cream(2nd shadow,1st column,palette-1)as brow-bone highlighter.

The second one is created using the greys and mauve-greys of palette-2(column 3,4,5,lower 3*3 matrix)and hint or purple from palette-1,highlighter is the 1st shadow in palette-2.

close-ups of palette 2

close-ups of palette2

close-up of palette 1

close-up of palette 1

 The Swatches are given column-wise starting from left-to-right of each palette.Two columns are covered in each picture.The numbering is done as 1-6 from top to bottom of the left column followed by 7-12 from top to bottom of the column following it immediately and so on.The swatches are single swipe of the colours and I have left notes as captions where necessary.

The gold sparkles,4th from left are too powdery and has a lot of fall-out but very pigmented and soft.
The gold,3rd from right is very chalky as you can see-one of the worst shadow of the palette.
The last two colours are really recommended.They look great on indian skin-tone for no-make-up look.

The cyan (37)is satin finish but chalky-do not easily show up on eyelids but a very pretty colour had it shown up.

Consists of highlighters.My personal favorites here are 4 and 8.Compliments well with any look.

13-17 are average in pigmentation and harder than the rest of the colours.

Best 2 coloumns of the palette in terms of pigmentation and texture.And of course.I am biased to neutrals!

Overall,If you want to experiment and learn without getting stripped off your cash-these palettes are the best option.For me,this baby has put off any little fascination that I ever had for high-end brands.It has everything any high-end eyeshadow can offer for fraction of it's price.

Pros:

• Good pigmentation
• soft texture
• excellent staying power
• has enough hues for experimentation
• affiordable

Cons:

• No in-the-box mirror
• available only through online sites.
• fragile box hence not travel-friendly
• no mention of ingredient list anywhere

Meis Matte Eyeshadow Palette

Hello and welcome to yet another post.Sorry I have been away for quite a long time again but now I am back with a review on an eye shadow palette I stumbled upon while looking for something entirely different.Such things happen with me all the time.I decide on shopping for something and end up buying something entirely different.Anyway this one is from a brand called Meis cosmetics and I have seen other palettes of this brand in many cosmetic shops of Kolkata and also at the International Trade Fair-Lifestyle pavilion at the Thailand counter.I suppose they mainly originate from China.I had been desperate for a good set of matte browns in various hues.While the best bet with a brand name would have been Inglot,I literally cringed with horror thinking of the hole it would burn in my already-light pocket!Rs.400 for one shadow is not my cup of tea yet.I searched online and came across the Coloressence one as well but I was not really very sure of the shade.I had almost given up on the idea of finding myself a palette that contained browns and only neutrals in matte when I saw this one at a really small cosmetic shop of Hatibagan opposite Star theatre.
I have a love-hate relationship with this palette,Of all the 12 colours only 3 are usable.I don't really mind that because this three are the only colours I will ever use.

My take:

The palette looks sleek an classy but is quite brittle.There is no mirror and once I dropped it the white in the top row shattered.

Pigmentation is mediocre however with a primer it appears a bit more vibrant.Staying power is average-upto 4-5hours with a primer underneath.

The shadow settles in creases particularly a the corner of my eyes after aximum of 4 hours of wear-time.

Price-Rs.200-350.There is no printed price amount on the box and the price varies from store-to-store.

Availability is another issue.Though shimmer or satin eyeshadow palettes from the same brand is widely available,the matte palettes are hard to come by.So far I have spotted them at two places.One is mentioned above and the other is a make-shift counter at the Diamond Plaza Mall that stocks only cosmetics from thailand or China.However it is a no-bargain store and they quote twice the actual price.

Swatches:

A look created with the browns from this palette:

I have used primer underneath and also Lakme eyconic kajal in brown to line my upper lashes.

Overall,this palette is ok if you are on really tight budget and only just learning to use eyeshadows.Matte shadows are really hard to come by in palettes in India that to within a reasonable budget.This is by-far the first palette that I came across which had 12 all-matte shades in one palette.However I won't recommend this to anyone with sensitive skin/eyes since there is no mention of expiry date anywhere and not a reliable ingredients list.  

Make-up kit for college goers

Hi,I suppose this is the first time I am posting something at a regular interval.So,I won't start rambling and go straight into the topic.Being a college goer myself,I face a very common problem faced by almost all college girls-What exactly should include our beauty regime?College years are the beginning of fashion experimentation for many of us and with exposure to so many new products and brands we often get overwhelmed and hence overboard with make-up.The end results is often a clown face rather than a diva-not at all desired.So what can be done?The easiest,cheapest and most effective way to prevent this is stop buying more than you need.Yeah,I know many will kill me for saying this but this is the best way.But almost no one can help getting tempted seeing the array of cute bottles and tubes and tubs in the cosmetic shops.Today's post is a compilation of those thing I feel necessary and enough for a college girl on budget like me.

College years or 18 to 22yrs age is perhaps the best years in a girl's life in terms of health,beauty and of course the fun at college.A girl is always glowing from within,so why cover up that with dollops of foundations,concealers and what not!I say until you are a severe case of pimple and acne scars,heavy coverage foundations and concealers are completely unnecessary.First understand why you make-up.It intensifies our best features hence boosts our confidence,make us look nice and presentable and sometimes we make-up for loved ones or to attract appreciative glance from our crush, ;).But really,one very true things about guys-they love to see us with the minimum make-up possible.Some girls might find this very helpful while others will die rather than not wear make-up.I,personally expect three things from the products I buy-Budget-friendliness,good for skin and no side-effects or permanently damaging and makes me pretty.So,today's post might be quite useful to those who share similar views.

Face:

Sheer to medium coverage base is the best for this age unless you have a extreme condition of spots and scars.Tinted moisturizers/suncreens,BB creams and sticks and sheer foundations that also have benefits of moisturizers and suncreens work best.But I will rather not recommend the foundations as they tend to clog pores and quite damaging on the long run.Here's a list of things that I have already used and liked for their qualities:

• Ganier BB Cream- Rs.89 for 18ml,Coverage-sheer,only one shade available but compliments almost all complexion-build able to some extent,does not get cakey,contains SPF 24,can be wore easily during the day,quite moisturizing if you have oily skin.dewy finish but melts if you sweat or secret oil a lot.easily blendable.The bad thing is it stings a bit on my face and I don't know if this experience is personal or universal.The 18ml tube lasted me for approx 8months.for details click here
• Lacto Calamine Lotion for oily skin-Rs.80 for 40ml,coverage-sheer,tinted moisturizer.the tint suitable for fair skinned people,on dusky beauties this one might look ashy.Easily Blend-able. No.No SPF.A good moisturizer if you can bear with the smell.
• Maybelline BB Stick-Rs.250 for 10ml,coverage-medium and build able,SPF 21,comes in two shades Radiance and Fawn for fair skin(pink undertone) and dusky skin(yellow undertone) respectively. Blend-able but not as easily as the creams mentioned here.Powdery matte finish.Emphasises dry patches if you have any so moisturization is a must even if you have oily skin.Waterproof,lasts at the most 8 hours.
• Lakme CC cream-Rs.250 for 30ml for the shade bronze and Rs.199 for 30ml for the shade beige.Coverage-medium and build-able.SPF 20,the shades suits the generally yellow undertoned beauties of India very easily.Need to work on blending a bit.Transfers if your skin is oily.not very moisturizing.For details click here
• Boroline-Rs.17 for 10ml.No,I am not asking you to apply boroline all over your face and go to college.But I felt this product deserves it's place here solely because of it's health benefits.It works miraculously on smoothing any dry or broken or rough patch of skin.I always keep one tub handy in my college bag for emergencies like accidents at sports day,or instantly smoothing out broken and dry patches of skin that suddenly start showing up during winters and even summer time.I just massage a liberal amount on the place,scrub it lightly with a towel hanky, wash it off and pat-dry my face and I am ready with a very naturally flawless skin without even applying any complexion correctors.
• Lakme rose powder-Rs.99 for 40g
• Maybelline clear glow compact-rs.185 for 9g-available in 4 shades,sheer coverage,can be used in wet form,contains SPF 24,I bought the wrong shde but use it more as an matte beige eyeshadow and for making my kajals smudge-proof at the lower lash-line.
• Lakme invisible foundation-rs.215
• Lakme foundation Rs.100
• Lakme mousse Rs.99 
• Maybelline cheeky glow blush-Rs.225 for 7g-Available in 3 shades-adds a natural flush of colour-is build-able-moderate pigmentation-lasts 3-4hours-suitable for day wear-does not break out skin.
• Faces creame blush-Rs.350
• Blush is really not that important.But when you want a glow but don't want to spent much on having an huge assortment of different shades of blush you can do the following thing-just with the cutting edge of your lipstick in the shade of blush you want draw a line on your cheels and blend it super well and you will have the desired shade of flush on your cheeks.I use my elle18 lippies for this purpose.

Lips-
Lipsticks are really not always perferable specially when it leaves hideous stains.Glosses look gross and feels sticky specially when you have full lips.Balms do not impart that much colour that you would have liked.Here is a list of some of the lipsticks and balms I found to be quality products at good budget.

• Vaseline jelly-Rs.5,cheapest and the best balm for your lips.Ok,not the best but it's works really well given the price and is available even a that road-side tea and pan stall!
• Vaseline Rosy lips-Rs 109 for 4g,pigmentation good given its a lip balm,moisturizes upto 2-3hours after that you need to re-apply.A nice substitute for lipstick but the other available shades are not as pigmented.
• Maybelline Baby Lips-Rs.150 for 4g but the ads are showing that they have reduced the price to Rs.99.Yippeeeee!!Available in 6-7shades out of which the 'cranberry' shade is best pigmented.Moisturizes for maximum 5-6hours and makes the lips soft with regular usage.Again a very healthy substitute for lipstick for daily wear.Fro details click here
• Elle 18 lipsticks-Rs.100 for 4.2g,sheer coverage for light colours,medium to dark coverage for others - available in large number of shades-moisturizing to some extent and staying power is 3hours min and 5hours max-transfers quite a lot.does not stain your lips unless it is a really pigmented shade for eg.Rosy Blush(27).A good beginner's choice if you like experimenting with looks and colours .Some of the best shades of this range are Coral Romance(42),40(forgot the name,probably something ending with peach),mousse melt(16),Rusty(29),Rosy Blush(27),constant candy(forgot no.),Cinnamon bun.For details click here
• Avon Simply pretty lipsticks-Rs.169 and Rs.109 when on offers.good pigmentation and really good range of colours-quite moisturizing-good staying power-avaragely non-transferring.ONly drawback is you have to find an avon representative for getting these.
• Lakme Enrich Satin lipsticks-Rs.225.Good pigmenation,80+ colours but mostly on the browny side,not very moisturizing,stains a lot-ugly packaging-the plus point is that it is budget friendly.must have shades from this range are 352,149,421,356,143,142.
• Colorbar Velvet matte lipsticks-Rs.275.Great pigmentation,huge range and variety of colours,slightly drying formula,stains a lot,good staying power-upto 6hours without meals-suitable when you are in the mood for bold lips.The plus points are the cost and variety in shades.I wanted a true orange in my collection and hence got colorbar because it offered one.For details click here
• Maybelline bold matte lipsticks- Rs.375.Matte lipsticks in a budget.very good staying power upto 7-8hours,not at all transferring-bold colours suitable only for special occasions.Only 5 shades available of the same color family-pinks,orange,coral and red.coverage is opaque in one swipe except for the shade MAT03.All the shades are a must-try if you can carry them.
• Lotus herbals lipstick rs.185

Eyes-
Kajals,eyeliners,coloured eyepencils and neutral matte eyeshadows are the best for daily wear and a eyeshadow pallete with bolder colours of your choice for special occasions.

• Maybelline Colossal Kajal-rs.175
• Lakme Eyeliner Rs85
• Lakme eyeconic Eyes Kajal-Rs.199
• Lotus Herbals Kajal-Rs.115
• Avon Glimmersticks
• Faces eye pencils-Rs.249
• Lakme Eyeconic eyes colour kajals-Rs.250
• Lakme eyebrow pencil-Rs.45
• Maybelline color tattoo Eyeshadows-Rs.350-best colours-the bronze,gold,teal and orange one.
• Maybelline Diamond quad Eyeshadows-Rs.495-best one is the neutral quad and the pink quad
• A beige Eyeshadow-I use my maybelline compact in sand beige shade for this purpose
• A matte brown-peach and a shde darker brown eyeshadow-For this I use the ones in my ADS travel-size makeup kit priced rs.112.
• A highlighter shadow-the compact provided in the ADS kit.
• A Peach Eyeshadow-The blush in the same kit.
• Ouemeidie eye shadow palette-Rs.120 for festive occasions.
• Maybelline hyper-curl Mascara-Rs.250 for daily use(available in waterproof and non-waterproof variant)
• Maybelline Collosal Mascara-Rs.350 for occasuions(")

Nails:
A look is never complete without a dash of color on your fingers and toes.here is an assortment of a few best nail polish at reasonable price available in India.

• Elle 18-Rs.50
• Streetwear-Rs.55
• Lotus Herbals-Rs.110
• Avon simply pretty-Rs.65
• Tips and toes-Rs.60
• Maybelline coloroma-Rs.90
• Maybelline Color show-Rs.75
• Lakme enrich satin-Rs.150
• VOV nail paint-rs.20-40

A few miscellaneous yet vital things:

• A face wash specially suitable for your skin type-here are few for oily skin-Clean and clear morning energy face wash-green apple variant,Himalayas fairness face wash
• A body sunscreen-Lotus herbals and Biotiques make some of the excellent ones.
• Q-tips
• A set of 5 or 7 vital make-up brushes-plenty of Chinese brands flood the Indian markets which are quite good as beginner's brush.they cost from Rs.100-Rs.120 bucks in Kolkata.If you are from Kolkata just search through the right-hand footpath stores in Hatibagan,there are many options.Even individual brushes are there reading "MAC" and "Bobby Brown" and "Avon"at around rs.120-150 each(the price is very much negotiable and if you are really good at bargaining you can get them for Rs.80 at least).Don't get elated-those are fake but nevertheless very good in their quality-at least good enough for a make-up newbie.
• A pocket-size bottle of rose water and cotton swabs.
• A nail-paint remover-lakme nail paint remover is the best priced at Rs.65 for 30ml.The blue Heavens one is also good at Rs.28-32 for 30ml.
• A make-up remover.You can use Baby oil for this purpose,even the Ayur Cleansing milk is a great option.Maybelline also sell a Make-yp remover at a reasonable price.

Now that we have the list of some great budget friendly options but how to assemble your own kit?

• First get a large box for keeping your essential things.Only include those that you will require on daily basis in this box,for the rest keep them somewhere away from your sight.I keep my box on my study table!The rest are kept in the drawers of my mother's dressing table.
• For your face,including a travel-size moisturizer is a must and any one of the above mentioned BB/CC creams.However if you are opting for Lacto calamine you can skip the moisturizer from your kit.If you have oily skin you may keep a compact or loose powder in it as well.Only one blush that will go with your complexion as well as in daytime and with any dress or look.I am fair with pink undertones in my face and find the Maybelline cheeky glow in creamy Cinnamon the perfect blush matching all the mentioned criterias for me.For dusky beauties I suppose the faces cream blush in the peach-orangey shade will look flattering,
• For lips,keep a lip balm and an assortment of some must have shades of lipsticks or glosses.I have full lips and glosses make them even fuller so I prefer lipsticks with sheer coverage or wear them as stains.Some absolute necessary shades are a pink(daily wear),a brown(formal purpose),a red(for bold lips-neutral eyes quick make-up look),a neutral(for neutralising dramatic eyes),a quality lipstick in your favorite shade for special occasions.I have Elle 18 lipsticks in shade 42(a sheer coral pink for daily wear),16(caramel-brown for no make-up formal look),27(germanium red-I bought this thinking this one is a siren red),Lakme enrich satin 149(a neutral peach-brown),Maybelline Bold Matte MAT02(A coral-pink for special occasions),Colorbar Velvet Matte Obsessed orange(a neon orange for special looks).If you are similar to my complexion you can try them out.
• For eyes-A kajal-preferably a waterproof and smudge-proof one.A eyeliner depending on what you like best.I am more of a neutral eye person and want to look natural at college-as if I am not wearing anything.If you like that then include a peach,brown and beige shadow.If you prefer playing with colours collect your favorite shades of Eye-pencils-but not more than 5-6 wearable colours.One eyebrow pencil.One daily-usable mascara.
• For nails-Now nail paints are not really a must have thing.But they do add bit of colour to your look and reflect your moods.I prefer to keep a nude(formal),a black(sexy-boho look),a scarlet,a rosy pink,a maroon(because it looks really flattering on me though I personally never really liked the colour) in my kit.MY nail polish are mostly from streetwear and elle 18.For the scarlet however I prfer Lotus herbal Red chilly.
• A nail paint remover
• A make-up remover
• A set of make-up brushes
• q-tips
• cotton swabs
• a travel size face wash
• a travel size rose water(toner)
• A few more things that I also keep along with these are a hair serum from Streax and my shampoo and combs.

Quite a long post this one was!Phew!So,how did you find it?Do you have any more suggestions?Do share your ideas as comments.I would love to hear from you,till then good night..!

A few more DIYs-for Hair#1

Hi friends!
The weather changing is ridiculous in Kolkata and I had been busy with Exams in college.Today's post is going to be a fun post.Not a review but some great do-it-yourself ideas that I learned from my mother and from articles and some of them are my own innovations.
So lets begin!
I will start with hair.Everyone loves a healthy,shiny and thick mane of hair that also smell pleasant.The whole charm of good hair get spoilt when it smells like rancid food.It is an embarrassing problem that usually source its origin from dandruff,allergies,sweat,leaving the hair unwashed for too many days and product build-up.What not we try to make it smell beautiful and even sensuous at times!While hair perfumes are the quickest solution,it has it's own side effects and the smell don't linger for long.The same goes for fragrant shampoos.For some the problem is so severe that the hair starts smelling awful even a few hours after shampooing.I also face the same problem specially when I suffer from dandruff.At other times,my hair acts like a trap for the fumes and pollution of the road as a result smelling like smoke.While on usual day i just apply my Streax Serum(review will soon follow) which smells heavenly and also the only product whose smell seems to survive at least an hour.But on special occaions I prefer a long-lasting fragnance.I have experimented with quite a few scents and the followings are the ones that lasted the best.

• Coffee mask-

According to your hair length and texture you will need coffee,honey,and a essence of your choice-I prefer vanilla and chocolate because they are very complimentary with the smell of coffee.You can even skip the essence if you want to stick to one smell.I prefer layering different scents.
My hair is wiry and shoulder-length and it requires 15sachets(1 sachet is 1/2 flat tsp roughly)coffee,2tbsp honey(this adds shine and also helps in making  thicker paste),and 1/2 tsp of your desired essence.warm 4tbsp water(not boil) and add the coffee,honey and mix thoroughly so it becomes a smooth paste and no lumps of honey or coffee is left undissolved.Next add the essence and stir it in.Apply on your hair strands concentrating at the ends and leave it on for half an hour.Shampoo as usual.
This mask not only smells great but also create brown highlights on your hair visible in sunlight.After washing I applied streax serum on each layer of hair while it was still wet and blow dried it.The resultant was a floral-caffeine mixed scent that lasted 2days given I did not shampoo my hair the next day,it survived normal rinse with water.The floral smell evaporated though in its usual time.I used loreal's smoothing shampoo and conditioner but their fragrance did not alter much of the coffee-scent.This was my own little innovation since coffee is used along with henna powder,then why not alone?
Pros:

• ingredients very easily available
• Adds shine and soften hair
• my hair looks more voluminous
• not exactly costly if you consider the price in comparison to a whole bottle of hair spray which are Rs.250 and up.
• Lasts for 2days or rather until the next time you shampoo(the smell won't be as strong as first day but it will linger)

Cons:

• time consuming
• shampooing is must
• some may not like the smell of coffee or vanilla or chocolate or honey.
• not exactly cheap when you consider per wash cost in comparison to per spray cost.

This one,though a bit too long process is completely worth it.None other things I tried so far lasted as much.If you have the time to spare then go for it.The only problematic part is sitting idle for half an hour and it could be real sticky and messy if it spills around.Also as an afterthought I would like to add that all the ingredients used appeared to be very arousing for my boyfriend who couldn't work out at first from where exactly was he getting the smell of "coffee and chocolates and something flowery" around me but he felt it was driving him "crazy".So,I suppose this bit of information has already got your naughtier side raking her brains,who knows this might work for your guy as well.

• Essential oil blends:

This one is tricky but works just like a normal hair spray.You will need a spray bottle,the essential oils of your choice,water.The instructions are usually written on the bottle of the oil about it's dosage,but don't use it directly or in concentrated form.Always dilute it in the recommended amount.Usually it is 2-3drops in 1tsp(10ml) of career oil or water.I used Blossom Kochar's essential oils which read that they should be diluted with water.I used Sandalwood and Rose since I did not want to spent huge amount on oils that I did not recognize and since their was no tester for them i didn't risk buying unknown fragrance.I made a batch with 100ml of water where I added the oils in a ratio of 2:3.That is,I mixed sandalwood oil to 40ml water(around 12drops) and rose oil to 60ml water(around 18 drops) since I wanted the floral scent to be more dominant.I just sprayed this mixture under my hair in every layer and dried it with a cold blast from the drier.This method  also contributed to the elongated lasting time of the scent.Shake the solution before every spray and you can keep it for quite some time but not more than a couple of months.
I came to know of this while searching the internet for ways to scent my hair uniquely.Now,essential oils are tricky things to work with,In right proportions they can smell heavenly and wrong proportions will make you stink.Also it is equally necessary to understand the purpose and nature of the oils since few like cinnamon and peppermint smells very nice but are skin-irritants.While Jasmine oil is an anti-depressant but some may find it's smell to flowery for their taste(I do).So your blend should be created keeping many things in mind like what smells best to you and also what type of mood you are in or wanting to create,The blend mentioned above smells great to me and is sensuous and very relaxing in nature-I just can't feel off as long as I can smell this blend.The staying power is not very long-approx 2hours after which the sandalwood smell evaporates and some another 2 hours and the rose evaporates as well.This is so because Rose oil is a "base-note" oil while sandalwood is most likely a "middle-note" one.I made the solution averagely concentrated,strictly as per the dosage recommended so the smell was not as strong.I do not recommend going beyond the dosage recommended by the brand unless you are a dermatologist and know exactly what you are doing.
Pros:

• You can create your own signature fragrance
• Once prepared,you can use this for quite a long time(You can't use 100ml in one go can you??).So no preparation time,sitting idle with a gooey mess on your head etc.

Cons:

• Pricey-Each bottle of oil contains 15ml and cost Rs.285 per bottle so that is Rs.570.But the good news is these two bottles will yield you perfumes for the next couple of years or more depending on how fast you use it up.So then it's not that pricey.
• Please do your own research if you wish to use some different oil than the ones mentioned here.You will find plenty of stuffs about the features of different oils online.But don't dive into the craze and end up with a bald-head.Yes,wrong usage can be that reactive.
• Some might find the preciseness required for blending confusing and tiresome.For them-please don't try.Wrong blend won't smell appealing and accidentally dropping more than required can result in concentrated solution that is not at all good for your hair.
• The smell don't last as long as the coffee mask.

So how did you like the ideas?Do try them and let me know how you find them working on you.I will soon be coming up with new DIys that I have in stock,till then good bye and have a great day ahead. 

Colorbar Velvet Matte Lipstick-Obsessed Orange

Hey beauties!
It's just a week before Valentines Day and I suppose many of you are planning to dazzle your boyfriend/husband/or the person you know secretly adores you or vice versa.What could be more dazzling than a bold lipstick and a great day spend together?
I suppose you have got the hint what tosay's post is about-Yeah,A lipstick that have been so much discussed yet don't seem to get boring if another post is dedicated to it.Today I will be reviewing the much obsessed about orange lipstick from Colorbar-Obsessed Orange from the Velvet Matte Range.I was never fond of the colour orange in any way until I came across a girl in metro who was wearing a orange lipstick and it looked really beautiful on her.She had the same type of pinkish fair complexion like me and so I was utterly convinced that a orange lippy would suit me just as well.So my hunt for a budget true orange lipstick began.My limit was Rs.250-300.This was my first buy from Colorbar(yes,you are reading it right-FIRST) and has a story of its own.Read on and you will know why I took up the pain of narrating the whole history behind this buy.
After much research through out the internet and beauty blogosphere I narrowed down on this one and the Inglot Freedom System Lipstick Refill no.37.My interest was more on the Inglot one because..well,It's INGLOT!Do I need to say more?The only dilemma I was having is that it is a pan of 1.3-4g while the bullet weighed 4g.In that sense the Inglot refill was expensive.Another thing was that Colorbar availability near my area was a problem and I knew where the Inglot was for sure.My third and worst problem however is entirely different-pestering and unhelpful or overly helpful SAs.The bigger the brand name the more pestering the SAs are.My worst experience so far had been at a local mall where I had went to the Pantaloons store for some dress-shopping when the Loreal SA earnestly insisted to try out their new Kajal Magique which I was not at all interested in.My only fault I suppose was that I was discussing kajal brands with my sister which she overheard.I let her swatch it so she won't nag us further but after swatching(which further made me disinterested since that kajal was not at all dark enough-my maybelline one was far darker)but she insisted I should buy it since it is on an introductory "offer" price-Rs.245!She pissed the hell out of me and I started walking out without even buying what I initially intended.She almost ran to the exit insisting I was making a huge loss!Just imagine!
After this I have become more cautious and so started researching on the staff's conduct at the Kolkata,Inglot.Only two bloggers had shared their experience-while one in 2011 said that the Kolkata staffs are very helpful another in 2013 said they are the worst possible SAs-totally opposite views.So I settled down to calling at the store up first and then going.A girl received the call and sounded bored and almost lost.I had already heard that they have made buying their palettes mandatory so I asked if it is true.It was and if I already owned one inglot palette I have to take it up to the store and they will fill it up.Now,I wanted to buy only one refill and the palettes cost a bomb!When I said I don't want it and if there is such rules I will reconsider visiting there store at all.She asked me to talk to their manager who firmly kept piping the same lines but much more politely.I asked if the divider less palette was available but it was out of stock and so was the smallest palettes for two refills.The one for four refills cost Rs.745 and each refill currently cost Rs.400 for the same quanity!My DIY palette would have cost me less than Rs.100 had I made it and would have held at least eight refills.Now given it is Inglot,I was really tempted to buy one for Rs.400 but after calculating the price of an inglot bullet(Rs.1200 for 4g!)I settled for colorbar.The Price Hike is unbelievable.
I was too lazy to go and search a colorbar counter around the city so ordered it online at Flipkart.I received my package within 4-5days-the longest time ever taken by a parcel from flipkart to reach me.
Now the Review-

Price-Rs.275
Net Vol.-4.2g
Shelf life-3 years
The lipstick comes packaged in a transperant plastic.As you can see,the body is silver colored metal with a transperant plastic cap and a fibre see-through bottom which holds bit of the lipstick so you can easily locate it if you have more than one of these beauties.The packaging is glossy but the cap is filmsy though it firmly closes but there is always a risk of breaking.

 My take-

This one is the costliest lipstick that I have till date.I am more of a eye makeup person and never liked highlighting my lips much so I always opted for light colours and sheer coverage lipsticks like elle 16 ones.So this was quite a bold choice-pigmentation wise and shade wise.First lets come to the formula-The lipstick is in between drying and creamy and sets down in a matte finish.It last 4-5 hours easily after which it started fading.Now it stains the lips heavily-something that I hardly encountered before.The stain is rusty orangey-not a very nice colour and the stain is uneven which is another problem.It has a vanilla essence like smell which is ok with me but wouldn't have loved it if it lingered too long.It clings to flaky lips and settles in fine lines and also bleeds a bit at the corner of the lips so a lip liner is necessary as well as a lip balm if you have dry lips.The stain however won't budge off until you rub it hard with some sort of makeup remover.Now orange is a very bold color to be carried with confidence.It appears almost neon on the bullet.But on application it is quite wearable.On my lips which are quite pigmented in a brownish-pink shade,it appears little rustly under certain lightings.Now,it has a tendency to make me appear sick when I wear it with maybelline bb stick in radiance.Also since my lips are quite plump,it emphasis that as well.But I really like the colour specially when I don't have even 5 minutes to spare for makeup yet want to look eye-catching.It itself is so bold a colour that,Anything more than tight-lined eye,or a dash of brown kohl make me look too made up.I thought it won't suit dusky beauties but my sister who is NC 35 or 37 approx sport it better than me.I specially love this colour along with any neutral outfit like white-beige combination.Now pigmentation is really good.One swipe give enough colour and two swipes make it almost neon.Overall this is one shade that is unusual yet very pretty if carried with confidence.

in normal light at morning

Now a summary of the whole:

Pros:

• Affordable
• True orange
• easy to locate shade
• very good pigmentation
• travel friendly
• matte finish yet creamy in application
• good staying power



in  full focus under sunlight
(I don't know if it is just in the picture
 or in reality but it looks slight pink isn't it?)










• suits very fair to medium dusky complexion-might appear to stark on very dark complexion

Cons:

• Stains lips
• Transfers after 3-4 hours
• smell might be a con for some
• availability

How do you find the swatches?
I am planning to skip this on Valentines Day though,since my bf loves coral pink lips,I think I will get the one from the following list-Peach Crush,Pretty Please,Over the top-Any more suggestions??

Budget buys #2

OK,this is my second part of budget buy compilation and here I am moving forward to products ranged between Rs.100 to Rs.200.

• Maybelline Colossal kajal-

Quantity-0.34g
Price-Rs.175
I used this kajal some time back and simply love it.Now the formulation has been improved to 12hours.It is true to its claim of smudgeproof and waterproof formula.The colour is not charcoal black but quite dark.The only downside is that it simply vanishes within 3-4months.I wish it lasted longer.

• Lakme Eyeconic Eye Kajal-
  

Quantity-0.34g
Price-Rs.199
I bought this kajal just for the sake of trying it out.It is darker than Maybelline kajal but it smudges on me within 4-5hours though it claims to be 10 hour smudge-proof.Detailed review will be given soon.

• Oumeidie Eyeshadow palette- 

Quanity-30g approx
Price-Rs.120-150
I bought this palette because I wanted a 24 shade palette but really happy that I risked buying this one.You can get the detailed review here.

• Maybelline cheeky glow blush-
  

Qauntity-7g
Price-Rs.215
This is my first single blush.Available in 3 shades-coral,Creamy cinnamon and a pink(forgot the name).The coral is the most pigmented.The colours are buildable,satiny finish,last about 3-4hours and leaves a pinkish stain,these blushes are really affordable and worth the money.The featured blush is in shade Creamy Cinnamon.Detailed review coming up soon.

• Maybelline Clear Glow All in One Compact-
  

Quantity-9g
Price-Rs.185
This is another first-my first compact.I didn't want to buy this or any compact as a matter of fact.I was looking for a shade that is 2shades darker than my skin tone so that I can use it for contouring.Can be used in wet form but I am not yet very sure about it since I haven't used it much.It has SPF 26 and PA++ .It claims to impart Instant Fairness,Uv protection,Smooth even skin and Shine control.The featured shade is the darkest in 04 Sand Beige.

• Yardley London English Rose Deodrant-

Quantity-100ml approx
Price-Rs.165
I bought this one about a year back and really love this deodrant.It comes in variety of flowery fragrance like lavender,Indian rose,Sandalwood,Jasmine etc.But I found the english rose milder and nice though rest of my family find the smell artificial.Yes,it it so but half an hour after application it milds down and the smell then is amazing.Lasts 2-3hours after that the fragrance don't spread around but only you can still smell it.

Budget buys #1

Today I am going to compile some of my favorite things within a particular budget.I always try my best to buy the best thing possible without burning a hole into my pocket.I hate asking for something from my parents specially when it comes to make-up.These are going to be things that I alone would use and so I don't like bothering them about them.Besides there is always a self-satisfaction attached to things we buy with our own earned bucks-a feelings of independence. So here are the 7 things I adore within Rs.100.

• Elle 18 color bomb nail enamels-

Quantity-5ml
Price-Rs.50

Really do they need an introduction?I have been using them since they were priced Rs.25 and came in square bottles.Now they come in huge selections of colour.I have already reviewed a few of them.The featured colour is shade no.65.

• Streetwear nail enamels-

Quantity-5ml
Price-rs.50

Again a product that does not need an introduction.The Streetwear nail polish are also available in 9ml bottles price Rs.90.If a comparison is drawn between Streetwear and Elle 18,I will rate these beauties more for there formula which dries faster than the Elle 18 on the nails yet don't dry up in the bottle easily.They are also more pigmented than the Elle 18 ones.The only drawback I can think of is that they don't have a natural colour in there range.The featured nail polish is in shade 'Magic Brick' and number 43.I have linked a few nail polish of the brand.Click the names to go the complete review-
Barely Nude
Romantic Pink
Black Passion

• Maybelline Color Show nail Enamel

Quantity-6ml
Price-Rs.75

I have a love-hate relationship with these nail polishes.While all the 40 shades are gorgeous and it is hard to choose one or two from them,they stain the nail like hell!Except the lightest shades all of them stain.They even peel off from my nail.Each colour has its own characteristic so it is difficult to generalise about them.I own 5 including the natural base from the series.I had bought one first and immensely liked it and bought 4 together in my next haul.My first buy was 'Downtown Red',which did stain my nail but stayed intact for 5-6days on my nails.But the rest disappointed me.The only plus point is the shades,the applicator and the look of the bottles.The featured nail polish is 'sunshine yellow'.Detailed reviews coming up soon.If a comaparison is drawn between the three featured brands then I will recommend Streetwear because it has gorgeous shades(except yellow,the maybelline yellow is unique at this price tag but again it stains awfully even if there is a base coat!),availability,price,and does not stain.

• Avon Simply pretty lipsticks-
  

Quantity-4g approx
Price-Rs.129 but in offer you can get 2 for Rs.219 so each costs Rs.109.50These lipsticks are a steal especially when they are on discount.Very slightly above the budget of Rs.100 but totally worth it.The formula is very creamy and moisturizing and staying power 4-5 hours easily and then leaves behind a beautiful stain.The only drawback is there availability and it's difficult to choose a shade from the catalouge.They never match with the real shades.The featured lipstick is in shade "Cranberry".

• Avon Kohl-
  

Quantity-1g
Price-Rs.175,on offer-Rs.125,I got this for rs.110
These kohls are not as popular as the simply pretty lippies but quite good given the price they come for.They are available in approx 9 different shades like beige,blue,green,black,black brown,brown etc.The featured kohl is shade "Brown K101".The detailed review can be seen here.

• Everyouth Golden Glow Peel off-
  

Quantity-50g
Price-Rs.65
This peel-off facial mask is the best available in Indian market.True to its claim it does impart a radiant glow in approx 20minutes.Also available in sachets of Rs.14 and tubes of 75g I suppose.I never get the bigger tube because I use this one only on special occasions which are rare in my life.Complete review coming soon.

• Lakme insta-liner eyeliner

Quantity-9ml
Price-Rs.85
Another product that is perhaps the first eyeliner of every girl.A golden product by lakme and also the only product by Lakme that I really love.The blackest eyeliner is by far the best I have used.Its waterproof,great applicator,huge quantity,matte finish,does not chip,stay on for hours(10hour max I observed till now.I suppose it would have lasted even longer but I strictly never wear make-up to bed so couldn't test it) what morecan we ask for at this price?Well I suppose quick drying formula because that's the only drawback.Thick the line longer will it take to dry,even upto 5minutes.Sorry,I didn't click a picture of it but I don't think you all need it either,do you?

• Himalaya Hair Protein Cream

Quantity-175ml
Price-rs.100
Another less known product by himalayas herbal,This protein hair cream is really great.Though it makes oily scalp greasy but it infuses new life in the hair so I don't mind the grease.You can get the detailed review here.

Next coming up are products between Rs.100 to Rs.200.Till then take care and stay beautiful!

Street Wear-Nail Enamel no.12

Good morning girls!
A belated Happy Republic day.I had been quite busy attending 150th year celebrations of our college and so again lagging behind with my posts again.
Today's post is about one of my favorite nail polish from street wear.I had bought this shade some one year back and fell in love with the colour at first sight.I had saved this post for later when I can take all my time to rave about the colour to my heart's content.Just joking!
I am sure no one needs an introduction of the Street wear nail enamels.The colours itself speak of the quality.I was first introduced to the brand by the colour 'Silver Sparkles'.It was beautiful but the sparkles were quite chunky and hence the finish were never smooth and i hated the bumpy feel.So I always steered clear off the brand until this shade-NO.12 in Barely Nude.I was so attracted to the colour seeing it over the bottle that I forgot all my past reservation of the brand and bought it.Since then,I have been swearing by street wear nail polishes.
Now My take on the nail polish-
It comes in the usual tiny square bottle with matte black long cap.I like the look of the bottles very much-so classic and convenient-it fits into your palm.The net content is 5ml and cost Rs.50-such a budget buy.Now lets come down to the main part-the colour.It is hard to define the colour.It is a beige that matches exactly with the skin around my nail bed and this beige-on-beige effect is amazing! There is no shimmer in the colour which is another plus.The unique thing is that I never ever found a dupe of this shade in my staple brands of nail polish,namely-elle 18,maybelline coloroma and color show series,Faces,VoV,Avon,Lotus herbals,Lakme the 150 rs ones-forgot their name.
The texture is not runny nor thick and the colour is very pigmented.2 swipes and the shade looks same as that on the bottle.It also dries fast on nails and lasts 3-4 days without chipping on my nails.Even the initial shine is also retained as long.5ml is a convenient quantity that don't dry in the bottle before I have finished with it.Overall I really find this nail laquer a must have in your collection.Suits ideally in formal occasions and as a base for nail arts with any color.I suppose it is the only nude shade available in a budget friendly nail polish brand in India.Here are the pictures:

Summary:
Pros:

• cheap
• easily available at any store and online
• Somehoe this brand of polish don't dry up as fast in the bottle(or maybe I use them up too fast!)
• cute bottle
• awesome shade
• suits any casual occasion
• good pigmentation
• fast drying(average of 5 minutes)
• does not chip easily
• applicator is good but you should check it before buying-Some are damaged-I own the magic brick shade with a damaged brush-(I was stupid enough not to check it)
• does not stain nails

Cons:

• really can't find any-Can you????

I am sure many of you have tried this shade.How did you find it?

Oumeidie 24 ans 12 eye shadow pallettes

Hi friends!
I am back again after quite sometime and today it's a review on a infamous Eye-shadow palette that I stumbled upon a few months ago in my search of a budget eyeshadow palette with variety of colours all together.Personally I am not a great fan of shimmer eye shadows or loud colour but sometimes it is handy to have a variety in case I want to adorn a different look for any occasion.Shimmer eyeshadows look quite gorgeous in parties and ceremonies like weddings and when you prefer to highlight your eyes,which I always do.
I absolutely hate spending huge amounts on single or dual eye shadows when I can get so many shades at the same price from a unknown brand.It feels such a waste especially since I rarely wear eye shadows and so all of them just end up in dustbins intact because they crossed the expiry limit.I asked for a local-made eye shadow palette to the SA and she showed me this one by Oumeidie.I already owned one from them but it is 12-shade palette and I was actually wanting a change of brand but ended up buying this one because this was the only brand available.But I am really not disappointed.It's futile comparing the quality with Inglot or the Maybelline color tattoo ones,but this one can definitely give a run to Lakme absolute eyeshadow quads or the Maybelline diamond quads.Read on to find out how!
The packaging-
Sleek black rectangular box made of plastic with "Oumeidie" inscribed on it in golden cursive letter.The packaging looks very classic but is filmsy otherwise.One accidental fall even from a short height and the eye shadows will break.It happened with my 12-shade box.The blue and the maroon finished off just by crumbling and spreading over the floor.There is one rubber-tip applicator which is useless unless you plan to dab the eye shadows cakily over your eyelids.The mirror is nice though but again just somehow stuck to the lid of the box.

Quantity-30g approx

Price- Rs.150,Got it for Rs.120(the MRP is nowhere printed and so the price might be subject to change according to your shopkeeper.It's best to start bargaining with half the price they demand.I did even though rs.150 sounded more than reasonable! :D)This is how it looks(Ignore the dents in few of the shades,Those are the markings of my brush as I used those shades the most):

This is the 12 shade palette before it got damaged.The maroon at extreme left and the poison blue at extreme right are the ones that broke down.

Though both are from Ouemeidie,somehow I have a feeling that the 12-shade palette is better in quality as far as pigmentation is the main concern.This one was a emergency buy as I madly needed a perfect gold shade with an outfit in between the pujas.I did not even consider anything except that the palette have a gold shade.Both the palettes are sleek and travel friendly specially the small one if you are travelling to a wedding or similar extravagant occasion.For my purpose,it has all the colours that I might possibly wear at a party.THe 24 shade is equally sleek but since I love keeping my luggage minimal,I prefer the 12-shades.I tried using them in wet form and it does work that way and provides more coverage in the wet form.Staying power is also good,about 4-5hours on my oily eyelids which is more than enough for me.I really don't see the point of "24 hours formulas" and "36 hour formulas".Really!Who wears make-up to bed?And also most of my occasions last max of 12hours.After 5hours if anyone cares to take a closer look then they can see that the shadow has settled in one and only crease of my eyelid.The colour is bit lighter than it was initially but that's all that is wrong.I manage this by lightly removing the extra shadow in the crease and lightly blotting on a tissue paper to remove the oil.It lightens the shadow further but nothing ugly.In fact I find it more subtle and beautiful once it had faded a bit-specially if I am wearing purple,navy blue,or poison blue.However the applicators are useless.Another down side is that they are so shimmery you really cannot wear them in the morning or casually.Still there are a few shades in the 24 shade palette that I can pull off in the morning and as casual wear.A closer view of the 24 shade palette:

All the shades are very pigmented but shimmery.The orange
at the last row,second from the left is somewhat less pigmented.It works as a nice blend along with the orange in 12-shade palette which is much more pigmented. 

The sky blue in top row,3rd from left;the peach at extreme left,2nd row;and mauve in bottom row 2nd from left are the least pigmented of all.

Here are some of the looks I created with the palette:

Champegne,purple from 12-shade and mauve from 24-shade

You can find the breakdown here

Mermaid eyes-All the blues in the 24-shade palette

Gold from 12-shade,champegne from 24 shade,dark brown from 24-shade,Black from UB Naked 2 palette

A summary:

Pros-

• Dirt cheap.
• Travel friendly
• Easily availble(at least in kolkata)
• 24-shade palette-which you won't get in high end brands(You can argue that inglot freedom system provides 90 shades and you can make your own custom palette upto 40 shades together.But are you ready to throw away Rs.{350(for 1.2g product)x40+1000 (for their special magnetic palette)}=Rs.15000approx) just like that???)
• can be used in wet form.

Cons-

• useless applicator
• filmsy packaging
• super-shimmery!and no mattes available in this brand.
• Though igredient list don't mention lead,but you never know or can trust unknown brands.

Well,I do love this palette and it works really well when I have a gorgeous occasion to attend but I won't recommend it despite all the goof things it is still a unknown brand and you can never really trust it if you are into using make-up daily.Occasion occur once in a blue moon for me and so I did not invest in a high end product but I am looking forward in investing in at least four mattes in peaches and teals and yellow from inglot freedom system.So,can you recommend some?Do leave your precious comments and suggestions.I will put my best effort in replying them all.

Have a nice day ahead!

P.S :While critical comments are welcome any negative comment like abusing verbally/slangs will be removed.Also comments with links will be removed as well.This is a place for sharing your views and not for your publicity.