Super primer for open pores: NYX studio perfect primer in Clear

Do you have large pores? Did you have acne as a teen? Do you have acne marks on your skin? Is your makeup going stale within an hour? Is your skin affecting your self esteem? Do I sound like a cheesy teleshopping ad? Well then look no further than this super duper primer from NYX. The NYX studio perfect photo-loving primer in clear is specially formulated for open pores. Though I think any primer should help fill pores. There's also a couple of other options available in this. There's a lavender one for dull skin and a green one for redness. My main requirement from a primer is to fill my pores (aftermath of terrible acne when growing up) and to help my makeup last longer without oxidising coz of my oily skin. Yup, I'm so blessed!
This one form NYX costs $12 if you buy from BeautyJoint or CherryCulture but costs Rs.2450 if you buy from any Indian sites for 30mL! Crazy right?

This comes in a clear plastic squeezy tube which has a matte finish with a shiny black screw on cap and a thin nozzle which makes it very easy to get the product out.

This primer is nothing but silicones and parabens to preserve all that silicone. So if you're allergic to silicone stay away. Others, read on. Naturally, being all silicone this has great slip and gives a silky smooth feeling. A teeny tiny bit is enough to cover your whole face. But make sure you don't apply too much coz it can make the skin look greasy. To cover the whole face you probably need only about a small pea size. Smooth this over your face and wait a couple of minutes before applying your foundation to let the primer dry n settle down. I generally apply this over moisturiser even though I have oily skin. So girls, never ever skip moisturiser.
Once the primer has set in about a minute or so you can smooth your foundation over this. This provides a great base for the foundation as it spreads more easily. You'll also be easily able to achieve a flawless look as it covers the pores too, kinda like a transparent filling and when your foundation is applied over it, it makes the surface look even. I use a stick foundation and blend it with my fingers but this should work well with liquid foundations too I suppose.
I love how it makes my skin look flawless and smooth and it also keeps the shine at bay. It makes your makeup look fresh for longer but may not necessarily affect wear time. What I mean is - say your foundation sticks on for about 6 hours without primer, then by using this also you'll only be able to get 6 hours of wear time out of your foundation but it'll stay fresh for longer. For instance, if you find your foundation oxidises or goes dull in 3 hours, this'll probably keep it fresh for 5.
I had acne as a teen and still get the occasional pimple but this hasn't broken me out. I like wearing this to weddings and parties where I know I'd end up dancing or sweating and need my face looking fresh for longer.
Top off your foundation with loose powder or compact to keep it fresh.

See the photos below for proof. Oh and I've shot the pics in super close macro mode hence you might still see slight appearance of pores in the pic with the primer n foundation. But in person, the skin really looks flawless and smooth.

Yay for:
Covers/fills pores

• Makes it easier to spread and blend foundation over this
• Gives a flawless look
• Keeps makeup fresh for longer
• Holds blusher/bronzed better
• Keeps foundation from oxidising
• Prevents skin from getting too oily
• Squeezy tube dispenses right amount of product
• Packaging allows to see how much is left
• Doesn't break me out
• Not tested on animals
• Very economical, if bought at dollar rate.
• Would suit all skintones and types.

Boo for:

• Doesn't make makeup last longer
• Contains parabens
• Expensive if bought in India
• Availability is an issue

Overall, this is a great product if you want something to fill your pores or keep your makeup from oxidising or going dull. Will hold up even if you're dancing and sweating. But make sure you buy it at dollar rate from BeautyJoint or CherryCulture coz it's just way too expensive in India.

My rating: ****

Revlon Aqua mineral finishing powder Vs Revlon aqua mineral makeup : battle of the magically cool liquid loose powders

Guys do you remember the magically cool liquid powder that came out in the MAC venomous villains collection that everyone was going gaga over? Well, Revlon did it long back. This Aqua mineral powder works on the same concept. The minute it touches your skin, it feels like a liquid, but is actually a powder. Cool no? First when I heard about it I thought this'd be like those cooling prickly heat powders that have menthol. But this is nothing like those. This is really something else. It claims to have coconut water in it but I dunno how that works. Anyhow, I knew I had to have this coz I just cant resist these gimmicky things. What? They're so cool!

Revlon has these in 2 variations- one called the mineral makeup (with black cap) and other called finishing powder (with the white cap). Now these are part of the colorstay range but the mineral makeup variant has fine shimmer in it. The other is matte. Both are otherwise packaged identically- the loose powder is contained in a transparent box with a sifter on top and the screw on cap has a slide-out little brush. This brush actually is very soft and dense and will come in handy if you're getting ready in a hurry or need to do touchups outside. Otherwise, I recommend using a kabuki as that is larger and will give a better finish.
These are slightly expensive though at Rs.1100 for about 10g of product.
Even though one is called mineral makeup, it is nowhere close to powder foundation in terms of coverage. I think both can be used only as setting powders over your foundation or tinted moisturizer. Only difference- the mineral makeup has fine silver shimmer (why???) and the finishing powder is matte. So I use the one with shimmer only at night when I'm going for parties or dinner or weddings and the matte one I use in the daytime to avoid looking like a Twilight vampire.

I personally love these powders, especially the Finishing powder which is matte. When you brush these on your skin it feels as though your brush is wet! It's such a nice feeling! Mmmmmmm... Both are very finely milled soft translucent powders with no or min coverage but have excellent oil control and staying power. These can be compared to MAC setting powder. Just brush this on top of your makeup and it'll keep your makeup fresh for longer without altering the texture. Wont cake up or oxidize. Didn't break me out. You won't see results immediately when you apply it. Don't be disappointed by that coz translucent powders won't show up at all. But you'll see the difference at the end of the day when you take your compact out for a touch up but voila- touch up not required! :)
I used it once before a party and it was fresh even after I came home 4 hours later despite all the dancing and light sweating.
I like to use the shimmery one under my eyes so it acts as a subtle highlighter to set the concealer and the matte one all over my face coz I have oily skin and I don't like to add shine to my face.
Please note that this will not hide your pores or even out your skin tone as it claims. This is ONLY a setting powder that can be used over your made-up face to keep everything in place. But it's brilliant at that. It somehow makes me look fresher and brighter and it stays that way for longer.
In fact, I only wanted to get the matte one but when I saw the other one was on a great discount at MakeupShades.com, I just couldnt resist!! Got that for 600!!! Would have been criminal not to buy right? And the finishing powder (which I love more) is from StyleCraze and bought that at 10% discount after I hounded requested Chetana to stock this for me. :)

This is also available at all major stores.
These are available in some 4 shades in India I think: Light, light-medium, Medium, Medium-deep.
I have the shade Light in the aqua mineral makeup (black cap, shimmery) and the shade Light-Medium in the Finishing powder (white cap, matte). But both work well against my nc40 skin since they are so translucent. I think these should work well for all Indian skintones.

Overall, I will recommend this to anyone who has oily skin and wants their make up to stay fresh without oxidizing for long and also for those who just want a setting powder that doesn't alter texture or colour of the rest of your face. Plus the magic feeling of liquid you guys! Pick up the Revlon Colorstay Aqua mineral finishing powder. You wont regret it. :)

My rating: ****

6 shades of NYX soft matte lip creams swatched and reviewed.

Ok NYX is fast becoming one of my favourite brands, next to Inglot of course. And I loved these soft matte lip creams so much that I bought all colours that I thought would work on me. I now own 6 of these. Yes, six! In fact, I do this with everything. I see a dress I really like, I need to pick it up in at least 2 colours, if not more. Once, I bought this one particular shirt in all 5 available colours. Yep, I'm pretty mad that way. Oh but I digress. So I'll quickly swatch all the 6 shades and briefly review each. You can read a full review of these here.

Stockholm: A Peachy nude shade that is perfect for Indian tones esp around nc40 coz this is the perfect nude without giving you "concealer lips". The light peachy tones give this colour. This shade goes pretty opaque and would cover any pigmentation on lips too. Dries soft matte like all other shades.

Antwerp: A medium peachy pink shade that is perfect for the office with neutral eye makeup or even smokey eyes. Very versatile shade. One of my faves. Goes on slightly sheer but can be built up and dries to a nice matte finish.

San Paolo (I think they mean Sao Paolo): a bright coral pink shade that again is not too dark nor too light. I like pairing this with shimmery eyeshadow and a winged liner. Goes on fully opaque. But I'm not such a fan of this shade coz corals don't flatter my cool-undertoned complexion so much. Might work well on most Indian skin tones though. I'm a freak, yes. :/

Milan: A blue based light pink shade. But not milky light, you know what I mean? When the colour is lighter than your skin tone. I'm nc40 and this is a nice light pink on me. Works great when worn lightly as a stain with lip balm over it.

Addis ababa: This is a bright fuchsia (pink with strong blue undertones) that really works well against my NC40 skin without looking too loud. On someone fairer, it might look too bright. But the best part is that this can be worn as a stain or as a full on matte lip colour. This is probably the sheerest of all shades so it gives the effect of a stain rather than a full on matte lipstick which actually works pretty well for this shade. Love love.

Monte Carlo: This is a blue based red with pinkish undertones thats completely opaque and can be used as a stain (it'll look like a deep pink) or as a proper matte lip colour. Intense pigmentation and beautiful colour. Works well against my skin and I think it'd suit all skin tones. However, if you want a warmer orange-red, look at Amsterdam. I didn't buy it coz I already have a warm red matte lippie in my stash.

So these shades I think would work on most Indian skin tones. Which ones are you picking up?

Oh and a quick thanks to everyone who's following my blog. I'm gonna be hosting a giveaway very soon as a little token of appreciation. Would be including mostly NYX stuff. Eye stuff and some nail paints.. Just getting those things in so I can take photos n tempt everyone. :p

NYX hd eyeshadow base: swatches and review

Ok can I just first confess my love for this? No, mere confession won't do.. I wanna scream from rooftops how much I love this. The product says eyeshadow base but it's really a primer and also brilliant. The previous eyeshadow base from NYX was a total fail so I was sceptic about buying this but I'm glad I did! I don't have very oily lids but I like wearing a neutral smokey eye to work and when I visit sites or start sweating the eyeshadows crease on me and look like I've drawn some fancy zig zag lines on my lids! Terrible! So I was on the lookout for a nice inexpensive primer that I could wear daily. And I found it, you guys! My holy grail eyeshadow primer if you please.
This comes in a lip gloss like black package with a doe foot applicator. There's only one shade available so you don't have to worry about matching your skin tone to it. This looks buff on application but dries nearly transparent. Quite cheap too, at $5.25 (Rs.265 approx) from BeautyJoint.com for 8g of product.

NYX HD Eyeshadow Base

Ingredients

Doe foot applicator

Dabbed on

Blended out

Eyeshadow without base (on top), with base (below)

After rubbing vigourously with a tissue

Naked eye

Primer dabbed on the eyelid

With base- see how it brightens the eyelid area

So why do I love it so much? Read on..
Yay for:

• Ease of application. Just dab a few drops on each lid and pat gently to cover eyelid area uptil the brow.
• Dries and sets quickly but allows enough time to spread. In fact, it dries as you spread it
• Forms a sort of a thin layer over the eyelid, which smoothes it out
• Makes eyelids appear brighter
• Will suit all skin tones
• Feels very very light. Actually doesn't feel like you have anything at all.
• Holds colours well
• Intensifies colours
• Prevents creasing and fading, even for cream eyeshadows!
• Sweat and heat proof. Water proof too.
• Lasts long, really long. I wore this at 6 in the morning one day and it was going strong till I removed it at 5 in the evening. The eyeshadows hadn't even faded a little bit. And that day I had attended a wedding and was basically sweating and running around without A/C.
• Can be removed easily with any make up remover.
• Cruelty free. Not tested on animals.
• Pretty inexpensive. Fantastic value for money.

Boo for:

• Dries transparent so doesn't really hide any pigmentation. But not a con really coz you can always apply a base over it
• Packaging isn't efficient as you may not be able to get all the product out since it's a lipgloss type tube and wand may not reach the walls of the container.

Overall, I think this is a must have in every eyeshadow lover's make up kit. It's probably a cheaper dupe for the illustrious Urban Decay Primer Potion but does the job just as well. Cannot recommend enough. Buy it! Now!

You can buy it here. Also available here and here.

Rating: *****