Oriflame Very Me lip stain in Red : Swatches and Review

I looooove cheek stains. Why? Coz they give a subtle flush to the cheeks, last all day and don't rub off or melt in the humid Chennai heat. Sure, they can be a pain to apply but once you get the hang of it, you could even do it in your sleep. I used to looooove the Lakme just kissed Lip and Cheek stain but they discontinued it. Grrrrrr... Next I tried the bourjois rouge hi-tech lip tints as cheek stains and they worked pretty well too but are slightly sheerer. Then I tried Body Shop's lip and cheek tint and ugh! It's a stupid product! It might work well on lips but on cheeks it's a dud. Too sheer and glycerine-y. No go.

The latest one I've hit upon is Oriflame's Very Me Lip stain in Red. It also comes in another colour- raspberry. Now this is a very teeny meeny tube with a screw on cap and a sponge-tipped wand applicator like any lipgloss. This transparent tube contains 3.5mL of product and costs Rs. 159.
This is a slightly thin tinted liquid which has a sugary taste and smell. You can dot it on your cheek and just blend with your fingers to spread it. But be warned, it might settle into open pores or fine lines. So, it's ideal to use a primer underneath it.
I generally apply cheek tints over my foundation but you could use it under your foundation or tinted moisturisers as well. It gives a nice natural flush to your cheeks.
The colour is slightly orangy- red when swatched but on my cheeks it looks like a peachy-pink. Quite natural.
It lasts about 5 hours before fading. Not too great for a tint. Hmpf!

As a lip tint this product performs pretty well. You just need to run the applicator over your lips, wait for it to dry and apply some balm on top for a nice glossy look. It doesn't dry your lips out or anything. Very weightless, won't feel like you're wearing anything. But it's very sweet tasting- like sugary water and you might wanna keep licking your lips. :p
This lasts about 3 hours on the Lips. Pretty decent.

As a Cheek Tint:
Yay for:

• Easy to apply. Dries relatively slowly so you can blend it properly
• Imparts natural flush to face.
• Pretty sheer so colour is buildable.
• Tastes and smells sweet
• Tiny tube, easy to carry.
• Pretty inexpensive

Boo for:

• Doesn't last all day, like cheek stains normally should.
• Availability.
• May settle into open pores or fine lines if used on bare skin.

You can buy this from SnapItToday.com here or from your local Oriflame agent.

Overall, I think it's an okay product that performs decently both as a lip stain and a cheek tint.
Rating: ***

Shopping experience at Shopatmajorbrands.com, Inglot AMC Cream Blush #90 review

Around the same time that I discovered UrbanTouch.com I discovered another cool site called ShopatMajorBrands.com, again offering free shipping and cash on delivery within India. You see a pattern here don't you. This site has some cool shoes by Aldo and some other brands but I was more interested in the make up section. They only stock Inglot but their inventory is quite exhaustive. Yes, I do have an Iglot store in my city and no I'm not just being lazy and ordering online coz the stupid store here doesn't have the one thing I've wanted most- the AMC cream blushes. I'd been to the store and swatched all the shades and even decided which all to get but then the MUA tells me they're not in stock! Grrrr. But anyway its now easier to order online coz I already know which shade I want.

The package

So I wanted to get Inglot's cream blush coz I wanted to try cream blushes from different brands since I don't like powder blushes and want an alternative to check stains coz they aren't available in variety of colours..yada yada yada.. so here I was ordering for the AMC cream blush in #90 which is a peachish pink shade with slight brown undertones. The blush cost me Rs.750, same as the rate in the stores.

The photos below are clickable for a closer look.

The outer box

Inglot AMC Cream blush #90

In the pan

Inglot AMC cream blush#90

Inglot AMC Cream Blush#90 Swatch

Review of the Inglot AMC cream blush#90

Yay for:

• Cute, sturdy packaging, easy to carry in handbag
• Intense pigmentation
• Soft consistency- sort of like whipped cream so it's very easy to blend, this is much softer than the NYX cream blushes
• Easy to apply with fingers or q-tips
• Shade looks natural on me, can be used for contouring also
• Dries down to a semi-powder finish but still looks dewy, doesn't feel oily on cheeks
• This is much better than NYX cream blushes coz I like the consistency of these better and these look better. NYX blushes are thicker and tend to sit on top of your skin like a cream. These sort of settle into it, if that makes sense.

Boo for:

• Last only about 4 hours on my oily skin after which it begins to fade
• Not sweat or water proof
• It will move around/transfer if you rub your cheeks
• Can't use a blush brush with this coz the pan is too small and these are too soft to be used with a brush

Rating: ***

My shopping experience at ShopatMajorBrands.com?
Quite awesome. Their site is easy to navigate and service is good. I ordered on Monday night and received my package on Friday afternoon after the courier company had called and checked if they can deliver and also remind you to keep the payment ready since I had opted on the Cash on Delivery system. He package came in a large cover and was bubble wrapped neatly. Quite satisfied with my experience. Would definitely recommend this site to others and would be visiting again to shop some more. :)

Rating: ****

Shopping experience at UrbanTouch.com, Review of NYX cream blush in "Glow"

So, in keeping with my favourite activity of trolling the internet for new, shiny things I came across this great new Indian site called UrbanTouch.com. Its got NYX stuff you guys! And free shipping! And Cash on Delivery! Reason enough to buy right? Right.

Ok so after half an hour of hyperventilating from the excitement and browsing the whole site I decided to get the NYX cream blush in the shade called Glow to start off. See how prudent I am by dipping my toes in first to test the waters and not diving headfirst despite my excitement? Yep, I'm pretty cool like that.
I've always been using cheek stains coz I have oily skin and powder doesn't stay longer than a couple of hours. I've been eyeballing the cream blushes for a while and wanted to get my paws on some and decided to start off with NYX.

Ok so the prices are a little expensive compared to other International sites like BeautyJoint, Porkdaisy or Cherryculture but still cheap for the quality of the products and ease of delivery/payment plus no customs hassle. This blush cost me Rs.520.

Review of the NYX Rouge Cream Blush in "Glow"

Yay for:

• Intense pigmentation
• Dewy and fresh looking
• Brightens up my complexion, I'm NC40
• Nice packaging
• Can use fingers or a blush brush to apply, easy to apply
• Looks very natural
• Colour would suit all skin tones
• Quite inexpensive

Boo for:

• Not very long lasting- lasts about 3 hours on my oily skin before it starts to fade
• It doesn't dry down to a powder finish so would move around if you rub your cheeks
• it's not sweat or water proof

Good for: dry skinned girls, in the winters

Rating: ***

The lil black box, the blush and the free samples

NYX Cream blush in Glow

NYX cream blush in Glow

Ok but how was the whole urban touch experience?
Quite awesome. I highly recommend it. I placed the order on Monday night and Tuesday afternoon I got a confirmation email saying my order had been shipped through Blue dart with the tracking Id and everything and on Thursday afternoon I received it. I paid the blue dart guy when accepting the package. It was very neatly packed in a lil black box as you can see from the pics. Very very satisfied. Would definitely be buying from them again.

Rating: ****