Friday, December 9, 2011

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream- Addis Ababa and Monte Carlo: Swatches and Review

I'm in love. And not just with one, but 2 guys! And my lovers are not from around here. One's from Addis Ababa and the other's from Monte Carlo. Yeah baby! pssst.. But dont tell the husband. I just cant get enough of these guys. Wherever I go, I wanna take them with me, flaunt them. They make me feel sexy and beautiful. I'm talking about NYX's soft matte lip creams you guys! These are seriously the best lip creams I've ever tried. Oh and I've tried quite a few.
I've got these in 2 bright shades right now. Why bright shades? Coz bright shades work best when they're matte coz that way they stay on longer and dont smear or transfer to your teeth or chin or glasses or bleed. Matte is the only way to go when you're doing a bright lip, in my book atleast.

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. Goes on fairly opaque and does a good job of coverign any lip pigmentation. Bought this from BeautyJoint for $4.50 which is about Rs.300.

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. The texture of this is slightly different from Addis Ababa's in that its sort of oilier feeling. I dont think it has any oil content but just smooths on more easily and feels lovely on the lips, not drying at all. I picked this up from UrbanTouch for Rs.600.


NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo and Addis Ababa

Ingredients
Doe foot applicators
Swatches: Addis Ababa and Monte Carlo



Addis Ababa- natural light, no flash
Monte Carlo- immediately after application

Monte Carlo- after 20 mins, dry

Yay for:

  • Packaging is very nice. The top part is in a soft matte finish rubbery plastic which feels very expensive. And the tubes themselves match the colour of the lip cream.
  • Intense pigmentation. Goes on completely opaque.
  • Can be used as a stain (with just one coat) or a proper matte lipstick
  • Doe foot applicator makes application a breeze even with dark colours and you dont need a lipliner
  • The texture of these is just dreamy. Its like a whipped mousse and feels silky smooth on the lips.
  • No clumping or balling up.
  • Feels completely light on the lips. After a while doesnt feel like you have anything on at all! 
  • Not drying like other matte lipsticks. But not moisturizing either.
  • Has a nice warm vanilla fragrance.
  • Applies wet but in about 20 mins dries to a full matte finish.
  • Once dry, it gets 90% transfer resistant. Wont transfer to cups or glasses. 
  • Once dry also gets water resistant. So even if you accidentally lick your lips, it wont come off.
  • Last about 6 hours or till your meal, whichever is earlier.
  • Easy to remove. Comes off with soap and water or any make up remover.
  • Quite inexpensive. Especially if you buy it from sites like Beautyjoint or PorkDaisy.
Nay for:
  • Like any other matte lipstick this too may settle in the fine lines. But doesnt really look thaat bad. Doesnt make the lips look like the Sahara or anything but you might want to use a non glossy balm underneath to protect your lips.
  • Comes off when you eat and fades unevenly. You're left with a ring of colour (like a thick lipliner) after a greasy meal.
Overall, I love these and I'm definitely buying more. I think these are available in 11 colours. I strongly recommend the bright shades in these. 
You can buy these at BeautyJoint, PorkDaisy or UrbanTouch. The cheapest is BeautyJoint though.

My Rating: ****


P.S: I recently heard that VOV has the exact same dupes for about Rs.100. Has anyone seen them? Does anyone know where I can find them in Chennai? I'd love to explore shades that are not available in NYX. :)

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Chambor Dazzle liners in Black and Teal: Swatches and Review

My decently performing Maybelline colossal kajal just got over and I was bored of it so was on the lookout for a better replacement, something blacker and less smudging (even though maybelline never smudged all that much on me). I'd read some good reviews for this Chambor dazzle retractable liners so I decided to go ahead and buy it. It's available in some 8 shades I guess with the usual suspects of black, brown, blue, teal, green, grey, sliver and gold. I got the black and the teal. Oh the grey also looked very pretty but I decided to get 2 first to test the quality.
Oh btw what do I look for in a kajal? Must be BLACK and retractable. I don't like to mess around with sharpeners. Oh plus it should also be fairly smudge resistant and non irritating. And loyal and loving and sensitive.. Oh sorry we were talking about kajal no? So, yeah I've used lakme, lotus and maybelline and all were pretty decent.

Chambor Dazzle eyeliners

Black and Teal

Black and Teal

One swipe each-Black and Teal



Chambor Dazzle Teal EOTD
This dazzle liner from Chambor is packaged prettily in a plastic tube the same colour as the liner with some floral designs over it. Now this thing is only one way retractable. Which means it's not really retractable. Once you twist it up it stays up, doesn't go back in. I think this is rather cunning because this has only .28g of product! Yeah! Measly .28g!! For Rs.480. So obviously Chambor people don't want you to feel ripped off. Coz when you twist the entire pencil up you'll see how little there really is and would get angry. That's why it's only one way twisting. Hmpf! Cheaters! This way you don't know when its about to get over and one day you'd be getting ready for the most important party/ date and you've applied kajal on one eye and bam- it's over! Nothing left for the other eye! Tragic no? Ok, maybe a little farfetched but tragic nonetheless. For comparison- the maybelline colossal kajal has 1g of product and it lasted me about 6 months with me wearing it daily on my waterline, sometimes reapplied during the day. I think this chambor one would last me only about 2 months at the same rate. Such a waste no?
Anyway the colours are really pretty though.
Black is a true deep black with a finish
Teal is a gorgeous colour too and looks lovely on my brown eyes.


Comparison- Maybelline colossal kajal and Chambor Dazzle, one swipe each

After rubbing hard- maybelline colossal kajal and Chambor Dazzle

Yay for:

  • Intense pigmentation
  • Twist up type so no need for sharpening
  • Smudge proof
  • Water proof
  • Stays put through the day. Long lasting.
  • Very soft in texture so glides easily over the eyelids. No tugging or pulling. After applying it sets in a few seconds.


Boo for:

  • NOT waterline safe. At least for me! I tried both on my waterline and immediately my eyes started watering and the next day they had turned red and puffy. Ugh! So it's not a kajal/kohl. It's just a colored eye pencil that can be used over the lids. If your eyes are not sensitive perhaps it may work for you.
  • Not retractable. Once you twist it up, you can't twist it back in.
  • Difficult to remove, especially from waterline. You need an oil based remover for this and I'm not comfortable using that in my eyes coz then again my eyes get puffy and red.
  • Too little product for the price you pay.
  • Expensive


Overall, I'm very disappointed with this and never buying this again. The kajal is a staple in my makeup routine and this stupid thing can't be used on my waterline- the very purpose for which it was bought. Shame really coz it's otherwise pretty good- glides easily, nice pigmentation and smudge resistant. So I recommend that you look at the colored versions coz those can't be used on the waterline anyway. But still too expensive for the amount of product you get. Look at colorbar or faces instead. Sigh. Welcome back maybelline colossal kajal.

You can buy these online at B.Lab.

My rating: **

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

New shoes from Lifestyle

My sis is in town for 2 weeks coz she has some MBA classes to attend and you know what that means? Umm.. no it doesnt mean I'm helping her with her assignments! We've been shopping and trying out make up from each others' stash and swapping stuff and gossiping and doing all the other mature stuff that sisters do.
So I picked up these 2 shoes from Lifestyle on one such shopping sojourn.






The Gold cage type heels are from Paprika and set me back by Rs.1200 and are incredibly comfy coz it hugs the ankle and zips up at the back. I see myself wearing this with sarees and also western dresses. It works really well with jewel tones dresses in Orange/Emerald Green/Cobalt Blue or even plain Black. Or even a white grecian dress. Hmm.. I really want a white Grecian dress *notes down in next Lust List*

The beaded flats are from Catwalk, which I think makes fantastic, trendy shoes. This pair cost me Rs.800 (was on sale! yay) and I've been looking for a pair like this forever. Again zips up at the back (dont you just love shoes with zips? Genius!) and I pair these with denim capris or casual dresses.

Love em!

Monday, December 5, 2011

My Second Order from BeautyJoint

So I just placed my second order from BeautyJoint.com last week when the CyberMonday 15% off sale was on. I was kicking myself for missing the BlackFriday one but this one I didnt wanna let go of!
These are what I've ordered this time.
Product      ModelPriceQuantityTotal
NYX Slim Lip Pencil
  - Shade: SPL840 Rose
SPL$1.751$1.75
NYX Slim Lip Pencil
  - Shade: SPL856 Sand Pink
SPL$1.751$1.75
NYX Color Lip Balm
  - Shade: CLB04 Xie Xie
CLB$3.991$3.99
NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil
  - Shade: JLP721 Soft Fuschia
JLP$2.991$2.99
LA GIRL Pro Primer Eyeshadow Stick
  - Shade: GEB197 Black
GEB$2.501$2.50
KLEANCOLOR Nail Lacquer
  - Shade: NP48-234 Chunky Holo Purple
NP48$1.751$1.75
KLEANCOLOR Nail Lacquer
  - Shade: NP48-236 Chunky Holo Black
NP48$1.751$1.75
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream
  - Shade: SMLC08 Sao Paulo
SMLC$4.991$4.99
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream
  - Shade: SMLC05 Antwerp
SMLC$4.991$4.99
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream
  - Shade: SMLC02 Stockholm
SMLC$4.991$4.99
KLEANCOLOR Nail Lacquer
  - Shade: NP48-05 Black
NP48$1.751$1.75
NYX Highlight & Contour PowderHCP$8.501$8.50
NYX HD Studio Perfect Primer
  - Shade: SPP01 Clear
SPP$10.751$10.75
NYX Girls Nail Polish
  - Shade: NGP209 Dorothy
NGP$1.991$1.99
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil
  - Shade: JEP608 Cottage Cheese
JEP$2.991$2.99
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil
  - Shade: JEP611 Yogurt
JEP$2.991$2.99
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil
  - Shade: JEP617 Iced Mocha
JEP$2.991$2.99
NYX Pencil SharpenerSH$3.251$3.25
NYX Round Lip Gloss
  - Shade: RLG34 Real Nude
RLG$1.751$1.75
 Sub-Total:$68.41
 CYBER2011:-$10.26
 First-Class Mail® International Package** (Estimated Time: Varies by destination):$14.39
 Handling Fee:$1.00
 Total:$73.54


This time no NYX round lipsticks. I've fallen in love with the Soft Matte Lip creams, which btw I think are the best NYX product so ordered those in the remaining decent shades that I thought would work on my skin tone. :D And also a couple of Jumbo eye pencils, a lip pencil, some Holographic nail paints and make up staples like the Clear Primer and the Bronzer and Highlighter duo (both matte).
This time again my items were promptly shipped out within 2 days. I'd placed my order on Monday and it got shipped out on Wednesday. Hope they reach me within 2 weeks like last time.
With the dollar rate where it is the husband has strictly told me no more shopping from US sites. And solely because of this I've started following world economics and fervently hoping that the $$ falls against the Rupee. Sigh~ Till then I'll only be making LustLists I suppose.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

On using up and recycling make-up

In this age of "hauls" and trends with new products being launched every week it's hard to not spend no? And with online shopping and wretched COD it's become only too easy. Sigh. Remember the good ol days when all we had in our vanity was a kajal and one lipgloss?

The other day when I was pondering over the meaning on life and universe (yes, i'm very deep that way) I also thought about all the make up lying in my stash that I hadn't used more than a couple of times, things that I bought on impulse, only to be relegated to the far, dark corners of my wardrobe. Its only become worse with online shopping coz you buy something going by the online swatches and when it arrives it looks like a long lost twin of something you already have. So what do you do? Gift it to your sis? Keep it, thinking you can never have too much of a good thing?!

Ok now that I've managed to make online shopping sound depressing enough let me balance things out by talking about the stuff that I have used up, to the last drop. Stuff that I've rubbed down to the stump and squeezed out every last drop. Makes you feel good about spending no? I really wish make up came in smaller sample sizes. That way you'd have more variety and it'd cost lesser too! Win win no? So which are the products that get much love from me? The items that I've repurchased over and over again and are staples in my make up routine?

Maybelline Colossal Kajal
Kajal pencil: I like my kajal pencils retractable coz I don't like to mess around with sharpeners. I also like them jet black and non smudging. I used lotus kajal in the past and recently shifted to maybelline colossal kajal. Both are decent performing but nothing to rave about. And inexpensive too. Now my maybelline one is over and I decided to try chambor. This is really dark black and truly long wearing.


Compact powder: well, can't do without this one. I've used MAC fix, MAC sheer pressed powder and l'oreal in the past and am now on a budget option- the maybelline whitening uv compact. Not quite happy with it though. It's too sheer, goes on powdery and lasts only about 2 hours. Good only for college students who are on a strict budget. Might look at Inglot or Maxfactor next.


Lip product: I think the only lip product I've ever repurchased is the Lakme aquashine in Fig. Love the shade, the packaging and the moisturizing texture. Staying power isn't great but I like reapplying it. :)


Lip balm: Another staple. I've gone through I don't know how many tubes of Vaseline lip balms and more recently am trying out various options from Maybelline to Nutrogena and Oriflame lip spa.


Foundation: I like stick foundations coz they cover my large pores and mattify my oily skin without looking too dry. Used up about 5 tubes of the l'oreal one but they discontinued it! Damn! Now using the Maxfactor one. Its not as creamy but does the job well.


Blush/Cheek Tint: I loooved the lakme Just Kissed Cheek and Lip Tint. It was a nice formula that turned a natural pink on my cheeks and lasted all day on my oily skin. Too bad its been discontinued! Should have stocked up. Damn! Now my last tube is getting over and I'm looking at The Body Shop's cheek tint next.

Umm.. These are all I can think of now that I've used up completely in the past and repurchased over and over again.

But recently during mindless research-related browsing I came across some articles on how to melt your lipsticks into pots and I thought it was genius. So here's how I give it my own spin- the stuff that's sitting in my makeup bag is going to get recycled. Yup! Gonna take the lippies that don't work for my skin tone and melt them down, mix them up with other shades and create new shades. Plus I love potted lip products. And I'm gonna take the glitter and pure pigments lying untouched in my stash and mix them in clear nail polish and create my own sparkly nail paints. Muhahahaha. What? All geniuses must have an evil eccentric laugh right? Gives em character. *tosses hair back and gets mixing*

Friday, December 2, 2011

HealthKart Haul

Recently HeathKart had a weekend offer going where they gave a discount of Rs.300 on purchases of 1000 and above! And me being me, couldn't just ignore it and carry on. Gah! So I went ahead and started looking around, and finally loaded up my cart with these:
Revlon lipgloss in shade "Aubergine". Why? Coz I love the applicator. Umm..yeah and the colour too. I already have Fire from this range and I love how the applicator is sponge tipped but flexible..mmmmm. Had to get another one that I could use more often. So picked this up
Faces mini nail paints in "Pink Flamenco" and "Purple Rain" coz I love a hot pink and a purple (I'm the PURPLE spirit afterall)
Lakme moonshine topcoat eyeliner. Coz it looked so pwetty and it's versatile too, right? Can be used over eyeshadows to wear them as liners or over matte liners to add shimmer.
Neutrogena lip moisturizer. Because this is fragrance and taste free and is a nice non waxy, non shiny lip balm that can be worn underneath matte lipsticks without altering the texture.
Basicare retractable blush brush. Just because I can't resist retractable brushes and I needed a blush brush to use my cream blushes with. Plus this is small enough to fit in my bag too.

The Haul



So yep, that's all. My total was 1184 but I only had to pay 884. Cool huh?
But what sucked was that their delivery was incredibly slow (compared to other Indian retail sites). I had ordered this stuff on 20th and it reached me only on the 29th! They probably had a ton of orders when they announced this weekend discount but they took a week to deliver even the last time I ordered from them.
What If I order something coz I wanna wear it to a wedding or a party over the weekend (which is mostly the case) and it doesn't reach me in time? Sigh! Fail!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Stylecraze.com: site review and shopping experience

It's the newest kid on the block but also the fastest growing one. This is the funky teenager that knows the latest trends and makes other established sites look like middle aged uncles.
This Hyderabad based online cosmetic and personal care products retail site has the best customer service out there. I placed my order on Thursday morning and received a confirmation email immediately followed by a phone call to verify the order. The order was shipped the same day and reached me on Saturday.
They stock many brands ranging from Revlon, Lakme and Lotus to Faces, Colorbar, Chambor, NYX and Bourjois amongst others. They are still in the process of expanding their inventory and right now they may not have the full range in each brand but they are definitely growing. I'm personally interested in Colorbar, Faces, Maxfactor and NYX coz these aren't very easily available in brick and mortar stores around here.



So for my first purchase I ordered 3 faces mini nail polishes- a gold glitter and a silver glitter one  (which I couldn't find anywhere else) and an aquamarine blue shade and a faces lip liner in true red. All the items were on good discounts and they arrived neatly bubble wrapped and packed and within their claim of 3 days. And I also got 2 free gifts- a small sample tube of Jovees anti acne cream and an Acnes face wash sample sachet. Don't you just love freebies!



Goodies

Freebies

Yay for:

  • Good selection of brands including Revlon, Biotique, NYX, Bourjois, Maxfactor, Chambor,  Faces, Colorbar, OPI, Orly, Konad and many more.
  • Good discounts on almost all items
  • Excellent customer service
  • Fast shipping- delivery within 3 days
  • Cash on deliver option available
  • Free shipping over purchase of Rs.250
  • Swatches of most products are quite accurate
  • Neat packaging
  • Freebies


Nay for:

  • Full range of cosmetics not available in most brands. But they are still expanding their inventory and adding new items everyday so this is not a major issue.
  • Site layout could be made more attractive. Sure, it's functional and neat right now but a better layout with perhaps more attractive branding and colour scheme would lend it a posh, more sophisticated look.


So overall I'm very pleased with my shopping experience at StyleCraze.com and would definitely be going back for more goodies and would also recommend to all my friends. Here's hoping they retain their friendly customer service even after they grow big and that they continue to add more range in cosmetics.

My Rating: ****