April Favourites

It is time to share my April favourites with you guys. April is definitely one of my favourite times of the year. There are daffodils all around... Cherry blossoms blooming ....Sun starts staying around for much longer and longer retail hours with daylight savings...

Origins Super Spot Remover (here)

What can I say about this product that has not already been said like a million times? Let me just say that this is definitely worth the hype. I suffer from breakouts (just before that time of the month) and I have tried a few spot removers...but nothing comes close to this. 10 ml for approx  £13 might seem a little steep, but I have been using it quite often in last month and I am yet to see a noticeable reduction in quantity in the bottle...the size of my pimples however reduces drastically in size (small ones disappear) in 2 days...You just need to dab it on your spot..and you can immediately feel it drying the skin...and you can easily apply your make-up on top in about a couple of minutes. I have had a particularly bad week in terms of spots and this product has been my saviour.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush(here)

I decided to go for this stippling brush, after reading so many good reviews. After using this, I don't think I will ever go back to using a foundation brush for applying a foundation. The finish with this brush was flawless, it was quick and the bristles are so soft. Plus, this is cruelty- free. 

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer(here)

So while my spot remover was fighting my spots, this helped me conceal those things. Again...another beauty blogger favourite and I can now see why. The consistency is amazingly smooth and the coverage is unbelievably nice. It blends very easily and does not feel heavy or look cakey on the skin. It stays put for me all day (can't say if it will last 16 hours or not though). The only problem is the packaging, or rather the print on the package which rubs off.

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie(here)

These lip butters have helped me transition back from lip glosses. this is a lovely pink colour , perfect for everyday wear and the formula well is just as good as other revlon lip butters...This has now become my current favourite.

Soap & Glory Heel Genius(here)

My feet have been neglected off-late mainly due to laziness. So I decided to start moisturising my feet every night. I spotted this in boots a month or so ago and thought it is not a bad price for the size and I was not disappointed. The first thing that hit me when I opened this was the smell. It has a nice, fresh, fruity,minty smell. The consistency is also just right. Not too thick and not too thin. 

Peach Jeans Outfit Ideas

Hello everyone...

Apologies for being away for such a long time, but I am back now...and I have a fashion  post for you today....

I picked up this lovely pair of jeans from a couple of months ago but was waiting for right weather to wear this. Since we finally had some good weather last week, they got a chance to go out. 

This is a fun and feminine pair of jeans with lovely polka dot print and spring/summer perfect colour. This is a part of Gap skimmer jeans range.

Outfit 1 : I think when paired with a chiffon top, it just looks ultra-feminine and the top does not take any attention away from the jeans...

Top : Primark (Old)

Jeans: Gap (here)

Shoes : M&S (similar here)

Outfit 2 : This is a classic way to wear any coloured jeans. Paired with neutrals...I think blazer gives structure and makes the whole look quite chic and edgy w/o taking much away from our focal point...

Jacket/Blazer: H&M (here)

Jeans: Gap (here)

Shoes : Matalan (here)

Outfit 3 : I have tried to pair it with something other than neutrals here.I am not quite happy with the photographs for this outfit. I think mint green colour of the jumper looked much better in person.

Jumper: Gap (here)

Jeans: Gap (here)

Shoes : M&S (similar here)

What do you think? Which outfit did you like the most?

NOTD: Jelly Sandwich Nails

Hello everyone,

A quick NOTD post today....This is something that I did a few weeks ago, but for some reason never posted it. Jelly sandwich nails have been very popular for quite some time now, but I never got around to trying it.. until now...and I am so happy with the results.

I am sure I don't need to explain this, but still for those of you who don't know, jelly sandwich nails are nothing but glitter polish sandwiched between sheer polish. The sheer polish at the top mutes the glitter and creates a kind of  speckled effect. This is perfect for me as I can wear it to work without worrying about it appearing over-the-top.

Polishes I used here are Sally Hansen Nearly Nude from its French manicure kit and Model's Own Ibiza Mix from their hedkandi collection. After using my Sally Hansen Base Coat, I applied two sheer coats of Sally Hansen Nearly Nude Polish and then one coat of Ibiza Mix followed by one coat of  Nearly Nude again. Ibiza Mix is quite dense multi-coloured glitter and one coat is enough for this effect... This is one of my favourite glitter nail polishes and applied like a dream...

Let me know what you think....

Drugstore Haul of Fame

I just thought I will so a quick post to show you guys some of the things that I bought in past couple of weeks... I had been lusting after most of these things for such a long time...Finally I decided to give in.

There were some very good offers last week. First one being the Boots 3 for 2 across all make -up and other one being  buy any 3 for £10 across quite a few hair-care products.

Barry M Jelly Hi-Shine Nail Paints in Lychee, BlueBerry and Pomegranate. These babies have been proving very popular in the bloggerville and I finally surrendered to the call of these small shiny bottles..I have treid Lychee and Blueberry on so-far and I loved them both. My only gripe is that since these are thicker nail polishes, the thin brush makes it difficult to apply.. Let me know if you want a detailed review with swatches.. These are available at boots or Superdrug and are priced at 3.99. I got it when they were on buy 2 get £1 off. I also picked up Barry M Foil effect Gold as I love the silver one that I have for Konad stamping.

Revlon Nearly Naked Make-up : Again another very popular product. I had to get this as I prefer the light to medium coverage foundations and this sounded just right for me. I got it in shade True Beige. I tried it as soon as I got it home and I love the finish. It is really very light and will be perfect for summer.

Real Techniques Brushes : I didn't have a stippling brush and was happy using a foundation brush for foundations.I had 2 brush sets from Real Techniques and was very happy with them, and because of the 3 for 2 offer, I decided to add these to my collection. I am so glad I did. The stippling brush is just amazingly soft. These were roughly  £12 each...

OPI Euro Centrale Minis set : I had 2 favourites from this collection that I wanted to buy. You are such a Budapest and Polka.com. however when I saw the minis set, I thought I would buy this and then buy Polka.com separately. Will post reviews with swatches later..

John Freida 3-day straight spray and Dream Curls styling spray : I don't have curly hair so I probably shouldn't have got the 3 day straight spray. But it works like a charm and my hair was definitely straight even on the 3rd day. I am yet to try the Dream Curls styling spray. These both are i region of  £6-7 . However, because of the offer in Asda, I got it for approx 3.33 which was not a bad deal at all... (The third thing I bought was an Aussie shampoo)

Tangle Teezer. I have been trying to grow my hair long for some time now. Since I have got fine hair, I find it difficult to detangle without a lot of it ending up in the comb. There were so many good reviews of this , that it had to end up in my shopping basket...

Other Bits: Maybelline 24-hour colour tattoo eye-shadow in Pink Gold, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in True Beige and Rimmel Scandal Eyes Eyeliner in Purple. 

I will do individual posts and reviews of some of these things...so if you would like to know how I get on with something in particular, please drop me a note or mention in the comment.

My new boots and Ootd

Spring has officially started, but for some reason the weather just does not want to acknowledge that...The temperatures are colder than winter. So no matter how much we all want to give our spring clothes an outing,  it is not going to happen for atleast another week...

But I had something to cheer me up. My new boots arrived last week...I saw them in a Shoon and since they did not have them in my size, I ordered in store for them to be home delivered. They arrived in a couple of days and were very nicely packed. These boots were originally for £135, but in sale they were for £95. I thought that was a very good price as these boots are from Timberland and look really sturdy and well made. Also, these fit me perfectly in spite of my narrow calves. as I have mentioned in this post before, I find it extremely difficult to find boots that fit perfectly. The fact that these were lace-ups sealed the deal for me as I was looking for something exactly like this... 

Since I got these boots I have been looking for excuses to wear them... Here is one of them...

Skirt : H&M

Jumper : H&M

Tights : H&M

Plain Long Sleeves T-Shirt : Gap

Boots : Timberland (here)

Review : Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleaser

Hello everyone! Hope you had a lovely weekend... I am back and this time it is with a review of a cult product, Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser.

 Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - 100 ml starter kit  £14.75 here

This has to be one of the most blogged about products and now I can understand why. It really is like magic in the bottle. My skin does feel clearer and smoother..just like it says on the tin. Even my husband.(who is usually oblivious to these things) has been commenting on how "cleaner and brighter" my skin looks.

I bought the started kit for £14.75. This includes 100 ml bottle of cleanser and 2 muslin clothes in a nice pouch. I initially thought this was pricey, but decided to get it anyway...and I am so glad I got it. It is definitely worth it. 

This Cleanser has a 2 phase action. Hence the name 'Cleanse and Polish' :). First I take about a pump and a bit of product into my hands and then gently work it into my skin like any cream. You don't need to remove your make up before hand and this is very effective at removing eye make-up without stinging. The next step is polishing. I soak the muslin cloth that comes with it in hot water and then applying just a tad pressure with my finger, I start polishing off the cleanser. Cleaning with cloth like this acts as ex-foliation for skin.

There is no tight feeling at all after using this nor does it feel harsh... It just leaves your skin feeling soft, wonderfully fresh, clean and pampered. I just wish I was more regular and used this twice a day rather than just once...

Have you tried any other hot cloth cleanser? What do you think of those?

NOTD : Konad Stamping

A Nail Art post today as I am quite happy with how both these turned out and I got a lot of compliments at work for these nails...

Zebra Print Nail Art Using Kiko 316 and Konad m57 plate

I guess I love this nail art so much is because I love all the individual items that have been used in this.

First, the absolutely gorgeous plum shade that Kiko 316 Red Violet ... If you haven't tried any Kiko nail polishes yet, then you must absolutely try one. I picked this up from their Westfield store and I think it was on offer at that time...I remember it being ridiculously cheap. However, they are always available on Kiko website here for £3.90. I am currently lusting after their 389-Mint Milk shade and new Limited Edition Colours of the World collection.

Formula on this polish is amazing, applies very easily, is highly pigmented and is opaque in 2 coats. I applied three though. The brush is good too.. wide enough for nice coverage... It is long lasting with just one/two minor chips on the 6th day...

Secondly, one of the most popular Konad plate ever..m57.   This plate has got 3 full nail designs, 2 lacy borders and one with 3 separate flowers.I used Konad special polish in black. I am yet to find any other black polish which can be used for stamping. If you guys know of any, please leave a comment.

There are lots of video tutorials on you tube to help with stamping. It is delightfully easy to use and you can create some very complicated nail art and enjoy compliments ;). 

My tips for Konad stamping : 
1) Make sure while scraping, you don't scrape too hard. I used to get a little carried away first couple of times.
2) Similarly, while picking up the stamp , don't stamp too hard. The softly you do it, the better it will pick up.
3) You will have to work quickly from the point of scraping onwards, otherwise the stamp will not transfer.

This above design is another one of my favourites to do. Both Stamps are from the same plate as you can see. I used one of the Miss Sporty shades as base ( I think it is called Fall in Lasting colour range) and stamped the fish net design first followed by the flowers stamp...

Let me know what you think... :)

Gap Boyfriend Shirts

If you like boyfriend shirts; or casual & slightly loose fitting clothes in general, then you should definitely check out Gap's latest collection of boyfriend shirts..

My friend and I were in Kingston high street the other day and we just popped into Gap. Now, normally I am not a big fan of Gap clothes. And I struggle with sizes there too... However, we were drawn to this rack of their boyfriend shirts and we both loved these...

They have got spring ready colours...lovely prints and the fabric seems very nice. I picked up one white shirt with pink polka dots and one white shirt with neon pink cat print. I loved the ladybug print and the tea -cup print (the ones in the pictures above) too... but since they were 29.95 each...I decided to just get 2.

These are available in Shrunken boyfriend  and fitted boyfriend styles. I personally prefer the fit of shrunken boyfriend.

I also fell in love with their new jeans style called 'The Skimmer' (but decided to wait till the next shopping trip to buy those). Its skinny denims which skim your ankles... These are bang on trend as they are available in lots of prints and in neon colours...

Mother's day Gift Ideas

Hi all,

I have seen quite a few Mother's day gift ideas posts on bloggerville in the past few days....This got me thinking as to what would I like to receive for mother's day.
No....I am not using this post to drop any hints for anyone...My 3.5 yr old son, smart as he is, doesn't read my blog yet...

Lush -  A mother's day in paradise gift set  (£30.95)-  here

This set has got 3 mother's day themed limited edition products .....

 a Mumkin bubble bar, Madame Butterfly re-usable bubble bar and Mum’s very own Secret Garden bath ballistic!
........and three of their normal range......
Happy Happy Joy Joy to softly scent the hair, Dream Cream to calm and moisturise and Sultana of Soap to wash away those cares.

Ellie Saab Eau De Parfum  set 50 ml (£56.00) - here

This in my opinion is a lovely fragrance for summer with it having a lovely combination of citrusy and floral notes....It is feminine, fresh and elegant...

L'Occitane Shower Gel Collection (£20.80)- here

Because we can never have too many shower gels....plus...isn't the packaging adorable?

This is described as : A must-have collection of six irresistible shower gels created with some of the most cherished ingredients from Provence.

It contains : Cherry Blossom Bath & Shower Gel 75ml, Pivoine Flora Shower Gel 75ml, Lavender Shower Gel 75ml, Almond Shower Oil 75ml, Rose Bath & Shower Gel 75ml, Shea Butter Ultra Rich Shower Cream 75ml

Estée Lauder Sensuous Nude Delicate Duet (£25.34) - here

This is my current favourite fragrance. This doesn't seem to be loved by everyone....as it has got strong woody notes...but I think it does grow on you...Though if this doesn't float your boat, there always is Estee Lauder Pleasures....

A Spa Day for 2 (£94.00)- here

A lovely way to make moms feel special and pampered, while getting some love yourselves and spending some quality time with her...
This particular deal is valid at a Bannatyne spa..There are over 30 locations across UK where this can be used...It includes 3 treatments each, plus use of health club facilities for the day...

There are lots of other options out there for spa days...I am sure you will be able to find things on Groupon, Living Social deals etc. in your area....

Have you bought your Mother's day gifts yet? Did you like any of the ideas above?

India Shopping Haul

Hello all!!! 

Did you all get to enjoy the lovely weather that we had today? I thoroughly enjoyed it with a friend roaming Kingston high street...but more about that later. For now, I thought I would share with you guys what I bought when I was in India... In spite of being there for 4 weeks, I just had a day for shopping :( So I tried to make to best of it...Now, most of the things that I bought there were traditional Indian clothes...So I have not included pics of everything...but I did buy a couple of tops, a skirt and a dress.

All of the above were bought from Globus. They do all kinds of clothes, ranging from traditional Indian to fusion to western clothes.... I was just spoilt for choice in terms of colours and best part of any stores in India  is that more often than not they will do minor alterations in a day or 2 free of charge...

The top left picture shows almost all the things that I got from there...The purple and teal dress is lovely in my opinion and can't wait to wear it....

The top right picture is a nice sleeveless top made with mixed printed cotton fabrics. I love the colours and fit of this one. This was roughly around £24. (The denim skirt is an old one of mine...)

The bottom left picture is of a short purple brocade-ish embroidered skirt. And a nice aqua/sea green strappy vest top with gold print.... I don't remember how much I paid for the skirt, however the top was a steal at less than £8.


And, lastly...the blue silk dress. I noticed this on my way out and quickly grabbed it and tried it on. It fit perfectly and while this is not extra ordinary, I could not say no to it at £18, especially when they had a buy 2 get 1 free offer. So we got a similar one for my sister and another one for my cousin....

Beauty Blog Hop

Hello everyone!!!

I came across this blog hop while browsing 'She Said Beauty'. I discovered few very good blogs last week through this. Come along and join the fun .... :)

NOTD : Grey Gradient Nails

Hello everyone....We have been having some lovely weather in last few days... Have you been doing anything special off-late?

I thought I will do a quick NOTD post. I am not particularly happy with the result, but then...I don't think that it looks that bad either.

I have used Essie Power Clutch and Revlon Lunar for the gradient effect. Then I finished it off with a 17 brand glitter top coat. The gradient effect is achieved using the sponging technique. The glitter top coat helps hide all your mistakes. As you can see from the above pictures I managed to ruin my index finger..but as I was running late for something, I left it alone... I am sure we have all had days where we ruin all the nails eventually while trying to fix one.. ;)

Let me know what you think...

Coloured Jeans/ Trouser Outfit Ideas

Hello all,

I am absolutely in love with coloured jeans these days....They seem to brighten up the dull and dark winter days and provide a welcome break from usual blacks and greys of winter.....
Below are some outfit ideas using my Maroonish-red coloured jeans from Primark. I love the quality on this jeans....It is soft, has a nice skinny fit and have a great range of colours.

Outfit 1 :
 Jumper : H&M  £ 19.99  I can't find the exact same one online but some similar ones available here.
 Jeans : Primark  £11. Available in lots of colours and in short as well as tall .
 Shoes :  Next £38. (My favourite comfy trainers for winter.)

Outfit 2 :
Polka dot button down sleeveless shirt : Primark £10 approx. Love how it is longer at the back.
Shoes : H&M £14.

Outfit 3 :
Top : H&M £14.99. This is a lovely sparkly embellished top from H&M.
Shoes : M&S £19.99 approx. Lovely peep-toe patent nude pumps...surprisingly comfortable.


Let me know what you think of the above outfits??

Model's Own 'Bottle' shop at Westfield White City

How cool is this Model's Own bottleshop store? I know this is not new but for some reason I just kept forgetting to click pictures on my earlier visits...

I love Model's own nail polishes and was so happy to see this 'Bottle' shop. Almost made me want to play like the little girl in the top left picture.... I restrained myself to just buying 2 nail polishes and one lip gloss.
I got Northern Lights from their Wonderland collection  Mixed Up nail polishes and Berry nice lip gloss.

Northern lights is a lovely pink glitter nail polish and although like all glitter polishes it can be difficult to remove, it is so worth it....This is currently my favourite glitter nail polish. It does need three coats to be completelty opaque though.

Mixed up is a black paint with multi coloured micro glitter. Again another lovely glitter polish by Model's Own.

Berry Nice is as the name suggests a nice berry coloured lip gloss. This is my first Model's own lip gloss and it is nicely pigmented and lasts long enough.

Have you visited Model's Own bottle shop?What do you think of it?

If you don't live near Westfield white city then you can always buy Model's own products at Boots or online through their website.

Marie Claire February 2013 Freebies

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I know!! Another freebie post!! But I tried to search for similar post and couldn't find anything, so I thought it was worth sharing ....

With the latest issue of Marie Claire you get a free sample size skin care product by Shiseido. I could only get hold of one with Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam (30 ml). I have used it a couple of times already and I must say that I am liking it. It is perfect for travelling!
I don't remember what the other options were and I have thrown away the wrapper, but let me know if any of the other options are good...

January Favourites

Hello Everyone!!! Hope you had a amazing Christmas and a new year!!! I decided to take some time off work now that I look back, I can't really tell where the seven weeks went (Yes 7 weeks!!!) Well to be fair 4 of them were on a holiday in India. And I managed to pick up a few really good items (clothing) while shopping there.... I am sure they will make their appearance on here in OOTD posts.

But coming back to the current post.... These were my absolute favourites of January 2013... I have been using them religiously and besides confessions of concealaholic...all of them were new additions...


Benefit Confessions of Concealaholic :

As with all benefit products, I love the name and the packaging on this one. The two main products that I use a lot from this palette, are 'Boing' Concealer and 'That Gal' primer. I love the fact that it has both shades of Boing in there...so that you can play around with it and get the shade that best suites you.
It also has
'Lemon-aid' which is eye primer. (I feel it is too dry and prefer MAC paint-pot or Urban Decay potion)
'Erase Paste' which is described as melon toned corrector for under eye circles and is meant to be used for dark discolourations. ( I do use this ocassionally for really dark under eye circles.)
'Eye-Bright' which is a pink toned brightener.


Batiste Dry Shampoo:

I had been putting off getting a dry shampoo inspite of reading so many good reviews of them. I wasn't sure if it would really work... but now I don't know what I would do without it... It is perfect for hair like me which get greasy on the second day of shampooing itself. This helps me avoid washing my hair every single day and your hair feels nice and fresh.



Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow :

I am not much of a have coverage foundation girl and so used to stick to tinted moisturiser. But I decided to give it a go while browsing Benefit counter and was immediately impressed. It is light to medium coverage and in my opinion looks very natural. (My husband agreed!!!). I think I may have found my perfect foundation after all!!!

and best of all.....



MAC 'Sincere' Sheer Tone Blush :

I went to the MAC counter asking for 'Buff' after reading a lot of reviews. I was looking for a good natural looking blush. The MUA recommended 'Sincere' for me and she put Buff one one side and Sincere on other side of the face and I was sold...!!! 'Sincere' is described by MAC as muted beige/coral. I think this is a perfect blush for a very natural look and if you don't already have this, then a must-try on your next visit to MAC counter.


Have you tried any new products lately? What were your favourites in the last month?