Be Talk: Celeb Style File: Sonam Kapoor at the Cosmopolitan Fun, Fearless Female, Male Awards 2012

The Cosmopolitan Fun, Fearless Female, Male Award-well the name itself evokes a feel of Bohemia and wilderness. Sonam Kapoor with her as usual "fashion alert" type of stylization bagged the Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Female Best Dressed Award for 2012. Heres presenting her couture and makeup files for that occasion.

This is a dress by D&G, that looked quite unconventional on the red carpet with its deep pink tone and floral motifs. The dress-albeit being pretty lacks definition-especially around the waist- making her figure look odd and disproportionate.

As for the makeup- I guess this time she tried her hand at androgynous makeup. In my opinion-this combo didn't work well. With the romantic look of the dress-a very girlie and delicate look would have made a best pair. The thick and unkempt eyebrows dont look much appealing. I detect a pink blush and berry pink matte lipstick on her. There is a pale gold shadow on the inner corner of her eyes-which are then lined and paired with falsies and mascara. What I loved most are the diamond danglers and her side styled luscious hair!!!!

 

Androgynous Makeup according to MAC files

Photo Courtesy: Google Images

Be Talk: Revlon New Complexion Makeup

Brand: Revlon

Product: Liquid Foundation

Line: New Complexion

Shade: Sun Beige

Price: 515 INR

Quantity: 35.5 ml

Many a times I get questions from girls-asking me to suggest a good foundation-an ideal one for everyday wear in Indian conditions. It should be something that wont harm skin as well as the pocket and also should be long staying, giving a non-patchy finish and which must also be available in a wide variety of shades to  choose from. Whew-sounds like finding the perfect foundation is like finding the perfect Man for a finicky girl!!! :D

Okay so here I am going to review my most used foundation out of all-something I have been using since 2009-only to remain ever impressed and loyal (I haven’t bought any other foundation so many times!) to this product. Why-because it is an almost “perfect man” in the world of foundations :D

I found the following details about this foundation in Medplus Beauty website from where you can order. There are currently three shades available. What is bit alarming is that this product often goes out of stock-so I buy my next pack just when my current one is around the middle of the bottle .

Courtesy: Medplus beauty website

The shades are:

Peach beige

Medium Beige

Sun Beige

The writing on the foundation pack says:

For the look of a perfectly natural skin:

@Light as air foundation that allows the skin to breathe

@Gives a no makeup look and feel

@Covers imperfections with light to medium coverage for a smooth even skintone

@Provides sun protection with SPF 4

@Oil free non pore clogging irritant free

Me Talk:

I have been using this foundation almost for the last 3 years, almost everytime I have went out. I have always found it as my HG foundation and very difficult to replace with anything else. The liquid foundation is runny in texture and easy to blend. 

It usually needs a setting powder for the foundation to stay put all day long. I have used it in sultry summers when the skin feels almost like seeping out all the body fluids all day long. The foundation in such days didn’t wash away or smear with the sweat-nor did it come off on hankys when the face is wiped with them. Also-the texture is indeed so feather light-that it actually gets absorbed like water on skin-and yes-that too in heavily humid summer days. In winters-this becomes a no touch up foundation when topped over a hydrating lotion/moisturiser. 

It gives a decent coverage to some acne marks that I have. The finish is flawless -in the sense that the coverage is buildable but the foundation doesn’t look cakey or patchy. It never caused me any breakouts-if I cleansed it away properly. As for the sun protection-I  have observed that after months of going out in the sun with this on- my face has not tanned much-and I don’t use a sunscreen. I guess the foundation helps in that way too!

Without Flash

With Flash

SO to sum up:

1) Easy to blend-when in hurry-I simply blend it with fingers like a moisturizer.

2) Stays all day long even during summer

3) Doesn’t melt in sultry summery weather

4) Gives medium coverage-sufficient for concealing minor acne marks and blemishes

5)Doesn’t break out even on by super breakout prone skin

6) Doesn’t feel uncomfortable or heavy on the skin-even in humid weather

7) Several shades available to choose from. The shade Sand Beige suits my skin tone to the T!

8) Price is reasonable-even with everyday use-the foundation may last for 2 months or more.

Down side:

1) Availability becomes an issue at times

Ratings: 100%

FOTDs: Its not difficult to find my pics wearing this-given that I have worn it so many times :D

 

Be Talk: Valentines Day Haul : Christian Dior, Shiseido and L'Occitane

,Holla Ladies!!! It was Valentines Day!!!! How did it go for all you people???

Err..BTW I am single :D :D

Na-I do have a bunch of "Good Friends"-but truly I am too reluctant to let go of my single status! So  on Valentine's Day-I as usual faced questions like-"Ahh where are you going out today", "OOH-what gifts did you get today???"-and then I finally decided-OKAY FINE-let me celebrate my single-hood by myself!! And what can be more special to a single girl than shopping from the "Hollywood brands" ??? :D :D 

Shoppers Paradise South City Mall Kolkata

VDay Celebrations at the Mall

Did I tell you guys that I have won a PhD Scholarship for three years in Germany? Well, Since getting the news-I decided to treat myself-with what else than Makeup from some top order (read: mostly avoided and looked at as if they are only for display :D :D) brands. So I found this perfect occasion to splurge on. I decided NOT to ask the price before or after buying (I usually pay by card). Now while writing this post and reading the bill-I am getting some high voltage jolts :D

OKAY-so here are the details of the haul...

1. Christian Dior Rouge Diorific Long Wearing True Color Lipstick

Shade: Hula Hoop Rummy 
Price: Rs 2030

2. L'Occitane Pivoine Flora Eye Shadow Duo 
Price: Rs 1400 

3. Shiseido Dual Balancing Foundation in Shade I60 

Price: Rs 1825

What added to my happiness are the lots of lovely free samples I got from all these brands-here they are :)

From L'Occitane

Shampoo

Hydration Cream

From Dior

Foundation

Perfume

From Shiseido

Finally, I had KFC Fiery Grilled chicken and crushers.. Have never spent a better VDAY till date :)

And for the single belles out there..

Be Talk: Tips for Beautiful Lips

 

Top Tips for Beautiful Lips

 

Image Courtesy: Google Images

Your lips are one of the most sensitive parts of your body but unfortunately we don’t always treat them that way. It doesn’t matter how much lipstick or gloss you wear, if your lips aren’t already in great condition to begin with, they’ll never look amazing. Luckily there are plenty of tips and tricks to make sure you always have the perfect pout, including three golden rules – hydrate, exfoliate and moisturise.

Hydrate

 

Drinking plenty of water is vital for keeping your skin hydrated and looking fantastic, including your lips! A healthy and balanced diet is also vital for keeping your skin in great condition, with vitamins including A, B, C, B2 and E being especially important.

Exfoliate

Just as you do with your skin, exfoliating will help to keep your lips smooth and begin the process of creating the perfect base for your make up. A really simple way to do this is by gently rubbing your lips in a circular motion with a clean, damp toothbrush with soft bristles to remove dead skin.

Lipscrubs come handy too in exfoliating lips..

Image Courtesy: Google Images

Image Courtesy: Google Images

Moisturise

Moisturising is also essential for beautiful lips. Vaseline is a firm favorite with many women but there are also some home remedies that you can try. Try applying a layer of honey or castor oil to lock in moisture or simply rubbing your lips with a slice of cucumber. Aloe Vera oil can also help dry lips by exfoliating and moisturising as well as helping to protect against sun damage. Try to avoid fragranced or flavoured products or those with ingredients that may irritate your skin. Take a look online for some do-it-yourself recipes for your lips. 

Give up bad habits

Bad habits are always hard to break but remember they’re called bad for a reason! When you’ve got dry lips it’s all too tempting to pull at dead skin or constantly lick your lips. Although the moisture will feel like a relief to begin with, licking your lips actually removes the thin layer of natural fat that protects them, leaving them worse than they were before. Make sure you drink plenty of water to keep your skin hydrated and avoid smoking and drinking alcohol.

Dry, cracked lips are not only unpleasant to look at but they can also be painful and make you feel less confident. This problem can be caused by a number of factors including changes in climate, sun damage, dehydration or something more serious such as a skin condition or allergic reaction, talk to your doctor if you’re concerned about this. 

Guest Post contributed by Kathy Keable from Cafe La Moda, where you can find makeup and beauty advice and the place to look when shopping for skin care products online.

Be Talk: Pond's Pure White Deep Cleansing Facial Foam

Brand : Ponds

Type: Face Wash Foam

Price:  125 INR

Quantity: 100g

Pond's Pure White Deep Cleansing Facial Foam is a product that I have tried and loved thoroughly. It is a reasonably priced face wash that effectively removes dirt and grime and I have also found it to control breakouts on my skin.

Picture from Urban Touch.com

 

A word about activated carbon (Courtesy-Wikipedia) :

Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal, activated coal or carbo activatus, is a form of carbon that has been processed to make it extremely porous and thus to have a very large surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions. useful applications may come solely from the high surface area, though further chemical treatment often enhances the adsorbing properties of the material. Activated carbon is usually derived from charcoal. Activated carbon is commonly used to purify solutions containing un-wanted colored impurities such as during a recrystallization procedure in Organic Chemistry.

Image from Google Images

Me Talk:

The facewash comes in an opaque ash colored creamy texture. It foams well and is also easy to wash off. The fragrance is mild and pleasant.

 This is one facewash that truly helps to keep the oily-ness on my face at bay! I have used many oil control and pimple control face washes till now-however most of them have kept my skin oil free for hardly an hour which then regained its oily nature. This facewash truly deep cleanses the skin-making it squeaky clean. I found that after cleansing off my makeup-if I wash my face with this one-the appearance of pimples is curbed to a large extent. On regular use of this facewash-rate of pimple and acne occurrence reduces and then stops. This experience comes straight from a person who has a most breakout prone skin. However, I must admit that this facewash dries the facial skin. But I follow it up with Aloevera Gel from Patanjali-and then it feels fine. Overall-this can be a HG facewash for people with oily and pimple prone skin.

Pro side:

1) Deep cleanses skin-removes grime in one wash.

2) Removes all trace of oilyness. Oil free feeling stays for long.

3) Prevents appearance of pimples and acne- due to the deep cleansing effect

4) Reasonable quantity for the price paid

Down Side:

Dries the skin-so people with dry skin may avoid this. For oily skinned people-don’t follow this up with a oil based moisturizer-use Aloe gel instead for most effective results against acne.

Recommedations: 90% for oily skinned people

Be Talk: Haul from Violet Bag

Another lazy afternoon-another urge to slip beneath cozy blankets and read story books bought from book fair - another day when I feel I am neglecting my skin (I had a facial the previous day though :D :D) and then rolling onto checking some skincare stuff on the Internet! This time I hauled from VioletBag.com! 

VioletBag.com is an online shopping website that stocks a broad range of  products in skin care, hair care, bath and body, makeup categories. There are also separate sections for men, herbal products a and accessories. You can find the following brands at this website:

I placed the order on 31^st Jan night and received it today-7^th Feb by Noon. 

 This is what I ordered:

Now one thing about this delivery is that-I checked the tracking details of this shipment with the link provided by the shipping confirmation mail from VioletBag on Aramex website. Surprisingly-it said that the shipment has a Destination of Burdwan!  Now Burdwan is a place that’s over 100 kms from mine and a different district altogether!!At one time I thought it would never arrive and the package would be returned to the company! I was just about to write to Violetbag Customer care when the courier knocked my door! Aramex Couriers have twice created this weirdness although the address is clearly mentioned on the top of the box as well as on the invoice! 

I received my order in a violet box tightly wrapped with plastic.The packaging was very well made-with bubble wraps around each products and loads of thermocol cubes to secure them against breakage.

 

Also, the products (except the lipstick) have manufacturing dates within the last six months-so I am happy! 

My overall shopping experience with Violet Bag was very good-except that the courier tracking gave me a jolt with the mistaken destination. I would strongly suggest all online shopping websites to stop using Aramex-as in my own experience-I have just found it twice to botch up and delay the delivery.

Violet Bag should also add more brands in the makeup and skin care category. But I was amazed to see their fragrance section where they have a huge collection of International Brands. And hey! VB is having Valentine special Discounts and Hampers for the VDay !!! Do check them out here!

Note: Product Sent by Company PR: However my review is neutral and unbiased