Review: Meylon Terracotta Eyeshadow in Gray

Hi Everyone,

I am excited when i find below-100 INR-but-decent stuff in shops, when I am on an impulse purchase spree.
So when I found this eye shadow in a shop in Ooty, I didnt waste time in buying it as it was only Rs. 85.

I couldnt find the complete list of ingredients as the price sticker was covering most of it [check the pics] and I could not find any decent website or entries of this product though I have found Meylon products for sale in Fashionandyou.com, many times.

Thankfully, it had the expiry date marked clearly as "12/2013" so I am happy :)

Packaging: This is a decently sized and packaged product. I couldnt find the quantity information. Also No brushes but I guess for INR 85, all that is too much to ask for!!

This looks like baked eyeshadows that you can find for higher end products.
As you can see, there is some fallout of the powder around the edges.

Pigmentation: This is very decent and stays on without primer for around 2-3hours. I use it for instant-smokey eye effect on top of my eyeliners.

It doesnt have any reactions on my skin, but then it is very rarely that my skin shows any reaction, thank god!!!
I dont like to use this as a daily wear product but this is decent enough for occasional wear.

Rating: 8 out of 10 [-1 for no brushes and -1 for powder fallout].
Will I buy again: Hmmmmm..No..i got this is in a bronzy shade and thats it for me. I prefer not to use cheap products too much on my eyes!

Review: Online shopping with Healthkart.com

Hi Everyone,

I see so many ads of various online shopping websites and most of the time, i am tempted to buy something too, what with all the coupon codes available online and any shopaholic's motto "I am saving money by buying all this when there is a sale!!!".

So when i got this 100 Rs off coupon from Healthkart online, I didnt hesitate. I went and bought the FACES CANADA moisture rich lipstick in shade "First Lady" [will be reviewing them soon] and some other stuff.

 This is how the package looked.



It looks waterproof with all the stickers and wraps over it.


Now this is where i got the shock!! The products were just randomly kept in the card board box.
I read a review of this website in IMBB where the products were shown bubble wrapped.
I honestly hope Healthkart normally bubble wraps their product, or else I cant imagine what state things will be when they are delivered!



There was also a duplicate of the online invoice inside.



I got a referral code using which any one can get a 100rs off on their 1st purchase.
devividya6D88AV - this is the code, use it and enjoy.. :)


Rating of the website: Everything is decent except for the weird packaging and their option of free delivery only above 500 rs!
Will I use this again? Yeps, they seem to have nice products and nice offers. I hope they introduce more and more nice products, i am all for online-makeup-shopping boom, considering how difficult it is to buy makeup products outside of metros!

Review: W7 Sparkle eyeliners in Green and Pink, Photo and Swatch

Hi Everyone,

Online shopping is something I started recently and I am always on the lookout for snazzy eye makeup products, so when I found these eyeliners from W7 listed in ebay, I didn’t hesitate. Good for me! J

Product being reviewed: W7 Sparkle eyeliners in pink [shade 04] and green [shade 06]

Price: INR 199 each for 6ml of the product though I found it for sale in Amazon UK for £1.00 each and for £1.50 in fragrancedirect.

Colors available: I found around 6 shades [black, silver, gold, blue] in total in ebay and in other websites

About the company: Warpaint cosmetics Ltd., SLO 9HW, England[no website available, which is weird espl in this online-ecommerce age!]

Expiry date/Shelf Life: Not mentioned and I couldn’t check it online [checkcosmetic.net- this site is very useful espl if you’re buying things from online]

Ingredients: Aqua, butylene glycol, PVP, Acrylates/C10-30Alkyl acrylate cross polymer, imidazolidinyl urea, methyl paraben, sodium hydroxide, +/- Mica, polyethylene terephthalate, acrylates copolymer, CI 77000, CI77499, CI77891.

Weirdly enough, I found that the colorants listed for both pink and green are the same!!

I am slightly scared whenever I read all the chemicals listed espl when its to be applied over eyes. So I am categorizing things as safe and not so safe. Here it goes:

Butylene glycol (BG) (1,3-Butanediol, CAS No. 107-88-0) is a common humectant and solubilizer used in cosmetic and food preparations. – Safe [as per FDA]

imidazolidinyl urea - These are the most commonly used preservatives after the parabens. They are well established as a primary cause of contact dermatitis (American Academy of Dermatology) – Scary!!!!!!

PVP/VA Copolymer — A petroleum-derived chemical used in hairsprays, wavesets and other cosmetics. It can be considered toxic, since particles may contribute to foreign bodies in the lungs of sensitive persons. – Okay, not great but not too bad huh!

Polyethylene Terephthalate occurs both as a transparent material and as a white, semi-crystalline material. In cosmetics and personal care products, Polyethylene Terephthalate is used in the formulation of foundations, leg and body paints, nail polish and enamels, and hair coloring products. –Safe as per FDA

Sodium Hydroxide is used to control the pH of cosmetics and personal care products – Safe as per FDA. Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a non-toxic thickener suitable for use in formulations, which demand superior appearance – Safe as couldn’t find anything seriously bad. Colorants and parabens are obviously not so good, so overall this is an okay product if not used daily.

What the product says [from website]: “Glitterize your eyes with W7 Sparkle EyeLiner. Create a dazzling effect with these amazing colours, which contains glitter for beautiful eccentric looking eyes.”

Packaging: The transparent tiny pot is cute with the long black cap and its plastic casing so no worry about breaking it [thank god, cos I dropped it already like 4 times!] The ingredients are clearly listed alongwith batchcode in the sticker attached [see pic] which I found was really good as compared to the tiny indistinguishable writings often found on the plastic cover of the products.

My experience:

This is a sparkle eyeliner and it has loads of glitter but they are not chunky or cheap-looking. I honestly didn’t expect much from a glitter eyeliner except to add some effect on top of normal eyeliners for some party makeup but this is good enough to be applied on its own with decent pigmentation. I applied this on the upper lid and did not experience any irritation. There was a mild cooling effect, a wait of 10secs and voila! the glitter liner was set. The wand applicator is very good and soft against skin, but the problem is its difficult to create thin/fine lines, but then with a sparkle liner who is going for low-key!!

Why I like this?

• Glides on smoothly to create a thick but nice line of glitter liner with decent pigmentation [the above swatch is with just 1 swipe and as you can see the color is very clear]
• Dries fast enough -10secs is all it takes
• Wand applicator is very soft and smooth
• No irritation, no heaviness of eyes and no drop-off [thank god, I hate glitter all over my face]
• Stays for upto 4-5 hours [even then no flaking or dropping off] after which I removed it with soap
• Cute and useful packaging- I hate when my makeup container breaks!
• Affordable [not sure if its cheap]

Why I should probably chuck it?

• Chemicals listed espl the urea one..
• Precision lining is difficult with the thick tipped wand
• It has a very chemically smell which is not very evident as its an eye product
• Expiry date not mentioned
• Availability- I have not seen this in shops, and I found it only in ebay so far

Finally my rating: 7 out of 10 [minus for no expiry date, for urea and for availability]
Will I buy it again: Sure, planning to buy the blue and the silver ones, after all a girl needs some glitter!!! J

Miss Claire Eyeshadow in Pink

I got this Miss Claire eyeshadow in Pink from a local store. Unfortunately the SA sold me a piece that got expired a month back, which I did not notice then.. :(
That is sooo sad since these eyeshadows are value for money at 85rs!
Look at the pics, the shadow is so nicely pigmented...
Check Neha's review in IMBB for other shades here and here

I love Michelle Phan tutorials

Recently I have started watching Youtube for makeup ideas in an attempt to stop experimenting on my skin. I admit defeat, i have no natural talent for makeup.
So when i heard about youtube gurus, i began browsing and i checked a basic foundation tutorial from Michelle Phan. The next day, i got a chance to try out things she mentioned in her video, and the result was amazing.
I got comments like "You look bright and glowing" instead "Did you put your face in a rice-powder packet? What is the matter-you are looking like an UnDead" which is very nice!!
Check her videos here

Rimmel London Lasting finish lipstick in Heather Shimmer

This was an unexpected and pleasant surprise for me..
I got this lipstick from an Ebay seller for INR 150 as they had some sale.
The seller Cosmetic Zone 2011 also has some nice revlon, bourjois and rimmel products. Check their website here. Their communication and delivery is decent enough.

I love this lipstick mainly because I didnt expect this to work and it did!
You can read my complete review here in IMBB website. My thanks to IMBB folks for teaching me lots about makeup and all those wonderful products out there!

My first post- Aura Vedic Pure Lightening Skin Polish with Turmeric and Sandalwood

Hi, This is my first review and I am excited and nervous and worried.. :) So here goes nothing...

I found Auravedic products on sale in 99labels and decided to try out after seeing some nice reviews of their products. Also words like "Herbal"," no animal testing" was enough to tempt me.

About the company [from the jar cover]: Marketed by Pure botanicas, mihir A.D.Marg, Juhu, Mumbai-49. Manufactured by Gayatri Herbals Pvt Ltd, 10-12 Palladium Industrial Estate Bldg, 72/73 Genesis Township, Kolgaon, Palghat Dist-thane.  Contact id: info@auravedic.com

This is the Auravedic website: http://www.auravedic.com/products/sandal-turmeric-skin-polish. It says no parabens, SLS, harmful chemicals and colors. This is how the product looks like:

Auravedic Skin Polish with Sandal wood and Turmeric

Its a normal fibre-plastic kinda jar with a rather cheap looking lid and wrapping..somehow i am used to seeing herbal products having an aesthic appeal in their wrapping like cute-printed covers etc etc..so this is a minor disappointment..It also has a whitish plastic lid inside the cap which prevents any spill overs.

What it claims: Pure Lightening Skin Polish with Sandal and Turmeric, For a glowing and even skin tone. Pure Skin food

Product details: INR 300 for 100gms.

Shelf Life is 2years.

Back cover- Auravedic polisher

What is written on the back cover:
"This advanced formulation is enriched with pure plant extracts to help even tone, while refining and softening skin. And its gentle enough for sensitive skin. Ideal for combination/normal-to-dry, sun damaged and uneven skin tone, discoloration and dark spots.
Usage: Scoop on to fingertips and gently massage over clean, damp skin using circular motion. Leave polish on skin for a minute before rinsing off.
No artificial colours or chemicals. Not tested on animals. Keep out of eyes.
Ingredients: Kokum butter, mango butter, beeswax, red sandal extract, turmeric extract, jojoba beads, sunflower oil, olivem 1000, oliwax, polymer granules, sandalwood fragrance, purified water, phenoxyethanol."

Auravedic skin polish

Okay, i see all these words like polisher, exfoliator, dermabrasion and i think, "okay, that is a fancy name for a scrub!".. I may be wrong here but I guess companies need their marketing language.. Anyways to the product:

Auravedic Skin food polish

First, the smell..it smells strong but kinda good..i like it..it smells partly of sandalwood and partly of something else herbal which i cannot detect.. it remains on skin for sometime but it doesnt bother me as its a mildly sweet sandalwood scent.
Next the feel of the product.. it has 2 type of butters plus beeswax..so its veryyyyy creamy..the granules are tiny and doesnt hurt skin.. i dont feel "scrubbed" so much when i massage this over face.. but it does leave my face soft, moisturized and glowing.. YAY!!!!  I have added this as part of my night-regime after cleansing for the last one week. I dont use a moisturizer after this. It doesnt need much quantity to use it for a single wash, so i think this will stay for some time.
Auravedic also provides international shipping on demand i believe.
So finally:
Why i love this:

• Nice scrub for sensitive skin, leaves skin clean and fresh
• no need to use moisturiser
• Does impart a glow
• Love the smell
• Natural ingredients-luv that list!

What i hate:

• Tacky packaging! honestly they could do better!
• Smell is a tad strong for sensitive noses.
• I have not seen any lightening effect so far, except a nice glow after wash, but may be in long term smthing myt show

Will i buy again? hmmm... may be when this finishes [around 2012 no doubt] and if i dont find a more interesting one..

Why am i here! Oh yes, cos i’m crazy about makeup & beauty stuff

Well, the title says all.. I follow so many beauty blogs and i buy even a soap after checking so many reviews..
So it was not not long before the “blog-bug” bit me. I think when some one starts to dream about buying makeup and yummy lippies, then its time to push their thoughts out! I am just going to start posting all i know and love about making gals and guys [yes, i can cos i have a brother who looks at mirror 25 times a day and asks me 1001 qns on beauty products and a husband who looks at any reflective surface and smiles at self]..
You are all welcome to post comments [no screaming pls]