Review and Swatches: Jordana 7" lip liner in shade Spice

I must admit that while I love lipsticks and moderately care for lip glosses, lip liners are something I usually ignore.

I have a bare minimum of 3 basic colors in my cache: a nude, a coral peachy shade[this one I am reviewing] and a brown

My reluctance to use lip liners is basically because my lips are thin and its hard to correctly define them, espl while running to office.

So it’s basically “lipbalm+lipstick+gloss” combo for me usually.

I got this from Coollifeshop.com when the prices were much lesser [I don’t know why but the product prices seemed to have increased in their website for Jordana].

I got this one for around 80 INR but now the price is 100+.

What coollifeshop says about the product?

·         The Foolproof Way to Line Lips

·         Easy Application

·         Prevents Color from Bleeding Beyond the Lip Line

·         Excellent Quality, Great Value

7" Lip Liner Pencil by Jordana emphasize the shape of your lips. It is the perfect tool for re-shaping lips or just even out size or fullness. This beautifully precise lip liner stays on for quite some time and prevents lipstick from bleeding.

Jordana’s 7" Lip Line Pencil comes in various shades. You can match these with your lipstick to give a perfect look to your lips. This slim pencil is easy to use & gives a natural, timeless look to your lips. It is available in .12oz/3.4g.

Best Suitable For:

All types of lips

Tips & Tricks:

Draw the lip liner along the natural line of the lips. Start from the middle to the outer edges. If you want your lips to look small, draw the line slightly inside the natural curve of the lip. If you want your smaller lips look bigger, draw the line just outside of the natural lip at the outer corners. Don’t forget to blend it well.

The website stocked only 3 colors [Mahogany, Spice and Natural ] , I would have loved to try the shades Toast and petal.

I got natural and spice and I love spice the better. Natural is more of a flesh toned color that washes out my complexion usually.

Jordana is a nice and cheap brand and I have tried their lipsticks and blushes as well.

I have a love-hate relationship with lipsticks [gorgeous color& stay, horrible feel & finish: read my review in IMBB here ]

I love their blushes and is waiting for a good offer to buy some more interesting shades.

Jordana 7” lipliner is made I guess with makeup artists or beauticians in mind, for who else will even finish using half of it in a time span of 2 years!

Unlike the shade Natural, Spice is soft and creamier and feels good & easy to apply.

It is a very bright color, which I tried using as an overall color, but didn’t work very well.

I usually pair it with coral pink or peach shades and this one surprisingly is a good day-time blusher as well.. J

Shocked? No really, I tried this on my cheeks once and after blending properly, this worked well as a creamy matte blusher for a very peachy tint.

As for the staying power, it’s around 2-3 hours but the problem is because its too long, its difficult to carry around.

It doesn’t have any strong fragrance or taste and doesn’t have any skin irritations.

I guess it will be hardly 6” by the time I throw this away L

Wish companies would come up with compact sized products!

Overall, I would say this is a good product for lip-liner-beginners like me who is learning on using this J

Wish coollifeshop would add more shades soon.

Review and Swatches: Lotus Herbals Seduction Botanical Tinted Lip Gloss - Strawberry Punch 41

I got this beauty from Fashion and you, a website I usually try to avoid if possible due to their extremely poor customer service [don’t get me started on this, I can yarn and yarn..]

However, occasionally they have some nice offers which the beauty-addict in me refuses to ignore and I jump and buy and then end up chewing my nails waiting and waiting and waiting for the products to come.

This gloss is part of Lotus Herbal’s Tinted Lip gloss range and I really like this range as a whole.

In fact I think Lotus is the best of Indian make-up brands: No animal testing [Lakme goes down here], Ingredients listed [colorbar goes down here] and decent match of price against quality and availability . I think Tips and Toes might be a good choice for an Indian brand, when it comes to ranges and shades I guess nothing tops firangi brands J

The shade I got is a bright coral pink shade which brightens up the face but if you have un-even skin tone [like me L], make sure you apply your makeup fool-proof.

It is very good for a natural look for day wear espl for summer or for a beach outing.

The gloss is not very long stay but it is moisturizing enough and glides easily.

It is not very sticky, not too shimmery, doesn’t have any taste or strong scent.

The only con I could find is that if the applicator doesn’t help in spreading gloss evenly.

I prefer the Bourjois  lip gloss brush-tip applicator which helps in smoothing the gloss evenly.

For the price, I think this is a nice buy if you love glosses and is not looking for a long stay one J

Lotus herbals tinted gloss is available from the following websites:

Medplusbeauty.com[Ylove this site]: http://www.medplusbeauty.com/products/lotus-herbals-seduction-botanical-tinted-lip-gloss  price 184.5INR

Urbantouch.com: http://www.urbantouch.com/lotus-herbals-seduction-botanical-tinted-lip-gloss/UT0000067/p/ price is 200 INR

Stylecraze.com: http://www.stylecraze.com/Products/lips-lip-gloss/Lotus/lotus-herbals-seduction-botanical-tinted-lip-gloss/pid-786941.aspx price is 214 INR

Snapittoday.com: http://snapittoday.com/lotus-herbals-seduction-botanical-tinted-lip-gloss--strawberry-punch-41-p544t price is 209INR

Cosmetix.in: http://cosmetix.in/Lip-Gloss/624-lotus-seduction-botanical-tinted-lip-gloss.html price is 198INR

Healthkart.com : http://www.healthkart.com/product/lotus-herbals-seduction-botanical-tinted-lip-gloss/BTY360 price is 198INR

Winter season must-buys: Natural Beeswax Cream

I picked this beauty for a cheap price from an ethnic store in Naggar, Kullu dist, Himachal Pradesh.

If you plan to visit Naggar, make sure you do a good ethnic product shopping from the small but cute local stores.

This is now a winter must-use for me. I have never used pure beeswax before so it was pleasantly surprising to find a non-sticky herbal smelling version with amazing moisturizing effect.

I am in love with this cream now, thankfully I have got around 3-4 jars to keep me happy for at least a year or so!

Some facts about beeswax I found from some websites:

Beeswax is a byproduct of honey production. It makes wonderful lip balms, hand lotions, hand creams, moisturizers, in cosmetics, wood finishes, waxes, leather polishes; waterproofing products, and dental molds. It is impervious to water and unaffected by mildew.

LIP GLOSS

2 teaspoons beeswax

2 tablespoons, sweet almond oil or coconut oil

5 drops essential oil (such as orange, lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, coconut or mint)

2 drops vitamin E capsule

(optional: to tint, up to 1/4 teaspoon lipstick)

Melt the oil and beeswax together. Remove from heat. If coloring, stir in the lipstick. When the mixture has cooled to lukewarm, stir in essential oil and the vitamin E. Transfer to a small container.

Stir occasionally while cooling . If a thicker gloss is desired, increase the amount of beeswax. (Experiment with other additions such as baking chocolate, crushed peppermint candy, cocoa butter, vanilla bean, oil of cinnamon, oil of camphor or eucalyptus for soothing chapped lips, wheat germ oil, etc.

Add oil-based ingredients to the oil phase, and water-soluble ingredients to the water phase.) This is a great way to use up leftover or too-dark lipstick.

Check website: http://www.rachelssupply.com/bwax.htm

Recent reviews in IMBB: FACES Canada cosmetics lipsticks - Satin matte [shade cordovan] and Go chic [Shades Fig and Mulberry slush]

My recent reviews on 3 lipsticks from my current favorite brand FACES Canada:

FACES Canada Go Chic lipsticks http://makeupandbeauty.com/faces-canada-chic-lipsticks-fig-mulberry-slush/

FACES Canada Satin Matte lipstick shade Cordovan http://makeupandbeauty.com/faces-canada-satin-matte-lipstick-shade-cordovan/

Review and Swatches: Nivea Fruity Shine lip balm in Pink Guava

I always use lip balms as I somehow believe they protect my lips from any harmful chemicals in lipsticks and so so.

What with our desi markets not as updated or as voluminous as the West, I never bothered much about tinted lip balms and was always faithful to the colorless beauties.

Then I got this one free with some purchase I made from Health and Glow and I soo love this one!

I wish we get more n more such nice ones as gifts J

Check Nivea’s website here for the product: http://www.nivea.in/products/lip-care/fruity-shine/fruity-shine-pink-guava

What Nivea says:  “Delicious guava scent and rich ingredients for extremely soft and glossy lips in a luscious deep red tone”

Price is around 100 INR for 4.8 gms of the product.

I love this one! I absolutely love the fruity smell, the slightly sweet taste, the light sheer coral-pink [I don’t know why they say “deep red”!] shade with shimmers and the nice moisturizing effect it gives,

I wish this was a bit long lasting than the 1-2 hours staying power it has.

The casing is strong and sturdy and the cylindrical bullet shape of the product makes it very easy to apply unlike their tube design which is a messier process.

This is not strongly or even medium tinted.. In fact to see the coral pink shade you have to swipe it 5-6 times espl on pigmented lips like mine.

I don’t mind this as I love the feel of this balm.

I love Nivea more so cos I discovered it doesn’t do animal testing.

It has been pretty had to buy products in India as the major players like Lakme and Loreal are all animal-testers and I had to avoid them..

And that also meant, limited range of lippie availability way back when I was in college i.e. 2001-2005.

But now I am happy that lots of alternatives are available like Lotus, FACES, Body Shop etc.

Check Ank’s review of this in IMBB here.

You can buy Nivea’s Fruityshine in Pink Guava here:

-          From Style Craze: http://www.stylecraze.com/Products/style-craze-skin-care-lip-balms/Nivea/nivea-lip-care-fruity-shine-pink-guava/pid-847035.aspx  Price is 116 INR

-          From violet bag: http://www.violetbag.com/lip-balms/1496-nivea-lipcare-pink-gauva-48-gm.html Price is 120INR

-          From Urban touch: http://www.urbantouch.com/nivea-lip-care-fruity-shine-pink-guava/4005808012107/p/ Price is 129INR

-          From Snapittoday: http://snapittoday.com/nivea-lipcare-fruity-shine-pink-guava-(4.8-gm)-p390t Price is 124INR

-          From medplubeauty: http://medplusbeauty.com/products/nivea-lip-care Price is 122INR

Aint it exciting to see so many nice websites?? J J J J J

Review and swatches: Avon Simply Pretty Eye Defining Pencil in Metallic Blue

I met Neha through IMBB and she is a lovely person who sends me avon & oriflame products which is a boon to me as getting cosmetics here is very challenging!

She also advices me on nice products every month and I usually get a cover from her at least once a month. This eye pencil is one of the smart buys I made as it is cheap and yet it gives a lovely finish over eyes..

The color is a brilliant bright blue with instantly brightens up the eyes but unless you wanna look like you are going to a hawaiin beach party, avoid wearing strong blue shades over your eyes as a single color..trust me, brilliant blue lined eyes are only for models!

I usually apply this over my black kajal or eyeliner and then lightly blend it to give a touch of exotic but not too much..

A best way to apply colored liners is to add it to the corners of your eyes..or to the rim of the upper lid line…

I got this for 69 rs but the normal price is 110..

I never apply colored pencils to water lines and I think that’s safer too!

Overall I think this is a nice budget buy espl for college girls.. J

Check shivani’s review of Green & brown shades in IMBB here

Review and Swatches: Lotus Herbals Naturalblend Swift Make-up Stick SPF-15

I got this while I was searching for quick-fix product during my stuff-for-marriage preps.

I heard from my friend that to have a quick makeup stick is the easiest way 2 fix makeup [it’s not! easiest way is to carry sm mineral powder with powder puff to apply evenly on face. No brush pls]..

So I searched around and found 2-3 brands offering panstick, like Maxfactor and Diana of London..

Maxfactor was a no-no for me cos of animal testing and I had not then heard of DoL.

So I decided to go with Lotus and got this and boy, do I regret!

Price is 249 and there is a decent quantity available.

The stick is creamy enough and spreads decently enough on skin and is easy enough to blend with fingers.

Okay, I have nothing bad about the product quality. It provides medium coverage and can be used as a concealer but cannot agree with the “compact” effect.

SPF15 is definitely a boon and I wish more & more makeup products should have this feature.

Now where I have the problem is with the packaging and usage.

As you can see, the product looks weird and has stained the entire cap area.

That is cos it broke off the second day when I accidentally dropped it and smeared all over the cap.

It took some serious efforts to push it back and by god, it was messy!

While the ‘dropping’ part is my fault, I do think that for a stick packaging the pack should have been more sturdy.

I didn’t drop it very hard, so I think the design should have been smart enough to cover that.

What is the point of a stick that breaks easily and smears all over and in general becomes useless?

Swatch: 1 swipe of the product

You can see the blended effect on the right side of my hand..

I wouldn’t recommend this nor oppose this, I would rather say that if you are

-of the super-careful type

-is always on the go

-need a quick fix in place of liquid/cream foundation

-hates powder foundations

you can try this!

Auravedic Harmonising Hair Cleanser

I love herbal products, espl ones that has the magic tag ‘No Parabens’ .

So when I saw Auravedic on sale in 99labels.com, I checked the brand online and found some nice reviews.

Since  I can never have enough of soaps or hair cleansers, I got this along with a skin polish I had reviewed earlier

This is what is given on the website. I couldn’t find any reviews on this product specifically.

The product I received looks kinda different from the one shown in website, so I am guessing mine is a slightly off-dated item

Its comes in a plastic bottle, not very large in fact pretty small! Since its transparent enough, you can see the color and quantity.

I found the labeling simple and decent but not very attractive. A lil more on graphics side would have been appreciated!

My idea of a herbal product packaging is Freshline’s super cute one [check the Urban touch website for Freshline products]

The good part is that the ingredient list is given in detail and looks good. I am also hooked on the fact that this is a non-animal tested product.

I love the fresh feeling fragrance and feel that this cleanser has. My scalp feels very clean after washing with this.

The shampoo is a greenish medium thick liquid.

On the downside, the price 150/- is a bit high considering that for medium long hair like mine, a lot of product is required, which means this will hardly last me for 1month!!!!

But I guess to get that fresh feel on hair without added problems of paraben, paying 150 every 2 weeks sounds good..

Also couldn’t find any volumising effect as mentioned on the label..i wonder why companies make such tall claims!

Now the only problem is finding this online L or in stores… I don’t see this in stores and this item is not available online in Beaute Naturelle store.

Auravedic products can be bought here : Beauté Naturelle, an online shop for herbal products.

To buy or not? If you come across this and if you like paying 150INR for getting a fresh-feel wash for approx 2-3 weeks, you can buy this.. J