Giveaway Update - Important!!!

Quick Updates on the Giveaway - 

-> The last date is extended to Jan 31st 2015 since I am making some changes and I am giving all participants enough time to check and respond.

-> Taking into consideration some requests from participants, I am setting a Max limit for number of tweets or shares you've to do. 
The max # of shares or tweets you can do is 15, 1 per day per social media. If you achieve the max of 15, sit back and relax, cos I will double the points you get :) Thats a good bonus right?
If you dont wish to enter the details via the giveaway widget [I know it can be a hassle!], use the contact form or Facebook messages to let me know what you've shared. 

-> This is only for my blogger friends - Posting a widget in your blog or making a blog post  about this giveaway,  will get you an addition 15 points each. Please use the contact form in this blog or the comments section of this post or Facebook messages to send me your links...

-> The last is response to a question from a subscriber - a note on the criteria for being selected.
Your points matter..so basically if you get the max possible points, you have a chance to win.
If there is no tie, the subscriber with the highest point wins.
If there is a tie, I will use the random() function to pick a random winner from the top scoring list.
The reason for not making this a random pick is because it will be totally unfair to those participants who put an effort into collecting max points.

Link - http://thatmakeuplady.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html

New in Town: Vasanti Love Brights Gel Matte Lipstick in shade Mad Love

There is something about snow and winter that makes me feel partial towards Matte or Satin finish lipsticks. 

So when I saw this new lipstick range from Vasanti in my local Shoppers Drug Mart, I was immediately drawn to it. 

The Grey-pink packaging reminds me of Bite Beauty's packaging...

You can read about the range, the price [$19 CAD] and other details here in Vasanti's website - LINK

Packaging:

I like the overall sleek silvery grey effect of the packaging. The metallic casing is pretty stylish.  

Really really like the stylish metallic grey casing.. Awesome packaging!

The lipstick bullet is designed slightly unusually..reminded me of a petal.. beautiful and unique! :)

Beautiful design!

 About the product

Mad love is described as a purple plum in Vasanti's website. I rather think its is a Pinkish purple rather than a Plum purple as I couldn't see any hints of red in the swatch or on my lips. The color is a bright blue-based shade that can brighten up a sallower complexion. 

Application -  

The lipstick went on smooth and without any dragging over the drier areas. 

This is one of the most comfortable matte formulas I've used - mainly cos of the lightweight texture. The pigmentation is excellent and uniform. In the below pics, I am wearing only 1-2 thin coats on my pigmented lips - you can hardly see any pigmentation at all. 

In fact based on the finish and the overall feel, I think this applies more like a stain than a lipstick. There is no drying or settling into fine lines as well.

In terms of comfort of application, I think only Bite Beauty's famously comfortable lipsticks can match this. 

Word of caution- Mine is not a naturally very dry lips. In fact, I can go out most days even in winter without a lip balm or cracked lips. So if you've drier lips, you may want to test this and see if you need your lips to be exfoliated or primed before applying this. However, the lightweight texture might be a boon for you.

Since I compared these to Bite Beauty lipstick, I decided to see which one was better in terms of value. 

Bite Beauty's Luminous Creme lipstick is $28 for 0.15 oz i.e. around $186 per oz

Vasanti Gel lipstick is $19 for 0.12 oz i.e around $158 per oz.

So if ease of wearing is the most important criteria, I feel you should definitely try this lipstick.

Other plus points in favor of this lipstick is the brand doesnt test on animals and is paraben- free. 

Awesome right?

Other factors:

Lasting power - pretty decent, got upto 4 hours without food. May need touch up, but it does leave a nice stain. 

Scent and Taste - It smells like a Popsicle or something like an artificial grape drink. I dont mind it and it doesnt stay once on lips. No harsh taste as well.

Feathering - It doesnt do bad actually, I didnt find the need to apply a liner.

I am really loving the fact that there are so many Canadian Lipstick Superstars like Bite Beauty, Lippy Girl and Vasanti now in the market! Go Canada!

Overall: The price tag is a bit hefty but I am willing to shell it out for an awesome Matte lipstick like this one. In fact, I am liking some of the other bolder shades very much :)

Unsung beauties... GOSH Intense Lip Colour in 303

What makes a lip gloss extra ordinary?

For me its having a luxurious glossy shiny feel on lips with lotsa pigmentation..enough to wear it without a lipstick underneath yet comfortable, hydrating and kinda long wearing on lips... 

And this gloss from Gosh - they call it lip colour - is an extra ordinary one..

I got this on sale, so I didn't actually note the price. I think it was around $15 CAD originally. You can buy Gosh products in Shoppers Drug mart stores.

303 - is a beautiful lilac-ish pink shade. Not a mauve, though on heavy application it can end up looking so, if you have very pigmented lips. Really beautiful, the kind of  lip color that looks bland in tube, but gives a very chic sophisticated look on lips. I really like how this color looks on my lips - its not too pale, its the only shade of lilac that I've been able to carry off so far. Lilac is a notoriously only-for-cool-toned-fair-skinned ladies only shade. Not to say that darker skin cant wear it, but it comes off as a neon pastel shade on darker skin tones usually and neon or pastel shades are not the cup of tea for most people!

Not a fan of gimmicks, so the lights and the mirror on side aint that big deal for me.

Its coming off more purplish in the pics than it actually is!

As you can see, the color is rich and creamy  and looks beautiful. Its full pigmentation in a single swipe. I wouldn't recommend layering on, unless you've really dry lips. There is no serious scent or taste to the product. Once applied, it sets to a glossy finish and lasts for an average of 2-3 hours which is pretty neat for a gloss.

Overall: I'd really love to try more shades from this line - I like the quality, the feel of these lippies. I usually use them for important official functions, which tells you how much I regard the effect of this lip color.  If you're a gloss lover, this is definitely something you can try.

Holiday Sets - Flower Beauty Color In The Lines Mini Lip Chubby Beauty Set [and why it is a weird weird product]

Sometimes you wonder why companies do stuff.. for .e.g look at Revlon's latest HD lipsticks. The packaging sucks. And this is from a company that has been around for ever. You'd think that they'd have nailed down what not to do in a lipstick packaging, by now. But apparently that is not the case.

This absurd behavior of companies you'd expect to have some marketing sense is what struck me as I was reviewing this gift set from Walmart. 

Walmart Canada finally has the Flower Beauty range by Drew Barrymore and I for one, am super happy about it. Flower beauty is an affordable high quality cruelty free makeup range and we really need more of these awesome makeup brands here in Canada.

Back to the review.

The shades included in the box are: Mauve Over [ nothing Mauve about it actually], Red-dy To Bloom and Berry more [Berry for FB means pinkish nude :) ]. Each mini lippies are 0.03 oz.

I'm listing the various weirdness factors of this gift set one by one below. If you want to skip directly to the product review, scroll a bit more downwards.

WEIRDNESS FACTOR 1 - 

Holiday sets are supposed to be value or even bargain for money with the monetary value of mix of the products in the set either = or greater than the price of the set.

The lip suede velvet lip chubbies - yes thats the entire product name, a mouthful aint it?- are available in individual pieces at $7 CAD for 0.09oz i.e. $ 77. 8 per oz. So each minis are worth 2.35 for 0.03 oz.

Which means that the 3 pieces are worth approx $7 = price of 1 full size product. 

So when Walmart says this gift set is worth approx $15, I assume they've been either smokin' something hot or is including the price of the packaging which apparently is = to the price of the product inside it, which is Bull Shit cos this packaging is not thatttt smart.

 

Even the price of this set, i.e. $9 is higher than the actual product value of the set. 

I hope Walmart or Flower Beauty is  not expecting me to believe that they spent more on the packaging than on the product. 

If they actually spent more on packaging -well, that is reallllly stupid cos they didnt make this one either uniquely artistic or useful to be kept aside. Why would anyone keep this bulky useless plastic-y packaging around????? 

All I have to say at this juncture is  - Are you freaking kidding me Walmart /Flower Beauty? ? ?  

[I am putting both brands equally to blame here]

So now you must be wondering why anyone would buy this, in spite of the apparent lack of value. 

My reason is  - 

1. You get to try 3 nice colors instead of 1 and you dont have to spend $21 to try all these shades

2. The glitzy rose gold packaging, which makes it look more valuable that it is

3. Its hard to calculate all this in store

WEIRDNESS FACTOR 2 

Ever been tricked by a huge glitzy package with nothing much inside? I remember watching this trick in some cartoon once where the hero unwraps so many layers of gift boxes to find a pair of ordinary socks inside. 

This packaging is almost like that.

For putting 3 small lip crayons, you probably need a package 1/3rd or even 1/4th the size of this one.

In these times of ecological conservation and people doing their bit for environment, its 'nice' to see a packaging where most of the set is just the packaging to be thrown out - cos this is not that good a packaging to keep aside!

In fact if you're planning to gift this to someone, be prepared for a ludicrous look on their face as they realize the huge packaging means nothing much in terms of value they're getting!

Product Review:

Back to the actual lippies. I love them. They are essentially creamy lipsticks in a chubby format. All the 3 shades are wearable and doesnt dry out at all. The finish is almost matte, but it doesnt have a dried up look.

From Left to Right - Mauve Over, Reddy to Bloom, Berry More in full size, Berry More

One peculiarity I noted was that Berry more in the mini size was a deeper pinkish shade than the Berry more full size version. Since I dont have the other shades in full size, I cannot comment on if this is just for this shade or not. Nothing drastically different, still an interesting point to note.

From Left to Right - Mauve Over, Reddy to Bloom, Berry More full size, Berry more mini

Mauve Over - a peachy pinkish nude color on my lips

Reddy to Bloom - a cherry red shade with hints of orange

Berry More - a Pinkish Mauvish shade with hints of brown

Overall: My suggestion would be to buy the actual full size items, wrap it in a gift paper and gift it - that would be a more value set than this one. However, there is no doubt that this one provides a good range of shades under $10. The lip product is excellent, so this deal is not too bad, I should say! But this does make me a sceptic w.r.t Walmart's "value pricing"!!!

Manuka Honey Treatment -featured in Memebox Superbox #53 My Honey Box

I got this in the Memebox Superbox # My Honey box, featuring items that either has honey or smells like honey.  I don't have an image of this product, cos after all, there is no swatches or anything to show.

Courtesy: Memebox website

I couldn't find the company that produces this product - the information in Memebox website is also woefully thin.

Review: 
I don't have much to say about this product except that if you have this, I would really suggest you not use this unless you have an oily scalp and/or is living in a really humid climate. The reason is the one time I used this, it dried out my scalp later so bad that I had to actually run around with itchy dry scalp and do all sorts of treatments to calm it down. This was a really bad product to try at the start of winter!!

The drying effect is not immediately apparent - in fact after washing my hair, it felt soft and hydrated. The trouble started when I shampooed my hair next day -I use a gentle shampoo so I was shocked when my scalp became dry and hair started going rough and frizzy. I cant really think of any other cause than this product.

Overall: I like many products from Memebox, but this is not one of them. If you have it and like it, good for you. But me - I wouldnt recommend this to any one with a sensitive scalp. After all, I can only talk about my experience :) :)

Holiday Reds - Bite Beauty Mix n Mingle Lip Mini in Poppy / Scarlet [ and Gimme gimme gimme gimme more....]

If  you need to know my feelings about Bite Beauty's lipsticks, check out my post here - LINK . Bottom line is - I love it, this is the best lipstick ever and I hope & pray that BBeauty will churn out more lippie minis.

So moving on to the shades.. Poppy is a most beautiful warm red while Scarlet is a darker vampy shade. Both colors are warm toned reds, so if you like cool toned reds, you may be a bit disappointed. However, they come off beautifully. 

Beautiful Stocking stuffers, aint they?

 

 

Poppy on the Left, Scarlet on the right

Poppy on my lips - single swipe, no lip balm, no gloss. Look at the sheen, and the smooth finish

Scarlet on my lips - Single swipe, but the color is a teeny bit patchy on drier areas.

Overall: I am regretting that I just bought 1 shade and not the others. I am running back to Sephora at the 1st chance and praying that it will be still there

Avon Shimmering Body Powders in scents Imari & Night Magic

This is one random purchase I made without really having a good idea of what I was planning to use this for. Sometime back, I got a bunch of Avon stuff from a sales rep. And this was more like a filler purchase for me.

I'm not planning to repurchase them, as I really don't have much use for shimmering body powder.
This is just a review in case you are a fan of scented body powders and wears a deep cut gown or dress.

Imari

Imari reminded me of some Sandalwood talc I used to use as a kid. The scent is kinda strong but not irritating.
Its definitely a scent you can classify as exotic. 
Application is pretty easy - just dab the powder on to the skin.
I used this on my decolletage, back, under-arms and belly areas [thats how I use talc].
The shimmer is not very evident, its more like tiny glitter pieces.

Night Magic

This is a more subtle scent and definitely not "exotic". Its a more soothing scent, I wonder if it has lavender in it!
The rest is the same as with Imari.

Packaging sucks big time for both these babies. Its cheap. Really cheap.
For a shimmering body talc, I expect some fancy designs or something to make me feel a tad bit luxurious when I am dabbing this on.


Texture is not as finely milled as the talcs of my childhood. This felt more gritty probably cos of the shimmer.
I think I'd rather have a finely milled non-shimmery version.
And this is not really shimmer - like I said, its fine glitter. Which means that instead of a subtle highlight you're expecting you get teeny tiny glitter pieces on your skin.

Scent is not bad for both, but neither feels luxurious or even interesting.

I use them as a sweat-absorbent once I am once out of the gym and I don't want to take an immediate shower.
To be honest, that is the only use I can see for this, cos its not something you will choose to wear when you're dressing for a party!

Overall: For the cheap price tag, you can give it a try if you like scented powders.

Memebox Thanksgiving Boxes - For Me & You [which kinda ended being For Me & Me]

This is not a review; just a post to show the awesome set of products that I got. 

A total value purchase from Memebox- I am so sad to see that they don't have many boxes coming in now.

Don't be like this, Memebox... bring us some more boxes..

Love the Pumpkin colored boxes and the design...

Nice message right?

All the products are full size.. Yummmmm

So happy to get a lipstick in this box....

 

Not surprisingly, I loved the "For Me" box better. The glitter box in the 2nd one and the brush roll, is pretty unexciting for me. However, the set of all full sized products in  the 2 boxes is like Christmas come early..

Love you Memebox, please be the same and keep coming up with nice boxes..

Too Faced Melted Kisses Lipstick Set [and why you need Too Faced Melted Lipstick in your life]

I think I gave away the plot with the title - I really love this lipstick and I am pretty sure, most of you will. I'd already tried a Melted Lipstick, so when I saw this set in Sephora, I didn't hesitate a bit before jumping in and buying it. 

I am not sure if this exact kit is available now, so consider this as my review and swatches on the 4 shades that came in the set. 

Price of this set was around $30 CAD and it has 4 shades - Melted Nude, Melted Peony, Melted Fuchsia and Melted Berry. 

Each of these lipsticks are 0.16 oz; full size version is $25 CAD for 0.4 oz i.e. $62.5 per oz. There fore, 4 tubes with 0.16 oz is worth $40. So there is a saving for $10 with these beauties. 

As you can see, each tube has a sponge-brushy applicator that is supposed to replace any need for brush. I can totally understand why you need a brush for this considering the pigmentation. But honestly, this nozzle is just bad news for me - cos there is so much of product wastage and its not that hygienic either. I wish they went with the OCC-Lip tar style packaging.

Look at the amount of product left to dry on the nozzle - and how dirty it makes it!

Shades from Top to bottom - Berry, Fuchsia, Peony, Nude

Shades from Top to bottom - Berry, Fuchsia, Peony, Nude

Melted Nude 

Its almost impossible to get a lipstick set where all the colors are useful and/or interesting for you, right? For me, in this set, the Nude shade is useless as a standalone lipstick. Just look at the washed out effect it has on my lips and you can understand. 

The only use I can think of is as a base for a lipstick or gloss. However, this shade is a testament to the pigmentation of the product - look at how this shade has covered my lips with its natural darker pigmentation! Awesome right? And its just 1-2 complete swipes with no layering. 

Melted Peony

Now we come to shades that I like and that I can wear. Peony is a nice blue-toned pink - an everyday shade for all seasons. Not my favorite but still something I can use and like. As with Nude, the pigmentation is just mind blowing!

Melted Fuchsia

Fuschia is one of those colors that makes you go  "Too bright..no way I can pull that off" and when on lips "Oh gosh, it looks so nice! My teeth is is whiter, my face is brighter". My favorite from the bunch!

Melted Berry 

This is a classic cherry red shade with blue under tones. You can layer this color to get a more Reddish effect. This is a great shade for Holidays and is one of those suits-every-skin-shade color. Love it and is my second favorite from the bunch. 

 

A problem that I experienced only with the Berry shade is that like most reds, this has a slight tendency to bleed. So my suggestion is to apply a lip liner to avoid feathering.

Staying power is pretty impressive for all of these lipsticks with the color remaining true for 2-3 hours even with mild food & drinks and fading evenly after that. There is a light staining effect for the darker shades, but I don't really mind that.

Feel of the lipstick is light and satiny on the lips - perfect for people who dont like the weight of a creamy lipstick. Pigmentation and application is awesome - it glides without any issues. With the lighter shades I noticed that it tends to look drier though it doesnt feel dry. This can be corrected by applying a peachy nude gloss or a lip balm underneath.

Too Faced is a Cruelty Free brand so for any purchase I made, I can always comfort myself with the thought that I am promoting a brand that doesn't blind rabbits in the name of beauty!

Lastly, I've tried both Lip Tars and the latest LA Girl Glazed lip paints and neither are dupes for this one. I've not yet come across a lip product that can be a true dupe for this lipstick in terms of pigmentation, finished look and feel on the lips. 

Overall: Love love love love love love......