How to remove that liquid lipstick without hurting your lips (plus a mini review of Absolute NY lip balm)

If you're like me and absolutely hate having to clean lips with wipes or toners that tastes YUKKK, then be of good cheer - cos I've found something that helps.

So meet your new lipstick remover ..... Drum rolls please........

....... Your lip balm.

That's easy right? 

I've got pics to prove my theory and here it goes.

Lip balm over NYX's lip lingerie in some shade I cant remember. Apply thickly and smooth it over your lips and massage lightly.

Leave it for 5-10 secs and then wipe it off with a soft cotton pad. No water necessary.

You can see the amount of products removed in one wipe. Gently continue. Reapply lip balm as needed.

The best part is - it helps in 2 ways: no yukky taste left and your lips get a small massage and treatment from the lip balm.

I've found that this works best with a lip balm with a glossier or softer texture as it is easier to massage that type in.

Mini Review: This lip balm has no lasting benefits but tastes and smells okay. The real problem are the shimmers in the lip balm. The hydration provided is not that good and it doesnt last much. So this actually makes for a good lip balm-cleanser :)

So what do you think?
Try and let me know!

What Not To Buy: Ole Henrikson Invigorating Night Gel (cos it is scary!!!!)

Next time you're in Sephora and is planning to check out Ole Henrikson's products, here is something I wish to warn you about - They are not for all skin types. Especially not sensitive skin types.

Okay, may be I am being unfair to judge all products based on the trio I tried. But then, we can only review based on our experiences. Someone getting a food poisoning from a restaurant may come off as a harsh reviewer compared to someone else who had an excellent meal!

So excuse my review, cos this darn thing burnt, BURNT my skin!

The only time a product did this was when I tried a Sally Hansen hair remover.
But then hair removers are supposed to be harsh chemicals so I can find some excuse in me.



But when a skin care product, also marked "for all skin types", burns off the skin under my eye and makes my whole face burn the next day after I apply it at night - I think I am justified in marking it as "TO BE AVOIDED".

Thats not a wrinkle, it is a wound in the shape of my crease!!!

My experiences with 2 other products from this brand also justifies my fears that this brand either uses some reallllllly harsh chemicals or is not marking its demographics correctly.

Hurt like HELL!!!!

FYI - My skin is normal, not sensitive at all and doesnt usually have any kind of reactions to a lot of products.

So, yeah - My advise would be to stay away and try something more gentler for your face.

Indie Brands Series: Silk Naturals Vitamin C Peptide Serum and why you should never buy just a sample of this!

I am not a fan of going the whole "I-want-skin-paler-than-milk" route. But at the same time, I face a common concern that many darker skinned ladies especially from India share - pigmentation around cheeks and mouth.

Part of it is caused by @#@$ facial hair(Darn You, whoever or whatever decided that women would ever need facial hair!!!) . Part of it is caused by sun-tan, genetics, hormones - you name it.
Hence my lifelong search for brightening (not lightening!) products that would give me that magical uniform looking complexion albeit for the time I using it.

In my search for the Unicorn, I have stumbled across many Vit C products. Some are a huge MEH (expect some posts soon!). A few like this one from Silk Naturals are potential HGs.

Courtesy: Silk Naturals website

So I got this one in a small sample size from Silk Naturals along with a lot of their lippies which unfortunately are not my favs. And this serum was an afterthought.

Which has in retrospective, made me so regretful. Cos this is one of the best performing serums ever!
Phyrra - a vegan makeup blogger whom I follow and whom you may know - had some glowing reviews for this serum and I totally get why.

In 1 Line, Why You Need To Try This - Cos this is an amazingly pocket friendly serum that gives you awesome results - fresh, dewy brighter skin - from 1st try and consistent results all along.

Since I got only a sample, I couldn't comment on the long term benefits. But in a few uses, I could see this doing some great things. I used this at night, and the next 2 days would be days when I could get by on just a sun screen and yet look good enough. I could actually see this evening out my complexion though the results didnt last more than 2 days after 1 use. But I've learnt that it is probably unrealistic to expect a cosmetic product to permanently transform a genetic or hormonal condition.

Unlike most Vit C serums, I didnt notice any slight burning or tingling sensations with this, so I am assuming this would be gentle enough with most skin types.

I should note - like with all Vit C products I use, I used this one at night and followed up in the morning with sunscreen with SPF greater than 30.

Their shipping to Canada is the only bad thing :( But it aint so bad, so I may be placing an order soon. And learn from me - dont waste your time and shipping cost by just ordering a sample!

Some Family Recipes on Using Turmeric: Diet & Skin Care

I'd received many questions on how to use Turmeric, once relatively unknown in the West but is now being called a 'Super-food'. In fact, last day when I met my dietitian here in Toronto, she was listing some detox ingredients I could add to my diet and she started with, "Do you know about Turmeric? Its this awesome..."

Yep, Turmeric is awesome. But then we in India have always known how awesome it is.
I am from the tropical southern part of India, the fabled land of spices for which many wars were fought apparently (sigh). We have our spice markets and every home is never without a standard set of spices.

Turmeric, if not the King or Queen of the spices, is pretty high up in the ranks. I am not going to yarn about how this is a gift of nature and all its properties.
All I am going to list are some family recipes on how we used and continue to use this herb/spice.

DIET

We use turmeric in its powdered form in 2 ways in our diet. There could be more ways to use this but sadly I am not aware of it.

1. As a must-add ingredient in all most all dishes, especially dishes with leafy vegetables. My grandma used to tell me that this removed/neutralized any toxins from the plants.
We add turmeric while the plants are cooking, so it doesn't feel raw to taste.
For cooking fish and meat, we either use it for marinade or while the meat is cooking.



2. A pre-sleep drink mix which is supposed to have detox and lot of skin care benefits.
Milk is boiled with a tbsp of turmeric, almond powder(optional) and saffron (optional). Sugar can be added to make it more palatable.
This is then taken at least 30mins before sleep and almost 1 hour after dinner.
Due to the presence of almond and saffron, this drink is especially given to kids improve health and immunity.


SKIN CARE

Turmeric has been used in skincare for a long time. Brides from North India and other parts use a mix of Turmeric, Milk and Besan (garbanzo beans flour) as a face pack. This is not just supposed to help with brightening the skin but also to give some immunity against any sun damage.

There may be many ways to use turmeric for skin care, but as I mentioned, I am only detailing what we have used and found to be effective in my family.

One thing to note is, we used 2 types of turmeric.
The regular turmeric was/is used for both cooking and skin care.
But a variant called Kasthuri Manjal or Wild Turmeric or Aromatic Turmeric ( Curcuma aromatica) is preferred for skincare purposes. Note that the Aromatic Turmeric is never used for cooking.

All the below ideas for skin care works with both variants of turmeric but the Aromatic turmeric is more effective.

1. Anti-Tan and Anti-Pigmentation face pack. 
Tropical region means lot of tan and pigmentation for ladies from my region.
My grandma used to grind raw turmeric root and use the paste on face.
It was also supposed to be effective against any acne or pimples popping up.

2. Facial Oil - which is how I use turmeric mostly now
My grandma used to heat coconut oil with pieces of wild turmeric (not too high, just to get the essence of the turmeric to mix in). The oil was then filtered and kept aside and used on face every other day.
This oil was/is typically applied warm-to-touch at least 30 mins before bath and massaged in to the skin so the oil has time to act on skin.
The oil is then washed off during bath.

A point I wish to note is - we never use soap with Turmeric. So to wash off turmeric oil from face, we use either a paste of rice flour or mung bean flour. The flour can be dry rubbed on face gently to remove the oil and turmeric.

Olive oil can be used as a substitute.
I've also used almond or grape-seed oil but in that case, I would mix turmeric powder or turmeric paste without heating the mix.

3. To reduce hair growth on face
I've not used turmeric for this personally but ladies in my family swears by this benefit.
Again, a paste of wild turmeric is used - mixed with a dash of lemon juice and milk and applied as a paste to be left for 15-20mins.
Effects are purported to be permanent on doing this regularly for 3-4 months.


Note: Regular Turmeric especially may leave a yellow tinge on skin after use. The stain from wild turmeric is lesser which is also a reason to use wild turmeric for skin care. The stain is not permanent and usually goes away after a day or so.


This is not a well-researched medically supported article on the many benefits and effects of Turmeric. The contents of this article are merely from a personal experience perspective, not as a recommended set of practices for general public.

A tale of 9 Facial Oils -The Good' s and The So-So's (plus a bonus!)

I am going to skip the 1st and the best.
Not cos I am crazy, but cos I already reviewed it here

So thats Marula Oil out of my way.

I still have 8 left.
So lets start from left to right as per the picture.

Note: I am only going to briefly touch on the claims of the oil (cos you can just google them better than me saying all about it) and explain more about what benefit I personally got from using them. 

Baobab Oil:
Claims - moisturizing, useful for extreme dry skin and hair

My experience -> I find that this oil is easily absorbed into skin and good for sensitive skin like the one around my lips after an exfoliation. I am not sure what the natural fragrance of these oils are, but the Aura Cacia one I use is pretty okay for me. I find this oil both useful for day and night time use.
I haven't used it on hair and probably wouldn't.

Repurchase or Not? I am not sure. I may. I haven't seen any magic happening with this one like my experience with Marula. But then this is good for lightweight hydration. I haven't experienced any brightening effect with this. Cant comment on anti-aging effects as I am only on the early 30s.

Elixir De Beaute from Institut Karite
Claims - Beauty Oil

My Experience -> I bought this on a sale from UO and since most of the websites with review or info on this product was in French, I honestly didn't expect much from this oil. From usage, I find this to be a very general purpose facial oil for hydration and some nice fragrance. This is more of a body oil for me than a facial oil as I couldnt find much difference in skin tone from using this.
Because of its light weight texture, I use this for mixing with my foundation or as a prep for face before makeup.
Its best suited for day wear.

Repurchase or Not? Nah. I use this and TBS's moringa beauty oil for the same purpose and TBS's oil is much cheaper.

Carrot Seed Oil
Claims  - helps balance both oily and dry complexions, heals damaged skin, and helps aged skin

My Experience -> You need a weak nose to use this one. I am pretty tolerant of fragrances and I cant stand this one. Only the thought that this has helped me with my severe pigmentation and sun damage has sustained me so far! The medicinal almost bitter smell that this oil emits cannot easily be countered even by mixing with some beauty oils like the Institut Karite one.
This is best suited to be used at night, but cos of the smell, I would suggest using this after sun set as this oil helps with sun damage.
I have found that using this oil after a day in the beach helps reduce the pigmentation on my face.

Repurchase or Not? Definitely. But I will also be purchasing some nice-scented beauty oil I can mix this one with.

Neem Oil
Claims  -So Many! Anti-oxidant, disinfectant, healing etc etc

My Experience -> When I was younger and in the throes of the teen-acne pain, I used to apply a paste of neem leaves on my face overnight and it worked superbly well. I also used to wash my hair in water boiled and cooled with neem leaves in it, to treat dandruff.
So neem oil is no stranger to me.
I use it on a 'need-to-only' basis - when I have a stubborn pimple or when I have a case of scaly scalp.
Because of its medicinal smell, this oil is not something I want to use daily. It doesn't have any significant hydration or de-pigmentation benefits.

Repurchase or Not? Definitely.This is like a healing oil that I use on my face in case of breakouts, wounds etc, so this is like First Aid for Face for me.

Andrea Garland Violet Hydrating Facial Oil with Seabuckthorn
Claims - promote natural cellular regeneration, help reduce the appearance of fine lines and balance moisture levels to restore skin's healthy radiance

My Experience -> I am on the fence with this one. I've used it in sprints of 2 weeks for 2-3 times. Each time I get different results. Sometimes I can see a serious difference in how my skin looks and feels. Sometimes its Meh.
The only consistent result has been the good hydration it provides.
The oil is thicker than a usual facial oil like the TBS one, so I'd recommend using this at night. 
Because of the thicker consistency, I don't recommend mixing this with foundation or cream.

Repurchase or Not? I cannot recommend it nor can I not recommend it. Its confusing. So my suggestion is if you like vintage packaging and want to take a chance, you may want to try this to see if any effect.

Grape Seed Oil and Almond Oil
Claims - Antioxidant, emollient and prevents sun damage

 My Experience -> I use both these oils for:
- as carrier oils for essential oils like Neem or Tea Tree oil.
- Makeup removal including eye makeup (works fantastically well)
- Mixing with foundation to get a more 'dewy' effect
  
Repurchase or Not? Oh yeah!

The Body Shop Moringa Oil
Claims - gives instant hydration and a shimmering finish.

 My Experience - One of the rare instances when the benefits actually match the claims. This is a lightweight floral scented daytime oil, perfect for a quick prep of face before makeup. This gives a nice dewy finish and a sheen to the skin. On days when my skin looks pretty good, I just apply this and my sunscreen.

Repurchase or Not? I like this but I may also try a variant of TBS's oil.

OVERALL:
Marula Oil still rules!

BONUS point:
I've been using oil all my life for facial skin care. I started with coconut oil (both pure & medicated versions) moved on to olive, castor, sesame and saffron oil and later to the essential oils.
After my trial and errors, this is what I found:

- For Hydration (all skin types): Coconut oil is the best. I suggest using coconut half an hour before bath so the more oily feel can be washed away. At night, massage in the oil and apply a warm wet-wash cloth over face for 5-10mins so the oil is absorbed.
Olive oil is the next best option.

- For Brightening effect: Marula oil has worked best for me. Another option is a medicated mix of Coconut oil and Turmeric (if you want me to explain this in a post, comment/message and let me know)

- For day-time sheen/shimmer/fragrance use: TBS's Beauty Oils.

- For mixing with foundation/creams: I suggest Grapeseed or Almond oil. Coconut oil would also work as well.

- Best Multipurpose Facial oil: You guessed it, Coconut Oil!

The One and The only Facial Oil you'd ever need..

And I am not kidding. Though I feel super stupid saying that, cos after all its not like I'm a certified "oil' expert or like I've tried all the facial oils ever. But this is a honest review from the heart and I've experimented with a bunch of facial oils and if it helps anyone, that's all the good I hope for!

Almost every brand seems to have one or other facial oil and I don't think one lifetime is enough to test all these and come up with the best.
But for me, if any facial oil could come close to being the one and only facial oil you'd need based on the effect it has, I believe it would be this one - African Botanicals Pure Marula Oil

Courtesy - African Botanics website

I had bought this a long time back and didnt really consider this one, till this Winter started.

Honestly I didn't expect much except for good hydration. I am an old hand with oils; I use oils daily on my face, body and hair. My go-to favorites are Coconut and Rose Hip oil.
I never really expected this one to work, cos a lot of the new oil-craze feels like hype to me.

But boy! Does this work!

I wish I'd taken some before photos so I could show you the difference it made.

But here is what I noticed after 2 weeks of applying this daily at night before sleep:

• My skin feels super hydrated. I don't need any moisturizer except sunscreen (my skin type is normal, but in winter I tend to get dry patches around eye and nose area)
• My face looks brighter and not the usual tired look I sport. Its like there is a sheen to my skin, which I usually try & achieve with a  subtle illuminator.
• I'd some pigmentation on my face especially around mouth area. All gone now and that is the quickest that pigmentation has faded for me
• I don't need much foundation or concealer now to make my complexion look even or bright
• A lot more compliments and questions ! :)

Overall: I wish I hadn't spend so much money on de-pigmentation creams earlier! And I also wish Marula oil was a bit cheaper (its like 80$+, Ouch!) . But all is fair in the name of beauty, right? :(

New in Town: Sephora Favorites "Give Me Some Nude Lip" lip color set

This kit has lesser # of products than the last Sephora lip kit which had 6. But this seems to have 2 full sized lippies, so YAY!

I like the shape of the box. Items from left to right - NARS Dolce Vita (full size), Marc Jacobs lip liner in Prim(rose), NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek Crayon in Whisper(full size), Tarte Tarteist Lip Paint in Namaste Nude and Laura Mercier Lipstick in Miky Way

I love all the shades in the set except for the lipstick which washes me out. Not a fan for the lip paint formula either. NARS lipstick also kinda disappointed me, cos its a bit too sheer. I like super excited for this one, but it was like MEH on swatch.

Formula wise, I liked MJ lipliner and Nudestix the best. Shade-wise, loved NARS Dolce Vita and MJ Lip liner.

Final Thoughts: Would I recommend this? Yes, if you are a newbie like me to all the products in the set and is planning to try them out. The 2 full sized products alone makes it worth the money!

Now Ranting: On What Bugs Me About Sephora...

And generally any other makeup counter with a helpful lady behind it, trying to give me 'useful' advise on foundation is -
....
......
........

They end pushing either orangey or too-dark foundations on me.
This tragedy can strike you even if you listen to all those MUA gurus in Youtube, who advises us on picking the right color foundation for our skin tone.

Note: This is probably a post for women of color like me, especially of South Asian origin or descent ( i.e. India etc).

Courtesy: Pixabay.com

Not saying everyone faced this problem. Not saying anything against orangey or dark foundation, if that is what you want and like. And lastly I am not trying to come off as 'pro-whitening' that is so vogue in Asian countries.

All am saying is - my face is a mosaic of skin tones and usually I find that most Sales Assistants in Sephora and other beauty department stores end up pushing foundations in the darkest of my skin tones at me, making my face, neck and decollete all in different colors. This has happened so many times. I try telling the SA that what I want is probably something that would not just match my chin or one small area of my face, but my entire face and neck and possibly lower, but they never seem to get it.

The last straw for me, was the nice lady at Sephora who tried pushing a Bare Minerals foundation at me. Let me be very honest - she was super nice. But she kept trying to tell me my 'perfect' shade was a foundation shade that only matched my lower chin, but was too orangey and dark for rest of my face.  In fact, after she did a demo, I looked so weird that she didn't argue much when I said, "Sorry No Way".

Weird? Is it just me who has this problem of having a mosaic skin tone and wondering which shade would go with most of the face? I dont think so, cos I've seen and heard similar problems from my other S-Asian friends, so I hope I am speaking for a good-sized population here.


I was discussing this strange phenomenon with my MUA friend when she explained it to me and it was like seeing the Light. And it made sense, so much sense!

Reasons are (as per her and as per me now):
1. Most white women go for a slightly tanned look and hence prefer a slightly darker tone for their foundation. Since a lot of SAs in Sephora and other dept stores and MUA Youtube gurus are of fairer even skin tones, their choices and way of choosing becoming a general guideline which the rest of us end up adopting.

2. We all suffer from pigmentation. But the way it affects us varies by skin tone. Fair skinned (white) ladies get freckles etc. Olive/Brown skin tones like mine gets dark patches which ends up making parts of our face in a different tone(like for me, my under-eye area is fairest while my under-chin is darkest). It is not targeted like a freckle and cant easily be covered by concealer.


Makes sense? It did to me.

So now what?

Now, you can chose to look at the foundations you bought and didnt work for you and see it in a new light.

What I do now? I find that I need to mix my foundations (I get a dark and a light shade in my fav formula and mix them to my right consistency) , apply a corrector around my darker patches and generally smile & ignore the shade advise I get from SAs here.

Another change I noticed was - I ended up using concealer much less and corrector (yellow and peach shade) more. 

And it works.  

Tell me what you think - did this make sense to you?

Review in Pics: NYX Matte Lipstick in Aria

Back again with another Review entirely in pics...

These lippies have the old black packaging..So happy NYX has the new improved colorful packaging now!

Matte? Hmm.. It looks satiny, it feels satiny, it finishes off Satiny...  Anyways, the transparent middle section is useful.

Swatched against what I thought may be a possible dupe, Milani's Sangria. But Nah, not a dupe.

This isnt matte in the truest sense of matte. It gives a beautiful lasting Satiny finish. Avg staying power but leaves stain. Easy to apply and I love the color.

Final Thoughts: Not a 'Matte' matte, but still a beautiful easy-on-pockets color for Winter. Love it and I will probably try to pick another shade if I find NYX on sale.

NYX is now available in Canada at nyxcosmetics.ca

Review in 2 mins - Sonia Kashuk Perfecting Luminous Foundation

I'm finding it boring to read a long review about a product - mainly cos I read a review when I am about to purchase it and I just don't have much time to spare for all the stories I read.

So this is what I thought I'd try from now - a review entirely in 2 mins.
How you may ask?

My idea is to add my review as comments on the pictures cos after all a pic should be worth 1000 words and I could just add my few to finish it off.

So lets try!

Packaging - Easy to use, hygienic as less exposure to light and air

Formula - Easy to blend, contains shimmer particles, medium to stronger build able coverage

Finish - Luminous, can be a bit shimmery, better suited for Winter time for normal/oily skins.

Final Thoughts - A pretty good foundation if you're okay with some shimmers on face and fits within the narrow shade range.