Review and Swatches: Streetwear Color Rich lipstick in shade Creamy Brown

Streetwear is Revlon's answer to Loreal's Maybelline and Lakme's Elle 18. The lipsticks, especially the Color Rich range, is affordable for 140 INR & easily available, and in my opinion, a good way to try out what shades suit you best.

I got this one as I didnt have much browns in my stash and wanted to see how shades of brown looks on my complexion. Not many shades flatter me as some shades manage to make me look very sallow. However, this was a good buy for me even though I got this online without trying it out before.

I had already reviewed Streetwear's range in shade Cherry Slush here: http://makeup-n-beauty-n-me.blogspot.in/2012/03/reviews-and-swatches-streetwear-color.html

This is a very creamy variety and glides on very easily. I like the nude brownish shade that is very good for daily/office wears. This is a nice shade that IMHO should suit most skin tones.

The only fault I could find with this special shade is that being too creamy, it melts like crazy!

Review and Swatches: Oriflame Very Me Lipmania lipstick in shade Vibrant Peach

Oriflame was one of the 1st international makeup brands that was available in my place when I was growing up and I always had a fondness for the brand :)

I got this lipstick recently through a friend I met through IMBB, I was looking for coral lipsticks and she suggested this one to suit my darker coloring.

About the lipstick:

Go head over heels for colour! This must-have lipstick comes in ten intense shades that give your lips sheer, high-gloss coverage. Specially designed packaging for every facet of you.

Ingredient List: OCTYLDODECANOL, RICINUS COMMUNIS OIL, BIS-DIGLYCERYL POLYACYLADIPATE-1, POLYBUTENE, MICA, POLYETHYLENE, CERA CARNAUBA, CANDELILLA CERA, CERA MICROCRISTALLINA, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, SILICA, PARFUM, PROPYLPARABEN, BHT, TIN OXIDE, TOCOPHEROL

I like this one for 2 things: 1. Cheap and good quality, the price is 198INR, but you can get this on offer for less 2. It is a nice flattering shade that can be nude MLBB shade if worn on single layer or can be a bright rosey coral shade if worn to full intensity.

The formula is a creamy matte shade with no shimmers and is a nice daily wear shade. It doesnt score much on staying power but is nicely pigmented and no strong scent .

I wouldnt say this is a must-buy lipstick, but it is a fun-try and it fits your pocket. Only problem is finding a nice Oriflame consultant to send your fav picks.

I like the transparent bullet casing of the lipstick that helps in easy color selection.



Review and Swatches: Maybelline Whitestay UV base in shade White with Meroxyl SX+XL and SPF 35

I was searching for a face primer for my wedding makeup stash and before I could go to a MAC store and get the primer I want, I had to return to my home and there was no MAC store in the 300Km vicinity. So I asked my friend in Chennai to get a makeup base and this is what she got for me.

About Maybelline Whitestay UV base in shade White:

Product Benefits

• A pre-makeup base with skin tone correcting pearls for visible glowing fairness.
• Advanced protection technology with SPF 35 prevents skin darkening.
• Skin is visibly luminous!

Number of Shades: 3

• White: makes skin lighter and brighter
• Pink: Gives a glow/ healthy appearance.
• Purple: Corrects yellow skin tone

I will start by confessing that I had not much idea on what I was expecting since I had never used a base before, I always used my face cream as one. And after using this, I couldnt see much difference either!

May be I selected the wrong shade, so I am not blaming the product or the shade. All I am saying is if you are normal to oily skinned like me, medium wheatish fair and stays in a humid climate like Chennai or Kerala, better think 3 times before you use this.

The cream is a whitish emulsion like consistency and has a chemically scent. It takes around 5mins to absorb on my skin but I guess for dry skin beauties it shouldnt be a problem. I could see a shiny effect on my face, but I can get that with a sunscreen. I couldnt see any lightening and brightening effect, may be it is just a wrong selection for me.

And I have no idea what Meroxyl thing is :-) Overall, I think this is a very personal selection item,  before you buy, try and see if it works!

Review and Swatch: Lipice sheer color lip balm in Strawberry

I am not much of a fan of tinted lip balms as I think it kinda interferes with lipstick colors, my idea of a lip balm is a thin layer of protection for my lips from lipstick chemicals :-) I got this to complete a minimum purchase value to redeem a coupon and though I cannot stay it is my HG lipbalm, it is fairly okay.

About Lipice Lipbalm:

LipIce Sheer Color Strawberry
With LipIce Sheer Color Strawberry, you can now protect your lips while making them look beautiful.
LipIce Sheer Color Strawberry is a lip balm that mysteriously turns from white to pink, on application.
LipIce Sheer Color Strawberry comes with:

·  Natural Beeswax that nourishes and replenishes your lips

·  Natural Olive Oil that softens and keeps your lips moisturized

·  Vitamin A, C and E with deep moisture that keep the lips soft, supple and fresh

·  Protect lips from harmful UV rays

·  Fortified with Strawberry flavor

Price is 190 INR but it can be lesser on offer.

The lipbalm is a whitish stick that spreads thinly and evenly and get absorbed very easily on lips. I am not sure if its really moisturising as it got absorbed very fast and didnt stay long, so guess it might be even less-staying on drier lips.

The sun protection is a nice benefit as I read somewhere about how lip pigmentation is caused by sun. The tint is a pinkish color on lips and stays for around 1+hours without eating or drinking. The scent is a bit strongly fruity and it tastes a bit sweet to me.

 

I dont think it is a great lip balm, more like a tinted lip color with some lip protection added in.So unless I get some good offers, I would rather stick with my Nivea or Himalaya lip balm

Review and Swatches: Lotus Herbals Seduction Botanicals Lip gloss in shade 38 Precious Peach

I love Lotus lip gloss as should be clear from my previous posts on the 2 coral shades [check review links below]
Winterberry Crush: http://makeup-n-beauty-n-me.blogspot.in/2012/02/review-and-swatches-lotus-herbals.html
Strawberry Punch: http://makeup-n-beauty-n-me.blogspot.in/2012/01/review-and-swatches-lotus-herbals_30.html

This one is another beauty that I purchased alongwith Lotus lipstick in shade O'Orange [Read review from the link below]
Lotus Floralglam O'Orange: http://makeup-n-beauty-n-me.blogspot.in/2012/03/review-and-swatches-lotus-herbals.html

This is a orangey-bronzey shade with lots of shimmer-glitter particles that doesnt go OTT on lips. Lotus have got their gloss formula good with this range. This is a nice peachy shade for day use.

This is a nice day wear lipgloss for casual outings or parties. It can be applied alone for a natural orangey lips look or paired with an orangey coral lipstick for a party look.

It doesnt stick much nor does it stay for long but it does give a nice glossy finish to lips for the peachy tint we all love :)

Overall, I love this range and will try new shades if possible.

Reviews and swatches: Enchanteur Moisture Silk Perfumed Hand and Body Lotion

I got this from Spencer's retail outlet in Chennai while there was an offer on Enchanteur Deos. I have sweet memories of this brand, this used to be a must-have part of every gulf-returned relative as part of the "Here-I-am-back-home' gift sets.

Enchanteur is now brought to India by Wipro Consumer care. The price of this lotoin is around 70INR but I got this as part of a pack.

This hand and body lotion is vaguely disappointing though. It is more like a liquid perfume more than anything else.

I found the smell too strong and the cream not moisturising enough. I couldnt find any benefits from using this cream except that lesser no of mosquitoes attacked me during my evening walk!

Overall, I wouldnt buy or use this again, unless I find a tempting enough fragrance!

Review and Swatches: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 50

I am very much into non-animal testing products and so usually steer clear of brands which are not cruelty free. Neutrogena is one such brand. Normally I wouldnt buy this one but when my husband got this for me to rotect me from Delhi's harsh Summer sun, I couldnt look ungracious and refuse it. I dont use this except when I am going out in Sun for a longer time as I prefer using Lotus's sun screen gel [like the feel of it :)]

However I must say, this is a quite nice product for summers.

[It is not dust, but result of getting mixed with an open bournvita pack :(]

What Neutrogena says about this sunscreen:

Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 50+ is a revolutionary, dermatologist-tested formula that contains Helioplex® technology, the latest breakthrough in UV protection.

Helioplex® delivers unbeatable UVA protection. It works better to help prevent damaging UVA rays from penetrating deep under skin's surface. Dry-Touch technology absorbs excess sunscreen oils, leaving a clean, lightweight, non-shiny finish.

Serious sun protection never felt this light on your skin. This product features Helioplex®, a breadth of stabilised sunscreen technologies that delivers superior protection from the sun.

• Waterproof
• Sweatproof
• PABA-free
• Non-comedogenic (won't clog pores)

I used this one in Delhi's hot & dry summer and later in Chennai's humid and scalding weather. This worked in both climates. Usually I have trouble with lotion-based sunscreens of higher SPFs as they go too oily on my already oily skin.



However this one is quite good in that. It absorbs fast into the skin. It does feel like rubbing an emulsion or medical ointment onto skin as the scent is quite chemically and the consistency is also like emulsion. It takes a min or 2 to absorb into the skin but once it does it feels light.

As to effectiveness, the best I can say is I didnt get any sunburns or serious dark spots in my face and thats a great thing as my skin burns easily. I should say this protects skin very well indeed.



The cream tube is easily to use and the cream itself is white in color. For 425rs, the quantity 88ml is quite decent and should last enough for around 100 usages.

Overall I would say this is a nice sunscreen and if it were not for animal testing [when will companies learn to be humane and kind!!] I would have got this again.

Review and Swatches: Khojati Must be love Herbal Kajal in 5 shades

I got this as a gift from a friend in Mumbai when I wanted to know her “secret” behind colored kajal in waterline. I do not apply any colored liner on my waterline and I really would like to try some safe nice colors, but till I received these ones, I was not sure about the safety aspects. I guess this is not a new product for people from Mumbai or Delhi but this brand is not that common in South.

Product: Khojati Must Be love herbal kajals in shades Blue, Electric Blue, Green, Brown and Copper

Price: around 95, but she got some discounts and It was a gift J

Quantity and expiration date: 35gms and 3 years

What the packet says:

“Khojati Kohl Herbal Eye Pencil - Revitalize your eyes

Must Be Love Kohl Herbal Liner with pure Ghee and Almond Oil - Unani Product, Lead Free. Rich, dark and smudge-proof. A quality product from the house of Khojati. Khojati now takes inspiration from all those mothers who believe in doing the very best for their children. At Khojati, this legendary love of a mother has now given shape to a new product a uniquely soft and gentle Kohl Eye Liner.”

Available in 10 colours.

The ingredients listed behind the pack was mostly herbal and I was sold on the “cow’s ghee” part J

Packaging is very cheap looking with a golden metallic pencil with the kajal stick on the “point” part. I am not sure how strong the hold is but I felt that a good knock or strong application might break the point of the kajal pencil.

My experience

My friend asked me to use their either as an eyeshadow base or kajal on waterline. So I straight away went and did neither and applied it on my upper lash line and whoa, in an hour the entire color was smudged and I was a blue-eyed raccoon and not the cute variety either! L So the next time, I applied the brown on my waterline and the copper color as an eyeshadow base and the results were all that I wished for.

On the water line, it did not sting but had a pleasantly soothing effect. I did not experience any irritation after applying this and it stayed for around 2-3 hours. As an eye-shadow base it was decent enough, with a staying power of 2 hours max but then it was a bit too oily for my already oily skin so it the eye-shadow pigment I applied over this kinda clumped together and the effect was not that great. However if used with a powder eye-shadow this seemed to work better and provided a more even coverage for 3hours max. 

I would say that the best use for this is as a safe waterline colored kajal. I loved this one and I am planning to ask my friends to send this once this gets over but there is a lot of quantity and I don’t see this getting over very fast unless it breaks of at the edge!

Brown, Blue, Copper, Electric blue and green

Of the colors, I liked brown and green [its more of a sea green] the best. Electric blue and Blue was the same and copper is not very pigmented, more like a champagne color.

Will I buy again? This is not a staple product, more like a fun product for me. So yeah, may be if I get a chance, I will.

Reviews and Swatches: Streetwear Color Rich lipstick in shade Cherry Slush

I read somewhere that women buy lipsticks especially when they are depressed about something as a quick fix for mood uplift almost like how guys drink beer I guess. I was having a bad weather day recently and while randomly checking around the store, I found Streetwear Color rich displayed. Normally I wouldnt try out lipsticks without any idea of the shade and this set didnt have a tester or a shade card or even an SA who could tell me about the shade. But it was an impulse and since I am not very impressed with Streetwear as a brand, though I love Revlon, I didnt expect much from this one but I am happy with this.

 After reading in a blog about Revlon's iconic cult lipstick Cherries in the Snow some time back, I was searching for a cheaper alternative as I am not normally a fan of bright shades and was not very sure how this would look on me. So when I saw the name Cherry Slush, I assumed it might be a Cherry-ish color and grabbed it.

Streetwear's Color Rich lipstick is one of the cheapest lipsticks around but I have always found the colors not so appealing, the pigmentation poor and the scent a bit repulsive in all the testers I have tried. Thankfully, this one is better off in term of pigmentation and color.

This is a deep cherry-reddish-pinkish color that looks more red to me on package but pinkish on application [I dont know how lipsticks do that!!!]. It is a nice face-brightening color, but must be applied with a light hand to avoid a garish hooker look, especially for fair skinned beauties. This is a nice daily wear [not office wear] shade for medium fair ladies like me, a safe choice that goes with most looks and dresses.


I would describe this as a classic cherry-pink color which should be a must-have in every makeup stash, but would definitely suggest a better quality one. However for 140Rs for 3.5gms, one cant really complain much about quality :)

I have finally ordered my Cherries in the Snow, will review it as soon as the baby comes.. :)

Review and Swatches: Lotus Herbals Floralglam Moisturising Lip Color in shade 020 O'Orange

I was searching for an orange based coral shade for that naturally flushed look for lips, when I stumbled into a locally famous beauty store in Kochi, Kerala. They didnt have any testers on this, but when I mentioned to the SA that I was looking for an orangey coral look, I think she heard the "orange" part, ignored the "coral" part and proceeded to sell me this lipstick.

As my husband had promised me to buy a lipstick of my choice and he seemed to like the color [said the bright color suits me, I still dont know if he was being flattering or sarcastic!] I thought, "Oh fine! I dont have a bright color in my kitty, let me try this.."

This is a bright eye-popping color that reminds me of Rasna orange drink I used to love as a kid [Now I dont, growing up and dieting removes most tasty stuff from your life :( ] This is one of the few colors, that looked the same on the tube and on my lips. \

About the lipstick:
Price is around 350INR and you can usually get it on sales online for around 290+.
- Enriched with Botanical extracts.
- Hydrates and protects lips for hours
If there is one fault I could find with the packaging [there are more than 1!] it would be the total lack of ingredients listed. Wish they added details like Expiry date, ingredients etc on the tube itself.

Another serious problem with the packaging is evident from the condition of my lipstick. I dropped it on the floor and something with the hinges went wrong and ever since, the lipstick bullet kept getting stuck on the lid :( Now there is nothing much left of the qty, not because I used it, but cos it kept getting stuck on the lid.

The lipstick is good in pigmentation, single swipe gives a decent amount of color and stays on for around 3+hours depending on skin type and climate. I cannot really judge if its really that moisturising as my lips dont get dry so lipstick dont usually dry me out.

This lipstick is good for desi wedding parties for that tinge of bright color paired with subdued eye and cheek makeup. Another lovely use I have found for this lipstick is as a creamy blush :) Looks great on my cheeks when blended, perfect for summer's day out.

Overall, I think this is a decent buy, with the range having som nice colors. Also, it is supposed to be herbal so hope less no of chemical stuff.

Review and Swatches: Khadi Mauri Peel Off Face pack

I like this peel off for 2 reasons: 1. Its a khadi product, inexpensive, desi, herbal stuff that has a superb fragrance 2. It does a good job as a peel-off which is clean out the pores and provide a quick refreshing effect to face.

Price is 125 INR, quantity is 210ml and shelf life is 2years.

I got this from one of the online retail shops, I forgot which as it is almost an year now. I dont use this very frequently, use this mostly when I have to go out and my oily skin is feeling particularly clogged out.
This is what is given in the website:

Khadi Peel Off Face Mask gently draws out impurities and maintains youthful, healthy looking skin.

Benefits

• Cleanses the embedded particles, improves blood circulation and relieves stress
• Useful in case of skin damage from UV rays, dehydration and aging as skin loses elasticity. Improves skin renewal
• Removes excessive oils that clog pores making skin susceptible to acne and rash
• Botanical formula contains natural anti-oxidants which help neutralize environmental skin damage.

Ingredient

Anar Root, Brahmi, Tulsi Leaf, Sahtut, Cucumber, Glycerine, Methyl cellulose, Purified water q.s. preservatives, Sarbical, PVA.

Usage

Apply 1-2gm on your face & neck, allow it to dry and then peel off.

The peel liquid is thick and orangey-guey in color and doesnt have any strong sensation on skin. It doesnt spread that easily, reminds me of a thick honey type peel from Shahnaz, forgot the name.

The peel dries off fast enough and is easier than most peels to remove from face, which is definitely a plus point.

Overall I love this peel and unless I come across something better, I will definitely try to re-purchase this. After all, its a desi item without any parabens and has a spl place in my heart. :)