Review and Swatches: Colorbar velvet matte lipstick in shade Creme Cup 78V

Colorbar Velvet matte is such a crowd favorite lippie that it doesnt need any additions from me.I was hooked on to this range through a dear friend I met via IMBB, who intro-ed me to the beautiful shades - Irish rose and Mocha to me.

Price is around 225 but the retail price is upped to 250! I can vaguely remember a time when Colorbar priced its products in 100s range.. :( Inflation, inflation!

After that I got a couple more from my favorite websites: http://www.stylecraze.com/ and http://www.snapdeal.com/ . This one I got with another pretty shade - Thrilling Pink from Stylecraze. I was looking for Shy Cherry shade but it was not available, so I decided to take a risk and ordered this.

Why I ordered this might sound very stupid.. :) I like the name-yes that is it... Some how it reminded me of thick rich luxurious coffee with creme..

The lipstick stands true by its name. Its a very neutral nudish shade, that is very flattering for most skin colors except the very dark ones. It is a sort of peachy-browny-natural shade that is just right for a formal day wear, especially when you want to play safe..

This is a favorite shade of mine. The only other shade which I can think of in the Brown family, that suits my uneven-wheatish-oily-skin combination without washing me out or making me look like a oldie, is Streetwear's Creamy Brown shade which I reviewed here

My verdict? This is a nicely pigmented decent-stay [2-3hrs] creamy nude peachy brown shade for every day wear that fits well in your pocket and is easily available - what more can i say? This is a must buy! :)

Review and Swatches: Colorstreet lipstick in shade 130

There is a saying about finding a diamond in the rough.. That was my feeling when I got this wonderful lippies for a price for just 50INR! Unbelievable right?

I got these from a beloved website of mine: Urbantouch.com. I seriously admire the way they refresh their product catalogue so often and add such interesting products.

These lippies are packaged in a sad murky brown plastic casing, but hey! who cares so long as the stuff inside is good eh? And I guess I am happy that for 50Rs, they decided to cut costs on the packaging instead of the quality.

There is not much information in terms of maker, ingredients etc, except that they say that no animal fat is added. Great! :)

Notwithstanding the ugly golden plastic casing, the lippie bullet looks good and thankfully doesnt smell of harsh chemicals etc that cheap lippies usually remind me of!

Shade 130 is a beautiful pinkish brown shade that is darker in bullet but goes very smooth on application. It swatches beautifully and doesnt dry out my lips. The color is a nice finish, it doesnt leave any bad stains and in terms of color staying effect is comparable to high end lippies.

I love these lippies, not for daily wear since I cannot trust them on my lips that much, but for occasional wear and for trying out new shades and finally, I love buying lippies and these dont burn my pocket while filling my heart with content.. :)

I suggest all you college gals out there, try these- fits your budget and lets you experiment.. :)

Review and Swatches: Vedic Line Plus BB Cream

Here is another cream that I bought on experiment basis after yielding to my shopaholic tendencies...Vedic Line Plus is a a "plus" series [honestly, why the plus part?] from Vedic Line. I love most of the VL products I have, I dont care for their gold moisture serum which I reviewed here

I got this almost as soon as they were launched online. It costs around around 250, should be less online. The packaging is very pretty, a girly pink+yellow combination that immediately catches eye.

I found their explanation written here ridiculous! What is this supposed to mean? Vedic Line + is from word Ayurveda? Anyways, the packaging is overall very attractive.

I love the fact that they do not test on animals nor do have any animal derivates.

Excuse the poor quality of pics.. I love that this is paraben free, mineral oil free and dermatologically tested.As to their other claims..well read on..

The tube is a rather less attractive shade of pink, wish it was a brighter pink. However it is very compact and light to carry around.

I think VL people have a problem understanding the product concept. I mean, they use the words Serum very loosely! How is this a serum? I do not know.

The product is a lightly thick tinted moisturising lotion that spreads quite easily and absorbs in around 40-60 secs. My skin is normal to oily and I live in a tropical region, so I guess this should get absorbed faster for dry skin or cooler climate situations.

It has a very pleasant fragrance and gave a nice natural glow to my skin. I am considering replacing my existing TM [Oriflame's Peach me perfect] with this one as this is paraben free and absorbs easier.

Looking at the pictures of my wrist before and after the BB cream application, I think its effects are pretty clear. This is a medium coverage tinted moisturiser in my opinion. I do not have any previous experience with BB creams, as I didnt and still do not believe in being "gori gori" [no its not sour grapes.. :)] as I feel it might be bad for skin, but from what I have read of BB creams, it is supposed to do a lot more than what this does. I did not find any serious change in my skin tone or any other effects that might be attributed to a BB cream effect.

On the other hand, this is a very good TM for daily use. This is going to be my HG TM for my daily makeup routine. I guess VL people just have to get their ideas right as their product quality is excellent, just the perspective is wrong! :)

Review and Swatches: Bourjois 3D Effet Lip gloss in shade 48 Rose Romantic

I have very few lip glosses as I have mentioned in my previous blogs.. And I don’t actually care much for them either..

Thankfully the few I have are really good, from Lotus and Bourjois mainly and I love both of em..

I have reviewed Bourjois 3D effet Lip gloss in shade 49 here in IMBB: http://makeupandbeauty.com/bourjois-effet-3d-effect-lip-gloss-shade-49-brun-rose-authentic/

I have not much to add to that except to say that this is actually a great 3D effect lip gloss. This gives exactly the kind of brilliant shine and glossy effect I expect in a gloss.

This is a pale rose-ish golden shimmer gloss and can be used easily on top of most lipsticks, without losing the lip color effect , to add a beautiful shine.

1^st time, with a gloss, I felt I achieved the kind of glossy effect I see in Hollywood pics.. J

If you love lip gloss and like the shimmer shine, this is a must-buy gloss and shade for you….

Bourjois is a sister firm of Chanel and that explains everything you need to know about this brand I guess.. J

The gloss packaging may be different but they have introduced the same color in the new editions as well, so I guess this is a favorite shade.

You can buy this online from Slassy: http://www.slassy.com/product/Bourjois-New-Effect-3D-Lip-Gloss

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Review and Swatches: Vedic Line Gold Moisture Serum with SPF [?]

I have tried some products from Vedic Line like their hair retarder and Neem & Brahmi pack, and I love them all and will review them soon. But I thought I will pick the black sheep first and get the review done with and over, so there wont be a bad taste left later!

Vedic Line is a new player in the herbal beauty market which now has several players like Just Herbs, Aloe Veda, Neo Veda, Auravedic..does anyone notice the stress on Vedas? :)

This product is a Serum-Moisturiser and retails for 200INR. The label says it has SPF though no information on what is the SPF level!

I will start by listing what I like as this list is shorter. The lotion [i cannot and will not call it a Serum!] has a nice fragrance and it lasts for 2 hours on a hot day and probably lesser on a cold day. The gold shimmer in the lotion is not rough and leaves a nice shimmery effect on skin for around 3 hours, again in my summery-tropical-climate area. The bottle is nice and compact.

That is the list of pros. Now to the cons part..Oh where do I start! First of all...what is the concept of this product? Is it a Serum or a lotion or a moisturiser or some kinda party-glow liquid? What does a Serum mean to Vedic Line product team! Guys, Serums are supposed to be concentrated [in some nice thing like Vit A etc] liquid products with a serious effect on skin. You seriously cannot call any liquid Serum.

Next part is the moisturising part.Again - How???? I have a normal combination skin and the climate is summer and I live in tropics and still the lotion stops the effect in an hour or so. So what is the effect of this lotion in a dry skin-winter combo? I dont really get the moisturiser part at all.

To the last and most serious part of my complaint - guys, we buy herbal products cos we believe it has atleast 99% safe ingredients and preferably herbal. Just 1 or 2 natural essence items doesnt make it natural or herbal. But that would have been passable if there were no parabens here! But it has! So how does this product match your branding?

The only use I can find of this lotion is as a nice fragrance before I sleep at night or as a party-glow-luminizer for teens. Seriously- think thrice buying before buying.

Review and Swatches: Lotus Pure Colors Lipstick in shade Peach Creme 691

This is one of my favorite lipsticks, not cos of the color [which I dont care much for] but cos of the quality of the lipstick for the price. I have already reviewed the shade Orchid Kiss here

I love the classy packaging espl since I am no longer in my teens or anywhere near it [sigh!!!], I love that it is a non-animal-tested product and love that it has some nice herbal ingredients.

The only complaint I have regarding the packaging is that I wish it was a bit transparent to show the color.

The lip color is a beautiful brownish red shade. I honestly dont know why they have called it Peach Creme, may be cos it has slight orange undertones, but it is not peachy in shade! Peachy shades are bright and summery. I can say this leans more to a coral shade.

This is a nice shade for all skin tones except for medium fair gto wheatish skin tones. I would also suggest you avoid this shade if your skin tone is uneven, unless you are trying a full coverage makeup.

The shade is very pigmented and on my lips goes very dark-orangey brown. The true color-reddish brown- will be visible on non-pigmented lips I guess.

Overall  this is a nice to have shade in your kitty for a day outing and when you are in a mood for bold lips :)

Review and Swatches: Faces Canada Satin Matte lipstick in shade Auburn Brown 13

Actually this is not much of a review, more like a swatch gallery to help any viewers decide on buying.. :) I love Satin matte range and so does many who has tried them..



There is something about the lush feeling of the creamy matter lip color that spreads so sweetly over lips..almost sinful.. :D



Auburn Brown is a dark coffee brown matte shade, the kind of color that reminds you of the lip shades Rachel used to wear in Friends, my fav sit-com of all time..



The color spreads wonderfully and  for office wear, a single swipe is enough for 3-4 hours without eating...
This is an all time classic brown shade and ideal office wear color for fair and medium skinned beauties.

Faces cosmetics do not test on animals and they have a wonderful value-for-money range of cosmetics, so guess this is going to be a constant partnet in my stash....


Available online at:

Medplusbeauty.com - 240 INR
Cosmetix.in - 233INR

Review and Swatches: Lotus Herbals Seduction Botanicals Lip Gloss in shade Passion Fruit Splash

I have reviewed couple of shades of this nice product and I do like Lotus lip gloss, though I am more of a lipstick person. I dont actually use glosses that much, except for a nice out or party and then also with a very light hand.

I had a Love-Gloss phase in my late teens, but now I prefer lipsticks much more, so I have lost touch with glosses, dont have many. This is one of the few I have now.

I am now adventuring with lip colors, trying to move out of my comfort zone and see what colors will suit me. Hence this violet glitter gloss and I dont regret it actually.

I got this from Fashionandyou.com and it is honestly not a site I really care to shop from. But this was on a good offer and I wanted to try violet shades.

I am actually in 2 minds about this.. At times I like how it looks on my lips, at times I feel like a clown.I think this looks good on pigmented lips, as this looks crazy when I try it on after exfoliating my lips.

This is a nice violet-purplish shade with blue tones and should ideally suit most skin tones. The glitter is okay and good for night wear.

I am not overly fond of this shade but this might go well with a light pink lipcolor underneath.

Check my other reviews on Lotus lip glosses here :Precious Peach, Winterberry Crush, Strawberry Punch

Review: Konad Niju Masks - Green Tea, Brightening Essence and Age Defying Collagen

The main reason I check for reviews online is when I see a new product which I am not sure of and would like to know how much safe it is to invest in it. As a blogger[though erratic] I think it is my duty to provide my fellow Google-search-ers with information that will help them in selecting a product.
Now here is where I am going to help you save money with just a 1 liner summary – Do not buy these masks!

Why do I say so? Cos they do nothing, they just irritate my skin which is very resistant and tough [so guess what it will do for a sensitive skin], weird aroma, leaves skin feelin itchy & flaky and finally – this product actually darkened my skin a shade!!!!!!!


The last was totally unforgivable cos I used this on a trip with my husband and he was like “You should use more sun-screen and do some facial..have a care”. While I am no gori-gori-crazy girl, I do love my wheatish complexion and highly object to getting darkened in patches. I couldn’t believe the effect of a mask labeled “Brightening”!!!!

I got 3 of these- Brightening, age defying and Green Tea.. I used brightening and dint brighten at all.. I used green and thankfully no negative results but nothing positive.
So I cleaned the 3rd one and removed all the essence and now use it to soak in my DIY facial recipes..
I think overall Indian brands are better for skin care than the forin ones.. consider- they are made for skin and complexion much lighter to ours and they don’t take into consideration the climate or weather we have.. I guess I’ll stick to my ubtans and will buy any facial treatment products from a Desi brand…

Review and Swatches: Anna Andre Paris Makeup Kit 01

Let me introduce you to my latest must-have-makeup-love: the handy makeup kit from Anna Andre Paris. I got to know about Anna Andre brand through a review in IMBB and decided to try out the products based on the review.

I got this from Beauteboutique.com [check the link] for INR 325. To be honest, it was a blind guess cos they had mentioned 2 sets- 01 and 02, and I couldnt basically find any shade information to select which one is better. This is one feature of the website which I hope they will rectify soon.

It comes in a nice black cover and the items and clearly mentioned [in case you mistake eye shadow for a lip gloss.. :) :)] and the ingredient lists are added at the back of the cover, which I concede is a real nice thing.

I do wonder why a french brand has english labels and details, I mean look at Bourjois, everything is french there! :) And Anna Andre seems more of a russian name so I wonder what a mix this brand is. However I like this so no more enquiries!

The kit is again designed the same way as the cover, matte plastic black casing and a nice flower label.

I am super impressed by the quality of the mirror, seriously even costlier brands go cheap in selecting a nice mirror but this one scores in that.

In the Left End set [pic above], the top 2 colors are lip cremes, I will call them Pink Glitter and Creamy Pinky Brown[my fav] based on color and texture. The bottom item is a shimmer rose eye shadow which I absolutely love.

In the pic above, in the Middle vertical set, the 2 top items are lip cremes again, both matte creams in shades Nude [topmost] followed by Chocolate brown. The last item is again a pretty bronze eye shadow.

The kit is completed by the standard goes-well-with-all-skin-shades type sheer pink blush [on the top most of the right end set] and a beige color face powder.

The brushes that came with them are mostly useless except for emergency use.

Swatches: Top set [L to R]- Face powder, Blush, Pinky Brown, Pink Glitter; Bottom set [L to R]- bronze shadow, rose shadow, chocolate brown lip color and nude lip cream

The face powder is so-so, I dont use it except for any emergency. The sheer pink blusher is good for day wear and wears pretty but lasts only for around 1-2hrs. The eyeshadows stay even without primer for around 1-2hrs.

I absolutely adore the shimmer rose eyeshadow, it is perfect for day wear and office wear, brightens up my eyes very nicely without going OTT. The bronze color, is again a so-so, I use it for night outs.

My absolute love are the lip creams except for the pink glitter one. The pinky brown shade is a very beautiful pink shade which suits most lip shades. The pink glitter one is good for night wear and parties, the chocolate brown is a good day/office wear shade and so is the nude color, its a real good nude color.

All in all, the kit is a handy makeup kit for day/office/party wear, it has a wonderful combination of colors. These are my regular combos:

Office: Shimmer rose eyeshadow+ Sheer blush [1 layer] + Nude lip cream

Night out: Shimmer rose+ Sheer blush [3 layers] + Pinky brown

Would I buy again? Of course I would.. :) I am waiting to see what is Kit 02...