You will have to wait 4 more months for Halloween, this is a little something that reminds me of AUTUMN nights and cutesy owls. When I was in college, I used to be overly obsess about owl jewellery (they were a big fashion statement then). I made my then fiance G hunt high and low in Mumbai for an owl pendant. These earring also remind me of Harry potter and all thing warm and owly. Saw this pic in my draft and was wondering why didn't I post this pic in the past 3 years. 

The earring has a antique, worn out silver finish and the owl eyes are jeweled with black stones.

Earring From: Camella, Convent Junction, Cochin
Price: Less that 300

Mini-Haul

A little haul to keep you guys occupied before I can come out of my hibernation mode. I love watching haul videos, swooning over pretty things and in the end, letting my poor wallet suffer. I have been watching a lot of YouTube nowadays, or so will my hubby say. Well, I do agree to that allegation. I have seen most of the YouTube gurus 'obsessing' over Milani baked blushes. Also, my Instagram was flooded with pretty pics of the gold embossed face powder. When I found the Milani beauties at www.cherryculture.com, I immediately gabbed them. 

I bought Milani baked blushes in Rose'Doro and Luminoso. Rose'Doro is a pretty deep warm pink color with golden veins running through it whereas, Luminoso is a peachy baked blush with tiny golden flecks that adds the right amount of luminescence to my face.

As for the 'illuminating' face powder, I bought the darkest of the lot named Hermosa Rose. There are two more shades available: Amber Nectar and Beauty's Touch. The Milani illuminating face powders can multi-task as a highlighter, blush, and bronzer based on your complexion. The powder has pretty roses engraved on them which makes them a collectors item. The blushes cost me 8 dollars each and the face powder, 9 dollars.

As for the cherryculture service, I was quite happy. Placed my order on 24th May, received a confirmation mail on 26th May and received my package on 10th June . The only cons regarding the site would be the unavailability of variety of brands and high shipping charges. I shelled out around 13 Dollars (Rs.780 ) for shipping. Luckily I didn't had to pay additional Customs duty.

While I was doing my bit of research over the best brushes available in International market that ships to India, I stumbled across the brand Makeup Geek, which is the brain child of the beauty blogger Marlena . Makeup Geek eye shadows are famous within the YouTube beauty community. What most people don't know is that Makeup Geek has a brush line which is often compared to Sigma and MAC brushes, some of them are as good as the high-end ones. They ship to India at a very nominal rate of 6 dollars (Rs.360) !!!you heard it right 6 dollars.

I bought Foundation Stippling brush ($18) and Angled Contour brush ($9). I placed my order on 24th May, received confirmation mail on 31st May and I received my package on 8th June . First impression: awesome brushes for the price. I will be writing a detailed post on the makeup brush shopping sites available. I didn't pay customs duty for this package either.

I have a real techniques brush package pending. I had placed an order with their official site because of low shipping charges, but little did I know that they would take eternity  to send out a confirmation mail (I have not received it up until now). That wraps my haul for this month. I'm eyeing the L'oreal moist matte lippy, but don't have the heart to shell out 900 bucks for a drugstore brand. So what do you guys think about my mini haul. What did you guys haul this month.

May Favorites

It’s June already?. Was I stuck somewhere in time?. Well, the scorching summer will soon pave way to thunderstorm, rains, and lightning in this part of the world. FYI: I hate the rainy season, well shifting our focus to something interesting and positive, lets’talk about MAY FAVORITES. Yay!!!! I have quite a few items in this post.

• Palmolive Ayuritvel joyous shower gel (Indian mulberry & lotus flower): I loved the original Palmolive Thermal Spa (Crushed coconut and  jojoba butter extracts) and hated the Palmolive Aroma Sensual body wash (Moroccan rose essential oil and ginseng extract, it reminded me of cough syrup). I wanted a change in the usual shower routine and I liked the smell of this one. Now, I am literally using this 2 times every single day. Once I get used to the smell, I may roll back to the original love, but this shower gel is something I will come back to. Priced at Rs. 125 for 100ml ($2), this is an affordable, sweet smelling shower gel that stole my heart for the month of May. 
• Neon earring: An absolute favorite in this summer month was this neon-golden earring from MAX for under $5.
• Faces Metalliglow Eye Primer: The original function for which this was purchased ie, as an eye primer, it never served the purpose. This as an eye primer, is too sheer and does not show up on my eyelids. After a little thought, I started using this as a liquid highlighter and it bowled me away. This works perfectly as a liquid highlighter on my NC 43.5 skin tone. A little dab dab dab on the bridge of my nose, on high points of my cheekbones, cupids bow and chin would give me that perfect JLow like glow. The highlighter  is pretty sheer and hence can be layered thus making it an office wear highlighter. Priced at Rs.699 ($11) for 7ml.

• Maybelline Colossal Kajal in Turquoise: A summer staple, I have not kept this fun colored kajal down from the moment I bought it. Stays put (4-5 hours on me) and a light wash on the lower lashes provides perfect pop of color. Priced at Rs. 249 ($4).

•   TBS Slanted Kabuki Brush : Any beauty blogger will tell you, how difficult it is to buy good quality affordable brushes here in India. When TBS was running a 50% off on their brush line, I purchased this brush. Originally I wanted to buy the TBS Extra virgin Minerals Foundation kabuki brush, but they were out of stock and I purchased this one after a little show down with hubby (You also might know how difficult its to convince the husband that you need another brush in your life?). I don’t regret purchasing this. The synthetic haired, cruelty free brush is thick and dense. The hair is really soft and does it's job perfectly. I use this brush as an overall face brush, to dust in little bronzer, with my studio fix powder, to blend in my contour, blush and highlighter. Its such a versatile brush. Priced at R. 1895 ($30), I got it for Rs.950.

 Insider tip: Purchase this beauty when TBS run their SALES.

• Kara Make-up Remover (with seaweed and lavender): I go through makeup removal wipes like nobody’s business (also shower gel). They are the cheapest and best quality available in the market . The Johnson baby wipes are a little too wet for my liking. When I rush to gym after my work, I use this to remove makeup from my face. It does a pretty good job (I don’t use water-resistant makeup and hence will not be able to vouch on its performance with water proof and water resistant makeup). It easily removes traces of my Colossal kajal, foundation and any other makeup. Always follow a proper face cleaning routine and never overly depend on the face wipes to substitute your CTM routine. Priced at Rs. 125 ($2) for 25 wipes.       

   There goes my list of May Favorites. What are yours?.