January is my favourite month out of all the months, partly cause it's my birthday month. Now that we are stepping into the leapness of February, I thought why not end this month with a favourites post!

1. Bath & Body Works Body Shower Wild Honeysuckle l $12.50 (295 mL)

 I placed "multiple" BBW orders in December, and with the SAS and Black Friday Sales, I did score tons of stuff at a huge discount. This shower gel was something that I didn't expect to fall head over heels with. I'm more of a warm scent person, but this shower gel smells like flowers, very light, airy, and definitely not sweet. The top notes of this shower gel are, Honeydew, Water Fruit, Lemon, Melon, Muguet, Cassis, and Cyclamen; perfect for the upcoming summer months.

2. Marc Jacobs Daisy l INR 4500 (50 mL)

 Going with the whole floral theme this month, I have another favourite, that was one of my 2015 birthday gifts. I wear either MJ Daisy or Gucci Flora to office. I have the EDT version that smells like you are walking through a flower field. Two notes shine through this perfume: Floral and Fresh. One complaint though, the staying power is not as awesome as some of my other perfumes.

3. Colorpop Lippie Stix Contempo l $5 (1 oz)

 My go-to, no-fuss lip colour. I did purchase Lumiere (Kathleen Lights collab), but I have to mix the shade with a darker shade to make it work for my skin tone. Contempo is a muted dusty mauvy pink that may not work well with  a skin tone of NC 43.5 or darker. Stays put for long hours(5-6 hours on me), and is low maintenance, making it a favourite for this month.

4. Maybelline Fit Me Foundation l INR 525 (30 mL)

 Have reviewed it here, have only good things to share. My most used foundation in January.

5. Himalaya Anti Dandruff Hair Cream l INR 100 (175 g)

I bought this based on Shreya's ( SJlovesjewelery) recommendation. Enriched with the goodness of Tea Tree Oil, Rosemary, Holy Basil and Sesame, this product works extremely well for my hair type. I have very dry scalp, prone to flakiness. This product has helped me to keep my dandruff under check. I massage it on to my scalp, taking my own sweet time, wash it off, and follow up with a conditioner.

So these are my favourites for the month. What are yours?

Favourite Milani Blushes for Tan Skin

Milani is a US drugstore brand famous for affordable and good quality makeup (Check out their Color Statement Lipsticks, and Baked Blushes). I don't blush naturally, and with the tan skin it's a pain to get the blush show up on my cheeks without looking like a clown. If you are tan skin like me with the blushes hardly showing up on your cheeks, read on.

Baked Blush in Luminoso|$ 8.49

The most famous Milani blush which rightfully deserves the "MOTHER OF ALL BLUSHES" crown. Luminoso is a coral blush with micro-shimmer. It's quite frequently compared to NARS Orgasm blush. Coral with micro-shimmer creates a very beautiful strobbed flush on the cheeks. This shade is a fan favourite for ladies from light-medium-tan skin tone. 

Luminoso

Baked Blush in Rose D'Oro|$ 8.49

Looks rose in the pan with golden veins running through, but translates to a peach blush on the cheeks. The color pay off is stronger than Luminoso and so is the golden shimmer which is chunkier. The chunky shimmer is not so forgiving if you have large pores, as it accentuates them. The peach has hint of red making it flattering for tan skin tone.

Rose D'Oro

Rose Powder Blush in Romantic Rose|$ 8.99

The rose embodied blush is so Instagram worthy. The dusty muted matte pink is an everyday shade that gives the most natural flush to my cheeks. Has tinge of mauve in the mix making it flattering on tan skin.

Romantic Rose

Swatches

These are some of my favourite Milani blushes. Have you tried any Milani products? Do you have any suggestions for me?

PS: I buy Milani products from BeautyJoint.

Current Favorite Face Masks

I am not a skincare person; I used to invest money and time on skincare back in 2014, and with a change in location and responsibility, I started slacking, limiting my routine to just removing my makeup > washing my face using the Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing  Facial Wash > applying Olay Total Effects Day Cream.

I hardly ever visit the parlor for facials, but I do ensure my skin is taken care off, by indulging in face masks  twice a week, once during the weekend, and once mid-week. Normally, I use any of the following masks:

Lush Angels on Bare Skin| $34 (8.4 oz)

 A heavenly concoction of Ground Almonds, Lavendar Oil, Rose Absolute, and many other exotic oils. This one smells of crushed almonds. This product can be classified under exfoliators, but I prefer to use it as a mask.
I use a little water to make it into a coarse paste (a pain to apply evenly), let it sit on my skin for 30-40 minutes and then gently scrub my face with the dried out product. The product brings a subtle glow to my face.

Lakme Strawberry Cleanup Face Mask| INR 120 (50mg)

Reminds me of the Strawberry Fruit Blast Facial in Lakme Salons. I use rose water to make the white tooth paste like mask into a slightly more looser consistency. I apply this on my face and once the product dries out, I remove it with warm water and a cotton swab. Contains Parabens. The product leaves me with hydrated face.

Sand for Soapaholics Deadly Face Mask| INR 675 (60gm)

Infused with Dead Sea Mud, Aloe Vera, Grapeseed Oil, and Coconut, this Indian version of Lush, offers some very innovative face masks. I hunted them down to Garuda mall (Bangalore). It's minty, and I use rose water along with the product and apply it on my face. On application, I feel a cool and ticklish sensation on my face. I remove this using lukewarm water after the product dries out. This product is very similar to Lush's Magnaminty Face Mask. Provides a subtle glow to my face.

Gia Bath and Body works Chocolate mask| INR 350 (50gm)

Very powdery in consistency, and smells like chocolate. I mix this with a heavier base like honey to make it stick to my face. After 30-40 minutes, I rinse of the product using lukewarm water. Leaves my face fresh and supple to touch.

Origins Active Charcoal Clay Mask| $17 (1.7 oz)

Got it as part of the 100 point Beauty Insider perk from Sephora. The charcoal masks claims to suck out impurities. Smells like oil paint, and is a pain to layer on. I couldn't find much difference with this mask.

Swatches

Tips 

• Store fresh face masks in the fridge for longer shelf life.
• Apply a heavier base like honey if you have dry skin.
• Apply a lighter base like rose water for oily skin.
• Apply alovera gel as a soothing base.
• Always follow up the drier masks with a nice thick moisturizer.
• I don't trust natural ingredients available in Indian market, so no home made face mask for me.

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So that' all for my current favorite face masks. Let me know what are yours!

Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation Review

The minute Maybelline India announced the launch of the new Fit Me range on their Instagram page, I missed a heartbeat. I rang up Goodwill, Central, and Health and Glow (Beauty Suppliers, Cochin), and all of them gave me the same standard reply "Mostly next week, we will have the product in-stock". When I went in to buy some antibiotics at the LULU Medical shop, I found the whole new range of Fit Me stacked carefully on their racks. I couldn't contain my excitement and gave away my hyena laugh. The SAs couldn't understand why I was so excited about this new foundation. 

Image Courtesy: Maybelline India Instagram Page

I have been testing this product for the past two weeks now, and I though I would share my first impression on the same. 

For the sake of background information:

Skin Type: Combination to Oily (Humid climate)

Skin Concern: Pigmentation around the mouth

Finish: Matte

Shades Launched: 6 (Ivory, Warm Nude, Natural Buff, Sun Beige, Warm Honey, Toffee)

Shade Selected: 322 Warm Honey

Image Courtesy: Maybelline India Instagram Page

Cost: INR 525 ($7.5)

Claims: Get natural and flawless complexion from every angle with Fit Me!® Matte + Poreless liquid foundation. Skin that shows its fabulous best. Its 25% anti-shine perlite + micro blurring powders, make visible pores and shine disappear, getting you the perfect selfie-ready look.

Packaging:

• Sleek with a glass bottle and black screw-on cap. 
• Doesn’t come with a pump leading to wastage of product.
• Shade name and number is printed on the cap.

My Thoughts:

• Very easy to blend (I use RT foundation brush).

• Medium to buildable coverage.
• Applies demi-matte (satin).
• Does not transfer like crazy.
• Does not feel oily on touch like MAC Face and Body. 
• Gives a light white cast (ashiness) around my mouth (pigmentation) as the shade Warm honey has a pink undertone.

Wear Test:

• It does transfer to my glasses.
• After around 5 hours, the product starts fading from points where I get dewy the most, like, tip of my nose, forehead etc.
• I am impressed by the product's ability to keep my natural oils under control. 
• Matte action is on-par with MAC Studio Fix Fluid.
• As for the pore filling abilities, I couldn’t find much difference, I have small pores along my nose, which didn’t disappear on application.

Makeup: Travel Edition

I used to be a heavy packer, now I am a convert. Not many would agree after I show you my travel edition makeup, but it was much worse. When my family decided to take a week’s trip to Mysore-Wayanad, I assured them that I would pack light on hearing which my husband burst out into laughter “Light?? You always carry 10kg of makeup”. I decided to restrict the whole makeup in a small pouch and think I succeeded in cutting off junk. A round off of what I carried with me for a week of adventure through Tippu Sultan’s land and the hilly regions of Wayanad.

Face

MAC Prep + Prime Natural Radiance: I could have easily skipped this looser, but then I can never put this to good use in Cochin (Considering the hot and humid climate). I used it as part of my night time routine post face wash.

MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation (NC42): I love liquid foundation, but considering the hazard of carrying a glass bottle + brush, I decided against it. The Studio Fix is perfect for that even coverage, all the while keeping my natural oils in check. Too much and hey hello cakeface!

L'Oreal Paris Lucent Magique Sunset Glow: I wanted some color on my cheeks, as Studio Fix can strip the face of any color. This palette can be used as a highlighter too.

Eyes

Eyepencil: Pop of color via Bourjois Contour Clubbing 51 Golden Dress, Chambor Dazzle 105 Purple  Dazzle, Maybelline Colossal Kajal Turquoise.

UD Naked Basics 2: Was wondering whether I should carry this or not. I did go for smokey eye back-to-back. Also, I used a Primal shade to contour.

MAC Eye Shadow Blackberry: Not my favorite, but saves a ton of space as compared to my UD eyebrow kit or NYX palette.

Lips

My Lip Mantra: Neutral + Bright + MLBB = Sorted!

Neutral: ColourPop Lumiere: The perfect matte muted pink. It does settles into fine lines, I remove the crumbles using my wipes and re-apply every 4-5 hours.

Bright: MAC Viva Glam Miley: The perfect bright pink for my skin tone, complements smokey eye or neutral eyes.

MLBB: MAC Plumful: It is not part of the additional makeup I carried. This lip shade is part of my daily makeup bag, something that I carry to office everyday.

Tip

• Always carry a lip balm in your hand-bag. Air at some places can really suck out moisture from your lips.
• Carry multi-purpose items, like in the above case, UD Basics 2 which doubled up as a contour shade.
• A good way to change up the eye look is by changing up the eye color pencil.

Oldest Earring In My Stash

The oldest earring I own (currently) dates back to 2006. It was a gift from a friend of mine, who bought this from Dubai. He had two earrings, one black and one red, of which I picked up the red shade. Initially, the earring had three layers of beads, which I removed to make it more college appropriate. I remember making a necklace out the remaining red beads, though I couldn't find it anywhere.