I recently hit the magic number '30'. I thought it would be a great idea to let you guys know a little about the person behind this blog. So, here we go, 30 random facts about me.

1. I used to play the violin as a kid.
2. I was an attention seeker throughout my growing up years. I pretended to be sick with some crazy disease/illness so that everyone would treat me like a poor, sick little princess. Flash forward, I hate attention and I would do anything to keep off from spotlight.
3. I am an MTech (VLSI) drop-out. I left MTech midway to join the corporate rat race. I don't regret my decision one bit!
4. I had 8 piercings in total before my C-section in October. Post my surgery, I let go of 6 piercings. 
5. I once had a pet dog (Dalmatian) whose name was 'TIPU', what's so special you may wonder, incidentally, my pet name is also TIPU.
6. I can have 10 laddoos and still crave for more sweets. I am a sweet tooth by birth, and diabetes runs in my family! Well, I did get a taste of the D-life, as I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy and had to go through the entire pregnancy without touching direct sugars.
7. I cannot have a normal conversation with my arms tied and I always use my hands while speaking, say, like waving it animatedly around to make a point.
8. I hate driving. I am a dreamer and cannot concentrate while driving. I would rather sit in the passenger seat and help navigate; I am pretty good with the directions.
9. I look up to my younger brother. He is the most self-motivated person I have ever met in my entire life.
10. I used to hate my hometown Cochin, owing to the fact that Cochin is a sleepy town and everyone is more interested in your life than theirs. As I grew up, I have come to love my city and appreciate the greenery and peaceful life that it offers.
11. I am a teetotaler. I can't stand the taste of alcohol or cough syrup. 
12. I love Banana so much so that my husband calls me a Minion.
13. I can be very insensitive at times, a classic Aquarian behavior. 
14. My favorites pasta sauce: Pesto!
15. Mint is officially our family color. Hubby and I love mint and most of our home decor revolve around mint or purple.
16. I love me some meditation music. I can't listen to music through the headset while traveling (pukish feeling) neither can I read. If ever I do listen to music, it is on speaker and that too soft meditation music.
17. I am extremely vocal about my political and social viewpoint. I can't stand stereotyping.
18. I hate 'Chocolate Anything' and prefer fruit based items any day.
19. I am scared of smooth-coated otter, which is a mammal like seal found in the backwaters of Kerala. My achama (dad's mom) was attacked twice by otters, one time even partially losing her thigh flesh while attempting to wash the clothes in the river. 
20. I constantly compare my cooking skills with my mom and for that matter always be disappointed at whatever I cook. My husband on the other side loves my cooking.
21. I have never broken a bone or have visited a dentist. My most visited speciality during the growing up years: ENT! I have extremely sensitive ears and sinus points.
22. I have a very strong nose and smells make me nostalgic! Some of my favorite scents are my mom's chakkakuru manga...jackfruit seed and mango curry, the smell of wet earth, and freshly baked cakes.
23. I can binge love certain something/someone. I am in love with the band Pentatonix and have been binge watching all their interviews.
24. I would love to visit Northern Italy some day. We were almost ready to head out, but were told that Italian embassy would take a month on average to grant VISA and we were traveling on short notice.
25. I can be friends with 16-20 somethings teenagers and small kids (3- 4) years of age. I can act both their ages; I am too goofy with the kids and a cool, social media savy elder sister to the teens.
26. I have a crazy obsession for peonies.
27. I hate pubs, I am more fine dining kind of a person.
28. I have extremely wobbly fingernails prone to breakage and for that reason, I don't grow my finger nails or get manicure.
29. I wanted to be a forensic scientist while growing up.
30. I love tattoos. I am planning to get one done by next year. Once, I was almost on the verge of getting the semicolon tattoo (which is so close to my heart) but chickened out at the last moment as my husband scared me with the pictures of tattooes gone wrong on killoid skin, and yes my skin is prone to killoids.

South Indian Wedding Guest Makeup

Ohh hello, October, or shall we call you "WEDDING SEASON". South Indian weddings are mostly day affairs, and not many wedding halls have AC facility, adding heat and humidity to the mix, there is one thumb of rule to follow "Less Is More".

Let's run down on the South Indian Wedding Guest Makeup (Beginner-level), shall we?

Note: I would preferably start with my eyes first before my base. You can go with either based on your preference.

Eyes

If you are wearing a silk saree, it's a safe bet to go with a bronze or gold eyeshadow. You don't have to mix a multitude of colors for a blended look, as I bet, half of the wedding guests don't care whether you have used 1 eyeshadow or 10 to create the Oscar-worthy look.

Lightly pat your bronze or gold eyeshadow on your eyelid (use your fingers or flat brush) and go heavy in the kohl and liner department, no one's gonna judge you.

Product Suggestions

PAC eyeshadows in 05, 06, 08.
Lakme Eyeconic Kajal
Maybelline Mascara

Personal Favorites

ABH and Makeup Geek Foiled eyeshadows
Sephora Eye pencil
Zoeva liquid liner

Base

As most South Indian weddings are day affairs, and the region is oh-so-famous for humidity and heat, I would suggest keeping your base airy and light. If you are a beginner, a tinted BB cream, or a light to medium coverage foundation is the way to go.

If you are oily, go in with a mattifying primer (extremely dry skin girls should use a hydrating primer), else you can skip this step altogether. Try to match your foundation shade to your skin tone, as aunties are quick to judge a pasty base.

If you are closer to my skin tone, check out my Foundation Matrix post.

Product Suggestions

Nivea After Shave (as a hydrating primer), Maybelline Fit Me Foundation/Colorbar BB Cream, LA Girl Pro Conceal

Personal Favorites

Becca Matte Primer, MUFE Foundation Y405/Y15, Tarte Shape Tape

Blush: If you are tan skin, be wary of applying bright blushes, go for something a little deep, like apricot or dusty mauve shade or a bright pink if you are fair to medium skin.

Contour: Well, you ain't gonna kill anyone with that sharp jawbone of yours, so unless, you have an intermediate makeup application skill, I suggest better not be a Kim K wannabe. Contour if not selected and applied properly can look patchy and muddy.

Highlight: Glow like Nikkie Tutorials. Apply a bright golden/champagney highlighter on the high points of your cheeks.

Product Suggestions
Makeup Revolution, Essence Blush, Milani Highlighter

Personal Favorites
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil, ABH That Glow Kit

Lips

Play with color here, if you like muted colors, go for a nude tone that suits your undertone, and please for the bride's and groom's sake, skip the oldy-marron and brown shades. Switch it up with a pink lip or better even, go for red. It is better to apply a liquid lipstick, as lipsticks tend to wear off after the heavy sadhya *burp*.

Product Suggestions
Nykaa So Matte Lipstick, Chambor Liquid Lipstick

Personal Favorites
Dose Of Colors Liquid Lipstick, ABH Liquid Lipstick

Close everything off with a setting spray (Urban Decay Setting Spray).

Happy wedding hopping guys!

Brush Cleaning Essentials

There is something about taking care of your little fur babies that soothes my inner makeup momma bear. While the cheat days are an everyday activity in my makeup routine, Spa days are reserved for my dull and dry weekends!

I  spot-clean my brushes post every use and then deep clean the brushes once in two weeks.

Cheat Day

Johnson's Baby Wipes l INR 69
Easy peasy lazy hack. Take a wet wipe and run your dirty brush to instantly sanitize it. Not a foolproof method, but something that you can do to quickly sanitize your dirty brushes.

MAC Brush Cleanser l INR 1050
My brush-love, I use a teeny bit on a paper tissue and run my brush over the tissue. MAC cleanser instantly spot cleans my brushes without ruining the bristles.

Spa Day

PAC Solid Brush Cleanser l INR 595
PAC solid cleanser is a spa day essential. Lightly wet your cleanser and brush and directly swirl your dirty brush in the tub. The solid soap smells like baby soap. The only con I can think of is keeping the brush cleanser clean. I let the product air-dry post use.

Brush Egg l INR 154
The broke cousin of the Sigma Brush Cleansing mat, I purchased this from Amazon for a fraction of the cost. I use a tiny bit of baby shampoo and swirl my brush on the brush egg. The item effectively removes the grim and powder on my brushes making it squeaky clean.

Johnson's Baby Shampoo l INR 72
I use baby shampoo to wash my brushes, as they say, keep your bristles soft like a baby's bum. Well, with the recent research proving that even baby shampoos are not void of harmful chemicals, I bet any shampoo would do the cleaning trick. I pair the shampoo with my brush egg for deep cleaning my brushes.

So, these are some of my brush cleansing essentials. What are yours?