Makeup

Saturday, January 04, 2020

Love of my life

My beauty resolution for 2020 is to pan makeup; I'm not on a makeup ban, but this girl's beauty space is expanding.... and I forgot to swatch the lipstick.

lisa eldridge lipstick


lisa eldridge lipstick


I wanted this post to go live in 2019 but I didn't feel like blogging even though I wanted to...so 2020.


Makeup Artist Lisa Eldridge launched her first True Velvet Collection with Velvet RibbonVelvet Jazz and Velvet Morning back in November 2018. I added Velvet Ribbon to cart and procrastinated for about sometime, and bam! I lost interest thinking I don't wear red everyday. I wanted it because it is similar to Ruby Woo–a blue-based red.

Then I forgot about it, about everything. I was too busy to even look at the swatches of her next launch, but I had a glimpse of Go Lightly. How I overcame my impulsiveness, I do not know. Rainbow spill was my choice but I could hardly make use of it everyday. Then...

I chose Love of My Life because I wanted a colour I could wear everyday and finish it off within few months. I knew it I'd love the texture, and I want to experience what hitting a pan or finishing off a lipstick feels like. I still want Velvet Beauty and Velvet Muse and maybe even Velvet Fawn. I thought these would turn out pale on me but looking at the swatches on medium-olive skin tones, I regret! I don't know if Lisa will restock them.

This shade is truly universal. I am sure this will look good even on all skin tones. A soft rose pink with a neutral undertone in lucent finish. Love of My Life is cruelty-free and 100% vegan. To put down in one line: This formula is quite unique. I know of lipsticks that form tides because of their balmy textures; this does not and that makes me reach out for this even more, even though I have worn this only twice because I was waiting for the moment. :D

Here is how Love of My Life looks on medium-olive skin tone:

lipstick swatches








The finish, Luxuriously Lucent, in Lisa's words, indeed feels luxurious and lasts for about 4 hours and leaves a soft rosy tint. I love love love the pale gold and magnetic lipstick case. I have not yet gone lip liner hunting for this one, but I want to find a cruelty-free lip liner to go with this colour. Lisa's suggestions are Lancôme - Le Lip Liner - Pourquoi Pas 317 and Barry M - Lip Liner - Dark Pink 2.

What is the best thing I like about this lipstick? The colour.
The camera fails do justice to the colour and lip swatches here. So I tried clicking under both lighting conditions with all sort of settings. The colour looks deeper in the pictures. In person, this colour is more soft and not as deep and vibrant as in the pictures. Probably a kind of pink that'll flatter all looks from soft to smokey.

To conclude, I love Lisa Eldridge's Luxuriously Lucent Lip Colour in Love of My Life, and I also want the aforementioned shades. I am resisting to get the True Velvet Collection because I cannot wear reds everyday. I am really hoping to finish this one off soon, so I am wearing it everyday, even though I don't wear face makeup everyday and it still flatters my bare face. This alone got me excited enough to spend a fortune to get hold of this.
No affiliate; you can check her lipsticks here: https://www.lisaeldridge.com/shop/beauty/

I paid the shipping, and I had to pay custom duty, and I wasn't happy about it.

But Love of My Life sounds so cheesy! 😏



Saturday, April 07, 2018

Sugar Matte as Hell Crayon Lipstick in Rose Dawson


Dusty Mauve: this colour has to be my current fixation!


Sugar Matte as Hell Crayon Lipstick in Rose Dawson

I think, I accidentally ordered Rose Dawson instead of Holly Golightly. Holly is one of my favourite literary characters. I don't even remember who I had on my mind, Holly or Rose. I have had this crayon for quite sometime now, but the colour was not my preference then. It turned out brighter than I anticipated. I like the fact that the undertone makes my grey contacts look blue. As funny as it may seem, it is summer and I always turn towards my brights. *wink*

Rose Pink Lipsticks in India

Rose Dawson Lipstick

I contacted Sugar Cosmetics for their official statement with regards to being Cruelty-free. Here's what they replied.

Thanks for mailing in and sharing your concern towards Cruelty free/Vegan beauty products.
None of our ingredients, formulation involve animal testing also none of the entities we are involved with practice animal testing and are certified cruelty free. 
Our products may contain Beeswax, but if you require detail of any individual product we have mentioned all the ingredients in the respective product page.
Please feel free to write back to us with any other concern and we would be more than happy to address it.
Hope you have a Super Day ahead.
Love,
- Team SUGAR.

Certified CF? I am unsure of how I feel about their stance.

Sugar Matte as Hell Crayon Lipstick in Rose Dawson Swatch


Sugar Matte as Hell Crayon Lipstick in Rose Dawson LOTD
captured in the afternoon light

Colour

Look at that bullet, it looks mauve-brown-pink, quite subdued and subtle. On swatching, it turned out quite bright. The undertone is neutral, and it does look warm outdoors and cool indoors. On my neutral undertone, it shifts with the light I am in. If the colour naming resembles Kate Winselet's Lipstick in Titanic, it is nowhere close to being a brown that leans orange, like her ginger hair.

Texture

This sets into powder-matte finish and is quite drying. Doubtlessly, this one goes well on well-prepped and hydrated lips. For desert dry lips, a heavy duty balm underneath will save them. For the kind of restless talker I am, this one moves quite a lot and then mysteriously disappears, where? I have no clue. Maybe, the heavy lip balm underneath eats it :D

Longevity

Quite average. I have been wearing this to work, and I believe in keeping myself hydrated. It does transfer a lot on drinking. No wonder, the mouth of my water bottles have lipstick stains/residue. Like all other lipsticks, I blot this too and layer to prolong the longevity. To add, it does settle into the lines, which is only thing I dislike about powder mattes.

Sugar Matte as Hell Crayon Lipstick in Rose Dawson FOTD
Captured indoors. Blotted one million times!

I think I will stick to this combination till I have to switch back to clear contacts.







Saturday, February 03, 2018

Red Lipsticks for Valentine's Day



There is something about the colour red...

and a red lipstick.

How instantly it brightens up the face!

I am in love!

The only way I can make red lipstick work for me is by bronzing and using a corrector to out the pink in my skin. Red is never an effortless colour for me. I love clean, minimal base, lots of mascara and red lipstick. Red lipsticks with blue undertone bring out the golden-brown hues in my eyes.



Here are three hues I have pulled out from my collection. All drugstore pricing; cruelty-free as well.



L.A.Colors Pout Lipgloss Matte in Lusty

I am in love with the texture and everything about this, and the fact that this is for $1. The staying power is amazing, and it does not come off in patches (unless you eat something fried). I bought all 11 shades from ShopMissA, boy! I'm glad. Lusty is true red with neutral undertone. I am wearing this in the GIF. Also, I was testing The Ordinary Coverage Foundation and all the new makeup I received. This one is my favourite of these three.


NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Amsterdam

I adore the texture of soft matte lip creams. Amsterdam was a part of a set; the undertone is yellow, and the red leans more on the red-orange spectrum. I don't know how exactly I feel about this kind (warm undertone) of red. I wear reds with reds or whites exclusively. Nothing more nothing less sort of thing for me. This does bring out yellow in my skin tone.

Essence XXXL Longlasting Lipgloss Matt Effect in Silky Red

This is a warm red with orange undertone. The undertones of my face and body are different and hence the colour shows up differently on both. Check out the difference in swatches here, but I definitely don't like this one, for it just slips away. The only way to make this work is to blot and reapply!



This gif is made out of an accidental video. I accidentally turned on video mode and got occupied in clicking pictures on phone. Cropped out from whole seven minutes. I have more reds with more or less with orange undertones. I need a red with blue undertone. Ruby Woo is all I think of, but I need a cruelty-free option, Milani maybe. Ooooh! And that purchase will be celebrated. ;-)



Saturday, December 02, 2017

Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation in Classic Beige and Amber Beige Review, Swatches, Shades and FOTD



Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation Review, Swatches,Shades and FOTD

I was looking for a photo-friendly foundation, and my search ended with Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation in the shade Amber Beige. But when I received it, the shade was a tad darker than I anticipated. My skin tone if described would appropriately be Medium Tan Neutral. I have Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation in the same colour, and it is a good match in summer and is completely undetectable on my skin. Though Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation in Classic Beige is described as Medium Tan Neutral on the website. I thought probably going a shade darker would be a good choice; I was wrong!


Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation

Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation in India

Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation in classic beige is a decent match for me when I am not tanned (update: this did not oxidise on me for a few uses, but now after being exposed to light and air, it does oxidise on unprimed skin). Amber Beige has a bit of red undertone to it which brings out my redness and looks darker than my neck and chest. I prefer mixing classic beige and amber beige in 2:1 when I acquire a bit of tan. I am not sure of my shade in MAC studio fix, but MAC Master Match Foundation in 5.0 is almost a good match. I have looked up and have watched videos for all the medium/tan shades to make the guesswork for the shade that would be my closest match. I will be mentioning MAC equivalents of Wet n Wild Photo Focus shades for Indian skin tones.

Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation is now available in India exclusively on Nykaa. I purchased classic beige and amber beige on Beautdor for 850 and 600 INR, respectively. And I am glad the price point on Nykaa is decent and retails for 599 INR.

Why I picked Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation?

A drugstore foundation which is vegan, gluten-free and fragrance free  Also sulphate, paraben and oil free. Wet N Wild is cruelty-free and is certified by PETA and Leaping Bunny.

Shades

Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation Classic Beige, Amber Beige Shades and Demo

The fact that I would find my perfect match for $5.99 or 599 INR left me exhilarated. Although I am unsure of my match in MAC, I had got shade matched in Lancome. I am in shade 03 for Lancome Miracle Air De Teint (leans more warm on me).
I have neutral undertone which was evident only after brainstorming research. I used warm under-toned foundations and always wondered why my skin tone looked muddy.
The shade classic beige oxidises on me and looks better than amber beige which shows up a bit too red on my skin. The picture below is quite evident; it is stark in person.

Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation MAC NC40

Wet n wild Photo Focus Foundation Swatches forNC 35 NC 37 NC 40 NC42  NC 44 NC 45 skin tone

For tan/olive/Indian skin tones the shade referencing as per my finding:

For neutral/warm undertones ~

Cream Beige/Golden Beige would be equivalent to MAC NC35NC37
Classic Beige/Bronze Beige would be equivalent to MAC NC37NC40
Amber Beige/Dessert Beige would be equivalent to MAC NC40NC42
Caramel/Toffee would be equivalent to NC44NC45

Wet n wild photo focus foundation for Neutral undertones
Left to Right: Classic Beige, Amber Beige

Wet n wild photo focus foundation swatches for Tan medium olive Indian skin tones
Left to Right: Classic Beige, Amber Beige

Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation Review

First of all, I am in love with the light-weight texture. If blended well with a beauty blender or makeup sponge, it is does look and feel weightless. Though Wet N Wild claims that the foundation is fragrance-free, it does have a slight paint smell to it. 
The consistency is medium, and it blends effortlessly on primed skin. I did test this foundation with and without primer, and it works best with a primer underneath. Without primer, it does cling to dry patches and accentuates them. The coverage is light to medium and is buildable upto full coverage as per the claims but honestly I prefer just one layer for photography. I did apply three layers and it accentuated my non-existent pores and clung onto my peach fuzz. I am guessing it would accentuate texture? probably!
A single layer evens out the skin tone and conceals the fading blemishes and scars but fails to cover fresh acne scars.
I dislike setting this foundation with setting powders that I own. But finishing with the Hourglass Ambient Light Powder in Diffused adds such an ethereal glow. I am waiting to receive the Photo Focus Powder and Concealer I ordered from Nykaa.
The finish of the foundation is a cross between satin and matte. It makes the skin appear flawless in daylight and soft flash photography.
It does oxidise on me, and the only way I know to fix it is to use a brightening powder. It did not break me out. I prefer this foundation for quick makeup because it blends in effortlessly. Lately, my skin has been drier than usual. In the pictures below, I am wearing the foundation without primer and setting powder.

Tested Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation in Natural Light and Iphone 7 Flash

Wet n wild Photo focus foundation natural light flash test
Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation in Classic Beige: Left~ Natural Light <-> Right~ Flash

wet n wild photo focus foundation in Amber Beige natural light flash test iphone7
Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation in Amber Beige: Left~ Natural Light <-> Right~ Flash

I love how it looks in natural light, but it looks more flawless in person than in pictures. Silica is the reason why it blurs out all the imperfections. I have both warm white and cool white lights installed in my room, and I find that it does flash back under cool daylight. 
Amber beige flashes back slightly pink due to its red undertone.

Tested Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation with Canon 70D Flash

Tested Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation with Canon 70D Flash
Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation in Amber Beige tested with Canon 70D flash

The camera flash is quite harsh and it did accentuated the dry patches on my nose. Also all my flaws  including facial hair/peach fuzz. But then I had been sitting quite close to the camera.

Overall, I am quite impressed with the texture, finish and how flawless it does make my skin look!
It did not oxidise (one at first, but now when the bottle has been exposed to light and air, it does oxidise on me). The finger marks on those shiny, black caps make me uneasy, but  I am in love with everything else it has to offer. 

Friday, May 12, 2017

Colourpop Peachy Keen Super Shock Eyeshadow Quad Review, Swatches and Photos

Colourpop Peachy Keen Super Shock Eyeshadow Quad Review, Swatches and Photos

In my mind, I have glorified the gold. I want to stockpile all the gold eye shadows that I fancy at sight. The hues of gold, champagne, golden bronze, soft gold, dusty gold, golden beige...
And corals, as much as I love the combination I always end up pairing. Coral eye shadows are tricky and I am picky and certain.
Yes, I want the Too Faced Sweet Peach in spite of its mediocrity and the Too Faced fall collection 2017 Just Peachy tops my wishlist. Enough said.

Colourpop Peachy Keen Super Shock Eyeshadow Quad Review, Swatches and Photos


While browsing, I came across this Foursome super shock eye shadows and all I could do was daydream of the makeup looks I could create. Reality check, I wore these only twice this spring/summer: two different looks. I am planning to recreate both. Currently, Colourpop Cosmetics is offering free worldwide shipping.


Colourpop Warm-toned neutral eyeshadow swatches

Colourpop Peachy Keen Foursome includes 4 warm-toned neutrals. Colour wise, they are well contrasted and undertone wise quite well coordinated. These colours are best suited for light to medium skin tones. Kennedy is quite a pastel on Olive/Tan skin tones, I am assuming it would be a bit more whitish on deeper skin tones.


Too Faced Sweet Peach and Just Peachy Affordable Dupes

Texture & Longevity


The tactile texture, to me, feels like moss. (Imagine the cleaner, greener, please.) If you've ever studied moss as a course or curiosity, you'll understand. How plush and cushiony it is to touch and at the same time not much, if you exert a little pressure to the touch, it'll lay bare its soothing dampness.

The staying power is unrealistic, stays on until I am ready to wash off my makeup- say 8-9 hours. That's how long I've let it stay on my lids, but you need a heavy duty oil balm or cleanser to take it off. The metallic and the ultra metallic shades crease on my eyelids. But if I am indoors and wearing Urban Decay original eyeshadow primer underneath, it doesn't budge at all, forget creasing. 9 of 10 times I skip primer since I am always short of time while doing the whole glam face.
Did I even mention NO FALLOUT?!


Budget Beauty Products in USA.Colourpop Cosmetics

Colours, Undertones and Blendability


Crimper: A soft warm gold with multi-dimensional reflect, a bit gritty due to the glitter in it. Metallic Love!

Crimper Soft warm gold budget eyeshadows

Colourpop Crimper supershock eyeshadow swatches review and closeup photo


Kennedy: A matte mid-tone Peach, slightly more cushiony and plush than the others.

Affordable Warm Peach Eyeshadow. Too faced eyeshadow dupe on budget

Colourpop Kennedy Supershock eyeshadow swatches, review photos


Cornelius: A matte soft brown leans caramel, mid-tone to be precise.

Cornelius supershock eyeshadow swatches review photos

Colourpop Cornelius. Best Transition eyeshadow. Affordable soft neutral brown eyeshadows


Bandit: A warm reddish brown with sparse soft flecks of pink, silver and violet.

Budget Beauty true reddish brown eyeshadow. Affordable brown eyeshadows online

Colourpop Bandit supershock eyeshadow review, photos, swatches

Cornelius works as a transition shade and blends effortlessly with any synthetic blending brush. But you would need to blend & build the depth of colour at once because once it sets it turns patchy upon layering. Crimper can be worn as a lid colour as well as a topper and works well both the ways.
Kennedy leans pastel on dark/olive/tan skin tones if worn with an eyeshadow primer performs much better. Bandit can be used to smoke out the edges and add more depth, the combination of Peach from Kennedy and the Reddish brown tint of Bandit creates quite a magical colour combination. All these colours are unique and co-ordinated at once, so many eye makeup looks can be created with just these foursomes.

With Kennedy being more plush and cushiony or mousse-like than the others; it gets difficult to either blend or layer the pigment. At once, Kennedy is both my favourite and least favourite.

Soft Peach and Peachy keen eyemakeup tutorial

Colourpop Peachy Keen Supershock eyeshadow swatches. Golds, Oranges/Corals, Neutrals


Too Faced Sweet Peach eyeshadow dupes. Too Faced Just Peachy eyeshadow dupes, Affordable eyeshadows

Final Thoughts


Anybody who'd like to add some warm-toned neutral shades from Colourpop to their collection, can go ahead and pick this right away. I like these colours, even if I fail to wear them all at once; I use Cornelius as my transition shade whenever I use all Colourpop for eyemakeup. I have to come up with using different ways to use them before they dry and die!


Price in US & India for Colourpop Peachy Keen: $18 and INR 1206

Availability: Colourpop Cosmetics Peachy Keen*

Is Colourpop Cruelty-free? Yes

Vegan? Yes

 * No affiliate link

Sunday, April 23, 2017

Birthday Acquisition, Makeup, and Face of the Day

I had to choose between diamonds and makeup.

I chose Makeup.

And for accomplishing 3 major goals in 2016 (one in 2017), after working hard for months and numerous sleepless nights (Thank you Redbull!) I decided to treat myself to some luxury makeup in spite of my project pan challenge. I seem to go on purchasing makeup and keep forgetting about it. I lack sincerity with project panning!


Here's the makeup flatlay

Soft Rose Gold Aesthetic and Makeup Tutorial

My theme for makeup as well as aesthetic was Rose gold. I paired a soft rose gold smokey with soft mauve lips. That lip colour was not on my mind, but I have been wearing Cannes lot, to skip it for once; I mixed Zurich and Marc Jacob's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I wore Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation and dusted the Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder over my T-zone lightly.
My base, illuminated and extremely light with bronzed glow, I did skip contouring today. And after taking pictures, I realized I need to fix my eyebrows, I fixed them, wiped off my lipstick and stepped out.

I have zillion Lace blouses, tops and tanks and every time I see lace, mesh or anything similar I have to purchase it (and regret later.) But this is something I had to include in my collection. I didn't have anything forest green!

Zara Embroidered Eyelash Lace Top

And here's my humble Face of the Day!

Soft Rose Gold Makeup for Indian skin

Closeup shot of my illuminated base makeup

Dewy Skin Soft Rose Gold Makeup Tutorial

 And here's the birthday acquisition (for succeeding goals and ignoring my skin all the while!)
My laugh lines are running deeper due to lack of skincare and I am determined to switch to a skincare routine preventing dry patches and developing lines/wrinkles. You can check my acquisition here

Beautylish Haul India, Charlotte Tilbury
From Me to Me :)
Brown paper packages tied up with strings. ;)