SUGAR Cosmetics | Eye Shadow Quad in ESCAPADE

Sugar Cosmetics has grown fast and popular in no time at all.. and for all the right reasons!

They boast about being free from parabens, D5, oil, mineral oil and nano-ingredients; with best quality possible.

I am a complete fan of the brand and make it a point to try atleast a product (if not more) from every range they come up with.

The lipsticks have to be one of the best formula out there (including the high end brands) and the price and the colour range they have, it's simply ah-mazing!

The indian market sadly does not have good matte eyeshadows. PAC has come up with singles recently. Or else other brands offer entire palette, which have a mix of textures.

When Sugar came up with eyeshadows, it was a no brainer that I had to grab Escapade! All mattes and it looked perfect and totally my type.

For those like me, who aren't into experimenting much with eyeshadows and rely on matte neutral shadows, this one is a dream come true.

Sugar Cosmetics Eyeshadow Quad - Escapade

Sugar Cosmetics Eyeshadow Quad - Escapade

Sugar Cosmetics Eyeshadow Quad - Escapade

Sugar Cosmetics Eyeshadow Quad - Escapade | Swatches

Sugar Cosmetics Eyeshadow Quad - Escapade | Swatches

Price : Rs.699/-

 Firstly the shades! All 4 shades are definitely wearable and more importantly suits indian skintone.

Texture - Buttery soft and quite powdery. The colours show up great on the lids and is buildable as required which is great. Coz for me personally I just like a light wash of colour on my lids for office. And hence I always prefer the buildable ones. Even though these are extreme soft, I haven't faced fall out with the 3 lighter shades I've used. I haven't used the deepest shade on the Bottom Right. So I shall probably update on that later. 

I use myfingers mostly since I only go with one all over colour. But it works just as fine with brushes too.

Top Left - A neutral taupe with slight mauve undertone. A beautiful transition shade. I use this just to neutralise my lids and bring some dimension to my eyes. This shade is very close to my favourite "Brady" from colourpop, with the same slight mauve undertone, only a shade lighter and in powder form. LOVE!

 

Bottom Left - A coral peach shade. The shade is not as bright on the lips one first application (as compared to the hand swatch) but can be built up, which is a good thing. I love it more as a blush really! (I know you thought of it too!)

Top Right - A pretty plum shade. Quite pigmented. Just a slight soft touch and it gives beautiful pigmentation. But the shade is so that if not applied properly looks like you've been punched!

Bottom Right - An almost black but actually a deep deep plum shade. Haven't tried this shade on the lids yet. Seems like a nice change from the stark black.

To top it off the packaging is smart, sleek, compact, neat and the best part ultra light. A breeze to carry along... even your jeans back pocket if required! This has definitely become my go to travel pallete. The hard plastic ones are really a pain to carry when you already have more than necessary makeup to carry ;)  

I think it's a must buy and another hit from Sugar!

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What's your go to look these days?

Love,

SS

Innisfree Water Fit Cushion Foundation | Shade N23

Cushion Case - Rs.600/-

Water Fit Cushion Foundation (Shade N23) - Rs. 900/-

Free Innisfree Beauty Tool Air Magic Puff- Rs. 150/- (I got it free in an offer)

It has been quite a while that Cushion foundations have been a craze. Most commonly used in Korea, the concept was a brainchild of STILA in 2002. It was however brought into mainstream by Laneige.

In case you're wondering, what a cushion product is? It's basically a compact with a sponge soaked in the product. You can apply the product with a sponge or a brush by dabbing the product off the sponge. The sponge tends to soak up most of the product hence you only get a little amount on your applicator, which helps to give a a very natural lightweight finish. Cushion Foundations could be a replacement to BB/CC creams.

Easy to carry along or travel with. Gives a light natural finish. Easy to touch up. These are the basic expectations out of a cushion product.

Innisfree has taken it a notch higher by making such cute and pretty packaging. The best part is the actual product is detachable and the outer packaging can be changed.

So the outer cover, the applicator and the foundation itself can be customized as per your like.

There are quite many colours and patterns to choose from, everyone of which looks gorgeous. But I HAD to choose the the yellow with white polka dots. Just looking at it lifts my mood!

The foundation comes in 2 variety- Water Fit and Longwear Cover Cushion.

I usually have Oily skin type but something too drying accentuates certain areas like around my nose, laugh lines and under eye area. So, I opted for the Water Fit version 'coz I'd prefer a dewy finish, which I usually have within 3 hours.

I got the shade N23. On first applying this, the shade looks quite light and the undertone seems greyish on me. But after 10 minutes of settling in, it completely adapts to the skintone. 

I'd say it has a light to medium coverage. Almost as much as my Ponds BB cream. But I need to put on 2 layers to get that coverage.

The texture being light and airy, I can hardly feel it on my face. Since the product is being dabbed on an applicator from the sponge, there are 2 layers of filter hence a minimum amount of product gets picked up. 

I first used the cushion applicator with this but somehow I prefer using my brush to apply the foundation. Gives a better finish.

Frankly, I think it's quite pricey just for the cute packaging and hardly any cover. But if you are some one who can't seem to find your shade of BB/CC cream,and don't want a full on foundation, could surely invest in this one.

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Love,

SS

The Body Shop Haul | Amazing SALE!

ONLINE BUY

The Body Shop Smoky 2 in 1 Gel Liner : The Brown one's on 50% Off. Never used this before. Shall be put on test. 

The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation : I bought the shade-Fiji Sand. Thankfully it's a perfect match! Have only tried this once. Shall be put on test. 

The Body Shop Tea Tree Facial Wash : A rebuy. Already finished 3 bottles of this. Got this for the husband really.

The Body Shop Foaming Facial Wash : Again a rebuy. I prefer the gel facial wash more. but it's ok!

IN STORE BUY

The Body Shop Body Polisher :  I struggle with back acne and a Body Polisher/Exfoliater is something I've been meaning to purchase since a very long time.Although I've successfully gotten rid off my back acne to a large extent (shall dedicate a separate post on the 'hows'), it's good to maintain the same.
 

The Body Shop Vitamin E Eyes Cube : I haven't seen or heard any reviews on this before. This could be a limited edition, 'coz it's not even listed on The Body Shop India website. But it looked and (the tester) felt quite interesting. The product itself feels very cooling against the skin. I'm hoping it'll work for my under eye bags and provide basic hydration to the eye area. 

The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil : Finally got this. The Sales Rep at the South City Store gave me 1ml sample and I HAD to buy the full size product. Got this at 30% OFF (25% + 5 % member)

The Body Shop Tea Tree Mattifying Lotion : I'm all for mattifying lotions in this humid kolkata weather. The tester seemed great. Let's see how this turns out. I kind of have good vibes about this one. Got this at 30% OFF (25% + 5 % member)

The Body Shop Matte Lip Liquid : Finally they're mine!! Bought the shades - Goa Magnolia, Sydney Amaryllis and Mauritius Dahlia.  Swatches and review coming soon.

Got this at 30% OFF (25% + 5 % member)

The sale will last till June'17 end. The website already has the offer going on. This time around I could see many bestsellers on 50% Discount which is amazing. A fair share of skincare, haircare,  bath, makeup, fragrances and accessories. Quite impressed with the variety and an amazing chance to restock or try out the products. 

P.S. This could be an amazing gifting option. Mix and match products to gift friends and family. The expiry dates are nowhere near on these products. So grab them before they're all gone.

Do pick your favorites till they last, coz they're definitely selling off like hot cakes!

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Love,

SS

Maybelline Fit me Stick Foundation

Shade: 235 Pure Beige (9gms)
Price: Rs.550/-

Company Claims-  Lightweight, gel stick foundation has an exclusive anti-shine powder core that instantly dissolves excess oil. Maybelline New York Fit Me Stick is an oil-absorbing powder foundation stick that is creamy and blends into a natural matte finish for smooth and even-looking skin. Pores look minimized and skin stays shine-free for ten hours.

*Dermatologist and allergy tested *Non-comedogenic.

The central lighter circle is the anti-shine powder core, which apparently mattifies the skin.

I am a girl who dislikes wearing foundation on an everyday basis. Foundations for me, are restricted to special occasions. But certain uneven tones on my face really irks me. Hence BB/CC creams are really my savior. To be precise Ponds BB cream only.  None of the other various BB/CC creams in the market suit me.

However my skin has been rebelling in the past 3-4 months. On top of that Kolkata summers give “pathetic” a whole new definition. So the sour mixture of hormones and weather turned quite bitter for me ‘coz, suddenly even my trustee ol’ Pond’s BB cream started breaking me out :\

Amidst this, one day, while cleaning my closet, a cute small tube rolled out and it was Maybelline’s BB stick. I had received it as a gift but I had never really used it, since the Maybelline Bb cream didn’t suit me. I just gave it a try out of habit. Surprisingly, I loved the texture of it. A cream to powder finish.  Just what I needed at the moment.

It sadly was expired, so I ordered the FIT ME foundation stick asap, hoping it’d be similar if not better.

 To begin with, the colour matches my skin perfectly and is meant for combination?Oily skin type.

        It has sheer to light coverage.

    It evens out the skin without looking cakey or fake.  True to its claim, it is quite creamy and smooth on application with an almost powder light finish.

      It does not melt when I sweat (Yea some bb creams/ foundations do that and it’s embarrassing as hell) But if wiped it comes off easily.   
It does not cover any spots whatsoever.

I have extremely oily skin, so it does not completely kill the shine but manages to mattify the greasy look a decent amount. I actually like the finish, since it leaves just the right amount of glow.

In this heat, when I sweat like a pig, it does not melt on me. Yeah for that! It can be quite embarrassing with streak marks all over the face. But again since I wipe my face often, it goes off in just one swipe. Retouching is easy, thanks to the stick form and its easy blendibilty. Longetivity could be an issue for some. It stayed on me for 4-5 hours when in AC/cooler weather.

So for those like me, who do not want a full or even medium coverage for everyday wear, but just want to even out the tone, this is perfect.

This may not be suitable for the dry skin, solely for the reason that it’s a mattifying foundation. But it can be used over a well moisturized face.

 
Basically this is good in place of BB/CC creams and not as a full fledged foundation. I am definitely enjoying this stick foundation this summer. I'll even go to the extent of saying I'll probably finish it!

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Which base are you using currently??

Love, 
SS

My top 3 Eye Pencils | For Oily lids

Hey there! If you've been with me a while, you'll already know, I have small hooded lids and extremely oily lids, which let me tell you is the worst combination EVER!

Most of the liners smudge on me in flat 2 hours. Let's not even talk ask about summers. I prefer skipping kohl/liner altogether during summers for that reason. After testing boat loads of eyeliners I finally have my favourite Top 3! 

Eye pecils - Essence, Plum, Rimmel

Eye pecils - Plum, Essence, Rimmel

.

Plum NaturStudio All Day Wear Kohl – Price: Rs.425/- 1.2 gm

Look of a gel liner in a pencil form. It claims to be Smudgeproof, Waterproof and Preservative free.

1)      Blackest black in one stroke.

2)      Preservative-free, paraben-free, mineral oil-free, paraffin-free

3)      Dermatologically  and ophthalmologically tested & approved. Does not hurt my sensitive eyes.

4)      Rich in Vitamin E for care and protection

5)      100% vegan formula, not tested on animals

6)      Ingredients -Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Rice Bran Wax, Natural Vitamin E

7)      The expiry date is mentioned on the pencil itself.

8)      Quantity is quite a lot in comparison to other pencils in the market hence justifies the price.

Issues –

1)      Needs to be sharpened.

Essence Gel Waterproof Liner – Price: Rs. 299/-      0.57g

 It’s been almost 6 months that I discovered this beauty. This is the only product I have used from this brand. However I need to get more from this brand since I’ve heard rave reviews. I am already on my second pencil  [black]and I also bought a brown shade.  

1)      Very pigmented.

2)      Soft and does not tug at the eyes since it’s a gel formula in pencil form.

3)      Stays put on my waterline all day with minimum smudging under the eyes. It starts smudging only after 9-10 hours during summers.

4)      Retractable mechanical pencil. No fuss no wastage.

Issues -

1)        Re-application is not ideal. It sets very fast and any re-application removes the colour already set.  

Eye pecils - Essence, Plum, Rimmel

Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer - Price: Rs.345/-   0.28 gm

1) Retractable liner on one side and a smudger on the other.

2) An even finish and smooth in one stroke. Not as dark as above 2 but dark enough.

3) Love using this to create an easy smokey eyes.

4) Once set, stays in put.

Issues- 

1) No particulars/ingredients mentioned.

Eye pecils - Essence, Plum, Rimmel 

I love the Plum natur kohl since it is great for my sensitive eyes minus all the chemicals, however I mostly always reach for Essence or Rimmel ‘coz I’m always running late for work and never have time to sharpen eye pencils #lazygirlwoes  Again none of the liquid liners stay on my lids. [The only one that did, got discontinued L Maybelline’s HyperSharp Liner] Also pencils are easier to draw with.

    

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One complaint I have with these  pencils is I can’t draw a thin line or a cat-eye with this. The nib remains too blunt [Still on the find for a good liquid/ felt tip liner]. Any suggestions guys???

Love,

SS

EMPTIES Jan-Feb-Mar'2017

Empties QTRI 2017

  The Body Shop Aloe Toner - I still have 1/4th of the product left but it's way past it's expiry date, so I need to throw it out. I already have a back up of this and I love it! This is a dream come true if you have oily and sensitive skin like me. I have a post on why this changed my skin for good HERE. It may help you, if you have troubled skin too.

The Body Shop Drops Of Youth Bouncy Sleepy Mask - Done! Fin! Have to share my views on this exclusively soon! Already re-purchased this one. Just the fact that, I managed to finish a skincare product without struggling AND bought a backup says a lot about it. Expensive but worth every penny 'coz this shiz works! Also lasts a loong time so really the price won't pinch you in the longer run.

The Body Shop Aloe Soothing Gel - This was my third tube. Aloe gel is a must for me. And this really works on my irritated, really sensitive skin. Highly recommend this for all those with similar skintype (Oily and Sensitive). Did not re-purchse this, only because I wanted to try something different which works but isn't so expensive. Rs.745/- for an Aloe Gel kills me man! Hence I bought the The Face Shop Aloe gel. Really hoping it works. But if you don't mind spending the amount or you really want something to soothe the skin especially in this hot summer sun, give this a try. Expensive but effective.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (+) - I think now will be good time to review this. Spoiler Alert - Initially, and by that I mean, in the first 2 weeks of using this, I was kinda disappointed. I thought it was disgustingly over hyped. I had no intentions of repurchasing it. But I did. And ofcourse there's a catch. I shall post about it real soon. [I promise. No really]

Clean & Clear Skin Balancing Moisturizer - Oh! How I love this product. I don't see many bloggers talking about this anymore. I know everyone must've used this atleast once in their life time [Read during their teens]. But this is such an old gem. I HAVE to have this in my vanity. This is amazing for oily skin. A water-based moisturizer. I have used this as a cream cleanser all my life. It gets rid of very stubborn makeup, every last bit of kajal from the tightline and lash line without irritating my eyes. A Musthave!



Sure Roll-On Deo - I prefer roll ons to aerosols any day. 'Sure' Roll On may not keep you smelling amazing the entire day. But it will help make your sweat odourless. Do I make sense? We sweat and we will, no matter what [at 40 degrees obviously!!] But this deo will help control the odour and not make you stink. I usually put this right after a bath. Then before leaving, spray some perfume [not directly on the skin. You don't want to do that.] on clothes from a distance, so you don't get perfume marks on your clothes. A musthave for me.

Nivea Whitening Roll-On Deo - So, when I was pregnant, my under arms had become really dark. Apparently that's normal. When pregnant, areas such as underarms, areola (the area around the nipple) tend to darken. So post partum, I tried home remedies such as scrubbing with lemon, potato, for it to get back to normal. That was when I bought this roll on. My underarms are back to normal now. But honestly, I'm not sure whether I should give this roll on the entire credit.These things do subside on its own.

BBlunt Temporary Hair Colour in Blue Velvet – I finished the smaller can. I think the quantity is too little. I could use it only twice. For those with long hair, this would be enough for just one use. But it’s a fine size if you wanna try it out first. I enjoyed it on the two occasions I used this. But DONOT wear white while using this, since it transfers. And also makes the hair crispy and stiff. Also you need a lot of product for the colour to actually show up. It’s fun but “toooo” temporary.

Mayblline Hypercurl Mascara (Waterproof)– I couldn’t see it curling my lashes. But again no mascara by itself can curl my short stubby lashes. So I don’t blame this mascara. I found this too clumpy though. But it does give volume to the roots of my lashes. It demands too much effort and there are better mascaras out in the market.    

Maybelline Lash Sensational (Waterproof) – Already bought another tube. Review and details about this mascara here.

Lipstick Colorbar (Bare) – My all time favourite nude lippie. This shade looks amazing on every skintone. I still have a little product left but it’s turned bad. I bought this lipstick 5 years back. It’s high time I chuck this asap! I really want to re-buy this, but I have too many nudes at the moment in my vanity. So many, that this time I can’t even trick my conscious into buying myself another one.

Lipstick Lakme Enrich Satin P162 – Practically the entire bullet is unused. I remember buying and taking this along on my Gangtok trip and used this all through that trip and that’s it. It got pushed somewhere deep behind and almost never used it again. Found this when I finally arranged my vanity but it has fungus on it now! I really shouldn’t buy so many lipsticks, I can’t even use them! Lesson learnt. Another motive added for my resolution – Lipstick Ban.

Mothercare All We Know Baby Oil – Use this on my baby. And it’s a good lightweight oil. Absorbs quickly into the skin and keeps the skin supple. But frankly, I still prefer Johnson’s Baby Oil. If only they would exclude the Mineral Oil L