Momster Diary #1 Just the way it is.

After all the worries, excitement, anticipation and anxiety, my baby boy's a whole month old now. Almost 2 actually. This whole year (since I got pregnant) I've been given truck loads of advice and suggestions. I myself went almost crazy google-ing anything and everything regarding being pregnant and raising a child. Ofcourse google knows everything! 

One thing I realised is this generation moms are way different from the previous ones. Given the situation and the world we live in now, we've got to do things differently.  And the most important thing is there is no right or wrong way about it. It's simply how you handle it. 

So here I just want to document my experiences and share my thoughts about  being a new age mommy. No clichés, no sugar coating. Just the way it is.

Blue Heaven Lip Bombs

Hey guys!

With Christmas  round the corner, I usually like to indulge my nieces with all the cutesy Xmas sha-bang! And like all girls, my niece loves to play make-up. Since she's not allowed any (she's only 9), except for lip balms, needless to say she's obsessed with them. So I was looking for one when I found these babies!

Eos dupes, you ask? I wondered the same but could not find any reviews about them online. So thought of trying them myself. Was too curious not to! I found only 3 variants so I got them all 😆.

I think they look super adorable! I have not used Eos lip balms so I can't really compare. So apart from the look alike lets treat them as individuals...shall we?

Price - Rs.85/-

Compared to the other lip balms in the market, these seem reasonably priced.

The variants are strawberry,  bubblegum and cocoa butter.

These balms are heavily fragranced and very artificial. Like over the top. No kidding. If you are one of those who can't stand fragranced products, this one is sure to give you a headache.

Cocoa butter didn't smell like cocoa to me at all. It reminds me of a cough syrup whose name I can't recall. Hate the smell.

Strawberry smells like well..,. strawberries, but like you were punched in your face with boat load of them. I anyways don't like the smell of strawberries. I found it sickeningly sweet. I shall however be giving this to my niece since she loves strawberries.

The bubblegum variant I like! It smells exactly like Boomer bubblegum, if you guys remember!

TEXTURE - These are matte balms. Does not turn out glossy on the lips. Does an ok job at moisturising. Thankfully does not just sit on my lips. Great for applying under matte lippies.

Lip balms anyways don't stay on me more than an hour or so. I've got really chapped lips, to the point that it bleeds and hurts like a bitch. I have to apply boroline every 2nd night and sleep with it to keep my lips from hurting. Sadly nothing else works.

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Finally I think I'll use them up. The smell majorly doesn't repel me and the texture feels good enough. I just wish they didn't smell so artificial and strong.

Online Haul December'15

Hey guys! It's been ages since I last posted. A baby does that to you. Oh yeah, I had a baby last month on the 4th of Nov'15. And it's been a task..I wont lie. But at the end of the day, it's definitely all worth it. So December being my bday month, with holidays round the corner and not to forget SALEs everywhere, it's difficult not to binge in a little. Although I had promised myself that I wouldn't buy any more makeup for the next 4 mnths (atleast; coz you see I'm of 'em hoarders who buys everything but wears none :|), however birthday haul to banta hai!

So, here goes...

1) Iphone 5S pink glitter waterfall cover -  Can we just please take a moment here. How pretty is that?!? I needed that in my life. And no, I don't think I'm old enough for glitter. No girl ever is!

it even looks rose-goldish in certain lighting. #Obsessed !!

The quality is good enough does not look or feel flimsy.

Bought this from amazon HERE.  Also available in ebay and flipkart.

Price - Rs.350/-

2) Makeup Revolution London Palette in RUN BOY RUN -  I needed a nude palette which had matte shades and specifically a pigmented matte black shadow. Narrowed on this. First impression, it feels quite soft and smooth. Like the feel of it. Bought this from NYKAA.

MRP - Rs. 1350 After discount - Rs.1013/-

3) Loreal Paris Volume Million Lashes Mascara - Have heard rave reviews about this one. So thought of trying it since it was on sale. I have only ever used Maybelline mascaras as yet. So pretty excited for this one and hoping it'll work for me. Bought this from NYKAA along with the Revolution palette.

MRP - Rs.795/-  After discount - Rs.636/-

4) Beauty Heaven Lip Bombs - See those cute EOS lip balm look alikes? I did too on Shopclues. So ofcourse I had to buy them to check them out. Found 3 variants. Bought them all.

MRP - Rs.85/-

5) Miss Claire Soft Matte Lip Cream (shade 05 & 07) - Been hearing about these since ages and I could not find them anywhere online. Being pregnant and all I couldn't even scrounge through the city in search of these. I finally found them on shopclues. Bought them a tad bit pricier than it actually is. But frankly I didn't mind shelling out that extra since they're still cheaper than NYX ones which "also" I cant find anywhere!! If you know where to find either Miss claire/NYX soft matte lip cream in Kolkata, plzzz do lemme know in the comments below.

Price - Rs.399/

In mumbai you can get it for Rs.150/- Can't you mumbai girls courier it to us here?!? Spread the love guys!

That's all for now folks. Which ones have you tried out of these? 

Serendipitously Urs,

SS

Mini Haul

I’m a little late for this post. However I’ve been trying to keep my shopaholic gene under check for a while now. Hence I indulged in a mini haul albeit only essentials.

1)  Dove conditioner: I’ve used this 4-5 times as yet. And I’m loving it!  It makes my hair feel smooth and soft. Does not weigh down my hair. Washes off easily. Smells amazing! Out of  all the budget conditioners I’ve used, namely- sunsilk, tresemme, loreal 5oils ( these are the ones which worked for me),  I find this the best. 

        

     2) Marks & Spencer  Cocoa butter exfoliating body scrub:  Smells good. The fragrance lasts for about 10 mins after shower. The scent isn’t  too overpowering. It says cocoa butter but it does not smell anything like it. It’s more of a cologne-ish scent. This one’s quite artificial but subtle and rich. I like!

  3)  Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel liner: A re-buy. This is an updated version which claims to be more smooth, long staying. Smoother it sure is. The 'Stay' seems similar to the previous version. I like the cute glass container with the square base. The brush is the same.

    4)    Maybelline colorshow in ChocoSin- Got this free with the Gel liner. An offer @Nykaa. Me, personally would’ve never gone for this shade. But anything free is always welcome right? Thankfully didn’t receive a shade that I already owned. So shall try this soon. Let’s see how it turns out. If not, I know mom’s gonna like it:)

  5)   Maybelline Hypersharp Liner: A rebuy.  My HG Liner. I tried the Maybelline Colossal Liner. Despite the hype,  it did NOT work for me. At all. (READ ON to know why). So I had to re-buy this liner. Love Love LOVE this.

   6)      Selfie Stick: OK so this might’ve been an unnecessary buy. But I think it’ll be very useful when on trips. The remote only works with Android so I’ll have to check it on my man’s phone.  Guys please check beforehand if the remote’s compatible with your phone, while buying one.

Do let me know if you want a review in particular.  

Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award

I was nominated by the lovely TheSillyCrusader for the Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award. 
Thank you so much for the nomination dear and guys do browse through her blog. She shares some amazing Skincare tips and I especially love her pictures!

The ‘rules’ are:

Thank the blogger who nominated you & link back to their site.
Answer the ten questions sent to you.
Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.
Nominate seven bloggers who you feel deserve the award.

1. When was the last time you made an ass of yourself? 

Me: I do it ALL THE TIME. A typical Sagittarius at that. Just yesterday, I whatsapp'ed my boss an abusive message (by mistake ofcourse!!) which was intended for my best friend. However, he hasn't brought up that subject yet and i hope he never does :/

2. Deadlines amuse you or are you scared of them?

Me: I DONOT enjoy them for sure. But funny that I always end up doing things ONLY at the last minute. Do they have pills for procrastination?

3. Last time you laughed till your stomach hurt?

Me: Just yesterday. My cousin Bro manages to do that everytime! 

4. What’s your worst nightmare?

Me: That i might just keep going on rote...follow duties and responsibilities and suddenly wake up one day on my 50th birthday realizing I spent half my life not living it. 

5. Lip gloss or lipstick?

Me: Lipsticks!

6. What cheers you up instantly?

Me: Frank Sinatra - I've got you under my skin. 

7. A book or movie which you couldn’t sit through?

Me: The movie Tees Maar Khan. It was probably worse than Ram Gopal Varma's Aag. I was done right after the song "Sheila" which is probably in the first 10mins of the movie.

8. Bad habit which you are trying to give up?

Me: Did i mention "procrastination"??

9. Beach or mountains?

Me: Can I keep both?!? But if I had to.. like HAD to choose... then beach. I have an affair with the water...

10. The song which you are humming now? 

Me: I'd tried so hard not to give in...I said to myself, this affair never will go so well. 

But why should i try to resist when, baby, I know so well.... 

I've got you under my skin.

I nominate:

Jhilmildsaha

Vanitynoapologies

Newlove-makeup

Thepinktrends

Sweetandbitterblog

Freshfacebeauty

Indianbeautymaniac

My questions for you:

1) Story behind your blog name?

2) Would you rather spend on high end Makeup/Skincare?

3) Name 3 of your Holy Grail Products.

4) What's topping your lust list?

5) A memory you can never forget (or touched you deeply)?

6) The best surprise you ever got/gave?

7) Your first lipstick ever?

8) School/ College?

9) Something quirky you want to do atleast once in your lifetime?

10) Your favorite quote?   

A friendly approach to connect... Join in and have fun guys.

Rimmel Lipsticks - Lasting Finish Range

Hi there! Being a crazy obsessive Lipstick hoarder I wish I’d got my hands on the Rimmel lippies waaay back in college. I got introduced to the Rimmel brand way too late. Availabilty was ofcourse an issue. Anyone who loves to glam up and are on a budget…or not..need these in their life.

I’ll be talking about the Rimmel Lipsticks in my vanity, 2 of which are from Rimmel Lasting Finish range and 3 are from the Kate Moss Collection.

Price: Rs.250/- I KNOW!!

Rimmel Lipstick - Lasting Finish Range

   1. Independent (060) - Lasting Finish range         

A muted mauvy shade with frosty finish. 

There are no obvious shimmers in it. But the frostiness is quite prominent.

  The texture is creamy and does not tug at my lips at all. The colour shows in the first swipe itself. A few more applications are required for a perfect opaque finish.

This lippie alone stays on me for 3-4 hours with minimal eating. Not transfer proof though.

  I’m not a fan of frost finish lippies. Then why buy this you ask? I like to apply this on the centre of my lips over bright pink colours to give it a dimension and mute it a little. The frost catches the light beautifully.

Rimmel Lipstick - Independent 060

  2.        Undressed (240) - Lasting Finish range 

A brownish perfect nude. It almost gives that foundation nude look. The texture is very creamy (Creamier than Independent).  But it does not feather out. It does not dry out my lips. However after a while, it can settle in fine lines. The colour fades off evenly. This lippie alone stays on me for 3-4 hours without lip liner. Not transfer proof.

However this shade, by itself, washes me out. I wear a pink nude-ish lip liner first and then apply this over it. 

Rimmel Lipstick - Undressed 240

                  

 3.    Lasting Finish by Kate Moss – 16 

A light Barbie pink shade. The texture is again very creamy, similar to Undressed. The texture being so creamy and the shade being so light, this lippie applies a little streaky. But it does not feather out and stays on me for 3-4 hours, with minimal eating. Not transfer proof. Even after a few hours the lips feel moisturized. This does settle in fine lines after a while. But that may be exaggerated due to my ultra drylips :/

Rimmel Lipstick Kate Moss - 16

4.  Lasting Finish by Kate Moss – 20

Oooh this shade!! *dreamy eyes*  This is my favourite shade ever! Possibly my favorite from my entire vanity. A true fuchsia. Just the right ratio of pink and purple, with cool undertones.

The colour payoff is just amazing. 1 swipe is all you need. 2 swipes and it’s flawlessly opaque. Not streaky. Does not feather out. Creamy enough. Stays on me for 4 hours (with minimal eating). Does not dry the lips.

Not transfer proof though.

Perfecto!

Rimmel Lipstick Kate Moss - 20

                

                

5. Lasting Finish by Kate Moss – 107

A deep red, bordering on maroon…just a shade or two short. The colour is soo pretty. It’s a red which’ll look good on every skintone. I haven’t seen this shade anywhere here in India sadly. Rather haven't seen any of the Rimmel Lipsticks with red packaging. But I NEEDED this particular shade for my wedding so my cousin (Bless the darling) got me this from Canada. And thank god he found it.

The texture of this particular shade is not as creamy as the previous ones I mentioned. Rather it sets in a powdery matte finish. But it does not tug while applying. Does not feather. But it transfers. It stays on my lips for 4-5 hours, with minimal eating.

If you can get your hands on this one… GRAB IT!!

Rimmel Lipstick Kate Moss - 107

            So here are the swatches with better lighting...

Rimmel Lipstick swatches

Rimmel Lipstick swatches

HOT : LOVE these!! If you haven’t already, buy one of the Rimmel lipsticks right now. For the price you won’t get a better deal! I guarantee, you will not regret.

NOT : The textures are a bit confusing. 

The scent :( is too overpowering. It smells exactly like the Inglot lip refills. Thankfully the scent doesn't stay long. 

Marks&Spencer Nail and Hand Cream – Fig & Orange Oil

Marks and Spencer Hand and Nail cream in Fig & orange oil

So I finished So I finished using my Marks& Spencer Nail and Hand cream in Rose from the floral collection, which I loved! I had a tough time choosing just 1 product when I actually wanted them all. So once I finished my rose hand cream I obviously had to run back to get another one.

Marks and Spencer Hand and Nail cream in Fig & orange oil

The Rose Hand cream cost me Rs.199/- for 100ml which I thought was great. However this time I couldn’t find any 100ml tubes at the Marks and Spencer store, South City Mall. Only 50ml tubes were available which also cost Rs.199/- :\

I bought the variants - Fig & Orange Oil (Indulgence range) and Cocoa Butter (Pampering range).

Marks and Spencer Hand and Nail cream in Fig & orange oil

Marks and Spencer Hand and Nail cream in Fig & orange oil

I am especially loving the Fig & Orange oil. I don’t think I’ve smelt anything like this before. It is a very light and fresh scent which reminds me of winter nights in the mountains. 

I can prominently smell the fig but not much of orange oil.  Some might find it slightly artificial smelling but nothing too overpowering or irritating.

These hand creams are quite different from the previous Rose variant I used.

Rose was more moisturizing and creamier. Thicker consistency which took a while to soak into the skin. After applying, it left my hand well moisturized but also greasy.

Marks and Spencer Hand and Nail cream in Fig & orange oil Swatch

Now during office hours greasy hands are tiny bit of a problem especially since I’m always on my laptop and/or mobile. The texture of  Fig & Orange Oil variant is creamy but not very thick. It soaks in the skin quickly and completely vanishes… in a good way. It does not feel greasy at all meanwhile it leaves my hand moisturized. So yeah for that! 

Marks and Spencer Hand and Nail cream in Fig & orange oil Swatch

Works to my liking for days out. I obviously hate greasy hands while working or travelling.

 I always have this in my hand bag.  All . The. Time. I have extremely dry and itchy hands if not moisturized properly.

The only downside I think is because this handcream is so light, it needs to be applied frequently. However when home, I prefer to use something more moisturizing.

HOT/NOT:  Love the fragrance. Love how light this is. Works extremely well for days out.

Maybelline The Colossal Liner

Maybelline The Colossal Liner

Product description:

Enjoy eye catching intensity and flawless precision with the Maybelline New York Colossal Liner.

Designed to end all your application woes, the Maybelline New york Colossal liner features a 0.4 mm flexi tip applicator that gives you perfect error free lines. Empowered with the ink pigment technology, this colossal eye liner imparts smudge proof, fade- proof, intense color to your eyes. Its quick dry formula ensures a 12 hour staying power and quick application. Add this kajal to your vanity kit and enjoy stunningly beautiful eyes everyday.

Price: Rs.425/-

I have been using the Maybelline Hypersharp liner for over a year. It is, hands down, my favourite liner EVER!!

However it’s almost drying up now. So when Maybelline came up with this new felt tip liner I HAD to get it! It’s already a major hit in the market 'coz of which I was super excited to use this.

Maybelline The Colossal Liner

It has a pretty long felt tip and the liner itself is very light.  This makes the application much easier. You can apply very thin strokes as well as thick as per your whim.

The colour payoff is amazing right from the first stroke. It’s got to be the blackest of  them all.

It takes a while to dry completely. It sets with a glossy finish. 

The application is real smooth. It does not tug at my eyes at all. Just one stroke is enough for the color payoff hence you donot have to go over several times.

Maybelline The Colossal Liner

Maybelline The Colossal Liner - Swatch

Now uptill this stage this liner was a dream ‘about’ to come true. 

Half an hour later....

Me standing in front of the mirror, just short of screaming..."I WANT MY MONEY BACK!" well..I did scream it. 

My eyes were black. Like I got a "black eye" vala black. Completely smudged. Within 30 MINUTES!!

Yes I do have the worst oily lids ever! (I feel like I repeat that in every post!) But 30 mins!! It claims to stay for 12 effing hours!!

I tried it on again a day later. Brushed on a layer of compact on it. It lasted for about 45 mins.

So disappointed!! If it fares so on my eyes in the winters, I wouldn’t dare get this anywhere near my eyes during summers L

I personally would not recommend this to anyone as per my experience. But if you are dry skinned then you could try this. But be sure to try this on your eyes first (not your hands but eyes) before buying.

HOT/NOT:  NOT!!  Like everything about it BUT the staying  power. That alone is a deal breaker for me. Rather get the Maybelline Hypersharp liner. It costs the same.