FOTD & Swatch: MAC Nehru eye shadow

I've had MAC Nehru eye shadow for a couple of weeks and it's been a staple for me :) That's saying a lot since I'm quite particular when it comes to eye shadows.

MAC Nehru eye shadow in the pot

This is a matte finish and although it looks like a regular black matte shadow, there is a blue-gray tinge to it that I love. If you love a smokey eye, I highly recommend checking out this shade

You can definitely build up the depth of colour with this one or use it lightly

Here is a quick swatch of the colour (one swipe)

MAC Nehru eye shadow swatch

And here's a look with me using the eye shadow 

Any new makeup products that you're loving lately?

Bollywood Actresses Without Make-Up

Bollywood actresses are known for their beauty and style. They are glorified in displays demi-goddesses who are blessed with essential beauty.But it is now time for a reality check, because actresses do not really seem like the perfect Dream Girls when they stripped off his makeup. Let's take a look at how various actors look without their usual dose of makeup.

Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif does not look very different without makeup. She is naturally blessed woman in the form of beauty and thus can easily survive without makeup. She looks gorgeous in its most basic and natural avatar.

Deepika Padukone

Sans makeup, Deepika looks like any other face in the crowd. There is a considerable grooming as Deepika manages to look amazing as she always seems to be.

Rani Mukherjee

Yes! The person you see in the picture is actually Rani Mukherjee. And she certainly looks awful without her makeup on. Our advice to her would be not to leave the house without makeup or she may end up losing the few films that she had in her hand.

Sonam

Bollywood's number one fashionista is not very attractive to look at the makeup when she comes out. In this picture, Sonam far from glam diva she is always.

Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor also looks incredibly beautiful, even without any trace of makeup. Assuming it due to her genes and a healthy lifestyle, who always makes sure she looks radiant and glowing.

Kajol

Kajol has always shocked us with his sense of style in the past, and she does the same thing by coming forward without proper care. No matter what the occasion, there can be no excuse for turning up to look like this in public.

Priyanka Chopra

The glamorous Piggy Chops is similar to that bad without makeup so she looks good with it. She seems like a completely different person from the beautiful star, as we all know.

Rakhi Sawant

Not that we consider Rakhi a Bollywood star, but the difference in her appearance with and without makeup is so surprising that we could not resist including her in the list. The transformation in her appearance, we have only one thing to say, miracles happen!

Video:

Bollywood Actresses Without Make-Up

Bollywood actresses are known for their beauty and style. They are glorified in displays demi-goddesses who are blessed with essential beauty.But it is now time for a reality check, because actresses do not really seem like the perfect Dream Girls when they stripped off his makeup. Let's take a look at how various actors look without their usual dose of makeup.

Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif does not look very different without makeup. She is naturally blessed woman in the form of beauty and thus can easily survive without makeup. She looks gorgeous in its most basic and natural avatar.

Deepika Padukone

Sans makeup, Deepika looks like any other face in the crowd. There is a considerable grooming as Deepika manages to look amazing as she always seems to be.

Rani Mukherjee

Yes! The person you see in the picture is actually Rani Mukherjee. And she certainly looks awful without her makeup on. Our advice to her would be not to leave the house without makeup or she may end up losing the few films that she had in her hand.

Sonam

Bollywood's number one fashionista is not very attractive to look at the makeup when she comes out. In this picture, Sonam far from glam diva she is always.

Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor also looks incredibly beautiful, even without any trace of makeup. Assuming it due to her genes and a healthy lifestyle, who always makes sure she looks radiant and glowing.

Kajol

Kajol has always shocked us with his sense of style in the past, and she does the same thing by coming forward without proper care. No matter what the occasion, there can be no excuse for turning up to look like this in public.

Priyanka Chopra

The glamorous Piggy Chops is similar to that bad without makeup so she looks good with it. She seems like a completely different person from the beautiful star, as we all know.

Rakhi Sawant

Not that we consider Rakhi a Bollywood star, but the difference in her appearance with and without makeup is so surprising that we could not resist including her in the list. The transformation in her appearance, we have only one thing to say, miracles happen!

Video:

Review: Favourite lashes of all time Ardell 107

I've tried quite a number of lashes from MAC, Ardell, Elise and Mod lashes in the past year that I have been whole-heartedly addicted to them.

Ardell, Elise & Mod really measure up in quality - they're not as good as MAC quality (you can feel it in the hair, the band, the movement of the lash if that makes sense) but it comes close for the price considering MAC lashes are three times the price of Ardell ones :S

I buy my Ardell lashes from MadameMadeline. 

They are reputable as I have placed three orders with them. It takes about 2 weeks to arrive from US to Canada (Toronto) and the nice thing is that no matter how much I have ordered from them, they automatically mark the parcel value at around $20 so I do not have to pay custom fees when I pick up my parcel. The website currency is in USD and yes, MadameMadeline has jacked up their prices but it's still a lot cheaper than buying Ardell lashes from Pharma Plus at $5.99 a pair + 13% sales tax. 

Welcome to Canada!! jk

For "natural" looking lashes I like Ardell 126

But my all time favourite has been Ardell 107 for some time now 

On the Ardell website, both the 107 and 126 lashes are recommended for almond shaped eyes. 

There's a list of lashes they recommend depending on your eye shape and you can check it out here

I was not comfortable with the 107 lashes in the daytime when I first started wearing lashes. 

I reserved it for dark smokey eye looks whenever I went out at night.

But now I wear them anytime - daytime & nighttime. 

As I wore false lashes more often, I became accustomed to more dramatic lashes

If you love the shape of the 107 lashes like I do but you want it a bit shorter, I highly suggest the Ardell 103 lashes. They are cut the same style but a bit shorter & denser. 

There you go! 

The Ardell 107 is a huge contributor to my made up look and I always get tons of ladies asking about them and/or complimenting me on my lashes.

Eyes: MAC Swiss Chocolate eyeshadow, MAC Brule eyeshadow, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, MAC Smolder & of course,  Ardell 107s
Face: Nothing
Lips: Nothing

***P.S.: if you're a US or Canadian resident and would like to win a free bottle of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, please look at my previous post and enter in the comments section

That piece of....I mean, updated review of Eyecurl II

Remember this?! 

The Eyecurl II heated lash curler and how I was raving about it less than a month ago? 

I used it no more than 10-15 times and it has already died on me

At first I thought the battery had to be replaced since the red indicator light was soooo faint. 

After replacing the battery, the heat indicator turned from white to red which indicates it's heated and ready for use. Well, it wasn't warm at all. And the red indicator light never turned back white even after removing the battery for hours. 

Maybe I got a bad one off the assembly line? 

Even then, I'm hesitant to order a replacement of the same model. 

Just wanted to let you know

Have you ever had product that you really liked the beginning and then for some reason it totally let you down shortly after?

Review: Eyecurl II Heated Eyelash Curler

UPDATE: This model is such crap! It has completely died out on me within 10-15 uses.  

So just beware! 

When it is working, it works well.....maybe I got a bad one off the assembly line but I'm hesitant to buy the same one again

My very cool cousin Sue Ann gave me my first heated eyelash curler when I visited her in Malaysia last month.

The cap is missing from the package btw  

Sue Ann said the cheapest place to buy this eyelash curler is from Sasa stores in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong it converts to ~ $3.50 CDN, which is insanely affordable

In Malaysia I think I can get this for about $10 CDN from their Sasa stores. Still a great price IMO

What I really like about this heated eyelash curler: 

(1) it has an indicator light when switched on (see the red light that glows when turned on?)

AND (2) it has another indicator to tell you when it's hot. See the red dot on the wand tip below? 

The tip of the wand applicator turns from red to white when heated. It's white when hot (see below)

What's even better is that it fully heats up within 15 seconds or so. 

Before

My before picture and after picture. 

It's really easy to use - just hold the wand at the base of your lashes & lift the lashes for a few seconds

After

My cousin was joking that she wasn't sure if the lash curler would melt contact lenses haha. Actually, it'd be really f*ing scary and not funny. But I've used this several times already with my contact lenses on and it's absolutely fine. 

You can use the heated eyelash curler before and/or after mascara. 

If you use it after applying mascara, just use the brush (included in the kit) to clean the wand after it cools down. 

This heated eyelash curler gives me a much more natural looking curl than a regular eyelash curler. 

This particular model is 10/10 in my books ;) 

What's your take on eyelash curlers? 

Review: MAC Blitz & Glitz Fluidline vs. Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner

Ever since I bought my 1st Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner, I was converted to cream eye liners.

That was 4-5 years ago, before I bought any MAC products or heard of makeupalley. 

So I was sold on cream eye liner because it was the longest lasting type of eyeliner I've ever used, it was very pigmented & the smudge-able line I could create just looked better than the harsh line of my liquid liner. 

I stuck with the Smashbox version because the title included the word "waterproof". Despite the fact that the pot of liner would dry out completely once I reached halfway through it, I ended up buying three or four of them in a row. I loved it so much at the time, I wanted to spread the word by writing a review. 

That's how I discovered the makeupalley website. 

And from makeupalley, I heard of MAC fluidline and all the good things about it. So I gave it a shot.

And wow, the MAC fluidline beats the Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner

I bought the MAC Blitz & Glitz Fluidline in December 2009. I used it almost everyday & I finished it in the middle of October 2010!! 

The MAC fluidline did not dry out on me like the Smashbox version. See, I made it all the way to the bottom....

Both cream liners are the same size (0.10 oz) but the Smashbox one costs more ($27 CDN for Smashbox liner vs. $18 CDN for MAC Fluidline).

And even though the MAC fluidline doesn't advertise itself as waterproof, it's honestly just as long wearing and "waterproof" as the Smashbox version. I have cried through this stuff, slept through this stuff, sweated my way in Thailand and Malaysia through this stuff....

PLUS, you can Back-2-MAC the fluidline! Smashbox doesn't offer its customers any such incentive.

So what did you learn? Do NOT buy the Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Liner. Buy the cheaper & better MAC Fluidline alternative.

Do you use eye liner? What kind of eye liner do you reach for most often? 

Review: DUO lash glue

For some products I really just don't understand the hype

- like DUO lash glue which I purchased at MAC

I bought it based on the recommendations of many makeup artists and youtube gurus.







I'm down to the last 1/3 of the tube and I'll be on the hunt for another brand of lash glue.

I find the consistency of the glue to sometimes be a bit too watery for my liking. I've resorted to gently shaking the tube when closed before using, but the glue is not always the same consistency.

Not to mention that even with a steady hand I have often squeezed out waaaaay too much glue. The worst part is that I have squeezed the excess glue onto the false lashes a number of times, which tends to ruin the lashes even after wiping off the glue from it. I think DUO needs to improve on the packaging by making the nozzle opening a bit narrower.

Also, the smell of the glue is just.....offensive. The only other words I can use to describe the smell is just vulgar and inappropriate so I think the word "offensive" is best. And I can smell this glue for a good 10-15 minutes after it has dried and it's gross.

The one good thing I can say about this product is that it is gentle - it has not irritated my eyes. Also, I believe because it is so gentle, the glue has not ripped out my real eye lashes in the process of removing false lashes (which has become nearly a daily routine for me now).

I will probably buy a new lash glue shortly. I'm thinking of the Shu Uemura eyelash adhesive. I will certainly update you when (not if) I find a better glue than DUO :)


Well well, can you believe it's the last day of August?! I love Autumn - with the light breeze, the cardigans, the boots, the colours of the leaves changing colour....and Halloween!


What was the highlight of your summer this year?

MAC Morning After Nail Polish + Blue & White porcelain inspired konad manicure

When MAC's Alice + Olivia collection came out I picked up their Morning After Nail polish.

This post is way over delayed since the links don't even work properly LOL

The nail polish is not much to look at alone (two coats with Poshe top coat to finish)

BUT, it works really well as a Konad stamping colour.

My manicure makes me think of blue and white porcelain. So that's what I'm calling it.

This is everything I used to get this manicure:

(left to right): Konad double sided stamper/scraper, OPI Nail Envy (base coat), Sally Hansen Nearly Nude Natural White nail polish (two coats), MAC Morning After nail polish (konad stamping colour), Poshe top coat , Konad plate M71

This is my second Konad manicure....and like many others hesitating to jump on the Konad craze I say go for it! Here is my mini review of Konad: I heard about Konad maybe a year ago? But I didn't order my first Konad plate until a couple of weeks ago because I thought, "gosh it takes me foreverrrr to do my base coat regular manicure. I'm not spending a few more hours jazzing it up. Plus, that stamping thing looks complicated and too much work."

But I have to say, I don't find the Konad stamping set to be much more work for what you get out of it. I think I mentioned previously that learning how to put on false lashes was waaaay more troublesome and I gave up several times in the beginning. At one point, I didn't try false lashes for over two years later after my first few failed attempts. But as soon as I did my first konad manicure, I was looking forward to my next! LOL. My konad stamping needs improvement but for the most part, I think I got the hang of it already - and I learned very quickly! The konad stamping only takes me like 2-3 minutes per nail at most - and that includes cleaning the plate/stamper with nail polish and adding a top coat after stamping the nail. And I'm a beginner.

Anyways, I actually really like this manicure.

One dude paid me a compliment on my nails at the nightclub this weekend :)

Funny I can recall things like that after several drinks.

Don't you just love it when someone notices your manicure? :)

And for me strangely, a guy complimenting on my manicure (even if it's fake nails) brings out a different reaction than a guy complimenting my fake eye lashes for example. Yeah! I had a few guys (strangers) point out they like my lashes and some even said, "your lashes aren't real are they?" It's one thing if a lady says that to me, but when a guy has said that to me, I'm thinking "OMG this guy knows a bit too much about makeup! LOL Either he's got a gf/ex-gf/sister that wears makeup or something...." What do you think? Would you be flattered if a guy noticed you were wearing false lashes? And if you're a guy, would you/have you pointed out to a random lady that she's wearing false lashes?

Saturday: FOTD, OOTD & Brant House Night Club

Went out with friends last night :)

I've been wearing this necklace almost everyday since I got it last weekend! It's from Charlotte Russe

Blue dress is from Forever21

And new shoes from Charlotte Russe! I bought them online and I LOVE them. My next post will be on the shoes.

Pre-drinks at Elias' place! Thanks Elias :)

There was a number of people that came and left Elias' place...we're actually in the elevator here leaving his condo

Gosh I cannot recall the name of the two blondes on the left :\ Elias is in the grey jacket. I'm not sure who that is on the right...

Queenda in the middle & Rob on the right

Ricky & myself

@ Brant House

(left to right) Rob, Val & Queenda

(left to right): Me, Rob, Val & Queenda

Ah, this is the only picture I had with my girlfriends Jasmin and Mandy and it came out blurry :\

(left to right): Rob, Queenda, Jasmin & Mandy

(left to right): Val, Queenda & myself.

And how is your weekend coming along?