Thursday, February 24, 2011

My Most Worn Nude Nail Polishes

Choosing the right nude nail polish can sometimes be tricky. I've tried a ton of flesh tones and not everything looks good on me. The definition of "nude", for me varies from browns to beiges to light pinks.These are my current favourite three nude polishes that I almost, always reach for. 


"Barefoot in Barcelona" by OPI.
"Touch of Mauve" by Revlon.
"Quick Sand" by Sally Hansen Insta-Dri.

Out of these, "Barefoot in Barcelona" has got to be my favourite. I am not a fan of the wide brush that OPI has since, I have small fingers and the brush is a little too wide for me. But, the application is a joy. Must-try if you like fleshy tones.

Barefoot in Barcelona
I know, my cuticles need some oil. Just wanted to show a quick swatch."A touch of Mauve" is a great pinkish-nude and applies really well. Although, it needs a good three coats to get a nice finish.


"Quick Sand" is my least favourite of the three. I like the color but, the application is a little streaky. And since, it has some shimmer, removing it is painful as hell. I like the SH Insta-Dri polishes as such but, the wide brush is a little weird.
L-R: Touch of Mauve, Quick Sand.
All these are work-safe, totally understated, beautiful shades. Revlon is Formaldehyde and Toluene free. Sally Hansen and OPI are Formaldehyde, Toluene and DBP free.
Which of these polishes do you like the most? What are your favourite nude nail polishes? I'd love to know!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Body Shop Fuzzy Peach Bath & Shower Gel

'Fuzzy Peach Bath & Shower Gel' is one of the most affordable shower gels  from The Body Shop.I do find most TBS shower gels to be rather pricey for everyday use and tend to buy them when on sale.This one has a beautiful scent and leaves a light, fresh aroma in my bathroom.It did not smell that attractive in the bottle. However, it lathers up to a really nice and crisp scent.
I love the way the whole originals line is packaged. They look so colorful and cute! 

What I like about this shower gel:
  • Lovely Scent. Fresh, clean, fruity and not at all over powering. Just the right mix of everything!
  • A little goes a long way - lathers really well. I just need a few squirts on a loofah/bath sponge.
  • Non-drying. I don't have that stretchy feeling some shower gels give.But, feels really clean and fresh at the same time.  
  • Not so pricey as per TBS standards($5.99 for 8.4 fl oz/250mL) and does go on sale quite often. 
  • Nice packaging - Very practical to be used in the shower.

The not so great things about this shower gel:
  • The texture is quite watery.  
Apart from that, I just LOVE this shower gel. It's worth trying out, at least for the pleasant fragrance. Try it, I am sure you won't regret it ever.

Have you tried The Body Shop Fuzzy Peach Bath & Shower Gel? What are your favorite shower treats? I'd love to know!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

My thoughts on MAC Sheertone Blush in Sincere & Swatches

MAC Sheertone blush in Sincere is one of those blushes that looks blah in the pan but looks totally gorgeous once applied.  I went to the MAC store to just pick up Gingerly but, the MUA asked me to try Gingerly on one cheek and Sincere on the other since she thought Sincere would look better on me. Had I not tried, I would have never picked this shade up. I LOVED the way it looked on me and immediately changed my mind from Gingerly to Sincere. Although, I might also get Gingerly sometime later.
This is a shade that will look amazing especially on medium skin tones and is totally work-safe. If blush and bronzer had a baby, it would look like Sincere. It's that perfect color which adds a nice glow and some warmth at the same time. MAC describes this shade as a Muted Beige/Coral. I would say it's more of a tanned peach.
Click to enlarge
If you are looking for an everyday blush that needs very less effort and looks amazingly natural, this is a must-have. 
Let the blah-ness in the pan not fool you from picking this up. It's a gorgeous shade and one of my favorite blushes from MAC.

Have you tried MAC Sheertone Blush in Sincere? What is your favourite blush from MAC? Do share!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Korres Lip Butter in Quince

Korres describes their lip butters as a "A buttery balm that melts onto the lips and cheeks for a pretty touch of color ". The tinted ones are meant to be used for both lips and cheeks. The formula is quite rich/oily and may not be suitable for everyone to be used on the cheeks. I picked up mine in Quince, which gives a sheer, beautiful rosy tint. I love the way quince shows up on my lips. 
The balm as such is quite moisturizing and the color looks really sheer and natural. This particular flavor, quince, has a wired smell to it but, fades quickly. It does not feel waxy but, does wear off quite fast without drying my lips. I won't say this is the most moisturizing lip butter ever but, I do like the way it feels on my lips. If you have really chapped lips, this is not for you. 
Nice to have if you like a light wash of color and don't mind re-applying quite often. Plus, they're made from quality ingredients without any parabens, sulfates or petro-chemicals.
They have a lot of fun flavors like guava and jasmine to choose from. Check out the complete range here.
Have you tried Korres Lip Butters? Do you like them? What are your favorite flavors?

Sunday, February 13, 2011

LUSH Oatifix Fresh Face Mask

I can't believe I haven't reviewed any of the LUSH fresh face masks yet. I really love the concept of the fresh face masks. They are my at-home, inexpensive, mini-facial treats. Oatifix is a mask targeted to soften and cleanse dry, sensitive skin with a blend of fine oatmeal, fresh bananas, ground almonds and vanilla. This one tastes smells delicious!
The mask is quite chunky and a little difficult to apply. Not so chunky that it keeps falling off my face while applying, if that makes any sense. I leave it on for a good ten minutes and gently scrub it off my face. It does take quite a bit of effort to wash it off but it's totally worth it! This mask softens and moisturizes my skin really, really well - not in a greasy way. I don't even need a moisturizer afterwards. I have really dry, sensitive skin with the winter making it worse, Oatifix was a staple.


If you are looking for a super moisturizing, quick, inexpensive treat for your dry skin, I highly recommend Oatifix($5.95). However, if you have oily skin, this might not be suitable for you. Like all LUSH fresh face masks, I store this in the fridge and its good for 3-4 weeks! 
This one was a total winner for me and I'll continue to buy it again and again!  
Have you tried Oatifix? Do you love it as much as I do? What are your favorite fresh face masks from LUSH?

Thursday, February 10, 2011

MAC See Sheer Lipstick

Just wanted to post a quick swatch of MAC 'See Sheer' Lipstick. MAC describes See Sheer as a Grapefruit Pink. The finish is Lustre so, the color is quite sheer. I do like Lustre finishes a lot but, I have to re-apply it as soon as the color wears out since, it does have a tendency to dry out my lips quite a bit unlike the Cremesheen finish.

See Sheer looks a lot coral-ish on me. Not too bright, not too Orange. More of coral and less of pink on my pigmented lips.


Have you tried MAC See Sheer? How does it turn out on you? I'd love to know your thoughts!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Conditioner

I've been doing quite a bit of heat-styling lately, exposing my ends to a lot of damage. Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Conditioner is a nourishing conditioner for fried-ends and ideal if you heat style often. This conditioner seemed to have all the good for your hair ingredients like Olive oil, Lemon extract and Avocado Oil. Seemed like a perfect conditioner for under-nourished hair.
What I like about this conditioner:
I expected this to be a very heavy conditioner since, it's meant for very dry hair. It is quite rich, but not very heavy. The packaging is really practical. I need a very tiny amount to apply to my ends. De-tangles hair very well. I can feel the conditioner sliding down my ends as I apply. I just leave it on for a couple of minutes and rinse it out. Rinses out completely without any residue. Most rich conditioners have a problem of weighing hair down and this does not, provided, we use the right amount. Smells absolutely DIVINE! It does make my hair really soft and quite manageable.
The not so good things about this conditioner:
Quite pricey for an everyday conditioner ($7 for 2.5 fl. oz Tube, $19 for 8.4 fl. oz. Bottle, $30 for 16.9 fl. oz. Bottle). The ingredients list ain't all natural but, I don't mind a bit of 'cones in my hair stuff if that helps tame it down quite a bit! 
This is a great conditioner if you have dry strands or damaged ends. I am yet to try the Olive Fruit Oil Shampoo but, rich shampoos usually make my scalp oily. Yes, I am one of those people with an oily scalp and dry ends. So, if you  have tried the shampoo, let me know how it works out for ya.
Have you tried the Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Conditioner? Do you love it? What is your current favorite conditioner?