#AtoZChallenge H- Highlighting

Today, I am going to talk about highlighting. I’m sure you must have noticed that in parties, some ladies have their cheekbones shining than the rest of the lot. Is it their natural glow? Maybe. But most of the times, it is the result of good highlighting.

Highlighting is a part of makeup that focuses on creating the shape of the face enhancing the natural structure through very subtle makeup. Basically, the highlighter is the makeup that attracts light, creating the illusion of brightness and vibrancy, thus creating that lit-from-within look.

Highlighting is done on the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, forehead and cupids bow. If you're a fan of makeup, you can buy a fan brush (the one I have used in the video), or you can use a blending brush or you can also apply highlighter using the tip of your fingers. Check this out in the video below.

This can be done with powder highlighters and liquid highlighters. Liquid highlighters give a dewy finish on the face, which works wonders for day events.

If you don’t want to splurge on highlighters, I would suggest buying one from Makeup Revolution. It is one of the best available in drugstore brands.

Have questions? Bring them on.

Cheers

Read More

#AtoZChallenge G- Glow Pack

Hello people… how is your A to Z Challenge going on? Sunday was a big relief for me and I am sure it must be for you too. Today, I am going to bring you a wonderful glow pack recipe. Recipe for applying and not for cooking. :P

It is quite simple to prepare and easy to apply. For this pack, I have used:

Preparation:

1 tsp of Dead Sea Mud (available on Amazon)

1 tsp of curd

2 tbsp of Rose Water

A few drops of Tea tree oil, vit E oil, and mixed essential oil. (I have used these, you can according to your skin type)

Application:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. If the mixture feels dry, add more curd and rose water.

Clean your face. Now apply on your face and neck with the help of a brush or your fingers. Make sure you don’t put a thick layer of it on your face, otherwise, it will take time to get dry. If the pack still remains, apply on your hands. Leave for 20 minutes and wash it off with lukewarm water. Apply a good toner and then top it off with sunscreen.

Because it is summers here, so to beat the heat, I have also applied the Innisfree Cucumber Sheet mask on my face. It is easily available on Nykaa.

If you haven’t used the sheet masks, please start using them. They are really good for hydration of the skin. They will not give you instant glow but if you use them regularly, you will notice a great of improvement in your skin texture. Just apply it and leave it for 20min and then remove the sheet and absorb the oil into the skin.

Benefits:

Dead Sea Mud’s benefits can’t be numbered! They’re so many! Extremely good for acne, cleanses toxins, rich in minerals which is good for skin, minimizes pores, improves elasticity and many more. You can even apply the dead sea mud on your hair.

Curd moisturizes the skin, reduces wrinkles and fine lines, fights acne and fades pigmentation.

Rose Water maintains the pH balance of the skin and helps clean pores and tone the skin.

Vit E oil moisturizes the skin and is a great anti-oxidant.

Tea tree oil is good for acne prone skin. It prevents scars and leaves the skin clear and smooth.

 

My Before and After. No makeup, no moisturizer. Just clicked after removing the mask

Easy, right? Coming weekend (or weekdays, if they work for you), try this pack and let me know how you felt. Tag me along, if you choose to share on Instagram.

Cheers

Read More

#AtoZChallenge F- Foundation

One of the most widely used and accepted product amongst us women is Foundation. No matter who you are, of what age category you belong, a foundation is one product found in every woman’s vanity.

Every time there is a party to attend, all of us take out our foundation and doll up our pretty faces. And why shouldn’t we? This single product gives so much of sheen and makes the skin so clear, flawless, and spotless and gives an instant glow.

But sometimes we aren’t able to buy the right shade and due to this mistake, our makeup turns out to be cakey and gives the impression of simply painting our face white just because of the heck of it.

The answer lies in the technique of selecting the right shade for your skin tone. Please, ladies, NEVER allow the sales girl to show the product by swatching on your hands, wrist, arms, fist, wherever. They are not the right places to judge the right foundation for your face.

My two cents? Here they are:

- Always swatch a little product on your jawline, or below the cheeks/ears. Blend it into the skin and see if it has completely blended in.

- If the product is too light for you, your face will look painted.

- If it is dark, the skin will look dull.

- If it blends completely, that is the right shade for you.

- NEVER buy a shade lighter than your skin tone. The aim of the makeup is to keep it as close to the skin tone (and natural) as possible.

- Try to use a foundation brush for the application. And when you apply the foundation, apply the product downwards. The strokes of the brush have to go towards the downside of the face and NOT UPWARDS.

- Then take a beauty blender and slowly dab the foundation into the skin. The better the blending, the better finishing you get.

I have made two videos. One showing on judging the correct shade of foundation 

And the other showing the right application of it.

Let me know your questions in the comments below.

Cheers

Read More

#AtoZChallenge E-Eyebrows

Eyebrows are again, one of the most underrated areas when it comes to makeup. All of us put on our foundations, wear compact, blushes and never forget the lipstick. But we, almost always ignore our brows. But we shouldn’t.

We tend to ignore our brows because maybe we’ve not yet experienced the magic of a perfect brow. But believe me, once you start doing it, you’ll get the hang of it… to an extent that you probably won’t move out of the house without doing them.

That is the kind of difference, eyebrows make to our overall look.

You can do your brows with an eyebrow pencil, eyebrow shadow or gel. Anything that you feel comfortable. I would suggest, if you do it on a daily basis or quite often, go for a brow pencil or brow shadow. Quick to use and less of cleaning hassle.

Here are a few things that you need to keep in mind while doing your brows:

• Never take the black color. NEVER. Black always make your brows look fake. You will end up feeling something is wrong with your face. Take brown. Brown works best for brows.
• Start with the arch of the brow. That is the area where the brows are really thick. Then slowly move towards the end of the brow. After covering this, whatever little product is left in the brush, use that for doing the inner corner of the brow. DO NOT TAKE EXTRA PRODUCT FOR THE INNER CORNER OF THE BROW. Always do them with the leftovers. And tada! You’re done.

Another tip here is, just move along with the shape of your brow and don’t try to create a new shape with it. As and when you practice, you will be able to play with the shape of it. But I wouldn’t recommend initially.

Here is a quick short tutorial of it. I have done one brow here, avoiding a long video.

Have a look at the brown shade I used for my brows.

Now, just look at the difference between my brows before and after.

Watch out and ask me in the comments if you have questions regarding the products to be used or the brands or anything else that you have in mind.

Cheers

Read More

#AtoZChallenge D- Dirty Brushes

When you start using makeup regularly or even if it isn’t that regular, make sure you always clean your brushes. Used brushes often have dirt on them and sometimes, if kept outside for a while, they collect a lot of dust on them as well. This means they need cleaning. Using dirty brushes might cause skin irritation, have acne or any other skin problem. That is why you need to focus on the hygiene of the brushes as well. It might seem a little tedious but trust me, once you start cleaning, it actually becomes therapeutic at times.

I’ve made a short video for cleaning brushes that have soft hair (natural to be precise). Please do not wash these brushes with water. Just take a tissue paper, and keep circling it on the paper till all the color comes of out it.

 

For foundation and concealer brushes (synthetic brushes), you can use mild makeup remover or mild soap and clean it with water. You can even make your own DIY board for this. Click here to see. Simple and easy.

Ask me more on this in the comments or DM your queries.

Cheers

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to my Blog! This A to Z Challenge season, I’m going to give you a ride and take you to all the places untouched! My theme this year is ‘A to Z of Makeup', where I’ll be sharing about the various tricks and tips on makeup, videos and do’s and don’ts that might help you here and there.

Stay tuned to find out what's more in store!

Read More

#AtoZChallenge C- Concealor

One of the must-have product that you should keep in your kit is, my friends, concealer. You should never underestimate the power of a concealer.

Especially, us Indians. Most of us have dark circles under our eyes and pigmentation too. You just cannot have a well-finished base, if you’ve not done concealing correctly.

I have made a short video for you guys to check out the amount of difference, a concealer brings on your beautiful face.

Did you notice? The difference between both the eyes? I had done before and one is in this video. I used the concealer under my eyes and around my mouth.

You need to buy the concealer according to your own skin type and requirement. If you are planning to buy one, please invest in a good one and I can bet, you will thank me later.

Go to the nearest cosmetic store and ask the sales girl to help you find the right shade.

Application of the concealer is pretty simple. Take the desired amount of it on your fingertip or apply directly, if you have liquid concealer. Blend it well. Cover it up with BB cream/foundation/compact depending on your need of the makeup.

And voila! You’re done.

In this video, I’ve kept it really simple. Just the concealer, compact and I’m done.

P.S: Check out the difference in my brows and comment below if you want me to do a tutorial on how to get those perfect eyebrows.

Till then, stay pretty.

Before                                            After

Note:
There are several products used to give to a flawless base which I have avoided here to keep it simple and doable (considering you guys might run away looking at so many steps :D :P)

Cheers

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to my Blog! This A to Z Challenge season, I’m going to give you a ride and take you to all the places untouched! My theme this year is ‘A to Z of Makeup', where I’ll be sharing about the various tricks and tips on makeup, videos and do’s and don’ts that might help you here and there.

Stay tuned to find out what's more in store!

Read More

B- Blusher

Most of us know how to apply the blush and the effect it brings on our face. But let’s go back to the actual meaning of blush.

When people are neck deep in love, there is a rush of blood that is visible on their faces and from there comes our Blush!

So, Blush = Blood + Rush

Who thought?! 

That soft pink flush on the cheeks gives an instant glow to the face. Isn’t it?

Now let’s come to selecting the right shade and the application of the blusher. How to decide the right color for your skin? It’s quite simple.

If you have fair skin, pick shades of soft pink, peach, and light coral shades. These soft shades will enhance the porcelain skin just right. Don’t overdo it. Keep it light and subtle.

For a medium skin tone, pinks and peaches are your best friends. If you like vibrancy, you can even increase a tad bit of intensity and go all blushy. There are certain shades of mauve as well if you want a little dramatic look. Just select the right shade, smile and see how your cheekbones just naturally pop.

For dark skin tone, shades of red, orange and brown are good to go.

Application:

Take an angular fluffy brush and smile a bit (just a little) or a round fluffy brush.

Take little product and apply on your cheeks in round circular motions stretching the end of the circle towards the ears. Just like below. Also, please avoid background noise.

Looks easy? It is easy!

Another thing here is, if you don’t have a blush or you want to experiment with your makeup, you can also use your lipstick for this. Just don’t put it the way you put on your lips :P. Take a tiny amount, put a few dots on your cheeks and blend it with your fingers or a brush if you are a pro and see the magic of the blush.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post. For further questions, you can DM me or comment below.

Cheers

Note: All of the above are techniques for the basic self-makeup with simple application tips. 

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to my Blog! This A to Z Challenge season, I’m going to give you a ride and take you to all the places untouched! My theme this year is ‘A to Z of Makeup', where I’ll be sharing about the various tricks and tips on makeup, videos and do’s and don’ts that might help you here and there.

Stay tuned to find out what's more in store!

Read More

A- Application

No... no! Not the phone application but like the application, application. 

When I wasn’t a Makeup Artist, the most common mistake I did was the application of the makeup and by makeup, I mean everything. From the foundation to the eye shadow… actually, let me not get started with the eye shadow because most of us who try applying eye shadow watching online tutorials, of let us say, smokey eyes, end up looking, real-life vampires.

After learning the course, I can absolutely vouch of the importance of how we apply the product and merge it into our skin.

GG Makeovers

Here are quick points that you should follow for good makeup:

•  Always prime your skin before starting with your foundation. It makes your skin smooth and gives your makeup a flawless finish.
• Never overdo with the product. Take in small quantities and then take more if need be. This lets the makeup settle well without making it cakey.
• Try using beauty blenders if time permits. Its effect is actually visible if used the right way.

These were a few quick tips that you can use. Ask me more in the comments section below.

Cheers

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to my Blog! This A to Z Challenge, the season I’m going to give you a ride and take you to all the places untouched! My theme this year is ‘A to Z of Makeup' , where I’ll be sharing about the various tricks and tips on makeup, videos and do’s and don’ts that might help you here and there.

Stay tuned to find out what's more in store!

Read More

Theme Reveal for A to Z Challenge 2019

Okay, so I am really really late in doing this but better late than never. I have been participating in the A to Z Challenge since 2015 except last year. So here I am having signed up for this crazy writing and reading marathon!

Now, can we have the drumrolls, please?! Coz it’s time to reveal my theme. And my theme for this year’s AtoZChallenge is:

“A to Z of Makeup”

Yes! Makeup, it is! A completely change of topic and line. Who thought, I would write on makeup someday?!
Most of you may not be aware of this that I've become a Makeup Artist recently and currently exploring options of the same, along with sharing my gyan with you guys.

Don’t wanna speak too much here, but be all prepared to hear tips and tricks, videos and tutorials, do’s and don’ts and much more about Makeup!
So gear up and get ready to add lots of glamour to your makeup style this month!
Look forward to hear from you!
Cheers

Read More

Scared to Switch? Don’t be!

Source

It was a few months ago or maybe over a year when I read about menstrual cups. Initially, there were uncountable questions in my head. 

And there were apprehensions. 

What? How? Why? When? Just like you must be having them. And it is only normal to think of such questions coz we had never heard of them before, let alone anyone talk about it.

But not anymore. I first got to know about it from Shailaja. She wrote an entire post on it and believe me when I read it, I was intrigued… A lot. I then started digging more and more articles and videos related to it. And by the time I was ready to try them, I got pregnant. Months later, there was another video and I was charged again to make the switch. After settling with everything, I finally mustered the courage to order my first cup from Boondh and couldn’t wait to finally try it.

Some of you must be wondering what they are in the first place? Well, the menstrual cup is a type of reusable feminine hygiene product. It is a small, flexible, funnel-shaped cup made of medical grade silicone that accumulates period fluid by being placed inside the vagina. Sterilization of the cup is required during the beginning and the end of the menstrual phase of the menstrual cycle.

The first time I used the cup, it was a bit different. It always takes a little time to adapt yourself with something new. And making a change after being accustomed to something for almost two decades is not easy. But it is not even difficult. Believe me.

The first 2-3 times (in the first cycle), the sight of the blood was a bit scandalous but that feeling went away soon. It is all temporary and doesn’t make a difference at all. 

I did feel there was something inside me initially but that too went away and I realized, it is way more comfortable compared to sanitary pads. You may get used to it with as early as with the second cycle (at least, I did) to the level that you won’t even feel you are having periods. Yes! And I am not exaggerating.

Since the time, I’ve been using them, I am bragging about all the pros of it and not even a single con.

They make those days rash free, you can go in waters, do yoga, run a mile, the cramps are gone and let me not get started with the statistics of the garbage that sanitary pads produce and the amount of them that gets collected and the quantum of how much they harm the environment! In simpler words, menstrual cups are THE BEST THING for the environment! I know when it comes to personal hygiene, thinking of the environment would be the last thing on your mind but when something gets comfortable, there is no harm in thinking either. Also, you don’t need to remove the cup while urinating or excretion.

I’m sure you must have heard of the chemicals and bleaching properties being used in making a sanitary pad and how much it affects our body in the long run. A menstrual cup does no such harm and you can use the cup for 10 + years! Good for both body and environment. Not to mention your pockets as well.

Now that I use it, I only feel why did I wait so long? Why didn’t I switch to it earlier and was punishing myself (and the environment) with the pads?! But I am happy and glad that I made the switch.

The videos on Youtube always come to the rescue. From the process of insertion to maintaining it all clean, they are all there. Just check out a few videos and you will be good to go.  

After using it for some time, I felt the need to write about it and make you guys aware of it.

You can always ask questions or DM if you have doubts about them. I’m sure you have a few! 

Cheers

Read More