REVIEW: Lakme 9 to 5 Intense Shine Eyeliner in Green

I don’t know if I have ever mentioned this before but I am a huge make-up addict. The OTTness has just recently surfaced but you see these things don’t happen just suddenly or so I believe and hence, I know that this addiction has been brewing up since a long long time now, just waiting to rear its Er… pretty head and make its presence felt. You see, it isn’t that I buy whatever I need, its just that I simply buy what I want :P Like I said I am addicted.

So anyways, while I was on one of my these shopping binges, I went to the Lakme counter (Er.. Yes Lakme) in order to check out the new Gypsy collection. I had heard so much about it that I had to had to check it out… So there I was at Mumbai’s Health & Glow browsing through the eye shadow quads that are a part of the much famed Gypsy Collection. Not happy with anything I was just doing a glance over of the counter, when my eyes caught this cute little thing…

Yes Yes! It is the Lakme 9 to 5 Intense Eyeliner in GREEN!!! Yes! Jewel green! One swatch on my hand and I was floored… I fell in love…

Lakme 9 to 5 Intense Shine eyeliner

What the site says:

Create smoldering eyes in just one stroke with this color intense lustrous eyeliner that stays true for hours.  

• Step 1
  Line your eyes in one single stroke on the upper lid from the inner side of the eye to the outer side. Let it dry.
• Step 2
  Line your lower lid from the outer edge, tapering to the inner corner of the eye.

My personal experience

Like I said earlier I was floored with the swatch itself because of the gorgeous shade of green it had!

But seriously and practically? Well the bottle is sleek and portable… Can be carried around in your vanity/pouch/purse very easily. The applicator brush that it has is extremely convenient to use and gives precision to your line.

swatch

The shade of green that it has is metallic or you could say jeweled since it has some subtle glitter which isn’t OTT or tacky at all. It is pretty long staying and is odorless.

In short it is a good purchase and I do plan to purchase another when this one gets over :)

REVIEW: L'Oreal Kohl Minerals Eyeliner

I went cosmetics shopping over the weekend in Mumbai and ended up buying a lot of L’Oreal products. One product that I had on my wishlist since pretty long was the Kohl Minerals Powder and so I picked it up with great enthusiasm in Meteorite Blue. I used it this morning for office and have had a mixed feelings experience.

L'Oreal Kohl Minerals Eyeliner

What the site says

Whether you're going for dramatic smokey eyes, or a softer romantic 'barely-there' look, Mineral Kohl makes achieving perfect eyeliner easy. In 3 mineral inspired shades the gentle mineral eyeliner is 95% from minerals and perfume, preservative and talc free.

The gentle formula is enriched with Vitamin E and Aloe making it suitable for the delicate eye area.

It has no Perfumes and no preservatives and contains mineral pigments for gentle definition.

My Experience

I purchased it cause it looked different, had a novel packaging and I simply loved the shade of blue that was on offer… Meteorite Blue!

Here's a swatch...

Loved the shade: Meteorite Blue

Packaging

Like I already said, I just loved the new and novel container of the eye liner. It looks smart, is portable and looks a bit intimidating at first ;)

The transparent plastic helps in gauging the amount of contents left. It has a perforated layer that helps adequate amount of product to be used and is extremely helpful, something like the packaging of loose powder.

Perforated Layer

 
Application and Applicator

The angled and sleek brush applicator that comes with it is extremely soft and yet stiff and makes lining the eyes very easy and convenient. A little product gives a lot of definition and is highly pigmented. It does have a lot of fall-out :(

The innovative applicator

Consistency and Feel

The mineral powder is very light and is highly pigmented. The subtle sparkle and glitter that it contains looks beautiful on the eyes and doesn’t look tacky at all. Also a plus is that it is odorless :)

Overall Experience

I have had a bittersweet experience with it. The color and pigmentation is what I loved. But it’s major fall-out and non-long staying power put me off a bit :(

In order to summarize, let me list down the pros and cons. So, here goes…

PROs

• Awesome color
• Highly pigmented
• Just enough glitter
• Odorless
• Reasonably priced at around 500 bucks
• Easy and convenient application
• Soft and good quality applicator
• Love the novel packaging

CONs

• It isn’t very long stay
• Smudges easily
• Has a lot of fall-out
• Less variety of shades

Will I use it again?

Hmmmm… I guess so.. There is something extremely attractive about the product :D

Eye Makeup for Diwali: Smokey Golden Eyes

Hey everyone... First of all, here's wishing you all a very Happy Deepavali :) Hope you have all had a very joyful and a fun Diwali... Mine was awesome and I would like to share a few pics of the eye make-up I had done for today's festivities... So here I go... Excuse my unruly eye brows though! LOL...

The golden smokey look

The products I used for this look are:

• maXfactor kajal: Black
• ELF liquid Eye Liner: black
• ELF Brightening Shadow: #03 Drama
• L'Oreal Color Appeal Trio Pro: Azur Blonde
• Oriflame Air Soft Powder

The procedure is as follows:
1. First, I readied my lids for make-up by dusting loose powder on them. For this I used the Oriflame Air Soft Powder.
2. Next, I applied my kajal thickly on the lower water line and the upper lash line.
3. Then, using the darkest shade in the Drama quad of the ELF shadow, I blended the kajal thus applied in order to achieve a soft look. Do note that the I extended the shadow till the crease.
4. Then, I applied the Golden shade ffrom the L'Oreal trio and applied it above the crease by simultaneously blending the outer edges of the black shadow.
5. I then applied the highlighter shade from the L'Oreal trio on my brow bone.
6. Next, I applied the liquid liner very thinly on both my lash lines.
7. Finally, I finished the look with two coats of mascara on my lashes.

Hope you guys liked my look :)

Eyes Closed

The finished look

Eye Make-up for Diwali: Golden & Blue Look

With Diwali just a couple of days away, we are all gearing up to look our best for the festival of lights. New clothes, new make-up… It's like you are in paradise :D

The first look that I have tried out for this Diwali look series is a blue and golden eye makeup look.

Close up of the eye

closed eyes

The products that I have used for this are:
1. L'Oreal Paris ColorAppeal Trio Pro eye shadow: Azur Blonde
2. maXfactor kajal: black
3. ELF liquid eyeliner: black
4. Oriflame Air soft Powder
5. Revlon Waterproof Mascara

L'Oreal Color Appeal Trio Pro: Azur Blonde

The steps are as follows:
1. First, I prepared the base of my eye makeup by dusting some Oriflame Air Soft powder over my lids and also under my eyes. This will delay creasing due to oily lids.
2. Next, I apply the golden shade of shadow over the whole of my lids.
3. Then, taking the midnight blue shadow, I blended it with the golden shadow on the outer 2/3 of my lids. Blending is important here as it will give a finished and a smokey appearance.
4. Then using an angled liner brush and dipping it in the midnight blue shadow I lined 3/4 of my crease.
5. Next, I applied kajal in my lower water line and lined my upper lash line with the liquid liner.
6. Finally, I coated my lashes with mascara and VOILA… :D

P.S. For a more dressy look, you might want to use the highlighter in the trio on your brow bone.
Also, instead of a black liner, you may use a dark blue liner as well for a more FUNKY look :)

Smokey Eyes for Everyday Wear

Smokey eyes have been IN since a long time now and the make-up trends for Fall Winter 2010 have also been "forecasted" as smokey eyes and bright lips. So, I thought why not go for a smokey eye look that is subtle and can be worn everyday... even to work. And so, I have come up with this look and hence a tutorial to share with you guys :)
 
The look goes something like this...

 
Well... For this look I have used the following products:
1. maXfactor Kajal: Black
2. ELF Brightening Eye Color Quad: Drama
3. ELF Liquid Eyeliner

Here go the steps:
1. First of, I use the kajal pencil to line my waterline and the upper lid thickly. It need not be neat, it should just impart a thick black line over the lid.
2. Next, choosing the darkest grey of the shadow quad, smudge it on the kajal that was applied on the upper eye lids and blend them together.
3. Next line the upper lash lines with the liquid eye liner and using a blending/smudging brush smudge the liquid liner on the lids.
4. Then line the lower water line with the liquid liner.
5. Finally, coat your lashes with mascara...

Ta da... you are ready to go :)

Jai Kajal ki Jai Ho!

On Friday I ran out of my Revlon kajal :( Just to refresh your memory, it was the one that has the perfect "jetness" of black and is extremely smooth as described in my previous post at: http://confessionsofamakeupoholic.blogspot.com/2010/08/kajal-kohl-surma.html
So anyways, now that I had run out of it, the only logical solution seemed to be was to go in search for it. And since I was travelling to Mumbai the next day, I needed it really fast. But of course you don't always get what you want and Murphy's Law struck... My "blackness" personified Revlon was not available anywhere! They were all out of stock... (Hey! Is everyone out there buying it?). And it is 9:30 in the evening with all stores shutting down!

So, out of sheer desperation I go to "Hanuman Stores". It is you know a "kirane ki dukaan" as in a General store selling groceries, cosmetics and the like. I apprehensively go and ask "Bhaiya aap kajal rakhte hain kya" (Bhaiya do you keep kajal). He says yes. Wait! what? did he just say yes? YES? Really? Oh my! My hopes soar and I ask more confidently this time "Kaunse kaunse hai?" (Which ones do you have)? He gives a curt reply "Jai Kajal". WTF! JAI KAJAL. What the hell is that? My soaring hopes dash :( But I am making myself feel better by saying that I can always buy one later...

I leave the store and tell my sister about it and she asks "Jai Kajal?". I say yes, sensing that she has more to say. I am praying for some hope and then she says "You know didi, a friend of mine uses this local kajal, which comes for 7 bucks and it is the black-est kajal I have ever seen." What? Will you please repeat it? What did you just say? All i heard was the "blackest kajal". I want it now! I am a sucker for black kajals... The blacker the better. I rush into the store and say with a smile "Bhaiya, woh Jai Kajal hi de do" (Bhaiya, gimme the Jai Kajal that you have). I buy it for 10 bucks.

I can't wait to reach home and try it! I am praying to God to be kind and to please bless me so that the blackness of Jai (no racism here!) wins me over. Once home, I hog the mirror, scrub my face. You see I have this weird logic that if your face is scrubbed the kajal looks doubly black (yeah right! whatever!). I take a matchstick and smear it with the kajal and apply it on the inner rim of my lower eye (sorry for the details!). Ok... My first reaction- it smells like camphor! Second reaction- my eyes are feeling a cooling sensation and weird.. Is it the camphor reaction? Third reaction- Dude! It's black. It's the black that God created! It's the exact color that God wanted black to be. It's heavenly! and wait does it have a "wet look" effect? Oh God! Really? Thank you God... Thank You so much for making me find this.

But wait what about the smell of Camphor? I turn the container and sure enough they have listed Camphor as the first ingredient! I am thinking "If they have so confidently mentioned camphor in the list of ingredients, it couldn't be bad... or could it?" I google it... I type "Camphor Eyes" in the Google search bar and Voila! According to AYURVEDA, camphor cools the eye and relieves traces of stress and strains. I think incredulously "Is it really good for the eye?” I have found what I was looking for, for all these years and that too for 10 friggin bucks! THERE IS A GOD!

The KOHL

Kajal, Kohl, Surma... Call it whatever but today, women world over swear by it. Traditionally used since some infinity years in South Asia, Middle East and Northern Africa, the credit of making it a popular cosmetic perhaps goes to CLEOPATRA.

Cleopatra may have used kohl to protect her eyes from the sun's glare but today it has become an essential in every woman's vanity pouch. I for one cannot let a single day go by without kohl-ing my eyes.

We may use it for varied purposes, but the main purpose for a kohl to serve as a cosmetic is to emphasize and dramatize the eyes. I have been using kohl since the past 9 years now (yes I started young and no I am not old!) and can say for sure that I have finally found the method of application that suits me best!

Yes ladies... you all heard me right! It took me 9 long years... And no I am not slow or dumb. I have always liked the effect that kohl has had on my eyes but I could never find a way in which I was actually satisfied with its effect! And I am sorry to say that 90% of the women I see with kohl-rimmed eyes actually fail to impress me with their kohl-application. Ha ha, I know I know I have no right to be condescending but ladies... do you really not want to hear what I have to say?

Ok here I go... first it took me some experiments and hence loads of expenditure to zero-in on the form of kohl that suits me best. Yes you heard me right. The form of the kajal is important :)

My first tryst was with a waxy stick in a plastic-ky casing shaped liked a FAT PENCIL...Yes yes! you guys guessed it right! It was the LAKME KAJAL! Sad to say, it didn't really work for me. I didn't find it smooth enough and it smudged too :( But for the pocket money that I received while I was in school, it did see me through... Next i tried experimenting with a Kajal shaped like a conical crayon... I am sure you can imagine it... THE HIMALAYA KAJAL... Nah! It smudged a lot! And again it wasn't smooth enough or even black enough for me. I was starting to get a bit disillusioned here, but alas I did start earning some money by doing fashion shows for my college and yippee I bought my first internationally acclaimed brand's "kajal pencil". It was from CHAMBOR! It wasn't black or smooth enough for me (am sure you guessed it by now) but it was smudge proof! Yay! yay! Finally I get a smudge proof kajal pencil... But if there is a God, which I was sure of, I would soon find a kajal that'll be smooth/black enough! And soon enough when I tried a kajal pencil from another very very expensive brand I found the black and the texture that I was looking for. Thank You REVLON! I very happily wore it to an office function and AAAARrrgghhhhh by the end of the day it had run all over and I looked like a Raccoon :( Dude! What a disaster!!!

For a long time I alternated between my expensive smudge-proof CHAMBOR kajal and the super expensive smooth one from REVLON. I used the CHAMBOR one for when I was travelling or when I knew I'd have looooong days at work and used the REVLON one for cocktail parties and other such short events. But one day lighting struck! A storm brewed! And Voila! I had the perfect solution :) Yay Yay Yay! I knew the way out! I was fed up of choosing between smudge proof and perfect color and now I had the key to enjoying both... Yipee...

So finally all that was required was lining the internal rim of my eyes with REVLON's jet black kohl and using the CHAMBOR kohl to dramatize my eyes by applying it under my lashes and below my eyes :) The result? Super defined eyes and that too smudge proof :D