Top 5 Must Have Earrings

Well this post was supposed to be up long ago, but that never happened for reasons best known to me. Since the last part of 2017, I have not been keeping up very well and had to make numerous doctor visits. At one point the doc almost feared of the BIG C, but thankfully the tests came out negative.
On the work front also everything seems to be pretty low, and I have been super demotivated for anything constructive. Well that was almost a mini life update :) I am gradually trying to pick up pace and bring things in control.

This post is going to be a short and crisp one. Its about my top 5 all time favorite earrings.  I like to experiment with earrings as the can take the entire look into a whole new level. These are some cool trendy earrings that can be easily worn during the festive season and also rocked for the weddings and parties.

Chandbali : Chandbalis are very popular with Indian wear and why should they not be.. they jazz up any of your Indian ethnic outfit. These are some of my favorite chandbalis that go with most of the ethnic outfits.

Jhumkis : Since time immemorial Jhumkis(bell earrings) have been adorned by women.They come in all sizes. These are my timeless posessions. One is a pearl jhumki and and the other one is a pearl ring with a small little red jhumki. The later one is my favorite.

These are the latest addition to my collection and were not a part of the original post. In that way I am glad that I waited :)

Afghani earrings : These are trending this season. They look absolutely gorgeous. They add such a Boho feel to the entire look.

Tassel earrings : Another global trending item. These look very classy.

Again some new additions :)

Pom pom earrings : How could I make a post on earrings and not include these? They are everywhere. Old and young everyone seems to enjoy them.

Hope you liked this post. What are the favorites in your earring collection?

Easy SUNSET Eye look for Valentine's Day | I Heart Makeup Chocolate Elixir

Hi lovelies,

Its been forever since I blogged. There have been two many stuff going in and around my life that I am almost finding it difficult to keep track. But better late then never. :) 
Its valentines day and I did a quick valentines day eye look to soothe my heart.

Its a bright O-rangy red eye look. I don't know but somehow I always dig for warm oranges and reds and browns. And if you like them too you sure are going to enjoy this palette. Yes, I am talking about the I Heart Makeup Chocolate Elixir Palette.
It has got beautiful warm matte colors. The perfect combination of orange, brown, berry and red tones.I am going to do a separate review of this palette with all the swatches. But till then hope you like this beautiful eye look.  


Look created with I heart Makeup chocolate Elixir Palette

Upper Crease Transition : Pumpkin
Crease Line : Red Velvet
Lid Area : Carrot Cake
Outer V : Bubble Gum
Inner corner : Sugar + Creme Brulee 
Brow bone : Sugar + Creme Brulee

P.S. All images are with #nofilter and shows true color. Pictures taken in outdoor natural light.

Thanks for stopping by,
XOXO.

Mekhela Sador | Traditional Indian wear for Diwali

Ever since the festive season started, I am just in no mood to wear western clothes to work or elsewhere. Have been continuously wearing only Indian clothes to work and outside. Tomorrow is Diwali and I decided to wear something bright and colorful to work. As much as I am excited for Diwali, the weather forecast has been playing a dampener as its going to pour tomorrow. :(

Well nothing can beat my high spirits though. :) I chose to wear this bright Mekhela sador to work today. Its a beautifully embroidered blue and yellow color. Its not the traditional silk material but is made of raw silk and is super light weight. Perfect to be worn all day long. This particular one was gifted to me and I got so many compliments for the bright color combination. Hope you guys love it as well. Here's wishing every one a very bright Diwali. Stay happy, stay blessed.
XOXO

Indian Festive MakeUp Haul | Morphe, Sivanna, Miss Claire, Sugar Cosmetics and more

I love this time of the year Aug-Sept. First Of, Aug is my b'day month so its special :) and Sept marks the coming of Autumn and the upcoming festivals like Diwali,Durga Pujo,Dussera.  There is something in the air, some vibe--some smell--some energy, that makes it so so special. As a little girl I would always wait for this time as we get to buy all new clothes, meet cousins, go out with friends and the most exciting part..no studies,no school..only good food and loads of fun.

Durga Pujo is one of the main festival for all Begalis across the world. It marks the victory of Good over Evil. The festivities usually go on for 5-7 days. This year I am doubly excited as I will be visiting my hometown :) The last few years I have not celebrated Durga Puja with that much vigor as I had personal commitments but this year is going to be super fun. My vanity needed some 'renovation' and what better time to invest on some good make up than this festive season.
The haul mostly includes affordable items.


1. Morphe 35R palette : This is the STAR of the haul.The moment I saw this palette online, it just kept talking to me :) (Does it happen to you?) I tried to ignore but finally gave in. It is my b'day month and I deserve some goodies . Ended up gifting it to myself. The palette consists of mostly warm brown, neutral, gold, bronze and copper shades.In love with it. Its Playtime with this lovely!!!!!

2. Sivanna Shining Star Shimmer Brick : I am a sucker for soft glowy make up look . Since I don't use bronzer on a regular basis I decided to invest on an affordable but good quality Bronzer. Sivanna is known to make good quality shimmer bricks and Oh My God, this is amazing stuff. The product is a BOMB. Its super pigmented, creamy and a lil goes a long  way. You can use it to highlight, bronze and also use it as eyeshadow. Another Love.

3. Sivanna Eyeshadow Palette in Pink : I got this palette as I never tried glitter pink eyes and since it was affordable and also travel size did not think twice to pick it up (remember I am traveling during Durga Pujo) But I am not extremely satisfied with it. The glitter pink color has chunky glitter particles (unlike the shimmer brick which was so creamy) and I ended up having a lot of glitter fallout. Will see how I work with this one.

4. Miss Claire Blush (Shade ) : Miss Claire makes some really good blushes and soft matte lip cream. Since I cannot use their lip products, got their matte blush.



5. Try sugar lip crayons : Any makeup look is incomplete with the perfect lips. Since I am allergic to all lip products including mac, nyx, maybelline, lakme ..etc. This is the only formula that does not irritate my lips and sits for hours without reacting. (I still avoid wearing lippies on an everyday basis and its reserved only for special occassions). Got two shades, Scarlet O Hara (Berry Red) and Holy Go Lightly (Pink Nude). Already have their Marry Poppins (Fuschia with blue/purple undertones) and its my fave.

6. Maybelline colorshow nail Polish : I dont know why I am digging for Rosegold these days. This is a decent glitter nailpaint and is also super affordable.

7. Eyeconic Black Kajal : This is a repurchase, I love it and will keep on restocking.

* Review * and uses | The Face shop Bamboo Damyang Gel

For an avid Aloe Vera Gel lover like me, buying this Bamboo gel required lots of persuasion but at last.... I gave in :) And finally when I decided to buy it , it was OUT OF STOCK..really????? :(  For weeks it was in my cart and  one fine day..(midnight actually) it was back in stock ....ordered mine with no further delay. Its all mine now. :):)
Bamboo gel might not be as popular as aloe gel, however it does have an edge,thanks to the silica present in it.With age our skin loses its firmness and that's exactly where silica comes in picture.

My 2 cents sourced from the internet: To retain the youthful firmness, our body needs silica to create and maintain collagen, the protein that is responsible for making skin wrinkle free.

With pretty high expectations started to use the face shop Bamboo Damyang gel.

Packaging:
The product comes in a green tub packaging. I love the fact that the tub resembles a bamboo shoot. It comes with a protective shield to save the product from getting spilled. Honestly I would have preferred a tube packaging. Its colorless and has a mild fresh fragrance But I can live with it.

Price : 390 INR

My take:
I have been applying it for quite some time now (more than a month). I mainly apply it for hydration after cleansing and toning my face. Also apply it post shower. It has a mild fresh smell, not too over powering which I like. Also applied it as a hydrating mask, it was extremely cooling and the hydration is immense. It is less sticky than my beloved Aloe gel. Overnight application does make the face super hydrated and supple. (I do get similar effect with Aloe gel as well). I feel it will be particularly helpful for people who are allergic to aloe vera.(I can feel it as I myself am allergic to a host of ingredients, not aloe though :) ) What I enjoyed most is applying it as a overnight hair mask. Gently massage it all over your scalp and don't forget to apply on the hair shaft. Keep overnight or at least 1 hour before washing. Wash hair with a mild shampoo. Hair feels so amazingly strong and manageable. All in all for the face and body it offers the same results as aloe vera but for hair it has been slightly better. I also apply it on face for night time moisturizing by mixing a drop of facial oil with it. (It my own recipe, try it, it will give you a surprising supple face in the morning..minus any sticky feeling)

Uses:

1. Hydrating primer, right before you apply your makeup.
2. Hydrating hair mask.
3. Hydrating face mask
4. After-shave and after-wax gel to soothe the skin 
5. Non-sticky hair styling gel.
6. Eye mask. (dip a piece of cotton in the gel and and apply it on eyes as you would apply cucumber)

Overall Rating : 4/5

Will I repurchase?

Yes, yes , yes and yes. I got it from www.nykaa.com

* DIY * | Embroidered Shirts | #RecycleOldShirts

They say that the year 2017 has been taken over by embroidery. There is embroidery everywhere be it on shirts, tops , jeans......just everywhere.
Not that I follow trends religiously. But this was one that I actually loved and felt that it is so my style. My inner shopaholic looked up to buy some embroidered shirts online, but then I have been shopping too often and also it is difficult for me to manage my ever increasing wardrobe. Also I had promised myself to shop for clothes only when I actually need them. (I break the promise every 2 months but happy that this time I was able to keep my words :)

This shirt was bought almost 3 years back when I was dying to have a red shirt. Looking at my wardrobe it felt that this little bright red thing could easily be the canvas for an equally bright embroidery. I immediately looked up online for some easy embroidery designs. There were tonnes of designs but I was searching for something that would be easy to work with and would not take much time to complete. Petrified that I might start it and then never be able to complete. Zeroed upon this design. Used a carbon paper to put the design on the fabric.

Embroidered some lazy daisies for the flowers, stem stitch for stems and leaf stitch for leaves. Pretty easy and simple.
I referred to this video for inspiration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA0SFQ4LMbc&list=PLUeXctVo_ATIxvEyle7Ywz92vNNrROwuE

So see it really pays, if you take your school needle work classes seriously :) But again in this era of youtube and pinterest never mind if you haven't taken your classes seriously, there is always a tutorial online to learn from.
So grab an old Shirt and make it into a DIY trendy embroidered shirt and dont forget to let me know if you liked the idea.

Skin Care Haul | Khadi Natural,Juicy Chemistry, The Face shop, Innisfree , Kama Ayurveda, Soulflower

Crazy work schedule and sick toddler left me with no time to blog. Yes, June was one crazy month, extreme work pressure and my baby had a terrible viral fever :( :(  But now things are much better, and its my turn for some much needed TLC :) :) :) :)
Off late my skin has been behaving really weird. Actually its super sensitive.It reacts to almost everything, shampoos, body washes, lip balms, lipsticks. Its extremely frustrating so much so that I had to see a dermat. So invested in mostly organic skin care stuff.They are mostly herbal products with minimal preservatives and chemical. Some of them are 100% organic with no chemicals at all. 

Juicy Chemistry:

This is one brand that I feel so safe to use. Over last one and half years I have been suffering from a terribly sensitive skin and a never ending bout of contact dermatitis. Till now I have made countless trips to the dermat but its only recently that I realized that the sensitization is due to the presence of the harsh chemicals in the ingredients of most of the products in my stash. Juicy chemistry products are formulated with absolutely no chemicals and preservatives.You can visit their site here.
I got their revitalizing face scrub and their under eye gel. Will do separate reviews on them.

Khadi Natural:
Khadi in itself means a handspun fabric usually made out cotton. It is of aesthetic value to Indians as it is related to the Khadi movement led by Mahatma Gandhi himself during the British Raj. Khadi Natural is an Indian skincare brand. They use all herbal and natural ingredients in their products.Their body soaps are really good. I got the chandan and haldi (sandalwood and turmeric) soap and their honey body wash. You can read about them here.

Just Herbs :

Just as the name suggests this is another brand that has its roots in Ayurveda. Their formulation depends heavily on herbs and plant extracts. They also claim to not use any harmful chemicals or toxic perfumes which is BIG Yaay for me as I have suffered a lot in the last 1 year (may be more) due to contact dermatitis from chemicals and toxic perfumes in various products. Planning to do a seperate post on that.
You can read about the brand here.


Soulflower :

Not blessed with the best of hair and since the past few months it has been shedding like crazy. Stumbled upon this rosemary and lavender hair massage oil. It had some good reviews and hence decided to give it a try. Soulflower is a 100% vegetarian company providing people only the goodness of nature. Read about them here

Kaama Ayurveda :
Much has been said about this product by Indian You tubers and bloggers. And now that I am using it I know why they love it. This is a must buy.Their rosewater is to die for. ‏Kaama Ayurveda claims to  be  100% natural, vegetarian and use the highest quality of natural ingredients. This means - No artificial colors. No artificial fragrance. No petrochemicals, parabens, urea, propylene glycol or other harmful additives. Know about them here. 

The Face shop Sheet Masks : 
Sheet masks are the one stop solution for that perfect hydration. so restocked on my sheet masks. I have a complete review on the Face shop sheet masks. Read it here.

Innisfree Sheet Masks : 
Wanted to try these masks from Innisfree as I had already used the sheet masks from other brand and loved them.

All the products except the Khadi Naturals one were bought from www.Nykaa.com.(Khadi is also available on Nykaa though) So glad that this beautiful herbal brands are available to us, considering my current sensitive skin situation this is a Savior. Also I am a huge fan of Korean sheet masks and if you haven't tried them I don't now what you are doing :P :P
So this was my small summer skincare haul. Hope you enjoyed reading it.


Disclaimer : This is not a sponsored post and all products are bought by myself. All information about the brands are sourced from their respective websites.