Lakme Rose Powder- Soft Pink

We all need a good setting powder in our lives. It definitely is an important item in a makeup kit. You need it to set your foundation, set your concealer or just dab some on your face to keep off the oiliness and keep your face/makeup fresh. There are many such products available in the Indian market today. But the one I will be talking about is one of the oldest ones and is still going strong.

Price: Rs. 130 for 40 gm. It is really inexpensive.

Shades: It comes in 2 shades: soft pink & warm pink. I wanted to buy warm pink as I think it is more suitable for my complexion but it was not available so I ended up buying the "Soft Pink" shade. However, this rose powder doesn't give you any coverage so you don't really have to worry about the shade matching your complexion.

Packaging: Lakme Rose Powder comes in a round tub with a sifter and an applicator. I find the packaging very inconvenient. The cap as well as the sifter lid are not tight enough and come off easily. Hence it is not at all travel friendly. I tried to carry this in my bag and the moment I took it out and opened the cap, the product was all over the place. Not a good sight!

The Lakme Rose Powder contains rose petals and sunscreen. It has a mild and refreshing rose fragrance which is not at all bothersome and goes away once you apply the product. I find the applicator provided along with it of no use as it picks up too much of product. I would advice you to use a large fluffy brush instead. As far as the sunscreen claim is concerned, I really can't comment on that as I haven't used it for that purpose but I don't think it can really protect against UVA and UVB rays.

Although, this powder looks pink in the tub but that color doesn't transfer to your face. It goes translucent, giving just little bit of color to your face which looks very natural. It definitely mattifies my face and freshens it up. The effect stays for around 1-2 hours(only) on me after which my face starts becoming oily again. But that's just me as I have extremely oily skin. For someone with combination to normal skin, this would do better.

I would recommend you guys to try it once, especially if you are a beginner in makeup as it is a great budget option for everyday use and the quantity provided would last you a very long time.

Review: Lakme Absolute Mattreal Skin Natural Mousse

Hello everyone!! How have you been? I know I have been MIA for some time now. I got sick..! Yes! once again. It was viral this time. I am still recovering...still feel little weak. Anyways, enough of these rants! I attended one big family event in July. My Dad was retiring after serving for 37 years!! It was a big day for all of us, so we celebrated it thoroughly, threw a party which was attended by all our family members and family friends. It feels weird that I would not be coming back to my home in army cantonment! I will miss this place. Having spent 22 yrs of my life here, it was difficult for me to move to Delhi (2 yrs back) and adjust to a new environment. For someone who has always lived in a secure environment with greenery all around, Delhi was a BIG change. It took me a while to get used to the pollution and all those bad things Delhi is famous for but I finally made it my home.

You know how hot and humid July is!! This time it was even worse in Chandigarh. I was constantly sweating and my face would become an oil factory in few minutes. Also, I was meeting my extended family members and all the family friends after 2 long years, so I obviously had to look good. So, I started searching for a good foundation which was easy to work with, which would stay put on my super-oily skin and would not break it out. Also, I needed something that would photograph well. Finding something for my skin type is a task! I researched thoroughly and finally ended up buying Lakme Absolute Mattreal Skin Natural Mousse. Read on to find out how it fared for me.

Price: 25gm for Rs. 700. The price is decent enough for the quantity provided. You need just a small amount to cover the entire face and neck. 25gm of product will last you a long time even if used regularly.

Packaging: First of all I love the packaging! It is silver+grey and shiny+matt. The product comes in a spherical container. The top half is the cap which is reflective and silver while the bottom half which is matt and grey contains the product. You open the top by un-screwing it and then there is a lid covering the actual product. On opening the lid you will find the mousse.

Texture: The consistency of the foundation is mousse type which spreads very easily. I LOVE how easily it blends into the skin. It literally blends like a dream and just vanishes into the skin making it look radiant and flawless. It settles into matte powdery finish.It has a slippery texture which is due to the presence of silicones. If you are someone who is allergic to silicones you would want to skip this. It has a lemony, cucumber-ish scent which is not bothersome and goes away in few minutes. It is perfect for oily skinned beauties but will work equally well for normal to dry skinned girls with proper moisturizing.

Shades: It comes in 3 shade: Ivory Fair, Beige Honey and Golden Medium (lightest to darkest). I bought the shade 01 Ivory which is a perfect match for my skin tone. When I apply it you can't even tell where I have put the foundation and where is my bare skin. Of course the area with foundation looks more radiant and flawless but it looks very natural. I LOVE IT. This shade would suite girls with paler complexion with yellow undertones.

Coverage: It has light to medium coverage. It will work amazingly for those who have relatively clearer skin as it will be able to cover up light blemishes or marks. But if you are looking for something which is full coverage and which can cover heavy acne marks then it will not work for you. The finish is very natural and feels like skin. It lets your skin peek through the layer of foundation and gives a very naturally flawless look. Also, it photographs really well in day light as well as in flash. It has an SPF of 8 and hence there is no problem of that ghastly white cast that the high SPF foundations give with flash photography.

Staying Power: I applied this at 6:00pm in the evening and the function winded up at around 1:00am and I was still looking fresh. In these 7 hours I danced a lot and was sweating profusely while dancing. But it still did not completely vanish. Obviously my face wasn’t as fresh as it was when I had just applied the foundation but it was still pretty good.

This is how it looks on me.photo with flash. no editing done.

Final Verdict: If you are looking for a long staying, easy to use, pocket friendly foundation which photographs well then this is THE product. I don’t use makeup on regular basis but this is going to be my go-to foundation for all the important occasions until I am able to find anything better (which is going to be pretty difficult).

VOV Kajal/Kohl Swatches & Review

I truly believe that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder…. that’s why I like to keep my eyes pretty and beautiful :) 

Kajal or Kohl is that product which most of us can’t do without. It’s the basic makeup product which all of us own..soooooooo basic that it’s actually thought of more as a necessity rather than as a makeup product..(atleast I think so) 

I have been wearing kajal for the past 7-8 years now & for me it’s as important as water. Without it I feel NAKED..!!! (you understand now..!!). People who wear kajal know that a day without it makes them look sooo SICK and WEAK!!  Seriously guys..!!! (It’s a great way of making excuse to your teachers/boss in case you want a day off ;) )

Without any more blabbering let us move onto the product:

Price: Rs. 130 (big) and Rs. 85 (small)

My View: I have been using VOV kajal for more than a year now and I must say that it’s really good. I have used lots of kajals (lakme, Revlon, maybelline, lotus etc) but I found this to be the best among all of them.

PROS:

• Staying power: It stays for good 7-8 hrs on me with just a little bit smudging. (mind you I have watery eyes)
• Color & texture: It’s highly pigmented and has a very smooth texture but doesn’t melt.
• Although it isn’t water proof but it doesn’t get washed off by water easily.
• It comes in simple pencil form (big size) as well as in form of retractable pencil (small size).

CONS:

• The only con I can think of is that it is not available in retractable form if you want to buy a bigger one.

me wearing VOV kajal

(L-R) single swatch, double swatch

                                                                         washed & rubbed

me wearing the kajal