Review: Revlon Beyond Natural Skin Matching Makeup..What's Your Favorite Foundation?

To start with, I don't own this product but have used this on a couple of occassions. In fact  I like it and amthinking of purchasing it.. And that is where I need your opinion :). Here's my review followed with questions for my blogger friends.

Product Details

Product Range: Revlon Beyond Natural - Foundation

Price: Rs 1050 for 30 ml

SPF Protection: Spf 15

Shades Available: Medium/ Deep, Medium, Light

Shelf Life: 36 Months :)

Product Description

• "A lightweight foundation with breakthrough, exclusive ingredients that adjust to match your exact skin tone.
• With this innovative formula, the right shade is as simple as your own skin.
• Super-lightweight formula starts off white and adjusts to your exact skin tone to cover imperfections.
• Seamless coverage makes skin look naturally flawless.
• Enriched with SPF 15"

My Experience

• The product is indeed lightweight and blends very well into the skin. Does not feel oily.
• The coverage is pretty good and again being lightweight it is good for everyday use. But obviously you cannot expect it to hide very dark spots/ marks. It is a little sheer for those.
• There are 3 shades available and it should more or less cover all the Indian skin colors. I liked the medium.
• I like the fact that it gives a matte finish. I am not too fond of a shiny finish. Also does not leave any powdery/ whitish patch.
• The tube is small and sleek, easy to carry in your handbag.
• The SPF 15 is a plus, I only wish it was a bit higher.

However, the price is a little bit of a turn off. To be honest, I rarely use foundations. For me it is serious make up and hence I use it only when I attend some engagement or wedding parties. Compared to the Colorstay Compact cum Concealer, which has a little powdery finish, I think this is better. I currently use a Revlon new complexion makeup foundation which is almost 3/4th full and the product is nearing its expiry. But now I wanted a light weight product for daily use. For starters I was looking for something in the range of 600-700.

So please help me make up my mind...

My Questions for my Makeup Lover Friends

• Have you used this product? How do you like it. Would you recommend a buy?
• What's your favorite foundation/ compact?
• What would you suggest for a light, daily wearable foundation/ compact in the range I specified: Rs 600-700
• I won't mind spending a higher if there is a wonderful product. Have you found something that nice?

Shopper's Stop Sale August 2011: Overview

This was one sale I was waiting for.. I love the fact that they accept gift vouchers even during sale and this time I had a lot of them in stock! Though I ended up picking some items on which there was no sale, I did spend quite some time there hunting. Here is a brief overview.

Offers on Make Up Items
I don't the brands can't keep a discount on any purchase. I was disappointed about the fact that most of the brands had gifts on making a purchase of a certain value. Here are a few offers.

Revlon
Buy any three items and get a gift. This is still better than having a value associated with the purchase for a free gift. I mean if nothing then buy 3 nailpolish bottles may be ;). Well not sure if that would qualify.

The gifts however were not that attractive. There were 3 choices.
1. A bath set (comprising of a loofah, pumice stone, back scrubber, a massage aiding thing (I don't know if I am missing anything here). This was the best of the gifts, but not something I would die for :)
2. A make up pouch, empty of course
3. Another make up/ toilettories pouch

Maybelline
Shop for 1500, get a lip balm free. Really sad..Recently in the Pantaloons sale they had a 10% off, which was far far better than this! Probably they oversold and ran into losses ;)

Chambor
Again, there was some gift on a purchase of 1500, but I didn't feel like asking what :(

Other brands like Lakme etc also had similar (and not so useful) offers. I did not explore the higher end brands though. I will keep updating this section.

Offers on Women's Clothing

• There was 10%-40% off on mix and match salwar kameez as well as pre-assesmbled sets.
• Van Heusen, Allen Solley, Arrow, Wills Lifestyle also had upto 40% off, in facts quite a lot of items in the 40% range. Unfortunately I did not like anything!
• Remanika, Noi had upto 51% off and I think most of the items were flat 51%.

Offers on Lingerie

• Most of you would be aware that this is one section in which there are hardly any offers during sale. Most items were still on the MRP. 
• B'witched was one brand that had 40% off on a few items. They also were giving away a voucher of Rs 250 on purchasing things from the nightwear section.
• The other offers were mostly on unsold and unusual sizes. There was no offer on Lovable or Triumph (except some items for 299) or Jockey.

Most of these had an additional 5% off for Golden Glow members.


Offers on Bags
There were the usual 10%-40% off on bags too. Rocky S had some interesting stuff. In fact planning to pick something up from there.

Conclusion
Overall the sale isn't bad at all....They have enough discounts of enough items. It was unfortunately not my day :(. I was a little disappointed with the make up section offers though.

So what are you waiting for, the sales on for everyone from tomorrow, August 6, 2011... and so is the weekend.. It definitely worth a visit.

Sneak Peek into my Make Up Box..

Well, this one is purely for my love of photography again! The truth is that I actually have very little make up stuff. But I still haven't fully explored all of them.

This is a beauty box that a dear friend gifted. 
A palette of 20 common eye shadows, perfect for a beginner like me! 

The 'True' Colors!

My Lipstick Collection, 6 is all I have!

Used to be a 'Lip Gloss Girl', till about a year ago. But then moved to lip-sticks for the long stay effect..

 Lakme 9 to 5 Range..

The Nailpolish Train

Array of my Eye Pencils 

For the Face

Pretty much all that I have!

Chambor Eye Tattoo Pencil: Swatches, Review and Comparison with Colorbar I Glide

 I first bought the Black Chambor Eye Tattoo Pencil. I liked it so much that I also got the Green from the same range. Here's my review.

Green (Top) and Black (Bottom)

Product Details

• Price: Rs 325 for 1.15 gm
• Shade: They don't have names, only numbers. ET 01(Black), ET 03 (Green)
• Range: Chambor Eye Tattoo Pencil

What I like about Chambor Eye Tattoo Pencil

• The Pigmentation: All you need is just one stroke to get the perfect color. No struggle involved!
• The Texture: Its very soft and applies smoothly on the skin.
• The Color: The black one is very dark, gives the kohl look without any shimmer, just as I like it. The green one is a shade I adore and I love the slight shimmery finish (you can see it in the pictures). I actually think its a greenish black rather than blackish green. Also, since it's almost black and not a stark green, you can wear it everyday no matter what the color of your dress is!
• Pretty Long Stay and Smudgeproof: It stays on nicely for almost 12 hours without smudging. But it can smudge if you happen to rub your eyes vigorously!
• Easy to Wash off: Comes off easily with a facewash or make-up remover.

What I don't quite like about Chambor Eye Tattoo Pencil: None really!
Overall Rating: 4/5

Will I Buy it Again? Well I already did!!

Comparison with Colorbar I Glide Eye Color

Though I like both of these eye pencils, while I rate Chambor slightly higher in pigmentation, Colorbar is far superior in the smudge-proof aspect.

•                           Chambor     Colorbar

1. Pigementation 4.5             4
2. Smudge-proof 3.5             5
3. Texture 4.5            3.5 (Soft but breaks easily)
4. Finish 4.5            5
5. Washing Off Ease 4.5            4.5
6. Overall 4            4

You can read about more of my eye colors here.

Colobar I Glide Eye Color, Prunella: Swatches, Review and Photos

I have read about this range in many blogs and thought of trying it out mysef.

Prunella means 'plum' in Latin and is also a popular first name for women. True to its name, Prunella from the Colorbar I Glide Eye Color range is a very pretty shade of plum. Here's what I like and dislike about it.

 Product Details

• Price: Rs 325 for 1.1 gm


• Shade: Prunella 05


• Range: Colorbar I Glide Eye Color

What I like about Prunella

• The Color: Very pretty color, has a smooth shine to it. Its more of a plum shade than purple. Also, the color is exactly as it appears on the pencil bottom only with more shine.


• The Finish: Although it's an eye pencil, it is slightly moist when being applied. But then it quickly dries and gives a smooth liquid liner like finish.


• The Texture: Its creamy soft, but honestly a little too soft.


• Very Long Stay: Well it stays on till you clean it off!


• Super Smudge-proof: Here I have to give this a 5/5! Even if you rub it really hard, it does not smudge! Stays the way you exactly applied it.


• Easy to Wash off: It is important that the eye color comes of without too much rubbing. This comes off almost completely when I wash my face with a face wash. Easy with the make-up remover too.

What I don't quite like about Prunella
There is just one thing that I don't like about this product, but a serious one!

• Too Soft and Breaks Easily: It is super soft while applying, one does not need to apply too much pressure while using this. But then it is so soft that it breaks very easily. Almost every time I sharpen it, a bit of the lead breaks. This way it will get over too fast.

Overall Rating: 4/5


Will I Buy it Again?
Honestly, I don't have a definite answer right now. I love everything about Prunella except the fact that it breaks too often. Not sure if I was unlucky with this piece that I got or this is a general problem.
I have time to decide till the pencil gets over..

You can read about more of my eye colors here.

My Box of Eyeliners: Swatches, Reviews, Photos

Make up for me has been 'wearing an eyeliner' for a long time. I never indulged myself in fancy eye shadows (though now I want to..), but the basic outlining of the eye is something that I have always done.

I have a preference for pencils over liquid liners as I think pencils give me a better control and grip. Many people feel otherwise though. 

Also I like the pencils that can be sharpened. Can't really of a reason other than the fact that I have always loved sharpening my pencils during my school days. Often made flowers from the layers that came off :). Just kidding, but I like using a very sharp tip for the upper lining.

So here's a tour of my eye liner box!! Hope you enjoy it..

1. Blue Eye Glide On from Lakme - Rs 275

2. Green Eyeliner Pencil from Revlon (Shade 14) - Rs 230

3. Black Eye Tattoo Liner from Chambor (Shade ET 01, K 36) - Rs 325

4. Purple I Glide Eye Pencil from Colorbar (Prunella, 05) - Rs 325

5. Brown Magic Eye Liner Pencil from Revlon (Flirty Brown, Shade 94) - Rs 390

6. Blackish Green Eye Tattoo Liner from Chambor (Shade ET 03, J 20) - Rs 325

If you liked my eyeliners, you can also take a look at my pink lipsticks here.

Brief Review

I intend to review Colorbar and Chambor in detail because I am simply loving them. But, have not been able to click the perfect swatch. Still struggling. Here are a few lines about each of my eye liners.

Blue Eye Glide On from Lakme

Nice color, smooth shine, does not smudge. 

But cannot be removed easily. 

Also, no color shown on the pencil, neither a name mentioned. 

And it's not very very soft like the others. 

I won't buy this range again.

Green Eyeliner Pencil from Revlon

Love this color, has a soft shine, does not claim to be smudge-proof and long stay but never smudged, and stays for fairly a long time. (The black one of the same range smudged a lot)
Easy on the pocket.

Black Eye Tattoo Liner from Chambor

Perfect black, soft, no shine, waterproof and smudgeproof, long stay. 

I wear this the most frequently.
Smudges if I sleep without removing it.

Purple I Glide Eye Pencil from Colorbar

Very pretty color, has a soft shine, very long stay, never smudges. 

Actual color is closer to the color on the pencil than in the swatch. 

But too soft and beaks easily. 

 Brown Magic Eye Liner Pencil from Revlon 

Metallic shine, soft, long stay, smugeproof

But color does not show up very nicely on my eyes.

Blackish Green Eye Tattoo Liner from Chambor

Love this color, blackish green, has a soft shine, long stay. 

The sales people call it a green shade but it is actually very dark and I prefer to call it a greenish black rather than blackish green.

Clinique High Impact Lipstick in 'Go Fig': Swatches, Review, Photos

I was desperately looking for a long lasting lipstick and a lot of people suggested Clinique. Clinique has 6 ranges of lip color/ lipstick. ‘High Impact Lip Color’ and ‘Long Last Lipstick’ are the ones which last for a good amount of time. I was looking for a brown and a pink. 

I picked ‘Go Fig’ from the ‘High Impact Lip Color’ range.

To know what I like and dislike about 'Go Fig', click here. This is my first guest blog and I wrote it for Peaches&Blush. Tell me how you like it.

MAC Satin Amorous Lipstick: Swatches, Review and Photos

This is my first ever make-up review. So, why not start with  the 'Most Adorable Cosmetics' brand (my expansion for MAC)!! And, I must say it is one hell of a task to get that perfect swatch. I kept on posing my patched hand in different corners of my house to get the right amount of light for a picture that would exactly match the color of the lipstick. I won't say I was 100% satisfied. But here's what I got.

The Range: MAC Lipstick (Yes, the name's that simple)
The Shade: Amorous (A50)
The Color: Pink with a slight Mauvish Tone
The Finish: Satin
The Price: $ 14.5 in US/ Rs 990 in India

What I Like about Amorous

The Color: I am crazy about pinks! This one has a slight mauvish tone, but still quite subtle and good for everyday wear. Goes well with all colors except red and brown. I wish I could get a clearer picture.

The Texture: It is quite creamy and keeps the lips moisturized. Can't categorize it under the 'super creamy' range though.

The Finish: It has a satin finish. So it gives that light shine, perfect for everyday look. And once in a while I team it up with a gloss (I will review in in my upcoming posts) to give that bright look!

What I don't quite Like about Amorous

I wish it stayed a little longer. If I don't eat, it stays for about 2-3 hours. If I eat with it, it almost goes away with the food, leaving only a tinge of color on the lips.

Will I Buy it Again? Yes, because of the texture and color. But if I find something longer lasting, I would probably switch!

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

So tell me what you think!!

You may also like to read my reviews of
Clinique High Impact,
Go Fig and MAC Clear Gloss.

Shoppers Stop Sale 2011: Make-up Deals!

The Shoppers Stop End of Season Sale started this weekend on 12th February and will be on till 6th March 2011. They claim an 'upto 51% off'. In this post, I will be talking about the make up deals they have. In my upcoming blogs I would talk about deals in bags, shoes and other things.

 I surveyed most of the cosmetics brands in Shopper's stop about the deals they offered. I know make-up blogs are boring without pictures. But since photography was prohibited inside the store, I had no choice. Not that I follow all the rules. But my phone camera has the flash and capture sound permanently activated. So, couldn't help it. This post is more informative than interesting. I could almost paste an excel sheet here, but don't worry I wont :). So here we go..

Chambor: I love their eye colour and had to buy a purple pencil. So I headed to their counter straightaway. Unfortunately they didn't have it in stock. But here's what they had:

• Buy for 1500, Get a make up pouch free. (But the pouch was plain white in color, not very appealing).
• Buy for 1200, Get an eye pencil free. (Basic pencil, not water/ smudge proof)

Revlon: They had a range of gifts to offer for various purchase amounts. Again, I wish I could put pics but alas!

• Spend 850, Get a gift set of 2 candles
• Spend Rs 1000, Get a make up bag. (This was better than that of Chambor's).
• Spend Rs 2000, Get a watch
• Spend Rs 3000, Get a trousseau box

The saleswoman was actually willing to give me a deal even if I did not cross Rs 850!
They had a purple but was lighter in shade shown in the picture below.

Maybelline:

• Buy for 600, Get 100 off.
• Buy for 1000, Get 200 off. Pretty cool.

Loreal: 15% off on purchases above Rs 600. Not Bad!

Lakme: No special offer :(

Kaya: Free sunscreen on a purchase of Rs 1500 or above

Yves Saint Laurent: Buy any two products, get a gloss worth Rs 1570 free. They have 7-8 colors to chose from. Not bad!!

Elizabeth Arden: I am not a 100% sure on this one. What I can remember is that on every product they offered some beauty treatment like a facial etc.

So, why wait? It's definitely worth taking a look at!