An Indian's Makeup Blog

Thanks to this eyeliner, a winged eyeliner look has never been easier to create . My lines are crisp, dark and most of all - easy !


I didn't want anything too loud to go with the winged liner - the liner was loud enough for me. So I reached for my Pixi Eye Beauty Kit - Bittersweet Cacao ($28). The packaging reminds of a watercolors kit I had as a kid. I was never good with water colors but I know my sister and I loved that kit.

This adult version has eight satin, medium pigmented shadows. It is great for times when you don't need anything too colorful and are looking for just enough to look polished. I applied a bit of peach all over the lid and added a hint of brown along the crease. The white eyeliner is one from New York Color - N.Y.C($3)



I love how it turned out ! But all being said, $28 is something I will think twice about before indulging. If you are looking to explore Pixi Beauty at Target, you must check out their youtube channel here. There are many How To videos that'll not just teach about creating different looks but more so will help us decide what will work for us !



Love,
Indian Girl

Its September and that is official sign that Fall is just around the corner. Its already time for NYFW ! But then again , its 98 degree outside. Dudnt sound much like Fall now does it ?

To get me just in the mood for darker hues I've started wearing the Jouer Lip Sheer in Positano. Its the sheer wine shade to transition me into a (hopefully soon) fall palette.

I'm not the only one - Jessica Alba and Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone are going dark too. I just cant get around to going as dark yet. If you are in the same boat as I am, then you'll appreciate the sheer moisturizing wine that Positano is.




The other shades are pretty too - all very sheer. Positano is the deepest color. St. Barths is a coral, again a sheer one. Its another great shade to check out.

L to R - St. Barths, Capri, Positano, St. Tropez

Love,
Indian Girl

This article contains a sample product sent for consideration by PR. For more details on the disclosure policy please refer to it at the bottom of the page.

Last night I tried the sugar scrub from Lush for the first time.

Lordy Lord it smells SO GOOD. All through my shower I couldn't get over how unbelievably good the smell was. The sugar scrub crumbled in a couple of seconds. I took off a small piece and it saved the rest in the soap shelf. But in a couple of seconds, it started melting and the green liquid flowed into the bath tub !! So I made it quick run into the kitchen, grabbed a container and pulled my wondrous sugar scrub in.


That's that. But now I had a lot of this fantastic scrub just lying in there in the soap shelf. So I gathered the puddle into my palms and scrubbed the he*l outta my hands. Every stroke just made my hands softer and softer and softer. By the end my hands felt like two of the softest pillows ever.

So soft I dreamed of running my hands all over shaking hands with officer Sam Swareck and he continuing to hold on, coz my hands were just the softest. All the while I looked deep into his dreamy eyes and he continued to charm the pants off me with his dimples...

This is exactly what I meant when I retweeted...

Me and Sam Swareck are officially an item.

In my head.

Speaking of dimples...check this out.
Cuteness overload.

Love,
Indian Girl

Every morning we wake up and we see our faces in the mirror. We do this every single day of our lives and somewhere through it all we get to know our faces. For me, I know the cut above my eyebrow, a few leftover scars from chicken pox , the red dot on my nose, the mole on my chin and a couple others. I know these well enough that when I look at the mirror they blur out and my eyes see an overview of my face. And I like the face that looks back at me. I'd like to think I know it well.

But somewhere along all this back and forth with my mirror, the overview just got zoomed out so much I failed to notice a lot more things. We all go through this - we overlook a few things here and there and then one day - Bam ! You realize the face you see in the mirror is very different from what others see.


I hadn't noticed the dark circles until I took a picture of myself for the blog. Dark circles are notorious for making one look stressed out, dull, tired and unhappy. I wasn't feeling any of those things but my dark circles decided to make an appearance getting me the " Are you okay ?'s"

Raise your hand if this sounds familiar to you.

I use concealers regularly and found a few that work well for me. At least they did for the me I was seeing. But it wasn't till I took this after picture that I realized I looked so different. There was a marked brightness. Like my eyes that were hibernating two inches behind my face were suddenly out and bustling with happiness. Like someone had reached in and pulled them out. They were no longer hiding behind a hollow dark space. I looked so different even to my own eyes. Eyes that see me every single day.


The Orange Dark Circle Primer

This is what I had used - The Khuraira Dark Circle primer + Khuraira Age Control Concealer. Since then I have tried the primer with couple of my other favorite concealers and they seem to do this pulling out and shine through thing very well. The real star is here was the bright orange dark circles primer. I understand why they chose to call it a primer - you apply it (sparingly) on your dark circles prepping them for concealer. The more common term for it is a corrector. I have seen a few correctors but none this strong. On using it I also realized why so many readers write to me saying the very popular Bobbi Brown correctors weren't doing much for them. I guess we just need a strong dose of correction.


Why Orange ?

After trying the product I requested for a mini interview with the founder, Khuraira to ask a couple of basic questions - Why orange and what does this do ? She told me it helped by "neutralizing discolorations through the breakdown of the blue caused by broken capillaries. Worn under your concealer, this prevents the darkness from penetrating through". The last few words resonated with me - the one about not letting the darkness seep through. That is what was going wrong for many of us - our concealers just weren't designed to be strong enough to make a barrier of sorts.

Left - dark circle primer applied directly over skin. Right - Smashbox HD Concealer (medium) applied over the dark circle primer

Reasons Behind Dark Circles

This article here from the New York Times speaks about how finding a remedy for dark circles is one of beauty industry's top concern today. The reason for a relative lack of success in this field, I think could be the myriad of reasons that lead to dark circles - everything from hormonal changes, obesity, diabetes, stress, lack of sleep, alcohol can lead to dark circles. But for many of us, it doesn't end there - " Chronic dark circles, dermatologists say, is excess pigmentation in the skin. Dark circles are prevalent on all skin colors and types, but they especially trouble African-Americans, Southeast Asians and Southern Italians " .

Its in (some of ) our genes now ? I guess with that I can just about forget a cure for dark circles. My only option for now, is to slather stuff on to make them invisible. For now I am happy I found this heavy duty corrector for my industrial strength dark circles. With this I now join the league of stars like Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Karina Smirnoff (Dancing with the Stars) and Nicole Scherzinger who at one point or another have depended on this product to get rid of that nasty stuff called dark circles.

Other Choices

Since trying this corrector I did some research and found a few other brands that make orange color correctors - Georgia Armani Master Corrector, NYX Orange Corrector, MAC Pro Studio Finish Skin Corrector , Laura Mercier Under Eye Perfector. These are a few options other than the one from Khuraira that I tried. If you have had a history battling dark circles and havent been satisfied with anything yet - I'd highly recommend finding one of these bright orange correctors and giving them a try. Chances are you'll love what it does !


Argh, all this depressing talk about you know what. Time to go grab some oatmeal raisin cookies.

Oh make that cup cakes with cream cheese frosting. Whoz comin along ?

No. Wait.

Heaven forbid, donuts.

Wait - donuts - obesity - dark circles. Dadgummit. It keeps coming back.

Love,
Indian Girl

This article contains a sample product sent for consideration by PR. For more details on the disclosure policy please refer to it at the bottom of the page.

For the longest time now I've been fixated on finding a liquid eyeliner that gives the wet look. You know, like the eyeliner is forever wet looking though it actually is dry and will not smudge. Turns out a liquid eyeliner with teeny tiny silver reflects has the power to create an illusion of a moist eyeliner.

And I found all that for $6.99 (or less) with the LA Splash Liquid Eyeliner in Abyss.



Abyss is a black eyeliner with microscopic silver reflects. No glitter here, at least not in this shade. It is nothing like the Urban Decay Glitter Eyeliners. I'd say they are more on the lines of MAC Super Slick Eyeliners and can give it a run for its money any day ! The product comes in a really tall packaging. Most of the height is from the application wand. The brush is tiny and sharp - perfect to create defined, precise lines. Dry time - a mere few seconds ! Over all - a spotless record.

Check this out -

Round 1 : Super thin dainty line



Round 2 : Thick ferocious line



I've seen LA Splash at some of the Sally Beauty Supply stores. If you don't have one nearby you can check out their products on their website here

Love,
Indian Girl


This article contains a sample product sent for consideration by PR. For more details on the disclosure policy please refer to it at the bottom of the page.

If there ever was a Kim Kardashian look to replicate - this would have to be it.

Why ?

Coz its easy peezy.

No blending. No layering. No crease job. Nothing. Just a bronze shadow all over lid and along lower lash line.

Kim K and no black eye liner ! Stop the presses ! But I sense there is theme here. One of softness. Notice how her hair is lighter too... Just don't ask me about them lashes.

Remember when Ginnifer Goodwin did something similar with a bright gold shadow ? We loved that look and tried to replicate it too !

Why ?

Coz its easy peezy.



Love,
Indian Girl

and we put it to rest. Err...test.


Love,
Indian Girl

How gorgeous is this dressy messy hair style on Sonam Kapoor !


To say I’ve been obsessed with figuring out how to go about it is an understatement.

Because I didn’t have the faintest of clue I asked, stylist Juan Carlos Maciques from Rita Hazan Salon in New York City to put me out of my misery. Maciques has styled the likes of Kardashian sisters (who never have a bad hair day) and was equally excited about the look. “It’s a very modern take on an up-do. Looks fresh because it's an uncontrived hair style. There is a balance between messy and polished.” says Maciques and I agree.

Totally.

Continue reading the How To part of this story here on Vogue India's Website. Gimme a thumbs up if like what you learned !

Love,
Indian Girl

pic source

*****This contest has ended. Winners have been contacted via email.****


This time around we have partnered with the wonderful folks at Cover Girl to sponsor a giveaway for all of you lovely ladies who are back in school !

But that's not the only exciting part - we were lucky to have CoverGirl celebrity makeup artist, Molly R. Stern create these amazing face charts with three CG inspired looks, perfect for back to school/fall season ! How awesome is that !

Look #1 - Nine Lives Everyday


Look #2 - Turn That Brown Upside Down


Look #3 - Glance In The Grass


Giveaway

Pick your favorite look and enter for a chance to win all the products used to create that look ! That means there will be a total of three winners - each one will receive the products used to create the look of their choice.

How To Enter The Giveaway

There are two easy ways to enter this giveaway. If you do both, it will give you two entries and that means twice as many chances on winning all the products used for your favorite look !

1. Simply leave a comment below stating which of the three looks was your favorite. Also leave your email address, so I know where to reach you at !

or

2. Follow me on Twitter, tweet about the giveaway / shout out your favorite look !

RT @Indiangirl Back to school makeup giveaway An Indian's Makeup Blog - 3 winners ! Pick your look and win it ! RT to Enter http://tinyurl.com/3695vpn

http://twitter.com/IndianGirl

This contest is open to US residents. All local, state & country laws apply. Contest ends on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 8 PM CST. I'll be picking out the three winners randomly and announcing them the next day!

Love,

Indian Girl

I am determined to make grey work for me. I always feel like grey isn't my best color but I love how good it looks on so many brown peeps ! This time around I tried grey taupe look with one of my favorite drugstore eyeshadow trio - The Sally Hansen Eye color Trio - The Storm.

Products Used :

Khuraira Dark Circle Primer
Khuraira Concealer
Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Eye Color Trio - The Storm
L'Oreal HIP Navy Kohl Eye Liner




Love,
Indian Girl

I've never been to a Masquerade party. Never been invited to one.

Besides shouldn't you be friends with the Ambassador of Italy or the Queen of England for that ?

Even if I were to be invited I wouldn't have the faintest clue on what I should wear or how I should dress up for it. If the Smashbox Masquerade Collection is any clue looks like the recurring look would be one of soft pink cheeks and lips, paired with dark seductive mysterious eyes.


The Masquerade Eye Shadow Palette($35) is no doubt the queen of this ball. The sleek navy blue metallic compact houses nine mega pigmented satin eye shadows that blend in mere seconds to create several different looks. Plus the taupe shade on the top right could substitute for your eyeshadow powder in a pinch. The swatches will speak for how dense the shades are - absolutely packed with color.



The Lip Enhancing Gloss in Disguise ($19) is true to its name. The moment I laid eyes on it, I thought it was the most delicate yet fierce shade of pink I'd ever seen. With the gold flecks it does look like a winner. But none of that translates onto my lips when worn on its own. It could be any other golden pink lip gloss. But it does have a certain knack of adding life to otherwise dull matte lipsticks.



Here I have it over CG Simply Ageless Blush in Lush Berry.

Next up - The Baked Fusion Soft Lights Palette in Fusion ($32). Light , fair, medium , olive skin tone ladies, repeat after me - Hallelujah. Since I didn't get any sun this summer, I am quite excited about this highlighter. Its a frosty soft pink that when applied to the higher planes of my face gives a gorgeous frosty glow. With a bit of contouring I might be able to pull off the high cheek bones structured face.

I love frosty highlighters in fall / winters but not in summer. If I had managed to get a shade or two darker I wouldn't have been as excited about this. On my darker skin it would have just looked like a patch of white frost running down my nose or the sides of my face. When I'm darker I prefer more of a golden / bronzy highlighter than a frosty pink one. The Baked Fusion Soft Lights in Starburst would be my ideal pick for darker skin.

Overall - the eyeshadow palette is a must must have for fall - $35 well spent. The mystic, dark shadows are sure to get your eyes noticed - Masquerade ball or not .

Love,
Indian Girl

This article contains a sample product sent for consideration by PR. For more details on the disclosure policy please refer to it at the bottom of the page.

Its been a week. And some week it has been. Got back home after a week on the road and I am ecstatic ! I enjoy traveling. It thrills me to make a list , pick out essentials, pack a bag, get out and do things. I love it !

But the only thing that excites me even more is getting back home. Guess I am a home body in some ways.
no more hotel rooms
no more junk food
no more eating a large pizza

Blame Pizza Hut for the stupid deal - any pizza , any size, any toppings - $10. I never pay heed to these junk food deals but there is something about not being at home that makes you wanna...

Are you a home body too ?

I do miss the TV and room service.

To calm me down & to get me back to my unshakable zen like persona - I opted for a very simple makeup routine today. I don't like having too much on my face when I am looking for calmness. If I could I'd go with nothing but its never been a good idea. So I opted for three light weight products.

My Om Shanti Products

Covergirl Tru Blend Pressed Mineral Foundation - 04 Soft Honey
Covergirl Simply Ageless Sculpting Blush - Plush Peach on my lips and cheeks
Rimmel London Max Volume Flash Mascara - Extreme Black

That's it - just three products !




I am crushing big time on the CG Simple Ageless Blush - Plush Peach ($10.50). A gorgeous deep peach color that totally works on my NC 40 skin tone. It has an amazing texture - so easy to blend and very moisturizing thanks swirls of Olay Regenerist Serum. I used it on my cheeks and lips. Though its just me saying it - the peachy, soft, youthful makeup is adding to my zen. I swear it is. Well, I look calmer thanks to this angelic peach but I feel calmer thanks to my bff and sister.

Shout out to my bff & my sister for always being there for me.

Om Shanti.

What About You ?

I do have a few questions for you.

What helps you get your zen back on ?

Who do you wanna give a shout out to, today ?

Love,
Indian Girl

PS : I will be giving away the CG blush along with some more products next week ! Stay tuned ! Only thing better than finding a great product is sharing it with y'all ! Lots of love...

Following close on the success of M.A.C Viva Glam Cyndi & Gaga lipsticks are the new Cyndi & Gaga lipglass ($14.50) ! Available September 2, 2010.

Viva Glam Cyndi Lipglass - Mid tone dirty coral
Viva Glam Gaga Lipglass- Light blue pink




Love,
Indian Girl