Nars 2015 Fall Collection - Pasiphae Eyeshadow and Tribulation Blush Review, Swatches, Comparison & FOTD

Hey Everyone!

Recently Nars released its 2015 Fall Collection and I picked up couple of items from the collection. Nars released a couple of dual intensity eyeshadows in this collection and I picked up the shade Pasiphae which is gorgeous dual chrome dirty olive green with red undertones. I also picked up the blush Tribulation which even though named as a blush its definitely more of a highlighter. So if you want to know how they fared please keep reading!

Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil Review

Hey Everyone!

If you would have asked me about applying oil on my face couple of years back I would have laughed and said "yeah right like thats gonna happen". But once you start using face oils I bet you would not be able to stop. I am absolutely obsessed with facial oils! My obsession started with Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil which totally changed my skincare routine.

Claims:- Hydrating treatment oil restores vitality and radiance to dehydrated skin. Patchouli and Blue Orchid extracts tone and revitalize to moisture-depleted skin. Hazelnut Oil softens, smoothes and seals in moisture to help minimizes the appearance of fine lines.

I always thought I had combination/oily skin but since last year my skin was showing a lot of dryness  especially around the nose and lips area, so I was highly confused on how my skin can be oily and dry at the same time? but all thanks to Caroline Hirons I came to know my skin was highly dehydrated which is often mistakenly taken as dry skin.

Anyways I used started using Clarins Blue Orchid Oil around last year and I absolutely love it. The oil comes in a glass bottle with a dropper. Both the bottle and dropper are extremely sturdy as I have traveled a million times with it and never had any issues. I prefer to use the oil only during the night time as it can be a tab bit heavy for day time. The oil is very light weight and gets absorbed fast without leaving any tackiness behind. It does have fragrance and truth be told I don't prefer fragrance in skincare as it can cause irritation but fortunately I have not faced any irritation or break outs from the oil. The fragrance is actually very soothing and helps me sleep better at night.

The ingredient list is fairly small and completely natural with plant based ingredients.

Hazel Seed Oil helps in preventing moisture loss and keeps the skin soft and supple. It also helps with fine lines

Blue Orchid Oil tones where as Patchouli oil has antiseptic and anti-fungal properties which help in skin issues like acne, irritations, inflammation, eczema. Its often used in anti-aging skin care for its cell rejuvenating properties.

I take about 3-4 drops on my palms and dab it on my face gently. I do this as the last step in my skin care routine and in the morning my skin looks hydrated, even toned and well rested. There are no dry patches or flakiness. The skin looks bright and healthy! It also helps with healing of acne, it will not dry out the acne but helps with healing the skin much faster.

I do have quite large pores on my cheeks and I do notice that they appear a bit smaller in the mornings but I haven't faced any permanent reduction in appearance of pores. Since I started using this oil my skin does not get extremely oily and appears to be well balanced. I have been using this oil for more than a year now and I still have over 50% left so this 30ml bottle will last you a very long time since only few drops are required to cover the entire face. I sometimes also take the oil down on my neck and decollete area.

Overall I highly recommend this oil to anyone who is having dehydrated acne prone skin.

Rating:- A+

Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil is available for 54$ across all major departmental stores Macys, Nordstrom, Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Belk and Dillards

I hope this review was helpful, until next time take care and stay beautiful.

Colourpop Bumble, Tulle, Beeper and Clueless Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks Review, Swatches and FOTDs

Hey Everyone

Colourpop released their version of the liquid lipsticks at the end of June I think and all thanks to the social media and Instagram they went out of stock hours after they were released! Finally they restocked them few weeks back so picked up few neutral shades which I know I would get a lot of use out of them.

The ones I picked up are Tulle, Bumble, Beeper and Clueless

Colourpop liquid lipsticks comes in standard see through plastic packaging. I had heard a lot of reviews about how the packaging was bad and the product leaked out but fortunately for me I did not face any leakage as yet even though I do store my liquid lipsticks in a drawer lying flat. Also outer packaging is pretty heavy sturdy so these should be pretty easy to travel with.

The formula is very different than the standard liquid lipsticks available in the market like Kat Von D or Stila or Sephora ones. Colourpop liquid lipsticks have very thin watery formula. They are very similar to the new Milani Amore Matte lipsticks in formula. They are opaque and a single swipe gives full on color to your lips! I had heard that these are very drying on lips but the shades I picked up did not dry my lips out. They are not moisturizing on the lips but they do not feel uncomfortable as well. The finish is very matte as you can see in the swatches below. So if you are not a fan of matte lips than these are definitely not for you. Also the best way to use these is to apply a single coat and not go over and over again. Since the formula is so thin and liquidy it can crumble and get patchy. So if you want to build up, apply one coat let it dry completely and then apply the second coat. 

The staying power is pretty decent, they don't stain your lips but they do stay on for 4-5 hours easily with mid meals. If you do eat very oily the colour will break down on your lips but then this is true for all liquid lipsticks and for 6$ a piece I really can't fault them! Colourpop have come out with 30+ shades in their ultra matte lipstick range with every possible colour you can think of! I picked neutrals but I am already eyeing Trap, Mars, Sundae and Drive In next and will surely be placing another order very soon. Love them!

Rating: A

If you are looking for affordable and great quality matte liquid lipsticks I'd highly recommend Colourpop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks! They have tons of shades to choose from plus they are only 6$ a piece! If you are ordering for the first time use code ThanksBabe to get 5$ off!

Swatches from L-R : Beeper, Clueless, Tulle and Bumble

Beeper - The shade Beeper is very similar to Colourpop Tootsi and Trap, its the perfect greyish beige shade that is so popular right now. Its perfect dupe for Kat Von D Bow N Arrow liquid lipstick which has been out of stock since forever!

Clueless - Perfect Mid tone pink, similar to Colourpop Lumiere

Tulle - Tulle is described as dusty mauve burgundy, its the perfect shade for fall and winter and one of my favorite! If you love Lady from Colourpop lippie stix range than you'll love this shade!

Bumble - Its described as dusty warm terracotta! Colourpop is bang on in describing the shades. Bumble reminds me a lot of Kat Von D new liquid lipstick in the shade Double Dare.

Starting Top-Bottom, L-R: Colourpop Beeper, Colourpop Clueless, Colourpop Tulle, Colourpop Bumble

Starting Top-Bottom, L-R: Colourpop Beeper, Colourpop Clueless, Colourpop Tulle, Colourpop Bumble

Colourpop Beeper on NC40-42 skin tone

Colourpop Bumble on NC40-42 skin tone

Colourpop Tulle on NC 40-42 skin tone

I hope the review and swatches were helpful. Until next time take care and stay beautiful!

Ipsy Glambag August 2015

Hey Everyone!

Subscription bags have been around for a while now but this is the first time I have subscribed to one and to be completely honest so far so good..but I am yet to be convinced! I am very conservative when it comes to trying new products or new brands...I know coming from a beauty blogger it sounds rather weird but let me explain. I do quite thorough research before investing in any product whether its skincare, makeup or even haircare and its not that I don't like to try new products..Oh I love to try new products and I am constantly trying new products being the freak I am but even in this scenario I try products only which I am interested in and I know they are for my skin type..you get the drill right.

With subscription bags its like going on a blind date, you never know what you will get on your plate and most of the subscription services range quite high between 20$ to 40$ and I don't think I am ready to invest that amount on monthly basis. So when a friend suggested to try Ipsy I was a bit skeptical but with 10$ monthly I decided to bite the bullet and signed up. I just received my very first ipsy glambag and as much as I liked the contents I definitely think it could have been better!

My Ipsy Glambag for Aug 2015 came with the following

-> Travel size Marc Anthony Morocco Argan Oil 20.7ml

-> Sample size Juara Turmeric Antioxidant Radiance Mask 10ml

-> Full size Ofra Cosmetics Lip Liner in the shade Wine

-> Full size Starlooks Luxe Longwear Eyeliner Pen

-> Deluxe size Tarte Lipsurgence skintuitive lipgloss in Energy

My Thoughts -

First of all I absolutely love the pouch! Its super cute with black and white design and pink zipper! This may sound really weird but one of the reasons I decided to go for ipsy was because of these cute pouches they send. I have seen quite a few reviews on ipsy online and everytime they come up with some of the the most girly colorful cutest zipper bags ever! Love it!

Marc Anthony Morocco Argan oil came at the right time as I was looking for argan oil for my hair so I am pretty happy with that. Ofra cosmetics lip liner in the shade wine is very pretty everyday rosy brown shade, not unique but I can get a lot of use out of it plus the pigmentation and texture is good and not very dry so happy about that as well. Starlooks eyeliner pen has jumbo tip and I am used to fine tip liners so its definitely going to be a challenge to achieve a winged liner with it but the pigmentation is amazing, its very deep jet black but it does settle down to shiny finish and not matte which I am used to but its good to switch it up a little. Second last item is the Juara Turmeric Antioxidant Radiance mask, I have never heard of this brand before but I do enjoy a good mask so definitely will be trying out soon. Finally we have the Tarte Lipsurgence lipgloss in the shade Energy, this one was a bit disappointing! Its described as having skintuitive formula which responds to your skin's PH level and energy giving your personalized tint that is truly your own unique shade! For me personally it didnt do anything..did not change the color..nothing..nada! The formula is good, smooth and not very sticky but it does have very sweet fragrance which I didnt care for at all. 

Overall I am pretty happy with this month's Ipsy bag and I am hoping they do continue to deliver good products in the coming months especially since the holiday season is coming up I am truly excited to see what they have in store for their subscribers!

If you are interested in subscribing to Ipsy you can use my referral link - https://www.ipsy.com/new?refer=varih

I hope this post was helpful, until next time take care and stay beautiful!

MAC Mineralize Volcanic Ash Exfoliator Review

Hey Everyone!

MAC Mineralize Volcanic Ash Exfoliator is described as "A highly effective cleanser and exfoliator that unclogs pores and adds instant moisture. A dual purpose cleansing and exfoliating that blends natural volcanic ash with fine sugar crystals. Highly effective, the mineral rich, concentrated formula foams on to refine and unclog the skin and add instant moisture, leaving skin feeling soft and comfortably clean."

As you all know I love exfoliators especially chemical exfoliators like BHA and AHAs which help to remove the dead skin cells overnight or over a period of time but sometimes you just need to scrub your face and get that instant smooth feeling..you know? yeah I am weird at times..but anyways thats where the physical exfoliators come into the picture. I had heard great things about MAC Volcanic Ash exfoliator so when I was KL I decided to pick up a sample and absolutely loved it! Once back I couldnt find it in stores as it was constantly out of stock so when I finally found it I had to buy it right away.

MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator comes in see through tube, I love the packaging, its fuss free and simple plus you can always see how much product is still left. I have been using MAC Volcanic Ash exfoliator for about 6 months now and I would say I still have about a months use left so it will last you a long time. I use the exfoliator once or twice a week only since I also use BHA/AHA in routine and I don't want to over exfoliate my skin. 

Lets take a look at the main ingredients

Sucrose - Sucrose is nothing but Sugar in layman's language. Sucrose is all natural and has hydroscopic properties ie it retains and attracts moisture. It also acts as a natural exfoliator and helps with acne and helps to restore the balance of the skins natural oils. The natural glycolic acid in the sugar not only moisturizes the skin but also helps to protect it from pollutants and toxic substances. 

Volcanic Ash - Also known as Sodium Bentonite Clay, also known as the "swelling clay" due its strong absorption properties. Sodium Bentonite clay is negatively charged while harmful bacteria and toxins are positively charged. When applied as a mask the clay's negatively charged microscopic platelets attracts the dirt and harmful toxins which are positively charged like a magnet thus removing the impurities from our skin.

Texture - The consistency of the scrub is very very thick as you can see in the picture below. On a bare dry face it can be a tad bit difficult to apply but what I like to do it to spray little bit of water or rose water and then apply the scrub on my face. Word of caution though - I have read lot of people face problem of this scrub dissolving very fast this happens when you have completely wet face the sugar granules will dissolve faster. Hence start with moist face and spray some water/rose water and gently start scrubbing, this way the sugar granules will not dissolve immediately.

Performance & Results - MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator works amazing well as a scrub. The sugar granules are extremely fine and hence not at all abrasive on the skin. It helps removing dead skin cells and dry patches and leaves the skin soft, supple and moisturized! The first time I used I remember being pleasantly surprised of how moisturized my skin felt afterwards. It also does not leave behind any residue whatsoever which is a huge plus in my books! And yes it does work on blackheads! I don't normally have major issues with blackheads but few months back I did get a couple but with volcanic ash exfoliator they did go away in a week!

I would highly recommend MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator for anyone who is in the market for a new scrub of is facing issues with dry patches and pesky blackheads!

Rating - A+ 

Price - 29$ or 2300 INR

MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator is available at MAC| Nordstrom | Macys and across all MAC counters.

Hope this review was helpful, until next time take care and stay beautiful.