In and Out #1

I've never done one of these before, but I've been mulling over what's in and out for me this month, so here goes. I wanted to call this post "tip of the hat, wag of my finger" (from The Colbert Report), but nah, too long.

IN

Two days until Thanksgiving!! I am spending Thanksgiving at my parents' house with my cousins, sister, sister-in-law, and grandmother. My whole family is scattered far from each other with some living in various parts of the US, and others in places as exotic as India and London (yes London is exotic to me!)

MAC Romancin and To Swoon For: these pale and hot pink lipsticks have been my addiction all month. Both are from last year's holiday collections, but you can check out swatches here. The consistency is creamy and the pigmentation is wonderful. I call it my smile in a tube. :)

Finally getting the hang of where to put blush and contour: I realized that if I made a fish face and then try to smile, I'll know exactly where are my cheek's hollows. Freaking A took me all year to figure that out. I just have flat cheeks so I had no idea what was this 'hollow' thing everyone was talking about. By the way, I've been using Coastal Scents' six piece contour and blush palette to play around with contouring and blush. The highlighters in this pallete are nothing but chalk, so I certainly don't recommend them. But the 2 blush colors are fantastic and the contouring color is a universal brown, but nothing to write home about. I'd love to try out NARS Laguna next.

Going green: I'm getting more and more serious about going green. I've been buying organic fruits, which is not only safer for the environment, but they also taste amazing (I've eaten 3 organic apples in 1 day!). I've also started going to my local farmer's market. The idea there is to look around at what is the season's harvest and then figure out what you can cook from it. I remember as a kid my mom went to the farmers markets in India (there were no grocery stores in the '90s) brought home the seasonal items, and we'd eat whatever the Earth delivered that week. That's the real way to eat, and I really want to get back to it.

OUT

Skipping the gym...for more days than I care to admit. Man I was doing so well in the summer. Why oh why is it that darkness at 5 PM makes me lazy and want to sit on the couch all night and blog while my hubby watches documentaries?!

Getting zits for no apparent reason. It's wierd but as a blogger about skincare, I feel guilty and hypocritical when I break out. It's like here I am giving tips on how to prevent and treat acne and here I am having breakouts. I get so obsessed with why I'm breaking out. It's like I know too many treatments and theories, so its like a murder mystery when I get a zit. Could it be lack of exercise? End of term stress? Something in my diet? Something NOT in my diet? Arrrgh.

My obese laptop: 11 lbs, 17" 2006 Toshiba. Not sexy. There should be a cash for klunker laptops program. I'm giving this one more year, and then moving up to Apple heaven.

That's enough ranting for now. Please link me up to your ins and outs, or write 'em in the comments below!

Burt's Bees Radiance Day Creme

It's been a few weeks since I bought the Burt's Bees Radiance Face Sample Pack. Out of all the samples in this kit, I was most impressed by the Radiance Day Cream with royal jelly.

What it claims: "This quick-absorbing formula is light to the touch, but heavy in nutrients. Royal Jelly, one of nature’s most nourishing substances, is packed with 134 nutrients, including 17 amino acids, and vitamins A, C, D and K, as well as multiple B-vitamins, helps to minimize the appearance of fine lines and renew your skin. Bee pollen in the formula helps skin maintain its essential moisture and restore its natural radiance."

What I love about it:

Consistency: The total opposite of light formulas like Clinique Dramatically Different or Biore Dual Fusion, this stuff is thick and means business. Although I am acne prone and have combination skin, this impressed the hell out of me. This fall, I've been getting chapped, dry patches around my mouth. A few weeks ago, I applied the Biore Dual Fusion in the morning, and about a minute later, the white patches re-appeared. So I put the Burt's Bees on top the Biore, and instantly, my skin was DEEPLY moisturized. Throughout the day, whenever I touched my face, it felt baby soft and moisturized. Ever since, I've used this creme on a daily basis, and it has kept my skin soft and hydrated all day long.

Amazing under makeup:  Forget Strobe, forget Luster Drops. You have to try this moisturizer under your makeup. It made both my ColorStay foundation and Studio Fix Powder look more like NARS Sheer Glow. No joke. The moisturizer literally makes the foundation cling to my skin. This makes my makeup stay on all day, and even eliminates the need for setting powder! Just as the product claims, my skin REALLY did have a radiance. The light always catches the planes of my face without making me look oily. I think this aspect is my absolute number one reason for loving this moisturizer so much.

Non-Greasy: Although I've gone on and on about how thick and moisturizing this stuff is, it's not greasy. Sure, you can feel it on your skin all day, but its not greasy. Also, a little goes a long way. I only need 3-4 swipes on my cheeks, forehead, and mouth area. In fact, be careful you don't overapply. That will make you feel suffocated all day.

But there's always a but:

Not non-comedogenic: After using this stuff for several days, I did notice a couple of breakouts. I can't say for sure whether or not it was the moisturizer that broke me out, but I'm gonna mention it here for the sake of honesty. I've stopped using it for a few days now and my skin is recovering. Maybe for the acne prone or those with combination skin, this moisturizer be used sparingly. What I'm now doing is use this moisturizer for only half the week, and a lighter one for the other half. I've found this works well because this moisturizer really heals my skin, so I can go for a couple of days with a lighter formula and the chappyness hasn't returned.

No SPF: The day creme does not contain any SPF. I figure its not a big deal for me because I walk for 2 minutes to my office, and when I leave the office, its dark. But if you're someone who spends a lot of time outside, be warned that there's no SPF in this. I sincerely hope Burt's Bees comes out with a Radiance Day Creme with SPF someday.

Conclusion: I think Burt's Bees Radiance Day Creme is worth a purchase for me. It makes my makeup look flawless and keeps my skin hydrated all day long. My sensitive skin can't tolerate this much moisture for too long though, so I'm going to lay off of it for the weekends, and just use common sense in general. The non-SPF and tendency to break me out is a bit of a downer, but with a bit of caution, I think I have a powerful winner on my hands!

Oodles of Giveaway Alerts!

'Tis the season of giving all right! Check out the multiple giveaways being conducted all over the blogosphere and keep 'em fingers crossed. Best of luck everyone. :)

Let's Face It is having a massive prizes that include MAC Volcanic Ash Thermal Mask, Dazzleglass, and more!

Manicure Momma's giving away an OPI Mini Christmas Collection!

Princess Livia's giving away 2 Sleek Palletes!

xLovelyMakeupx is giving away LUSH. (oh please please let me win!)

Mommy Fabulous is doing a massive ALL MAC giveaway!

J Breezy is giving away surprise gifts that include a YSL lippie!

An exception to the rule is doing an early xmas giveaway that includes many drugstore and Elf products!

L-M-X is giving away a full Clarisonic Plus set!


Voyageur is having a giveaway full of Clinique and hard to find samples!

Whew that's all for now. I'm a giveaway fiend!

Gray: Color Tag

Uinisan recently tagged me to do a color tag on GRAY. I took the liberty to interpret gray as inclusive of silver (isn't that just gray with a sparkle? sorta? kinda?) Here are some lovely grays around the house:

My favorite super dangly earrings. They amplify any outfit!

Italian glass necklace from my sister-in-law.

My favorite eyeshadow from the Coastal Scents 88 piece palette (3rd column, 2nd from top)

A great smoky e/s from the Coastal Scents 26 piece palette (1st column, 2nd from top).

Silvery-gray clutch for going out. I mainly use this at fancy Indian parties. I love Indian parties. Talk about getting your color on.

Burt's Bees Radiance Day Creme (complete review to follow!)

I tag these 7 lovely ladies, and the color is GREEN!

http://beaumakeup.blogspot.com/

http://beautyandtheblog23.blogspot.com/

http://www.beautyparler.ca/

http://blovet.blogspot.com/

http://eliza-mclellan.blogspot.com/

http://www.hairsmystory.com/

http://legseleven7.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by! Do leave me a comment as they are always lovely to come home to! xoxo.

I Hit Pan!

Eliza tagged me to list 6 items that I have hit pan on, and have or plan to repurchase. This can be makeup, skincare, haircare, bodycare or scent. Given that there are 5 categories, I'll do 2 makeup, and 1 each for the rest!

1. MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation: even before becoming a beauty junkie, I knew this gem was a keeper. I've repurchased twice, and will continue to do so forever and ever.

2. C.O. Bigelow Lipgloss (Bath + Body Works): Genius. Great color, shine, taste, smell, applicator, everything. It's the Godfather of lipglosses.

3. Biore Ice Fighting Blemish Cleanser: lovely smell and highly effective at getting that squeaky clean face feeling. I love how it feels cold and tingly as I lather it up.

4. Organix Shampoo and Conditioner: my hair feels so thick, healthy, and shiny when I use this stuff. Love.

5. Johnson + Johnson Baby Lotion: great smell, cheap, super moisturizing, and even works on my face in a pinch because its so pure that it won't break me out (also I love smelling my hubby when he uses baby lotion.)

6. Scents: I've never repurchased a fragrance because by the time I finish a bottle, its been so long that I'm dying to try something new (I'm a serial monogamist with my scents. Wierd, I know.). But here are 3 scents I've hit "pan" on: Chanel Allure (feminine, enduring, romantic, garners LOTS of compliments), Lacoste (clean, smells high end, very preppy), Banana Republic Classic (clean, citrusy, perfect for daytime).

I tag all my followers to do this tag! Would love to hear from you guys!

Nicole by OPI: It's Possible

I put on "It's Possible" from Nicole by OPI over the weekend. I wanted something shiny on my nails to counteract the not-so-shiny weather (eugh it was cloudy, cold and raining the whole time). Nicole by OPI is  just a little bit cheaper than OPI ($1 less at Target). The color range is nice, but not as diverse as OPI. I was pleasantly impressed by how thick and creamy this nail polish was--this picture was taken after just 1 coat! Also, the applicator is large enough that cover my nailbeds in 3 strokes (ok 5 for my massive thumb). I have tried two other colors by Nicole, and my overall impression is that its a high quality brand of nail polish, but with a narrower color selection (at least at Target, maybe there's way more out there that I'm not aware of). I will say that the one downside of this nailpolish is that the thick consistency makes application a bit streaky (especially for metallic shades), so apply with care. I try to apply a generous amount for each nail so that I can go over the streaks. Other than that, its a great nail polish--right up there with China Glaze, I'd wager.

What are your thoughts on Nicole by OPI? Are there other brands that you'd say are cheaper than OPI, but have great quality and color range?

Products I Regret Buying

The best thing about being a makeup blogger is that even my duds get some use. Here are the products I regret buying. I've chosen them based on poor/wierd consistency and quality rather than things like products that broke me out, because that can be very subjective.

Face

MAC (gasp I know) Mineralize Satinfinish: the thick, gel-like consistency makes my skin feel suffocated and I always look mask-like, no matter how little I apply.

BareVitamins Prime Time primer (from Sephora): This feels very silicone-y, and made my skin feel suffocated. It didn't really help my foundation last longer anyway.

Maybelline Dream Mousse Bronzer: Although I love my Dream Mousse blush, the bronzer does nothing for me. Its just bits of golden shimmer, not much pigmentation. Maybe it matches my tan skin too much, but its not really a bronzer. More like a shimmer-er.

Lips 

Coastal Scents Lip Smacks: at $2.95, I was tempted to amass tons of glosses. However, there isn't a lot of pigmentation, and its UBER shiny, so I find myself putting it on only to dab it off with a paper napkin. If you must purchase, avoid the shimmery ones because after a while, your lips end up with random bits of silver glitter and no color or shine. Not sexy. Lancome Pink to the Club: Got this as a gift for buying a perfume. This is too sheer for a lipstick, is not very moisturizing, and chunky glittery bits. 

Elf Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF 15: lame color, sucks the moisture outta my lips, and chunky glitter bits.

Eyes

 

Lancome Color Design Quad: I got this as part of a gift for buying Miracle. There is very little color payoff, just makes my eyes look kind of shimmery with not much color.

Mary Kay Signature Liquid Eyeliner in Black: the nib is not at all flexible, which makes for sloppy lining. The consistency is watery, and there is no staying power.

Hope this helps you guys. Hey, a penny saved is a penny earned right?