I had been to Goa this winter, on a family trip. This meant eating lots of seafood and swimming in the ocean and water sports!

But the salt in the seawater, along with the harsh sun can do a number on your hair. Which is why I whipped up this very simple "Beach Vacation Conditioner" that I took along with me.

I simply took equal quantities of pure coconut oil (Parachute is the best) and the Garnier Fructis Oil-In-Cream and mixed it in a pump bottle (about 250 ml). 

You can use any conditioner and oil of your choice! Its up to you!

I lugged this bottle along and a few minutes before heading into the water, I'd take my bottle of this conditioner, shake it well and apply generous amounts of it through the lengths of my hair. I'd tie my hair up into a bun and voilà! My hair was beach ready and protected!
After the swim, I'd wash it off with shampoo and apply my usual conditioner. It made my hair feel so soft! And the salt and the sun couldn't damage my hair.

The next time you're headed to the beach, I hope you'll give my little recipe a try. Remember, you can use any oil/conditioner combo to make your own beach vacation conditioner/ hair protectant!

I remember how much I used to hate skincare during my teenage years. It used to be such a chore!
Now I have a variety of cleansers on rotation in my routine.

For the mornings, I prefer soothing, milky cleansers. Nothing thick or foaming. Currently, I'm using (and loving) these cleansers:

1) Cetaphil Cleansing Lotion:
This has been a standby in my bathroom, always. I've been using it for 6 YEARS! After going through countless bottles of this stuff, I always keep coming back.

2) Himalaya Cleansing Milk:
Its a bit tough to get your hands on this cleanser as it is always sold out in online stores! I love its refreshing fragrance. But don't let this cleanser go anywhere near your eyes, people! It STINGS!
I use this thick lotion on dry skin, giving my face a good massage, before removing it with a warm washcloth. It does its job really well!

3) Dr. Batra's Cleansing Milk
This is a relatively recent find. I love the scent of this lotion. It is very relaxing and soothing. This one has a runnier consistency than Cetaphil. It spreads very easily on the skin, as a result of which you need very little of it per wash. I apply it to dry skin, massage and remove with warm washcloth. You don't want to get this cleanser in your eyes. But other than that, my skin loves this in the mornings!
I will definitely repurchase!

These three cleansers are my first cleanse in the morning and evenings. I follow up with a foam cleanser in the evenings as a second cleanse. Do let me know if you'd like to know about my updated skincare routine!

January 2016 is almost over! How fast is the time flying?
I thought I'd do a post about the makeup products that I've been reaching for this month.

Base: I'm loving a long lasting, high coverage base at the moment. I apply my Loreal Infallible Foundation (mixed with a bit of Lame CC Cream) with my Real Techniques foundation brush and blend it in with my fingers. For concealer, I love the Revlon Colorstay Concealer. To set the base, I use my favorite, Loreal Mat Magique powder.

Cheeks: Not much into contouring at the moment, I reserve it only for special occasions. I do add a healthy flush to my cheeks using the Makeup Revolution Blush in All I Think About Is You. It has a slight sheen to it as well, which saves me the trouble of using a highlighter separately.

Brows: Lightly filling in the spaces in my brows using the Maybelline Brow Fashion pencil in Brown.

Eyes: Just a simple slick of liquid liner and a couple coats of mascara. I don't faff around with eye shadows on a day to day basis. Maybelline Colossal Liner and Colossal Volum' Express Mascara (waterproof) are what I'm using.

Lips: I love matte lips. They're so chic! And long wearing! One of my all time favorite shades is the Revlon Colorstay Matte Balm in Sultry. It works SO well for my skin color!

These are my most used makeup products of this month. What are your favorites?

I'm a huge fan of liquid eyeliners. Especially the ones from Maybelline. They're so long lasting, easy to apply and affordable priced!

When I came to know about the new Maybelline Hyper Matte Liquid Liner, I went and bought it immediately. It is priced at Rs. 325, which is less expensive as compared to their Colossal and Hypersharp liquid liners (my favorites!).

The Hyper Matte liner comes in a white pot/bottle thingy which has a screw on applicator. Basically, it is not a felt tip pen and its packaging is rather similar to the Maybelline Hyperglossy eyeliner.

This eyeliner applicator has a skinny tip, which makes it so easy to apply a thin line, right at the base of your eyelashes. The pigmentation of the eyeliner is very intense. More than that of the Hypersharp and Colossal eyeliners. The finish of this eyeliner is not completely matte, for sure. There is a very slight hint of gloss, if you look very closely. But it is definitely matte as compared to the other Maybelline liquid liners. 

It lasts very well on my eyelids without smudging or smearing. I'm super impressed with this eyeliner!

The Hyper Matte eyeliner comes off easily using an eye makeup remover. One unique quality about this eyeliner is that upon removal, it comes off as 'flakes' on the cotton pad. I've put in a picture of that as well, if you're interested.

All in all, this is a great eyeliner for the price and a must have for a matte finish/liquid liner fanatic like me!

Have you tried the Maybelline Hyper Matte Liner?

Hold your breath people, MASSIVE rave ahead.
When I first saw the Maybelline India Instagram account (@maybellineindia) where they'd announced the launch of their much awaited Fit Me range, my joy knew no bounds.

I went and bought the Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation. Priced at Rs. 525 for 30 ml, this foundation comes in a glass bottle. I bought the shade 230 Natural Buff. The shade match is pretty good for my skin tone (although I will admit, I would have loved a little more yellow undertones!).

This foundation has a lotion like texture. Its creamy and blends well into the skin. It gives me a medium/sheer coverage. If you suffer from acne/ pigmentation, you'll need a separate concealer for the spots. 

Matte + Poreless does a great job at evening out my skin tone. Another great quality about this foundation is that it is easily buildable. I use a flat foundation brush to apply this all over my face first and then use my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to buff and blend the foundation into my skin. I usually do one layer all over the face, followed by a second layer, concentrating only on my problem areas. It blends seamlessly.

I love how this foundation makes my skin look! It dries to a satin-matte finish and I only apply powder to my t-zone with a duo fibre brush to set this. This foundation does minimize the open pores on my cheeks to an extent. It lasts all day on my skin!

Dry skinned beauties will have to use a moisturizer underneath this foundation, to avoid it from clinging to dry patches on the skin. I use my favorite Clean & Clear Oil Free Balancing Moisturizer under this foundation and it works very well.

Overall, for the price, this is a GREAT foundation! A total must have for me. I've fallen head over heels in love with this! I really enjoy using it and it makes me skin look so good! I will most certainly be repurchasing this foundation when it run out. And I will be checking out the Fit Me concealer as well (so stay tuned for that review!).

I just have a tiny niggle with the packaging of this foundation. I wish the bottle had a pump. But for the quality and finish the foundation gives my skin, I'm willing to let that pass.

Have you tried the Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation?

Maybelline's Color Show lipsticks were much hyped about in the Indian blogosphere. That's why I decided to give them a go. Priced at an affordable Rs. 299 they come in a variety of shades.

I chose the shade Earthly Plum. It is a beautiful, wine colored lipstick. A good autumn/winter shade. The pigmentation is quite intense. Two swipes will give you a perfectly opaque color. The lipstick has a creamy texture, which is moisturizing to the lips. It doesn't dry my lips out at all. This lipstick has a citrus-y scent, but nothing too harsh or irritating to the nose.

Since the formula of this lipstick is creamy, its wear time is reduced. It lasts on me for about 2-3 hours, after which it fades, leaving a nice berry stain on the lips. The lipstick is not transfer resistant either.

This lipstick doesn't bleed or move around, which is a relief. At Rs. 299, if you want to experiment with a variety of colors, the Color Show lipsticks are a good option. But these lipsticks aren't long-wearing and transfer-proof.

I will not be repurchasing this shade. I'm more interested in their sister range, the Color Show Creamy Mattes.

Have you tried any of the Maybelline Color Show lipsticks?

I was looking for lip liner recently and came across the Maybelline Colorsensational Lip Liner. I bought the shade Velvet Beige (630).

Its name can be a bit misleading, it is not beige colored in any way whatsoever. 

But this shade is more on the dusty rose side, with pink undertones. It has very fine silver shimmer in it, nothing garish.

The liner comes in a pencil form and is neither too creamy, nor too hard to apply. It is a great MLBB (My Lips But Better) shade for me. This shade will suit almost every skin color! I have been layering this with the Lip Gradation by Maybelline in Mauve 1.

The lip liner by itself fades quickly, in about 3 hours, including meals. I have found a way to prolong its wear time by applying one layer, blotting with tissue paper and then reapplying.

For the price, it is a great product. I will repurchase this shade, unless I find something better!

Price: Rs. 320

Kryolan Dermacolor Camouflage Cream has been a staple in my makeup bag for over a year now.
I bought these tiny pots of concealing goodness for Rs. 350 each from my local beauty store. I own the shades DFD and D64.

DFD is the darker, more peachy toned shade, as you can see from the photos, while D64 is the lighter, more yellow toned shade. 

I use D64 under my eyes and DFD on blemishes and acne scars for spot concealing, Lisa Eldridge style.

These concealers are super light and not cakey at all. Highly pigmented, you need only a little bit of product at a time. I hardly need more than two layers, even on my biggest problem areas. These concealers don't budge from my oily/combination skin and last ALL DAY!
Considering the fact that I've had these concealers for over a year and have hardly made a dent in the pots, I can say that they'll last me for a long, long time. 

For Rs. 350 with such brilliant coverage and pigmentation, you cannot go wrong with these concealers! The main problem with Kryolan products is their availability in India. But if you can get your hands on these Dermacolor Camouflage Creams, I'd STRONGLY suggest that you try them. I promise you, you'll love them!

Maybelline has been knocking it out of the park with its new launches and the one I'm going to talk about today is no exception: Maybelline Color Show Creamy Matte Lipstick in Mysterious Mocha.

This lipstick comes in a matte black packaging, with a snap closure. Pretty sturdy packaging for something priced at such an affordable rate. You can even hear that oh-so-satisfying 'click' when you shut the tube.

The lipstick has a citrus-y scent. It feels a bit waxy/balmy on the lips upon application, but nothing uncomfortable. Mysterious Mocha is a lovely nude shade, suitable for light/medium skin tones. It has a nude/pink undertone, with a matte finish. I pair this lipstick with heavy/dark eye makeup and dewy, glowy skin. Its perfect for that look. Very Olsen twins-ish.

This lipstick lasts 5-6 hours on my lips. I apply it once, blot it with tissue and re-apply. This helps me extend the wear time of this lipstick by a couple more hours. Two swipes of this lipstick gives me good color pay-off, an opaque coverage.

I'm so glad to have found this shade, its such a lovely matte nude, at an affordable price!

Mysterious Mocha does not smudge or bleed off my lips and neither does it cause flaking/drying. Its truly a "creamy matte".

I will be trying a few more shades in this range soon, especially the much raved about 'Rock The Coral' shade. There are 12 shades in the Creamy Matte range. I will repurchase Mysterious Mocha once I run out of my current tube.

Price: Rs. 325

I was at my local beauty store a few days ago, at the Maybelline counter. I had gone there with the intent of stocking up on my favorite mascara, The Colossal Volum' Express.

The SA at the counter casually mentioned that a few newly launched products had just arrived at the store. And one of them included a "lip color with a smudger on the other end".

I almost squealed with excitement. Could it be true? Had the much awaited Color Blur lipsticks FINALLY made it to India?
The answer is YES!

Only, they've been renamed as Lip Gradation.


Lip Gradation by ColorSensational.

The SA showed me the eight available shades, priced at Rs. 500 each. I immediately snapped up the Mauve 1 shade, as that was the one I had been eyeing for a long time.

I took it home and wore it for the rest of the day. Long story short: I LOVE THESE LIPSTICKS!

Mauve 1 is a classic MLBB on my lips. It has quite a resemblance to another one of my favorite shades, Sultry by Revlon (the matte balms).
However, this one is more brown than Sultry (which has more pink in it).

Its a beautiful shade. The product is housed in a long, twist up pencil. It has a white sponge smudger on the other end, in case you're into the ombre lip look. You can smudge and blend the corners of your lips after applying the color to achieve the desired "graded" effect (hence the name 'Color Gradation').

I'm not a fan of the ombre look, and haven't tried the smudger on my lips yet.

The lipstick gives a matte finish. It is very comfortable to wear on the lips and doesn't dry them out. Its lasting power is about 4-5 hours on me, including meals and I am quite happy with that. It doesn't fade awkwardly and it doesn't flake or bleed.
The packaging of this product is very sleek and it slips into my makeup bag easily.

In the end, I'd like to say that I am in LOVE with this product and I WILL BE PURCHASING A BACKUP of this shade. I will also be trying more shades from this range. Loving this new launch from Maybelline India! They've made me happy beyond words!