As the weather heats up, it is important to make changes in your skincare routine.
For me, summer means clogged pores, congested skin and increased breakouts. Oh and tanning.
But over the years my skincare routine has evolved and I have found a handful of products that work well for me.
Read on to know what my skin has been loving this summer:

Cleansers: Cetaphil is an oldie but a goodie. I use the cleansing lotion to gently cleanse my skin without drying it out. If I'm looking to tackle congested skin, I turn to Cipla Saslic Foam Face Wash. The 1% salicylic acid in this cleanser unclogs my pores and helps me deal with blackheads.

Mist: Fabindia Rosewater Mist is an all time favorite. Light and refreshing, I spritz it on whenever I'm feeling tired. It is an instant pick-me-up for the skin.

Moisturizer: For day time, I stick to light, oil free, water based moisturizers. Clean & Clear Oil Free Moisturizer and Emolene Cream fit the bill perfectly. They hydrate my skin, without making it greasy and are easy on the pocket too!

Sunscreen: I'm a huge fan of Lotus Herbals SPF 50 Matte Gel. The gel is soothing and cooling to the skin and dries to a completely matte finish. This is the perfect summer sunscreen for me. I cannot be without it!

Treatment: To exfoliate and unclog my pores, I stick to the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Pads. Rich in glycolic and hyaluronic acid, these pads are great for clearing up acne prone skin, without dryness or irritation. I use one pad, swiping it all over my face, every night, before following up with moisturizer.

These are my summer skincare essentials. What are yours?

Ah. May. Almost the end of summer, folks!
I'm bringing you another monthly makeup edit. Read on to see what I've been loving this month.

Base: Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless is still going strong, applied with my favorite, Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I'm also using the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer under my eyes, blending it in with a damp Real Techniques Sponge.

Brows: Sleek Brow Kit remains my favorite. It really helps when it comes to filling up and shaping my brows. I use the shade Extra Dark.

Eyes: A thin line of black on the upper lid, thanks to the Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner and a few coats of the They're Real Mascara complete my eye makeup.

Lips: Lips have been taking centre stage this month and I've been absolutely LOVING the Maybelline Color Show Creamy Matte in Rock The Coral. My current favorite summer lipstick shade. Gives such a fun pop of color to the look!
And it really livens up my skin tone.

What are your May makeup favorites? Let me know in the comments!

Cheers!

Now, I am not a fan of lip glosses. At all. I love matte lip colors, through and through. The last time I wore a lip gloss was when I was 14 years old. You know, those tiny clear lip gloss tubes? Yeah, those. That was the only makeup I used to wear. And I used to think that I was the height of coolness.

Benefit's Sugarbomb lip gloss brought back all those memories. The tiny squeezy tube with the slanted tip and fruity scent. Yep. Nostalgia.

Sugarbomb is a peachy-nude lip gloss with tiny glitter particles. It is the most comfortable lip gloss I've ever worn. Not slippery or tacky. It lasts for 3-4 hours on my lips. Honestly I don't use it very often, because I don't like glossy lips anymore. If you like nude lip glosses, give Sugarbomb a try. This one is not for me, as good as it is. I won't repurchase. I'm going back to matte.

One of my most recently acquired brush set from Real Techniques is their Starter Set. The Starter Set is a collection of five purple handled brushes, designed for eye makeup. These brushes have synthetic bristles (can be used with powder/liquid products). 


Here's my experience with each brush:

Deluxe Crease Brush: This brush is a fluffy brush that I use to apply eye-shadow all over my eyelid. It gives me a light, diffused wash of color. I have used this brush to blend my under eye concealer on a few occasions. Works well. Its a versatile brush.

Base Shadow Brush: I use this brush to pat on the eye-shadow on my lid, instead of the usual sweeping motions. It gives me full pigmentation and allows me to really pack on the color. It does its job well. It is really helpful in blending out the eye shadows as well.

Brow Brush: This is an angled brush, which I use to fill in my brows. I've used it with brow powders and waxes and it works equally well with both.

Accent Brush: This brush has short bristles and its small size allows me to use it to smoke out my lower lash line eyeliner. The bristles are soft and they never irritate my eyes. I've used this brush to smudge out my eyeliner and to apply a champagne/gold highlight shade to the inner corner of my eyes.

Pixel Point Fine Liner Brush: The best brush for gel eyeliner. Hands down. The fine, flexible bristles allow me to really work the gel liner into the roots of my lashes for the thinnest, sleekest line. Works a treat for winged eyeliner as well. A perfect match to my Maybelline Gel Eyeliner.

These five brushes allow me to do my eye makeup in a jiffy, with minimal effort. This set is especially great if you're traveling. These brushes clean very easily and don't shed at all. Yet another favorite of mine from Real Techniques, you'll always find me using one brush or the other from this set!

Joining my liquid liner collection is the Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner. This liner has a slanting tip (very different from the felt tip liquid liners I have used before). You need to rotate the bottom of the liner tube so that fresh product is PUSHED UP to the tip of the nib. Tip of the nib. God, that rhymes. Anyway, this means you get fresh product at each use. This eyeliner is great for doing a whole winged liner/cat eye. The pigmentation of the eyeliner is quite good, a deep, dark black. And it stays on all day without smudging.

If you are a liquid liner fanatic, definitely give this one a try. The They're Real Mascara and Push Up Liner have become two of my favorite eye products from Benefit.

Another offering from the Maybelline Fit Me Range to grace the Indian markets is the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer.

Available in India in three shades, Light, Sand and Medium, they are priced at Rs. 500. I chose the shade Sand. Now since I placed the order online, I couldn't test out the shades/swatches in person. Sand is a bit too light for my face. But I use it as an under eye highlighter/concealer. This concealer comes in an elegant tube, with a doe foot applicator.

Sand has quite strong yellow undertones which help in neutralizing the dark circles under my eyes. I haven't experienced any creasing with this concealer and it doesn't settle into the pores. This concealer blends easily (I pat it into the skin with my finger). The lasting power of this concealer is quite good. It lasts 6-7 hours on my oily skin (after setting with powder), with zero creasing. Dry skinned ladies should moisturize well before applying this concealer.

It is a good concealer, but not exceptional. I'm very impressed with the Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation, but the concealer is a bit 'meh' for me.
I will be using up this tube, but I don't think I will repurchase. If I do, I'll definitely update!

My all time favorite nail color, be it summer or winter is black. Always black. Jet black. I'm a black nail polish fanatic.

The most impressive nail polish I've come across so far is the Inglot Nail Enamel in 953. It goes on very smoothly and easily. I apply a clear top coat (Maybelline Color Show) or matte top coat (Bourjois) depending on my mood. But on its own, the Inglot nail polish lasts a full week on my nails, without chipping or fading. The color is a pure, intense, glossy black, perfect for me.

At Rs. 600 for 15ml, it is one of the more expensive nail polishes that I own. But considering the fact that I've been using this nail polish (on and off) for the past six months, it is worth the money for sure.
I will be giving more shades from the Inglot Nail Enamel range a try.

Which is your favorite nail polish range/shade these days?

If I'm in the mood to do a smokey eye, I just apply brown eyeliner and smudge it with an ear bud or my fingers.

Lately, I've been loving the ZOEVA 226 Smudger brush. With its short, soft yet firm bristles, this brush makes smudging out your eyeliner such an easy task! The super soft synthetic bristles never irritate my sensitive eyes. Just lightly buffing my eyeliner (especially along the lower lashline) with this brush completes the job.

This brush has become a necessary tool for easy smokey eyes. I've had this brush for a few months now and even after multiple washes, it hasn't shed a single bristle. I've always been a fan of the ZOEVA brushes and the 226 Smudger definitely doesn't disappoint! If you are a fan of dark, dramatic eye makeup, I'd suggest you give this brush a try.

I bought it from Luxola India. Luxola has since been taken over by Sephora and they've stopped shipping to India (BOOOOOOOO!!!). But the ZOEVA official website does offer international shipping.

If you're stuck in a makeup rut this summer and need a change, one tip is to switch over to a bright lip color. It will make a huge difference in your appearance and your mood!

One such lipstick that I've been loving is the Maybelline Color Show Creamy Matte Lipstick in Rock The Coral. This bright, pinky coral shade is beautiful. It perks up my complexion instantly, giving it a boost. I have been loving this lip color this summer.

It comes in a simple and sturdy matte black packaging. The lipstick has the same citrus scent which the other Maybelline Color Show Creamy Mattes share. This lipstick applies evenly and is quite creamy and comfortable to wear. However, you need to prep your lips (with lip balm and lip scrub) beforehand, because this lipstick emphasizes  dry flakes like nothing else. Exfoliate and apply a thick layer of lip balm the night before, if you're planning to wear a matte lip the next day, that's my tip.

For Rs. 325, you can't go wrong with this offering from Maybelline India. Rock The Coral lasts for 5-6 hours on my lips (with light meals). You will need to touch up the color, for sure. But I really don't mind. For the price and the cheery color, Rock The Coral is a great option for almost every skin color.
I'm in love with it. I will definitely repurchase when I run out of this one. But for now, I think I've found my favorite summer lipstick!