I'm probably one of the last people to review the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. But I cannot resist sharing my thoughts about this brush with you all. This brush is very special to me. Why? Because it was my first "proper" foundation brush.

Earlier, I had only used those flat foundation brushes from generic brands that used to shed like crazy all over my face and leave those dreaded streak marks. When I first heard about Real Techniques, I immediately went to their website and had a look at all their brushes. The Expert Face Brush appealed to me instantly. It was the only RT Brush that I really wanted at the time. But the next big obstacle was its lack of availability in India. I asked my aunt who was living in the States to send one to me.
I cannot describe my joy when I received this brush. It was the softest brush I'd ever felt. And the bristles were nice and firm, with just the right amount of give. So I ran to the mirror with my foundation bottle in hand (yes, I used to use foundation back then). Its dense bristles helped in buffing the foundation into my skin. It didn't SIT on top of my skin, instead it became a PART of my skin. And there were no streak lines! There was absolutely no shedding of bristles on my skin (that made my face look like a cat had been sitting on it). The brush cleaned really easily with baby shampoo and water. It hasn't shed a single bristle despite being washed numerous times.

Fast forward to two years later and I have ended up buying a few more Real Techniques brushes, thanks to their easier availability in India. I own 3 Expert Face Brushes at the moment. That included the first brush that my aunt had sent to me. I will always keep that one with me (I'm sentimental like that). I may always try out other foundation brushes, but I will always keep coming back to my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. It will always be my first love (in terms of foundation brushes).
For the price and quality, you cannot beat Real Techniques. So my final advice is this: If you have access to them, go get 'em!

I had mentioned the Colorbar Perfect Match BB Cream in my Summer Base Edit post. Now, I'm back with a full review!

I tried out this BB cream at my local Colorbar counter. It was love at first swatch. First thing I noticed that this BB cream in the shade Vanilla Creme was a perfect match for my skin color. PERFECT MATCH. I had never, ever found a base product that had just the right amount of yellow undertone to match my skin color. I was sold. I didn't care about its finish or longevity. I bought myself a tube of this stuff and ran home.
Fast forward to one year later and this product is my go to base. Its so easy to use. I just dot a pea sized amount of this cream all over my face and blend in with my fingers. It needs a little moisture for blending in well and it can cling to dry areas if you haven't moisturized properly. Beauties with oily/combination skin will love it. It has a satiny finish. Not totally matte and not too dewy. Once I powder it with some Rimmel Stay Matte Powder or Kryolan Loose Powder, this cream stays on my face all day. Plus, it has an SPF of 20 and is paraben free. It gives a low-medium coverage. I use a full coverage concealer to spot conceal blemishes. All in all, I love this product. I have been through 7+ tubes of this product. It is great for evening out my skintone and is truly a perfect match for my skin. I will keep repurchasing this cream as long as they keep making it! Don't ever stop, Colorbar!

Glycolic acid is a recent addition to my skincare routine. It is quite effective in providing me regular chemical exfoliation and helps me deal with my acne and pigmentation.
If you are looking for an easily available glycolic acid product that you can find at your nearest medical store, turn to Glyco 6.
Glyco 6 is a cream product that contains 6% glycolic acid. I use this product on alternate nights. I apply a but sized amount of this cream all over my face after cleansing with Cetaphil and toning with rose water. I follow this up with my usual moisturizer, Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion. Glyco 6 has a strong smell, so those with sensitive noses must be careful. The cream absorbs very easily into my skin and the smell dissipates after some time. Don't expect immediate results with this product. After using it for about 5 months on alternate nights, I've found that my acne heals faster and that my skin looks brighter and more evened out. Be careful to not apply this product too close to sensitive areas like around your eyes and near your mouth. It is very easy to go overboard with chemical exfoliating products, so listen to what your skin tells you. If you experience any redness or irritation, discontinue the use of this cream. Also, you might experience slight tingling initially, as it is seen while using chemical exfoliants.

Another word of caution, it is essential go use sunscreen during the day while using Glyco 6, because the continuous exfoliation makes your skin sensitive to the sunlight. Using sunscreen is non excusable. As long as you prevent going overboard with this product and keep using sunscreen during the day, you'll notice a marked improvement in your acne and pigmentation. There is a stronger, double strength version of this cream available on the market, containing 12% glycolic acid, but I will review it later!
For now, I will definitely repurchase Glyco 6. I have already used up 5 tubes of this product. Give it a shot!

Eyebrows. The most underestimated part of our makeup routine. A good set of eyebrows is a total game changer. Fortunately, I've been blessed with thick, prominent eyebrows. Getting them threaded for the first time was such a pain!
However, I do have some sparse growth, mostly in the inner corners. When I first saw the Sleek Eye Brow Kit at Luxola, I knew I had to try it. I use the shade Extra Dark. It comes in the shades Light, Dark, Extra Dark and Black.
The kit comes in a handy snap lock compact. The kit contains two brushes, an angled brush to use the wax provided in the kit and another brush to use the powder. There is also a small pair of tweezers. I haven't used the tweezers yet, but the brushes do their job well. The wax and the powder are both highly pigmented and they help shape and even out your brows beautifully.
I use the wax first, to fill up my brows and then set the wax using the powder. Combined together or used individually, the wax and the powder are long lasting. I've worn them over a period of 8 hours and they haven't faded or smudged.
I love this product. It makes the task of shaping up your brows so very easy. You can't go wrong with this. I give it a big thumbs up and have already purchased a backup, even though my first kit will last me a long time. Give it a shot. It is a wonderful, easy to use and affordable product. One of my favorites from Sleek!

I've been suffering from acne since I turned 14 years old. I have tried out countless anti acne products since then. La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo is one of those products. It is said to "visibly reduce all types of acne blemishes and penetrates deep into pores to clear even stubborn blackheads and whiteheads."

It contains micronized benzoyl peroxide (5.5%) and micro exfoliating LHA (0.5%). Benzoyl peroxide fights acne and LHA exfoliates the skin to reveal a brighter complexion.

I have heard and read numerous raves about this product. People have waxed on and on about how wonderful an acne treatment this is. I'm sorry, but its not so wonderful for me. I don't like it.
My skin has never agreed with benzoyl peroxide. I end up with burned and irritated skin.
Now you must think I must have used this product wrong. That is not the case. I used Cetaphil Cleansing Lotion (mildest cleanser ever) to cleanse my skin. Then I applied a pea sized amount of Effaclar Duo all over my face. I used my regular Cetaphil moisturizer afterwards. Next morning, my skin was dried out and peeling in places. Of course, my acne had dried out too, but my skin was irritated and red. It took me 3 days of non stop moisturizing to bring my skin back to normal.
Yet another experiment with Benzoyl Peroxide has failed. I won't be repurchasing LRP Effaclar Duo. Instead I'll be going back to my faithful glycolic acid.

Be warned, this was only MY experience with LRP Effaclar Duo. I've seen a lot of people experience excellent results with this product. I'd suggest you give this product a try and see if it works for you. If it didn't work for me, it doesn't mean that it doesn't have to work for you.

Cleansing, toning and moisturizing are at the center of any good skincare routine. Today I'm going to review the Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Cooling Toner.
It contains ingredients like witch hazel and glycolic and salicylic acid to help clear up acne prone skin. But what caught my eye was that the second ingredient in the ingredient list is alcohol. Alcohol dries out the skin and messes up with our skin's natural moisture levels. But since I was going to moisturize anyway after using this toner, I decided to give it a go. For a month, I used this toner instead of my usual rose water. When you first apply this toner, you'll experience a cooling/tingling sensation. Its a mild tingle, nothing too intense. The tingling disappears after sometime. The toner has a strong smell, so be warned if you have a sensitive nose.  
This toner definitely helped clear up my skin to an extent. My cheeks and jawline, where I suffer from breakouts, seemed less congested. My blackheads seemed less prominent, but they were most certainly not "eliminated". I'm happy with this product and I will keep using it until I find a better option.
I'd like to suggest this product to oily to combination skinned beauties. Dry skinned girls may find this product drying and irritating. But always remember to use a moisturizer suited for your skin type after using this.

I will keep repurchasing and using this product until i find a better product.

I have never really been a foundation girl. I find them too heavy and finding a good color match is quite difficult for me. So I've stuck to tinted moisturizers and alphabet (BB/CC) creams. I just use a high coverage concealer on my acne spots.

A new favorite of mine is the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream. I use the shade 33 Rose Beige. The CC cream has a runny texture. It comes in a 30ml squeeze tube that has a nozzle. The CC cream is really light, you don't even feel like you're wearing it! It spreads and blends really easily on my skin. But what really blows me away about this cream is the coverage it provides. Its the highest level of coverage I've seen in a BB/CC cream! Its almost a medium coverage product. When I apply it (using my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush) it blurs my blemishes and imperfections. A few minutes later it settles down and matches my skin color perfectly. It has a beautiful, luminous finish. It makes my skin look fresh and radiant.It stays intact on my skin for the whole day. I've worn it for about 9 hours and it wears beautifully. I only need to powder my t zone once in the afternoon, but that is standard for me.
My only niggle with this product is that it is just a little pink for me. Not too noticeable, but yeah, I would really appreciate if Bourjois launches a few more shades with yellow undertones. That being said, most people will find their match in the 4 shades of the cream that are available. Beauties with dusky complexions may face a difficulty in finding their shade.
I really love this product and I will definitely repurchase it. For those who are looking for a foundation-like coverage but don't want to wear a foundation, this cream is a must try! Its not surprising that top makeup artists like Lisa Eldridge use this cream in their videos! I love it!

The Zoeva Concealer Buffer Brush was one of the first brush I bought from the brand. This is a dome shaped brush that is used for buffing and blending in your concealer. Made up of synthetic vegan bristles, it is super soft and doesn't shed at all.

How I use the Zoeva Concealer Buffer:
I apply concealer under my eye area in a triangle shape. My two favorite concealers to use are the Revlon Colorstay Concealer and Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer. I use the brush to gently buff the concealer into my skin. It blends the product seamlessly into my skin, leaving no streaks and giving me an even coverage. Its small shape makes it really easy for me to apply concealer to the hard to reach areas such as the inner corner of my eyes and around my nose. I also use this brush to pin point conceal any acne or blemishes.

This brush cleans easily and dries quickly. As with all my brushes, I wash it with baby shampoo and water. I reach for this brush often and it has become an important part of my makeup routine. I bought this at Luxola. In fact, I've even bought a backup of this brush! For superior quality makeup brushes that perform beautifully, you can't go wrong with Zoeva. And they're affordable too! What's not to like?
A BIG thumbs up from me!

Glycolic acid has been one of my go to skincare active ingredients in my fight against acne and hyper pigmentation. Regular exfoliation is key for healthy skin. And I'm not talking about rubbing your skin ray with walnut/apricot kernels (shudders). I'm talking about chemical exfoliation. With acids. Glycolic, salicylic, retinoic acid. Whatever suits you. But its really easy to go overboard with this type of exfoliation. You've gotta start slow. That's when these Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Treatment Pads step in. I bought them off Luxola.com for around Rs. 1200
These pads come in a handy screw top lid jar. Each jar contains 60 pads. You can use them once a day for 2 months or twice a day for 1 month (Hello Maths!). Each cotton pad is soaked generously with the glycolic acid serum/essence. You can rest assured that these pads won't dry out your skin because they contain hyaluronic acid (the mother of all moisturizing/hydrating ingredients).
How do you use this product? Take a pad and swipe it all over freshly cleansed skin. I use it on my face and neck. It has a really light, refreshing scent. The essence itself is non irritating. I did not experience any tingling/stinging whatsoever. On the contrary, my skin felt moisturized (is that you hyaluronic acid?). I wait for 30-40 minutes before applying my moisturizer (Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion) and going to sleep.
Now mind you, you will not see immediate results. But after consistent usage over 2 months, I've found that my skin is clearer. My old acne scars have faded considerably and my new pimples heal much faster. I'm impressed by this product. If you are a beginner to chemical exfoliation, I'd suggest you give these pads a try. I will definitely repurchase.
Available at Luxola.com

Okay, okay. I am SO late to this party, but I'm finally going to review The Body Shop Tea Tree BB Cream. I remember this being so hyped when it was launched. Everyone I knew was raving about this product. But honestly? I don't like it. At all. Hear me out first. I popped into The Body Shop the other day to buy another bottle of their Camomile Cleansing Oil (now THAT is great stuff!!!). I was hanging around their makeup section and saw this BB cream. I bought it on a complete whim, just to see what all the hype was about. I bought the shade 02 because 01 was too light for my skin and 03 was too dark.

The first thing I noticed when I took out my tube of BB cream from its paper bag was that the  flip top cap had a hole in the middle. The cap had a HOLE. FAIL! Nevertheless I squeezed out some product onto the back of my hand. Two things I noticed immediately. First, the smell. It smelled of tea tree oil. I love that smell! No complaints there! Next thing was the texture. This BB cream is thicker than any of the alphabet (BB, CC) creams I've used before. This stuff blends really well into the skin. And it dries into a semi matte finish. It can cling to the dry patches of your skin, so moisturize well! After I finished applying the cream to my face, I stepped back from the mirror and gasped. This was not an awed gasp, it was more of a horrified gasp. This stuff is just too pink for me. My face looked pink and my neck looked yellow (my natural undertone). So, yeah. No can do. Granted that it is a great, lightweight and easily blendable product, the pink tones in the cream are not for me. Now if TBS were to launch a few more new shades of this product with yellow undertones, I'd be off like a bullet to grab myself a tube!
All in all, texture and finish are impressive. Shade and undertone? Not so much. Going back to my Colorbar BB and Lakme CC creams. I will not be repurchasing this product.
Price: Rs 1095 *sigh* *what a waste*

Mirenesse is an Australian beauty brand that I've heard many good things about. When I saw that Luxola stocked Mirenesse products, to say that I was excited will be an understatement.
I was browsing through Luxola a while back and this little gem from Mirenesse would appear to be sold out every time I checked! I knew this was something special, so I put myself up on their waitlist. A few weeks later, I received an email saying that the Mirenesse ICurl Twin Heated Eyelash Curler was in stock at Luxola! Into my shopping cart it went and I checked out immediately! It arrived at my doorstep all the way from Singapore a week later and I literally ripped off the packaging to find this beauty. Its a sleek, silver colored eyelash curler with two red colored pads that turn white when they're heated. And by heated, I don't mean HOT. Don't be scared by the word "heated" in the product name, it is perfectly safe for using near your eyes without the risk of burning.
How to use this: Insert two AAA batteries into the curler. Turn on the ICurl button. Wait till the two red colored pads on the eyelash curler turn white. Curl your lashes as you would with a regular curler BUT hold the curler in position for 15-20 seconds before releasing your lashes. Also, for an extra curl, hold the curler at a 90 degree angle (perpendicular) to your face. After this, apply your usual mascara.

My experience: The results were immediate and I could see that my eyes looked really open. And this was even before applying the mascara! Once I applied my mascara (Maybelline Colossal Volume) the effect was amazing. It made me look so much more awake! And my eyelashes held their curl throughout the day!
You need to try this product for yourself to see the results. This eyelash curler enhances the performance of any mascara. It has gained a very special place in my makeup bag! Try it! You'll love it!

Available at: Luxola.com or Mirenesse.com

Well, summer is HERE! And that means its time to change up the beauty routine. I tend to skip foundations and prefer tinted moisturizers/BB creams/CC creams. In the morning, after cleansing, I apply a layer of Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunscreen in SPF 50. I find that its the best sunscreen for me under makeup. Almost like a primer. Sunscreen, for me, is non negotiable. I feel incomplete and exposed without it. After that I mix a small amount of Colorbar BB cream in Vanilla Creme and Lakme CC Cream in Bronze on the back of my hand. Dotting this mixture all over my face, I blend in with my fingertips (or I may use my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush).  One this is done, I apply Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer in Honey under my eyes, patting it in with my ring finger. To finish off my no fuss summer base, I use Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Sandstorm on my t-zone. A pink lip balm and some mascara finishes the look.
So there you have it! My simple, fuss free summer base!