After the What's in my Summer Bag post, I am back again with the Winter Edit! I know that it has been a long time, but I love doing posts like these and I promise that henceforth such posts will be more regular...since you all like them too :) :)
Oh Makeup Revolution, how I love thee!
If you haven't discovered this brand already, girl you need to stop living in a cave and do some online shopping ASAP! I'm so glad we're finally getting access to such wonders, because in India, drugstore makeup is so whacked up. They call themselves drugstore and then set prices that have my eyeballs bulging. Not to mention the dearth of variety.. (shudders)
Well, this isn't a rant about all my makeup woes, but a rave about a product I haven't put down since I bought it! In case you're wondering, I even wear it on Sundays when I have nowhere to go because..well, it's just that fab!
If you haven't discovered this brand already, girl you need to stop living in a cave and do some online shopping ASAP! I'm so glad we're finally getting access to such wonders, because in India, drugstore makeup is so whacked up. They call themselves drugstore and then set prices that have my eyeballs bulging. Not to mention the dearth of variety.. (shudders)
Well, this isn't a rant about all my makeup woes, but a rave about a product I haven't put down since I bought it! In case you're wondering, I even wear it on Sundays when I have nowhere to go because..well, it's just that fab!
Continuing with the anti-aging series, I'd like to share another day cream from my mother's stash. The story behind this is that when she had initially gone to buy herself products from the Revitalift range, the SA handed her the serum and eye cream from the Laser x3 range, and the Day cream (reviewed here) from the regular one. Once she used up that day cream, we went and purchased the proper one to complete the Laser x3 set!:P
The entire Revitalift Laser x3 range boasts of highly concentrated actives, Pro-Xylane and Adenosine, which transform skin quality, reduce pores and wrinkles while re-plumping the skin.
The entire Revitalift Laser x3 range boasts of highly concentrated actives, Pro-Xylane and Adenosine, which transform skin quality, reduce pores and wrinkles while re-plumping the skin.
If you are a fan of the Maybelline Baby Lips then you would probably be aware of the new range "Candy Wow" by
now, and might have already bought it :P If not, well, this is why the post is up :)
You have probably read all about the Revlon Lip Butter in my previous post and how much I love Berry Smoothie.
If you haven't already, then you better go back to the last post and read up for all the details about packaging, texture and all that stuff. There's no point saying it all again.
As promised earlier, here are the swatches of Pink Truffle for you all. Check it out :)
The revlon Lip Butters are a favourite with me and after Pink Truffle I bought Berry Smoothie which has become another favourite go to shade. You cannot help it...these lip butters are so great, you are bound to like them!
So, if you have been reading the blog regularly, you would know that I absolutely loved a blush by Colorbar called Cosmic Rose. It was a fabulous color and before I went ahead and got more from that range (I was eyeing Peachy Rose) they revamped their blushes and the shades I liked were gone!
I was heartbroken obviously, but I decided to find a close match somehow....and I stumbled across the L'Oreal le Blush True Match in True Rose and it was Love!
We shared a DIY Plumping Lip Scrub a really long time back and while that is super effective, one needs a more nourishing one now that the weather is getting chilly. So here's an super nourishing DIY Lip Scrub that takes 10 seconds to make, does it's job and leaves your lips super soft! :)
Bangalore weather is really pleasant almost throughout the year, which is why I genereally don't feel the need to use a compact most times, making compacts my least frequent purchase probably. The last drugstore one I had was this Lakme one I think and ofcourse I always have a MAC MSF in my stash coz it is just perfect.
And then Maybelline went ahead and brought out their White Superfresh Compact and I knew I had to try it. Like most of their other products this one didn't disappoint me either!
Even though I was late to jump onto the bandwagon, I've fallen hard for gel based lustrous lip products. Traditional lipsticks with their creamy/waxy textures never got me excited a lot, and for a long time I was a 'lipgloss-but-blotted' kinda girl. Now that I've found a HG lipstick texture to go by, I can't resist trying out different shades!
So... Love Can Set You Free. Trust me when I say it's all kinds of ah-may-zing!
So... Love Can Set You Free. Trust me when I say it's all kinds of ah-may-zing!
Yes! You read it right! It's Giveaway time again at Curios and Dreams for all you lovely readers out there. You guys have shown us so much love over the years and this is our small way of saying thank you! So Thank You! <3 :*
This giveaway is currently on Instagram only. The rules to enter are very simple :
1. Follow us on Instagram
2. Download the PrettyReader app from the playstore (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cplusdtech.prettyreader). Make sure you Rate the app after downloading it
3. Tag 2 friends on Instagram and tell us in the comments section there how the app helps you :)
Use #prettyreader and #curiosanddreamsgiveaway in your answers
* Make sure you follow all the 3 rules to make your entry valid
* This giveaway is open for Indian Residents only
* Giveaway starts today and ends on 8.12.15
* One winner will be declared who will win all 4 prouducts!
* Extra brownie points for reposting the giveaway on your Instagram page and tagging us (make sure your profile is public so that we can see it).
You can also check out the PrettyReader site http://prettyreader.in/
Yeah, so that's about it for now. We hope you like this giveaway. All the products included are our personal favourites and you can check out their individual reviews on our blog :)
Makeup Revolution Treat blush
Swati & Smriti
Also, I have been having quite massive breakouts over the past couple of months and of course I had to try it out for myself! Did it work for me? Read on!
So, if you have been a little alert of the buzz around, you would know that Chumbak launched it's clothing line "Collection One" a few weeks back. They had closed their store for a while now and the #WakeUpToOne mystery was killing me!
I was invited to the Collection One launch and here are some exclusive pics for you! Now you can a look at their renovated store in Indiranagar (with a carnival theme) and the collection if you haven't already. You're welcome! :)
A girl just can't have enough, especially when it comes to makeup, and Makeup Revolution is here to fulfill all your lustful needs ;)
After Iconic 3 won my heart, how could I resist in getting another palette from the same range? I absolutely loved the previous one with 12 buttery rose-gold shades and with Iconic 1 (a dupe of Urban Decay's Naked palette) I've added 12 warm gold shades to my collection! Yay!
Just look at it, so much gorgeousness in one picture! Such delectable hues for ultimate bliss! The first 8 are incredibly warm and neutral, but the last 4 are packed with colour.
After Iconic 3 won my heart, how could I resist in getting another palette from the same range? I absolutely loved the previous one with 12 buttery rose-gold shades and with Iconic 1 (a dupe of Urban Decay's Naked palette) I've added 12 warm gold shades to my collection! Yay!
Just look at it, so much gorgeousness in one picture! Such delectable hues for ultimate bliss! The first 8 are incredibly warm and neutral, but the last 4 are packed with colour.
Last few of my posts have been about concealers, as you hopefully know. I spoke about the Maybelline Dream Lumi (highlighting) concealer and the Lakme Asolute Face Stylist (liquid) concealer. While both of them are quite fine and do the job well, I wasn't quite satisfied with either (one was way ashy the other one was way too expensive).
The search for a perfect concealer ended with this little guy...Kryolan Dermacolor Camouflage Creme! And this one is everything I had ever wanted!
Continuting with concealers (you should probably read about the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch one too), I have the Lakme Absolute Face Stylist Concealer up for you all today.
So, is it my favourite one? Read on!
Over the next few days I am going to talk about concealers. Everyone needs a good one in their kit.
To find the perfect concealer to suit my needs...I bought, tested and moved on from one to another and it has been quite an enlightening journey.
I won't bother you with a lot of them. So, I have narrowed it down to the current 3 I have in my stash and let's begin with the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer.
"The right tools are just as important as the makeup itself" said Bobbi Brown.
There was a time when I did not have makeup brushes (well, I wasn't too much into applying makeup back then), but I have been adding some to my kit for a while and I totally understand what the first line means now!
Here's the Real Techniques Stippling Brush! now available online in India HERE
When I fell hard for the Lakme Gloss Addict lipsticks, I began searching for products similar to it as the price largely exceeded my student budget, but I was having little luck. One such day I happened to stumble across the Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks and boy, were they awesome! And since Urban Decay is again out of reach, I began searching for its dupes. Imagine my surprise when one of favorite brands held the solution to my search! Yes, Makeup Revolution has done it again, and I think I'm quickly gonna achieve brand ambassador status :P
#LipHugs.. where were you all my life?!
Coming in 20 saturated hues, these lipsticks come in every colour you could wish for. Reds, oranges, pinks, maroons, nudes, sab hai ji! Before I do the bhaanda phod, I think regular readers must have rightly guessed what shade I chose.
#LipHugs.. where were you all my life?!
Coming in 20 saturated hues, these lipsticks come in every colour you could wish for. Reds, oranges, pinks, maroons, nudes, sab hai ji! Before I do the bhaanda phod, I think regular readers must have rightly guessed what shade I chose.
A few days back I had a short meet up with Krupa from Ishtyleawhile and Neha from TheLipztickaholicDiaries at The White Room, Church Street. I had been wanting to check this place out for a while now and it was everything I had pictured it to be. The place was so lovely that I couldn't stop my self from clicking a few pics..I had to share them with you all :)
So many products are being launched every other day now, but every once in a while there comes a product that catches your attention so brilliantly...that you leave other things and make a quick run to the nearest beauty store!
The latest launch by Maybelline, Fashion Brow Duo Shaper was one such product that got me really excited and I just had to try it out!
Blame the lack of brow grooming products in the Indian Market. Well done Maybelline! We finally have one!
Ustraa, a flagship brand of the e-commerce venture Happily Unmarried might have just figured out the sweet spot between nostalgia, everyday luxury and essential male grooming.
I ordered the shower gel along with the shaving cream on my first visit to the website, which in itself a testimonial to their great implementation of their marketing campaign. This is available in a 200 ml
bottle and comes in a strong plastic bottle which has a very 90’s feel to it and sure to remind you of the old cough syrup bottles.
I ordered the shower gel along with the shaving cream on my first visit to the website, which in itself a testimonial to their great implementation of their marketing campaign. This is available in a 200 ml
bottle and comes in a strong plastic bottle which has a very 90’s feel to it and sure to remind you of the old cough syrup bottles.
Alex Kroll, very eloquently puts it “Getting ideas is a bit like shaving, if you don’t do it every day, You’re a Bum.” The more that is said the less it suffices to emphasize the importance of a great shaving cream. It does help one start their day after all.
Ustraa, a flagship brand of the e-commerce venture Happily Unmarried might have just figured out the sweet spot between nostalgia, everyday luxury and essential male grooming.
Male grooming is a fairly new and upcoming concept to the Indian male, one which is being rapidly
adopted and adapted to.
Ustraa, a flagship brand of the e-commerce venture Happily Unmarried might have just figured out the sweet spot between nostalgia, everyday luxury and essential male grooming.
Male grooming is a fairly new and upcoming concept to the Indian male, one which is being rapidly
adopted and adapted to.
There are so many different spot fighting products available in the market now that most times it can get a super confusing and a bit overwhelming. For a person like me, who has been fighting blemishes and acne most of her life (and I still do), I have tried most products that claim to make those zits go away. Let's be honest now, most of them just don't work.
I have been having absolutely terrible breakouts off late and have been trying a lot of things to get it under control. I still haven't been able to figure out why I am breaking out so badly, but a few products have helped me keep things under some control. One of them is "Dream Dots"
I have been having absolutely terrible breakouts off late and have been trying a lot of things to get it under control. I still haven't been able to figure out why I am breaking out so badly, but a few products have helped me keep things under some control. One of them is "Dream Dots"
Being a girl with full lips, wearing glosses isn't an easy task. Lately I've been shifting more and more towards lipsticks, especially matte ones. My absolute favorites are Lakme 9 to 5 lipsticks that come in uber-chic shades, appropriate for work environment. And then came the Gloss Addict range which I didn't expect to invest in but pounced on as soon as it entered my field of radar!
Now I know I'm uselessly late in reviewing it. I've finished almost half of the tube because I adore it so much, but sometimes it seems like there's a strange force at work which makes you forget to review the stuff you love the most.
But no more! I present to you Bare Beige, it's a beauty.
Now I know I'm uselessly late in reviewing it. I've finished almost half of the tube because I adore it so much, but sometimes it seems like there's a strange force at work which makes you forget to review the stuff you love the most.
But no more! I present to you Bare Beige, it's a beauty.
Back in the years I tried a few face mists and toners out and never really liked any of them, they were too astringent for me and I did not like the way they made my skin feel.
So for a long long time now, I have stuck to just using rose water (which is an excellent natural toner and also gives some hydration) and it works really well for me. I quite like the Fab India Rose Facial Water which is affordable and good in quality. I am also trying another one (shall let you know soon.... Update : it's the Kama Ayurveda Rose Water and it is fabulous! Love it!).
But I had always heard so much about the Avene Thermal Spring Water (everybody loves it so much!) & I wanted to test it out too.
We all know the old grandma's tip about how Ubtan makes skin all glowy and beautiful. Unfortunately in today's busy world, people don't have the time or patience to make an ubtan and wait for it to dry off etc. We all want a quicker solution, yet with something that is still pure and untampered with. This is where brands like Forest Essentials come in.
I have been using their Narangi and Nagkesar Ubtan for quite a while now and has impressed me a lot.
When it comes to makeup removers, I have always used the one from Maybelline & sometimes baby oil But of course, the blogger in me wanted to try something new too, so I picked up the Lakme Absolute Bi-Phased Make-up Remover quite a few months back. Was it as good? Read on to find out :)
Being a dry skinned girl, I've used my fair share of body lotions, and Nivea is a brand I've kept coming back to. The Oil in Lotion variants had me intrigued as it was basically offering the best of both worlds. Obviously, I had to give it a try and I'm delighted to tell you that Argan Nourish has left me besotted!
No no!
I'm not one of those obsessed tweens with a paranoia of sagging skin and wrinkles. So how did this anti-ageing product come to be featured on this blog? Well, we gifted our Mom some products from the Revitalift range by L'Oreal a year ago and she has been religiously using them since. After 365 days of such dedication, I thought her experience with them is worth sharing.
My Mom, being in her 40s, is the perfect voice for this range, and over the next few weeks you'll see all her products being covered here. Curious minds can head over to our Instagram to know which ones will be featured!
That's all the background you need, now let's get on with the review!
I'm not one of those obsessed tweens with a paranoia of sagging skin and wrinkles. So how did this anti-ageing product come to be featured on this blog? Well, we gifted our Mom some products from the Revitalift range by L'Oreal a year ago and she has been religiously using them since. After 365 days of such dedication, I thought her experience with them is worth sharing.
My Mom, being in her 40s, is the perfect voice for this range, and over the next few weeks you'll see all her products being covered here. Curious minds can head over to our Instagram to know which ones will be featured!
That's all the background you need, now let's get on with the review!
Guest post by Divya
Hello Pretty Readers. I am Divya from Chennai who loves makeup and skin care stuffs (Particularly face masks) a lot. I love the way how the face masks make my skin bright. Today, I am going to review a luxurious product from the luxurious company "FOREST ESSENTIALS" .Before moving to the review, I would like to thank our lovely founders of "CURIOS AND DREAMS" Swati and Smriti for trusting and giving me this opportunity. :)
I have been using this ubtan since January and I really love this product. The ingredients list is really mesmerizing. :D .It smells of real herbs. I use it as a face pack and cleanser . It evens out my skin and gave me a nice glow from the first use itself. It makes my skin soft and supple.
When using this as cleanser, it acts as a make-up remover though it doesn't remove the heavy make up.
When I use this ubtan as Face Mask , I usually mix it with milk and rose water. (I use Fab India rose water. You can check the review here) . It helps to fade the light old acne marks. It is little pricey but the ubtan comes long way if used as a face mask (nearly six months) .This ubtan has small granules which is not harsh and can be used as a scrub too. My SA suggested this ubtan for my combination skin. It is my holygrail product. :)
Hello Pretty Readers. I am Divya from Chennai who loves makeup and skin care stuffs (Particularly face masks) a lot. I love the way how the face masks make my skin bright. Today, I am going to review a luxurious product from the luxurious company "FOREST ESSENTIALS" .Before moving to the review, I would like to thank our lovely founders of "CURIOS AND DREAMS" Swati and Smriti for trusting and giving me this opportunity. :)
I am going to review "Soundarya Facial Ubtan from Forest Essentials". Let's see how this Ubtan fares on me. :)
Packaging : It comes in sturdy cute glass jar with golden cap. It would
have been nice if they gave as a wooden spatula as freebie.
I have been using this ubtan since January and I really love this product. The ingredients list is really mesmerizing. :D .It smells of real herbs. I use it as a face pack and cleanser . It evens out my skin and gave me a nice glow from the first use itself. It makes my skin soft and supple.
When using this as cleanser, it acts as a make-up remover though it doesn't remove the heavy make up.
When I use this ubtan as Face Mask , I usually mix it with milk and rose water. (I use Fab India rose water. You can check the review here) . It helps to fade the light old acne marks. It is little pricey but the ubtan comes long way if used as a face mask (nearly six months) .This ubtan has small granules which is not harsh and can be used as a scrub too. My SA suggested this ubtan for my combination skin. It is my holygrail product. :)
- Easily affordable in their stores and their website with COD . :)
- It gives a nice glow .
- It removes the tan.
- It evens out my skin.
- It makes my skin soft and supple.It does not contain harsh chemicals.
- Can be used as Face Mask , cleanser and scrub.
Negative:
- Little Pricey.
- Little messy.
Price : 695 INR for 60g (available here)
Do I recommend and will I purchase again?
Yes I do recommend this to you girls. It is worth your money. :)And I will repurchase too :)
I live/work in an environment which is full of dust, grime and loads of pollution. Combine that with Bangalore's mostly dry weather and then rains every other day....the net result is an itchy flaky scalp, super prone to dandruff!
I have tried quite a few anti-dandruff shampoos in the past and have never liked them. They are way too harsh and never seem to give good results. So whenever I suffer from a problematic scalp, I resort to homemade hair packs for relief.
But, for the past few weeks I have been using The Body Shop's Ginger Anti-Dandruff Shampoo and Boy! Oh boy! Is this good! I wish I had found this one earlier.
The Garnier Triple Nutrition Oil-In-Cream has made such a buzz lately that I got really intrigued and wanted to give it a try too. Anyway, I hardly get time to oil my hair and....OIL in a CREAM?! What? Really?!!!! It sounded like the perfect fix! A hop into the nearest store and I was happily walking with this tube in my bag! So did it work out or not? Read on to know :)
It has been a while since I reviewed a lip gloss here (I have been into lipsticks a lot lately) but then every once in a while, there comes a gloss which swoons you completely and I just had to talk about the new L’Oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lipcolor in Coral Encore! Read on to know more and to see the swatches :)
A girl can never have too many lipsticks! Well...we can never have too much makeup actually :D
Spending a lot on makeup makes anyone feel guilty every now and then, but what when good makeup comes at affordable prices? Bring it on then!
So, last week I finally got got to try the Maybelline Colorshow Lipsticks! Which I am sure, by now you all know are all the rage now :)
You all know that I am a huge fan of using natural homemade ingredients for making masks, scrubs etc. And what better day than Sunday to pamper yourself with some fresh goodness?
A few weeks back I had Instagrammed a Green tea facemask which you all liked a lot. So here's what went into it :)
Hello everyone! Didn't the weekend go by really quickly this time? I finally got 2 days off and it just flew by! Oh, and Eid Mubarak to everyone! Hope you had a wonderful one :)
Coming to the review now, I am talking about a new brand called Sand for Soapaholics today. Sadly, Lush shut down all stores in India before I could even try the brand. But in it's place, Sand for Soapaholics has come up with equally interesting products! I finally came across their outlet in Garuda Mall last month and could not resist buying a little something! Let's find out how it fared :)
Boing! Bounce your way to hydrated skin with The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask!
Being on the late side of twenties now, I have become a lot more careful with my skin...like avoiding chemicals, restoring proper moisture levels and ensuring that this youthful glow doesn't fade too soon.
And then out comes a product with the potential to become my best friend in this endeavor! Truly, TBS Bouncy Sleeping Mask is one delightful thing :)
Who doesn't love the good old Baby Lips? I am sure every girl has one in atleast one of her bags. If you are like me though, you will have them all around :D
Maybelline has added new variants to their range - The Spiced Up Baby Lips which has shades suited especially for Indian skin tones! Ain't that great?
The 3 shades are - Tropical Punch, Berry Sherbet and Spicy Cinnamon...and today we are featuring the latter two for you all :)