Parachute Advansed Body Lotion - A Preview

Hola Ladies! Valentine's Day is just two weeks to go :x and look what I got in the mail today? A pre-valentine gift. :D Well, its not from ...ahem....'him' if you are wondering (he won't take so much pain to give such nice things wrapped in something peach and satin :P LOL!)

It is a gift hamper from Parachute Advansed Body Lotion. I loved the fact that they cared to send the sample products beautifully wrapped in a peach box, complete with satin ribbons and also included some lovely chocolates (which I have already ate up :P), floral scented candles and a CD called "OMG! I'm in Love", a compilation of 51 love songs. Seeing all these beautiful things packed in so nicely, my heart definitely sang aloud OMG! I'm in Love :D. Check out the pics below,

I would soon post my reviews on both the variants of Parachute Advansed Body Lotion. In case you want to buy these lotions, here is the price list for your convenience,

Have you seen the sweet video ad for this lotion with their tag line 'Jagaye Love Dobara'?  

RITZBOX: Launch of another beauty box

It's raining beauty boxes in India, after the trend set in from Jan, 2012. Here comes another beautybox which looks quite promising and is from our own homeland. Put your hands together for RITZBOX.




What RITZBOX is all about?
RITZBOX brings a fabulous monthly selection of between four and five high-end cosmetic samples straight to your door. We are pioneering the beauty subscription commerce and the “beauty box” concept in India. By working with the best brands and focusing on the latest beauty trends we ensure each month’s box is a real treat. Make sure you fill out your beauty profile and enjoy a personally curated box of cosmetics, lifestyle goods and luxury products. We are looking forward to work with, leading brands such as Loreal Paris, Chantecaille, Laura Mercier, Shiseido, Benefit, NARS, Chanel, Ahava, Givenchy, Kenzo, Christian Dior, Cle de peau, Lamer, MAC & Caudalie providing you with products like hand cream, concealer, eyeliner, lipstick, lip gloss, concealer, foundation, perfume and shampoos. We are working to bring these brands to India. However, we cannot commit any timeframe on their availability yet.We help women discover ways to soft skin, hot looks and blemish-free youthful appearances. Delivery is free and 1 month subscriptions have no obligation for a long contract period. Get even better value when you sign up for our seasonal and annual subscriptions. Indulge your skin, hair and body with our premium products. Make cosmetics discovery a social exercise – share your experience on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. The days of costly beauty mistakes are over – give our revolutionary service a try!
How it works?
Sign Up: Sign up for RITZBOX and become a member. Submit your delivery details, choose your plan, make payment and complete your beauty profile.
Receive RITZBOX at your door: Sit back and wait for your RITZBOX to be delivered to your door. Each month's box will be filled with carefully selected beauty products and the latest beauty trends. The box contains product information, application notes and latest info on beauty and style. Read our blog for extra beauty tips.

Publish Post

Try the products: Try out the latest cosmetic products in the comfort of your home. We'll give you a hand with tips and how-to videos to help you make the most of them.
Earn RitzPoints: By filling in surveys of products in your box and by telling your friends about RITZBOX, you earn points which you can use for purchase in the RitzShop.
Join at only Rs 700 a month!
They are giving away a 3-month subscription!!! Visit www.facebook.com/ritzboxindia to learn how to win.

ColorBar Velvet Matte Lipstick - Shade Bare Review

I can be such a moody person at times, giving everyone a hard time, and depending on my mood, my choices changes too. So, I was more of a lipgloss girl for last few good years and suddenly, I am hoarding lipsticks of all kinds. 

And, while I am going through this *lipstick phase*, let me present to you the latest addition to my stash, ColorBar Velvet Matte Lipstick in shade Bare.

I am sure, you all have heard a lot about this range of lipsticks. I just want to vouch for all the good points already shared in the blogger world about these and just add my two cents on them.

PRICE: Rs.225

QUANTITY: 4.2 g 

WHAT IT CLAIMS: For a rich lip colour with a creamy shine, the Velvet Matte Lipstick, available in 45 stunning shades infuse the lips with vibrancy. Its unique 2-in-1 formulation gives the lips a creamy, yet matte finish. A one of a kind product in India, it has super softening agents that give the lips a soft and supple appearance while keep them nourished with Vitamin E. Staying on up to 5 hours on application, the Velvet Matte Lipstick can be further accentuated with lip gloss and lip liner.

SWATCHES: 

 

MY EXPERIENCE: ColorBar Velvet Matte Lipstick in shade Bare, is another congenial shade like the Maybelline CS My Mahogany, a brownish pink shade with a hint of peach. It looks more peach on my lips in the day time, while more pinkish in artificial light at night, and gives a matte finish to the lips. It is quite creamy and moisturizing being a matte lipstick, with a subtle vanilla smell in the tube but I can't decipher it much on my lips and it doesn't have any distinct taste. It lasts really long, even survives through heavy meals, leaving a nice deep pink tint, very near to my original lipcolor, which I loved the most about this lippie. Let me summarize all the points for you.

WHAT I LIKED:

•  Gives opaque coverage in just one swipe.
• The shade 'Bare' would compliment all types of skintone as it adjusts itself according to your tone.
• It has strong staying power of over 5-6 hours and surpasses heavy meals. I am a big fan of the lovely dark pink tint it leaves even when it fades out.
• It is quite creamy and moisturizing being a matte lipstick and didn't dry out my lips much.
• Comes at a very reasonable price and available in a huge array of 45 shades to choose from, though all the shades are hardly available at one place.
• Comes in a nice attractive packaging with a shade indicator at the bottom, which is really helpful, if you own too many shades from this range.

 

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:

• It accentuates the fine lines on my lips.
• It is not transfer-proof.

 

VERDICT: I am currently obsessed with this lipstick and it is giving a very hard competition to my Maybelline CS ones. I would love to try out many more amazing shades from this range. If you still haven't tried them, I recommend this to you, as they are great quality matte lipsticks at such unbeatable price.

RATINGS: 4.75 out of 5

Some of my recent wins :)

Hey beauties! Meet the famous Miss. Procrastinator -> ME! :P 
It's high time that I share my latest giveaway/contest wins in last few months (Yes! I am greedy and just a bit of lucky :D ), and acknowledge all the lovely people behind my winnings.  

Spastore.in held their pre-launch giveaways and I won this beautiful Soulflower hamper in one of them, last December. 

I am yet to try out the lovely products. I would surely post my reviews on them once I do. 

Now, eagerly waiting for the launch of Spastore.in, also do check out the super cute website of Soulflower and their lovely range of products.


I was one of the winners of 50(SGD) Unestablish.com gift certificates by Angie from http://www.pandaphilia.com/.

I must specially mention, that the person from Unestablish.com with whom I was communicating with, has been really sweet with me throughout the whole transaction process, making special arrangements to send out the product to me, when I didn't have the option for the online transaction.

I ordered a t-shirt for my brother (yes, I am nice to him..sometimes :P) with the Gift Card. Special thanks to Angie for this fabulous giveaway.


Last but not the least, another Sigma brush in my kit. :D If you guys remember that I was a participant in Handmade Reviews Beauty Blog Awards 2011? Sadly, I didn't win but my blog was shortlisted (check out the badge on my sidebar) and each of the shortlisted bloggers received a $20 Gift Certificate. And so, I ordered the Sigma F40 brush with this GC during Christmas. And it took forever, to get delivered. This delay was the main reason that this post got so much postponed. Finally, I received it last week. and yay I am so happy :D

Now, I have also signed up for their affiliation program and might receive another complimentary gift. Hope it arrives faster. :P


Did you win anything recently? Share with me :)

GlossyBox Is Coming To India!

The most renowned beauty box, which has a presence in 14 countries on 6 continents, are now COMING TO INDIA! Yes ladies, you heard it right, GlossyBox Is Coming To India! :D

If you still don't know what a GlossyBox is, then here is a little information on them.


We’re GLOSSYBOX Beauty, an idea born from a team of beauty lovers who got tired of wasting time and money buying the newest beauty products without the opportunity to try them to understand if they are right for us. GLOSSYBOX Beauty has grown to become the world’s leading premium beauty subscription company.

Each month, hundreds of thousands of women around the world eagerly await the delivery of their GLOSSYBOX Beauty to discover amazing new beauty products. We send out a gorgeous box filled with a surprise mix of 5 high-end travel- and full-sized beauty and cosmetic products from world’s top beauty brands. This gives women the chance to experiment with new products in the comfort of their own home.
 
The first box will be sent out in March but before that they are giving a chance to win 3 month's subscription of the GlossyBox for free! Look out for the contest tomorrow on their facebook page.

You can sign up and subscribe to receive the GlossyBox from March at http://www.glossybox.in/ for only Rs 700 a month (includes tax). Delivery is free! :)

You can also earn points called Glossydots, by referring friends and with enough Glossydots, you can get your monthly subscription for free! :)

So are you excited?

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY

India is celebrating its 63rd Republic day on 26th January, 2012. It has been more than 6 decades since the country was declared as Sovereign Republic in 1950, on January 26. Hope the country progresses in the right path as the great freedom fighters wished for.

Happy Republic Day to India and all Indians.

Proud to be an Indian. :)

Deborah Milano Kajal Pencil - Shade 104 Review

Hola beauties! What one product in your makeup stash is in maximum number and is ever increasing? Well, for me it has to be the Kohl/Kajal eye pencils. Not that I have an extensive stash like other beauty addicts but, still I always get this feeling of hoarding and *when I am going to wear it and finish all the others* guilt bites me if I buy or get a new one :P. However, don't we all love to try out the new ones everytime something gets launched or catches our fancy. So, most of the times I do give in to my craving. :)

Today's review is on another Kajal pencil from Deborah Milano in shade 104 (Black), which was a part of the kit I got from Deborah Milano FB contest. Let's see how it fared on my list.

PRICE: Rs.200 

 

QUANTITY: Not mentioned

INGREDIENTS:

WHAT IT CLAIMS:  "A soft pencil that leaves ultra-deep colour. Easy to blend in. Safe for use also inside the lashline." 


SWATCH:

Top: 1 swipe; Bottom: 3-4 swipes

MY EXPERIENCE: Deborah Milano Kajal Pencil is indeed a soft kajal pencil which glides on smoothly giving a nice pigmented line. It stays on my lids easily over 6 hours without any smudging. I won't say it is completely smudgeproof because if you touch it then a bit gets transferred to your hands, though it won't give any raccoon eyes that we all dread. I found it to be water resistant too, though it is not mentioned on the product itself. It will only budge when you try to rub it off, thus it makes a good everyday product in my case. However, it has this distinct smell (sort of chemicalish? ) which I am not really fond of, but it didn't irritate my eyes at all.

WHAT I LIKED:

• Glides on smoothly on my eyes giving a nice satiny finish, which is neither too matte or glossy.
• Last on my lids more than 6 hours without fading (if I don't accidentally rub it off).
• Didn't irritate my eyes, or gave raccoon eyes and is water resistant.
• Comes in pocket friendly price and you can get it on more discounts on many online shopping sites.
• Available in 5 basic, different shades.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:

• Sharpening the pencil leads to product wastage. I prefer the twist up format pencils.
• I can never sharpen it to a pointed tip and so can't get fine lines.
• I detest the smell of the kajal.

VERDICT: Apart from the smell I don't have any issue with this. If you are looking for a decently pigmented, pocket friendly kajal/kohl liner then you can add this to your list. I might try out it in some other shades after I clear up my stash a bit. :D 

RATINGS: 4 out of 5

PR Information: Illamasqua Sophie-I Collection and Technique

Illamasqua works very closely with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation and our latest collaboration with them has produced the Sophie-I Collection and Technique, now developed further with a look by Creative Director Alex Box.

 

Minimal products with maximum impact, this look is fantastic to take you from day to night in a few easy steps - we're hooked!

The Illamasqua Sophie-I smoky eye technique allows you to not only express your individuality, but discover new depth and definition in your eyes.

Created using the black Sophie Medium Pencil, the technique is inspired by The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, the charity Illamasqua supports, and £3 from every Sophie Pencil purchased is donated to the foundation. 

Re-create this look with the help of this video,

Blush Swatches: Deborah Milano, NYX , ColorBar

Hey beauties! I thought of doing a quick post for the swatches of all the blushes that I got in my recent haul. I hope this would help in case you want to buy one any soon. 

Deborah Milano Hi-Tech Blush in Rosa Pesca:

Left: Blended, Right: Unblended

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Natural:

Left: Blended (Sorry my cam couldn't pick the color much here), Right: Unblended

 ColorBar Blush in Plum Brown:

Left: Blended, Right: Unblended

After I got all of them I noticed, that I actually got blushes in all forms too, i.e Baked, Cream and Pressed Powder format. I am loving all the three blushes as of now. Would post my reviews soon. :D

Haul: My shopping experience at MakeUpShades.com

Online shopping websites are a boon to lazy bums like me and more fun is to find out new websites offering different variety of products and unmatchable discounts. Now, I stumbled upon this little website called MakeUpShades.com a few days back. But, it was just launched and I thought of trying it out a bit later. So when I got a chance to review this site and share my shopping experience  I was more than happy.

About:
Who are we: Makeupshades is an online cosmetic store based out of National Capital Region. Our aim is to deliver rich variety of branded cosmetic and makeup products at the customer s doorstep.  Makeup shades aims to help both women and men to get vast collection of beauty products thus helping our customers explore new looks in this glamorous world. Inspired by the who s who of the fashion world, Makeup shades helps women in not only getting the trendsetting products online but provides numerous make up tips that helps women to display their own beauty and persona  

Great Offers and Discounts: We offer variety of products from different brands with attractive discounts and best offers. Our association with major brands offers our customers to feel rich shopping experience thus enhancing customer delight.  Our endeavour is to achieve customer satisfaction by introducing many exciting offers periodically thus adding to customer pleasure so keep visiting us to learn more.  

Secure Shopping: We guarantee you a secure shopping experience on our Online Store. All information entered by you on these pages will be kept strictly in confidence and will not be sold for commercial gains. Our payment partners and shipping partners ensure a safe and comfortable shopping experience for you.  There is much to explore here. So, what are you waiting for continue shopping at makeupshades.com


My Experience: 
When I first surfed the site, I saw they have very limited but popular brands with some great discounts, however the original prices on some were not the updated market prices but the old ones IDK why. Anyway, it is quite an opportunity if you want to hold on some products you badly want.

Moreover, they also offer assured free gifts for purchases above Rs.300 and that is based on certain amounts, which would make all the ladies happy for sure.

I thought of buying a blush and a lipstick from ColorBar range. Most of the blushes were out of stock so I had to settle on Plum Brown and for the lippies, there were a large number of shades available but I am on a *nude* high :P, so I chose the shade 'Bare' from their Velvet Matte range.

I had created an account on their site already, so checking out was breezy. I chose the COD option obviously, and shipping is free above a purchase of Rs.300, else you have to pay Rs.50 (ouch!).

I got an operator generated e-mail of my invoice as soon as I placed my order. I placed my order on 19th January late in the evening. My order got confirmed next morning on 20th and I got an email  about the dispatch with a tracking number on 21st i.e. today morning and it got delivered today in the afternoon :D

They have Aramex as their logistics partner, who give excellent service of delivery within 1-2 days. 
Here is my package all nicely sealed.

All the products were nicely bubble wrapped and a printed invoice was also provided. I also received a cute shoe key ring with my purchase.

And, here are the products that I bought and they are with 2011 Mfg. dates, which was a relief as I thought the products would be old because of the old prices. :D

Overall, I really liked their customer services and delivery services. I hope they add more brands and also keep their inventory updated. I would also like to suggest them to ask their technical team to revamp their site a bit as searches doesn't always show proper results and also the whole black look appears a bit dull to me. They really have the potential and I would like to see them grow.

For all my readers, if you want to buy anything from MakeUpShades.com then you can get a special 10% discount on a purchase of Rs.500 or above,use code: 2M68R62N, valid till 26th Jan, 2012, so hurry! :)


** PR provided a gift coupon for discount, but it doesn't influence my honest opinion! Read my disclaimer.

A collective mini haul :)

Hey ya beauties! As you might have seen on my FB page updates that I am on a shopping spree for last few weeks, from December end till January end to be precise, as all the sites were coming up with some lovely discounts or offer, and also found new websites to try out. More on that later, below is the collective pic of almost everything I got :D

Yup! THE THREE BLUSHES :D
Two weeks ago I didn't own any blush so as to speak of, and then I went crazy and got three. I know all three of them have been reviewed innumerable times. Adding mine won't harm anyone right :P

 

I ordered my first blush, Deborah Milano in shade Rosa Pesca, which was on my wishlist for a long time and it was available on HealthKart.com. So I ordered one along with Garnier Body Cocoon Lotion.

This time they packaged everything nicely and my order was delivered within 4 days time which is quite an improvement over the last time. Still, it was the last to arrive even though I ordered this first :P
You can read my complete experience here.

Moving on to the next,

 

I *quenched my thirst* for NYX products atlast. Ordered their Long eye pencil in Silver along with the Faces Long Wear in Forest Green from StyleCraze.com during their year end sale.I wanted the tea rose lippie too but it wasn't there.

And again ordered from their NYX sale, for the NYX cream blush in shade Natural along with few other stuff, but again missed on the lippie as it went Out Of Stock :(
My first order was delivered in 2 days and the second order in just 1 day! Beat that! :D But, I am missing their free gifts they were giving during their launch.
You can read my experience on Stylecraze.com here and know why I go gaga over it.

On to the next, the new website I was talking about is the MakeUpShades.com.
 

Ordered a ColorBar blush in Plum Brown and Velvet Matte Lipstick in Bare :D. Reviews and my shopping experience on the site coming up next :). In case you still want to check it out first, they are giving a special 10% discount on a purchase of Rs.500 or above,use code: 2M68R62N valid till 26th Jan, 2012, so hurry! :)

And lastly, the products I have been hunting for long. I finally found a Patanjali outlet near to my place and got their most proclaimed Aloe Vera Gel :D, along with some other bathing soaps.

 

I hope you all liked my little haul. :-*

P.S. Do you like this font size or do you want me to go back to the previous one? Let me know along with your comments. :)

L’Oreal Total Repair 5 Conditioner Review

Hey beauties! Today I am going to review the conditioner from the L’Oreal Total Repair 5 range. After my experience with their hair masque I thought of giving this conditioner a pass. But, I got one anyway through an offer of a free conditioner with the shampoo, which I buy every month. This was left to be reviewed from this range and so, I am happy to share my experience about this. 

PRICE: Rs. 80

QUANTITY: 90g

INGREDIENTS:

MY EXPERIENCE: In one line I would say, this is not one of the best conditioners, I have came across till now. It has very runny consistency compared to other conditioners. I require a huge amount to make my hair 'feel' conditioned. But then again a large amount makes the hair look limp/oily and a small amount doesn't do anything to my hair. To sum it up, I would say,

WHAT I LIKED:

• Adds some softness to hair.
• Hair detangles easily even when wet.
• Price is easy on the pocket but if you need large blobs like me then this wouldn't last really long.
• I like the fragrance which is common in all the products in this range.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:

• The obvious fact that I require a large amount and again that tends to make my hair limp.
• The packaging is such when you are almost at the end of it, it squirts product here and there on pumping it. (Ok..that sounds...errr....gross! :P )
• I didn't feel any miraculous conditioning effect as such.

VERDICT: I don't think I would ever get this again. I have found my HG conditioner in Dove Nourishing Oil Care Daily Treatment Conditioner and I would buy that one next time until I find something better. :D I think this would suit more to those who have oily scalp/hair as it is really light if used in smaller quantity.

 

RATINGS: 3 out of 5

L’oreal Total Repair 5 Instant Smoothing and Nourishing Oil Serum Review

Hey guys! I am still up, so late tonight to write this review, which I have been meaning to do since 2-3 months :P, as I bought this L’oreal Total Repair 5 Instant Smoothing and Nourishing Oil Serum in my October haul probably and now I guess I am ready to review it. Thanks for bearing with this procrastinator. :P

Let's move on with this review.

PRICE: Rs.140 (Introductory offer Rs.125)

QUANTITY: 40ml

INGREDIENTS: Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethiconol, Alcohol denat, Limonene, Benzyl salicylate, Linalool, Benzyl alcohol, 2-oleamido-1, 3-octadicanediol, Alpha-isomethyl ionone, Geraniol, Butylphenyl , Methylpropional, Citronellol, Hexyl cinnamal, Fagrance (F.I.L. C37906/1)

WHAT IT CLAIMS: "Treat yourself to the ultimate care system with L’Oreal Paris's New Total Repair 5 Instant Smoothing and Nourishing Oil Serum. This miraculous product’s technological innovation with ceramide-cement helps protect and repair hair damage caused by daily aggressors like the sun, pollution and water. It helps to avoid tangles and breakage, leaving hair smooth and nourished."

MY EXPERIENCE: To be honest I have used it only 8-10 times so far in so many months. And everytime my experience was almost the same. I use it when I don't use or forget to use the conditioner. The serum has a runny consistency and gives a strong alcoholic smell when I pour it on my palm, but as soon as I rub it on my semi wet hair, the smell lightens and becomes similar to all other products from this range. It detangles and softens and imparts some shine to my hair, however, it failed to work on my frizz and turns it more wiry and ugly, esp, if I have to go out and leave my wet hair open.

WHAT I LIKED:

• Helps in easy de-tangling even for wet hair when in a hurry.
• Gives a little softness and a bit of shine to the hair.
• Very little amount is required to cover my below the shoulder length hair.
• Effective packaging that helps in controlling the amount of the product required.
• Price is comparatively okay IMO and the quantity would last really long.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:

• Didn't work at all on my frizz in this winter.
• Attracts more dirt and makes hair rough if you apply it on wet hair and go out.
• I hate the strong alcoholic smell in it's concentrated form.

 

VERDICT: Apart from the Total Repair 5 Shampoo, I am not happy with the rest of the products from this range (would post the review of the conditioner soon and you might guess from this what is going to come next :-/). 

I won't say this serum is a must have product but if you have normal hair and want a pocket friendly serum then you might give this a try.

RATINGS: 3.5 out of 5