Make up addiction...what??how?? which one?? and more...

My makeup stash is increasing by the day...I keep browsing websites to see where the best deals are and what to buy where! So you can say I am pretty well informed. V says ... dont keep looking at make up da..you will go mad one day!! hahaha!! That day is far far away...

Any hoooo, my take on make up is that if you invest in the right products and use them the right way, they can really make that aha! difference!. Some may say..natural beauty is the best blah blah..but we dont go without shaving our arm pits or waxing our legs do we? So the same way, these have become an essential addition to my daily routine. After a hella trials and trials and more trials, I have sort of mastered the art of minimalistic make up to make that difference.

I just wanted to ramble about it and share my thoughts.. see if you can pick up a pointer or two!!

So a basic makeup kit should essentially consist of the following:

- A concealer ( try drugstore brands like maybelline, neutrogena, my favs are amazing cosmetics, and MAC - they do wonders!). All you honestly need is a concealer to hide all those blemishes and small scars.. Top this off with powder and voila!! you are done!! All you have to ensure is to choose the right shade. Rule of the thumb is to go for a warm tone concealer in the same shade as your skin to cover blemishes and scars and go for a pink tone one in a shade or two lighter for your under eye...remember peeps covering your under eye bags is uber important, especially if you are working or heading out.. you dont want to end up looking like a raccoon now do you?

- A powder foundation or a liquid foundation. I would steer clear of liquid if you have oily skin as they tend to oxidize on your skin making you look dull and dark. Best is a powder based foundation. ( Try revlon, maybelline for drugstore brands and MAC, Benefit for more expensive ones)

- A kaajal pencil for your waterline. ( best out there is the Urban Decay 24/7 pencil. MAC's feline kohl is good too)

- A liquid eyeliner in black or dark brown. South asian skin tones love these shades. ( Lancome is the best pricey one out there, there are cheaper ones like maybelline, revlon, prestige etc)

- A muted eyeshadow in a peach, taupe, copper tone for that extra pop!

- A nice brownish pink blush.

The entire routine takes me about 5 minutes a day and it really gives me a feel good factor :)

Just make sure you use a nice make up remover to take off all your make up before going to bed.

So all I am trying to say is if you use makeup appropriately and the right way, they can actually go to enhancing your looks and making you look naturally gorgeous!!:-)

Shopaholic & Moi..:)

The title may bring a familiarity breeze to my close friends.. They know the shopaholic that I am.. They know, that with the mention of the word "sale" or "new arrivals", i'd be one of the definite visitors to that place..
To be very honest, I don't shop that much.. I am more of a window shopper.. What I do is.. I review the place and scan through all the clothes that they have.. obviously do a price check to see if its really worth the price.. and then make up my mind to buy it...I get all of this done within 2 minutes..:P so you can be rest assured that I will not walk out of the shop empty handed... which, in this case and in all cases, makes me a shopaholic..????

Anyways... I am not here to talk about me...I am here to talk about shopping.. yeah sure.. but just to pitch in a few pointers that could help all those crazy shoppers around...
Walk away
A lot of us ( esp women) do a lot of implusive shopping...when we see something really enticing, we wanna buy it..Then a while later.. we're like..."umm do I really need another shirt" in the same ocean blue""?? But thanks to the return policy that a lot of stores have, we can always go ahead and return the item for store credit or refund.. But why go through all this hassle just to go and return the item?? I'd rather not buy it in the first place... So here's what I do.. I am an impulsive shopper.. sometimes, that lipstick entices me so much that I forget to see the price on it..and I am tellng you , they arent all that cheap...
So when I see something that I really really like.. but its not a necessity, I walk away from it to another isle... I register details about it at the back of my head and walk away from it.. then I get back after about 15 minutes.. If I still want it, I buy it...I am telling you, this works.. try it..
This technique has helped me from stopping myself from buying cosmetics, tops, shoes, sandals and even deo's!!!

Shop like a guy!!

You know how guys sho? They walk into a store.. know exactly what they want and where to find it.. browsing or window shopping for them is restricted to like 10 minutes.. and then they walk out with a good purchase...I really don't blame them.. there aren't many varieties for guys as there are for girls.. they dont have to worry about a-line, bohemian, tanks, tunics, camisoles, sleeves etc.. its polo, t-shirt, stripes, checks, plain.. most of the time!!
Honestly, I love the way girls shop... Its nice to spend that extra hour just strolling and fishing and finding that perfect needle from a haystack, if required!!
Anyways, just in case you find yourself spending a lot of money or find yourself out of cash, make a mental list of what exactly you wanna buy and what occassion do you wanna buy for... Then go to the store and ask where you can find it and head there straight..again.. I 've done this a lotta times.. yep.. saved a lot..too!

Mix match your clothes

This way, it seems like you have a lotta combinations and new ones and you really don't need another blouse or shirt...
If you have the basic white and basic black colours as t-shirts or blouses, this will help mix and match your clothes...

I know this seems frugal existance.. but it really does help when you are trying to save that extra money...
And if you need motivation or an insight on what "shopaholic" means or who exactly would deem fit that definition, you should read the shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella...
That my friend is a true shopaholic.. and an expensive one at that..!!!

So whats YOUR style quotient??!

So I decided to add some spice and variety to my page..
You will be now seeing quite a lot of stuff on somethings that I am naturally interested in.. Will be sharing all that I know with you people.. I know you can google most of the stuff..but even so, these are things that I personally follow..so njoy!!!


Hair care: Deep conditioning/ treatment.

• Here 's a time and tested tip for hair thats been abused with heat, chemicals and color..Do this once or twice a week and your hair with bounce back with life and smell great too..Mix 1/2 cup of warm coconut oil and 1/2 cup of olive oil in a spray bottle look at that image if you wanna know how one looks like..) and spray through your hair concentrating on the roots.. Massage lightly for about 5 minutes. Leave on for about 15 minutes and wash your hair normally.. i.e shampoo then conditioner ..the works.. A complete spa treatment for your tresses and whats more?? with salon like results..

• Dandruff haunts and troubles almost everyone right? Take 1/2 cup of freshly grated coconut, add some warm water and grind together in the mixer.. Squeeze out the milk in a cup and apply that to your hair just before shampooing. Yeah its a bit messy, but the results are totally worth it.. Leave on for about 15 -20 minutes and wash your hair normally. Do this once a week, and you can start seeing results almost immediately.

• While washing your hair, make the last hair rinse as a cold water rinse. Hot water can be harmful for the hair and makes the hair more prone to breakage.

Face:

• Follow the cleanse, tone moisturise routine twice a day and especially before going to bed. It really helps take care of the skin at night. You could use a mild face wash for a cleanser, a normal witch-hazel toner ( easily available in drug stores), and a over night oil free moisturizer. Sometimes, it doesn't really take too much money to follow the basic beauty routine. Unboiled milk is an excellent cleanser and helps clean the face.

• Too much oil or sebum secretion can cause acne breakouts or pimples. So make sure you use a mild harmless toner like the witchhazel toner that I mentioned to clean your face.

• Make sure eye make up is completely remove before going to bed. You can use a ear bud dipped in baby oil ( a nice substitute for a makeup remover) to remove kohl and eye liner over and under the eye lids.

• Apply lip balm or vaseline on the lips before applying lipstick. It helps in a smooth and even application.

• Wiping your face with a face sponge dipped in ice cold water helps in make up staying a whole lot longer.