My 10 Favourite Beauty Products

My 10 Favourite Beauty Products

I was nominated for the Top 10 Award by LaaLaa Monroe from DolceVanity.com a while ago. I don't usually like to have the awards that I was nominated for displayed on my blog, but I thought this tag is a nice idea for a blog post, so here it is!

This is a post on my 10 favourite beauty products so far & these are products that I happen to reach for all the time. Please note that these do not include beauty tools. It doesn't even include eyeshadows because I don't wear eyeshadows on a regular basis. These are just some basic beauty products.

For the lips...

• C.O. Bigelow's Rose Salve:
  This is what I use as my everyday lip balm. I have an older one of this salve, which I used to apply with my fingers & since that got a bit old, I have saved that just to use on dry skin or on my cuticles once in a while. I also used to get dry patches around my eye that came back every few months, but ever since I used rose salve on the dry spots, they haven't returned.
• Revlon's Matte Lipstick in 009 Fabulous Fig:
  My fav shade of red. Although I don't use it in the summer because it's a brown-ish red & tends to show up a bit dark on me in the summer, I love how this looks on me in Fall, Winter, & most of Spring.

For the eyes...

• Urban Decay's Original Eyeshadow Primer Potion:
  Over the past few years my eyelids have started to get oily, especially when I'm tired. This primer stops my eyeshadow from creasing. At times I apply a bit of this primer on my eyelids even when I'm not using any eyeshadow because it helps prevent my eyelids from getting oily.
• Annabelle's Smudgeliner in Electric Sapphire:
  This is one of the very few blue eyeliners that show up well on my medium skin tone & I love using it when I'm sick of wearing the usual black eyeliner.
• Lancome's Hypnose mascara:
  I usually don't splurge on mascara since you should be replacing your mascaras every 3 months & there are some drugstore mascaras that are amazing, but this mascara is definitely worth the hype. It's really black & it gives my lashes length & volume without clumping or flaking.
• Annabelle's Liquid Eyeliner in Black Out:
  I've never come across a liquid eyeliner that's so matte. The pen brush tip allows easy application & is helpful when you're trying to wing your eyeliner as well.

For the body & hair...

• True Blue Spa's Refreshing Citrus Body Scrub - Need a Margarita:
  I've used this myself & I like it so much that I've given it as a present too. It leaves my skin so soft & I don't feel the need to apply lotion after I use this scrub since it's so moisturizing. My scrub has turned yellow for some reason (maybe because I've had it for a while?), but it hasn't gone bad.
• True Blue Spa's Shea Cashmere & Silk Body Cream:
  This cream has a light butterscotch & vanilla kind of scent. It's not as light as a lotion but not as heavy as a cream either, so it applies smoothly. It leaves a light scent on my skin, which I love. Whenever I've taken out this cream to reapply it & my male friends were around, they complimented me on the scent & a few of them accepted my offer to try it out too!
• Bath & Body Works Signature Collection's Eau de Toilette in Blushing Cherry Blossom:
  This scent is good all year around. It isn't too heavy for the summer or too light for winter. It's priced well as compared to other perfumes that size. I like carrying this in my purse for the times when I'm in a rush & forget to apply perfume before stepping out. This particular fragrance might be discontinued though because I don't see it on the Bath & Body Works' website, but no worries.. they have tons of other fragrances that you can choose from.
• Hana Shine Shield Thermal Protectant:
  Ever since I stopped following up my blow drying routine with my flat iron I've noticed that my hair is fine the day I style it, but at times the next day it doesn't want to cooperate. When I use this protectant though, my hair holds up even the next day & it gives my hair a nice shine.

I love these 10 products! I have linked the products to their respective sites. The packaging for 2 of the products has changed, but it's the same product.

What are your favourite beauty products? Have you tried anything that's on my 10 fav beauty products list?

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10 Must-See Beauty Related YouTube Channels

10 Must-See Beauty Related YouTube Channels

These are 10 beauty related channels on YouTube that I love to watch & that you must check out if you haven't already. I have posted videos that I really like from each channel. I'm not into special effects but I love creative makeup & new colour combinations & these channels are definitely worthwhile.

gossmakeupartist

love.love.love. I've learned SO many tips from Wayne Goss!

iwanted2c1video

LuxyHair

not makeup related, but these twins make me want to try so many hairstyles & if you know me, you will know that I don't do much with my hair... at all.

KlairedelysArt

sarahchaudhry

MakeUpByNaya

MakeupAdikt

BeautifulYouTV

petrilude

julieg713

Check out the channels that I posted to see more videos by these amazing artists.

Do you have any favourite beauty related YouTube channels?

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UD Naked Palette from TheShoppingChannel.com (Canada)

UD Naked Palette from TheShoppingChannel.com (Canada)

There are plenty of reviews & swatches available online for the oh-so-popular Naked palette by Urban Decay, so I'm not going to be doing a review/swatch for this palette. Instead I will be posting about where I got this palette from in Canada.

I wanted to purchase this palette as a present, but all the Sephora's I called &/or visited were sold out. I'm not really an online shopper so I avoided looking online, but (since the closest Sephora is approximately a 45 minute drive away from me) I finally gave in & decided to look it up online.

The website that I found had the best deal is TheShoppingChannel.com. The palette was listed as $58 and it qualified for free standard shipping & handling, however, with taxes the total came up to $65.54 CAD.

I placed my order on Saturday, November 12th & received my parcel on Tuesday, November15th. The palette was not wrapped in bubble wrap, which concerned me a little but when I reached for the palette I realized that the minimal packaging was sufficient to hold the palette in place. Other things included with the palette were: a brochure on Himalayan Gems sold on the website, a brochure on the site's return policy, & my order summary along with postage stickers that I can place on the package in case I want to send the palette back for an exchange or return. I have to say that I'm quite impressed with the site and the service.

I could have also bought this palette through Sephora's website, which sells the palette for $58 as well, but the standard shipping costs $9.95, which would bring my total to $67.95 CAD. Also, Sephora lists their processing time as 1-2 business days & their delivery time as 6-12 business days. In other words, TheShoppingChannel.com was a better deal for me.

Although, it still annoys me that the palette costs $48 USD in the U.S., especially since I live 30 minutes away from the border. The CAD is stronger yet Canadians have to pay more for the UD Naked palette & our taxes are higher as well!

Have you been able to purchase the Naked palette by Urban Decay yet?

If so, where did you get yours from?

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with TheShoppingChannel.com

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Cold Weather, Warm Look

Cold Weather, Warm Look

Whenever I'm getting ready to go out I'm usually in a rush so I hardly take the time to do my makeup well. & then there are those days when I'm staying in & decide to test out some of my makeup & end up with something I love. Yesterday was one of those days.

Skipping eyeliner & opting for an orange/coral shade on the eyes, along with highlighted cheekbones & bronzer makes this look like it would've been perfect for the summer. I quite enjoyed the warmth of this look in the chilly weather too though!

Products Used:

• Coastal Scents 88 Metal Eyeshadow Palette - orange & brown

• i.d. bareMinerals foundation in Medium Tan

• Senna Cosmetics' Liquid Ice - Illuminating Drops [under brow, on cheekbone, & on the bridge of the nose]

• Annabelle Mineral Powder Bronzer in Terra

• Annabelle Mineral Powder Blush in Hush

• MAC Plush Lash mascara in PlushBlack

• MAC lipliner in Chicory

• Senna Cosmetics Cream Lipstick in Plush

• Revlon Matte Lipstick in 009 Fabulous Fig

• MAC Chromeglass in Pastel Polish [just a light dab on the center of the lips]

I think the yellow undertones in my skin make me look too pale in winter, which is why I love using bronzer during the cold months.

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Earrings haul from the 2011 Eid-ul-Fitr Festival in Mississauga

Earrings haul from the 2011 Eid-ul-Fitr Festival in Mississauga

Those who are familiar with the 2 Eids will probably wonder why I'm doing an Eid-ul-Fitr haul post when Eid-al-Adha is in 3 days. There's a reason to this madness, I promise.

I wanted to post about this earrings haul earlier, but I thought I'd save this post for now because I wanted to share my experience at the first Eid festival (or what many desi's call the chaand raat mela) I visited in Canada.

Yeah... I've lived in Canada for 10 years & finally decided to visit one of these festivals/mela's. I didn't have many expectations going in because desi (South Asian) clothes & accessories are overpriced in North America.

I was in a horrible mood on the drive there (the whole 1 & a half hours), but I was all smiles within 10 minutes of browsing around in the festival/mela. Not only did the stalls have an amazing collection of big earrings & jhumkas, but they were SO reasonable (as compared to regular store prices in Canada anyway).

By the way, examples of jhumka's are the pink & blue earrings in this post.

When I say reasonable, I mean I got all 3 earrings in this post for under $40. That's a bargain considering that the gorgeous blue jhumka's in the pic below alone would easily cost $50+ in a store in Canada. That seems pricey but the blue jhumka's are huge (compare them to the size of my finger).

It's true that these are much cheaper in certain areas of Pakistan &/or India, but you need to know those areas. I went to Dubai, U.A.E & a few other cities in India in the summer of 2010, but I didn't find earrings like these.

The people who set up stalls at the Eid festivals here own small businesses and get beautiful earrings from all over & they have so much variety!

Besides jewelry there were desi outfits (a lot of variety in the latest Pakistani styles), clutches, shoes, & an area where you could get henna applied. I was so mesmerized by the huge earrings that I didn't really pay much attention to the clothes & clutches.

I definitely enjoyed the Eid festival & it was worth visiting it. If you want to check out the upcoming 2011 Eid-al-Adha festival/chaand raat mela in Mississauga on November 4th, 5th, & 6th, check out their flyer above.

I had gone to the 2011 Eid-ul-Fitr festival/chaand raat mela at Maple Banquet Hall early in the evening. I highly suggest that you go earlier on in the day once the festival/mela starts. That way you will avoid the night rush since the banquet hall (after the stalls are set up) isn't that big & I've heard it gets extremely crowded at night.

Let me know if you've visited any of these Eid festivals/melas in your area & whether you think it's worth visiting them.

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