SFR Color Haul from Cuffs n Lashes

I've been meaning to try this brand from a very long time. However a surplus of makeup in my stash kept me in check every time I thought of buying. From the past couple of months I've been putting aside some money every month just to indulge in my love for makeup. What this does is it frees me from feeling guilty about buying more & also helps me deal with second guessing as to where the money would have been more useful.

As always I bought these from Cuffs n Lashes. There was a sale when I bought these so the prices are more than affordable. I have heard a fair bit about SFR products breaking very easily in transit & had mentally prepared myself for a couple of broken products. Imagine my joy when I realised that not even a single product was broken. It was packaged really well like always.

SFR Girl Ultra Shiny Glitter Palette #3
INR 175 for 12.46 gm
Expiry March 2023

This one looks so pretty. It swatches very well but on the eyes it's a completely different story. Oh well!

Swiss Beauty Loose Foil Pigment #03
INR 139 for 3 gm
Expiry November 2022

Wow! The pigmentation on this thing - insane. Love it. Want to try Iced Pigments by Malio next.

SFR Color Baked Bronzer Pro Glow #1
INR 125 for 15 gm
Expiry January 2024

 I love this. Just a little goes a long way. Adore it

SFR Color Professional Matte 10 Eyeshadow Palette #1
INR 125 for 14.3 gm
Expiry December 2023

Absolutely love this one. Perfect for a brown smokey eye

SFR Color Flower Blusher #1
INR 115 for 10gm
Expiry December 2023

A bit pale on me but it might work for a barely there look. Plus it looks so gorgeous I almost didn't want to ruin it with a brush

SFR Color Pure Colour Blusher #3 Naked Apricot
INR 109 for 4 gm
Expiry May 2024

This is the single reason for this entire haul. Love the colour

SFR Color Glow Nude Highlighter Palette #1
INR 105 for 10.82 gm
Expiry October 2023

Fantastic. I finally have a highlighter I actually like. Love the fact that I get 3 shades in one product.

SFR Girl Glitter Gel Eyeshadow #12
INR 99 for 4.8 gm

This is so cool. It comes in nail polish kind of packaging with a stiff applicator. Super easy to use

SFR Color Baked Eyeshadow #08
INR 99 for 8 gm
Expiry April 2024

Look at the packaging just, look at it. So utterly pretty. I wanted the purple one but it was OOS so I ordered this grey tealish colour instead.

SFR Color Glow HD Liquid Illuminator Highlight Soft Light #02
INR 99 for 15 gm
Expiry December 2023

Pretty pale pink colour. It literally disappears on the skin leaving a glow behind & it doesn't have chunky glitter particles. Hallelujah! I might buy the champagne colour next

SFR Color Primer #120 Green 
INR 95 for 30 ml
Expiry December 2022

This one I'm not so sure I like. It's like a light weight cream. I also don't see it covering any redness on my face. Will have to try it a few more times before I make up my mind.


I simply love this brand. I can see myself buying a whole lot more in the coming months. Cheers. 

NY Bae SkinFIDENT Serum - Lit as Central Park Review

I've been looking for a facial serum with niacinamide from the longest time & I was ecstatic when I found NY Bae SkinFIDENT Serum. It claims to contain Vitamin B & Niacinamide & I bought it at 50% off. What's not to like? Everything apparently.

These serums come packaged in a cardboard box with all the details written on it. The serum itself comes in a frosted glass bottle with a stopper, screw cap & a dropper. All you have to do is remove the cap & stopper & fix the dropper to use. Some of the details are also printed on the bottle.

INR 225 for 10 ml (Perpetually on BOGO on Purplle)

Key Ingredients - Aqua, D-Panthanol, Petitgrain Essential Oil, Fragrance

Lit as Central Park serum is a transparent, watery formula with a light woody scent that goes on easily on the skin & literally disappears. If you have ever used glycerine mixed with rose water that is the exact texture of this serum. I used it on it's own everyday before bed as my oily skin doesn't require too much moisturising. I need about 5-6 drops for my face & neck. Since it contains essential oil, I didn't want to use this in the daytime.  I have used up this bottle in a little more than a month & in all this time it's done NOTHING.

I had started using this with very high expectations and couldn't understand why it was not working for me. Purplle claims that this product contains Vitamin B & Niacinamide (active ingredients only) yet nowhere on the package does it even mention Niacinamide.

I did a little research about the other "key" ingredients they have mentioned. D-Panthanol is a common moisturiser and humectant that is used in pretty much everything from ointments, lotions, shampoos to even contact lens solution. One of the properties of D-Panthanol is that it enhances the appearance and feel of skin & hair by increasing suppleness & sheen. Panthanol can be converted by oxidation to Vitamin B5 in skin. So it does contain Vitamin B but it is in such a generic form that you have probably used it in a zillion products already.

Petitgrain Essential Oil is often called as Poor Man's Neroli. It is good for maintaining the moisture and oil balance of skin as well as for treating acne. The main constituents are linalyl acetate, linalool, limonene, a-terpineol, & geranyl acetate. While all this is great it still does not account for the missing Niacinamide.


It also claims to be moisturising, shine control, strengthening, hides visible pores, skin brightening, anti-aging, anti-acne & oil control(phew!) on Purplle app. On the package it claims to treat hyperpigmentation & acne and improve skin texture. These are a lot of claims for something that does not even contain the main ingredient that they themselves have declared. I'm so disappointed that a brand would just outright lie like this.


Yays

Light texture with mild smell that gets absorbed easily

Pocket friendly price

I love the fact that it actually has a name & is not simply referred to as Serum with Vitamin B & Niacinamide


Nays

Since it contains essential oils & even vitamins which deteriorate with sunlight, I would have preferred an opaque bottle. And once I imagined the same bottle in jet black the already medicinal plain bottle started looking even worse.

The biggest grouse is definitely the different ingredients from what is mentioned on the app & package.

With or without Niacinamide it does precious little for my skin. Total fail. Looking back I should have probably bought 1 or 2 of these instead of SIX. When will I ever learn?

See you all soon.

NY Bae SkinFIDENT Serum Haul

If there is one brand I've been hearing of more than Good Vibes, it has to be NY Bae. Since I already have more makeup than I know what to do with I held back from buying anything from them. Imagine my happiness when I discovered that they have started dabbling in skincare as well. Purplle is perpetually running BOGO deals or some other variant like Buy 3 Get 3 etc. I obviously couldn't resist & bought these 6 serums. Because of the offer going on when I ordered, I ended up paying around 100 INR for each of these.

Every time that I complained about lipsticks or nail paints not having names, someone at NY Bae was obviously listening because every single one of their products have names & funky, tongue-in-cheek kind of ones.

These are the serums I picked up. For some reason only 2 of these had the clingwrap kinda packaging around the cardboard box & the rest were naked. And although I had seen the pictures of the product before ordering I was still struck by how plain & medicinal they looked.

NY Bae SkinFIDENT Serum, with Glycolic Acid, Radiant as Show Stopper Serum, for oily skin

INR 175 for 10 ml

NY Bae SkinFIDENT Serum, with Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C, Ageless as the Liberty Lady, for skin softening

INR 175 for 10 ml

NY Bae SkinFIDENT Serum, with 20 % Vitamin C, Timeless as Times Square, for skin brightening

INR 175 for 10 ml

NY Bae SkinFIDENT Serum, with Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Eternal as the Empire State, for wrinkle-free skin

INR 175 for 10 ml

NY Bae SkinFIDENT Serum with Glycolic Peel, Lit as Grand Central Terminal Serum, for tan removal

INR 199 for 10 ml

NY Bae SkinFIDENT Serum, with Vitamin B & Niacinamide, Lit as Central Park, for skin texture enhancement

INR 225 for 10 ml

I'm planning to start with the last one on the list since it claims to tackle skin texture. Let me know which ones you would like me to review. 

Good Vibes Haul

I've been hearing an awful lot about Good Vibes no matter where I turn from the past few months. I held off from buying anything because I had a ton of stuff I was trying to finish before it expired. Anyhow now that I'm finally done using up all the products I had, I did the only obvious thing. I hauled. Please note that all the products listed below are the collective haul from 3 different orders. Let's begin.


I bought these on a BOGO offer so the lesser priced Serum & Essence were free.

Good Vibes Radiant Glow Face Serum - Rose Hip
INR 215 for 10 ml

Good Vibes Facial Essence - Liquorice
INR 225 for 10 ml

Good Vibes Argan Facial Oil with Silver Leaves
INR 285 for 10 ml

Good Vibes Facial Essence - Saffron
INR 225 for 10 ml

Good Vibes Green Tea Rejuvenating Face Mask
INR 55 for 10 gm (FREE GIFT)

All the 50 gm face gels were on a BOGO offer & the travel size ones were on a flat 35% off


Good Vibes Gel - Green Apple
INR 175 for 50 gm

Good Vibes Gel - Cucumber
INR 175 for 50 gm

Good Vibes Gel - Orange
INR 175 for 50 gm

Good Vibes Gel - Vanilla
INR 175 for 50 gm

Good Vibes Gel - Calendula
INR 175 for 50 gm

Good Vibes Gel - Pomegranate
INR 175 for 50 gm

Good Vibes Gel - Rose & Mulberry
INR 40 for 10 gm

Good Vibes Gel - Watermelon
INR 40 for 10 gm

Good Vibes Gel - Havana Mango
INR 40 for 10 gm

Good Vibes Gel - Aloe Vera
INR 40 for 10 gm

Good Vibes Conditioner - Banana
INR 40 for 10 ml (FREE GIFT)

Then I bought these sheet masks on a Buy 7 Get 7 offer. Each mask cost me 50 bucks


Good Vibes Acai Berry Regenerating Sheet Mask

Good Vibes Lemon Brightening Sheet Mask

Good Vibes Lily Radiance Sheet Mask

Good Vibes Chamomile Soothing Sheet Mask

Good Vibes Rose Moisturizing Sheet Mask

Good Vibes Manuka Honey Skin Lightening Sheet Mask

Good Vibes Strawberry Revitalizing Sheet Mask

Good Vibes Black Berry Skin Refining Sheet Mask

Good Vibes Pomegranate Skin Damage Control Sheet Mask

Good Vibes Grapefruit Illuminating Sheet Mask

Good Vibes Skin Purifying Sheet Mask

Good Vibes White Tea Enriching Sheet Mask

Good Vibes Rice Brightening Sheet Mask

Good Vibes Kiwi Skin Brightening Sheet Mask

Phew! Will post individual reviews soonish.

Hyalugel Plus Review

After using Hyalugel with great results I decided to step things up a notch by using Hyalugel Plus. While the regular Hyalugel has a 1% concentration of Hyaluronic acid, Hyalugel Plus has 2.5%. To say I had high hopes will be an understatement. I had bought 2 tubes to cut down on my delivery charges. And after finishing 1 tube I think time is ripe for a review.

Lakyou Beauty Velvet Elastic Eyeshadow Palette Review

I have been meaning to get a red & pink based eyeshadow palette from the longest time. But let's be honest I was scared of using red near my eyes. When I saw "Ruby" palette by Huda Beauty on Amazon, I ordered it without a second thought. After repeatedly getting wrong eyeshadows from them 4 times straight, I just gave up. Until I came across this palette at a local store. I had heard of this brand on Cuffs n Lashes previously & the shades of near-red-but-not-quite also appealed to me.


INR 300 for 10 gm

Expiry December 2022

Ingredients - Mica, Dimethicone, Caprylic /Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Magnesium Myristate, Magnesium Stearate, Bismuth Oxychloride, Silica, Methyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Parfum, CI 77019, CI 77491, CI 77019, CI 77491, CI 77499, CI 77019, CI 77891(The usual suspects but I wonder why some of the colours are repeated)


I finally got my hands on palette no. 3 from Lakyou Beauty after much thought. As with all cosmetics made in PCR the instructions & information are confusing at best. These claim to be Velvet Elastic Eyeshadow (whatever that is) & also Eyeshadow Cream! They are soft to the touch & there is absolutely no fallout. When I put more pressure there was an indentation in the pan but no fallout. These seem similar to the pressed eye shadows released by L'Oréal long back.


The palette comes in a cardboard box which has all details on it like ingredients, how to use, manufacturing & expiry dates etc. When opened the palette is protected by a plastic clingfilm. Details regarding the product are also mentioned behind the palette. The palette is made of plastic & is covered with a transparent lid - standard packaging, nothing extraordinary.


All the pans have a mishappen heart embossed on it. The colours are well pigmented & I can get decent pigment with a single swipe. While the swatches with finger are pigmented as hell, the colour payoff is great with a brush as well. If you do apply more pressure small fragments of the eye shadow start disintegrating but you can easily press them back together. They also stay put for 5-6 hours without fading.


Let's look at the shades
L-R
Row 1
Rose Gold shade with shimmer
Rose coloured
Pure white with silver shimmer
Row 2
Reddish peach
Champagne colour
Pale brown
Row 3
Looks bronze in pan but is a pinkish peach colour
True bronze
Dull gold

I absolutely love the colours. The central shade can even be used as a highlighter on my skin. Except for the 2 bright colours everything else is neutral. Me likey. 

Project Pan Update

I had originally planned this post about 2 months back so I could update after 3 months. Anyhow, posting now. It's been 5 months since I started my Project Pan in January this year. And in all this time I've actually managed to finish quite a bit. Let's start with the wins

Ponds BB Cream- An old favorite. I've been using it for nearly a decade & it's still the best BB Cream in the market for my skin type. The smell though is a different matter. I positively HATE the signature smell of the White Beauty range. Finally managed to finish this up.

Eyetex Dazzler Foundation- Somehow managed to finish this by using while practising different looks. Definitely don't recommend. Life's too short to use shitty foundation.

Cameleon Mascara- Done, done n done! How proud am I!

Streetwear compact- This was missing when I started my project. Finally found it at the bottom of an unused bag- shattered, mirror cracked & even the compact unhinged! Into the bin.

Now for the list of products I will be using for the next 3 months. Some are carryovers from last time. Seriously how much product is there in these things!

Nivea After Shave Lotion- I only used this as a primer in Jan when it was relatively cold. In the summer months,  not only does this not function well as a primer I literally want to claw it off my face. Quite by accident I discovered that it works pretty well as a makeup remover & I've been using it like that. Only a quarter of the bottle's left. Soon

VOV Loose Powder- Again I've very little left & this is all I'm using these days as it's too hot for the foundation.

Now for the things I will be adding to my Project Pan for the next 3 months

Spinz BB Cream- This looks & even smells vaguely like the Fair n Lovely BB  cream but thankfully blends way better. It even dries to a matte finish so I don't even have to set with powder. This one's pretty much full, let's see if I can use it up

Blue Heaven Signature Foundation- Way too yellow for my skin tone but I plan to use it while practising looks. If I set it with a pink undertoned powder, it looks pretty decent. I still wouldn't wear it outside home though

Lakme 9 -5 Mascara- Currently using this

Maybelline BB Stick- I've had this since forever. It's a bit darker than my skin & suits my tanned skin in summer. I honestly doubt if I'll ever finish this.

Elle 18 Compact- Been using this these days. Quite like it.

That's it folks. Wish me luck

Lipstick Haul from Cuffs n Lashes

I recently did a lipstick haul from Cuffs n Lashes. If you have followed my blog for a while,  you know that I pretty much get all my makeup from them. And I was happy with the service so far. This is the first time they've messed up with an order. Let's start


Incolor Exposed Lipstick in 02 Adding Love

INR 199 for 3.7 gm

Expiry January 2020

This was not the colour I wanted. I have a gazillion pink lipsticks in my kitty & had ordered Posh Petal- a browny nude. It was OOS & I received a call saying that the shade I'd ordered was not available and that they would replace it with a similar colour. On what planet these 2 shades are similar is beyond me but at the least they had the courtesy to call & inform.

The main reson for ordering was definitely the packaging. A sleek black metal case houses the lipstick & it has a magnetic closure. The shade I finally received is not bad, I quite like it. My problem is with the expiry date. It expires in less than a year which means it must be more than 2 years old. Disappointed.


Swiss Beauty Matte Lipstick in 212 Raspberry

INR 199 for 3.8 gm

Expiry November 2022

My main reason for this haul. I couldn't resist this dupe of MAC lipstick. Looks pretty & super comfortable on the lips as well


Half n Half Super Matte Lipstick in 02 Heaux

INR 129 for 3.6 gm

Expiry August 2019

One more thing I've been eyeing for a while. A super pretty pinky nude colour. Again the problem is with old stock. It didn't even have the outer carton & the sticker stating the shade name was falling apart. This lipstick expires in 4 months! I cannot believe the site actually thought it was ok to sell this.


Kiss Beauty Look Bipa Lipstick in 10

INR 115 

Again a dupe of MAC lipstick. The entire collection is made of nudes & I bought one that most appealed to me.


Kiss Beauty Matte Liquid Lipstick in 11

INR 115

Kiss Beauty is the king of dupes. They will dupe anyone's products & come out tops. This lipstick is a dupe of Kylie Jenner's makeup launch. A super pretty red.

Kiss Beauty Flat Finish Pigment Gloss in 01

INR 115

One more thing on my list from a while. Another pretty red


Baby Lips Lipstick in 02

INR 29 

I couldn't resist the price. This one's a happy orange.


Swiss Beauty Lip Cream in 12 Soft Pink

INR 189 for 6 ml

I wanted to try this from a while & finally got it. The colour photographs differently which is why I ended up getting a shade I have several dupes of.


Half n Half Super Matte Lipstick in 22 Walnut

INR 129 for 3.6 gm

Expiry April 2020

One more thing I didn't order. I'd ordered Matte Look Super Stay Lipgloss & they sent me this instead. No call, no nothing. The only thing in common with what I ordered was the shade number which unfortunately is a different shade as they're from different brands. Again the expiry is in exactly 1 year.


They also did send a pair of earrings along, probably to cover the difference amount between Matte Look & Half n Half lipsticks.
That's all for this haul.


I know the sheer amount of makeup on Cuffs n Lashes would send anyone in a tizzy but I expect the site to check expiry dates religiously. I also know that a lot of the liquid lipsticks don't come with any details whatsoever- no quantity, expiry etc. The expiry with regular lipsticks is only an issue because it's printed on it. If it was not mentioned anywhere I would probably be ok with using it. One more thing is that sites like Amazon sells cosmetics with 1 year or less than a year to expire under heavy discounts & they do mention the expiry. Infact I recently bought an Island Kiss Lip balm on Amazon for 100 bucks. The reason for the discount was that it would expire in a little more than a year. I've paid full price (how much ever affordable it may be) for the cosmetics I bought from Cuffs n Lashes. Is it too much to expect fresh stock?

They did admit their mistake after I reached out to them & agreed to give me 100 INR store credit for the next time I shop. But I'm having second thoughts about shopping from this site again.

What are your thoughts? Comment below.

Beauty Basket / Project Pan 2019

There was a time when I would diligently work on my empties. And have a bunch of skincare empties to show for it. I never, however managed to finish a single makeup product though. I even started a Project Pan on my blog sometime back to tackle this. Somehow it didn't work for me as intended. This time around I came across this idea on another blog about creating a Beauty Bag & only using those products for a specified period of time. I will be trying to use up these products for 2 months- January & February of 2019. Following are the products I have selected. They are all half used & I hope I will be finishing up them completely.

Pond's BB Cream- Like everyone else I've been using this from forever. I loved it when it was on their Anti- aging range, I loved it when they reintroduced it in their White Beauty range as well. But now I'm simply bored of using this. It's mostly the smell that I can't stand. This will be my last tube. I only have about a quarter tube of product left.

Eyetex Dazzler Foundation- I bought this back when YouTube was chock- a - block with budget makeup videos. People were sharing foundations that cost 200, 100, 50 & even 30 INR. I ran out & bought this from my local market for just 45 INR. Eventually I realized that it was a mistake & the only reason so many youtubers were able to pull it off was because they were all makeup gurus. They could probably use flour from the kitchen as makeup & come out tops. Anyhow I'm stuck with this product that does nothing. First off I bought the wrong shade, all the other shades were so pale that I bought the darkest shade I could even though it has a pink undertone. It doesn't really matter because it provides no coverage whatsoever + it also has that annoying strong smell that all cheap makeup has. Sigh!

Cameleon Mascara- I don't really remember how much I paid for it but it's pretty decent. It defines every single lash very well. Also when I wash it off it comes off as flakes. The first couple of times I was scared I was losing lashes. It is water- resistant though, you can splash your face a couple of times without the mascara budging.

Nivea After Shave Lotion-  God knows who started this "hack" of using After Shave Lotion as a primer but we are all stuck with it now. It only works on my oily skin in winters & even then feels super- sticky on my skin. Now that a lot of primers are being released around the 300 INR mark, I will not be repurchasing this.

Benetton Colors- Bought this long back on Snapdeal as a blind buy. Totally love the scent- it's fresh with a little bit of spice thrown in. I only have about an inch of product left.

Elizabeth Arden Green Tea- Another perfume I'm tired of wearing. Wil hopefully finish it in the next 2 months

Streetwear Compact- I've hit pan eons ago & turns out its now lost. Can't find it anywhere. If I don't find this by January I will be using Maybelline Super Fresh Compact instead.

VOV Loose Powder- Again something I bought long back. It's a whopping 20 gm of product. I have very little left.

P.S : No pics this time as my camera died an untimely death.