Top 5 under 100

 Not something I post about usually but who doesn't like a good deal? 

Insight Eyeshadow Base Primer 

INR 99 for 7 gm

I always used concealer as a base from the beginning of time. Remember the mad craze for Painterly Paint Pot from MAC? Been there, done that. I only picked this up on a whim (because it was so affordable) & because I could feel the side eye from Robert Welsh. 

The texture is exactly like L'Oréal Base Magique Primer and this one makes my eye makeup last longer. Even with oily lids & hot weather. Winner! 

Insight Multi-Use Loose Eyeshadow #05 Gemstone 

INR 125 for 7 gm

OK, this one goes slightly over the 100 mark but its always on sale around 99 bucks. This one's amazing. You can use it as eyeshadow or liner. Some of the other paler shades can even be used as highlighter. How is this brand doing it? 

Beromt Super Stay Matte Mini in Sexy Secretary

INR 150 for 1.6 ml (available on their website for INR 99)

When they say mini, they truly mean mini. But I'm not complaining. As someone who has never finished a lipstick, ever; this feels like I can actually finish using it up. The formula is ultra matte but it doesn't feel drying on the lips & it's insanely pigmented. For some reason the brand describes this colour as peach nude while it's a brown based red IRL. 

P. S : You will be saving on shipping if you buy from their website. The base price seems to be lower as well. 

Beromt Holo Chunky Nail Polish Topper

INR 50 for 1.5 ml  (available for INR 30 on their website) 

I love toppers of any kind & these offer something new. It comes with colour shifting chunky holo glitter in translucent polish. I love how the glitter lies flat on nails despite it's size. The quantity could have been more (seriously 1.5 ml reads like eye makeup quantity) but it's good for the price. 

NY Bae Erasin' Nail Lacquer Remover Pads

INR 99 for 30 pads (please pick up on BOGO) 

Wow, oh wow. I have used nail polish remover pads in the past with terrible results. This one is amazing though. Not only does it remove nail polish in a jiffy it also leaves your nail & nail bed area super moisturised. This was a total life saver on a recent trip. 

What are your go to affordable products? 

First order from Smytten

 Hey all, today I'm sharing a few products I ordered from smytten. For someone who has just finished a whole year of No Buy and transitioning into Low Buy, this was ideal for me. I'm not looking to buy full sized products anytime soon (heck I have barely made a dent in my mountain of products even after a whole year of not buying anything).

When you sign up on Smytten you get 6 credit points which you can use to get various products. You only have to pay for shipping (which is INR 200 + GST). Since it was my first order GST was waived off and I only paid INR 200 for these 6 products. Also after your order is delivered 200 points will be added as cashback points which can be redeemed with further orders. I also received a small pink pouch as free gift with my order. 

Plum Chamomile and White Tea Glow Getter Face Mask (15 gm)

Retails for INR 125 / 1 trial point

MCaffeine Naked & Raw Coffee Body Oil (15 ml)

Free Sample / 1 trial point 

MCaffeine Naked & Rich Choco Body Butter (25 ml)

Free Sample / 1 trial point 

Plum Green Tea Clear Face Mask (25 gm)

Retails for INR 250/ 1 trial point

MCaffeine Naked & Raw Latte Coffee Cream Oil (30 ml) 

Free Sample / 1 trial point 

Dot & Key Cica Calming Blemish Clearing Face Wash (15 ml) 

Retails for INR 99 / 1 trial point

All MCaffeine products are free samples & don't have their prices mentioned on them. The rest of the products total to INR 475. I think it's a great deal especially if you like trying out new products. What do you guys think? 

NOTW Week 54

 Hey all, finally wearing pastel on my nails for summer. Shade #128 from Tenno Cosmetics is a milky lilac colour & I can't get enough of this shade. Been wearing & rewearing this one from 2 weeks straight. 

I love the formula of these nail paints - they go on smooth with good pigmentation in a single swipe, self-level like a dream & are chip resistant for a good 4 days. The brushes could be a whole lot better though. 

I bought a set of 12 7ml bottles for INR 400 from Flipkart. Totally worth the money. Cheers! 

NOTW Week 53

 

Hey all, I hopped onto the cookie crumble train really late. I was under the impression that these were only available in pastels and you know how I feel about non-colours. Today I'm wearing this gorgeous turquoise green cookie crumble polish from Kalobio. 

I love this polish. It goes on opaque in a single coat & lasts at least 5 days straight without chipping. It has a standard flat round brush. No complaints. 

For some reason there is no mention of any shade number or name anywhere by the brand (must be one heck of a job to take inventory!) A single 11 ml bottle retails for INR 135 but I bought a set of 6 for INR 500 from Meesho 

Eyeliner Inventory 2022

 Pen eyeliners 

Yanqina Eyeliner Pen

Easy to use and so affordable. Almost done with this one.

ADS 2 in 1 Star Printing Eyeliner Pen

More pigmented than the previous one. Good at this price

Maliao Perfect Slim Super Liner

0.8 gm

The most pigmented and the longest lasting one

Gel. Eyeliners 

ADS Cushion Gel Liner

2.8 gm

ADS Pro Eyeliner Gel and Powder

Liquid Eyeliners 

Insight Waterproof Eyeliner

Zovi Waterproof Eyeliner

Maybelline HyperGlossy Liquid Liner in Gold Nation

Kiss Beauty Sequins Liquid Glitter Eyeliner in #4

Kajal Inventory 2022

 

ADS Kajal

INR 15

Me Now Soft Eyeliner Pencil in White

INR 30

Maliao Intense Gel Kajal in Turquoise

Maliao Intense Gel Kajal in Blue

(Swatches order from top to bottom) 

Stay Quirky Badass Kajal

INR 99 for 0.25 gm

Wet n Wild Color Icon Kohl Eyeliner in Calling Your Buff

INR 195 for 1.4 gm

Miss Claire Glimmersticks in Tahitian Blue

INR 50 for 1.8 gm

March 2022 Empties

 Empty number 2 - 8 for 2022

Today Body Milk (500 ml) 

Bought this a long time back from Germany. It's extremely rich & I can only use it here in winters. Glad to have finally used it up. Great product, might just pick it up if I come across it again. 

Good Vibes Lip Balm in Pina Colada

INR 99 for 

I bought this after incessant "Good Vibes Jai Jai" from sundry beauty bloggers & influences. While the products of this brand are decent, they definitely don't come under the Must Buy category for me. Pass, I've used better. 

Beloved Bliss Intense Skin Cream in Jasmine and Cocoa

50 gm

This was insanely low priced & I picked it up just to see how it performs. Just a regular cold cream, nothing fancy. I HATE the smell though - IMHO jasmine just does not pair well with every other scent & both Jasmine as well as Cocoa should be left well alone instead of assaulting the senses of consumers. Never repurchasing again.

Dexe Lip balm

I really like this one. I have used pretty much every variant & they all are good. I haven't been able to find this one anywhere. Still have 2 more of these.

Kotakkal Keshyam Hair Oil

I converted into a hair oil lover some years back when it helped a nasty hair situation I was going through. I love this one. All natural ingredients and from the house of Kotakkal. I couldn't have asked for more. Will happily repurchase.

Patanjali Saundarya Multani Mitti Face Scrub

I love the scent of this but the scrub particles are super abrasive. Not something I would want to use on my facial skin. It also behaves like a foaming face wash and gives me squeaky clean, dry, taut skin.... & I have oily skin. I can only imagine how it must be on dry skin. I finished using this up by using as a shower gel. Are you kidding me, no repurchase ever.

Luster Argan & Honey Face Wash 

I bought a set of 10 of these face washed on a crazy deal on amazon. I was curious to see how such a cheap SLS free  product would perform. Not well. Extremely drying & it foams like crazy. Finished it up by using as a shower gel. 

Cheers. 

NOTW Week 52

 

Hey all, I've been obsessed with textured polishes of late & have picked shade #404 Sparkling Sky Blue from Dirty Shades. It's a gorgeous peacock blue which goes opaque in a single coat, dries in a jiffy & stays put for days. I'm amazed at the lasting power since most textured polishes start chipping in no time. 

The brand claims that it gives a gel effect manicure & dries to a high shine finish (I personally feel it's more on the matte side). It comes with shade lock technology for colour that stays true throughout the life of your manicure (I have to agree, minimal fading even at the end of 5 days). The brush though, has my heart. It comes with a precise 1000 U-cut bristle brush which picks up polish easily and distributes it in a mere 2 swipes. I love brands that take the time to elaborate on their brushes because it has a huge impact on how the polish gets applied. These polishes are 5 toxins free, vegan, cruelty free, paraben free and chemical free. 

A set of 4 10 ml bottle retails for around INR 450 on amazon but I bought it from meesho for INR 380. It's not a vast difference in price but it is something. 

Cheers 

Makeup Inventory 2022 - Loose Powders

 Moving on to loose powder next

ADS Luxury Banana Powder (40 gm)

ADS Luxury Banana Powder (20 gm)

I love this. So finely milled, it sets the undereye area like a dream. I first bought the 20 gm one (halfway through this) & bought the larger one as backup. I know this one's supposed to dupe the Ben Nye one but the packaging is a pain. It's not the most user friendly design. I've decanted a bit into an old powder container to use more easily. 

Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Baking & Setting Powder (20 gm)

Shade Kunafa

This was one expensive mistake. I couldn't wait till Huda launched in India & ordered this. Wrong shade & no return policy (always read the fine print). This one's too dark and orange for my skin tone. I look like Oompah Loompah when I use this. Sigh! 

NYN Natural Finish Loose Powder in Shade 2

This one's finely milled too but it has a wee bit of shimmer in it. Consequently I can only use it at night. Super slow progress as social life is almost nil since the past 2 years 

Lakme Rose Powder

Seemingly endless. Have been using this since forever. 

Makeup Inventory 2022 - Compacts

 Listing my powders today. I haven't used them even once through winter. Hence progress is slow. Getting older, skin getting drier. I probably need to stop buying these altogether. With such sobering thoughts let's start

ELF Translucent Mattifying Powder

Pretty decent. Too light for my skin tone. Thank the lord it's translucent. 

Oriflame Pure Colour Pressed Powder in Light Medium X2

INR 350 for 20 gm

I don't like these... At all. Thinking of just binning them instead of struggling 

Elle 18 Glow Compact in Shade Marble

INR 120 for 8 gm

Currently using this. I do see a tiny baby pan. Probably will be joining my empties soon 🤞

ADS Fashion Compact in Shade 7

INR 200 for 50 gm

I started using this last summer & I actually thought I would hit pan on it. It's a 50 gm pan. (Yes, you can laugh) After all these years you would think I would know better. 

Makeup Inventory 2022 - Concealer and Contour

 I know I have been dragging my feet in this makeup inventory thing. Let's start again with concealers. I'm including my contour product here too since I only have one of each. I'm so glad this category is manageable. I'm currently using Wet n Wild concealer in Medium Tawny which suits my skin to a T. The concealer is creamy & blends well to give decent coverage. 

The contour product is Maybelline Master Contour in Medium. I like this shade for contouring & the concealer works well as a highlighting one. I would have preferred if the product was dual ended. I can see things getting messy when I reach the centre of the product. 

NOTW Week 51

Hey all, I'm wearing shade #20 from Volo. It's a medium brown & works as a great neutral for my skin tone. I'm wearing a single coat here, 2 coats would make this opaque. These polishes come with a standard flat round brush which picks up polish easily. Application is a breeze & these self-level too. Also these last a good 4 days without chipping. 

I picked up a set of 12 7ml bottles for INR 400 from Flipkart. 

One of my mini-goals was to use neutral nail paints at least once a month. I naturally gravitate towards jewel tones (having spent several years in the corporate world, painting my short nails with non-existent colours; I cannot imagine a worse fate) & my neutral polishes just sit on my vanity quietly waiting to be recognised. Baby steps but getting there. 

P.S : I keep getting asked if I wear any topper to alter the appearance of polishes & the answer is NO. Keeping colours true to their original selves is also why I never use filters on my pictures. I put on a single coat most of the time because I'm trying to experiment with nail art & a single coat seems to work well for that purpose. More coats = more easily peeling off polishes (a pet peeve of mine) & I try to avoid it at all costs. 

Makeup Inventory 2022 - Foundations

 Let's hop on to the foundations now

Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse in Pure Beige Medium 2

30 ml

This was the first drugstore foundation which matched my skin to a T (Let's face it - we had no clue how to shade match back in the day). I was so excited by this discovery that I ran out & bought a second bottle immediately. I'm about 3/4th done with this one. I still like it.... Just not as much as I did initially. 

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Matte + Poreless in 128 Warm Nude

30 ml

My HG foundation. Love everything about it. 

Wet n Wild Photofocus Foundation in Golden Beige 

30 ml

Pretty good but I don't like it as much as the Maybelline one. The God-awful chemical smell deserves a separate post. 

Matt Look Oil Free Foundation in 102

30 ml

Love this one for summers. It gives a nice, matte finish. 

Insight Ultra-thin Second Skin Long Wear Foundation in 04 Warm Nude 

20 ml

This one oxidises on my skin. I've kept it so I can use it when I tan come summer. 

Revolution Pro Full Coverage Camouflage Foundation in 102

20 ml

Pretty decent. Not my favourite though. 

Swiss Beauty BB Foundation in 03

40 ml

This one's great for winters. It gives a nice dewy finish. 

Total 

2022 - 7

2020 - 9

NOTW Week 50

Hey all, I keep getting bitten by the pastel bug every few weeks and decided to reach for #332 from Tenno. It's a sea foam green colour with medium shine. It goes on opaque in 2 coats and self-levels like a dream. I'm wearing a single coat here. These polishes come in this unique oval - shaped bottles which are quite short. Because of the length of the bottles, the brush is quite short and not dense enough. I found it slightly tricky to paint my large nails without streaks. A denser brush would have taken this whole nail polish up several notches. 

A set of 12 7ml bottles retails for INR 400. The brand claims to be non-toxic, chip resistant, stain proof and long lasting. I have to agree, I had absolutely no chips on my dominant hand after 4 days. Go for it!

Makeup Inventory 2022 - Primers

 Finally I've decided to bite the bullet & do a makeup inventory. I'm scared of what I'll find in my substantial stash but here goes. Starting with the primers 

ELF Mineral Face Primer in Clear

Almost done with this one, I've very little left. My oily skin loves it and I will be using it come summer. This one has taken a back seat since I started using the Maliao one. 

SFR Color Primer in #120 Green

30 ml

I don't like this one at all. It has a serum type consistency & doesn't really help in filling out my pores or in making my makeup last longer. The green tint doesn't translate onto the skin & hence does not even help in cancelling out redness. Forcing myself to use this one up since it expires in Dec 22

Maliao Magic Perfecting Base Face Primer

30 ml

Absolutely love this one. I have stopped using all other primers after I discovered this one. 

Stay Quirky First Base Primer Oil

10 ml

I have oily skin & silicone based primers are my jam. But as I'm getting older my regular primers don't seem to work as well in winters. Bought this one specifically for winters & I quite like it. Never did I ever think I would be using a primer oil! 

Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Primer

Again a winter primer. Love the finish this one provides. 

Insight Eyeshadow Base Primer

Robert Welsh finally convinced me to ditch my concealer and use an eyeshadow primer. This one's texture, colour, smell, everything is exactly like the L'Oréal Base Magique one. It works exceedingly well on my oily lids.

Total 

2022 - 6

2020 - 3