New Affordable Nail Paints

 One thing I miss about pre-covid times is pretending to pick up groceries while secretly picking up cheap(er) makeup. For better or for worse, I do most of my shopping online now. Recently I had some time to kill at the mall & stepped into spar. Pleasantly surprised to see these gorgeous polishes retailing at just 99 bucks for 3! Can't wait to try them. Have you used this brand before?

Insight Ultra-thin Second Skin Long Wear Foundation

 

One thing I've consistently been disappointed with while buying affordable makeup is definitely foundation. For some reason it's manufactured in only 3 shades & all of them seem to be designed for far eastern skin complexions. I'm pretty fair but even then nothing seems to suit. I should know - I have tried every single one of them. 

Recently while browsing amazon I came across this Insight Ultra-thin Second Skin Long Wear Foundation. The shade seemed to match & I bought Shade 04 Warm Nude. It comes in a glass bottle with a plastic dropper (yay! I've had enough of those plastic wands) & the bottle is housed in a cardboard box with all details mentioned on it. A 20 ml bottle retails for INR 160. Expires in January 2024.

It feels utterly weightless when you apply it & it gives a nice, satin finish. The coverage is sheer-medium & you can build it up with a second layer. Although that would affect the whole "Ultra-thin" claim. The finish is not matte & your skin appears to have a slight sheen to it. Apt for summers when you don't want too much on your skin. This particular shade oxidises on my skin after about an hour (Drat! Just when you get a perfect match) It just gets one shade deeper but doesn't look too bad. Oh! & it's not waterproof as claimed. 

Yays

Ultra-thin, they actually mean it. I've never used anything this light weight before 

Gives a nice satin effect with sheer - medium coverage 

Love the bottle design 

Affordable 

Nays

This shade oxidises on my skin. Not sure about other shades or other skins for that matter. 

Makeup Inventory 2020 - Compacts

 Let's hop on to the compacts now.

Maybelline White  Superfresh in Coral

INR 150 for 8 gm

I've hit pan quite some time back but this product refuses to die. Using diligently but will have to stop come winter. 

Oriflame Pure Colour Pressed Powder in Light Medium 

INR 350 for 20 gm (bought on BOGO) 

Using one of these from a while. I don't love it, I don't hate it. Will probably not be repurchasing again. I find Oriflame makeup products to be very mediocre. 

ADS Olive Compact in Shade 7

INR 220 for 50 gm

I should have checked the size of this thing before ordering. 50 gm is insane - it'll last me for 5 years I suppose.

Total number of products - 4

Number of products I would like to own - 2 (normal sized ones) 

Makeup Inventory - Foundation

Up until 2 years back I only had 1 foundation and 1 BB Cream in my stash. Then I went crazy & started stocking up

Wet n Wild Photofocus Foundation in Golden Beige

INR 599 for 30 ml

I like this foundation. It gives medium coverage which can be built up & skin looks nice and matte. The applicator is also decent. I just don't like the overly chemical smell of this foundation. 

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in 128 Warm Nude

INR 500 for 30 ml

Love everything about this. If I have to repurchase any 1 foundation this will be it. 

Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Foundation in Pure Beige Medium 2

INR 500 for 30 ml

This is my second bottle which should tell you how much I like it.

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Olivia Liquid Foundation in Soft Beige 3

INR 100 for 28 ml

Satin finish foundation which feels super heavy on my oily skin. I bought this when pretty much every youtuber was claiming that it was a full coverage foundation. Bah! It's not all that it's made out to be. 

Olivia Makeup Stick in 08 Egyptian Light

INR 140 for 15 gm

A multi purpose product - can be used as foundation as well as concealer. Again feels heavy on my oily skin & I can only use in winters. 

Olivia Waterproof Pancake in 26 Almond Dust

INR 120 for 25 gm

I went ham & bought everything from Olivia. This gives full coverage & is matte to boot. Like it

Maybelline Clear glow BB Stick in 04 Fawn

INR don't remember for 10 gm

Wrong shade, wrong texture for my skin. It provides next to no coverage & just feels like an extra step with 0 benefits. 

Blue Heaven Signature Foundation in Natural

INR 25 for

Light weight & gives sheer coverage. I don't know what more you can expect at 25 bucks

Spinz BB Cream

INR 52 for 15 gm

When I first saw the texture I had a mini heart attack. It reminded me of the God-awful Fair & Lovely BB Cream. This one's way better though. Blends well & gives sheer coverage. Will be repurchasing eventually.

Number of products - 9

Number of products I would like to own - 2

(Just adding to check my progress) 

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. 

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.

ColorNations Haul

As I mentioned in my previous post I've been buying makeup from Cuffs n Lashes from some time now. The process has been smooth & hassel free. This time the one product that I did want to buy was available on ColorNations only. I don't know if the 2 sites are connected in any way or not but the layout etc is super similar. Anyhow,  I placed my order & waited a good 6 days for my products to reach me. The package finally landed in Bangalore but the courier guy gave it to another girl in my neighnourhood with the same name as mine! Thankfully, she had the good sense to call on my number. Long story short I finally got my parcel 8 days after ordering. But it was not to be a happy ending. Sigh!

Hilary Rhoda Glow Kit in 01

INR 350 for 24 gm

Expiry January 2022

This was the product for which I had placed this entire order. It came in tons of bubblewrap but was completely damaged inspite of it. I want to be mad at the site but they have packaged it well. Out of the 8 highlighter shades only 3 have survived. The rest have blended into an iridescent powder which I have stored in a jar separately. So, so disappointed

Bonjour Eyelashes in 107

INR 30

Bonjour Eyelashes in 001

INR 30

I wanted to try out false lashes & couldn't find anything more affordable. It even comes with a tiny tube of glue.

Mars 5 Color Blusher

INR 300

Expiry May 2020

I only bought it for the packaging.  I have the contour kit in similar packaging & thought it would make a nice set together. These are insanely pigmented. Half of a smidgen would be great for a daytime look.

Cuticle remover

INR 15

Looked pretty. Did I need one? Hell no.

Shang Ling Liquid Eyeliner in Black

INR 85

One more thing I bought because of the cuteness factor. It comes with a stick type applicator which I don't know how to use. Ah well!

Zovi Waterproof Eyeliner in Blue

INR 40 for 5 ml

Wanted one from some time. Pretty good for the price.

ADS Banana Powder

INR  120 for 40 gm

Expiry October 2021

Just for backup. I have one more which I use. Love this stuff.

Mars Aloe Vera Makeup Fixing Spray

INR 195  for 160 ml

Expiry January 2022

The only thing in this entire haul that I actually needed. A wee bit sticky but it does the job.

ADS Olive Compact Powder

INR 220 for 50 gm

Expiry July 2022

This is HUGE! Like the size of a pancake. It might last a good 2 years for me.

That's all for now. Cheers!

Cuffs n Lashes Haul

From a few years now I've consciously stopped buying expensive brands of makeup. I have never finished using a single makeup product entirely except for mascara. It seemed crazy to spend so much money on something especially when you can get the same colour, texture & finish in a less expensive brand. Plus these days a lot of the affordable brands have upped their packaging game by leaps & bounds. That is definitely the cherry on the cake as far as I'm concerned. Shallow much?

Anyway here's my latest haul from Cuffs n Lashes. This site has become my go-to for affordable makeup. It's super easy to order from & I have always received my package in 4 days flat. I've been iffy about ordering from instagram stores for some reason. Let's start. I'm also including expiry dates for most products since I tend to forget exactly when I purchased a particular thing.

ADS Cushion gel Eyeliner

INR 300

Expiry June 2020

I've been eyeing this one since it was launched. Such pretty packaging. I'm utterly sold. Love it.

Me Now BB Cushion Foundation in 01

INR 300 for 12 gm

Expiry May 2019

Cushion makeup has been around from a while now. Last time I finally succumbed & bought Matte Look Cushion Lipstick. This time I got foundation & eyeliner. The packaging is awesome as is the product. 300 bucks for a cushion foundation is dirt cheap.

Half n Half Double Use Lipstick in 13 Peach Twist

INR 220 for 7 ml gloss & 4gm lipstick

Expiry January 2021

Another thing I've been eyeing from quite a while. You get both regular lipstick & liquid lipstick in a huge tube. The formula is the most comfortable one I've ever tried. No stickiness at all.

Blue Heaven Signature Mascara

INR 150 for 10 ml

Expiry May 2021

OK eye makeup products seem to be having a fixation with writing right now. After the ink pot & quill packaging for ADS Eyeliner, this one's shaped like a fountain pen. Like the really old ones. I simply had to get it despite the lukewarm reviews of Blue Heaven mascaras in general.

Kiss Beauty Sequins Liquid Glitter Eyeliner in 04

INR 150

Wow! Looks & feels high end. Love this one.

Olivia Liquid Foundation in 3 Soft Beige

INR 100 for 28 ml

Expiry April 2019

I obviously had to see what all the fuss was about. Yet to try

Kiss Beauty Hot Lips Lipstick in 4

INR 100

Dislaimer first. Kiss Beauty is my most favorite brand of all the affordable makeup brands. And every time I steel my resolve to buy no more they release a new product with fantastic packaging. Case in point, this Hot Lips lipstick. Been a while since I bought regular lipstick (Half & Half does not count as it also has liquid lipstick in it) it's only been liquid lipsticks from some time now.

Heng Fang Kiss Callectar Lipstick in 130

INR 100

Another thing I bought only for the packaging. And yes, another regular lipstick.

Kiss Beauty BB Moisturised Lip Gloss in 5

INR 99

Pretty nude shade. And it's Kiss Beauty. I HAD to get it.

Yanqina Stick Eyeliner in Black

INR 85 for 2.5 gm

I've heard amazing things about this one. Time to try

Me Now Soft Eyeliner Pencil in White

INR 50 for 1 gm

As you might have figured out by now, I simply don't jump in & buy trends left, right & centre. I have to be sure that I will be using them + they have to be affordable. The days of spending 800 - 900 on an eye pencil are long gone.

TYA Matte Lipstice in 11

INR 40

Looked super pretty but by the time I debated & dithered the shade I wanted (a pretty purple) was sold out. I settled for this one instead

Crazy Lips Lip balm in Pink

INR 35

Super cheap, super cute

ADS Minion Matte Lipstick in 01

INR 30

Another thing I had been eyeing from sometime now. Wasn't too keen because how awesome can a lipstick that costs 30 bucks be, right? Wrong! Pretty good & it has minion packaging to boot.

Blue Heaven Signature Foundation in Natural

INR 25 for 25 ml

Expiry August 2020

Wanted to try this ever since I saw it on a "Makeup under 30 Rs Challenge" on Shystyles. It looks too yellow for my skin tone. Will update after I've played a bit with it.

Free Gift

ADS Nude  'tude Palette

INR 280 for 11.08 gm

Expiry January 2022

I had vowed to not buy any more eyeshadows. I have enough to last me several lifetimes. But look, they sent me a sizeable gift & a neutral palette at that! Take that Nykaa- all I've been getting as free gift is conditioner from you guys. Yet to try. As of now, I'm happy to just stare at the sheer prettiness of it all.

OK, I'm done for now. Stay tuned for a haul from Colornations soon. That's it. Cheers.

Affordable Makeup Haul from Cuffs And Lashes

Hello people. I hauled some makeup recently & decided to share. A lot of these are brands I've been meaning to try from quite some time now. All of these products were bought from a site called "Cuffs & Lashes". I first heard of this site on YouTube & checked it out. After ordering, I received my package in 4 days flat! Everything was securely packaged in bubblewrap. Let's start

Kiss Beauty 3D Lip Gloss in Shade 10

INR 99

Miss Claire Soft Matte Lip Cream in Shade 24

INR 211

Blue Heaven Splash Lip Color in Shade 306 Pink Rush

INR 135

Kiss Beauty BB Gloss in Shade 1

INR 119

Blue Heaven Gossip Matte Lipstick in Shade 12

INR 134

Kiss Beauty Lip Oil in Shade 8

INR 114

Kiss Beauty Liquid Lipstick in Shade 14

INR 99

Blue Heaven Artisto Velvet Matte Lipstick in Shade 410

INR 114

Kiss Beauty Color Blur in Shade 8

INR 90

Matt Look Cushion Powder Lipstick in Shade 06 Antique Velvet

INR 224

Hilary Rhoda Gel Lipstick with Gold Leaf in Shade 03

INR 184

Blue Heaven Strawberry Lip Balm

INR 18 for 2 gm

Me Now Super Matte High Precision Lip Pencil (Set of 12)

INR 248 for 12

Mars Highlight Cream Palette

INR 276

ADS Luxury Banana Powder

INR 147 for 20 gm

Mars Blush Palette 2

INR 206

ADS Pro Star Printing Eyeliner Pen

INR 165

Miss Claire Glimmersticks for Eyes in Tahitian Blue E- 07

INR 53

ADS Pro Illuminator Makeup Base in Sunbeam

INR 202 for 30 ml

Phew!