Makeup Inventory - Concealers

I don't use a lot of concealer so this should be quick

Maybelline - This is the only concealer I have & it works well with my skin.


Mars  Face Contour Kit - I loved how this looked & got it without a second thought. The first 2 shades are quite pale for my skin & I use them as an eye shadow base. They can even be used as a highlighting concealer. The central shade matches my skin to a T & this is the one I use mostly. The last two shades are for contouring.

So happy I don't have a lot in this category. See you again soon. Cheers

May 2020 Empties

Time for empties again

Vivel Body Wash Mint + Cucumber

INR 80 for 200 ml

I bought this because it claimed to have a refill pack as well (which means less plastic pollution in the long run). However I'm not sure if the plastic bottle is more recyclable than the flimsy refill bag or vice versa. It smells lovely and feels a bit cooling on the skin. Ideal for summer. Will be repurchasing again.


Himalaya Herbals Tan Removal Orange Peel-off Mask

INR 70 for 50 gm

I know these peel off masks don't do anything for the skin but if you are a 90s kid you'll remember being bombarded by ads for Everyuth Peel off Masks. And it takes a while to relearn what you believe WORKS! This is the last peel off mask in my stash and I'm planning on not buying any more.


Shri Shri Ayurveda Turmeric Face Pack

INR 65 for 60 gm

I wanted to try this brand and thought a face pack was a good place to start. It's a basic clay & turmeric pack. It's decent for the price. I won't be repurchasing as I'm trying to be all atmanirbhar.


Lux Botanicals Freesia Scent & Aloe Vera Soap 

INR 32 for 100 gm

I'm loving the Lux Botanicals range. I wonder if these are available in body wash form. Both the soaps I've tried smell fantastic.




Alps Goodness Coffee Exfoliating Face Scrub 

INR 125 for 30 gm

Don't know why I bought this. I don't even use walnut shell scrubs anymore - so harsh. Anyhow the product does not smell anything like coffee & instead smells like caramel. I love caramel scent & didn't mind so much but the product itself is nothing to write home about. I have 1 more of this to go through. Also what is it with products having German /Swiss names? I get it - you want to milk the whole Alps thing - but it's a home grown brand manufactured somewhere near Mumbai. What gives?


Maybelline Nail Polish in Coral Chic

INR 100 for 8 ml

When I started posting empties I never thought I would ever be posting makeup empties. When I finished using loose powders & compacts I just thanked my oily skin for it. When I finished using mascara I thought I had finally become a finisher. I'm so proud to have actually finished a nail polish this time. I went through a coral phase & wore only this polish from Maybelline. I also had a matching lipgloss by Revlon called Papaya. Somehow both of them lacked pigmentation. Maybe it's because of applying multiple layers that I've finally managed to finish this.


Me Now Pro BB Cushion Foundation in Shade 01

INR 350

I love the sheer coverage this one gives. The shade is a bit pale for me but I finished it by using when I was practicing looks. I've borrowed a hack from Wayne Goss & using the same container to use my other existing foundations.

Discards

Kiss Beauty Color Blur Lipstick in Shade 8

INR 100

Supremely drying & settles into lip lines like crazy.


Sivanna Lipstick 

INR 300

I don't know why this is popular. Maybe it's just the packaging. It has a weird crumbly texture & does not even apply evenly on my lips. If I do manage to apply a couple of coats it promptly settles into lines on my lips. So done with this one.


That's all for this month. Cheers

April 2020 Empties

Empties time again

Benetton Colors EDT 100 ml

So proud of myself for finishing this bottle. I barely had an inch of the perfume left but it took forever... At least it felt that way. Loved the scent a lot but not repurchasing again.

Good Vibes Green Apple Gel 50 gm

Honestly I'm a little disappointed with these Good Vibes gels. They are nothing out of the ordinary & this one has a supremely strong fragrance which I hated. Glad to see it gone. Using the orange variant currently.

NY Bae SkinFIDENT Serum Eternal as the Empire State (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate)

This is not an empty, per se. It just seems to have gone bad & that too a full year before it was supposed to expire. After the horrible experience using NY Bae SkinFIDENT Serum last time I was vary of using this one anyway. I don't know whether to be happy that they are actually using ingredients mentioned on the package or to be sad that they are making such poorly formulated products. Sigh!


Discards

ADS Matte Lipstick 38

Way too pale on me. This was part of a set with nude shades & every one of them is a winner.

Swiss Beauty Soft Matte Lip Cream in 12 Soft Pink

Nothing soft about this pink. It's a loud Barbie pink... Almost similar to the one I discarded last month

Swiss Beauty Matte Lipstick 212 Berry

Bought this only for the packaging & because it was supposed to be a dupe for Mac Rebel. The lipstick tends to settle into lines on the lips & makes me look years older. Plus I have a near perfect dupe. Won't be missing this one.

That's all for this month. Cheers

Makeup Inventory - Primers

At long last I've decided to finally inventory my makeup. This has been a long time in the making. Let's start with the primers. When I first started using primers 10 years back, they were an indespensible part of my routine. My oily skin simply loved it & my makeup stayed put for much, much longer. I started with the L'Oréal Base Magique one which was pretty much the only Primer available in India back then. While I loved the product I felt it was overpriced (like ALL L'Oréal products) at nearly a thousand bucks. After that I've used ELF Mineral Primer in Green which was also decent & tried the God-awful Nivea After Shave Lotion.

Now 10 years down the line, my skin is less oily & makeup seems to stay put without the use of primers. Consequently I use primers only for special occasions when I am wearing makeup for extended periods of time. Here are the ones I currently own.

ELF Mineral Face Primer in Clear

USD 5

Fairly decent quality. It's not the best but does an OK job.

Maliao Magic Perfecting Base Face Primer

INR 300 for 30 ml

I love this primer. It looks & feels so luxurious and performs like a BOSS. If I ever run out of primers this is the one I will be repurchasing.

SFR Color Primer in #120 Green

INR 99 for 30 ml

This is the worst primer I've ever used (not counting the Nivea one). Doesn't seem to do anything at all. Plus the green tint does not show & hence does not colour correct like it's meant to.

Ideal number of primers I would like in my stash - 1
(Including this just to track my progress in about a year's time)
Also Primers are on the No-Buy list since I have so many & don't use them nearly enough 

March 2020 Empties

I'm a little late with my empties this time. Somehow just did not feel like writing anything. Anyway here goes

Himalaya Herbals Purifying Neem Peel-off Mask

I love using peel-off masks in the summer, it somehow makes my skin look really clean. I recently came across this YouTube video by The Golden Rx who gave a detailed laundry list of why peel-off masks are bad for you. I'm in 2 minds about using one after seeing that. I still have one more peel-off mask in my kitty.


Harmony Strawberry Soap

I like using soaps more than body washes in summer & this one has a nostalgic feeling to it. This was what I used all through college. Decent soap, might pick up a few more after lockdown ends.


Pond's Light Moisturiser

I hated this. Even this light moisturiser was not light enough for my oily skin & I had to mix in an equa quantity of Lacto Calamine to make it work. The scent is also super strong. Never buying ever again.


Now on to the decluttering part

Kiss Beauty Lip Gloss

I bought this a while back. It's a bright Barbie pink colour & this is one colour that I gravitate towards especially in swatches. I think I have several dupes of this. I will be getting rid of them all one by one. Fingers crossed.


Heng Fang Kiss Callector Lipstick 

I bought this simply because I loved the name & I hadn't bought a bullet lipstick in a while. The colour is too pale on me & looks more like concealer. Pass


MN Blush

This one's supposed to be a dupe of the blush in Lily Cole collection by The Body Shop. I like the colour, it's just difficult to apply & blend. The difference between no colour & clown cheeks is very thin + it's a whopping 13 gm of product. I'll never be able to finish that.


That's all for this month. See you all soon. 

Innisfree Capsule Sleeping Pack Review

It's a season of duds y'all it's a season of duds. I wanted to try the Innisfree Sleeping Mask ever since I saw them on meme boxes eons ago. However I felt they were overpriced & waited patiently till they released a capsule version of the same. I always do a cost per ml/gm before buying skincare & I simply couldn't justify spending 15 bucks on 1 gm of product. I was feeling a little indulgent & a lot lightheaded during the October sales that were going on everywhere. I made up my mind to get 2 of these & only on adding them to my cart did  I noticed that there was a "Buy 3 Get 3" offer on them on Flipkart. I did the only thing I could & bought 6.

Here's my review of the Innisfree Capsule Sleeping Pack in the variant Bamboo. I started using this after I got back from a holiday & my skin was in serious SOS mode. I thought I would be able to gauge the effects (hah!) on my skin better. A mask is one product where I expect instantaneous results. I applied a thin layer on my skin & went to sleep. I was honestly expecting fantastic results given the overwhelming positive reviews everywhere. I woke up to same old skin. Talk about disappointed! I used this continuously thinking my skin would benefit. It lasted a good 12 days when I used a thin layer on my face & neck. I could discern very less difference even after using this for a week. I only started noticing plumper skin after day 10. That's a long time for a mask to work.

The mask comes in this thin circular plastic container with a foil covering. I personally found the packaging very flimsy... would have preferred a more sturdy lip balm type container. All the ingredients & other details are mentioned on the back of the pack. The mask itself feels & looks like any old aloe vera gel but it smells fantastic.

Ingredients - Water, Glycerin, Betaine, Methyl Propanediol, 1-2 Hexane-Diol, PEG-40, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Panthenol, Tromethamine, Carbomer, Phenoxyethanol, Dipropylene Glycol, Algae Extract, Eclipta Prostrata Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Allantoin,. Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance, Fructooligosaccharides, Tetrasodium EDTA, Beta Glucan, Lecithin, Butylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Dextrin, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract, Orchid Extract, Theobroma Cocoa Seed Extract, Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Centella Asiatica Extract, Ficus Carcia Fruit Extract, Bambusa Vulgaris Extract, Ulmus Davidana Root Extract, Blue 1 (CI 42090), Ceramide NP


INR 150 for 10 ml

Only after I read the ingredient list did I finally figure out why it wasn't working well for me. While a lot of reviewers & possibly the brand themselves want you to believe that the mask works because of the various fruit extracts present in them I think it's because of good old Hyaluronic Acid which is mentioned somewhere in the middle of all the ingredients. No offence to the natural extracts but they simply can't work as well as acids. And the reason it took forever to show results on my skin was because I normally use a more potent version of Hyaluronic Acid in my skincare & this diluted form simply didn't cut it.

I'm still stuck with 5 of these. Sigh! These BOGO deals I tell ya. 

February 2020 Empties

Restarting empties has been so much fun. I honestly didn't think I would have any products at all this month.
Nevertheless managed to finish using up these

Everyuth Tulsi Turmeric Face Wash

Everyuth Lemon Face Wash has my most favourite scent of all time & I picked this one up with a lot of hopes. It's a decent face wash but I simply couldn't stand the scent. Finished this by using as a body wash. Never purchasing again


Nivea Whitening Deodorant

I had been looking for a good deodorant from some time now. This feels gentle on the skin, probably due to the absence of alcohol. The scent is nothing to write home about though. However I'm not happy with it... Simply does not work for the Indian summer + I'm leaning towards natural products. Still have 2 more of this.


Multani Mitti


I love using a mixture of Multani Mitti and besan to wash my face & go through this quickly. This particular Multani Mitti I picked up from Amazon simply because I was intrigued that the seller was selling it for 1 buck + shipping. I mean just the audacity to offer a product for 1 Rupee was crazy & I was expecting a so-so product at best (if that). I'm surprised that the quality is decent. Will repurchase soon.

Moving on to the decluttering part. I recently did an inventory of all my makeup (post should be coming up soonish) & discovered that I have 80 nail paints! So I am doing the only logical thing & getting rid of the colours I don't like/will never wear. Both of these are from a 24 nail polish set I bought from Flipkart. I absolutely dislike the darker green shade. The lighter green I tried to tone down with white nail paint but the neonness (is this even a word!) would not go. I'm getting rid of both.


Maybelline Colorsensational lipstick in Iced Orchid

Jettisoning this because I hate frosted lip shades + the cool undertones clash with my warm skin. But mostly because I'm trying very hard to follow the one in one out rule. Oh & it is at least 5 years old.


See you soon with more empties. Fingers crossed.