New Fave Website and Win Two $25 Giftcards for Skincare!!

Hey lovelies!! I want to tell you about this new site I discovered, Apothica, which has tons of cosmetics from many brands all in one site!! The cool thing about this site is that they are partnered with SkinCareRX, which has just about every skin care brand you’d want and is currently (until Dec 1) having a 25% off Friends and Family discount with code FF25 (better than the Sephora discount, eh?) and they are also partnered with my personal favorite, Skin Botanica, which carries natural and organic beauty products, and is currently running a 20% off sale…just click on the Skin Botanica link. How great to shop from 3 stores and get everything in 1 shipment!! 

I know many of you are like me and like products from a variety of brands, and I love that you can order say, one Bobbi Brown shadow, your fave Michael Kors fragrance that is running out, and whatever else you need (they also carry skin care, candles, body care, and hair care) in one order, for one shipment (did I mention free shipping over $49?), and not have to mess with other sites and multiple shipping fees!

Some of the cool brands featured on Apothica are DuWop and the popular Moroccon Oil, and one of my faves Japonesque! For awhile now I have been wanting to try their lashes and instant eyeshadow...yes instant eyeshadow...honestly I think it sort of takes the fun out of applying shadow but it’s so unique I just have to try it! Their products are pretty affordable too. Have you tried anything from them?

Smoky Eye Instant Eyeshadow

Now for the fun part:  Apothica has been gracious enough to give away a $25 giftcard to one of the fabulous Kajal Couture readers!! And if you are lucky, you can win an extra $25 giftcard for a friend!! I’m secretly jealous because I could totally use that to try those instant eyeshadows. Anyways, back to the giveaway. Here’s how you can enter:

1.     One entry for becoming a follower by clicking on the "Follow" button on the right hand toolbar

2.     One entry for following me on Twitter at @kajalcouture

3.     One entry for following Apothica on Twitter at @Apothica

4.     One entry is you "Like" me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kajalcouture)

5.     One entry if you become a fan of Apothica on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/Apothica)

6.     Two entries if you tweet about this giveaway

7.     Two entries if you comment about Apothica and/or Japonesque in the comment section of this post

8.     Two entries for signing up for the Apothica Newsletter (found at the bottom of the Apothica website)

9.     Seven (yes 7) entries if you blog about this giveaway on your blog (your post must have a minimum of 100 words and include the word Japonesque and have it linked to http://makeup.apothica.com/Japonesque.html)

10.  IMPORTANT – If you do any of the above, make sure you comment on this post and let me know which entries you have completed.

In the spirit of the holidays, wouldn’t you love to be able to give a friend a $25 Apothica too? Well, if you do #9 above and blog about this giveaway and you win, you will win an extra $25 Apothica giftcard for a friend!!!

This giveaway starts today, Monday, November 22, 2010, and runs until midnight, EST, on Friday, December 10, 2010. http://apothica.com

Do You Have a Wallflower? Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil Review

I can't believe I haven't blogged about this yet! My go-to lip liner for the past few months has been the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil in Wallflower:

If you've ever tried UD's 24/7 eye pencils, you know how well those liners go on and how long they last, and their lip pencils are no different! The shade Wallflower is practically the same color as my lips so I use it from a wide range of lip colors from baby nudes to fall's new plums.

Bare lips

Lined and filled in with Wallflower lip pencil 

Kajal Couture Rating: A+

Kajal Couture Overall Opinion: This lip pencil is smooth and glides on effortlessly without tugging at the lips, it lasts all day, and the color Wallflower can be used under just about any lipstick. What's not to love!!

Have you tried the UD 24/7 lip pencils? 

I Love Shoes and Other Current Faves

If you are like me, in addition to beauty products, you probably love other girly things like shoes and purses. Look what I found at Walmart the other day:

It's a high heel ornament! And it was only $1!! We don't have a tree up yet, so it's part of my end table decor, but I just love how it glitters when the light hits:

You may remember awhile ago I mentioned my fixation for Bath and Body Works candles. Well, I recently got these cute little candle holders that you just drop the candles in:

There are a few different designs but I just love this one for the holiday! And it makes your candles look fancier:

I am also addicted to home fragrance oils! They are just so much stronger than candles and I especially love how they cover up the smell of cooking...and use a lot of onions and spices....so I need these oils in my life!

Have you found any new home decor items?

Stop Bagging On MAC Bags (Brush Sets That Is)

Every holiday season MAC releases brush sets, and every holiday season you hear bloggers saying not to buy them because the quality is not as good as the regular brushes. Well, I have nothing against those bloggers, but seriously, the brush sets are not as bad as people make them out to be. In fact, if the brush combo is right, the brush sets are GREAT!!

The brush hairs in full size and the sets are the same, the only difference is the full size are man made, and the sets are machine made.

The first negative I always hear is the brushes are scratchy. When machine made, there is a little more room for error, so some bristles might go in backwards. With face brushes, if a few bristles are in backwards, it won't make a difference, but with eye brushes, that can affect the feel.

I have both version of the 187 brush and I love them both! I can't tell a difference in feel or performance. And if you look close enough, you will notice there are more backwards bristles in the full size brush! I actually use the small set brush more because I like the short handle, so the bristles have spread out a bit more, but that is purely due the amount of use. The face brushes, which are most expensive, make the sets a great value and the quality is pretty much the same as full size!

With this 239 shadow brush, there is a slight difference in width, but nothing that affects the performance of the brush. There is only one type of bristle and since there is very little tapering at the sides, a backwards bristle won't affect the performance. From the side the thickness is pretty much the same:

Now the only time I think the set brushes are not good are when it comes to small eye brushes that are tapered, like the pencil brush or the angled brush:

This one is a 266 brush and it is useless. The bristles have started shedding and coming out and the tapering is not even. 

Ladies, if you want the brush sets mostly for the face brushes, go for it! If you want the specialty eye brushes, save up for the full size. This makes the most sense too because the face brushes are more expensive and a better value to get the kits, and the specialty eye brushes are cheaper so you don't feel as bad buying the full size ones. 

What do you think?

My 6 Month Anniversary FOTD and MUFE Goldies!

The hubby and I just celebrated out 6-month wedding anniversary.....can you believe it....it's been 6 months already!!! Where does the time fly? I mean, lots has happened, with us moving from LA to Philadelphia, but still, I can't believe it has been half a year! Anyways, the hubby took me out for a romantical dinner and  I couldn't help but use some new goodies and put on a lil sparkle:

Here's a close-up of the eyes:

I used the following products:

Smooth Hair and Giveaway Time!

The kind folks at Misikko sent me the Hana Shine Shield Thermal Protectant to try out, and now that I have had a chance to use it a few times, I am excited to tell you all how great this product is! Now Misikko isn't paying me to write anything in this post (see Disclaimer), it is all my personal opinion and experience, but I do want to say that one thing I love about Misikko is that they always seem to have great deals and coupons that they email to you if you sign up for their newsletter. And you know I love me a good deal!

As you may know, I had my hair rebonded (Japanese hair straightening) in January when I was in India. 10 months later, my hair has grown significantly and I have about 5 inches of hair at my roots that is wavy and super frizzy. This product couldn't have come at a better time because I have been in desperate need of something to tame the frizzies and protect my hair from the hair dryer and straightening iron.

I use a nickel sized amount of the clear, liquidy serum and apply to my roots and all throughout my hair...all the way to the ends. I then blow-dry as usual, and if I have time, flat iron my roots. What I like about this product is that although it contains jojoba oil, it is non-greasy...so even the day after, my hair is not oily and gross. This really adds a lot of shine to my hair and makes it feel so nice and soft. And best of all, it does help tame the frizzies. If you have super curly or kinky hair, this might not be strong enough for your frizzies, but if you have thick, wavy hair like me, the Hana Shine Shield will work pretty well to tame those bad boys.

This also works as a good leave-in conditioner. If you have thinner hair and don't have much frizz to worry about, a few drops of this should help keep your hair soft and shiny. If any of you have tried the Chi Silk Infusion, this works waaaay better and is not greasy like the Chi product.

So, interested in trying this out for yourself? Well, one lucky reader will have a chance to win the Hana Shine Shield Thermal Protectant! I have been wanting to do a giveaway for awhile now, and thanks to Misikko, that time has come!

Kajal's Eye Makeup Breakdown

My mom sent me this pic of Bollywood actress Kajal and told me I HAVE to try this eye makeup on myself. How cute is that? Over the past year or two, I have slowly gotten my mom to love makeup, and her fave product, like most Indian gals, is eyeliner. 

I know I have talked a lot about eyeliner in the past (remember Eyeliner Week?) but I can't seem to get enough of it. But really, can I get enough of any makeup product? Ok, enough talking, here's how to get Kajal's piercing eyes:

Coffee, More Coffee, and Some Pumpkin Spice

Where does the time fly? It's November already! I'm nearing my 6-month wedding anniversary! Craaaazzzyy!!! 

I haven't been wearing much makeup the last few days because I had a cold, and so instead of makeup, I am sharing with you one of my current home-made faves: A pumpkin-spice latte coffee a la Starbucks my kitchen. 

I LOVE Starbucks holiday flavors, my favorite being the Gingerbread Latte and the Pumpkin Spice Latte coming in at a close second. Those $4 delights can add up quickly, and so I decided to try pleasing my holiday tongue with a homemade version. I made regular coffee, added in Pumpkin Pie Spice creamer from International Delights, and a dash of Pumpkin Pie Spice, and ta-da...a homemade version that is almost as good to my taste buds, but definitely better for my wallet!

What are you winter faves?