My Halloween Devil Look

I don't like Halloween.

There, I said it.

I know most beauty fanatics love this spooky holiday because it gives them the freedom to go cra-zay with makeup, and don't get me wrong, I like that too, but I hate the build-up around Halloween parties. Everyone always has such high expectations over Halloween party and inevitably, the party ends up being just ok. I did go to one really good Halloween party last year, and I think it was great because we didn't have any expectations and it was at my cousin's house so I was just excited to see my cousins.

In any case, I did end up going to a Halloween party this weekend and I wore my standard issue devil costume. This year I decided to do more of a beauty look with a little funky twist. 

Happy Diwali!!!

To all my lovely readers who celebrate Indian holidays, HAPPY DIWALI and HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Wishing you a year of good health, happiness, and prosperity!

MAC Holiday 2011 Faves

It's that time again....MAC Holiday time!!

I recently stopped by my local MAC to check out the holiday collection and I was drooling over the new face kits. These kits are exclusive to MAC stores and online, but I hear that Nordstrom has an exclusive kit too but with different shades. Each kit includes a full size lipstick, full size lipgloss, 3 special edition brushes - 129 SE cheek brush, 275 SE shadow brush, and 266 SE brow/liner brush - and a palette that has 4 shadows and a blush, all for $59.50.



Here are swatches of the warm kit:

L-R: Seasonal Appeal blush, Mellowarm lipstick (top), Join the Party lipglass (bottom), shadows top-bottom: Golden Flurry, Soft Brown, Omega, Carbon

Here are swatches of the cool kit:

L-R: Mocha blush, Hot Gossip lipstick (top), Emancipation Lipgloss (bottom), shadows top-bottom: Phloof!, Dance in the Dark, Quarry, Brun

My MAC didn't have all the kits on display, but they did have the color collection out. I swatched the mineralize shadows, and though they were the smoothest mineralize shadows I have swtached, the colors weren't amazing and nothing I couldn't dupe. I did like Let's Skate Paint Pot, but it was more glitter than color, so I doubt I will be picking it up. 

New Blog Domain

For all my lovely readers, in case you were having trouble with the auto-direct, I wanted to leave a post letting you know that I moved my blog to www.kajalcoutureblog.com. I have been blogging there since September and will be using that domain from now on. Please remember to bookmark www.kajalcoutureblog.com and keep up to date with my beauty happenings. I'd love to see you there!

MAC Must-Haves: Party Line Lipstick

With fall in full-swing, I have been reaching for a reliable old-fave to ease in to the fall dark lip trend: MAC Party Line Lipstick:

This lipstick is perfect for transitioning from summer's light and bright lip colors to fall's deep, dark reds and plums. Or, as in my case, since I rarely wear reds and plums this is my go-to fall and winter shade. It is not too dark, so perfect for those who are hesitant about trying out bold, dark lip colors. I also love that this is a cremesheen formula, so it keeps my lips hydrated....a necessity when the weather cools and the air sucks the moisture from my skin.

For my Indian gals out there, this is also a great shade to wear with Indian clothes. It adds enough color so that you don't look washed out, but it isn't that typical "aunty" shade of lipstick where you notice the lips before the person.

Have you tried Party Line?

Beauty Blog Link Love

Polish Insomniac shows off her favorite manicure to date!

Can you believe that Fall is already here! Check out Spiced Beauty's favorite red fall lipsticks!

Midnight Violets gives us the low-down on some of the great nude palettes available at the moment - comparison included!

Being bored watching Loxy play Shooty-Town led Gouldylox to this helpful discovery. It'll all make sense and help your super-short nailed ladies look amazing when you click here.

Want big Bambi lashes? Amy Antoinette reviews Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara.

Miss Beauty Nerd features a lovely blusher from Iman for Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Get full lashes that last throughout the day with L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara, as reviewed by My Lips But Better.

Being an international jet-setter just became a little easier. See how on the Perfectly Imperfect Beauty Blog.

Phyrra shares her Hacks! Cheats for blending eye shadows.

Krasey Beauty has the scoop on the new, the awesome, Urban Decay Midnight Emergency Kit!

K from Beautifully Addicted To gives you her opinion on MAC's Purple Majesty nail polish.

Kajal Couture reveals whether the $35 Boscia Black Mask is better than a $2 face mask.

Anita compares the new Mac Lighstcapade MSF with the old, prettier version over at Pleasureflush.

---theNotice is still celebrating it's four-year blogiversary! Enter Rae's Pink Giveaway now, and keep your eyes peeled for something big on the 24th ;)

Why I Love Smashbox Shadows

This morning I did a super quick eye look. I applied a dark brown gel liner on my top lash, followed by the bronze shadow from this Smashbox kit, and the light shade from that same kit on my browbone. This is what it looked like 6 hours later:

Normally, I wouldn't share such a simple look with you, but this was an exceptional one because this is what my eyes looked like 6 hours after application, without any primer! There is a tiny bit of creasing on the right eye above, but that's it! Smashbox shadows are so smooth and buttery, and with this type of performance I am definitely going to invest in more!

Stila Lillium Convertible Color Review

Hey dolls! You know how I always like to switch up what products I use, and lately I have been using the Stila Convertible Color in Lillium. Convertible colors are dual lip and cheek creams that come in a mirrored compact:





This shade is actually quite similar to my favorite MAC Blushcreme in Uncommon (blushcremes are now discontinued), which you may remember was the only blush I took on my honeymoon.

L-R: Lillium, Lillium blended, Uncommon, Uncommon blended

This shade looks rosy in the pan but it transfers on to the skin as a light pink. I think this provides the most color on fair-medium skin tones, but I really like it on medium-dark skin tones because it gives a natural, just stepped indoors from the cold, flush to the cheeks. On my lips, this was a bit garish.

What do you think of Lillium? What is your favorite cream blush?

Make Up For Ever Fluo Night

Have you lovelies seen this? It is Fluo Night by Make Up For Ever, basically a glow in the dark makeup product! You can click on the image below for more info.



I think this would be perfect for Halloween!

Have you ever tried any glow-in-the-dark makeup? What are your Halloween plans?

Lush R&B Hair Moisturizer Review

During my last trip to Lush, I received a sample of the Lush R&B Hair Moisturizer. This is a leave-in conditioner with hair-softening and frizz-frightening natural ingredients like and candelilla wax, oat milk, avocado butter, and coconut oil.



The product itself looks like a creamy wax. It is very thick, so I took a penny-sized dollop and rubbed it between my palms before running my hands through the length of my hair when wet.

The result?

Less frizzy hair.

However, R&B has a real funk of a smell.

This has an orange blossom scent, which sounds nice, but was not at all appealing to me. There is also a hint of jasmine, which I normally would like, but not mixed in with the orange blossom. The scent does linger in the hair until the hair is washed. In terms of use, I think that if you use too much, it would definitely make the hair greasy. Overall, this made my hair smooth and I didn't have as many flyaways as I normally do, but the smell was so horrid that I couldn't imagine using this any longer than the sample lasted. That being said, I find a lot of Lush's scents overwhelming, but if that is your thang, this might be for you!

Is a $35 Face Mask Really Better Than a $2 Face Mask?

Remember how the Boscia Luminizing Black Mask was all the rage last year? I actually bought it, used it once, and then it sat in my medicine cabinet. Since I finished up my Aura Science mask, I brought it out of hiding in order to do a little review and comparison for you.



This is a peel of face mask that is supposed to draw out dirt, oil, and other impurities and also brighten the skin. It would make for a great Halloween mask because it really is black and ugly:



I decided to compare this to the Bath and Body Works (B&BW) Fresh and Flawless Face Mask with Purifying Clay.



Many moons ago B&BW had a skin care line and they had really nice clay face masks so I was hoping this would be similar. This is also on clearance right now because it was part of the summer collection...one more incentive to try it out. This is a non-peel off mask that requires washing with water.



So what were my thoughts?

Boscia

• $34 for 2.8 oz


• Have to use a really thick layer in order for it to peel off (6-10 uses per tube depending on how thick you apply it)


• REALLY HARD to peel off, ends up leaving lots of black spots you have to scrub using water


• No noticeable difference in skin texture or luminosity


• Since product has to be layered thickly, it takes a lot more than 20 minutes to dry

Bath and Body Works

• $1.75 for 2 oz (it is actually $7 but on clearance right now for 75% off)


• A thin layer is effective...will last MANY more than 10 uses


• Very creamy in consistency....feels great on the skin


• Smells delicious


• Doesn't make skin feel stiff, while mask is on and after mask is washed off


• Dries in about 10-15 minutes


• Easy to wash off


• Leaves skin super smooth, soft, and hydrated

Overall, I prefer the B&BW mask 100%! I really like the fragrance (even the hubby came close to me and said it smelled good, and that RARELY happens), it made my skin super soft, and most importantly it was easy to wash off. The Boscia mask was a nightmare to remove. No matter how thick it was, there were some areas that just wouldn't peel off. After peeling as much as I could, I had at least 7-8 black splotches on my face that I had to scrub harshly using water. That just made the whole experience extremely frustrating and irritated my skin. Any relaxation that I got from having the mask on was immediately gone because I had to spend a good 15 minutes getting all the black crap off. Now I remember why the Boscia mask was hidden away for the past few months.

MAC Lady Grey Eyeshadow Quad Review

I professed my love for the MAC Lady Grey eyeshadow quad in my September Favorites post, and here's why: the colors are not your basic browns, but they are still neutral...and I love me a good neutral!

 Clockwise from top left: All Races, Tendersmoke, Hazy Day, Lady Grey

L-R: All Races, Tendersmoke, Hazy Day, Lady Grey

Here is one of my favorite looks, using Lady Grey (the greyish-green shade) on the lid and All Races (the light lavendar) on the browbone as a highlight, and Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Stash on the upper lash line. All Races has a bit of pinky-lavendar to it, but it is so subtle that it just works really well as a highlight, especially when wearing grays and plums on the lid.

Here are a few more easy ways to use this quad:

• Tendersmoke on Lid, All Races on browbone


• Tendersmoke on Lid, Hazy Day in crease, All Races on browbone


• Hazy Day on Lid, All Races on browbone


• All Races on lid and browbone, any of the other 3 colors in the crease


• Any of the above combinations, with a little bit of Texture or Soft Brown in the crease to warm up the look

What do you think?

Finished!

As mentioned previously, I am on a kick to finish up my half-used products, and I was successful at finishing 3 things last month:

1. Aura Science Phase One Withdraw Mask - This is a clay mask I picked up a few years ago from Victoria's Secret. I heard that they only sell the Aura Science line in a few states in the US. Personally, I have not seen it in California or Pennsylvania in recent years. I kind of wish they would bring it back because I really liked this mask. A thin layer all over my face and neck really helped shrink my pores and tighten my skin. It was non-drying, but the pore-shrinking effect made me believe it did deep clean all the gunk in my pores. This mask also left my skin super-smooth and soft. Oh well, I will have to find another one....any recommendations?



2. Fresh Soy Face Serum - I had heard great things about the Fresh Soy line, so when I needed a new face serum, I decided to see if it was worth the buzz. OMG, this product smells like rotten cucumbers! I can't believe I actually used up this whole bottle. Really speaking, I would have returned it but I couldn't find the receipt, and couldn't bear throwing it out, so I just used it in the morning when I knew I would be wearing makeup after my skin care so the smell would get covered up. Aside from the smell, I don't think this serum did anything great for my skin. It didn't reduce the size of my pores, and I didn't notice any brightening effects. I don't think it hydrated my skin very much, and I definitely didn't notice any anti-aging effects. My skin was softer with this serum, but that is about it. I highly recommend that you stay away from this product and the whole Soy line.

3. MAC Select SPF Moistureblend Foundation - This is another product that is now discontinued. This foundation was replaced by the Mineralize Foundation SPF 15 that comes in a compact. I really liked the Moistureblend formula so I had a couple back-ups and the one I just used up was the last of my stock. I used it sparingly, mostly when traveling, but I loved it because it was so easy to use and blended in with my skin flawlessly. It looked like I wasn't wearing makeup at all, and it was very hydrating. I guess now I will have to venture out and try the newer Mineralize version.

Have you used any of these products? Have you finished anything recently?

September Favorites

It's that time again....here are my faves from September:

1. MAC Lady Grey Shadow Quad - This quad is not at all special, yet so special! I was not planning to buy this, but when I swatched the colors I absolutely fell in love with the light purple and light green shades, and all 4 colors are unlike the shades I already have. Something about these colors is so magical...they complement each other and blend so seamlessly! These are the only shadows I have been using for the past few weeks! I love this quad so much I will do a separate post (including swatches) on it this week.



2. Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara - This was part of this and this set, and it fits all my requirements for a daily-use mascara. It doesn't smudge, doesn't flake, holds the curl, is a dark black color, doesn't clump even after 2-3 coats, and the brush is nice and large. Although this doesn't lengthen or thicken, you won't believe how hard it is to find a mascara that meets my requirements, so I can live with the lack of lengthening and thickening. If I really need the drama, I use a mascara base or combine this with other mascaras.



3. Stila One-Step Correct - I reviewed this almost exactly a year ago here, and I am still very much enjoying using it! I like that is doesn't break me out, provides a great surface for foundation, and helps minimize the appearance of pores. The one I have now is almost empty, and I will most likely pick up another instead of trying out any of the other great face primers on the market.



4. MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot - I have mentioned this as a staple many times, but I just can't stop loving it! I used this golden peachy base a lot this summer with nothing else on my eyes, and lately I have been using it as a base for the Lady Grey shadows mentioned above. This particular paint pot simply excels at lasting ALL day, on its own and as a primer for powder shadows. The color is simply perfect for any occasion, and it's just one of those fool-proof makeup products that I can always rely on.



September was a pretty simple makeup month for me, what about you?