Finished in December 2011

I didn't do a Finished in November post, as I didn't really finish anything, but I did finish a few things in December and I wanted to share my thoughts on those products.

1. The Body Shop Body Butter in Passion Fruit - This isn't a permanent scent, but I think it comes around every spring and summer. I usually like the formula for Normal/Dry skin, but this was a bit greasy and took a few minutes to absorb in the skin, which is why I didn't use it up in the summer and waited till winter to finish it. I do like the scent of tropical fruit so I loved the passion fruit fragrance. I really enjoy Body Shop's body butters so I will continue using them, but will skip this one due to the greasy texture. 

2. MAC Lightful Ultramoisture Creme - Do I really need to explain my love for this? I have raved about it many times on the blog. 

3. Bath and Body Works Ile De Tahiti Moana Body Wash in Tiare Flower - This is one of those discontinued lines from Bath and Body Works that occasionally pop up during the semi-annual sales. I LOVE the scent of Tiare Flower, more so after I smelled it everywhere during my honeymoon to Tahiti, but it is just so fresh, floral, and exotic. I think I have one more of these in my stock, but I will be using that preciously as it is my last.

4. Bliss Body Butter in Lemon + Sage - This is the most moisturizing body butter I have used....and I have used a LOT. It is quite pricey, at $28 for 6.7oz, but it really does lock in the moisture in the skin and keeps the skin soft until I shower the next day. That being said, I think I would only re-purchase this as a treat, or if I was loaded, since I think Body Shop and other brands make good body butters that are more affordable. My original review is here. 

5. Stila One Step Correct Face Primer - I have used this in many looks both here on the blog and for others and I have talked about it many times. In summary, I really enjoy this primer. It is my favorite non-silicon face primer and you can read my original review here. 

Did you finish up anything lately? If so, what was it and would you repurchase?

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?

Shiseido Refining Makeup Primer Has Me Pink!!

I wasn't planning to review this, since it was a small sample that I was just trying out, but it was soooo bad I had to tell you about it so you can save a few bucks!! What I am talking about? The Shiseido Refining Makeup Primer.

Excuse the poor photo....it looked clear on my camera!! In any case, I put a drop on my finger and the primer looked a bit pink. I blended it out and it still looked pink. I figured it would just fade away once blended on my face.

I was wrong. This primer made my entire face pink!! I waited 1 minute, then 2 minutes, then a whole 10 minutes for the pink case to go away. It didn't.

So finally I washed it off and proceeded with priming my face with my trusty MAC Prep + Prime. 

Victoria's Secret Pro Airbrush FX Face Primer Review

A few months ago I was shopping at Victoria's Secret and I was given this deluxe sample of Victoria's Secret Po Airbrush FX Face Primer Review SPF 20: 

This primer is silicon-based and has a combination creamy and gel-like consistency. It goes on smoothly without feeling thick or heavy. 

You may have noticed that I've been using this primer in several of my recent posts, as I was testing out how well this works. So what's my verdict? This is a pretty basic primer that makes foundation and face products last all day and the bonus is that is has SPF. This primer won't reduce the appearance of fine lines or make pores appear smaller. It won't help with oily skin and it doesn't give an airbrushed look. That being said, if you are in the market for a basic primer, this is a good contender, especially because it is really affordable at $14 for a full-size size bottle. 

Have you tried this primer? What about any of the other products from Victoria's Secret new Pro line?

Battle of the Eye Primers

In my constant quest for finding new and effective products, I decided to put 4 popular eye primers to the test: MAC's Painterly Paint Pot vs. Smashbox's Photo Finish Lid Primer vs. Kat Von D's High Voltage Eye Primer vs. Urban Decay's Primer Potion. I didn't have the Nars primer when I did this experiment, so I might have to repeat it with that. In any case, check out what happened when I applied Urban Decay's Flipside Eyeshadow over each of these 4 eye primers on my arm:

Immediately after application:

L-R: Flipside shadow on its own, MAC Paint Pot, Smashbox Photofinish, Kat Von D High Voltage, and Urban Decay Primer Potion

As you can see, on its own the shadow was very faint and hard to detect. The shadow was the darkest when applied on the MAC Paint Pot and the Urban Decay Primer Potion. During the following 3 hours I really put these primers to the test by rubbing my arm and wearing long sleeves for 30 minutes. Normally, nothing rubs up against our eyelids when we wear makeup, but the blinking motion definitely creates friction. 

3 Hours after application

L-R: Flipside shadow on its own, MAC Paint Pot, Smashbox Photofinish, Kat Von D High Voltage, and Urban Decay Primer Potion

To my surprise, after 3 hours, just about all products had faded away significantly. The Smashbox primer  failed miserably. The MAC Paint Pot worked well at holding on to the product, and the Kat Von D High Voltage worked well at ensuring the color remained bright. I had wanted to test out the ever-popular Too Faced Shadow Insurance but I just didn't have any with me at the time, and it doesn't work too well on me so it's not a product I would repurchase. All in all, this little game reinforced my affinity to MAC's Paint Pots. 

What is your favorite eye primer? 

Sephora Smoothing Primer Review

I have been on a primer roll lately and have been trying out various face primers. Here is one I was trying out last week:

This is Sephora's Smoothing Primer for the face. For the record, I have not loved anything I have tried from the Sephora brand, even though thousands of people swear by their products. I think Sephora is a great store, but they should stick to carrying other brands instead of trying to produce cheaper versions. I did not change my mind after using this product.

The Pros: This is a silicon-based primer (that may be a CON for some of you), so it has that smooth, silky feeling to it. It is non-sticky and a little goes a long way. In terms of efficacy, this does provide a matte finish to the skin and any foundation or powder worn on top of the primer.

The Cons: This product sits on the skin instead of getting absorbed. Thus, after applying my foundation to this, I find that the foundation sort of slides around. I have to blend the foundation a little more than usual in order to get a smooth, even layer of foundation on my skin. Also, this primer did not help diminish the appearance of fine lines or help reduce pore size. 

This primer also does not have SPF, which is good for photography, but bad for daily use.

Kajal Couture Rating: C-

Overall, I couldn't understand why this product had such a high rating on the Sephora website. It didn't work for me at all. Have you tried this? 

Is Good Skin Really Based On DNA?

In this case, yes!! And no, I'm not talking about your DNA, I'm talking about the Stila One Step Correct!! This new primer contains 3 shades of color correctors in a DNA-looking swirl:

I still can't believe that I haven't told you about this new favorite of mine! It's incredible! So first off, the tri-color effect is supposed to help with the 3 main discoloration problems: green to neutralize redness, peach to brighten the skin tone, and lavender (the whitish looking shade) to counteract sallowness. Not only do the 3 colors actually do what they are supposed to, the primer formula is lightweight, is non-sticky, is hydrating, helps face makeup last all day long, AND it helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and makes pores appear smaller!! For me, the smaller appearance of pores is the reason I love this on myself. It is this and the other positive factors that are the reason I keep using this on clients of all ages!

My Honeymoon Makeup Bag

I recently found a couple pics on the makeup I took on my honeymoon, and realized I never posted them. For my honeymoon, I was determined to pack light, at least in terms of my cosmetics, and I am so proud of myself for actually sticking to that!! This is all I took with me:

Here is a list of the products:

Urban Decay Box of Potions Review

Hey there all! I really wanted to get this post done before Sunday, when the Sephora Friends and Family sale starts, because I think this is a great deal. Pictured below is the Urban Decay Box of Potions that contains their best selling Eyeshadow Primer Potion (also knows as UDPP), and their 4 newest primers:

- 1 oz Complexion Primer Potion - Brightening

- 1 oz Complexion Primer Potion - Pore Perfecting

- 0.3 oz Eyelash Primer Potion

- 0.07 oz Lip Primer Potion SPF 15

This set is already a fabulous deal because all the primers are FULL size, and this set is only $65, and the value of the entire set is $114. Ahhh, this speaks to my cheap heart...

So I tried all the primers except the eyelash one, and I can say that most of them are hits. The eyeshadow primer potion is fabulous, makes your eyeshadow LAST and LAST. It is a cult fave so you probably know all about it. If you look at the pic above, you will see that the wand is bent, which is a new feature to this primer. I think Urban Decay got lots of complaints that the packaging makes it hard to get all the product out, and instead of changing the packaging, they redesigned the wand so you can dig out more product. Hey, I guess that much improvement is better than nothing, right? =)

I tried both the face primers, and I was most excited about the pore perfecting one, because my pores are giii-normous, but I actually ended up liking the brightening one better. The tubes seem small, but are quite large:

I use just a dab to cover my whole face. Actually, the amount shown below was too much, I only needed about half to 3/4 of that much to cover my face and neck.

The one pictured above is the pore perfecting one, but the brightening one looks similar and I use the same amount. I apply to moisturized skin, before applying my makeup. The pore perfecting primer is a bit thicker and I can actually feel it on my face. Both have silica but the pore perfecting formula makes it feel heavier and I can tell that I am putting a veil of product on my skin. Once I got past that, and applied foundation, the primer really did make a difference! I don't think it shrinks pores, but it makes the pores less apparent, which is the point of the primer. It also make my makeup last through the night.

The brightening face primer felt a lot nicer on the skin. It is light and feels like moisturizer. Once it dries and absorbs, I can't tell that I am wearing the primer. I felt that this one did actually make my skin a bit brighter and a little lighter. Not light, as in my foundation wouldn't match, but just a tad...perhaps lightness is my measurement of brightness? In any case, this primer also made my face makeup last longer than without a primer.

I am a bit biased towards the brightening face primer, if only because of the feeling on the skin, but I know I will use both and they both give great results.

I also tried the lip primer:

This baby looks nude colored in the tube, but really does not give off much color. I tried to swatch it on my hand, but the swatch was not visible so I did not bother posting it. If you have really pigmented lips, it might neutralize the color just a shade or so, but will not erase the color like a lip erase or concealer will.

My expectation with this primer was that my lipcolor would last longer. Unfortunately this was not the case. I tried it both with lipstick and with lipgloss, using primer on only half my lips and no primer on half my lips. The end result was that I had the same amount of fading on both sides. There are two things that I do like about the primer:

1. It has SPF, and I find that most lipsticks and glosses don't

2. It moisturized my lips.

After my lipstick starts to fade, I usually get that dry, crackling look if I don't keep reapplying the lipcolor. With this primer, my lips did not get dry and crackly. They felt moisturized and the lipcolor faded evenly. Would I buy this again? Probably not, but I will definitely use it up, and I don't feel guilty about having it because I got such a good deal on the set.

Overall, if you have been considering getting 2 or more of these primers, that I recommend getting this set. Especially if you want to try the face primers, since those retail at $30. Plus, if you get this during the Sephora F&F sale next week, the whole set will cost you $52, which is a mega steal!

In other news, I am super exhausted and this may not be the best written post, but I just wanted to get it up since I won't have time tomorrow to even touch my computer. Tomorrow (Oct 17) is Diwali, which is the Indian equivalent to Christmas. It is the most celebrated holiday in India because we consider it to be our New Year. In India, businesses and schools are closed for about 2 weeks, and people celebrate like crazy! The streets are decorated with flowers and colorful garlands, households cook for several weeks prior to Diwali to prepare special sweet and savory goodies, everyone is in the street doing fireworks till the wee hours of the morning, and the whole country is in a festive spirit. I was lucky enough to be in India during Diwali a few years ago and I had the time of my life! I always get a little sad when I am home here in the US because it just doesn't feel like Diwali without all the fun and merriment. However, my family and I do try and have a Diwali party at our house so the party is tomorrow evening and my mom and I have been cooking all week to get ready, which is why I am so tired right now. That being said, I am really excited to see all our family and friends and just enjoy this special time. =) Diwali is definitely my favorite holiday....what's yours?

Please let me know how you guys are doing! I'm anxious to find out what you are lemming right now.