I went to Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj for some work today and came across MAC's new collection. Below is my haul:

Top to bottom:
- NYX lipstick in Fig. Bought it from Sephora for Rs 360. Online everyone has been raving about these and I decided to try them out
- Inglot lip brush. MRP Rs 1000. I like Inglot brushes. They are cheaper than MAC and good quality
- MAC lipstick Up the Amp. MRP Rs 1100 from Playland collection
- MAC lipstick Candy Yum Yum. MRP Rs 1100 from Playland collection
- MAC long wear waterproof brow set. MRP Rs 1300. This is part of a new collection. The collection has gel liner for the brows, brow sets and mascara.

The brow set has to be applied over the brows (of course) with a mascara type wand. I am using a NARS brow pencil gifted by my sister right now and previously was using Oriflame's super cheap brow pencil. Have decided to try something new.

It is brown in color and has a mascara wand. Can I use it as a mascara too???

Left to right: MAC candy yum yum, MAC Up the Amp, NYX in fig.

Candy Yum Yum is a neon pink. I had to stand and recollect for 10 mins if I have this shade but then decided that I don't. It is a very neon pink and instantly brightened up my face. It is matte and has a crayon like consistency.

Up the Amp is a berry colour. I do not have this shade and decided to buy it.

NYX fig. An everyday colour... nudish... coral... for daily wear.

Swatches: Top to bottom : NYX fig, Up the Amp, Candy yum yum

I used to get manicure pedicure done at the salon once a month but the manicure never lasted more than a week. Then I started doing it once a week at home and now don't need to go to a salon for it. Money saved... atleast 1000 bucks per month saved. 

Below is the step by step instruction with product details. I chalk out an hour for this over the weekend. 

1) Fill a bucket with hot water... not too hot... enough to be able to dip your feet comfortably in it. I have bought a round, wide bucket specially for this. 

2) Add a foot soak. There such few options in India of this. I generally use Body Shop's Peppermint Reviving foot soak but am looking for cheaper options now. MRP of this is Rs 895. Add a few crystals of the soak in the water and dip the feet in it. And also the hands. 

 3) After 10-15 mins, use a nail cutter to cut nails on toes and fingers. Then I use the attachment below to remove all the dirt from the side of my nails. It is a very helpful tool and effectively removes dirt and dead skin. I use this for my fingernails also.

4) Use a pumice stone or foot scrub like below to remove dead skin from the feet. Scrub well specially on the sides of the feet.

5) Apply a foot scrub to the feet and hands. I use Body Shop's Peppermint Smoothing Pumice Foot scrub priced at Rs 595. It is quite good and a little quantity goes a long way. Scrub well. 

 6) Use the smoothing foot scrub like below to clean the feet and hands. I have the one from OVS and have also used from Oriflame. Any brand should be good. Wash the feet and hands after using this and wipe them with a clean cloth.

7) Use a cuticle remover. I don't have too many cuticles but this does help in cleaning the nails. I use it only on my fingernails and not on toes. Sally Hansen cuticle remover priced at Rs 650 (I think). This bottle should last a year if used once a week. A little goes a long way. 

Apply the gel on the sides of the nails and leave on for 15 seconds. Don't keep it for very long else it will dry off making it difficult to push back.

Use a cuticle pusher to push back the gel towards the nails. Cuticles are effectively removed. Cuticle stick from Colorbar (don't remember the price).

Shown below are pushed back cuticles. Wash the nails in soapy water and wipe with a clean cloth. I clean them off with the water with foot soak.

 8) Apply foot cream and massage feet. I am using Lush fair trade foot lotion which has peppermint and feels very relaxing. Priced at Rs 970 and should easily last a year.

Apply hand cream and massage. I am using Body Shop's Vanilla Bliss. It is limited edition priced at Rs 495. I think I bought it for 50% off. Love it. The fragrance is my favorite... it is thick enough to moisturise but gets absorbed easily.

9) Use a buffer to smoothen and give nails a shine. I use Colorbar's pack of 3 nail buffers priced at Rs 350. The colored side removes ridges and the white side gives my nails a shine.

10) And now the nails are ready for a paint. The base is Sally Hansen miracle cure. I don't think this does anything special and I am trying to finish it off.

And the nails are ready for the paint. I keep my nails short and use a filer only if required.

I use a darker, neutral colour for my feet so that it does need to be changed too often. I have applied Bourjois grey nail paint on my feet.

And a bright fuschia - OPI Dim Sum Plum on my fingernails.

And last... but not the least... Inglot drying drops. The cap is a dropper. 1 drop is enough for 1 nail. This is ok types... nothing great. I went to Inglot looking for a nice drying coat and the SA recommended this. Not too happy with it.

Its done... Leaving the 2nd toe blank is not a trend... the nails have broken off and I don't want to paint baby nails. That is the picture of my happy feet.
I will tell you a secret... I hate my feet specially the toes. They are so ugly. Sigh!!!

Those are happy fingernails...

I have wore this outfit many, many times... and I like it ... a lot. It is comfy... and fun.

What I am wearing...
Shirt- Sarojini Nagar
Jeans- Allen Solly. Bought it from fashionandyou.com for 1000 bucks
Blue wedges- Sarojini Nagar
I wanted to wear another pair of footwear but I had a bit of walking around to do and the blue wedges are quite comfy.

Funky cat print on the shirt... too cute. 

Make up breakdown:
- Mac primer (just trying to finish it off)
- L'Oreal true match concealer
- Clinique tinted moisturiser (love)
- Mac gel liner topped with L'Oreal mineral liner in blue (trying to finish it off)
- L'Oreal telescopic mascara
- L'Oreal pomegranate pink chubby stick on lips
- Inglot matte loose powder

This is what my nails have been upto:

Maybelline Colorama ... don't know which shade this is... cannot read it... don't know why I bought it... it looks bad. Discard.

Inglot... like this shade.

My hubby was not home this weekend and I had ample time to myself.

This is what I did. It was time consuming because I planned to do only half the nail and then decided to cover the whole nail with spots.

How to do it:
- Apply base coat. I used Sally Hansen's miracle cure
- Apply base nail paint. I used Colorbar's white shade first but the nail paint has dried. I removed it and then used Inglot's white shade
- Use a toothpick to make dots. I did not have any (keep forgetting to buy them)... used the brush from Inglot's nail art pen.
- I made the dots with different shades of nail paints - all Inglot
- Apply Inglot gel top coat

This is what I tried today.

How to do it:

What you need:

- Base coat. I used Sally Hansen miracle cure... got it in the Vellvette Bag
- Grey nail paint. Inglot
- Dark blackish blue nail paint. Deborah Milano
- Glitter nail. L'Oreal grey glitter
- Top coat. Sally Hansen insta dry nail paint

Step 1) Apply base coat
Step 2) Apply grey nail paint

Step 3) Apply blackish blue nail paint on the top half of the nails

Step 4) Apply glitter nail paint on the darker colour

Step 5) Apply top coat

I was bored with my nails and wanted to try a nail art. I decided to try blue on blue with an ear bud (I do not have any toothpicks at home).
The result was a little messy and not uniform but looked like a baandhani design.

How to do it?

1) Apply base coat. I used Sally Hansan's miracle cure I received in my Vellvette box
2) Apply a dark blue colour nail paint. I used Inglot... love the colour.
3) Use Colorbar's light blue nail paint for making the dots. I dipped the ear bud in the nail paint and made the dots
4) Apply top coat. I used Sally Hansen's insta dry top coat

Takes 15 minutes.

I have joined a new job and am back at Delhi. Yeah... lots of shopping except I don't feel like it.

Anyway, I have been very lazy and pushed myself to try a new nail art. Since it is my first week at work I don't want to try something drastic and wanted something subtle.

This is what I did- glossy tips on matte nails.

Nail paints used- base coat (Sally Hansen nail whitener- do not like it... trying to finish it off), Maybelline Colorama black nail polish, Inglot matte top coat, Inglot nail art pen in black (you can use a regular black paint also but the thick brush will be tricky to use).

 How to:
- Apply base. Apply black nail paint
- Let it dry. Top with a matte coat
- Let it dry.
- Carefully apply black nail paint on tips
- Do not use any top coat else the matte effect will be gone

This is a very subtle nail art and noticeable only at close quarters. 

I try some nail art every week but for the past 2 weeks I have not done anything. This weekend I decided to try something complicated, absolutely new and exciting- ombre nails. 'Ombre' means 'shaded'. It means multi coloured with colours graduating from light to dark (or vice versa).
The technique is actually quite simple. Take 2 colors... any 2 colors. I used pink Colorbar and purple Inglot nail paint. Put a few drops of each colour on a plastic... even a polythene will do. Place them next to each other. Take a wet sponge (I used a make up sponge)... dip them in the colour such that both colours come onto it. Dab them on the nails. Ensure that one colour is on top and another on the bottom on each nail. I had to do it 3 times and got the nail paint around my nails. Once it is dry, apply a top coat. I used the Inglot gel top coat. The top coat will make it look even.
Now take a cotton bud, dip it in acetone and clean up around the nails. Tada.... ombre nails are done.

You can go through this link for step by step instructions:

http://www.glamour.com/beauty/blogs/girls-in-the-beauty-department/2012/05/gradient-nails-picture-tutoria.html
The only difference is that I did not paint my nails first. Actually, I did but used the purple nail paint which is much darker and the pink was not visible. You can skip the bottom coat.

Hi.... I visited the Bobbi Brown store in Delhi last weekend. How could I not??? It was all over the blogosphere. It is not a brand I was familiar with... plus I thought it is very expensive. I bought an orange matte lipstick and then went back the next day to buy a gel liner. I am loving both.

Below are my recent purchases:

L'Oreal True Match BB cream:

I have been waiting for this... finally, found it in Shoppers Stop. I tried it on today and loved it. It blends well and gives a glow to the face. It covers imperfections and has very good coverage. I could easily replace my foundation with this. It lasted all day on me. This is my immediate view. If it changes, I will do an in depth review. Rs 550.

Bobbi Brown grey gel eyeliner:

I like grey liners... they suit my eyes better since I have small eyes. Black just makes them seem smaller. After my Inglot grey gel liner dried up, I didn't buy another one. Bobbi Brown eyeliners are very famous and I wanted to try one. The brand has shades of brown and black. The liner has shimmer and I didn't purchase it on my first visit. I went again and tried it on. The shimmer is not visible and so bought it. When I apply it, it looks almost black but in the course of the day it looks more grey. It stays on and on. Plus the liner is not streaky (like MAC). Excellent purchase. Rs 1540 (yep... more expensive than MAC)

Bobbi Brown lipstick:

I have too many pinks and reds. I don't like buying same shade of lipstick in different brands. What is the point? I have developed an obsession with orange recently. Since I am fair I can get away with it. I picked up an orange matte lipstick from the brand. It is good... stays on all day... is not drying. The only problem is it settles into the lines at the end of the day and needs a touch up after eating. Rs 1300

Inglot mousse foundation:

Due to the heavy rains, I am very careful about make up. The last thing I want is my foundation dripping onto my clothes. Yuck!!! I apply MAC Studio Fix foundation these days. I was just checking out stuff at Inglot and loved the texture of the mousse. It felt soft and so silky. It feels very light once applied. I have stayed away from mousse after my horrible experience with L'Oreal Mat Morphose (literally threw it away). It gives light coverage and covers pores. I will wear it for a week and then review. Rs 1000

Inglot lip pencil:

I have 4 of these and I bought one more. Love them. Don't remember the price.

I went to the mall after work to check out the sales. After a long time I bought something from Inglot. Their new launches are generally not too exciting. I wish they would follow MAC strategy and launch a new collection every month. That will keep things fresh.

Top row, Left to right- Mattifying loose powder, pastel nail paints
Bottom row, left to right- eyelash curler, gel top coat, nail whitener

The SA applied the mattifying powder on one half of my face. I left the mall, took the auto and reached home in 1-1.5 hours. The right side of the face (where powder was applied) was 80% less oiler than the left side of the face (which did not have any powder). I have very, very oily skin and am automatically attracted to anything which says "matte". I am going to hit pan on my L'Oreal true match compact.

I read on a blog the comparison between Colorbar and Inglot eyelash curler. Apparently, the latter is much, much better than the former. It curls the eyelashes better and holds the curl longer. I have the former and have now picked up the latter. I wear mascara everyday and a good eyelash curler is a must.

My nails have become yellow despite applying Sally Hansen nail whitener as base coat before every application of nail paint. I have decided to try the Inglot nail whitener. It already seems better than the Sally Hansen one.

The SA showed me the gel top coat. It seals the nail paint and prevents chipping giving it a gel effect. I liked what I saw when I tried it in the store. The only problem is that it is not quick drying. I will use it when I have ample time to spend on my nails (once a week).