Hiya !

Hey Guys !

Happy Monday !

Your girl here is having loads of internet and computer issues.
Hopefully the ATnT guys will have it fixed soon and I can tell ya all about The Avon U by Ungaro Color Collection and answer the question - Can Face Primers Be Used On / Around Your Eyes !

Until then tell me what song are you listening to right now. Anything that you've got playing on repeat mode ?

Love,
Indian Girl

5 Easy Steps To Shiny Soft Silky Hair (My)

After I put up a picture of my hair on a very good hair day, some of y'all wanted to know what I did to it. Because I feel really weird about a writing a post called - My Hair Care Routine; I called it 5 Easy Steps To Shiny Soft Silky Hair (My).

Its all good, coz God forbid somebody sees me on a super bad hair day , I don't want them going - "Uh-Oh I don't want no hair care routine tips from that !"

Before I start, I do wanna say that I have fairly easy hair to work with. There are no major issues - it is regularly well behaved and easy to handle. I don't mean that in a prude way. But just thought I'd mention because I don't wanna credit all the goodness to products. (Mom, Dad - yes I am proud of the hair - Thank you.)


This is all what I do and has worked well on moi.

STEP 1 : Pre - Condition

The night before I always ( well, mostly) apply coconut oil to my hair. I massage it into the scalp and then liberally spread it until every strand is dripping of coconut oil. And then I change my pillow case into an old ratty grey one and go to bed.

I read some where that American women are not very keen on pre conditioning treatments. No No women, they make all the difference. Take it from this professionally non-professional Indian Girl.

STEP 2 : Shampoo

The next day is shampoo time. Currently I am using Pantene. Pantene has worked well for me since I was teenager and I'm glad its cheap. Use required amount of shampoo , work it into good lather and wash it off. I don't let the shampoo stay on my hair for long. It dries hair out - any shampoo does this. So, its a short shampoo ritual.

STEP 3 : In Shower Condition

After shampoo its time for conditioning. I use what ever is available. Currently I am crushing on two products - both under $10. Will tell soon.

After washing the shampoo off, I gently squeeze out excess water from my hair - Very Important. If there is too much water the conditioner just gets washed down along with the dripping water.

Apply conditioner .

Use a wide tooth comb to spread it - Very Very Important.
I use a brush but it is NOT recommended. My hair is always more softer and less frizzy when I use a comb to spread the conditioner. Always.

I get best results when I let the conditioner stay on for at least five minutes because there is a lotta hair to condition.

STEP 4 : Warm Water Rinse

After 5 to 8 minutes of soaking my hair in conditioner, I rinse it off with warm water.

STEP 5 : Cold Water Rinse

After the warm water has removed all the conditioner off, I follow it up with a cold water / not so warm water rinse. Been doing this since I was 16 / 17 . I read in a women's magazine (that I was then not allowed to read) that its good to give the hair a final cold water rinse before you send it packing in a towel. And I've done it ever since.

I like doing the cold water rinse because it cools down the scalp and when I wrap it in towel, I don't have the hot steam coming drying my hair.

So, that's my five steps to shiny silky soft hair. Of course I don't always have shiny silky soft hair because :

a. I forget to take the brush into the shower
b. I get restless and wash the conditioner off in two minutes.
c. I assume its been long and wash the conditioner off in one minute.
d. I start taking care of the hair on my legs with shampoo on my hair - perfect recipe for dry hair.
e. Hair is in dry mode for no apparent reason.

Now gimme your tips for great hair ! We all wanna hear from you and wanna know more and more and more !

Happy Weekend !

Other Popular Hair Posts You'll Love :

The French Braid - Anything I can do, you can do better !

The Snake Braid - Do It Today !

The 30 Second Romantic Hairstyle - 30 seconds or your money back ! No Guarantee.

Love,
Indian Girl

Holiday Beauty Deals & Sets

Starting 11/25/09 spend more than $50 on http://www.loraccosmetics.com/ and you’ll receive free shipping along with two full size MULTIPLE RUSH LIP/CHEEK STICKS in LOVE RUSH (pink shimmer) and CRUSH RUSH (rose) and a mini COUTURE SHINE LIQUID LIPSTICK! This amazing offer will last until Tuesday 12/1 (or while supplies last)

Bobbi Brown Friends & Family Event is finally here ! Enjoy 20% off any order on BobbiBrown.com from November 30th—December 2nd.


Check out the Gift Me Gorgeous gift guide at www.benefitcosmetics.com/holiday… from the Celebutante personal stylist makeup kit ($34) to the Glitz, Glam & Gloss 6-shade gloss set, you’ll be sure to find the perfect little something for every gal on your list.

Also find other exclusive holiday features, including “Ask Annie & Maggie,” a hot new section where Benefit Global Trend Artists Maggie & Annie Ford Danielson answer your burning beauty questions, and Benefit's Holiday Calendar with new exclusive deals, discounts and freebies every single day.

NOV 30 is Cyber Monday at AVEDA !

THE OFFER: Choose any 4 sample size products + receive free shipping with just a $25 purchase at Aveda.com – enter promo code PICK4 at checkout.

Check out the 2009 holiday collection of gift sets on Aveda.com or restock your favorites !
I am very new to this brand. Have never tried anything from them. But I did check out their lipstick at Ulta and loved the formula. These are also available at Target. Anybody tried anything from NP ?

These below are some of their Holiday Kits. I love how grand the lip glosses look !

Deco Deluxe Lip Gloss - $28.00
Strawberry, Peach, Raspberry, Tangerine and Watermelon

Golden Girl Palette - $45.00
16 riveting eye shadows, three winsome cheek colors and two brush applicators, all enclosed in an eye-catching gold fabric wallet.


Gold Fever Brush Sets
Brush Set #3 - $85.00
Eight elegant travel-size brushes including a Powder Brush, Concealer Brush, Liner Brush, Lip Brush, Mascara Brush and three Eye Brushes in a blend of natural and synthetic hair. The brushes are presented in a snazzy gold wallet with built-in mirror.


Brush Set - $35.00
Two mini kabuki brushes in natural hair for foundation and powder application. The brushes are enclosed in an adorable gold pouch.

Love,
Indian Girl

Happy Thanksgiving !

Smashbox Wish For The Perfect Pout : Swatches

Smashbox has plenty of gifts you can - wish for . But not like you are going to get em.

Sorry that's just me being mean.

What I meant is though the wonderful folks at Smashbox say Wish for these....what they actually mean is - these are available for sale, they are a great value just like you wished for....


But is this a value pack ?
Leave that to Detective IG to figure out. She is a self proclaimed Lipgloss Math Guru.

2 full size glosses (.20 fl oz) - $18 x 2 = $36
4 travel size glosses (.14 fl oz) - $12.60 x 4 = $50.40
Total = $86.40

( but they say $96. Am I wrong ? Darn it, I should have checked before self proclaiming anything. But you forgive me, dontcha.)
Just For You Price = $ 29

I guess that's a deal !

The Bobbi Brown full size glosses are $20 for 0.14 fl oz which is Smashbox's travel size - Just another Lip gloss trivia I like to throw around.

Shades : (their description vs. mine)

POUT - baby doll pink or a milky pink with a hint of lavender (the color)
LUSTER - sheer golden pink or a champagne with smallest hint of pink
TEASE - juicy raspberry or a sheer deep pink
CANDY - cotton candy pink - Spot on, Mr. !
AURA - shimmery pink nude - Again, well done !
RADIANT - shimmery pink plum - You're getting the hang of this, arntcha !

L to R : Pout, Luster, Tease, Aura, Candy, Radiant

They are all mostly sheer shades except Radiant & Tease. There are degrees of sheerness and generally every color is extremely wearable making it a good choice for almost anybody. As with all Smashbox glosses I've tried they are not totally non sticky.

Buy the whole kit and gift it or rip it apart and tie a pretty bow around each gloss and use it as a stocking stuffer. Anything works in this house ! What happens in yours ?

Love,
Indian Girl

Ellin Lavar Nourishing Oil : Review - Does It All !

Beauty Junkies everywhere have wanted a product that does it all.

Beauty Junkies everywhere have wanted a product that does it all and costs a single digit.

(No not your finger ! Digit as in a single digit number. Good Lord !)

Beauty Junkies Everywhere need to hear this story.

The Ellin Lavar Nourishing Oil that costs $8 and is safely placed in the hair care aisle of your local CVS is what beauty junkies everywhere have longed for. It really does it all !


I have used it as a night time eye and face moisturizer. It is a dry oil; so on a regular dry face day I could totally do it during the day as well ! After rubbing it all over my face, I rub the rest onto my rock hard cuticles. I spray it onto certain dry spots on my scalp. And after I do a heavy eye look on one of my eyes (just for the blog), I take it all off with a squirt of this oil.

I still haven't tested the theory but I get the feeling it will polish tiles and sparkle sinks as well !

That stick figure is me. I plan to be that size by New Year's with regular workouts of once a week and eating carbs only three times a day.

The product is sold solely as oil for the scalp. Now why would they do that ! It does so much more !!! I wrote to the folks at Ellin Lavar and they confirmed its innate abilities to be a super oil. Take my expert non-expert opinion on this, it really does all of the above.

That being said, before I engage in the process of pumping the oil out I take in a long breath and let it out slowly with the words " Om....." You really need all that clarity of mind to gather the patience to get the pump working.

Its called pumping science. You place the bottle horizontally and pump a couple of times. Then place the nozzle against your palm at a 45 degree angle and continue pumping until the oil oozes out. I hope Ellin Lavar gets this taken care of. I don't have many Om's left in me.

Love,
Indian Girl

Become Jergens Winterless Weather Forecaster

How : Log onto Jergens.com to enter and post your videos on how you keep your skin looking beautiful and winter less no matter what the weather.

Process : One Winner could receive a $5,000 talent contract to film winterless weather forecasts for online broadcast, and a luxury trip for two to New York City for a VIP behind-the-scenes tour of the show Wake Up With Al! along with $1,000 cash. The winner’s forecasts may even be featured online at Jergens.com.

More Info : http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2009/jergens91103/index.html

I think its a kool idea ! If you are already into youtube this should be a breeze for ya ! You can enter at www.youtube.com/jergens
For the less courageous like me, the prize could be a stimulator ;)

Love,
Indian Girl

Picture Tutorial On Olive Green Eye Look With Julie Hewett Eye Shadows

As promised this is the post on the step by step picture tutorial for this Olive Green Eye Look. Gather up some patience - this is a long one !

Eye Shadows

These are the powder shadows I used for the look. All are by Julie Hewett.

L to R : Vita, Silk, Zen, Olive

Brushes

I have listed the brushes I used, as well. Some brushes I used were from Smashbox. A couple were from an unknown brand I picked up at Big Lots long long ago. But I have substituted with a similar brush from Smashbox simply because it makes it easier for a reader to stop at a brand and get a look at all the brushes instead of jumping from brand to brand.

Step By Step Tutorial

1. Start off with clean moisturized eyes. apply concealer all over eyes and under the eyes hiding dark circles.
Product : Cover Fx Conceal Fx - Light
Brush : Smashbox Concealer Brush #12

2. Set the concealer with translucent powder.
Product : Cover Fx Translucent Powder - Light
Brush : Smashbox Crease Brush #10 ( I used the nameless brand one)

3. Pat a thin layer of cream / gel eyeliner or shadow in black all over the lid. Skip the inner corner.
Product : Estee Lauder Gel Eyeliner - Black
Brush : Smashbox Concealer Brush #4 ( I used the nameless brand one)


4. Using dabbing motions apply a thick layer of olive green shadow over the gel eyeliner.
Product : Julie Hewett Eyeliner - Olive
Brush : Smashbox Blending Brush #3 ( I used Prescriptives Eyeshadow Brush)


5. Blend a pistachio green color with the olive green, moving upwards and outwards along the crease.
Product : Julie Hewett Eyeshadow - Zen
Brush : Smashbox Crease Brush #10


6. Apply highlighter under the brow, along the brow bone.
Product : Julie Hewett Eye Shadow : Silk
Brush : Smashbox Blending Brush # 3 ( I used the nameless brand one)


7. Apply a green / black, gel / creme eyeliner along upper liner and lower lash line
Product : Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner - Forest Shimmer Ink
Brush : Smashbox Eyeliner Brush #8

8. Line the waterline with a dark green or black eyeliner pencil.
Product : Rimmel London Spark It Up Gleaming Eye Darkening Liner - Peridot


9. Do your brows, apply mascara.
Product : Julie Hewett Eye Shadow : Vita
Brush : Smashbox Angle Brow Brush #12
Product : Julie Hewett Rose Mascara

That's it ! In less that ten steps we have a pretty pretty olive green eye look !

Finished Look :



Custom Palettes :

Over at Julie Hewet they have a new system where you can make your own custom palettes by choosing shades you love to fit into the palette of your choice. Its just like build your own burger except its not edible.

Very few things that are not edible interest me. So, listen up !

The palettes are the gorgeous black and white magnetic ones. So much cuter than the regular all black palettes that everybody else makes.

There are three kinds of palettes available : single pan, 2 pan and four pan. In my two pan palette I plan on adding Silk - a bone colored shade with a tiny hint of gold shimmer. Its the best highlighter shade ever and Vita - a brown taupe shade that makes my eyebrows look happy ! I can then drop it into my purse and have gorgeous highlighted brows all day long !



Ooooofffffffff...its over ! Its all over ! You can go ahead lose that patience now !
I just did.

Love,
Indian Girl

How To : Alicia Keys Hairstyle At AMAs

Tippi Shorter, Pantene Celebrity Stylist, styled Alicia Key’s hair last night for the American Music Awards. Alicia dominated the stage, performing her and Jay-Z’s smash hit “Empire State of Mind” while also rocking it solo with her new song “Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart.”

Here’s how Tippi gave Alicia her red carpet ‘do:

Gosh, I love the blues on Alicia Keys !

Alicia recently got her hair colored a few shades lighter with Clairol, so Tippi started off by washing her hair with the Pantene Pro-V Color Revival Shampoo & Conditioner to keep her color looking healthy and vibrant for the camera. Since Alicia performed twice on stage on top of walking the red carpet, Tippi came up with a fun updo that transformed effortlessly throughout the night. Alicia has always been well known for her braids, so Tippi decided to incorporate a creative twist that involved light, romantic braiding.


After Alicia’s hair was washed, Tippi sprayed the Pantene Pro-V Detangling Light Conditioning Spray to condition and protect her hair before heat styling. The detangler helped smooth her hair while Tippi blow-dried with a Mason Pearson brush. Tippi wanted to recreate the backward Mohawk braid that she did for Alicia’s most recent music video, so she sectioned the hair into three sections front to back. Then, she gathered the two outermost sections and secured the in ponytail using Ojon Animated Styling Cream. With the center section, Tippi started a braid from the nape all the way to the front, making it a little off center. She tucked the end of the braid underneath the main braid and secured with bobby pins. To finish the look with strong hold, Tippi used Ojon Tunu Elastik Hairspray and Bed Head Headrush Shine Spray.

I'm all over updos and braids these days. I also found an awesome website that has the cutest hairstyles. I first found them with the snake braid but didn't go back until recently to realize they have a whole blog full of hair styling ideas ! Check them out here

Love,
Indian Girl

Its Comin Up !

A step by step picture tutorial for this look is coming up soon. Its 2 AM and I've been watching documentary after documentary ! They are addictive.

I went from

Jaguars to
Whales to
Cults to
Wolves of Yellow Stone ( five stars - the best !) to
Lions...

Also in between were Diamonds of Africa and Vampires...didn't finish them . Horrible narration.
Overall a good evening ! How was your weekend ? Do anything fun ?



Love,
Indian Girl
PS : My neighbor ( well, his balcony faces my balcony...) has put up a huge freaky looking Santa Bear !! Super Freaky ! Will see if I can sneek in a pic for ya. As long as you promise it will be between us.

Err.... We are on Mumbai Mirror !!

Guys !

They wrote an article on AIMB at Mumbai Mirror !! Mumbai Mirror is a Mumbai based daily newspaper.

Wow , right !!

They were kind enough not to mention my list of fears or put a picture of my acne spots. Its all good things ! Double Wow ! Read the article here

And...and...the article is in the website area of the tech section ! Oh I feel so brainy !

Thank you Mumbai Mirror ! Thank you Mihir Patkar ( the author of the article) !

Do we have any readers from Mumbai ?


Love,
Indian Girl

Foot Petals Sexy Soles : Sit, Stand, Walk, Run - Now I Can Do It All !

I am not a heel person. Given a chance I would rather wear flip flops than anything else. And why not ?
They come in cute colors. My favorite pair is this pink, yellow one from Adidas that I bought last summer.
They are comfortable & cheap
You can show off your pretty pedicures
In short buy it - break it - trash it - change it

But then I have the worst extremities as far as my body goes. At the hint of cold they freeze up and I have no other option but to go looking for my boots. And while I'm at it I might as well add a couple of inches.

One can never be too tall, can they ?

Not that am tall or anything. Oh forget I said that.


These are one of my favorite pairs of boots. I wear them very very often but only when I know I will not be walking. Mostly I wear them to stationary places. Places where I will just have to park my car get in sit and get out - restaurants. I dare not do even a non-significant amount of walking in them.

In my attempt to make them comfortable I laid in a pair of Sexy Soles From Foot Petals. Sexy Soles are cushion-y insoles that you lay inside your shoes. They have a nice little elevation around the arch area for arch support. This really helps - a lot ! My running shoes come with built in arch support and they are heavenly ! The arch support is crucial, man !


The cushiony insoles do add a lot more comfort compared to just the shoes on their own but don't expect big springy fluffy pillowy effects. I think there is a reason they make these things thin because the more thicker they get the lesser space in the shoes for your feet.

Its all foot science !

Since I got these I have done some walking in my boots. I haven't run for miles but no sane woman does that ! More than walking, they are great when you are in situations where you are simply standing for hours together.

Did you know that 30 mins of simply standing burns 300 calories ?

Not.

These come in size 10 and there are dotted lines marked along which you can cut to customize them to your feet size. I am a size eight. Just in case you needed to know. We can also customize them to be pointed or rounded depending on your shoe. I wish they were like other insoles; as in you pull the sticker behind it and just stick it to your shoes. With these you get the tapes separately.

Have you tried Foot Petals ? I have my eyes on their Tip Toes next because when I walk, a lot of pressure falls in that area. Seriously, we expect way too much from our feet. In return it is our moral duty to make them feel as comfortable as possible.

Love,
Indian Girl

Julie Hewett Noelle Palette : Review. The Pretty Four & A Discount !

God, I love Julie Hewett palettes. They always put in the prettiest four shades together making it perfect for almost anybody !

The latest from them is the Noella Palette.

Noel Noel is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Nothing to do with the palette. But just in case you were dying to know which Christmas songs I liked.

I bet you were !

I keep telling myself that.

The Noella palette has four beautiful colors in it - three satin finish eyeshadow and one cheekie for cheeks & lips. The shadows are a joy to work with. They are paraben and talc free hence no binders. This is great for blending and layering but also makes them susceptible to breakage. Just something to remember before you throw the palette into your makeup drawer.

mica: a silver tinsel shadow, versatile for both day and night allure.
pola: a delicate snow white shadow to sweep over entire lid and highlight under brow.
java: a seductive, slightly shimmery brown used to create a smokey look that everyone will notice.
rosie: a sheer vibrant raspberry for the cheeks that doubles as a luscious lip color.

For this look I used Java all over my lid and Pola as my highlight under my brows.



Brown has never been my color but occasionally I find a rich beautiful brown like this one that just sweeps me off my feet. Pola is a great highlight shade. But I have another awesome highlight shade from JH that I will share soon. That one is a must have. Not to take the spotlight away from Pola. She is pretty too.

Rosie , rosie , rosie. Like they say it is a gorgeous flush of color. I love it a lot lot more than my POP Apples Of The Cheeks Rouge #1 . Rosie is a lot more sheerer than many other cheekies; making it a perfect pick for naturally flushed cheeks and just a hint of red stain for my lips.

I lined my waterline with Omit Pencil by Julie Hewett. I could have used a brown or black eyeliner but I just felt like going with the nude waterline. My brows are strong ( loving my Smashbox eyebrow brush #12).

Though I do a lot of looks with multiple shades - this is more in my comfort zone. It is dressy but has just two shades. Sometime less is more.

I couldn't sound anymore cleché, could I ? But these quotes are a cleché for a reason. They are true !



DISCOUNT

From now until Nov. 29th, use CODE NOV15 at checkout and get 15% off your purchases at juliehewett.net !

Love,
Indian Girl

Leighton Meester & The Purple Shadow

I really like Leighton Meester and I really really like her song.
But this purple shadow....I am not very sure what to think of it.

Do you have it figured ?



Love,
Indian Girl

Its All Science - Everything !

Since the amount of matter in the universe is constant....

What disappeared here...

Reappeared here...

Now, you know where Hayden Panettiere's new bangs came from. Well, from a matter- in - the - universe point of view.
Love,
Indian Girl
1st pic : Indian actress Sonali Bendre
pic source

The Secret Behind Jennifer Aniston's Hair ?

Great guesses Ladies ! It is Jennifer Aniston !

Word on the street is that Jen's long time hairstylist, Chris McMillian uses Shu Uemura Art Of Hair ESSENCE ABSOLUE on her hair after he blow dries it straight. Hence the sexy, shiny, straight, to die for hair !

The secret ingredient in this hair elixir is liquid gold.

Of course there is an-also-known-as coming. You didn't really think they'd sell liquid gold for $65, did you ? (If that was the case we Indians wouldn't be hoarding gold as we do ! )

Liquid Gold also known as Camellia Oil.ESSENCE ABSOLUE has been designed as a multi-use elixir, for repairing dry hair on an individual basis in the following ways:

1- Intensely hydrating leave-in conditioner for very dry/damaged hair
2- Pre-shampoo treatment for deep, nourishing care
3- Protection during color application, adding shine, moisture and elasticity to processed lengths & ends
4- Use in summer time as protective oil against the sun's harmful rays (UV filter)
5- Ultra-shine finisher along lengths and ends

I love products that can be used both pre and post washing, on dry and wet hair. I'm all about multi tasking !

Word on the street is also that the product is now sold out everywhere in the world ! They plan to produce lots more and have them available very soon so we can all have Jen Aniston hair. And if you really really want it , you can get on a wait list here

Word on the street is that when anything requires you to be on a wait list, it almost always is going to be a great experience ! Remember getting on a wait list every semester just so you could have classes with hot professor who rode to school on a Harley Davidson ?

But then of course, I don't know anything about the word on the street.

I got in on the first try. Jealous much ?

And as far as the Love Happens poster in the background goes, lets just say - Everything Happens For A Reason.

Love,
Indian Girl

New Game : I Say You Say

I say Sexy, Poker Straight, Silky Blond Hair (to die for).

You say ?

If " you say" it right. I'll say more on this tomorrow !

Hint : Name that Hollywood actress

So go on start saying ! Email, comment - anything works !

Love,
Indian Girl

Clinique Black Tie Violets Holiday 2009 Collection

The new Clinique Black Tie Violets Holiday 2009 colour collection is a beautiful bundle of colors ranging from violet berries to rich plums and purples. This sweetly feminine, yet bold line features a range of girly violet tones that mirror the festivity and allure of the season.

A full-face holiday look draws inspiration from Clinique’s best-selling Different Lipstick in A Different Grape. Eyes and cheeks in hues of luxurious plums and vibrant violets complement a glossy lip. For an extra touch of glamour, key items are elegantly housed in luxurious, metalized packaging.

Ooh I love metal packaging !!



Shimmering Stripes Powder Blusher ($29.50)
Colour Surge Eye Shadow Quad ($25.00)
Brush-On Cream Liner ($14.50)
Different Lipstick ($14.00)
Full Potential Lips Plump and Shine ($17.50) - Bloomberry, Double Plum, Luscious Lilac
High Impact Lip Colour SPF 15 ($14.00)
Defining Liner for Lips ($15.50)
High Impact Mascara ($14.00)
Powder Brush Metalized Handle ($30.00)

Love,
Indian Girl