Covergirl Tru Blend Minerals Pressed Mineral Foundation : Review - The Best Drugstore Powder Foundation, Yet.

The title says it all.

I've never had any luck finding a good powder foundation from the drugstore. So, I am over the moon about finally finding one that exceeds all my expectations !

Shade & Formula

The Covergirl Tru Blend Minerals Pressed Mineral Foundation in 04 - Soft Honey is a near perfect match for my NC 40 skin tone. It looks a lot darker in the compact but its the glue to bringing together my dark chin with the rest of face which a couple of shades lighter.

This is a sheer to light foundation - not something that gives a whole lot coverage. If you are looking to hide blemishes or acne scars this alone may not be enough. This over a liquid or creme foundation will work better.

I am tinted moisturizer kinda girl so all I want from a powder foundation is to

- help even skin tone
- be light weight
- keep me looking fresh all day long.

I get all this and more !


Lookin Clean & Fresh, Man !

I wore the foundation this past weekend over my Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel and got complimented ( from a boy, no less !) on how clean my face looked. It must have been good right coz we all know boys never notice anything.

If you have uneven skin tone and had a bout of dry skin - clean sounds mega fantastic to your ears . After almost 3 hours of wearing I still had a friend tell me that she wished she looked as fresh as I did. And then I told her I was testing a new foundation. Everybody gave huge points ! And I do too.

I wear all my powder foundation over a primer so they spread well. But this one does great over just a moisturizer. Even in Texan 100 degree weather I looked great for at least four - five hours. At the end of it I did a mini touch up with my Cover Fx Kabuki Brush (the best). The brush that comes with the product is useless.

The Covergirl Tru Blend Minerals Pressed Mineral Foundation can be found at all drugstores and Walmart for $10.11.

In Other News

I ♥ BOSTONMED !!!

I have a huge thing for medical dramas. Most keep me interested but this one has to be the best yet ! Finally a true show where unlike HouseMD the first diagnosis is not Lupus for everything. Plus how adorable are the doctors ! And they have the best personalities to match !

Dr.Dibar reminds me of the doc who operated on my mom a few years back - so sweet and reassuring ! Pina Patel - you the doll ! Cant wait for more episodes !

Love,
Indian Girl

GIVEAWAY : Brazilian Glycolic Peel By Advanced Home Actives - 5 Winners !

I had a great experience with the Brazilian Glycolic Peel By Advanced Home Actives. So, I decided on sharing the goodness with our dearest AIMB readers !

Today AIMB has teamed up with the wonderful folks at Advanced Home Actives, to giveaway one month's supply (four applications) of the Brazilian Glycolic Peel to FIVE readers !

Click here to read about my experience with the Brazilian Glycolic Peel

Each winner will receive (Five Winners )

One Month's supply of the Brazilian Glycolic Peel - good for four applications worth $78 !

How To Enter The Giveaway

There are two ways to enter this giveaway

1. Subscribe to receive daily updates from AIMB via email. Just enter your email address in the box below and leave a comment with your email address. Comments without an email address cannot be considered for the giveaway.


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2. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway.

RT @Indiangirl Brazilian Glycolic Peel Giveaway on An Indian's Makeup Blog - Five winners! RT to Enter http://tinyurl.com/32febvx

http://twitter.com/IndianGirl


This contest is open to US residents and ends on Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at 8 PM CST. I'll be picking out the five winners randomly and announcing them the next day!

Love,
Indian Girl

Brazilian Glycolic Peel By Advanced Home Actives : Review

I would never have tried a chemical peel if it wasn't for my otherwise pretty good skin being in a bad state for the past few months. The winter started the dry cycle and my skin hasn't been the same again. I just want it to go back to being normal. So in my desperate attempt I tried the Glycolic peel only because I read a million or so online reviews that said this was a very safe at home peel. So in the name of beauty blogging I gave it a try and have lived another day to tell the story...


The Story Of How Glycolic Peels Work

When it comes to glycolic peels, timing is everything—a truly effective glycolic facial treatment requires a perfectly timed neutralizer step to deactivate the potent active ingredient. Because many women don’t know how to navigate this delicate process, they leave the treatment to the experts or risk irritation, redness and sensitivity from peeling incorrectly at home.

How This Brazilian Glycolic Peel Works

In this Brazilian Peel by Advanced Home Actives, the two-step process is combined and simplified into a one time process. The active ingredients and neutralizer are combined in pre-measured, equal amounts to act on skin until the time-released neutralizer automatically deactivates the glycolic acid within 10 minutes. The peel and neutralizer are housed in two separate chambers, preserving the purity and potency of the ingredients until you dispense the two formulas simultaneously from the patented syringe-like packaging. Because the single-step process controls the pH of the glycolic acid during the 10-minute treatment time, there’s no tradeoff between potency and safety. "

My Experience

Everything sounded safe so I proceeded with the treatment. Still with caution.

You take the syringe and empty it into the palm of your hand. You'll see two blobs - one neutralizer and the other is the peel. Now using two fingers mix them together and you'll feel the peel warming up. Act fairly quickly and spread it all over your face and neck like you would with any other peel. Set the time to 10 minutes and wait.




Up until 8 minutes I didn't feel anything. It was just like I had a simple serum on my face. At the end of 8 minutes I felt a slight tingle. Even my Clinique masks tingle a more than this one did. Its a very very small tingle. Then at 10 minutes I washed it off with water.

Results

Given that it was a glycolic and so much is written about all that it can do - I had extremely high expectations once I decided to go for it. I'd say it did very well considering all I wanted it to do. I felt the softness return back to my face after so many months of bad texture. This I am most thankful for. Plenty of my dry spots got exfoliated out. There was a marked difference in the brightness of my face. No redness, no irritation or any other issues.

This is a once a week for four weeks treatment and I feel positive that at the end of four weeks I will have a lot more benefits from this peel.

From the clinical results I learnt that this is an excellent treatment for folks with oily skin. Though I have dry skin i am going to go ahead with it because I can use the exfoliation. I am not doing any other exfoliating during the week. Just regular moisturizing. Will get back to you at the end of four weeks with my overall result !

The Brazilian Peel by Advanced Home Actives ($78) is available at Sephora.

In Other News

Its pitch balck outside at 4:00 in the evening. Huge storm. Lotsa thunder and rain.
Listening to Rahar Fateh Ali Khan. I discovered him only a few months back and I am so thankful I did !



Love,
Indian Girl

This article contains a sample product sent for consideration by PR. For more details on the disclosure policy please refer to it at the bottom of the page.

Night Out / Clubbing Eye Makeup Look !

As I write the word clubbing, the evil part of my brain is snickering - "Like you know what clubbing is anymore. When was the last time again..."

I don't wanna get into it. Not now. Not ever. Lets just say a few years and leave it at that. I mean, whoz counting right.

So with my dated knowledge of what's club appropriate, lets get on with what I think might be a cool night out / clubbing makeup look. If its not let just leave it at - "Hey it looks like fun" and ignore I said anything about clubbing.



This is what I came up with. Its an all out blingy glittery fun eye look. I like it but my eye didn't. Its been two days and my left eye is still itching. I have used all the products before but my eye decides this is the time to act up.

I'll have the tutorial up tomorrow. But I just had to go on and share it with you tonight.
I just had to.
It'll be a fun way to start out your Monday morning !



These ones below were taken indoors - artificial lights. Now you'll see those sparkles I was talking about & you couldn't spot. I had to look up to avoid the shadow and maximize the light falling on my face. So the pics are a little different from regular EOTDs. But you know what, if you were at the club dancing with a really tall cute boy - this is what he would be looking at.

Knowing me , I'll probably go for the tall cute one so I'm guessing this would be the angle to master right ?

Watch out !! Goin for the "How you doin?" look.

Its settled. I like him. Cant stop looking into his eyes.

Now that's just a weird angle. Looks like someone spotted another hottie.

Love,
Indian Girl

Covergirl Liquiline Blast Eye Liner Pencil : Review & Swatches

*****Update : New pictures added. Scroll down for eye makeup look with the eyeliners !*****

New drugstore eyeliners folks !!

New drugstore eyeliners in gorgeous shades !

New drugstore eyeliners in six gorgeous shades, creamy textures for $7.99 !


The new Covergirl Liquiline Blast Eye Liner Pencils follow in the colorful foot steps of the CoverGirl Smoky Shadow Blast Shadow Sticks as in each eyeliner pencil was made to match one of the shadow stick shades. The pencils are soft, apply like a dream, have good color pay off and come with a smudger tip a one end.

I'd rather call it eraser tip - in fact an eraser makes it more interesting to me. The eraser tip is a super handy tool for the winging obsessed. Sometimes you wing it too far and during such times you can use the eraser tip to lightly shorten the wing and voila things start to look much better !

I tried three shades

Brown Blaze - a creamy simple dark brown. My favorite of the three. It has the best staying power along the waterline. I love wearing this with deep green mascara - total tree hugger combination but looks fantastic !


Violet Voltage - Very pretty deep violet. Surprisingly looked great against my NC40 tan skin and brown eyes.
Green Glow - electric metallic green. Love love love. I wear this along the waterline and the brown along upper and lower lash line - the contrast is to die for ! But stay time along waterline is minimal - say 2-3 hours. Reminds me of Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Mildew.

These three shades are good. They really are but then there is one more super mega delicious shade that I simply must have. That divine thing is called Silver Spark - a metallic dark gray which could pass off as gray taupe. And I love gray taupe.

The other two shades are Black Fire and Blue Bloom. I don't know anything about them. But come July my CVS will start stocking these and I will start emptying the store of these.

Overall I am very impressed and these are my new fave to recommend !

Eye Makeup Look With Brown Blaze

Here I have on brown blaze along the lower waterline. And Estee Lauder Color Bold Volume Lifting Mascara in Emerald on my lashes. You'd think the green'll look garish but nope. It looks just as soft as any other mascara - you can even wear it work ! And man, do they make brown eyes look browner !



Love,
Indian Girl

This article contains a sample product sent for consideration by PR. For more details on the disclosure policy please refer to it at the bottom of the page.

Hiya

Hiya Ladies !

What's goin on ? Today I'm sharing a couple of EOTDs and LOTDs from the past few days.

First up a neutral everyday look paired with bright pink lips.



Lipstick Queen Fifteen Minutes Of Fame Lip gloss - #10 and Estee Lauder Lip Liner - Pink

Next , a purple look paired with light pink lips. Told ya, I'm all about the pinks this summer !

Julie Hewett Lipstick - Kiki

Tonight I'm trying out a new Brazilian Glycolic Peel !!!! Eeeeeeeks - I am kinda scared. Its my first glycolic peel. I am hoping it will do all the nice things it promises.

Have a great evening, dolls ! More stories tomorrow.

Love,
Indian Girl

Reader Question : Nude Lipstick Application For Pigmented / Uneven Toned Lips

Another most asked question that I wanted to address on the blog is on nude lipsticks for pigmented / uneven toned lips. The latest one is from Anitha.

"I was looking into your nude lipstick recommendation for medium skin tone. Well I think I fall into medium skin tone however my lips(especially upper lip) is so pigmented that I was not sure what kind of nude lipstick will suit me.

Can you please advise good ways to get rid of the pigmentation(which of course takes time), a quick and easy way in which I could wear nude lipsticks, and well what kind of nude colour will suit my pigmented lips."

I have a similar problem - my upper lip is darker than my lower and the outline of my lips are a bit darker too. So, boy do I have a few tricks up my sleeve or what !

Few things to help-

1. Don't Care

I try not to care much about the excess pigment - a doctor told me its a characteristic of Indian skin along with darkened joints like knees and elbows. So I just roll with it.

2. Not Sheer But Color

Find products that are not very sheer so they give enough even color to overcome the difference in pigmentation. If you are looking for lip gloss try the long staying ones - they tend to have more color. Below are some lipstick shades that have worked well for me in the past. A few are bit darker and a few a bit lighter than my idea of nude.

Julie Hewett - Biba
Smashbox - Flawless, Captivating
Revlon Matte - Cocoa Craving
Smashbox Lip pencil - Amaretto
Lipstick Queen Saint Lipstick - Natural
Smashbox Lip Techs - Nude, Peony, Maple
LORAC Nude Scene
Becca - Vendella
Urban Decay - Jail bait, Naked
Loreal Color Riche - Silk

3. Lip Liners Are The Best Nudes

Some of the best nude products come as lip liners. They are creamy , very dense pigmentation and mostly cheaper than other products. You can top them off with a clear lip gloss and they are good to go ! Some nude / natural lip liners I like are

Julie Hewett - Nude Noir lip liner
MAC - Spice
Estee Lauder - Spice
Milani - Most natural
Urban Decay - Paranoid, Wallflower
Pur Minerals - Cerite
Jouer Lip Definer - Bois De Rose, Naturel

4. Mask It

If you want to wear really light nude shades its a good idea to mask the pigmentation. Use a foundation matching your skin tone or one closer to the color of your lips. Using a very light one only makes it look ashy. Or use a corrector like Bobbi brown corrector in peach / dark peach (Thanks JC !) all over your lips and blend a bit into the area around your lips. Now pat with some translucent powder. Give it a minute then apply the lipstick of your choice.

5. Its All About SPF

Use SPF on our lips to keep them from getting darker. Several brand make lip balms with SPF - chapstick, Jouer, Fresh. Use them regularly.
Or just avoid the sun - period. Like I do .
I have avoided sun as much as possible and I have seen a marked decrease in my lip pigment level.

6. Old Ain't Gold - Or So I'm Told

Don't use lipsticks that are very old - they are suppose to make lips darker. I am not sure how scientific this is but this is mom's advice and we all know mom is always right.

7. Best Follow Instruction

Some face masks / serums come with instruction to not use them around lip area - best to look for those instructions and follow them.

8. My Lips But Better

Unless you are comfortable with a high contrast in color between your skin and lips, try not to go for very light nude shades. For beginners or folks looking for it to look natural stick with shades that are closest to your lip color or the color inside you mouth (gum).

One blanket statement that may or may not apply is - the darker your natural lip color, the darker your nude lipstick will be.

9. Shimmer Makes Everything Better

Another easy to wear nude color is to go for shades with a hint of shimmer in them. The shimmer helps
-tone down the contrast between the nude lip color and skin
-the way shimmer reflects light will take attention away from uneven pigmentation & the fact that the creamy lip is hiding something underneath.
- tone down the density of the lipstick.
Julie Hewett Nude Noir is a good choice. As an alternative you can also add a shimmery clear gloss on top.

10. Hi Doc

If the darkness bothers you a lot or it feels unnatural or has appeared suddenly - pay a visit to the doc / dermatologist. They might have some new info, like your skin not liking a particular ingredient or have new medical products to help overcome the darkness. Some might even give it a name like peri - oral dermatitis and have just the right treatment for it !

Unnecessary Information

I know y'all know and understand this but sometimes I get this urge to state a few obvious facts like...

My idea of nude can be totally different from yours ( at least as far as lip color goes). Just like skin tones, lips have weird undertones of mauve, pink, red, brown - you name it. So again what suits me as a nude will suit a few others and will be so far away from the target for many others. But the tips still can easily apply to everybody. Its the product recommendations that can / will vary.
Hence ( I love using hence ) it will be of great help if y'all help the rest of us out and mention a few nude lipsticks you love. Somebody will love you for it...


Love,
Indian Girl

Whirl - A - Style : Hair Gadget For Perfect Hair Buns !

Good Morning Ladies !

How was your weekend ? Mine was fabulous !
Ugh - every time I say that word Teresa from Real Housewives of New Jersey pops into my head and goes faaaaaaabulous.

Last Friday I got all dressed up for a dinner date with a friend who had just returned from a long road trip - I had to get updated on all the stories ! My outfit of choice - a cute blue shimmery top , some jeans, deep purple eye makeup and my long hair rolled into a bun.

The only time I have my hair in a bun is at home. I'd love to do a proper updo more often but given my hair's density and texture - I'd probably have to use half a gallon of hair spray , and a few hundred bobby pins and those other U shaped ones. But then I came across this nifty little gadget called Whirl - A- Style that promised a easy bun and I just had to try it. This was the result.

Whirl - A - Style Jumbo Large & Jumbo Medium

I am very happy with this. The Whirl - A - Style product comes in many sizes and colors to suit different hair shades, lengths, textures and density. Here I have on their biggest one - Jumbo Large. It was a bit small for my hair. I could fit most of my hair into it but not all.

This is what I did -
Lay my hair flat on my back.
Pull three fourth of it into Whirl A Style
Drag it down along the length of my hair
Roll it up and snap it.
Roll the rest of my hair around the bun - secure with a couple of bobby pins.


This one below - I used the Jumbo Medium. Its good for a half up do.


All my hair in the bun stayed put throughout dinner - I was thoroughly pleased that I didn't have to pull it out or add more pins. Speaking of pulling it out - taking the bun out was really easy too. I unsecured the ends and it fell out pretty easily without me losing even a single strand of hair - mega points for that !

This works best on hair that doesn't have a lot of layers. If you have man layers along the length of your hair, then the ends may start peeking out the bun. I have some layers at the end but not all along so it wasn't hard.

Overall its a super hair gadget for all of $10 - available here. You can read more on all the other hairstyles one can create with these on their site . Next on my list is to try and do a French knot with it.

Video on how to create a classic bun with Whirl- A - Style.



Love,
Indian Girl

This article contains a sample product sent for consideration by PR. For more details on the disclosure policy please refer to it at the bottom of the page.

Rimmel Glam Eyes Mono Eye Shadow : Review & Swatches

As part of their Spring/ Summer Collection Rimmel released six gorgeous shades of Glam Eyes Eye shadows.

According to Rimmel "This soft, silky formula delivers bold, brilliant and glamorous eyes with even, smooth, crease-proof application and high color impact. Lavishly pigmented for longwearing, stay true color, the pressed powders are embossed with Rimmel London’s signature crown and housed in a glamorous black compact."

For the most part everything they promise is true - the colors are brilliant, silky formula, neat packaging , costs only $3.50 each, is crease proof and lasts a while ! The shades include

Glam Ice - shimmery pearly white
Spicy Bronze - shimmery bronze
Posh Peacock - shimmery blue
Night Jewel - shimmery black
Royal Violet - satin lavender
Celestial Sapphire - matte deep blue

The shimmery shades have a lot more color pay off that the matte / satin ones and are the nice shimmer kind. No gritty messy glitter - just a soft formula that applies well and stays long. My most favorite of the bunch were Spicy Bronze and Night Jewel - oh these two together will create magic on your eyes. Perfect for summer - day / night ! If you arnt tired of my bronzy / brown looks yet - I'd love to show how I wear these. Would you like to see em ?

Overall, I love the shades, like the formula a whole lot and adore the price ! Make sure you get the shimmery ones.



Love,
Indian Girl

This article contains a sample product sent for consideration by PR. For more details on the disclosure policy please refer to it at the bottom of the page.

Chic Braid At Jason Wu Resort Show : How To ?

Oh My God ! Its a New braid alert !

Y'all know this Indian Girl ❤ 's braids. And I am so gonna try this ASAP. May be I'll do it this evening even ! So simple that even I can do it. Read on to find out how Jenn Chiminiello, Master Stylist at Aveda Vandam Street Lifestyle Salon in New York City, created an updated braid using Aveda Control Force™ Hair Spray at the Jason Wu Resort 2011 show in New York.

HOW TO GET THE LOOK

1. Prep damp hair with Aveda Brilliant™ Damage Control™ to add shine and protect hair from the hazards of heat styling. Then massage Aveda Phomollient™ Styling Foam from roots to ends to add body. Blow-dry with a round brush, curling the ends of hair under as you dry.

2. Use a comb to create a messy part wherever hair parts naturally. For extra volume at the crown, backcomb the roots with a fine-toothed comb.

4. Divide hair into two side sections and one back section. Create a tight braid with the back section of hair and secure at the end with a clear elastic band.

5. Take the left section of hair and lace through the braid, securing at the bottom with a clear elastic band, on top of the elastic already holding the braid. Repeat with right section of hair.

front of the face and secure with bobby pins at each side of the braid, behind the ears. Secure other loose strands into the braid as needed.

7. Finish by spraying the braid liberally with Aveda Control Force™ Firm Hold Hair Spray to keep hair steadily in place.

AVEDA PRODUCTS USED

Aveda Phomollient™ Styling Foam (S.R.P. $14)

Aveda Brilliant™ Damage Control™ (S.R.P. $15)

Aveda Control Force™ Hair Spray (launching in June 2010; S.R.P. $26)




Q: What was your inspiration for this look? How did you collaborate with the designer to create the look?

“Jason’s collection was inspired by the look of the dewy pixie girls who graced the covers of 1960’s fashion magazines. The updated braid we created for the show reflects that fresh and youthful feel.” —Jenn Chiminiello for Aveda.

Q: How could a woman achieve this look on her own?

“This style looks pretty and fresh for daytime and super romantic for evening. To keep the look from going flat, apply Aveda Phomollient™ Styling Foam to damp hair, massaging from roots to ends, and blow dry with a round brush. Then divide hair into two side sections and one back section. Create a tight braid with the back section of hair, securing with an elastic. Wrap pieces of hair from each side through the braid, securing with an elastic at the bottom of the braid. To keep the style in place, spray liberally with Aveda Control Force™ Firm Hold Hair Spray.”

Love,
Indian Girl

Scarlett Johansson - Makeup Inspiration

Scar Jo.
Beautiful Scar Jo has been giving us makeup addicts lotsa inspiration looks lately. The girl's been playing with color and I love it ! Almost always Hollywood does that same few safe things - champagne, gold, black smokey eye or a neutral eye . We need more color in Hollywood !

At The 64th Annual Tony Awards - A bold purple and lavender eye look contrasting the bottle green dress.



At 2010 MTV Movie Awards - a very easy golden olive brown look. Look the hair color ! Is it blond ? Is it red ? Is this strawberry blond ?



At 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards in New York - green green lotsa green. A fun way to match her dress with the makeup !


At Iron Man 2 Premiere in Hollywood - bronze glamor. Love the bronze eyes the gorgeous bronzy skin with the white outfit !


At 2010 White House Correspondents Association Dinner - very sweet and simple, almost a girl next door type look.

Scar Jo is beautiful and all but the only thing better is ....
Mmmm...Mmmm....Mmmm..........

Love,
Indian Girl