:) The Leibster Blog Award :)

I am superbly excited to write this post. Isn’t it absolutely wonderful when you are appreciated for something? It’s been just a few months since I started this blog, and already I have received the Leibster Award. And believe it or not, I am on Cloud 9. I had never imagined that I would be given this award this early and when I would visit all these other blogs and see them have the Leibster Award badge on their sidebar, I would just imagine what it would feel like to get one of those, as well!

Now thanks to my awesome fellow bloggers Ashmita, Arshita and Fiona, I can proudly display the Leibster Award badge on my sidebar. You guys have made my day. Words, simply cannot express how I feel to have been given this honour by you three. Love you guys! <3

Here’s a little intro to their blogs as well. If you haven’t checked them out already, then what are you waiting for? Quickly go over to their blogs and see how amazing they are!

Ashmitha, a fellow medical student, started her blog a few months. But her awesome eye makeup posts and friendly nature got her a number of followers in no time. Check out her blog here to see what I am talking about :)

Arshita, who also started her blog a few months back, is a pro at churning out natural homemade remedies and simple, yet pretty makeup looks. Visit her blog here to get an idea about what I am trying to say :)

Fiona, is a perky new blogger who has a pretty amazing and envy-inducing collection of makeup. She writes about drugstore makeup products as well as high-end ones. Also, she has the amazing ability to write posts almost everyday. Have a look at her blog here right now, and get awed at her nail swatches :)

Now, coming onto the questions they have asked me, I have written down each set of answers one after the other :D 

Questions given to me by Ashmitha:

1.What is the first makeup product you got?

 - A lipgloss from Maybelline, when I was 14.

2.What is your favourite jewellery?

 - I am not much of a jewellery person, but I do love experimenting with earrings.

3.Which brand do you wish to try so eagerly?

 - Essie!!!! I love their nailpaints!

4.Which product do you avoid the most?

 - Concealers.

5.What is your favourite drugstore and high end brand?

 - Favourite drugstore brand will have to be Maybelline. High-end brand will include MAC.

6.What is your favourite lipgloss?

 - Revlon Super-Lustrous Lipgloss in Lilac Crème.

7.Which one product you wish you possess the entire life time?

  - MAC blush in Blushbaby.

8.What is your favourite home remedy?

 - Haha!! Uhhh….scrubbing a sugar-cube on my lips vigorously to exfoliate it.

9.What is your recent favourite blog?

 - www.makeupandbeautyblog.com. The blog is very well-written. Only sad thing is that it’s an International Blog, so most of the reviews are about high-end brands or stuff that you don’t get in India.

10.What is your favourite online shopping site?

 - www.myntra.com

11.How recent do you purchase your makeup products?

 - I avoid buying make-up unless it’s absolutely necessary or I want to try something new really badly. However, when it comes to buying  nailpaints, I tend to pick a few up every other week.

Questions given to me by Fiona:

1. Which ingredient from the kitchen you swear by?

 - Sugar!! :/

2. Which is the most expensive make up product that you own?

 - A Chanel Eyepencil.

3. One place you would love to go and with whom?

 - Uhm… Rio de Janeiro during the Carnival, with my significant other :P

4. Bags or Shoes?

 - Shoes!! I am not really a bag-person.

5. Favorite drug store brand and high-end brands?

 - Maybelline and MAC, respectively.

6. Which is the current TV series that you are addicted to?

 - Currently, it’s Two and a Half Men. But, I am crazily addicted to F.R.I.E.N.D.S…I tend to watch an episode or two every day, even though I have every scene memorized to the T.

7. Which is your favourite Lipstick, Mascara and Blush?

 - Lipstick: uhhh…I don’t use lipsticks. I own a few Maybelline ones that I am not very fond of.

   Mascara: Maybelline Falsies Mascara.

   Blush: MAC Blushbaby.

8. Name one celebrity you envy?

 - I don’t usually envy people…but uh…from the top of my head, Halle Berry. She has an amazing personality.

9. Name a movie that you never get bored of watching?

 - Horrible Bosses! It’s hilarious.

10. Name 5 beauty blogs you follow?

 - Makeupandbeautyblog.com, IMBB, WiseShe, MusingsOfAMuse, Corallista.

11. Whats on your wish list?

 - My wish-list keeps changing and upgrading. Currently, I wish to hoard all the shades from the Maybelline Color Show range of Nailpaints :D

Questions given to me by Arshita:

1. Who is your style icon?

 - Ahh…I don’t have any icon whom I follow as such. However, I do love Deepika Padukone’s sense of style.

2. What is your favorite attire?

 - A loose t-shirt and a pair of denims. You can never go wrong with them. :)

3. Which actress's wardrobe do you envy?

 - I don’t envy anyone’s wardrobe, as such…However, if I have to choose, it will have to be Deepika Padukone’s. That woman sure knows what can turn heads her way!

4. What is your favorite lipstick shade?

 - I don’t own too many lipsticks, but I do have this Maybelline Color Sensational  Lipstick in Wine something that I dab on my lips and it give an amazing tint to it. The lipstick as such is super-dark and vampire-ish! :P

5. Your Favorite perfume till date.

 - J’adore by Christian Dior, Chanel No.5, Davidoff Cool Water and Dior Poison. Very hard to pick a favourite. I love them all equally.

6. What type of shoes you wear mostly?

 - Simple flats in different shades.

7. Your favorite timepass?

 -  Sleeping. Yeah, not kidding! Uh…if not that, then watching funny movies and TV shows.

8. Your best-buy till now?

 - An Apple Ipad Mini. Period.

9. Your favorite cartoon character.

 - Hahaha….now that’s a tough one. I am still addicted to cartoons. My favourite character is probably Johnny Bravo. He is so dumb and funny, and ridiculous, you can’t just help but love him.

10. Name one makeup product that you use everytime you go out.

 - Lipbalm. I never go anywhere without using that.

11. Your favorite skin care brand.

 - Nivea and Olay.

Whew, that was one fun ride answering every question :P

Now, coming onto the people I will be tagging. Please note that I have chosen those blogs who have less than 200 Google+ followers! 

I would like to tag the following people :)

1. Meghana of Happiest Ladies

2. Arpita of Indian Beauty Centre

3. Arshi of Makeup and World

4. Charu of My Glossy Affair

5. Sahana of Glamour Journals

6. Natasha of My Little World of Makeup

7. Eleena of Beauty in Your Hands

8. Sangeeta of Wooing Beauty

9.Stacey of Nail, Beauty, Fashion and more

10. Bharathi of Transit Beautiful

11. Divya of Nail Art by Divya

Here's are the questions that I would like you girls to answer :)

Just copy the following down, answer them, tag me back and tag 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers! Spread the joy around!

Finally, I would like to thank Asmitha, Arshita and Fiona again for nominating me for the award :) <3

XOXO

Riz <3

Update: Exams Ahead! :(

It's almost end of the academic year...and with the joys of being done with another year, comes the impending wrath, that is exams!! :(

Okay, that was a little too intense, but basically, what I wanted to imply is that my exams are coming up and I will not be blogging much. Actually, to be honest, I haven't been very regular for the past few months either during to the study-pressure, barely churning out around 10 posts or less. And I feel extremely bad about that (maybe I didn't choose the right time to start the blog :/). But I promise you all, that is about to change once I am back in January!

Uh, yes, January. I have my college internal exams going on now, and will start with my University exams in November. After that, I will be going home in December. So, I will be back with a bang, only in January.

However, I will not be complete absent, I might post every now and then :) You can check my Facebook page for updates! 

Until next time,

XOXO,

Riz <3

Maybelline Color Show Nail Polishes: Review and Swatches

When Maybelline launched the Color Show nail polishes in India, I was literally squealing with joy. I had seen these nailpaints all over the International beauty blogs and wondered when they would come to India. 

But honestly, I never thought they would come this soon. And at 75 bucks? That is just too good to be true, right?!

But well, they are here and they are for Rs.75, so why should a nailpolish addict like me not get a few, right?  Also, believe it or not, they have come up with 40 shades in this range :O :)) Yayy!

Today, I will be showing you lovely girls 3 shades from the range. I picked them up in a matter of seconds from New U, when I had actually gone there to buy a few other things, so I didn’t really get to see all the shades properly. However, I have a good mind of going there pretty soon and picking up another loads of shades. 

L-R: Tenacious Teal, Coral Crush, Denim Dash

These nailpaints come in these small, cute, cylindrical bottles that are just too cute to resist. They look extremely cute in my cupboard and I can’t help but look at them once, every time I open it.

They have 6ml of product, which is honestly fine by me. At 75 bucks a colour, 6 ml actually works fine. This way, you can buy them every time you finish a colour. I just hope that Maybelline don’t hike the prices like they did with most of their other products.

The brush is pretty great to work with, as well. It’s small, but easy to hold and use.

All in all, everything about these nailpaints make me wanna pick them up and paint my nails with them. They even dry super-fast!

So, coming on to the colours now…..the shades I picked up are Tenacious Teal, Coral Crush and Denim Dash. Check out the pictures below :)

Warning: Picture-heavy post!!! :D

And sorry about my nails. I have my exams coming up, and long nails don’t really go down well with medicine professors! :/

Tenacious Teal: More like a teal-y green, this colour was one of the most sought after colours when this range was launched in the International markets. So I just had to pick this shade up as well. The colour shows up well with one coat, but I applied 2 coats to intensify it. I think this colour will suit most skin-tones. It is certainly a unique shade.

Swatch under artificial light

Swatch in sunlight

 Coral Crush: True to it’s name, this a pretty coral shade, and I certainly had a crush on it when I saw it. Loving the colour, loving the way it looks on my nail. Very girly, very chic! 2 coats do the trick.

Swatch under artificial light

Swatch in sunlight

 Denim Dash: This is hands-down the show-stopper! Why? ‘coz it is arguably the best shade that this range has come up with! And to top it off, it dries MATTE!!!!!! Yes, this shade applies all glossy, but when it dries up, it’s all matte. I was happily shocked to see this and better yet, this is a one-coater. The colour is a unique blue, with tiny silver and light-blue glitters. This is one shade you all must get!

Applies glossy

Dries matte :)
Do you see the glitters? Click to enlarge! :D

Swatch under artificial light

Swatch in sunlight

Here's another look at the tiny beauties! :P

The colours under sunlight

Oh! Check out this mini-brochure that I got. They have these simple nail-art ideas that you can do!

Take a look! (Click to enlarge the pics!)

Whew! That was one long post, huh?! And  happy one at that! Last Word: these nail paints are certainly one of the best thing to have come to the Indian markets in a long time. Do not hesitate to grab a few of them the next time you head to the store! They will not disappoint.

XOXO

Nail Colors That will Rock this FALL ;)

Fall is almost here, guys….but are you geared up with all the nail paints that are rocking the fall?

Not yet? What? Why? Oh…..you don’t know which ones to get, is it? Hmmm….well, worry not, ‘coz B is here to tell you all about the fall shades and which ones you can get this year.

Now, I am not really a blindly-follow-the-trend sort of a person, but I do like keeping up with whatever it is that most women are running after. The whole “nail color and match them with your clothes, and the season, and the occasion, and with the year, and with what-the-h*ll-not” is a trend that is well, let’s just say very-in for a few years now.

So, now I am here to just give a tiny insight to some shades that you can keep handy this time of the year.

Have a look at the image below…

As you can see, autumn/fall/winter is all about dark shades. Dark crème shades, be it glossy or matte, metallic or shimmery or a mix of any. The rule here is: If it’s DARK, it is Right!

Now, you might be wondering why is Neutral there? Well, it is my belief, that for nude shades, there is no summer or winter. It is one shade that you can rock all year around.

So, next time you visit the store with the thought of buying a wintery nailpolish, be sure to pick up something a little darker. Leave the pastels and neons for another time (preferably spring and summers), not now. But if that still doesn’t work with you, just get a nice nude shade and you should be good to go :)

Now, coming onto some respective shades that you can add to your collection, here’s a list of colours that is currently creating a rave this winter. Get your pick from among these:

1.       GREEN: Green is in this year. Did you see the whole Mint craze that took the whole woman community by storm in 2013? And, are you aware that Jade was one of the go-to colours this year, as far as nail shades are concerned? Every top Nailpaint company came up with atleast one unique green shade, and every blog that I visited seem to go on and on about how mush they loved it. So, what are you waiting for? Have you decided to add a green nailpaint to your vanity yet?

My Picks: Revlon Moss Green, Revlon Forest green, Faces Mysterious Green, Lakme Royal Collection Emerald Green, Lakme Royal collection Khaki.

2.       OXBLOOD/GARNET: Did you notice the number of oxblood ensembles that ruled the red carpet this year? Needless to say, Oxblood and Garnet, a shade that was mostly 80’s, is back with a bang this year. It’s not for brides anymore. Nowadays, even the cleaning bua in my hostel is wearing an oxblood shade on her toes. So, if she is up for following the trend, why not you? Yeah? ;)

My picks: Maybelline Colorama Ruby, Faces Bridal Red.

3.       GRAY: Till a few months back, I always found gray to be a dull shade, one that would make your nails look dull and make you go “sigh…..life’s boringgg!” But, not anymore. Gray has become one of my personal favourites. Another sought-after shade this year, Gray has become the new classy shade. ‘If you wear gray, you have got class’ is the new motto.

My picks: Faces Grey Matter, Revlon Mischievous, Colorbar Exclusive 06, Avon Gun Metal.

4.       PLUM: One can never have too many plum shades. Plum has been ruling the winter line for a few years now and if you don’t have a plum nail paint yet, it’s time to put on your shopping shoes and run to the stores now. A shade that suits all skintones, you can never have an excuse for not buying a plum nailpaint.

My picks: Lotus Plum Delight, Colorbar plum Wine, Revlon Plum Deluxe.

5.       NAVY BLUE: A newbie in the winter nailpaint department, have you noticed how it is present in the new Fall/Winter collections from China Glaze, OPI, Essie and all other nailpaint brands?

My picks: Maybelline Colorama Marinho, Faces Ultramarine Blue, Faces Siberian Nights.

6.       DARK BROWN: Another shade that’s a part of all the nailpaint collections this fall, brown seems to be on everyone’s mind. So, is it in your mind yet?

My picks: Lotus Choco Fudge,

7.       NUDE: If all else fails and none of the colours above seem to catch your fancy, then fret not. Just pick up a nude nail colour and come back home :P

My picks: Colorbar Exclusive 20, Maybelline colorama Nude, Maybelline Colorama Rosa Antigo (A beautiful, dark rosy nude).

8.       SHIMMERS: Shimmers are so in right now. Use them alone or layer it over your favourite fall nail polish, it will not disappoint you :)

My picks: Maybelline Colorama Glitter prata, Faces Shanghai Shimmer.

So, this fall, do get at least one or two of the above shades, and if you already have them, then what are you waiting for? Go! Start your fall mani NOW!!!

Hope this post was useful.

Love,

Riz :)

DISCLAIMER: The nail swatches seen in the collage do not belong to me. They have all been taken from various sites. I have mentioned the sources of each picture below. However, if you see your nail swatch there, and donot want it to be there, please send me a mail at dialbforbeauty.13@gmail.com or comment below, and I will immediately remove it :)

Collage nail swatches Sources:

http://nailartexpert.com/peculiarity-of-gray-nail-polish/#sthash.HqROXbVa.dpbs, 

http://ladies-trends.com/2011/04/13/beautiful-green-nail-polish-shades/, http://heiratelier.com/blog/2013/03/24/spring-nail-polish-2013-the-endless-choices/, http://liquidjelly.blogspot.in/2012/05/sally-hansen-oxblood.html, http://www.indianbeautyforever.com/2013/04/lotus-herbals-nail-paint-in-plum.html, http://nailsandkolours.blogspot.in/2012_12_01_archive.html, 

http://corallista.com/2012/07/19/my-favorite-nude-nail-polish-colorbar-exclusive-no-20-whats-yours/, 

http://www.missnattysbeautydiary.com/2011/02/notd-nude-nails-with-love-beauty.html, http://beautyandmakeupmatters.com/faces-canada-nail-enamel-shanghai-shimmer-review-notd/

http://beautyandmakeupmatters.com/maybelline-coloroma-nail-enamel-glitter-prata-review-nails/

Avon Care Fairness Facewash with Licorice

Hello everyone,

I will be reviewing the Avon Care ‘Fairness’ Exfoliation Facewash with licorice.

As soon as I saw this in the catalogue, I decided to Google licorice and see what it has to say…and here is what I found (from wikipedia): Licorice is the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra from which a somewhat sweet flavor can be extracted. The licorice plant is a legume (related to beans and peas) that is native to southern Europe and parts of Asia.

Also, it does not necessarily mention anything about it’s fairness property, however, after much research :P I found out that licorice is known to fade out tan, and thus help in making you fair.

The facewash comes in a cute, tiny pink and white tube with a blue screw cap.

The facewash, as such is almost transparent, but it contains these tiny white specks which help in exfoliation. The facewash is very mild and is safe for everyday use (unlike most scrubs). It does deep clean the face and remove all traces of oil and dirt, but it tends to make your face a little dry, so following up with a moisturizer is a must. It has a mild fruity fragrance which I like.

What is completely untrue about this facewash is it’s fairness claim! You will notice no fading of tan or extra fairness post-usage. However, once your face is all clean, it does impart the clean-face glow seen from almost all facewashes. Apart from that, this facewash does nothing extra to your face. It’s just an ordinary everyday facewash.

Quantity: 50g.

Price: Rs.99. (yes, expensive- compared to the quantity/quality. You might get it cheaper during Avon offers, though)

This is how the facewash looks

Can you see the tiny white flakes?? Hmmm...I guess not! :/
Well, they do a good job at scrubbing though :)

Will I purchase this again?: Maybe, Maybe not. Since this facewash doesn’t really do much for my face, I might skip it or buy it a year or two later when I want use it again :P

Rating: 3.5/5.

Love,

L'OREAL Paris Glam Shine Balmy Gloss: First impressions and Swatches

Hello Beautiful People,

Look what I have here today: L'OREAL Paris Glam Shine Balmy Gloss. 

Wait...what??

Well, this was my first reaction too when I saw them on Purplle.com. Just look at them, they look so cute.

In this sudden flare of crayon-like lipbalms from all the Beauty companies (like Revlon, Bourjois, Clinique), L'oreal has come out with these super-cute twist-up crayon lipbalms to keep up with the trend.
These were launched first in the UK a few months back and they are finally here in India now. However, UK has a lot more colours compared to us, at present but I am sure the nice L'oreal people will bring more colours soon (L'oreal, are you listening??  ^_^)

So, as soon as I saw these cute things in Purplle, I decided I had to have them. Well, at 400 bucks, why can't I indulge in them a little, hai na?? :D

There are 3 colours available currently:
- Lychee Lust
- Passion Fruit Perfect
- Peach Pleasure

In the UK, they have other shades like Guava, Watermelon, Pomegranate, Dragon fruit, etc along with the above ones. :(  Check HERE.

Glam Shine Balmy Gloss: Passion Fruit Perfect on top and Peach Pleasure below

I got Peach Pleasure and Passion Fruit Perfect for myself (Lychee Lust is a close dupe of Revlon Balm stain in Honey Douce, which I already have.)

Now these are just the first impressions here, I will be reviewing each colour in detail within a couple of days.

So, check out the pics below :)
(uhm...slightly picture heavy, with a lot of unnecessary pictures) :/

Peach Pleasure

Passion Fruit Perfect

The balm in it's "full" glory :D

Uh..acting a tad bit loony here, but well, proof to show that there is 3.5cms of product :P

How big is the balm???

Oh! I can just show it this way for reference!! :|

Ingredients list for the Health freaks :)

Swatches: 1 swipe of the balm

2 coats used for making the hearts on my palm

No No...not a badly clicked pic. This is to show you the shimmers in the balm

Can you see the shimmers in this one??

Condition of the balm after the swatches

Now, that I am done with all the pictures, I would just like to remind you all that detailed reviews are coming up, so don't forget to check back soon :)

After using these balms once, all I can say is that they are very soft and easy to apply. They come in a twist-up, cute packaging that retracts. They even stay for 3-4 hours. The only issue might be the amount of glitter and shimmer in these balms. There is a lot of it!! So, they might not be great for day-wear, unless you don't mind a little shimmer on your pout, glistening in the sun.

So...are you planning to get them, yet? At 400 bucks, they are the cheapest chubby sticks that are available currently. Let me know... :)

Till next time,

RIZ... <3

:)