Mascara Clan - Revlon's Grow Luscious Mascara by Fabulash (Black) and L'Oreal's Volume Million Lashes (Black) - REVIEW

Recently I got myself a bunch of products from Boots which are shown in my December Haul blog post. And as I promised reviewing them for you, here are the two products that I’ll be reviewing and both being mascaras, one being Revlon’s Grow Luscious by Fabulash and the other is L’Oreal’s Volume Million Lashes . Before I start off with me review I just want to tell you guys that both of these mascaras falls approximately into the same price category over here.

I have been a mascara freak since forever. I think my lashes would look rather naked if I don’t have a coat of mascara on them. As you all know I watch make-up tutorials on youtube.com and one of the finest beauty gurus that I follow is TiffanyD (I’ll post a link to her page) and I think she is absolutely fantastic (I also follow her on twitter by the way *teehee*). She was the one who introduced me to Revlon’s Grow Luscious by Fabulash mascara and mind you, it looked absolutely amazing on her as it gave her lashes an outstanding look (this is what I thought when I saw her using it in one of her makeup tutorials). Since then, I planned to get myself one and so I did.

Now this mascara comes in a surprisingly big tube/container/bottle (whatever you want to call it) possessing 112ml of product in it compared to the other mascaras that I have or had. The other thing about this product that also surprised me was the colour of its bottle/tube/container, its metallic green. I never came across a mascara with such sort of packaging.

The wand/applicator is huge too, almost crossing the 1 ½ inch mark on the scale length wise and is quiet fluffy. Other than that, there is nothing unusual about it.

Revlon says that it is the first Revlon mascara that helps lashes grow stronger while visibly adding length and volume.

How did I find it? I was really excited to get this product but I was a little disappointed probably because my expectations were way too high for this product. For me, it worked just like an ordinary volumising mascara if applied a generous coat of it. Though it made my lashes look slightly bigger and thicker, on the other hand I had to use a lash comb to get all the clots out.

Now coming to my other product is is L’Oreal’s Volume Million Lashes and it says,

Don’t just Volumize your lashes, millionize them.

Its brush, which is known as the Millionizer brush, consists of multitude of bristles that separates each lash from the other, giving your lashes dense volume. It also has an Excess wiper, which removes excess mascara hence giving your lashes a clot free finish without overloading them.

How did I find it? L’Oreal has never disappointed me with its products. By far, the best product I have in my beauty case as I simply love it.  It definitely proves what it says and I am so proud of myself that I got this amazing product. Its wand/brush is specifically designed to catch and enhance the smallest of your lash which tends to get missed out fairly easily if you have uneven lashes. Also, I found its packaging really appealing and quite different.

Which one would I repurchase? Obviously it’s going to be Volume Million Lashes as it gave my lashes a new dimension and an amazing new look.


Hope you find this review helpful. Feel free to comment below. Till then, stay pretty ... =D




***TiffanyD youtube link

December Haul - L'Oreal, Revlon, Benefit, New Look and NYS

Happy holidays everyone =D

Okay so this is my one of the most awaited posts … yes! Its my first ever HAUL post for all you guys who have been reading and following me all this time. Cant tell you how excited I am because I got some really nice stuff and this post will soon be followed up by some back to back reviews. So lets get started shall we? Okay, so these are the things that I got this month.

• -          Sleek Palette in Devine
• -          Benefit Smokey Eye Palette
• -          L’Oreal’s Volume Million Lashes in Black
• -          L’Oreal’s Super Liner in Black
• -          L’Oreal’s Glam Shine Lipgloss in Oriental Fuschia
• -     L'Oreal True Match Foundation in Sand
• -          Revlon’s Grow Luscious Mascara in Black
• -          Revlon Face powder in Medium
• -     Revlon Custom Creation Foundation in Medium
• -          Coat from New Look
• -          Boots from Westfield
• -          Sunglasses from NewYork Style

Okay so starting off with my Sleek Palette in Devine, which is their original palette. The colours as you can see are pretty vibrant and very much pigmented. the colours are pretty shimmery and it has only one matt eyeshadow which is black. I have heard a lot of good things about Sleek and I hope it doesn’t disappoint me.

The Benefit Smokey Eye Palette had been on my wishlist since like forever. being considered as one of the top brands. I got this palette from EBAY for only £6 only, which is somewhere around PKR 800/=. Now the original price of this palette is $36. I must say I am really lucky to have this palette as it was a limited edition one in the UK. =D

Then I got my hands on some long wanted L’Oreal and Revlon products. Will soon do a review on them.

Finally I found one nice and comfy and snuggy coat from New Look which was on Sale, as its freezing here and some ankle high boots in Black. And now comes the most exciting part of my post, which is exciting for me atleast. L’Oreal Paris (and all other brands at Boots and Superdrug) has this amazing Christmas Offer going on these days, that is, if you buy any 3 of their products, you get the cheapest of the three products that you chose to buy, for FREE! Isnt that great? And now they have another special offer;  if you spend £15 on L’Oreal, you get a free gift from them as a Christmas present which is worth about £20. Amazing!!

Here is a quick look of what my present had inside.

Here is the list of things it had inside.

So now, I have two Super Liners .. WooHoo!! (tee-hee).

Anyway, I hope you lovely ladies enjoyed my first ever Haul post that I shared with you. Please feel free to comments if you think you liked it and you think whether my haul post (future ones) needs some amendments and as I mentioned earlier, Reviews will be on their way in no time.

Thanks for reading and Stay Pretty .. =D 

How To - Taking Care Of Your Hands

Who doesn't adore beautiful hands? I think nobody. While a salon manicure is always nice -- it's easy to get smooth, beautiful hands at home by following some simple steps and using the right products to keep your hands looking soft and youthful.

 Follow these tips once a week and your hands will look gorgeous 24-7.

Step 1: Trim your nails

First, remove any old nail polish you might have on. Next, despite what your manicurist does at the salon -- do not soak your nails in water before cutting them. In fact, don't soak your nails at all. Doing so will cause them to soften and expand, which makes them fragile and may cause you to cut off more than you intended. Trim your nails using nail clippers -- cutting them straight across (if you like a rounder nail shape, you can create that in the next step).

Step 2: Smooth your nails

Whether you prefer a square or round nail shape, smooth out your tips using a fine (around 240 grit) flat nail file -- and only file in one direction, don't use a back and forth seesaw motion. It can cause fragile nails to split or peel.

Step 3: Exfoliate your hands

Massage your hands with any exfoliating product to remove dead skin cells and soften your skin. Gently rinse your hands with lukewarm water.

Step 4: Moisturize

After rinsing your hands, towel dry them and immediately massage lotion into them to lock in moisture and to soothe them. Then apply cuticle cream or oil to hydrate and protect the delicate skin around your nails.

Step 5: Push back your cuticles

After applying cuticle cream to your nails, gently push the dry skin back towards your nail base using a metal cuticle pusher. Wipe away any bits of skin that may have flaked off in the process. If you have any hangnails, trim them using a cuticle clipper, but do not cut your cuticles (the skin around your nail bed) -- it will only cause them to grow back faster and thicker.

Step 6: Prep nails for polish (if you plan to paint them)

Once your nails are ready to be painted, the last step is to remove any traces of oil or moisturizer from them. Simply dip a cotton ball or pad into nail polish remover and swipe it across your nails to clean them off.

Step 7: Apply polish (optional)

If you intend to wear color on your nails, first apply a base coat and let it dry for two to three minutes. Then apply two coats of color and allow that to dry for another 5 minutes before applying a top coat to seal in the color and add shine.

Step 8: Apply sunblock

The final touch to beautifying your hands is to apply a lotion that also contains SPF. Your hands are exposed to the sun almost as much as your face, so the best way to keep them looking youthful is to protect them from the scorches of the sun.

So these are the simple steps to lovely, beautiful hands. Hope you found this post fulfilling. Keep me updated and stay pretty.

Screen Siren - Make-Up Look - the Smokey Eyes using Lavender and Plum hues.

Go bold this Winter.
Take a leaf out of he fashionista's beauty book and try a new take on the Smokey Eyes, using Lavender and Plum hues.

• Start with the perfect party base (according to your skin tone or the one that you think suits you the best) for flawless coverage. (for me, Revlon works the best)
• Highlight your cheekbones with your favourite type of blush in soft copper. ( I'd choose NightLife from Luscious)
• For the ultimate in sultry peepers, line the top and bottom lash lines of your eyes with any matte black eye shadow or a creamy eye pencil (Rimmel Kohl Pencil for me) and blend nicely over the eye lid and into the socket.
• Starting from the corners of your eyes, add a nice Lavender/Violet/Plum coloured eye shadow (Royal by Luscious), bringing it nicely into the crease, blending out any harsh lines.
• For super glam eyes, apply any glide on Eyeliner and two coats of a good Mascara in Black.
• Highlight your brow bone with any highlighter. I'd prefer something in light shimmery gold.
• Prefer colour on your lips? Brighten them up with any nude or peachy pink coloured lipstick and lipgloss.

Goodness of Baking Soda - A Little Help from the Kitchen

"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness." 

– John Keats

A big hello to all of the lovely girls out there from me. When we think about beauty, we simply cannot neglect the word nature from our source. Think about it, the best way to define beauty is thy nature. For me, beauty lies in everything and today I have something to share with you that have been hiding in my kitchen cabinet for long waiting for it to be used. Its none other than my favourite beauty product of all times, The Baking Soda.

I know some of you will be like, “WHAT?! Baking Soda and a beauty product?” Yes my lovelies, it is indeed a very significant yet the cheapest beauty product I have ever come across with, and today I will tell you what magic it has.

Before I start off, I want to tell you all that I tend to have an oily skin, especially around my nose and forehead area and in summers, these areas were a headache for me as they produced oil all the time. I wanted something that would prevent these areas from producing oil that frequent, making it look and feel fresh and healthy. So a colleague of mine suggested me to be a little creative and use the following as my morning and before bedtime facial wash.

• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• A few drops of rose water (or normal water if you don’t have rose water at your place)

Make it into a thick paste and gentle massage it onto the skin. Rinse with cold or lukewarm water.

I first didn’t give a ear to whatever she said, but later I did try it out and VOILA!! It did magic with my skin, leaving it oil free for several hours, cleansed and clean, and amazingly soft. What more do I want? A fresh and bright looking face, with no make-up product to be purchased for.  I don’t wash my face with this mixture every day as using it twice a week is enough.

I also brush my teeth with the baking soda and water mixture twice a week as it cleans my teeth better than the toothpaste I use. =) and for more amazing uses of Baking Soda, click on the following link.

http://lifehackery.com/2008/07/22/home-4/

So, do try it out and let me know how did you find it out.

Disclaimer: If you think that you are or might be allergic to baking soda, then please don’t use it

New Banner for our Fan Page

Hey there,
I designed a new banner for our fan page and I wanted to get some feedback from you all lovelies out there. So, what do you think? Please do let us know on our Facebook page.

Its Organic, Its Bodyshop - Raspberry Body Butter and Body Scrub Review

When it comes to using organic products, one name that we go for blind-folded is The Bodyshop. They say, 

“We believe that there is only one way to be beautiful, and that is the nature’s way” 

and they also claim that their products are 100% organic and made from the finest natural ingredients. Not only they are organic but they also smell wonderful (I wonder how they taste). So when we know that when a product that has all the above mentioned properties, it is necessary to try it out. I am a Bodyshop product freak. I have products from their every range, I guess; from their lipglosses to their bath products. So the products that I am going to review today for you guys are:

• -          The Bodyshop Raspberry body scrub
• -          The Bodyshop Raspberry body butter

Raspberry Body Scrub:

It is said to have moisturising raspberry extract in it which helps you to cleanses and exfoliates your skin, hydrates it and clears out any dead skin, leaving it soft, yummy and fragrant ( of raspberry).  This is what it exactly does. When you open its cute little round container, you feel like eating it out as it smells extremely fresh and looks amazingly tempting. It gives you a 100% satisfying result, leaves your skin smooth, soft and amazing smelling.

How to use it? Take a generous amount of the scrub to the area you want to apply and gentle scrub your way through the skin in soft motion. Once you’re done, rinse with luke warm water.

Raspberry Body Butter:

Now what to say about this product? This product is for people who have normal skin type but is simply amazing. With raspberry seed oil, its soft creamy baby pink texture leaves your skin buttery smooth. You will undoubtedly smell yourself again and again as it will make you smell incredible.  It not only softens up your skin but also hydrates it, leaving it healthy and petal soft.

How to use it? Apply to the desired area and massage gently leaving skin soft and smooth.

Now would I recommend these products? Absolutely. 

Where to get from? You can get these and other related products from any Bodyshop outlet. Though I find them a bit pricy but there is no harm in pampering yourself and your skin once a while. =)

Hope you guys find this review yummy and interesting. Don’t forget to leave your comments.

Its all about Shimmer - *Rimmel Metallic Stars Roller Eyeshadow - Stardust* - Review

When it comes to looking good it winters, I personally prefer using products that has shimmer to them just to enhance and brighten up the face features like eyes, cheekbones etc. Usually professionals prefer using dark and daring colours for the winter season as the skin gets a bit pale specially in the European countries.

When it comes to applying eyeshadows, blending two shades together is very necessary to give your eye and the colours that you have applied a very nice look. Initially I didn’t really know how to blend shades together, but thanks to Youtube and some practice, I can do so now. =D

A couple of months back; I went to this cosmetic store and found a Rimmel eyeshadow. It was not like the normal eyeshadow that you get in pans and kits, it was a roller eyeshadow by the name of Metallic Stars. The shade that I got was Stardust which is shimmery metallic dull gold. As soon as I tested it, I bought it, but hardly ever used it as I thought it would look best in winters when blended nicely with a darker shade, like black/carbon or chocolate brown. I also thought that this product will also act great as a highlighter for the eyes.

a swatch of the shade

How is the product? Extremely shimmery and amazingly pigmented. That’s the best thing about it. The colour is amazing and blends really nice with any colour. The application is really easy as you just have to roll it gently over the eyelids and blend it with either your finger or any blending brush. I have fallen in love with this product although I have no idea whether it was a limited series product or is still available now in Pakistan since I have moved to London.

Would I recommend it? Definitely! Although it might be a bit too shimmery for some of you, I think it does wonders with darker shades and gives you a satisfying feeling. It would look great if worn in evening parties.

I truly hope that you do get hold of this lovely thing. Feel free to post your comments and I hope you like it too.

Happy reading and stay pretty … =)

Protecting hair from HEAT - [New Studio Silk&Gloss Hot Straight Cream from L'oreal Paris] - Review

I love straight hair and since I have somewhat wavy frizzy hair, I like to straighten them by using a straightener [straightening iron]. Now as I mentioned I have rather frizzy hair, whenever I tend to straighten them up, the waves do get straightened but the frizz remains intact and this really turns me off. Secondly, I have read a lot about how heating instruments for hair, damages your hair’s texture and how bad they are for their growth; I got a little worried. So I went to this store and was searching for a product that provides me with ultimate heat protection against heating tools and there I found a hot pink bottle that promises to straighten up my worries. It was none other than L’oreal’s Studio Silk&Gloss Hot Straight Cream. Now here are a few things that the product says about itself.

• -          It provides your hair with glossy shine and silky touch as it is enriched with Silk Micro-Fibres.
• -          It smoothens and gives you a 48 hour Anti-Frizz hair.
• -          The product itself is specially created for use with straightening irons and hairdryers.

After going through all the details about this product, I instantly got hold of it and bought it right then. This is what I wanted, anti-frizz hair straightening product that also smoothens the hair after you straighten them. Now I must confess that I was taken a bit back when I came to know it’s a hair cream because I have heard that hair creams tend to make your hair greasy. But the product was worth a try.  

How was my experience? It was simply amazing. It not only fulfils its anti-frizz and smooth hair promise, it also has an amazing smell and protects your hair from heat. It does leave your hair smooth, frizz-free and incredible smelling. I just love touching my hair again and again. =)

So, would I recommend this amazing product? Hell yes! If you like to blowdry, iron or curl your hair, then this product is a must buy for you all.

Hope this review helps. Stay pretty and have a nice day … 

My Fragrance ... My Asset [ Dolce&Gabbana - The One / Gucci - Flora ]

The other day I was reading an article on Love Triangle over the net and this saying hit me hard.

Love is like a beautiful flower which I may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same – Hellen Keller

The word “fragrance” was the one that kept on blinking in front of me and I thought, hey! Why not so a blog on my favourite fragrances of the year. The two fragrances that I have been wearing every now and they are:

• -      Dolce & Gabbana’s The One
• -      Gucci’s Flora

I wish I could just jot down in words how incredible they smell but unfortunately I cant because words just cant describe now amazing they are. I am a perfume freak and I have had like every other fragrance that I love. From Burberry’s Touch to Calvin Klein’s Euphoria, I literally dwelt in them. But these two are really special to me. Now I cannot really state how they smell, they aren’t fruity like most perfumes are, they are not as strong as Hugo Boss’s Deep Red (I never liked it though) rather they smell wonderful. So I must recommend you all to get your hands on either one of these luxuries this holiday season and smell incredible in a new way..

All Famous Lasagna Recipe

Since winters are here and we need some good hot food to keep us warm in order to make these winters worth, and I think Lasagna is one of those food. Although there are a gazillion recipes out there on hot to make the perfect Lasagna, I incorporated a few with a pinch of my own skills and made this very tasty dish. So for those who want to have this as their main course for the party tonite, this is what you’ll need.

Ingredients:

Beef minced                                      ½  kg

Chicken sausages                              6             

Oil                                                    4-5 tbsp

Lasagna sheets                                  1 packet

Ginger/Garlic paste                            1 ½ tbsp

Fresh tomatoes                                  3

Canned tomatoes                               1             

Onion                                                2 medium sized diced

Fresh green chillies                             3 medium sized

Chilli sauce                                        1 tbsp

Dark Soya Sauce                              1 tbsp

Salt                                                    to taste

Ground black pepper                         to taste

White pepper powder                       1 ½ tsp

Chedder and mozzarella cheese for topping

For white sauce:

Butter                                                   2 tbsp

Plain flour                                             2 ½ tbsp

Chicken powder                                   2 tsp

Cream                                                  4 tbsp

Milk                                                     as required

Mixed Italian herbs                               1 ½ tbsp

Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

On a medium gas mark, heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onions, ginger/garlic paste, chopped sausages and minced beef. Stir well until the beef turns its colour. Now in a blender, add chopped tomatoes, canned tomatoes, green chillies, salt and all the remaining ingredients except for the cheese and blend well. Add this mixture into the beef and mix well. After mixing, cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 40 minutes approx on low heat until the mince is cooked. Once the mince is cooked, it should have a saucy texture (if not then add half cup water in it before turning off the heat).

In a separate saucepan, add butter and melt it. Once the butter is melted add plain flour and mix both of them well with a nice wooden spoon for about 3 minutes.  Now take the butter/flour mixture off the heat and add cream and whisk it nicely. Then slowly add milk while whisking gentle and put the saucepan back to the heat. You will need a thick creamy sauce and so work on it. If you think your sauce it too thick, add more milk and if you think your sauce is too thin, add flour accordingly. Once all the flour lumps are dissolved, take the mixture off the heat and add the remaining ingredients.

Cook the lasagna sheets as per instructions given on the back of the packet. In an oven proof dish, add a quarter inch layer of the minced beef mixture, top it up with the white creamy sauce and then add layers of lasagna sheets. Top the lasagna sheets with grated cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Again layer the cheese with beef mixture and repeat the layering once more.

Bake the dish on a medium to low heat for 15-20 minutes until you see the cheese melt and turn light golden. Serve hot with nice steamed veggies and ketchup.

Photography ... Best way to make yourself useful

I have been obsessed with photography since the day I got myself a cellphone with camera attached to it. Though my first ever cellphone camera didn’t have much to offer, yet I took full advantage of it by clicking various faces and objects. I am more of an “object photographer”, meaning, I like to click objects more than faces as I think they have real depth and exposure towards the eye that is catching it. Cliché, I know. Anyway, so I joined “Flickr” as one of my friends advised me to do so and started posting my clicks over there. Now before going further down with my photography discussion I must tell you all that I am not a professional photographer; I just do it for fun and I never had a proper digital or an SLR camera before my wedding. So most of the pictures there on my page are from my Samsung U600 cellphone and it did miracles for me. J

I got some really nice responses from different people who were able to view my clicks and you wont believe it, I also got mails asking me to do a wedding photoshoot for their loved ones (I still have one of the mails in my inbox) but since I didn’t have a proper camera those days, I couldn’t do so and therefore let my photography skills go to rust. After I got myself married, I got to know that my husband possess a proper SLR camera, and I went bananas after knowing. I started clicking but obviously it took me time to understand the true essence of playing around with an SLR camera and I still think I need a lot of practice with it. But its never too late. I clicked some really nice ones and did some crappy ones as well but I think If I practice more, I will be able to deliver quality clicks.

I think photography is the best thing one could do to kill boredom. Since I don’t do to work, I get bored often at home so I start clicking randomly, whatever catches my eye. A nicely cooked meal or a fancy earring, all it needs is a click. Once you start clicking, you’ll find it hard to stop, especially when you have a good camera with you, be it a cellphone camera, a digital one or an SLR.  So I would suggest you all to give your inner photographer a day and evoke your hidden talent.

If you want to view my clicks, visit my link. =)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahtaarik/

Its been long ... =)

Yes, it has been long since I last wrote anything, which was due to the mare fact that a lot of things changed in this very time. Firstly I got married and had a whole status-cum-life changing experience and then I moved here; to the very popular London. I must say, leaving your entire family in your homeland and coming to a place entirely alien to you is undoubtedly heartbreaking. I will surely let you know how my marriage experience and my coming to London experience have been so far in my upcoming posts.

So this was a short welcoming note of mine to me for finally coming back to my blogging sense. Happy me … =D