A Fresh Start

Happy New Year

If it didn't bring you joy
just leave it behind
Let's ring in the new year
with good things in mind

Leave every bad memory
that brought heartache and pain
And let's turn a new leaf
with the smell of new rain

Let's forget past mistakes
making amends for this year
Sending you these greetings
to bring you hope and cheer
Happy New Year!



Wishing you all a Happy New Year, with lots of joy and success.

So back to business, my thoughts on the look for the next season, would be to keep it simple! No red lips, no heavy mascara, no blazing bronzer.. just a bit of all to give you a fresh look!

If you've seen some Bollywood movies lately, then you'll see what I mean. They're all just going for a healthy, natural glow.

Dia Mirza in Love Breakups Zindagi

Deepika Padukone in Desi Boyz

Use mineral products for the winter season, and keep it to a minimal. Let the cold breeze give your face a natural colour =). I'd recommend lots of moisture, a very light foundation, soft blush, a little kohl, and an intense lip balm!

Read below for some product recommendations!

Bare Minerals
I myself was recommended this product and absolutely love it!

Pros:
1. Mineral make-up.. so all natural
2. Since its powder form, it doesn't look like you have applied heavy make-up
3. It gives you a healthy glow
4. Long lasting
5. Improves skin condition
6. Quick application!
7. You can choose your coverage. If you want light coverage, just dab a little. If you want heavier coverage, use more of it.
8. Now available in Hong Kong! Harvey Nichols in Pacific Place, and Faces in Ocean Terminal. Visit their booth for a quick demo. 

Cons:
1. It's meant for daily use, and if you're looking for high coverage. This is not for you. This product works well for light-medium coverage

If you have dark circles, I'd recommend using your own cream concealor and using Bare Minerals for foundation. When you first start using this product, it might not look like its making much difference. But see yourself in a different light without applying too much at first, and you'll see the difference. Ask your friends to get it for you now! Trust.

Mac Tinted Lip Conditioner SPF 15

I've lost count of how many times I've re-stocked on this. I have it with me all the time, and it's a great product. Since it's creamy, it works really well as a lip balm and gives a good color too. It comes in 6 shades, and my favorite is the Fuchsia Fix. One more reason I love it, is because I always have a ton of things in my bag, and for some reason, it's always easy to find. Love it!

The New Trend: Bright Lipsticks!

Hello ladies! Been meaning to update for a while, and here is my latest tip:

Experiment with some bright new shades of lipstick!

Believe it or not, red lips are back! I'm sure you've seen red lips from magazine covers to girls wearing it on a night out. And when I say red, I do not mean maroon. I am talking about the red that you once thought about buying but didn't because you thought it would make you look .. cheap? Haha, well cheap or not, it's all over the media, gives a refreshing look to play with, celebs love it, and its catching on! Here are some photos from this year to prove my point! :)

Sonam Kapoor at Cannes 2011

The March 2011 cover for Cosmopolitan India

Deepika Padukone at the Mickey Contracter MAC bash

Doesn't Deepika look lovely? The red on her just shows that red lipstick can also suit (and look fabulous!) on olive skin tones, as long as you wear it right! In my opinion, wear red lipstick when you're applying make up that's slightly heavy, ie. with coverage. Also, when you wear a bright colored lipstick, make sure that the lips are the only defining feature for your make-up on that occasion, otherwise it can look like too much is going on. For example, I would simply apply foundation, kohl, light colored eyeshadow, hints of bronzer/blush/highlighter with a bright lipstick shade. Smoky eyes together with heavy bronzer and a bright lipstick is just a no-no. Leave something for the next party!

If bright red is just NOT your color (like me), opt for a tone of red that is softer. I use the following, and LOVE it. Highly recommended! :)

Pro Longwear Lipcreme: Extended Play, Faithfully Yours, Goes and Goes, Good to Go, Love Forever!, Made to Last, Overtime, Perpetual Flame, Prolong, Sweet Ever After,
Till Tomorrow, Unlimited

MAC Pro Longwear Lipcreme Perpetual Flame

This is a creamy lipstick which provides a longlasting color and leaves your lips moisturized. Apply with a lip brush for best results. By doing so, you properly define the shape of your lips. This is important and somehow always underestimated with lipstick. Also smile while applying (thereby stretching your lips), so that you can also fill the gaps that form.

Hope you liked my post! Enjoy with the new look!

Hong Kong Treats

Here are some local must-buys! Hong Kong offers a wide range of products, and all of them are easily accessible so you can experiment with different companies to see what suits best with your skin and color.

It's difficult to decide what to buy, or should I say, what NOT to buy, when Bobbi Brown is on your left, MAC is on your right, and Body Shop is in front of you. Here is a little help :)

The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Stain

Rose Pink

This is an awesome product that is non-messy, handy and great for quick fixes. You can use it to give you a flushed look for your cheeks, and to add a little color to your lips. You know the cherry glow that you get when you've come back from a run or when you've been biting your lips? This will help you get that.

Just dab onto your cheeks, and blend it into your skin with your fingertips in a circular motion. Use this on the apples of your cheeks. As for your lips, do the same thing. Dab onto your lips and use your fingertips to blend, paying extra attention when you're blending on your upper lip so you don't color out of the line. As the color is strong, start with a few drops and then add if you feel necessary.

The best feature about this product is that it is a stain. You know sometimes when your hair blows onto your face, and because of your lip gloss it gets stuck? It won't happen this time, because there is no texture, yet there is color!

Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner

Black

This creamy eyeliner is smudge-proof, waterproof and an intense shade of black. Use the brush to paint it on your eyelids or on your waterline (where the kohl goes). The brush is an excellent buy with the eyeliner as you can do a thick line or a thin line and it turns out smooth! (most brushes can't achieve the smooth feature and the end result ends up having a rigid staircase effect)

After you've used the brush a few times, it will tend to harden. When you want to apply this gel eyeliner the next time, before dipping your brush into the gel, press it onto your hand a few times to soften it. Once you've done this, it will be easier to apply the eyeliner and the result will be much smoother.

Summer colors for your nails =)

Here are some of my current favorite shades:

Nicole Reach Out

O.P.I has launched a slightly more wallet-friendly collection by the name of Nicole. The shades are pretty, and the coat lasts upto 10 days which is decent enough. Also, this collection is more easily available. You can buy their shades in Sasa and also have a look at their color chart for a better idea.

So this is my current No. 1 favorite. You can't see the color by one coat though, at least two coats are needed. It is a soft pink shade (not barbie-ish), and a unique color that I've seen only from Nicole. Overall a good buy!

Nicole City Pretty Rose

This comes in second. Color is seen with one coat, and this is also a unique shade that you won't find with more budget nail polishes like Revlon. A recommended buy and a good one!

Nicole Stolen Kisses

This is a more reddish tone, but new and pretty nonetheless! Enjoy.

India Must Buys

These items from India are fantastic and ideal for daily use. Well in budget too!

Chambor Dazzle Eye Pencil

I own this and it is a great kohl! Smudeproof, waterproof, dark too. Plus this eyeliner doesn't require sharpening so no mess involved. Would definitely recommend this. Would suggest the black, purple and blue shades.

Lakme Black Impact Liner

Lakme has changed their liquid eyeliners and this is a recent launch. It has a good tip for application, enabling you to do a thick or a thin line depending on what suits you.

Lakme Jewel Eyeliner

This eyeliner is a liquid one and is on Lakme's Bridal Collection. The shades are really pretty! When applied, they give a metallic and smoky effect. I would suggest buying the ametrine, jade, opal and onyx shades. (I know.. can't resist!). If you are on a budget here, I would suggest buying either the ametrine or jade shade depending on what suits your skin tone better. I suggest these two because these are unique colors that you will only find at Lakme.

Hint: After applying this as a eyeliner (on the eyelids), line the lower part of your eyes with a thin layer of black kohl. Do not use eyeshadow when applying this as this by itself will be just enough to bring out your eyes.

Revlon Skinlights Illuminating Lotion

This is one of the more expensive products for a budget buy, but totally worth it! You can use it as base make up, as finishing make up, as a highlighter and so much more. It gives you a tinted glow, and is available in 3 shades. Opt for the shade lighter than your foundation as the purpose is to highlight. Check out my 'Light Make-Up' post on how to apply this lotion.

Light Make-Up

Revlon Skinlights Face Illuminating Lotion

For day wear:

Apply moisturizer as you normally would. Afterwards, take a few drops of the Illuminating lotion and apply to your face as you would to a moisturizer. Keep in mind that this lotion is thick so do not apply too much as it could become greasy. Use this lotion when you do not feel like applying heavy make up for the day, yet need that subtle coverage. After applying it, you will be able to see the faint glow in your skin.

For evening wear:

Finish applying your make-up. Afterwards, take one or two drops, and apply

i) To the area of the cheeks that is under the eyes (the area which pops out when you smile)
ii) To the end of the area under your eyebrows

This will basically give a nice shine when the light catches your face. Another reason why we apply it to the cheeks is because your photos come out nicer as it gives a tinted glow, especially under the flash! =)

This product is available in India, and is a must-buy! It definitely does the finishing touches to the make-up and gets you picture-ready ;)

Recommended eyeshadow

MAC Nocturnelle Frost

Purple is a soft yet defining eyeshadow color for daily wear or nights out. Even so, it is difficult to find one purple shade that suits all occasions. I would recommend this color from MAC. It gives subtle color to the lids and makes your eyes stand out, giving a natural radiance.

Added suggestions: Line the lower part of your eyes (known as lower waterline) with a thin layer of black or dark brown kohl. Highlight with a light layer of mascara.