DIY face pack to reduce facial hair

Since time immemorial in India, a mixture of gram flour (chickpea flower) and turmeric powder have been applied on the face to remove facial hair. It has been noticed that facial hair growth stops with regular application of this mix. So, I decided to make myself a face pack with these ingredients, to see if this is a remedy of a folklore. I amped the recipe up with a couple of natural ingredients that are also known to curb the growth of facial hair.

 

Ingredients needed for the dry pack:

100 gms of chickpea flower

3 tbsp. of turmeric powder

3 tsp of salt

 

These ingredients can be mixed together and stored in an airtight container to avoid having to make the mixture every time you need it.

 

How to use the face pack

Take 3 spoons of the powder pack and mix some natural yoghurt till you get a thick paste.

Then, with an old makeup brush, apply the mixture onto your face in the direction of the hair growth (avoid the eye area).

 

Leave the pack on for 20 minutes or till it is dry.

Rub the pack off your face in the direction that opposite the hair growth till it all comes off.

Once done, you can wash your face with warm water and a mild soap. Follow this up with toner and a good moisturizer.

Some people apply this pack daily, but I choose to do this twice a week. I plan to try this for a few months to see if it really works and if it slowly stunts facial hair growth. If it does, or doesn’t, I’ll be back with an update in a few months.

Before I go, I advise you not to apply this pack without a skin test, to ensure it suits your skin type. While it is made with only natural ingredients, it could cause an allergic reaction if you are allergic to any of the ingredients used.

Now, while I am testing this pack for hair removal results, I must say, the turmeric and yoghurt combination has given my skin an after glow. I wanted to post a picture to show you the difference but my camera, as you can see, does not capture the results in poor light.

So beauties, if you try this face pack, let me know the results. And if you have tried this before, let me know if it worked for you.

 

Till later my lovelies!

Redelicious

Redelicious by beautyinformer featuring red eye makeup

Kim’s definition

Kim’s definition by beautyinformer featuring MAC Cosmetics

Blacked

Blacked by beautyinformer featuring a leather jacket

M∙A∙C Alluring Aquatic Collection July 2014

MAC’s Alluring Aquatic collection is now in stores in India.

MAC’s description of the range: Sirens of the deep inspire an aquascape of shades, as waves of tarnished olive, seafoam and darkened plum surrender to water’s enticing spirit. Sultry eyes take on a subtle radiance, while luminous Extra Dimension Blush washes over cheeks, creating a goddess glow. Under the sea, nails glisten in aquatic chrome and metallic Nail Lacquer, as Lipstick, Lipglass and Lip Pencil dive deep into colour. Limited-edition teal packaging, dramatically accented with sheer water droplets.

Pricing

Extra Dimension Eye Shadows (mini) – 1,500 INR

Pearlglide Intense Eyeliners – 1,250 INR

Lipsticks – 1,350 INR

Tinted Lipglass – 1,350 INR

Lip Pencils – 1,350 INR

Nail Lacquers – 1,050 INR

Eye Shadow Brushes – 1,750 INR

Extra Dimension Blushes – 1,850 INR

 

Do you own anything from the new aquatic collection? I’d love to hear your views about these products.

MAC’s Maleficent Range

Angelina Jolie brought Disney’s Maleficent to life with her awe inspiring performance this summer. And, the makeup addict in me, enthralled by her Maleficent avatar, drove me to watch the movie on the day of its release.

Her perfect red pout, sharply defined cheekbones, eyebrows, eyes, nose, and chin definitely did cast a spell on me. A spell that wanted me to buy more red lipstick and dig into my contouring powder more than I usually do! So, you won’t believe how excited I was when I heard that MAC introduced a Maleficent collection this summer. I went to my nearest MAC store last weekend but they sadly informed me that they did not have the collection in as yet, barring the lip-gloss. Though I walked away in disappointment, I am not going to give up till I get me some Maleficent potions.

Here are the products that I want to lay my hands on.

Amplified Lipstick – True Love’s Kiss

INR: 1,350

 

Pro Longwear Lip Pencil – Kiss Me Quick

INR: 1,650

 

Sculpting Powder – Sculpt Soft Taupe Matte

INR: 1,650

 

Beauty Powder Natural – Soft Peachy Pink

INR: 1,900

 

 

Nail Lacquer – Flaming Rose

INR: 1,050

 

Maleficent Lashes – 36

INR: 1,000

 

 So, these are the products my heart is after, from the Maleficent collection. Have you bought anything from MAC’s Maleficent range or do you have your own wish list? I’d love to know.

Let me leave you with my favorite YouTube makeup expert, Kandee Johnson’s tutorial, where she shows you how to recreate Maleficent’s spellbinding  look.

 

And, for those of you who haven’t yet watched the movie, here’s the official trailer that may cast a spell on you, if not for the script, surely for the makeup and effects.

 

Till later lovelies xoxo

HSN’s 4 Beauty Overnight Products You Should Be Using

Carly Woods,  a HSN (Home Shopping Network) beauty expert writer recently shared a helpful write-up about the products you should be using overnight to keep your skin looking young and radiant. I thought you may enjoy reading it, and you may get some helpful information from it. Please note that I am in now way affiliated with HSN and I am sharing this article because I find it informational.

Here are, in Carly’s words, the 4 beauty overnight products you should be using.

When it comes to beauty sleep, I think we generally fall into two categories; those who have managed 8 hours of sleep a night and those who haven’t. For the ones who haven’t, they consequently have to do a darn good job faking it.

So, why does this happen? Simply put, sleep is an essential component to an effective skin care regimen, a time when our skin heals and repairs itself. Therefore, if you’re not getting enough sleep, your skin may start to suffer.

If you need help utilizing the small number of hours you do get or you want to ensure you are stretching your 8 hours as far as they can go, you need the right tools. There are specific night time products that can work in harmony with your skin’s renewal process. More than not, these products will be heavier and thicker consistencies. For this reason, washing your face in the morning is equally as important as washing it at night – you need to remove these heavy products or your skin may become congested.

 

1. Begin With The Base

First, I always recommend using a serum. Facial serums are used to address specific problems such as wrinkles, aging and brightness. Apply a few drops to clean skin and using your hands press the serum into your skin.

 

 

2. Add The Primer

Especially in the colder months, you want to follow step one with a layer of oil for added hydration. Plus, you will wake up with beautiful and plump skin.

 

3. Don’t Forget To Moisturize!

Lastly, simply apply a moisturizer.  My advice is to opt for a comforting and hydrating formula. I like to see it as a blanket; keeping in the goodness of the serum and oil.

 

4. Last But Not Least – Give Your Eyes Some Love

Don’t forget an eye cream! Try to use a powerful wrinkle reducing formula. Make sure you always use a very tiny amount; overloading the skin around your eyes with too much of a heavy product can cause puffiness and sometimes breakouts.

 

For extra credit…

On days when you have little to no time or just want to fall into bed, try an overnight facial. Now this doesn’t mean you have to lie still with your face up to ensure you don’t cover your pillow in product. You can use facial creams that are highly concentrated and you use like a serum or moisturiser for a powerful whack of goodness.

Don’t forget to check out the top skincare picks, on the Customer Picks page. Also, check out their newly revamped skin care page, that has more tips.

 

Sleep tight!

What would your face say about your current night time routine?

 

 

My October Vellvette Bag

This is my first Vellvette bag and I while I eagerly awaited its arrival in October, it only got to me in November. But, I guess that was because I only registered with them mid-month. Anyways ladies, here’s what I think of my very first Vellvette bag.

October’s Vellvette bag is called the K.I.S.S edition (keep it simple and sexy).

What I received

The BeautyUK Eye Shadow Palette – Naked

I absolutely love this addition to my bag. I received the full size palette which costs about INR 603. It has 10 neutral eye shadows and they are compact enough to carry around in my bag every day. The colors seem quite pigmented and I know I can create many smokey looks with this palette. So thank you Vellvette for adding this to my bag xo

H2O Oasis Ultra Hydrator

I received an 8ml sample of this moisturizer. A full size 50ml container costs INR 2400. This moisturizer claims to hydrate and illuminate dull, depleted skin. It also claims to have hydrating marine botanicals that provide instant hydration to visiblyplump and smotthen dry skin. In addion to this, it claims to protect against aging.
I am going to try this product and see if it stands up to its claims. I am not sure if the quantity I received will show me results though. Let’s wait and watch.

Vantiv Energizing Shampoo + Cool Water Shower Gel

I received two ful sized potions of these two products. Frankly I did not fancy receiving these products as they are affordable and something I wouldn’t pick off a beauty shelf. I am very careful about what goes onto my scalp and this shampoo is packed with chemicals. So I guess I’ll have to find an alternative use for the shampoo. I may just use it to wash my makeup brushes.

The shower gel on theother hand, I may just try. It has quite a strong fragrance that I usually don’t like, but it claims to have Aloe Vera, so I mightas wellgive it a go. But I know, I won’t be picking up these two products ever.

What I liked about the October Vellvette Bag

• I love the blue pouch my products came in. The size is perfect and it is now going to travel with me in my handbag with my makeup neccessities.
• I like the fact that Velvette has included some full sized products for us to sample and I consider my subscription well worth it.
• I love the eye palette as I am a makeup buff and the colors are perfect for the season.

What put me off this month’s Vellvette bag

• The bag only got to me in November and it had a coupon to invite a friend. I gave the coupon to a friend who realizedthat it expired on the 31st of October. What an embarassment! Attention to little deatils should be the mantra for customer delight. (I have to mention the Vellvette crew noticed this complaint and wrote back to me with a new coupon – thanks you guys!)
• The products don’t have visible manufactured dates whichmakes me weary of whether they have expired or are about to expire.
• The shower gel was damaged and half the product was splattered in the packaging. Yuck! Here’s what it looked like when I opened it.

All in all, I have mixed feelings about the October bag and only hope the bag I get in November makes up for lost feelings of joy.

Please brighten my bag for November, Vellvette!!

DIY Relaxing Ginger Winter Foot Soak

With winter here, I pay special attention to my feet as I tend to get dry around the heels. I love to soak my feet in warm water once a week, and to make the experience more relaxing, I made a foot soak with the goodness of ginger, ylang ylang and tangerine.

 

Ginger, when used as a foot soak, is said to warm and relax your muscles, thus releiving stress and aches.

To make youself this footsoak, combine:

• half a cup of sea salt
• half a cup of Epsom salts
• 2 tbsp of ginger powder
• 5 drops of tangerine essential oil
• 3 drops of ylang ylang essential oil

Transfer the soak into an airtight container to elongate its shelf life. And there you have it! A great foot soak that you can use for your beauty and relaxation regimes this winter. To use the soak, just add a couple of spoonfuls to some warm warm water, and soak those tired feet for ten to fifteen minutes.

 

This foot soak also doubles up as a great gift for Christmas.

Let me know if you try this one and I’d love to try any similar soaks you have made/used.

 

 

Enjoy the rest of your week my lovlies! Till later xoxo

 

The Vellvette Bag

 

For all you beauties living in India, here’s something interesting that will make the beauty addict in you swoon – beauty boxes by Vellvet!

 

 

Every month, the Vellvette team sends registered members three beauty product samples in the Vellvette Bag. The products are said to be hand-picked by their beauty experts. They also advise members on how to make the best use of the products sent to them. They also have a magazing that aims to keep beauty enthusiasts informed about the latest beauty and fashion trends.

When you register with them, they give you subscription options as mentioned below:

• INR 499 for a one month subscription
• INR 1099 for a three month subscription
• INR 1999 for a half yearly subscription
• INR 3599 for an annual subscription (works out to INR 300 per month and is the most cost effective option)

After registration, there is a questionnaire they ask you to fill in to get to know your beauty needs better. They mention on their site that they send ‘exciting beauty and makeup products specially picked as per your preferences’. If thisis true, I am really excited about receiving my first Vellvette box!

Have a great weekend my lovelies and I will be back to review my first Vellvette box, as soon as I get it.

 

Related articles

• Vellvette Anniversary Beauty Bag-September 2013 (justalovelythought.wordpress.com)
• September Anniversary Vellvette Bag 2013 (exploreyourbeauty.wordpress.com)
• Look what’s arrived – my first Vellvette Box! (indigoposts.wordpress.com)
• Vellvette Bag : Anniversary edition (tinysmallwonders.wordpress.com)
• My first Vellvette box (blushesandsparkle.com)
• Beauty product toxins (spiceoflifeblogdotcom.wordpress.com)