Skincare & Make-up

My Dressing Table Declutter

/ Srishty / 1 Comment

I did not do a dressing table purge in a long, long time. As such, I don’t think I would have needed it if it was regular programming since I don’t hoard a lot and I would have run out of stuff if these things were getting a lot of use. However, COVID happened and the usage of color cosmetics reduced drastically and I realized, as much as I would hate it, I do have to let some of these go. Most of the stuff you see here is bought after 2019 as I got married then and I kind of took stock of what I already had and what do I need to buy, as I go on the journey of trying full face of makeup more often.

A bit about the way this dressing table is organized:

  • the top shelf in the closed cupboard section is the one you see in the first picture. It is basically skin care that’s opened but probably not used daily. 90% of the bottles & jars visible here are actually empty and I was collecting them for a recycling program or reuse, but since its been years and I didn’t manage to do it, I finally just got rid of them from this space and put them in a box.
  • The second shelf is all my nail paints on display. That’s the only makeup item I use very regularly even if I am not going out, so I like to have them on easy access and display. There are also some miscellaneous items here like my supplements and lenses.
  • The third shelf has a bangle hanging stand, even though I don’t make a lot of use of bangles, since I have some from my wedding, I just keep them here on display to use the stand.
  • There is one last shelf right in the closed cupboard and that has daily use stuff like combs, office ID cards, sunglasses etc.
  • Let’s come out of the closed cupboard now. The open shelfs right next to it contain 3 things – lipsticks, fragrances and daily use skincare like sunscreen. Out of these 3, only the skincare actually needs to be in open for easy access but I like to have lipsticks and fragrances on display, even though they only get used when I step out and sometimes not even then. Also, apart from sunscreen, other more important daily skin care is on my bedside table and not on the dressing table.
  • Below all of this, there are two sections. The right ones actually contain two makeup organizers, one bought by my mom and one by MIL during my wedding. Both the makeup organizers contain things that I use for special occasions only, like highlighter, makeup brushes, foundation etc. This, I would say, is the most under utilized section due to COVID as this only gets used during weddings and all. Apart from these two organizers, this contains some empty but too-pretty-to-throw boxes and a hair straightener.
  • The left ones are two deep drawers. First one is used for keeping any yet to be opened stuff, primarily skincare, and the black Nykaa box contains makeup that is somewhere between most used and special occasions. I’ll give some examples – basically I don’t wear base when I am stepping out usually, but I might use concealer on some points and sometimes might spritz a makeup fixer spray even without any base. So, this black Nykaa box doesn’t contain stuff for full base but contains makeup fixer, hair serum, mascara etc, things that I may use if they were placed closer rather than the special occasion box. 😀 In my view, using this black Nykaa box for this purpose is one of my most brilliant ideas as this made me reach out for these products more often. 😀
  • The bottom drawer just contains medical supplies.

Now let’s come to what all I decluttered.

The first things to go were the empty jars and bottles but they are not out of my house yet 😦 just in a small box now kept separately.

Then, I got rid of the most obvious, super-expired kind of products that you see below. Two of the three lipsticks you see below are pre 2019 and I loved both of them to death. I am glad that I used them almost to completion. The nude peach one is from Flormar and not available in India, I bought this same lipstick in different shades for my relatives too and everybody had such good things to say about it. The second Wet n Wild Catsuit is quite well known anyway and totally lives up to the hype, it is the only liquid lipstick I have used till date that does not feel heavy on the lips. Also, both were amazingly cheap, less than 6 USD!! The eye pencils you see have also been bought, in some cases, before 2019 and I know its horrendous that I still had them. To give some relief, let me tell you I only used the Lakme Absolute kajal in the last few years. The green one was a random local brand that I bought in one of those big beauty stores in Mumbai that I forced my husband, then boyfriend, to take me to. This green one was quite good at just almost a dollar! The Lakme Absolute Kajal, Sugar Kajal in blue and this green one – all three were very good to use. I especially love it when colored Kajal come with amazing color payoff and no eye irritation. I don’t know why i bought the white eyeliner from Essence, maybe to try some edgy look but the only time I have used it is to fill inner corners while feeling fancy. The grey eyeliner is from Catrice, both these products were bought in Europe and didn’t have good color payoff at all. The grey one was pretty irritating actually and I just used it as an eyebrow filler mostly. The red Earth Rhythm lip tint is not actually very old, but it really doesn’t do anything or I got a defective product and I was happy to let it go!

Then, comes the empties. There are two mascaras which are not empty, but you know, mascaras need to go out every 3 to 6 months. I still kept these for years. 😛 While both these mascaras work well, I am not ready to pay for mascaras as they are supposed to be tossed out quickly and, in my books, the L’Oreal million lashes one works the same as the yellow Maybelline one while its 3x the price. So, I am not buying it again. The ColourPop eye shadow was quite amazing with the color payoff and such a soft, buttery texture, but it fell off and broke and it was remaining only little, so I let it go. The tiny jar you see with ‘be good’ tag is the very popular cleansing balm in India – Plum Cleansing balm, but I am not a fan at all. Its too fragrant for a cleansing balm and I will go for better alternatives by trying. The Organic Harvest strawberry lipbalm was good but nothing out of the ordinary.

What you see below are some almost expired or soon to expire lipsticks and I didn’t have the heart to let them go. I am trying to use them up for few more months and then, its definitely bye bye. I’ll make a separate post on all the stashed out, yet to be stashed out and current lipsticks. 🙂

Aside this, I know that my the Balm highlighter has expired but seriously, it gets used like 4 times a year and is not even 1/3rd used. I am not going to let it go right now but next time, I’ll buy its mini version.

This is it for the declutter. I know this post has got way longer than one would anticipate, but do share your thoughts if you happen to read. 🙂

My 2022 Sunscreen Round-Up

/ Srishty / 2 Comments

I think I can keep doing Sunscreen round-ups all the time because I don’t have a holy grail as such and I keep trying new ones. I have actually tried some new ones since I clicked this picture of my 2022 sunscreens and I’ll just share my views on all of them.

If you have a holy grail, do let me know in the comments so that I can try that next. 😀

Just a disclaimer – I don’t do a lot of ingredient-based research for my sunscreens, although that would have helped for sure. I basically try new ones basis hear-say and my skin type. If you do ingredient-based research, then this post may not be actually for you. However, let me try to do some research now, while writing this post.

Aroma Magic Cucumber Sunscreen Lotion: I loved this one quite a lot for quite a lot of reasons: 1) Soothing fragrance, 2) texture suited me, 3) so cheap (its like 3 dollars!), 4) I support an Indian brand. The only reason I didn’t repurchase is because of the low SPF 30, but I just read that its a physical, mineral sunscreen, and I am trying to avoid chemical sunscreens at the moment, so I’ll probably repurchase this if I don’t come across a better, higher SPF option. Read up more about chemical vs mineral sunscreen here.

Earth Rhythm Ultra Defence Mineral Sunscreen (Glass Bottle with Pump): This particular variant is discontinued by Earth Rhythm now but I feel about this sunscreen exactly what I feel about Earth Rhythm as a brand. I wrote about it in detail here. It definitely had a feel good factor but I wouldn’t have bought it simply for that at a high price.

Earth Rhythm Ultra Defence SPF 50 (Tube): This is again one of my top favorites for the feel, but purely due to the texture. Same Earth Rhythm story – their products seem so good and soothing on my skin but seem to do nothing. Hence, I am wary of buying it again, even though I have repurchased this one many times. I can’t seem to find its ingredient list also on Earth Rhythm’s site. 😦

La Shield Mineral Sunscreen Gel: This is a weird one. I didn’t love, love it. However, this is fairly cheap and being a dry skin person, its overtly creamy consistency works fine for me in winters at least. The problem is – it is from a brand whose sunscreens many dermats also recommend in India, but those are the brand’s higher priced sunscreens. Now, it makes me wonder that why is this one not in that list of recommendations. Ingredient list is principally similar for both the sunscreens, hence, I am not able to figure out the logic behind the other one getting more accolades and being priced significantly higher.

Minimalist SPF 50: In case you didn’t know, Minimalist is an Indian brand who copied the brand ethos of the OG – The Ordinary. In the initial days, this brand got a lot of flak for being a copy. However, lately, people have been impressed with their products. This one came highly recommended from my friend and I was excited to try it too. However, I felt this one made my skin look super dull. I didn’t hate the texture but also didn’t love it. I am especially wary of trying this again due to the dullness it imparted my face.

Re’equil Oxybenzone & OMC Free Sunscreen: Not featured in the picture, but I also tried this one and I faced the same dullness issue with this one as Minimalist. I really wished to like this one because its soothing baby-type fragrance was really lovely and I wanted to use it.

Suncoat: Tell me, where have you seen this one? Its pretty commonly available in tourist places like Goa randomly. I bought it because having seen it so many times, I thought why not. Let me tell you – its the worst possible sunscreen out there. It doesn’t spread at all! Like, I have to wring my skin like an industrial tool and it still won’t spread, would leave a ghastly white cast. Also, I despise the smell. I know fragrance is subjective, but I hate it so much that I struggle with using it on my body too. I guess I would have to throw it.

That’s about it. I also want to try all the premium Biore, Isdin etc kind of sunscreens but I am stingy to shell out money for sunscreens, although its the only skincare I religiously follow, so, ideally I should.

More suggestions on sunscreens are welcome! 🙂

If you liked this, check out more of my latest posts:

My Skin Care & Makeup Hits of 2022 | Diwablog 1

/ Srishty / 2 Comments

Sounds like an year end post, but let’s take it as a mid-year taking stock, shall we? I am going to dive right into it, please tell me your skin care & makeup hits in the comments! I would love to know yours.

Also, go till the end to see the star of this post!

Shesha Ayurveda Rose Water: Admittedly, I haven’t used a wide variety of rose waters, but this is a way purer upgrade than the widely popular Dabur Gulabari. Now, to be honest, I consider this also expensive for something as frivolous as rose water, but considering people are into buying rose water from way more expensive brands in India, I would consider this a sweet spot – pure as well as not super expensive. I wholeheartedly recommend.

Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia: I have already talked about it in my favorites here. Jo Malone fragrances are love. Nothing more to be said. As I am exploring more fragrances by them, its becoming increasingly difficult to choose just one as the most favorite.

Earth Rhythm Sunscreen: Its difficult to explain my love for this one. I basically started using this brand for supporting a cause. Have written about it here. I have lately started to feel that it doesn’t stand for that anymore. However, like I have mentioned in the post as well, I use some of their products for the feel good factor and that’s where this sunscreen comes in. I’ll stop using this the moment I find a better alternative but here’s why I love it – extremely comfortable on skin, no white cast, some people say it makes my face glow. As for helping with tanning, I don’t know. I have never felt with any sunscreen that they help me with strong sun rays.

Aroma Magic Sunscreen Cucumber: This was a fun product to use – what I mean is this brand has been in our lives since a long time, probably when our parents were kids but it has evolved over time to suit the customer demands, be it in terms of products or packaging. I admire them for it, their jazzy packaging is always appreciable and for this one, I loved both the fragrance and feel of the sunscreen on my face. Not to mention this product is extremely cheap!

Disguise Cosmetics Eyeshadow Palette: This is one of those eco-conscious, new-age, hipster cosmetics brands in India and I just happened to try it randomly. To be honest, the eyeshadows are very basic, nothing amazing and nothing bad but they still feature on my favorites purely and purely for the packaging. I mean look at it!

indian makeup products
My holographic makeup box is pretty (and entirely the reason for buying it 😦 )

Fashion Color Makeup Spray: The star of this post. Here’s the story on how I ended up using and loving this completely local, unknown makeup spray that I seem to love more than the Benefit Super Setter. There, I said it. I basically was at a local cosmetics shop near my home a couple of days before my wedding to get a few jewelry pieces rented that we didn’t get made as part of my customized gold and diamond polki set (examples) (those were things like headpieces which don’t get used later on). In India, its pretty common for some local cosmetics shops to have these things as well. So, I was there for that and my mom and I just happened to discuss that I am going to buy a makeup setting spray. This woman at the counter overheard us and she literally forced me to buy this particular makeup setting spray. I was not keen as it was an unheard of brand but I went along since there was no reason why she would force as buying another brand would have meant more money for her. Its one of the best makeup products I have used over the years in terms of ‘getting the job done’. I don’t know if its available outside India, but I have linked it so that you can see how it looks and purchase it whenever you see it!

That’s it from my side, now its your turn! 🙂

5 makeup favorites of 2021!

/ Srishty / 6 Comments

A weird but true thing is that I continued loving so many new and old makeup products in 2021, just like I did in 2020. Why weird you ask? Because really there are so less occasions for using makeup in this Covid life. Additionally, if you know me in real life, I put the maximum effort in dressing up for work which is now from home. I usually am bare face on vacations, sometimes even in parties. So, I really didn’t have that many chances of using makeup in pandemic. Yet, here we are. Seems like I made the most of all chances of wearing makeup because I had a lot of favorites! Read on:

  1. Sugar Ace of Face Foundation: It will sound like I am getting paid to say this but SUGAR Cosmetics is quickly becoming my favorite – its Indian, its cruelty free, have loved almost all the formulations I tried so far – what’s not to love? This foundation, though, was such a surprise discovery right before my wedding. I was looking for a foundation and I had never used a ‘proper’ one before. I wanted to be sure that I get the best base for my face as I wanted it to last me a while and be almost perfect so I can use it in special events. It will sound crazy but I roamed around malls with little swatches on my face to see how different brands’ foundations are reacting on my face – I tried soooo many – from basics like Maybelline to high end like Estee Lauder Double Duty – and in the end I liked only two for yellow toned Indian skins like me – Bobbi Brown & SUGAR. The texture was almost the same for both & this one was 1/4th the price! The brush attached is also pretty good for me, I mean makeup nerds may not like it but its good enough for basic users like me. The only word of caution (and a rather important one) – its full coverage & heavy, I have normal to dry skin so I like the heaviness and dewiness. Plus, I intended to buy a full coverage foundation only since I only use base makeup for special occasions.

2. Smashbox Driver’s Seat Liquid Lipstick: Truth be told, I prefer the regular lipsticks more over liquid lipsticks when it comes to ease of use. Reason? It looks more ‘natural’, I mean, go with the flow types and I also like reapplying. However, liquid lipsticks are way better for giving a polished look and the long staying helps in long functions etc. This one I particularly like because it suits my skin tone way too much while being a fairly neutral shade. If you have yellow, light wheatish, Indian skin tone like me, please try this and thank me later!

3. Swiss Beauty Liquid Pen Eyeliner: Do you love it when a local, cheap a*s makeup product turns out perfect? I tried their blue color and I don’t have words to tell just how good this is. First of all, the felt tip is absolutely convenient even for noobs. Secondly, the color pigmentation & payoff is super rich. Thirdly, it is not something that comes off quickly but also not stubborn to remove. Tell me, what’s not to love? I would have been sold on the first point itself.

4. Maybelline Caramel Collector Liquid Lipstick: I bought this only for the shade & its absolutely true to the name. It looks very caramel like. Its a little thicker formula than the Smashbox one and, therefore, I’ll not say that this is the best liquid lipstick formula out there. However, the shade is exactly what I wanted for which its easily one of my top favorite lipsticks. (I usually avoid brands that are not cruelty free but I just gave in due to the shade).

5. the balm Highlighter: During my wedding, I was pretty clear that I am not going to hoard makeup as it typically happens but I would only buy what I truly need and don’t have. Then came along the long due the balm purchase. Their cult highlighter – Mary Lou Manizer. Its fair to say that I am totally in its cult now and I am all there for its hype. The finely milled formula is too gorgeous and you need very little product to get your face all illuminated. Also, the end result is a very sophisticated illumination and you don’t end up looking like a glitter ball. A very non-important sort of con – if you are a beginner, go very easy on the product because too much of it can end up looking cakey and, well, too much.

If you liked this, check out more of my latest posts:

My top 5 favorite Kajals | Blogmas 9

/ Srishty / 1 Comment

Kajal or Kohl, the quitessential South Asian makeup product, is so assimilated into daily culture that most don’t even consider it makeup. In some parts of India, people (women mostly) wear Kajal from a very young age, however, where I grew up, it wasn’t the case. In fact, it was very much considered makeup. The first time I wore Kajal after growing up was in class 9 when I started getting into dressing up from being tomboyish. It was quite a big change for me.

Cut to 2011, I was discussing with a friend in college how much we both love Kajals. Then, we started searching online about the best kajals in India and so on. This is when I got introduced to the world of blogging and hooked I was! The earliest of all the blogs I read were beauty blogs. Eventually I started writing my own blog in 2013. 🙂

Now that 10 years have passed, there is a lot that has changed with respect to my preferences and, therefore, this list will be reflective of my choices for best kajals in India.

A word about my preferences – I no longer give a flying f*ck about smudginess, I think smudged Kajal looks good on me and as long as its not a lot, I am fine. I don’t want “super staying” Kajals. I also don’t want a precise line, I go for slightly thicker lines. All I truly want is a super dark, jet black color in my regular Kajal. So, that’s what this list is about.

{Disclaimer: The images below are affiliate links. If you are thinking to purchase any of these, please click on the image to purchase so that I earn a comission too}.

Now onto the best Kajals in India based on my preferences starting from least preferred to most –

  1. Biotique Kajal: Most people won’t like it because it is super smudgy & anyway people are moving away from lipstick shaped Kajals as the pencil shaped feel more comfortable. I love this one to bits though simply because of the color pay off. If a dark, rich black color is what matters to you, this is the one. And its super cheap!

2. Faces Longwear Eye Pencil Solid Black: This would have easily been my most favorite had it not been for one major issue. This one stings. I thought its only me, but I have read reviews of the same online too. Its my favorite color & finish – rich, jet black & matte. It doesn’t smudge even a little bit. Its not cheap for a Kajal but considering it stings & doesn’t budge, it seems it has a lot of chemicals, so I would only recommend it for special occasions.

3. Lakme Eyeconic Kajal: Another favorite largely because of the same reason. Love the color, super rich, jet black. One brownie point – it is kind of a matte finish, not too much though. So, if shiny black lines are not your thing, you will love it. Oh, also, this one doesn’t smudge. 🙂 For the quality, it is extremely cheap! In fact, I have used Lakme Absolute as well, which is their premium range, but that one is not going to make it to this list. 🙂

4. Faces Magnet Eyes Kajal: I may not have put this on the list because there is nothing unique about this, except its very similar to the one above & cheaper too. The only reason I consider it second to the one above is because it doesn’t have that matte finish. If you would rather have a smudge free, jet black, pencil shaped kajal that doesn’t settle into a matte finish, this is the one! I should also mention that #2 and #3 both stay very well on the waterline without getting removed.

5. MAC Technakohl Graph Black: I don’t have a proper affiliate link for the one I loved using the most. If you want to buy it off Amazon, you can do so by clicking on the image below, but I would suggest buying it from an authorized seller. The one I see on Amazon I am not sure of. I recently got this and I had never expected it to be so good. Not only the color pay off is what I love – rich, dark black & matte, but it also glides so smoothly on the waterline, a very buttery finish, which is what sets it apart. I understand its expensive for a Kajal but I am yet to come across a Kajal I loved as much as this. I am on forever the lookout & will update this post then.

To summarize, I usually repurchase the Lakme one and I would definitely consider repurchasing the MAC one as well. Although, I am always experimenting with new Kajal brands ranging everything from Maybelline to Givenchy!

Bonus: Some more recommendations that I like, but I won’t count them as best kajals in India for me. The reason I am mentioning these is because people prefer different things. So, read to know if you would rather buy these:

Plum NaturStudio Kajal: Its color pay off is very similar to the ones I mentioned above as my favorites. The difference is that it needs sharpening. I know some people prefer that as they consider it more hygienic, so if that’s your thing, you will love it! Bonus points for the fact that this is cruelty free!

Lakme Absolute Kajal: I told you already that this doesn’t make it to best Kajals in India for me. A very simple reason for that – I hate sharpening, its too much effort for me when in hurry. However, in one way its even better than the Lakme Eyeconic I mentioned above, it is somewhat buttery, not as buttery smooth as the MAC one I mentioned but smoother than all others.

This is it for today and if you read it till the end, I am so, so grateful. 🙂 Do leave your thoughts and recommendations in the comments.

Posts I worked hard for but didn’t get the love | Blogmas 3

/ Srishty / 2 Comments

I have been meaning to do this post since a long time because there are some old posts on this blog which have a common theme – they are long and very word heavy, took me a long time to write but they barely got any love. Now I understand that I haven’t been getting any traction since the recent past because I post very inconsistently and, in such scenarios, not getting any traction is sort of anticipated. However, the posts I am mentioning are from the time when I expected traction.

I have decided to link them here today in the hope that you would be considerate enough to read them. 🙂

The Tale of the most ornate blouse: you know what, I would love to write more posts like this as I love restyling clothes. Loved the concept of reuse and reduce before it became cool.

Blogmas Day 5 | My 2020 Favorites! The year that was!: Why did this post not get the love it deserves? Who doesn’t want to know other people’s favorites? 😀

My 2 year long relationship with Earth Rhythm: A recent post which is detailed on a skin care brand My Hair Story & the entry of a recent miracle

My Hair Story & the entry of a recent miracle: this is a very, very old post and my hair care routine (or the lack of one – it’s just oil and shampoo) has seen many new things since then. Recent addition – a blue hair color. Seems like a good idea to document that. 😀 That aside though, this post may still be relevant for someone with similar hair, so, go read maybe?