Face of the Day and an Announcement...

Hola chicas :)
This is my regular makeup that I do for office... And the breakdown follows...

Makeup Breakdown
1. No base
2. Maybelline Gel Liner on lower lashline
3. Colorbar Precision Waterproof liquid Liner
4. Colorbar Velvet Matte Lipstick in Creme Cup 1
5. Colorbar Blush in Floral Fucsia

From the pictures it is evident that I am wearing a suit to office today... Would you like me to do an outfit post for it? Do I hear a yes? Oh yes I do and that's exactly why I have done it already not here but somewhere else... This brings me to my announcement... I have started a new blog, which is a sister to ISLM and it's called
                 I Simply Love TO Dress Up

I did have a blog called I Simply Love Dress Up but I have renamed it to I SImply Love TO Dress Up :)
Here's the link to it...
http://isimplylovetodressup.blogspot.com

Hope you all support it as much as you have supported ISLM all this while :)

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Outfit Post: Am wearing Oxblood :D (and a hair cut update!)

Hola chicas! :D The past weekend was one of the best I have had in a long time :) Why? Am not so sure but I have a strong inkling that it was because of the fact that it was a perfect blend of shopping, updating my fashion quotient, learning to cook a new dish, Diwali cleaning, meeting close friends and getting a makeover :) I'll go about each one in detail...

Lemme start with some retail healing. I absolutely abhor the phrase "retail therapy" as it has become too jaded and over-used. So much so that people going for grocery shopping also label the experience as retail therapy! No offense here but seriously any shopping or "buying" experience cannot be termed as retail therapy you know! Come on look it up... HINT: If you are always retail therapy-ing then you are a patient of chronic depression! And we know that at least us in the beauty blogging world are not depressed :)
So anyways, I actually went to the mall to exchange shirt for the Pati and well I returned without 1/4 of my salary :P Picked up a couple of tops from Promod and Zara and a few accessories from Accessorize :D While browsing through the racks at Zara, I came across a few Oxblood pieces, mostly in leather. Does Oxblood leather look HOT or what! But with almost negligible winters in Pune, buying a 5K worth of Oxblood Leather vest doesn't really makes sense now... So I checked out a few Oxblood pieces in materials other that leather but nothing really was flattering. I mean I really thought Oxblood isn't really the color for me :( Then I remembered having a Top in Oxblood that I had got myself a long time ago! he he he and I so wore it to office today ;)

There at the mall I met with some old and very close friends, shared a cup of coffee with them, chatted, gossiped and returned home all invigorated... I know I know I should have clicked a few outfit pics but alas I was running short of time (as usual) :P

But the major highlight of the weekend was my hair makeover :D By now you all must have guessed that I have gotten my hair straightened/rebonded but I also went a step ahead and got myself some front fringes to accentuate my mongloid features :) My main motive to do so? Well you see the pati loves the fact that I have ch*nki (no I did not use the word, rather masked it with an *) blood in me and totally digs it when I look more the part :P
So well here's how it looks on me... Ta da...

Now coming back to the main point of the post... The Outfit!!! Here is what I am wearing to office today :)

Outfit Breakdown
1. Oxblood Shirt -> Local Boutique
2. Black Skinny Jeans -> Lee
3. Black Ballerinas -> Westside

So how's your Monday coming along?

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Outfit Post: Karwachauth 2012 :)

Oh yeah baby, I kept the Mother-Of-All-Fasts yesterday and emerged triumphant ;) All of you by now probably know that I am half Manipuri and half bengali but married to a Punjabi... So even though culturally Karwachauth is an alien concept for me from my parents' side, this is a major occasion on my in-laws side. However, parents both mine and his insisted I not keep the fast, I still did... Why? Well, I did have a couple of reasons but the main one apart from a full day of dieting was that I thought I should don the pati vrata mode in full regalia at least once a year ;) 

For those of you who don't under about Karwachauth, it is a custom followed by Hindu women in Northern and Western India, where they fast from daybreak to after sunset without even a sip of water. They finally break their fast after viewing the moon through a sieve. Now Bollywood movies have glorified and dramatized Karwachauth especially the Karan Johar and Yash Chopra productions, so much so that it has now become almost like a major festival that is celebrated with a lot of vigor and pomp :)

So anyways, I fasted and as custom goes, since am still a new bride, I dressed in my fineries and almost succeeded in looking like a bahu out of a saas-bahu serial :D Nope am not complaining cause though the look was completely opposite of what I am in real life, I enjoyed trying out something new for a change ;)

And this is how I looked and what I wore...

Outfit Breakup
1. Orange Silk Saree with embroidery (bridal trousseau courtesy mum)
2. Jewellery - All traditional Gold, Polki and Pearls (courtesy mum and mum-in-law)

Makeup Breakup

1. TBS All-in-one BB Cream

2. Maybelline Eye Color Tattoo in Fierce and Tangy

3. Faces Loose Sparkle Dust in Gold (Shade 02)

4. Colorbar Eye Shadow in Black Tied

5. Color Precision Waterproof Eye Liner

6. Maybelline Gel Liner

7. MAC Zoom Fast Black Lash Mascara

8. Colorbar Blush in Floral Fucsia

9. Colorbar Lipstick in Creme Cup 1

Pics of my thali :)

Do you celebrate Karwachauth?

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My Step by Step Facial Skincare Routine Before Diwali

Hello Everyone!
Finally, the Diwali is on the way! We are going to be loaded with mouth watering sweets, relatives, friends, neighbors and of course the crackers! Every girl would wish to look her best on festival days in front of her relatives and friends. Isn't that true? I am no different at all. I have already jumped into my sincere skin and hair care routine to enjoy Diwali looking my best! :) Today, I am going to share with you all my facial skincare routine which I am following at present, for the Diwali celebration. Go ahead!

Facial Skincare Routine Few Days Before Diwali Festival!
On normal days, I usually skip many of those essential skin care practises due to laziness. I have came through weeks without getting my skin exfoliated, :P I have forgot to put on my moisturizer at night but now, I am perfecting all those flaws to make my Diwali skin radiant. I am beginning with my face skin care routine for this Diwali but more posts on this Diwali beauty section is coming up soon!. I have a normal-oily skin but as Diwali is coming on winter, we need to give importance to the moisturization part more, as a must to maintain a glowing radiant skin in front of bright crackers :) Let me begin to explain how I am pampering my skin these days following my Pre-Diwali skincare routine.

Cleansing, Toning and Moisturizing: (The CTM Process)
The first things I do after waking up in the morning are brushing my teeth and washing my face. I cleanse my face soon after getting up with a gentle cleansing milk. If you are a person who have an habit of taking bath soon after getting up, that is double good. Our skin must be cleansed after a long sleep to get rid of oiliness, bacterias and left over dust/makeup etc. If you are suffering from dry and tight skin this winter, you can also combine milk cream and olive oil together to use as your facial cleanser. I am washing my face 3 times with a gentle cleanser per day; morning, evening and night (Before going to bed) followed by a toner and an oil-free moisturizer. If you have an oily skin, it is recommended to use a good oil balancing toner wheres normal-dry skinned people can just have a calming rose water spray. Moisturizing face with a rich night cream before going to sleep is essential to make your skin baby soft before the festive. This cleansing, toning and moisturizing routine few days before Diwali helps my skin to stay clear without any unwanted pimple breakouts those bring us headache during festive seasons! Reduce your sweet and fried food intake too; this might also bring you unexpected pimple errors on your face on Diwali :(

Exfoliate Twice A Week
This works like a charm to make your skin glow with softness before festive seasons! I usually get my facial skin scrubbed twice in a week to get rid of the dead cells on the surface and as Diwali is on the way, I am doing it with more care. Get a good exfoliator for your skin type and use it twice a week in a proper way to remove that dull outer facial skin layer which makes your face look dull. A mixture of rice powder, milk and rose water also works as an excellent face and body DIY exfoliate. Make sure to moisturize your skin after scrubbing no matter what your skin type is because this winter along with the exfoliation might strip off the natural beauty oils from your skin.

DIY Face Pack to Improve Brightness
Combine half a teaspoon of sandalwood powder with half a teaspoon of tulsi powder. Now add required amount of rose water and 2-3 drops of olive oil to this powder mixture. If you have oily skin, you can avoid the olive oil but for dry skin types, it is a must. Mix everything together well and your instant, skin brightening tan removing face pack is ready to use! This is a recipe which I swear by before festive reasons and I have already started using it on alternate days. Use this twice to thrice a week for optimum results. Using this face pack after scrubbing would help better with the penetration and the results - extra glowing skin!

Last but not the Least - Sunscreen!
If you are stepping out anywhere, never ever forget this 9 letter mantra sunscreen! This is going to save your skin like anything. If you are not going to apply sunscreen on your facial skin before stepping out, forget the results which you get by the other routines you have followed/following before your festival. This might sound bad but that's the truth. Even if the weather is cloudy, sunscreen is a must because UV rays are definitely going to make your skin dull if you are stepping out without a sunscreen or a sunblock. I am currently using the Lotus Herbals sunscreen for my normal-oily skin and it works best on my skin. Not just for Diwali, this skincare routine can be followed throughout the year for beautiful looking radiant skin.

  You can also get your parlour facials done to bring that glow to your face before Diwali :) but remember, don't try anything new on your face until your festival celebrations come to an end. Keep your new products such as some skincare cosmetics, including the home made ones at wait before your festival celebrations come to an end as they might be allergic to your skin resulting in last minute breakouts before Diwali which might be frustrating! Got it? Now its time to follow your Pre-Diwali skincare routine to make your face glowing this Diwali. Sit back and wait for my hair care routine and other Diwali beauty, fitness ideas! :) If you have any suggestions or requests for the next beauty post on Diwali, do drop in the comment section below.

Let your radiant face beat the lights from the crackers! 

Advance Happy Diwali wishes to you all MABHians! :)

Image Source: 1

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Reader Query: CTM products for Combination Skin

Nafisa asks,
hi i have a combination skin and with two kids around i hardly have any time for skin care. but ur skin just made me sit back and think that i really DO need sometime out for my skin . plz do suggest some good exfoliators any thing related to it. i use cetaphil cleansing lotion as my face wash coz my skin gets really bad after a regular face wash and thats it no moisturiser coz of my dry cheeks and oily t zone....so help....

I myself have super dry skin and hence I have presented Nafisa's questions in an open forum, so that any of the readers who have experience with Combination skin can help her out :)

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Wholesale-dress.net First Shopping Experience, Haul & OOTD

Hello Everyone!
How is your festival preparation going on? Mine is going superb! All I am doing this week is SHOPPING! :) Yes! I am waiting for the Diwali.. the sweets.. the crackers!! Yippee.. and sorry ppl I don't even have time to be regular here on blog but no worries I will be back to trouble you soon :P. Okay lets come to the topic. Today I am going to share with you all my shopping experience with Wholesale-dress.net, the global cheapest shopping mall online. Let the images describe the post! I am shortening the words here.

Items which I bought: [Click on the product name to view the details on the site]

• Stripe Round Collar T-Shirt Black
• Korean Style Hollow Design Sandals Silver
• Colorful Style Grids Embellished Slim Nine Pants Grey
• Pockets front Zipper Legging Long Jean
• Fashion South Korea Lucky Ladies Short Necklace Black

The necklace is my favorite among all :) You will see that in my EOTD below.

Here is my OOTD with the T-Shirt and Jean I purchased from them. And I am wearing my favorite necklace too :) The footwear, I have chosen the wrong size and it is small but no issues I will gift it :D All the pieces I got are in good condition and they look same as how they looked on the site.

What I love about Wholesale-dress.net:

• I received the order within a week
• The items neatly and safely packed
• I love the materials. They are of good quality
• Tempting, cheapest price! 
• Ocean-like collection! We won't have time to browse them all actually.

Overall, I enjoyed shopping with them a lot and waiting to place my second order! :) Do check out Wholesale-dress.net; I am sure you will love their items and service too.

Have you ever shopped from Wholesale-dress.net?

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I Said YES To Color... L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss in Black Cherry

As you all know I had ranted last week about how I had decided to get my hair colored and the factors that led me to make this decision. If not, then go ahead and check out this post of mine HERE :) Plus it helped that the L'Oreal people sent me some quizzes that helped me decide what shade would look best on me and further provided me with the color that I asked for :) My quiz revealed that the shade Black Cherry would look good on me and voila I received it at my doorstep :)

So how do I feel about it? Well. for starters, their claim of no Ammonia and it being a conditioning color is totally up to the mark! My hair was soft after application and it still is. I have seen colors that make one's hair all rough and dull but not this color! It made my hair all shiny and bouncy and well yeah voluminous! I really like Volume in my hair and it made my hair all that and more :) Even the fragrance of the product was pleasant and not at all pungent like many other hair colors!

Another significant mention is the amount of product one gets in one package! It's too much! I mean, I applied it all over my hair, then applied it for my mom and still there was so much product left! I volunteered to apply it for the pati but when he read the shade name (Black Cherry), he just ran away from home and did not return for 2 days. Ok the last part was melodrama :P

The whole DIY kit comes with the following:
1. Creme Colorant
2. Developer Cream
3. Gloss Conditioner
4. Hand Gloves
5. Information pamphlet

The whole procedure of coloring on your won is made so simple that you really find the need to go to the parlor for a coloring session useless.

But one complain that I have of the product is that the fact that the color wasn't as vibrant as I had expected it to be :( And it did not cover much grey... Well that could be cause maybe I didn't keep the color on my head for very long. My mom kept the color for 10 mins more than the prescribed time and she got wonderful coverage. On the other hand, I kept it for the mentioned time span and I got very light coverage :(

Image of the Product

Hair Swatch

Oooohhhs And Aaaahhhhss!!!
1. Makes hair soft and glossy as promised.
2. Does not have a strong, pungent smell.
3. Very easy to DIY
4. Did not damage my hair!
5. Gave me volume and bouncy and well who doesn't love bouncy curls?
6. I think it is pretty well priced especially for the amount you get out of it.
  
Ouches!!!
1. I expected it to impart a more vibrant or rather a pigmented color. It was pretty light.
2. It didnt give me much grey coverage though my mom was pretty happy with hers!

Price
It costs INR 499/-

Repurchase?
Maybe, but this time in a different shade ;)

Would I Recommend
If you are looking for a hair color that you can use at home on your own and want a silky gloss to your hair without damaging it, then this is the product for you! But if you are looking for heavy grey coverage then you might need to experiment with it a bit. It didn't cover my greys but my mom was pretty satisfied with her grey coverage. I am guessing it is relative to one's hair texture.

Overall Rating
8.5/10

 

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