Why to use a makeup primer? and two of my favorite primers

Hello beauties!


Applying flawless foundation and making it last all day is one of the biggest beauty concerns for women like me who love makeup. When I first started using and collecting makeup I believed that primer is just an additional step that does not have much effect on makeup because I had read many makeup artist do not use primers but than I bought Makeup Revolution ultra face base Primer just to try it out and it completely changed my views.

If you are new to makeup or have never used a primer be ready! I am going to convince you to invest in a primer by the end of this post. So let's get started with the benefits of primer:

• So as the name suggests a primer is the product we use to prime (prepare) our skin before putting on any makeup. When we use foundation over  primer it has something to hold on to so it stays on longer.
• I have combination skin which gets really oily around nose areas in summer and with the oiliness comes the problem of visible pores. A silicon based mattifying primer helps in addressing both of these problems. A good primer helps in blurring the visible pores and also give a smoothing effect to the skin which makes foundation application easy and quick.
• Since the primer fills the pores, lesser amount of foundation is needed to get the same coverage. Less foundation means less cakiness. 
• Even if you don't want to put on makeup you can use a primer to get smooth, poreless looking skin.

Now that you know how important it is to use a face primer to get flawless long lasting makeup, I am going to share with you my two favorite primers that give all the above benefits without burning a hole in your pocket.

The first one is of course the Makeup Revolution Ultra Face Base Primer. It keeps my face matte all day which automatically means that the makeup will last longer. I reviewed it in detail a long time ago, in case you want to read it here's the link.

Another primer I like using is Maybelline baby skin. It is also a colorless, silica based primer which does not feel heavy on skin. It doesn't have any fragrance or tint. It claims to blur out the pores and give smooth skin and it actually lives up to its claims. It does not claim to prolong the durability of makeup but it's an additional benefit. Overall just like most maybelline products it is a great value for money.

That's it for today girls...
I'll be back soon till than take care...
Bubyee..

L.A Girl Pro Conceal HD Concealer- Review and Swatches

Hello beauties!

I am back with another Friday favorites post and the product I am going to talk about today need no introduction. When these concealers were launched they became an instant hit and many beauty bloggers and You Tubers are still raving about it.
I too wanted to try these LA Girl Pro HD Concealers for a long time. I originally wanted to buy two shades one lighter shade to use as a concealer/ highlighter and the other one for contouring.
I did a lot of research to choose the right concealer shade for me and when I finally decided a shade I went to place my order on daraz.pk only to find out that shade pure beige is out of stock :( so I decided to buy only the darker shade "toast" which is most popular among Pakistani ladies for contouring. I bought this about 3-4 months back and now sharing my thoughts about it here... So let's get started:

• The concealer comes in a plastic tube with a brush on the tip as applicator. The packaging is something I am not a fan of because whenever the tube is squeezed a lot of product comes out and deposits over the brush. So I need to be very careful before squeezing the tube and I need to clean it after every use. 
• Toast is a very browny brown shade i.e. it doesn't have orange or pink undertones its just brown. 

• The pigmentation of the concealer is intense and a very little amount is needed so I need to be very careful while squeezing it out from the tube, I usually take out the product at the back of my hand and use my fingers to put it on my face.
• The product blends easily with a wet sponge and with fingertips but I find it difficult to blend it with any brushes as it tends to dry very quickly. 
• The staying power of this product is amazing, it's waterproof and doesn't budge all day.
• It's easily available online on daraz.pk and other makeup selling pages at very affordable price.

So that was my mini review of the LA Girl Pro HD Concealer...
That's it for today...
I'll be back soon till then take care...
Bubye...

7 lipstick mistakes and how to avoid them...

Hello beauties!

I am back and today I am going to talk about every makeup junkie's first love i.e. lipsticks. A lipstick can brighten up your mood and can make you look polished in an instant. A lipstick can turn you into a diva in an instant but it can also take you from chic to clownish in a second if not applied right. So today I am going to share with you 7 things that you should avoid when it comes to applying lipstick and also I am going to share a few tips with you on how to avoid these mistakes.

1- Cracked and dry lips:
 We always cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize our face before makeup but most of us forget to exfoliate and moisturize our lips. Preparing the lips before putting on any lipstick especially a liquid lipstick is as important as preparing the rest of your face before makeup.
How to avoid:
- Exfoliate your lips with a gentle scrub. You can also make a DIY scrub with sugar and coconut oil.
- Always put on a lip balm or Vaseline before starting your makeup so it sinks into the skin by the time you put on your lipstick if it doesn't sink in completely wipe off the excess with a tissue.

2- Dark Lip Liner:
A lip liner that doesn't match the lip color! that's my biggest pet peeve. When I was a kid many of my mom's friends and cousins used to wear this dark almost black lip liner with a lighter color filled inside, it was a thing back then but some women still do it don't know why. That just looks ugly girls.
How to avoid: 
Use a lip liner shade that matches and blends with your lipstick. 

3- Lipstick on teeth: 
When you are done with your makeup don't forget to do the teeth check.
How to avoid: After applying your lipstick stick one of your fingers into your mouth with lips slightly pouted, then pull your finger out slowly.In this way the excess lipstick will be removed now just wipe off the lipstick from your finger.
4- A lipstick that's too light:
When it comes to lipstick, it's a rare case when you go too dark, going too light on the other hand is very common.
 If you put on a lipstick that is too dark it doesn't look as bad as a lipstick that is too light. A dark lipstick can make your lips look thinner but I think it's better than looking like a living dead.
A nude lipstick can make you look fresh and polished but most of us make this mistake of picking a lipstick that is too light for our skin tone and end up looking lifeless.
How to avoid:
Try different shades on your lips before buying.

5- Going over border:
Most of us tend to think that overdrawing our lips will make them look fuller well it is true to some extent but if you go slightly overboard it can make you look crazy.
How to avoid:
 - Use gloss at the center of your lips.
- For fuller lips learn highlighting and contouring techniques and use them instead of going out of the border.

6- Unblended patches of lipstick:
I have seen girls who try to make a dark lipstick lighter by dabbing it randomly over the lips and then leaving it unblended. They think it will give them a subtle hint of color but it looks patchy.
Come on girls if you want light lipstick buy a lighter shade or if you want to work with your existing one put it lightly all over your lips and then wipe off the excess with a tissue.

7- Applying too many layers:
Applying too many layers of lipstick (especially of liquid lipstick) so that it stays on longer is another mistake we make. It sure does increase the staying power of lipstick but we end up with patchy and not so attractive looking lips.
How to avoid:
Apply only two layers. Apply the first layer, blot it with a tissue paper and then apply the second layer.

So that's it for today girls...
I'll be back soon till then take care...
Bubye...

Fair and Lovely BB cream- review and swatches

Hello everyone!

I am back with another product review and today I am going to talk about Fair and Lovely BB Cream.  

Fair and Lovely is that one brand which I think is known to every household in the subcontinent i.e. Pakistan and India, their ad campaigns are obviously insulting and discriminate against darker skin tones but most of us still use this cream if not for fairness than because it gives an instant brightness and made up look to the face and we all need something like that for times when we don’t want to put on makeup but want to look polished and presentable.
 I used Fair and Lovely fairness Cream a few years back but I did not have a very good experience with it so I stopped using it and because of that I did not have high expectations with this BB cream. But since it was really inexpensive and I was already making an order on daraz.pk so I added it to the cart just to try it out.

I have used it for more than a month and now I'll share my experience with you here.. So let’s get started:
The cream comes in a regular pink and white plastic tube with some golden detailing. The screw cap shuts down tightly so it’s quite travel friendly. It comes in different sizes but I only found the smaller 18g one.
It has a fruity smell exactly like the fair and lovely fairness cream, the smell is strong when it's applied but it goes away after a few minutes.

Before 

After

The cream has a thick consistency so I find it a little hard to blend. It blends better if I put it in small dots and blend each dot separately instead of trying to blend at once on whole face. Also, you can not use any brush or sponge to blend it, the only way to blend it is using your fingertips.
It gives a waxy kind of touch to my face and also leaves a white cast. The cream gives a matte finish when applied and looks OK for 3-4 hours but after that my T-zone starts getting really oily. Also this cream has a tendency to clog pores which ultimately result in blackheads.
This BB cream is only available in one shade which I think suits most Pakistani girls with medium skin tone (it looks OK on me) but I think it wouldn’t be suitable for girls who have a little darker skin tone.
It does not give any coverage and does not hide any blemishes or dark spots but yes it instantly brightens up my complexion by evening out the skin tone. Watch the video to see the final result it gives after application.

In the end, I would say that it's an OK product for days when you are in a hurry and don't want to put on a lot of makeup but I don't think I would be using it a lot because it clogs my pores.
That's is for today. I'll be back soon till then take care...
Bubye...

Makeup Revolution Liquid Eyeliner Ultra Black- Review and Swatches

Hello everyone!

I am back with another Friday favorites post and today I am going to talk about Makeup Revolution’s Liquid Eyeliner.

I bought this eyeliner about a month ago, used it a few times and now featuring it in my Friday favorites post. It’s going to be a really short review as I did not find any negative things in this product… so without further ado let’s get started:

Packaging: 

The eyeliner comes in a black plastic bottle with a brush in its cap. MAKEUP REVOLUTION was written in golden letters on the bottle but it faded away very quickly just in a week or two.

Pros and Cons:

The best thing about this eyeliner was its stiff brush which gives me a lot of control and makes the application very easy.

The eyeliner is very intense black which is a positive point but it does not live up to its claim of lasting all day, it stays on for up to 3-4 hours if not come into contact with water (another waterproof version of this eyeliner is also available but mine is not waterproof ). It does not smudge but after 3-4 hours it starts fading unevenly and remember I have very dry eyelids so I think if you have oily eyelids it won’t stay for that long.

Another point worth mentioning about this eyeliner is that it does not irritate my eyes even though I have very sensitive eyes.

Availability:

In the end I'd say it is an amazing product available at very affordable price. I got mine from daraz.pk for Rs.300/-.

That’s it for today…

I’ll be back soon till then take care and tell me in the comments about your favorite eyeliners…

Bubye…

Atiqa Odho Cosmetics Contouring Powder- Review

Hello beauties!

I am back after a long time sorry for being MIA but I was busy with work and studies and with life basically.

So finally today I am going to post a short review of Atiqa Odho Contouring Powder which is lying there in my draft posts for ages. So without wasting another moment let’s get started:

  
Packaging:

The powder comes in a regular Atiqa odho plastic case with red lid and a transparent middle part from which the shade is visible. The case has two compartments the upper one for the product and the lower one for sponge. The sponge compartment also has a mirror. The packaging is not very sturdy but the size is perfect to carry it around in your bag. 

My Experience:

The contouring powder comes in three shades walnut, chocolate and coffee. I got mine in chocolate. I bought this powder around 6-7 months ago along with the compact powder. My experience with this contouring powder is very similar to the compact powder which I have already reviewed here.

The powder looks much pigmented in the package but when applied on to the skin it hardly gives any color, it just blends into my skin without giving any contour.

I use this powder for subtle everyday contouring ( sigh! It doesn’t stay for more than 2-3 hours) but the formula is very sheer so first I apply it heavily on to my skin with the sponge and then I use the blending brush to blend. When I want a more contoured/ sculpted face I use cream contouring products and then use this powder to set the cream contour. 

 

Atiqa Odho contouring powder in shade Chocolate- Swatch (heavy layer applied with the sponge)

The Atiqa odho contouring powder is available at daraz.pk and other makeup selling websites for Rs. 300/-. Although I am not very happy with the pigmentation and staying power, I think I will repurchase it because in Karachi’s hot weather it is necessary to set the cream contour with a powder and I haven’t found any contouring powder more affordable than this one as yet so yea! I’ll repurchase it once I finish this one.

That’s it for today… I’ll be back soon till then take care and tell me in the comments about your favorite contouring products.

Bubye…

Makeup kit for beginners- Part IV

Hello beauties!

I am back with the forth and the last post in my beginners' makeup kit series. Yea the series was supposed to end yesterday but then I realized I have talked about concealers, blush and lipstick palettes but I haven't discussed any options for people who want to buy individual products instead of palettes and that's why I decided to do this post in which I am going to share a few individual products in these categories. So let's get started...

Concealer:

• Maybelline age rewind concealer
• Maybelline fit me concealer
• LA girl pro conceal

Lipsticks:

• Maybelline color sensational lipstick
•  Clazona lipsticks 
• MUA lipsticks 
• Color studio professional color rush lipsticks 
• Essence long lasting lipsticks
• Rivaj UK quick dry lipsticks

Lipgloss:

• Essence XXXL shine lipgloss
• Maybelline color sensational high shine lipgloss

Blush on:

• Maybelline dream bouncy blush
• Misslyn compact blush
• Oriflame very me cherry my cheeks blush
• Makeup revolution's blushing hearts blusher

I have used most of the products mentioned above and I have read good reviews about those which I haven't used but still I recommend that you do your research before buying any of these products.

That's it for today I hope you found this post helpful...
I"ll be back soon till then take care and tell me in the comments which are your favorite lipsticks and blush ons.
Bubyee...

Makeup kit for beginners- Part III

Hello beauties!

I am back with the third post in my beginners' makeup kit series and today I am going to talk about the last two products in my list which you can find here and these two products are mascara and eyeliner.
So lets start with the mascara:

Mascara:
Mascara is that one game changing product that can really change your look.  Your choice of mascara would depend on your preference for length and volume. There are different types of mascaras with differences in formulas and brushes. Before moving on to the list of mascaras I want to share a few points about mascara brushes with you which may help you in choosing a mascara.

• If you have short lashes choose a mascara with a short wand and thick bristles as it will get close to your eyes and will easily grab each and every little lash.
• If you already have thick lashes and now want some length and definition go for a mascara with a comb like brush as the more space there is between bristles, the better it will be at separating and defining lashes. 
• If you want volume in your lashes then go for a mascara with densely packed bristles. 
• Curved brushes are better at curling the lashes than straight brushes.

Now, here's a list of some good and affordable mascaras:

• Maybelline colossal volume express mascara.
• Essence get big lashes volume boost mascara
• Maybelline lash sensational mascara
• Maybelline great lash mascara
• L'oreal Miss Manga Lash Lengthening Mascara

Eyeliners:

Gel eyeliner:

• Maybelline eye studio lasting drama gel liner
• Essence Gel eye pencil water proof.
• Catrice eye liner gel

Liquid eyeliners:

• Oriflame very me click it liquid eyeliner
• Sweet touch liquid eyeliners 
• Misslyn long lasting liquid eyeliner.
• Wet and wild mega liquid eyeliners.

Pencil eyeliners:

• Christine pencil liners.
• Glamorous face
• Clazona
• Saeed Ghani 
• Maybelline colossal kajal 6 hrs
• Diana of London micro super longwear pencil

I have used most of the products mentioned above and I have read good reviews about those which I haven't used but still I recommend that you do your research before buying any of these products.

That's it for today I hope you found this post helpful...

I"ll be back soon till then take care and tell me in the comments which are your favorite mascaras and eyeliners.

Bubyee...

Makeup kit for beginners- Part-II

Hello beauties!

I am back with the second post in my beginners’ makeup kit series and today I am going to talk about the face makeup products i.e. Foundation and the setting powders.

If you have not read the first post you can check it out here. Now lets get started with the foundation.

Foundation:

We use foundation to even out the complexion and to hide any minor imperfections on our skin. There are dozens of types of foundations available so choosing a perfect foundation is a difficult task but I hope these few points will help you in choosing your perfect foundation.

Before buying a foundation these points must be considered:

The coverage you need: 

The foundations come with light, medium and heavy coverage.

How much coverage you want would depend on the condition of your skin and on time and occasion where you want to wear the foundation. If you have any blemishes for e.g. acne scars that need to be covered you can go for heavy coverage foundation otherwise choose a light to medium coverage foundation.

 Also, wearing a full coverage foundation every day during the daytime is not a good idea as they usually make your makeup look cakey so for everyday use its better to go for a light to medium coverage foundation.

If you are young or have naturally clear skin with no uneven skin tones I would suggest that you start with a BB bream or a tinted moisturizer. Usually BB creams have limited shades and they adjust to the skin tone when applied so it’s easier to choose the shade of BB cream as compared to a foundation

Your skin type:

Your skin type would play an important role in how a foundation looks on your face. If you have oily skin it’s better to use a water based or oil free foundation. Similarly for dry skin go for an oil based foundation but in any case don’t forget to moisturize your face before applying foundation.

Foundations come in powder, liquid, stick as well as in mousse forms. Usually powder foundations work best for oily skin and stick and liquid foundations work for dry to normal and combination skin but that is not necessary it solely depends on the formula of foundation. I prefer liquid or mousse foundations as they are easier to apply and blend.

These are some good budget foundation options:

For light to medium coverage:

• Essence soft touch matte mousse makeup.
• Misslyn luminous makeup
• Oriflame very me smoothie foundation
• Maybelline dream matte mousse.
• Maybelline dream mousse liquid

For heavy coverage:

• Kryolan TV paint stick
• Luscious camera stick full coverage foundation

BB creams:

• Maybelline 8 in 1 dream fresh BB cream
• Garnier BB cream miracle skin
• Oriflame skin dream BB cream

Before buying a foundation consider your skin tone as well as its undertones. I suggest not to order a foundation online if you are buying it for the first time, instead go to the store so you can try the product on your actual skin. Also, the assistant there would help you with finding your right shade.

So that’s all about foundations now let’s move on to the setting powder.

Setting Powder:

If you are using a powder foundation you don’t need to set it with powder but for other types of foundations (and for concealer) setting powder is a must.

You can use loose powder when you do makeup at home but always carry a compact powder in your bag for touch ups during the day.

Again, choose the right shade as per your skin tone and never go overboard with powder because dewy makeup looks more natural as compared to completely matte makeup.

Some suggestions for setting powder:

• Maybelline clear smooth pressed powder
• Dazz matazz  silk finish compact powder
• Atiqa odho cosmetics face powder
• Maybelline fit me pressed powder
• Essence mattifying compact powder

I have used most of the products mentioned above and I have read good reviews about those which I haven't used but still I recommend that you do your research before buying any of these products.

That's it for today I hope you found this post helpful...

I"ll be back soon till then take care and tell me in the comments which are your favorite foundation and setting powder.

Bubyee...

Makeup Kits for Girls- Beginners

Hello beauties!

Welcome to the blog once again. It's been a long time since I posted anything here and it was because I was busy with my exams but now I am resuming blogging with a post especially requested by one of my friends who is a novice to makeup. She asked me to write about "what makeup products should a girl buy as a beginner".
I think these are seven makeup essentials that a girl should buy when she's starting out with makeup:

1. Concealer
2. Foundation/ BB/ CC cream/ tinted moisturizer.
3. Blush on
4. Mascara
5. Eyeliner
6. Setting/ Translucent powder.
7. Lipstick
8. Eyeshadows

I am going to talk about all these products in detail but in three different posts and today is the first post of the series in which I am going to talk about four products which are easily available in palettes. Since most of the beginners don't want to spend a lot of money on makeup it's a good idea to buy palettes as they give you a variety of shades at affordable price. So here I am sharing a few makeup kits/ palettes which are a good value for money.  

So let's get started:

Concealer:
A concealer is used to hide blemishes and dark circles. It can also be used to brighten up the areas of the face which you want to highlight.

Image from MUA's website

• Makeup revolution- cover and conceal palette
• MUA- Pro base conceal and brighten kit.
• MUA- Pro base prime and conceal palette.
• NYX- Conceal, correct, contour palettes.

These palettes have a variety of shades ranging from dark to light so they can also be used for contouring as well.


Blush-On:
When we apply makeup the natural color of our cheeks hides behind the foundation so we need a blush to get back that natural color. Some good blusher palettes are:

• Atiqa Odho's blush on Kit.
• Makeup Revolution's Ultra Blush palettes.
• e.l.f- Cream blush palette and e.l.f powder blush palette.
• BH cosmetics- professional blush palette (contains neutral to vibrant shades with shimmery as well as matte finishes).

Eyeshadows:

Personally I am not an eyeshadow person I prefer colored eyeliners over eye shadows but if you prefer eyeshadows I think its better to start with nudes. 

These are some eye shadow palettes which are great in quality and are super affordable:

• Makeup Revolution- I heart obsession palettes (5 different palettes in nudes as well as vibrant shades).
• Atiqa Odho- Eye shadow kit (25 colors- from nudes to bold and vibrant shades)
• Lakme makeup kit- Lakme 9 to 5 eye quartet.
• BH cosmetics- 120 color eyeshadow palettes (6 editions available)
• Makeup Revolution- Iconic palettes ( all natural and nude shades) 

Lipsticks:

It's a bit tricky to apply lipstick from a palette with a brush so I think its better to have at least one regular go to lipstick or lip gloss (preferably nude shade) that you can easily use anywhere. But for other shades these palettes are great.

Image from MUA's website

• BH Cosmetics- 28 color lipstick palettes available in nudes and ultimates.
• NYX- Pro lip cream palette available in nudes, pinks, reds and plums.
• MUA- Pro paintbox lip palette also available in nudes, reds and plums.

I haven't used all of these products but I have read good reviews about them but still I recommend that you do your research before buying any of these things. Especially before you buy makeup online you should read some detailed reviews to see whether the product will suit your skin type and your skin tone.
That's it for today. I hope you find this post helpful.
I'll be back soon till then take care and tell me in the comments which are your favorite makeup palettes.
Bubye...

Monthly favorites- for April

Hello beauties!

I am back and today I am going to share with you some of my favorite things that I loved during last month i.e. April.
I don't usually do any favorites posts but in the last month there were a number of things that I really liked and I wanted to show them off so I finally decided to do my first ever favorites post. So here goes my list of favorite things...

Books:
The forty rules of love:
This is a novel that contains two different stories. The first one is about a middle aged women who wasn't happy with her routine and married life and started working for a literary agency after years of being a housewife. She was given a book named "sweet blasphemy" to review and that changed her life completely.
The second story is the story of a dervish, Shams and his companion, Rumi who was a famous scholar of Konya in 13th century. The Shams of Tabriz had his forty rules of love which the writer had explained beautifully by relating them to different tales.

Me before you:
This book was on my to read list for a long time and finally in April I read it. Generally,  I am not much into romantic novels but the title and some reviews of this book got my interest. It's a story of a small town girl, Lou who started working as a carer of a quadriplegic to support her family financially.
Will (her boss) was hopeless and wanted to end his life because he had an adventurous nature and had a successful past but now he was stuck in a wheelchair after an accident. Lou wanted to change his mind and in the end she became a whole new person herself. The story is about how their lives changed after they met each other.

Makeup:

-Essence Soft Touch mousse makeup:
I've had this foundation lying in my vanity for a long time but I didn't use it much in fall and winter months. When this hot season started I needed a lighter foundation that wouldn't melt with heat and would let my skin breath so I started using it again and I started liking it all over again. You can read the details about this foundation here.

- Maybelline lash sensational mascara:
I got this one as a gift about a month ago and since then I am using it everyday. It's a great mascara for everyday. I have shared a detailed post about it here.

Atiqa Odho compact and contouring powder:
In this scorching summer we need a good compact powder more than anything... Right? And what can be better than a powder with SPF in it?  You can read more about this powder here. I also have their contouring powder in shade chocolate which is good for a light and subtle contour.

Hair care:
Loreal colour protect caring mask:
If you follow me on Instagram you would probably know that I have recently got my hair colored. After coloring, my hair became really dry and rough so I needed to take exra of them and that's when I started using this hair mask and I am glad that I bought this because it has made my hair really soft. I am also using some other products for colour treated hair which are working for me, so if you want me to share my detailed hair care routine let me know in the comments :)

The cat eye glasses.
The last but not the least is this pair of cat eye glasses. Generally I am a contact lens person and only wear glasses when I am home. But since I have bought this pair I have been wearing it all the time, everywhere because I just love this.

Me wearing my favorite pair of glasses

Okh that's it for today
I'll be back soon till then take care and tell me in the comments about your monthly favorites...
Bubye...