Saturday, November 12, 2016

Fabrics and colors for upcoming winter season...

Hello beauties!

It's that time of the year again when we can finally get a break from lawn and bright summery colors. Winters are fast approaching and all I see on my Instagram and Facebook feeds are winter collections of various brands. The perfect pictures of models flaunting these dresses make me go head over heels for them but of course my bank account does not allow me to buy every single piece I see so I need to make choices.
The plethora of fabrics and wide variety of colors make it difficult to decide what should I invest in but asking myself these few questions before buying clothes help me get out of this dilemma.
1- How often can I wear this piece?
2- Does the color and cut flatter me?
3-  Is the dress versatile? Can I dress it up or down for different occasions and places?
4- Is the price reasonable? ( Cost Vs benefit analysis )
5- Do I already have any similar piece in my wardrobe?

Today I am going to talk about some of my favorite color and fabric trends in ladies dresses that I prefer wearing in winters...

For everyday wear in not so cold winter of Karachi cotton, linen and Khaddar suits are perfect but the satin collections of various brands can also be worn on a daily basis if accessorized appropriately.

The lightweight chiffon is generally considered a spring/summer only fabric but on formal evening events like weddings nothing looks better than a chiffon dress even in winters. You just need a heavier warmer fabric beneath the chiffon overlay of a dress and it will be good enough for winters. The best thing about chiffon suits is you can dress them up or down for any occasion with appropriate accessories.

Everyone starts wearing dark colors as soon as the winters approach, yes they look good but this winter I think we all should leave the blacks, dark blues, maroons and purples and experiment with some different colors. How about trying on some bright hues such as forest green, Mustard yellow or rust brown?
Get some inspiration from these designs...
Kayseria
Gul Ahmed
Ethnic

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...




Thursday, November 10, 2016

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...

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Easy dessert recipe with Chocolate, Oreo and Cream...

Hello beauties!


It's a Sunday and on Sundays I cook... Well I am not much into cooking but I  love trying out new dessert recipes,  during the week I don't get time to do that so I try all new recipes on Sundays.
I tried this recipe for the first time a few days back and it turned out yummy so I decided to make it again today and also to share the recipe with you so without further Ado let's get started

What you need?
Rafhan custard pack- chocolate flavour -4 Tablespoon
Milk -3 cups
Sugar- 3 Tablespoon
Milkpak Cream- 1 pack
Oreo
Hershey's kisses and KitKat

Method:
1- First, mix 2 1/2 cup milk and sugar and bring it to boil.
2- While the milk boils, mix custard powder with half cup milk .
3- Now add this paste to the boiling milk and cook while stirring until the texture is thick.
4- Now refrigerate it for about an hour.
5- Now pour some custard in a glass
6- Add as many layers of cream, crushed Oreos and custard as you want.
7- Decor with chocolates
An that's it... that's how I made this delicious dessert...

I'll be back soon till then take care...
Bubye...


Saturday, November 5, 2016

How I take care of my knees and elbows...

Hello beauties!

I am back and today I am going to take about those parts of our body that we often neglect i.e. our knees and elbows. Usually we don't pay as much attention to our knees and elbows as we pay to our face, hands and feet because most of the time they are covered with clothes and nobody sees them and that's why they end up being dark and dry with flaky skin.

Image from google

In my teen years I was a really lazy person who did not pay much attention to myself but now I take really good care of myself and this includes taking care of my knees and elbows. And today I am going to share with you how I keep my knees and elbows well moisturize, well nourished and soft.

Just like our facial skin, we need to follow at least 3 steps for our knees and elbows i.e. cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing.

Cleansing:
Try not to use soaps for washing your knees and elbows as they dry out the already dry skin, use a gentle moisturizing body wash instead. Also, use a loofah while cleansing your body to remove the dead skin at the same time.


Exfoliating:
Since the skin around the knees and elbows is thicker than the rest of the body the exfoliation needs to be intense so that all the dead, dry and flaky skin is removed.
I have used some scrubs especially formulated for body in the past but now I use my St. Ives apricot scrub. It's granules are quite coarse so it works great on my knees and elbows and also its really affordable.
image from St. Ives website
Another product I use for exfoliation is Saeed Ghani Ubtan. I have talked about this amazing thing in detail a post which you can find here. It not only exfoliates but also evens out the skin tone.


Moisturizing:
Just like exfoliation the moisturizing needs to be more intense on these areas because there are no oil producing glands around the knees and elbows. There are a gazillion body moisturizers available in the market in different forms like lotions, creams, oils and butters so you have a lot of choices but make sure that the one you are using is capable of holding the moisture for a long period without being greasy.
Currently I am using this Nivea one.


Other than these things you can also try some homemade scrubs and moisturizers for your knees and elbows. I have tried these two recipes myself and found them really effective.
1- I mix the lemon juice and honey in equal quantity and apply the mixture to my knees and elbows and then wash it off after about 20-25 minutes.
2- I also use a mixture of sugar and olive oil to exfoliate the dead skin from my knees and elbows.

So that's it for today hope you like my tips...
I'll be back soon till then take care... Bubye...


Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Metallic Fall/ Winter trend...



Hello beauties! 
I am back and today I am going to talk about a fashion trend i.e. the trend of wearing metallic.
The metallic looks are all the rage on the runways all over the world for this upcoming winter season. The skirts, blazers and dresses all look gorgeous on models when they walk on the runways but no matter how much I love this trend or how religiously I follow trends, this one is way too bold for me so I decided to think of some ways of incorporating this metallic trend into my wardrobe. These are my ways in which I think I can incorporate this trend in my wardrobe without looking overdone. So have a look at some of my picks and get some inspiration…

Metallic shoes:
I haven’t seen metallic shoes on any Pakistani brands yet and the ones available here are really expensive so I am looking for some affordable imported alternatives at local stores.
I have also seen some really good metallic shoes at aliexpress.



For casual looks


Another casual and comfy piece



Metallic high heels




Metallic loafers ( find here )



Metallic bag and clutch:
 
Forever 21


Metallic eyeshadow: 

Metallic nail polish:

Metallic/mirror nail polish by BornPretty store

So girls that's it for today....
I'll be back soon till than take care and tell me in the comments about your favorite fall/ winter trends.
Bubye...