2010 ~ Shoppingaholic Approves

Monday, November 15, 2010

Nail Paints: Tips & Toes (No. 118 Mandate)

3:36 AM shoppingaholic 4 comments

These days I am looking for earthy hues in nail paints and blushes. Thankfully I got to see nail paints from Faces and Tips & Toes that I hadn't seen until this weekend.

Faces- Nail Paints cost from INR 45 to 199 = $1.01 to 4.46. I tried only one earthy shade and I liked but I didn't buy because of the reason I found a nice beige shade in Color Bar and got confused. It happened in Big Bazaar. So if you're planning to buy Faces cosmetics, do check out Big Bazaar if you don't find it at your nearest shop or mall. For the records, I am gonna buy Faces nail paint the next time I'll visit Big Bazaar.

Today, I went to the nearest market for nail paint remover as I realized my old nail paints remover is about to finish. The shop had kept only Tips & Toes nail paints removers and nail paints. So I thought of giving Tips & Toes remover a shot and also decided to buy a nice shade from them.

Tips & Toes- Tips & Toes has three ranges of nail paints starting from INR 40 to INR 85 = $.90 to $1.90. I didn't like any shade in range INR 40. I decided to buy one that I liked - No. 118 Mandate.

Tips & Toes 118 Mandate

INR 65 = $1.46

For a change, I like this earthy shade and gonna wear it the whole week long. I will soon update with its taken in chipping. That's an important update, isn't it!?!

So far...

I like -

* Consistency

* Long brush.

* Creamy finish. I like matte nail paints though.

* Shade IMO girls must have a nice earthy shade in their collection. This is one of them.

* It chipped after 2 days with the amount of work I do - dishes and laundry along with cleaning, bathing etc. So, I am very satisfied with this nail paint quality.

I don't like -

* Thin bristles.

I don't find any problem in applying the nail paint because of the consistency of the nail paint though.

* Shape of bottle.

Dunno why, but I don't like it.

I have been reading Marie Claire November Issue and they have got nice collection in "beauty" and useful readable articles. See my coming post.

P.S. I am feeling very lazy these days, especially when it comes to blogging. Does it happen with you!?!

Jiya

Online Shopping: Lotus Herbal kit from Fashion and You

1:37 AM shoppingaholic 3 comments

In my last post , I was blabbing about how I suddenly thought of investing my money in Lotus Herbal body moisturizer with SPF20. I know I can get more options when/if out in the market but I chose Lotus Herbal. Why!?! The need (not want) of a body moisturizer with SPF and destiny of Lotus Herbal (please rewind romantic flick Serendipity) because I noticed their body moisturizers in Marie Claire India November issue and then I noticed them on FashionAndYou with the added products. So I chose this kit:

Why!?! Because my current need list is like this:

1- ~~Body Moisturizer with SPF~~

2- Body Scrub

3- ~~Day Moisturizer with SPF~~

4- ~~Cleansing Milk~~

My next pick could have been:

But it didn't meet the expectation of my Need-List so I dropped the idea.

I am actually trying to learn the shopping principles.

"Get what you Need so that your Wants don't make a whole in your pocket"

What's your current Need-List?

Jiya

Fashion and You: Lotus Herbal Best Bets

10:50 PM shoppingaholic 2 comments

Hi All, I keep checking out Fashion and You best deals. There are many but I have bought 5 times on FNU and never been disappointed. I have received Marie Claire November issue and Lotus Herbal body Moisturizers were everywhere. Yesterday night, while flipping through the pages I decided to buy Lotus Herbal Body moisturizer with SPF 20 and was deciding to hit the market tomorrow. But see what i got!?! I got the whole package of 5 products from Lotus Herbals. Rest of blabbing later: I hope many of you would get benefited if planning to buy something like these:

If you want something then don't wait and score your pick right now!!

http://www.fashionandyou.com/

Happy Shopping.

How does a sunscreen work?

7:29 PM shoppingaholic 1 comment

I asked a question in my last post and that was because of a reason. Recently, I visited a well known parlour in Sector-18, NOIDA. I was getting my clean-up done; in the meanwhile, a lady asked about the best sunscreens and how to apply them. The head of the parlour said you should always apply your sunscreen under your moisturizer. I contradicted by saying that neither (sunscreen and moisturizer) would do their job and it should be done the other way round. Frankly speaking, I had no idea but I used my logical mind because of the studies I had done during my preparation for Medical Exams. But she went on and on about how she has graduated from so and so college abroad, whatever she know is correct etc. One more fact, it's the second time when I got this suggestion by the parlour. But I didn't give this discussion a piece of my anxious mind that time because I hardly cared.

Talking about the recent discussion; yes, I admit my knowledge stumbled a bit because of her position in that parlour, plus knowing her graduation degrees etc I was forced to give it an evening full of questions if she was right or my logic was right. I am glad that you all answered how I thought it to be. It also forced me to do a search on sunscreens and how they work.

How does a sunscreen work!?!

A sunscreen product acts like a very thin bulletproof vest, stopping the Ultraviolet (UV) photons before they can reach the skin and inflict damage. It contains organic sunscreen molecules that absorb UV and inorganic pigments that absorb, scatter and reflect UV. To deliver a high level of protection, a sunscreen product must have sufficient quantities of these protective agents and it must optimally deploy them over the skin's peaks and valleys.

The term SPF that appears on sunscreen labels stands for Sun Protection Factor, but it is really a sunburn protection factor. Products with a higher SPF allow fewer of the photons that produce sunburn to strike the skin. In simple terms, you can view an SPF 10 sunscreen as allowing 10 out of every 100 photons to reach the skin and an SPF 20 product as allowing only 5 out of every 100 photons to reach the skin. Because sunburn is primarily a UVB effect, it is possible for a sunscreen product to deliver high SPF while allowing a significant percentage of the incident UVA photons to reach the skin. To deliver true broad spectrum protection, products must also block a significant fraction of the UVA photons. In the U.S. market, this requires that the products contain significant levels of zinc oxide, avobenzone or titanium dioxide. read more here

A quick experiment on "how sunscreen works" :

Take a day-glow pen and draw a picture on your hand.

Put your hand underneath the UV light. What do you see?

Smear sun cream over half of the picture. on your hand and put your hand back under the UV light. What happens now?

Read here about what happens after putting sunscreen on the picture.

Most of us know how it happens. I am glad that I researched and got the logic.

Have you ever encountered wrong suggestions given by someone in parlour? What was that suggestion?

Questions: Sunscreen Lotion and Sunblock Creams

10:18 PM shoppingaholic 5 comments

?? Do you prefer wearing you Sunscreen/sunblock over your moisturizer or under your moisturizer? Why?

BHCosmetics: Droolworthy Professional Palettes from Eyeshadows to Blushes

2:37 AM shoppingaholic 3 comments

Hi All, I just came across BHCosmetics professional palettes and they have got me drooling. What i am actually interested in is :

Now what I am thinking if I should pay $ 72.26 = INR 3207.6 for these shades. My hand is itching to make the payment. But even then I have got you friends who can help me in this. I have made such payments in the past and have regretted so asking for help.

Plus, I am still in search of Pop-Beauty-Naked-Smolder-Eyeshadow-Palette and will be hunting until I get my hands on it.

So, what do your dearies think?

Also, check out their website BHCosmetics and let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I have no links with BHCosmetics. I just liked their palette and simply asking for honest opinions.

Home Remedy: Quickest and Best Tip for Anti-Aging

10:32 PM shoppingaholic 5 comments

Source: Google Images

Source: instyle

I am always in for home remedies. I am a sport for anything like this quick and easy yet very effective. I have just read about it but I can imagine how helpful it is gonna become for most of us who are lazy like me.

Ingredients:

1- Ice Cube Tray
2- Apple Juice

How-to make?

1- Mix 1 cup apple Juice with 1 cup water.
2- Pour it in the ice tray and freeze.

How-to use?

1- Rub it on to your face.
2- Leave it for 10-15 minutes.
3- Wash-off.

What else I learnt?

You can make more ice cubes with watermelon juice, lemon juice, mint juice, rose water, milk, cucumber, oranges and what not! For me the best thing is damn-easy-to-apply.

Would you give it a try?

Amazing Facts about the beauty rituals of celebrities - Part I

5:41 AM shoppingaholic 8 comments

Did you know...

... that Cleopatra bathed in Donkey's milk?

... that Cindy Crawford takes Vitamin Therapy injections for her wrinkle free face and glowng skin?

... that many Bollywood and Tollywood actors wash their faces with Champagne due to its antioxidants properties and many use coffee and chocolate to work on their cellulite?

... that Goat Intestine's therapy is being used to rejuvenate the skin?

... that Many Hollywood celebrities use Emu (bird) oil for the wrinkles. Emu Oil works wonders on wrinkles.

... that Sophia Loren regularly massages her skin with olive oil?

... that Michelle Yeoh simply rinses her face with lemon juice and water?

... that Shilpa Shetty's gorgeous skin is because of Olive Oil and Coconut Oil together?

... that Yana Gupta swigs gallons of coconut water and she owes it her glowing skin?

That's all for the part I. I'll save some for Part-II

P.S. I am off to bed and won't sleep until I figure it out that this is their skin routine. The key to our happiness is definitely a decent section of natural ingredients. I really don't want to get into what the truth is but reading all this makes me happy. :)

Hope you all enjoyed!!

Source: A TOI article by Purba Dutt

How to exfoliate your face mildly

5:31 AM shoppingaholic 5 comments

Today I wanted to scrub and rub tomato on my face at the same time. I realized that you can use a little scrub on half cut tomato and rub. It won't be too harsh and I liked the after effect, mixed effects of scrub and tomato.

However, a question for experts:

Tomato is used to tighten the pores and scrub is used to remove dust and grime that means it opens the pores. Is it okay to use both at the same time the way I did?

I really want to continue doing this. It didn't feel harsh on my face and easy to apply.

When Hunk was so scared!!

7:20 PM shoppingaholic 9 comments

This Sunday, on the eve of Dushehra, kids were busy enjoying crackers and Ravana was busy enjoying being centre of attraction. Between all this chaos, Hunk suddenly started scratching the main door and hitting his head. I got so scared and thought that he is angry with me but understood the whole drama was because of crackers and an entry to the house.See this picture how scared he is:

He tried hiding in every nook and corner but sadly he had to settle himself on my bed's corner being the coziest and the fact - there's no corner inside my house where he could hide.

I keep Hunk outside the house because he has ticks, he bites when we try to give him a shower, and bites when we put any spray or powder on to his body. So i had no option but keeping him outside my house i.e. my terrace.

He never misses a single chance to break into the house and for that he would push you as he did with me last night. He is very intelligent and understands only Love. He would never listen to me if I scold him and shout at him. His face expressions tells on my face " You're being rude, and I am not gonna listen to what you're saying".

The funniest thing he does is eating biscuits and breads being inside the house. He wouldn't even look at the biscuits thrown outside the house as he understands that the door will be closed right after he steps outside.

If he is all lovey dovey with me then he can do "this" for hours while I am watching TV or reading:

He would touch my legs with his face and rise his hump and stay in this position until I decide to do something else. This is how he expresses his love for me. He is adorable and I wish I could provide him the care he deserves. I ain't sure why he gets angry and violent when he even sniffs the medication around. My brother has already become a victim of this while he wanted to spray on his ticks.

So I have accepted him the way he is!! Love him the way he is. :)

<3<3<3

Fashion and You: Hidesign Keychain

5:05 AM shoppingaholic 5 comments

Fashion and You certainly has not only great deals but a wide range of variety from apparels to key chains, bedsheets to utensils and the variety goes on and on. So, I placed order randomly for three products I liked:

1- Red bone (Click here for the actual post)
2- Kitchen products (Click here for the actual post)
3- Hidesign Elephant face key chain

I got key chain's delivery yesterday and I found it waiting in my room. Let's open the packet:

The packaging is very safe and big for this small cute thing.

Look at this red satin poch. It's a big draw-string pouch.

This baby elephant is a bit bigger than what it appeared on the site.

I didn't know that it has little pocket when I ordered but I am liking it more because of that.

It won't be with me for long. I am gonna give it to V and he'd like it for sure.

P.S. I am happy with Fashion and You people because of their neat packaging and on time delivery.

<3<3<3

If you are planning to buy Ballerina Pumps...

1:30 AM shoppingaholic 5 comments

While I was blog cruising, I found a pair of Black Ballerina Pumps that looked awesome and was from store "Office". That pair reminded me of black leather and patent leather pumps in Carlton London.

They have 50 % discount sales and that's not UPTO 50%. One of my fav pairs that I had been wanting to buy but I ain't sure why I didn't and that pair is denim kitten heel pumps with denim bow. Something like this:

This is a bow on a strap but they have got only bow and that looks neat.

In their new arrival, they have got suede ankle shoes and sequinned animal print ballerina pumps (two pairs that I liked). Something like this:

The store I visted is located at Central market, New Delhi. If you want better collections of Carlton London then certainly visit Carlton London store at Centre Stage Mall, Sector-18.

<3<3<3

Shopping Tips: Get the best out of your shopping

11:14 PM shoppingaholic 2 comments

Disclaimer: I am a shopaholic and an impulsive buyer. I never cared enough for such tips. However, these 5 tips have really helped me shopping in a healthy way, saving extra bucks and building a rapport with everyone involved with my shopping.

So, If you care enough-

1- Remember keeping the tags and bills at least for next three months.
Most of the stores would refund you or give you a store credit in case you think bought stuff is faulty.

2- Most of the stores give corporate discounts to the buyers.
You just have to check with your company for the list of the stores and the discount you’re entitled for. A famous India "company" gives 20% discounts to its employees in big stores, banks and medical stores.

3- Get the membership cards of your favorite stores.
Apart from giving you extra points that you can avail at any chosen time, you are also entitled for other benefits too; like Shoppers Stop gives free parking to its membership card holders. It really makes a difference when you have spent 4-5 hours in a shopping mall where parking fee is huge and per hour basis.

4- Be nice and honest to the Sales Staff. That means don’t beat around the bush and say what you want and what you don’t want.
They can help you get the best out of your shopping. It happens in some or the other way.

5- Being nice and polite to the Sales Staff can make them pushy.
“No thanks! I’d better see something else” said in an assertive manner would help. It would help you being un-impulsive while shopping. It's for people like me!!

Marie Claire: October 2010 (In pictures)

5:45 AM shoppingaholic 1 comment

In my last post, I talked about the October edition of Marie Claire India. But that post lacked pictures and proper visual effect of what i wrote. I am gonna post the pictures of something that I liked and something that would fascinate all who like make-up.

The picture editorial

Here comes my favourite part!!

I can't imagine myself with a long wrap dress, may be because I think I ain't that tall. But yes, it definielty looks elegant and sexy. SO you can definitely wrap your saree on Diwali like the bottom extreme right corner, or match your brown saree with blue blouse like the model has displayed. Basically, I liked only the two of the lot.

Bohemian, I liked everything but the embroidered dress is something that is pushing me to think and think. I wanna get my own DIYed.

If you've ever noticed my side bar, a pair of leopard print ballerina flats are already in my wishlist. and i noticed that MC has also included it in their shopping list. Woohoo. Awww Satchel too...

For make-up lovers

And here comes, the Limited Edition!! I want to buy three things out of this limited collection...

1- Flower Power Cologne

2- Dupe of Dior Plum

3- Prismisseme Eyes Smokey Shimmer (because of the dots) by Givenchy

Without flash

With flash

And the best part if anyone is going to get married, here comes the planner. Iam not sure when my bells are gonna ring but I am saving this planner until I comer across the better one and that "I doubt"

And today, I received the Elle India October 10 Edition. Guess who's behind the pink slip!?!

I have got the subscription of only two magazines. But I want to buy the subscription of as many magazines as I can... I am just too greedy.

So what did you like among all of these?

<3<3<3

Marie Claire India: October 2010 (All about Wedding and Bride)

10:52 PM shoppingaholic 2 comments

I received my copy of Mariel Claire India a week back and wanted to do a post on that. Right now, it's gonna be introduciton to this edition.

On the cover page it's Deepika Padukone.

I am not into celebrities too much that i can comment on their appearance or anything. But yes, we all have right to love or hate a celebrity. I have always had a Love/ Hate relationship with Deepika Padukone. I either love her or dislike her (considering HATE to be a strong word to use for "anything"). I really don't like her in this picture because of what this edition is all about.

This edition talks about wedding, wedding plans, wedding make-up, wedding jewellery etc. Deepika doesn't flaunt it at all (at least in this picture).

There's a picture editorial in all issues of Marie Claire India that I have always, always loved in Marie Claire issues since they launched Marie Claire India. October 2010 editorial is all about the beautiful brides and their nervousness while they are getting ready. I love the moment when a father sees his daughter getting ready as a bride, dad notices his daughter all dressed-up as a bride and that look on dad's face makes me emotional. The toguhest part of a father's life when he has to control his emotions and he is the onle who sheds tears very first int he whole ceremony . The only fact is noone notices. (This feeling brigs tears in my eyes) Will you believe that I am holding my tears while writing this down. God, I'm choked.

There's another article about "what happened on your first night"? LOL The fun part of this MC issue. The funniest was groom's friends hid clocks with alarms set for every half an hour and clocks alarmed right on time. The cutest was when bride and groom sneaked in to a hotel room after dodging their friends and relatives. (I am assuming the family wasn't conservative at all cus relatives would go bananas if newly weds would do this in India)

There's something intesresting for make-up girls. The information about the limited editions of different cosmetic brands. I really don't remember the names, I would post it as soon as I reach home.

Plus, there's a lot more that i can writie it down here.

<3<3<3

ASOS and Yesstyle Satchels

10:18 PM shoppingaholic 2 comments

I have been wanting a satchel and haven't been able to spot one in the market but online. Of ourse I am not in mood to spend 4-5 grands so still waiting for an option this month, otherwise I'll place an order online.

Satchels under $100