Oct 22, 2014

HOW TO USE COFFEE FOR SKIN AND HAIR 4 August, 2014 · by Somreeta Mukherjee

OFFEE BEAUTY RECIPESIntegrating coffee in your beauty regime is easy. Here are some of the simplest ways of using coffee in your beauty recipes:
skin firming coffee scrubCoffee face scrub: Exfoliation is an important step to keep your skin clean and smooth. Try using your homemade coffee scrub which not only exfoliates your skin but also prevents dryness. Mix 1/2 cup ground coffee 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup olive oil. Make a paste and apply it on your face. Wait for sometime and massage the scrub on your face with gentle circular motions. Wash off with water and follow up with your favorite moisturizer.
Coffee face maskCoffee and cocoa face pack: For a perfect high-end salon type facial treatment feeling, indulge in the goodness of coffee-cocoa face pack which has skin softening properties. Mix two spoons of ground coffee with two spoons of cocoa powder. Mix about three spoons of milk and a spoon of honey. If you have oily skin and you are not comfortable using milk in your face pack, mix two spoons of yoghurt. Wait for half-an-hour and wash off with plain water. The yummy aroma of the coffee in this face pack soothes your senses. It nourishes your skin thoroughly, helps in tightening pores and hydrates your skin.
anti cellulite scrubAnti-Cellulite Coffee body scrub: The coffee beans should be ground coarsely. Now mix 2 tbsp of coffee with 1tsp of pure aloe vera gel and a tsp of vitamin e oil. Use this mixture for scrubbing your body. It imparts smooth skin and improves your complexion.
Coffee hair maskCoffee for hair: Coffee softens and adds shine to hair. The best way to use coffee for your hair by using it as a hair mask. When you choose to add 2tsp of coffee powder to 1tbsp of honey and a tbsp of olive oil. Apply it to your hair and leave it on for 15-30mins and rinse off.
Coffee hair rinse - soft shiny hairCoffee Hair Rinse: Coffee hair rinse is also effortless to make. Brew coffee in boiling water and wait for sometime for the solution to cool. Use it as hair rinse for soft and silky hair.

Wondering why you should be incorporating coffee in your regular beauty routine? Here are the top reasons:
  • Coffee loads your skin with antioxidants
  • Coffee contains caffeine that defends your skin from the harmful ultraviolet rays and helps in fighting skin damage
  • It has anti-aging properties to maintain the elasticity of skin
  • It helps in imparting youthful and smooth skin
  • Coffee is great for cellulite reduction
http://www.realbeautyspot.com/coffee-for-skin-and-hair/#_

Oct 11, 2014

Lipsticks and Looks

A girl's best friend.....besides diamonds that is.You may be in a hurry and dont have the time to do your makeup step by step ,layer by layer...so all one has to do is dab on some BB/CC  cream and put on a great lipstick to match your outfit and you're out the door..still looking nice and glammed up.

Now Im a dark lipstick girl..I hate light colors.....maybe because I go out less and put on makeup even less than the times I go out, so for me I always wear a dark shade of lipstick.I like my lips to look full and colroful.I wear bright colors and dark ones but stuff like nude and glosses with sheer pigments,not my style.I should be able to see my lips in the mirror and of course kohl in my eyes at times.

So here whats in this fall as the experts say.I dont beliveeve ina  color specific for a season or year or time....anything that brings a smile on my face is the color I desire and love.


Rimmel london Moisture renew lipstick In Diva RED.


Revlon colrstay Ultimate Suede lipstick in Boho Chic


Lisptick Queen Silver Screen lipstick in Have PAris

NYFW Fall 2014 OSCAR DE LA RENTA
Smoky Brown eyes look

Plum Lips:
plum lipstick
1. Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Black Plum
2. CoverGirl Queen Collection Lipcolor in Fine Wine
3. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Dekadent
4. Yves Saint Laurent Beaute Rouge Pur Couture Mat Lipstick in Prune Avenue
5. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clkd1ii7ZHE
Her video explains the melted liquid lipstick...beautiful and so pigmented.

MAC look for Tarun Tahiliani, Look 1
MAC look for Tarun Tahiliani, Look 1


NYX Butter Gloss : Angel Food Cake, Peaches and Cream, Strawberry Parfait, Raspberry Tart, Cherry Pie – Swatches, Reviews


By corallista
Her reviews are great on makeup products....But Im just showing the colors I really really like....

NYX Butter Gloss Cherry Pie Swatch
Cherry Pie 

Day 1 Look - Red lips with L'Oreal Paris Moist Matte Lipstick Lincoln Rose
 Red lips with L’Oreal Paris Moist Matte Lipstick Lincoln Rose

10 Minute Makeup, Natural Everyday Makeup


Makeup Look - Smoky Eyes with Orange Lips

Makeup Look - Winged Liner with Bright Pink Lips

Vampy Burgundy Makeup - Smoky Eyes with Dark Lips

Makeup Look - Navy Blue Eyes, Nude Pink Lips

Festive Makeup for Durga Puja and Navratri - Gold Eyes with Red lips

Makeup Look - Teal Blue Eyes with Coral Lips

Arabic Inspired Makeup using Sleek Arabian Nights Palette

Heres the link to the page...if you follow her site..she has detailed every product she has used on her face to get the desired look.
http://corallista.com/2014/10/01/30-days-30-makeup-looks/

Thats all for now....I have listed what I liked.....I will try to do these looks when I can.....and hope it inspires you beauties to do the same....

Oct 9, 2014

Makeup

http://www.babble.com/beauty/25-beauty-steals-you-should-buy-now/?utm_source=pinterest.com&cmp=SMC%7Cbbl%7Csoc%7CPIN%7CBabble%7CInHouse%7C120513%7C25BeautyStealsBloggersAreLoving%7C%7CfamM%7CSocial#lipstick-youll-love

25 Beauty Steals Bloggers Are Loving


..............................

Click through for more genius beauty hacks.


Face Scrub, Use twice a week.

Nice graphic of DIY Bath recipes and their remedies.


Scented Hair Trick - I'm going to have to try this!


Whiter nails in 60 seconds: 1/2 cup hot water, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tbsp peroxide. Soak for 60 secs, or longer if needed

Whiter nails in 60 seconds: 1/2 cup hot water, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tbsp peroxide. Soak for 60 secs, or longer if needed

Beauty Secret: For a natural look, try using plain Vaseline on your lashes instead of mascara. It darkens lashes, it won't dry up to make lashes break off, and it won't cake up. Perfect for days at the pool!!!

Beauty Secret: For a natural look, try using plain Vaseline on your lashes instead of mascara. It darkens lashes, it won't dry up to make lashes break off, and it won't cake up. Perfect for days at the pool!!!


The Looped Twist

Sep 28, 2014

Mehendi or Henna....its the same !!!!!!!!

Eid Al adha is round the corner and along with a whole lot of things..the henna name comes up just as often. Henna is very traditional used to decorate the hands ,the feet, applied on hair and in the west on pregnant tummies and wherever one feels like !

Now I have ground henna leaves to make a great paste for my hands back in my school days but the most memorable henna powder I bought was around 8-9 years ago.I had been to the local supermarket and happened to come by this quarter kg pack of henna from Saudi.I prepared it with a few simple ingredients which are Lemon juice, coffee and black tea.That's it.Made it into a paste,applied and left it on for a good 9 hours or so and I had the most dark henna on my hands ,a dark burgundy to brown color which intensified in the days after.And the aroma...it was just heavenly.But That was that day and a week later I went back ,until now..I haven't found that henna pack.Plus not knowing the name didn't help either.

Now every year I check online for recipes or so to make the best henna paste.For the past 2 years, I have switched to chemical henna tubes...its apply,wait for 30 minutes and wash it off.But this year I wanted henna for my hair and also do it from scratch.This year I purchased Yemeni henna and another one from Pakistan.The Yemeni one smells like ground henna leaves and the Pakistani one smells divine.

But Anyways, now that I'm checking the recipes...the ingredients include essential oils and new stuff I unheard of.There is this kiss recipe that seems to be quite famous on every website.SO finally I have a gist of the henna preparation I have decided to finally make:

First of all let me just tell you honestly..I have no measurements to give.I eyeball recipes,so exact measurements with me.

The first important thing,having a good quality Henna powder.There are borwn powders and various shades of green powders out there..

This is the green color you want.A little shade lighter isn't that bad either.

Refrain from using water when making the mix for henna paste.

Adding coffee powder or tea,is to boost the color but mainly for the aroma.It smells heavenly.

Even a little bit of sugar is added to prevent the paste from drying and If I'm not mistaken helps it to be stringy which helps with application using a cone.

The new thing I will add this year is cloves and black pepper to the tea or coffee.The essential oils of clove bud and black pepper is also used but I cannot go and buy these oils for just one day. Also throw in some methi or fenugreek seeds.

And lemon juice...there can be no henna paste without lemon juice.Its acidity helps deepen the colour.

So the way I would go about making my henna paste this year..is sift the henna powder with a tea strainer or wheat flour strainer.Then I would add to glasses of water in a saucepan and I add 1 tablespoon of tea powder,half a tsp of fenugreek seeds,1 tbsp of coffee, a few cloves and black pepper into and give it a damn good boil to concentrate it all.Now I would say half and half of lemon juice and then the other concoction.Mix it well and then wrap the bowl you made the paste in with a plastic wrap and leave it in a corner for an entire 24 hours.

\Yes, you heard it right ! They say..in these 24 hours...the dye from the henna has to be drawn out. After 24 hours, you will see a brown liquid layer on top of the paste.Throw out the water with a spoon and then sweet hearts, the henna is ready to apply.

The longer you keep in on your hands and feet, the deeper the color.SO overnight..maybe 8-9 hours while you drool on your pillow.Of course, once you apply,you have to wait to dry it out which would take an hour or so,then wrap your hands with either some cloth or plastic wrap and doze away.

I'm not going for complicated designs this year.I'm going for capping my fingers and toes and then a circle on either side of my hands and done.The normal Arabic way you could say.

I hope this information was helpful.

Before I leave the main 3 essential oils that they say deepen the color are :






 But they say clove oil is a skin irritant for some.






Foundation and Beauty

Off late, I have been going through hundreds of beauty videos and tutorials which tell you how you should contour and highlight your face, How do you apply cream,liquid or mousse or mineral foundation, what lipstick looks good on white girls or brown girls or the various cheats involved to make eyes bigger or lips fuller or face thinner.




First of all, makeup is work.Ad I thought it was copy and paste kind of thing.The art of makeup requires tons of practice just to get it perfect.You have glamorous makeup, you have neutral makeup, you have goth makeup, vamp makeup, makeup to look as if there ain't any makeup..the list is endless.But I realised this sucks you into the vortex once you start to get the hang of it and you decide to want more and have more.

I'm not saying that all this is wrong or self absorbed or anything.....I always think its better than falling to bad habits like drinking or drugs or anything that destroys or will destroy one's inner calm.I love makeup.I love to look good and no ,I'm not one of those people who have been applying tons of makeup to look beautiful.I had no one tell me how to when I was young and now I watch these videos religiously to learn few tricks,so that I can even out my face and look nice.

With age and complexities of life, almost everyone is being blessed with dark circles and wrinkles.Yeah! what does a woman or man in his mid 30s think right !

Trying to find the perfect good foundation was the worst few weeks of my life.Everyone has an opinion , yes from personal use.The magazines say something...then you want something within your budget but still good...Only to realise that the world of foundation is very very big.

Apart from the various textures and numerous brands...I learnt that there is something called oxidation of foundations.I learnt you have sheer or minimal coverage to medium coverage to full coverage .You have foundations designed for the different skin types.Like some work well on dry , some on combination,some on normal,some on combination/dry or combination/normal.

Then you have something like a matte finish, a satiny finish and a dewy finish.If you are in long wear then a primer is a must.Primer you get for eyes separately and then for the face.And then foundation is incomplete without a proper good concealer to cover the spots or blemishes and most important dark circles.
   Dewy finish
  Matte Finish

The color to suit your skin tone is an absolute must.If you go in for lighter foundations, you have something like a ghostly cast,that's where the latest foundations come in..like HD foundations and stuff which are exclusively made so that when you are photographed ,especially at night or evening parties, you still look amazing and natural.


I also found out that 80% of the people bought their foundations online and color matched themselves ,watching videos of women with similar skin color.After breaking my head against the wall and pillows and everything else, I decided to buy Revlon color stay foundation in warm golden for myself.

I thought why not post a few videos, so you know what actually helped.I'm an Indian,so naturally I watched Indian tutorials and Arab ones, to get an idea of what I truly think is good for me.

There are a few blogs and beauty videos on youtube I follow regularly,But for now...just the links....

1. This is from Huda Kattan who resides in UAE.I love her tutorials,She explains well and yes, she uses high end products.They are luxury beauty products.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzb1-K7dUDs

2.This is from Goss make artist..He is a makeup artist and I love love his videos..hes frank and to the point and I all his explanations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKuBhk7Tcu4 { Liquid foundations}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNZ-snGlrMc { how to find your shade}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb4rZzTH-tY  {cream foundations}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QINRDG7oW3k  { foundation for very oily skin}

3. This is Jovita.Shes an ex beauty queen and has a dark skin tone,so she shows products related to dark skin tone. Her videos are fun.So if you have dark skin like her...look at her suggestions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQkWxhY3SS8

4. This is Shruti and Again I love her videos.SHe is beautiful too and I like her tutorials.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFn8J_XLCLc ( foundation for tan skin)

5. I dont remember her name but her blogs and vlogs are named corallista.SHe gives a basic good explanation and her tutorials are good. She generally does reviews and does a lot of eye makeup and lipstciks and highligters...And shes very pretty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF79XCu3A-M  { apply foundation}

6. Superprincessjo.I just love her videos.She gives the simplest explanations , a lot of diys and products reviews and makeup tutorials.I love her videos.....her blogs and vlogs are simply informative.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGLo7lkiyWQ { foundation routine}

There are many more good ones out there but for now...I have to catch up on home duties.....Hopefully they will help the beginners out there.