Salvaging your Beauty Blender!

I love using the Beauty Blender. Ever since I bought one, it has become the staple (if not the only!) makeup tool I have to use everyday. It gives such a flawless, and perfect finish when applying foundation or BB cream. I simply love using it. 

So, as I live on a tropical island, weather conditions are really hot and humidity level is high. It so happened that last month I discovered a very ill beauty blender among my makeup stash. My beauty blended was mouldy. Yes girls.  My heart stopped. Literally. I paid a lot for this pink sponge, I am not yet satisfied from using it to the max, and it was already spoilt. A terrible moment, I know.

Next thing I know, I tossed the sponge back in the plastic container it came in, and it lay there almost forgotten. Until I eventually found a way to use this same sponge.

What did I do?

I simply started cutting off the bad parts. I know, that is like mutilation. Lol. I would have never thought of using scissors on ANY of my makeup brushes and sponge. I thought I might as well try something to salvage the beauty blender since the next best option would be to throw it away. I started cutting it and uncovered a fresh layer of clean sponge. Boy, was I ecstatic! Yay!  So, I continued with the delicate mini operation, and sure enough, the pink surface was restored.

I just wanted to share this with you people since we all know how much we love the beauty blender 

And its way of blending has remained unchanged. It blends as perfectly as before. 

After cutting off the bad parts, I plunged the sponge in a solution of Dettol and warm water, washed it well and left it to dry in the sun. I then started using it as before and I am so glad I did not throw it away. 

I would also like to point out that the mould that was formed was like tiny specks, spread across, and not big patches. It is now like a new sponge.

Below are home pictures of the salvaged BB :)

Damp Beauty Blender

Dry Beauty Blender

I can definitely use it now for few months before buying another one. 

Sure enough, my storage and brush cleaning habits have changed after this incident. I leave the sponge in the open for some days after washing, to ensure that it is dry to the core. As for my brushes, I clean them after each use, especially the face brushes!

Hope this little post helped you all!

And please, do share your experience with the beauty blender!

Lots of love,

Ushina

xxx

Review: Real Techiques Makeup brushes

Hello lovelies!

I recently made my first purchase from Real Techniques and decided to make a review on how I found them.

 I have received all my makeup brushes in a big neon pink envelope and I loved it!!

Real Techniques Brushes
From left to right - Shader Brush, Blush Brush, Expert Face Brush and Setting Brush

I purchased four brushes from the Real Techniques website - the Blush brush, Expert Face brush, Setting brush and a Shader brush for eyeshadow application.

What did I love about 'em brushes?

All the brushes have long handles with a metal body. I am not really into brushes with colored handles, but well, that can be overlooked since what I was looking for was the blending ability and how well the brushes pick up the product.

I love the Setting Brush; I use it to highlight and used it with my Ben Nye's Banana Powder. It picked up the right amount of product that you need. I used a sweeping/ patting motion to highlight under my eyes, and the feeling is awesome. It's so soft, I Love it!

The Shader Brush is another pleaser. It picks up the eyeshadows really well and the soft bristles make it easy to work with. 

I used for blending on the harsh edges of the eyeshadows, since the bristles are short and soft. Precision is what you will get with this babe, since it is so easy to control your movement to blend.

Real Techniques Shader Brush

The Blush brush is a large, full brush with a tapered, rounded end, which I adore! I also used this brush to apply my face powder, and I love it!

I enjoyed applying my blush using this brush (tongue-twister, much?).

I loved the feel of it on my skin; it's like a  it-can-totally-make-you-sleepy kind of brush, if you know what I mean :) 

Coming to the Expert Face Brush... 

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

I am not a big fan of the Expert Face Brush. I was somewhat hoping it would work great since I read many positive reviews on this brush; I tried it with my BB cream (quite runny consistency) and then with a thick full coverage foundation - the ones I usually use.

The end result was not really satisfying to me. This brush left streaks all over my skin and I had to blend in the foundation using my fingers. This brush is being marketed as being an all-in-one, a multi-tasker, so basically, it ought work fine with foundations. I also tried it with a face powder, and it was fine, working like a buffing brush. But honestly, I prefer the 182 brush from MAC over this brush. So this one is quite a disappointment for me.

I can strongly feel it will be lying idle on my vanity table. 

This said, I can safely recommend the Blush Brush, Setting Brush and Shader Brush to you guys.

Which brushes have you bought from Real Techniques? And which ones do you recommend me to try?

Hope this little review will be helpful to you guys!

Lots of love,

Ushina

xx

Picture Perfect tips!

In each one of us, there is a selfie king/queen! If  you are addicted to taking selfies and love being photographed, then have a look at these tips, which have been shared by some makeup artists. It is a collection of videos that have been helpful to me and contains some really awesome tips. These are the preserved secrets of having the perfect click. so Ssshhhhh! ;) Heheh!

1. 10 Makeup tips for Perfect Photos by HudaBeauty

Huda Khattan has recently uploaded a video on makeup tips to have perfect photos. I have personally liked the makeup tips. Some of them are already known but it is a good reminder since we may miss out on one or two don'ts when it comes to makeup for photo shoots.

2. Perfect Selfies by Michelle Phan

For all the selfies fanatics, this video is a must-see! Though there are no hard and fast rules of taking a selfie - so long we look good in the picture! - Michelle Phan proposes some tips to click that perfect selfie which you will be proud of :) 

3. Makeup for HD photography by Jordan Liberty

He's another awesome Youtuber and makeup artist. In this video, Jordan shows us the perfect way to apply makeup when taking HD photos. He also shares some tips, which will blow away our minds. Like, products containing SPF are a no-no for photos, because they give you a white face in photos. But it is not true for all products. some actually work well. HD photos and videos are just great compared to their grainy ancestors. Hehe. But, a flawless makeup will only enhance our look and you will just be clicking away photos! 

These three videos are really useful when you know you will be taking lots of photos of yourself. 

Do you have any other helpful video on makeup for photos? Please do share! 

Regaining a healthy glow after flu!

Source: http://healthfitnessrevolution.com/

It's the flu season. With the change in weather, we get prone to bacteria and flu is the most common illness we can contract.

I have been down with flu for the past week, and I was so looking forward to get back to health. I am now steadily recovering and I am seriously so happy!

With illness comes a dull, grey-ish complexion with dark circles. Ah.  So the following are some tips that I follow (in fact, I swear by these steps!) to get healthy complexion and glowing skin back!

1. Drink lots of water 

When down with flu, it is important to maintain the hydration level of you body. It is essential to drink water and ensure you are properly hydrated. I usually ensure that I drink a minimum of 2 litres water each day.

2. Get plenty of rest

It seems like some people have unlearned how to relax. A time-off a particular task is usually translated into logging onto a social network, taking out your phone to surf the net and this is by no means a relaxation technique.

Instead turn off and stay away from your laptop and mobile.  Consider it as a detox program and simply avoid it. Just sleep, and get plenty of rest. The added benefit is that there will be less dark circles under the eyes.

3. Have your dose of vitamin C

My favourite thing to do when I am down with flu is lemon tea! I simply love it, plus if it is really good for your health with the Vit C boost you will be getting. 

Simply boil water, add into a cup with a tea bag (the vanilla flavoured ones are really good!) and squeeze half a lemon into your cup of tea. You can also stir in a teaspoon of honey, which is a natural humectant and will soothe the scratchy throats.

Another variation is ginger tea. You can add grated ginger instead of lemon juice in your tea, let sit for some minutes, strain, add honey and enjoy. Though most food will seem bland, the tea will bring relief and you will enjoy it (seriously!)

After the flu:

4. Scrub, scrub, scrub!

A good sugar scrub with honey and some olive oil will be pampering for your skin and leave it smoother and more refreshed than ever. Prepare a homemade scrub and you can store it for upto a week in a mason jar. The scrub will remove all the dead cells and leave the skin polished.

5. Face mask

A carrot face mask works just great on the skin to give it back its youthful glow after a dreadful time spent with flu.

To prepare the mask, boil one medium sized carrot in water until it becomes soft. Take out the carrot and mash it. Add some honey and 1-2 drops of almond oil. Mix well and apply on your face and neck for 20 mins. Wash your face with warm water and enjoy the glow! Carrots are full if vitamin A and C. They are an excellent food for the health of our skin and eyes.

A good 10 mins face massage will also do you good. You can use olive oil or sweet almond oil and massage the face. Thus will improve blood circulation and make your complexion less greyish.

6. Though the above will bring a noted  difference to your skin's appearance, nothing will really make you feel back to normal than a great fragrant bath! It is the ultimate therapy. Pamper your skin and hair with some delicious conditioners. This will make you feel refreshed and happy!

7. To tackle with the undereye dark circles, give trusted potato juice a try. Potatoes are an excellent source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, carbohydrates, potassium, calcium, and iron among others. The juice will help lighten the dark circles and with regular use, the dark circles will fade to a great extent.

Another option would be to use undereye creams for dark circles. However the potato juice remains the cheapest alternative.

And there you go, the tips which I follow after being slow with flu. Do let me know about your way of getting back your glow skin and health back after flu!

Skin products: Prepping skin for special events

Source: pixgood.com

Hello my lovely readers!

Happy Festive Seasons! It's my favourite month of the year (besides September, which is my birth month!), and I am enjoying, relishing and captivating each moment I am spending. Ahh! December. 

Sooo, I have been away from blogging for quite long, due to professional commitments. Yeah, it's because of those sticky situations, others making emergencies for you, work stress, work pressure, and what not. I won't start rambling about that, it will take a whole blog post to share this with you all. But I'm sure you girls understand. 

Now that we are in December, all I can think about is shopping! I love shopping. And right now, though I am not in holidays and still working (and working till eve of New Year), I am making the most of my lunchtime by running into shops and quenching my thirst for shopping! Heheh. But, I am no Rebecca Bloomwood! ;) Heheh! I keep a tab on my budget and finances since I don't want those giddy moments when receiving bills or credit card statements. 

Ok, I have rambled enough now. 

Today, I though of sharing with you my skin routine to special events.

 December is packed with parties, dinner dates and lunch dates for the couples, and other exciting events which makes us want to look our best. I had recently been to my office's end of year party, and wanted to share with you all my routine to prepare myself for a special event.

Right now, it's summer in Mauritius. We are like in an oven over here. I love summer, but it's too hot during the day. I feel like I'm melting away on most days. My skin is thus oilier and is more prone to pimples. I have sensitive, combination to oily skin. But hey, summer also means long hours on the beach and enjoying the sea! 

Starting off, I cleanse my face and neck using mild soap or savon de marseille, which is currently working great for my skin. It is really soothing and I use it with warm water and a washcloth. I then indulge into a luxuriously nourishing bath. 

I firstly use the St Ives Purifying Sea Salt exfoliating body wash with an exfoliating glove followed by St Ives Nourishing Vanilla body wash. I love the scent of vanilla and including it in my bath really helps me relax and makes me smell yummy :) 

Source: St Ives.com

Source: St Ives.com

Following my bath, I use a face scrub and gently exfoliate my face and neck. It is an important step, since we want our makeup to glide on and be smooth looking. Following my scrub, I wash my face and use the Clarins Baume Beaute Eclaire as a face mask. This is the ultimate product for tired and dull skin. It really gives a boost to the skin and makes it look nicer and more smooth. 

Once the mask is removed, I like to put some ice in a plastic bag and put it on my eyes. It instantly gives a lift to the eyes, making it look pétillant/ sparking. I also like to press the ice gently over my face just to refresh my skin and make the pores look smaller. 

Finally, I apply my moisturiser (I am currently using Mixa Soin Rehydratant) after some time and then I prime my skin using Benefit's Porefessional primer. 

I noticed that the routine actually gave me a glow when my makeup was on and the finish was fresh and dewy, without using any mists or setting sprays. I love using MAC's Studio Fix Foundation (in NC 40) and Makeup Forever HD Foundation (in 127, as highlighter) for special events. These two work wonders together .

That's it about the routine. Hope this helps! And I really hope from the bottom of my heart that each one of you is having a superb December. As for me, I am off to watching a good movie on my laptop, with a nice cup of tea and some chocolate cookies. My little me-time :) heheh.

What is your skin routine for special events? And how is your December (and, shopping sprees) going on? :)

Please do share!

Lots and lots of love!

Ushi

xxx

Making Brown Eyes Sparkle: Gold Makeup Look

Products used for the eyes:

MAC Paint pot in Soft Ochre
Liquid black eyeliner
Eyeliner pencil in black
They're Real Mascara
MAC Rule eyeshadow
MAC Woodwinked eyeshadow

In the pursuit of Happiness

Over the course of the journey called life, we come across moments, though fleeting, which causes us immense pain, sadness, discouragement, fear, or simply a lack of trust in ourselves. Overcoming those negative feelings and facing those situations with the right attitude is often the key to peace and happiness. Easier said than done. 

But, I have personally experienced that doing the things that we love and adopting a positive attitude, whatever happens.

Whenever I feel sad, I try my best to shift my focus from the source of sadness, to my source of happiness. There are many things, however simple, which procure me with a great sense of well-being and happiness.

Pampering Time! My night time bath routine

My favourite thing after a stressful and hectic day at work and with studies, is to unwind myself and relax with a warm, long, delightful and perfumed bath! The time I spend to take my bath is like sacred for me. I totally get immersed and dedicate this time for myself only. No disturbances please! ;)

My night time bath is more elaborate than my morning one. At night, however, there is a whole ritual, as I like to call it. I usually apply a face mask which I let work on my skin while I dry exfoliate my body. Following that, I use my body wash and finish with moisturizer.

First off, I remove my makeup with a gentle cleanser and wash my face with warm water. I then exfoliate or apply a face mask to pamper my tired skin, depending on my 'skin's mood'. Yes. *Sigh* My skin has her own personality and behave differently each day.

Hello May! Please be nice to me! Feat. Yankee Candles

Hello my lovely readers!

I hope the new month of May has started well for you all. Mine has been just lovely! Since my final exams are nearing (and given today was a public holiday), I devoted my whole morning and afternoon to revision and practising past exams papers. And, I went to the beach in the evening. It was seriously awesome! I swam and let go all stress, worries, anything and everything dragging my energy level down. There was just me, the sea and the open sky... It was really uplifting and I felt rejuvenated.. Did I tell you I love the sea? ;) And I'm feeling soooo motivated now! :) 

So, I decided to write a post on my favourite candles from Yankee Candles. These guys seriously produce the best scented candles ever! I have always had a crave for scented candles ever since they came into existence! Lol. Here goes my favourite candles list:

1. Merry Marshmallow

This candle is soooooooooo delicious smelling! I simply adore it to bits! I wonder when a candy with this scent as flavour will be invented? Like, when I smell this, I remember Christmas, cupcakes with vanilla frosting, eclairs, December shopping, cozy nights.. Hmmmm.. This candle is a MUST-HAVE. It's sweet smelling but not a too overpowering sweet scent. It is really like a-sweet-vanilla-marshmallow scent, and the perfect time to lit this baby up, imo, is during winter nights. It is a comforting scent that will envelop you and your senses...

2. Beach Walk

I'm not even kidding, this one will totally blow you away! It has a musky sea scent that is so wonderful and pleasing. It's a scent that you can totally take in after a stressful day, and relaxing alone at home or with your spouse/ partner. For people who do not like sweet smelling candles, then this one is a sure bet for you. Buy this, and you will be asking for more! 

3. Beach Flowers

For those happy souls who love flower scents, well, this one is totally for you. Beach Flowers has a lovely scent of flowers, that lingers softly. It is light, fresh, and a really feminine scent. This one is a great spring scent, and something you can lit with guests around.

4. Beach Wood

This scent reminds me of spa, relaxation, hammam, sauna, and everything therapeutic. I think it's because of the deeper notes in the scent, but overall, this is an exotic scent that really relaxes you. Again, this one is not overwhelming. The tart candles can be a tad bit stronger than the ones in the jars, but nevertheless, it is a musky-sandalwood type scent, that stimulate your senses. It's just awesome for that romantic night with your lover (romantic rainy night is even better.. ;)... Yes, I am a romantic at heart ;) heheh)

What are your favourite scents? And do you have a special one for a special occasion/ date?

Please feel free to comment below and share your views.

Much Love,

xoxo

EOTD feat. Maybelline Color Tattoo On and On Bronze and MAC Satin Taupe!

I have recently purchased the Maybelling Color Tattoo 24Hr Cream Gel Shadow in On and On Bronze. It is such a gorgeous color! 

It's creamy bronzy and shimmery eyeshadow that glides smoothly on your eyelids when applied. I find it a lovely bronze metallic and I will gladly recommend it for a night out or a date. It adds sultriness to the eyes ;) woohoo!

Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze

If you don't know yet, I am a HUGE bronze eye shadow junkie! I love 'em to bits! I adore metallic bronze eyeshadows and find it a really neutral look which you can spice up by darkening it or adding glitters. 

So, I was playing around with my makeup and did this eye makeup on my sweet sister, who happily lent me her eyes for some minutes so that I can do my masterpiece ;) heheh 

Here is the final look:

I really liked the final result and I'm so gonna use this for nights out or even a dinner date! ;)

The products that I used to achieve this look are:

Mac Paint Pot in Soft Ochre

Maybelline Color Tattoo On and On Bronze

Mac Satin Taupe

Mac Soft Brown

Mac Espresso

Nyx Glitter palette in Bronze Goddess

Bourgeois Beaux Art Liquid liner

Maybelline Falsies Mascara

Black Eye pencil

For the face, I used only moisturiser and some face powder to mattify the skin. 

Step 1. Use the Soft Ochre all over the eyelids as a base. You can use another base of your choice, so that the makeup stays in place and does not crease, esp. the eyelids are oily.

Step 2. Apply On and On Bronze on the eyelid stopping at the crease.

Step 3. Apply good old Mac Satin Taupe all over On and On Bronze. It will really bring out the taupe-iness of the shadow and make it look sexy ;)

Step 4. Blend Soft Brown or a medium toned brown eyeshadow in the crease, to add dimension to the eyes.

Step 5. In the outer crease, use a pencil brush to crease the V shape using Espresso or a dark brown eyeshadow. Then blend the harsh lines away with a blending brush.

Step 6. Apply eyeliner and falsies then two coats of mascara for that glamorous lashes. Drag the eyeliner to the inner corners and create a feline look by outlining the inner corners connecting them in a sharp V, and add light shadows to open up the eyes.

Step 7. Use the pencil brush and brush some On and On Bronze on the lower lashline and Espresso on top of it, to add definition to the eyes.

Step 8. Finally, add some gold glitters on top of the mobile eyelid -in the middle- and voila! The look is complete.

I recommend using a peachy pink blush- there are nice ones in Mac and Tarte- and nude lips.

Hope you try this look, and do leave comments below to share your thoughts on it!

Much love to you all!

xxxx

Review: Benefit's Hoola Bronzer

Hello Lovelies!

Hope you all are doing great!

I am SUPER happy today! My day went so smoothly and and I felt really energized during the day. I feel sooooo Happy!!! :) I think it's because I was able to sleep soundly last night, after so long time.

Anyway, so today I am going to review Benefit's Hoola Bronzer. I had ordered it online, on Benefit's website and it got delivered after almost three weeks.

The box contained the product ordered and two samples. The bronzer was on sale for $28 and for samples, I chose the Porefessional Pore Minimizing Powder and Fake Up concealer in Medium.

Hoola Bronzer, Fake Up Concealer and Porefessional Powder

The Star of the Box ;) The packaging is really cute and original.

As per the instructions, the bronzer should be brush across cheekbones and forehead for the tanned look.

Hoola Bronzer with brush and mirror

Hoola Bronzer

Without Hoola Bronzer

With Hoola Bronzer

You can already see the difference the bronzer makes from the above two pictures. In the second picture, the cheekbones are more prominent than in the first one and looks natural. No fakes over here ;)

Pros:
1. Perfect color for contouring. A MUST buy!
2. Staying power is great.
3. Comes with a brush, which makes it easier to create that high cheekbone effect.
4. LOVE the package. The powder comes in a box, which is really cute imo! :)

Cons:
1. Price. For the amount of product obtained, the bronzer is quite expensive. But it is something I know I will definitely repurchase because of the quality.

All I can say is that your makeup box is incomplete without the Hoola Bronzer. It is a product worth spending for and somethng you will not regret buying.

Do you have the Hoola Bronzer? How do you find it?

Please do leave your comments below. I'd love to hear about it :)

Much love,
xx