Tuesday 17 March 2015

The Moisturiser That Ticks All the Boxes


Welcome back to this episode of 'Laya buys into hype - and loves it'. It seems to be a trend on this blog eh? I don't think this is huge with bloggers around the world, but I know most Professional Makeup Artists love this stuff. It only took the Pixiwoo sisters and 2 of my tutors to mention this product in passing before I jumped at the chance to purchase this for my kit and while I was buying it.. ahem, one for myself. *hides head in shame* #sorrynotsorry
The Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate is a moisturiser that can also be used to prime the skin. The company has some grand claims...
"The name Embryolisse is synonymous with fabulous French skincare and Lait-Creme Concentre is the jewel in their crown. Enriched with essential fatty acids and vitamins, this 3-in-1 lotion helps restore harmony where there's imbalance; nourish areas of dryness and protect your complexion from environmental aggressors. Light in texture and quickly absorbed, skin instantly feels plumped, soothed and hydrated while the velvety finish grips your foundation to help you stay"
But do not fear, for I am here to tell how true the above statements are.
To start with, it feels absolutely lovely to use. Be it my skin or someone elses, no one has ever said anything but how amazing this product feels on the skin. You instantly feel hydrated and your skin looks healthy and plump, without looking oily.
It absorbs quickly, but leaves a thin film of moisturised goodness that makes working with any skin (including textured and blemished skin like mine) a pleasure to work with.

On my dehydrated and blemish prone skin, I use two layers of this stuff (which explains the state of the tube) and it actually gives me almost healthy looking skin, with a glow that I cannot achieve with any other moisturiser.
I do prefer using it under my makeup, and something much more concentrated in the nights, but if you have normal or oily/combination skin, I reckon you can get away with using it twice a day.
It is lightly scented, however, it is not something that lingers. But I would keep that in mind if you're someone who doesn't like scented products.

It moisturises, it plumps, it feels great and most importantly soothes my blemishes when they're angry at the world. I can't ask for more in a skincare product.

The only downside? The steep price. GBP 20 (INR 2000 approx) for 75ml, which compared to Clinique is not all that bad, but thats a personal choice. You can get it shipped to India from here.

If you're looking for a new moisturiser that will not disappoint no matter what kind of skin you have, I would highly recommend this!

What do you think?

Friday 13 March 2015

The Base Everyone Talks About



The Makeup Forever HD Foundation has got non stop rave reviews in the beauty community. It has also been featured on most 'Holy Grail' product lists that I've seen. Naturally, I've been curious.
While I was here, since it was only available in Mumbai and Delhi and it costs INR 3600, I kept my distance. But then, I decided to add it to my kit.
I have it in three shades, and 153 is the perfect match for me - its so wonderfully yellow (dare I say, almost as perfect as my Armani LSF) and I have used it on every kind of skin you can think of. I've found it sits best on oily/combination skin, but on my mildly dehydrated and acne prone skin, it sinks in and gives me a very natural looking finish.
The coverage of this thing is phenomenal. The picture above is me wearing only the foundation wearing no concealer whatsoever. So you can see how well it covers all my scarring.
In terms of longevity, it wears so well, I find that it looks even better after a few hours - which I didn't think was possible.


Overall, I love it. I love it so so so much that I didn't think it was possible. Infact, this may be rivaling my favorite Armani LSF.

Have you tried this? What are your thoughts?

P.S. This will be a part of a series I've been creating on my blog called 'The Foundation Files'. Anything base related will be found here = )


Tuesday 10 March 2015

Kim K Inspired Makeup




I can't believe I actually did this. And let me secretly admit, I do love a good old Kim K makeup stalk. Yes, I think its too much makeup, but those smokey eyes are always on point. And when I saw this - largely wearable, I decided I needed to recreate it. After going back and forth about publishing this post for the last few days, I finally decided to just do it.
What i really love about it is the bronzey eyes with that silvery highlight in the inner corners. Now, I by no means claim I look anything like her, heck, my face is about twice as wide as hers, but its pretty makeup, why not try it out?

I started out with a light layer of the L'oreal True Match in W7 around the perimeter of my face, since its darker, it helps add a bit of dimension. After concealing my under eyes with the MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW 35, I went over the 'highlight' areas with my MAC ProLongwear Concealer in NC42. So, this is the classic Kim K areas - triangle under the eyes, bridge of the nose, centre of the forehead, chin and below the cheekbone. Once I blended it out and set it with my Ben Nye Banana Powder, I contoured using the Inglot 357 Matte Shadow and the NARS Casino Bronzer over the areas I'd used the true match.
For the eyes, I used the Max Factor Excess Shimmer Pot in Bronze.. what I loved about this eye is that its a single colour that seems to go pretty high up - almost till the eyebrow on the inner side of the eye. I find that this shape suits my eye a fair bit, so I was pretty happy with it. I ran a bit of the Shimmer Pot under my eye also. To really make the eyes pop, I used a Brown Kohl liner by Lakme, because I prefer using brown with my skintone, but I'm pretty certain she has black.
After tons and tons of mascara because I wasn't feeling the lashes - L'oreal Miss Manga Mascara, and some lipbalm, I called it a day.

What do you guys think?

Friday 6 March 2015

A Cheaper Alternative.


Luxury products are expensive... d'oh, it comes with the name. Just like Fashion and the Trickle Down Theory where the trend or product slowly makes its way down from High end to more affordable with a few modifications or just out and out dupes, the same thing seems to happen with Makeup. Now, I can't take credit for either one of these discoveries, but I can say that I have put them to the test. So here it is.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation and L'oreal True Match
Now, we all now how much I love my Armani LSF, its foundation gold in my opinion! So, when I heard Amelia Liana mention in one of her videos that these two were similar, I was waiting to get my hands on it.
In terms of texture and coverage, these two are pretty similar.. actually, I'd venture that they are almost the same. Small difference being the True Match has a SPF of 17 which doesn't make it photograph as well as the Luminous Silk.
However, my big bugbear with True Match is the fact that no, it does not actually match me. W5 is a bit too light and pink on my skin, there is no W6, and W7 (the one I have) is a bit too dark, and a fair bit pinkish also. As a result I have to mix it in with one of my lighter foundations so it matches me.
The Armani LSF as I've mentioned several times before is the perfect match for me. And so wonderfully yellow.
The Armani still wins in my opinion, but the True Match is a pretty decent alternative, provided you actually do find your 'True Match'.
The Armani LSF costs INR 3600, while the L'oreal True Match costs INR 990, I believe?

Estee Lauder Stay on Shadow Paint in Chained and Max Factor Excess Shimmer Pot in Bronze
Once again, I love my EL Chained, so much I've sung its praises in many a post. Repeatedly. Over and over.. you get the picture. When I first heard via Lily Pebbles blog that these Max Factor Excess Shimmer Pots were a dupe for it, it went onto my wishlist almost immediately. After a few months of 'umming' and 'aahing' and wondering if I really needed another cream eyeshadow - another bronze I bit the bullet and bought it.
In terms of colour, Bronze is a lot darker and more shimmery than Chained. While Chained can be a 'my lids but better' kind of shade, Bronze can really make my eyes pop. They both have their uses, but I'm leaning towards Bronze in terms of colour, because its just that little bit more dramatic.
Texture wise, they're both pretty similar. I'd like to say that Bronze is more creamy, but thats probably because my Chained is more than a year old and a bit dry at the moment.
Longevity wise, I'd say they're around the same, Chained beating it marginally because of its lack of visible shimmer, it looks a little less of a mess after about 8 hours.
If I really had to choose between them, I'd choose Bronze, but I'm glad I have both.
Chained costs INR 1800, while Bronze costs INR 800 (GBP 7.99) (I don't think the Max Factor Excess Shimmer Pots have been released in India yet, have they? If they have, I maybe buying a few more, if they haven't... keep an eye out!)

Over and out.

Tuesday 3 March 2015

Charlotte Tilbury - The Dolce Vita Palette



One of the only things I knew before I even went to the UK was that I was going to come back owning this particular palette by Charlotte Tilbury. If you happen to be living under a rock for the last few years, Charlotte Tilbury is very talented and very well known makeup artist, who recently came out with her own brand of makeup. Luxurious packaging, incredibly creative concepts and flawless products were a given with her vast expertise in the industry... and every single review has been positive. So obviously, I needed to own something from her range. I visted her counter about a dozen times, I kid you not. And very single time, I swatched this palette. Eventually, I just gave in and bought myself this palette for my birthday. After using it a fair bit (read: it has not left my lids) I thought I'd post about it.

For starters, it looks beautiful, doesn't it? The Dolce Vita as a look is inspired by likes of Sophia Loren, Penelope Cruz and Monika Bellucci, emphasizing the on copper smokey eyes and a nudeish pink lip.
And this palette most certainly gives you the vibe.
The four colours (on me - a pearly white, a copper red, a medium-dark brown with golden shimmer and a bronze glitter) compliment eachother perfectly. They blend together seamlessly, so much so that I barely used my blending brush - a first, I must admit!
I really put this palette to the test by wearing it on a night out. Put it on at 6:30, and at 4:30 am it will still intact. Pretty impressive, non?

If I could change one thing about it, it would be the light highlight shade which I think is a bit too cool on me, but considering this is supposed to flatter a variety of skintones, its more a personal thing than something wrong with the palette.

The verdict? I could not be happier with the palette I picked (The Golden Goddess was the other option) and in the future, when I make decent money (lots of money) i would like to include a bunch of her products in my kit, because they really are a pleasure to work with.

FYI, this palette costs GBP 38.

Have you tried this? What are your thoughts?