22nd Birthday Goodies!

22nd Birthday Goodies!

7.31.2014

This post is going up super late, my actual birthday was on the 6th of July but since I was waiting for some of the presents to actually reach me, this post didn't go up on time. Now that everything is here, I'm super excited to share with all of you some of my favorite presents that I got for my 22nd birthday, feeling very spoiled haha.

Just a heads up, I got alot of fragrances for some reason. Is it because perfumes are one of the easiest presents to choose? Whenever I have to get a present for someone, I always opt for a perfume haha! I mean who wouldn't want to smell nice? 

So what I was gifted was Juicy Couture by Juicy Couture, Burberry Sport by Burberry and Victoria by Victoria's Secret. How incredibly pretty is Victorias bottle?! I LOVE the detailing of that over sized bow and the pale pink fragrance. Good work on the aesthetics, Victoria's Secret haha. 

I love collecting Victoria's Secret body mists, so these two additions were more than welcome in my collection. The first is Noir Tease (my ALL time favorite) and the second one is, once again, Victoria. These body spray versions of VS perfumes are ideal for on the go, to chuck into your bag without having to worry about them breaking or leaking. 

As a present to myself, I decided to opt for a new camera. While the Kodak one that I was previously using did serve me well, it kinda was on its last legs and I just wanted better results (without having to put in a ton of effort, #lazygirlissues ) Upon using it for a couple of days, I would call this as a hybrid between a digital camera and a proper DSLR, making it ideal for auto-mode users like me haha.

Now onto one of the most exciting presents that I got, MAC lipsticks! I got Twig, Lady Danger and Mocha ( from my best-est friend! Thank you Tehni! ). While I love all three, Mocha has to be my favorite, it is the perfect everyday nude, and given how I've been using this everyday since I got it, this will definitely be a future re-purchase. 

Since I'm all about accessorizing these days, one of my other best friends gave me this Marc Jacobs inspired necklace that I can't wait to wear with plain tops to add a bit of pazzaz! Love the variations of blue on it :) 

Now after perfumes, I got a whole load of clothes so instead of putting up images here and making this post into a huge mammoth one, I'll be doing outfits of the day instead so you guys can actually see how the clothes look once worn :) expect alot of Khaadi, Origins & Beech Tree posts soon.

All in all, I feel very thankful for everything I got, and can't wait to see all that this 22nd year of my life has in store for me :) Thank you to all those who wished me, made my day, truly! 

What was your favourite present from the bunch that I got? Is there something you have had your eye on? Let me know in the comments below :) 

Until next time, tc.

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Eid Outfit!

Eid Outfit!

7.30.2014

Hello everyone! A very happy Eid Mubarak to all those celebrating, and a happy Wednesday to all those who aren't. Just like last year, with the humidity levels and temperatures on the rise, instead of opting for heavily embroidered attire for Eid, I decided to keep it comparatively simple with lighter materials and loose flow-y designs.

The shirt that I'm wearing is from Beech Tree, one of my new favorite stores for ready made stuff! They have such an amazing range of kurtas, and the jewellery is to die for along with their collection of sandals! I resisted getting a pair this time, but no guarantees for the next time I visit haha. This particular shirt and dupatta is from their 'BLOCK' collection with intricate 'zari' embroidery on the front and a block print pattern on the sleeves, back and the duppata.

Now I LOVE chiffon dupattas, and really liked the look of this one since it had 'ajrak-y pattern printed over the dupatta, but for some reason the chiffon was very itch-y and I was constantly taking it off and on since I could not wear it comfortably for a longer period of time. Other than that no complains with the dress, the embroidery is on point, the colors are vibrant and material along with the stitching is worth the money. 

For this shirt and dupatta, I paid PKR 5900 and paired it with my super old black tights and some strappy flats for Nine West. Hope you guys had a lovely Eid and collected lots of Eidi :) 

What did you guys wear? Let me know in the comments below, until next time, tc.

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Review - Luscious Angel Eyes Primer (before & after swatches)

Review - Luscious Angel Eyes Primer (before & after swatches)

7.16.2014

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Luscious Cosmetics is on fire this year with the tons of launches from designer collections to super addictive mascaras and now, an eye shadow primer / base that comes in a very royal-inspired purple & gold packaging along with an angel heart animation that makes you want to hold on to the box and not chuck it away haha.

Let me be honest and start of by declaring that this review is going to be a rave one, I really haven't found any down side of using where this primer is concerned and the fact that I've used more than half of it in a very short while should attest to its fabulous-ness. Although this comes in a squeezy-tube, and those are known to be notorious for spilling too much product almost always, I'm happy to report that except for the first time where an entire blob came out, it hasn't happened again.

This primer is smooth texture wise and is almost nude-off white (not clear) making it an ideal base for when you want colors to pop on your eyes! It helps my patchy-not-so-great-quality-eyeshadows go on smoother, appear more vibrant and last a whole lot longer. On the packaging it says to give this Angel Eyes primer a go and use it as a concealer (since it has yellow-ish undertones and is not clear like most primers) and while it helps in neutralizing my under eye circles, I still like to top it off with a proper concealer, only with Angel Eyes as a base, my concealer lasts literally alll day, until I choose to take it off! Given it's incredibly hot and humid where I live, this is quite the feat.

The reason I love this primer with such a passion is because when I'm in a hurry or can't be bothered to faff around with eyeshadows, this is ideal for using on the eye lids on its own, cancelling out any dark-ness or veins peeking through. Looks super natural and gives the appearance of brighter eyes, trust me! The only thing I have to warn you guys about it that when it comes to Angel Eyes (and primers in general be it face primer or eye lid primers) LESS IS ALWAYS MORE! Do not over do it otherwise you will be left with a mess, trust me!

As shown in the first image above which was taken immediately after applying the eye shadows on to my arm, they appear to be visibly brighter and much more vivid as compared to when they were applied without the primer underneath.

The bottom image was taken around 5-6 hours after applying the eye shadows with and without the primer and the eye shadows that were applied without the Angel Eyes primer can barely be seen, where as the right side swatches are still there (if not as vibrant). Given these images were shots on a scorching day with a high levesl of humidity, I'd say they stood the test of time pretty well!

Although the tube looks small, it will last you quite a while since you really need a tiny amount! This product gets a double thumbs up from my side, worth every cent and more.

Price - PKR 875

Available at all leading stores & online HERE!

Until next time, tc.

*PR Sample

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Essence Latest Collection!

Essence Latest Collection!

7.13.2014

Being the pocket friendly brand that it is known for, Essence latest collection practically had me giddy with excitement! I've tried quite a few products from Essence, and for the price that they come with, it has always left me pleased. Let's see how this latest offering of theirs fared :)

 

While there are alot more products in this collection, ranging from primers to CC creams, what I was sent was a special effect nail varnish, an ombre blush, a volume maximizing mascara and a super long lasting lip gloss. Let's see how they fared individually, shall we? 

Starting with the XXL Long Lasting Lip gloss, the first thing that literally made me laugh out loud was the name! For Bollywood fans, the name 'Baby Dolls Favorite' might remind you of an annoyingly catchy song that was quite the rage a while back. Coming on to the lip gloss itself, it is a lovely everyday color that seems much more intense in the swatch above than it actually does on the lips. If I were a lip-gloss wearer, I would probably reserve this shade for everyday wear since it barely gives off any color when actually applied on to the lips. The XXL Long Lasting claims aren't the most accurate since this does wear off slowly over the duration of 2-3 hours, but in all honestly the concept of traditional lip-glosses and long lasting-ness doesn't really go hand-in-hand! It feels fairly light when applied and isn't very sticky or gloopy!

Now coming on to the product that I was most excited for, the ombre blush! Essence kinda exploded on the Pakistani beauty scene a while back when they brought out their "Roller Miami Girl" collection (pictured right) since the concept of an ombre blush ranging from a coral end to a pinky end was a new one that has not been attempted before, at such a price! Sad news was that the Roller Miami Girl collection was a limited edition collection,and many people could not grad a hold of the blush that was all the rage! Well worry not, because Essence's new 'Blush Up' is the exact same thing as the Miami Girl one, just with different packing! Talk about clever marketing strategies!

When swatched or kept side by side, there is absolutely no difference in the formulation that is easily bendable, the lasting power which is around the 4-5 hour mark or the colors. Swatched above you can see how the color start changing if you go from left (coral) to right (pink). The in between color is the shade you get when you swirl you finger around in both the shades! This blush is the highlight of this collection and I would recommend it to anyone :)

Being the almost lash-less girl that I am, volumizing and lengthening mascaras are a must for me! Anything that claims to make my thin lashes more visible and volumized is immediately going into my cart. Sadly, if you're like me, this mascara will let you down greatly. It did absolutely nothing for me, no volumizing action, no nothing, I could barely tell that it was on! The brush is plastic-y and it tends to hurt my eyes on application which is one of the reasons why it's lying in my drawer untouched since a while. The only saving grace of this mascara has to be the fact that it doesn't clump, and if the formula were better, it would be so-very-easy to layer this on, unfortunately, the formula gets a thumbs down for me. This was the greatest let down in the collection for me. 

 

Coming on to the last product for today, the Essence glitter jewel effect nail polish was love at first sight for me! It consists of chunks of hexagonal glitter housed among normal glitters in a dark pink shade with variants of silver! I love topping of my darker polishes with this to lessen the 'Gothic' vibe, and using it on top of white nail varnish makes it very appropriate for summers! As all glitter polishes go, removing them is a pain, so I wouldn't hold that against this! Definitely gets a thumbs up from me! :) 

Overall for this collection, I would say my must haves are the blush and the nail varnish, the lip gloss and mascara I could definitely go without. With prices ranging between PKR 220-PKR600 for these particular products, I'd say give them a whirl, you wont be disappointed.

Are you a fan of Essence, let me know in the comments below :) 

Until next time, tc.

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