Whipping Up A Storm: Body Lotions and Body Butters on the Face?

I know I will be a whipping up a storm when I say what I am going to say and well it is quite possible that I will have almost everyone against me but still let me say it :P
I often use a body lotion and in extreme cases body butters on my ----wait for it---- FACE!

Seriously I do... I have very very very dry skin... I know a lot of people wouldn't believe it cause many of my friends and people I know say that it doesn't look that way, but honest to God I have the driest skin God could have ever "blessed" anyone with :P And since eternity I have been using Body lotions on my face... I started out with Vaseline body lotion then graduated to Garnier's Body Cocoon and in Winters even use TBS Body butters on my face. Yup the TBS SA actually was scandalized and almost "scolded" me for doing so but then I am stubborn person! :P

There is only one "logical" reason that I could fathom as to why body lotions and butters shouldn't be used on the face and that is because body products could prove to be super oily for your face and could result in you breaking out like crazy but I guess when you have dry skin like me then that is the only respite you get :P You see none of the face moisturizers (Lakme, Neutrogena, Lotus, Biotique, TBS) have ever suited me excepting Kiehl's ultrafacial cream (well yes thats a cream) and so I have always had to resort to "body" products and well they have worked wonderfully for me :) My skin does look moisturised and not dry and so I am happy with the results :)

How do I or you know I or you have extremely dry skin?
1. I need a heavy moisturiser even after washing my face with plain water.
2. "Moisturising" soaps like Dove, Johnson's and Johnson's and Pears do me no good! They are pretty useless to me...
3. In winters if I do not use a body oil after a bath I start getting cuts on my body (read back, stomach, thighs and legs)

DISCLAIMER: I am not endorsing body products for the face! Do what suits you best :P

MORAL I generally do not listen to people blindly where skin and hair care is concerned and I do not recommend anyone to do that. What I am trying to say here is that 40% of your decision should be what others recommend in order to give you a sense of direction in a sea of products available to us, 10% should be your gut feeling and 50% should be based on what suits you personally cause everyone of us is UNIQUE and no one will ever understand what suits you best more than you yourself :) So ladies go out and try out things! :D

Trends: S/S 2012 (Part 2) -> Extreme Smokey Eyes albeit Navy Blue, Nude Lips and Sporty Cheeks

Well well well if it isn't the weekend already! :) And well last night I went totally overboard with makeup. In a span of half an hour I did a total of 4 looks! Wow it was like the Godess of make-up had entered me and was making me whip out some super HOT looks one after another ;) LOL... Yup I know I have some serious humility issues :P

So anyways, its Saturday today and I am back with another set of trends that are well trending with S/S 2012 season :) So here goes...

Blue Smokey Eyes, Nude Lips and Bronzed Cheeks :)

1. Extreme Smokey Eyes (GUCCI)
    Surprising or not surprising, smokey eyes are super in :) Yup I am one happy girl this Summer ;) But there are a few pointers to be kept in mind... Like forget black and embrace Navy Blue this season for a "cool" smokey look. You needn't be neat, but that doesn't quite mean that you can go overboard with just any kind of strokes :P You need to cleverly understand how to make it look beautiful even when the blending is uneven ;)

2. Sporty Cheeks (DKNY + Tommy Hilfiger)
    Now this is one trend that has been gracing runways a lot! With sporty cheeks, I mean your cheeks should "glow" and looked flushed like you have just finished your workout! :) It should be natural and yet conspicuous! Confused? Go figure! :P
This season pink cheeks are out... You might want to go for Orange, bronzed or peachy blushes :)

3. Nude Lips (CAROLINA HERERRA)
    Runways this season have also seen a lot of nude makeup, which is not surprising seeing that it is the Summer season we are talking ;) And well since nude lips complement smokey eyes so well that the following look totally turned out to be a complete package :)

Yup! It goes beautifully with specs as well ;)

Reader Appreciation: Manali Somani

You know the happy moment, the moment of exhilaration when someone appreciates you or your efforts. Well multiply that feeling 27 times and that is the degree of ecstasy I feel when my readers appreciate my efforts :) And I recently felt so all thanks to Manali :)
I had done a "Reader Request" post for her a few days back here. She had asked me for some tips on face contouring and some eye make-up tricks for a Navy Blue Saree she planned to wear for her farewell :) Well her farewell seemed to have gone really well and she replied back with a mail and a picture of hers :)

hey suma,

How are you? I hope ur doing gud.As i had promised i am attaching a picture of mine from farewell party.

It was a great experience doing my own makeup...running here and there in saree

I recieved quite a lot compliments and the bf was all head over heels.all he could say is"U look so pretty in saree".

Thank u so much for making me do my makeup confidently.

Love,

Manali Somani

 

Isn't She Pretty? :)

 

Reader Request: Kareena Kapoor's Makeup For Tanned Skin

Ms Nyx asks,

Hey Samyukta,

Let me begin by telling you that I have spent hours checking out your blog. Love the effort you put in and although I'm a new follower, I'm hooked. I have 2 requests.

1. I love how Kareena's makeup is usually a soft eyeliner, with blush and it looks like she hasn't used bronzer to sculpt her face here and here - my prob is every time I use peachy blush like her I end up looking more tan than I am. Are there any alternatives except for pink? I don't want color to drain off my face. Please, could you do a Kareena Kapoor inspired makeup tutorial for tanned skin?

2. What's your take on mineral blushes for the summer? My powder blushes just disappear during the day and cream blushes ain't for me cuz it makes my skin oily. 

It'll be really nice to hear from you. Keep up the great work!

Love,

Ms. Nyx of Bak Bak Queen

First off thanks so much Ms Nyx for liking my blog so much :D and appreciating the effort that I put into it :) Yay! This is exactly why I loved Reader Requests so much cause everyone starts with saying something nice :) Mmmmmuuuaaahhh love you all for that! Yup am a teeny bit of a narcissist ;) and all these nice things keeping fueling my ego and in turn I keep trying to do nicer looks for you all ;) See we ve worked out such a nice win-win situation for each other :P Pure Genius I say! *giggle* *giggle*

1. You are totally right with Kareena Kapoor's makeup... Its so soft and feminine and it somehow looks like she does her makeup herself rather than relying on a MUA, which her a "realness" :) And since you have asked for a tanned makeup tute, i think the timing is perfect as I have tanned two shades darker... 


Yup using a peach or a coral blush can make one look shades darker than we really are and yes it does sometimes make one look washed out too... Nothing attractive about that. In order to emulate her blush tone, we need to understand one thing... She is going for an overall "sun kissed" look and since she is super fair, a peach blush is doing the trick for her... For medium skinned and tanned beauties like us (Ahem!), we can achieve this look by either using a bronzer as a blush or using a peach toned blush with golden shimmer. I have and have used Lakme Absolute Moonlit Highlighter's darker shade on my cheek bones. Maybelline's Powder Blush in Apricot Flush also gives the same results :)

Maybelline Blush in Apricot Flush

Lakme Absolute Moonlit Highlighter

The Look

 Now for the tutorial...
Eyes
a) Notice that she likes to liner her eyes (waterline and tightline) with kajal and then smudges it around eyes to give that "soft" look. For this I have used Maybelline's Gel Liner in black and Colorbar Flat Eye Smudger Brush no 122 to smudge around the eye area...

The Flat Smudger Brush

Apply gel liner/kajal on the waterline and tightline

Smudge the liner under your lashes

Do the same on the upper lashline as well

b) She wears falsies! Yes she does but not the complete set but singles. If you can manage single falsies, then good else stick to a nice volumising and a lengthening mascara :)

 

Cheeks
Like you yourself pointed out, she doesn't contour cause she is blessed with some killer cheekbones. So I haven't contoured either and simply used Lakme Absolute Moonlit Highlighter's Darker shade as blush on my cheekbones... Am pretty happy with the result ;)

Lips
Am wearing NYX Heredes lippy topped with Colorbar Star Metal Lip Gloss in Astral.

Skin
She has a luminous glow on her face (all the time), my trick is to mix a bit of orangish golden highlighter or even eye shadow (skin illuminator would be best) with your moisturiser or foundation and apply it all over. Of course this needs a lot of practice :P     


Here's the look...

2. Regarding Mineral Blushes, then I must say I endorse them wholeheartedly and since they are known to be good for the skin as well as not block pores I think they are perfect for summers :) Go for it! :D

P.S. Haven't I tanned a lot? I am quite loving it actually :) "Pati" says I look like "Eva Mendes".. Ok I know he is just saying it, but a girl can dream now can't she? ;)

Pointers From the Readers:
1. PARITA says,
     You are looking gorgeous girl even when tanned! btw another point I want to add if you dont mind is..if you check out both the pics..her under area area is really bright! so if you want the blush to come out in proper color use a good under area concealer and drag it down towards the cheekbones! then apply your blush :)
 

My Rant: My GOA Trip :D

PIC HEAVY (Warning)

Hello everyone :) As you all know I had taken a little hiatus from blogging and was MIA as I was busy getting tanned and drunk in Go-Goa :D Here are some of my pics and well a couple OOTDs and LOTDs and even HOTDs (Hair of the Day)... Hope you guys like it :D

We stayed at a cute "vintagey" hotel called Hotel Seagull near the Calangute beach, partied at Mambo's and on Anjuna, did water sports at Calangute Beach and spent a lazy afternoon on Baaga... In all it was a great weekend and well lots of money well spent ;) The only stumbling block was the 9 hours bus journey from Pune to Mapusa through the western ghats and back... I have severe motion sickness and well bus journey through ghats is something I seriously dislike! :P

The result all this is an NC48 skin, super hungover Monday coupled with major bouts of vomiting due to motion sickness and lots of cuts, nicks and bruises all over the legs and back due to the beach sand... But all in all well worth the effort ;) I am sure the pics will tell u why :P

A Girl needs a break from her heels after a good dance ;)

Happy Couple :)

Tequila Shots! Yeah Baby!

Fresh Orange Juice... Perfect Remedy for a Hangover!

Random!

 

Yes! This is where we stayed :D

 

Yes! I am flaunting my legs!

And My back!

Shopping and Nariyal Paani :)

This is how terrible Cosmo Looks ON me!

Samander Mein Nahake...

 

My Snake "print" glares from ALdo :)

Trends: S/S 2012 (Part 1) -> Grazia: Neon Lips, Glowing Skin et al...

Some might think that this post is a bit too late, after all most blogs. mags and websites are done introducing us to the Spring Summer 2012 trends, but ladies and gentlemen you know how much ISLM loves to do things with a twist :) And of course you also know how much I love introducing newer features on my blog :P Yup! I am yet again starting a new feature called "Trends" where I shall do makeup, looks, EOTDs and hairstyles that depict the trends of the season :) Sounds like fun!

This first edition of the feature, I am showcasing 4 major trends of this season (2 of which are inspired by Grazia India April 2012)... 

Grazia India, APril 2012

The trends featured today are as follows:

1. Bright and Fruity Lips (Mary Katrantzou)

    Neon lips are "IN" this season and I have embraced the trend with open arms ;)

    I am wearing Sleek Lipstick in "Coral Reef".

Sleek True Color Lipstick in Coral Reef

2. 3D Glow (Michael Kors/Louis Vitton)

    The face they say this season has to be perfect and flawless with a little glow without being oily, just the way I like it :) I have used Lakme Absolute Moonlit Highlighter Duo for contouring and NYX Cream Blush in Glow, TBS Extra Virgin Minerals Foundation and COlorbar Stick concealer.

3. Metallic Eyes (Fendi)

    Well honestly? This was a spring trend but it has trickled into Summer as well and I am not complaining ;) I love glitter, golden or silver on my eyes :) Here, I am wearing MAC Paint Pot in Genuine Treasure and Maybelline Gel Liner smudged near the lashline.

4. Side braids/buns

    This trend has been doing the rounds on the runway since a while now and it sure seems to be here to stay.

I hope you enjoyed the look as much as I did and do let me know if you would like me to do a tutorial on the EOTD :)

Reader Request: Make-up for a Pink Dress

Garima asks,

Email1

Hey samyukta,

I am  big fan your blog and spl love d way have given tutorials for makeup.They are extremely helpful for newbies like me..Its a great effort u are putting into it;even tried doing face contouring using your tutorial and also  few eye makeups

I needed a lil help of yours. I would be wearing a pink carrotish color suit fr wedding.

If you can help me with the make up suggestion.

I have small eyes and dark circles too.

I am attaching pic of my dress for clarity of color.

Thanking you:)

loads of love

Email2

I basically fit into medium skin tone nd have just started using TV Paint stick by kryolan in FS28 and FS303 as concealer.

If you can particularly help me with the eye makeup part.

Hey Garima :) First off thank you so much for following my bog and liking it so much :) It means a lot... And thank u for recognizing my efforts :D <3 <3

Secondly let me tell you that seeing your pics that you sent me in the follow up emails I totally loved your skin :) Gorgeous skin you have :)

Finally lets get down to business ;) As you have asked me specifically for the eye makeup, I'll just concentrate on that...

1. You are using the perfect foundation and concealer, so I'll not butt in ;)

2. For the eyes, I would suggest you to go for bright/light make-up and to stay away from heavy smokey eyes look! 

3. Since I recommend lighter eyes, I would suggest you to go for a bright pink lippy :) It would totally enhance your skin and brighten your face.

4. For the eye makeup, I have done two looks, pick whichever you think is appropriate for you.

Look1

Look2

Look1 

For this look, I have used baby pink eye shadow, a neutral brown shadow and a shimmery purple shadow...

1. Apply MAC Painterly Paint Pot on the eye lids as a base

2. Apply a light shimmery eye shadow on the brow bone area as a highlighter. I have used MAC Nylon.

3. Apply a neutral brown/beige eye shadow using a blending brush in the crease area to make the eyes look more prominent and deep. I have used MAC Texture using MAC brush 226.

4. Apply a light pink eye shadow with a flat brush on the lid area below the crease. I have used MAC Sushi Flower.

5. Taking a blending brush, take a shimmery purple eye shadow and apply in the crease area over the neutral brown shadow. I am using Colorbar Purple Passion.

6. Take a clean blending brush and blend well in the crease area.

7. Then take a silver eye shadow and apply in the inner corners of the eyes both on the upper and lower lashline.

8. Finally, apply kajal and liner in a wing :)

Look2

This look is simpler than the previous one. All it requires is a silver glittery eye shadow and a black eye shadow.

1. Apply an eye shadow base on the lid area.

2. Apply a glittery silver eye shadow on the lid.

3. Taking a blending brush, apply the black eye shadow lightly in the outer V and blend well.

4. Finish off with kajal and a winged liner :)