Mark It Kit Trend Color Compact - Review & Swatches

I love kits and palettes mostly because they are a great value for money ! If I was someone who traveled a lot - I'd probably love it for that too.

Often I get questions from readers looking for a great everyday kit that they could just throw into their bags and head out. Other times I get asked about kits for beginners who want a little bit of everything in a small, compact, non-overwhelming form. And then there are kits that need to be given as gifts. When you are traveling to India to meet with relatives / spend some time in Des you take gifts for relatives - all Asians do this. And I get a lot of questions from folks traveling to India / Pakistan / South Asia in general requesting recommendations on mini makeup kits that they could give as gifts.

In short - there is a huge demand for mini all in one kits.

I have one kit here that satisfies all of the above needs - The mark It Kit Trend Color Compact. At $20 its a cute little thing that packs a lot !

Its a flip compact - as in you have a few things on one side and you flip it to find few more things.

On one side are three eye shadows (black, grey, beige) and an almost matte bronzer.

On the other side we have three lip glosses ( mauve pink, fuchsia, clear shimmer ) and three triple use color creams ( deep pink, bronze taupe, light pink).

Over all its a very well thought out palette. The eye shadows come in a decent size - not those tiny squares that wont even fit your finger. The three shades should look good on most skin tones and are versatile enough for day and night. The bronzer is good for some color / for contouring.

But my most favorite part is the other side with the lip glosses and creams. The creams can be used on eyes / lips / cheeks. I love using the deep pink color on my cheeks and using the light pink one as a highlighter under my brows, on top of my cheek bones / on the bridge of my nose. The bronze taupe I use on its own all over my lids. When I apply a thin layer it doesn't crease much and gives just enough color for day wear. Combined with some black shadow along the lash line and mascara - I'm good to go !

The lip glosses are not deeply pigmented - all three are sheer. The fuchsia pink gives the most color to my lips but the mauve pink is my favorite for day. It has a gorgeous shine that though not long lasting looks incredible the short time that it stays on. For longer wear and more color I've started applying the deep pink creme color on my lips and topping it off with any of the glosses - too cute !

My only complaint is the slightly sweet taste of the glosses. I don't really lick my lips or eat lipstick but the one time I just happened to...the sweet taste reminded me never to. None of the products have any scent, which is great coz my olfactory senses drive me crazy. And the lid has a hollow design so your lip gloss wont get on the lid of the compact. Messy compacts are yuck.

Overall - its a very handy kit ! This is my first time with a mark product and it has managed to get me interested in the brand.

Smashbox Lip Tech - Swatches

Ladies !

Happy Friday ! I am so lookin forward to the weekend . Need to get my P90X game on. Plus I have a food challenge coming up for us. Will make us eat healthier and make better choices. Whoz up for it ?

For now, lemme leave you with some pictures of lip techs that have me goin crazy for them ! Its a whole another story that life has me goin crazy in a whole another no-fair kinda way. In one day I went from making a website outta my blog to possibly not blogging extensively in the near future to an I-dont-know-man-whatevs state. But like I said that's a story for another time.Will follow up with review and lip swatches soon !

Hard to stop droolin.

Lipstick Queen Fifteen Minutes Of Fame Lip Gloss : Review & Swatches

I've been dying to write about these Lipstick Queen Fifteen Minutes Of Fame glosses for a while now.

You know me - I am total lipstick snob. Nothing about the gooey sticky mess of a lip gloss attracts me. Don't even get me started on that one fine strand of hair getting stuck on glosses.

But the I told you , I've been dying to write about these ones. Only because they...
Have the glossiest high shine creamy finish.
No sparkle. No Glitter.
Come in the most gorgeous colors.
And I am high on pinks at the moment.

The affinity to pink is genetic. My mom is a pink - addict. And try as I might, you cant find DNA.
Or I could just sing ...

"I got a problem and I
Don't know what to do about it
Even if I did, I don't know if I would quit, but I doubt it, I'm
Taken by the thought of it "

*Big brownie points if you could guess that song !*

Lemme let the swatches speak to you & then I'll yap some more.

9 Minutes - Scarlet Red
10 Minutes - Sheer Cool Pink

12 Minutes - Mauve Rose. I wanna call it peony.

13 Minutes - raspberry, baby !


They are low on the stickiness and don't feel heavy on lips. But then I am wondering - how do you feel about clicketty click click pens ?

Smashbox Double Take Lip Color Pencil

The Smashbox Double Take Lip Color Pencils are not new to us. We've seen the gorgeous gorgeous nude shades. Amaretto still remains my favorite - thank God its been made a permanent addition to their line. Its the only product I ever bought a back up for !

This shade from the Double Take Lip Color family is called Cranberry - a warm cranberry red. No blue tinge just the deep hue of a juicy cranberry. Its the red for brown girls. Like all other pencils in this line they are creamy with an almost matte finish and have loads of pigmentation - you'll notice it in the swatch.

Speaking of blue hues - I don't really get the whole blue undertones make your teeth look whiter deal - not on me. Most pink lipsticks with blue undertones make my teeth looker yellower than ever ! What's your take on it - your teeth gettin any whiter ?

Covergirl Outlast Lip Stain : Swatches & Review

Get this. Get at least one of these ASAP.

Speaking of ASAP ...are you one the A-sap kind or are you the A. S. A. P kind ?
I am more of a A.S.A.P kind.
Just thought I'd throw in there...

The CG Outlast Lip stains ($7.50) are CG's gift to girls with pigmented lips. More so if they are unevenly pigmented. Just run the pen over your clean dry lips and you've got yourself some even coloring ! BAM... just like that.

The story doesn't end there. Not with just one BAM !

2 to 3 hours later they fade and become even more natural and pretty. Sometimes I don't wait - I apply the stain and then press my lips against a piece of tissue for the sexy stain ! This stays put for 6 to 8 hours at least

Of the four shades I tried,

410 - Bit Of Blossom is the most pigmented, a deep fuchsia.

445 - Cinnamon Smile is true to its name, a rich brown.

415 - Teasing blush is a shade in the raisin family and

420 - Sassy Mauve is a nude sombre mauve.

However I've got a piece of advice for ya. DO NOT apply the lips stain over lip gloss or chap stick. It ruins the product. We'll get back to that chap stick later. For now just remember the words - clean, dry lips.

You'll notice my last (415) swatch is a little wonky because I ran it over lip gloss.

Not not ran it over like an accident.

Or wait may be it is ran it over like an accident coz that's what it was - An accident.

An accident you can learn from.

A little something more - they are very pretty as long as you keep em on your lips. The moment you take it out - lips feel dry. This is when you wanna pull that chap stick out.

See, I told you I'd get back to the chap stick !

In Other News

Happy St. Paddy's Day ! Whatchu doing today ? I've got another green eye makeup look coming up with NYX eye shadows. Hang in there...its coming !

And I am returning the new camera. This time I'm gonna for a Canon. Oops I almost typed Conan !

How To Make Sheer Lipsticks Darker, Brighter & More Pigmented ?

Yeah...How DO we Make Sheer Lipsticks Darker, Brighter & More Pigmented ?

Stick them in the refrigerator - that's all !

This trick is the exact opposite of the eyeliner trick. You loosen the pigments in the hard eyeliner by blasting it with some heat using a blow dryer. The heat melts the solid eyeliner so the more emollient pencil applies easily.

With sheer lipsticks, most are extremely moisturizing AKA too emollient. By cooling it in the refrigerator we are tightening the texture so it applies more dense AKA more pigment on your lips ! If you try this trick...holla back !

How do you like me now ....

Background Story

Might as well tell you how I figured this out. I store all my everyday lipsticks in a tiny container which I keep close to my bedroom window. The bedroom is the coldest place in my house - real cold. And throughout this winter I've found that even my sheerest Smashbox lipstick applied way better than it ever did in Summer. The scientist in me then figured the relation - cold room, freezing lipstick, dense pigment.

Now go on - spread the word !

Love,
Indian Girl

Two Must Have Coral Lipsticks For Spring From Estee Lauder & Bobbi Brown

They are easy to wear.

They are not orange.

They are too good to resist.

They are Coral Kiss from Estee Lauder and Coral Reef from Bobbi Brown.

The new Coral Kiss lipstick from Estee Lauder was recently introduced as part of their special Valentines Day - Love Your Lips Collection. Each lipstick features a special “L♥VE” logo on the bullet which is just too irresistible !

The lipstick in this picture is not Coral Kiss . I put it up to show the packaging and the “L♥VE” logo.

Formula - a creamy, hydrating, great pigment & high shine.

Shade - The shade Coral Kiss is a gorgeous retro like shade. I'd call it a slightly frosty coral with a heavy scoop of pink throw in for good measure. A very Brigitte Bardot kind of shade. An absolute must have !

How To Wear It - Coral kiss is great with a winged eyeliner. Pair it with a heavy serious winged liner, tease your hair for oodles of volume, wear a sexy cocktail dress for a Va Va Voom look !

Or, go easy on the eyeliner - make it a tiny wing, add a flush color on your cheeks with a red cheek stain, a low messy bun and your favorite little black dress for a more subtly glamorous look.

Eyeshadow wise, I've loved wearing Coral kiss with deeper hues of Black, Forest Green and Navy Blue. Avoid browns, golds and silvers.

Celebrity Inspiration - Brigitte Bardot


The new Coral Reef Metallic Lip Color from Bobbi Brown was introduced as part of their Spring 2010 Cabana Corals Collection.


Formula- Hydrating, medium pigment, high shine with a metallic sheen

Shade - Coral Reef is a peachy coral with some gold shimmer. It is high on the peach factor making it warm and so easy to wear ! It looks a lot like my Trish Mc Evoy lipstick in Sheer LA but Coral Reef is a lot more warmer and definitely more pretty !

How To Wear It - Oh Coral Reef is versatile, awright ! Though you could wear it with black / charcoal shadow, it looks best paired with earthy browns, old golds and bronze shades on the eyes, a peachy pink blush on cheeks. Pull on your favorite pair of jeans, a salmon / black ruffled top , a jacket ( if its chilly) - sleek straight hair or a sleek pony tail and you'll make heads turn !

Celebrity Inspiration - Kim Kardashian


Love,
Indian Girl

This article contains a sample product sent for consideration by PR. For more details on the disclosure policy please refer to it at the bottom of the page.

Smashbox : Lots More Ways To Pucker Up

So many new lip products from Smashbox !!!

Cant stop drooling over those lip techs, man ! The video only makes me want them more !
And finally , finally Smashbox made Amaretto pencil a permanent one ! It came out with Smashbox Reign Collection and has been one of my super fave since. If you've been considering them for a while - this is the time to go grab it !




Love,
Indian Girl

An Old Product A New Favorite : Estee Lauder Plum Amethyst Lipstick

Hiya Ladies !

Good Morning !

Thank you for all your support. I have no idea what I am going to do without a camera but I know I cant stop writing. I can't find something and keep it from y'all. Secrets give me heartburn (Guess the ABC show)

I have a few pictures of products on me that were just in my folder. Now is the time to unleash that beast.

A couple of days back when my camera was still working, I got the urgent craving to dig through my lipstick stash. I do this one in a while to see if the shades I have still look good on me. Or in some cases I've totally forgotten about those shades and reintroduce myself to them.

This is one such story.

Look how pretty this Plum Amethyst Lipstick from Estee Lauder is ! I've been wearing it with a hint of Sally Hansen Lipnotic Gem Lip gloss just in the center of my lips. I love these Sally Hansen lip glosses - cheap, shiny, gorgeous !

Yesterday I wore a brown/black everyday almost smokey eye inspired by Rani Mukherjee but couldn't get a pic of it for y'all. Its so simple , may be I'll try and do a video...

Love,
Indian Girl

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick Airy Fairy : Review & Swatches

Have you tried this lipstick - Airy Fairy ? Very pretty shade !

I'd call it a lightly frosted pink. Generally I don't like frosted lipsticks - they don't look good on me. But in this one the frost is very little and golden rather than usual silver frost. The lipstick has some fragrance to it, no taste and has very good pigment !



Love,
Indian Girl

Revlon Matte Lipstick - Cocoa Craving : Review & Swatches

Cant believe I waited so long to post about this amazing drugstore find !

If you haven't tried the Revlon Matte Lipsticks - do so now. I got this along with Revlon Rum Raisin Lipstick on a BOGOF a few weeks back. I've worn it several times since !


The formula is matte but not the drying kind. Not the kind that you have to press so hard against your lips that you are worried you'll break the lipstick.

It smooth. Smoother than Smooth Jazz 107.5 ...

The shades are all very well pigmented. The one I got - Cocoa Craving is a beautiful rose brown - very much in the brown nude family. Its gonna be a bit dark for light to medium skin tones. Its more of a brown than nude on me. But beautiful nonetheless ! I highly recommend the shade for anybody with medium - medium dark / deep skin tones. I great nude brown lipstick for several Indian skin tones !

I wore it over lip balm so it sheered out a bit. Sorry, its winter.


The best part - no weird scent or taste. And neither does it lay on heavily. Its light, full of color , great for work and matte !

The next shade I really really really wanna get is Fabulous Fig. Though Wine Not & In The Red look equally fabulous for a more dressed up feel.

Have you given this a go ? If you have I'd love some swatches from y'all !

Love,
Indian Girl

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick - Rum Raisin : Review & Swatches - The LBD Of Lipsticks

This one is an old fav.

An old fav that never retires.

An old fav that I will never get tired of.

An old fav that I have recommended 1667843.5 times.

The Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick - Rum Raisin ($7.99) is the most flexible shade of lipstick . Its a classic but not in a retro way. In a will-stay-relevant-forever kinda way.


The shade Rum Raisin = soft burnt red + nude soft brown with some deep deep red-wine + amped up rose brown .

This is the LBD of lipsticks. Its a shade for everybody to wear everywhere.

To me, there are two kinds of everyday lipsticks. The regular kind and the special kind. The regular kind is like cereal - the one I eat everyday for breakfast & like.

Then there is the special kinda everyday lipstick which is like the breakfast I really really would like to eat - eggs, bacon, pancakes, warm syrup & the works. This shade is like that breakfast. Something that will make everyday feel like its special !

It looks great on women with pale / fair / light skin too but I'd especially recommend brown girls out there to give it a go. It is on BOGOF at CVS right now.


The flash washes the color out a little bit. The shade itself is little more deeper. You'll see what I'm talking about when you check it out at the store.

After you've tried it and fallen in love, don't forget to send me a letter telling me how it changed your life.

Or you'll probably put it on your Annual Christmas Letter !

Love,
Indian Girl

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipsticks : Review & Swatches

Last night I paid a visit to my neighborhood drugstore, CVS with a mission. I had to get tooth paste, Listerine and two Maybelline Color Sensational Lipsticks.

I've been wanting to try these lipsticks forever but somehow didn't. Unfortunate for me, they weren't even on sale. After much debate I picked up Pink Me Up & Mauve Me ($7.49).



Pink Me up , I knew would be very similar to my Avon U by Ungaro lipstick - a fuchsia pink. I wanted to confirm the hunch and so I picked it up. As far as Mauve Me goes , lets just say the color spoke to me and my love for hint of shimmer. Its a mauve with a hint of purple and a slightest bit of gold shimmer. One second its there, next its not !

Since when do Maybelline lipsticks have the weird scent. I used to love them for the absence of weird chemically scent but unfortunately this line has the same smell that Loreal lipsticks have. Its lighter than Loreal but scent nonetheless. However, we've got to hand it to Maybelline for putting out some super duper pigmented, almost opaque creamy lipsticks, in some very good shades !



Unfortunately the shades I picked up did not work well on me. I think its has got to do with the hint of purple in both the shades. Purple on my lips is not my thing. Pink me Up is similar to Ungaro lipstick but is different. It does nothing to my face. Mauve Me just plain fell flat. Really the shade in the tube and the one on my lips are two different stories.

I will return these and pick up some warmer nudes / browns from the same line or check out Revlon. If you have tried these, please give me a few recommendations / swatches please.

Love,
Indian Girl

Pairing Red With Red : The Neha Dhupia Way

* Neha Dhupia is a popular Bollywood actress & a former model.

What did you think of Neha pairing red with red ?

I thought it looked fabulous ! The hair and makeup is fairly simple with the red lipstick acting out the main part !

Pairing red with red; be it red shoes with red dress or red lipstick with red dress is always a tricky thing. If the red on her dress was a different red from that on her lips, it would have been disastrous but since the shades were similar - they paired perfectly ! And that's a rule to go by - pair them only if one is sure that the colors are almost as similar as it gets !

Also I love that it wasn't a glossy, shiny red. A matte / satin one works best anywhere ( as far as red goes) just as it did here. One real pretty red with a easy satin finish would be the #53 Brilliant Red from The Body Shop Color Glide Lip Colors.

Hang on to this picture for now. I know it aint much but I'll have a swatch put up as soon as we have some day light shining on us. It has been dark no matter what the time ...

Its Friday, y'all ! No point stating the obvious but what plans for tonight ?

Love,
Indian Girl

Clinique Long Last Soft Shine Lipstick - Twilight Nude : Swatches

How would you describe the color Twilight Nude ?

(you've seen the movie right ? Its about vampires and their purple-y lips)

This is how I describe it - A purple-y grape color that mimics the twilight vampire's lips but still looks natural, alive and wearable every single day. A hint of shimmer will make it perfection...

Check that lipstick I just described in action. Nothing to be scared of here !


The Long Last Soft Shine Lipsticks ($14) have a brilliant formula - just moisturizing enough without feathering away. They have better staying power than the Clinique Butter Shine Lipsticks and a hint more color. Unlike every other long last lipstick I've tried - these do not dry out my lips nor do the colors look flat. However it is the drying, the too much pigment in other lipsticks that make them long lasting , so that's that.

I wore this yesterday with just concealer + mascara on my eyes and this blush - very wintery , very pretty !


Love,
Indian Girl


This article contains a sample product sent for consideration by PR. For more details on the disclosure policy please refer to it at the bottom of the page.