Super Liner (maybe)!

Dear Glammys!

Guess who is back in action? Oh yeah, it's me. Been a while. Anyhow... Today the point in focus is L'oreal 24Hour Super Liner Gel EyeLiner waterproof. That's a mouthful name. And as I am too lazy to click away or edit today, I'll just insert the piccy from our beloved Google Images. 

It's the Japanese/Asian version specifically as you can see some Japanese language (if i'm not wrong) on the box. I got it for like PKR 350 which is hell cheap considering the claims it makes and also considering that it's a gel eyeliner. Well let me tell you, its exactly the price you would pay for what it actually does. Anyway the price got me guessing that it might be a fake L'oreal product. Turns out, its not. I got some good reviews on makeupalley.com. Further searching the internet told me that its sold for like 12$-20$ depending on the online stores you buy it from like yesstyle.com or sasa.com (though I don't know if they deliver to Pakistan so you can check that out yourself :P) That's a lot of over charging as you know now that in Pakistan you can get it for like PKR 300-350.

Anyway lets get to the point of how good is it and is it worth it? First of all, I got to say packaging is adorable. Almost like packaging of Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner. It has that same classy touch to it. Glass container, good twisty cap and a very own soft bristle brush (which gives a very good line both thick and thin, however you like and prefer. Also is really easy to use for flicking the line. I could even tightline my eyes  with it and could use it in waterline too. Ah-mazing brush in short)  

Now, it claiming it to be waterproof, well not so much waterproof and it rubs off like crazy. I've got oily eyelids and I found it to be transferring onto my lids in a very short time. It doesn't last for 24hours either. Well, remove the 2 from 24 and that's how long it lasts - hardly 4 hours is the lasting time. You can increase it by an hour or so if you be a good girl and apply eye primer before applying it. But on me it hardly lasted for 3-5 hrs. After that you need to re-apply it to freshen up and look perfect again. 

The product to me looked and felt more like a cream eyeliner instead of being gel eyeliner, which is ok by me if it lasted on my eyes a bit more. I'm definitely in love with brush though, no denying that. It's super easy to use and gives the perfect line. The product itself is pigmented enough that it works just fine. 

Considering the price I payed for it, the quality is fairly satisfactory. Nothing too extra-ordinary just like I expected and suspected (whoa, that rhymes :D).

It's definitely worth the money if you are on the look out for something extremely cheap, yet still workable. Also if you want to get the feel of gel eyeliners and using eyeliner brushes, this can be your goto product for perfecting your technique and getting hang of the idea before you invest in something more expensive. I'd say it's not as much of a "super liner" as it claims on the packaging, but its worth it. 

Love, Hadiya

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Delectable but NOT Edible!

Dear Glammys!

Today I thought to share my recent delectable with you all. Interested much =] I got this "Fresh! Milking it Jug" from Boots recently.

"The Fresh! way to get a moove on each morning with this traditional ceramic jug that's literally overflowing with some of our creamiest, most indulgent products"

And it comes packaged like a JUG too... Though it was flimsy so I thought to throw it away and not show it.

Let me tell you, the warning is a MUST "Delectable but not edible" because it totally smells AH-MAZING and I so totally wanted to eat it. As soon as I took the product out of its flimsy packaging, I could smell the awesome fragrance. Not to mention I like the color combination (purple being my favorite color). It adds to the glam of my vanity. The jug comes with four products and each one of them is worth it! And particularly good with what they claim to do. Highly moisturizing with a lovely lovely fragrance. What more does a girl want to feel extra special. :P

• BANANARAMA HAIR MASK

• LAND OF MILK & HONEY BODYWASH

• WICKEDLY GOOD BODY CUSTARD (believe me it is good, I have been using this one non-stop and am almost out of it)

• BEST BEFORE BEDTIME BATH MILK

I have thoroughly enjoyed using each and every one of these and am almost out of them.

Love, Hadiya

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Mauve is the New Nude!!

Dear Glammys!
Its been ages since I last posted. Hope you all good out there. Anyways...

I recently bought couple of nail polishes. So thought to share them with you all. (above picture is with the flash on, so you can see the colors better. And the piccy below is without flash so be the judge yourself of the colors...HAHA they almost look insanely same).

Anyhow.. I have been using all of these colors non-stop. Especially the white because frankly we all know what a necessity french manicure is. The two browns are my favorite by Sweet Touch Cosmetics and are a second and third time repurchase respectively. The transparent top coat is basic as we know. The only new color in all these for me to try was Mauve. 

Alright now comes the honest review. These nail polishes are not at all expensive. Expensive than Medora maybe and cheaper than Etude. The reason I'm not comparing it to OPI is because very frankly OPI is not readily available in Pakistan still and also because I'm certainly not the person who'll splurge Rs. 650 on a single nail varnish specially considering the nail color addict I am. I'll go bankrupt and I really don't want that in my limited allowances to happen. So we are clear here that this is just a drugstore brand. And very frankly there staying on power is not as amazing as I want it to be but you can make it last a couple of days by applying base coat and top coat and maybe two-three coats of the color itself. Also depends on how careful you are with your nail polish application and maintenance. But I love these anyway because they dry super-fast like really you don't have to sit for ages. 5 Minutes and you'll be good to go. Secondly the applicator is really long which I like and brush is of the right thickness, making it super easy to apply the varnish. Here's the piccy of the brush so you can see.

I really love wearing Choco Cream because its such a lovely nude color and really compliments every thing. Hard Cafe is a darker version of Choco Cream and is just as adorable. (I'll put up the pic of me wearing that color on fb. So be sure to check out my fb page http://facebook.com/glamagem and don't forget to like it if you haven't already).

And Mauve is the perfect elegant color. Its also very sheer unlike the other two which are opaque even with a single coat. So recently i read in ELLE magazine (in there November issue I guess) that Mauve is the new Nude. Yeah. You heard me. Mauve is the color of the season in terms of nail. And I totally agree because I have been having so much fun with this color. 

So that's pretty much it. Super fun and super affordable. You might want to buy these colors or even other colors from Sweet Touch Cosmetics if you are a nail color addict and don't want to be bankrupt hehe (:

Have fun! 

Love, Hadiya <3

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French With a Twist!!

Dear Glammys!

French manicure has always been the "in-fashion" thing. No matter what season, what occasion, what fashion trends; you can always pull off a french manicured hand. It omits the need to color match your nail polishes with your dresses (which I must say is fun part of dressing up and being a girl (: but nevertheless its a time consuming errand quite often ). 

So today, I thought I'll share my idea of French manicure with a twist. 

Sometimes I just put on any pink shade or slight purple shade (even works with nudes and beige) and after a couple of days, when the color starts boring me or if I want to glam-acize (is that even a word lol well now it is) my polish I just add a very simple french tip.

You can see that smile lines of the french tip aren't too perfect, just a straight swipe of white on the tips. But this is what adds to the look. It is effortless and easy and takes not more than 10 minutes to do. Don't forget to put on your favorite top coat to make it all shiny and fabulous.

And to dress it up and make it even more eye-catching and fit for a princess, I like to add a very elegant ring!

Now, you are all glammed up and ready to go to party or even sit home and feel pretty precious :)

Love, Hadiya

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Lets Go Body Shopping!

Dear Glammys!

Sometime back (just like once upon a time...) I went to The Body Shop. OMG I love that place. Even if I have to buy nothing from there, I still love to go there and I'm so glad they are finally available all over Pakistan. Well done Body Shop people :)

Anyway, I picked up a couple of things from there (remaining well inside my budget and buying only what I needed or atleast that's what I like to tell myself :P ); I thought I'd share my shopping with you. (ignore the book in the background- that is not from bodyshop!!)

So lets dig deep!

• Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream (Suitable for ALL Skin Types)

Well, as the winter is here, we definitely need to keep our hands moisturized. We don't want cracky dry skin. And definitely moisture helps against premature wrinkling which we definitely want to avoid.

The product claims to soften and moisturize and is infused with angelica extract (angelica is a herb which Chinese are really fond of and have been enjoying for last 2500 years. Also this herb contains loads of difficult to pronounce benefits along with Vitamin A, E and B12. This herb has many medicinal benefits and is good for health from what I found on internet) and community trade organic olive oil.  

Definitely as all Body Shop products, it has amazing fragrance and I have been using this religiously after every hand wash and especially at night partially because it really moisturizes my hand and softens them just as it claims and partially because it has amazing amazing fragrance like I said before. You only need pea-sized amount to thoroughly moisturize your hands. It contains less than 100 ml which makes it ideal to carry if you plan to travel. 

Also, they have a good cause which you can read about on their website http://thebodyshop.com/stop.

• Nail Polishing Block

While we are at taking care of our hands, how can we ignore our precious nails. Hence the Nail Polishing Block comes in action which claims to buff and polish nails! And I'l agree it works great! 

This block has four sides:

1. File nail edge
2. Remove ridges
3. Smooth nail
4. Shine nail

All the sides are mentioned on the block making it easier to go step by step and knowing what to do next. Specially good for at home manicures :)

• Vitamin E Lip Care SPF 15 (Protects and Moisturizes All Skin Types)

Now that our hands our set, we need to focus on lips. During winter lips get particularly chapped and they lack moisture. So we definitely need some Lip Care. 

"This moisturising lip balm soothes and protects lips from the drying effects of the sun, wind and cold weather."

 This lip balm contains Vitamin E, Community Fair Trade organic Olive Oil, Community fair Trade Organic Virgin Coconut, Community fair Trade Beeswax as key ingredients. It definitely hydrates and moisturizes your lips and leaves them feeling soft. It is colorless I must mention, which I don't mind. I have it on my bedside and use it after every short while specially in morning and in night before sleeping. Its like the last thing i do before sleeping! Also it has added benefit of SPF 15.

• Lemongrass Deodorising Foot Polish (Suitable for ALL Skin types)

This is random favorite. I got it in a foot care set a couple of months ago as a gift. and I love to use it when my feet are tired or when I want to pamper myself. It has that grainy-scrubby touch to it but is much more gentle than a scrub. Its purpose is to exfoliate the skin of your feet leaving them soft, polished and deodorised. I can not agree less that it really is deodorizing (has that lemongrass fresh scent) and leaves feet feeling soft. Definitely soothes the tired feet! the jar is really small; 15 ml, but you only need a tiny bit. I've used it twice already and can still get couple of more uses out of it.

• Detangling Comb

Lets not ignore a very important beauty asset; HAIR. We all know that "brushing" wet hair causes damage. So instead we should use Wide Toothed Comb like this one from The Body Shop. It easily de-tangles hair and can be used to distribute treatments and/or conditioner in hair. It is made of 100% wood (which gives me Cleopetra-ish feel when using it lol) and can be cleaned using warm soapy water. Avoid it from direct heat though!

That's all the Body Shop-ping for now.  I really enjoy using all the stuff mentioned and would recommend each one of them to you too!

Love, Hadiya 

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Want to win an IPAD?? GIVEAWAY!

Dear Glammys!

Who doesnt want an IPAD? Especially when you don't have to pay for it :P
Here is your awesome-est chance to win an IPAD! Another blogger is having a giveaway and its open worldwide. Just go here and follow the instructions. Its very easy.

So amazing people, what are you waiting for? Get going. Wishing you good luck with your chance to win an IPAD.

Love, Hadiya

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PureGlow or Not?

Dear Glammys!

Who does not want to have a little stardom crossed with happiness glow on their faces (aka J.Lo GLOW)? Well I want that for sure :)

A couple of months back, I bought this Neutrogena Pure Glow Illuminating 2-in-1 Wash Mask. (that's a really long name,whoa!). As the name suggests, its the 2 miracles in 1 sort of product and is a combination of a face wash + face mask. Benefits of 2 in1, smart! Ain't it. Neway...

It is supposedly the remedy for dull skin; to brighten it up and lend to it some glow. Neutrogena's website puts it as:

"This unique 2-in-1 can be used in two different ways to help skin look clean and more luminous. Use daily as a wash to remove traces of dirt, oil and make-up or as a five-minute weekly mask for a thorough cleanse, deep into pores without over drying." 

I thought to share my two cents on the product. The product is handy because it cuts down your need for carrying two products (while travelling even). So no need to buy two separate products. The product has clay-ish texture to it, pretty smooth without any granules or micro-beads to work the magic into your skin. Still its pretty effective and does exactly what a face wash is supposed to do that is remove the traces of dirt, oil and makeup (minus the waterproof mascara and liner maybe) away. It has the slightly cooling feeling on the skin (don't know if its just me or that is how it is supposed to work), so i dun recommend putting it near eyes. Good for waking you up in morning and soothing your tired skin in night. Doesn't leave your skin feeling tight which is a plus point. And I noticed that right after wash, face feels clean but even if you don't put moisturizer on, still in a very short while skin starts feeling oily again. Maybe its just me and my oil-prone skin or maybe its the luminizing factor. Cant say!

Though I do have my doubts on  making my skin "luminous" part. I did not notice it to make any remarkable difference in that category. 

Its a good face wash, but even better face mask. Oh yeah. It is good. Especially when you want your skin to get fresh and get rid of that dirt and oil; inspite of being short on time. 5 minutes, and your good to go. I like to put it on in shower, right when i apply hair conditioner, because as a matter of fact, both need 5-minute time to work. Convenience my friend, all the way. 

It has salicylic acid as one of the ingredients, which we all beauty junkies know is good for fighting acne away and keeping skin clear. And menthol - hence the cool-y tingly feeling on the skin :P

In my opinion, its pretty good wash/mask product. I havent repurchased it though as I am more fan of face washes which have beads in them :) To each its own though, you might like it better than me. Also this PureGlow range includes a Daily Warming Scrub and Daily Cleansing Cushions. (both yet to try!)

Try and decide PureGlow or Not? 

Love, Hadiya 

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