Hello Kitty Earphones ~ The Obsession Continues

I'm in my 40s now, and I'm still obsessed with Sanrio Hello Kitty stuff (oh lord, so much stuff out there!)

I don't care what anybody thinks.

The love you once had for something just doesn't go away, okay.

I saw these earphones and I couldn't pick just one! I couldn't!

So I was gifted all three.

My Melody

Kuromi 

Hello Kitty

UPGRADE Your Skincare Routine ~ CLEANSING

There are a number of changes I've made in my beauty routines - face, body, hair - and ditched some habitual things too, which I regret not doing sooner. 

~  CLEANSING  ~

Ahh... I wish I'd done this sooner, not when I'm already in my 40s!

The rule is to treat your neck & décolletage area the same as your face, because we want that harmony. 

I'm not one to apply makeup on my neck & ears, so this process ensures I won't even need to!

April Favourites | 2024

Remember MONTHLY FAVOURITES posts? They used to be my favourite :)

Okay! Firstly, my Number One April Favourite is......

Baby Reindeer - on Netflix. 

WOW!!! Too good! This is an absolutely brilliant dark comedy TV show. It made me laugh like crazy (the best laughs I've had in a while, really), it made me uneasy & tense & furious, it broke my heart a little - or a lot, I don't know - and it soothed something in me in the end. I'm rewatching it.

WARNING: Disturbing scenes though. It went from hilarious to dark real quick.

On to the beauty products I've been using & loving for months - I thought I'd do products that are easily available in India this time....

Why Return A ZARA Dress?

I rarely return stuff that I purchase online, and that's because it usually takes me 2 weeks to over a month to click checkout after adding them to cart or favourites - which means I only purchase things after they've caused me sleepless nights....and I can't live without them any longer!

Btw, I almost kept this dress, just because I didn't want to go through the return drama with ZARA after they didn't refund my money for months last year - for my son's product, not mine. 

Why I returned this dress?

It looks cheap. Gingham print on a such a flimsy polyester fabric is just nah-ah.

The worst part is the even cheaper-looking lining. It's actually in reverse and not stitched on to the seams, which makes it ride up underneath + it sticks to your skin...ugh!

It's just not worth  ₹3590! The audacity.

Look at the lining.....

Matching Skincare To Your Outfit?

It's a YES from me!

It somehow re-arranges my scattered thoughts into a right angle. Some people will get it, some won't.

It doesn't happen often, so it's nice when sometimes something gives you a sense of harmony & makes your routine feel a bit unusual and special.

I always do pink colour, so I like that this time it's a springy bright yellow! I mean, how bright is this sweater top?! I was immediately drawn to it at the store - I kept walking away from it, but it kept looking at me!

My 10 Eye Makeup Products

Here are 10 eye makeup products that I currently use almost everyday, except for the false eyelashes of course.

Please note that these shades are for my light brown eyes & pink-toned hair.

Lakmē Sunstick

Lakmē is killing it with all these New Launches!!!

This time, it's the kind I have been collecting - a stick product.

About:

9 to 5 Sun Expert Invisible Sunstick

With SPF 50+ PA++++

This sunstick gives sun protection upto 98% UVB rays and glides on in a completely invisible finish.

Matte finish

Suitable for all skin types, dermatologically tested.

It is tinted. Yay! ← For me, this is the USP right here.

Maybelline PLAY Tattoo Liquid Eyeliners

Time to PLAY with coloured liquid eyeliners! That too from our favourite drugstore brand with their signature fuss-free 'TATTOO' stamp that you can get really creative with - as I did with my swatches below.

You can also apply them on the tip of your lashes as well, if that's the drama you want....or you accidentally got them on your already mascara-ed lashes.

Here, I have Shake (Lilac) & Punch (Fuchsia Pink)

Lakme Powerplay Velvet Crème Blush & Highlighter

Lakmē's newest launches have been on my radar for a while, and these two were on shelves even before the official promos. I'd swatched them at a Lifestyle when I wasn't ready to buy anything ;p

This range is enriched with Jojoba Oil & Vitamin E. They are, as they claim, velvety smooth and blend easily.

Powerplay Velvet Crème Blush: Available in 2 shades - Soft Coral & Pink Rose

Powerplay Velvet Crème Highlighter: Available in 2 shades - Copper Crush & Sultry Gold

I got Soft Coral & Copper Crush.....

2 0 2 4

Wishing you all a very HAPPY & GLOWING 2024!

Finally I unboxed a few new beauty products I'd bought months ago, and.....

....and a new year makeup haul is just waiting to happen!

Saw some products while window shopping last week, and I CAN'T GET THEM OUT OF MY MIND!!!

Featured: Dior Lip Glow Balm 001

♡

xo,

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FRIENDS Lego Set

In memory of Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing, in FRIENDS.

Gone too, too soon 💔

This LEGO set was built earlier his year, solely by my then 8-year-old son. 

These photos have been in my phone since, but didn't think I'd actually post them here.

Until now.

The Most Popular Korean Beauty Product

So, so popular that they don't need to sell on their own website anymore, it seems. Just straight to Wholesale - bulk sales, bulk profits.

I first spotted this on Korean drama series, 'Love ft Marriage & Divorce' in 2021 - which, by the way, ruined Season 2 (or was it 3?) for me because they changed most of the actors & it felt like a completely different show!

After that, I started seeing it often online. Apparently, it's been featured on many more Korean drama series - the advertisement platform where new beauty products go straight from 0 → HERO. 

I'm talking about the Kahi Wrinkle Bounce Multi Balm Stick.....

Yes, it is bigger than a standard lipstick.

Summer's End Reverie

Feet and ears tucked snugly inside the quilt, instead of out.

An unanticipated sneeze before you've even brushed your teeth.

Sandpaper knuckles.

That in-between emotion that you've yet to name & fittingly stow.

Little notes from Summer - that it has left.

******

Okay, I don't know where I was going with that. These are just impromptu pictures I clicked because I loved the light & shadows in my room that day :)

BUT they are my favourite things......

The BEST & Life Changing Nail Product Ever Made!

Midnight: 

All chores are done. The house is quiet. I'm so tired & sleepy, but I have to paint my nails. 

I can't bear to look at all the old, chipped nail polish any longer!

This is the only time I wouldn't have to touch anything and can just sit there waiting for my nails to dry -forever.

Next Morning: 

I see a dent, a scratch, a hair mark, fibres, a black spot, a minuscule rock, etc.

All my patience & hard work tainted by something as insignificant as one toenail grazing the other toenail in my sleep.

********

I'm sure this happens to us all. How have we lived like this for years & decades?!

Now, I can tell you we can avoid all that! No more!

Now, your nails can get dry & damage proof in 60 seconds!

Meet:

Essence Nail Art Express Dry Drops

This magic-in-a-bottle comes with a glass pipette dropper, and it's nourished with Vitamin E & Almond Oil. I think I noticed my nails breaking from the nail bed less these days (touchwood!)

Just 1 drop of this potion on my newly-polished nails - after they've dried on their own a bit - and the world is not my enemy anymore!

MINISO Haul ~ August 2023

Do we love Miniso, or do we LOVE MINISO?

Miniso India has started keeping interesting stuff again since after Covid time. There was a phase when I was seeing the same things every time I visited their stores. Now the vibe is different - there are new keychains... and dish cleansing sponges.... and cat paw laundry clips I don't need but bought anyway.

RARE BEAUTY Haul

Location: Sephora, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Customers flock only to one makeup counter:

RARE BEAUTY

Some too young to be wearing makeup - a few were with their parents.

Some old enough to be wearing makeup, but didn't really look the types who were into makeup.

These were not makeup junkies, these were Selena Gomez's fans.

 They rummaged through the drawers & made sure everything good SOLD OUT.

All the liquid blushes were SOLD OUT, except for 2 darkest shades.

All the Lip Oils were SOLD OUT.

I managed to get some practical face products for myself:

Birthday Makeup ~ OUTDATED Products

This part of blogging is called backlog.

Let's just get it out of the way before I let it die in my drafts - which I would've done had I not already told my Insta followers that I'd be posting it.

My birthday happened in May. Then I went on vacation and bought so much new beauty products that I didn't want to even look at these outdated products here anymore! The makeup scene is too boring here in India, I wasn't buying new makeup much....and just wasn't inspired to try anything new.

The MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick That I Used Up The Fastest!

By "Fastest", I mean within 2 months! Maybe 1 month, even.

One reason is, it's an everyday pink shade. Plus, it's lightweight and tasty & totally addictive. 

I used it as a blush & eyeshadow base quite often, too.

MAC Powder Kiss Lipsticks are my absolute favourite lipsticks; there's nothing I dislike about them - except....EXCEPT their price tag, especially now that it's been hiked to ₹2200 (Launch Price was ₹1650)

So far, I've only used 5 shades -- all bought at launch price upto ₹1850, if I'm not mistaken.

Maybelline Tattoo Studio Smokey Gel Pencils & Brow Pigment Pencil

These photos were taken 2nd December last year (2022), and even though I'd been using all these products every single day since, they're still not finished today. Like, just a teeny tiny bit left of the black gel pencil & brow pencil.

Love, love love all of them, particularly the Smokey Gel Liner Pencils, which come with a smudger & a hidden sharpener. They're so smooth & intense, and last all day.

Smokey Gel Pencils Smokey Black

Smokey Gel Pencils Smokey Brown

Tattoo Brow Pencil Light Brown

Ecotools 360 Ultimate Blend Makeup Brush Kit

The EcoTools 360 Ultimate Blend Makeup Brush Set is designed with 3 densely packed, domed makeup brush heads for quick makeup application and a perfectly blended finish. 

• The EcoTools 360 Ultimate Blend Makeup Brush Set Includes: 3 densely packed, domed brushes for quick application and perfectly blended finishes.

• Ultimate Buff makeup brush helps achieve a streak-free base by buffing on cream or powder foundation.

• Ultimate Pop makeup brush blends cream or powder blush and bronzer for a sculpted, airbrushed finish.

• Ultimate Cover makeup brush applies concealer or highlighter to apples of cheeks, bridge of the nose, and arch of brows for added definition.

• Pair makeup brushes with cream and sticks makeup formulas to achieve the best results

• Beautifully soft bristles, for gentle makeup application.

• Handcrafted with eco-friendly materials and lightweight wood-plastic composite handles

• Made with synthetic Taklon bristles.

• Cruelty-Free and Vegan - EcoTools products are never tested on animals.