Best Makeup Brush Washing Mat

I spied with my little eye this round yellow wafer-textured thingy at a home store, I didn't know what it was. I started thinking....

What's this? Round....silicone...more weighty than I thought...I feel like I need it...Rs.250....yup, I do need it. But for what? Oh, there's a picture on the back! Okay, basically, to keep hot pans and baking dishes. That I don't need. Why don't I bake anymore? Hmmm...put it back in the hook...moving on.... we need a saucepan with a lid for making popcorn...but a light pan, so it's easier to shake-shake- shake....why don't they make enough light or pastel cooking pots and pans in this country??! Also, Floral. Vintage floral, not big big sunflowery jhatak floral. Then I'll spend more time in the kitchen! Like Bree Van de Kamp...I'll bake something French, something I can't pronounce yet... coomberfroofrount...and wear a matching floral apron....and I'll ---- 

MAKEUP BRUSH WASHING MAT!

And I ran back to one of the best things I ever discovered ;p

It's amazing, you guys! I won't have pruned fingers after washing makeup brushes anymore, and I'm actually excited to wash them more often now! Plus, the brushes come out cleaner than when I'm only using my palms.

Brands had come out with gloves and fancy mats for makeup brush washing, but those came with hefty price tags. For me, this mat is best and all I'll ever need!

How I use it: I place it in the sink, let some water fill up in those little squares, squirt some Johnson's baby shampoo, and then swirl my brushes on it. Saves so much time! I also rinse them the same way with just water. After I'm done, I rinse the mat and shake off all the water from it, and place my brushes on it for drying.

Price: Rs.250 / $4 (ONLY)

(Have you seen the Sigma mat for $32?!)

From: Lifestyle Home Centre.

If you can only buy them online, I've searched for similar ones and linked them below:

Rectangular mat ~ here

Square mat ~ here

Round mat (my favs) ~ here

♥

What do you think about this? NEED it or not?

Talk again soon & Happy Friday! =)

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The Power Of Mascara....

What's the one thing I'd change about my face?

Eyelashes. 

Everyday I wish I'd wake up one morning with the lashes of my dreams - thick, dark,doll-like. 

But I wake up with pronounced puffy, honey-colored eyes that look jaundice-like without an umbrella of prominent lashes.  

That 13 Going On 30 (movie) wishing dust - I WANT!

Describe my eyelashes in 20 words or less?

They're so thin & nondescript, it's like the split ends from my hair fell down on my lash line. 

How many mascaras am I currently using/trying?

6. I feel I can now stop looking for THE ONE. I feel I can now stick to 1. But I don't know which one.

Mascaras I keep going back to?

1. Maybelline Volum Express the Colossal Mascara ~ It adds length and thickness, but still separates the lashes.

2. Maybelline The Falsies Mascara ~ The first time I tried it, I didn't like it so much. But after a few weeks to a month, when the formula becomes drier and thicker, I was hooked! 

3. Max Factor 2000 Calorie Curved Brush Mascara~ See a post on it here. I'd buy it again, but it's not available here.

How much time do I spend applying my mascara everyday?

3/4th of my total makeup application time. Apply, wiggle....wiggle...wiggle....comb through clumps. Repeat. 4 time. 

Any special techniques?

Of course! I stand in the bathroom and make the Scream (movie) mask face . Bathroom - because there are no fans & air conditioners in there. Air dries up the mascara too fast & ruins the layering process. Scream mask face - to keep the tops of my cheek bones away from the wet wand.

What's the craziest thing I'd do for thicker, longer lashes?

I'd steal them from my own son, who has my dream long, wispy lashes. Itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water....SWAP! I love him so, sooo....much!

Have I considered that surgery where they stitch individual hairs to the eyeli....?

HELL, NO!!! Please. *Shivers*

Have I considered eyelash extensions?

Now that I've been thinking about for quite some time. I'm finally doing it this year. Soon! I can't use mascaras anymore after that, not on extensions.

Meanwhile.... 

Makeup Haul ~ New Launches + Drawer Organizers

I always get weird looks from the counter people at Lifestyle when I'm buying makeup. I don't know why. Maybe I appear too eager, maybe I walk from counter to counter a bit too crazily - sometimes back & forth to "compare", maybe I look too flustered, maybe I take too long to decide which shade I want, maybe I move to another counter while they are bent over those bottom cabinets looking for a product I asked for (they come back up & hey, where'd she go?!) maybe I ask "New launch? New Launch?" like a vendor in a train - "Bhel puri? Bhel puri?" 

Okay, okay, I'll control myself next time. Before I set foot in the beauty floor, I'll coach myself first:

 "Be cool. Breathe. Neutral facial expression. Walk graciously. Duchess Of Cambridge....."

First counter - Maybelline!

The Magnum Barbie Mascara ~ This is similar to The Falsies Mascar, but with a slightly more slender brush & the formula is more packed with fibres. First Impression: Could clump & smudge easily, but if you can handle that like a meticulous woman, false lash kind of volume & length!

Price: Rs.399

Color Sensational 3D Eyeshadow Palette in Rose Quartz Pink ~ A little palette of 5 eyeshadows, in which there is a top coat shimmer eyeshadow. Available in 4 shades. 

Price: Rs.575

Color Show Big Apple Reds Nail Paints ~ A collection of 4 red shades. I picked up R2 Big Apple Red. 

Price: Rs.145

Fit Me Concealer in #20 Sand ~ This is a repurchase. I'd got the first one in the same shade from UK, and they are both the same.

Price: Rs.500

Color Show 3D Eyeshadow Palette in Rose Quartz Pink

Pom Pom Lovin'

Obsessed with it. 

Regret I don't have a handbag exactly like it.

To do the matching.

How do I NOT have a powder pink handbag?!

Wait. 

Just wait.

MAC Ariana Grande Viva Glam Lipstick Photos

Deep

Dark

Matte

Plum

How Many Beauty Products Do I Use In A Day?

Before you read this post, I'd like to tell you 5 things about my younger self:

1. One time, when I was a teenager, I had only Rs.150 in my pocket. I needed to spend it, of course. I bought a big heavy bottle of Peach Hair Conditioner. I think it was Herbal Essences, but I'm not sure. Now that was a time when we only used hair products that came in those 2-rupee sachets, so it was a big deal. I gave up Lassi & Puri Sabji at a popular joint for it. I went home (super hungry), and used it before attending a wedding. The tailor didn't stitch my dress that well and my shoes hurt like hell, but "I just used a pricey fancy conditioner....woohooo!!!"

2. (I've told this story before) When I was younger than, or about, 10 years old, my nanny gave me 5 rupees to buy my Mom a birthday present. I bought her a tiny lipstick. A green one. The kind that turns pink once applied.  She didn't use it at all, but that thrill of buying a lipstick? I remember. To this day, I remember the little local shop with charcoal-stained & broken wooden walls, it was hot, you couldn't enter the shop, you could only point at what you want, I remember standing on tip toes to talk to the shopkeeper & then running home super duper excited, I remember. 

3. I always looked forward to Sunday's Graphiti Magazine. Flipped it back to front, because first things first - The Beauty Tips section. Yes, I tried most, if not all, of them.

4. I used to love walnuts, I saved the shells, because I thought they looked too good to throw away. I didn't know what to do with them, but I had a feeling they were.... special. This was before my teens, so I knew nothing about walnut scrubs. Imagine older me finding 2 big packets of empty walnut shells on top of my textbooks in a cabinet!

5. Long before I could use makeup, meaning: school days, I applied Vaseline on my lashes to thicken & curl them. I'd pinch some lashes together - back then, just because. ← Beauty Hack right there.

What I wanted you to pick up from that is -

 I LOVE BEAUTY PRODUCTS! I ALWAYS HAVE!

Okay! Now you are ready to read the post  ;p

How many beauty products do I use everyday?

Skincare

Cleansing Gel(Morning)

Cleansing Oil(Night)

Cleansing Foam (Night)

Treatment Water

Serum

Ampoule

Essence

Moisturizer

Eye Cream (Day)

Eye Cream (Night)

Sunscreen

Sleeping Pack

Lip Balm Pot

Lip Balm Stick

(Total: 14)

Makeup

Foundation

Concealer (Undereye)

Concealer (Stick)

Facial Oil

Loose Powder

Compact Powder

Blush

Contour Powder/Bronzer

Eyeshadow Primer

Cream Eyeshadow

Powder Eyeshadows

Kohl

Mascara

Brow Pencil

Brow Gel/Clear Mascara

Lipstick

Lip Liner

Finishing Spray

Micellar Water (makeup remover)

(Total: 19)

Hair:

Shampoo

Conditioner

Hair Oil

Serum

Hair Spray

(Total: 5)

Body

Body Wash

Body Lotion

Body Butter

Body Oil

Sunblock

Hand Cream (Day)

Hand Cream (Night)

Perfume

(Total: 8)

Total Number of products: 46

♥

What's your number? 

I reeaallly want to know! =)

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OOTD: Tulip

I got a call the other day:

Caller: "Hello, I'm calling from Snapdeal. Can we deliver your order today?Will be there in 15 minutes."

Me: "Okay, but definitely come within 1 hour, coz I won't be home after that."

Caller: "Yes, yes, agent is on his way there now."

1 hour later: No package. So I call him.

Me: "Hello, I'm still waiting for you. Where are you?"

Caller: "Sorry, Madam?"

Me: "You're the one who called me earlier, right? From Snapchat?"....

...."I mean, from Snapdeal!"

 ♥

I'm not even on Snapchat! I don't even know what it's all about! But I keep seeing everybody else say "Follow Me On Snapchat", so let's blame them hehehe  =D

About the outfit: I'd been waiting half of winter to wear this tulip sleeve top! It matched a floral mini skirt I have perfectly, but I thought ~ Nah, let's wear pants. When was the last time they saw me in pants? ;p 

When You Find Your DREAM Jewelry Box.....

HELLO! I missed you :* =)

From a new location. Things have just started going back to normal - after moving house and Baby CZii getting sick and yada yada....

So I've found the only jewelry box I'll ever need, and if you've been reading my blog for a long time, you will know that that I'd been drooling over a jewelry organizer like this for 4 years! When I say it like that this feels like a reward =D

THE LAST TIME.....

You know what I absolutely love doing? Picking tomato seeds from tomato fried rice, which I make for Ziizayne. If I could, I'd make a whole bucket of tomato rice (with extra tomatoes, of course) and be at it all day. I'm serious! I enjoy picking little odd things out of little things.

You know what I absolutely hate doing? Packing & house moving. Today is the last day I'll be in this house. We're moving to a hotel tomorrow, and will be there until the work at our new place is done. Right now all I want is a back/head/leg massage.....and to sleep for a week.

Since I did a 'First Time' in this apartment post, I thought I'd do a 'Last Time' in it, as well.

If you read my First Time post, you will realize that we were greeted by a monkey & were also chased out by a (bigger) monkey =D (Read here)

Monkey menace aside, we decided to move to a smaller place. Until now, we were living in a 4BHK with 5 bathrooms (6 if we count the helper's quarter), and not only was it hard to maintain, it never felt cosy, and...I don't know, something or the other kept going wrong.

So we are moving to a 3BHK with only 3 bathrooms, where the rooms are much more compact.

MAC Runway Hit Retro Matte Lipstick ~ LOTD, Swatches

TATA - written behind most trucks in India.

From the time I was a kid until last year, I thought.... can you not look at me when I say this?...that...that it meant "Ta Ta. Bye Bye"! 

You know, like "Blow Horn" or "Use Dipper At Night" or "Have A Nice Day". I even saw "Please Keep Distense" not too long ago (I almost posted the pic on my Instagram and was gonna caption it: "...Or you'll be sintensed to death."  I'd deleted the pic from my phone, otherwise I would've sneaked it into this post.)

So...where was I?...so I just assumed TATA meant 'Bye Bye'. I also remember that as a little girl I'd mentally wave when I saw it. 

Sometime last year, while in the car, Mr.CZ and I were discussing cars (Yes, we've been together a long time.) and he mentioned TATA this, TATA that, TATA owns Jaguar. Suddenly....sudden-effin-ly-a-little-too-late....the tube light in a very very dusty, cobwebby corner of my head lit up! "Ohhhh....TATA = TATA Motors!!!" 

In my brain's defense, I would've added them up a long time ago, but then why would I be thinking about and looking at trucks anymore? I had my life to think about. Also, dem coot buoyz!

Okay, coming to the lipstick......

I always thought this lipstick was called Runaway Hit. Run-away Hit.

It was only until I was at a MAC store that I saw Runway Hit written at the bottom. I have to tell you that I wasn't at all interested in this lippie when it was first launched. Not until I swatched it. Fell in love with it, but it was out of stock. Made me want it even more. I got it only after the 3rd time I'd gone to ask for it!   

EOTD: Shimmer, Shimmer.....

Remember when I used to post EOTDs? 

Since I'm microblogging - so as not to lose the blogging mojo.....

Shimmer is NYX Roll On Shimmer in Almond (Available in India at Sephora)

Eyeshadow are from Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette.

False lashes are Ardell Luckies - shown here. I had a glue accident and it ruined the area close to the lashes slightly...grr.

This is my go-to party eye makeup, btw. Same style, I only change the colors and eyeshadows.

Bye! :*

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Secret Brush

Oval makeup brushes.

 Once frowned upon. Howww???, they did that hand gesture. Toothbrush, they mocked.

Yes, I was one of they. Until I decided to try of of said toothbrushes....

 The Etude House My Beauty Tool Secret Brush 121 Skin

What it is: It's s synthetic brush for applying cream products, as well as powder products - no hard rules here.

What I LOVE about it: The brush blends base products effortlessly. The sponge is like a polishing tool, because my skin looks like polished wood - what I mean is 'sheen' - after I give it a good buff with this & it makes all my pores non-existent.

 The only complaint I have is that when I'm using the sponge, it sometimes comes off because it doesn't fit into the handle tightly enough. 

Nail Polish Of The Week

Tell me, have you ever taken the time to correct a sales person's pronunciation?

Not Bow-doy. It's Boo-dwah.

Not Bow-joice. It's Boorj-wah 

(Bourjois - Every.time!)

No? Me neither! I think it's quite offensive when it's not a friend, family or anyone you know closely. Don't you think? 

This nail polish! <3 p="">

Pink with a mauve undertone. Perfect for everyday. 2 coats. Applies smoothly, dries quickly.