Five Different Winged Eyeliner Looks

Hiya ladies !

Hope you're having an excellent start to the week ! I must tell you mine has been dramatic. As in not too much drama but more like big changes coming my way :)

I also had a dramatic brow makeover yesterday with Christi Harris !! It was so much fun ! Cant wait to share my before after pics.


My latest story for Vogue India is on five different ways of creating a winged eyeliner and the effect it has on our faces. You can read all about it here. Lemme know how you like it and if you are all for trying any of these looks ! I have a few more winged eyeliner inspirations - will have them on the blog very soon !

Love,
Indian Girl

Winging It Retro

Thanks to this eyeliner, a winged eyeliner look has never been easier to create . My lines are crisp, dark and most of all - easy !


I didn't want anything too loud to go with the winged liner - the liner was loud enough for me. So I reached for my Pixi Eye Beauty Kit - Bittersweet Cacao ($28). The packaging reminds of a watercolors kit I had as a kid. I was never good with water colors but I know my sister and I loved that kit.

This adult version has eight satin, medium pigmented shadows. It is great for times when you don't need anything too colorful and are looking for just enough to look polished. I applied a bit of peach all over the lid and added a hint of brown along the crease. The white eyeliner is one from New York Color - N.Y.C($3)



I love how it turned out ! But all being said, $28 is something I will think twice about before indulging. If you are looking to explore Pixi Beauty at Target, you must check out their youtube channel here. There are many How To videos that'll not just teach about creating different looks but more so will help us decide what will work for us !



Love,
Indian Girl

How To Correct Dark Circles ?

Every morning we wake up and we see our faces in the mirror. We do this every single day of our lives and somewhere through it all we get to know our faces. For me, I know the cut above my eyebrow, a few leftover scars from chicken pox , the red dot on my nose, the mole on my chin and a couple others. I know these well enough that when I look at the mirror they blur out and my eyes see an overview of my face. And I like the face that looks back at me. I'd like to think I know it well.

But somewhere along all this back and forth with my mirror, the overview just got zoomed out so much I failed to notice a lot more things. We all go through this - we overlook a few things here and there and then one day - Bam ! You realize the face you see in the mirror is very different from what others see.


I hadn't noticed the dark circles until I took a picture of myself for the blog. Dark circles are notorious for making one look stressed out, dull, tired and unhappy. I wasn't feeling any of those things but my dark circles decided to make an appearance getting me the " Are you okay ?'s"

Raise your hand if this sounds familiar to you.

I use concealers regularly and found a few that work well for me. At least they did for the me I was seeing. But it wasn't till I took this after picture that I realized I looked so different. There was a marked brightness. Like my eyes that were hibernating two inches behind my face were suddenly out and bustling with happiness. Like someone had reached in and pulled them out. They were no longer hiding behind a hollow dark space. I looked so different even to my own eyes. Eyes that see me every single day.


The Orange Dark Circle Primer

This is what I had used - The Khuraira Dark Circle primer + Khuraira Age Control Concealer. Since then I have tried the primer with couple of my other favorite concealers and they seem to do this pulling out and shine through thing very well. The real star is here was the bright orange dark circles primer. I understand why they chose to call it a primer - you apply it (sparingly) on your dark circles prepping them for concealer. The more common term for it is a corrector. I have seen a few correctors but none this strong. On using it I also realized why so many readers write to me saying the very popular Bobbi Brown correctors weren't doing much for them. I guess we just need a strong dose of correction.


Why Orange ?

After trying the product I requested for a mini interview with the founder, Khuraira to ask a couple of basic questions - Why orange and what does this do ? She told me it helped by "neutralizing discolorations through the breakdown of the blue caused by broken capillaries. Worn under your concealer, this prevents the darkness from penetrating through". The last few words resonated with me - the one about not letting the darkness seep through. That is what was going wrong for many of us - our concealers just weren't designed to be strong enough to make a barrier of sorts.

Left - dark circle primer applied directly over skin. Right - Smashbox HD Concealer (medium) applied over the dark circle primer

Reasons Behind Dark Circles

This article here from the New York Times speaks about how finding a remedy for dark circles is one of beauty industry's top concern today. The reason for a relative lack of success in this field, I think could be the myriad of reasons that lead to dark circles - everything from hormonal changes, obesity, diabetes, stress, lack of sleep, alcohol can lead to dark circles. But for many of us, it doesn't end there - " Chronic dark circles, dermatologists say, is excess pigmentation in the skin. Dark circles are prevalent on all skin colors and types, but they especially trouble African-Americans, Southeast Asians and Southern Italians " .

Its in (some of ) our genes now ? I guess with that I can just about forget a cure for dark circles. My only option for now, is to slather stuff on to make them invisible. For now I am happy I found this heavy duty corrector for my industrial strength dark circles. With this I now join the league of stars like Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Karina Smirnoff (Dancing with the Stars) and Nicole Scherzinger who at one point or another have depended on this product to get rid of that nasty stuff called dark circles.

Other Choices

Since trying this corrector I did some research and found a few other brands that make orange color correctors - Georgia Armani Master Corrector, NYX Orange Corrector, MAC Pro Studio Finish Skin Corrector , Laura Mercier Under Eye Perfector. These are a few options other than the one from Khuraira that I tried. If you have had a history battling dark circles and havent been satisfied with anything yet - I'd highly recommend finding one of these bright orange correctors and giving them a try. Chances are you'll love what it does !


Argh, all this depressing talk about you know what. Time to go grab some oatmeal raisin cookies.

Oh make that cup cakes with cream cheese frosting. Whoz comin along ?

No. Wait.

Heaven forbid, donuts.

Wait - donuts - obesity - dark circles. Dadgummit. It keeps coming back.

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.

LA Splash Liquid Eyeliner - Abyss : Review & Swatches

For the longest time now I've been fixated on finding a liquid eyeliner that gives the wet look. You know, like the eyeliner is forever wet looking though it actually is dry and will not smudge. Turns out a liquid eyeliner with teeny tiny silver reflects has the power to create an illusion of a moist eyeliner.

And I found all that for $6.99 (or less) with the LA Splash Liquid Eyeliner in Abyss.



Abyss is a black eyeliner with microscopic silver reflects. No glitter here, at least not in this shade. It is nothing like the Urban Decay Glitter Eyeliners. I'd say they are more on the lines of MAC Super Slick Eyeliners and can give it a run for its money any day ! The product comes in a really tall packaging. Most of the height is from the application wand. The brush is tiny and sharp - perfect to create defined, precise lines. Dry time - a mere few seconds ! Over all - a spotless record.

Check this out -

Round 1 : Super thin dainty line



Round 2 : Thick ferocious line



I've seen LA Splash at some of the Sally Beauty Supply stores. If you don't have one nearby you can check out their products on their website here

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.

We've Got A Situation

and we put it to rest. Err...test.


Love,
Indian Girl

Smashbox Masquerade Collection - Fall 2010 : Review & Swatches

I've never been to a Masquerade party. Never been invited to one.

Besides shouldn't you be friends with the Ambassador of Italy or the Queen of England for that ?

Even if I were to be invited I wouldn't have the faintest clue on what I should wear or how I should dress up for it. If the Smashbox Masquerade Collection is any clue looks like the recurring look would be one of soft pink cheeks and lips, paired with dark seductive mysterious eyes.


The Masquerade Eye Shadow Palette($35) is no doubt the queen of this ball. The sleek navy blue metallic compact houses nine mega pigmented satin eye shadows that blend in mere seconds to create several different looks. Plus the taupe shade on the top right could substitute for your eyeshadow powder in a pinch. The swatches will speak for how dense the shades are - absolutely packed with color.



The Lip Enhancing Gloss in Disguise ($19) is true to its name. The moment I laid eyes on it, I thought it was the most delicate yet fierce shade of pink I'd ever seen. With the gold flecks it does look like a winner. But none of that translates onto my lips when worn on its own. It could be any other golden pink lip gloss. But it does have a certain knack of adding life to otherwise dull matte lipsticks.



Here I have it over CG Simply Ageless Blush in Lush Berry.

Next up - The Baked Fusion Soft Lights Palette in Fusion ($32). Light , fair, medium , olive skin tone ladies, repeat after me - Hallelujah. Since I didn't get any sun this summer, I am quite excited about this highlighter. Its a frosty soft pink that when applied to the higher planes of my face gives a gorgeous frosty glow. With a bit of contouring I might be able to pull off the high cheek bones structured face.

I love frosty highlighters in fall / winters but not in summer. If I had managed to get a shade or two darker I wouldn't have been as excited about this. On my darker skin it would have just looked like a patch of white frost running down my nose or the sides of my face. When I'm darker I prefer more of a golden / bronzy highlighter than a frosty pink one. The Baked Fusion Soft Lights in Starburst would be my ideal pick for darker skin.

Overall - the eyeshadow palette is a must must have for fall - $35 well spent. The mystic, dark shadows are sure to get your eyes noticed - Masquerade ball or not .

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.

Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia Collection : Review & Swatches

This fall collection from Estee Lauder is all about mysterious blues, purples and the dreamy effects they bring to our eyes. The main attractions of this collection to me are the palettes - Blue Dahlia and Surreal Violet. I tried out the Blue Dahlia palette ($40) and believe me it is every bit as stunning as the model Hillary Rhonda makes us believe it is.

The Blue Dahlia palette houses five eye shadows in a sophisticated Estee Lauder trademark golden compact. I am a sucker for golden packaging. The five shadows are medium pigmented with very soft blendable textures that make mixing and shading a breeze. Its all about soft sophistication, no over the top colors.

The shades include

- a pearl white with tiny blue flecks
- a satin sea blue
- a shimmery deep blue
- a satin taupe
- a matte black



The satin taupe and the sea blue are my two favorite shades. But the pearl white with blue flecks is just as gorgeous. Overall a dream of a palette from Estee Lauder. I'm now off to try the look. Its a bit cloudy here but if it clears up I'll take pictures and have em up ! This is the face chart I'll be following.

Shade 4 over entire lid as base. Blend.
• Shade 3 to frame the eye:
- Start at crease, extend above and out to outer corner.
- Define and blend into outer corner.
- Extend down under lower lashes. Blend.
• Shades 5 and 1 blended together. Apply over inner 2/3 of lid.
• Shade 1 as liner along lashline.
• Shade 2 blended over liner at upper lashline. Blend out into outer corner.

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.

Jessica Alba 's Makeup At The' Killer Inside Me' - Paris Premiere

Jessica Alba looked so edgy & chic at the Paris Premiere of her movie Killer Inside Me. The hair was a bit too high for me but really I am no Hollywood star. I could leave my house with the oiliest, flattest hair tied together with a blue scrunchie and nobody would mind.

I say that from experience.

Back to hotter topics - Alba.

Check out the makeup, y'all ! Love the bronzy sultry look. If you love it too I have THE perfect candidate to recommend to help you master the look - The LORAC Little Black Palette. It was made to go with the LBD !


The palette comes with four metallic baked eye shadows and a mini Behind The Scenes eyeshadow primer. The four shades include a champagne, a nude bronze, deep bronze and a deep brown. It retails for $32 (a $72 value!) at Sephora, ULTA, LORACcosmetics.com, Sephora.com and ULTA.com. LORAC also is having a 40 - 80% off sale on Hautelook so check them out. Sale ends - 7/ 10/2010.

In Other News

What's on your nails ? I've been wearing orange since the start of summer. Took a break with pink in between and no polish for few weeks but now I'm back on orange. This one here is Jancyn by Zoya. Isnt she super pretty !

Love,
Indian Girl

Covergirl Liquiline Blast Eye Liner Pencil : Review & Swatches

*****Update : New pictures added. Scroll down for eye makeup look with the eyeliners !*****

New drugstore eyeliners folks !!

New drugstore eyeliners in gorgeous shades !

New drugstore eyeliners in six gorgeous shades, creamy textures for $7.99 !


The new Covergirl Liquiline Blast Eye Liner Pencils follow in the colorful foot steps of the CoverGirl Smoky Shadow Blast Shadow Sticks as in each eyeliner pencil was made to match one of the shadow stick shades. The pencils are soft, apply like a dream, have good color pay off and come with a smudger tip a one end.

I'd rather call it eraser tip - in fact an eraser makes it more interesting to me. The eraser tip is a super handy tool for the winging obsessed. Sometimes you wing it too far and during such times you can use the eraser tip to lightly shorten the wing and voila things start to look much better !

I tried three shades

Brown Blaze - a creamy simple dark brown. My favorite of the three. It has the best staying power along the waterline. I love wearing this with deep green mascara - total tree hugger combination but looks fantastic !


Violet Voltage - Very pretty deep violet. Surprisingly looked great against my NC40 tan skin and brown eyes.
Green Glow - electric metallic green. Love love love. I wear this along the waterline and the brown along upper and lower lash line - the contrast is to die for ! But stay time along waterline is minimal - say 2-3 hours. Reminds me of Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Mildew.

These three shades are good. They really are but then there is one more super mega delicious shade that I simply must have. That divine thing is called Silver Spark - a metallic dark gray which could pass off as gray taupe. And I love gray taupe.

The other two shades are Black Fire and Blue Bloom. I don't know anything about them. But come July my CVS will start stocking these and I will start emptying the store of these.

Overall I am very impressed and these are my new fave to recommend !

Eye Makeup Look With Brown Blaze

Here I have on brown blaze along the lower waterline. And Estee Lauder Color Bold Volume Lifting Mascara in Emerald on my lashes. You'd think the green'll look garish but nope. It looks just as soft as any other mascara - you can even wear it work ! And man, do they make brown eyes look browner !



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.

Rimmel Glam Eyes Mono Eye Shadow : Review & Swatches

As part of their Spring/ Summer Collection Rimmel released six gorgeous shades of Glam Eyes Eye shadows.

According to Rimmel "This soft, silky formula delivers bold, brilliant and glamorous eyes with even, smooth, crease-proof application and high color impact. Lavishly pigmented for longwearing, stay true color, the pressed powders are embossed with Rimmel London’s signature crown and housed in a glamorous black compact."

For the most part everything they promise is true - the colors are brilliant, silky formula, neat packaging , costs only $3.50 each, is crease proof and lasts a while ! The shades include

Glam Ice - shimmery pearly white
Spicy Bronze - shimmery bronze
Posh Peacock - shimmery blue
Night Jewel - shimmery black
Royal Violet - satin lavender
Celestial Sapphire - matte deep blue

The shimmery shades have a lot more color pay off that the matte / satin ones and are the nice shimmer kind. No gritty messy glitter - just a soft formula that applies well and stays long. My most favorite of the bunch were Spicy Bronze and Night Jewel - oh these two together will create magic on your eyes. Perfect for summer - day / night ! If you arnt tired of my bronzy / brown looks yet - I'd love to show how I wear these. Would you like to see em ?

Overall, I love the shades, like the formula a whole lot and adore the price ! Make sure you get the shimmery ones.



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.

Hard Candy Hot Smudge - Review & Swatches

At first glance its hard to miss how much these look like the Urban Decay Ink For Eyes Eyeliners. But I'm gonna throw this out there right away - I like these better than Ink For Eyes.


For starters the Hard Candy Hot Smudge comes with two shades and only costs $6. I tried Rebel - a bright blue and a clear primer with hint of sparkles. The brush that comes with the product is all I use. It is great to draw even a very thin line. The liner itself has a creamy texture but not very ultra creamy like Ink For Eyes. Those ultra creamy ones smudge and are not good for liner purposes. But this one works perfectly well as a liner and as a base for shadows.

They didn't smudge or touch my crease like the Urban Decay ones did. This is good stuff , man.



Overall for $6 this is so worth trying. Plus they are sold at Walmart - if you don't like the shade you tried you simply return it with the receipt. But take it from me - chances are you will only be going back to get more !

Love,
Indian Girl