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Beyond Lipstick & Kaajal

5 Takeaways from Korean/ Japanese Skin Care Routine

11/8/2017

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Korean, Japanese and most South East Asian Women are blessed with the best skin and they are equally aggressive with the maintenance of their genetic gift. A year in Japan and two in Singapore taught me a lot about this 'Asian' skincare routine. The  routine comprises of 10 steps... YES 10 STEPS done twice a day!! How impossible it could be for us when most of us are not able to follow the basic 3 step CTM (Cleansing-Toning-Moisturizing) routine! Skin care is made a significant part of daily routine from a very young age, while here we start thinking about our skin once we cross 30!!

Nevertheless, to educate ;) you all, let me tell you what this 10 step routine is
Makeup Removal- Cleanse- Exfoliate- Toner- Essence- Serum- Eye Cream- Moisturizer- Sun Protection/ Night Mask- Lip Balm

The significant part of this routine is Hydration, which plumps up the skin and makes it look younger. The other aspect is layering of products starting with lighter texture to heavier ones, which further aids in hydration.

Now, the important thing is how to incorporate this skin care routine in our life comfortably and believe me, it is not as difficult as it may sound. Let me share 5 significant steps that we can pick up from this routine along with some of my favorite products

1. Complete Makeup Removal- Most of us do not take off our makeup at night. This is one of the main reasons for skin breakouts and dullness. It is important to use an eye makeup remover to take off all traces of makeup from eyes. Use a q-tip to completely remove eye liner/kajal in between the lashes. I love L'oreal gentle eye and lip makeup remover and Maybelline Clean Express Total Clean Makeup Remover (Read my review here). After removing eye and lip makeup, one can use a cleansing milk/ cream/ water/ balm (as per your skin type) to take off makeup from the face. My current favorite here is Shu Uemura Ultime 8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil, which my husband got from Japan otherwise earlier I was using Bioderma Sensibio H2O, which is pretty good too.

​2. Toning- Often considered to be least significant step in skin care but it cleans the traces of cleanser from the skin and refreshes it. It is a must do step for skin hydration. My favorite toners are Rose water from Kama Ayurveda, Moisture Spray from Cinema Secrets and Kiehl's Iris Extract Activating Treatment Essence. You can always keep a bottle in your bag and can use as instant refresher during the day specially if you spend most of the day in Air conditioned environment.

3. Serum- Serum is something a lot of us are unsure of and don't know when and how to use it. I believe that serums are the magical portions that can change the way your skin is, drastically. These are basically light weight concentrates with loads of active ingredients, which penetrate easily into the skin and provide more intense treatment. These are loaded with hydrating agents and provide a boost of hydration to the skin. My favorites  are The Body Shop Oils of Life Intensely Revitalizing Facial Oil and Shu Uemura Tsuya Skin Youthful Vita-glow Activator. 

4. Sun Protection- This is usually the most neglected part of skin care routine. SPF of 15 is required daily indoors and outdoors. If you spend more time in sun, SPF of 35 is required and 50 for beaches and pools. I love to use Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Drytouch Sunblock 50.

5. Night Cream- Another skin care practice that is overlooked by most of us. Most of the women I've met always tell me that it is important for skin to breathe and hence nothing should be put on the skin at night. What I tell them is that the skin needs to repair and regenerate and our job is to provide the skin with nutrients that help this process. Night cream (also called Night Mask) is rich with skin regenerating ingredients. My favorite is Olay Regenerist Revitalising Night Cream Moisturiser.

Hope the post helps you to take your skincare game one level up and do share in comments if it makes any sense to you and motivates you to look after your skin.
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Dare to Wear Red- How to Wear A Red Lipstick

31/7/2017

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Hey Everyone,
I believe by now, you know which red is the red for you. If you don't know yet... Please read here.
So once you know your red... you must be wondering why this post on how to wear red lipstick? Just take the lipstick and apply on your lips... but it isn't as simple as that.

Let's understand what are the challenges while applying red or any dark colored lipstick-
  • Dry and chapped lips can make your lipstick look ugly
  • Red and other dark colors have a tendency to seep out from the lip line and stain
Keeping in mind the challenges, let's start with the 'correct' application of Red or any Dark colored lipstick
​
  • Exfoliate your lips. Dry and chapped lips can cause the lip colour to look cracked and flakey
  • Moisturize your lips atleast 10 minutes before the lip colour application or dab the excess with a tissue.  
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Scrubbed and Moisturized Lips
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  • Outline your lips with a lip pencil in same colour as of lipstick and fill in your lips with the same. I have used Colorbar lip liner in Clear Red 001. Filling the lips with lip liner makes the lipstick stay longer and also will prevent the lipstick to seep out from edges.
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Lips outlined with Lip Liner
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Lips filled with same lip liner
  • Use a lip brush to apply lip stick on your lips. This ensures even application.
  • Apply some concealer on the outline of the lips to give a perfect finish and also to correct mistakes if any. 
  • Dab some clear lip gloss in the centre for added sheen
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After lipstick application and concealer outside
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Lip gloss in the centre of lips
Some Tips 
  • It is always better to use a creamy lipstick that will keep the lips moisturized and prevent any flaking.  
  • If you prefer matte lipstick, moisturizing becomes more important.
  • For day time or work wear, keep your eyes neutral with red lips. 
  • For evening or dressy occasion, go for winged liner or smoky eyes with red lips. 
  • Keep the eye palette to neutral or go for greens if you want a little bolder look.

Hope this helps you all to rock Red Lipstick

Do share your views on your favorite red lipstick and if you have some interesting tips on application!
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Dare to Wear Red- The Perfect Red Lipstick

29/7/2017

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Hey Everyone!
As much as I love red on my nails,  I am equally fond of red on my lips and in clothes and hair (Yes hair too! Will post some pics soon)
I have a huge stash of red lip colors, which I love wearing whenever possible but feel kinda sad when people specially my clients come and tell me that they don't like wearing red mostly because they think it is very loud, looks made up, not sure of which red and so on.  
So, I came up with an idea of this series of post "Dare to wear Red" where I'll try to answer all the problem areas. And what could be a better day to talk about Lipsticks, other than the National Lipstick Day, that we are celebrating today! And moreover, M.A.C is offereing a lipstick free on purchase of two lip products. If you can't go to a M.A.C store, shop online on Nykaa
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Image Source- www.lovethispic.com
Red lips spell classy, dramatic, sexy and confident all the same time. But, most of us are hesitant to wear red lipstick, fearing that it makes us feel older, too dramatic or made up or over-the-top.
The fact is that one can wear a red lip colour anytime in the day, for any occasion and with any skin tone; the trick is to find the shade which is ‘THE RED’ for you!

​Find the Perfect Red
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Image Source- glamourdaze.com
 Finding the perfect red depends on your skin undertone and the intensity of your complexion.
Here’s a list of reds to go with your skin complexion:-
  • Pink undertones, light complexion - Coral reds, reds with orange tone
  • Yellow undertone, light complexion - Wine reds or reds with blue tones
  • Light complexion - Use lipsticks with sheer and shiny finish
  • Medium complexion of any undertone- Use true reds or red with pink tones, with shiny or matte finish
  • Olive skin - Rich crimson reds with matte finish
  • Deep/ Dark complexion - Blue or brown based Reds with matte finish
Understanding your skin tone to find the red lip colour can work very well and you’ll never hesitate again to wear red.

​Next in this series- How to wear Red Lipstick! Keep a lookout!
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What's your favorite Red Lipstick? Do share in comments
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Get Summer Ready- Skin Care

31/3/2017

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It is just the beginning of April and it already seems like we are well into summers, into cool and airy clothes, into the water pools, sipping cold drinks and ofcourse trying to beat the heat. Summer, although is fun in some ways but believe me trying to protect yourself from the heat and the problems that come along with the heat can be a big task. To ease your job to some extent, here we are with some tips for summer to take care of your skin and body
  • Stay Hydrated- Drink as much water as possible to prevent your body from dehydration. Drink cooling juices like watermelon without adding sugar. Also avoid taking a lot of tea or coffee as it can lead to dehydration. Other cooling summer drinks include mango panna, kokum sharbat, lassi, thandai, lime juice etc.
  • Cleanse your face twice a day using a water or gel based cleanser to get rid of all the sweat, dirt, oil etc. If you have excessively dry skin, then go in for a cream based cleanser.
  • Use a Toner after cleansing the face. The most effective and cooling toner is the rose water. Toner helps to close the pores and keep the skin cool. Decant some rosewater into a spray bottle and keep in refrigerator overnight and spray it on your face after cleansing. You may keep the bottle in your bag and use it throughout the day.
  • Moisturize- Summer does not equate to no moisturizer. Even though the skin tends to get sweaty and oily, a water based light moisturizer is a must in summers too. This helps to keep your skin hydrated. 
  • Sun Protection- Sunscreen is a must have in summer. Make sure it is broad spectrum formulation to protect from both UVA and UVB rays and the SPF should be 30 or more. Apply sunscreen atleast 30 minutes before going out in sun and reapply after every 3-4 hours depending on the exposure. If you are going to spend longer hours in the sun or are on the beach make sure to apply SPF 50. 
  • Exfoliation- Exfoliating the skin to remove dead cells become even more important in summer as it also helps to take off the tanned skin.
  • Lips- Lips usually get too dry in summer and a layer of dry skin is formed. To keep your lips soft and supple in the scorching heat, exfoliate them with a lip scrub or a mixture of coarse sugar and lemon juice and use a lip balm with SPF 15 if you are going out in the sun.
  • Feet- Although summer let you wear your strappy and open footwear but that often brings along the problem of dry feet. Scrub of dead skin every day or atleast alternate days and apply foot cream to make your heels summer ready for open sandals. Make your pedicurist your best friend and meet her every fortnight. 
  • Sunburn- In case of excess sun exposure or sun burn, apply aloe vera gel to soothe the skin.
  • Tan Removal- A homemade pack can be used all over the body to get rid of tan. Mix besan with yoghurt and lemon juice. Apply on the tanned areas and let it dry. Once dried, scrub it off and wash with water.
  • Cooling Face pack- Mix half of grated cucumber with one tablespoon of yoghurt. Apply on your face and wash off after drying. While the pack is on, put cotton pad soaked in rosewater on your eyes to soothe them.
  • Diet- Eat lots of fruits and food rich in Vitamin A, C and E and Antioxidants. All the summer fruits like watermelon, muskmelon, along with tomatoes, berries, bell pepper etc. must be consumed. 



How are you getting Summer ready? Do share in comments
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P.S.- Do keep a lookout for our next post on Summer Makeup Tips!
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