Jingle All The Way !! Merry Christmas !!

Book Review: The Diary Of A Young Girl, by Anne Frank

Anne Frank, a Jewish teenage girl is forced to go into hiding with her family during Nazi regime. Fortwo years they live in "Secret Annexe" the recluse named by Anne, with four other Jews. What starts with the chirpy and girly experiences of Anne, her diary graduates towards the hopes, yearning for freedom, teenage tiff with parents and gloom of a caged youth.
I have read about the World Wars in history classes during school and could only understand that the countries were fighting; some good some bad but never could have known the agony of children like Anne, their innocence and dreams torn apart by war and hatred. Her words changed my thoughts that there was no good or bad, but only suffering. Anne Frank was a brave young girl and her strength shines throughout the book. Her story should be known by all humanity.

Eyeliner: MAC, Lancome, Sephora, Bourjois, Chambor and Make Up For Ever

This is a compilation of all the eyeliners in my stash. Eyeliner, kajal and kohl are the first makeup item we get introduced to and in India, females can shun pretty much all makeup but her kajal and kohl. Eyeliners hold a very special place in defining those strong, beautiful Indian eyes.

from right: MAC Phone Number, MAC Feline, Sephora Deep Black, Lancome Noir, Bourjois Brun Inoxydable, Chambor Rosewood, MAC Gilded White, MUFE 12L

from top: MAC Phone Number, MAC Feline, Lancome Noir, Sephora Deep Black, Bourjois Brun Inoxydable, Chambor Rosewood, MAC Gilded White, MUFE 12L

from top: MAC Phone Number, MAC Feline, Lancome Noir, Sephora Deep Black, Bourjois Brun Inoxydable, Chambor Rosewood, MAC Gilded White, MUFE 12L

MAC Eye Kohl Phone Number is a grey-black eyeliner with fine silver shimmer. The color appears more like a line drawn by thick graphite pencil. It is a great everyday liner, not in your face black and defines the eyes. The texture is smooth, applies without tugging and the shimmer does not irritate eyes. Staying power is great and does not smudge until you try to. However with a thin brush you can easily create a smoky effect by pulling out the liner and smudging it.

MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil Feline is the blackest black kohl. It is my favorite and a renowned product in makeup. The black is deep and rich. It applies without tugging and the texture is sooty like the home made kajal. On lower lash line it stays for 3-4 hours, and smudges faintly. On upper lids, it stays all day long and can be used to create black smoky eyes.

Lancome Le Crayon Khol Noir is another black kohl. I use this liner most days of the year. It is a subtle black with such easy going texture, not powdery, not sooty, not creamy, all in proportion. It disappears fast so reapplication is must. Once I used it on upper lids,but it caused itching. On lower lash line I never had such problem. It completely washes off in water.

Sephora Flashy Liner Waterproof 10 Deep Black is a waterproof black eyeliner. It is rick black and the texture is creamy. This one is completely waterproof and can be safely worn in monsoons. Since I do not own liquid/ gel liners, this liner is used on upper lids and also to set other black liners. Staying power is all day long.

Bourjois Metallic Eyeliner 52 Brun Inoxydable is a waterproof bronze eyeliner. It is a bronze with golden shimmer. The color is superb, applies well and a creamy texture. Once set it would not budge, completely waterproof. Excellent for wearing at day or night. The effect on the eyes is soft and glowy. Through the day, the bronze color fades but the shimmer stays.

Chambor Eye Contour Pencil Kohl 03 Rosewood is a dark brown eyeliner. The color and texture is okay but the staying power, ughh, the worst. After an hour it disappears like you never used an eyeliner.Lets just leave this one here.

Mac Powerpoint Eye Pencil Gilded White is gold tinged white. The color appears off white with golden sheen. MAC Powerpoint pencils are creamy and waterproof. Pigmentation is also good and these pencils are waterproof. I use this on the inner corner of eyes to brighten them. Gilded White is from Surf Baby collection and therefore the liner is all pretty and printed.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes 12L is a waterproof metallic teal eyeliner. On eyes it appears blue tinged with green shimmer. Oh, it's a gorgeous color. It enhances the brown of my eyes. The texture is smooth but one needs to swipe it 3-4 times to bring out the true color. Once the color applies well, the eyes look vibrant, reminding of peacock feathers. The liner is almost climate proof , nothing would smudge it and even waterproof remover needs to swipe twice.

Recommendation - Except the Chambor one, all eyeliners mentioned above are good buys and absolutely recommended for basic makeup kit.

Lip liner: MAC Kiss Me Quick, Rimmel London Red Dynamite, Rimmel London Tiramisu

MAC Kiss Me Quick is a red lip liner from Pro Longwear Lip Pencil range. Kiss Me Quick is a red with blue tones and goes on quite deep red on lips. It applies well on moisturized lips and provides opaque color. Before applying any lip product, remember to have a light layer of lip balm on, it helps immensely. Now coming back, the texture is dry and becomes drier with time. On wearing the lip liner alone, the color stays for good 7-8 hours and does not transfer, so for myself, it is a longwear product. Underneath lipstick, it does not allow any feathering and increases the wear. That's what we want, right ?

Recommendation - Not to be worn alone but always in combination with lipstick / gloss. Kiss Me Quick goes specially well with blue base reds.

top to bottom: MAC Kiss Me Quick, Rimmel Red Dynamite, Rimmel Tiramisu

top to bottom: MAC Kiss Me Quick, Rimmel Red Dynamite, Rimmel Tiramisu

Rimmel London Red Dynamite 021 is a red lip liner from 1000 Kisses Lip Liner range. Red Dynamite is a clear red, no blues no yellows but red. It goes on opaque and the red brightens the face. The texture is smooth and not dry. The color does not stay long if worn alone and fades fast. Calling the range 1000 Kisses  does not match. Red Dynamite would go with both blue and yellow base reds.The packaging is the same red color as the pencil, so very easy to distinguish at the counters. When in hurry, one can wear this color mixed with lip balm  for few hours.


Rimmel London Tiramisu 050 is a nude lip liner from 1000 Kisses Lip Liner range. Tiramisu is a nude color and looks beige on lips. The color applies opaque but makes my dusky face look pale. Lighter skin tones can wear this shade as it is. The texture is creamy and better than Red Dynamite. The color does not stay long if worn alone and fades fast. The packaging is the same color as the pencil. This one is more like a contouring lip pencil and you have to have a nude lip pencil in stash.

Recommendation - Rimmel London lip pencils are good products which do not hurt the purse and the quality is a plus. You can easily wear these on a light shopping day. Underneath lipsticks, these does not allow any feathering. I really love both the shade names.

Lipgloss: MAC Lychee Luxe, Lancome Caprice, Lancome Crazy Clementine

MAC Lychee Luxe is a coral lipgloss with golden shimmer. The gloss imparts golden coral shine on the lips which look natural and fabulous. You could see the color on lips but not heavily pigmented. The way it shines on the lips, Lychee Luxe is suitable for summers. It is heavily scented and quite sticky. Staying power on myself is 3-4 hours.

Recommendation - The sticky texture does take away some glory from Lychee Luxe, but this is one gloss which should always be carried in the bag. Compliments heavy, neutral and even no makeup looks.

from top: MAC Lychee Luxe, Lancome Caprice, Lancome Crazy Clementine

Lancome Caprice 132 is a red lipgloss from L'Absolu Creme De Brilliance range. The red has blue undertones and enhances the natural pink of lips. Color applies the same as in the tube. The texture is creamy, non-sticky and soft. Its clear red with no shimmer particles. A faint sweet scent is there which is appealing. Staying power is great and stains the lips softly. On healthy lips, this gloss provides hydration for 5-6 hours. The packaging is a black cap and the tube is transparent showing the gloss color. Lancome rose signature is printed on the tube.
It could be used in various ways. Applying it heavily gives you glossy red lips, but I prefer it the way suggested on company website. After application of the gloss, I diffuse it with finger, stays longer and appears softer. Now here is one diva combination of this lipgloss with a red lipstick. Below Angelina Jolie wears a gorgeous red lip at Golden Globes 2012.

image source: temptalia

This could be achieved by a combination of Shiseido RD415 lipstick topped with Lancome Caprice lipgloss.  The key is to diffuse the gloss texture with the lipstick color. Although I do not know what she is really wearing, but still a try.

Lancome Crazy Clementine 100 is a coral lipgloss with light golden shimmer from La Laque Fever range. The coral pigmentation is great. Shimmer is light and does not affect the texture, it is non-sticky and soft. It has a sweet citrus scent. Staying power is good and when the color fades the lips still shine slightly. This range comes in opaque mirror type packaging with colored rim which is not the gloss color (mine has a red rim). MAC Lychee Luxe is a dupe of this color but nowhere near the quality.

Recommendation - Lancome glosses are quality purchase but somehow underrated in blogging. I would repurchase the same colors once finished.

Burberry Lip Cover Soft Satin lipstick

I received a sample of Burberry Lip Cover Soft Satin lipstick containing 4 shades - Blush no. 09, Nude Beige no. 01, Rosewood no. 04, Brick Red no. 19. Burberry does know how to make lipsticks which feel like second skin on the lips. All four colors are sheer and hydrating. Since the sample size is so small I can only apply with a brush which does not help in getting intense color. These are faintly scented but nice. The wear time is not great.

clockwise from top left: Blush, Nude Beige, Rosewood, Brick Red

Blush no. 09 is reddish pink and brings out the natural pink in your lips. One can wear this shade everyday with any look. It may look good on all skin tones. This was the first color I tried in this sample and it really looked beautiful. This is a favourite. I plan on buying the full size once available in India.

Nude Beige no. 01 is a beige shade which falls flat on my dusky skin tone. It could be used as to lighten the lip edges. Frankly this shade is for light skin tones.

Rosewood no. 04 is a brown with some shimmer. Again, this is an everyday color and makes the lips look natural, shiny and healthy. Colors like Rosewood and Blush are complete sellout.

Brick Red no. 19 is dark red. Since it leans brown on me, I do not use it alone. After applying a favourite red, I use this shade just on the middle of lips. This shade is only for winters, other times it’s too dark.

Recommendation - Burberry lipsticks are great and the packaging is classic. If you are a newbie to lipstick and can lighten your purse a bit, start with this range of Burberry.

MAC Crosswires and MAC Brave Red lipstick

The world of makeup is incomplete without MAC cosmetics. Although I do not blink an eye every time they launch a collection but passing by a MAC store does make me exclaim “Oh look, that’s a MAC store, what collection is on these days”.

Crosswires and Brave Red are cremesheen lipsticks of MAC permanent range. Cremesheen lipsticks glide easily on healthy lips and are quite hydrating. The color coverage is medium, not completely opaque in one shot and the texture is creamy. MAC lipsticks are scented.

Crosswires is a coral which looks pinker on lips. I find it suitable for spring and summer season when we wear light fabrics and bright colors in daytime. This shade settles on fine lines but is a wearable coral by all skin tones.

Brave Red is a scarlet red and imparts more opaque color than Crosswires. It completely justifies the cremesheen finish. Due to its medium intensity, it is an everyday red. For office you swipe directly on lips and then diffuse the color with finger. For the evening party you wear it full on. Somehow, this red is rarely discussed on blogs. While Crosswires is famous, Brave Red is underrated. Brave Red was my first MAC purchase and my first lipstick. A good memory.

Recommendation - Try Crosswires on a sunny day with white outfit. Brave Red is a great holiday color, grab it this winter for those endless parties.