The Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion Review

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I had been looking for a really good exfoliator for myself. My face tends to dull way to quickly and much too often.  My mom had been bugging me for ages to get something awesome and finally she got body shop’s Vitamin E cream exfoliator which I told her to return asap since none of the Vitamin E line of products have worked for me and honestly it wasn’t even apt  for the reason I  wanted.   So well, in the end I was stuck with changing the scrub and got myself Vitamin C microdermabrasion.  And oh my my, the instant difference I noticed made this every penny worth paying for!

Since the exfoliating granules are ‘micro’ as goes by the name, I find the process of exfoliating my face takes longer than usual as it would have with other exfoliators.  I haven’t had a professional microdermabrasion treatment, so I can’t really compare with the results. But I am pretty satisfied with what this product does to my skin. I like its creamy texture with the tiny yet dense granules which do their best job. This version of the product was reformulated with 10 times more content of Camu Camu which is why this product works!  

Likes  

•   Instant product to lift up and give that radiant glow to my exceedingly dull face.
• The tiny sand-like granules helps in evening skin tone leaving the skin with a super smooth texture.
• Stimulates new skin cells renewal.
• Great alternative to those expensive microdermabrasion treatments which not everyone can afford. 
•   Shea butter is incorporated as one of the main ingredients which thankfully leaves the skin moisturized.
•  Little goes long way. Will last for atleast 8-9 months if used once every week.
•  I have seen people complaining about the packaging but I love it. Orange is amongst my fav colors. Just seeing the bright tube kind of cheers my mood. The tube is not too flimsy to break easily. I have travelled with this lovely and it’s survived without any leakage or breakage.
• Personally, I like the smell. It has a zesty citrusy scent.  Not too overpowering neither too trivial to get unnoticed. 

See the tiny granules right there? 

Dislikes

•  Price wise it’s a bit on the heavier side (atleast in Dubai!) I got it for around 70-80AED.  
•  Not meant for overly sensitive skin.

I strongly recommend this product to everyone.  Go ahead and purchase, you won’t be disappointed :)

Rating: 4.75/5

xoxo

It’s Not Called TOPSHOP for Nothing!

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Missing out the fun in London Fashion Week? Me, too!! But guess what?? Topshop in collaboration with Grazia ME gave us Middle East bloggers a chance to attend the London equivalent of the Topshop ‘Unique’ Fashion show on 20^th September at the Topshop store in Dubai Mall to give us a quick glimpse of the latest items going to hit the store along with styling tips for this upcoming season. 

As we entered, we were given this style card to be filled to enter a competition to win a new Topshop wardrobe to the value of Dhs.1000 which was won by Alanoud Badr from Fashion Gossip and Nadia Hassan from Fierce Diaries. Nadia’s number one fashion rule: The rule is…..There is NO RULE! Comfort is the key. I was really impressed by Alanoud’s answer; ‘Wear the dress, don’t let the dress wear you.’ 

Image Source

Advice on this season’s most-wanted styles & looks by Elaine Greenshields, Editor in chief:

Rebellious dressing: Remember the teddy boys back in the 50’s? Expect the androgynous outifts inspired by aspects of the 1950s teddy boy era! The modern take of it, mostly monochrome, perfectly tailored, the definitive boy meets girl look with lots of brogues, unfitted blazers, shirts and bow ties is hot this season!

Polka Dots: Yes, they are back!! Again they should be little bit monochromic, should give a feminine feel in the way they are incorporated.  

Naomi Chadderton (Jr.Fashion Editor), rocking the polka dots! She also got to style both the winners of the competition at the end.

Prim & Polished:  Look forward to this trend consisting lady like demure of girly printed floral tops & tea dresses in the lovely autumnal colors.   

A look which Charlotte was working (Head of PR & Marketing at Grazia) with a floral top.

 Glam Rock: Don this rockstar look with appropriate leather textured pieces giving that edge to this look. Make the most of it! Play with feather, sequins and silk and transform to few celeb looks too! A shimmering smoky eye paired with skinny leather trousers and textured hair is ultimately rock. 

 Rachel Ingram pulling off this look with skinny leather trousers from Topshop and slightly slouchy oversized jumper.  

Other tips & tricks for the season ahead:

Add the accessory: This can transform your look in an instant. Have a look at Elaine’s neckpiece which is a gorgeously pretties up her black slit dress.

Pencil Leather Skirts: They are very in this fall! They look less of the seductive librarian look and more of smart and classy.  

Image Source

Elaine Greenshields, Editor in chief, Grazia Middle East

The event was very well organized which was followed by a Q & A round from us bloggers. I was really impressed by how each Grazia staff rocked the most wanted looks of this season wearing Topshop pieces.

Simone Heng wearing this lovely Ushi Sato dress.

 The tempting cupcakes which I forgot to eat! :(

What were we left with at the end of the event?

 A 25% discount to the VIP invitees; too bad I was in a hurry to leave so couldn’t make use of it:( will have to make do with the 10% student discount only. A lovely goodie bag with these goodies! And Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode stuck in my head~

Thank you Topshop, Grazia, Elaine & Rachel for this lovely event!

xoxo

Dubai Fashion Week - Media Launch 2011

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I was lucky enough to bag myself an entry to the Dubai Fashion Week Cocktail Party; thanks to my fellow makeup and beauty blogger Zeeba!! I finally got to meet her after 6 months of planning :P 
 

Anyhow, getting to the event this media launch was held at The Monarch Dubai on 14^th September, 2011.Dubai Fashion Week is one of the most extravagant events of the region bringing together the major stakeholders of the fashion design industry.  

 The local castings for models were already held earlier and covered by Zeeba here.This was hardly a one hour event where initially food and drinks were served as goes by the name cocktail party ;)

 Simone Heng (RJ of 104.4 Virgin Radio) with Simon Lock, CEO of The Lock Group, Australia/ Hongkong who is also the Creative Designer for DFW 2011. 

Simon Lock, creative designer has done top fashion shows, North America, Australia, London and other places around the world.  He announced that there are going to be 16 international models joining this season fresh from New York.

Simon introduces Troy Daniel as the official technical director of DFW 2011. Troy has designed and directed the lighting for hundreds of live, large scale trade shows, product launches, award shows, corporate parties, rock concerts & press conferences. 

We can trust Troy Daniel’s expertise of setting the media projection in such a way to bring alive the show. There are going to be 30 shows in a span of 5 days. Every show will have individual creativity. 

  Official Fashion Designers of DFW

This is an exciting opportunity for local designers to showcase their talent. Mr. Simon showed lots of encouragement towards our Emirati designers from UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, and Lebanon along with designers from India and Pakistan. 

Dubai Fashion Week SS2012 runs from October 20-24 2011 at The Arena Dubai World Trade Centre. Support DFW!

Opening Ceremony – 19^th October 2011

Sponsor for this event – M.A.C

xoxo

Giveaway Winner!!!

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Missed me much? Well, I have been really busy lately traveling the past few months with my family which is why I have been MIA. Anyway, I am back again in Dubai and before I start posting regular beauty posts,I think its high time I announce my winners right :P I have been getting lots of emails asking me that too. I sincerely apologize for the lack of posts in case any of you thought I am dead :P

But before announcing the winner, I would really like to thank each and every person who voted for me in all the different ways. THANK YOU MY LOVELY FOLLOWERS!! It really made a lot of difference even if I didn't win :) Also, I loved reading your beauty tips and suggestions. Of all the entries, 601 were valid entries. Using random.org, my first winner isss....

 

Shruti

and the 2nd winner is....

Sweetshenangians

 

Congrats Ladies!! I will be contacting you today. Please respond to me within the next 48 hours :)

Summer Love ♥ : The Face Shop Color Base Sun Cream SPF42 PA++

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I got this around 3 months back when I went for an interview. Well the interview went crap but atleast I got to venture into the lovely products by the brand ‘The Face Shop’. It’s a Korean brand of cosmetics. I first fell in love with Korean brands when my dad got me the ‘Sulwhasoo’ cream, balancing emulsion and toner set (review coming soon!!).  While venturing I checked out Skin Food too, but I found it too expensive for a south asian brand. Anyhow, talking about The Face Shop, I think they are more famous for their BB creams (I still have no idea what they actually are so do enlighten me if you know).

 I wanted a base for my makeup, so while checking out their outlet I saw this on the shelf and got intrigued instantly. Honestly, during the past 3 months of intense humidity and torture by the sun, my skin has survived only & only due to this lovely 30ml tube of color base sun cream! I love the concept of it being both a makeup base as well as a sunscreen so that I don’t need to lather two different products twice and make the texture of my skin look heavy.

Shade: Natural

Price: Dhs49 (around $13)

Why I absolutely love this product?

• Extremely lightweight - Despite it working as both a sun cream and makeup base, it’s not at all thick or oily. So I assume it will work for oily skin too. I have a combination skin with oily T-zone & dry skin.

• Long lasting sun protection - It has double protection mechanism, first by Reflecting and diffusing UV rays, then by Absorbing UV rays. Normally I do get quite tanned however this time I am not as much as I would have expected. So I guess that’s a good thing right?
• Evens out and brightens skin tone without looking unnaturally white unlike other sunscreens which leave behind a whitecast which makes you look super ghostly!!

 

• Worth the price & quantity. $13 for a 30ml product which can be used for 3 months is pretty reasonable.
• The Face Shop (atleast in Dubai) has this awesome offer for life where if you buy products worth Dhs150 even if not at once but if you save your receipts and show them you have previously purchase products worth that much they give you a 10% discount on your next purchase and make you a member. Ain’t that great? Which is why I still have saved my receipt :D

Why you might not like this product?

•  Despite containing natural extracts of Pongamia, sunflower seeds and aloe, it contains parabens.  Check out the picture of the entire ingredient list and do let me know if you think any other ingredient is harmful for skin too. 

Rating: - ♥♥♥♥♥ 4.5/5

xoxo

Avon Nailwear Pro Nail Enamels Review, Swatches & Dupes

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Recently, I got tonnes of nail enamels from Avon (well not really tonnes, but loads!!) since they were having an offer of buy 2 nail enamels at the price of one. So I picked up 6 different shades and paid for only 3 nail enamels. Yayy!! Since I am not much of a nail polish fan, I decided to plunge into varieties so ended up taking 3 brighter shades which I will be wearing quite often in summers and 3 darker shades just because I was tempted to get them :P

What Avon says about these polishes?
• Upto 10 day wear

• High gloss, wet-look finish with long-lasting color

• Salon-quality precision brush

Price: Around $8 for every 2 polishes.
Quantity: 12ml

My Experience with these pro enamels
Obviously for me, personally I though some colors were absolutely beautiful as compared to others but each and every shade I found to be a gem in itself. If you are an avid reader of nail polish/art blogs or a nail polish blogger yourself, I am sure at some point of time you might have heard someone rave about Avon’s pro range of enamels and believe me it’s worth every bit of it!! Usually, nail polishes do not last long on my nails. I need touch ups every 2 days but this thing lasted amazingly for 6 days without any touch up required that too without a top coat!! As true to its claims, it’s so glossy that I don’t even need to use a top coat. Just 2 coats of the desired polish along with a base coat works wonders. 
Now let’s have a look at the lovely colors I picked up:

NOTE: Please ignore the sloppy application. I was just too sleepy!

Green with Envy: It is a very dark forest green. It looks almost black in dim light, but in daylight or under strong light, it gives a hint of green.
Dupe: Sephora by OPI – Dark Room

Peppermint Leaf: My most fav shade out of the lot!! I was searching for a similar shade since long and chanced upon this!! It is a very pastel shade of mint green unlike Barry M’s Mint Green which is much brighter compared to this.
Dupe: Essie Greenport & China Glaze- For Audrey.

Midnight Plum: It’s a deep plum color with slight hints of burgundy. This is how it looks with one coat. However, it starts looking almost black with 2 coats. It looks a lot closer to OPI Lincoln Park After Dark when 2 or more coats are applied. Otherwise it looks closer to OPI Yes…I Can-Can just without any shimmer in one coat. A single coat can make such a drastic difference!!!

Deluxe Chocolate:  It is a rich chocolate brown having slight red undertones with lots of golden/bronze shimmer. This color definitely cannot be rocked by everyone!!
Dupe: Chanel's Limited Edition Haute Chocolat (not sure if still sold in stores) & Avon’s Speed Dry+ in Mink.

Viva Pink: It is a bright Barbie pink fuchsia color. How can any girl resist this AWESOME color???
Dupe: OPI Strawberry Margarita

Real Red: It is a medium red with blue undertones making it look bright. Perfect to its name ‘Real Red’.
Dupe: Avon Simply Pretty – Cherry Red, OPI - O'Hare And Nails Look Great & Eyeko Saucy Red

Pros of Avon Nailwear Pro Enamels
    •    All the polishes are very opaque giving high gloss wet finish
    •    Just one coat is enough to
    •    Definitely long lasting (yes 6 days without any chip is simply awesome for my nails!!)
    •    The Big 3 Free formula with no use of formaldehyde, toluene or phthalates leading to excellent coverage.
    •    Good price for quality and quantity. Can easily compete with high brand polishes.
    •    Good variety of colors – bright & dark perfect for all seasons and occasions.

Cons of Avon Nailwear Pro Enamels
    •    Avon needs to come up with some innovative and unique names for their shades. They are just so typical and oh-so boring types.
    •    They don’t make all their colors available in every region. Here hardly 12 shades are available in a range of total around 30-32 colors (not completely sure).

So tell me which colors did you like the most? Have you tried any polishes from this range or from Avon in general? Which other polish do you recommend me? Do you know of any other dupes of the mentioned colors? Please do share with us your thoughts :)

xoxo

My 100 Followers giveaway is extended...

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Hello Lovelies,

During the blogger maintenance on 13th May, my blog got affected and I was unable to sign in for some reason :( now that its got all fixed I have decided to extend my giveaway as an apology for the inconvenience :( I am not sure if I have lost any comments posted on the giveaway so if you see your comment being disappeared, I request you to leave your details again.

I did not end up winning the competition due to which I have changed the rules so those who haven't entered yet can still try their luck :) 

Anyhow, a HUGE thanks to everyone who voted for me :D

Those who have already entered please do not enter again as your entries have been already counted!!

Enter here
ending on 30th June


Note: I will be back to blogging after 23rd as my exams get over then. Wish me luck x