August Favorites

I can start this post off by a tonne of excuses as to why have I not been blogging that frequency, but I will not give you any bull. Just the fact that the work-life-blog balance is going a little haywire as yours truly have ventured into more hardcore cooking on the top of a 12-hour work day and little DIY projects here and there. Blogging has given me enough motivation to follow up with my creative instincts. I grabbed a cone of Henna after a decade or so to make an intricate design on my palms. I just recently completed a hand-painted shirt for Independence Day (yay! Happy Birthday, Pakistan!) and now, I'm onto amateur portrait sketching and canvas painting (soon, Insha'Allah). You don't even need paid classroom learning, if you can't manage / afford one. The online blogs, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest tutorials are enough to nudge you in the right direction. It's empowering, Alhamdulilah and I would genuinely urge you all to explore your talents - learn whatever you wish to, practice, practice, practice... and if you can, monetize on it! If anything, this has helped me spend less on makeup :-P

.....and made me splurge outrageously on other things ;-)

In my struggle to keep at least ONE thing constant on my blog - here are the monthly favorites that I have enjoyed in the month of August and would love to share with my readers:

Jordana Complete Cover 2-in-1 Concealer Foundation - I'm not going to lie. The name of this did make me wary for I have had not-too-great of an experience with most "2-in-1" liquid foundations. They are either too sheer and slippery to work as a concealer or overly goopy-heavy enough to clog my sensitive pores. Its packaging reminded me of Pond's BB Cream. However, that's where the comparison stops. Thankfully, it has more moisture and less crumbly texture than Pond's BB. The shade I cannot recall right now, but it appears just like a fresh version of my NC20-30 skin. The coverage is sheer-medium, so it will not be the replacement of your concealer if your undereye circles are prominent like mine. However, I use peach corrector under my eyes before this and it neutralizes the 'orange' in it beautifully! My face has pink undertones while the neck is quite obviously yellow, This makes an even tone and stays put all day. The finish is semi-matte and haven't transferred either - primarily because I have stayed indoors in air-conditioning while wearing this. Will offer detailed insight into after more usage :) Jordana has recently launched in Pakistan and you can have it through Just4Girls.PK!

Lee Strafford Poker Straight Hair Mask for Flat Iron Addicts - This I spotted at Green Valley, Lahore during a grocery trip and the phrase 'flat iron addict' was convincing enough for me to give it a try. My hair have turned dry & brittle due to several internal imbalances and external choices :P They need regular TLC at home since I barely ever get time for a satisfactory salon experience. Hence, I gave this mask a chance to wow me a few times and I have not been disappointed. After shampooing, I put a dollop of the mask in my hair and let it be for 5 minutes. After washing, the hair literally slip between my fingers. The same hair that get tangled 5 seconds into brushing. It is still undergoing the trial phase, but I appreciate the soft, glossy effect it has on my hair. P.S. I use it twice in a week.

Makeup Revolution Awesome Double Flick Liner - It's your good ol' marker liner with twice the fun - A thicker felt tip and a thin precise one - all packaged together. I have had a similar one from Essence that lacked pigmentation and would run out even on the first glimpse of moisture. These, however, were a different story. The swatches on the arm were not quite impressive as I thought they would need layering for an intense black payoff. Once applied, not only were both felt tips easier to handle, but stayed put comfortably all day long without smudging. For a couple of times, I rubbed my eyes by mistake yet these were not disturbed. They're not waterproof per se, but somewhat resistant. Oh, and the best feature, it did NOT need layering even when it was not the blackest (when compared to gel eyeliners). I usually have to apply makeup in a rush, so I can rely on this one being in my bag without being heavy or melt-y (looking at YOU, DMGM black eyeliner pencil -_-). This is available via Reforma.PK, Daraz.PK, and Just4Girls.PK

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in ANTWERP - While the world was obsessing over NYX SMLC, I was sitting, scrolling... judging... :-D Liquid lipsticks and I did not get off to a good start, so naturally I was wary of every liquid-lipstick-esque products. Then, I was interested in Coppenhagen, but the swatches I saw online were quite deceiving and I almost have every color in my lipstick collection. Just when ULTA had its 40% off sale at NYX, I requested Ayesha Ismail to grab a couple for me. Antwerp was a gamble and MAN, it paid off big time. Comfortable to wear (comparatively) and super gorgeous pick-me-up pink color that stays put for quite some time without overdrying my lips. You must give at least one of these shades a shot! I will reveal more in the comparison post between liquid lipsticks :)

Simple Facial Cleansing Wipes - Believe me, it is hard to sometimes gather up all the remaining strength and haul your *** to the wash-basin to get rid of the makeup you've been wearing. In other times, you're sans makeup and want to freshen up by just 'washing' your face - but the water is either not available or too much of an effort. Whether it's the circumstances or the laziness, everybody deserves to have their faces clean. BAM! Simple Wipes :D Unlike other I have tried, this did not give my face angry red patches over the face. It retained its awesome moisture for me to get ALL the makeup (including waterproof mascara) from my face, cleaned the remnants of sand, and then some from the body. I have gone through the whole pack in less than 15 days due to its convenience. I will be more careful with my second pack - which y'all can grab from Green Valley, Lahore :)

That's all, folks! That time of the year is approaching where the ladies (and gents, may be) gear up for the madness that is Black Friday. It is a couple of months away, but we need to prep, no? ;-)

Share your favorites for this month and recommend what should be the next item on my trial list?

Lots of love for you all <3

Cheers,

Bia