May Favorites

Despite my resolve to blog more often, I have been stuck between the job and the travel. When I am not doing either of the two, I am at my home - opening a cookbook for dummies and trying to make sense out of the basic recipes. So far, I have had success with Dhaaba Daal, Chicken Kebab & Aalu Gosht recipes (from Fatima Afridi's blog) as well as Laccha Chicken, Madrassi Chicken, Alfredo Fettuccine, Bhindi, Watermelon & Tang Punch, Mint Lemonade, and few other discoveries/inventions of mine. My aides through this have been an ARY Digital Cookbook and a bunch of likeminded fellows motivating each other to lose weight on Whatsapp. That group of 50+ buddies called "Weight Busters" :-3 Should there be a feature of cooking on my blog...? - although I believe that requires a certain womanly grace which I clearly lack :-P

With the days full of scorching sunlight, minimal or no makeup has been my choice. Full face of makeup makes me feel like I will melt under the humid pressure of Karachi... and the sweltering heat of Lahore. So, what did I pick in May as my little helpers - Find out here:

Makeup Revolution Pro-Fix Amazing Makeup Fixing Spray - Every month, you must have spotted at least one makeup item from the brand. With their fresh stocks and affordable prices, they keep me coming back to them. I have been using makeup fixing sprays for an upcoming comparison post. I had multiple fixing products before and for some reason, I could not spot the difference(s) :$ Now, with a keen eye and days spent in taking notes (for the performance), I am catching up. I will not give away more spoilers about this, Just this - The MUR spray keeps my makeup intact for as long as I am wearing it <3

The Body Shop All-in-One Face Base - It is a holy grail foundation for some oily-skinned beauties on PBBC who recommended it to me. Ever since I got it, I am hooked :-) Despite being a powder foundation, it DOES NOT go an extra mile in oil-control. That is perhaps my only beef with it. Other than that, I love it for a natural coverage and flawless skin that it gives me. The Body Shop products have gotten pricier in our part of the world with all the luxury-taxes and what-nots. I am almost fearful of what the next budget might bring :-/ Anyhow, if you wear foundation daily with sheer-to-medium coverage and can't handle the liquid formula melting on your face, do give this a shot. The oil-control bit has been my personal experience, while others report no such flaw. To test that, wear the tester shade of yours for a few hours and see how it goes for you. Best of Luck!

Revlon Matte Balm in Standout - Despite my love for reds, I was not easily excited by deeper reds. They are mature and sophisticated - neither of which is my trait :-D I preferred staying bright and bold with blue-based reds, instead. On fairer complexion, less pigmented lips, and under better lighting, Standout looked fresh & bright red. When applied, it was more of a muted maroon. It was a turnoff and I applied it a few times last month (after keepng it for over a year) ... and fell in love. My color preferences have not changed, but this is an appropriate red to wear for a meeting or some grown-ups' dinner - both of which have become pretty common now ;-) The formula is a breeze to work with. A modern matte or semi matte without any sheen. It does transfer on the glasses/cups, but at the end of the day remains (at least) 90% intact on me with eating/drinking. No drying out of lips either. Now that we are friends, it is the most-used shade among over a dozen of chubby-lip-pencils that I have <3

MAC Proenza Schouler Lipstick in Mangrove - Okay, confession - I got the lipstick for its packaging. I had no idea about its launch until I spotted in Al Fatah, Lahore few months ago. The moment I was shown the bullet of the lipstick, I was sure that I wanted it. It was the perfect kind of orange-coral which I could sport without requiring any makeup. Since none of my winter wardrobe items complemented this, I had to wait for Spring/Summer to wear the raging bright shade that it is. On my Mom, it looks almost like how MAC Morange would, but on my pigmented lips it is much more warmer and pink-er. I like the latter outcome better. I have been wearing it often lately and it lasts for about 5-6 hours comfortably, leaving a gorgeous warm-pink tint that stays for another couple of hours. I usually pair it up with MAC Prep + Prime Lip (primer) for the lipstick to last even longer.

Lime Crime Velvetine in Wicked - It has been my first Lime Crime product, but the smooth velvety feel of this matte liquid lipsticks is amazing! The color I got was certainly one of the boldest I have got in my collection and it screams Fall/Winter for some reason. The few times that I have sported it, I kept the rest of the face makeup smooth & minimal. The color is not for the faint-hearted and I do sometimes top it up with something magenta/purple to bring out the berry hues of the color. Next up on my wishlist is Pink Velvet and then may be will try more (different) liquid formulations to do a comparison post ^_^

That's all, folks! What products have been your favorites in May? I'd love to hear about it <3

Cheers,

Bia