Gauri, Author at Gloss and Magic

The Weekend Post #49: The Winter Mani

By Gauri on December 9, 2017 in Weekend Post

A ‘Winter Beauty Edit’ is in the works, but while you pace impatiently for that I thought this weekend I’d share my favourite mani shades that are top of my pile right now. The pastel hues of summer have long been gone on my tips and for the past few weeks the following five have been on repeat – along with a handful of others that deserve dedicated blog posts of their own. Keep an eye out for those. Any guesses? But I do love a dark nail. Toe or finger? Heck I lacquer up both with the stuff. So here’s my serving of my winter mani must-haves:

WiseShe Oval Brush: Fave or Faff?

By Gauri on December 8, 2017 in Review

If you haven’t seen or heard about oval brushes you must have been under a rock! They blew up on Instagram and have been highly coveted after ever since, but ‘that’ infamous brand came with a fairly hefty price tag. I was intrigued and as more dupe type brushes were released I really wanted to know what the hype was about so I jumped at the chance to test Anamika Sureka’s new venture of WiseShe Oval Brushes, and she kindly sent me the face brush*.

Which Foundation?

By Gauri on December 4, 2017 in Edit

To run alongside my ‘Which Compact Foundation?’ post, it’s only fair that I give all foundations the same treatment. It’s an often-asked question – ‘What foundation would you recommend for *insert skin type/budget/friend’s name here*’ – so today I’m running through the top five that have survived the test of time in my stash and between them have every eventuality covered. Spanning the coverage spectrum, all price brackets and complexion concerns I think I’ve got just the ticket for you if you want a foundation pick…

Kama Ayurveda Lavanya Natural Plant Mask

By Gauri on December 3, 2017 in New Thing

Kama Ayurveda. A brand I don’t have to be in any particular need to buy from, it always hits the spot. Authentic Ayurvedic, I’ve often touted it as my favourite skincare brand ever (a claim I still stand behind) and it is in fact only one of two brands that I repurchase from (Forest Essentials being the other). So when I spotted the mask it took about a nanosecond to travel from shelf to basket. With promises of nourishing, deep cleansing and purifying skin, I’ve put it to the test over the past week. So how did it fare?

The Weekend Post #48: Top 10 Beauty Blogs

By Gauri on December 2, 2017 in Weekend Post

You know me by now – I love a good beauty blog. Up in there in my list of my favourite activities along with eating, sleeping, completing my skincare routine, watching Modern Family etc etc is having a bit of one-on-one time with my laptop and gorging on a hefty serving from my blogger feed. So this weekend I thought I’d share 10 of my best beauty reads that I don’t really feel ready to complete my day until I’ve got my daily dose from. Get comfy, set a few hours aside and get ready to peruse…

Lakme BM11 Lipstick

By Gauri on December 1, 2017 in Beauty

So matte lipsticks seem to be having a moment in the beauty world right now, if you can’t already tell from my lipstick-packed Instagram. First the Maybelline New York Color Sensational Velvet Matte Lipstick I oded to last week and now this offering from Lakme, let’s just say my lips are going to be well lacquered-up for the next few months. So in the second installment of lipstick porn this week I bring you the Lakme BM11 Lipstick; a permanent range, 25 shades: which are quite honestly drool-worthy. Hubba hubba. Being a bit lacking in the Lakme lipstick department, coupled with the fact that I’m a sucker for anything billed ‘budget-friendly’ So let’s run through the review:

No Shine Allowed

By Gauri on November 28, 2017 in Edit

It seems as the cooler months draw in that matte is back. From polishes to pouts the gloss is gone people. I repeat, the gloss is gone. Now I’m not a huge proponent of the matte trend, I like a bit of glow in my life but gone are the days of cake face. The textures that are around now are new and improved – no moisture zappers to be seen – it’s all about the satin-y, shine-free formulas. So here’s the best of the bunch: