Gauri, Author at Gloss and Magic

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:

Maybelline New York Color Sensational Velvet Matte Lipstick

By Gauri on November 24, 2017 in New Thing

You’ve heard me rave about The Body Shop Matte Lip Liquid already – and now we have a new offering in liquid form. Think highly pigmented, long wearing lipstick with a matte finish *and here’s the important bit* that feels comfortable and non-drying on the lips. It’s true. Maybelline New York Color Sensational Velvet Matte Lipstick feels creamy on application – and stays that way. It has a little more slip than some of the will-not-budge matte formulas, but in all honesty, I’ll forgive a smidge more touching up for a product that I can wear all week without it drying my lips out… five days and counting. The colours aren’t quite as POW as some of the other offerings around, though the one that I have, Vivid Rose is beautifully vivid and I love the look of Vibrant Coral (spotted on Indian Makeup & Beauty Blog). And anyway, we don’t all want to have shouty lips, all the time.

Deborah Milano Amaranth

By Gauri on November 23, 2017 in New Thing

Another week, another dark ‘insert colour here’ nail polish love. This time around it’s Deborah Milano’s Amaranth; a colour that I’ve been unable to erase from my memory since I spotted it on my friend’s tips. I swore I’d never dip into Deborah Milano lacquers again with their low quality, high price rep but this colour? Well I can’t resist.

The One Wash Wonders

By Gauri on November 22, 2017 in Edit

So even though I’m becoming an (almost) everyday eye shadow wearer, that doesn’t mean that I’ve managed to master the lid/crease/highlighter multi-step eye look thang on a regular basis. Ain’t nobody got time for that. On the odd occasion I whip out an arsenal of brushes, colours and textures and get to work, but in the mornings it’s much more likely that I grab one colour, smudge it out, blend over the lids and lash lines, brush on mascara and call it a day. I dub this makeup phenomenon a ‘one wash wonder’ and there are a few shadows in my stash which work particularly well in this task. Case in point…