Review: Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion

Hey Everyone!
I've been using Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion for more than 2 months now and I'm pleased to announce that I've almost finished using the 120 ml bottle! yay! The fact that I have been using SKIN MD for quite sometime now [more than 2 months actually] speaks a lot about it!

According to Skin MD's website: "Shielding Lotions form a protective shield with the outer layer of skin and help keep out irritants. They allow the natural oils and moisture to remain in the skin so it can heal better and they're light in texture so they go on without a greasy mess. Your skin needs help to keep out these moisture-robbing irritants. A fundamental difference between Shielding Lotions and traditional skin care lotions is that Shielding Lotions enhance the skin's own natural protective abilities by turning the outer layer of skin into what could be described as a hydrating invisible shield making them many times more effective than mere protective lotions and moisturizing creams." Skin MD Natural is over 93% "natural". The ingredients in Skin MD Natural that are not "natural" are of food or medical grade and on FDA's most safe list."

I have a combination skin type and was looking for a moisturiser which would target the drier patches on my skin at the same time not make the oily regions of my skin look like a grease pot. Skin MD lotion is great for my skin! It's made with natural ingredients, dermatologically tested and is suitable for all skin types! The white coloured liquidy lotion absorbs quickly and isn't sticky or oily like some lotions but still keeps my skin feeling moisturized throughout the day. Skin MD has a natural clean scent, nothing medicinal like. Its pH balanced (6-7) and a dot of this product goes a long way.

I've been using Skin MD on my hands, face and neck and have found that it has made a big improvement in appearance of my skin and looks and feels great and the dryness is a thing of the past! Initially, I began a strict routine of applications every 4-5 hrs and then using it in the morning and evening after a week, as per the instructions on the bottle. I didnt see any positive results overnight. Infact the morning after my first application of Skin MD lotion, I noticed tiny breakouts on my face and it was heartbreaking initially but then I was also ready to give this lotion a fair chance before making any firm conclusion on its effectiveness because of the mere fact that the natural products [unlike chemical ones] do take their sweet time to show their charm and the results speak for themselves in the long run.
Having Soft and hydrated skin is something which I couldn't imagine during the harsh cold UK weather but with the use of Skin MD lotion I could actually see a difference in my skin within one week! Prior to using Skin MD, my face would look like a confused bunch of dry and oily cells but with the continued use of this lotion my skin felt a lot softer and silkier! I'm happy to notice that the dryness of my face and hands has reduced a lot, with the drier patches gradually gone! In colder weather, my hands start to look white and dead and now they look all nourished and alive!

I also took the lotion along with me during my recent trip to India as I felt it would be an ultimate test of the effectiviness of Skin MD to work in an altogether different environment as Indian weather, compared to UK's weather is a lot harsher in terms of pollution, irritants and free radicals. So when I started using it over there it appeared to work fine on me, my skin retained its moisture and balance. Skin MD also claims to work effectively on Psoriasis and I just happened to know a family friend suffering from this condition and transferred a portion of the lotion to another bottle and asked that person to try it out and give me feedback. After using it for 2 weeks the friend told me that there was an overall improvement in the condition of the skin and the reddishness and itching on the affected areas of the skin had gone down but then the friend used it only for 2 weeks and could not test it to its full potential.

Overall, I am happy with the performance of this lotion as it seems to work fine for my skin type and is a natural product and hence safe to use on my skin and I will definitely consider repurchasing it again if in case my skin goes bad again. At £14.99 it sure is an expensive purchase but then I would be out on a hunt for special offers like BOGOF and take full advantage of those by buying in bulk!hehe!

NOTE: I had been sent a 120ml bottle of Skin MD Shielding Lotion to try on by a PR representative of Skin MD.This is my honest and unbiased review on the product, I am in no way a part of this company and dont receive any monetary benifits on doing this.

Drowning In My Dreams.....

As promised, some pics of my Photoshoot with my sista photographer Chaitali Mitra Burman...

During my visit to India, me and my sis got to shoot together! Both of us had a fantastic experience on the shoot, we experimented with a number of head pieces and finally decided going in for a complete nude (natural) look to compliment the beautiful head piece I am wearing for this particular photoshoot.

Model:Sonali (Myself)
MUA: Sonali
Styling: Sonali and Chaitali
Photography: Chaitali

Products I used to create this look.........

Primer for the face: L'oreal studio secrets smoothing resurfacing primer
Primer For Eyes: None
Eyeshadow shade/brand: None! (hehe I'm not kidding!)
Eyeliner for upper lash line: Rimmel Glam'Eyes Professional Liquid Eye Liner
Mascara: Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express
Eyebrows: Maybelline Define-A-Brow
Concealer for eyes and face: Becca Compact Concealer (a review to come soon!)
Foundation: Revlon Colorstay liquid foundation and MAC Studio Fix liquid foundation (I mix them together for a custom blend and texture)
Loose Powder: Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil
For Contouring: Sleek Contour Kit
Blusher: None
Lipstick: Illamasqua Lipstick in Agony
Lipliner: None
Lipgloss: None
Head Piece: Accessorize

Will post more pics soon!

Sleek Eyeshadow Palettes: Bohemian and Graphite

Hi All!

With lots of excitement and great delight I am pleased to show all of you the latest addition to my ever increasing sleek collection - The i-Divine Eyeshadow palette in Bohemian, a limited edition one! When I first set my eyes on its gorgeous looking white cover, I felt like wow! It just couldnt get better than this! As you all know sleek's previous casings were in black and so it was a big surprise to see one in white though I feel this is not a permanent change from Sleek [oh by the way a new one, the circus palette, will be coming out soon in a pink casing!]

Ok now lets look in detail about the Bohemian! Like all Sleek palletes this one too has 12 coin sized eyeshadows in them which are collectively made up of bold and beautiful matte and shimmering shades totalling nine and three respectively and are sure to satisfy the creative and adventurous side in you! I am really pleased with the rich pigmentation of Sleek shadows, especially the matt shadows are really easy to work with (Colour payoff of the matt shadows is a big improvement against the Sleek Chaos palette which is an all matt palette), their texture is soft and silky, the staying power is amazing as expected.

Here are some pics that I clicked of Sleek Bohemian Eyeshadow Palette:

Sleek Bohemian Eyeshadow Palette - The fab cover!

Sleek Bohemian Eyeshadow Palette - The swatches


A simple look that I created using the Sleek Bohemian Eyeshadow Palette :)

Sleek Bohemian Eyeshadow palette was launched on 17th March & retails for £4.99 at Superdrugs and Sleek Website. Its a Limited Edition Palette and so my lovelies be quick in your action, grab it while it lasts!

And Now I am going to tell you all about the Sleek Graphite palette, another limited edition one which came out last year and sadly no longer available! I somehow missed out this one in my reviews about sleek palettes and since this ones damn good I feel I should tell you all about it! This palette is my preferred choice when going in for a smokey/dramatic eye look!

Below you can see the pic of Graphite Eyeshadow palette and swatches:

Everything about this palette is great, though I would have loved if the palette included a couple of brownish matt shades in place of some look-alike shimmery gray shades but neverthless it is a great palette to consider when you areup for a bold smokey eye look.

So guys, hope you found my post on Sleek Bohemian and Graphite Eyeshadow Palettes to be useful. Are any of you planning to purchase the Bohemian palette? What do you think of Sleek Bohemian Palette and its new packaging? Yay or Nay?

Tagged- 40 Beauty Questions!

Hey Everyone!

I was tagged by the ever so gorgeous Shifa. Thank you Shifa for tagging me! BTW I loved reading you tag, you answered them all very well! With mine , I am going to keep it short and simple this time :)
40 Beauty Questions

How many times do you wash your face daily?
Twice a day.
What skin type do you have?
Combination skin.
What is your current facial wash?
Ayur Honey and Lemon Gel Cleanser Face Wash.
Do you exfoliate?
Yes, Almost every other day!
What brand do you use?
Liz Earl's Exfoliator and St. Ives Apricot Face Scrub.
What moisturizer do you use?
ATM, it is Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion with Lavender.
Do you have freckles?
No.
Do you use eye cream?
No, because I noticed I had started developing eye bags around my eyes after using the eye creams! Nowdays I use freshly sliced cucumber on my eye lids to calm down and tone up the delicate eye area, I do this every other night, just before hitting the bed.
Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
Yes, when I was very young.
Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
Never due to God's Grace :P
What foundation do you use?
MAC Studio fix liquid foundation mixed together with Revlon colorstay liquid foundation (1:1)
How about concealer?
Revlon Colorstay Concealer in Meduim.
Do you know your undertone color?
Neutral Cool.
What do you think of fake eyelashes?
They are definitely worth trying, not for everyday use though!
Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yes, but mine lasts more than 3 months so!! :P
What brand of mascara do you use?
Maybelline, Rimmel & Loreal.
Sephora or MAC?
Mac. Please bring Sephora in the UK!
Do you have a MAC Pro-card?
Not yet.
What makeup tools do you use in make up application?
Brushes and fingers all the way.
Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?
Yes, always.
For the face?
Not on a regular basis.
What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?
There are so many and I have lost my count by now!!
Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
It depends upon which look I'm trying to create so, I choose accordingly.
How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
Why should I ever poke it in?! Eyeliner pencils are not made for such purpose, still if you have lost your sanity & consider doing that then there are ofcourse other tools available in the market that would do your mighty job much better! :D
What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
I'm not very keen on them really.
Do you use mineral makeup?
Yes, sometimes, for the face and eyes, I use Bare escentuals mineral makeup, they are supposed to be good for the skin.
What is your favorite lipstick?
I dont have any favourite colour but my fav brands are Illamasqua, MAC, Rimmel, Revlon, Sleek, Estee Lauder & Maybelline.
How about lipgloss?
I do like them in the above brands.
What is your favorite blush to use?
BarryM, Sleek, Mario De Luigi, MAC, Bare Escentuals & NARS
Do you buy your makeup on ebay?
No, Never tried buying anything on the Ebay yet.
Do you like drugstore makeup?
Oh Yes!
Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets)
No.
Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
I might consider taking up some classes for special effects makeup in the future, only if time permits.
Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
I don't think so!
Name a makeup crime that you hate?
Cant stand people abusing the fake tan! Its funny and scary to see someone walking out in the daylight with a pile of orange coat all over their face, aah!
Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick, eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
I love all the shades of makeup :))
Which celebrity always has great make up?
For hollywood, its Megan Fox & Linda Evangelista. For bollywood, its Sridevi, Aishwarya Rai & Shilpa Shetty.
If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item, what would you use?
Black Kajal, it can be used to line the upper and lower lash line, smudged to create the classic smokey eye look for the evening and also does the job of eyebrow pencil it applied tactfully!
Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
Yes, I have done that a number of times in my life!
Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?
I think I look much better with my makeup on.
In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
There are so many good makeup brands out there, you just need to look around and find out what are the best selling items under those brands which are also within your budget's reach.
What do you think of Makeup?
Makeup is the ultimate vent to my creative side!

Hope you had a good time reading the tag!

Another exciting thing that I wanted to share with you all is that I have finally received the goodies that I won in the giveaway hosted by these fabulous blogs: Purplecrownprincess.com and stuffonyourface.blogspot.com! Here are the pics of those goodies:



Thank you very much girlies for sending these lovely goodies! You girls rock!

The Pictures!

Hello all!

Here are some pics taken during my recent trip to India. I went to lots of places and spent quality time with near and dear ones. To start with, I didnt click many and have only a few to show to all of you. The reason why I didnt click that many pics is because my camera [a samsung es17] is a battery drainer and inspite of using the best high capacity batteries they would get drained very soon after I clicked only a few pics! Technology is unpredictable!

Anyways check out some of the pics I clicked of family relatives and friends:-

Me and Grandma! Doesnt she look cute while striking a cord on the guitar!Isnt she adorable? Love you lots Grandma :)


Proud to be a part of this Clan! At my visit to my aunt's place, I had the privilege of being snapped for a family get together potrait!


Had a blast at the party thrown by my dad's best friend on the day of his wedding anniversary! Me and mom sitting and enjoying the ambiance of the party :)


Holi hai! cheers to those fun filled moments of Holi, a festival of colours! Me and my cousin sista Chaitali getting naughty with colours!


Oh! Ah! Ouch! The hapless bday (my cousin bro Arjun) boy getting bedevilled by me and Chaitali! ha ha look at his plight yet is a lucky guy for having the honour of cutting not one but two cakes on his day!!


For old time's sake! Meet my childhood best friend, Sylvie (Ritu)! she is a comedy queen in disguise! A barrel of laughs! Whenever I meet her, I have to guffaw madly at her unending jokes and funny acts!


Finally, the darling of our house, Tuffy, a tough dog, just like his name!

Hope you enjoyed the pics, well thats it for now, hope to see ya soon!
Have a good day xoxo

Atlast I am back from vacations!

A very very nice and warm hello to all of you people!

Gosh! My (looooooonnnggg!) vocation is finally over!

Yes! I am back! Back back back to the lovely world of blogging!

In case some of you didnt know [I doubt it] I was on vacation for the past many many days! I had gone to India to visit family and friends and I loved every moment of it! The last time I went on vacation to India was 4 years ago and so you can imagine how enthusiastic I must have been about this trip!

Deep inside, I feel I am a jolly lucky blogger coz of the very fact that I was being missed out by some of my lovely fellow bloggers who also somehow tried to keep my deserted blog alive by flowing in their cute and heart-whelming 'missing you' comments and I am really greatful to those of you for doing so :))

I am sure you guys are curious to know what I was upto all this while as some of you perhaps started to wonder if I actually got settled back in India! hehe!

So, without fuelling your curiosity any further, I am going to upload some pics shortly so that you all can see for yourself that I had the nicest of time in India!

I will be posting the pics shortly so do come back soon :)))