Liquid lipsticks are a rage currently and every brand offers a wide range of liquid lipsticks. I love matte liquid lipsticks for the wonder finish. Milani Amore Matte Lip Crème offers a lovely collection of shades – there are in fact 29 shades that suit the Indian skin tone perfectly. Milani Amore Matte Lip Crème are highly saturated, pigmented and they stay on your lips for quite a long time. It is a non-transferable liquid lipstick with velvety matte finish. The texture is quite creamy and it dries up fast leaving a perfect matte finish. The liquid lipstick comes in cute little transparent tubes with screw cap with attached applicator. You don’t require to use any separate lip brush. Though I use a lip liner to line my lips. You don’t have to worry about your lipstick transferring on to the coffee cup or water glass. This is a completely non-transferable lip color. Its pigmentation is pretty good. You don’t have to apply several layers. One stroke and its done and stays on your lips easily for eight hours – no 16 hrs as claimed by the brand, though! Liquid lipsticks can leave your lips pretty dry. So the best way to tackle is by using a lip balm. Put one a nice quote of lip balm when you start your foundation, so that the lips are moist. There are shades perfect for the day time and work setting. And some metallic shades are perfect for the night out. It doesn’t make your lips appear flaky nor does it make the lips look wrinkley. Milani Amore Matte Lip Crème are priced moderately. Milani is a cruelty free drugstore makeup brand in US. The products are not overly priced and easily available in India online. You can get Milani products on Amazon or Nykaa.
cruelty free
heavily pigmented
nice shades
non transferable
not easily available in retail outlets
can make lips dry
Bobbi Brown is one of the best premium makeup brands in the world and thankfully now it’s available in India. I have an oily skin and finding a foundation that will give a matte finish is difficult. Many Indian brands however, have only a few shades of foundation – which is tricky if you don’t have that porcelain skin tone! The Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation stick comes in 24 shades that covers almost the entire range of Indian skin tone – from fair to medium to dark skin tones. The foundation comes in a sleek packaging in the form of a twister stick that is super convenient to carry. Applying this foundation is super easy. While you can use your fingers to blend the foundation – it is always better to use a wet beauty blender or a foundation brush so that the foundation blends well with your skin and there are no uneven patches left. Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation stick blends pretty well on the skin and doesn’t settle in fine lines or look cakey. I use a makeup primer on the skin first and then apply the foundation. You can build I up to get better coverage on the problematic areas on your skin. Additionally, you can set it with a loose powder or compact. It gives a good coverage. Sometimes I use two shades of foundation to contour the face. A little darker foundation on the sides and edges of the face – it’s great to have that sun kissed contoured look. Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation stick does a good job at giving a matte finish. It’s a premium brand and thus the price is on the higher side. But the quantity is enough to last you long. This foundation is perfect for anyone with oily or combination skin. If you have dry skin, you could avoid this.
Lightweight
Paraben-free
Phthalate-free
Sulfate-free
Long-wearing
Buildable coverage
Gluten-free
For all skin types
Sweat resistant
Evens out the skin tone
Blurs fine lines and wrinkles
Controls excess oil
Expensive
Lakme is such a versatile brand in India. Apart from their makeup products they also have a good range of skin care and skin treatment products. I use the Lakme Absolute Perfect Radiance Skin Lightening Night Crème as a night cream. It has a smooth, light, non greasy texture which is perfect for my oily skin. Lakme Absolute Perfect Radiance Skin Lightening Night Crème comes in an extremely cute packaging. It comes in a metallic gray plastic jar with a silver screw cap. The cream is baby pink in color and has a soothing fragrance. The cream gets absorbed in the skin fast and you don’t have to massage for too long. This cream makes the skin soft and improves the texture of the skin. The cream claims to lighten up the skin – I didn’t see that happening though. Lightening up the skin tone is not what I was looking at. But it’s a good light moisturiser that you can use for your bedtime. Lakme absolute range is a premium range of Lakme and it caters to a lot of skin healing and skin improving areas. Lakme Absolute Perfect Radiance Skin Lightening Night Creme is formulated with precious micro-crystals and vitamins that nourish your skin through the night. Lakme is a popular brand and its products are widely available at retail stores across the country. You can get it online too. It is moderately priced at MRP Rs 390 but you can get it around Rs 270 on online sites like Amazon.
Improves skin texture
Non-greasy
Gets absorbed quickly
Moisturizes skin
Lightweight
Repairs skin
Does not lighten skin tone
Lakme is India’s one of the Original makeup brands and their lipsticks are popular over the years. Lakme’s new range of lip crayons comes in 10 different shades that suits the Indian skin tone pretty well. The lip crayons are in the form of thick pencils and they are pretty easy to carry and apply. They need to be sharpened with a sharperner once they get blunt, like any other crayon. The texture of the lip crayon is soft and smooth and leaves a matte finish which stays on your lips for long. The Lakme Lip crayons are nourishing as it contains olive oil, jojoba oil, shea butter and cocoa butter extracts. They work as a lip balm and a lipstick together. They are perfect for everyday use. There’s a vast range of colors – some are vibrant and some are perfect for work. Since they are in the thick crayon form they fill up the lips pretty easily. The matte effect makes it stay longer on your lips and are also transfer proof. You can use these lip crayons directly on your lips even without liners. But if you want that perfect glam finish I would suggest you to use a lip liner or even use a darker shade of the lip crayon on the edges of your lips to get the perfect pout effect. They are super easy to carry and hardly takes any space in your handbag. You might need to carry a sharper too in case they are getting blunt. I really liked the shades because they go very well with the skin tones. I have used Mauve Magic and Berry Red and both of them are lovely shades of plum and red respectively. The best part of the Lakme Lip Crayon is however the pricing – they are sold for Rs 222 MRP but I found them for Rs 129 on Amazon. It’s super affordable and is completely worth the price!
Moisturizes and hydrates lips
Contains shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, and olive oil
Intensely pigmented color
Velvety and smooth matte finish
Full ingredients not listed
needs sharpening
I came across The Skinkraft skin care regimen sometime back and liked the fact it has soap free, chemical free skincare products. I have oily and sensitive skin so I chose my skincare products very carefully. The Skinkraft skin care regimen kit has three products – cleanser, moisturizer and active. The first step of the Skinkraft skin care regimen is the cleanser – it is a soap free liquid which has no dyes, no chemicals in it. It leaves my skin clean, fresh and supple after washing. I use the cleanser every morning and after I come back home from outside. It is quite an effective cleanser that cleanses well and doesn’t make the skin dry. You can use it to cleanse your face at night before you go to bed. The second step is the Skinkraft moisturiser – it is hydrating and moisturizing yet it doesn’t make the skin oily. I am using it in the summers too yet it doesn’t leave the face oily. You can use this moisturizer before you apply makeup. It leaves the skin soft, nourished and glowing. The most important step is the SkinKrafts actives which are specially customised for you. Once you answer the SKinID questionnaire they suggest you the kind of active that is best suited for your skin type. The acne active helps in controlling acne, fixing patches and blemishes. However, I also use a sunscreen cream after it since it doesn’t have much of sun protection and you must use some sun protection during summers to avoid sun damage. I have been using the product for a month now and have seen visible improvement on my skin. The Skinkraft products have no Parabens, no SLS, no Phthalate or silica – so they are quite gentle on your skin and is perfectly safe to use daily. So far I am quite satisfied with the products.
For all skin types and multiple concerns
Designed and approved by dermatologists
Free of harmful chemicals
SkinID Questionnaire helps you understand your skin concern
Products maintains pH balance
Improves skin’s appearance
High-quality ingredients
Takes time to work
No sun protection
MAC is heaven for all makeup lovers and their range of eyeshadow and lipstick is massive. If you are looking for that glam look for a special occasion you must try out MAC products. Eye makeup is crucial for any makeup look. Eyeshadows brighten up your eyes giving the much needed dimensions. MAC is one of my favourite makeup brands and I use their eyeshadows whenever I am getting ready for a party or an event. Amber Lights a lovely golden hue is one of my favourite and if you like smokey eyes, Carbon is the best black eyeshadow you can use. They have a wide range of shades in eyeshadows you can choose from depensing on your makeup look requirement. They come in these little round single compact boxes with a transparent lid. There are no brushes in it, so you have to use your own eyeshadow brush and blending brush. I find these singles really convenient as they take up really tiny space in your purse. You can get the singles refill and make your own eye palate. Start your eyeshadow with a eye primer or an eyeshadow base and you will be surprised how long these eyeshadows last on your skin. The color payoff is extremely good and you don’t have to use a ton of eyeshadow on your eyelids. If you like blending eyeshadow to get that perfect dimension and depth please use a blending brush and smudge brush. I have used the MAC eyeshadows on both upper and lower lid and they stay for long and doesn’t get into creases or make awkward lines. Some of the eyeshadow shades that you can use as a beginner are – Amber Lights, Woodwinked, Satin Taupe, Cranberry, Star Violet, Mystery, Sable. They all suit the Indian skin tone and are great for doing the rose gold smokey eyes or brown smokey eyes.
Over 30 shades
Matte effect
Shimmer effect
Lasts all day long
Even pigmentation
Safe for contact lens users
Ophthalmologist-tested
Does not come with a brush
