Grey Smokey eye- Christmas Party tutorial.

Hello Everyone. Christmas is just around the corner, We can see the celebrations coming up. Here is a step by step tutorial to create a gorgeous grey smokey eye tutorial which is perfect for Christmas parties. Without any delay lets get started.

This is the before after of the look i created. If you like this please read ahead.

Tip: Do your foundation after creating a smokey eye to clear and cover the damage caused by fall outs.

Step 1: Prep and Prime your lids with any eye gel or simply some moisturizer

 

Step 2: Use a concealer to cover the dark circles and to brighten up the under eye area. Follow with a powder to set the concealer in place.

Step 3:  From here starts the eye makeup. Use a kohl pencil all over your lid making sure you keep that under your crease area. You need not be careful in this because you will smudge the corners of this using a blending brush. I used lakme absolute Kohl ultimate for the following step and a fluffy brush to blend the edges

Step 4: Apply a grey color to the eyelid leaving the inner 1/4th and the outer 1/4th of the eye using a flat shader brush

Step 4: Take a black eyeshadow and apply it to inner and outer parts and slightly join them by running some color in the crease area.

Step 5: Line your lower water line using the same kohl pencil

Step 6: Just like the upper lid. apply grey shadow in between black eye shadows in the lower line too.

Step 7: To add some warmth, Take a purplish pink eyeshadow and slightly blend it in your crease. This will instantly lift up the eye.

Step 8: Line your eyes using a gel eyeliner and lower water line with a kohl pencil.

Step 8: Fill in your brows using a brown or black color. here i am using an eyeshadow called endless taupe to fill my brows

Step 9: Apply highlighter and mascara. I am using my favorite highighting color called Ricepaper by MAC as highlighter

Step 10: This is optional. I applied some false lashes for that dramatic effect.

The final look.

I hope you like this. Merry Christmas every one.

Love,
Mounika Roches.

My Miracle Brush

Hello lovelies, Let me review my miracle brush to you today. Every makeup artist have one miracle brush of their own choice. May be because they love working with it, may be its multifunctional, may be it is affordable or may be it has the cutest packaging (yes, we all judge the packaging too). Well, My miracle brush is MAC217

MAC 217 is a blending brush for eyeshadows. It is the best blending brush ever. It doesn't shred a strand and is very easy to blend the eyeshadow. The goat hair bristles apply powder and cream with ease and perfection. 

Let me tell you 5 ways how I use this brush:

Over all eye shadow brush:

This works amazing to pick up a color to apply all over your lid. It works amazing for this. It is very smooth and applies the color with ease.

Blending the color:

This is what it is supposed to do and trust me it is very good at this. It softens harsh lines and blends color like magic. Very very effective to apply the crease color.

Contouring the nose:

I donno what others use for contouring their nose but for me this is the only one I reach for. every time. 
This is small and precise and glides on smoothly. This is very effective and blends the contour color with ease.

Concealing the under eyes:

This works wonders for the under eye concealing. It doesn't apply pressure on the delicate area and conceals the under eye with an airbrush finish. It is not only smooth and gentle but also effective. you can apply powder for the concealer to set in place,

Highlighting:

This is precise and perfect for highlighting your cheek bone, nose, cupids bow and chin.
You can swirl the brush in highlighter and keep blending it on the desired areas.

Price: I got mine for 1650/-
I know it is very costly for a brush but trust me it is worth the price and brushes are a good investment. They work for almost 10 years with ease.

Cheaper Alternatives:
Though I recommend Mac 217 it may not be affordable for everyone to buy this for whatsoever reason it may be. i give you four affordable options which are quite similar to this brush.
1. Coastal scents in 250 - Buy Here
2. Colorbar Blending Brush - Buy Here
3. Body shop Blending Brush - Buy Here
4. ELF Blending Brush - Buy Here
Elf is lot cheaper in other countries so you can ask any friend of yours to send the brush which would be just 1$

Love,
Mounika Roches

Storage : LIPSTICKS

This is not something great but people have been asking to share my storage ways so here is how I keep my lipsticks. I go this bag from Globus, India. I reverse the lipstick and then keep so that I can see all the names of the lipsticks and it is very easy to remove, apply and replace. When I go out for a wedding make up I empty all of them in my makeup travel bag and when there is no wedding season here in india I replace them back in to this bag

Make Up Basics #3 : Foundation

          “There are no ugly women, only lazy ones”
                                          ― Helena Rubinstein

Brace up beauties this is going to be a huge post! I always wanted to write about foundations but you know how important a foundation is when it comes to make up so I dint wanted to rush.
The world of makeup revolves around foundation for me. The first important product you need would be your foundation, And only foundation can bring a great difference to your face.

Are you cool Warm or neutral??

cool                               neutral                 warm               

I am not talking about your body temperature darlings. There is a difference between a shade and a tone. Shade is from light to dark where as tone is something under your skin which determines which shade suits you better. There are three tones warm, cool and neutral. You can change your skin tone but no matter what you do you cannot change your undertone. If your skin looks pink then you have a cool undertone where as if your skin looks yellow then you have warm undertones.

How to determine your tone?
Well this might be tough but there are few tests which make it easy for you to know your skin tone.

Vein test - In a natural light, look at the inside of your wrist, if the veins appear greenish then you have a warm skin tone.If they are bluish then you have cool skin tone.

Gold and silver test:  Take two cloth's Gold and silver. If you look better in gold then you have a warm skin tonearm skin tone. People with cool skin tones usually look better in silver.

 

If it is hard for you to determine your skin tone from the above tests then you may fall into neutral tones. Neutral tones are the best because you really don't have to worry about anything and anything will look good on you.

What has this to do with your foundation?

Foundation is that product that acts as a veil for your skin. For a natural finish you would want your veil look like your skin. If you would ask me I would suggest people to choose yellow undertone foundations for all skin tones. I mean who would want to look pink? If a yellow undertone foundation is too much for you then choose a neutral one. 

How to buy a foundation?

When you are buying a foundation my suggestion would be get it from a good brand.

Don't buy any cheap unbranded foundation. 

Always wash your face and apply a little moisturizer before trying the foundation. 

Choose a huge mall where you have many stores so that you can have many options. 

Decide what kind of foundation you need, Light medium or full coverage.
Wash your face in the mall to get rid of oil and pollution that might have got on to your skin while traveling to the store. 

Wear a foundation on half of your face, If you have another option you can wear it on another half. 

Come home sit back and relax. Wait at least for 6 hours and then check your skin. 

See the staying power, coverage and look of the foundation. 

Go and get it he next day or when you are free.

Foundation changes along with temperate and time, It will not look the same as it looked immediately when you put in on. Take your time and select A foundation. Always remember to stay away from the SA, they make you buy any random stuff even if you don't want to.

What are the different types of foundations?

Mineral foundation or powder foundation.

Mousse foundation

Liquid foundation

Mineral foundation is used on oily skin people. Bare minerals is one good brand which gives you high coverage with powders. 

Mousse foundations, every makeup brand from Revlon to Maybelline is now manufacturing this . It is very light on the skin and yet it does give you medium to full coverage.

Liquid foundations are very commonly used every where. they have different consistency and have different levels of coverage.

Why is foundation important?

Foundation evens out skin tone. It forms a layer for your powder, blush, bronzer and highlighter. We all have some skin problems with face. You may need a concealer to cover up them but most of them is covered by the foundation. 

Which shade to pick up and how? 

Our skin tone varies from time to time. We all get a tan when it is summer and we all get a little pale when it is winter so which shade is correct is a big question. 

A simple solution would be to buy an exact shade and one tone lighter shade. If you cannot afford two foundations then I would suggest. Take 3 foundations, One of your shade one lighter and one a little more lighter. Apply them on your jaw line. The shade that is closest is your best match. 

What if you have a foundation which is slightly dark and another  a slightly fair tone?

Don't buy a foundation which is slightly dark than because after some time I observed the foundation gets dull and you look a lot darker than you actually are. Buy the slightly fairer one because when it gets dull, you will still look more natural.

Why cant I get a fairer foundation?

No, a fairer foundation doesn't make u look fair instead they make you look cakey and grey which is lot worse than your actual skin tone.

 I hope this helped. Any suggestions and queries please mail me to style.camera@gmail.com
Like my facebook page here

Love,
Mounika Roches.

Shopping Ban

Yes, you heard it right! :( I imposed a ban on my shopping spree. The reason why I took this decision is I recently realized I am buying things which I don't require just because they are looking cute and I want to shop something or the other. I am a shopaholic woman and more than just loving to shop I am connected to shopping emotionally. Like most women I feel happy when I shop and shopping is the best medicine to come out of depression fro me. I tend to shop when my mood is off and anything new cheers me up. I know I have this urge but never took it seriously until I ran out of place at home to keep things. 

 

My friends love me so much that they never stop me from shopping stuff, If I am running out of money they just gift me things to keep me happy. They play a major role in feeding that monster in me. I decided to control my urge and and see what happens. Definitely these months are going to be a trauma session for me but I am determined to survive them.

Basically what is the ban
I am not going to shop anything until my birthday which is on April 14th.
No clothes
No makeup
No accessories
No shoes
No bags
No nail art
No nail polishes

I will buy basic skin care like face wash, toner, moisturizer shampoo and conditioner because we don't stock them up and we use them every day so they are an exception.

How many days : 150 Days


What is the Strategy


Tadaan! Here comes the fun part there is no plan. I am just going to say no every time I feel like buying something. I will keep myself away from online shopping sites and malls as much as I can. How ever I am subscribed to velvette box so I will get some little goodies every month which will be a relief. I already shopped from international sites which are yet to come so they will also be a relief. I will still keep you updated regarding the trauma I am going through :(

I am not going to take any gifts from friends though they are determined to pamper me a little extra these days, but I am going to stick to my rules.


I hope I will complete the challenge. Wish Me Luck!!!!

Love,
Mounika Roches

Shopping experience with Ebay.in

Tadaan! I am back with a shopping experience. (yayyy!!) I was doing some random reading on the internet about makeup and going though several blogs when I came across these unbranded brushes from eBay. I read it in Ankita's blog called corallista, Do check her out she is amazing. I immediately got tempted to buy this one because for me brushes are the door for perfect makeup. I heard these are about 1500 which is less than one MAC 217 brush so I jumped to buy this.
You can buy them HERE
So I placed the order on Nov 6th and i received it today i e., Nov 15th
It took 9 days which is almost like 7 working days which is quite impressive for eBay standards but a little disappointing for someone like me who cannot rest until I receive the parcel.

I payed the cash through my card so there was no shipping charge or anything like that. (I am totally new to banking but still loving it so far! ) The package came in regular plastic which is similar for almost all the sites.
When I opened it I found another post which looked like it was from china (never mind)
The brushes were not bubble wrapped but just kept in plastic covers, No complaints since there was no damage. I love the brushes. If you are having trouble applying foundation with your foundation brush get these!!

Lets get to the fun part...PICTURES!!!

These are all different kabuki brushes which are really dense. I love the white ferrule some how it looks very pretty than the black ones. The bristles are really dense so I guess they will work good for blending your face makeup. I saw a little shredding as soon as I opened but I don't think it will continue after a wash.
The problem with eBay is they doesn't provide any tracking id so you are left with nothing to do but waiting for your order.

I hope you liked my experience. Keep shopping, Stay Happy!

Love you,
Mounika Roches.

My coastal scents palette collection

Hello everyone,
Coastal scents is a popular brand very well known for the 88 palette. The eye shadows are really pigments and are available in a wide range of colors and textures. They have even pigments with them. They manufacture brushes, mascara's and other products. 

About Coastal Scents according to their site.

We are experienced in making Bath and Beauty Products since 2005 and we are constantly broadening our knowledge. Our extensive background in Retail and Customer Service helps us to serve our customers even better. We have worked with some huge companies behind the scenes such as: Martha Stewart, Hitachi, Morton Salt, as well as schools and universities.

We not only sell ready made products, but also the ingredients to make your own. Most products are purchased in bulk directly from the manufacturer and repackaged in smaller sizes to make them affordable to smaller companies or personal use. We strive to save you time and shipping costs that occur from having to buy products at several different locations.

Customer suggestions are welcome, we are geared to accommodating a priority customer demand.

We do not test products on animals and only support suppliers that do the same. All the products we carry are produced cruelty free and no animals are harmed. Even though some companies still test on animals, we believe that it is unnecessary, unethical and is scientifically unreliable. We want to be sure that our products are safe on humans, so our products are rigorously assessed and tested by human volunteers.

As a company with many natural products, we also help our environment by recycling. 

 

The 252 palette:
It has 252 colors! They are into pearly, shimmer and matte textures. The colors are pigmented but also a little chalky. The staying power might be a little less when applied on its own but when applied on a primer works great.

The 28 neutral palette:
It has 28 neutral colors. The shades are considered as closest dupes of MAC eye shadows and works amazing for wedding makeup

10 Blush palette:
if you are a blush lover , you must have it. It has a various shades of pinks, corals and purple's perfect for most of the skin shades. One or two might be a little chalky but the rest are amazing.

Think pink palette:
I love pink on the eyes. they just give you that baby doll kinda look which looks really fresh and young. I love the shades in this they is a pearly, shimmer and matte shade in the palette

32 Lip palette:
This solves my problem of carrying a huge collection of lipsticks with me. One sleek palette with 32 different shades of lipsticks where you can mix and match the colors to get your favorite color. It has a wide range of pinks and red's with different undertones.

Customized palette:
I got this palette mainly to fill the brows and to ad some warmth around the crease area. I love the packaging.

I hope you like them
You can buy them here

Love,
Mounika Roches