I have News....

I'd just like to say i'm so sorry I haven't been posting more regularly over the past weeks.Its just that I have been really busy packing and getting all my stuff in order.You see for the first time ever I will be leaving home to go live in a completely different state because I now have a job.So I hope you can understand how crazy its been trying to get everything organised and ready while at the same time wrapping my head around the fact that I will not be seeing my family and friends for at least a few months :-(

But there is more.I may not have access to the net for a while so the blog may quite a little longer.I will try to post as soon as possible since you are going to be the only comfort I have for a while now.So this is it then.I'm excited,I'm anxious,I'm sad and worried.Looks like I'm finally growing up

Top 10 Favorite Youtube BeautyGurus

Until about eight or nine months ago I hadn't discovered the potential of Youtube.In fact I didn't even have an account on Facebook.I was more into books and magazines and couldn't understand how people could spend all day on the computer.But all that changed after I discovered youtube and more specifically the "beautygurus".






  

     1.  Dulcecandy87

The first youtube beauty video I ever saw was by Dulcecandy87 and she is my absolute favorite beautyguru.She is so animated and - as much as I hate this word - bubbly.She has over 390 videos which include everything from makeup looks,hauls,reviews,hairstyles,outfits etc.She even has a blog http://www.dulcecandy.com/ where she posts beautiful pictures of outfits along wid other updates about her life.You can check out her youtube channel here.

 
     2.  OxfordJasmine

She is another favorite of mine.I especially love her for her basic makeup videos and I have learnt a lot from just watching her youtube videos on everything from everyday makeup to evening looks and even makeup removal and skincare.We even have the same skintone so a lot of her shade recommendations work well for me.Since I am still a beginner in makeup I dont like using too many products to create a look and she id one of the few Gurus I've found that can get stunning results from minimum products.Also she only uses cruelty free products <3<3<3.Check out her blog and youtube channel.


     3.  Bubzbeauty

Someone with really simple makeup tutorials that look natural and wearable.I especially like her natural beauty tips for skincare and have tried many of them.The only thing I dislike hough is that many of her videos have a voice over and I would prefer if she just spoke directly on her videos coz she has a fun personality.Check out her youtube channel and her blog


     4.  MakeupByTiffanyD Ma


She is someone I discovered more recently but I've fallen in love with her easy to follow tutorials especially the celebrity inspired ones.The Kim Kardashian tute is one of my all time fave videos.Her youtube channel and blog


     5.Kandeejohnson


Again a guru with a great personality as well as great tutes.My fave videos of her are her skin care and fitness tips videos.I started taking cod liver oil after seeing her How To Get Flawless Skin by Kandee video which is om my favorite list.She also does makeup looks for various Disney characters that are fun to watch.Her channel and blog (which is really fun to read for her daily experinces).

     6.  Michelle Phan

All of you have probably already heard of her and love her videos.Many of you may feel that Michelle should have been mentioned much earlier in the list or even top the list and if we were talking about her earlier videos I would definitely agree.But I find her more recent videos lack the zest and spark she brought in the earlier ones.She is still does good videos and amazing transformations into various characters like cat woman and the disney princessesso do check out her channel (if you haven't already).

     7.  sccastaneda

I discovered her channel through Dulcecandy and I keep returning to her channel just because she is so much fun to watch and has a great fashion sense.Her haul videos are my faves and also her ocean sunset makeup tute.Check out her channel and blog

From: 

     8.  Megha8359

She is professional makeup artist and I love her makeup looks though they are a bit more dramatic and evening looks for me.Her videos help you refine your makeup technique and also introduce you to many products that professionals use in their makeup kit.Again as someone with a tan complexion her shade recoos are really useful.Her youtube channel and blog.


     9.Eve Pearl

Now I'm not sure if one would call her a youtube guru but she is definitely an amzing makeup artist with a channel worth checking out.She first introduced me to the concept of salmon concealor for under eye cirlces and I love watching the makeover videos on her channel.She does makeovers for ppl of different ethnicity so you can clearly see the problems with different skin tones and the techniques to correct them.Her youtube channel and site where you can buy her own brand of cosmetics.


   10. TotalMakeupJunkie101

I like to watch all her haul videos.She buys a lot of drugstore brands and has also been showing many of the higher end brands lately.Her reviews are accurate and unbiased and interesting to watch.You can check out her channel here


  And finally I wanted to thank Swathy from perfectskincareforyou.blogspot.com for giving me my first Blog Award.I am sorry this took so long but I am a bit of a scatterbrain :-P

She has a really lovely blog with lots of useful tips for skincare and product reviews.So do check it out if you haven't already.
I would like to pass on this award to the  people whose blogs inspired me to start my own.

1. Rati from http://makeupandbeauty.com/
2. Tanveer from http://addictedtoblush.blogspot.com/
3. Mehak from http://www.peachesandblush.com/
4. Jiya from http://www.shoppingaholic.com/
5. Anamika from http://www.wiseshe.com/
6. Rakshanda from http://rakhshanda-chamberofbeauty.blogspot.com/

  

Confessions of a Shopaholic Giveaway!!

Hey Guys.Jiya at http://www.shoppingaholic.com is having an exciting giveaway.

If you love shopping then head over there right now because not only is she generously holding a giveaway she is also giving the winners an opportunity to choose their own gifts.There will be two winners who can choose products up to $35 and $15 as their respective gifts.Head over to  http://www.asos.com/  and choose whichever gifts you want.The giveaway ends on December 6th so hurry over to her website right now to enter.

Wanna be Happy??

I always find that whatever I am going through there is always a song out there that says what I am feeling better than I ever could.So whenever I chance across such a song I will share it with you guys and if you have any such songs I wanna hear about them <3




Hope that made you smile!!!!!!!!!1

Lotus Herbals Anti-Tan Cooling Sunscreen:Review

I don't want to start off by emphasizing the importance of sunscreen because by now we've all read and re-read about this a million times.But did you know there was a song dedicated to sunscreen.Yes that's right a song!!! Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen by Baz Luhrmann advices you to wear sunscreen along with other little bits of wisdom.

So now that we have established the need to use a sunscreen I'm going to talk about my current HG sunscreen,Lotus Herbals Anti-Tan Cooling Sunscreen.I say current because no matter how perfect a product is I cant resist going out and sampling newer ones that I feel may have something more to offer (and sometimes I just fall for the pretty ads :-P).

What the product claims: Safe Sun Absolute anti-tan gel is a medium intensity cooling sunscreen gel especially formulated for oily & combination skin.It has the soothing goodness of Calendula and vanilla extracts.

Method of use: I apply it on all exposed areas of the body 20-30 minutes before going out.This allows the sunscreen to absorb into the skin before going out in the sun and will ensure its effectiveness.If you don’t apply before sun exposure then the sunscreen will still work, but not as well.


Price: Rs 195/- for 60g.This quantity lasts me up to one and a half months with daily application once a day.If I reapply then it lasts for a month.

My Experience with the product: It does everything that it says.It is a whitish gel which spreads easily and absorbs into the skin immediately leaving it non greasy and with a cool feeling.It feels like I have just applied some menthol candy on my skin and I love this :-P.It smells like camphor to me but the smell dissipates quickly and isn't strong enough to bother even my sensitive nose.It has both UVA (PA++) and UVB (SPF 30) protection and prevents both ageing and tanning of skin.It is among the few broad spectrum sunscreens readily available in the Indian market.People with very dry skin may feel that this leaves their skin a little taut but I always apply a light moisturizer immediately after washing my face and have never had this problem.


Will I buy this again: Absolutely and without a doubt yes.I want to try the SPF 50 sunscreen from the same range but will always have this in stock to fall back on if that fails.


I give this product 4.5 stars <3<3<3<3<. This is definitely the product I want with me when stranded on a deserted island(especially because I imagine my Island in a tropical sunny region with hammocks and and palm trees :-D )

Win a Sony Xperia X8!!!

Here an amazing opportunity for all you lucky readers in India.Head over to Shreya's Blog and get creative in order to be the lucky winner to get their hands on this beauty. The giveaway ends on  December 17, 2010 at 12 p.m so head over there before its too late :)

My Hair Journey-Potholes Included

I always had long hair.My mom used to oil and braid my hair daily and I used soft water from a well to wash my hair(I didn't live in a village we just had a well in our colony :P) weekly.That was the routine I followed for many years and always had silky,thick,shiny,LONG hair.It reached my waist at one point.

But then my mom got sick of seeing me with the same look for the last 13 years of my life and decided to chop of my hair.Till just below my ears.Seriously, how mean is that??!! That day I cried for at least an our like the contestants on America's Next Top Model on makeover day.It was such a drastic change but once I saw that my friends loved it I began to think it was cute too(what do you want from me,I was 13!!).But since my hair was well looked after it grew to many inches below my shoulder in a couple of months.That's what always happened.I cut it and it grew back pretty soon.But like it happens in all long term relationships I took my hair for granted and inflicted many tortures on it.
I went on diet(recommended by a dietitian),started exercising and discovered the blow dryer.If these sound like they should be good habits, read on.Whenever we go on a diet to lose a lot of weight(more than 10kg) it is essential to include multivitamin tablets in your diet because your new restricted diet will not be able to give you all the nutrients you need.Think about it : If your body needs 1600-1800 calories(the avg. 4 women) daily and you are only eating 1200 what about the nutrition from the remaining 600. In fact I would personally use a multivitamin daily regardless of your diet since with todays depleted soil and random eating habits our food does not provide all the nutrients.But at the time I did not know this and hence no multivitamins in my diet.

Also when you exercise a lot its important to wash your hair daily which I didn't do.All the sweat and oil trapped in your can weaken it at the roots and cause breakage and lead to scalp infections(hello dandruff!!).And lastly the hair dryer and okay Ill admit it occasionally the iron.No not the hair straighter but an actual clothes iron(hangs head in shame :(( ).Many girls in the hostel followed this method to straighten their locks and so I decided to do the same.NOT a good idea.Initially my hair was silky and frizz free but unknown to me the damage was occurring.All that heat caused massive split ends along the shaft if my hair and the ends were dry as straw.
And all this w/o even using a heat protectant.

Sooner or later we all have to face our mistakes and I  had to do the same.This time(one year ago) when I cut my hair it refused to grow.Now my hair is lightly wavy with loose curls at the ends so I assumed the curls were hiding the length.But even after many months it had only grown a few inches.Now this may be the normal speed for some of you but since I always had fast growing hair this worried me.So I decided to do some research and come up with some answers and solutions.

Here is what I have been following for a few weeks and plan to continue for a few months to see the difference in my hair.

1. Eat a low calorie(healthy hair on a fat me is not the goal :P) but high in protein diet.I do this by determining my daily protein needs(GO HERE) and cutting calories by reducing carbs and fat.
2. I take daily multivitamin supplements with my meals.Also I drink 2 or more liters of water but this is not difficult since I'm a water baby.
3. I also take cod liver oil capsules daily.Initially I started with one at lunch and dinner and then progressed to 2.The bottle(SevenSeas SEACOD) says we can use 1-2 three times a day.I am already seeing benefits from this.After using them for about two months religiously I saw new short strands on my hairline.I never had bangs so this is new hair guys!!!(If you are planning to use this though just be careful of the amount of vitamin A in your multivitamin since cod liver oil has vitamin A.I would recommend having a nutritionist asses your diet and guide you on the options)
4. I am on the lookout for flaxseed oil to replace the above since it has no Vitamin A and I can take my multivitamin in peace.
5. I no longer use the hair dryer daily but only once or maybe twice in case of emergencies and always with a serum.I am working with the natural texture of my hair which just naturally emulates the romantic waves trend :-D

My hair is already growing longer and I will update you on the results and any changes/additions I make to my routine.A deep conditioning mask is next on my list! So tell me what you think and what worked for you. Empathy from other tress -stressed sisters is welcome and appreciated.