Jason Wu IV: The Finale Collection for Lancome - Swatches

Jason Wu IV: The Finale Collection for Lancome at Sephora

Inspired by Jason Wu's Fall 2015 Ready-To-Wear Show during New York Fashion week, Jason Wu’s last collection for Lancôme, features two limited-edition L'Absolu Rouge lipsticks and an all-over face palette with shades chosen by Wu himself.  The All Over Face Palette is a multi-palette and includes 12 eye shadows, a long-lasting bronzing powder, and the Blush Subtil Delicate Oil-Free Powder Blush.  Here's a look at the swatches.

MAC The Matte Lip - Lipsticks - Swatches

MAC The Matte Lip - Lipsticks - $16 each at Nordstrom

Continuing with MAC makeup swatches, I also spotted the MAC Matte Lip collection (sunmer 2015) at Nordstroms.  The collection, as the name suggests, includes matte/retromatte lipsticks and lipliners.  I didn't check the lipliners, but here's a look at the swatches of the lipsticks in this collection.  Retromatte lipsticks are the true true mattes in that they are really dry and matte while the Matte lipsticks seem a little more forgiving, imo.

MAC Le Disko Collection (Dazzleglass - Dazzleshadow) - Swatches

MAC Le Disko Collection at Nordstrom

I rarely venture near a MAC store or counter and much less so near anything glittery, but the MAC counter at my local Nordstroms seemed to be having a relatively quiet day today - no crowds and just a few friendly SAs - so I decided to check out some of the newer collections, including the aptly named glitterfest - MAC Le Disko Collection.  It's mostly eyeshadows in this collection along with 5 lipglosses and 2 eyeliners, and I was quite pleasantly surprised by the texture of the Dazzleshadows.  Scroll on for more photos and swatches.

Easy Makeup How-To: A Smudgey Kohl Eyeliner Look

Easy Makeup How-To:  A Smudgey Kohl Eyeliner Look

Ordinarily, I stay off darker eye makeup for the summers, and it's a definite no to dark eyeliners, but like almost every other Indian, I have been bitten by the Piku bug and couldn't resist trying out a dark smudgey eyeliner look.  While my makeup is definitely inspired by Deepika's dark kohl-rimmed eye makeup in the movie, I had to improvise quite a bit - partly for my skill (lack of) level but also because with my eye shape, a stark black liner all around won't be a very good look.  Instead, I kept the liner thicker towards the outer corner of the eye, and just for a bit of a change opted for a dark bluish-green eyeliner instead of my usual black/brown.  I used a long-lasting, smudge-proof pencil (Urban Decay's 24/7) to help the makeup stay on longer and and set it with powder eyeshadow to help delay smudging.  Delay - because I have oily eyelids and it's summer - it would take a major miracle for this makeup to last through a hot day outdoors, but it held up fairly well indoors.  Scroll on for more photos and an easy how-to.

SK-II Facial Treatment Mask - Review

SKII Facial Treatment Mask ($17 - $135) at Sephora

A lot has changed for me over the past year, and of course, some of it has trickled down to the blog too.  I have cut down quite a bit on the makeup hauls - most of my shopping has been about replenishing basics like foundation/concealer - but the few things that I still splurge on are skincare products.  My oily-combination skin doesn't take well to frequent changes in skincare routine, so I rarely try new products, but when I do find something good, I stick to it.  The SKII Facial Treatment Mask is quite a raved-about product, but I would never have tried it had I not got it as a sample/GWP from Sephora.  It was a single-use pack, and I was impressed enough with it to splurge on a larger pack.  Fast forward a year, and this mask now has a permanent spot in my skincare routine.  Scroll on for more photos and my thoughts on the SKII Facial Treatment Mask.

Easy Makeup How-To: Purple and Pink Day Look

Easy Makeup How-To: Purple and Pink Day Look

Summer has finally arrived out here in the Bay Area, and today was a miserably hot day - one of many more to come, I am sure.  Much as I love the clear blue skies and the big bright flowers blooming everywhere, I hate hate hate the heat, and have been scowling my way through outings on weekends (I get sun-burnt in a nanosecond).  Makeup really has not been as much of a priority with me as have big floppy hats and sunblock, but this purple eyeshadow look had been my go-to look until recently, and I figured I might as well make a post of it before putting away the darker shades for a while :D

Easy Makeup How-To: Purple and Pink Day Look - Products Used on the Eyes 
Eyeshadows - MAC Shale, Sketch, Espresso, Saddle, Soft Brown
Urban Decay Primer Potion and Smog Eyeliner Pencil
Maybelline MegaPlush Mascara in black
For the brows, I have used the dark cool-toned brown from the Avon Chocolate Sensation quad to fill in the brows.  I use a random flat eyeshadow/concealer brush I picked up in India (I think the brand is Audrey) to fill in gaps and comb through with the Elf lash/brow comb.
Other brushes and tools used:  Chanel Lash Curler, TBS Slanted eyeliner brush, Suqqu F (smudger brush), Suqqu M (pointed brush), NARS large-domed blending brush, Chanel #25 flat eyeshadow brush 

Swatches of Products Used:  (L to R)
MAC Eyeshadows:  Shale, Soft Brown, Saddle, Sketch, Espresso
Urban Decay Smog Pencil Eyeliner

I used a bunch of MAC eyeshadows for this look, starting with the light purple/mauve shade Shale all over the lid and the darker Embark and Sketch to give a hint of darkness along the outer corner of the eye.  I skipped liner along the upper lashline but did use a bronze-brown liner along the lower waterline - it looked a bit nekkid without any color.  Scroll on for more photos and a quick makeup how-to.