8 Makeup Must Haves in your Bag

September 9, 2012 By Mawra Leave a Comment

Random plans are fun, but then of course you want to look your prettiest best at all times. Here are 8 products that you must carry with you for a quick makeup makeover.

Face Wipes- This can save your day and face if you have extremely oily and acne-prone skin. Keeping face wipes handy ensures that you can easily clean your face and rid it of dirt and grime on the go. Another plus of keeping these in your bag is that if you have to commute longer distances, you can easily rub your makeup off on your way and do not end up sleeping in stale makeup.

Pressed Powder- No matter what your skin type is, a pressed powder instantly brightens and takes the tired look off of your face. Choose one that suits your skin type and you are good to go. A lot of pressed powders offer a good coverage, so if you are in hurry, you can skip applying foundation altogether.

Your favorite lipstick- Keep a tube of your favorite lipstick handy. A color that suits your face sans any makeup will look good on you in any situation and if you do not have any other makeup product in hand, just swipe your favorite lip color to change your look.

Eyeliner- Eye makeup is great if you want a casual or a decked up look. I have always been a great fan of eyeliner; in fact it was one of my first makeup products. There are so many ways you can wear eyeliner, for dramatic eyes go for a cat or a winged liner look and if you want to keep things subtle, just a thin line along your lash line should suffice.

Mascara- I would actually advice keeping an eyelash curler handy along with mascara because I always curl my lashes before applying mascara. L’Oreal double extension mascara comes with an extra serum primer that gives added volume and length.

Another great option is to go for a dramatic eye makeup, a few swipes of mascara along with well-lined eyes is quick, easy and hassle-free.

Concealer- Especially for women, who need extra coverage for pigmentation or dark circles, concealers are a complete must. Get a good concealer that does not cake up, so that you can just dab a few on the required area and top it up with pressed powder for a quick and great evening look.

White eye pencil
Want to instantly make your eyes pop open or look bigger? Just rim your inner corner of your eyes with a white eye pencil and make quick swipes on your water line too. The white color creates the illusion of bigger eyes and makes them look brighter.

Bright Pink Lip Gloss
A bright pink lip gloss instantly takes the focus away from the unflattering spots on the face. If you have acne or dark eyes and you do not have any other cosmetic product, a few swipes of a bright pink gloss, is enough to get a change of look.

Filed Under: Style/Beauty Tagged With: makeup tips, quick makeup makeover

Get Kissable Lips!

September 8, 2012 By Mawra Leave a Comment

There’s so much we do with our lips every day, but how many of us actually spend time and efforts in taking care of our lips. While you are spending hundreds of dollars on skin and hair products on a regular basis, you should pay some attention to your lips as well.

Exfoliate Often

To start with, you need to get rid of the upper layer of dead cells on the lips. Most of us have the habit of pulling at the white flaky parts on the lips. This can make your lips to start bleeding and can also leave behind ugly spots on your puckers. Exfoliate using a gentle scrub or the best way is to use your toothbrush while brushing your teeth.

Apply a thick layer of lip balm or Vaseline and let it stay on for about 15 minutes, then take a soft bristled toothbrush or a cotton tissue and exfoliate making gentle circular motions on the lips. This will get rid of the flakiness and dead tissue to expose healthier layers underneath.

Water it up!

Notice how your lips tend to start drying as you skip your daily dose of H2O? When your body is well-hydrated, your skin and your lips too would remain hydrated and moisturized. The moment you start reducing your intake of water, your skin would start breaking out and your lips would chap. Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day and also try to squeeze in a glass or two of healthful drinks like juices, smoothies and green tea.

Pick the right brand of cosmetic

Nothing ages you faster than cheap cosmetic. If you are as big a makeup lover as I am and buying cosmetic products make you giddy with happiness, then save up to buy the best brands. Never go for a cheap alternative and no by a cheap alternative I do not mean that all drugstore cosmetics are bad.

Choose reputed brands, read the label and if the product mentions words like Vitamin E, cocoa butter, hydration and moisturizer, go for it. I can’t specify this enough, but cheap makeup can cause horrible skin reaction and end up doing more harm than good.

Also, do not use any makeup product for more than 2 years; at best you can stretch it for another six months.

If you want kissable puckers, then try avoiding:

Smoking- Smoking isn’t just bad for your lungs; it can leave behind an ugly stain on your teeth and lips.

Wearing lipstick for more than 4 hours- There are a number of brands that offer 9 to 5 lipsticks that you can wear round the clock, but do your lips a favor and let it breathe. If you want to wear lipsticks for prolonged period, then wipe away stale lipstick and moisturize it thoroughly before reapplying.

Choosing the wrong lip balm- There is a difference between moisturizing and lubricating. It is recommended that before going to bed you should apply a good amount of lip balm to hydrate and repair, but if you feel that your choice of lip balm rather sits on your lips it’s time to get a different one.

Filed Under: Style/Beauty Tagged With: lip care, Wearing lipstick

Top 4 lipstick shades for Fall 2012

September 6, 2012 By Mawra Leave a Comment

Your normal makeup routine must include a gorgeous shade of lipstick. According to a makeup survey, 90% of men who participated in the survey found women who wore lipstick to be prettier.

A swipe of bright pink lip color can help to take the focus away from an unflattering zit or a hint of red on your lips can instantly bring out the oomph factor. Versatility aside, lipsticks can make or break the perfect look and here’s taking a look at the top lip colors that will be in vogue this fall:

Plum

It could be tricky to choose the right shade of plum lipstick. Remember to keep your complexion and the natural color of your lips in mind while selecting any lip color, including plum. If you are medium to very fair, try a dark shade of plum, a good example is Plum Bright by MAC. This is a lovely dark plum color, but do not team it up with dramatic eyes as the look would be a bit over the top.

Romance by Covergirl is a light natural plum shade and anyone with a darker skin tone will absolutely rock this color.

Coral

Yes, I know what you are thinking. Coral is more of a summer shade, but trust me you’d be surprised with the versatility of this shade. Coral either comes with a hint of orange or a dab of pink. MAC Crosswires is almost a pure coral color with just a hint of pink and the cremesheen formula provides a good coverage and is well-pigmented.

Sweet Nectar from Bobbi Brown is a gorgeous coral that will own the look. It has a slight hint of orangish pink, but if you have light pink lips, the color comes out as more of a bright shade of coral. This also has light shimmer to it.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate in Number 12 is your drugstore alternative. The color is more of a neon color and has a reddish tinge to it. Priced at $11, this is a great color for evening wear.

Orange

No, orange has not yet gone out of trend with temperatures dropping low. Pick a light orange shade if you do not want to add drama to your makeup, honestly I believe that people with a darker skin tone can carry off tangerine well. MAC Morange is your great everyday color that you can carry in your bag and just swipe for an after office party.

Red

The all-season color, red can never go out of fashion. For fall 2012, move over shimmery red, scarlet and rouge red are the colors to make a beeline for. MAC Ruby Woo would be a great pick for those with a fair skin tone, but if you have tanned to dark skin, just go for a couple more swipes.

If you are in favor of lip stain, try Laura Mercier lip stain in Mulberry. This is a very pigmented and dark red color, almost close to cherry red.

Filed Under: Style/Beauty Tagged With: shades of lipstick, top lipstick shades

Fashion Face Off: Who wore it better?

September 6, 2012 By Mawra Leave a Comment

Sometime stars too get their style plagiarized or maybe stylish minds just think alike? Today’s fashion face off battle is between the newly single Katie Holmes and The Devil’s Wear Prada hottie Anne Hathaway.

image courtesy yahoo.com

image courtesy whosdatedwho.com

The blue Madewell dress looks casual and chic, but like they say it’s not what you wear but how you wear it.

Both Hathaway and Holmes got a few hits and misses there. While Anne wore the dress on a day out with boyfriend Adam Shulman, Katie chose the blue number to walk Suri to her gymnastic class.
I think the only thing that stands out in Anne’s ensemble is the black boot, which considering the season and look of the dress, does nothing to complement the look. The silver necklace and shades blended in with the rest of the look and the sling pouch added a hint of contrast to the bland overall look.

However, what really worked in Anne’s favor was her recent pixie cut. The new tom boyish look really accentuated her features and gave her an altogether new look. Thumbs up for the hairdo, but overall the entire look would be 3.5 out of 5.

Katie, on the other hand gets brownie points for adding the brown leather belt. The hint of accessory takes the monotone and provides a bit of color to the otherwise plain blue dress. Besides, this also gives her a more fitting look and the dress comes out as A-line rather than a straight cut.

Apart from the belt, the brown bag and golden cuffs make for a nice color contrast and her choice of green ballerina shoes gave a more casual and summer feel. As opposed to Anne’s silver neck-piece, we do not have to strain our eyes to see Katie’s charm necklace. The pulled back ponytail is a bit mundane but goes well with the casual appeal.

Hits and Misses

Anne’s look is monotonous with only the hint of black in the form of her black boots, while Katie’s touch of brown and green got rid of the uniformity

The pulled back ponytail complements the dress, but I absolutely love Anne’s pixie look and so no prizes for guessing who won this round.

The leather belt, charm necklace and cuffs added the much needed hint of accessories, while Anne’s choice of a sling pouch did help, her silver necklace did nothing to add to the overall look.

Winter seems to have come a bit early for Anne. Her black boots look out of sorts with the dress (however, she wore the dress again on a regular day out, where she teamed it up with white keds and a sun hat, a much better option). Katie’s choice of green ballerina shoes seems perfect for both adding colors to the look and on the comfort factor.

Overall, even though Anne Hathaway looks every inch stylish that she is, in this face off Katie Holmes gets the look right. On a scale of 5, I think Katie deserves a 4.5

Filed Under: Style/Beauty Tagged With: Anne Hathaway, Katie Holmes

Nude is in!

September 1, 2012 By Mawra Leave a Comment

I can’t believe I did not write about this earlier as I’m such a huge fan of the color nude this year. Anyway, so somehow this color, be it nude makeup, shoes or bags (nude colored clothes wouldn’t be such a great idea, unless of course you’re Snooki) is perfect for every season and every look.

Get the basics right

The first consideration is to get your own perfect shade of ‘nude’. Especially, if you are thinking makeup, the perfect nude colored lipstick, eye shadow and blush would differ according to your skin tone. So, if you are very fair with a hint of pink, a light baby pink color is ideally your shade of nude.

For those with a medium brown to camel colored skin tone, beige colors are more likely to be your perfect nude shade. The trick while searching for a perfect nude shade is to go for the one that looks absolutely natural on you.

Nude Makeup

Nude lipsticks can be your everyday look or you can also team them up with dramatic eyes for an evening look. While hunting for a nude lipstick, apply the shade closest to your lip color on the middle part of the lips. If after application, the middle part completely blends in with the rest of your natural lip color, congratulations you have found your perfect shade of nude lipstick.

Same goes for eye shadow and for blushers, pink provides a natural tinted look on fair to medium fair skin tones, while peach gives a more natural look on a tanned face.

Nude Shoes

Aren’t these babies downright gorgeous! The versatility of the nude color is such that you can easily wear them with every other color . They also make your legs look longer and give a nice feminine touch. You can go for a plain nude like the one in the picture or opt for pints or sequences embedded on the shoe.
Team it up with your work clothes, a girly frock or a cocktail dress, these are perfect and right for just any look.

Nude Bags

Image courtesy zimbio.com

I rarely come across anyone who steps out without a nice big bag, except of course your pockets are deeps enough to store a myriad of essentials ranging from makeup, snacks and even pepper spray. Anyway, sadly not a lot of women try to pay as much attention to a bag as they do to clothes and shoes.

Bags too can add to your overall style quotient and if you manage to get that one perfect bag that screams style and is spacious, go for it! When it comes to nude bags, you can buy one of these with your eyes closed, no don’t shop with your eyes closed, just that you can trust on these to add a touch of class.

You can wear this with casual and formal clothes, just bear in mind that you do not over obsess over the color. I mean dressing up in nude shoes, belts, carrying a nude bag and wearing nude makeup could be just a bit too much of nude.

Filed Under: Style/Beauty Tagged With: nude color fashion, nude makeup

Death by Fashion- 5 worst health Mistakes in the name of Fashion

August 30, 2012 By Mawra Leave a Comment

Well not quite literally, but some of our choices in the name of fashion can end up having serious implications on our health. Here’s taking a look at top 5 fashion mistakes most of us make:

Heel it up!

Heels! There’s something about 5 inch stilettos and pumps that can make any girl fall in love. Yeah, they are gorgeous alright, but studies have revealed that trotting around in high heels can cause long-term damages.

Our body has not been biologically structured to wear heels, ever noticed how when you wear them your feet are not flat but has a ridiculous arch? That is what can lead to persistent feet ache and in the long run- arthritis, hip and back pain, and in some cases even neck and shoulder injury. This is not even taking into account the increased chances of falling prey to accidents while you are wearing heels.

Skin Hugging Clothes

Everyone loves skinny jeans, they make us look oh so..skinny? Even though not many of us are ready to confess it out aloud, wearing skinny jeans does make us a bit uncomfortable. There’s this strange feeling in your thighs and calves and it is not just skin irritation.

Skin hugging clothes hinder your body’s ability to breathe and if you wear them for a prolonged period of time, chances are that your skin looks a bit bruised at places. Super tight clothes, can both cut out the supply of oxygen and cause skin irritation, which could lead to numerous skin diseases. Also, a lot of women sleep with their bra on and some are even under-wired, this could lead to skin cancer as the bra affects the flow of blood in the body, which in turn causes cysts and lumps that can become cancerous.

Tie the Tie

This one is especially for the men. Recently, ties has come back in vogue as you can even team them up with casuals. However, remember that wearing a very tight tie can of course kill you (duh!) but when you shove the knot up right up your larynx, it cuts out the supply of blood to the brain and could also cause serious neck and shoulder injuries.

Hitting the Sack with Makeup On

There’s nothing more inviting than your bed after a hard day’s work and this is why a lot of women just go right off to sleep with their makeup on. Stale makeup clogs up pores and cause infection triggering breakouts, acne and skin rash. It also robs your skin of the chance to repair itself at night and which will make you look much older.

A heavy Shoulder Bag

Admit it; all of us carry the world inside our handbags. From spare clothes, makeup, snacks, energy drinks, wallets and just about everything else, we might have everything at our disposition but carrying a heavy shoulder or hand bag can cause serious damages.
Your handbag should, at best weigh up to 10% of your entire body weight. So, if you weigh 130 pounds, carry a bag that does not weigh more than 13 pounds.

Filed Under: Style/Beauty Tagged With: dressing healthy, fashion mistakes, healthy wardrobes

From Locks to Pixie, do you like Miley Cyrus’s new Haircut?

August 24, 2012 By Mawra 39 Comments

You’ve seen the Disney girl sporting enviable locks ever since she braced the camera and tasted success. While, Miley Cyrus has been on and off tabloids for her love escapades, engagement to beau Liam Hemsworth or raunchy dressing sense, she has always been unfazed by criticism and hate messages.

However her recent pixie haircut, which received mixed reactions from fans, plucked a nerve and Miley took to Twitter to defend her choice of style. Ever since Miley posted her first self-portrait with her new hairdo, her twitter account has been constantly abuzz with pictures and tweets like ‘Self Love is the Greatest of all Flatterers’ (is it just me or does she sound a bit insecure?) by every passing minute.

Honestly, the disheveled and bleached pixie cut is such a refreshing change. It sort of transitions Miley’s image from the cute Disney start and gives her a more edgy look. The 19 year old is all set to make a guest appearance in an upcoming episode of Two and a Half Men, playing the sexy new girl in town and the love interest of Jake Harper and this particular haircut would suit the role just fine.

Amidst all the hate messages, celebrity talk show host Ellen DeGeneres showed support for Miley through more than words. Ellen used Photoshop to edit a picture of herself with an exact replica of Miley’s hair do. While Ellen has always been one of those people who sported a crew or a pixie cut all her life, the now-famous Miley Cyrus haircut actually looked better on her.

Not just Ellen, but a lot of other celebrities gave Miley the thumbs up for taking a bold step. Fiancé Liam Hemsworth apparently loves her hairstyle too as pointed out by one of Miley’s response tweets to a fan.

Her dramatic haircut might have been the talk of the town, but at least Miley Cyrus is posting pictures with some clothes on now. It’s good to see someone so confident of their sexuality and at ease with their selves, but her opinion on how parents should let their children experience and cherish their sex lives in order to bring out a more confident side to them, will only trigger the teen pregnancy rate in the country.

Dramatics apart, Miley Cyrus’s new haircut is gorgeous and while it would take a lot of courage and the right attitude to carry it off, it is god to see stars opening up to their quirkier sides.

Filed Under: Style/Beauty Tagged With: Ellen DeGeneres, Miley Cyrus, star hair styles

Get Emmy Rossum’s Red Carpet Look!

August 22, 2012 By Mawra Leave a Comment

Image courtesy stylebistro.com

You can never go wrong with the classic lace and 2012 sure has been the year for laces. Keeping the current obsession with the fabric up, Emmy Rossum gets the lace-dominated look bang on with this Zuhair Murad number.

Love the way she complemented the lacy cocktail dress with a black clutch and bright red lips. Honestly, I would have loved to see her carry off nude lips with this dress, but the bright red surely does rise up the ante.

Even if you are ready to spend hundreds of dollars for this dress from Zuhair Murad’s Fall 2012 collection, sadly it is a limited edition. Here’s a close dupe that would help complete the look and at almost less than three fourth of the original price!

This would make for a good base dress for the look and you can buy this off eBay for $27.77. Being made up of stretchable fabric, it will cling to your curves perfectly.

From eBay

Another substitute is the second dress, which might be a tad bit shorter but I absolutely love the entire look when you team it up with the black skirt. The dress comes along with a little bow belt and would draw emphasis to your bust area. If you have a thinner waist or do not want to bring attention to your upper body, give this one a miss. You can get this dress at $17.99 at eBay.

from eBay

The black skirt comes closest to the Zuhair Murad’s number. Priced at $14.99, this one is a steal and will instantly add the extra oomph to any top you choose to wear either for work or for a date night. You can purchase this from Amazon.

skirt from Amazon

Emmy completes the look with a Christian Louboutin ankle strap Claudia sandal. A nice touch to keep up the black and white combination, the sandals of course look beyond gorgeous but they cost a bomb!

A good dupe would be these ankle strap heels from eBay, priced at $29.99.

heels from eBay

Even if I try to find faults with this entire look, I somehow cannot. A lot of people would have gone wrong with the hair, a poker straight, flat ironed hair would not have done justice to this lace-dominated look, but Emmy’s retro hairdo nailed it right.

Also, the simple black clutch could have been traded with a red number to cut out the monotone or even a nude (pardon me; I’m obsessed with nudes this year!). Here is a good dupe for the clutch that you can purchase off Amazon at $20.

Black clutch off Amazon

For the final red lips, MAC Russian Red would be the perfect choice. A close drugstore dupe would be Really Red by Revlon.

Filed Under: Style/Beauty Tagged With: Emmy Rossum fashion, Red Carpet fashion looks

5 Wardrobe Must-Haves for Winter 2012

August 18, 2012 By Mawra Leave a Comment

We still might be a good couple of months away from winter, but it’s time to start considering a seasonal wardrobe makeover if you want to beat the chill in style!

Here are 5 must-have items in your closet for the upcoming winter season:

Long Coats

Image courtesy fashionpolice.net

Coats are like the staple clothing style for winters, but we are not asking you to go with the obvious. Take a cue from celebrities like Paris Hilton, Victoria Beckham and Emma Watson and get a faux fur for this season’s it look. The 70’s style is oh-so-hot right now!

Make a beeline for trench coats, the military style coat is a great combination of classic and comfort. Mini trench coats are your best bet if you have a slender built, but if you are on the heavier side go with a knee-length one.

Some hot colors for the season are beige, camel brown, gray, flannel, khaki green and tan.

Prints

The season might be drab, but your sense of style shouldn’t! Floral prints can make for great winter wears; go for a printed skirt to take the monotone of solid colors out. High waist pants stormed the fashion scene last year and you can up the ante by experimenting with printed ones, try out floral, tribal, abstract and even animal print.

Rihanna looks rather gorgeous in those printed pants and red lips! What do you think?

Scarves

Stay snug and stylish. There are so many different ways to wear a scarf and I’m sure you can pull off one of these, no matter what is your choice of outfit.

Woolen scarves are a tad bit more difficult to style and the material also adds on volume, here again if you are curvaceous, chuck woolen scarves and go for a mixed material.

From printed to solid colors, these are inexpensive items that can instantly jazz up your overall look.

A great style would be to wear it tied Arabian style with a white t-shirt, black leather jacket, faded jeans and knee high boots.

Ditch the LBD

With the temperature dipping dangerously low to make you go brrrr, you wouldn’t really be able to sport the classic little black dress or little black anything for that matter of fact. Go with longer maxi dresses in metallic hues, it was a refreshing surprise to see a lot of renowned fashion houses put forth this trend during the fashion weeks.

Consider your body shape while opting for one of these as even the most gorgeous piece could be a huge fashion mistake on the wrong body type.

This Elie Saab number is guaranteed to give second glances, lingering ones at that.

Image courtesy Zimbio.net

Boots

You just can’t complete a great winter look without a pair of boots, whether it is knee high, gothic boots or uggs. These add heaps and bound to the casual look and keep your feet warm and snug.
Opt out of the convenient black and go for brown, navy or slate. If you want to take it a step further and are confident of carrying it off, go for a red

What is that one item in your wardrobe that you just cannot go without during the winter season?

Filed Under: Style/Beauty Tagged With: popular trends for Winter 2012, top winter clothing styles for 2012, Winter 2012 clothing

Summer Style

August 9, 2012 By Denise McGrail 2 Comments

It is Thursday! And that means time to link-up and share with the Mama Kat’s Losin’ It community. We love this community where women come together to share ideas. That’s why we are here, too!

For this week’s link-up, we decided to share our favorite summer styles. Yes, the link-up asked for our favorite summer style, indicating that we were to choose one. However, I couldn’t. I don’t know about you, but my style changes on a daily basis. It is one reason I could never get a tattoo. I change my mind too easily. But, that is a different tale for a different day.

Summer style to me is carefree, flowing and void of constriction. Here are a few styles that I pinned to our Pinterest board. To me, these styles capture the essence of summer.

You cannot think of summer and not think of a sundress. This sundress reminds me of The Olympics and London. Apparently, Londoners cannot get enough of overly printed styles like this. Beautiful dress that should be worn with understated sandals and minimal jewerly.

Do you know why I love this style? Basically, because I don’t think I could pull it off! Maybe, who knows? But I cannot get enough of the laziness of this style. It makes me want to spend an afternoon at the sea.

This outfit would be my go-to summer outfit. I am digging the fun, colorful purse and after the Ballet Circuit Workout for my lower body, I would feel completely comfortable in those shorts. My favorite aspect of this outfit? The simplicity of that sandal. Sometimes sandals can be too adorned and chunky. This shoe is a must-have!

Another style similar to the one above it. This summer the deep racer-back tank was the rage. The cut of this tank shows off tanned, sexy shoulders. Oh, and the bag? That bag is ragged, but it reminds me of care-free days backpacking through Europe (Okay, fine! I never did that, but I imagine this is what I would wear).

Back to the summer dress! Why? Because a summer dress is the ideal choice for a date night with your hubby, catching dinner on the outdoor patio of a bistro. Or for a quick stroll on the beach. Maybe catching an outdoor concert or ice cream at a lakeside custard stand. Summer dresses simply insist that you slow down and enjoy life.

What is your style? Do you have pictures? Share them with us over on our Facebook page. Or just leave a comment. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Filed Under: Style/Beauty Tagged With: popular summer fashion, summer clothing, summer dresses