7 Deadly Sins Of Beauty [TAG]

Tags are so much fun, and this one has been quite popular amongst beauty blogs and youtubers. Thanks to Pandora's Box for tagging me to do this. I really enjoy reading all the responses that everyone had to say, so here goes my take on it:

1. GREED- What are your cheapest and most expensive beauty products?
Probably the Milani eye pencils. I bought them for $1, but surprisingly they're really good. Like much better than what you would expect to get for a $1 product.

My expensive products would definitely be perfumes, but in case of a makeup product, it would have to be Urban Decay Naked Palatte. 

2. WRATH- Which beauty product you have love/hate relationship with? Name it.
Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush, because it feels really nice on, and the colors are so pretty, but the lasting power is awful.

3. GLUTTONY- What is your most delicious beauty product?
Body Shop Body Butter in Chocomania. Yumm!

4. SLOTH- What beauty products do you neglect because of laziness?
Definitely my hair appliances. I wish I had the time and patience to do more things with my hair.


5. PRIDE- What beauty product gives you more confidence?
Definitely blush/highlighter. They can take the most dullest of days, and make me look more glowy and well-rested lol.

6. LUST- What traits do you find attractive in the opposite sex?
For some reason, I have a thing for guys with dark brown hair, stubble, who are rugged, and very buff. Basically Hugh Jackman.


7. ENVY- What item would you most like to receive as a gift?
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Porcelain Pink. I have wanted it for sooo long!

In the end, I have to pass on the tag to seven beautybloggers. Here you go ladies:
GingerSnaps
A Beauty Junkie In London
DGS Beauty
Makeup By Cheryl H
Girlie Blog Seattle
Indian Makeup Ways
Indian Beauty Central

Completely MIA

I am probably the most inconsistent blogger ever, and I feel so terrible because it makes me like I've lost touch with my followers. I just wanna say I miss you guys. I recently joined a hospital, and I've been on call every single day, for like 14 hours a day, so I hardly get time to sit and do things for myself.


How about you forgive me, we start all over again, and become BFF's? :)


I did do quite a bit of shopping, so I could've done a haul post at least, but I kept postponing taking pictures of everything at the end of a long day. I considered taking pictures later, but I hate posting hauls if the items become a little old. Somehow the excitement to share my haul dies out after a few laundries or uses.


On a completely unrelated note, I am obsessed with perfumes and collecting them, and I have found a much better and cheaper alternative to many designer perfumes. There's this fragrance oil shop which imports these really high quality designer fragrance oils, so I've started to collect many of them. This one being my favorite of the ones available:

Fragrance oil of Britney Spears Fantasy

My previous experiences with fragrance oils have been really bad, with the scent fading pretty soon, and before I can finish the bottle, the remainder smelled like vegetable oil...yuck! This on the other hand, the scent stays on my skin and clothes til it's washed, and even in the bottle it is unaltered til the last drop, so I could really tell the value of this stuff. I just need to use a drop because this is pretty concentrated.

I was thinking of doing a giveaway with this (well, not this specifically, but whatever perfume you ladies preferred, provided that it's available here), but then I think shipping might be a problem. Let me know if you ladies think it's a good idea, and I'll look into the shipping matters. If liquid things are out of the question, then I would like your suggestions on a future giveaway, because I've been dying to do one; seems like so much fun!

Also, if you guys are a size 7 in shoes, you should check out Betzy's JustFab shoes giveaway. It's international ;)

Cricket Craze

Growing up in the US, the only cricket I knew was an annoying pest, but after living in the Indian Subcontinent for the last few years for studies, I got to know cricket - the game. I didn't have much of a choice, considering how people here are obsessed with it.


As many of you know, the Asia Cup is going on, and it's being held in Bangladesh this year. I found out where all the teams were staying through some sources so thought it would be fun to do a little harmless stalking lol.

I was super psyched to meet Dhoni, and he was really nice and approachable.

Irfan is such a nice guy; so chatty and interactive! I was just amazed at how down to earth and relaxed celebrities can be.

He was asking me all these questions about me, like he was trying to get to know me, and I honestly did not expect that at all!

Indian team loitering in the hallway, getting ready to leave for their formal dinner event.

"Autograph please!"

This man made my evening better than I expected. Though by this time, the security got stricter, and getting close to the Pakistani team became difficult, he was posing for my pictures. So many times I snapped his photo, and some security guy would come and stand in the way, or put his hand on the lens, causing them to turn out terrible and blurry. 
Afridi looked at me and smiled...and I just could melt inside!
I waved at him, and he waved back, smiling. *sigh*

You'd think they'd have helmet hair, but this man defeats all odds; the silkiest hair I've ever seen on a guy! lol

The security kept threatening to arrest me (jokingly, I'm sure :P ), because I would go from one end of the hall to snap photos and get close to them and when the security would shoo me away, I'd just go around from the other side and find a way to be near the players again lol.
I had such an amazing time, and meeting them all was such an honor and excitement.
They are all so tall! I felt like such a midget next to them.
Only disappointment of the night: no photo with Afridi, and not being able to meet Sachin Tendulker (he somehow managed to slip out unnoticed.
Kohli was in a rush, so was unable to take pictures with him as well.


This is just part 1 of the stalking series, and even though I just started working at a new job now, I'll see if I get the time and opportunity to meet them again before this whole tournament is over.

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Anti-Frizz Serum - Review (My Guest Post)

With summer right around the corner, your hair is one the first things under attack. Dry, brittle, fried damaged hair, with humidity levels going crazy this monsoon season, the last thing you can expect is your hair behaving when you are expected to leave your house. Sound familiar?
That time of the year is back once again, and I for one have started preparing for the worst.
I’ve always preferred Garnier Fructis hair styling products over other drugstore products, and this is definitely amongst the best of them.



To read the rest of my review, check out the entire post on Karishma from GingerSnaps blog:

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Anti-Frizz Serum - Review

Healthy Dinner Options: Thai Soup Recipe

These days, I'm attempting to work off my exam weight and eat healthy. For dinner, I made a whole pot of my take on Thai soup, and it turned out quite delicious, so I hope all you weight-watchers take advantage of this recipe, and do give this a try! I made it for the whole family, so feel free to modify the portions to suit your appetite and servings.

Ingredients:
- 6 cups of chicken stock
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1 stalk of lemon grass, minced
- 1 tbsp of lime juice
- 1 tbsp of finely chopped ginger
- 3 tbsp of fish sauce
- 4-6 lime leaves
- handful of medium sized raw shrimp
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 red chilies, finely sliced
- 2 chicken breasts, finely sliced (optional)
- handful of shiitake mushrooms (optional)
- 1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
- 1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
- vegetable of your choice (optional)


Steps:
- Pour the stock into a pot and bring to a boil.

- Add the lemongrass and boil for another 1-2 minutes.

- Add garlic, chili, lime leaves, chicken, and mushrooms. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 1-2 minutes.

- Add the shrimp and ginger (plus other vegetables, if you wish). Simmer 3-4 minutes, until shrimp is pink and plump.

- Reduce heat to medium-low and add the coconut milk, fish sauce, and lime juice. Stir well. 

- This is when I taste the soup for salt and spice, modifying according to my own taste: adding more fish sauce instead of salt (I usually add 1 more tbsp.), or more chili as desired. If it tastes too sour, add 1/2 tsp. sugar. If too spicy for your taste or if you'd like it creamier, add more coconut milk. If too salty, add another squeeze of lime juice.
- Sprinkle over fresh coriander and serve.


I was out of the optional ingredients, and if you are too, don't sweat it, and just improvise. Hope you guys enjoy!

Pond's Gold Radiance Precious Youth Serum [Review]

Sometime last year, after seeing this on several beauty blogs for a while, and constantly seeing the ad's for it everywhere, I was very curious about this product so I started to use it on and off. I've seen expensive spa's offering gold facials and other services containing gold, starting from around $1000, and I was thinking how cool it would be to use gold in your skincare, but then again, is it really worth spending so much?


Pond's Gold Radiance range claims to contain real gold particles. Gold is known for making the skin radiant, diminishing dark spots, and rejuvenating the skin for a youthful appearance. I'm a sucker for anything anti-aging, so I definitely wanted to see for myself, now that it is available at an affordable price.

The range contains a face wash, a day cream, a night cream, an under-eye cream, a cleansing mousse, and a serum. I decided to give the serum a try since it is said to contain the highest concentration of gold particles in this line, so if they work, this should be the product to purchase, right?

It comes with a dropper, which I think gives a very high-end serum feel to the product, like it's the real deal, high-concentrated, very medicinal stuff. I've heard of complaints regarding the pump, but honestly, it worked fine for me, so that lead me to think that maybe it depends on your luck, and the pumps aren't consistent with every packaging.

The consistency of the serum is gel-like, which initially feels slightly sticky, but after it absorbs into the skin, the skin feels firm and smooth. You can see the specks of gold in there, which sometimes shows on the skin, but it doesn't look bad or too noticeable. But then again, I usually apply it at night, alone or under my night cream, so I'm not worried about it showing up.
I've used it more regularly the past few months, when my skin was being neglected due to exam stress and lack of sleep, pulling all-nighters, and it did save my skin from the expected dullness, so overall I'm very happy with it.


Pros:
- Inexpensive considering the gold prices these days
- Easily available in Asia
- Woke up in the morning with softer, smoother skin
- A great, cheaper alternative to other gold-containing products out there


Cons:
- I have a couple sun spots on my cheeks which haven't diminished at all, so the spot lightening claims are totally bogus.
- I haven't noticed any special glow since I've started using this (although considering the harsh conditions I've put my skin under lately, I'm not sure if you would consider this a con) 


Rating: 4/5


Bottom line:
I'm glad I purchased this and fed my curiosity. It's a good product, but I don't think it'll be a permanent part of my skincare, since I'll probably want to try something else first, before repurchasing this.


Have any of you tried this or thinking of trying this? What are your thoughts on this range?

Too Faced - Naked Palette [Guest Post]

Written by: Shazia from Pandora's Box


Hey everyone! I'm back yet again with another guest post at segments of life. Our brilliant future doctor is busy with her exams and all. Medical school sure ain't easy.We are all very proud of you Fatema and wish you the best of luck.
Today I will be reviewing the naked palette. Is that a yawn? I know, I know, urban decay's naked palette (as brilliant as it is) had been reviewed to death, so I thought I'll review another gorgeous palette by Too faced called... You guessed it, Naked.

It comes with nine shades of shadows, and the packaging is sturdy cardboard with a flip top design. It also has a little slide out drawer at the bottom containing sponge applicator/liner brush.
 

You also get 3 cards that you can pull out near the top side of the palette. These cards feature step by step instructions on creating three different looks i.e. Day,classic and fashion.
 

This palette has a nice mix of both shimmery and matte shades.

Let's check out the shades:

• In The Buff (matte ivory)
• Pillow Talk (light taupe sheen)
• Like A Virgin (matte taupe)
• Birthday Suit (beige shimmer)
• Satin Sheets (golden champagne shimmer)
• Unmentionables (steel gray shimmer)
• Pink Cheeks (pale pink)
• Lap Dance (silvery taupe shimmer)
• Stiletto (matte black)

Without flash.
 

With flash.

As you can see, the shades are subtle yet versatile for an everyday makeup look. I like the formula, it's easy to work with, without any blending issues. The only problem I had was with the pigmentation of 'LIKE A VIRGIN' which is a matte taupe. I had to swipe quite a few time for it to show. But then I experimented, and it works better with a wet brush or over a primer.
I'm very bad at swatching (sorry) so I'm sharing an image by google, so you can have a better look.

Google Image

Overall, I really like this palette. It has some very pretty shades like Pillow talk and satin sheets. If you like tame, subtle, everyday eye looks then this palette is definitely for you.
Too faced palettes can be purchased online for $36 at http://www.toofaced.com

About the Author: This isn't the first time the multi-talented Shazia from Pandora's Box is writing here in Segments of life, and I can tell this isn't the end of our collaboration. She has become a dear friend, but my objective views remain when I say she really is one heck of a blogger, which is in no way biased (I thought so even before getting to know her). Do check her blog out :D