My Night Time Routine

I'm not a skincare girl. I like makeup much more. Like much much more. And yes, I understand good skin is important for good makeup but I still don't like it. People have elaborate routines for night and day and midday and for summer for winter for autumn for spring and what not but this night time routine is all I do, except for the occasional face pack. This has worked pretty well for my oily to combination skin and obviously skincare is person specific, so keep that in mind for this post. Anyways, lets get into it!

Step One:

The first and the most important step is to remove your makeup. The worst thing you can do for your skin is sleep with makeup on. So even if you're too lazy to do a whole night routine, just remove your makeup before going to bed.

 For this, I feel makeup wipes are the best since they're quick and easy for that lazy girl in you. However, if you wear waterproof makeup (like I do, my eyes water alot) then you need an oil based or bi-facil remover. The one that I use is Lancome one which is great.  Though for a budget option, Biotique has a great almond oil based remover. My makeup wipes are from Kara and they're amazing too.

Step Two:

Once you have removed your makeup its time to cleanse and scrub. So I wash my face every night with a face wash and not when you wake up (well I technically do but only with water until my bath). This keeps your skin looking young and supple as your skin replenishes its natural oils during the night and when we use a wash or a soap *cringing* in the morning, it wipes all that off aging our skin prematurely. At night, our skin has the dirt and grime of the entire day so washing it then makes sense, doesn't it? 

If you're a morning washer, switching up your routine might lead to breakouts initially but in about a week it'll be alright. Within a month, you'll see a difference, I promise!  

As for the scrub, I use it 2-3 times a week. Face scrubs can be harsh on  your skin, specially young skin so understand your skin type and needs. Some people can get by scrubing 7 days a week but some, such as those with really sensitive skin, might have problems with just once twice a week too. 

I use the Himalaya Neem Face Wash and Scrub because its the only one that suited my skin. Neem is really good for the skin and Himalaya is all natural! I like to use things in sets, so like my face wash, scrub and pack are all of Himalaya Neem range, my shampoo and conditioner would be the same variant of the same brand and so on. I always keep these in stock, since I can't afford to skip my routine even once in a while.

Step 3:

Well, technically I brush before I wash my face but it felt weird to write this post in that order. So.. Anyway, the next thing to do is brush. But, it doesn't end there. After brushing, using a tongue cleaner and floss are essential steps that most of us miss. Maybe, that's why I missed adding a picture of these. So, from today we will stop ignoring these! For my floss, I use the Colgate Waxed Dental Floss. Since, this is the only one I have used and only recently started using it, I can't really say how well it works. To me, it feels okay but then, what do I know? 

My toothbrush is the Colgate Charcoal Toothbrush and my Toothpaste is the Close Up Whitening Toothpaste. I use a whitening toothpaste because Indian food can really stain your teeth. The toothpaste is half blue, half silver which is quite interesting. I have seen  a difference but its quite temporary. Again brushing your teeth at night is the most important time since gong to sleep with the entire day's worth of food stuck in your teeth is just asking for cavities.

Step 4:

 So after all of this is done, I sit in bed and do the final step of my skincare. Now, I probably should use a moisturizer or a serum or toner or something on my face but I'm yet to find one that suits my skin. Everything that I have tried has lead to breakouts. So at this point I just apply my under eyes gel and lip balm and go to sleep.

My lip balm is from just herbs  which means its completely natural. I used to use baby lips earlier but that dried my lips out so got most dependent on it and so on. It wasn't until I got this one in my fabbag that I tried a different one and realized how drying baby lips was for me. My under eye gel from Khadi has a cool bluish colour which is quite pretty. The gel itself is very calming on the skin and shows results as early as in the first week. It is suggested to be applied twice daily but I'm lazy.

So, this was my night time routine! Hope you got some tips from this. So as always, thanks for reading and lots of love! 😘😘😘

Whats in my makeup bag?/ Daily Essentials!

Hi guys! So today I wanted to do a makeup related post. I thought it would be interesting to do a daily makeup essentials or whats in my makeup bag post as I personally really enjoy these. Maybe because I'm a really nosy person. So, I have something in all the categories and some options for you as well. Lets get into it!

Makeup bag

So my makeup bag is this super cute polka dot "I NEED MASCARA" bag from Westside. I actually saw this bag in someone's haul and loved it! So when I saw this in store, I had to pick it up!

Face-

Base-

My daily choice for my base is Lakme CC cream in shade Beige. I have oily skin and this works great for me. However, if you would like a higher coverage I also really like Maybelline Matte and Poreless Foundation too.

Powder/Compact-

For my compact I use Maybelline White Super Fresh Compact in shade Pearl. It has decent coverage, mattifies your makeup, sets it and also it very affordable. Overall, a great deal!

Blush-

For blush I have chosen is my Lakme 9to5 Pure Rouge Blusher in shade Rose Crush. It is a matte blush with a brownish tone so it can be used as a bronzer also. The brush provided with the blush is not good at all so I just use another.

Setting Spray/Primer-

The ELF Makeup Mist and Set is a very calming spray. It works really well to prime and set makeup and also to freshen your face during the day. Its a great way to calm your face and not mess up your makeup. So its one of the most important things to keep in your makeup bag. 

Eyes-

Mascara-

I have put in two Mascaras to give a colour option too. My black mascara is Colorbar Zoom and Whoosh Mascara. It has too wands, one for lengthening and one for volumising. I really love Colorbar mascaras and I also love that it has wands for two different results. Makes it very multipurpose. The other mascara is my Hard Candy Ginormous Lash Volumising Mascara in Electric Blue. I also have this in Purple Haze, which is also great but I chose blue as Lakme and Nyx have launched blue mascaras in India so its easily available here too! I like the mascara as its lengthening and volumising and the blue really makes your eyes pop. The wand is also great for applying mascara on the lower lashes.

  

Brows-

I use my Freedom Pro Eyebrow Kit for my brows in shade Light/Medium. The great thing about the kit is that it has two brow shades, one highlighter shade for under the brow and a brow wax. It also comes with a huge mirror, a plucker and a dual ended eyebrow brush. I use the lighter brow shade for the front of my brows and darker for the tail. Then I go over my brow with the wax and highlighter underneath for a lift.

Liner/Kajal-

For my liner I have chosen the Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner as I really love the formula and the staying power. Gel liners are my favourite as I find using a brush to apply my liner the easiest. The gel consistency dries quicker than liquid so it is convenient to apply in a hurry.

Both my choices for kajal are somewhat different as one is in brown and other in white. I like brown as it gives the definition of the kajal without the harshness and the white as it makes you look fresher and awake as well as can be used as a highlighter for brows and inner corners of the eye. The kajals I use are the Chambor Ultra Glide Eyeliner Pencil in shade Earthy Brown and Lakme Eyeconic Kajal in shade White. Seriously if you have not tried a brown or white kajal, give it a try! You would be amazed at the difference!

Lips-

For my lipstick I have kept a nude lip and two bright ones. The reason I have kept two bright ones that one cannot match all makeup looks and outfits. I keep switching out the lipstick shades because I love to have fun with my lip shades. The nude shade is a Sugar Matte as Hell Crayon Lipstick in shade Holly Golightly. I got this with my fabbag and I love it. The shade is a perfect my lip but better nude and very matte. The formula of all Sugar Lipsticks is amazing and that is why this is my go to nude. My bold lips include Sephora Rouge Creme Lipstick in shade Say My Name that I got in my recent Sephora Haul and the other is Colorbar Velvet Matte Lipstick in shade Obessed Orange. Do you see yet that I love matte? Both these shades are lovely and can elevate any look. The sephora lipper is hot pink while the Colorbar is a very bright orange. For some people this might be too bright but I love these. Sometimes I add a red lipstick or a gloss to my bag. During the December months I was using my Miss Claire Matte Soft Lip Creams and my Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipstick in Earthy Taupe.

   I'm not a huge eyeshadow person. I only wear shadows on special occasions so I have not included any in this list because its not a daily product.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Keep tuned of more. Thanks for reading and lots of love! 😘😘😘