Natural hair colour lightners.

Hey Dolls,

Since I was a child I have been obsessed with haircare, I always boasted about my long perfectly straight hair but secretly always despised my pitch black hair colour, especially because my sister had brown hair. But I still never had the courage to just colour them and face any sort of damage. Therefore even now when I'm 21 years old, I still have untouched hair, but sometimes I use these tricks to make my hair colour almost brown. These tricks work for virgin as well as treated hair, also on any hair colour & type, so do let me know how these worked for you.

Lemon Juice

I heard about this tip first in the conversation between Skylar White & Marie Schrader in Breaking Bad. Being the curious kid that I am, I read up on this on Livestrong & found out that this natural beauty remedy has been around for forever, which is a testament to the fact that it actually works! According to Livestrong, when the citric acid in lemon juice heats up in the sun, it opens hair cuticles and lifts out the pigment. Just squeeze some lemon juice into a spray bottle, dilute with water (3 times the amount of  lemon juice), and then spritz into your hair before you head outside. (P.S. If you’ve ever used lemon juice to keep a cut apple from browning, you’ve already witnessed its amazing bleaching properties!)

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile is another natural hair lightener, said to be more gradual than lemon juice and therefore better for brunettes. It can be applied directly or added to shampoo or conditioners. Click here for more information.

Rhubarb

Instead of bleaching, rhubarb and rhubarb root bring a yellow that gives medium-light brown or dark blonde hair a lighter hue. Some recipes use just the rhubarb stalk (boil in water, then use the liquid to rinse through hair), others combine it with the powdered rhubarb root or even chamomile, and some use wine to steep the rhubarb. Click here for recipe

Honey

I’ve never tried this one myself, but if anything I’m sure that honey would be deeply conditioning. As Livestrong explains, honey contains the enzyme peroxide, which is an effective lightener when mixed with distilled water to activate it. Plus, your hair will smell yummy and feel soft post-honey treatment. please also view this article for more information.

Beer

Yes, beer. Beer is another method that I’ve tried & I can swear by its lightening properties (Refinery29). Use a light beer of course, and just keep in mind that you might not want to try this method right before you go to a family get-togethers. Bonus: The B vitamins and proteins in beer will repair damaged stands too.


None of these methods are a true replacement for salon highlights of course. But if you’re just looking to add a little extra brightness to your mane, these all-natural methods are pretty impressive considering the ease, availability, and low cost. Also, keep in mind that you may not see dramatic results immediately. I recommend repeating these DIY beauty treatments frequently to gradually lighten your locks over time.

Hope you use these tricks & do let me know if you have ever tried any of these or any other DIY hair highlighters? 

XOXO,
Anshika Agarwal

Inside My MAC Palette

Hey Dolls,

So anyone who follows makeup must know about the Urban Decay's Naked Palette, I'm a fan too as I always prefer my makeup to be close to skin tone and I only experiment with colors on my lip and nails! But Naked Palette isn't available everywhere and people often find difficulties choosing between the 3 options, owning Naked Palette 1 & 3 (which I struggled to get and finally asked my friend who was going to Dubai to get it), I can assure you that it is not worth investing in more than one palette at a time. I prefer Urban Decay's eyeshadow only because I'm just in love with the way these products are pigmented which is my priority! But nothing beats choosing a personalised palette which makes sure you spend lesser and use it up before it expires, to learn more about makeup expiration, click here.

I thought I'd let you know what my favourite most used MAC shadows are. I know it can be very overwhelming and often intimidating when you're in a store, as there is so much to choose from.
This palette is mostly made up of neutral shades as well as a few darker shadows, so I can create anything from a barely there soft daytime look to a night time smokey eye.
You can buy the empty 15 pan palette in MAC and then pick whatever colours you want to go inside.
I put new shadows in my palette to replace ones that were almost empty (where I could) to take the photos for this post, so you would be able to see the colours clearly.
I have the old 15 pan palettes - the new ones have a clear acrylic top so you can see the eyeshadows inside, whereas you have to open the old palettes to see the shadows.

You can buy the personalised parsonalized palette from their website or just walk-in to a store and ask their makeup professionals to help you, you can ask for guidence with the shades which goes best with your skin tone & I highly recommend to swatch on your arm to see the actual colour as it may get confusing.

Brule (satin finish) -This is a beige shade with a very subtle satin finish. I use this as a base shadow to even out my lid. I also use this when I want a very subtle highlight under my brow.
Omega- (matte finish) This shade looks unimpressive in the pan but once swatched it is a gorgeous grey toned soft neutral brown colour. I love to wear this shade mixed with Patina on the lid.
Soft Brown- (matte finish) This is a tan peach toned brown, it's a perfect crease colour. I also use it to blend out the edges of darker shadows.
Soba (satin finish)- This is a medium-warm brown camel shade. When looking at this shadow in the pan I can see it has a small amount of finely milled gold glitter particles running through it. However I cannot see the glitter when I apply the shadow.
Cork -(satin finish) This is a medium warm brown shade - it's a perfect crease colour.

Clockwise from top left: Brule, Omega, Soft Brown, Cork, Soba

From left: Brule, Omega, Soft Brown, Soba, Cork

Espresso (matte)- This is a matte dark brown, again perfect for the outer corner.
Mystery (satin finish) This is a dark brown cool toned shade with purple and grey undertones - perfect for the outer corner.
Mulch- (Velvet finish) This is a warm bronze metallic shade with gold glitter particles running through it. I wear this shade all over the lid.
Woodwinked (Veluxe pearl finish)- This is a warm golden metallic shimmer shade. I wear this shade on my lid. I've heard people saying they can't wear this shadow because it looks too orange toned on them, but I have found that it looks more gold on me. I love it.
Patina (frost finish)- This my favourite Mac eyeshadow. It is a pale taupe with grey undertones with a golden metallic finish.

From top left clockwisw: Espresso, Mystery, Mulch, Patina, Woodwinked

From Left: Espresso, Mystery, Mulch, Woodwinked, Patina

Swiss Chocolate (matte finish)This is a matte red-.brown I use this in the crease, or in the outer corner with soft brown in the crease.
Sliver Ring (veluxe pearl finish)-  This is a grey sliver shade, it's not metallic but it has a sliver sheen finish to it. I use this on the centre of the lid over Knight Divine when I'm doing a smokey eye.
Knight Divine (veluxe pearl finish)- This is a dark blue toned grey with a slight sliver sheen. I use this on the lid when I'm doing a smokey eye. This is the only shadow I have a slight issue with - I find that I have to really build up the colour on the lid (the payoff isn't the best) but I love the colour. This shade wears evenly and it's lasting power is great.
Print (satin finish) - This is a grey shade with finely milled sliver glitter through it. However, the glitter isn't noticeable, when applied it looks matte. I use this in the crease for a smokey eye.
Carbon  (matte finish) black shadow, I use this in the outer corner when doing a smokey eye. I also use it along the upper lash line when I'm doing an everyday neutral look when I don't want to use liner.
I have had no problems with the shadows (except Knight Divine). They have good colour payoff, are really blendable, long lasting and they wear evenly.

Clockwise from top left: Knight Divine, Print, Carbon, Silver Ring, Swiss Chocolate

From left: Swiss Chocolate, Silver Ring, Knight Divine, Print, Carbon

If you would like me to create any beauty looks with some of these shades just let me know in the comments. Or if you would like me to do another post on the rest of my MAC palettes just let me know.

Please note I purchased all of the products mentioned & the links provided are not affiliate links
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XOXO,
Anshika Agarwal.

Maybelline's Bright Benefit Stick Review.

Hey Dolls,

So I've been asked to do some product reviews so here it is.. my first product review, and it had to be about Maybelline's BB stick. We all have been a witness to the sudden trend of BB & CC creams, all of our favorite brands have it in different texture & shades, basically these creams are nothing but tinted moisturizers with sun block properties. Its a good idea to switch your foundation with a more nourishing BB cream during a normal day.

But from just creating a substitute to your foundations, Maybelline has just taken this trend to another level by introducing its Clearglow BB stick. "The new concealer in your bag". I will highly recommend this product as it gives you this amazing coverage which can hide all your marks, dark circles and spots. So with this product in hand you can confidently bid goodbye to your concealer. The product contains SPF 21 so it is perfect for a normal day. The application is super easy with its oversized lipstick structure, all you need to do is just apply it directly on the areas you want to conceal.. just like you do with your concealer sticks and then blend it with your fingertips and you have flawless skin instantly. Check out this video for a visual.

It comes in a super cute packaging and its a super cheap product ($6-$7), a true value for money, its available at most of the drugstores you may also check for it online.

What's your favourite on-the-go product? 

If you do try this product comment below with your experience. Take care and get a lot of beauty sleep to reduce the need for a concealer. Keep your skin healthy by making sure you remove every bit of makeup before bed.

XOXO,

Anshika Agarwal.