Merry Christmas, Everyone!!!    Christmas holidays begin tomorrow for Junior, and I am so happy I don't even know why! I and Junior have decorated the crib; and Mr. B put up the Christmas star. I am looking forward to visiting different churches and seeing their decorations. And also the décor in the malls! Like every year, we will be heading over to...

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    "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."   If you have seen Toms Hanks' 'Forrest Gump', you know what I am talking about. By the way, it also happens to be Mr. B's favourite film; a point on which we have argued many a times. Though I do like a few scenes...

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        A while ago, Za launched this Perfect Solution Youth Whitening Serum in India amidst a lot of hype, claiming it to be a high-performance anti-ageing and whitening skincare product. The reviews were mostly positive over the internet. So I skipped, hopped and went to my laptop, and ordered one for myself.   Now if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook,...

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    I am sure you will all agree when I say that haul posts are an extension of retail therapy. Speaking for myself, I usually do not buy a lot of stuff together because I think... quite a bit.... before getting something. And that applies to any shopping that I do, be it clothes, jewellery, anything. Even this is a collective haul only!      ...

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    As promised, here is Part 2. You can read Part 1 here (in case you missed it) where we covered Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace in Srirangapatna,  the Mysore Palace Illumination, the beautiful Mysore Zoo and the decorated city in general. Let me now tell you about the other places and events that take place in Mysore, around the time of Dussehra. ...

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    You did not think that we were done with lip crayons, now did you?!!! Good, because it seems we have one more new crayon-kiddo entering the beauty scene in India, from the Faces brand this time. Now Faces has launched these beauties in 2 finishes - Matte, and Starry Matte ('with a touch of glitter') as per the brand. I am...

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      Time flies.... Five years back, we had gone to Mysore a week before Dussehra. The entire city was so alive and vibrant that we promised to return here every year around the same time. While planning for this trip, we happened to go through our previous trip pictures and realized that it had been 5 long years since our last visit!! No...

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      I had completely switched to body washes and shower gels. And I never thought I would use soap again. But then a few years ago, I went back to using them - the handmade/natural kind - all over again, simply for their ease of use. And now, I alternate and use both soap and body wash.   Especially with all the...

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  Let me start this post by wishing the hard-working Fab Bag team a very 'Happy Anniversary', for surviving all odds, for embracing both bouquets and brickbats, for coming up with innovative ideas; in short, for not giving up and working towards improving themselves with every single month, since they started off 3 years back.    You have to admit that irrespective of whether you...

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I never thought I would click a selfie in my entire life. I am a self-conscious person and the camera is not exactly my best friend. Posing for pictures is definitely not my forte.   Anyway, this is my very first FOTD on the blog. If you have been reading my blog from before, you would know that I have never posted lip...

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    When I was not yet born and 'comzily' (as Junior says) living inside my mother, she heard that having saffron or kumkumadi would lighten the soon-to-be-born's complexion. You see, my mom is fair while my dad is a dark, handsome man. Anyway, she soon started this practice of having kumkumadi in milk each day. In this process, to cut a long...

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      Lakme's Lip Pouts or Matte Lip Tints.... call them whatever you want.... but they sure have some really vibrant lip colors in the range that are true-blue mattes. They are instant mood-lifters and can make you look alive even when you are feeling dull and dead. I have already reviewed the Raving Red on the blog and today I am reviewing...

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      If you follow me on Facebook, you already know that I was in Kerala to attend my cousin's wedding. Well, that ended up hilarious and very eventful, thanks to my dad and 2 uncles. Also, a lady at the wedding asked me if and what I was studying (FYI....I am married and also have a 7-year-old son :)). Before I could...

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  Looks like the chubby crayon trend is here to stay! I remember when I was in college, my mom and me would go these little 'fancy stores' where they would have a variety of beauty and makeup stuff. Being not that brand-conscious those days, I would find these stick-type lipsticks in some corner of the shop belonging to some unknown, imported brand. My...

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    Sheet masks are an excellent way of pampering your skin. They are easy to carry, easy to use, and do not need to be washed off. With these, you literally have no excuse for neglecting your skin. A lazy lady's best friend and a busy traveller's best companion. Just put it on, wait for some time, and remove. It is your...

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And the LUCKY WINNER IS........     DIVYA ASHA     Congratulations Divya! You have won the September Anniversary Edition Fab Bag!   Thank you everyone for participating! Those who did not win this time, please do not be disheartened. There will be more giveaways in the future :)     ****************************************************************************************************************     Hello everyone...   Indian Beauty Cafe is back with...

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  I am a matte-lip person and usually get attracted to them, like bees to honey. This lipstick belongs to the Office Stylist range of Lakme's 9 to 5 lipsticks. That means, all the colors are office-appropriate, subtle and wearable. If you do not like bold, deep, dark colors, then this range is perfect for you. Let us find out more about this particular lipstick...

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  There is one thing common with most Olay products and that is quality. I have mainly used the Total Effects range but still.... I always start with 'not-interested' and end with 'impressed' (read here). Let us find out if this face wash was any different from my opinion about Olay products... ...

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    Featured in Elle magazine's monsoon picks, the Perfect Match primer is also one of Colorbar's all-time bestsellers. A while ago in India, makeup primers were a rarity. But now the scenario is changing and we have various brands launching them in the Indian market. Most of these brands are international but atleast we now have access to them. In the midst...

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  Have you used the Biotique Honey Gel face wash that used to come in a bottle? I have used and repurchased that one countless number of times because I obviously loved it! Did I tell you that even though I hate honey in foodstuff, I absolutely enjoy it in skincare? Strange, but true!   So when Biotique introduced this tube one, I was not sure...

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      Kumkumadi has been a rage in recent times - over the blogging world, to be specific. I remember when I was in college, my mother got me a few horrible-looking bottles of Kottakkal Kumkumadi Thailam from Kerala (for those interested: Kerala-native, Bombay-born and brought up, Bangalore-currently settled). She mentioned that it was expensive which actually meant that I was supposed to use...

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  Has it ever happened to you that you order a product only to realize when it reaches home that you already have an extra bottle stocked up. Yes, it happened to me with not just one but two products, both from Biotique. One was the Biotique Bio Almond Oil Soothing Face and Eye Makeup Cleanser and the other is this sunscreen being reviewed here....

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  It is really difficult to find natural and effective makeup products. So atleast when it comes to skincare, I try my best to stick to natural products. Though I do pick up stuff with chemicals too since it cannot be completely avoided nowadays, a natural and chemical-free ingredient list definitely attracts me like nothing else can.  And if you are like me, you are...

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    You know, "Never say NEVER" is so so true!   Many many moons ago, all I had and knew to use were liquid eyeliners. So when the pencil liners came to India, I stuck to my faithful liquid liners, pretty sure I would never use the pencils ever.   Cut to the present, and all I have with me now are pencil eyeliners except...

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Hello everyone...   I am back with some FAB NEWS!!!   As promised, I am here with Indian Beauty Cafe's very first giveaway. There was a delay as the initial product I had finalised and ordered for this giveaway, never saw the light of day thanks to a horrid website.   So I had to find another one soon and what could be better than...

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    Luxurious Ayurveda.... I first heard this term when I came across the Forest Essentials brand some years ago. Back in my native, Kerala, Ayurveda is pretty much known and can be afforded by almost anybody. So I got all the more curious to try this brand. And it happened. One fine day, I paid the price of luxury and got home the Forest Essentials...

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  I have been a matte lipstick person for ever since I can remember. They conveniently hide lip pigmentation and last longer which makes them a reliable pick, and me a loyal fan. So when these lip polishes started doing the rounds in the blog community, I waited for some time for the final verdict, more so because these were glossy. But eventually reading...

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    When Za launched in India and all were raving about it all over the blogosphere, I did a quick research and trotted to my friendly neighbourhood mall. I was very clear - pick up the True White Essence since it claimed to be a lotion+essence+emulsion. Once at the store, the sales girl informed me that there was no product such as an essence in their range and I......

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         You know, I really dislike going to these three places - the doctor's, the tailor's and the salon. Doctors cannot be avoided since almost everyone falls sick every now and then. Pret-a-porter or ready-to-wear clothes help me stay away from tailors. It was only the salon that I could not avoid. I was even contemplating threading on my own...

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      Whoever said Yellow Yellow, Dirty Fellow was clearly a pessimist. How could you??   As for me, I usually do not pick up a product for attractive packaging. But on an unplanned visit to a new Reliance Market, this cheery, jolly-looking lemony tube managed to divert my attention and came home with me.   This is my first product from the Joy brand....

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          Neither a lipstick nor a gloss, but bigger than both! Stating that it was the end of colour, Rimmel London launched the Apocalips lip lacquers in 13 different shades.   Based on online swatches, I picked up one of the darker shades, Galaxy, but it turned out to be a pretty mauve-y pink colour on me, not dark...

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      So you have a party to attend. You prep, prime and apply makeup on your face, do your hair and wear that gorgeous outfit, and accessories. You step out of your home as Cinderella but reach the venue as....wait..... the Joker in Batman?? Whyy, what happenedd??? Well, maybe... you did not use a good makeup fixing spray!   A makeup fixing/setting spray is ...

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      Summer is slowly disappearing here in Bangalore with occasional rain and cloudy days taking its place. But you know how summer can zap your energy and leave you tired and worn out. These are the times when even a glass of chilled water seems like the most delicious drink in the whole world. So also, a spritz of heavenly-smelling mist holds the power to lift up your spirit, and...

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    Let us play a word-association game...   You say, Makeup Revolution London... I say..... Quality and Affordability!!!   Well, those are two words that strike me when I think of this particular brand after using 3 MUR products.   Other than their already existing makeup range, Makeup Revolution London has now brought out their very own skincare range. As of now,...

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  When the whole maddening crowd heads to the hills and cooler climes, the few sane ones, like us, hit the sunny beaches. Orrr..... that is atleast what you do when your work-obsessed husband (who thinks his company would shut down or go bankrupt without him) forgets to plan a holiday trip in advance.   Mr. B decided looong back that he would keep all holiday destinations,...

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Hello Everyone... It has been some time since I last blogged and interacted with you, my lovely readers. What started as a small break ended up as a long hibernation and I am really sorry for that. When I started 'Indian Beauty Cafe', I never wanted to tell anyone I know, about my blog. Mr. B was greatly confused as to why anyone would...

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