sonalivaidya

Must-have MAC eyeshadows for every skin tone

Cult-favorite MAC products and their variety in make-up line make it stand out in the crowd. A glimpse of its collection and arrays of colors are breathtaking, and simply molding us to “want more”. However, a few single eyeshadows are indeed recommendable if decide to splurge on them.

I am a big fan of MAC and I would like to buy everything if I could. But that’s quite not possible. But I am glad to share my viewpoint on the single shadows that I own. I hope it will help some of you to decide if MAC single shadows are really worth splurging on.

In MAC, my foundation shade is NC 35 ( recently recommended by MAC artist). Just for your reference so that it will help you to understand the shade. Well, I am going to emphasize the color than its texture. I believe these eyeshadows will suit almost all skin tones.

From Left Bronze, Sable, Honey Lust, Antiqued and Woodwincked

MAC Woodwinked – Veluxe pearl finish

Mac described it as a Warm antique gold. A very beautiful eye shadow that works like a magic and gives a subtle look. I would say it is warm with a tad bit of rustic gold. It is pigmented shadow and swipes across the lead easily. A single shadow is a solo warrior and works like a magic. My go-to eyeshadow and hooked to it forever. Your daylight look is ready in no time. Give it a try.

MAC Sable – Frost finish

It is described as a Gold-plum w/bronze pearl eye shadow on the MAC website. A great combination of plum with bronze, all-day wearable. However, it can be your savior, especially in a daytime. Rushing somewhere and need a dash of color on the lids, just go for it followed with mascara & eyeliner. Princess is ready! I love this shade.

MAC Bronze – Frost Finish

It is a dark brown with a frost finish. A warm-tone eyeshadow is a perfect blend if you love the touch of a smokey effect. It blends flawlessly and gives a perfect smokey effect in no time. Use it with Kohl or black eye shadow in the outer corner to get that killer sultry look. Voila! you are ready. You will look fabulous no matter how you apply it. A must shade for the to-go pick.

I am wearing Bronze eye shadow in the below images.

MAC Honeylust – Lustre Finish

Honestly, this one is a very common shade & probably dupes will do the same job. Except for one reason, I adore this Bronze-dipped peach shade, as it illuminates & gives a perfect center eyelid shine for a day’s wear. Besides, the shimmery part is best, it does not fall out. Since I have tried some other dupes where it makes application difficult, so for me, “Honeylust” is truly my BFF.

MAC Antiqued – Veluxe pearl finish

MAC described it as an Ash brown with bronze. Instead, it is a reddish bronze eye shadow that is so antique and very pigmented, just don’t forget to make the outer corner of the eye Smokey to enhance your look. Day or night! Show your swag with pretty eyes.

MAC is pricey and it’s recommended to try it before you buy it. Checking shades in the sunlight is the best thing if you want to see the real hues and color of the eye shadow. In fact, even lipsticks are the best if tested in natural light.

Further, I always spend mindfully when it comes to cosmetics. MAC is one of them. Besides, recently I read that make-up products like powder foundation, eye shadow or for that matter, anything which has talc in it, have a life of max 2 years. After that, it is best to stop using it or in other words declutter it.

This post was all about eyes and I hope you like the swatches & find this post helpful.

Thank you so much!

Namaste!

Check out my other Tarte remix palette https://revivelifewithme.com/2020/10/19/tarte-pro-remix-amazonian-clay-palette/

My staple skin food is”Aloe-Vera” Gel

Healthy skin and good health, are prime goals we set and try to accomplish in our life. When thinking about natural remedies first thing that comes to mind is Aloe Vera. Surprisingly, it is a very popular plant in the world. East or west, people have recognized its Supreme power & its importance.

It is always recommendable to use natural products for our skin as well as for our health. Why? because we know, our mother earth offers the purest form of life, so be it a succulent plant like a Cactus or a supreme plant like an Aloe Vera. By the way, Aloe vera is a distinct species of succulent plant.

Despite knowing its characteristics & benefits, I was staying away from it for no reason. Yes! perhaps it is an easily available plant or product, and I was chasing around expensive products in the market for quick solutions.

Unfortunately, I have been facing acne issues for the last 2 years and no matter what I use, the acne issue rises again after endless trials. So in my story, Aloe vera was a game-changer, not in terms of curing my acne but for giving a relief from irritation and inflammation.

This is the reason, here I am going to explain how Aloe vera helps me in my day-to-day routine.

First, it is an excellent remedy for irritated skin. After shaving my face or cleaning my upper lip. Since my skin has become sensitive nowadays and reacts badly even to face shaving or threading. I immediately apply the Aloe Vera gel to the affected area. Instantly, it gives me a soothing & cooling effect.

I use it as an under-eye moisturizer. Yes! you heard me right. I have tried some other brands but so far I get this cooling effect only by applying Aloe vera gel. Instantly, it gives me soft and healthy undereye skin, but then don’t forget to wash it off, or else it might get into the eye causing burning or itchy eyes.

Further, I also like to use it after removing makeup & cleansing my face. I apply it and let it sit on my skin for 10-15 min then rinse it with water. This way, I try to get an extra level of hydration, and the end result is satisfactory.

Since I have already mentioned my acne issue earlier. I have been using Aloe-vera gel for the last two years and I believe it is supporting me to fight against acne (not solely). Whenever I apply it, every day it gives me another reason to use it. Meaning, the irritated & inflamed acne gets a dose of icy effect. Subsequently, its phenomenal soothing property makes my skin sip some gel and calm down my angry & irritated face a bit.

Acne or no acne, this wonderous & all-purpose plant is just outstanding. Just give it a try if you haven’t already.

It is indeed a miraculous plant with so many benefits.

Let me know how you use Aloe-vera in your daily life.

Thank you!

Happy Diwali 2021

Today, I wish you all a very Happy Diwali! May God give you the great success you deserve in your life.

May God brighten up your future with positivity & prosperity. Happy Diwali 2021!

Diwali is the time to spread love and joy, it is the time to make hearts happy…. Make this Diwali a special one by making someone smile… Happy Diwali.
Online source

Night of “jack-o’-lanterns”& spooky tales, “Happy Halloween”!

I hope you all have already decided how to celebrate Halloween. For me, it is more about making my daughter happy and letting her know that it’s her day to enjoy face make-up and not to continue it until Christmas. Hahaha!! She loves it and my lipsticks too. Anyways, I bought myself “vampire’s teeth” so that I can flaunt in Red lipstick. Besides, it was the only choice left for me as becoming a vampire is all about showing off some fake “Teeth” and exaggerated blood-sucking expressions like “vampire Diaries” Bingo!

So, my friends, wishing you the best Halloween ever. I hope you get to spend a great time with your loved ones & get a spooky night. After all, it’s Halloween!

Enjoy this celebration with good laughs. Bring some of your childhood memories back, play tricks-treats and relish your day with lots of candies.

Wish you the spookiest Halloween ever!

Thank you!

Sharad Purnima (Kojagiri) Moonrise time, an Indian Celebration

Being an Indian, diversity is a key that invites different occasions & festivals, and Sharad Purnima is one of them. Purnima means “Full Moon”. Before we start, I would like to clarify that everybody knows the moon does not have its own light. But the festival like Sharad Purnima has some other theories mentioned in Ved Puran Shastras & people have been practicing it for thousands of years in India.

Recently we celebrated it. So, yes! It is an auspicious day for us. Usually, back home in India, we celebrate it with our family and extended friends & family. It is all about bringing food to one table and enjoying the feast with a special dish known as “Basundi”.

“Basundi” is a dessert that is just like condensed milk, but a little a bit runny mixed with all the favorite dry fruits and Kesar (Saffron).

You will find plenty of other variations to perform this pooja (worship). Since I belong to Maharashtra state (MH) India, I would like to explain how we celebrate it.the videos on it.

On this day, we (My family) worship Lord “Shiva” and Goddess “Parvati”. It becomes “Shiv Parvati”. Food choices vary from snacks to preparing the main course. In the evening time, all friends gather and sing devotional songs, perform a pooja. This way family & friends come together to greet each other and enjoy the evening. “Basundi” is a must-have dessert, else Sharad Purnima will be incomplete without it.

As soon as the full moon rises, at night we take a small or medium pot/container full of milk and put it on the terrace floor or take it somewhere out in the open so that moonlight (beams) can hit the milk in the pot, and gets infused with it. This process takes 10-15 min. Once we are satisfied, we return to the kitchen and pour the milk into another milk container, which is already sitting on the burner for the last approx 1 hr (Medium flame). Then there will be the series of episodes where family members will come and suggest that dessert is ready, but sometimes all we can do is disagree so then it takes a little more time to serve dessert of the night aka “Basundi”. Once it is ready, now it’s time to dig in and enjoy the night with food, snack, and dessert.

Our ancestors say, Sharad Purnima (Moonrise) possesses powerful beams & when it blends in with a Milk, it becomes holy-Milk (Like holy water). A pat on my back. Yes! I explained it pretty much well.

So, on this day I clebrated it & made special “PAV BHAJI” & “BASUNDI”.

Here I have presented my thoughts that I believe in. People celebrate it distinctly as per their practice and rituals in various parts of India.

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading post!

“HAPPY DUSSEHRA”

“Dussehra” is an Indian festival. Today, on this very auspicious day, I wish you all a very happy “Dussehra” or “Vijayadashami”. May God take all your worries, pain & sorrow away and bestow you with a prosperous happy & healthy life.

Today, I started my day watching a motivational youtube video of Shri. Gaurgopaldas and I thought sharing with you guys. I like when he said,

“Great personalities are not born in the maternity ward but created by choice.”
GAURGOPALDAS #WECAN

Thank you much!

A warm regards,

SONALI VAIDYA

“Raksha Bandhan” celebration meant for Brother and Sister – A unique Indian culture

India is well known for its diversity, different cultures, and various regional languages.

If you have any Indian friends around you then you might have heard about the “Diwali” or “Holi” celebration a lot. But Have you heard about “Raksha Bandhan” also knows as “Rakhi”?

Since Rakhi is just around the corner I thought sharing its importance and why Indians celebrate it with enthusiasm.

So it is the Hindu festival but these days seems it has become very popular among Indians irrespective of religion. It is a very unique way to celebrate the love of a brother for his sister. Quite interesting, right!

Again I would like to mention that Indians usually follow their regional yearly calendar to check auspicious date or time called “Mahurat” to perform or to begin any ceremony. So like I said they go by their timetable, and as per the Hindu calendar, it is “SHRAVAN” month. A very divine and sacred month.

What is so special about Rakhi and why Indians celebrate it?

The history of Raksha Bandhan lies in a Hindu mythological great epic story “Mahabharata”. Even if I wish, It would be hard to explain each n every character and the storyline in detail here in this post. So leave it for some other day.

Instead of getting into story details, Let’s see how people love to celebrate it.

“Rakhi” or “Raksha Bandhan” is celebrated in the month of “Shravan” (July 23-Aug 22) as per the Hindu Calendar. On this day girls get one more day to flaunt in their best outfit. A day for a brother to express his caring n loving attitude towards sisters.

A day starts with a very beautiful morning. One can feel the festivity in the air. First ray of sun touching the soul with great joy. I wish I could express that enthusiasm in the words.

Great importance to a “Rakhi means Band”. A colorful thread. Sister ties “Rakhi” on the wrist of their brothers and in exchange brother promises his sister he will stand by her side in any circumstances. It also means brother will always protect her sister and save her from evil eyes. Sisters also pray for their happiness.

The best thing is like I do not have any brother but we still have cousins (Brothers). So there must be many girls/women like me who do not have real brother. Yet they get to celebrate it with the same amount of love. Again not just about cousins, even you have somebody in your life with a “brotherly” figure. You can definitely celebrate it with a mutual understanding.

A very unique right? Yes, Indeed it is!

Let me know how you celebrate or express your love for your brothers or siblings. Hope you like today’s blog.

Thank you so much.

A short post – Sharing my makeup look

Hello friends !

This time I did something very different eye-makeup. I know this would not be new for many of you but for me. I have always loved warm or brown eyes n still like it as it is a great choice for everyday look.

Keeping my ideal preferences aside I thought I should try something distinctive look. Let me know what do you think about it.

Please forgive me if my brows or any other make-up application is not up to the point as I am still learning it. However, I would like to mention products I have used just in case if you might find it helpful.

Face – Smashbox photo finish Primer

Foundation – Bobbi brown skin long-wear weightless foundation warm natural 4.5. You can find a full review here https://revivelifewithme.com/2021/07/30/bobbi-brown-skin-long-wear-weightless-foundation-spf-15/

Blush – Mac Blushbaby

Concealer – Tarte shape tape in 36S (Medium tan sand)

Setting Powder – Too faced Born This way. You can find full review here https://revivelifewithme.com/2021/06/22/too-faced-travel-size-born-this-way-setting-powder-a-mini-review/

Brows – Benefit Cosmetics Precisely My Brow Pencil’s

Eyes – Tarte remix pro-palette. You can find full review here https://revivelifewithme.com/2020/10/19/tarte-pro-remix-amazonian-clay-palette/

Eye Liner – NYX Epic Wear metallic Liquid Eyeliner in Teal metal.

Kajal – Faces Canada in Black

Bronzer – Too faced Sunny Bunny Natural Bronzer

Lips – Mac Whirl and mac spice lip liner.

Highlighter – Wetnwild (barely used it)

Setting Spray – NYX Matte Finish

Tips and suggestions are welcome.

Thank you so much!

BOBBI BROWN SKIN LONG-WEAR WEIGHTLESS FOUNDATION SPF 15

Today I am going to review liquid foundation By Bobbi Brown. I usually prefer compact powder foundation over liquid but this time I really wanted to try liquid foundation.

In the picture below, you will see Bobbi Brown stick foundation next to a liquid one. I did not intend to order both but it kind of happened that I ended up having them in my makeup kit. So there is a short story behind it and if you wanna know then skip the review and scroll down till the end.

I am going to present my thoughts on liquid foundation and the stick is just for color comparison purposes.

Bobbi Brown Skin long-wear weightless Foundation SPF 15

Bobbi Brown claims that :

LONG-WEAR, LIFE-PROOF FORMULA
• 16-hour medium-to-full crease-free coverage.
• Sweat-resistant.
• Non-acnegenic.

What I think about it :

Before I start I would like to mention my skin type. I have a combination skin with T-zone oily occasionally.

“16-hour, medium coverage matte formula” – I really can’t comment on this as at the max I wear foundation for 8-9 hrs or less. So as far as I know it, it won’t budge even in the hot sunny summer of Texas.

The best thing is, It has SPF 15 in it. Little extra protection from the UV rays.

They say it is “Sweat-resistant” but my nose and chin get sweaty in summer all the time so I will rule out this claim as “Sweat-resistant”. In winters, it might be true😉.

When I got this foundation home my face was actually breaking out very badly. I could see so many dark acne marks on my face. Then I saw so many people rave about this foundation and I made up my mind to splurge on it. I am very pleased with my decision. So YES!!! It does not cause acne. It’s my personal experience telling you.

Besides, I like this liquid foundation has about the right amount of consistency, not thick but not runny as well. I am not a fan of it. Apart from its consistency it gives a very natural finish and is definitely buildable.

But there is one drawback (In my opinion), you will have to try to work on your face as soon as possible because it dries fast. And if you try to dab more liquid onto it. Your make-up brush will not forgive you as it sets very quickly as it’s a matte foundation.

It is not a Fragrance-Free foundation. For me, I don’t mind it because the smell is not long-lasting and fades away even before you realized it.

Coverage is buildable and pretty much good with concealing any pigmentation, acne scars, or uneven skin tone. Being said that, you might want to keep a good corrector handy to hide any prominent acne scars or spots to get that flawless look.

As far as Oxidation is concerned. I have noticed that it has an oxidizing tendency. Now I really don’t know if it is the primer I use make it to react when I go out. But Yes! I have experienced it.

Even though it is a non-cakey foundation, I have noticed little dry patches on the skin if I hold the mirror closely. And Yes! I apply moisturizer generously day and night. so dryness is definitely not an issue here.

Yes! It is pricey $50 USD. So if you are happy with your drugstore foundation then I would say buy it during the “Black Friday/Christmas” sale or just skip it 😀 until you are ready for “Hit or Miss” trials.

Short story behind a stick foundation.

Choosing a shade online might be a tricky task or sometimes deceiving checking it on online models. When you try to chat with BB online and if it’s your lucky day you will get the right shade or else 😅 there would be trust issues. I hope you get my point.

Sharing My online chat experience with BB.

BB online Rep. assisted me and suggested Warm Natural 4.5. I contacted them 5 times but out of which 2 said Warm natural and others were telling whatever they want 😂😂😂😂. So finally I chose it and ordered it. And then again I talked to them just to tell them that I need one shade lighter foundation(I think warm natural is a bit more yellow for me) and what I got to hear is that “Natural Tan” is the right shade 🤯 for me. Dang, it !!!

Luckily at the same time, I asked her if the same shade goes for stick foundation and Rep. said “Yes!”.

And Finally, I got my money back Yay!! so no worries.

Then I happened to visit a cosmetic company store during my trip to Indianapolis. There I saw this BB stick on 40% off sale. I could not resist and ended up buying this stick foundation in shade “Natural Tan”. So this color is actually a great match for me but I wish it was a liquid one as stick foundation has actually a very poor coverage.

Stick might be a great choice who have fewer skin issues viz light pigmentation or spots.

My Final Thoughts

I would say this is a good foundation but not very best for the $50 USD if I compare it with Estee Lauder Double wear liquid foundation. However, BB liquid weightless foundation has a “Pump” to dispense the desired amount of product which is so handy even if you are in a hurry it makes application job so easy.

BB liquid skin long-wear weightless foundation is far better than BB stick foundation. As liquid foundation really has a nice finish and looks so natural than stick foundation.

Recently I visited the Ulta store, there while talking to one of the associates I came to know that “Oxidation” is a common issue with BB liquid foundation. Just for FYI.

So what do you think about BB foundations? If you have any tricks or suggestions to avoid oxidation then please let me know.

Taking one start off due to oxidation issue and price. Otherwise, it is a good foundation and a pretty much better choice for acne-prone skin.

Thank you!

My Birthday post !

Short post Alert!

This is going to be a very short post. Yes! it is about my birthday which was on 16th July.

I remember last year 2020, I really wanted to celebrate my birthday with my few (actually very few) friends. But pandemic was a very new word for all of us and everybody preferred to stay isolated as we all were very scared and started to avoid any sort of gatherings. All the enthusiasm was gone. All I was thinking that, hopefully next year would be different.

And this year 2021 my birthday was indeed wonderful and contented because of my family.

16th July 2021 was kind of different birthday for me. Ask me why? Because of my 5 years old daughter “EVA” and my husband “SUHAS”. On my birthday they both were very excited I would say more than me. They wanted to do all those things one could wish for their special day including “piñatas” especially my daughter. Ha ha ha !!!.

They both really made my day.

They are the reason I wanted to celebrate it. Yes! they both are the reason I felt to get dressed and clicked some photos.

Last but not least, I would like to say “Thank you very much to all my friends” who wished me on my social media accounts. It really made me feel star of the night.

A glimpse of my Birthday celebration.

One more Picture of my make-up look !!

I like it very much!

Thank you so much!