The Beauty and the Cheap's First Anniversary Giveaway! 3 winners!

Woot! December is my anniversary month! I wrote my first sad little post on the 14th, lamenting over makeup prices. Now 163 posts later, I've learned that there is so much more to makeup than what meets the eye. I learned that this is what I want to do with my life. I learned so many new things about social media and made so many new friends!

When I wrote that first post I didn't think I'd be writing this blog for so long and a big part of what kept me going is you guys! My readers! >w<

I LOVE YOU GUYS!

So as a thank you for supporting me, I have a giveaway for you all! ♥

There will be three winners this time and everyone can enter!

Winner no.1 gets:

VOV Castledew Pearl Up eyeshadows GD9930, 9352, 9252, 9740

Vivi Nail nail art bows, The Body Shop Shimmering Satsuma lip balm, NYX Sea Foam Green eye pencil!

Winner no.2 gets:

VOV Castledew Colorshot Eyes in Mystic Gold and Korean skincare samples!

Winner 3 gets:

Barbie Eye Circle lenses of their choice sponsored by Uniqso!

How to enter:

• This is a Rafflecopter giveaway.
• Mandatory entries have to be done!
• This giveaway is open to everyone. International love~
• There will be 3 winners.
• Giveaway ends on 16th January 2013.
• For any queries mail me at beautyandthecheap@gmail.com
• No fake entries please! >_<

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck everyone! Enjoy! :D

♥

I ♥ Purple Eyeshadow!: Cuicu Flashing Diamond Eyeshadow in Violet

Purple my favourite shade of eyeshadow along with teal. Having drab poopy eyes requires me to find colours that add some life to them and purple does that job so, so well!

The eyeshadow I'm reviewing is the CUICU Flashing Diamond Single EyeShadow in Violet, it was sent to me by the lovely people at KKCenterHk!

I was so happy to be picking eye makeup to review this time rather than nail related stuff!

Thank you KKCenterHk! >w<

Price:

$4.83 for 4.2g

Packaging:

This eyeshadow is big! I mean really big! It comes in a cardboard box like above and inside is a typical eyeshadow except it is BIG! As big as a NYX cream blush size wise. That is really good to see. 4.2g for a little less than 5$ is an absolute steal!

I must admit the inner packaging is much classier than the cardboard. It feels solid, not at all flimsy and did I mention, it's really big?! There is no applicator brush or mirror though, so that maybe a downer for someone on the go. I have no issues with that fact though.

Texture and Color:

This eyeshadow is brilliantly pigmented! I initially thought that would be a catch, you know? Big size, small price, pretty colours? The pay off has to be weak! That did not happen... 

The colour was a silky smooth deep violet! 

Performance wise, it lasted 3-4 hours without primer and 6-7 with it. Like any other eyeshadow to be honest. No complaints there.

One thing was amusing to me though, I expect something that has "Flashing Diamond" in its name to be glittery or shimmery at the least but this eyeshadow was absolutely matte!

Don't get me wrong though, I loved that fact! ^_^

Swatch:

On My Eyes:

Since I wanted to add a little sheen to the Violet shadow, I used my maybelline Painted Purple Color Tattoo as a base in the center of my lids. I went for a smokey purple look.

I'm going to be doing a tutorial on this look for a friend so do check it out if you're interested! :3

Overall:

I think the Cuicu Flashing Diamond eyeshadow passes with flying colours! It's a lot of product for a small price and has great colour pay-off! What more could on ask for?

To buy this eyeshadow, head on over to KKCenterHk and if you use my code "beautyandthecheap" you'll get a discount of 10% on purchase! ^_^

Can I just say now, I love my new camera even more after taking those eye pics? LOVE! 

Let me know your thoughts on this review! 

♥

*sponsored post: Products were sent to me for review. I was not given any monetary compensation and this review is completely my honest opinion. 

Why I like Shopping at Jabong

I’m staring at the title of my blog post, my mind is blank. I DO NOT like shopping at Jabong, no. I’m addicted to it! This is not a love post! This is a rant post!

Do you know why I love shopping at Jabong? *sarcastic tone* They make everything so easy for you! You just get sucked into it. With no way out!

From payment to returns they make everything so easy, you can’t do anything to avoid it. You have no excuse!

At first I was offered a voucher to shop there and blog about my experience. Well, let’s just say that was my gateway to the shopping drug. Without that I would have never clicked on a Jabong ad that pops up, never ordered a thing! But fate wanted things done differently. I am now addicted to Jabong, I click every pop up ad I see for it.

I thought I could get away, paying with my card at first. But because of their evil cash on delivery option, I can order something whenever I have scrounged up some cash in the house.

I could have used that money for FOOD! But no! I bought these pants instead!

    

I hope beyond hopes those pants I bought won’t fit. Buyer’s remorse, you know? I can just send them back… But no, that Jabong courier guy will WAIT, patiently I might add and let me try them on and if they don’t fit, get me another size!

Oh and shipping is all free by the way, just in case you thought a shipping fee would stop you. Not to mention super fast. Now, normally I wait around for my order to come in from other sites and then order something else, it takes a week or so. With Jabong, I get my order in 24 hours! So I’m back to ordering something else that much faster! IT ISN’T FAIR!
Jabong isn't even giving me a chance to recover from my first purchase and I’m down to ordering this cute pair of shoes already!

You know what the worst thing is? They are so damn nice! All of them! From the customer service to the courier guy, they are all just way too nice! Don’t even get me started on the cheery messages they send you about your order! Just when I’m trying to wean myself off the shopping they act all nice and I’m back to clicking “BUY NOW” in no time!

I haven’t walked into a real store in ages, my bank balance is depleting and my house is bursting at the seams with clothes, accessories, shoes and soon probably some bags too! Help me!

Shop at Jabong at your own risk people, I am addicted to shopping at Jabong! And I just can’t stop. I need help and oh maybe that cute new top?

This post is a part of Jabong Bloggers Contest. A pioneer in online shopping in India, Jabong.com promises to fulfill all your style based needs through its wide range of lifestyle products for men, women & kids.

My Favourite BB cream so far: Etude Precious Minerals Bright Fit BB cream

I had pretty rough week but more about that in my next post. In this post I'm going to tell you about the BB cream I have been using a lot these past few months! 

It's the Etude House Precious Minerals Bright Fit BB cream in the shade Natural Beige! (Is it just me or the longer the name of the BB cream, the better it is? Lol!) 

I wanted to do a review for this BB cream before I went to Chandigarh but decided against it because I wanted to see how it fared in the dry climate there.

The Precious Minerals Bright Fit BB cream was sent to me by Taisoon from Two Face Mall, a great place to buy Korean makeup! 

Taisoon is really nice and she's been very understanding about the fact that it took me so long to post this review!  couldn't help it! I wanted to be as thorough as I could for you guys! ♥

Thanks Two Face Mall! And sorry for my late review! ^_^'

About Two Face Mall:

Two Face Mall is a Korean skincare and makeup store based in Korea. It stocks not only some very popular brands of cosmetics but also has great deals and discounts like:

• Free Shipping with tracking!
• $5 off on signing up
• Free Skinfood Avocado lip balm on purchase 

The store also has a new "Buying Service":

The customer gives the details of the products and their own contact and address details, the store gives them an expected price on the products, the customer pays and the "buying" proceeds. 

So you can find any products you fancy, ask for a price and get them delivered to you! A great way of finding products that are new or not yet available online outside of Korea!

Their prices may seem a bit higher than other sites but they offer s lot of extras which makes up for it! Including the registered shipping!

Now on to the review!

What Etude House says:

Zero Oil! Coverage Up! Longer Lasting!

Keep your dazzling looking skin all day like a precious pearl.

BB Cream formulated with Pearl Powder with an improved adhesive texture to promote moist, radiant looking skin while protecting against UV damage and wrinkles.

Shades available:

#1 Light Beige, #2 Natural Beige, #3 Honey Beige, #4 Sand Beige

(I've swatched the first three for you guys! ^_^)

Price: 

$17.50 on Two Face Mall 

Packaging:

The BB cream comes in a 60g tube. Like most Etude products the box and tube look very princessy and pretty! I love looking at the box sitting on my dresser. 

The tube has a pump mechanism and you have to store it upside down. This pump is really great! 

Non- messy and I can dispense just the right amount of cream! So, no wastage. :D

There is just one small problem I have with the packaging. It's stupid but the tube has the colour written only in Korean and in very small letters! Lol! I can read Korean but on the go, it is difficult to find which one I want, especially since my sister recently bought a tube and her colour is different from mine.

Because of this, we keep the boxes, they show the shades on the the top flap. Thank Heavens! >.<

Colour, Smell and Texture:

This Bright it BB cream is an upgrade from before, the older one had only two not very "Indian skin friendly" colours. But with the 2012 upgrade they have definitely managed to make a lot of shades to suit many skin tones! 4 shades is more than most BB creams ever have! 

I'm pretty pleased that Etude had the foresight to see that many women couldn't use their products due to the lack of shdes. I hope other brands pick up from them!

#1 Light Beige, #2 Natural Beige, #3 Honey Beige

The texture of the BB cream is quite liquid unlike the BRTC Gold Caviar cream. It melts into the skin well and blends easily. It has a matte finish but also adds a slight glow.

The smell is like a floral talcum powder. I don't mind it! :)

Efficacy:

The Bright Fit Precious Minerals BB cream does a lot of what it promises. It has a lovely finish, what one would call "matte but not flat." My shade is Natural Beige which is slightly lighter at first but oxidises to match my skin perfectly.

The BB cream fills pores quite effectively, this isn't promised by Etude, just something I noticed and LOVE. 

It covers redness well and covers dark spots effectively too! I also like the fact that it has SPF 30 sunscreen! Yay! 

Only BB cream, no concealer or powder

In the more humid Mumbai weather you do need to powder, but I like to powder just my T-zone because it gives my cheeks a lovely dewy glow.

In Chandigarh I had much drier skin and had to moisturise before applying this BB cream. Otherwise it looked pretty chalky! 

So, beware if you have really dry skin! If you have oily skin, you will love this stuff! Both my sister and I love this BB cream and haven't experienced any break outs! >w< ♥

No skin photoshopping! :D All BB cream and a little concealer.

Lasting Power:

Lets just say, sweat all you want, you come home all gross and oily but you will still have the BB cream coverage! And when I cleanse it off and wash my face, my face looks brighter! :D A big plus!

Overall:

If you have oily, dull and spotty skin, this BB cream could be a savior for you! It has a nice semi-matte finish, even at the end of a long day, it stays on and makes your skin brighter. So go for it! 

If you have dry skin though, be careful, it might be too drying for you!

Definitely a BB cream I will keep buying! Will you be trying it? 

I also wanted to say that this is my first review using my new camera! The colours came out really accurate! >u<

Hope you enjoyed the pics!

♥

While I was Away: Shopping and Stuff in the Mail

Hello everyone! I'm back from my long visit to my parents in Chandigarh. Mumbai is so pleasant right now! It was down right freezing and dry in Chandigarh. My lips are still cracked and refuse to heal. O__o

I've missed blogging so much! And I have so many awesome reviews and tutorials for you guys!

My mum and dad bought me a new camera for my birthday! It isn't a DSLR but it is sooo much better than my Sony Cybershot (that did serve me well btw!) I hope the better picture quality helps you guys make better decisions about products! And it has good video too! So I can post clear videos on Youtube without anyone wondering if that dark blob is my head. >.<

Anyway, I got the Nikon L810, a bridge camera, exactly what I need! And my dad let me have his old tripod too!

Here's a lovely picture I took in the backyard: 

I'm still getting a hang of it but I'm loving it already! >w<

So, since I was away for Diwali, I missed awesome mail that came my way! And I just got my paws on it!

My sponsor KKCenterHk sent over new products to review! Wooohoo! I've been waiting a week to try these out! Especially the liner!

Cuicu Flashing Eyeshadow and LingMei Shiny eyeliner

I wanted to buy some Korean makeup as well, so I asked my mum to use her credit card. We were going to use Cosmetic Love or Two Face mall but ended up buying from KoreaDepart. Why? Because Paypal is a bitch, that's why! KoreaDepart had a payment gateway that wasn't Paypal so I could order stuff! I am thankful for that! ;n;

Anyway, even though KoreaDepart's shipping was steep because they use Speed post  their markup is low so the prices surprisingly were almost the same for Cosmetic Love and KoreaDepart! 

They sent me some good samples too! 

I'll do a review soon on KoreaDepart. ^_^

This stuff was waiting for me too! Here's what I got:

*Too much kayoot!*

The Precious Minerals BB cream is my sister's. I have one too which I will review tomorrow! I'll be able to show you some good swatches since I have 3 out of 4 shades! :D

The rest of the stuff is all MINE! Lol! 

Holika Holika Love Fantasy Blusher "Pink"

Etude House Shini Star Clear BB lotion

OMG cute overload! Tony Moly Cat Chu Wink lipstick "Peach Vanilla"

It's Skin and Innisfree nailpolishes! DAT GLITTER.

SAMPLES! :D

I have been wanting the Shini Star Clear BB lotion for a while now. Because SHINee.

Aren't they cute? I love them! Their music is some of my fave! So I had to buy this! Damn marketing!

I also picked up a bunch of makeup in Chandigarh! I was in a "Don't want to let go of summer corals" phase.. You'll see why... -__-

I picked up Revlon's Lip butter in Tutti Frutti, I want Peach Parfait next! 

I got their Colorburst lip gloss in Papaya because man, I have heard a LOT about it! >.< 

Colorbar True Gloss in Pink Stain, Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze, 

Maybelline Baby Lips in Mango Pie 

and Revlon Top Speed Nail enamel in Peachy. I had also bought a lovely lavender shade but I think the maid in Chandigarh stole it. *sobs*

Phew! That's all I got so far for November, I'm content! No more!!

Did you guys have a fabulous Diwali too? Hope you enjoyed yourselves! 

Do let me know if there are any products you want me to swatch or review from my haul first! 

I have a LOT of work to do! Lol!

I'm so glad to be back!

♥♥♥

P.S. I see new followers! Thank you for your support even though my blog seemed dead! ^_^

Korean Makeup Review: Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint

This review is SO overdue! I'm sorry for my erratic posting recently, I've been so busy, my birthday was on Saturday so there was a lot of shopping and I'm going on vacation in a couple of days, so more shopping, gathering and packing going on! Sigh!

Anyway, this is my first time trying a lip tint and I have to say it has been a novel experience for me! I feel like in situations where lipstick or gloss maybe too heavy or sticky lip tint will come through for you!

The lip tint I'm reviewing today is the Etude House Fresh Cherry Lip Tint in "Cherry Red." It was sponsored by the lovely Taisoon from Two Face Mall!

 Thanks Two Face Mall! ^w^

About Two Face Mall:

Two Face Mall is a Korean skincare and makeup store based in Korea. It stocks not only some very popular brands of cosmetics but also has great deals and discounts like:

• Free Shipping with tracking!
• $5 off on signing up
• Free Skinfood Avocado lip balm on purchase 

The store also has a new "Buying Service":

The customer gives the details of the products and their own contact and address details, the store gives them an expected price on the products, the customer pays and the "buying" proceeds. 

So you can find any products you fancy, ask for a price and get them delivered to you! A great way of finding products that are new or not yet available online outside of Korea!

Shipping: Shipping took less than two weeks and the products were packed well with bubble wrap. There was a tracking number so I could neurotically check my shipment every few hours, as usual! Lol!

Taisoon also sent me an extra Laneige sheet mask which I can't wait to try! 

Now on to the product review!

Price: 

$10.90 for 9.55 g! 

Packaging: 

Etude keeps updating their packaging ALL the time! It is very hard to keep track of it! >.< The lip tint has a newer packaging now, the one I have is the older version. 

The bottle it comes in looks a lot like a fat nail polish bottle, the colour is red like the contents. It has a doe foot, lip gloss like applicator and the bottle is packed in an adorable cardboard box. 

Colour:

The Fresh Cherry tint is available in 3 (now four) shades. This colour, "Cherry Red" is a pinky red with a little coral quality thrown in. One swipe is sheer and gives a natural flushed appearance. Two swipes gives a lovely almost opaque colour.

What I love is that the tint has a glossy effect initially but even after it fades, the colour stays strong for hours!

Smell/ Taste:

The scent of the Fresh Cherry lip tint is definitely that of cherries and the taste is minty, the minty flavour gives it a tingly sensation on the lips too! Very cooling! ^_^

Swatches:

You can see in the hand swatch that even after washing off the tint leaves a rosy stain.

On the lip swatch you can see how it adds a subtle yet bright wash of colour. 

Overall:

As a first time lip tint user I must say I am very impressed with the Fresh Cherry lip tint! I will be using it again and again, especially for casual occasions. I like that the quantity is big and the product is pretty long lasting, so I feel like I have gotten a good deal. I will probably be buying the Peach colour soon too!

These tints are a big part of the ulzzang makeup, especially for the gradient lips look, I'll try and do a tutorial on that soon!

with two layers of tint

As for Two Face Mall, they are generous sponsors and I will be buying from the store as well! I do hope that the site is tweaked a bit so it is easier to navigate but the deals that they have and the buying service makes me a very willing customer!

Have you tried lip tints? What do you think of the Fresh Cherry lip tint?

Korean Makeup Review: BRTC Gold Caviar BB cream

This is my second Korean makeup review, the first being Etude House’s Sweet Cupcake eyeshadow review. I also want to say that this is my second BB cream review but I won’t. Reason?

The first BB cream reviewed by me was NOT a BB cream. It was Maybelline’s BB cream, which as much as I love, I can safely say, it is not what makes a BB cream at all. Maybe tinted moisturizer is the right term.

This here though, BRTC’s Gold Caviar BB cream, is the real deal! 

About BRTC:

BRTC stands for Bio Remedies Therapeutic Cosmetics. It is a Korean company certified by the KFDA and is compliant with FDA rules. They say that they are Korea’s premium brand of botanical skincare and medical grade of BB Creams.  I can totally see why. Their innovative Science meets Nature ingredients have really blown me away.

The Gold Caviar BB cream is great for:

• Dry skin
• Dark, worn out skin
• Aged skin with low resilience
• Skin that needs constant nutrition
• All skin types that need vivid and healthy presentation.

Apart that it also has an Optimal Cover Rx, which soothes and repairs sun skin damage and it has a special Tannin Pore Complex to reduce pores. 

That and the fact that it has a SPF of 50 was the main reason I decided to try it! :D

Ingredients:

Customer Service:

The customer service at BRTC was very fast. Replies were given in 24 hours or less and even shipping was speedy! I had my package in 15-20 days by first class mail all the way from the USA. ^_^

Price:  $28 for 35 ml.

Packaging:

The tube

The BB cream comes in a blue and silver squeeze tube which has a sealed nozzle. 

The packaging of BRTC’s BB creams is very professional and medical looking. It doesn't conform with other Korean brands that try to exude a cute or pretty image in their packaging. I feel like it gives them a mature and trustworthy image. The packaging to me, even though I am a lover of cute things, shows they mean business!

Hygienically sealed nozzle

Colour, Smell and Texture:

The Gold Caviar BB cream is pretty thick, like glue. I was afraid that it would be a pain to blend but I was so wrong! It blends like a dream although you have to work fast otherwise it’s going to stick and not budge.  You don't require a lot, a pea sized amount covers the whole face. :)

I can’t explain the smell of this stuff, it is a medicinal, yet flowery smell. Not appealing to me but bearable.

The colour is beige with a slight pink tone. There is only one shade so it can be a problem for people with duskier skin tones.

Swatch: Unblended and slightly blended

Laurel from the store advised me to mix it with my regular foundation if it was too light; lucky for me it was just right for my skin tone. Initially it has a whitish cast but it settles in a few minutes to match my skin!

Efficacy:

This BB cream promises SO many things I don’t know where to start, so I’m just going to tell you my experience and compare it to what the cream says.

As you can see from my very embarrassingly zoomed in untouched skin pictures, I have really big pores, dark post acne spots, under eye circles and redness around my nose, plus a few small blemishes. -__-

This is my bad side! Lol! I think I get those blemishes from sleeping on my right side too much. 

My skin: What it looks like REALLY up close!

The first layer of BB cream definitely covered my redness well. It also managed to cover my pores and dark circles to a certain extent.

The second layer hid my pores some more, I know in the photo they still look pretty big but you have to understand that, that image is VERY upclose. From a distance, they were barely visible! The lines under my eyes were “plumped” out to some extent. I need more sleep, jeez…

Lasting Power and Finish:

The Gold Caviar BB cream did NOT make my skin look overly oily, not more than it usually gets, even though it is a very rich and moisturizing cream. It has a dewy finish but powder can take care of that. 

No photoshop! :D Only the magic of BRTC's BB cream and powder!

This stuff lasts for hours! In fact, don’t work fast enough and it won’t even budge to blend. It doesn't come off on tissue when I wipe off sweat and neither on the nose piece of my glasses, which always get covered with gunk from foundation! It comes off when YOU want it to come off. 

No sliding off! Even on my glasses! :D

Use a strong cleanser because otherwise it will not leave your face.

Overall:

I am very pleased with the Gold Caviar BB cream, it delivers what it promises. I can see my pores look smaller and redness disappear. The lines on my face, though not many, seem filled, I have more than adequate sun protection and my dark spots seem lightened too.

My simple mind doesn't understand how gold and caviar work together but I do know that they make this BB cream awesome! And I plan to use it for a long time because can see how well my skin does with it on and hopefully I’ll see some long term improvement as well! :D

Hope you enjoyed this review! Do check out BRTC store for the Gold Caviar BB cream and other awesome futuristic skin products!

Thanks for reading!
♥