Lipstick Masala

Photo Credit: http://wowowow.com/

.

If you’re wondering where we’ve disappeared to – don’t worry, we haven’t abandoned you! We’re away for the week, hard at work. Trust us, it’s not by choice – we’d much rather be here with all of you. We will be back in just a few days! Promise.

I love painting my nails blue. And black. And red – oh what I wouldn’t do for the perfect red. What I don’t love are the stains left behind when I remove the polish from my fingers and toes, and from the messages received this week from Lipstick Masala readers, this appears to be a universal issue. There was a time I almost even considered giving up my beloved reds. It seemed no matter how much remover I used I was still left with a tint on my nail, or even worse, a faint yellow color from keeping my nail polish on for too long. In order to hide the damage, I would apply even more polish, only making matters worse – it was a vicious cycle. I decided to research some remedies for this issue, and I am happy to report that I am once again able to wear whatever deeply pigmented nail polish I wish. Read the rest of this entry »

At times when I stand in front of the mirror, I feel like one of the characters from the movie “Mean Girls,” inspecting my face and cursing my pores for being too huge (deny it all you want, I know you all have watched it and know exactly what I’m talking about!). And the criticism doesn’t end there. Every little wrinkle or laugh line that has deepened in the last few years feels my wrath as I desperately try to camouflage it in some way. Well, I haven’t found a miracle product yet to zap away all my flaws, but thankfully I’ve come across one that gives me the somewhat airbrushed feeling that I’m going for – makeup (or foundation) primer.

Many ladies have bypassed this product because they feel they don’t need it, but I assure you, primers have many advantages and you are missing out if you choose to go without one! A primer is a silicon gel or water based lotion that is applied to the face before foundation, blush or highlighters. For those ladies who don’t use foundation or powder, you can still use this product – it’s great on both bare faces as well as under makeup. Primers work to fill in pores and also even out any fine lines and wrinkles. So, even if you wish to go bare faced – you will instantly have smoother looking skin. Read the rest of this entry »

For ladies living in the U.S.:

One of our fabulous Twitter friends has alerted us to a 15% off sale at www.saksfifthavenue.com on cosmetics and fragrances purchased online. This is a great deal, girls – department store sales usually never apply to cosmetics! Hurry up and place your order - offer ends this Sunday, April 19th.

Thanks for the great tip, MW! If anyone else has information on any great beauty deals, email us: lipstickmasala@gmail.com

**Update** MW has also informed us that www.origins.com is having a promotion as well. They’re giving out a free full size cleanser with any online purchase. Enter the code P1208 for free shipping!

Photo Credit:http://www.dyscalculiaforum.com/news.php

When the cold season ends, most of us tend to turn all our attention to repairing the damage caused to our now dull, lifeless hair and dry, ashy skin. However, in the process we forget about one of the most important features constantly in motion on our face – our mouth. Not only have we subjected our poor lips to the frigid gales of winter, but we torture them every day while drinking, eating, smoking, kissing and talking. Some of us even unwittingly bite or pull our lips with our fingers while we are stressed out or thinking about something. The result – a rough, flaky mouth. If you think you can cover it up with lipstick or gloss, you are doing yourself a disservice, because drawing attention to your lips is the last thing you want to do when they are peeling.

If you want to salvage your lips, you must Read the rest of this entry »

Our society has become completely germ phobic. Every product on the market has some kind of super ingredient that supposedly protects us from tiny little microorganisms that will make us sick or cause infection. Did you know that almost 80% of all liquid soaps on the market are anti-bacterial? So, when people would talk to me about how important it is to throw out my old cosmetics, I have to admit I would nod in agreement and then roll my eyes once their backs were turned. I was one of those people who believed it was our society’s bacterial obsession at play as well as being a big scam by the cosmetics companies to get us to keep buying their products.

But, the truth is, the danger of using old makeup is very real, not only because of bacteria (which is bad enough!), but because of the ingredients within the actual products. The FDA does not place as stringent policies on cosmetics as they do on food, which means cosmetics companies can use whatever chemicals they want that are known to cause skin reactions and even cancer. The EU is far more progressive in that it has banned over 1,100 of these chemicals, while the US FDA – only about 11. What do these numbers mean? If you live in the US, Canada, or any nation that imports skincare and cosmetics from the U.S. (i.e. the majority of the world), you need to be THAT much more careful about what you’re putting on your face. Preservatives may make cosmetics temporarily safe, but they last for only a certain amount of time (hence, the need to clean out your makeup drawer).

How long can you hold onto products? Here’s a basic breakdown: Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: all4myspace.com

Lipstick Masala has had the honor of passing 10,000 hits in just 3 weeks!

We would like to take a moment and thank all of you for reading our site and passing it on to your friends and co-workers. The more readers we have submitting their own tips, the greater the benefit to all of us! Please continue to spread the word: add us on Facebook (click here) and we are now also on Twitter (click here).

Thank you for all your support and encouragement!

Love,

Lipstick Masala

Photo Credit: cosmeticeyes.com

As I was walking out of a coffee shop this morning, I bumped into an absolutely stunning desi girl. She was dressed immaculately and her hair and makeup were perfection. However, her unnatural grey eyes were startling, and not in the way I expect she had wanted them to be. Her colored contacts looked incredibly odd against her complexion and took away from the beauty of her features. It was then that I got to thinking about all the desi girls I’ve run into who have chosen to replace their natural eye color with tinted contact lenses.

I have to admit, I have never been one to try colored contacts, I personally feel they look absurd. However, I’m curious to know what you all think about them. Take the poll below or sound off in the comments section. How do you all feel about desi girls with colored contacts? Are they a miracle invention for us South Asians or a beauty disaster?

[polldaddy poll=1520929]

Photo Credit: tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com

When our skin starts acting up, our primal instinct is usually to run to the nearest department/drugstore and grab the first “miracle” product we can get our hands on. We use it for about a week and then move on to the next remedy. I’m guilty of the same thing myself – while spring cleaning my bathroom cupboard two days ago I threw away two economy sized trash bags bursting with almost full bottles of face wash, lotions and masks. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on useless products. It was only until a few years ago when I came across a remedy for rebellious skin that not only works but costs close to nothing – the Aspirin Mask.

Yes, aspirin. On your face. Aspirin is a BHA, or beta-hydroxy acid. BHA’s are used in most face washes and lotions that are created to prevent acne. Heard of salicylic acid? Yup, that’s a BHA. BHA’s are exfoliators that work by deeply cleaning your pores and helping prevent the formation of new spots on your face.

Aspirin masks are known to reduce redness and inflammation while brightening the complexion. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: amazon.com

The weather is changing and so is your skin. With the mixture of warm and cold air, the dry areas on your face are getting drier and the oily parts oilier. Try to avert extra shine or avoid tightness on your face by paying attention to how you apply your lotions/creams. Most of us just dab a little on our fingers and quickly smear the product all over – this way of lotion application is a big mistake! It results in dry patches, and worse, increased blackheads (especially on the nose area).

Tomorrow morning, apply lotion first to the driest areas of your face ending at the oily parts. In most cases this means the end point should be your T-zone (your forehead and nose), which is on average the problem area for women – but your skin may vary. By doing this, the most of what is on your hand will end up on the areas that need the lotion the most, leaving very little on your fingers for skimming over the oilier parts. You may feel you don’t even need to apply lotion to your t-zone. Trust us, you will start to see a difference very soon.