BrownGal Makeup

Something that always bothers me especially during COVID times when most of us are predominantly shopping online, is a well funded cosmetic / makeup brand failing to properly display shades of its product on their website. It's 2021. Online shopping is not a novelty. There should be no excuses for this sort of shoddy marketing.  Case in point, the Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint foundation on the Chanel website (or Macys , or Bloomingdales ) website.   On the Chanel website, there is only one color swatch. No swatches on how it looks on various skin tones (even if those look awfully photoshopped). Minimum details about color and the color names are different on the retailer website and colors mislabeled across websites.  I don't blame the retailers in this case as I think they get their pictures & details from the Chanel website.  However, Chanel could do a better job with their marketing of this product.  Chanel Les Beiges Water Fresh Tint in Medium Dee...

 One of my most common gripe with cosmetic companies is that every time I find a shade of lipstick, lip gloss, eye shadow, foundation (whatever!) that I really, really love. Invariably, the brand discontinues my favorite product.  Like almost ALWAYS.  I'm still waiting for MAC to bring back my all time favorite lipstick shade - Chelsea.   The MAC Chelsea lipstick was the nude lipstick for the brown skinned girl.  It was almost perfect. I had such high hopes for the MAC Chelsea shade with the MAC x Aaliyah collection.   Apparently, the MAC Chelsea color was the favorite of the late R&B singer Aaliyah. I can see why. The MAC Chelsea shade was one of the most flattering shade of lipstick available for brown skinned girls back in the 90's.  So when MAC came out with the Aaliyah collection, I was super excited.  I couldn't wait. But, of course, MAC did not bring back my beloved lipstick color.  I felt that collection was such a let d...

Currently my major skincare concern is having dull skin especially now that I'm older.  It almost feels like that natural glow of youth has dimmed a little (I hope it's just in my imagination).  So, I've gone from a basic cleanser, moisturizer routine to almost having a whole pharmacy's worth of products on my vanity.   Occasional facials from before an important event has now become a must do every other month. It's all adding up but here, I hope to cull it all down and give you some product suggestions that will help with the dullness and dark spots that seem to appear with age. Another factor with my skincare routine is that it has to be quick and not cumbersome as I need to get out the door every morning very quickly.     These are my out the door skin care routine products that has worked for me: Skin care routine products Cleanser - Tatcha - Camilla Cleansing Oil Morning Serum - The Ordinary - Niacinamide 10% + Zinc...

When I got married many, many, many years ago, I was super adamant that I was going to do my own makeup.  I'm of Indian origin and I celebrated my wedding in India. In the wedding planning stage, I considered a lot of makeup artists, many who came highly recommend.   However, I found there was a disconnect between what I wanted and what the makeup artist thought was the ideal wedding makeup. Even during my makeup trials, I found that they were almost unwilling to listen to what I wanted because their perception of the 'ideal' wedding makeup. The standard Indian brides makeup look at that time was so fundamentally different to what I considered to be ideal for me. Anytime, I went in for a facial in India, the facialist would always recommend a 'light bleaching agent' as a 'cleanser' to get an 'instant glow'. This would horrify me. I could never understand why anyone would put any sort of 'bleaching agent' however mild on their FACE or any ...

I recently read an article in "The Cut" about " How to Do 'No-Makeup-Makeup' for Darker Skin tones ".  The makeup artist in the article Daniel Martin is famed for doing the wedding makeup for Megan Markle. The make up artist had some good tips in the article - Use two different foundation shades (one for the perimeter of your face and another for the inside) and blend using a blending sponge to merge the two shades together. However, I would amend this slightly to say that a lot of people with darker skin tones are slightly darker around the mouth and the chin and lighter above the nose area (i.e. lighter on the forehead and cheeks) What I'm surprised about, is some of the brands that he's used.  Dior foundation,  Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra Longwear Concealer.  These are not brands that have a range of shades for darker skin tones.  Dior - well, you know my opinion of them.  Same with Laura Mercier. There is a lack of shades for darker ...

While wandering the aisles of my neighborhood Ulta, I came across a Kylie Jenner display with most of the Kylie Jenner Velvet Liquid Lipsticks sold out.  Now, I'm not the type of person that would ever consider trying a Kylie Jenner lipstick or any Kardashian product for that matter. Most likely because of the reality star stigma attached to it. I've always treated reality star merchandise as poor quality junk with the promoter out to make a quick buck. Out of curiosity, I tried out a few testers for the liquid lipsticks to swatch on my hand and the Kylie Jenner Velvet Liquid Lipstick in the color 'Shook' reminded me so much of a YSL Liquid Lipstick from a gazillion years ago that used to be my go to brown matte.  On impulse, I purchased the Kyle Jenner Velvet Liquid Lipstick in Shook.  I liked the intensity and depth of color (very pigmented).  Kylie Jenner's website describes the color as a mahogany color.  On my skin tone, it shows as a flat brown with sl...