New: L'Oreal Paris La Palette Nude Beige 02

Hello Lovelies,

My makeup collection is incomplete without an everyday eyeshadow palette. I can compromise on a formal eye shadow palette but not a regular one. I personally love matte eye shadows even on formal occasions with a hint of shimmer. Hence I am always inclined towards matte palettes and a lot of browns and neutrals. I had no clue that L'Oreal Paris had launched eyeshadow palettes until I came across the La Palette Nude Beige 02. This seemed like a must-have' instantly! Here's why..

"L'Oreal Paris Color Riche La Palette Nude Beige consists of a symphony of nude tones specifically chosen by our make-up designers to create your own glamorous and sophisticated nude eye look."

The 'Beige' La Palette Nude is a gorgeous range earthy tones and nice warm neutral shades, my all time favorite, perfect to create everyday natural looks and even deep brown smoky eyes for evenings. I heard it is pretty close to the YSL Couture Variation Palette. Like most eyeshadow palettes, it comes in slim, black compact casing ideal for travelling and easy to carry around. Name of the palette is written in front and also has a picture of what the eyeshadows look like at the back. Inside it has a nice, big mirror and a double-ended eyeshadow brush with L'Oreal embossed on it.

The La Palette Nude Beige 02 has a total of 10 shades out of which 6 are matte and 4 are shimmer. Quality of the eyeshadows does not disappoint. These are well pigmented and creamy in texture blending nicely with each other. These can also be used with a wet brush though I have not tried this out myself as yet. I usually use the lighter shades of browns along with the highlighter for daytime. The deeper shades of matte browns are perfect for the crease and to create evening looks. The shimmer eyeshadow (second from left) brightens up the eyes especially when I apply this to the inner corner of the eyes, it is one of my eyeshadow favorites from the palette. I have also tried to use the gold-yellow eyeshadow (fifth from left) as highlighter for my cheeks. It looks gorgeous and subtle especially if you are looking for just a hint of shimmer during the day. The only eyeshadow I did not quite like is the blue-black one (right most). It is a dull black, darker than grey but lighter than black which actually is of no use to me. I like my black eye shadows to be very deep and pigmented (think MAC Carbon). However, there is minimal fallout which is such a plus point and even if there is any it went away easily.

Overall, La Palette Nude Beige 02 is a very handy palette. It is slightly over priced but I personally think the quality is really good compared to other similar palettes therefore I would recommend that you take a look at it next time you come across the L'Oreal Paris counter.

Have you tried this palette yet?  

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The Seductive "Forbidden Flower" | The Body Shop

Happy Weekend lovelies,

This season I have purchased  dozens of fragrances. However, I also received a few PR samples especially from the bloggers favorite brand The Body Shop. From expensive high-end fragrances to regular everyday body mists, one tiny bottle really captured my attention - Limited Edition Forbidden Flower* Eau de Toilette by The Body Shop. In some (more liberal I suppose) countries it is launched under the name Smoky Poppy. This came as part of a gift hamper I received from The Body Shop sometime back which included the scandalous Red Musk. I only started using it recently and could not admire this lovely fragrance enough hence a new favorite.

The Body Shop says...

"....Inspired by nature's most controversial flower, the poppy, 

the new limited edition forbidden flower range blends potent moisture, seductive textures 

and a euphoric scent for the ultimate to total body bliss...."

Forbidden Flower was launched around Valentines Day earlier this year and hence you can guess a bit of the composition and notes of this fragrance. The entire range comes in a dark, black containers with a beautiful red, yet mysterious poppy flower on top and will lure you right in. This is something that I haven't seen in any other The Body Shop ranges as most of them are light and bright in color. All I can say is that the new launches are just getting better ad better! There is something definitely dark and sultry about this fragrance.

The mysterious yet seductive Forbidden Flower Eau de Toilette is inspired by the controversial poppy flower. A flower which is beautiful (have you seen poppy fields?), intoxicating and dangerous (do you know why?) at the same time. The fragrance is infused with extracts of oil-rich and hand-picked poppies from Ankara region of Turkey. According to Greek methodology, the poppy flower symbolizes love and fertility as well as goddess of harvest, Demeter. All this talk and information about the poppy flower made me wonder how the actual flower smelled! I'm not sure if I will be able to do the former but if it smells as beautiful as Forbidden Flower Eau de Toilette then its sweet and sexy at the same time and absolutely gorgeous!

If I talk specifically about the fragrance itself - its Euphoric! This fragrance is not your typical The Body Shop floral. On first spray, the fragrance is bold but not loud. It begins with a smoky, almost incense like notes but remains subtle. Once the fragrance settles down it transforms into something floral and powdery. Being of of the most seductive and indulgent fragrance (and range) to date, Forbidden Flower is a captivating blend of sultry warm spices, elegant floral and earthy-woody heart notes. Seducing all those who dare - it is a dose blissfully addictive scent that leaves you longing for more.

I have read a lot of reviews for Forbidden Flower over the web where some compared it to YSL Opium and called it a lighter version of the fragrance. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to smell Opium to make a comparison. I do, however, had a detailed sniff of Chanel No 5 and believe me when I say it; the two definitely have something in common. It was not hard to figure out the similarities. Both fragrances turn powdery as they reach the heart notes and hence have a slight retro feel to it. Though Forbidden Flower is a very modern fragrance, poppy flower give this fragrance character and depth, and hence in comparison with high street fragrance like YSL Opium.

If you like floral scents with that certain something you will love Forbidden Flower! Its available in a 30 ml Eau de Toilette along with an entire collection that contains items like bath bombs, massage oil, shower gel, body scrub, body butter and body lotion. For guys - The range also makes a beautiful gift for your girl-friend, wife, your best friend, sister and even mom! Its very wearable during daytime and suitable for everyday use. I have it on continuous rotation ever since the first spray and absolutely mesmerized by this tiny bottle filled with seductive aroma.

You are only a spritz away from seduction..

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