My Indian loot….

Hey everyone,

I hope everyone’s been having an awesome week so far! From what I can see there’s been some really crazy weather news over the last few days. My friends from UK sending me pictures of the snow, rain in Dubai and well, I experienced Bombay getting HOT! I just returned from my trip to India. I seem to be a bit of a nomad these days – while figuring out where my next journey takes me.

You know I’ve noticed that in the last 2.5 years while I was away from blogging,  a lot has changed. There’s mostly vlogging through Instagram and YouTube! However, I still kind of like the whole concept of writing and talking to you guys; I mean that is how we started Divaly isn’t it? I am thinking of maybe interspersing some videos and including recipes and restaurant reviews as well, to keep up with the times ;).

In this post, I thought I’d share some of the new products I picked up on this trip to India. I tried to keep my shopping to the minimum but for anyone who knows me, THAT almost seems impossible. I mean I don’t even really even need to be buying clothes or make up, it could even be like random tea bags and coffee for all I know!

Sooo I’m going to share some of the things I’ve been wanting to checkout whenever I went to India and I’ll do seperate product reviews on some of them in another post.

1. Nykaa

I believe this is India’s answer to getting all those ‘foreign’ cosmetic products but at good prices and all under one roof! They also have their own product line, so from blushes, highlighters to lipsticks, nail shades and even shower gel! They have a pretty nice range of products with a decent price point too! I’ve been seeing their ads and products all over social media and naturally, but of course, I had to go check it out! Here’s a couple (not all) of the products I picked up.

Glow Getter – Highlighting & Illuminating Duo in Glitterati 02 & POUTPerfect in You Make Me Blush

 2. Kama Ayurveda

Now this is another brand I personally hadn’t heard of until I saw an instagram post of Masaba Gupta’s (an Indian fashion designer) about the rose spray! Face and body mist sprays are great, especially when you have more hot and humid climates, really refreshes and hydrates the skin. I was advised to buy a pack of three different face sprays for a great introductory offer of Rs 625. The fragrances were lavender, mogra and rose! The brand seems to be similar to Forrest Essentials, and I am keen to explore their products more.

Face and body mist sprays – Rose, Mogra and Lavender

3. Forrest Essentials 

Now what can I say about this brand and it’s products? I absolutely love, love, loooove this brand and all they offer. I am so fascinated by their natural, exotic ingredients and all the fancy concoctions they come out with! I was good this time, I bought only one product, a head massage oil. With all my travelling, bad water and stress, my hair’s taken a little bit of a beating. I’ve been told good this about this, so hopefully it works!

Ayurvedic herb enriched head massage oil Japapatti

Since most of these products are new for me, I’m going to use and test them for a little while and then do product reviews on each! I hope you have a wonderful week and stay tuned for more!

Love,

Aly

Divaly Recommends!

Everyone is on holiday, or at least is still in the holiday mood. And you know what means? A relaxed calm mind, indulging in whatever makes you happy, for us that’s food, pampering and how can we forget SHOPPING!!! This month, we wanted to share some of the cool things we’ve found and would love for you to try!

1. Highliner Gel Eye Crayon – Marc Jacobs
This has been one of my newest finds and I absolutely love this!!! I’ve been using my Maybelline pencil for the longest time and wanted to try something new. I came across this eye-pencil at Sephora. I’ve never used the Marc Jacobs beauty line before, other than for shoes. It’s really soft and easy to glide on. It doesn’t make my eye water and it stays on for quite long. I first bought the black, which is dark and pigmented and olive as it looks great with my brown eyes (it also stands out with hazel and green eyes). I now have the sapphire blue and silver, which I’m yet to use but they looked lovely! Girls, I really think you should give this a try, perfect for your smoky eyes!

2. Pure Melt Cleansing Gel – Clarins
This is a pretty cool cleanser. It starts out as a gel that clings on to impurities and make-up, it then melts into a cleansing oil with the skin’s body heat. Only once you splash your face with water it turns into a gentle cleansing milk. Please remember you need to use this on dry skin, I made the mistake once of using it in the shower and it turned into the cleansing milk. This is really great for travel as it serves as a multi-purpose product. This product is suitable for all skin types and leaves your skin deeply cleansed, soft and soothed!

3. Hangover Primer – Too Faced
This is like a refreshing cool drink but for your face! Whether its long work days at work or late nights. This primer is your cure, it hydrates, smoothens and brightens your skin for a healthy finish. It is also really light and comes in a tube with a pump which is again great to carry on for travel.

We hope you enjoyed our new finds and tell us your favourites this summer!

Divaly Recommends!

Today we’re celebrating International Women’s Day, what better way to celebrate than to have some really awesome products to make you feel fab!

Over the past few months, we’ve been told and requested by most of our readers to post more product reviews of the products we use and experiment with. Taking that into consideration, we decided to also include a ‘Divaly recommends’  post once a month along with our monthly indulgences post!! This way we have more variety and choice to choose from :-)!

V and I will recommend absolutely anything – from a product,  to a service or something as random as a great place for cupcakes and macaroons, anything we think you must and absolutely need to try out !!!

So for this months post, we recommend :

1. Kerastase Elixir K ultime

This is an absolute must have for all you ladies. It is a lightweight multi-use oil that helps to nourish, soften and make your hair silky smooth! It can be used for all hair types and can be used in a variety of ways. You just need a small drop or two to use either as a pre-treatment oil before your shower, on damp hair as a style aid , after a blow dry for some shine or just on its own on dry hair. It also helps keep away the frizz and makes your hair super soft. It is slightly expensive but goes a really long away and worth every penny!

2. Instant Nail Polish Remover by Sephora

This is another absolute must have especially if you love to do your nails! It is a nail polish remover in a bottle with pre-moistened pleated foam which eliminates the need for cotton balls. Its convenient size is perfect for on the go and even for travel and doesn’t require any cotton pads. It takes off colour instantly without leaving any traces of nail polish and lasts you for ages. For even the most dark or hard to remove nail polish, this remover helps to take off lacquers. Get ready to say goodbye to bottles of nail polish remover and bags of cotton pads!

3. Midnight Recovery Concentrate 

There are a few products that are miraculous and one wonders how you ever lived without them – Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Oil is undoubtedly one of them. Yes, you read that right, it’s an oil and it works spectacularly well on all skin tones in all climates. A couple of drops (I use 3 in winter when my skin gets extra dry) warmed up in your palms and massaged onto your face before you head to bed makes you wake up with a glow on your face – even if you have only slept for 3 hours! If you feel a spot coming on, put a drop of this oil on it directly and we promise you, not only will the spot disappear, it most definitely won’t leave a mark that takes ages to go away. Midnight recovery oil is one of those products that just works. You absolutely need to have it on your night stand. One bottle goes a long long way, so it is worth every penny. If you want results, buy this and don’t go in for a drug store substitute. You can use this oil on its own or put on some extra moisturiser if your skin gets really dry and flaky. And yes, this product is good to use all over your face – there is no need to avoid the T zone or anything of that sort.

 

We hope you try these products and love them as much as we do. Let us know once you do! Happy shopping as always and hope you have a fabulous week ahead!

Happy 2015!!

As 2015 just begins, Vasudha and I would like to wish all our readers a Happy New Year and hope this year brings you lots of happiness, good health, success and mostly makes all your shopping wish lists come true : -)!!

As we both look back on the last few months since Divaly came into being, it has been an interesting and exciting journey and we are very so grateful for the support from all our friends and family and mostly all our readers from all around!

This year we have planned a few different surprises and posts that we will be sharing with you over the next few weeks! We would as always love to hear your feedback and please let us know if there is anything you would like us to cover for 2015.

Cheers to a wonderful 2015 and stay tuned for more!

Love,

Aly & V

Holiday Beauty For Every Budget – P2

Yesterday our post focused on the basics, getting our skin glowing, the perfect primer and foundation for that flawless holiday beauty look. In continuation to our previous post, our guest blogger Zarine focuses on the cosmetic aspect, to get the perfect products to use to suit every pocket!

Over to you Zarine :

I am a bronzer fiend. Since I have a rounder face, I find sculpting the heck out of my non-existent cheekbones, intensely satisfying. Highlighter is my other love and I have to resist the urge not to smear it all over my face (..but fine-milled glitter is just so pretty!). When used subtly, highlighter and shimmer can make your skin look like you are being followed around by a professional lighting crew.

Wallet friendly favourites include Maybelline Master glaze blush sticks ($9.99, Walmart), for a creamy finish; E.L.F. Pressed Mineral Blush and Baked Bronzer ($5.00 each, ELF Cosmetics) and Rimmel London Sun Shimmer Bronzing Wheel ($9.99, Murale), for a sun-kissed glow. Splurge worthy options include Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush($30.00, Sephora), which lasts up to 12 hours and are extremely pigmented, Benefit’s Benetint ($34.00, benefitcosmetics.com) for a subtle wash of rosy colour and my favorite, Too Faced’s The Bronzed and the Beautiful Bronzer Pallette ($39.00, Sephora). For a champagne shimmer, Josie Maran’s Argan Oil Illuminizer ($32.00, Sephora), gives you that lit-from-within look. For a pearly finish, try Benefit’s High Beam ($30.00, Sephora).

Tip – Mix these with your foundation for a J-Lo glow.

Nothing is hotter this season than a plum lip. Your lips need to be mistletoe-ready, so exfoliate them using the ELF Lip Exfoliator Stick ($2.99, ELF Cosmetics) or Bliss’ Fabulips Sugar Lip Scrub ($20.00 Sephora).

Lipsticks like NYX Matte Lipstick in Perfect Red ($5.99, Walmart) and Revlon’s Super Lustrous Lipstick in Plum Velour ($8.99, Walmart) are sure to keep your wallet happy, while lavish formulas like Diorific Golden Shock Lipstick  ($45.00, Sephora), NARS Greta Audacious Lipstick ($36.00, narscosmetics.com) and MAC’s Lorde Collection lipsticks in Pure Heroine ($26.00, MAC Cosmetics) will make your pout stand out. Add extra dimension with an opaque, non-budge gloss like OCC’s Lip Tar in Stalker ($22.00, Sephora) or add dramatic plump-factor with Soap and Glory’s Sexy Mother Pucker lip plumping gloss ($20.00, Sephora).

When you are taking a break from rocking a fierce lip, keep your kissers moisturized by using a tinted balm like Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment ($25.00, Sephora), Maybelline’s Baby Lips ($3.99, drugstore.com) and EOS lip balms ($3.99, Shoppers Drug Mart).

GLITTER, GLITTER EVERYWHERE! Channel your inner 70’s maven! The Sonia Kashuk Eye shadow Quad Pallet in Showstoppers ($13.99, soniakashuk.com) is a budget-friendly, glittery and portable option. Or change it up with flattering purple shades; try the ELF Baked Eyeshadow Trio in Lavender Love ($4.00, ELF Cosmetics). For amazing colour payoff in a variety of shades and textures try the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette ($61.00, Sephora) and the Stila In the Light palette ($44.00, Sephora). Need an extra charge of glittery goodness? Add a dusting of MAC’s glitter Heirloom Mix ($24.00, MAC Cosmetics) over your eye shadow.  Bam!

Rim your waterline with Rimmel’s Soft Khol Eyeliner ($11.99, Murale.com) or try blogger favorite,  Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes ($19.00, Sephora). Line your upper lash line with Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner ($23.00, Sephora) or try the NYX Curve Eyeliner ($15.00, Ulta)—it’s ergonomic shape makes lining your eyes mistake proof—even if you’ve had a little too much eggnog!

Finally, apply 2 generous coats of mascara; my favorites are Diorshow Extase Mascara ($30.00, Sephora), for a luxe, falsies look and Covergirl Lashblast Fusion ($12.00, Ulta), for a thick, clump free finish.

So now that you have the holiday beauty lowdown from Zarine. Tell us which products you want to try out or the products you recommend for this holiday season! Happy holiday shopping ladies, our bags are certainly getting fully and wallets lighter! Have fun 🙂

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Holiday Beauty For Every Budget

Divaly’s makeup recommendations for the festive season have been really popular among our readers and friends and so in continuation to perfecting that look this festive season we are really excited to have our second guest-blogger for Divaly – Zarine Mistry.

Zarine Mistry is a senior from high-school in Dubai and is currently based in Canada. She is a makeup fan and enthusiast just like me and being a fellow beauty blogger in the past she wanted to share her own recommendations for a holiday beauty look to suit every budget. A big shout out to Zarine and we really appreciate all the effort and research she did, coz boy getting that perfect look ain’t easy ;-). The ‘holiday on a beauty budget’ will be in two posts because she really went all out to help us create that perfect look, we hope you enjoy!!

Over to you , Zarine :

Tis the season to look FAB-u-lous! But between decorating the tree, channeling your inner Martha with your holiday baking and finding the perfect presents for everyone on your list, you might find your makeup routine is lacking some Christmas cheer.

Fear not, here is a routine to help you look your holiday best! The kicker—these products will work with every budget!

Whether you opt for the effective, yet gentle St. Ives Apricot Scrub ($3.59, Ulta) or the more luxurious Clarisonic Mia 2 Sonic Face Brush ($180.00, Sephora), with an oil cleanser like the boscia Tsubaki Cleansing Oil Gel ($35.00, Sephora), you can be sure these bad boys will slough off that winter dullness, revealing your brightest skin. You will notice your face will feel smoother and your moisturizers will absorb quicker.

A little goes a long way when using the multi-purpose Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil ($20.00, Sephora). Opt for the light version if you have oilier skin. For a complete skin transformation you could try the Ole Henricksen Sheer Transformation creme ($45.00, Sephora); the formula melts into your skin as it fades dark spots and nourishes.

Stay bright eyed with Clarins Super Restorative Eye Concentrate ($92.00, Sephora). It’s pigments brighten, while the caffeine de-puffs and the shea butter nourishes the delicate under eye skin. For a quick and cheap fix, place warm (not hot!) chamomile tea bags over your eyes for about 10 minutes and rinse thoroughly with water.

You could get away with not priming your skin in the melty summer months, but in the winter, it’s imperative you don’t skip this step. With hundreds of different formulas to choose from, you are sure to find one that’s right for your skin type. Budget friendly options include Revlon Photoready Color Perfecting Primer ($14.00, Walmart.ca), which colour corrects uneven colour and redness while smoothing out the skin. L’oreal Magic Perfecting Base ($12.00, Ulta), gives you a silky matte finish that lasts all day.

Pricier options include, Stila One Step Correct ($42.00 Murale.com). This all-in-one super-serum colour corrects, brightens and primes, in one, simple, no-fuss step. It also offers a healthy dose of anti-aging goodness, which doesn’t hurt! If your skin is on the oilier side try the Smashbox Photofinish Primer: Blemish Control ($50.00, Sephora), which contains Salicylic Acid that fights spots while you prime. For your eyes, MAC Paintpots ($21.00, M.A.C.) come in a number of colours, my favourite is Painterly, which brightens the eye for a no-makeup makeup look. For the festive season, Urban Decay Primer Potion ($23.00, Sephora) in Sin, adds a fun champagne coloured shimmer to the lids. These can be worn alone or under shadow.

If I was trapped on a desert island in Santa’s Sleigh (see what I did there? Festive change-a-roo) and could have just three things, foundation would be on the top of my list (beauty first, right?). My favorite drugstore brands include the dewy Revlon Colourstay Makeup for Oily/ Combination Skin ($12.99, Shoppers Drug Mart) and Rimmel Stay Matte BB Cream ($10.99, Shoppers Drug Mart) for a shine-free finish. For a more done-up look, I like using MAC Studio Sculpt foundation ($38.50, MAC Cosmetics). This one is a thick, full coverage foundation which I reserve for special occasions. Make Up Forever’s Invisible Cover Foundation ($48.00 Sephora) is an oil-free cult-favourite, which is formulated to withstand harsh lighting and those awkward Christmas photos.

Conceal those skin grinches, a.k.a blemishes and dark circles, with NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer ($33.00, Sephora) or the super luxurious YSL Touche Eclat- Radiant Touch concealer (46.00, Sephora).Surprisingly, my personal favorite is the budget-friendly Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment ($8.99, Ulta), in the shade Brightener.

Tip- If you don’t feel like using your fingers, try a dense, flat-top brush, like the ELF Flat Top Powder Brush ($3.00, ELF cosmetics) to buff everything out or, splurge on the beautyblender ($20.00, Sephora) for an airbrushed finish.

Stay tuned for part 2 from Zarine! As always happy shopping ladies 🙂

Let’s get ready for that “pout” !!

We’re all set for the festive season, we’ve started ticking off those items from our Christmas and New Year shopping lists. In the final post to our must have makeup buys this festive season, we cover lipstick shades, shades that can be paired with Divaly’s recommendations for eyeshadows and blushes. To be honest, choosing the lipstick shades were the hardest, only 3 shades from all the different reds, pinks, browns, nudes, maroons, corals, plums, etc.etc. But staying true to our theme I have narrowed down to those 3 shades that will give you that extra pop of colour you need for that pretty pout and the endless selfies that one needs to take for the festive season ;-)…

For this post, I have chosen :

1. Brooklyn by Buxom – This is a beautiful mauve matte shade. Boy what can I tell you about this lipstick, I happened to come across this while visiting family in Canada at one of the Sephora outlets and it has been my favourite ever since. Buxom may not be familiar to many people, at least it wasn’t to me and I’m so glad I came across this brand. This can be used as a lip liner, as a lipstick –  it has a creamy velvet-matte texture and it also subtly plumps up your lips. You can actually feel the slight tingling, cooling sensation. Even though this lipstick is on the darker side, it can literally be worn with any outfit. You could even use it as a base and add mix another shade or just add a little gloss and you are good to go.

2. Lustering by M.A.C – This is a lovely watermelon pink in a lustre finish. This is a pretty lightweight lipstick and and gives a nice glossy finish. This is also great to mix with other shades but if you don’t want to go too dark and want a slight pop of colour this is a really neat shade. If you dab on a little, it would almost look like a gloss!

3. Red wine by Korres – For all those who love their red shades of lipstick, this is a winner and an absolute must have in your makeup bag. This is a great colour for those who normally aren’t sure what red to start out with. It has great staying power and can be intensified depending on how much you apply. Introduced to me by my best friend Divya, I can never forget how obsessed we were with this colour!!

We hope you are all set for this upcoming festive season and as always happy shopping :-)!!

It’s an ‘eye-catching’ affair!!

Diwali is over but the family get togethers are still on, the weather is changing and it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. In continuation to our must have makeup buys this festive season, in this post we cover eyeshadows, the must have shades that will go with every look and is perfect to mix and match.

During the festive season most of our outfits have strong bold colours or are with heavy design, etc. and our make-up need not be as heavy. For this post I have chosen 3 shades that can go with any outfit :

1. Alhambra by Nars

This is a duo pack eyeshadow which I absolutely adore. This duo has a metallic rose mist and a golden champagne shade. Both soft colours, that can be used on its own or together. One for highlighting or blended in. For a greater intensity and slightly darker, use with a wet brush to give more of an effect.

2. Amber Lights by M.A.C

This is a rich, gold-shimmered coppery brown with a soft frosted finish. It looks beautiful when you want to go a little dramatic and have your eye make up stand out. I would recommend even trying it with a deep blue/sapphire eye-pencil or a dark chocolate brown instead of regular black kohl. I wouldn’t use too much of this product as it is pretty dark with one application itself!

3. Groundwork (Paint pot) by M.A.C

This is an absolute must have in everyone’s make up kit. I cannot recommend this product enough. It’s a beautiful, creamy eye shadow that can be used on it’s own, as an eye primer if you want to go for a smokey eye and can hold as a base for your powdered eye shadow and stays even longer.

Some other products to look out for are Sumptuous Olive and Goldmine by M.A.C and shades similar to these limited edition eye shadows such as Smoke & Diamonds, Grand Entrance and Superwatt also by M.A.C

Happy Shopping everyone!! Tell us some of the products you use and we can check those out too :-)!