Faces Eye Pencil: Swatches, Photos, Review and Comparison with Other Blue Pencils

This was really the kind of blue that I had been looking for a long long time - The Navy Blue! This is the first time I am using a FACES product, thanks to the blog world! These pencils have a wide range of colors. I am planning to make a 12 color set of Faces pencils :)

Here's my review.

Product Details

• Price: Rs 250 for 1.15 gm
• Shade: Navy Blue
• Range: Faces Long Wear Eye Pencil (Wide range of colors available)

What I like about Faces Navy Blue

• The Color and Pigmentation: It lives up to its name and is a true dark Navy Blue pencil, with a good pigmentation, 2 strokes and you're done.
• The Texture and Finish: Its soft to apply and has non-shimmery finish. I already had a shimmery blue and so this was perfect.
• Long Stay and Smudge-proof: Well it stays on till you clean it off! Also I wear it for 8 hours and it does not smudge unless you rub it real hard.
• The Price: While all these sound similar to Chambor Eye Tattoo or Colorbar I Glide, here's what is different - the price! It costs 250 for 1.15 as against 325 for 1.1 for Colorbar, without too much difference in the overall performance!

I wish Faces Navy Blue was Better in These..

• Availability: Although these pencils have been around for a while, they were not easily available. It's still not available in the retail houses like shoppers stop, lifestyle etc. They are available in some drug stores. 

Availability in Delhi: I saw a counter in DLF Place Mall, Saket. I don't know of any other place. 

If you know where else to find them please leave a comment.

• Ease of Removal: While I wouldn't exactly call this a serious issue like that with Lakme I Glide, but my experience is that it does not completely go off with a face-wash. You have to use a make-up remover (Which ideally we always should, but I am generally lazy), and then it goes off quickly.

Overall Rating: 4/5 (Price gets some extra weight)

Will I Buy it Again? Of course, I have to complete the 12 color set :)

Offers from Faces

• The DLF Place counter I visited had the following offer of 'Spend Rs 400, Get a Kajal worth Rs 99 free'.
• Recently, there was also an offer of 'Get 2 Pencils worth 500 for Rs 300' on Fashion and You. I missed it, but waiting for the next one! So keep your eyes and ears open!

Comparison of Blue Eye Pencil Swatches

Color

• 1. Lakme I Glide Eye Color
• 2. Navy Blue from Faces Long Wear Eye Pencil
• 3. Astral Blue from Lakme Shadow Artist

1 has a violet tinge with shimmer

2 is the perfect blue

3 is slightly towards turquoise

Smudge Quotient

One stroke and this is what happens.

1 and 2 stay fine but 3 gets smudged very easily.

His vs Her Shopping: The Differences!!

 This article is based on my experience of shopping for decades with men, be it my dad or my then-boyfriend-now-husband! Let's start with the story, last weekend my husband and I headed towards the malls with a packed agenda of shopping, shopping and shopping. We spent quite sometime there and here's what we came back with -

Him: Pair of jeans, shoes, pair of trousers
Me: Faces Eyeliner (which was not even on my shopping list for the day) and ..that's it!



Later on Monday, I was sitting in a meeting in office and wondering why I can never buy stuff in a planned shopping. This analysis seemed far more interesting that what was going on in the meeting. You won't believe it but I actually made some notes! I realised the concept and approach to shopping are very different for men and women. Let's get into the details.

The Concept
For men shopping is more of a need based thing. They shop when they need something.
For women, shopping is the ultimate pleasure. We don't shop because we need something, we shop because we feel like shopping.

• I shop when I am happy because I am happy.
• I shop when I am sad because it will make me happy.
• I shop when I like something (even if my closet is stuffed with 10 more items of the similar kind).

Yet, I do always have some kind of a reason as you can see, I am not an unreasonable shopper.

Why men take lesser time to shop?

1. The Approach
When men shop, they have very specific things on mind. Sometimes it is simply a replacement. Hence it is much easier and less time consuming. My husband mostly buys from the first shop he enters. He purchased a suit worth Rs 12k ($ 300) in less than 12 minutes!

As for me, I can't even buy something worth Rs 1200 ($ 30) in 12 min. It is a very rare that I picked up stuff from the first store! I may eventually buy from there but not before I have explored the entire mall. I can't miss out on better deals and designs!

Secondly shopping for us is an experience, so if I planned to shop for 2 hrs, I can't finish it in just 10 min!

• Replacement takes lesser time than adding new things to the closet!

2. Hardly Any Choice
 I don't wanna sound rude but men hardly have 10 things to chose from, I mean its just jeans/ shirt/ t-shirt/ trouser/ shoes! But for us, it's so many things in addition to these.. We have to shop for lip glosses/ eye-liners/ eye-shadows/ sarees/ tops/ skirts/ stilettoes/ pumps/ curls/ jewellery....the list can go on!

• Limited Choice = Less Time

 



3. No Questions Asked
Men don't like asking questions, be it while driving to a new place or shopping in a store. They just pick up what they like without asking too many questions to the SA. But again, we like to get the best deals, so we like exploring and bugging the SA with millions of queries. It's their job after all!

• Less Questions = Less Time

Finally: Honey, Let's talk about the Money
Now hear this, not always but most of the times our stuff comes at half the price of theirs. For similar items, men's stuff is invariably more expensive than those for women in the same store! So that leaves us with the freedom to buy more things :)
It's strange that though I am the shopaholic and my husband is a wise shopper, our credit card bills are more or less the same!

This was my experience. So tell what you guys think!

Pictures from Google Images

Ekta and Kareena at Koffee with Karan: Do they Look Similar?

We all remember that Saifeena episode of Koffee with Karan where the couple were at their candid best. The episode became popular particularly after Saif proclaimed that he was 'long' amongst other things! Kareen looked pretty in a saree with a strapless blouse. He make up was simple an elegant.

Then I recently watched a bit of the episode of the show where Karan had invited Ekta and Tushar Kapoor. I actually had a liking for Ms Kapoor not because of the kind of soaps that she made but because she dared to make them! But, I couldn't really watch her for long in the show since she was too animated and sarcastic with her eyes moving too much all the time. But the one thing that crossed my mind was that she was similarly dressed as Kareena in the show!

Of course that was no life-changing observation, but I just found it interesting! And if I was in Ekta's place I would have rather not dressed up as someone like the hot Bebo :) What do you think?

Kareena and Saif @ Koffee with Karan

Ekta and Tushar @ Koffee with Karan

What do I see..

The same couch

Chiffon Saree

Strapless Blouse

Open Hair

Bare Neck

And funny that even the men look similarly dressed :)

By the way, this is what Ekta was wearing in her last appearance in the show. Atleast nothing was popping out this time!

My Shoe Tag: A Tribute to My Shoes!

The shoes carry you all around all day, so they certainly need some show of gratitude. This tag is my tribute to my shoes :)

I don't know if there's another shoe tag floating around, but here's what I have come up with. It would be a nice way to show your love for your shoes through this tag. But if you're too lazy, you can pick up your favorite question and answer here in the comment itself!




1. How many pairs do you have currently? And how many do you actually wear?
I counted in my mind and It's unbelievable that I actually have 13. Not because 13 is too high but because I end up wearing only 4 pairs :) This tag is helping me improve my self-awareness :)

2. What is the most common color of your shoes? And what is the most unusual color that you have worn?
I do have a few colors but black is what I wear most frequently.
Honestly I have been a little boring with shoe colors and there's no unusual color except a purple. In fact I want to see what people write here as I desperately want to add some colors and excitement to my shoes :)

3. What is the most and the least that you have spent on your (or someone else's) shoes?
Least I think has been Rs 80 from Gariahat (Kolkata) street shopping :). But that was some 10 years back!
Most for me has been only Rs 2500. Shoes were never my first love anyway.
I think I spent Rs 7k on a pair for my husband. Can't spend that much on mine ever!

4. Have you ever done anything dramatic with your shoes?
Well, the most that I have done is scaring away some crazy insects :)

5. What's your favorite type of heel?
Pump. I don't like flats and stilettoes are not comfortable, though I wish I could wear a few of them!

6. What's the height of your tallest ever heel?
Remember that era of tall platform heels. I used to have a pair I think 4.5 inches tall. I used to wear it a lot! It was just like the road was 4 inches higher :) That's been the tallest I have got.
Right now I have a stiletto that I rarely wear which also has probably the same height.

7. What was the brand you wore most frequently wore as a kid?
BATA!!

8. What's your favorite brand of shoes now? 

No favorites, generally pick up stuff from the usual mall brands like catwalk, inc5 etc. GK I M Block also has some nice shops. 

9. What's your favorite place for street shoe shopping?
I think Lajpatnagar Central Market has loads of variety!! I like GK M block too.

10. How expensive was that one pair that you wished you could own, but alas you couldn't afford :(
Well, this keeps happening all the time! I don't have to name Jimmy Choo here! The most I think I can spend on footwear is probably 3k. That way even Zara or Aldo give me enough occasions to sulk :)

Hope you had fun reading it, definitely do it if you're interested.
To start with, I would tag Mehak from peachesandblush. We all know she recently did some show shopping :) 

Here are the questions again..

1. How many pairs do you have currently? And how many do you actually wear?

2. What is the most common color of your shoes? And what is the most unusual color that you have worn?

3. What is the most and the least that you have spent on your (or someone else's) shoes?

4. Have you ever done anything dramatic with your shoes?

5. What's your favorite type of heel?

6. What's the height of your tallest ever heel?

7. What was the brand you wore most frequently wore as a kid?

8. What's your favorite brand of shoes now?

9. What's your favorite place for street shoe shopping?

10. How expensive was that one pair that you wished you could own, but alas you couldn't afford :(

Cocktails Women Love

Well, let me start with a disclaimer here. I am not a cocktail connoisseur, but based on whatever little my drunkard friends have made me try, here are my picks. And when I conducted a little survey in the office, they were the popular ones there too. Tell me what you think and the one that you love the most!

Long Island Iced Tea: The Potent Cocktail

I like all kinds of Iced Tea, be it Nestea or Long Island Iced Tea! This was actually the first cocktail that I ever tried and it was extremely potent :). And, it's not only me who feels that way. Even research supports that 'Long Island Iced Tea' is one of the most potent cocktails. It is a strong drink and contains almost everything - vodka, gin, tequila, and rum. If not mixed very well, can taste a little bitter, so make sure you order at a nice place!

Interesting Facts

• Most variants of LIIT do not include any tea, despite the name of the drink.
• Long Island Iced Tea, a summer drink, was first served in the mid 1970s by Robert (Rosebud) Butts, a bartender at the Oak Beach Inn, in the Town of Babylon, Long Island, New York.

Margarita: The Classy Cocktail

The margarita is a Mexican cocktail consisting of tequila mixed with triple sec and lime or lemon juice, often served with salt on the glass rim. The drink is served shaken with ice, on the rocks, blended with ice (frozen margarita) or without ice (straight up).

Interesting Facts

• This cocktail has been around since 1930's and is the most common tequila-based cocktail in the United States.
• 22nd February is celebrated as the National Margarita Day in the US.
• There are many variants of Flavored Margarita and I love the Watermelon one in summers!

Mojito: The Refreshing Cocktail

Mojito is a tropical cocktail that is extremely popular at sunny resorts and exotic vacation destinations around the world. It is traditionally made of five ingredients: white rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime juice, sparkling water and mint. The presence of lime and mint makes it quite refreshing and I love it!

Sip it and think about an exotic beach, you'll feel as if you're almost there :)

Interesting Facts

• The mojito is one of the most famous rum-based highballs. There are several versions of the mojito.
• Cuba is the birthplace of the Mojito, although the exact origin of this classic cocktail is the subject of debate.
• The name ''Mojito" is believed to have come from a derivative of mojadito, Spanish for "a little wet", or simply the diminutive of "mojado" (wet).

Cosmopolitan: The Chic Cocktail

If there's a cocktail that I have to tag as chic, I would go for the Cosmopolitan! I find the look and the taste very stylish! The original recipe is based on vodka citron, lemon-flavored vodka. The other ingredients are cranberry juice, triple sec and lime juice!

Interesting Facts

• The cosmopolitan gained popularity in the 1990s.
• It was further popularized among young women by its frequent mention on the television program Sex and the City, where Sarah Jessica Parker's character, Carrie Bradshaw, commonly ordered the drink when out with her girlfriends.
• The influence was not only restricted to TV. Demeter Fragrance Library has created a cologne intended to smell like the cosmopolitan cocktail.

Bloody Mary: The Complex Cocktail

If you hate tomatoes, you certainly would not like this too much! But honestly, I am not too fond of tomatoes and yet I did not hate this drink. May be bartender was too good :)

Bloody Mary contains vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavorings such as Tabasco sauce, olive, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt. It has been called "the world's most complex cocktail."

Interesting Facts

• When I did a search on 'Bloody Mary', many options came up, the most popular one being the 'Legend of Bloody Mary'. 
• This legend claims that the evil woman can be summoned by chanting "Bloody Mary" into a mirror anywhere from three to thirteen times in a darkened room, lit only by a candle. The bathroom is the most popular setting to test out the legend.  After the given amount of chants, the spirit will then appear in a mirror to claw your eyes out. Death will follow. Other variations have her driving you insane or pulling you into the mirror, never to be seen again.
• There have been quite a few movies based on this!

So, which one is your favorite?

Pictures from Google Images

Handwriting Tag

I was tagged by Bhumika from New Love to do a handwriting tag.

Well as a kid, my writing wasn't that bad! But now seems like I have lost touch :( I mean we hardly write anything. I make even my grocery list in my phone! So this was a welcome tag, thanks Bhumika! And here it is..

Don't hesitate to comment even if you think it's illegible :)

The questions were..

 1. What is your name? And your blog?
 2. What's your blog URL?
 3.Write: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.
 4. Favorite quote.
 5. Favorite song.
 6. Favorite band/singer.
 7. Say anything you want.
 8. Pass this along to a few bloggers

I tag
Nivedita from Beauty at times is skin deep
ClassyandFabulous at Fashion Ph.D
Ik from Makeup Monologues

My (Not so Good) Experience with Colorbar SA and Eye Pencil Sharpeners

Remember I had written a review of Prunella where I said I was loving every thing about the pencil except the fact that it was too soft and broke every time I sharpened it. So I thought of taking it to the Colorbar store where I bought it from at Select City Saket and see if there was an issue with my sharpener or the pencil itself. I was glad that they were willing to take a look.

But here's the conversation with the Head SA, and I did not feel very good about it.

I: Hi, I took this pencil from here, but it breaks every time I sharpen it.
SA: : Okay, lets have a look. (handing it to the other SA) Here take this, sharpen and check.
       She sharpened it and it did not break!!!
SA: See, no breaking! (with an 'I so knew it' expression)


I: Strange, but it would break everytime I use it at home. May be there is something wrong with my sharpener. Do you guys have a special sharpener?
SA: Can't be, because it's a normal simple sharpener.

Now here his tone which was a little imposing really pissed me off. He had that expression as if I was lying! And I felt quite bad. Yes it was my sharpener indeed, but I hated the way the SA spoke to me. I even told him that but he said he was only doing hius job which is helping his customers!

Unfortunately there are not too many places selling Colorbar, so I have to keep going back to them! Anyway I bought the sharpener they had. It was an impulsive buy and a retort from my side! Here's what it looks like.

Product Name: Colorbar In-Cap Sharpener

Price: Rs 125
Made in Germany

Likes: 
Very sleek and convenient to carry
Dislikes: 
Weird shape, does not give a firm grip.
Expensive for a sharpener.
I will go back to Lakme.

Question for Readers: What sharpener do you use for your pencil eye liners? 

I started with the simple Nataraj ones but often the lead would get stuck at the corner and block it. Then I shifted to one from Lakme which worked great for a long time but I couldn't find it when I wanted to replace it. So I an unbranded kajal sharpener, but it did not work well.