July Favorites!

Hello Beautiful!

It feels good to be back! This has been the longest that I was MIA but Gosh I missed this so much! Where have I been? Girlll, exams and assignments got to me and then went through a huge change in my life, but all for the better. I've finally learnt that everything happens for a reason and that God always always wants the best for you. So no matter what you're going through, stay strong, stay your ground, don't lose faith and you will come out of it stronger (:

I decided to resume this part of me with July's Favorites! Everything that I have loved using again and again through out July. So, in no particular order, let's start with my absolute favorites of this month!

1. Zoeva - Eyeshadow Palette - Cocoa Blend.
        This eyeshadow palette is loveeeeee! I have to say I got this after Kathleen raved about it and now I know why! The eye shadows are so pigmented and blend so well and easily! I don't have to go over them again and again, they just blend flawlessly without taking away the pigmentation. They're soft to touch and not powdery at all! You can create both soft and bold looks with it. I love it almost, if not as much, as my Too Faced Chocolate Bar!

2. Wet 'n' Wild - Color Icon Bronzer - Reserve Your Cabana.
          Although labelled a 'bronzer', it is actually a beautiful and subtle illuminating powder that gives that gorgeous "lit from within" glow! The powder itself is velvet-soft and even leaves a soft velvety finish when applied - which was the first thing that surprised me. I'd definitely recommend you to buy this if you've been wanting the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder. This is a spot on alternative to that. It is the only one I have been using to highlight my face this month.

3. Colourpop Super Shock Eyeshadow - Fairfax.
          I have been in a no-liner phase for quite some months but this month I loved using this eyeshadow as a liner for when I want a litter extra for my eyes. What I do is, I swirl an angled brush onto the product and then line my lash line by stamping and dragging the product for a more soft liner look. The consistency of the shadow is perfect for this technique and look.

4. Essence - Silky Touch Blush - Baby Doll.
          I am in loveeee with this Blusher! It is exactly what it says, "silky touch" 'cause it's so soft and goes on and blends on the cheeks like a dream! The Blusher has a pretty satin finish and gives a beautiful, natural looking pink flush to the cheeks. This looks great paired up with every makeup look, be it something minimal and soft or super glam and even pairs up nicely with a dramatic eye look. It even stays on for quite a long time which is definitely a plus.

5. Jordana - Powder Blush - Coral Radiance.
          This is such a beautiful Coral shade. The formula is soft, nicely pigmented and blendable. It has a matte finish but not powdery or patchy at all. I like how it's not too pigmented because that gives me more control with building up the intensity. I found myself reaching out for this more on the days I didn't wear the Essence Blusher.

6. Maybelline - Color Sensational Lipstick - Coral Tonic:

          This has to be my all time favorite for Spring and Summer! The color is a gorgeous, juicy, Coraly goodness that looks stunning in this season! I love how creamy and comfortable the lipstick is on the lips. The color is an instant mood booster for me and looks beautiful with minimal makeup. The lipstick doesn't go opaque on the first application but you can definitely build it up with two to three coats.

So those were the products I loved using all through July. I'm looking forward to switch up and use other products in August. These favorites series encourage me to use new and old products and help me discover and rediscover my favorites!

Don't forget to share some of your favorite from July in the comments, you know I love hearing from you guys (:

Until next time, Good Luck and Ciao!

Discount / Promo Codes:

GULZEN75 : Get free shipping on your order above Rs. 7500 from Zensky

ASHOOG12 : Get 12% discount on the whole Bag collection at Ashootabby. (Valid until 31st March 2016)

VIOLETTEG10 : Avail 10% discount on your total at Violette - Online Clothing Brand

GULLOVESCHIC : Avail a 10% discount on each item at Urban Chic.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the website link(s) and discount codes provided in this post and do not earn or get anything, in return, in anyway if you click on or use the links -except Urban Chic & Violette -that I own.

April Favorites!

Hello Beautiful!

Oh my! Karachi needs to calm down! The temperature is rising with every passing day and hence the need to keep my face matte and shine free because I have given up on the idea of "sweat-proof/free" considering the humid and hot weather here where I live. My April Favorites consist of the products that didn't fail me in this weather and I didn't need to touch them up frequently, well not even once in some cases. Let's start with what my favorites were.

1. Bourjois - 123 Perfect Foundation - Light Beige 53.

          This has to be my best friend for the hot and humid weather. It is everything EVERYTHING I want from a foundation in this weather. It blends so smoothly with both my Real Technique Buffing Brush and Miracle Sponge, doesn't sit on top of skin, in fact blends in looking very natural. Sets completely matte and is shine free without looking Sahara Dessert dry or cakey. I absolutely love it and will be sticking to this all through Summers.

2. Makeup Revolution - Powder Blush - Treat.
          This is literally the only Blusher I used all through April! The formula is so soft and it blends seamlessly. It has a satin finish and gives the most beautiful peachy color to your cheeks. Also, it stays put for a good amount of time.I loved it enough to even travel with it.

3. e.l.f Cosmetics - Baked Highlighter - Moonlight Pearls.
          This is a re-discovered product from my stash and I fell in love with it all over again. I love to highlight the top of my cheeks, brow-bone and inner corners of my eyes with this. Read the full review here.

4. Morphe Brushes - Individual Eyeshadow - Caramelized.
          This is for my eyes what bronzer is for the face. All of you know by now how much I like to keep my makeup minimal and fresh and when I just a want a little extra for my eyes (apart from Mascara) I just blend this in my crease to warm up the eyes and for a natural contoured look. This buffed into my crease, inner corners and brow-bone highlighted with Moonlight Pearls and two coats of Mascara -and my eye look is complete.
Read the full review here.

5. Jordana - Best Lash Extreme Mascara.
          This Mascara is loveeeee the formula is neither too thin or too thick, just the right consistency and it gets better with each use. I love how just one swipe of this provides both length and volume. I have used this Mascara here.

6. Rimmel - Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer - In The Nude.

          I love to use this in my University days to eliminate the redness and for the well-rested eye look. I hardly get any sleep these days thanks to my studies and this helps me brighten up my eyes. The pencil glides smoothly on the waterline and stays put for a long time without any smudging.

7. Wet n Wild - Megalast Lipstick - Bare It All.
          The first time I got it I wasn't really impressed because I was use to Maybelline Coffee Craze which is a neutral toned brown where as Bare It All is a warm toned brown but with time it grew on me and I gravitated towards it the most all through April, so much so that with the beginning of May I had to remind myself to put this down and use something else. It is a beautiful warm nude shade nonetheless.

I make it a point to switch up and change the products I use every month so that I can share my favorites with you. April was all about keeping my makeup fresh, shine free and long lasting in this humid weather.

What were your favorite products to use in April? How do you keep your makeup shine-free and long lasting? I plan to do my makeup routine for

April with April Favorites, would you like that? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time. Good Luck and Ciao!

Discount / Promo Codes:

GULZEN75 : Get free shipping on your order above Rs. 7500 from Zensky

ASHOOG12 : Get 12% discount on the whole Bag collection at Ashootabby. (Valid until 31st March 2016)

VIOLETTEG10 : Avail 10% discount on your total at Violette - Online Clothing Brand

GULLOVESCHIC : Avail a 10% discount on each item at Urban Chic.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the website link(s) and discount codes provided in this post and do not earn or get anything, in return, in anyway if you click on or use the links -except Urban Chic & Violette -that I own.

The Halo Eye Makeup | Navy and Rose Gold|

Hello Beautiful,

I finally tried the halo eye makeup after being inspired by Kathleen Lights and Jaclyn Hill! Although it looked very hard to do at first but I have to say I really enjoyed doing it. 
This would look beautiful for a night out, weddings and even prom or graduation party! You can totally switch up the colors, sticking to the same technique used here of course. Dark colors in the corners and a light bright color in the middle, you can even go all matte or all shimmer but make sure to use the shimmer in the center if you wanna work with mattes and shimmers. 

Okay so let's get started with this tutorial. 

Products Used:

• L.A. Girl Pro Concealer - Creamy Beige.
• e.l.f Mineral Eye Primer.
• LORAC Pro 2 Palette (Buff, Lt. Brown, Nectar, Snow, Navy and Rose) 
• Color Studio Professional Hypno Black Eye Marker.
• Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara.
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil - Milk.
• Artmatic Lashes

Tools Used:

• Morphe Brushes Blending Brush MB23.
• e.l.f Blending Brush.
• e.l.f Shader Brush.
• A pencil Brush.

Steps:

1. After applying a thin layer of concealer and blending it, I primed my lids with the eye primer and set the whole area with Buff from the palette to get rid of the tackiness.
2. Taking Nectar on MB23, I blended it in the crease keeping it below the brow-bone, from the outer corner to the inner corner. I went in with the shade a few times to build up the intensity.
3. With a small shader brush I patted on Navy on the inner and outer corners and blended it in the crease with Lt. Brown with an e.l.f blending brush. 
4. I patted on the Navy shade again to intensify the color.
5. With a little bit of Nectar on MB23 I blended around the edges to get rid of any harsh lines and for a more blended and diffused look.
6. With a flat shader brush I patted on Rose in the center and blended the edges into the Navy shade.
7. With a pencil brush I smoked the lower lash line with Navy and patted Rose in the center.
8. I decided to apply a winged liner and used Color Studio Eye Marker for that.
9. After highlighting my brow-bone and inner corners with Snow and Buff, I lined my water line with NYX Milk and coated my lashes with two coats of mascara.
10. I decided to put on fake lashes and that really made the whole look more glamorous.

I really like the pop of Rose Gold on Navy. You can definitely skip the winged eye liner but remember to tight-line your upper lash line to make your lashes look fuller. If you use fake lashes with this look, I'll suggest you to go over the band and upper lash liner with a thin eye-liner so that the band of the lashes blends in with the eye-liner.

Also I'm in love with the amazing pigmentation of LORAC 2! I now need to get more LORAC palettes *_*

I also did this makeup look on Snapchat too so if you want to see more makeup looks, swatches and short reviews, follow me at Snapchat (gulexehra).

Do try this and don't forget to share the pictures of your work with me using the hash-tag #gulezehrasblog, I'd love to check out and share your looks. 

Until next time, Good Luck and Ciao!

Discount / Promo Codes:

GULZEN75 : Get free shipping on your order above Rs. 7500 from Zensky

ASHOOG12 : Get 12% discount on the whole Bag collection at Ashootabby. (Valid until 31st March 2016)

VIOLETTEG10 : Avail 10% discount on your total at Violette - Online Clothing Brand

GULLOVESCHIC : Avail a 10% discount on each item at Urban Chic.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the website link(s) and discount codes provided in this post and do not earn or get anything, in return, in anyway if you click on or use the links -except Urban Chic & Violette -that I own.

March Favorites !

Hello Beautiful!

How have you been? Me? Oh, I've just been so mentally and physically exhausted due to MBA and other activities but Blogging is my happy space and I always feel better here. I hope my posts do the same for you (:

So it is time to share my most used and loved products in the month of March. It is going to be a mix of beauty and non beauty related products and as you will see I kept quite low on the Makeup in March but don't you worry my makeup game is back in swing in April :D I like to switch things up you know ;) Okay without any more babbling, here are my favorites from March:

1. J. - Junaid Jamshed Deodorant Body Spray - COLORS:
     I rediscovered this in the beginning of March and it has been my travelling fragrance ever since and went everywhere with me in my hand-bag through out March. I love how long lasting it is on me and how fresh it smells. I'm not into fruity fragrance at all and I like how it's not very sweet smelling, has more of a strong element to it and I love my fragrances a little muskier.

2. Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara:
     This Mascara is love! It's the only one I used and loved loved throughout March. I love how it provides both volume and length in just one coat. it is the perfect pick me up for my lashes. You can see it doing its magic here.

3. The Balm Cosmetics - Hot Mama:
     It is what it is, Hot Mama! I'm in lovvvveeeeeee with this Blusher! It blends so flawlessly on the skin and gives just the right peachy gorgeousness to the cheeks with a subtle golden sheen. I can even apply it with no light source and it'll still look flawless. 

4. NYX - Dark Circle Concealer in Medium:
     As much as I kept my makeup minimum, I had to cover these dark dark under eye circles I have acquired thanks to insomnia. This concealer is more of a corrector than a concealer because it has a strong peach undertone that contracts the blue undertones of our dark circles and this stuff corrects my dark circles so well! I used it every time I used foundation.

5. Freeman Facial Polishing Mask- Charcoal & Black Sugar:
     This is hands down my favorite scrub for my face so far! I like how slightly warm it feels on the skin and that it's neither harsh nor too soft as an exfoliator/scrub. It even gets rid of the blackheads on the nose. I finally repurchased it and have been using and loving it in the previous month.

6. Crest White Deluxe - High Shine - Toothpaste:
     I've always been a little picky when it came to toothpastes. I stick to what I like and do not experiment but in March I gave Crest a go and now that's all I use. I can't really say if it has brighten my teeth but it has definitely cured the sensitivity to a great extent. I have sensitive gums and this isn't harsh on them. I'm not going back to my old or another toothpaste for a long time now.

7. LISTERINE Mouthwash - Fresh Burst:
     I started using it in the beginning of March and this is now my favorite thing to do in the mornings, nights and in between meals. I like how it's not harsh to my gums and although it's very strongly minty but I really like that in a mouth wash. 

I really like the combination of Crest Toothpaste with Listerine because the former has a very subtle taste of mint. Let me know what fragrances you like from Junaid Jamshed Perfumes and if you like sweet fragrances or muskier ones? 

What were your favorite products to use for the previous month? Would you like a detailed review on any of the above? Do let me know. (:

Until next time, Good Luck and Ciao!

My Favorite Blushers For Spring'16 | Colors Of Spring Tag|

Hello Beautiful!

What is the first thing that comes to your mind upon hearing the word Spring? For me it's Colors and a field full of lush green grass and beautiful flowers in all the different colors; birds chirping on the branches of thick trees surrounding the area! How calming and energizing. I love Spring as much as I love Fall, because it's neither too hot nor too cold and there's something beautiful about the bared trees as much as the branches loaded with flowers.

I'm so glad to be a part of yet another amazing platform supporting Bloggers, called Bloggers Squad PK, hash-tagged BSPK. They announce a tag  post every month and this month it is The Colors Of Spring and obviously we can have our own twist on the tag. So I decided to share My Favorite Blushers For Spring 2016.

When it comes to Blushers, I gravitate more towards Peaches and Apricots. But for Spring specially I love a good Coral. Here are the Blushers I'll be using all through Spring 2016.

As you can clearly notice, I have more Peach Blushers in this selection with a bright Coral, Pink and Orange. That's exactly what I like for Spring.

Blushers For Spring 2016:

In no particular order, let's get down to each Blusher, shall we?

a) Color Studio Professional - Audacious Orange.
          This is a straight up Orange which might look scary in the pan but gives the most healthy and natural looking splash of color to the cheeks. You have to keep a light-hand with this as it can easily make you look clownish if you apply it heavily. I blend it ever so lightly on my cheeks and it stays on for a good amount of time.

b) Milani- Baked Blush - Luminoso.
          This a cult favorite and for good reasons. It's a peach with a golden sheen that gives a beautiful peach color with a natural glow to the cheeks. It blends flawlessly on the face and you don't have to be too careful with it as it applies beautifully. I have used it here.

c) Makeup Revolution - Powder Blush - HOT!
          It is a beautiful bright Pink that gives the prettiest Blushed-Pink look to the cheeks. You have to be light-handed with this one as I'm sure you don't wanna look like a clown, but if you do, then you do you boo! The formula is amazing which blends seamlessly.

d) Jordana - Coral Radiance.
          Now this is such a beautiful bright Coral that might look "too much" in the pan but gives a beautiful wash of Coral on the cheeks. Coral Radiance is matte and can be topped with a highlighter for a more glowy look. But sometimes i like to keep my Blush Matte with my cheek-bones highlighted.

Here I have swatched them. 

Top to Bottom: Audacious Orange, Luminoso, HOT!, Coral Radiance.

Left to Right: Coral Radiance, HOT!, Luminoso, Audacious Orange.

e) The Balm Cosmetics - Hot Mama.
          This is supposedly a dupe for the notorious Orgasm by NARS. I don't own Orgasm so can't really compare but Hot Mama here is beautiful itself! It is a Peach Blusher with tiny golden flecks that translates onto the cheeks as a beautiful healthy sheen. I also like to use it as Blush Topper for my Matte Blushers.

f) The Balm Cosmetics - INSTAIN Long Wearing Powder Blush - Swiss Dot.
          Look at how tiny and cute this is! I received it from The Balm Cosmetics - Pakistan along with some other goodies at The Launch Event (read all about it here). It is an Orange Peach and is rich in pigmentation. I plan to buy the full size when I'm done with this sample.

g) Makeup Revolution - Powder Blush - Treat.
          This -again, is a peach, are you surprised? Coz I'm not! XD It has tiny gold flecks in it which gives a subtle glow with the peachy flush to the cheeks. You can layer it up and it'll blend seamlessly without looking patchy at all.

Here I have swatched them.

          

These are the Blushers that I love for Spring and will be using through out this season. I use Real Techniques Blush Brush to apply and blend the Blush and it does a great job!

What are your favorite Blushers for Spring? Don't forget to share them in the comments so that I can have a look at them.

Oh Spring also reminds me of this Blog Post where Elizabeth shared stunning wallpapers for Spring and all the beauty that comes with it. The pictures are breath-taking! Don't forget to see them here!

Until next time Good Luck and Ciao!

Discount / Promo Codes:

GULZEN75 : Get free shipping on your order above Rs. 7500 from Zensky

GULZ15 : a) Avail 15% discount on accessories at Sheer Class.

                b) Get The Classy Pouch for Rs. 850 instead of Rs. 1000 by using me code as a Coupon Code! 

ASHOOG12 : Get 12% discount on the whole Bag collection at Ashootabby. (Valid until 31st March 2016)

VIOLETTEG10 : Avail 10% discount on your total at Violette - Online Clothing Brand

GULLOVESCHIC : Avail a 10% discount on each item at Urban Chic.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the website link(s) and discount codes provided in this post and do not earn or get anything, in return, in anyway if you click on or use the links -except Sheer Class (Affiliate), Urban Chic & Violette -that I own.