How To Pack A Travel Beauty Bag: For Acne Prone Skin With Multi-Step Routine

How To Pack A Travel Beauty Bag: For Acne Prone Skin With Multi-Step Routine

Tutorials Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, April 12, 2016

The problem with acne-prone skin - in my case, recovering from a severe infection - is that you need specific products apart from the usual cleansing-hydrating routine. It poses quite a challenge while travelling; you end up packing enough products to fill a cabin trunk.
Now that my skincare routine has been revamped by my new dermatologist (who won my loyalty when he told me the benefits of makeup) to include acid toning and clarifying facial oils, I have a host of new products in my regimen. When I went to stay with my grandparents recently after Gramps had medical appointments and Gran's sugar levels dropped, the challenge was to pack as lightweight as possible so as not to arrive with a freight train in tow, at the same time retain my multi-step regimen.  

Scroll down for travel beauty bag packing trips for acne-prone skin.

Packing makeup and skincare for a long trip

Packing makeup and skincare for a long trip

Travel Cosmetopia Digest   Tuesday, July 21, 2015

What I packed for a six-week trip to the UK and Europe.

For my six-week trip to the UK and Europe, I didn't want to carry much makeup as I had plans to hit Selfridges, Boots, House of Fraser and Harrods, and Sephora Rome (major hauls were made). Nor did I want to carry a makeup bag at all. The things take up too much room in the suitcase and, honestly, it is easier to squeeze all those tubes and bottles among the clothes. Besides, once I reach my destination, I tend to spread out my makeup all over the bathroom and then repacking becomes an ordeal. Since I was renting a flat, there was no option of hotel toiletries, except from Rome.
I decided to pack two kinds of products - minis, and full-sized products that were nearly empty.
I emptied sample bottles, washing them with Johnson's Baby Shampoo and a bottle brush, and drying them overnight before squeezing in enough foundation and cleanser for three or four uses. Needless to say, all those beauty box subscriptions paid off and I had enough travel-sized products for skin and hair care.

Beauty trends 1880s-1980s: Second Blogiversary Special

Beauty trends 1880s-1980s: Second Blogiversary Special

Tutorials Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, January 16, 2015

 

A century of beauty trends, tips, tutorials and perceptions from 1880s-1980s magazines. 

 

The word "trend" implies something modern and not 130 years old, but more on the semantics in a minute.
I cannot believe it is two whole years since this blog began - I feel like a complete noob most of the time. I would like to thank everyone who has read this blog for their support and hope you have liked it here at least for an infinitesimal second, at some point... Thanks also go to ANYONE who has advised, helped and shared knowledge and posts with and for me. I have more colleagues now than I have ever had at any workplace and love that about blogging.
Last year, I celebrated my first blogiversary by showing you some beautiful vintage beauty advertisements - check the post here. It is my all-time favourite post.
This year, I am sharing article-excerpts from women-centric magazines from the 1880s to the 1980s, containing beauty trends (i.e., whatever was trendy at the time), tips, tutorials, and perceptions. All of these are from my Gran's and Mum's collections, carefully scanned under heavy scrutiny after months of begging, bribing, pleading, coaxing and emotional blackmailing, and returned amid many mutterings. Warning: Picture-heavy.

Enjoy the old-world beauty tips, tutorials and perceptions!

How to swap a beauty box and avoid being scammed: Etiquette to observe

How to swap a beauty box and avoid being scammed: Etiquette to observe

Tips Cosmetopia Digest   Saturday, December 07, 2013

Swapping a beauty box with a stranger over the internet can be exciting and even satisfying but you have to be lucky not to meet feckless cheats, as I recently did. You also need to think, as I am now doing sadly - are you better off spending that amount on yourself at a nice makeup counter? But if you still love the idea of receiving a box of surprises, I'm sharing some tips and pointers for swapping a beauty box with someone, including where you can find a beauty box "swapper".

Stamping nail art tutorial basics I: Simple mistakes to avoid; tips, tricks and pointers

Stamping nail art tutorial basics I: Simple mistakes to avoid; tips, tricks and pointers

Tutorials Cosmetopia Digest   Thursday, November 07, 2013

Stamping nail art is easy to do and always in vogue; you can't go wrong with it if you get some simple basics right. After receiving - and answering - some questions on how to do stamping nail art, I was asked to do a detailed post for beginners. I am not an expert on stamping (or any other nail art) and have my messy-stamping days, but I found that there are quite a few tricks that many of the videos tend to miss out on.

As there are several facets to stamping nail art, I'll be doing this in three parts - this one is on the equipment used. Part II will be the step-by-step tutorial on stamping nail art and part III will be a list of non-Konad/special polishes that you can stamp with. All will be detailed posts, and picture-heavy. If all goes well, I will eventually be sharing step-by-step tutorials for FIMO, ombre, watermarbling, splatter, tape and other kinds of nail art. Suggestions/hate-mail welcome.

How to survive a shopping ban: Tips and tricks

How to survive a shopping ban: Tips and tricks

Tips Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, March 08, 2013

For a make-up junkie, there is nothing worse than a self-imposed spending ban (apart from having no money). I began in February and the ban ends in mid-March. (extended as I went in for the MUA offers in early Feb and wanted a whole month of no-buys).

Here are a few tips I've followed/discovered, which provide beauty-addiction fixes without making me break the ban:

1. Put everything you almost buy or want to buy on an Excel file. Keep looking at your stash and go to the Excel file and delete stuff you don't want. Now I have only six items I really can't do without (sorry, I realise the screenshot of my Excel file shows only part of one sheet and not the have-to-buy sheet).
2. Tell yourself everything you want is already on its way in the mail and will reach your address in a month.
3. Beauty box subscriptions help - you get your beauty fix, but you didn't spend during the ban!
4. I joined a tonne of giveaways. Didn't win any, but it helped with the ban.
5. Now I have more money to blow up next week. Make your post-ban wishlist.
6. Use the time to research what you really want to own. And what you regret buying.
7. Index everything. Your primers. Your concealers. Everything.
 8. Colour-code your index of lippies, shadows and polishes - see my colour-coded index file of polishes (including wishlist); I realise the shades are not exact, but that's because Office offers limited colours. Click picture to enlarge.

Get more tips after the break.