NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Review

Hey guys, Lavz here! Today I decided to review the much loved concealer by NARS Cosmetics, the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. 

Accessibility, Shade Selection, Price, Packaging, Product.

The NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer is readily available in your nearest Sephora store or at the tip of your fingers on sephora.com or NARScosmetics.com. 

The Shade selection is just wonderful, one of the best I've seen in the market. There's a perfect shade for both the ends of the spectrum and there are 10 of them.

-Chantilly - true ivory shade for fairest complexions

-Vanilla - tiny cast of pink for the fair complexion

- Honey - warm peach tone for light to medium complexion

-Custard - yellow tone for light to medium complexion(my shade)

-Ginger - golden undertone for medium complexion

-Biscuit - medium dark natural balance of pink and yellow undertones

-Caramel - medium dark yellow and golden undertones

-Amdande - medium dark with golden olive undertones

-Café - dark shade with warm red undertones

-Cacao - dark shade with deep gold to brown undertones

It retails for AED 129 or $29 on Sephora.com. For 0.22Oz of product that you don't need much of is a fair price in my opinion as it's also high end.

Packaging wise, I love how you can see the product through the clear tube and I absolutely love the sleekness of it. The matte finish on the handle of the tube just makes it looks like a million dollars but it tends to get a little dirty if you use it as much as I do. However, it's nothing a makeup wipe can't take care of. :)

I use the shade Medium Custard and if you don't have a Sephora near you or a Sephora that does't carry NARS, you can always buy it online. For reference, I'm NC30 for my face in MAC and NC15 for under eyes. 

Application, Product Consistency.

The wand is a flat doe foot applicator and it's very easy to apply on your face directly. The opening of the tube is just narrow enough to wipe away excess product that might be on your applicator but not narrow to the point where it make it hard to reach your product when it's at the tail end of it's life which is a problem I've faced with various concealers. It's smells nice when you put your nose to it but it doesn't linger on your face. 

It has a very silky and smooth consistency which makes it ideal to use under your eyes to conceal dark circles. I have it in the shade Medium Custard and it works wonderfully for my skin tone, I was matched at the Sephora store. I have extremely sensitive eyes, to the point where I can't wear any kind of makeup product on my waterline or bottom lashes. Some concealers make my eyes water like nobody's business and this does not do that one bit. It's so comfortable to wear and it doesn't not crease on me at all. I'm still young and don't have fine lines but I have seen people with fine lines using this and the concealer just fills in the lines and blurs out the appearance of them. It's not waterproof to the point where it won't come off, but if I shed a few tears or sweat to death in UAE's heat(the latter is more likely to happen ;)) , it won't disappear, melt, smudge or budge. 

It also conceals redness around my nose really well. I don't use this to conceal my blemishes though because I use my MAC Concealer for that. It's not because it can't do it, it's just that I don't prefer to. I set it with a powder and I use the NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat.

It's has a very thin consistency which makes it an absolute dream to wear underneath your eyes because we don't want that area to look cakey or creased. 

I have very normal skin under my eyes and it works perfectly. A friend of mine with very dry skin uses this over an eye creamed under eye and it works just as well for her. 

If you have very oily skin or oily under eyes, you should not let the words Radiant and Creamy scare you because it's not nearly as creamy as you'd think it is. It's not dry by any means whatsoever but it's not too creamy either. If you live in a hot and humid climate like me or have problems with your under eye concealer disappearing, you can take it a step further and set it with a translucent powder or a regular setting powder. 

Worth the hype?

YES YES YES! If you have't been able to tell already, I love this product. It's my ultimate holy grail product. If I'm in a hurry, I'll just throw this on and brush my Guerlain Parue Gold Powder Foundation all over my face and that will be my base of for the day and it works SO well. I have seen some people compare this to the Maybelline Fit Me concealer. I cannot see a single similarity in my expedience and I HATE the Fit Me concealer and the Fit Me line in general. Nothing against Maybelline, I love them, not so much the Fit Me line. I wouldn't go a day without this concealer and would obviously repurchase it. I don't see a single con in this product for me.

I hope you enjoyed this review and that it was at least somewhat useful if any at all.

Until next time, Adios!

L A V Z K H A N B E A U T Y

♥

Clothing and Beauty Haul

Hey guys, Lavz here! 

I've been very hard on my wallet and have been shopping loads lately. Since I've been at home so much in May, I've done some serious online shopping and some in store shopping too. With my graduation and farewell just two weeks away, I've been buying loads of makeup and trying looks here and there so I can achieve the perfect makeup look for both the day as I will be doing my makeup myself. Without further ado, I give you a collective haul. 

I got a two for AED 260 deal from American Eagle. I absolutely love their jeans and if I were to get one, it would cost 220, so I decided to get the deal. I ended up getting light wash slightly ripped Mid-Rise Supper Skinny Stretch Jeans and these were a part of their Vintage Collection. The next pair that I picked up are a pair of burgundy Hi-Rise Cropped Jeggings. I always wear AEO jeans, they fit me so well and are SO comfortable.

The last clothing item I picked up was a floral mint green kimono from Pull & Bear for AED 125. It's a very soft and breathable material, perfect to wear over a loose fitting graphic tank for the UAE summer. 

Next up, I picked up a perfume set from Victoria's Secret. It has four body sprays, Noir and Bombshell being two of them for AED 125.

The flower crown and the pack of eight studs and four sets of middy rings are from a store called Lovisa. It's an adult version of Claires and has some pretty cute stuff. I got both of them for AED 30 each. Which ended up being a pretty great deal for the studs and rings because I got a lot for my money.

 The sunnies are from Claires and they retail for AED 60

I FINALLY got something from Zoe's range of products. I decided to go for her signature mint green with baby pink polka dots pencil/makeup bag. I think this is the prettiest out of all her makeup bags and it's SO high quality which I wasn't expecting. I love how it has her eyes on it as well as her pretty little sign in the corner. I bought two of these and gave one of them to my sister and now we have matching makeup bags. I'm so confused as to whether I should use this as a makeup bag or a pencil case for when Uni starts. I think I'll be getting the one with Pippin/Percy on it for Uni cause at first glance I didn't find it too cute but now I love it. I ordered this on Glamazle.com for AED 65

In my mall, Pull & Bear, AEO and Sephora are right next to one another, as I was leaving Pull & Bear, I practically heard the shimmery shadows, glossy lipsticks, rosy blushes and silky soft brushes calling my name and I had to drop by. I ended up picking the original pink Beauty Blender which retails for AED 90 as well as the Glam Glow Super Cleanse Daily Clearing Cleanser Mud to Foam( thats a mouthful)  for Combination skin for AED 175. I've been using this for a week now and I absolutely LOVE it, I'm so glad I bought this because it's legit my new HG. I needed a new cleanser and I decided to go with this. You do need a hydrating moisturiser to pair with this though. 

If you guys have read any of my other posts, you'll know how much I love my Guerlain Parue Gold Powder Foundation and how I lost mine. I obviously had to get a replacement for it because I can't live without this powder. This is the most expensive item in this haul at AED 390 from Sephora. 

I went on a search for the Tarte Amazonian clay powder foundation but it was out of stock everywhere online. By then, I hadn't repurchased my Guerlain face powder and I was really wanting to try something new. My sister swears by her bareMinerals mineral foundations so I decided to give these a go. I ended up picking the Matte Foundation Broad Spectrum with SPF 15 in Medium. This retails for AED 165 on AlShop.com if I'm not mistaken. I was ALSO searching for the Stila Stay All Day waterproof liquid liner. When I saw this on AlShop, I nearly squealed and quickly placed an order for it, I was so excited when it came in that I forgot to photograph it in it's packaging. I used it that very day and it is the best eyeliner you will ever use. This is what I used to create the retro winged liner look for my sisters birthday party and I have been using this everyday since. It's not joking when it says waterproof, I drew on a temporary tattoo with this on my wrist and it stayed on all day. I had to scrub it off at the end for religious obligations but it's a wonderful liner. (Retails for AED 125)

Thats's all for this haul guys, I hope you guys enjoyed this blog post and it helped you in some way. Let me know what you guys have picked up recently in the comments below. All my social media links are up on my home page as usual.

Until next time, Adios!

L A V Z K H A N B E A U T Y

♥

Retro Bollywood Birthday Party

Hey guys, Lavz here!

Retro Bollywood, the era of polka dots, bright colours, bell bottoms, winged liners, big lashes, florals and many more.
Although I'm Pakistani, my family has always loved old Bollywood movies and for my sisters 26th birthday, we decided to throw her a party with a Retro Bollywood theme.

The invites had a famous Bollywood dialogue that translates to 'You must be very happy today.' 

This was some of the party decor, we had additional posters and this was all done by DIYEvents in Dubai. The Photo Booth props had famous Bollywood dialogues on them while the cupcakes and water bottles had the same images as the posters and the coasters did in our party favour packs. The part favour pack included a coaster and a voucher for Pink Pepper Photography in Dubai. 

I dressed up as a retro hippie and decided to rock a floral print jumpsuit that I got made my self with block heels, a small flower crown and a whole bunch of rings. 

OOTN Deets

- Jumpsuit  : had done myself

- Flower crown : New Look

- Block Heels : New Look

- Middy rings : Lovisa 

Make up Deets

- L'Oreal Studio Secrets Primer

- Nars Creamy Concealer (Medium Custard)

- BareMinerals Matte Mineral Foundation : (Medium) 

- Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 : (Lid: Stark ; Crease : Cover)

-  Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 : ( brows : Primal + Undone)

- Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner ( NEW HOLY GRAIL IN LOVE)

- Ardell Natural Lashes

- Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara

- Makeup Revolution Iconic palette : (Golden Hot : Blush + Highlight + Bronzer)

- NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream : (Antwerp)

These are some of the pictures from last night. In the first picture I'm with my three siblings. I'm the youngest of them all :)

In the second picture I'm with Jinan who is the family's friend+like our sister

Lastly, I'm showing off my liner look created by the Stila Liquid Liner ;)

I hope you guys enjoyed today's blog post, I'll check in tomorrow with a collective haul so stay tuned. 

Until next time, Adios!

L A V Z K H A N B E A U T Y

♥

My Secret for Healthy Hair.

Hey guys, Lavz here! Today, I'm going to tell you all about my hair and how I keep it looking great and healthy. I know that sounds vain, but I get compliments and questions about my hair on a daily. My friend Aya is especially obsessed with my hair. So much so, that she thinks she's jinxed my healthy hair. ;) 

Disclaimer: I'm not a hair expert and this is all that works best for me :)

I’m going to write about the basic products I use, such as the shampoo and conditioner, as well as some treatments. I do not like to use too many products on my hair other than the usual leave in conditioners, heat protectants and dry shampoos. 

Let's start with my hair texture, length and cut. 

I have really thick hair and I've got loads of them. If you've read my other blog posts, you'll know that I'm blessed with thick and dark hair. My hair is  naturally straight for the most part but have a slight wave to them. It's not poker straight by any means though. It falls 3-4 inches above the small of my back and is dark chocolate brown in colour. I've never dyed/coloured my hair before I usually get them cut in layers with fringes/bangs.

This was the last hair cut I got and it was back in September. I have gotten my hair trimmed just once since then. I know you're all probably like umm?? Just once? People say that you should trim your hair every 2-3 weeks and I find that for me, that is a waste of time, energy and money because I simply don't need to do that. I get a haircut every 6-8 months and get it trimmed once or twice in the middle. I will be getting my hair cut this week or the next so you can stay tuned for that :D

Before I start showing my products, I just want to say that I don't have the simplest of routines and not the most complicated either. I find that these products work extremely well for me and I've been following this routine for the last year and half. 

(Lee Stafford Blinding Brunette Shampoo, SebaMed 

Anti HairLoss Shampoo, Selsun Blue Dandruff Shampoo)

Lee Stafford is my favourite hair care brand. They make absolutely wonderful hair products and cater to a wide range of hair textures and colours. I usually find them at Boots or Spinneys here in Abu Dhabi. They are a little bit on the pricy side for just hair care but they work amazingly for me and I don't mind splurging on hair care if it's Lee Stafford :D The Blinding Brunette Shampoo (250 ml) is made with a Pro-Brunette system for natural or coloured Brunette hair. It also gently tops up your mahogany and mocha tones, enhancing the espresso, or so it claims. I have really dark hair but I do see a difference in terms of the different tones in my hair when I use this. It has walnut, henna and moringa seed extract and it smells wonderful too. I wash my hair every alternate day and I use this shampoo every time I wash my hair. This retails for AED 47 and lasts me almost a month.

Next up I use the SebaMed Anti HairLoss shampoo(400 ml) that is made for all hair types. It's soap and alkali-free and is a german based medicated brand readily available in all supermarkets here. Everything I've tried from this brand is wonderful and they have a solution for all problematic issues like dandruff, hair loss, acne, dry skin and damaged hair. I use this shampoo twice a week and it has really helped put a stop to my hair fall. I never really had trouble with my hair falling but for the past few months, due to extreme levels of exam stress, my hair has been falling like nobody's business. It has a light gel type consistency, a fresh scent and  does not weigh my hair down at all. This retails for AED 35 and lasts me almost three months. 

Lastly, I use Selsun Blue(118 ml) just once a week and when I do, it's as a deep cleansing shampoo to rid my scalp of any dandruff and follow up with the other two shampoos and this is usually on a weekend when I have the privilege to take my time in the shower. This thing smells AWFUL. Even the word awful is and understatement. It almost smells worse than cat, dog and bird poo+vomit combined. I'm not even exaggerating right now. So then why do you use it you may ask, it's cause I have never used a cleansing shampoo that works as well as this, and for that I can suck it up and take the awful smell of it that lingers if you don't follow up with 100 products. I can't remember how much it costs on the top of my head but it's around the 10-12 Dirham mark and lasts me around 1 and 1/2 months.

(Lee stafford hair treatment for hair that never grows, 

Lee Stafford Conditioner for Poker Straight Hair)

When I said Lee Stafford is my favourite hair care brand, I wasn't joking. I mean, LOOK AT THAT PACKAGING. I'm not a big pink girl in my outfits but I sure do love me some pink elsewhere. The Poker Straight Conditioner(250 ml) has a built in heat protectant and it smells like a straight up hair spa. It's recommended that you use it with the matching shampoo but I like the brunette shampoo better because it defines the different tones in my hair rather than just a plain shampoo. However, the matching shampoo to this conditioner is just as wonderful. I use this every time I shampoo my hair and it retails for AED 47 if I'm not wrong(what a terrible blogger). It lasts me for almost one full month.

I use the hair treatment 3 or sometimes 4 times a week. That only happens if I wash my hair two days in a row because the humid and hot weather of this desert makes you do that. It's a 250 ml tub and it retails for AED 61. I repurchase this as frequently as the shampoo and conditioner. I take two egg sized scoops for my long and thick hair and apply this from root to tip. It does not weigh my hair down in any way, shape or form. Instead, it adds volume and makes my hair more manageable. 

(Dove Oil Replacement)

I can never thank Huda from Huda Beauty for introducing me to this product enough. IT IS A LIFE SAVER. I'm one who whips up a whole bunch of home made masks and apply's hair oil two times a week 30 minutes before I shower. This product takes that to a whole new level. I can get away with not using hair oil for a month if I just use this once a day. It doesn't matter if I applied a hair oil that particular day or not, when I get out of the shower and my hair dries up, I apply two coin sized amounts  of this to my hair from root to tip. It's essentially a leave in conditioner but works a million times better. You can apply this any time, any where and it DOES NOT make your hair look greasy or weigh it down. Unfortunately, from what I've heard, it's only available in the middle east right now. It's a 300 ml tube and it retails for almost 20 Dhs. It's a light gel type consistency and it smells so lovely.

(Pantene oil replacement on the go

and Oil replacement night therapy)

If you can't tell already, I love me some oil replacement. 

I apply three pumps of the Pantene night therapy before I go to sleep. I run it through my hair using my fingers from my ear down and whatever is left on my hands, I just run my fingers through my bangs and brush my hair thoroughly before tying it up in a top knot. It smells so clean and fresh and almost floral. When I open my hair the next morning, they are so silky smooth and shiny but not greasy. It's a 150 ml bottle and again I don't know how much it retails for but it should be around the 15-20 Dirham mark. :(

I only use the oil replacement to go when I poker straight my hair and it doesn't work as well as the rest but I hate using serums and I just apply this to my tips so they don't look too coarse. This is 75 ml bottle  and it retails for AED 19. 

Other products that I use are the Batiste dry shampoo for brunettes, I swear by that dry shampoo and I don't particularly use it to get rid of grease, I use it for added volume and texture when I'm in no mood to tease my hair. I like being able to run my fingers through my hair and teasing my hair obviously stops me from doing that so I use dry shampoo. I get the big ol' can of that and it retails for AED 40 at boots and lasts me ages. 

I also use the Lee Stafford Argan and Moroccan spray when I get out of the shower, it retails for AED 91 being the most expensive hair product that I use and I repurchase that every 1 and 1/2 months. 

I occasionally use the L'Oreal Elnett HairSpray with strong hold.

Now onto some hair styles and pictures. I usually wear my hair straight, I hardly ever curl them.

 

 

This is what my hair usually looks like when I straighten it. I use a Remington S5505

PRO-Ceramic Ultra Hair Straightener and I've used Remington straighteners for as long as I can remember and they never break on me and work well with my thick hair. 

This is my hair in it's complete natural state with no heat used on it whatsoever. This was taken 2-3 months ago so my hair look shorter. I like wearing my hair naturally during summer time cause I like to braid my hair or wear it in a top knot if I'm just going to the mall or the beach. Living in the middle east with it's horrible summer temperatures and high level of humidity, there's really no point in styling your hair because you WILL look like a poof ball if you stay outdoors for too long. haha!

Lastly, here are some hairstyles I like to do if I'm not wearing my hair straight. If I have a formal event coming up, I like to get them curled outwards as shown in the top left picture. This was taken on my sister's wedding and I got a little bit of a tease on the crown of my head that day. 

In the top right picture, I've straightened my hair in wards by each layer. This was also taken during my sister's wedding days and I do that to define each layer in my hair.

In the bottom left picture, I have a halo braid going on which I learnt from Zoe or Zoella. I leave out my bangs and make a halo braid with the rest of my hair. 

In the last picture, I have it curled using the NuMe curling barrel and I've just curled them outwards messily and not as sleekly as the first. 

This is all for my Hair Care Routine. Everyone should look after their hair. You don't necessarily have to use as many or as few products as me(depends on how you see it) but you should do everything that works for you. Have you ever tried on clothes on a bad hair day? Did you think your outfit looks terrible on you? It's most definitely not you or your outfit, hair shape and frame your face and if your hair looks good, you can take over the world. ;) #WiseWordsByLaveezah (jk)

That's all for today, friends.

Until next time, Adios!

L A V Z K H A N B E A U T Y

♥

New Makeup Goodies.

Hey guys, Lavz here! Today I woke up to a package of new makeup goodies I ordered and I instantly wanted to haul it for you guys. I placed my order on Glamazle.com 2 days ago and I received it today morning. Glamazle is an online Beauty and Fashion Shopping store based in Dubai and they ship all over The UAE within 2-3 days. In addition to many of the readily available brands we have here, they stock some of the brands we don't have in stores like Milani, Elf, Color Pop, DOS of colours, Becca, Kevin Aucoin, Sonia Kashuk and a couple more. I'm so impressed with their services and this was the first time I placed an order on their website. They were so kind and lovely when one of their representatives contacted me to confirm the order and I will definitely be a returning customer. So without further ado, here's my Beauty Haul.

DISCLAIMER: 

All products have been purchased with my own money. Glamazle is not sponsoring this post and all of my opinions 100% genuine. 

(MILANI Eye Tech Liquid Liner - Black)

I'm in need of a new liquid liner and I absolutely love my Rimmel liner that I featured in my Everyday Makeup Routine! I will be repurchasing that but I wanted to try a new eyeliner so I picked this one up. This retails for AED 34 ($9.26) It's a 0.44 ml tube and it claims to be smudge proof and easy to use with precise control. It has a felt tip nip applicator.

(Milani Bella Eyes A Gel Powder Eyeshadow - Bella Navy)

Next, I picked up a jewel toned blue eyeshadow in Bella Navy by Milani. From the picture it looks like I've put a huge dent in it but thats just how the product is shaped. This retails for AED 27 ($7.35) and the pan holds 1.4g of product and it has a satin matte finish. Looking at this product online, I thought it was going to be a jewel toned blue and it looked the exact same in person too, but when I swatched it, it was more of an inky blue but still an absolutely beautiful colour with great pigmentation as well. 

(dose of colours-matte lipstick - Berry Me)

This product retails for AED 105 ($28.59) which is a lot for a lip product but I've heard great things about DOS of Colours and wanted to give their Matte Lipsticks a try. I chose this colour because it looked like it would go well with my dress that I'm going to wear on my farewell next month. However, when it arrived, it was more of a red-berry than a purple-berry and I wasn't expecting that because the picture on the website was totally different than what it actually looks like. I'm a little bit disappointed but I'll try my best to make it work. I love the packaging of this product and it comes with 4.5g of product

(Psst..it's alsot vegan)

(Tarte - Lights, Camera, Lashes.)

I think of all the products I've ordered, this is the one I'm most excited for. I've heard so many bloggers and youtubers RAVE about this mascara but Tarte is not available in Abu Dhabi yet so when I saw this on Glamazle, I quickly bought it because products on Glamazle go out of stock in a jiffy. This retails for AED 132 ($35.94) It's SUCH an amazing mascara, from the first stroke, I fell in love. It's a little more wet than it should be which is perfect because in a weeks time it will dry up and get to the ideal consistency. This contains 7ml of product.

Makeup Revolution Iconic Pro Blush, Bronze and Brighten-Golden Hot

I am so pleasantly surprised with this product. As you can tell by the picture, I've already swatched it and I AM IN LOVE. The powders are SO silky smooth and the colours are absolutely perfect. I had never heard of this brand so I just bought it on a limb because it was cheap and I was getting a decent amount of three different type of products. These are baked powders and you get an 11g worth of product in this. The bronzer has a tiny bit of flex in it but none of it transfers to the skin and it has a slight satin finish to it. The highlighter does not have shimmer in it which I love. Instead, the satin finish of the powder helps brighten up your face. The blush is completely matte and I'm so excited to play around with the powders and see how they work. This retails for AED 35 ($9.53)

(top-bottom: Ardell Runway Lash Gisele

Ardell Fashion Lashes#106)

I have three important events coming up. My sisters birthday party, My graduation and Farewell. I've worn fake lashes thrice before in my life, two of which I got done professionally on my sisters wedding. The third time, I got cheapy falsies and put them on myself for the first time for a costume party at my house. I love big, voluminous and over the top lashes so I wanted to give the Ardell lashes a go. I bought two and I'm sure I can reuse these at least 2-3 times from the reviews I've seen and read. These each retail for AED 19 ($5.17)

(sigma beauty - E06 - Winged Liner)

This is simply a small eyeliner brush used to apply gel/cream liners with. It's by Sigma so it's obviously without a doubt one of the best you can get on the market today. This retails for AED 51 ($13.89)

(Top-Bottom: Makeup Geek Gel Liner - Immortal

and Fame)

To go with the eyeliner brush, I picked up two of the Makeup Geek Gel Liners in Immortal and Fame. I was getting ready for a party the other day and I spotted an old gel liner in my drawer and thought I'd give it a try instead of my usual liquid liner. The product had dried up but I was still able to get a liner look out of it and I loved the way it looked. I looked up reviews on these liners and decided to buy these to see how they work out. Immortal is a jet black liner while fame is a gorgeous almost cobalt blue. This matches my graduation dress and I wonder if I can get a liner look out of this on that day. These retails for AED 51 each ($14.98) and you get 3g of product in this.

These are some of the products I picked up, I really hope you enjoyed today's post and let me know if you want to see individual reviews for any of these products.You can find all my social media links on my Home page. If you've purchased any new products recently, leave them in the comments below because I'd love to know.

Until next time, Adios. 

L A V Z K H A N B E A U T Y

♥