Before diving into any details I would like to notify you all that I am talking about 'beauty' essentials (things that you might need in case of a meltdown) before you start showering me with comments like "Oh how can you forget safety pins, hand sanitizer, mints...." and all. Let's just stick to the meltdown part for now, we'll look at clothing malfunction in some other post please.

Another post and yet another review for you guys girls. Today I will be talking about one of my favorite scents ever. It is very unlikely for you to find it(unless it is second hand). You can spot it on either eBay or Amazon only because it is well, unfortunately discontinued for some terrible reason. Today, I will be talking about the Dream Angels Halo fragrance by Victoria's Secret.

Over the year I have learned a lot about photography and getting comfortable with a camera in my hands. I hear people praising my photography skills and asking which camera I use. Actually it's kind of surprising when they ask that. Why, you might ask? Well I have never owned a proper camera, not a point & shoot neither a fancy DSLR. I used to take pictures with a somewhat ancient phone until I got a chance to try out Nokia Lumia 520(my mother's, I will be getting one in May, yippie!). That's all what you can possibly call my photography gear, consists of. But due to extensive use of an ordinary cell phone camera, I polished my skills. Although I am FAR from being a pro, here are a few of my very BASIC tips for better photos.

(Taken in natural light)

(Taken in ordinary room lighting)

1. DAYLIGHT VS. ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING
Simple yet a very important tip for better photographs especially for us beauty bloggers who want to capture all the detail they can. For us the text on the packaging, the colors and all those intricate details matter big time. To capture it all you can't do justice to the product unless you photograph in natural light(unless you've got a very hi-tech lighting gear). From the pictures above you can definitely tell how vivid the colors look in the photo taken in daylight and the other photo taken(using exactly the same camera settings but with the curtains drawn and a tube-light switched on) looks washed out and there is a noticeable amount of noise in it as well.

(Leather stool use as a backdrop)

(Fabrics make good backdrops)

2. PLAY WITH THE BACKDROPS
I say this to everyone. Figure out what works best for you. Experiment what looks better and what compliments the colors of your product. Fabrics make great backdrops but a good view of your garden or your carefully organized dresser won't look bad either.

(White Balance: Auto)

(White Balance: Daylight)

3. EXPLORE YOUR CAMERA SETTINGS
WHITE BALANCE: Something I consider extremely important when it comes to beauty photography or any kind of photography for that matter. You really need to show the true picture of a thing in particular lighting. This is especially crucial when it comes to swatches. White balance can help you set things right. Instead of sticking to the auto mode use other modes according to the lighting to get a better photo. The above example shows two pictures taken in daylight. The above using Auto setting and the other use Daylight setting.

GRIDS: I absolutely hate it when I see photos on someone else's blog awkwardly tilted(I've been there too). I feel it just triggers my OCD-self. Using grids make it a lot easier to take straight photos with your object in the center. I personally prefer the 'Golden Ratio' grid setting and it really helps, you know because it is the "golden" ratio.

(Plain old front view)

(Explore new angles)

4. ANGLES
If you want to do something new and want to add some interest, trying out new angles might be a good option for you. Instead of going with the plain old photos taken with your product facing directly your camera, why not take a shot or few from the side?

(Original)

(Edited)

5. PHOTOSHOP IS YOUR WEAPON
When I say Photoshop, I don't specify Photoshop. GIMP or easy-to-use PicMonkey are splendid options too. If you can't afford to buy Photoshop, GIMP might be your cup of tea. Use an editing software to enhance your photos and make them appear more vibrant. A lot of times photos are taken in unfavorable conditions and editing is your key for a quick fix. See the difference above?

I hope you liked the post and learned something new. Hopefully there will be a lot coming up this month. I just hope that I don't slack of because I know I will be MIA from May or June.

Lots and lots of love, Seemal.

Hi! It's Seemal again! So I'm late, like very very late. Terribly late. But yet it's never too late right? YOLT(you only live twice)! So today I'll be reviewing Garnier BB Cream. Can you believe it? It launched in Summer 2013 and I'm reviewing it now. Yeah we had a long trek to undertake to come to the point where I am ready to review this piece of crap! Outrageous, are we? Get ready for some serious aggressive review-ing.


 Where to start? Let's give you a two word summary of this whole review. I hate to love it. There are so many reasons to hate this thing. Many of you out there might might might like it. Keep in mind I'm talking about the one for normal skin.



To start with I'll just give you a preview of what my skin is like. My skin is dry. You know when I say it, I mean it! It's coming from the very depths of my heart that my skin is truly utterly completely dry like the skin of a chameleon living in the Sahara desert. My skin is dry all year round and it is very rare that my skin doesn't soak a product up in seconds. It's always thirsty. ALWAYS. But aha! This thing was given the entrance denied warning and just didn't have the abilities to soak in there. It felt like I was wearing a film of grease on my poor dry skin. I was shining like a diamond in a very bad way. If you want it to look nice and blended, you have to take a very small amount and that means no coverage. It's not incredibly pigmented either. I picked up the shade 'light', which I think is the only shade and guess what that shade which is apparently light is actually dark for my fair to wheatish complexion. The other thing that bugged me was the pink undertones it has which obviously isn't the best friend of us Asians a.k.a yellow/brown people. It makes me look not only ashy but on top of that I look like I have a mud mask on. But I am stubborn beyond thinking. I didn't give up my efforts to make it work out for me. Although the high points of my face were so shiny that they were reflecting light I painstakingly applied my CoverGirl Translucent Power in a highly substantial amount to make my skin look matte. Oiliest BB cream + tons of powder = Imperfections highlighted to a whole new level. Cherry on top; it irritates my skin when applied individually!




There's a bright side of every picture. I use this thing almost DAILY. Yep, you heard that and I know are very surprised to read that after you just witnessed the most outrageous review written in the history of beauty blogging. Introducing the super-hero of every subcontinental house hold, Fair & Lovely! A pea sized amount of this and a tiny little drop of the BB cream mix it, forming the shade that matches your skin and viola! This BB cream in not going to the  garbage truck. I don't use either the BB Cream or Fair & Lovely individually because one is too oily and the other is too dry. Together they leave my skin looking perfectly matte and smooth. They are now a beauty staple of mine and I wouldn't mind buying this BB cream again because it worked out in a flabbergastingly amazing way at the end. This BB Cream just made me believe that happy endings to terrible stories are possible when there's someone to hold your back. It's so amazing how something absolutely horrible made my day because it gave me such a nice lesson.

P.S. Never stop making an effort, things do work out eventually!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Please comment down below if you liked the post and don't forget to share it. Love you all!

XO, the one and only. Kidding!

Over the course of my life, I have hardly ever adhered to one shampoo. So obviously my mane experience has been a long hard one. Very hard. It can take an entire day for me to type out the brands that I've tried and I'll probably be missing lots so I better skip to the shampoo we'll be talking about today. It's the Schwarzkopf Gliss Hair Repair Shampoo with Liquid Nutri-Silk and Liquid Keratin For Dull and Brittle Hair. It will be a long long, very thoroughly written review. So buckle up ladies!

My previous favorites were two drugstore one's, Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Shampoo and honestly it was divine! It smelled literally like some tropical forest and left my hair soft and feeling nice and clean. The other one was by Suave and I really can't remember the name but I do remember it was from their professionals line. Now when I say that my previous favorites were drugstore one's doesn't mean I haven't branched out from them. I have tried from drugstore to high-end. Although I personally like to spend minimally on shampoos, I got the opportunity to try the expensive one's because my relatives live in the United States and they bring me all the good stuff every so often. I tried John Frieda Root Awakening Shampoo and while I was expecting myself to be blown away I was not for many reasons. URGH! I shouldn't waste your time on these let's just dive into this one:


NOTE: I was writing this post at 3:37 AM to be exact and I honestly can't remember what the product claims.

It probably says that it will make my hair shinier and feel nice and soft because of the keratin and liquid silk which I OBVIOUSLY didn't believe(duh!) but was definitely expecting. First wash! Moment Of Truth. I poured maybe an over-filled tablespoon(just so that you get the idea of the amount I use) of beautifully shimmery pink gooey goodness in my palm for my medium length hair which are just of average thickness and have a normal-dry texture. I lathered it up and I was disappointed. It did not lather up to my liking. I had to use double than usual because I like to have my head looking like a giant scoop of whipped cream. I LIKE THAT MUCH LATHER! Anyway, I followed with my usual hair routine which I will tell you in a separate post and towel dried my hair as usual but I was not expecting that.  My hair is straight from the roots to mid-length and then turns wavy along the length so usually the ends feel a little dry or brittle may be due to my waves or the texture. But this time the hair along the roots felt incredibly silky and my ends were so soft and bouncy. I was so happy to see the results that I decided I will buy the whole treatment(if available) next month so be ready for a review!

\ I hope that you all enjoyed the review as much as I did! If you liked the review please comment down below because your comments really make my day. I check my e-mail a gazillion times in a day hoping that someone might have commented on this lonely(LOL) blog. Oh and if you like this blog please don't forget to follow. XO, Seemal.

P.S, if you want me to post my hair routine do tell me, even if you don't I will post that eventually, haha!

Spare mascara wands are always handy!

This gorgeous plum color has been the pride of my nails from quite a few days.

Miss these lush green lawn.

Oldie but a goldie, China Red by Revlon.

Spring is showing its traces.

Download this cover here.