For today's blog post, I thought I'll cover my October Favorites as well as what would have been my Autumn Essentials. Now I know we don't get to experience the full bliss of fall season with Halloween and autumn leaves but the skies have been getting darker and the weather somewhat colder. I also have been sick for about two weeks which I have attributed to the weather changes. Therefore some of the items in this post is about comfort and staying warm. So grab yourselves a cup of tea and enjoy!

Moving on to the actual favorites....
To keep myself warm I have been incorporating scarves into my everyday outfits. These two have been my absolute favorites. I like the fact that these could be styled with any outfit since they are not patterned. Also they are soft as a kitten.

Speaking of keeping myself warm, I have been loving the Wild Argan Oil shower gel that I purchased from The Body Shop. I have loved using this, especially in the past couple of weeks when I was sick. I went into the shower feeling horrible and came out feeling, and may I add, smelling so much better. It made my skin so much more moisturized and alive. It also kept me warm. I think that's one of the weirdest ways to describe a shower gel, 'warm' but yes, that was my experience with this. I think this is perfect for really cold days and would be a perfect gift for Christmas this winter. Not that we experience winter here either, but we do celebrate Christmas, with gifts. ;)

The next favorite is the Red Door perfume by Elizabeth Arden. This has been in a previous favorites post as well, I reckon it was last year around the same time. This perfume has got a lot of not-so-nice reviews especially with regard to the fact that it has a more 'mature person' smell. For some reason, I find this scent strangely comforting. It has red rose, Moroccan orange blossom and ylang-ylang as the top notes and honey, oak moss and sandalwood as base notes. I think this is why I like it when the weather gets colder. It feels like a warm evening on a rainy day, if that makes any sense. It's certainly not a day-time wear perfume, at least not for me, but is perfect for night time gatherings.

 

On my talons I like to wear shades that reflect  my obsession with red hues. I have been loving this shade of deep red on my nails this Autumn. This one is from a brand called BK Gorgeous and I picked it up from House of Fashions. The packaging makes it look quite luxurious but it was surprisingly inexpensive.

Moving on to makeup, I have been loving this blush color from Jordana, as you may already know from my review (http://mandy-s-heart.blogspot.com/2015/10/review-jordana-blush-in-cinnamon-spice.html ). From it's velvety smooth formula to the pigmentation I love everything about it. In my opinion brighter colors like oranges and corals are perfect for summer and pinks are perfect for winter. So for fall I like this mauve brown, sort of understated pink color more than cooler toned pinks. It goes perfectly with berry toned lips!
 

Speaking of, I have been loving the Revlon super lustrous lipstick in no. 301 Blackcherry. This is a really pretty wine shade which I think is perfect for the season. I had some issues with the lipstick (http://mandy-s-heart.blogspot.com/2015/10/review-revlon-super-lustrous-lipstick.html ) because it did settle on the fine lines of my lips and it liked to move around, but I just love the color so much. If you're looking for dupes, I've heard that the Wet and Wild 'Cherry Bomb' is pretty good. Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Shame and Mac Lipstick in Media are higher end options of the same color.
 

The next favorite is the L. A. Girl Matte Flat Finish Pigment Gloss in the shade Rebel. I love the color which is a lighter berry shade with a lot more purple in it. I will upload a full review of the product but so far I've been enjoying the color and the amazing lasting power of these liquid lipsticks. Seriously though, they cannot be removed too easily. The name carries the word 'gloss' in it but it in fact has a matte formula. Just so you know, they are a little tacky, nothing unbearable though. But if you are a matte lipstick lover, you should definitely check these ones out.

That's all of my October Favorites/ Autumn Essentials. Hope you all enjoyed reading this post and if you did please hit the like button on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MandySHeartBlog

What are your October Favorites?  Let me know in a comment down below or on my Facebook page.

 Much love,

Hello everyone,

Today I'm reviewing the Kind to Eyes- eye makeup remover by Simple. I purchased this product from ASOS when I did my haul last August. I previously tried their face wash gel which I reviewed earlier (http://mandy-s-heart.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-simple-kind-to-skin-refreshing.html ). I've heard a lot of good things about the brand, but when it came to this remover, I saw that a lot of people had issues with it, especially with irritation. Since I already loved their face wash gel I was willing to take the risk with this one.The price tag of this was just $5.42 which I thought was very cheap for a makeup remover. So here's my experience with the Simple Kind to Eyes eye makeup remover.

Claims :

Has Vitamin E and Pro-Vitamin B5/ Removes waterproof mascara/ No oil/ No artificial perfume/ No color/ No harsh chemicals/ Dermatologically tested and Approved 

Packaging : 

It is basically a clear bottle with a green lid. The lid has the brand name engraved on it. The claims and the ingredients are listed on the back of the bottle. The bottle is recyclable. The amount of product in the bottle is 125 ml.

My experience :

The skin around my eyes is quite oily but I found this product to be easy and gentle on my eyes. I tested it on my hand before I applied it on my eyes. There is no perfume or color. It is not an oil-based formula so it may not be suitable for removing certain long-wear products. I put some of the product on a cotton wool pad and then dabbed and wiped away my makeup (Simple advises to dab around the eye without rubbing).

 I tested the product with some of the eye makeup I use often (with the exception of the Rimmel Kajal- I will upload my review to tell you exactly why but I'll leave the links down below if you want to read some reviews on the other products). Also I do realize that the Jordana product is a blush but I love using it as a crease color, so please don't judge. :)


The swatches on the left were swiped away with water so that we can clearly see a difference. The Essence Super fine liner did not do well with water and neither did the Essence mascara. The Rimmel Kajal too was removed for the most part and so was the Jordana blush. Both left some residue which meant that they needed to be removed with something other than water. The Rimmel Eye shadow stick and the Maybelline Kajal were the winners of the water test and did not budge.


The Simple makeup remover got rid of all of the makeup without any residue very easily. 

Note that this is tested on the back of my hand. On the eyes, I needed a little more product and time to remove away the excess product of both the Maybelline Kajal and Rimmel Eye shadow stick. But I'm not complaining. Overall for that price tag, I think it does a fantastic job in removing my eye makeup.  

Hello everyone,

Happy Friday to all of my lovely readers! I thought it was about time for another 'Get to know me' posts because, why not. So I went through some tags on the internet and thought I will answer some of those questions. 

What is your middle name? My middle name is Amanda which is why I sign my posts as 'Mandy'.

When is your birthday? November 29th, the same date as my mom which is fantastic :) Also I'm turning 21 this year, yay!

What is your star sign? I'm a Sagittarius. I've noticed how many people say we are supposed to be outgoing, but I'm the exact opposite of that I think. 

What was the last thing you bought? The last thing I bought is tissue paper to make paper flowers for a party. Gosh, I love Pinterest but those DIY projects aren't as easy as they look. 

Do you have any piercings/ tattoos? No. I love tattoos-on other people. For me it's like getting a haircut. Sometimes I wish I had shorter hair and I go through all sorts of pictures of hairstyles for shorter hair but then I remember how much I regretted it when I actually got it cut a couple of years ago. So if I get a permanent tattoo I will only like it for a couple of days.  

Dogs or cats? Both. I have 5 dogs, but I haven't owned a cat since my cat 'Kitty' (so original, I know) passed away. 

What is your favorite sport? Sleeping. Is that even acceptable? I wish I were more into sports, I do watch games of cricket and football every now and then, but yeah.... not into sports. 

How are you currently feeling? Very much ill, but I'm doing better compared to last week. That is, thanks to lots of tea and movies. 

What are you currently eating? Pastries, I wish could say something healthy. I've stopped drinking carbonated drinks and I'm really proud of that.

What are you currently listening to? Perfect by One Direction. Very catchy!

Do you sing in the shower? Who doesn't? I pretend to be Ronnie Spector and I sing Be My Baby. 

Can you speak another language? Other than Sinhala? English. I've studied French so I can speak very little French as well. 

What's most important in your life? Family and friends.

Hope you enjoyed reading this post :)

I'll be back on Monday with some more reviews.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MandySHeartBlog

Twitter: @sakuniamanda

Much love,

 
Hello everyone,
Sorry I was unable to upload this post yesterday. I haven't been feeling well. As you all know I went to Srina Palace earlier this month and I purchased this Revlon Lipstick among other products ( http://mandy-s-heart.blogspot.com/2015/10/fridays-with-mandy.html ). I have been purchasing a lot of makeup online recently but I just wanted to check out what makeup stores here had to offer, so that I can share them with you. I also wanted to create some fall makeup looks using drugstore products. I placed my order for two shades of the L. A. Girl matte pigment gloss ( http://mandy-s-heart.blogspot.com/2015/10/review-ikatehousecom-for-drugstore.html ) which I thought would be great drugstore lip colors for fall as well. I was a little impatient in waiting for them to arrive so I decided to check out some other drugstore products that were of a berry/ wine color. That's when I came across an old video by Jaclyn Hill who wore this lipstick and I thought the color was just too gorgeous. So when I actually found this at Srina Palace, I was over the moon. This is in the color No. 301- Blackcherry and it costs Rs. 1055. 

Packaging:
 

The packaging is in black with the gold band around it that carries the name of the brand. This might not be the most attractive packaging, but for me black and gold is just a classic combination, so I have nothing bad to say about it. The lid is quite sturdy and fits properly. The color is visible only through the top transparent part of the lid. Luckily for me, there was a sample in the counter that I could swatch, just to make sure it was the right choice.

Wear:

The color of the lipstick is actually more of a deep wine color with purple undertones. It actually looks darker in the tube than when I actually apply it. Can I just say that I love the color. The color is build-able so you can go as light or as dark as you want. I like the creamy formula. As you know, I love my matte lipsticks but this lipstick is really creamy and glides on smoothly. It has actually made me think about getting some more lipsticks in a creme finish. It is also free of any scent, so this will be ideal for those of you who do not like scented lipsticks.

Now here's to the not-so-good aspects of the lipstick. I made the mistake of not exfoliating and not using a lip balm prior to applying this, so when I first wore it, it did settle on the fine lines of my lips. It looked somewhat streaky which as you would imagine is not a very pleasant look. The lipstick also does not last a long time, I would say it lasted around 3 hours and started wearing off after breakfast.

Tip: Always pair this with a lip liner and if you do find a lip liner that goes with this shade please let me know in the comments below. Thanks in advance :)

 

Should you get it?:

If you're on a budget and you are looking for a pretty wine shade to add to your fall makeup collection then, yes. For those of you who are looking for something that's long lasting and do not want to deal with touch-ups to cover up the streaks left by the lipstick, it's best to look the other way.
 
Have you tried this lipstick or any of the other Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks? If you have, please leave a comment down below or on my Facebook page because I'd love to know what you thought of it.

Also check out my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MandySHeartBlog
Revlon website: http://www.revlon.com/products/lips/lip-color/revlon-super-lustrous-lipstick

Much love,

Hello everyone,

It's finally Friday and that means another blog-post by yours truly. Back in September I placed an order on a website called Ikatehouse for some beauty products. I thought I'll quickly review the website today, so you could check out their website and purchase products from them without any hesitation. I'm a bit cautious when it comes to purchasing items online. I always search for the most reliable stores/ websites online, for example, ASOS. In case you wondered why I buy beauty products from ASOS, that's one of the major reasons. It's also quite difficult to find stores that ship internationally (especially to Sri Lanka) at affordable shipping rates. So I was quite happy to discover this website. 

I got to know about this website from Jeeshan of BeautyDosage, and in one of her blog posts she said that Ikatehouse was one of her personal favorite websites to shop for drugstore makeup products.There weren't that many reviews of the website and it isn't as well-known as, say Beauty Joint or FeelUnique. So I waited a good while before I actually felt safe in placing my order. 

In terms of the products they have a good selection of drugstore products from brands like E.L.F., Jordana, L.A. Girl, and Nyx. Also the products are available at low discounted prices. The L. A. Girl Matte Pigment Glosses are available for $3.99 as opposed to the retail price of $5.00 and Nyx Slim Lip Pencils for $2.99 as opposed to the retail price of $3.50. Besides makeup, they also stock eyelashes, makeup brushes, hair accessories and jewelry. 

I chose to try out some products by L. A. Girl because many bloggers were raving about them, especially the Matte Flat Finish Pigment Glosses. So I picked two of the Matte Flat Finish Pigment Glosses in the colors Rebel and Secret. I felt like these are perfect for fall since they are more darker in color. I've wanted to get Rebel ever since I saw itsjudytime apply it in her first impression review video. It's a beautiful purple-plum shade. Now this isn't a shade of lip color I would go for normally, but ever since I started my blog, I've become quite brave in venturing out and trying different shades than the usual natural/nude lip colors. 

 

The other shade I picked was Secret because as you know, I love red lip colors. I got it because it's a slightly deeper shade which I thought will be a better pick for a fall makeup look than other reds I own like my Rimmel one in Kiss of life ( http://mandy-s-heart.blogspot.com/2015/07/review-rimmel-kate-moss-matte-lipstick.html ). 

 

 

I also got a L. A. Girl creme lipstick. The price of it was $1.99. It was so difficult to pick a shade because I loved the shade Forbidden Love as well. In the end I got the shade Love Letters which an orange-coral color. The shade is so pretty and I think would be perfect for day time wear (since it's a more summer shade than fall). 

The total price of all three products was $9.97 and since it was labor day I got a discount of $1.10. The shipping prices vary and since all my products were under the $9.97 price tag, the USPS shipping price rate was $9.95. I placed my order on the 8th of September and it was supposed to reach me within 2-3 weeks. I received the package on 14th of October which is a little late but I'm starting to think it is normal because I faced the same situation with my ASOS parcels. I sent Ikatehouse a message on Instagram and they did respond to it. That is a check mark for customer service. 

The package arrived wrapped in this very pretty pink tissue paper and all the makeup products were sealed inside a plastic bag- the pigment glosses separately from the creme lipstick. I have to say I was seriously impressed because I was not expecting that. That shows that they take product safety very seriously. So all in all I am very happy with my shopping experience on Ikatehouse and I would definitely recommend the website to those of you who want to try some affordable drugstore makeup products.

Do let me know your thoughts on Ikatehouse if you've purchased from them in a comment down below. 

Facebook page for blog: https://www.facebook.com/MandySHeartBlog

Ikatehouse:  http://ikatehouse.com/

BeautyDosage: http://www.beautydosage.com/2014/12/ikatehouse-haul-2014-la-girl-glazed-lip.html

itsjudytime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FxQGjHrb4E

Much love,

Hello everyone,

Hope you are having a great day! Considering it is actually Monday, I thought I could brighten up your day with this post, hopefully. As you know, I paid a little visit to Srina Palace earlier this month, and I picked up several products (http://mandy-s-heart.blogspot.com/2015/10/fridays-with-mandy.html ). Among other products, I picked up a blush by Jordana in no. 39- Cinnamon Spice. Since then I've become slightly obsessed with it and I have used it as an eye shadow as well. Yeah, that's extreme! I'll just go ahead and summarize my experience with this blush in one word: Amazing! This blush is surprisingly cheap as it is just Rs. 490 and I just have no idea why, because it is so good. You'll have to read on to find out exactly why I think it's amazing. See what I did there? ;)

Claims:

• Color-True Tints for Cheeks 
• Face Looks Youthful & Refreshed 
• Accentuates, Sculpts & Contours 
• Velvety-Smooth Formula Blends Easily

Packaging:

The packaging is very cute and has a silver finishing. It comes in a plastic pot that has a screw on lid. To be honest, the lid has annoyed me especially when I'm in a rush to do my makeup. At the same time I feel that it's much safer than if it were in a compact with a snap-shut lid. The lid is transparent for the most part so you get to see the product inside. 

Wear:

This blush is very pigmented and I don't have to keep swirling my brush to pick up the product. It's true to color and it could be easily built up, but it isn't that necessary. Cinnamon spice is a mauve- brown. The color is just beautiful and I think looks great on tan/ dark skin and could be even used as a contour on fair skin. I think it's safe to say that it has the best formula I've ever come across in a blusher. It's velvety smooth, blends so easily and therefore it does actually live up to its claims. It's not extremely powdery or dusty as other drugstore products I've used. I've experienced no irritation and it can be removed easily as well. It lasts about 4-5 hours on my combination skin.

I blended it towards the end of the swatch so you can see that it still retains the same color and blends evenly.

Should you get it? :

YES! 100%. There's seriously no cons I can think of about this product and I just can't wait to haul some more. 

Have you tried any of the blush shades by Jordana? If you have I'd love to hear your thoughts about it, so do leave a comment down below, if you'd like to share your experience. 

Facebook page for the blog: https://www.facebook.com/MandySHeartBlog

Jordana website: http://www.jordanacosmetics.com/p-105-powder-blush.aspx

Much love,

Hello everybody,

I hope you enjoyed my ASOS haul that I did earlier (http://mandy-s-heart.blogspot.com/2015/08/another-asos-haul.html). I made my purchases all the way back in June, even though I received the items much later. Since then I have purchased several items and I thought I'll share what I got with you guys, because that's what I do now, apparently. Anyway I haven't done a September favorites post so I  thought why not stir things up and make this a September favorites/ collective haul post.

Back in August I had a wedding party to attend so I was on the look for a dress. I then went to Odel when they had their pre-fall color-block collection out and I found this beautiful A- line dress. I generally do not prefer wearing orange colored clothing but for some reason I really liked this. Also it instantly livened up my wardrobe which basically consists of anything and everything monochrome. I liked the fact that the dress was clean and simple, as I don't generally go for detailed party dresses, unless of course there's a Great Gatsby themed party somewhere. This was Rs. 3950. I have seen a similar dress from Shay Int. which had cut outs and looked super pretty. I'll link her Facebook page down below.

Since I have another engagement party coming up this October I picked up this jumpsuit during the same visit. I'll start by saying blue is my favorite color so it's obvious why I got the outfit in this color. Also my mom was the first to notice this, so she was happy I decided to get it. I love the zipper detailing and the pretty peter-pan collar (you know how much I obsess over collars). I suddenly felt very Alexa Chung like in this when I tried it on. So that justifies my purchase, I think. This is from their B-Iconic range and it was Rs. 3250 which I thought was a very decent price for a jumpsuit.

The dress had not a lot going on, so I decided to accessorize with a belt, which I actually didn't end up wearing to the event. I thought the two would be more suitable for a day-time occasion. It is beige in color and has a snakeskin print? I'm not too sure about the print but it is very pretty and looks great with the heels I was planning on wearing. I think it's fun to be a little daring when accessorizing any outfit. It was Rs. 850.

In terms of jewelry I wore my silver collar necklace which I got earlier with this beautiful bracelet I got from Backstage. It comes with lots of beads and stones and is fantastic for a night event. I think it could elevate any outfit to make it look completely glamorous. It was Rs. 690.

Pile on the bling because I also got these tiny hoop earrings. My teenage years were spent on collecting hoop earrings. Big, small, ones with beads on them, I basically had them all. I was a 90's kid and I feel as though I missed out on the trends back then because all I remember is wearing my hair in a ponytail which resembled a water fountain. So I made up for what I missed out during my teens. Anyway these just brought back memories so I knew I had to get them. These earrings were Rs. 690.

Moving on I got this foundation brush from Basic Care. I love the range of products by Basic Care and I honestly believe that they are definitely worth the money paid. The bristles are so soft and it has a long handle which helps with the grip. These brushes last ages, if you are unlike me and take good care of them. This was Rs. 670.

In terms of perfumes I have my faith in the brand Yardley. I've tried other high-end 'luxury' brands but never felt the need to re-purchase them. I've always come full-circle to Yardley fragrances. This one was just Rs. 1600 and I got it in lavender which is one of their signature scents. This is one scent that is perfect for both summer and winter. It's both refreshing and warm as the same time. I'm not doing a good job describing the scent am I? It's a dream, I'll say just that.

I also have been loving facial wipes and especially when it's too humid outside, these are perfect for keeping in your handbag. I love using aquawipes with aloe but I also purchased these three and I've only tried the splash ones before. The lemon ones cost Rs. 120 and are really refreshing as are the London Ice Fresh ones. The only difference is that the lemon ones are scented whereas the London ones aren't. The pure &soft ones however smell bad and I mean really bad. It doesn't irritate the skin but the smell is enough to stay clear of them.

 That pretty much sums up this post. Hope you liked this one. I'd love to know what your September favorites are, so do leave a comment down below.
 Facebook page for the blog:  https://www.facebook.com/MandySHeartBlog
Odel website: http://odel.lk/
Shay Int. Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/shay.int

Much love,