- Bobbi Brown

As you may know, I love my dark lip colours. Deep wine reds, and burgundy shades are what my heart yearns for whenever I pass a makeup aisle. Having switched to a BB cream last year I have been partial to a more toned down look. Ever since then I've opted for a lot of natural, every day lip colours, rediscovering old favourites from my collection. These fit just right into the Spring colour palette. So here are 5 lipsticks for Spring 2018.
Their reviews are linked in the description of each of them.

Seductive Sienna by Revlon

Opaque and creamy, this lipstick has been my go-to whenever I need a touch of extra colour. The berry colour compliments my tan skin tone well. 

 French Toast by Gerard Cosmetics

This is a great cream lipstick with a formula that has won over the heart of a strictly-matte-lipstick girl. It has the right balance of brown and terracotta to make it the perfect day wear shade. I've posted a complete review on my blog.

Rouge Volupte Lipstick in No. 3 (Ultimate Beige) by Yves Saint Laurent

I'll admit it was the packaging that had my heart at first. Whether I did a smoky eye, or a no-makeup makeup look, I always found myself going back to this lippie. You can read more about this lipstick in my review.

Tulle by ColourPop Cosmetics

I initially reveived this as a part of the It's Vintage Collection, but I had to purchase the full-size because this lipstick is one of my favourite day wear shades. It is matte, and has great longevity in terms of wear.

Fudg'd by ColourPop Cosmetics

Who knew I would be wearing lip gloss in 2018? Not me for sure. I have been loving this gloss because it is perfect for tan skin (a difficult find I must admit), and it is not sticky. If you want to know more, I've reviewed this one on my blog as well.

As a university student, I relied on multiple apps to get me through not just my studies but my personal life as well. While there are many apps out there, I thought I will list five that you must have as a university student.

Wunderlist

Evernote

Other than OneNote by Microsoft, the only note-taking app I used throughout university was Evernote. I found this so much more convenient to use on my phone. Dare I say, this is the best note-taking app I've come across. From taking brain dumps, to compiling my lecture notes, this was my go-to resource. If you're someone that recalls information through mental snapshots like me, this app is perfect as it allows you to incorporate images to your notes. You can find a detailed review of the app on pcmag. 

Anki

Flash cards make use of spaced repetition which enables the learners to test their memory within increasing gaps of time. While making flashcards can be fun and exciting, it is not practical to carry stacks of them in the handbag, and you definitely wouldn't have the space to use them in public transport. This is where Anki comes in. You can make umpteen number of flashcards, change layouts and arrange reviewing times to test yourself. The best part is that you can use it anywhere, anytime, and you can sync it to make them accessible on all of your devices.

Pacifica

This app doesn't even need an introduction on my blog, as I've already written about it. While I did not come across this during my undergrad years, this was critical for surviving my Masters. It is no wonder that university can add a lot of stress and anxiety to your life. From what seems like endless examinations, to having to manage anxiety during presentations, to managing social relationships, your resilience will constantly be put to test. This is why I recommend Pacifica. It has features for meditation and deep breathing to manage worry and anxiety, thought records based on Cognitive Behavioural Theory to identify unhelpful thoughts in order to set them right, and offers a supportive network of individuals going through more or less similar situations. 

Spendee

One of the most critical things about adult life or university life is managing your finances. You might be working while studying, and you need to ensure that your hard earned money will be spent on the right things. I know what you're thinking, look who's talking right? This app came to my rescue when I was spending every single cent on makeup and clothes. I'm not saying that I don't purchase any of this now, but I've learned to manage my finances so much better. It allowed me to see what I spent most on (oddly it was travelling), and allocate budgets.

If you're anyone like me, and like having inspiring quotes around your desk space, then this post is for you. 

The Ultra Matte Lipsticks by ColourPop are among my favourite lip products. They tick all the boxes in terms of affordability, and quality. The 'It's Vintage' set of minis were released as part of their Fall 2016 collection, but you can still purchase the full-size products individually (with the exception of one: Bianca). This review has been long overdue, but I thought it was still worth sharing. Especially considering that I got myself the full size version of Tulle recently.

Price of the 'It's Vintage' set: $18.00 (roughly around Rs. 2,800.00)

Price of full size Ultra Matte Lip: $6.00 (roughly around Rs. 940.00)
NET WT. Mini Liquid Lipsticks: 0.64g (0.023oz)
NET WT. Full Size: 3.2g (0.11oz)

Claims:

Ultra Matte Lip: This thin, lightweight formula smoothly glides on the lips leaving SUPER intense pigment with a bold, ultra-matte look. It is very long-wearing and 100% kiss-proof AKA no transferring!

Description of shades according to ColourPop Website:

Bianca: soft mauve
Love Bug:  rich mahogany

Tulle:  dusty burgundy

Notion:  deepened raspberry

LAX:  vampy red

Packaging:

The liquid lipsticks comes in a plum-berry box which bears the ColourPop logo with little gold wasps embossed in it-very Fall appropriate!

Each lipstick comes in their regular packaging of a clear tube with a silver cap, which bears the name of the brand in holographic silver print and the name of the shade on the bottom. The mini applicator is your average doe-foot applicator.

*On my skin tone the shades turned out to be somewhat different.

Bianca: Pale Pink

*Cringes*

Love Bug:  Rich Mahogany




I've already reviewed Love Bug on my blog. You already know how I feel about deep and dark lip colours. This lasted around 6 hours in general on my lips. It's a little difficult to reapply but nothing that bothers me too much.

Tulle:  Dusty Pink with Purple Undertones

Notion:  Deep Plum

This is a stunning plum shade that would be perfect for a night out. The product has rich pigmentation resulting in coating my lips in one swipe. The fine lines are not highlighted by the formula. It survived a breakfast of toast and a lunch of rice and vegetarian curries (non-oily). This one lasted in general for about 7 hours with needing to touch-up on the inner corners of my lips. 

LAX:  Vampy Brown with Red Undertones

This was the shade I was looking forward to trying the most, and it was the biggest let-down when I did eventually try it. This was quite patchy on my lips and I made the mistake of smacking my lips before the product dried down completely and whatever was applied on the bottom lip completely came off. Next time, I tried waiting for it to dry and built the colour up which seemed to work, but honestly the struggle didn't seem worth it. This is especially so because my lips felt heavy afterwards. It is also quite drying, which made it very uncomfortable to wear. This lasted for 4 hours on my lips, which is the only duration I could comfortably keep the product on for. It became quite clear that I'd have to keep the lippie in my purse for constant reapplications which is disappointing.

Would I recommend it?:

Having tried the minis, if you're of a medium/ tan skin tone, I'd recommend getting the full size versions of Tulle, Notion and Love Bug as they will NOT let you down. LAX however, SMH 😞.

Shop This Post:

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Tulle

Have you tried the It's Vintage Mini Ultra Matte Lip Collection or any of these Ultra Mattes individually by ColourPop Cosmetics? If you've tried it, feel free to leave a comment down below your favourites.

Thank you so much for reading,

Much Love,

Growing up we used to travel a lot as a family. Some of my favourite memories include, traveling to Bandarawela by train, traveling to Anuradhapura, and visiting Kilinochchi last December. Whenever I am stressed I always think of Hikka and Unawatuna, and those memories offer me the tranquility I need until I travel there again.

Ever since, I have been sticking to a printed checklist to make sure I have everything I need. So I thought I will share this travel packing checklist with you as well. Hopefully this will ease some of that travel anxiety, and relieve the stress of packing. 

Let me know some of your favourite travel destinations and memories in a comment down below. I'd love to know! 😊

Thank you so much for reading,

Much Love,