SHINE, SHIMMER & SPARKLE

Hi :)

A BIG THANK YOU

When I first saw the GYPSY Collection on LAKME's website / Facebook, I was totally thrilled!! My excitement soon turned into disappointment when LAKME confirmed via email that they do not ship internationally.  A paltry range of LAKME products is available in Mustafa but there is usually practically zero-chance of getting hold of Limited Edition collections such as these.  So I am very very very grateful to Iris (of Rougedeluxe) who took the time and effort to hunt down the LAKME store and make this rather large purchase for me, while on her personal vacation in New Delhi.

I must say this - when we have chums who go overseas and they kindly offer to make purchases for us, its often very exciting for US: searching for swatches, drawing up a list, finding the correct names of products, choosing alternatives, estimating the budget and so on - all from the comfort of sitting in front of the computer or flipping through magazines. 

But for the chum who is helping to purchase? Its a totally different story - armed with a list, they find the time in their schedule to get to the store (or storeS), look for the items, check the condtion of the item and bring it back safely to us. In cases where its a universally recognisable brand / store like MAC, NARS or SEPHORA, it may not be as problematic in looking for the store or brand, but with a brand like LAKME, which may not be as popular / familiar in Singapore (especially among non-Indians), it may be an even more daunting task. Paying the chum for the product itself is one thing - but you can't repay, in monetary terms, the time and effort they take to make these purchases. 

In fact, a good chunk of my stash that I accumulated this year were courtesy of Iris' time and effort. This "thank you note" heartfelt and is not because I want to earn brownie points or I want to suck up or whatever (and if anyone wants to think that .. well, I can't help that). I just really wanted to say this here, especially regarding this haul. 

So thanks Iris, for all this ...  and more. 

**************************************************************************************

And here is the haul:

See what I mean when I said "rather large purchase"?

*************************************************************************************

LAKME GLIDE ON EYE COLOUR

These 3 eye pencils are not from the GYPSY Collection but from the permanent line. These Germany-made pencils are a little on the soft and creamy side but once they set, they pretty much stay on the waterline. How do I know? A whole range of shades were available in MUSTAFA earlier this year (with the exception of AQUA GREEN and PLUSH PURPLE) and I had picked up a couple then - they seem to be totally missing from the shelves there now though :(  

So the 3 semi-iridescent shades pictured above, join the others in my existing stash of a blackened teal, aqua blue, silvery black and blackened gold as swatched below.  Unfortunately, the earlier batch of GLIDE ON EYE COLOUR pencils I purchased DID NOT HAVE THE NAMES ENGRAVED on the pencils (as seen in the inset shot)! So I now have no idea what their names are :(

*******************************************************************************

LAKME BLACK SATIN KAJAL

Kajal (or kohl) is a traditional form of jet black eyeliner used in South Asia, Middle East, Africa, etc. It can be made at home even (by experienced practitioners pls!) with main ingredients like sandalwood paste, castor oil and ghee. I notice that when I apply kajal on my eyes, it usually goes on with a slight "cooling" feeling and when I checked it out, I was right - one of the traditional purposes of using kajal (even on infants) was to protect the eyesight from the glare of the sun.  In addition to that, it was also believed to help ward off the evil eye.

I could not find the ingredients list printed on the LAKME BLACK SATIN KAJAL but when I rimmed my waterline and inside the upper lashline just to try it out, it also felt a little cooling.  Although the product is soft and a little creamy, it doesn't break off or crack even when I apply a little pressure, owing to the fact that its a chubby pencil. It has this glossy look, feels a little wet and isn't quite smudgeproof - perfect for that smudgy, kohl-rimmed eyes :)

*********************************************************************************

LAKME EYE MAGIC

The LAKME EYE MAGIC comes in SILVER and GOLD - I chose the gold.  The packaging looks a little like lipgloss but in terms of the applicator and the formula itself, I'm instantly reminded of the Beaute de Kose Eye Fantasists.  The Eye Magic applies like a cool liquidy product and dries down with a sparkly pale gold finish - and its practically budgeproof, especially after layering eyeshadow over it.

*******************************************************************************************

LAKME EYE COLOUR QUARTET

One of the main attractions of the LAKME GYPSY Collection was definitely the eye shadow quads.  Funny thing - its an Indian brand (owned by Unilever) but the quads are made in TAIWAN! Some of their eyeshadow duos (which I've seen in Mustafa) are still made in India though. Let's digress a little - I already have 2, PEACOCK and PURPLE OASIS, in my stash from sometime back (which are from the permanent range) and I decided to show them here:

These apply really well - smooth, pigmented and with a high pearlised finish. They also can be used wet.  Purple Oasis is lovely, but Peacock is AWESOME - the blue is amazingly pretty and exactly what I wanted MAC Freshwater eyeshadow to look like.  

And back to the new quads I picked up in this haul.  Like Purple Oasis and Peacock, these are also well-pigmented and smooth - all the swatches are light-medium with no base.

(NOTE: MOONDUST is from the permanent collection; only TANJORE RUSH and SILK ROUTE are from the Gypsy Collection)

MOONDUST has a satin white, a pearlised purple-greige, a pearlised silver and a satin black.

SILK ROUTE has an iridescent frosty pink, a pearlised light tan gold, a fuchsia purple (which almost glows) and a deep silver grey.

TANJORE RUSH has a deep iridescent purple (that flashes a little pink in some angles), a pearlised golden olive, a pearlised copper and a pearlised bright gold.

Side-note: I particularly appreciate the names of the eyeshadow quads - Tanjore (also known as Thanjavur) is a much-celebrated city in South India - it is one of the chief literary, religious and cultural centres of South India and is also known as the "rice bowl" of Tamil Nadu.  Apart from this, Tanjore is also well known for its agricultural prowess, significant temples, its contribution to the annual Natyanjali (dance festival), bronze sculptures and the famous Tanjore paintings (which use real gold and gemstones in the artworks).  Having personally visited the Brahadishwara Temple, also known as the Big Temple which is one of UNESCO's WORLD HERITAGE SITES, and seen the lush paddy fields, I feel the rich luxurious colours in the Tanjore Rush eye quartet totally reflect Tanjore's rich heritage. 

Likewise, India was known to have played a vital role in the Silk Route and was known to have traded ivory, textiles, precious gem stones and pepper - my first thoughts were more of lush silken sarees :D

I guess with names, its all about interpretations (and letting your imagination run a little wild).

**********************************************************************************

LAKME EARTH ROSE BLUSH TRIO

The moment I saw this online, I immediately thought of LANCOME's Rose Deco blush ... its definitely not similar in design or colour, but it just made me think of it. And this lovely swirly trio of rose, golden tan and deep terracotta is made in ITALY! Wheeeee!

One thing I like about Indian products is that they have the MRP (Maximum Retail Price) printed on their packaging - in this case, the MRP of this blush was 600 Rupees - it prevents products from being sold at stores for higher prices (especially at smaller stores or those that have no price tags and the sellers rip you off by quoting prices according to how "affluently" they perceive you to be dressed! Tell me about it!)

The swatches were a little hard to photograph - too close and they would be flashed out and the camera refused to focus in several shots.  Its not a very kapow-pigmented blush - soft and sweet earthy tones, which I really appreciate, having accumulated one too many "smack you in the face" blushes (Hello NARS Exhibit A and MAC Azalea!).  The only thing is that I wished the compact was a little sturdier.

*****************************************************************************

LAKME SHEER SATIN GLOSS

Do I need another gloss? No.  But I got it anyways, just because :P  I picked up shade #41 - a deep crimson with gold and red micro-glitter.  Its totalllly non-sticky and has a faint cherryish scent.

**************************************************************************************************

LAKME LIP PALETTE

I generally don't like lip products in a palette but I really thought this was good value - I also really liked the earthy shades - they are nudes but not the pale "concealer" looking nudes. I've purchased and used Lakme lipsticks on my previous trips to India and I did like the formulation then - here's hoping they didn't change the formula (or if they did, its an improvement!)

Oh, and the included lip brush? Its pretty good - not some flimsy rubbish that I would toss.  The palette packaging is real pretty too:

********************************************************************************

LAKME TRUE WEAR NAIL COLOUR

Again, do I need more polish? Nope. But these were pretty!

There were I think 7 shades in the Gypsy Collection - a couple were the usual reds, pinks and fuchsias and these were the 2 more unique ones - #243 is a blu-ple while #44 is golden with a green flash (more visible on the nail in real life) - its a little like MAC Old Gold pigment (a less intense version) in polish form!

*******************************************************************************************************

Apart from this, Iris also helped me pick up Jewel Sindhoor for my mom - its only to be used by married women in the parting of their hair and traditionally, saffron powder is used (as shown in the Google Image below).  But saffron powder sindhoor can be so messy sometimes, so I got her the liquid version from Lakme after reading several positive reviews.

And for all this, Iris also managed to snag a sling-bag that was a GWP - a roomy, blue and pink striped canvas bag with satiny string tassels.  It also has the collection name embroidered in the bag's lining inside

*******************************************************************************

All in all, I'm really super happy with this haul (wait, I'm happy with all my hauls!).  The drawers are bursting and there are too many bags on the floor with stuff, so the next haul should really be an Ikea cupboard or something and not makeup :P

Thanks again to Iris who helped me CP all the Lakme goodies :) You have no idea how I grinned when I saw you had purchased them all :)

******************************************************************************

DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated to Lakme.  All opinions expressed are my own and not influenced by anyone.