Yves Rocher: Botanical Beauty

It irks me how expensive 'all-natural' and 'organic' beauty products are. I'd rather slather on peaches or milk on my face raw than pay insane amounts of money for bottled versions! But, I changed my mind when I discovered Yves Rocher on a recent trip to Toronto.

Yves Rocher is a French beauty brand that is 100% botanical (plant-derived) that can be found in Canada and Europe. Unfortunately, the U.S. has no locations, but you can order from the website. Returns are free and 100% satisfaction is guaranteed.

My friend from Toronto has been ranting and raving about Yves Rocher's products and after using some of the products she had at home, I decided to check out some that suited my skin.I was delighted to see that they had a two for 1 deal on all products, so I scooped some up that were good for my oily/combination skin.

And now I wish I had picked up more! Here's what I got from the Sebo Specific line for oily/combination skin;


Ultra Matt Shine Reducing Moisturizer :
A good summertime moisturize is hard to find for chicks with oily skin, so I was ecstatic when I tried this. It's oil-free and mattifying and does a great job at controlling shine, while keeping skin soft and perfect. I've been using it for over a month now and love it. $19 orig. on sale for $10 right now!

Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser: The name says it all; it's gentle, exfoliates and cleanses! I use this on a daily basis and it helps clear away dull skin without being too harsh. $10.50 orig., on sale for $5.50 right now!

Mattifying Toner: I usually don't use toner because most are usually too harsh for my acne-prone skin, but this tone is really mild and easily clears away gunk and makeup residue. $10.50 orig., on sale for $5.50 right now!


All Yves Rocher products are plant-derived which makes it super, duper good for your skin (and the environment!). They're also decently priced, so paying for shipping isn't too painful. If you're in Canada or Europe and can easily get to a Yves Rocher, go try one of their facials--I hear very good things about them.

A New Look and New Content

I've stayed away long enough, folks and I am now back! I've made this promise a few times, but this it's for reals, homies. I'm taking this blog in a slightly different direction--while I will still be talking about makeup and beauty products, I will also be covering health-related issues--especially South Asian women's health issues.

Look out for these posts shortly:

- Whip out the bronzer, brown girls!
- Getting rid of arm acne
- Coconut Oil 101
- Losing hair? You may have PCOS

and tons more! If you have any questions or topics I can answer or cover, feel free to shoot me an email at ChowdhuryJ315@gmail.com.

Beauty days are here again :)

Bronze Your Way Out of a Ghastly Winter Complexion

I just came back from lunch with a friend and walking the two blocks to meet him at the restaurant was deadly. My face felt like shriveled up ice and a brief glance in the bathroom mirror confirmed that my normally caramel skin tone was pale beyond recognition. The dusting of pink blush from this morning was long gone--I needed a quick fix. 

I went into Sephora to play around with my regular bronzing favorites but found them too orangey for the cold winter. I wasn't trying to look like I had just gotten out of a tanning salon (ew, who even goes to those anymore?); what I needed was a nice golden flow. Lo and behold, the discovery of Too Faced Caribbean in a Compact led to the perfect solution. The perfect bronzer/blush duo to perk up dead, winter skin. A combination of pink and golden highlights that gave my complexion a nice sunny lift.

. 

Follow these basic bronzing tips for the winter:

• Pick a bronzer that's just one shade darker than your skin tone. You want to highlight and outline your complexion, not change your skin tone altogether.
• Apply bronzer on the places the sun hits your face first; cheeks, forehead, nose and chin. 
• A light dusting should do the trick--do no go overload!
• Pick something with pink undercurrents to look natural. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009 promises to be a great year for BeautyTalk and we wish the same for all of our readers too! Please be patient while we get  ready to unveil our new look. In the meantime, please check back for some great new posts. 

xoxo,

BeautyTalk

Eyeliner Power

The Spring 2009 runways saw dark eyes with pretty pink cheeks to compliment easy, breezy springwear. I've been stocking up on pretty liners to keep in line with the fall look and Cargo's Wet/Dry Eyelining Palette is a great all-in-one. According to Sephora.com,

"the CARGO Wet/Dry Eye Lining Palette contains eight powder eyeliners that can be applied wet or dry and are housed in a convenient, ergonomic case. Eight versatile shades, from classic black to peacock blue, have been formulated to be used wet or dry: apply with a dry brush for a natural look, or use a damp brush for a precise, long-wearing effect. It can also be applied over your favorite pencil liner to set and smudge the line."

What a cute case. I can't wait to try this out!

Photo Credits: Glamour.com, Sephora.com

The Perfect Party Palette

The most wonderful time of the year is here and most of us will be going to a lot of family, friend and work events. In the midst of the all the shopping and general busy-ness of the holiday season, there might not be a lot of time for getting made up. Cargo's Holiday Nights Collection has everything you need to create a party-ready face. The four eyeshadows (indigo blue, shimmery grey, silver and a white highlighter) and sparkly silver eye pencil create the most basic yet perfect smoky eye. The pink blush is the perfect shade to balance out the dark eyes. If you want to go really out there, use the face and body sparkle--you'll be shining for days!

At $25 a box, it makes a great gift too. I'm damn tempted!

The Recession Can't Stop Me! Part 2

Here are a few more holiday edition sets and new gift sets that I'm coveting.


Chanel Mini Glossimer Trio ($50)
One of my friends whipped this set out the other day at dinner and I was insanely jealous. Chanel haspacked three of their glossimer lip glosses and you can choose from two different sets of colors. One is a set of violets and the other is a nude/brown set. I love both but I' always a pink/purple girl. You also get an adorable Chanel black purse. Oh, Chanel :)

MAC Little Darlings ($29.50)
Have a experimenter on your gift list? MAC's latest set of five mini pigments and glitters is a perfect gift for that funky cousin or friend. Choose from a set of cool tones or warm tones.



She Uemera Eye Color Palette ($65)
Check out the hot floral packaging! You get seven sweet as candy shades and one eyeliner in this adorable palette. It's a bit pricy so make sure to get it for someone you really love!

Photos: Courtesy of Nordstrom.com