Pardon our absence — we’ve been away for a family wedding. It was great to celebrate the beautiful couple, reconnect with far-flung relatives, and escape to fine weather in Key West. Of course, when you get all of our female cousins and family friends in a room together, there’s bound to be some beauty chatter. Here are a couple of tips we picked up in Key West (courtesy of the gorgeous Ghani sisters) and can’t wait to try:
Must-Have Monday: Mona’s Essentials
Our beautiful cousin Mona has been busy with new mom duties for the past several months, but we managed to squeeze in a catch up recently. In addition to filling us in on the joys and trials of motherhood, she also shared some of her all-time favorite products with us, while our newest little nephew interjected every now and then with a random shriek (he’s just discovered the sound of his own voice and is exploring it freely and often). Here’s what she can’t live without:
Reader Recommended: Threading at Seema’s Place
We have a tip for the NYC dwellers among you, courtesy of Naushine. She just found her new favorite threading lady, Seema, who also happens to be the sweetest Indian auntie ever and charges only $10 for brows. She rents out a chair at a salon in Midtown East Monday through Friday, and all you have to do is call to let her know you’re on your way. Naushine is telling all her friends, because she’s just that good. Yelp reviewers seem to agree. We can’t wait to check her out.
Must-Have Monday: Naveed’s Top 5
Naveed is our bubbly (dare we say sassy?) firecracker of a cousin. Whether you’re shopping for beauty products, a car, dinner plates, or just looking for a good place to grab a bite, she always seems to have done her homework and is ready to offer up a tip. We recently caught up with our favorite chatterbox to find out how she always looks so darn cute.
Top Pick: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette
Our cousin Naveed introduced us to this palette of cool neutrals, shimmering champagne golds, and soft, smoky hues. A longtime fan of Urban Decay’s original Naked palette, she tipped us off to this new release, which features some of the brand’s greatest hits as well as 5 new shades. They wear really well and the shades are buildable, so you can go for a light, natural wash or layer for more intensity.
Colors, left to right: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, and Blackout.It also comes with a double-ended shadow and crease brush, as well as a mini Lip Junkie gloss in Naked.
Image: www.urbandecay.com
Reader Recommended: Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me
Nilofer emailed to recommend her favorite beauty book, Paula Begoun’s Don’t Go to the Cosmetic Counter Without Me. We’d heard of it but somehow never got around to checking it out. Perhaps we were a wee bit wary of the title, as products that lead with hype often turn out to be disappointments (such skepticism was recently reinforced after we visited a cafe called The Best Chocolate Cake in the World — it wasn’t). After hearing what Nilofer had to say about it, however, our interest is sufficiently piqued:
“About 10-12 years ago, one of my college roommates (several years AFTER we were out of college!) gave me a book entitled, “Don’t Go to the Cosmetic Counter Without Me” by Paula Begoun. That became my new beauty bible, so to speak. Like you and your cousins, I had spent a small fortune over the years on tons of cosmetics, skin and hair care products. This book changed everything for me, at least in that department! She does a great job of evaluating thousands of products, and uses a simple system to assess them in terms of effectiveness and cost.”
What are your favorite beauty books?
Red Lipstick Pick: Chantecaille Hydra Chic Lipstick in Tiger Lily
We recently discovered this red and have come to love it for its day-to-night versatility. Put it on in the morning and blot off to create a lovely, flushed red stain, and build it up at night for a matte, high impact look. We also like to top it with Nars lip gloss in nude-toned Chihuahua to turn it into a gorgeous pinky-peach.
Chantecaille Hydra Chic Lipstick in Tiger Lily
Soft Silky Hair, Now Available at Trader Joe’s
Our friend Lekha always has beautiful, just-out-of-the-salon hair every time we see her. When we asked her what she does to maintain her lovely locks, the answer surprised us. She swears by Tea Tree Tingle sulfate-free shampoo from Trader Joe’s. Making the switch to a sulfate-free shampoo has made a huge difference for Lekha, making her hair more soft and manageable than it’s ever been. She finds that the tingly sensation produced by the tea tree, peppermint and eucalyptus blend helps wake her up during her morning routine. After wasting money on salon-priced products that just didn’t deliver, we couldn’t wait to try this extremely budget-friendly alternative.
The first thing we noticed was how soft our hair felt after using this. Our hair felt clean and silky. At just $3.99 we can’t really find anything to complain about, and feel good knowing that it’s healthy for our hair (for those who didn’t know, laurel/laureth sulfates are present in many shampoos and dry out hair). We were extra happy about the fact that the generously sized bottle will last us a while.
We also bought the conditioner, which still left our hair feeling a bit dry, so we think we’ll stick to our current conditioning regimen.
Image via polyvore
Smart Buy: Stila Compact . . . from Costco!
Next time you’re at your local Costco, you may want to check the beauty aisle — Shireen tipped us off to this amazing Stila compact that includes an array of lovely hues for eyes and lips, as well as two shades of blush and bronzers. The price of this box of rainbows? A mere $19.99.
Must-Have Monday: Maleeha’s Top 10
We’re kicking off the new year with an epic Must-Have Monday post by Desi Betty EIC, Maleeha. By day, she works hard for one of her favorite fashion brands, and by night, she schemes up stories for our dear readers. 5 primping essentials just weren’t enough, however, so she gave us 10:
Happy 2012!
Happy New Year, desi beauties! 2012 is off to a delicious start for us (with raspberry gelato, in fact) and we hope the new year brings you an abundance of love, happiness, and good health. This adventure has already brought some wonderful new experiences and acquaintances into our lives, and we can’t wait to see what lies ahead. Thanks so much for reading Desi Betty and stay tuned for more beauty banter in the days to come!
Xo,
Desi Betty
Conversations: Which Beauty Products Are Hardest to Shop For?
We asked our South Asian lady friends and family:
Which skin/makeup/hair needs are particularly challenging to address?
Here’s what they had to say:
#desigirlproblems: Winter Ash
No, that’s not a reference to a Pottery Barn coffee table hue. We’re referring to the state of our skin this time of year, particularly our elbows, a spot many desis tend to neglect. Since ashy elbows are even more prominent on darker skin tones, we thought we’d share a two-step technique for preventing them.
Battle of the Dry Shampoos
For the past several years we’ve been searching high and low for the perfect, do-it-all dry shampoo to freshen up our locks and add some volume in a pinch. We’ve come very, very close to finding the grail on this one but aren’t quite there yet. Read on to see what we thought of the various dry shampoo offerings of Bumble & Bumble, Klorane, Tresemme, and Ojon.
Must-Have Monday: Farayha’s Top 5
Every time we see lovely Farayha, she is always the picture of polished beauty. Her look is very “professional glam” — gorgeous and perfectly finished, but in a way that allows her intelligence to shine through. Her makeup isn’t distracting, and never screams, “look at me.” We made her spill her go-to essentials to achieve a pretty, pulled together look and still be taken seriously. Young (and aspiring) professionals take note.
Desi Betty 