Product Wish List | 2015 Winter

I have come across some really gorgeous things in the last few weeks that I want to pick up for myself. Some are already available and others are yet to be launched which I am patiently anticipating.

Here is a quick snapshot of a few things on my Wish list for the season, and why I love them!

1. Hourglass Modernist Eye shadow Palette

• Artistic palettes in multiple colour combinations
• Colours look very pigmented
• Gorgeous Ombre wave pattern

2. Nars Palette

• These shadows are gorgeous as singles
• The top ones were put together in this convenient palette
• Great item for a new makeup user or a Pro

3. Anastasia Liquid Lipsticks

• The "Brow Queen" has launched these gorgeous liquid lipsticks
• Amazing colours
• Beautiful pigment

4. Kate Spade Eat Cake for Breakfast Mug

• Cutest statement mug ever :)
• Starts your day happy
• Love anything (EVERYTHING) with statements

5. Moleskin Sketchbook

• I currently have a moleskin note book which I absolutely love
• Sketchbook would force me to draw and doodle more
• Brings out creative expression

I am looking to get these goodies in next few months and of course I will share with you the pretty details of these lovely items!

FOTD - Fall Inspired - Perfect Look for the Weekend!

We relish for our weekends or our days off.  Mostly to finish off errands, relax, visit with family or friends, go shopping or to eat out.  

For the weekend, I usually like to keep my makeup really natural with a natural lip but I also like playing with bold colours, especially in the Fall! The season inspires fresh cheeks, bold lips and darker hues for eyes which looks great on everyone! It's also a great change from the neutral look. 

Here is my weekend look inspired by Navy's and Plums,  for whatever your weekend may hold!

Products Used:



1. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 6.5
2. Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer in 10 (Adds an amazing glow to the skin)
3. Vasanti Cosmetics Kajal Extreme Eye Pencil in Electric Navy 
4. Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Silk Eye Shadow (LE) Fall Collection in 30
5. Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Excess Mascara
6. Vasanti Cosmetics Liquid Liner in Cleopatra
7. MAC Blushes in Dainty (Soft Pink) and Passionately Tempted (Mid-Tone Magenta)
8. Giorgio Armani Rouge D'Armani in Plum 610




Always Smile :)  - Sand

Sunday Smiles :) - It's all about COLOUR!!

I am so excited that Summer is here and we finally get to see colourful things in nature, in fashion and of course makeup.  I painted a colour wheel many years ago for a school art project.  What was really neat about this wheel is that you could easily understand which colours looked great together and which ones were complementary to one another as well.

Today I wanted to post fun photos that were inspired from the Colour wheel.  Check them out below:

Shade - RED | OPI Nail Colour - "Colour So Hot it Berns" :)

Shade:  Turquoise | Indian Outfit + Scarf

Shade:  Yellow | Indian Outfit + Summer Dress

Shade:  Teal Blue |  Makeup Bag + Floral Print Dress

Find your colour inspiration from this wheel, whether it be your nails, fashion or makeup :)

Always Smile :)  - Sand

Perfect Lips for the Summer :)

In addition to the 3 new Lipstick shades, Vasanti Cosmetics also launched 3 NEW Lipshines.  These glosses are Vitamin E infused and leave a beautiful sheen of colour and are not sticky.  These colours in this formula are essential to your Beach Makeup Bag!

Lipshine Shades:  Gold Nile - Asov Rose - Darling River

Golden Nile is a sparkling gold shade that you can wear everyday, reminds me of a sparkling sunset!

Asov Rose is such a sexy shade with no shimmer but adds an extra pop to any bold lipsticks! Great for the bold and daring personality.

Darling River is a soft shade with no shimmer, offers high shine and is very pretty and a romantic shade. Perfect for a night on the board walk or a late night stroll on the beach.

Which shade would you wear for the Summer?

Always Smile :)  - Sand

HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2013 Make it your own!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!! 

Hope everyone got a chance to reflect, think and remember 2012, and got the chance to ring in 2013 with loved ones!

2012 for me was a very busy year, here are a few highlights:

• Celebrated a Milestone B-day with Family & Friends
• Worked 2 big Makeup events
• Travelled
• Spent time with Family
• Changed careers
• Reignited my love for reading and discovered some classics and new stories
• Explored our GREAT city 
• Shared my favourite pics on Instagram:  http://instagram.com/makeupbysand

Life has shown me that with the good, we can also go through difficult things as well.  What can help you get through these difficult times is if you remember the great people that are in your life, and that if you focus on the good, there will always be amazing things to be thankful for.  I carry this with me into 2013, another year of promise, of growth and great memories to be had.

Therefore, even though resolutions can be short lived, and last only in the month of Jan., I don't typically like to call them resolutions, rather I like to establish goals at the start of the New Year.  This can be anything that you want to accomplish, goals you put on the back burner, dreams that you continue to have but are fearful of making them come true, family you want to reconnect with, career or school related goals...whatever they may be, make 2013 your own!

I have a mixture of things I would love to achieve in 2013, some are fun, some are whimsical, some are private, but one I would like to share is the frequency of posting on my blog, because when I am here I feel a calmness, an excitement to share, the need to reflect and to remember the good which should make it easier to...

Always Smile! - Sand :)

Sunday Smiles :)

This post idea has been pushed aside for the last little while but today I thought it was the perfect time for me to bring it back!

Here are my smiles for the week:

• Spending time with the Family
• Watching a little baby dance to songs by Drake
• Trying  Java Chip Frappuccino® from Starbucks - so delish!
• Working an amazing TIFF 2012 Event this weekend

Hope you all had a great week!

Always Smile :) Sand

Sunday Smiles :)

Here are my smiles for this week:

- A new cupcake place opened up downtown and I was lucky enough to try the delicious Vanilla chocolate!
- Quaker Oats Crispy Minis - Popcorn flavoured
- Beautiful weekend weather, lots of sunshine :)
- Last weeks' episode of Celebrity Apprentice; Meatloaf loses it on Gary Busey over paint supplies LOL
- Marathon TV with the Kardashian sisters!

If you have some fun smiles from this week, please feel free to share!

Always Smile :)  - Sand

Sunday Smiles :)

1.  Aloo Parontay

A very popular Punjabi dish, that is a staple for many Indians to have for Sunday Brunch.  A stuffed roti with a spiced potato mixture, and paired with homemade or store bought Yogurt, soooo good! :)

2.  Cloudless Blue Sky

The best view of a glorious day is a cloudless blue sky, now it may not have been that way the whole week but there were times today where it was just a beautiful blue sky!

3.  Family Pizza Dinner

Whether its at home or out at a restaurant, its always nice to get together with friends/family for a Pizza Dinner, sooooo good!

4.  Say what?

As I tweeted earlier this week, when your dad says "That's what she said..." and he has no idea why that is so funny..it was classic, it made my day :)

I hope you all had some dose of smiles this week or weekend, feel free to share I would love to hear!!!

Always Smile :)  - Sand

Upcoming Posts, Life and Books! :)

Originally I set out to do a variety of blogs, but of course, I have been mostly blogging about makeup and beauty, which I tell you, I love doing.

Some ideas that I am working on that is other than beauty will be the following:

South Asian Experience Book Reviews - Review of my favourite SA Authors and their books.  Growing up in a small town that was once predominantly non-Indian, it was hard at times to grow up and be a Canadian, and an Indian all at the same time....this duality of life was a challenge but eventually came together and has made me the person I am today.  Therefore, reading these books really touched my core.  From various events, places and times of my life that when I read these books, I feel like its written from my perspective.  So be sure to check in once a month for my monthly book review, because I'm a book-addict as well :)

** Important to note, I will review other books too but it would be nice to find the authors that have spoken to me and the Indo-Canadian experience **

Weekly Dose of Smiles - This will consist of various things that throughout the course of the week that has made me smile.  Whether it be a great restaurant, girl-time, funny video or a funny story, this will be documented at the end of the week, on Sundays for doses of smile, and who knows, maybe once you read these doses, you may feel inclined to share also, so feel free!

Quotes and One Liners - As I mentioned above, I love love books and will always come across a line or words or even from the Internet something that makes me go hmmmmmm or makes me take a second to appreciate life, therefore these will be sprinkled through the week.  Feel free to share your own quotes, mantras, tips on anything to make you love life or achieve your dreams.

Hair-Share - These blogs will be the journey it has taken me to grow my hair out so that I can donate it to Locks of Love. I started growing my hair about a year and half ago, and am almost there to MY comfortable donation point.  As things progress to the final donation date, I will be sharing the journey here :) 

Makeup Artist Love -  This is an idea that is still in the works but basically its showing love and support to all the various makeup artists out there who are doing this form of art because they love it and are passionate about it.  These artists are such amazing people and have such amazing stories and offer inspiring thoughts and ideas to share.  My tribute to these artist will be either a tweet-sharing or paying homage and doing a makeup look inspired by them!  For you makeup tweeters think of it as #FF but in Blog format!!  Feel free to contact me if you are interested or if you know of an artist worth checking out!!

So there you have it, a few things that I am working on that are not related to beauty (except for the last one) but for the love of books, life and the other phases and aspects we go through.

Always Smile  :)  - Sand