The Monochromatic Blog

Saturday, September 22, 2018

What I am loving this month! - September Favorites

Nikki September 22, 2018 1

I usually don't have time to shop during the semester but I spent summer break with my parents and we did just that. I got a couple things from India and also some from stores such as T.J Maxx and Target (which has great deals by the way - I especially love the clearance section!)

Would you like me to continue this series every month (whenever possible)? Let me know in the comments below!

favorite lifestyle and beauty products september fall

Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which means that I get a commission if you choose to purchase after clicking a link. This doesn’t cost you anything, and I only recommend products I love! Thank you for supporting the work I put into this site!

Kama Ayurveda Face Cleanser (Rose and Jasmine)

kama ayurveda face cleanser facewash skincare

I discovered this product when I forgot my facewash at my friend's place and used this same product that she owns. I fell absolutely in love with the Kama Ayurveda Rose Jasmine Face Cleanser just in my first use! I love how my skin feels after using this god-sent cleanser - it leaves my face glowing! What is also amazing is that it is made from natural ingredients. I am not sure if it is animal cruelty-free since it doesn't mention that however, it does say that the product is 100% vegetarian. The cleanser is around $15 (unless the price changes by the time you click on the link above!). The cleanser is great if you have oily and/or acne-prone skin as it helps get rid of acne spots and scars! I highly recommend this product. 10/10!

Wet N Wild Photo Focus Concealer

I have really been loving the Wet N Wild Photo Focus Concealer (my shade is Medium Tawny - 842B). Once again, I discovered this because my friend had it and I guess it was just convenient seeing that the shade matched my skin perfectly and I didn't have to worry about ordering an unknown product that I wasn't sure was going to work for me. This concealer is pretty small, it is cruelty-free (woohoo!), and has a wand applicator (kind of like what a lot of liquid lipsticks have). I don't know if the applicator is the best especially considering that sometimes I get breakouts and I wouldn't want bacteria to get into the bottle. However, I wouldn't expect a pump mechanism for a $3.99 product. I think this product is very affordable and completely worth it!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Polish

I have been searching for the perfect shade of nude nail polish for ages and I finally found it! For me, it's the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail 143 in "nude-tral". I would say that the formula isn't the best. The nail polish does chip easily and peels sometimes. At the same, though, it has been the best nude I have ever owned. It's not too light and it isn't dark as to be classified as a "brown" - it's, in my opinion, the perfect nude! Of course, it can also depend on your skin tone and color preferences what your perfect nude is. For me, I love that it is very close to my tan skin tone and I prefer to have it that way!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Polish nude shade

The Body Shop Shea Body Mist

This product is a very simple favorite. The Body Shop Shea Body Mist is a simple product that smells great! I personally prefer sweet smells because stronger scents can sometimes give me a headache. Once again I love that the company is an animal cruelty-free. I got this at T.J Maxx for a pretty good deal at the clearance section and thought I'd give it a try and so far I love it! It suits my skin well and it's a simple and good product!

many lives many masters dr. brian weiss book reincarnation

I've recently gotten back into my spirituality and I decided to re-read books from one of my favorite authors - Dr. Brian Weiss. If you want to learn about or are curious about Past Lives, Hypnosis, Regression, Spiritual planes, etc. you should definitely read the books by Dr. Weiss! Currently I am reading Many Lives, Many Masters. I can't wait to read all the others I have as well!

many lives many masters dr. brian weiss book

Have you used any of the products above? Do you like them or do you have a better dupe/option?
Comment below!

author bio niharika shinde the monochromatic blog

www.themonochromaticblog.com

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Saturday, September 15, 2018

Makeup and Skincare Products I Can't Live Without! - Must Haves

Nikki September 15, 2018 25

makeup must haves skin care routine essentials

I love experimenting with new products and trying out different routines for my makeup and skin care. However, there are certain steps and products which will always be an important part of my makeup or skincare routine. I can never skip these steps no matter what. Scroll down to find out my makeup and skin care essentials.

chanel benefit nars makeup flatlay photo

Mascara

This has got to be my absolute favorite makeup product. Even when I don’t feel like applying any face makeup I still always apply mascara. I first lift my lashes with a curler to open up my eyes and then apply mascara, this adds volume and some definition to my eyes and are me look more alive. My favorite mascara has to be the Le Volume De Chanel Mascara or the Benefit Cosmetics roller Lash Mascara. These don’t clump my lashes and give the perfect volume and length to my lashes.

Contour/ Bronzer

I really feel this is a need when it comes to my makeup routine. I like to warm up the periphery of my face and the hollows of my cheeks. I don’t like the monotone look of just the base, adding bronzer/ contour really warms up your face and gives it some dimension. I use the NARS pressed powder in the shade Valley as contour, it is lightweight and blends easily so I don’t have to worry about messing it up. I apply it near my hairline, the hollows of my cheeks and my jawline. After this, I use the MAC Mineralize skin finish in Global Glow as bronzer only on the hollows my cheek. I like the sheen that it adds and complements well with the highlighter that I add on my cheekbones.

Rosewater

I have not stopped using this since the day I picked up the bottle. I religiously apply this every single day, multiple times a day. I love the way it refreshes and cools my skin, and the fact that I have really oily skin, it really helps give just the right amount of hydration. I use the Kama Ayurveda distilled rosewater. It lasts long, and they have a travel size bottle, perfect for when you’re traveling. This gives a natural, subtle and healthy glow and I highly recommend this. I use this before my makeup in place of a moisturizer. This is because moisturizer adds up to the already existing oils on my face, making me look sweaty and doesn’t help with making my make up last longer.

Moisturizer

Finding the right kind of moisturizer is always tricky for me. I have really oily skin, and some people believe that people with oily skin do not require any moisturizers. However oily skin is also dehydrated skin, which is why your skin thinks it needs more moisture and so it produces more oils. I finally came across this moisturizer, which is water-based, perfect or my skin type as it does not add access oils but rather hydrates it. I recently purchased this Chanel Hydra Beauty Gel Creme. It has a gel-like consistency and melts right into my skin, and the fact that it is water based just makes my skin happy. The camellia flower extract gives the best cooling effect. I usually apply this at night, or when my face feels dull and needs an extra boost of hydration during the day.

www.dhawanshi.com

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

September 2018 Bullet Journal Setup - Minimal and Clean Layout!

Nikki August 29, 2018 0

Hey everybody! I'm back in my groove with bullet journaling and I finally have a Monthly Setup for you guys!

I just moved into my dorm recently and I finally have my camera. I didn't have my DSLR last year which is why I wasn't able to film any youtube videos or take great pictures for articles on this website.

Here is my September 2018 Bullet Journal Setup (Minimal)!

Also, if you want to skip this article and just watch my YouTube video where I show how I made my spread I've linked it just below here:

In case you are coming to my blog for the first time or are reading my bullet journal articles for the first time, I do use a Moleskine Grid Notebook for bullet journaling and so far I have pretty satisfied with it!

September 2018 Bullet Journal Spread setup

I kind of just winged the Cover page. "September" ended up not being centered so I just added the month number (09) to make it look centered!

I usually made the monthly calendar on the cover page but I realized that I ended up not using it since it wasn't part of my weekly spread. Hence, this time I decided to draw a mini calendar on my weekly spreads so I could easily refer to dates/days.

On the next two pages I decided to try a different layout. I added times 6 am through 10 pm so I could time block my entire day. I left the next few pages empty so I could see which of the two weekly layouts I prefer/use the most in the beginning of the semester and then once I decide I'll fill in those empty pages in between.

I decided to do a whole 2-page "Brain Dump/Ideas/Brainstorming" spread so I can put all my ideas in one place rather than putting ideas in various places and then forgetting where I wrote them.

Click here to shop the Zebra Mildliners from Amazon.

I also added two "Stats" boxes for my YouTube brainstorming and Blog Brainstorming sections so I can keep track of my Channel and Blog's growth.

And that's my Bullet Journal Setup for September 2018!

As you saw I once again made a very minimal and clean monthly spread. If you saw my video I filmed my "pre-bullet journaling" process - I basically just go on my Pinterest Board and get some inspiration from stuff I have pinned.

I am really happy with how my spread turned out and I hope you enjoyed my pages as well!

Also, lastly I would like to give a special shoutout to my Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens. The set comes with a soft tip and a hard tip so you can use them for different fonts and different sizes of lettering! These pens have helped me do mediocre hand lettering - trust me without these my lettering would be pretty bad!

Buy the Pens Here!:

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Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Fostering my first puppy!

Nikki August 28, 2018 4

Last year, I got to foster my very first puppy and it was everything I could hope for! There were also so many things I was not expecting - the responsibilities, training, and not getting proper sleep because of puppy tantrums!

cute black french bulldog puppy on swing

Photo by Marion Michele

I am a big time animal lover and I've always wanted a pet dog. My parents, on the other hand, weren't up for it. My dad had a pet when he was growing up and he also likes animals, however, my mother was...rather is still terrified of any animal. She is far far away from the idea of owning a dog. My family also moves a lot, probably every 2 to 4 years so that was one of the reasons I was never allowed to have a pet. The main reason, though, was that my brother and I would be in school for most of the day and my father at work. There was no way that my mom would agree on taking care of, feeding, and cleaning the puppy's poop and pee. Hence, it was just not possible to get a dog. Even during vacation it wouldn't be ideal as a month is probably not long enough to train and potty train a puppy (I doubted my ability to do so. There was also the risk of "what if the puppy needs more time to be a little more independent. I didn't want to take that risk).

Every few years my mom would say "we'll get one after a year or so" but she would keep postponing what she said. Soon, I stopped asking because I knew it would never happen. Once high school began, school load increased and I, myself, didn't want to bring in a puppy home because I knew I wouldn't get to spend as much time with it as I would like to and that wouldn't be fair to the small fluff ball.

Soon I knew I would be headed off to the USA again and many more hurdles arose: What happens to the dog after I go? I can't keep the puppy in India but I also can't take it with me. I don't want to put it through a 20-hour travel and pets most probably won't be allowed on campus

Once I realized how long my degrees will take (3 years for the bachelor degree and 4 for the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, followed by an expected 3 years of residency) I lost all hope for having a furry companion before I was in my late twenties.

All of a sudden one day, my brother came up to me and told me there was a puppy in the parking lot of my building and a few days later I went to meet it. Just meet it and maybe give it food. I saw the little sweetheart in a box with some random clothes and towels that the kids in the building kept in the box to keep her warm when it rained. She was so adorable I didn't want to leave her there.

I went back home, quickly made a plain omelet (no salt or anything because that's bad for dogs), got some yogurt and a little bit of peanut butter. She looked very small and probably was only supposed to have liquid or semi-solid food but I thought it was worth a try. She gobbled up everything in just a few minutes. I decided to coach the children on what not to give her because they were giving her things like milk which I knew was bad for her. I decided I'd give her at least one meal per day or per two days (the kids were feeding her regularly already).

I went back home and told my mom how adorable the puppy was and just casually stated how I wish she could just stay in the small space outside our kitchen since that would be safer (some small kids were holding her and annoying her and I didn't like that). She said yes. WHAT? I didn't expect it at all...

I brought Snowy home that night. My cousin argues that she looks more like a Cappuccino (I agree) but the kids in my building kept that name for her and she already responds to it so I decided not to change it. She was scared at first which is understandable, but she became more relaxed and even playful after we gave her some food.

The following pictures are from the first night she slept in my room:

Obviously, I took hundreds of pictures of her the first night.
My cousin and I had to do some last minute puppy proofing in my room because the original plan was to bring her home the next day after taking her to the vet.
We discarded the box she was kept in when she was in the parking lot and got her a new bed sheet. We made makeshift barricades so she was confined to one section of the room before we got her cage and so that she couldn't climb on to my low nightstand and then on to my bed (she tried doing that a lot the first few days).

She mostly peed on the newspaper so I would say she's partially potty trained, but throughout the week she had peed elsewhere and even on her bed sheet. She's too young and I didn't expect her to learn in just a few days but she is still really smart. Being only 5 weeks, she already sits on command (even without offering some puppy food) and she will sleep and spin with a little food motivation. She also understood "down" when combined with a finger snap when she tried to climb on the bed (but it's too high for her).

She had, for most nights, woken me up at 5 am or 6 am, whining for food or just for attention but it's all good because she is so cute and I feel so responsible now that I know I have to wake up and take care of her and clean the pee puddles.

On day 2, I took her to the NGO (Thane SPCA), where I'd been volunteering for over 2 years, for a check-up, followed by deworming a few days later. The following next week she got her first vaccine.

She slept all the time (which was like my break time from cleaning her pee, feeding her and all that) and when she'd be awake she was either hungry, wanted to play or was peeing.

Honestly, I didn't realize how much effort goes into taking care of a puppy and this wonderful experience has definitely taught me a lot. I'm miss Snowy so much (now renamed "Angel" by the amazing family that adopted her but I'm so extremely happy for her and I'm glad she got such an amazing family to take care of and love her! Even though she was so naughty, it was very bittersweet seeing her go.

She now has an Instagram too so I can see how she is doing every now and then 😊❤

A post shared by Angel (@whoof_angel) on May 20, 2018 at 3:34am PDT

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Saturday, September 22, 2018

What I am loving this month! - September Favorites

Kama Ayurveda Face Cleanser (Rose and Jasmine)

Wet N Wild Photo Focus Concealer

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Polish

The Body Shop Shea Body Mist

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Makeup and Skincare Products I Can't Live Without! - Must Haves

Mascara

Contour/ Bronzer

Rosewater

Moisturizer

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

September 2018 Bullet Journal Setup - Minimal and Clean Layout!

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Fostering my first puppy!

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