KAJAL/KOHL EYELINER: Arabian Way to Beautify

Kajal Eyeliner

Application of ‘Kajal’ (also known as kohl or surma) is a common practice in Indian and Arabic families. 

Kohl in either powder or paste form is the traditional way that both women and men give a natural herbal treatment for their eyes.

Kohl is made of natural things like minerals and herbs, depending on what type it is.

 

 

Some are made of burnt cumin seeds and others of a mineral rock that is considered extremely healthy for the eyes.

Natural kohl is also considered to help grow the eyelashes, too!

 

It's no wonder that women from all over the world are using kohl products from Arabia and Asia, and that they have adopted the sexy smokey eye look that has been traditional in the Arabian Gulf and surrounding areas for thousands of years. 

A kohl/kajal eyeliner perfectly defines your eyes,making them look more attractive and bold.

 GOLDEN TIPS:

     - You can use it on your waterline. It will  make your eyes look bigger. 

- You can apply it along the upper lash line together with lower lash line: certainly defines your eyes.

- First apply compact powder under your eyes, dust out the excess powder, and then apply the kajal. The kajal will not spread. You could also try applying kajal to your eyes at night, and then wiping out the excess in the morning when you wake up. What is left in the eyes doesn't leak out.

Eyes are one of the most alluring and noticeable features, using Kohl/Kajal eyeliner helps define them. Various color options means Kohl/Kajal can be used lightly for a daytime look and more intensely for an evening look. Use brown for a subtle daytime look or a more natural look.

HISTORY OF KOHL

The use of Kohl on eyes by women and men is thought to originate from ancient Egypt, being applied generously and often extending outwards from the corner of each eye.

  

Max Factor Kajal

Kajal was traditionally made in South Asia by women in their homes. A mixture of soot from an oil lamp and pure castor oil would product pure Kajal. The castor oil gave provided a cooling effect to eyes. Kajal powder was applied with fingers or a thin wood, bone silver or ivory applicator. The applicator would be dipped in water, rosewater or olive oil before dipping into Kajal pot. Other names for Kajal include Al-kahl, Surma and Anjur.

Application method today is simpler and can be carried in your bag for re-application.

 

Eye Makeup Tips to Prevent Kajal from Smudging

1.Clean Your Eyelids

Before you apply any eye makeup it is essential that you clean your eyelids. Makeup on the lids can make your eyelids oily which is the main reason for smudging and creasing of eye makeup. Use a Q tip with some eye makeup remover and use it to clean your lids. Once your lids are clean apply a face powder on the lids and around the eye area. This will help in absorbing the excess oils and moisture thus allowing the kajal to stay on for a longer time.

2.Use An Eye Primer

Primers or an eye shadow base allow the eye makeup to stay on for a longer time. There are many eye primers by different cosmetic brands available in the market. You can use any of these to prepare your eyelids for the kajal. Apply the primer on the lower lash line before you apply the kajal.

3.Apply The Kajal

Apply the kajal on your lower lash line with care. It is a good idea to invest in some good long lasting kajals if you face the problem of smudging. While applying the kajal leave some space at the two corners of your lower eyelids as these are the areas that tend to start watering after some time thus leading to smudging of the kajal.

4.Set The Kajal With Black Eyeshadow

This is probably the best way of ensuring that the kajal does not smudge. Once you have applied the kajal set it with a little powder black eyeshadow on top. This not only intensifies the color but also helps in absorbing the moisture and oil in the region thus allowing the kajal to stay on for a longer time.

 

5.Finish up by powdering the area around the eyes

It is important to keep in mind that kajals will smudge to some extent and you can only delay the smudging, not stop it completely. To prevent raccoon eyes you can carry some Q tips with you and wipe off the smudged kajal from the under eye area

EYESHADOW PRIMERS/BASES

Eyeshadow Primer

What is eyeshadow primer or eyeshadow base?

Eyeshadow primer or eyeshadow base is a cosmetic that is used to coat the eyelids prior to the application of eyeshadow so that the eyeshadow can be applied in a smooth, even layer and additionally eyeshadow will stay in place on the eyelid, will be more vibrant and will not crease.

In order to make sure that the primer dries correctly, the cosmetic should be applied in a thin, even layer. Once the primer has dried, there is a smooth, even surface that will accept eyeshadow well and will work to keep it in place. 

Some eyeshadow primers have no color. However most of them are tinted and evens out the skin tone on the eyelid as well.

Different Tinted Eyeshadow  Primers

Eye shadow primers

WITH AND WITHOUT EYESHADOW PRIMER

Eyeshadow with and without primer

  

Eyeshadow applied to arms with and without primer

How do we apply eyeshadow primer?

Put some eye shadow base on your finger or a make up sponge to apply a an eyeshadow base. Blend the eyeshadow base gently into your skin, making sure to avoid a visible line. Be careful, the amount of eyeshadow primer used must be tiny.

Application of eyeshadow base

Now you are ready to apply your eyeshadow on your eyelid. After you prime your eyelids, you eyeshadows will be more vibrant, will stay in place and will NOT crease!!!!! 

DIY EYE-SERUM RECIPES

DIY Eye Serum

Eye serums are fairly expensive skin care products among all. If you are on a budget, you can do your own eye serum with effective natural ingredients. 

Below you will find 2 homemade eye-repair serum recipes.


First of all, you will need a clean serum bottle with a pump, which you can obtain from drugstores. Your run-out serum's bottle will also do, however you have to clean it with alcohol.

Or, a clean eye-dropper bottle.



 FIRST RECIPE

If you like the oily textured eye serum, you will not need a serum bottle but an eye-dropper bottle instead. Obtain it from a drugstore.

For oily textured eye serum, all you need is:

1) Clean glass eye dropper bottle

2) Wheat Germ oil

3) Jojoba Oil

4) Carrot seed oil

5) Pomegranate oil

6) Grape seed oil

 

You will take the same amount of each oil with an eye-dropper, and mix them in your eye dropper bottle. Shake well before each use. One drop for each eye will be enough.

Your DIY eye- serum contains all the useful and necessary ingredients and antioxidants an eye serum should have!!!

                               ooooo0000000oooooo

 SECOND RECIPE

I, personally like eye serums with gel consistency. So in this recipe you will need aloe vera gel and/ or Vitamin E gel as the basic element.

Here is the recipe for your eye serum:

1) A clean serum bottle

2) 1 tablespoon of Aloe Vera gel and/or Vitamin E gel

3) 1 teaspoon Grape seed oil

4)  1 teaspoon Pomegranate Seed Oil 

5) 1 teaspoon Carrot Seed Oil

6) 1 teaspoon chamomile oil 

7) Little Wooden spoon

Combine 1 tablespoon of aloe vera gel and 1 tablespoon Vitamin E gel (or a few Vitamin E capsules) together in a bowl. Add the oils and mix them very well with a little wooden spoon.You should have a white jelly-like cream. Spoon the mixture into the serum bottle. 

Now you have your DIY Eye-serum (in gel form) with perfect ingredients!!!!   

...............2 homemade eye-repair serum recipes...........

BEST 5 MASCARAS

MASCARA

Mascaras are the cosmetics products used to enhance the eyes. They basicly thicken, lengthen and darken the lashes. They are one of the most commonly used cosmetic products like lipsticks and eyeliners.

Modern cosmetic industry offers an impressive number of different mascara types. Picking the best mascara can be hard though.

Here is the the list of top 5 mascaras- I have tested and discovered- that really do good job.

MY BEST 5 MASCARAS

 

1. Loreal Voluminous Mascara

It promises to build 5X thickness, and it really does. It helps create that dramatic look one is looking for. No flakes, no smudges, no clumps.

Price: $7.50

 

2.Maybelline Great Lash Mascara
 

Lash doubling formula. It thickens and lengthens your lashes giving a definition to your eyes. It always finds a place in every makeup artist's kit. One of the classics.


Price: $5.50

 3. Maybelline the Colossal Volum' Express

The brush is amazingly thick and definitely   adds incredible length and volume! It helps to hold curl and doesn't weigh my lashes down. My lashes  look like false lashes when i apply a few coats of my colossal. Love the packaging as well!!! I'm using  the colossal mascara nowadays...

   Price: $6









4. Lancome Hypnose Custom Volume Mascara

Its patented brush thickens your lashes from root to tip with custom volume you can control. The formula wraps your lashes without smearing, smudging or clumping. Absolutely perfect!!!

Price: $25

5.Dior Diorshow Mascara

It’s true that DiorShow Mascara delivers on its promise to add length and volume to your eyelashes.This fabulous mascara truly lengthens, defines, volumes, curls and separates at the same time and it has a great texture. It colors your lashes in very rich dark black color that’s perfect for brunettes or those who are going for a dramatic look or doing a smokey eye.

Price: $24.50



Mascara gives definition to eyes



Mascara makes the eyes look bigger



These are my best 5 mascaras that never disappointed me!!! Their prices vary a lot. Depending on your budget you can pick one of them.

Which ones are your best 5??

HOW TO HIGHLIGHT YOUR FACE: Magazine Look

 

Highlighting your face makes your skin glow, helps to minimize or maximize facial features and gives you that finished sheen you see in magazines.

It makes you look healthier, glowy and gorgeous when you illuminate the right places of your face.

All you need is a product at least 2 shades lighter than your skin and it should contain slight shimmer to make you glow.

You should be careful where to highlight, as highlighting makes pop the area. If applied on wrong places, it will make you look older, shiny or greasy.

There are plenty of highlight products, in cream, liquid or powder form.

NARS Illuminator

MAC Color Base-Pearl  (My favorite for cheekbones and browbones)

MAC Paint Pot-Painterly

If you haven't bought any yet, you can use a nude/vanilla color eye shadow for highlighting. 

MAC Vanilla Eyeshadow

Places to highlight:

1)Top of your cheekbones

2)Under your eyes (after concealing dark circles)and corner of your eyes

3)On your browbone

4)Center of your forehead

5)Straight down the middle of your nose

6)middle of the top of your lip

7)Your chin



Highlighting your face







- If your product is in powder form, you will need a highlight brush.

Highlight brush

- If it is creamy, you can use your hand as well as using highlight brush depending on its consistency.

- You can use smaller highlight brushes if you like.

Small Highlight brush



Highlighted faces



You can obtain that "Magazine Look" you've been looking to with illuminating the right places of your face correctly.

ALOE VERA: Beauty and Health

 

Aloe vera's soothing gel inside the thick, succulent leaves is an incredible natural skin care product. Aloe vera is a semi-tropical succulent plant originally from North Africa, and now grown worldwide. It looks like a desert plant. Aloe vera is one of the oldest and most popular medicinal plants known to man. The bulk of the aloe vera leaf is filled with gel, which is approximately 99% water. The other 1% contains over at least 75 known nutrients including 20 minerals, 12 vitamins, 18 amino acids, 200 active compounds called phytonutrients, enzymes and of course, water. It is used worldwide in just about every skin and hair care product imaginable.  

The processed leaf of the Aloe Vera plant is a popular gel that is known to have brought healthful benefits to our skin. Aloe vera gel is an excellent skin moisturizer. It supplies oxygen to the skin cells which in turn increases the strength and synthesis of skin tissue. It soothes, hydrates and rejuvenates the skin.

 Aloe vera has also been known to relieve and/or improve external skin discomforts such as eczema, psoriasis, ulcers, stings, bites, bruises, sprains and frostbite.

BENEFITS OF ALOE VERA GEL TO THE SKIN

Suitable for all skin types, aloe vera gel can be used even by people with sensitive skin. Let`s take a look at the benefits of using aloe vera gel to treat skin conditions.

1. Aloe vera gel is great for moisturizing.

For women: Popularly used as a moisturizer by women who use mineral make-up regularly, aloe vera gel is great for face. Applying aloe vera gel on skin prior to application of make-up can prevent the skin from drying.

For men: Aloe vera gel can be used as an aftershave. Its healing properties can treat small cuts caused by shaving.

2. Aloe vera gel is great for treating acne.

Aloe vera gel has antimicrobial properties that kill bacteria and anti-inflammatory properties that reduce skin inflammation. It allows the skin to heal quickly and naturally with minimal scarring. Aloe is moisturizing but doesn`t give skin a greasy feel, so it`s perfect for anyone with an oily complexion.

3. Aloe vera helps fight common problems of skin aging.

Let`s face it: as we get older, everyone begins to worry about the appearance of lines and the loss of elasticity in our skin. The vitamin C and E present in aloe gel can improve our skin`s natural firmness and keep our skin hydrated.

4. Aloe vera can lessen the visibility of stretch marks.

Whether due to a growth spurt, weight change, or pregnancy - many of us are plagued with unsightly stretch marks. These marks appear due to minor tears in the layers of the skin caused by sudden and excessive stretching. Aloe vera gel can help hide these stretch marks by healing these wounds.

5. Aloe vera can be used to treat sunburn.

Aloe vera gel can reduce the pain and swelling you experience during sunburn. It acts as a protective layer on the skin and helps replenish its moisture. When the skin is hydrated, then it will recover faster from the sunburn.

6. Aloe vera can be used to treat sunpots

Using aloe vera gel is a great way to heal sunspots.

ALOE VERA GEL FOR THE EYE AREA

        

• The Aloe Vera gel contains beneficial ingredients that are good for the eye area. This gel is rich in nutrients that have different vitamins such as vitamins A, C, B12 and vitamin E. It also contains minerals such as zinc, calcium, magnesium, proteins and amino acids. All these help the eye areas restore its youthful looks.

• The Aloe Vera gel helps reduce fine wrinkles around the eye areas. Its anti-aging properties help maintain collagen of the skin. The gel also helps stimulate collagen formation to help restore the suppleness of the skin around our eyes.

• The gel also acts as a good moisturizer and emollient for the eyes. As we age our eyes are one of the prominent body parts that show signs of aging. The skin around our eyes begins to thin and become sensitive. Applying the gel would help reduce these problems since they help hydrate the skin.

• Applying the gel around the eyes would also help reduce infection. The Aloe Vera gel has anti-bacterial properties that would protect the eyes from virus and help prevent further spreading of infection to the eyes.

• Another benefit of this gel is that it can heal wounds, bruises or burns near the eye area. It provides soothing relief for these problem areas. It also lessens inflammation and helps increase blood circulation to the injured part of the eye area.

• The Aloe Vera gel also helps in reducing dark circles around the eyes. It helps lessen puffy eyes and keeps the eyes look refreshed and alive. It can be substituted as an eye cream to keep the eye area healthy.

  
 

ALOE VERA GEL FOR THE HAIR

   

 

       

Some hair care products like shampoos, conditioners and styling solutions contain aloe vera gel and other byproducts of the aloe vera plant, and even pure gel squeezed straight from an aloe leaf can be used in your hair care routine.

- Dandruff Prevention : Aloe vera gel has natural antibacterial and fungicidal properties. Various fungi and the spread of bacteria caused by excessive sebum oil production in the scalp can cause dandruff, so using aloe vera gel shampoo or even massaging pure aloe vera gel into the scalp can improve this condition. Aloe vera gel also has proteolytic enzyme characteristics, meaning that it can break down proteins, including dead skin cells. This helps the gel to serve as an exfoliant on the scalp, sloughing away dead skin so that it doesn't appear later as dandruff.

 

- Conditioning: Aloe vera gel is a powerful hair conditioner that nourishes hair strands from root to tip. At the scalp level, aloe vera is used in combination with other botanical ingredients in medicated herbal shampoos to open the pores, which helps exfoliate follicles and condition hair right at the root.

- Hair Loss Prevention:

Both men and women can use this natural product to solve hair loss or significant thinning. It also lessens the effects of Alopecia that causes hair loss and promotes the growth of new hair, but Aloe Vera can be effective in the treatment of hair loss if used at the first sign of excessive hair loss.

- For Hair Growth: Aloe Vera activates new hair growth along with the growth of already existing hair follicles by increasing the blood circulation to the scalp.

OTHER BENEFITS OF ALOE VERA

• Aloe vera is an antioxidant and cancer fighter, especially colon cancer
• Reduces and stops inflammation, both internally and externally
• Oxygenates blood and energizes cells, hydrates skin and repairs skin tissue
• Aloe vera heals internal digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, acid reflux - cleanses the intestinal tract
• Reduces risk factor for strokes and heart attacks by making "sticky" blood "unsticky," and boosts the oxidation of your blood, plus circulation
• Alkalizes the body, helping to balance overly acidic dietary habits
• Boosts cardiovascular performance and physical endurance
• Stabilizes blood pressure and reduces triglycerides
• Aloe vera juice can be used as mouth wash for some relief and to speed up healing of mouth ulcers.

*****I personally use aloe vera gel as under-eye cream, mostly. It soothes my tired eye area while hydrating it. Try out yourself! You'll be thankful to me :)))*****