-MUA Heaven & Earth Palette-

Ok so after splurging on the Naked 1, and since the Naked's cost around PKR 6000 I did not want to invest in another.

MUA is well known for their cheap dupes for the Naked.Behold the MUA's Heaven & Earth palette, got mine from just4girls.pk for PKR 750. Now since the price tag was so low I did not expect magic. But oh boy was I wrong.
Heaven and Earth is the ultimate neutral palette to create a gorgeous natural look. MUA Heaven and Earth palette is a perfect blend of 12 gorgeous shades from warm browns, beige, cream, bronze, golden and other shades for creating a natural yet wearable eye looks.

Product Description:
A dupe offered for the Urban Decays Naked. Heaven and Earth is the ultimate neutrals palette containing everything you need to create your gorgeous natural look.




My Experience:
Every shade in the palette is super pigmented and have a super buttery smooth texture that is easily picked up by a eye-shade brush and allows a streak-free smooth blending resulting perfect smooth eye look. all the shades are probably shimmery, there's not a single matte shade, which can be a down side for matte lovers. the wear time is fairly good with 6-7 hours (with primer) and 4-5 hours (without primer). I do think it has less shimmer compared to NAKED which makes it a lot more wearable for everyday.

The shimmer is soo light, at first I thought it would not be a right choice for day wear but I was really wrong. The has been the only thing I have been using ever since I got it.
As it contains 12 shades, so many different looks can be created. I love playing with this palette and creating different looks. In my opinion, it's perfect for day time and evening wear.

Overall:
I LOVE IT. Its a very amazing palate. Good colour stay, Good pigmentation, and minimal fall out what else do you want in 750 ?






The Goods:
Budget Friendly.
12 neutral colors.
Super pigmented.
Butter soft texture hence easy blending.
Shimmers doesn't look really bold.
Good wear time.
Comes in 8 variants.
Streak free application.
Super easy application.


The Bads:
Only available online.
No matte shades.
Only neutral shades.

-Kolachi Restaurant, The spirit of Karachi moving to its dim death-

Every once a week I need a new place to dine inn. This week ended up at Kolachi, the much hyped and raved about restaurant on the infamous Do Darya Strip.
There is so much hype associated with this restaurant that one has to head over to check it out for themselves.

AMBIANCE:
Ok so was super excited to finally go there after ages, we reached there at 8 pm sharp to find the place fairly empty. BUT STILL WE WERE GIVEN A WAITING OF 20 mins. The tables were all visibly empty but were given a lousy excuse in the name of reservation (Nice tactic eh)

Waited along with 4 other families in the ginormous waiting area. Which I absolutely loved. A large space with sofas and benches for the hungry bellies to wait in rather then just standing around.

Plus I admire the automated waiting and numbering system that they have, makes life so much easier.
After around 15 mins an inattentive fella showed up, waved his hand for us to come up to the front desk. (Hello did your customer service take a dip into the sea and die?) 
Were seated eventually.



MENU/ORDER:
Prices are hiked since the last time I came, so for the people coming there after a while please keep that in mind. 
We ordered the Chicken Tarragon, Makhni Handi, Garlic Naans, & fresh limes.

THE EXPERIENCE:
Ok firstly, General rule for any restaurant you do not seat a lady or two in a floor full of men. There has to be a separate area for families and a different one for men or bachelors. Was fairly uncomfortable, upon requesting a change we were denied.
Order arrived in about 25 mins.

CHICKEN TARRAGON:
. 

 It took me a while to realize what had been placed in front of me. 2 little peices of chicken, scarcly any sauce in a mountain of ONIONS, yes you read it right ONIONS in a chicken tarragon steak, they did the unthinkable.

(What I had left to eat, the actual serving) =>

<=( The ridiculous amount of onions filled up a whole freaking plate )

YOU DO NOT ADD ONIONS IN A CHICKEN TARRAGON EVER, its a cardinal sin!  
Complained: Response was sorry maam this is the way it is in a sizzler (ok fine i know that) I was not informed nor asked if it was to be served in a sizzling plate or normal. Iv eaten this particular dish in every restaurant in the city almost, and NO ONE serves it in a sizzler. You at least ask -_-
Requested to change it was also denied. -_- Finally requested the onions to be removed ALSO DENIED (kay ab kese hoongay serve hogaya) Requested a plate, was given(thank goodness) started scooping off the onions myself and ended up with a plateful.

(the hyped up serving version) =>

The taste was itself good of the little amount of sauce there was, but the sauteed veggies were massively under cooked and the mashed potatoes weren't mashed properly. 
FOR PKR 790 its a NEVER AGAIN.

MAKHNI HANDI
Was a serving of 2 people. For PKR 1400 it was tiny. 
The handi looked too yellow with an overkill of haldi perhaps. 
There was no cheese. 
All i could taste was cream lots of it.

BEVERAGES:
Beverages were warm, in a weather like this my fresh lime was not so fresh. for 110 a pop I would have sucked on some ice cubes

SERVICE:
I don't know what the raving about the service is, personally I didn't like it one bit. The waiters are not at all courteous, I almost felt as if we were there for free. 


OVERALL
Hand Sanitizers on the table are a very good add on. That's about it.
Don't know what all the hype is about. 
Will surely be staying away. Staff is snobby.
Lacks Consistency VERY SERIOUSLY 

Iv attached a picture of the same dish taken a few months back by a fellow blogger Hasnina Khanani who was kind enough to let me use her picture to compare how different the two products look.
Its Surprising how they cant manage to keep consistent with one of the main dishes in the menu. 
Clear view of how the quality is going down the drain in terms of value for money. presentation and customer satisfaction.
Its quite sad to see places loved by so many taking a dive into the sea.

Yes Kolachi was amazing once upon a time but that time is long gone. 
Now they have become one of the many who cannot handle the hype and have turned into over confident snobs, who are taking customers for granted.
My second strike of bad customer service from their side. 
KOLACHI NEVER AGAIN

The only thing i admired on my table

Note:
This review is not an over exaggeration, your views may be different but this is what i experienced. 

-7 Deadly Sins Of Hair care-

So i'v been asked several dozen times, that what do I put into my hair, what did I do to make them grow out so much. Well honestly nothing. 
BUT I will tell you of the 7 things that I do avoid at all costs.
There are the 7 deadly universal sins, then there are the 7 deadly Hair Sins that people often commit without realizing but it does horrible things to your hair and scalp.

Sin#1: Probably the most unforgivable:
OVER WASHING HAIR
With summer hitting us with the high tide we tend to run into the shower more then once a day if not once daily. A lot of us with greasy hair feel the need to wash our hair daily some even wash their hair multiple times a day. However this is one of the worst things you can do as this strips the hair of natural oils. Hair often becomes greasy when the scalp produces too much sebum, so when you wash your hair you actually stimulate the sebum glands making them produce more oil. In turn making your hair greasier. 

Solution: Its time you introduce yourself to a dry shampoo.


Sin#2 
RUBBING YOUR HAIR WITH A TOWEL
If you are not supposed to rub your skin, you are not supposed to run your hair also.
Rubbing the hair shaft with a towel disrupts the hair cuticle, damaging hair. Which in turn creates frizz and makes hair less manageable.

Solution: Use your towel to wrap around the hair, then press lightly with the towel to help soak up as much water as possible.


Sin#3 
OVER CONDITIONING YOUR HAIR
NO you don't need to condition your hair every time you shampoo, maybe just twice a week or so, and NO you also don't need to condition your scalp.Conditioner should only be used on the mid sections and ends of the hair were the scalps natural oils don't reach. If you condition the roots which are already coated with natural oils, will cause limp, lifeless hair.


Sin#6 
IGNORING THOSE SPLIT ENDS
Ignoring split ends is a sin most of us are guilty of at some point. As much as I wish there was a miracle treatment to repair split ends. Remedies and treatments may make them look better or at best temporarily seal them together. The only way to get rid of split ends is to have them cut off. 

Solution: Get regular trims.


Sin#4 
BRUSHING WET HAIR
Wet hair is the weakest. Brushing dry hair already causes alot of breakage and damages hair but brushing wet hair is even worse. It pulls them from the root making them weak and they break.

Solution: Wait for them to dry OR 
Wait for them to dry Duh :p OR if you have to 
Use a wide tooth comb to  eliminate tangles on wet hair as the teeth are widely spaced and glide easier through hair, causing much less damage.


Sin#5
APPLYING HAIR PRODUCTS TO SUPER WET HAIR
We have all done it your in a rush, so we try to speed up getting ready by applying moose or leave in conditioner on our freshly washed hair straight after stepping out the shower. However doing this you're wasting product. Wet hair isn't as porous so your products just slip off the strands rather attach to the hair shaft. 

Solution:Apply your products to damp hair to make the most of your products.


Sin#6 
NOT LEAVING YOUR CONDITIONER LONG ENOUGH
Another conditioner crime! No matter how much you have spent on a product you wont get the most of the product if you wash it straight out. To make the most of a conditioner, you need to let the conditioner penetrate the hair. 

Solution: After applying conditioner leave it on for a few minutes before washing off. This will give the time to let the conditioner go to work.


Sin#7 
IGNORING THOSE SPLIT ENDS
Ignoring split ends is a sin most of us are guilty of at some point. As much as I wish there was a miracle treatment to repair split ends. Remedies and treatments may make them look better or at best temporarily seal them together. The only way to get rid of split ends is to have them cut off. 

Solution: Get regular trims.

-Cupcake Wars-

So I am one of those people who live to eat, when that happens you gotta have some room for desserts, in my case Iv got the most room for them :D
This was my search to find the best RED VELVET CUPCAKES In the city, I think if you can make a red velvet the right way, you can make anything. :D

So the bakers and places that even stood a chance to be in the review among everyone else that iv tried are.

The Cakery, The Riding Hood Bakery, Pane & Amore, Taha's Choco Mania.
And no Pie in the sky and Bravo don't even come in the list, they MAY be good at a lot of stuff but RED VELVET is NOT their thing.

NUMBER 4: THE CAKERY

Now i have been a sucker for Aminah's cupcakes ever since she opened her home based bakery, but I think that's just that. I personally loved the initial recipe of her cupcakes and cream cheese more then the one now. But even still her cupcakes are moist, the cream cheese is of better consistency and taste. Missed perfection by a few points

Priced at around 100-120 per cupcake, and considering the location of the bakery which is Tauheed Commerial. I avoid.

Base: 7.5/10
Cream Cheese: 8/10
Price: 7/10
Location & Accessibility: 5/10
Overall Cupcake Rating 7/10

NUMBER 3: RED RIDING HOOD BAKERY

So as much as they are known for their pizzas and un polite customer service they are also praised for the Red Velvet they make.
At first I loved how they presented the cupcakes in an adorable red box (yes presentation counts) & they even taste fairly good.

They come at number 4 for me, why ?
The cupcakes are not always super fresh, I was served with a hard cupcake once also.
Also because there is a point that you can get tired of eating that cupcake, the cake lacks the super moistness. Plus the ratio of frosting to cupcake is a bit off.

Priced at PKR 150 per Cupcake, I would think before making a run towards them.



Base: 7/10
Cream Cheese: 7.5/10
Price: 6/10
Location & Accessibility: 7/10
Overall Cupcake Rating 8/10

NUMBER 2: PANE & AMORE

Located at Khayaban-e-Shahbaz, this small upscale little cafe. Gives me cupcake shocks when I dig into them.
The cupcake is nothing less then perfection, the super moist little devils that melt in you mouth the moment you bite into them.
The cream cheese is something out of this world. Super smooth, perfect balance of sweetness.
Pure delight.
The cream cheese is known and praised from far far away.
What wakes me up of the food shock and puts me in a coma ?
The unrealistic price tag!!
Priced at over PKR 180 PER CUPCAKE. Its ridiculious.  Revolting infact.
If you don't mind spending about 2400 on a dozen this is the place for you.

Base: 9/10
Cream Cheese: 9/10
Price: 3/10
Location & Accessibility: 9/10
Overall Cupcake Rating 8/10 (Rating takes a bump thanks to the price tag)

-WINNER-

So whats better then all of the above ? What if you can get all the goods of the cupcakes and none of the bad's in the most affordable prices.

NUMBER 1: TAHA'S CHOCO MANIA

Yes exactly, I'm still in a state of shock after digging my teeth into these babies just a few hours ago.
Fresh, super moist and the cream cheese exactly like Pane and Amore, even perhaps a notch better.
The Cupcake itself is super gooey just like the brownies and the consistency is just perfect.

The ratio of the cream cheese to the cupcake sends me in a Red Velvet Coma.

Priced at an unbelievable PKR80 a cupcake that's lower then even the nasty things at PITS that i cant even manage to eat.
What more could a Red velvet lover ask for.. Delivery perhaps ??

Base: 9.5/10
Cream Cheese: 10/10
Price: 10/10
Location & Accessibility: 5/10
Overall Cupcake Rating 10/10

Disclaimer: Iv been trying and testing all of the above places and these opinions are my personal. I have no association with any of the bakers above

Happy Eating 
Ayesha Khan 
Admin Karachi Foodies Critics Club
xoxo

-The Grub-

About Grub:
So was all out of ordering options one fortunate day a couple of months back, and that's when I  tried a new eatery GRUB. Ever since that day I have been GRUBBED and craving it at least once a week.So this is a couple of month old delivery only joint located in DHA. This is another one which caters to the people living on this side of the bridge only. Which is a thing I hope they change soon.
Whats so special about this place ? 
Well the stone baked pizzas to begin with, then we go on to the huge monster sized burgers, ending with the scrumptious ever so delicious pasta.

The Menu:
The menu has got a wide variety of Burgers, Pizzas and Pasta. All I can say is that for a fairly  new place they sure are a real threat to the present fast food joints. 
The prices are quite reasonable the 13" pizza is about 850 and the 16" for 1650.
The lowest burger at 330 while the highest at 470.
While the pizza's are quite economical, the burgers some might say are a bit on the higher end. But the taste and size justifies the price. 
Other items included in the menu are Filfils, Chicken Wings, Pasta and Cake.
Packaging & Concept:
Now I love the whole concept  put together by the team. Its a fresh new lively concept. Shows clearly the effort that is put into it. The black artsy menu looks lovely. Best part, unlike most joints they have packed their burgers and fries separately so easier to manage.

The Food:

-PIZZAS-
Clear to say grub has "one of the best pizzas in town". You have 7 different flavors to choose from in 2 different sizes. Will review ones I have personally tried. Starting from the top of the favorites list.
The GRUB: So the Grub pizza is a mix of both beef and chicken, so has a lot of meat on top, pepperoni, chunks of chicken, mushrooms, olives, capsicum and tomatoes. On a thin crust. Had generous amounts of each and was smothered with cheese, which I have been missing since sooo long from most the pizza joints here.. *drooling again as I recall*
Chicken Fajita: For the picky eaters who don't like their vegetables. Nonetheless there is no compromise on taste.
A little on the spicy side.

-BURGERS-
My favorites The mushroom, Double Chicken Patty and the Grub Roasted.
Huge in size, Good value for money,
The Grub Roasted Has a very subtle smokey wooden taste which is joy to the taste buds. wasn't spicy at all so that made me roll in joy. The sauces are also really good.
The Double Chicken: Its a hulk sized burger! Gigantic again. Reminded me of the burgers I had really been enjoying on my trip outside of Pakistan. The bun was soft, the burger very juicy. The sauce was Mayo based. A combination of chilli and Mayo and maybe something else. The chicken patty was smoked and thankfully not at all over cooked. Great value for money at 450 bucks. 

-PASTA-
My favorite kinda pasta drenched in Alfredo sauce and heaps of cheese. Heaps and heaps of it.Every bite managed to have chunks of chicken, sausage, capsicum and lots of yumiiness. Tasted yummilicious. The sauce was a perfect blend of creaminess and taste.Wasn't like the bland tasting ones this one actually had taste. One of the best tasting pastas iv had , and iv had A LOT of pastas.


-FILFILS-
8 huge chillies coated with a cheese sauce and coated with crumbs fried to perfection.Got steam coming put from my ears. Yikes. Perfectly spicy and Grubalicious.

OVERALL
What I loved most was the crust. Thin and just the tight amount of crunch, not too soft n nor to hard.Considering the fact that its cooked in a stone oven my crust was perfect and not at all burned or overcooked. Loved the filled edges.
Unlike most joints here the ends are filled with a mouthwatering sauce.
It has all the things that I search in a perfect pizza. It's juicy, just the right amount of crunchiness in the crust and generous amounts of cheese, the kind that makes those lines when u try to take away a slice  I'm just floating on an imaginary cloud.
Grub is my go to place. Safe to say the best thin crust pizza in town hands down.  Would suggest to be tried at least once. 


Consistency: 10/10
Consumption Effect: Light, not heavy at all
Presentation: 10/10
Delivery Time: 10/10

Note: I rarely give eateries such flying reviews, but in this case it is well deserved.

-Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick-

So Maybelline has been my favorite to go brand ever since I got my hands on their mineral foundation. A stick foundation has been on my wishlist for quite a while now and the moment I laid my eyes on the fit me stick I knew I wanted it since its a GEL BASED FORMULA.

Got mine from Scentsation Dolmen Mall for PKR 1500, for a 9 ml stick. Which is quite less if you compare it to liquid foundations but since its stick I think it will probably last me longer.
The look of the foundation is very classy, in a plastic twist up. It also comes in a variety of 12 shades to match a lot of skin tones.

Product Description:
A gel based stick foundation, blends to give a natural matte finish. For flawless, shine-free skin and tailor-made natural matte coverage. Easy to apply and great on-the go. Available in 12 oil-free shades.

My Experience:
With summers already here, the thing that lead me to go for this stick is the ANTI SHINE claim. Since the heat tends to wash out the makeup in a few hours.
The second attraction was the GEL based formula, which doesn't dry out the stick upon application like the normal stick foundations. 
So the anti shine part, did not hold up quite for me, since my skin became quite shiny after a few hour of application although I topped it off with a powder.For better oil coverage cleanse and tone your skin before application.
The Gel based formula on the other hand is lovely. The stick glides on without effort on a well moisturized face. Does not dry out the skin at all. Used my fingers to put it on and looked perfect.
But its still a NO NO for me because of the LACK OF COVERAGE.

Coverage:
Ok so as far as the coverage is concerned it offers only a light coverage. You have to top it off with a pressed powder. It lightened up some of my pigmentation but doesn't offer a lot of coverage. Adding a second layer is also not an issue as doesn't pile up at all, so you can do that if you want a bit more coverage.
This foundation is also very comfortable. I couldn't feel it on my face, even after applying multiple layers, and it didn't have any noticeable scent.
The downside is that its not actually shine free, few hours in and you begin to shine.

Overall:
Overall, I find this foundation a bit difficult to rate. Since I got the wrong shade for myself, and i dont think i will repurchase it.
It's not BAD by any means: it's affordable, blend able, comfortable, and provides light coverage with a very natural finish. It's also travel-friendly and has a decent shade range. And on dry skin, or on combination skin with the help of some powder, it could work out just fine. I wouldn't be opposed to wearing it in another season when my skin once again dries up like the Sahara.

But the bottom line is that this product doesn't do what it's meant to do: give you a shine-free finish. The "Anti-Shine Core" does not "instantly dissolve excess oil"; rather, the foundation dissolves instantly in your excess oils. I wouldn't be opposed to recommending this product to a select group of people, but that group? It would not include our oily-skinned friends.

The Goods:
Affordable
Gel Based Stick 
Easy Application 
12 shades
Lightweight
Build able

The Bad's:
Shine appears after a few hours
Low coverage
Looks horrible if you have dead skin cells


xoxo

-MUA Matte Perfect Foundation-

I have lately been a fan of Make up Academy, especially since after I tried their eye shade palates. Made me fall in love with them even more then my Naked's. This foundation has been in my use for about a week now.
MUA is known for its dirt cheap prices, and this was the same, the foundation cost me PKR350  for 35 ml from just4girls.pk. Now since the price tag is so cheap I did not expect anything fancy from this foundation at all.

Product Description:
So MUA claims this to have a matte finish and keep shine at bay all day long. Which is a very bold claim.

My Experience:
This particular tube hold 35 ml and its probably the cheapest foundation you will find. The packaging is very simple, a beige plastic tube with a white screw on cap, and a small sticker on the front telling you the shade.
The claim of giving matte effect is completely wrong! It does not mattify your skin rather it gives dewy finish. If you want complete matte effect setting this foundation with a good powder is extremely important or else your foundation will slip away soon.I could notice that there is glitter embedded in the cream. When you apply and face strong light, the glitter particles are going to shine. It's a very subtle shimmer which has the effect of brightening the skin beautifully rather than making you look glittery, but nonetheless it's there and it does not give a matte effect.
The foundation has a very thick consistency for a liquid foundation, and the smell is the biggest let down, smells plasticky.
Quite easy to blend despite the thickness and provides medium coverage, I mean for me this is a light day time foundation, as it doesn't even feel heavy on the skin.
It comes in 3 shades Fair, Natural and Almond, I choose almond which is the darkest. Suitable for people with normal, dry and combination skin. As for the oily skin it doesn't stay on for more then 2-4 hours.

Overall: 
I don't think its on my repurchase list, this was just a thing I tried.

The Goods:
The price tag
Gives a medium coverage.
The shade is build able.
Product quantity is more and it can last for a long time.
Subtle shimmer particles which quickly reflect light.
Covers minor spots and acne well.
Dry to combination skinned girls will love the dewy effect.

The Bads:
Does not mattify the skin.
-Does not control the shine.
Makes skin shiny after couple of hours.
Does not last long.
Limited shade range.
Not suitable for combination to oily skinned beauties.
You need to have a very good setting powder