DMGM Skin Primer - Review & Swatches

Hi all!

I am dedicating today's post to the DMGM Skin Primer.

I have chosen to review a primer because women often underestimate the power of facial primers whereas they are and should be a compulsory part of your make up regime. Their importance lies in the fact that primers prepare your face for your foundation by evening out skin tone, filling in lines and pores and creating a smooth canvas for your make up to glide on. 

Skin primers are also instrumental in keeping oil at bay and prolonging the life of your foundation which ensures that your skin maintains a fresh and flawless look all day long. 

Description

The DMGM Skin Primer promises to “absorb excess oil and maintain a fresh matte finish that lasts for hours”. 

It also promises to do the following:

1. Fixes your make up and makes it long lasting
2. Blots away excess oil and makes your skin look completely matte
3. Advanced water proof formula and grape seed extract make a protective film on the skin against irritation
4. Moisturizes and gives the skin a soft and velvety touch
5. Minimizes enlarged pores and the appearance of fine lines
6. Suitable for all skin types

DMGM Skin Primer

DMGM Skin Primer

My Opinion

Starting with the positives, the DMGM Skin Primer is very easy to apply due to its transparent and gel like appearance. You can literally apply it with your eyes closed! It is also odorless and leaves your skin feeling soft, supple and velvety smooth. I also like the fact that it makes applying my foundation a breeze. I use liquid as well as powder foundations and this primer works beautifully with both. Another point in this primer’s favor is that it gives a flawless, refined and a finished look to my makeup.

DMGM Skin Primer Swatch

I also find its packaging to be very practical. Though styled simply, the bottle is sleek and small in size which makes it very easy to carry in your handbag. The mouth of the bottle is also designed to be travel friendly. It is small in size which is a great way to avoid product leakages. Also, the consistency of the primer is unaffected by heat and it remains intact and does not become runny due to being carried outdoors.      

On the downside, the DMGM Skin Primer does not do anything for keeping oil at bay and maintaining a matte finish. My face remains oil-free for a maximum of two hours only in summers and three hours in winters. This is a big letdown because once your skin starts getting greasy, your foundation starts wearing off which nullifies the purpose of using a primer in the first place. The primer also has no effect on my pores and does not minimize them.

Go for it if you:

1. Have dry or combination skin
2. Want to apply your foundation with a minimum of fuss

Don’t go for it if you:

1. Want to keep you face shine-free for over two hours
2. Have oily skin
3. Have enlarged pores

Hit or miss? A miss!

I always rate products by asking myself one simple question – will I repurchase it? In this case, the answer is no because the DMGM Skin Primer disappoints when it comes to controlling excess oil which is a problem that most of us suffer from living in a city as humid as Karachi.

Priced at Rs. 1300 ($14), the DMGM Skin Primer is available at Naheed Super Store, Zam Zam and Aghas in Karachi.  

My rating for the DMGM Skin Primer is 2.5/5.

Have you tried it yet?

© Rabea J. and from-my-dressing-to-dining-table.blogspot.com, 2012. Unauthorized and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Rabea J. and from-my-dressing-to-dining-table.blogspot.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Review: Forty4 Restaurant

Today my review is dedicated to Forty4 restaurant - a much hyped about upscale eatery in Clifton Block 4 offering continental fusion cuisine. I went for dinner over on the weekend and considering that we were walk-ins and had made no reservation beforehand, it was a pleasant surprise to find that a table was available.

Upon entering we were promptly and pleasantly greeted by the staff and queried whether we would like to dine indoors or outdoors on the patio. Even though the patio looked very inviting we chose to dine indoors given the warm weather. I am glad we chose the former as the ambiance inside is beautiful. The dim lights and the simple yet sleek furniture give warmth and a low-toned and serene vibe to the place. Such an ambiance makes Forty4 ideal for a romantic dinner or a one-on-one with friends where one can relax, talk and enjoy oneself. 

Forty4 Restaurant Ground Floor

The only thing which did not go well with the environment was the music. For one, they kept stopping and restarting the system which broke the flow and was unsettling. Two, the records being played were very outdated, for example “The Reason” from the Smallville soundtrack. On a personal note, I love that song but it seemed out of place in a restaurant styled along contemporary and modernistic lines.

While we were going over the menu, the complimentary bread basket arrived. Now I have been to many restaurants and I can easily say that the serving of the basket was one of the nicest I have seen. For starters we ordered the Assortment of Tempura (Rs. 694 exclusive of tax). The dish was a mix of fried prawns and eggplant and had a helping enough for two people. In terms of taste it was nothing mind blowing as it was quite bland and too oily. All I could taste was the egg batter in which the assortment had been fried in. Even the ginger soya sauce served with it couldn’t help improve matters.

Assortment of Tempura

Assortment of Tempura

For the main course, on the recommendation of the staff we ordered Pasta Forty4 (Rs. 644) with grilled chicken, sun dried tomatoes, mushroom, basil and spinach topped with Parmesan as well as Prime Beef Tenderloin (Rs. 894) with herb epices and chardonnay cream sauce. 

The pasta was a total disappointment. It had no distinct taste except for the basil which had been used with too heavy a hand. It was surprising that for a dish that contained such a diverse range of ingredients, the pasta was flavorless and lacked oomph in a big way. I had to request for some ground black pepper and tomato ketchup which thankfully livened things up a little. 

From an aesthetic point of view, I was also disappointed with the way the pasta looked. The plating lacked imagination and the dish looked like a blob of melted cheese. It might have looked better if a thicker type of pasta had been used which would have stood its ground and not been smothered by such a heavy sauce. My point is that when a dish is the namesake of a restaurant then it is presumed to be a shining star on the menu. Sadly this wasn’t the case here. 

Pasta Forty4

On the other hand, the beef tenderloin was a bit better than the pasta but it had the same blandness and a general lack of flavor that had dominated our entire meal. Here also a little fresh ground pepper went a long way to improving the taste. Another thing which I noticed about the main course was that the portions were on the smaller side. 

Prime Beef Tenderloin

For drinks we ordered White Lady and Lusty Lime both priced at Rs. 294 each. White Lady, a concoction of pineapple, lychee and lemon juice, was quite sweet and tasted solely of lychee. I could pick out neither the pineapple nor the lemon juice. Lusty Lime on the other hand tasted like the average mint lemonade that almost all restaurants offer these days. It tasted better than White Lady but was nothing special even though the menu described it to contain cola, orange juice and mint - out of which we could only taste a lot of mint and a little orange juice. The servings of the juices were good though and the presentation was also nice.

White Lady

Lusty Lime

Since we are discussing drinks, I must share something here which struck me as rather odd. Our drinks were served on coasters that were not branded with the restaurant’s name and logo. That is not unusual for some places. After all, not everyone believes in 360 degree marketing but what struck me as strange was the CONDITION of the coasters. They were old, stained and worn out over the edges and looked like something that shouldn’t be used at a high end restaurant. I have taken pictures so you can make up your own mind about it :). 

Coaster Front

Coaster Back

All in all, the service and the staff were the better part of our experience at Forty4. The food was brought quickly and was served hot. Our waiter was a thorough professional and seemed well trained. The manager was very courteous and everyone seemed eager to please. Sadly the food which is the mainstay of any restaurant was the most disappointing aspect of our visit. It was below average, mundane and was overpriced with a total bill of Rs. 3000 plus. 

Go for it if you:

1. Prefer a quiet and calm ambiance 

Don’t go for it if you:

1. Like your food to taste good
2. Prefer an extensive menu with a lot of choice
3. Are a big eater
4. Find the cost per head of Rs. 1000 to Rs. 1700 unreasonable

Hit or miss? Unfortunately a miss! Forty4 had been on my go-to list for a long time but sadly my experience there did not live up to my expectations.

My rating for Forty4 Restaurant is 2/5.

Have you been to Forty4 yet? 

© Rabea J. and from-my-dressing-to-dining-table.blogspot.com, 2012. Unauthorized and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Rabea J. and from-my-dressing-to-dining-table.blogspot.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Review: Cafe DownTown, Karachi

Here is to the launch of the other half of my blog – restaurant reviews!

For my first review, I will be sharing my thoughts about Cafe DownTown located at Khyaban-e-Sehar, DHA Phase 6, Karachi. The first thing which hits you upon entering the Café is the ambiance. The restaurant is done in a very interesting manner with a black and silver theme which gives the Café a dark yet trendy feel. Although the bold interior may not be to every ones taste, I will give full marks to the architects for creativity and consistency because every corner of the premises, even the roof, is in tune with the snazzy feel of the Cafe.  

Cafe DownTown Ground Floor

Cafe DownTown - The Roof 

Primarily targeting the younger lot, Café DownTown offers homemade shisha as well as various types of cuisine such as Italian, Mexican and Mediterranean. They also have a rich collection of beverages with various types of juices, hot drinks, mocktails and special drinks made with red bull. If one wants, one can even get customized beverages made at the bar. Their menu, shaped in the form of a semi-circle, not only looks different but is also user-friendly due the various tabs which highlight each section of the menu. This makes searching for a specific section very easy. 

One shortcoming that I did notice though was that not all items in the menu contained a detailed description underneath. Such details are important as they help diners make an informed and quick decision about what they want to eat. At the same time, it also works in the café’s favor to describe their food offerings in detail as the staff may not be able to tend to such requests on a busy day. The Sauté Steak was one such example and since I was interested in ordering it, I had to call the manager to find more about it. The manager was very cordial and patient which more than made up for this minor oversight.   

For starters, we ordered the Mega Mix Platter priced at Rs. 549 (inclusive of taxes) which contained an assortment of items such as cheese sticks, chicken cheese balls, fried finger fish, prawns and chicken wings. Served with three different types of dips namely honey mustard, tartar sauce and marinara, the Platter tasted heavenly with all the items cooked perfectly. We ordered two such platters and the serving per platter was so generous that it was more than enough for our party of twelve. 

The Mega Mix Platter

The Three Types of Dips Served With The Platter

For the main course, we ordered the Sauté Steak priced at Rs. 665 and the DownTown Special Beef Burger priced at Rs. 465. The burger was humongous with a good helping of french fries on the side. The best thing about it was that in spite of its size, the burger was very easy to manage and didn’t keep falling apart or dripping all over the place. If I have to compare it with the burgers that I have eaten at Roasters, Hardee's and McDonalds to name a few, then Café DownTown wins hands down. 

DownTown Special Beef Burger

On the other hand, the Sauté Steak with its rich seasoning of cajun was just as pleasing to the sight as it was delectable to the taste buds. The serving size of the steak was more than the average person could eat with a liberal serving of mashed potatoes and fried vegetables on the side. The mashed potatoes were very creamy with small chunks of potatoes and the steak which is supposed to be on the spicier side was cooked to perfection. 

The Saute Steak

For drinks we ordered the Mint Lemonade and I am glad that we did as it was very fresh with a strong and pleasant minty taste and a serving that did not disappoint. The service at Café DownTown was very prompt and efficient. The manager was very polite, helpful when it came to suggesting what to try, knowledgeable about the menu and very interested in talking to consumers and getting feedback. Interestingly though, no feedback forms were given to fill at the end of the meal. 

Mint Lemonade

Hit or miss? An absolute hit!

Go for it if you:

1. Need an informal place to hang out with friends
2. Are into shisha
3. Want a wide variety of good food with servings that offer great value for money

Don’t go for it if you:

1. Are not a fan of inhaling shisha smoke
2. Are planning to dine with the family
3. Find the cost per head of Rs. 1000 to Rs. 1500 unreasonable

My rating for Café DownTown is 4.5/5.

Have you been to Café DownTown yet?

© Rabea J. and from-my-dressing-to-dining-table.blogspot.com, 2012. Unauthorized and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Rabea J. and from-my-dressing-to-dining-table.blogspot.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Review: St. Ives Fresh Skin Makeup Remover & Facial Cleanser

Hi all!

For my second post, I will be reviewing the St. Ives Fresh Skin Makeup Remover & Facial Cleanser. I bought this cleanser last year when I got married for the specific purpose of removing my make up after my wedding day. As most of you know, bridal makeup in Pakistan is usually on the heavier side and my plan was to have a specially formulated make up remover on hand when I needed to remove those layers of concealer and foundation. So was it a hit or a miss? Read on to find out!

Description

Here is how the company describes the makeup remover/cleanser:

“St. Ives Fresh Skin Make-up Remover & Facial Cleanser effortlessly removes even the heaviest make-up while cleaning the skin. A gentle, non-drying cream formula that deep cleans for soft, smooth, visibly healthy skin. Non-irritating, dermatologist tested with calming chamomile.”

St. Ives Fresh Skin Makeup Remover & Facial Cleanser

St. Ives Fresh Skin Makeup Remover & Facial Cleanser

St. Ives Fresh Skin Makeup Remover & Facial Cleanser

St. Ives Fresh Skin Makeup Remover & Facial Cleanser Swatch

My Opinion

Starting with the positives, the St. Ives Fresh Skin Make-up Remover & Facial Cleanser is gentle on the skin and does not leave it dry like most cleansers do. It also smells nice and is quite economically priced.

But for me, this product was a total disappointment. Why you ask? Because it fails to deliver on the brand promise: to remove even the HEAVIEST of makeup EFFORTLESSLY. In fact, it does everything but remove make-up! Forget heavy, it fails even to remove my day time make up which comprises of primer, a thin layer of powder foundation and blusher.

As I mentioned earlier, I purchased this make-up remover specifically to remove my wedding day make up. Now we are talking about concealer, foundation, face powder and blush – the entire works, but when I massaged a generous amount of the makeup remover onto my skin, washed it off and started drying my face with a towel, lo and behold! I found that my face was still covered with foundation - most of which ended up on that poor towel. Being the ever optimist that I am, I rewashed my face with St. Ives hoping that the second time around would be the charm but sadly, my face was still not clean. I even slathered the cleanser sans water all over my face and neck and tried wiping it off with a cotton swab but even that couldn’t remove my foundation completely. I finally had to resort to using my regular facial wash which did the job in the first go.

Apart from this, I feel that as a cleanser this product is not suitable for use during the day. The reason behind this is that though it leaves your skin hydrated, at the same time one feels that the skin cannot breathe and there is a thin film of oil over it. This trait makes this cleanser more suitable for night time use and for people with dry to combination skin. I have oily skin myself and have used this product during the winters as well as the summers and though I would not mind using it before bedtime in winters, I would never use it before stepping out in the sun - no matter what the season.

Alternative Uses

Since I could not leave the cleanser lying about unused, I have been experimenting with it and have discovered a few alternative uses. One, this cleanser is pretty effective when it comes to removing heavy eye makeup. It is very gentle and non-drying. Just apply a coat of the product on your eye lid and remove with a cotton swab. It might take two tries depending on the intensity of the makeup. Another task which this cleanser is excellent at is a facial massage. If you are one of those people who give themselves facials at home or have their own customized regular cleansing routines, you will understand what I mean. Since this cleanser does not lather (at all!), a few dollops of it mixed with a little water go a long way for a relaxing facial massage. 

Hit or miss? Definitely a miss.

Go for it if you:

1. Have dry or combination skin
2. Are looking for a cleanser that can be used to massage the skin
3. Need a gentle eye makeup remover

Don’t go for it if you:

1. Have oily skin
2. Need to remove heavy make up
3. Prefer a cleanser that lathers

My rating for this cleanser / makeup remover is 2/5.

Priced at Rs. 285, St. Ives Fresh Skin Make-up Remover & Facial Cleanser is available at Aghas, Naheed Super Market and Chase up in Karachi.

Have you tried it yet? If yes, share what you think. I am all eyes! ;)

© Rabea J. and from-my-dressing-to-dining-table.blogspot.com, 2012. Unauthorized and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Rabea J. and from-my-dressing-to-dining-table.blogspot.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.