Sneak Peak of what to expect on the Blog ;)

I used to be very picky about make-up, the faintest of make-up would suffice for me, needless to say I did not own a good foundation and my collection of any other thing make-up related was nil to say the least, except for the lip glosses (they were another matter altogether ;)).

My first real make-up mini haul was when I got a whole bunch of MUA products and since then I have been hooked! Going so far as to repurchase some of the stuff and include more in my collection.

Currently I own the following stuff in the MUA range:
MUA Professional Matte Foundation

MUA Pressed Powder

MUA Blush

MUA Mosaic Blusher

MUA Pro Shimmer Kiss Blusher

MUA Professional BB Cream Foundation

MUA Professional Extreme Curl Mascara

MUA Professional Extreme Volume Mascara

MUA 12 Shade Eye Shadow Palette

MUA Lip Liner

MUA Lipsticks

MUA Pro Intense Kisses Lip Gloss

MUA Sheer Lip glosses

A lot??? Well I love it!

Why??? Because of the price and the good quantity I get in that price, and for a student existing on a pocket money budget it was the best option to say the least.

Stay Tuned for the plethora of reviews coming your way (long overdue I must say).

Independence is a luxury we own...celebrate it every day of every year!

Happy Independence Day

The day finally dawns when a nation awakes from its deep slumber to celebrate their independence for a single day. Flags are seen on every street, on every house, on most cars and worn proudly as a tiny badge for a single day. The air is replete with the sound of aerial gunshots, crackers and what not. Amidst it all is the burst of 'patriotism' for a single day.
I do not condemn celebrating our day of Independence, I proudly celebrate it too, but in a way that does little harm to others. I believe in celebrating the flag, the crescent, the star, the freedom, the green, the white, the diversity, the Islam, the ideology of a Muslim state, the independence, the name, the pride and most of all the homeland, but not one day a year but every day of every year.
The flag makes me teary eyed, the anthem gives me goosebumps, because it represents a lot more than a single day a year. It represents sacrifice, it represents bloodshed, it represents a place to call home. No matter where I go, where I live, this is the place I call home, a place no one can oust me out of. That is what independence means, the freedom to live, the identity, the place where no one can question your right to live or dream.
Independence is a luxury for many, but for us it is a luxury provided by our forefathers, a luxury we own. Use it well. Appreciate it. Realise it's importance. Most of all celebrate it, not one day a year, but every day of every year by being proud of being a Pakistani.

-A Proud Pakistani

Labello by Nivea (Review and Swatches)

I have been using the fruity shine labello for a year and its my absolutely favourite product. I use this the year round and more so in winters. I have been using labello's for 14 years now and have never had the need to turn to any other lib balm. It has always been a favourite. And with this range of fruity shines Nivea has made them my everyday staple be it just as a balm for day wear or as a base for my lipsticks and gloss for a party or as a gloss over my lipstick when I am out with friends. I never leave home without one of these in my bag!

Today I am reviewing two of my favourite labello's from the fruity shine range. 

Labello in Fruity Shine Pomegranate

I got this last year and has been my favourite product ever since.

What I love about it

It is the most pigmented and gives a crimson tinge to the lips and the shimmer particles look beautiful in the sun or lights. Also as it is a lip balm the glossiness of the balm is perfect for chapped lips in winters. It has all the qualities of a great lip balm. The smell is reminiscent of the body shop pomegranate range which I can not help but love.

How I use it

I apply it just as it is when I go out during the day. It gives a crimson tinge, glossiness and shimmer. Perfect! Although to achieve this I have to apply two coats or more!

For an outing or lunch out I apply my sheer pink lipstick and a coat or two of this. Colour Check, Shimmer Check, Hint of Shine Check! No need to carry a lip gloss! Keep Reapplying as needed!

For a formal dinner or a wedding I use this as a base to keep my lips hydrated then apply a lipstick of choice (red mostly ;)) and top it with a clear gloss and I am all set! I keep this in my tiny clutch to keep reapplying through out the night!

Labello in Fruity Shine Strawberry

I got this recently and have yet to try it for night wear or an outing but I have been using this as day wear and I love this too.

What I love about it

It is less pigmented than the pomegranate and gives a coral tinge to the lips and the shimmer particles look equally beautiful in the sun. Also as it is a lip balm the glossiness of the balm is perfect for chapped lips in winters. It has all the qualities of a great lip balm. The smell reminds me of fresh strawberries which is wonderful.

How I use it

Due to the less pigmentation it is sheerer than the pomegranate so I guess I will be using this for the day mostly. Just slap on as many coats as you want to get your desired colour and you are all set to go out!

I got the pomegranate from Chase last year but unfortunately I wasnt able to stock up on it this year as Chase did not have it any more. The strawberry I got from Naheed's but they too did not carry the pomegranate.

Priced at PKR 200 it is a great bargain as you get colour, shimmer, and gloss in a single product.

This is for you if

You want a good quality lip balm

You prefer your lip balm to have colour

You welcome the hints of shimmer

You love fruity and berrylicious smells

You want a reasonably priced product of good quality

This may not be for you if

You prefer your lip balm to be void of colour

You do not like shimmery particles in your lip balm

Note: This is not a sponsored post, I have bought the product with my own money. The reviews are purely mine, based on experience.

Samyy Writes: R.A Creation'z - Blast of Creativity

Our First blog interview by Samrah Shaikh over at Samyy Writes! Honoured!
Samyy Writes: R.A Creation'z - Blast of Creativity: This week we are delighted to have Riffat Alam answering our questionnaire. This lady has taken the very zesty 'Truck Art' ...

Remembrance of the year Past...

Assalam Alaikum,

Finally a year. A year to the day R. A. Creationz launched the collection "From Chinchi with Love” We complete a successful year Alhamdulillah and so far this has been our most popular collection, MashaALLAH. This was what put R. A. Creationz out there, what got us recognized. For all those wondering about the WE/US I use in posts and statuses. The WE/US stands for me and R. A. Creationz, for me my work is my partner and it is more real to me than anything else.

So how did the year really go...I would be lying if I say it was a success story all through. Life unfortunately does not work that way and neither does success, it's a hard, bumpy road filled with potholes along the way. And yes it requires such a large amount of hard work that sometimes you literally break your back doing it. All through one thing can keep you going and that is a genuine love for what you do. NOTHING ELSE! I am serious. Only a deep rooted love of your work can keep you going through thick and thin. If you don't love your work you might as well give up at the start. My Love for chamak patti is what drives me literally, and that I say is what keeps me going! Of course with generous doses of Love, Support and Care from the Most Amazing Best Friends! And a firm belief in the Divine Plan! I am a firm believer in the Divine plan set by ALLAH Tala, I believe no one does anything and succeeds if it isn't predetermined by ALLAH Tala. I believe in the signs and leaving myself in HIS hands completely. Somewhere at the right moment ALLAH Tala does show the way or eases the difficulties. 

So back to the initial launch! 15th April 2012 (Can't forget this date). A month of creating, photographing, editing, and of course asking for help (My logo was thankfully made by my sister's friend Asym Ali in return for a box of chocolates :P Asym, Thank you so much). Plus getting my best friend to go on a tweeting frenzy to generate enough hypes for the launch (wouldn't have done it without you Anam and with your awesome pre-launch teasers to keep the hype up). I finally uploaded the pictures onto my facebook page. The event was marked by a facebook event so that people join in more. The teasers were repeatedly shared and all my other friend's put to work in tagging and sharing. Mariam, Jiya, Samra, Hiba, Maheen, Saira, Shahwar a big Thank you! I can not forget the guys here, they had to bear the brunt of being tagged in girls stuff but they bore it with grace. Thank you Ali, Waqas, Salman, Hunain, Zain, Habib and Junaid for bearing it!

After all this hype the initial response was amazing Alhamdulillah! People loved the colours, and the unique medium and orders started pouring in.

Then came rebuttal! A particular 'popular' page also creating truck art jewellery, or should I say the particular girl's best friends started bombarding my page with comments of my work being copied. I had to continuously report them for spam and ban them. I wasn't contacted directly because of reason's known only to the 'popular page's' owner. It was always through her best friends and that too with either comments on my work or on my sister's wall, never a message to me. I reported them and kept quiet because at that moment I was just starting out and knew no other way to answer them. A year later I think I need to tell her that had I copied then I would not have been blessed by ALLAH Tala in any way because HE hates cheaters. I chose to remain quiet then and let my work speak and ALHAMDULILLAH it has spoken. I chose to use a medium I had heard of, not seen in totality. I scoured the streets of Karachi for 5 hours with my dad, just trying to find chamak patti, I wasted loads of bangles because I did not know how to use chamak patti. Had I copied I would have known where to get the material and how to use it! And I say this without an iota of pride that I am a self taught artist. I got a medium, I experimented and learnt to use it myself. And ALLAH Tala has blessed me with that work being recognized. MashaALLAH!

After that it has been a story like many others. Sometimes I had orders that made me work into the wee hours of morning and sometimes I had no work to keep me occupied. All through there has never been a moment I doubted my decision to use this medium and work with it. I fell in love with my first roll of Chamak patti and that love affair has just intensified with the passage of a year.

Through it all I am most humbled by the love and appreciation shown by my customers and fans. Each person visiting the page and commenting even a wow on my work makes my day. Your comment is as important as the orders I receive because you take a second out to actually appreciate my work in any way possible. All the testimonials from my happy customers who brighten up receiving their burst of colour in the mail, it gives me strength to go on. *Literally have goosebumps writing this*

People ask me what now? Some want me to delve into truck art kurtas, others want folders, yet others want clutches and handbags and some suggest footwear. Only ALLAH Tala knows best and at the right time all these will be introduced at R. A. Creationz. For the time being A BIG THANK YOU to all of you for the most amazing one year filled with your love and awesome appreciation. And the one thing I hope I never fail to say is ALHAMDULILLAH!

Love,

Riffat Alam

P.S. If you are reading this then you really are one of our most amazing fans who took time to read the post through. Give us the code "15A13" at any order you place with us within this year and receive a 15% Discount!

Celebrating a year of Chinchiliciousness! And a Year of Selectionz! Grand Giveaway Style ;)

We complete a year of Chinchilicousness this April 15th and on May 15th our R. A. Selectionz completes a year of selecting choice pieces for you and bringing them to you! Let's celebrate this Grand Moment with a Grand giveaway! Participate and Follow all instructions to qualify!

BEST OF LUCK!

Rules to Participate:

* Read all the Rules before Participating

* Liking the Pages is Mandatory

* Following the blog is mandatory where requested

* All Shares Must be Set to "PUBLIC"

* Keep Checking Our Blog and Pages Regularly For Announcements

* The Winners Will be Selected by RaffleCopter

* The App's Decisions will be automated regarding winners and can not be questioned or challenged

* Any person creating a scene on the page or blog will be banned without further notification

* Violation of the Rules will lead to disqualification from the giveaway

Rules for Sponsors and Winners:

* Winners Must Contact Us after Winning and then Forward their details to the sponsors so we know that the gift has been Claimed

* Gifts Should be Claimed within 24 hours of the announcement of Results or We will select a new winner

* Winners who do not claim the gifts will be banned from further competitions

* Any Person found guilty of cheating by using fake profiles will be banned

* Any Person can Win Just Once

* Sponsors Must Ideally Dispatch the Gifts within a week

* If the gift is an Eatable it has to be collected by the winner themselves within a week

* If the gift has to be availed from an outlet the winners have a week to avail it

* If you fail to send the gift we will offer your winner a discount card and ban you from our page as well as report you to the Entrepreneurs committe because this will be regarded a violation of a verbal agreement

Participate and Join in the Celebrations!

GOOD LUCK!

Win gifts of your OWN choice worth PKR 1000 from R. A. Creationz

Follow the link to participate:

R. A. Creationz Giveaway

You have 16 chances to enter the giveaway! And one extra chance each day the giveaway lasts!

Thank the gift sponsors!

Comment Under this blog post with:

                                                     Your Facebook Name:

                                                     Your City:

                                                     The link of your share on Facebook:

BEST OF LUCK!

Win gifts of your OWN choice worth PKR 1000 from R. A. Selectionz

Follow the link to participate:

R. A. Selectionz Giveaway

You have 16 chances to enter the giveaway! And one extra chance each day the giveaway lasts!

Thank the gift sponsors!

Comment Under this blog post with:

                                                     Your Facebook Name:

                                                     Your City:

                                                     The link of your share on Facebook:

BEST OF LUCK!

Win a customised Wooden Necklace from "Smiling Souls"

Follow the link to participate:

Grand Giveaway
You have 15 chances to enter the giveaway! And some extra chances each day the giveaway lasts!
Thank our lovely sponsors!

Comment Under this blog post with:

                                                     Your Facebook Name:

                                                     Your City:

                                                     The link of your share on Facebook:

BEST OF LUCK!

Win a Pair of Crochet Bangles from Wangaan's ArtVilla

Follow the link to participate:

Grand Giveaway
You have 15 chances to enter the giveaway! And some extra chances each day the giveaway lasts!
Thank our lovely sponsors!

Comment Under this blog post with:

                                                     Your Facebook Name:

                                                     Your City:

                                                     The link of your share on Facebook:

BEST OF LUCK!

Win a Pendant from Get Gawgus

Follow the link to participate:

Grand Giveaway
You have 15 chances to enter the giveaway! And some extra chances each day the giveaway lasts!
Thank our lovely sponsors!

Comment Under this blog post with:

                                                     Your Facebook Name:

                                                     Your City:

                                                     The link of your share on Facebook:

BEST OF LUCK!

Win a set of customised coasters from Mingle Mangle
Follow the link to participate:

Grand Giveaway
You have 15 chances to enter the giveaway! And some extra chances each day the giveaway lasts!
Thank our lovely sponsors!

Comment Under this blog post with:

                                                     Your Facebook Name:

                                                     Your City:

                                                     The link of your share on Facebook:

BEST OF LUCK!

Win a set of these awesome Knick Knacks from WonderStruck.
Follow the link to participate:

Grand Giveaway
You have 15 chances to enter the giveaway! And some extra chances each day the giveaway lasts!
Thank our lovely sponsors!

Comment Under this blog post with:

                                                     Your Facebook Name:

                                                     Your City:

                                                     The link of your share on Facebook:

BEST OF LUCK!

Please play in good spirit!

Love,

Riffat Alam

*Drum Roll* Announcing the winners!!!

Here are the lucky 5! Congratulations people! Please contact the sponsors within 24 hours to avail your prize or we select another winner! :)
Those who could not win, we have another giveaway at R. A. Selectionz right now which ends on the 30th :)

Thank you for participating! And a big thanks to the lovely sponsors for sponsoring such awesome gifts!

And now for the second batch of gifts going out from us! Two amazing vouchers...
*Drum Roll*

Congratulations Arisha Abdullah on winning this awesome gift voucher! Email us or message us to avail your voucher!

Congratulations Embrin Fatima Salman on winning this awesome gift voucher! Email us or message us to avail your voucher!

Hope you all love your gifts <3 p="">

Love,

Riffat Alam

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Giveaway for Shaheen at 1000 Fans!

We reach a 1000 fans! That calls for a celebration right? And what better way to celebrate than a pretty awesome giveaway?

For those who truly Love Shaheen! Please feel free to give your feedback on our facebook page and here :)

Here is a gift hamper giveaway for all our awesome fans!

(P. S. This hamper includes a pendant, earrings, bangles of different styles, brooches/scarf pins, rings and some pretty awesome surprises)

To participate:

Shaheen's Awesome Giveaway

After doing the above steps please comment under with the following details:

Name:

Email Address:

Your City:

The giveaway ended on the 30th of April 2013 and the gifts will be dispatched within two weeks.
*Drum Roll* The winner is...

Check your email address for the good news :)

Love,
R. A.

(Shaheen)

Leading to a year of Chinchiliciousness...

It will be a year since we launched the "From Chinchi with Love <3" line on 15th April. A year of colours, tradition and vibrancy. And that calls for a celebration!

If you love the colours, the motifs and the vibrancy it portrays then comment under as to how we should celebrate! If you have ideas tell us! and ask people to support your idea. If quite a few number of people like your idea and we decide it is well worth a try then boom you enter a lucky draw for chinchilicious goodies.

As for those who don't have such good ideas but still love our chinchilicious products! Comment under, we will be giving you something colourful too to show our appreciation for your love.

So let's start planning! Post your ideas and you might just be lucky enough to win ;)

<3

R. A.

Spirited By R. A. Selectionz

To make it easier to shop the items in our new range are classified into four different categories. Spirited, Royale, Chic and Vogue.

SPIRITED is for those with an eclectic sense of style. Stand out and assert your identity with these pieces. They are made for people who do not want to mingle in with the crowd! Be unique with these pieces.

Visit our facebook page R. A. Selectionz (www.facebook.com/raselectz) for more pieces and prices. Limited stock available. Place an order for your favourite pieces before we run out of them.

Results of the First Ever Blog Giveaway!

Assalam Alaikum,

Thank You to all those twho participated and took the time to follow our blog. Everyone receives a 10% Discount Voucher from us as a gesture of goodwill for the love you show.

Following are the people who qualified:
Riffat Saeed
Nazi Nazia
Amna munir
Zahra Aijaz
Sani Amin
Nimrah Sheikh
Najma Ajaz
Tayyaba Aijaz
Saba Sakib
Muqadas Shah Jeelani
Princess Maila
Gufrana Aijaz
Hira Shahzad
Arooj
Abeer Iftikhar
Irum Nadeem
Musarrat Sultana
Angel Pari
Fehmida Jabeen
Asra Memon

You all receive a 10% Off whenever you chose to shop with us within the next one month!

The names were fed in a random list generator and randomized. As with every competition there is one final winner!

Congratulations to the winner! :)

Email us with your details to receive your gift. We will not correspond through facebook.

Love,
R. A.

R. A. Selectionz Launches its Four New Lines

R. A. Selectionz (https://www.facebook.com/raselectz) Launched 4 different lines last week. All the items are imported from various countries and since we have limited pieces of each there is little chance of anyone else wearing what you get from us. So pick an accessory from R. A. Selectionz and stand out in the crowd with your Oh so Unique Accessories!

Results of the Cover Photo Competition at Shaheen

Thank You Asmy!

Asym is a third year student of Graphics at Visual Studies, University of Karachi.

Firstly, as I promised. Something for every Participant who has not won anything.

20% Off on any purchase from Shaheen. This offer is valid for a month after the announcement of results.

Asym Selected 5 Best Entries out of which one was the winner. The other four are runners-up therefore receive a little something.

Fiza Khan, Vj Zara, Zainii Angel and Princess Anu, your entries shown above were some of the best work according to Asym and for that you receive a 20% Discount on any Purchase from Shaheen. Also you will receive a gift of your choice with the order. This offer is valid for a month after the announcement of results.

The winner Chosen By Asym and thus winning the first gift.

The Winner of the Chinchilicious gifts from R. A. Creationz is Nimrah Fareed. *Confetti in the Air*

Congrats Nimrah. Inbox us your details through www.facebook.com/R.A.Creationz

The person with the most likes on the pic and the page is (This was pretty close because all 136 people had not lliked the page so we also checked the likes of the other contender with most likes Zainii Angel and Nimrah Fareed)

The Winner of Jewellery from R. A. Selectionz is Sabira Nazim Shah. *Confetti in the Air*

Congrats Sabira. Inbox us your details through www.facebook.com/R.A.Creationz

Congratulations to all the winners and runner ups! Please contact us within 24 hours with your details. Your gifts will be dispatched at the earliest dispatch date.

A little giveaway to start off the blog :)

A big Thank You to all my fans for supporting and liking my facebook pages. Your love is what drives me!

This little giveaway is an appreciation for all the love you give me. It is open to every person in Pakistan who follows any of my pages at facebook.

R. A. Creation'z (www.facebook.com/ra.createz)

R. A. Selectionz (www.facebook.com/raselectz)

Shaheen (www.facebook.com/shaheen.clothing)

How do you Participate:

Become a follower of Our Blog (1 Entry)

Follow us By Email (1 Entry)

Subscribe to RA (1 Entry)

Do all three and get entered three times :)

After doing any or all of the above comment under this post with what you have done so that we can check and add your entry.

A Lucky Draw will be done on the 13-02-13 and one winner will be chosen via random.org

Best of Luck!