Nykaa Cosmetics: An Honest Review

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Nothing beats girls night!

An ideal girls night consists of makeovers and gossip over multiple glasses of wine! When Nykaa emailed me offering free makeovers as part of their #FridaysAtNykaa, I immediately enlisted my friend Aastha for a fun girl’s night out.

Select Nykaa stores across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Amritsar are offering free makeovers, every Friday from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. They use products of multiple brands available in store. The makeover scheme has proved very popular, and the make-up artists are adept at finishing each “full-glam” look under 20 minutes. For people unfamiliar with makeup application- that’s quite a feat. Most professional artists take 45 minutes to an hour to finish full glam makeup looks.

Before and after the makeover

I went to the Nykaa Luxe store in Khan Market, Delhi, and was treated to some truly luxurious makeup. Madhuri was the make-up artist who started my face, but as I questioned her in-depth on each product, Samreen the Store Manager, took over. Madhuri was good but Samreen really knew her work. She was quick, knew everything about each product and its formulation, and was quick to decide the direction the look would take. Despite not indicating a specific kind of look I was quite happy with the result. At any given time, about 2-3 makeovers can take place simultaneously.

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Aastha and I, glammed out!

Here’s a roundup of the products used on my face (each one is linked in case you’d like to see it):-

Clinique Take The Day Off Balm (to remove makeup)

Shiseido Instant Eye and Lip Makeup Remover- For All Skin types (to remove eye makeup)

Ciate London Precious Metal Eyeshadow (with an inbuilt primer)

Shiseido Shimmering Cream Eye Color

Clinique High Impact Custom Kajal

Nykaa Black Magic Liquid Eyeliner

Ciate London Triple Shot Mascara

Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief

Shiseido Glow Enhancing Primer SPF 15

Nykaa SKINgenius Foundation Stick Conceal Contour and Corrector

Nykaa BlendMaster Foundation Oval Brush

Nykaa SKINgenius Skin Perfecting & Hydrating Compact

Ciate London Blush Pop Cream Blush

Clinique Scultptionary Cheek Contouring Palette (used for highlight)

Nykaa MATTE-Licious Crayon Lipstick in Twilight Dreams and Jade Rose

Nykaa Brow Chika WOW Eyebrow Pencil

The makeup lasted through the evening, with the exception of the lipstick. I was most impressed with the Oval blending brush by Nykaa, and purchased it. Aastha was happy with her look, except for the lipstick (a bright red) being too dark for her. She purchased the Skin Genius Foundation. This makeover is great if you want to learn basic tricks of makeup, what products work on your face, or even if you just want a fun time with your friends.

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Enjoying girls night out with a glass of wine and some chilli chicken

So as not to waste our glam get-up, we proceeded to Harry’s Bar + Cafe in Khan Market. Happy Hours were applicable from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m., which meant great deals on alcohol. To accompany the drinks and catch-up session, we ordered the Chilli Chicken Dry (Indo Chinese chicken smothered in chili soy garlic sauce), and a Thai Basil Chicken Flat Bread (topped with Thai spiced chicken tenders, cherry tomatoes, peppers, basil and mozarrella). Neither of the dishes impressed much. The Thai basil flat bread, despite sounding interesting, was quite bland. Honestly though, the food is not the reason to go here. Enjoy this place for the well-stocked bar, decent price range, foot-tapping music and fun, youthful ambiance.

L-R: Chilli Chicken Dry; Thai Basil Chicken Flat Bread

My girls night out was certainly memorable and I’m ready for a repeat!

For a free makeover with Nykaa, walk into the following stores every Friday from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.:

Delhi: Khan Market

Logix Mall, Sector 32 Noida

Mumbai: Infiniti Mall, Oshiwara, Andheri West

Phoenix Market City, Kurla West

Bengaluru: VR Mall, Hobli

Amritsar: Mall of Amritsar, Sultan Wind Sub Urban Main GT Road

Price per head at Harry’s during Happy Hours: INR 1750

Makeup Rating: 4.5/5

Meal Rating: 3/5

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