Krutika Puntambekar

Fresh, Summer Pasta Salad

June 10th, 2021
I love Salads and when Summer rolls around, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate more salads into my meals!

I’d been seeing a whole of folks make a Pasta salad on Instagram, and I found myself buying all the ingredients to make one last week.

Ingredients:
1. Pasta of your choice (I used Chickpea Pasta)
2. Vegetables of your choice ( I always try to think about what vegetables and flavors go together)
  1. Broccoli
  2. Olives
  3. Green Peppers
  4. Carrots
  5. Cherry Tomatoes
  6. Spinach
  7. Cilantro
3. Parmesan, and Salt/Pepper/Red Chili Flakes

4. Italian Dressing

Boil the pasta ahead of time and cook it for the allotted time. While the pasta is cooling, cut up the rest of the vegetables and throw everything together afterwards, and give it a good mix. Then, voila!

Summer Salad with Chickpea Pasta

Let me know what your favorite Summer Salad recipes are down below!

-K
Victoria Beckham Beauty

June 4th, 2021
Hi Fam,

Victoria Beckham Beauty has to be one of my most favorite makeup brands out there. That’s saying something, as this brand has only been around for about 2 years. Victoria Beckham and Sarah Creal came together to start this brand after they had collaborated together on the Victoria Beckham x Estee Lauder Collection a few years ago.

The collection is very edited, and what stands out besides the clean formula, is definitely the packaging and overall aesthetic that this brand exemplifies. The tortoise shell pattern is muted and all the packaging is very weighty, which definitely makes you feel like you are using a luxury makeup brand.

It is an expensive brand, but you are paying for quality, packaging, design, clean ingredients and the name!

Below are the items I have in my collection. I do not have the Lid Lustres or the Cell Rejuvenating Power Serum. I have the lip liner somewhere, but currently don’t know where it is!
Left to Right: Fringe, Play
Posh Lipsticks in Fringe and Play
These lipsticks are extremely balmy, and smooth in texture. They really remind me of a tinted lip balm of sorts! There are 9 shades that are priced at $38. I love the texture of these lipsticks for days where I am not worried about the staying power and want a more healthy looking lip. But they still are beautiful! Fringe is great warm brown shade, and Play is a deep plum.
Smoky Eye Bricks in Tweed and Silk
I have two of the Smoky Eyebricks! These are small 4 pan eyeshadow palettes. There is one bigger base shade in all of them, as that’s the shade that we tend to use the most. The formula on these is exquisite. I love good matte eyeshadows that stay put, but blend easily and these do both. The only thing I’d say is that some of the shades have developed a hard texture on the top. I heard that using a piece of scotch tape and rubbing it off, will take off the top layer, but I have yet to try that. These retail for $56 and of the two color stories I have, I’d repurchase Tweed in a heartbeat, which I have! Tweed has all warm shades, but the other color ways have some neutral and cooler options as well. Silk has shadows of a different formula. They all of a shimmer running through them, and work great as lid toppers.
Left to Right: Black, Cocoa
Satin Kajal Liners

These Kajal Liners are everything. I have tried SO MANY eyeliners on the market, as I used to be quite determined to find one that is smooth, creamy, pigmented, dries down matte, and stays put. These do everything, which I am very surprised by, as the formula is so creamy. I use these on the waterline, and upper lash line and I’ve had no issues with skipping. The liners are some of my favorite products from the range, and I haven’t really had the urge to go try any other new ones that have come out. These retail for $28 with the sharpener, and $26 without. They really are worth every penny.

Matte Bronzing Brick in shade 3

This is the brand’s newest release, bronzers! These come in 5 color stories, and each one of them has 2 shades in it. The formula on these, is super soft and there is quite a bit of kickback when you dab your brush into the pan. I think that the brand has done a phenomenal job in terms of the shades as these aren’t too warm or too cool. I also really appreciate the fact the pan is refillable and the palette comes with a great mirror. I’ve been using this since I received it, which is about 2-3 weeks ago, and it translates as a satin-matte finish on my skin. These retail for $58 and the refill is priced at $42, which I think is pretty comparable to other clean beauty bronzers!

Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer in Original

This was one of the first skincare/makeup hybrid products the brand launched in collaboration with Augustinus Bader. I was really excited about the prospect of a glowy product that can act as a base to my foundation. While I think this is moisturizing, and leaves a tacky finish to the skin so that foundation sticks to it better, I am not wow’d by it. I don’t reach for this everyday, but for those that do love it, the brand launched another shade in Golden, which is more warmer. This retails from $60-$145, depending on which size you buy!

Bitten Lip Tint in Bisou

Lastly, we have the lip stain from the range. This launched with the lip liners, and I have been a fan of this formula and shade since it launched in 2019. This shade can be described as a rich nude with a hint of berry. I love that this stain sets down matte, and doesn’t budge. A lot of stains tend to move around and are quite slippery in texture. The only thing that I don’t like is that it can cling to dry patches on your lips, but if you exfoliate regularly this shouldn’t be an issue. I have repurchased this as well, and I’d definitely do so again! This retails for $38 and they have one more shade, which is described as a sheer pink rose.

Overall, I love the experience of the brand, and the formulas/performance! The great thing is that some of these products have been in my daily rotation since 2019, which is saying something. I also appreciate the fact that they don’t release products just for the sake of it, and feed into the mentality of extreme consumerism! Can’t wait to see what else the brand comes out with.

Go check the products and let me know if any of them have caught your eye!

-K
Favorite Bronzer/Contour/Highlighter Brushes

May 18th, 2021
Hey Fam!

I feel like as soon as Spring/Summer starts to come around the corner, I spend more time with Bronzer/Contour/Highlight. Just as the products are important to achieve a well-rounded glow, the brushes that one uses are equally important. I’ve rounded up my favorite brushes in these three categories down below!

Left to right:
1. Sonia G. Sculpt 1 Brush: This fan brush is goals. It’s so big and fluffy, that it’s perfect to pick up bronzer. It sweeps the bronzer onto the temples so easily, and surprisingly blending is also not a hard task with this brush. I use it a lot with the Gucci Bronzer, and now the Victoria Beckham bronzers. I’ve had no issues with washing this brush as well, and there’s been very minimal shedding.
2. Surratt Sculpting Brush: I waited a bit to purchase this angled gem. It was a bit expensive, but Sephora was having a 30% off on all Surratt brushes and I knew I had to get it then. This one is great to use with very pigmented contour products. It picks up the right amount of product, and makes everything blend seamlessly. This brush would also work really well with blushes, or sweeping a light dust of bronzer as well!
3. The Wayne Goss 24S Brush: This is the only synthetic brush I have in this category, and I basically only use this for cream bronzers. It does a good job of picking up the product and blending it in! I haven’t used it for anything else, but will report back if I do!
4. Koyudo BP 13: This is marketed as a foundation brush, but this comes close to the bronzer brush that everyone raves about from Tom Ford. I never got a chance to use that brush, but I love this particular one from Koyudo. It picks up more firmer types of bronzers really easily and blends the product out beautifully!
5. Sonia G Mini Cheek: I use this brush for highlighter. It works really really well, but this is another multitasker. You can use this to for setting powder, or blush as well, and I’m sure it would do the job equally well.
6. Wayne Goss 12: This is another brush I use for sculpting, but since it’s undyed goat hair, I can use this with both creams and powders. I actually really love the shape of this brush. It fits into the hollows of my cheeks really perfectly. This would also be a great brush to buff bronzer! But, it works amazingly well with not so pigmented products!
Hope this breakdown helped, and let me know in the comments if you pick up any of these brushes!

-K
Paneer Fajitas

May 10th, 2021

Hi Fam,

We were in the mood to eat some fresh, spring like food, and since we had a bunch of tortillas to finish up, we decided to quickly come up with our own version of Fajitas.

The sauce that I used as a base was pretty simple:

-Radishes

-Walnuts

-Green Chilis

-Salt

-Yogurt

You can measure according to how much quantity you want to make, and make sure you add in the yogurt after the radishes, walnuts, salt, and green chilis are blended together. The consistency should not be watery, as you want the sauce to spread easily and stay put on the tortilla.

Next, I chopped up some bell peppers, and added some kale and sautéed everything together very lightly! I also cut up some cucumbers, and cilantro for added veggies to add in.

Instead of beans, we chose Paneer as a protein. To prepare the paneer you will need:

-1 tablespoon of chickpea flour, and roast this in a pan first

-In another bowl, add in about 1/2 a cup of thick yogurt and add salt, chili powder, turmeric, dhania/jeera powder. This is where you add in the chickpea flower and thoroughly mix.

Lastly, add the paneer pieces that you’ve chopped up (1/2 block) into it and marinate it all for 20 minutes.

Next, take a pan, and pan fry the paneer pieces with a little oil and voila!

Now, just assemble your ingredients in the manner that you’d like on your tortilla of choice and then enjoy! I also ended up adding a little bit of avocado at the end, and enchilada sauce (as this is the only hot sauce I had on hand).

This recipe, makes enough for 4 people, so just tweak it to how many folks you’re trying to make it for!

Let me know in the comments, if you end up making this easy dish!

-K
April 2021 Boxwalla Box featuring Twelve Beauty

April 27th, 2021
Hi Fam!

I received my Boxwalla Box for the month of April and wanted to share my thoughts on it! If you don’t know, Boxwalla is a subscription based company that sends out Beauty Boxes every other month. They have other options like book subscriptions, etc.

I have tried one product from Twelve Beauty before which is the brand’s Lip Oil! I loved the packaging and the ingredients but thought I’d wait to try more from the brand as I knew this box was being released.

Twelve Beauty is a Spanish brand and aims to combine the potency of nature with skin-safe science. The founder comes has a combined background in pharmacy, botany, and cosmetology. The brand is especially known for creating products for folks with sensitive, reactive, and stressed out skin.

This month’s box includes two products a the price of $49.95, while the actual retail is $287 (which is a lot)!

The first product is the Twelve Beauty Intelligent Frontier Oil- 1oz (retail value @ $215).
- This is a lightweight Oil, which absorbs pretty fast, but is really soothing an has antioxidant properties
- It’s been known to help with repairing the skin’s barrier
- The oil is made in a base of Meadowfoam and Sacha Inchi Oils
- The scent is very very mild, and almost undetectable and whenever I put this on my skin, it feels nourished
The second product is the Twelve Beauty Nutritive Repair Emulsion (retail value @ $72)
- This has a semi-matte finish, and is truly a quick absorbing cream
- The cream is great for soothing sensitive skin that is stressed out
- Has ingredients like Spelt Grain Wax, Shea Butter Extract, Glycerin
- Has a slight medicinal scent
Overall, I don’t know what I was expecting with this box, but it has helped heal my skin in so many ways. I was dealing with extremely dry skin due to the allergies here in CA, and my skin felt really tight no matter how many hydrating products I added and how much I exfoliated. Then, this box got delivered to my doorstep last week and I added these products into my rotation immediately, and I noticed a HUGE difference the next day itself in terms of dryness.

I have a feeling it’s the moisturizer that’s doing the trick, as I have been using it everyday. This has truly been a surprise for me, because I don’t like semi-matte moisturizers and prefer more dewy ones! And, I never thought it would do much for me.

It’s a great time to treat yourself to this box, as I think this past year has definitely taken a toll on our skin!

Today is the last day to subscribe to this box, and if you can get your hands on it, I would highly recommend it! Here is the link if you are interested : https://www.theboxwalla.com/product/beauty-box/.

-K
Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos

April 19th, 2021
I love Tacos! I mean, who doesn’t right? In the scheme of trying to limit tofu, and a load of beans, I made these cauliflower tacos!

Recipe:
1. Take 1 cup of almond flour, add 1 cup of almond milk, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and mix the cauliflower florets into the mixture. Coat everything properly and bake for about 20 minutes till the florets are golden brown.
2. Take any sort of Buffalo Sauce, then add in some butter and lime, and once the florets are baked, coat all of them with the sauce and bake again for another 15-20 minutes till they are crispy.
3. For the actual assembly of the tortillas, I bought soft tacos (use any sort of gluten free/grain-free version as well), and then added a base of cilantro/chili sauce to give it a kick, used arugula, then added the florets, some avacado, cilantro, green onions, and salsa/ranch!
It turned out to be spicy and felt light on the stomach! Would make these again in a heartbeat!

Then enjoy!

-K
Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce

April 2nd, 2021

All righty folks! Another recipe is coming at you.

Eating a bowl of carbs after a long day is what I look forward to. A hot bowl of pasta with a spicy marinara sauce, some good ole’ veggies, and cheese to top it all off. Nothing like pasta, right? Although what would make the pasta more satisfying, is if it was a bowl of Fettuccine Alfredo, like the one from Cheesecake Factory. Ahhh my mouth is watering just thinking about that creamy sauce and those thick noodles. Can you imagine it? Because I know I can.

But of course, sometimes you just want to make your own version of Fettuccine that is low-calorie and cheaper compared to getting takeout. The other day I decided to try and make a Fettucine-like sauce at home for the first time ever. A family friend of mine was talking about this recipe she tried, and it sounded so good when she was talking about it, that I knew I had to try it. And man, it was delicious.

All you need is:

-1 bottle of Strauss heavy whipping cream

-1 unsalted Kerry hold butter stick

-1 crushed garlic pod

-2 tbsps of olive oil

-1 cup of finely chopped parsley (fresh)

What you have to do:

-Sautee garlic in oil

-Add in cream and butter

-Add some curry powder or red flakes (this is my own addition)

-Add salt

-Add the pasta of your choice (make sure you boil it on the side while making the sauce)

-Add in the parsley (I also added spinach as I wanted more greens, but you can leave out the spinach)

-Lastly, add in some parmesan cheese and let it cook for a few minutes

Finally, dish it up in a plate and enjoy~

I added in only half the amount of cream and butter as it seemed like it would be too much. And I modified the recipe with ingredients like curry powder to add a little bit of flavor. Nonetheless, it still came out delicious! Give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes 🙂
Tikka Masala Pasta!

March 24th, 2021
Who doesn’t love pasta? Last week we ended up needing to make a quick meal, and my mother whipped up a pasta dish with a different take- Tikka Masala Pasta!

You will need:

-Tikka Masala Powder (you can find a recipe to make this, or use a store bought version)

-Your pasta of choice. We used Penne!

-An Instant Pot, or Pan of your choice

The steps:
1. Add butter to your pan, and then add finely chopped garlic in it and sauté
2. Next, add 1 chopped onion and fry till golden brown
3. Add a few chopped green chillis
4. Add in extra veggies if you’d like
5. Add in salt, turmeric, red chili powder, and your Tikka Masala
6. Then add in tomato puree and let it cook for a few minutes
7. Add in some cream to thicken
8. Add in your Penne Pasta
9. Chop up some cilantro and add on the top
10. Lastly, sprinkle with Parmesan for an added flavor
I was really surprised with how much I liked this dish and would definitely make it again!

Let me know if you make it, and if you like it!

-K
Sonia G Eye Brushes

March 16th, 2021

Hi Fam!

So this is part two of my posts regarding brushes! The post today has to do with the eye brushes I own from Sonia G.

If you don’t know much about her, she started a blog a few years ago so that she could share her love for Fude Brushes. Her blog is so useful to learn more about brushes, the quality, etc. If you ever want to visit it’s called https://sweetmakeuptemptations.com.

She launched a brush brand a few years ago, and can be exclusively found at Beautylish. All of her brushes are handmade in Japan and the quality is just exceptional.

From left to right– Builder Three, Mini Booster, Worker Two, Flat Definer, Jumbo Blender, and Crease Two

All of these brushes are made from animal hair. Some of the hairs are dyed and some are un-dyed.

Builder Three: This brush is great for packing on glitter eyeshadow to the center of the lid or picking up crumbly eyeshadows.

Mini Booster: I love this brush as it’s a bit smaller, and it’s great for fitting right into the eye socket for detailed crease work.

Worker Two: This brush is great for packing on eyeshadow onto the entire lid, or for blending out concealer.

Flat Definer: This brush is great for lining the lower lid with eyeshadow or even using a black eyeshadow for lining the upper lash line.

Jumbo Blender: This has to be my favorite brush. It’s such a nice shape to use with one eyeshadow and pack it all over the lid, and also blend into the crease. I would buy a backup!

Crease Two: This is a great brush for using a darker eyeshadow and blending into the crease, but it doesn’t fluff out very much!

All in all, her brushes are super unique, and I love them! Since they are all handmade, it does take a while for them to be restocked, so I’d keep an eye out!

-K
New Skincare Buys + 1 Favorite

March 8th, 2021
Hey Fam!

Two posts ago I mentioned about a part 2 of a haul coming up, so here we have it! I also have a favorite that I’ve been loving, so wanted to mention it here.

As I talked about before, I’ve been dealing with some eczema and I wanted some new face oils that were really nourishing and thicker in texture, instead of being really light. I also finished my Ayuna Cream II and I wanted to try out a a different moisturizer at a lower price point! That’s what got me started on this haul, and here we are!

Left to Right:
1. The Bluh Alchemy Antioxidant Face Oil. I have loved a lot of what I have tried from this brand so far. They don’t have many products in their line, but whatever they have created is so beautiful and really works. I’d heard some good things about this facial oil, so I wanted to give it a go. This has some beautiful actives like Astaxanthin (comes from algae), Kakadu Plum (brightening effect), Snowflower (UV absorbing properties), and other ingredients like Jojoba Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, Tamanu Oil, Argan Oil, Vitamin C esters, etc. So far, the smell is peppery, earthy, and it’s a great facial oil. I still need to play around with this to see how much I love it, and see if I end up repurchasing it.
The color is a bright orange, and comes from the astaxanthin

2. The Laurel Night Balm. I bought this balm in December, and it was only after trying out a sample. This is a rich balm, and it’s waterless. So you’re getting rich oils and plant extracts in a balm form. I love this balm as it’s very hydrating and it leaves an amazing glow. The only thing is the scent. The sample that I tried had a different smell than the actual jar. Now this variation does occur in small batch products. Since everything is done by hand, and depending on the batch of ingredients, it can change.

This balm is bright yellow in texture, and melts upon contact

3. free+True Mama Pacha Moisture Infusion Cream. I was looking for a new moisturizer that wouldn’t make me cringe like the price on the Ayuna Cream II. I was still feeling dry in the mornings, even after applying Cream II, so I wanted to know what else was out there. I may go back to it in the future, but one of my main goals in trying to find something else to replace cream II is the fact that not every product in our skincare lineup has to be super expensive. It’s good to mix in some different price points to not feel overwhelmed. This new cream is one that SO MANY folks have talked about. I am actually finding a difference in my skin on the days I don’t apply this vs. when I do. It delivers so much of moisture and sinks right in. The texture is beautiful, the scent is beautiful (slightly floral), and the packaging is beautiful. I would recommend this! It’s worked for my sister who has oily/combo skin and for me as well (dry skin).

This has a really really light green color

4. LEPAAR Elemental Day Silk. This is my new SPF love. I wanted an SPF that didn’t leave any cast or that didn’t have a tint, so that when I wear makeup on top, I wouldn’t feel like I have different layers on. This checks all those boxes and it has a beautiful glowy finish. The color of this spf leans slightly yellow, but rubs in really well. This is one of those products that has a lot of energy to it! I wish the brand was more accessible, but you can order this directly from their website or get the smaller size at Credo Beauty. The texture is a bit runny, so it makes it easier to blend into the skin.

As you can see it has a bit of a runnier consistency, but its so beautiful

5. Earthwise Beauty Magical Babassu Face Oil. Last but not least, I wanted to try another facial oil that I’ve heard amazing things about. Earthwise Beauty has some really interesting creations. This is an oil/balm. It solidifies in colder temperatures, but otherwise melts. I had specifically called the company to find out what would be good for skin with eczema and they recommended this oil as being one of their densest. The texture is beautiful and this has some amazing ingredients like Babassu seed oil, Brazil nut Oil, Marla oil, lotus flower, tobacco leaf absolute, and a few others. The smell reminds me a lot of their Passion Eye Serum (it takes some time to get used to), even if you don’t use products with synthetic fragrances, you’ll enjoy this overtime!

This has a light yellow tinge to it, and as you can see it’s in a solid state right now

That was my little haul! If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments and I’d be happy to answer.

~K