Name: Radhika Mohan
Location: Santa Clara, California, and when I’m in India, I call Bangalore home.
Day job/current gig: I work(ed) part-time, from home, for a medical transcription company — a job that involves a lot of typing…and chipped polish.
Hangouts online: weekendramblings.com, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, Facebook and Pinterest
Current favorite product: Dior Creme Abricot Fortifying Cream for Nails. A little sticky and best used right before bedtime, but this cream sorts out any pesky dry bits around the nails almost overnight.
Beauty inspirations: Clear blue skies and starry nights, my mom’s garden after a rain, and the best mood board of all — Pinterest!
One word that best describes your outlook on beauty: Simple
What makeup/beauty products can’t you live without?
This Indian girl can’t live without a black eyeliner, and my favorite is the Urban Decay eyeliner in Perversion. Also, Bobbi Brown Corrector (dark peach) and a good lip balm.
When did you start getting into makeup?
For the longest time, I had a 2-step makeup routine — Maybelline Mineral Power Powder Foundation (which I bought mostly because it came with a brush) and a liquid eyeliner. Trouble started about 5 years back when I discovered beauty blogs. A brief stop at a Chanel counter, and I got myself a brand new obsession!
What’s your best beauty time-saving trick?
My go-to time-saving beauty trick is to use my lipstick as a blush. Pick up the color either directly from the lipstick or from the lips and dab on to the cheeks. Perfectly coordinated blush in a second! Or use a lip-cheek combination product like the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge.
What’s your favorite beauty tool?
Chanel eyelash curler, which for reasons unknown is/was a limited edition release. My lashes are quite straight, and I love how the curler gives them a naturally lifted appearance.
What’s the best beauty advice you ever received?
Eat healthy, walk a lot, sleep early. Of course, when it comes to actually following all that advice, I am a bit of a work in progress. :P

What’s your skincare routine?
Grab a cookie or two…this is going to be one long answer! My skin type is oily/combination-sensitive, and here’s what I am using currently.
Face wash: Olay Cleansing Cloths for oily-combination skin. These have salicylic acid in them, and the textured cloth provides gentle exfoliation to keep skin looking clean.
Serums: Chanel Resynchronizing line – Le Jour and La Nuit. The day serum has salicylic acid in it, and La Nuit — for the night — has hyaluronic acid. Both are light enough to use under my regular moisturizer and are perfect for my crazy skin type.
Moisturizer: Lush Dream Cream (actually a body moisturizer meant for sensitive skin) for the day and Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask for the night.
Eye Cream: Chanel Sublimage Eye Cream. I had always believed a good face cream would work just as well for the eye area, but after trying a couple of samples of this cream and noticing a difference in the darkness around my eyes, I gave up on the theory and bought a full-sized (tiny) jar.
Face masks/treatments: I am currently using the When Travelmate Essence sheet masks. And, Biore Pore Strips – a must-have for anyone who has a camera inches away from the nose!
For my incredibly dry lips, I depend upon the Fresh Sugar Polish and the Rosebud Salve.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve tried in the name of beauty?
I can’t call this weird as it is something a lot of people do, at least back home in India — use a mix of henna powder, yogurt, and egg as a hair mask. It adds in moisture to the hair and gives it a healthy shine, but I cannot stand the smell of eggs…and yogurt…mixed together. Sigh…the things I try on my hair!
Do you have a trademark look (hair/styling/makeup)?
Brown eyeshadow, black eyeliner — I look sleepy-eyed without it — and a nude/neutral lipstick.
Lipstick — L’Oreal Nature’s Blush
Are there any beauty decisions you’ve made that you look back on and ask yourself, “why?!”
I did try cutting my hair myself, ending up with a lopsided blunt cut that took ages to grow out.
Where are your favorite places to shop?
I do a lot of my shopping online, but in-store or online, I love to shop at Nordstrom and Sephora.
Anything else you want to share?
Kiss & Make-up says
August 15th, 2013 at 11:03 amAnother great interview, I really like this new series, Karen 🙂
Kiss & Make-up recently posted … Beauty rant | Perfectly smooth legs up to four weeks with an epilator, yeah right
AmyD says
August 15th, 2013 at 11:16 amjust discovered radhika’s blog a few weeks ago! keep up the good work, rads!
Rads says
August 15th, 2013 at 11:43 amThanks Amy! 🙂
Poorva says
August 15th, 2013 at 12:00 pmRadhikaaaa!! loved reading more about u! love ur blog n well, for all ur readers – she’s a sweetheart 🙂
Poorva recently posted … Liebster award!
Rads says
August 15th, 2013 at 12:08 pmPooorva..that’s so nice of you! Thank you 😀
TravelingBlush says
August 15th, 2013 at 12:27 pmi love this series, karen. i haven’t been to radhika’s blog in a while, will head there now.
varsha says
August 15th, 2013 at 12:51 pmExcited to see Radhika here ..:) 🙂
Rads says
August 15th, 2013 at 12:55 pmJust as excited to be here 😛 😀
Sasha says
August 15th, 2013 at 4:01 pmI love your signature look Radhika; you look effortlessly stunning! I’m another Indian girl who cannot live without black eyeliner! 😉
Rads says
August 15th, 2013 at 4:06 pmHi Sasha..thank you! I guess we are just too used to kohls 😀 So what’s your favorite eyeliner?
Sasha says
August 16th, 2013 at 6:20 amI love the MAC PowerPoint pencil in Engraved. It’s so easy to apply and it stays put unlike some! 😀
Rads says
August 16th, 2013 at 9:57 amOh okay..putting that on my list! 😀
Christina says
August 15th, 2013 at 4:28 pmAnother Bay Area gal! (me too, living in San Bruno) It was nice getting to know you. Maybe we’ll run into each other at Sephora! 🙂
Rads says
August 15th, 2013 at 4:30 pmHii Christina..maybe we will 😀 😀
Hanna says
August 15th, 2013 at 4:56 pmI love how you got started with makeup. So similar to me.
Hanna recently posted … Freshman Year Has Matured Me
Rads says
August 15th, 2013 at 5:03 pmSome of these beauty blogs should come with warning labels 😀
Kat says
August 15th, 2013 at 7:34 pmI’m a fan of Radhika and I didn’t know she is in the South Bay! I’m from SJ and I always wondered if any of the bloggers I like are somewhere close. Keep up the good work!
Rads says
August 15th, 2013 at 8:40 pmHi Kat! There are a lot of bloggers here – like Christina said in the earlier comment, we just might bump into each other at Sephora 😀
pavithra says
August 15th, 2013 at 9:00 pmLove Radha’s website and often pop in to see how I can lighten my wallet that day 🙂 🙂 🙂 Keep up the good work girl, we need more brown-skinned beauty bloggers like you!!
Rads says
August 15th, 2013 at 11:57 pmThank you, Pavithra 🙂
rashmi says
August 15th, 2013 at 9:54 pmI know radhika from more then 3 years .. n am so thankful that I came across you through these beauty blogs ..
Mind it …. she looks serious in pics here but she is one of those witty person who can lift your mood in fraction of second ….
Rads u havs changed the way I use to look at beauty ..
C n F …. 🙂
rashmi recently posted … Makeup Look : Purple and Green Smokey eyes
Rads says
August 15th, 2013 at 10:03 pmAwww..thank you for the comment, Rashmi! I think we both have changed in the way we look at a lot of things – all in a good way 😀
Fieran says
August 16th, 2013 at 3:44 amSo happy to see Rads mentioned here. Thanks for these interviews, Karen. I usually read Rads blogs as I share her love for dark eyeshadows and black eyeliners 🙂
Rads says
August 16th, 2013 at 9:58 amHi Fieran 😀 Thanks so much for the comment! Yayy for dark shadows and black liners 😀 😀
Neeraj says
August 19th, 2013 at 10:51 pmThis is a lovely post. I may not know Radhika in prison but I really like her blog and her honest reviews for products. She’s a fabulous blogger and should soar very high.
Rads says
August 19th, 2013 at 10:53 pmHii Neeraj! That’s a lot of praise, especially from someone as talented as you are..thank you!