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12/29/10

Look Ideas For A 70's Retro New Year's Party (Requested)

This was requested by Rajni, who has to attend a year end 70's Retro themed party. I hope I'm not too late with this post! She said she "doesn't want to look like a clown" haha. I completely understand, coz I have never been to one of those parties, so I'm a little out of wits myself & quite nervous about this post. So, I'll try my best to simplify my recommendations. If I were going to a 70's party, I'd probably combine Bobby's (Dimple Kapadia) , Zeenat Aman, Nicole Richie & Mila Kunis (That 70's Show) in my look. In simple words, a mini dress or skirt with a floral top, knee length high heel boots or platform stilettos (most probably boots coz it's winter) and a head band.
For those not comfortable in short thingies and look like a whale in bell-bottom pants, pick wide leg pants instead. Wide leg pants and trousers are more flattering on most body shape.

I like this white shirt & wide leg jeans combo.

Mac Venomous Villains Haul


Mac launched the Venomous Villains & A Tartan Tale in New Delhi last week but didn't launch both the collections in Ambience Mall, Gurgaon coz their stock got stuck in customs. I was going crazy! They kept saying they'll launch it "tomorrow"  for 4 days! I was so stressed out, but I'm guessing so were they by my incessant phone calls =D. But they managed to launch it yesterday evening finally...phew! Otherwise I was ready to get "pissed" drunk on New Year's Eve. I know I write "drunk" a lot, but it's just for effect. I'm not a sponge ;)
I just got 3 things:
  • Bite Of An Apple Blush from the Evil Queen collection: Soft coral pink with a matte finish
  • Heartless Lipstick from Cruella De Vil (Amplified Creme): Cherry Red
  • Violetta Lipstick from Maleficent collection (Amplified Creme) : A bright clean violet purple shade
I was tempted to get the Magically Cool Liquid Powder from Dr.Facilier collection, but I thought Rs.1700 was too much for a shimmery powder that I'll rarely (read: never) use. I also wanted Toxic Tale from Evil Queen but they didn't launch it here unfortunately.


Bite Of An Apple (Rs.1210)

Bite Of An Apple blush was the only thing I wanted most from the Venomous Villains,and I must say it's worth the wait. It is SO GORGEOUS!!!

12/26/10

Lip Ice In India Now


I was jerked from my zen state of mind (my way of preventing motion sickness. Zen = thinking about shoes & makeup ;)) when I saw this Lip Ice ad at Ambience Mall yesterday while we were on the way to park the car. Actually my man spotted it and told me coz he saw how gaga I was over them in Malaysia last year. I bought so much I even got some freebies. Lip Ice is only available in Malaysia and some parts of Asia and America.
I've just used the Lip Ice lip balms that came in a jar and the ones that change color, and loved them!

Flavors ~ Strawberry, Orange, Lemon, Blueberry. The first pink one must be a white stick that changes to a nice pink once applied on the lips. No, it's not like that thing called "Lip Magic" or something that you get here (I saw it in my hometown) which turned to a garish pink. The Lip Ice one changes to a really nice rosy pink, almost MLBB (my lips but better) when lightly applied. It's like a glossy/non-drying version of a lip tint.
The ad was there, but they didn't mention where to get it, so I don't know at the moment. 

Update: Click HERE for photos of all the Lip Ice Lip Balms


♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

12/25/10

Christmas Wishes, Lots of Photos & OOTD


If you follow me on Twitter, you'd know that my tree collapsed the other day, coz one of the plastic leags of the stand broke. I hugged the tree tight so the decorations wouldn't fall off. Then I was too tired to reshape it, let alone redecorate!  Anyways, here it is, since so many of you wanted to see it. It's small like our apartment :)


Don't you just hate wires?! I wish we had those Christmas trees that come with lights in India.

Lmao at that tip =D

12/22/10

Pink Square Cups For Makeup Storage


I store my makeup brushes and pencils in random vases and breakable "Goofy" cups, which I was so bored of. So, when I saw these Melamine square cups at a store recently, I was so excited! They were available in a variety colors- pink, green, yellow, blue...and more. The store is called Akriti, which sells glasses, cups, candles, and stuff like that. I didn't want to leave the store! I just love being in kitchen & home stores.
Of course I picked these hot pink ones since my dressing room is pink. They are so glossy and fabulous!

12/20/10

Holiday/New year's Party Look For a Grey/Charcoal Outfit


I wore a charcoal sweater dress to a Christmas lunch yesterday and thought I'd quickly click some pics in a moving car. First pic up there is after about 4 hours and a glass of red wine hence 'the eyes' and 'the lips' ;)
I chose to wear shades of grey & pink makeup. Pink complements grey and charcoal shades perfectly. We could've went with grey & silver, but those two shades together can make us look too frosty & cold, especially in winters. Pink adds a little bit of warmth.

Some pics before the party....

Schwarzkopf Gliss Kur Shea Cashmere Hair Mask Review


Schwarzkopf Gliss Kur Shea Cashmere Deep Nourishing Mask with Shea Butter & Cashmere-Protein nourishes & repairs dry & drained hair. The Cell Repair System with hair identical protein repairs precisely deep inside the hair cell.
Usage: 2-3 times a week.
It has a very creamy and thick consistency almost like a Body Shop Body Butter and smells amazing.

12/19/10

LOTD With THE Eyeliner Of The Season + A Maid Complaint


Do you also think I look paler? The cold is sucking the color out of me. I should have applied a bit of bronzer there, but I guess I was jaded after slogging all day since my new (occasional) maid didn't show up... two days in a row! That too in her first week we hired her. She works so lazily! She yawns (without covering her mouth) and says "What time is it now?" everyday. That's Ayah lingo for "I want to go now & I don't want to wash the sponges" It's not like I sat idle like a Nazi princess while she worked. I did it along with her.
Yes, I do want to fire her come Monday morning, but I think I should let her complete one month. What do you think?
Anyways, enough about her =D.  THE eyeliner I'm talking about is Colorbar's I-Glide Pencil in Jaded. It's a glossy jade green shade that's perfect for Christmas, especially if you don't wear colorful eyeshadows but still want to add color to your eyes. It's affordable (Rs.325) & glides like a dream. 


It's one green eyeliner which would look good on all skin tones, and if you have green eyes... OMG you are gonna have to wear one of those necklaces/bracelets (black tourmaline?) or a dot of kajal behind your earlobe to ward off evil/envy eyes.

12/17/10

Bloop! My Famous Green Nail Polish


A few ladies have asked me which nail polish I was wearing in the Pond's Gold Radiance posts, so I thought I'd show it properly today.
It is by Bloop de Paris, which is sold in Malaysia (I don't know about other countries). First of all, isn't "BLOOP" such a cool name?! :). I see bubbles in my head when I say that word.
'Bloop!' And there they are :)

The shade is H198 ~ It's a gorgeous shimmery emerald green color, which would be perfect for this festive season.


If I see a dupe over here, I'll let you all know. Other Bloop Nail Colours I got....

12/16/10

Lakme Fruit Blast Facewashes Photos & Information


I am getting fruit blasted with this basket of Lakme Fruit Blast Facewashes. They were sent to me in this cute basket accessorized with peaches, leaves, ribbons & bows. My kind of presentation! It looks good enough to be carried by a flower girl. I'm thinking about placing it under my Christmas tree and put some chocolates, candies and lollipops in it for grabs :)

 Strawberry, Citrus Rain, Berry Lush, Melon Melt & Pear Butter Mask


They all smell so good (yummy-licious!) that I'm having a hard time deciding which ones I want to use first, at the same time not wanting to confuse my skin.

12/15/10

MAC Collections India Launch Update


Just a quick update on when some much-awaited MAC Collections will be launched in India. I told you that MAC Venomous Villains will be launched sometime this week, but they decided to launch MAC A Tartan Tale Collection first and then Venomous Villains shortly after that.

MAC A Tartan Tale will be launched this coming Saturday the 18th  or Sunday the 19th (I wish they would make up their minds! =[ ) and then Venomous Villains sometime next week.

MAC A Tartan Tale Collection

The Tartans are getting me all worked up too! Don't the plaid eyeshadows look gorgeous?! Sigh...just when I thought the Villains were my last temptations of the year!

Anyways, I just wanted to let you know before you cancel a date to go to a MAC store especially for the Villains this week, and then curse me for giving you wrong info :)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Pond's Gold Radiance Precious Youth Serum Review + A Pricier Dupe (?)


I've been using the Pond's Gold Radiance Serum for about a month now. Almost every night before going to bed. I don't apply anything else on top of it (except for eye cream). It feels watery and cool like a gel, a little sticky when it's wet but it dries to a matte finish. I massage it all over my face using upward motions.
Oh-em-gee! It's amazing! Every time I use this at night, my face glows & feels firmer and plumper the next morning. This morning the area between my brows looked so smooth! Seeing that totally woke me up. I frown a lot (when I'm thinking, watching tv, on the computer & maybe when I sleep too) so my forehead has some fine lines. It smoothes those lines + minimizes my pores + makes my face look radiant, which is why I don't really mind that I haven't noticed any effect it's made on my dark spots yet.

12/14/10

LOTD With Tarte Jewelry Box


Just a quick & simple look I did with my baby, the Tarte Jewelry Box. 4 eyeshadows on my eyes, the Park Avenue Princess Mineral Bronzer on my cheeks & the highlighter on top of my cheekbones. And yes, I'm wearing the necklace :). I rarely wear gold jewelry (especially on my neck), coz my skin tone is cool, but I really like this one.

On the lips, I mixed these 2 shades

12/13/10

Lakme Perfect Radiance Multi-Mineral Skin Lightening Compact


Lakmé presents Perfect Radiance Multi Mineral Skin Lightening Compact in extension to their Perfect Radiance range. Available in 6 Shades designed specially for Indian skin tones by Lakmé’s Make up Expert, Cory Wallia
  • It protects you from sun darkening and damage with SPF 20*, UVA/ UVB
  • Flawlessly covers all signs of darkening with the goodness of Multi-Minerals
  • Vitamin B3 is a skin lightening compound that visibly lightens skin tone and helps reduce intensity of blemishes and dark spots
  • Gives you a radiant pearlescent glow with Brightening Pearls

Priced at Rs.150/-
Available at all leading lifestyle stores

I saw these at Westside the other day, and they looked nice. They're affordable a Rs.150 & the packaging is so pretty. But I didn't buy it because I was kinda pissed at the SA. A story I will tell you in another post.


♥Cynthia Z

Second Last Makeup Haul of 2010


Last month of the year, but not yet the last makeup haul. Thank goodness! This year has been a good year, shopping-wise. I managed to get most of the stuff in my wishlist, except the Urban Decay Naked palette...sheesh! Although I think I lost interest already. I'm a typical Gemini, you see. You play hard-to-get, you go-to-hell hehe...

  • MAC Prep + Prime Line Filler (Rs.1050) ~ This is supposed to fill up/erase fine lines around your eyes, mouth, and in my case, on my forehead near my hairline. Yet to try it out on my face, but it worked pretty well on my hand. It's got great reviews so I have high hopes for it.
  • Cremesheen Glass Loud & Lovely (Rs.1150) ~ Favorite MAC lip glass. Loving Partial to Pink to pieces, so a bright pink shade had to be my next choice.

12/12/10

Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in Black Magic


I couldn't resist getting the Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in Black Magic even though I rarely use like the Moonlit Jewels which came in the old packaging. What drew me to Black Magic was the white shadow. There's something about a white cream eyeshadow in a pan rather than a pencil.


Cute Christmas Snowballs


I'm decorating my Christmas tree today, so I thought I'd show you these cute snowball-looking Christmas balls I got yesterday from Archies. There weren't too many nice (by that I mean tasteful) decorations in the Archies in Ambience Mall Gurgaon. They had a lot of those miniature pervy-looking Santas =D. Nah, I'm exaggerating (I think)

Accessorize Cutesy Plastic Bow Ring For Christmas


I have been yearning for a bow ring (a plastic one, not one of those Forever 21 bow rings with glued on bling), so when I stumbled upon this Cutesy Plastic Bow Ring in Accessorize today, I almost squealed with joy (or hugged the salesgirl if I were drunk). And it's red! I think it's perfect for Christmas, don't you think?


Forgive the blah photo against my computer screen. I clicked in a jiffy & do you see how hard I tried to hide my fuchsia pink nails? =D. I will wear it with red nails and click a better picture. 

Available in Small, Medium & Large. I got in Small and it's still a little loose on me. Like an idiot I kept telling the SA to check if there's an XS lol. But I'll make it fit somehow.
Price ~ Rs.295, but you get 30% off on everything in Accessorize right now, so I paid Rs.207 for it (woohoo!)

I am so happy I found my first ever bow ring ♥‿♥ 

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

12/10/10

Tarte The Jewelry Box Photos


So I gave in to temptation and ordered the Tarte The Jewelry Box last week and it arrived yesterday! *happy jumps*. I'm especially happy that nothing was broken along the way, coz it was packed very nicely. The seller is gonna get one hell of a rating from me alright :)

12/8/10

New Type Of Hair Brush


I am loving this hair brush that looks kinda like a Harmonica (or something like a harmonica ;) ). I actually bought this sometime in the earlier months of this year from Kunchal's. I was paying for some makeup and saw a salesman holding a few of these hair brushes, and I went: "What's that?! Gimme!" 

IVC Makeup & Beauty Awards 2010 ~ Best Lipstick, Best Eye Pencil & Best Kajal


It is now time to pick the best of affordable Lipsticks, Eye Pencils & Kajals in the Indian market. Nominees for theses categories are, you can say, products that are in the same league. 

Best Lipstick
Nominees ~ Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick, Revlon Colorburst Lipstick, Loreal Color Riche Lipstick, Bourjois Sweet Kiss Lipstick, Colorbar Soft Touch Lipstick

12/7/10

Inglot Eyeliner Gel Review


Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel are long-lasting, waterproof formula. Can be used as an eyeshadow or body painting gel. Paraben-free & NOT tested on animals.

Lakme Nine To Five Day Perfect Lip Color

Lakme has introduced a new lip color as part of the Nine to Five rangeDay Perfect lip color.

What Nine to Five Day Perfect Lip Color is:
Touching up make-up is always cumbersome, been it at your workplace, at a party or simply hanging out with friends. Lakmé has now introduced Day Perfect Lip Color so that women-on-the-go can now live life uninterrupted.  This creamy lip color from Lakmé Nine-to-Five range has a long wearing comfort technology that locks in the color for up to 10 hours and creates a luscious shine. The intense gel-based crème color blends with natural oils to envelope your lips in a creamy coat of color that is both intense and comfortable. 

  • With a  long-wearing comfort technology
  • Offers a creamy color with Colorfix technology
  • Ensures 10 hours of intense crème color
  • Available in 12 shades
  • Priced at Rs.550/-
  • Available at all leading lifestyle stores

12/6/10

IVC Makeup & Beauty Awards 2010 ~ Best Eye Cream & Best Drugstore Foundation


I thought it would be fun to feature Makeup & Beauty Awards this year and pick the best of Makeup & Beauty products I have personally been using during and before the year 2010. 
*Mainly Indian brands (or brands widely available in India) will be nominated & brands like MAC and Clinique will NOT be a part of IVC awards (they already have enough awards on their mantles anyway)

First up are the best of Eye Creams & Drugstore Foundations.


Best Eye Cream

Nominees for best Eye Cream~ Lotus Nutraeye Rejuvenating & Correcting Eye Gel, Biotique Almond Under Eye Cream, Himalaya Under Eye Cream

NEW! Schwarzkopf Gliss Kur Hair Masks

Lined up in my supermarket are some of the most tempting-looking hair masks by Schwarzkopt.

Shea Cashmere ~ For dry & drained hair (Review HERE)

12/5/10

3 The Body Shop Must-haves For Winter

Winter is here. I'm reminded of that more by my body than the decreasing temperature. My skin just can't get enough moisture these days. 3 types of lip balms & 2 types of moisturizers in my living room alone! So, I thought it was time to haul 3 of the Body Shop products I love to use in winters.

1. Spa Wisdom Africa Honey & Beeswax Hand and Foot Butter (Rs.995) ~ This is my all-time favorite TBS product. I had the first version of this, and I'm glad they didn't change the product much apart from the jar design. Quantity is still the same- 125 ml. I just adore the canister jar! Totally reusable. Afterwards, you can store your own homemade scrubs & bath salts, or transfer body lotion from those huge bottles when you travel.


12/3/10

Coastal Scents Makeup Brushes Haul

Just a quick post to tell you all about my very first shopping experience with Coastal Scents. Like many other brands, they had a Black Friday sale going on, so I thought I'd take advantage of it. It was shipped on the 27th of November and I received them today, the 3rd of December! So fast, right? 6 days!!! I'm very pleased :)
Here's everything I got...

Nicely packed in a black organza pouch

12/2/10

Genelia D'Souza in Fast Track Ad Makeup & Tutorial


This makeup is inspired by Genelia D'souza's look in the Fast Track ad. You know, the one outside a club. I think she looks very glam in the ad, with the bangs and all. Too bad bangs don't suit me.


Apart from the smoky eyes, I can't really make out which shades of makeup she has on in the ad. So this is more my take on it.

12/1/10

Get Silky Straight Hair With Lakme Studio Sleek Mystique


Play it sleek & straight as Lakmé Studio delivers the latest salon innovation for silky straight hair styling with the launch of their new Sleek Mystique service. With the exciting addition of the Sleek Mystique range from Catwalk by TIGI launched at LFW Winter Festive 2010, Lakmé Studio rolls out this brand new service, setting trends for sleek, straight and shiny hair.

The service starts by using products from the Sleek Mystique range from Catwalk by TIGI to cleanse and deep condition your hair with oriental ingredients that smoothen and eliminate frizz, leaving hair sleek and ultra straight. The procedure continues throughout the styling and finishing process with Sleek Mystique Blow Out Balm to tame and control unruly hair and Sleek Mystique Haute Iron Spray, which leads to smooth, shiny hair while remaining protected from the heat of hairdryers and straightening-irons. Lakmé Studios and Salons are your one stop to get the fashion forward sleek straight hair style with perfect conditioning and protections.

Tarte Makeup Palettes

I've been drooling over these prettified Tarte makeup palettes lately. Omg! How have I not explored Tarte before?!! I've seen their Cheek Stains, but I thought that was it. Now I'm so drawn to the brand.
Tarte is a cruelty-free & natural cosmetics brand. 98% of their products are formulated without parabens, phthalates, sulphates and synthetic fragrances.  I love their tagline- Be green, be smart, be tarte!

Tarte The Jewelry Box ~ 32 eyeshadows, 8 lipglosses, a mineral bronzer, a shimmer powder, 4 deluxe long-wear eyeliners, and  a detachable & wearable necklace. I think something this fabulous is worth $52

11/29/10

Rihanna in Rockstar Inspired Look


This look is inspired by Rihanna's look in her music video, Rockstar. I liked the look so much, that I bought the Nyx Penelope lipstick especially for it. And today I felt wild enough to finally do it. My skin tone here is actually much darker coz I used a deeper foundation shade.

Jewelry Of The Day

Monday morning. How are you all doing? Honestly, I didn't know where to start again after the weekend, so I thought I will indulge you, or rather myself, in a little bit of shiny.

First up is a Bow Brooch: I bought this at a mall when my loose skirt felt like it was going to fall off =D. Since then, it has really prettified my plain outfits, like a plain black top & a LBD

`550 (I think)

11/27/10

Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Boxes For Vanity


My favorite chocolates are Ferrero Rocher, coz I prefer chocolates that have nuts or wafers in them. Plain ones are boring unless they're Belgian. Everyone gifts them to me almost every occasion. But every time I have to throw away the empty boxes, I feel kinda guilty. So I use them for storing stuff, well...until they break or something.
Here's what I store in them:

1. Lipsticks ~ Bottoms up! So you can see the shades. It can hold about 20 lipsticks.