Happy New Year's Eve ~ From Goa!

Hi lovelies,
Just want to wish you a very Happy New Year's Eve. Have a blast!

I'm in Goa with my friends and having a hell of a good time, except for one unfortunate day when my Vincci handbag was stolen at a beach. I stood up for 2 minutes to talk to my nephew over the phone and when I got back, my bag was missing. Everybody else didn't notice even though they were right there at the table. We're sure it's one of those papad sellers- a kid, probably.

 My  blog camera, wallet (about 7 grand + credit & debit cards + privilege cards), my bow sunglasses. I blocked my cards immediately, so no worries about that. BUT....so sad :( I just wish I can get the memory card from my camera back. Anyways, what happened, happened. Lesson learnt- never let your handbag out of your sight when at the beach.

This was the day it happened. Drank lots later to forget about it ;)

Bye all....Talk to you again soon! 

Party & Drive Safe. 

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Artistic Eye Makeup Contest Entry 12 ~ Mother Nature

"Mother Nature"

Contestant: Ishwarya Meena

Products Used:

1. Too Faced  Shadow Insurance Eye Primer

2. Bh cosmetics eye palette

3. L'oreal Volume Million Lashes (Extra Black)

4. Revlon Eyeliner Pencil (Aqua Blue)

5. Maybelline Gel Eyeliner (Black)

6. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

7. Revlon Photoready powder

8. Golden butterfly earrings

9. Small plastic patels

Thanks for your entry Ishwarya. Good Luck! :)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Artistic Eye Makeup Contest Entry 11 ~ Midnight Beauty

"Midnight Beauty"

Contestant: Rhythm Bhatia

Products Used:

LOREAL TRUE MATCH FOUNDATION N5

MAYBELLINE WHUTESTAY UV COMPACT

NARS SMUDGE PROOF EYESHADOW BASE

MAC TOGETHERNESS MINERALIZE EYESHADOW TRIO(VIOLET)

MAC LATER PIGMENT

LOREAL WATERPROOF GEL EYELINER

LOREAL WATERPROOF COLLAGEN MASCARA.

*Thanks for your entry Rhythm. Good Luck! :)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Artistic Eye Makeup Contest Entry 10 ~ Blossoming Pink

"Blossoming Pink"

Contestant: Ruhi Shah

Products Used:

M.A.C Eye Primer (Medium)

Manly Palette 

Rimmel Colour Mouse in Glitz 005

Maybelline Colossal Kajal 

Maybelline Silk Glam in Coral Drama 20

Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Mascara 

Elizabeth Arden concealer

Plastic Flower Petal

Revlon Precision Lash Adhesive 

*Thanks for your entry Ruhi. Good Luck! :)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Dear IVC Readers,

Wishing you a blessed Christmas & a very Happy New Year. 

Hugs & Kisses.

Enjoy the rest of the holidays!

*I'm leaving for a New Year vacation tomorrow, so I'll be back next year! :)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Here Comes The Pink Indian Bride.....

I managed to do this Indian bridal look but it got dark in no time so I didn't get to click many good pics. But I'm just glad I did it...woohoo! :)

*I would've picked a different colored bindi (thing between my brows) but this one was the only one I had that kinda matched the pink. 

Artistic Eye Makeup Contest Entry 9 ~ Glam Eyes

"Glam Eyes"

Contestant: Shazia Sultan

PRODUCTS USED :

REVLON COLORSTAY FOUNDATION (NATURAL BEIGE)

MAXFACTOR FACEFINITY COMPACT POWDER (02 IVORY)

MAC PAINTPOT IN PAINTERLY

NYX JUMBO PENCIL IN MILK

NYX SINGLE EYESHADOW IN WHITE

MAC EYESHADOW IN CARBON

MAC EYESHADOW IN POISEN PEN 

MAC EYESHADOW IN PURPLE HAZE

AVON PERFECT WEAR KAJAL BLACK

MAC BLACKTRACK FLUIDLINE

MAYBELLENE HYPER CURL VOLUM' EXPRESS 

EYELASH GLUE

BEADS,STONES ETC :)

*Thanks for your entry Shazia. Good Luck! :)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Best Things 2011

These are the best products & things of 2011 in my books. Let's just call it a LONG "favorites" post. Mostly products that I used the most this year & things that are special to me.....
*All text in pink are linked to reviews & posts on the products. I may not be able to link all right now so if you're interested in a product without a link, please use the "Search Indian Vanity Case" bar below on the right sidebar there ---->

¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸ Skincare ¸.•*´¨`*•.¸¸.•*´¨`*•.¸

Best Facewash/ Makeup Removers ~ Pond's Pure White Facial Foam, Lakme Fruit Blast Melon Melt & Berry Lush, The Body Shop White Shiso Cleansing Powder, DHC Cleansing Oil, MAC Cleanse Off Oil.

Best Treatments ~ Pond's Age Miracle Microdermabrasion Kit, Brihan's Green Leaf Gel (Aloe Vera), Garnier Pure Pimple Pen.

Best Scrubs ~ Lotus Whiteglow Oatmeal & Yogurt Scrub, St.Ives Apricot Scrub, The Body Shop Body Scrubs.

Best Serums ~  Neutrogena Fine Fairness Serum, Bio-Essence Bird's Nest Serum, Pond's Gold Radiance Serum

Best Eye Cream ~ Used only Olay Total Effects Anti-Ageing Eye Cream  this year.

Best Moisturizers ~ Lotus WhiteGlow Micro-Emulsion, Neutrogena Fine Fairness Lotion.

Best Sunscreens ~ Lakme Cucumber & Lemongrass Fairness Sunscreen, Neutrogena Dry Touch Sunblock, Lotus Sunscreen Gel.

Best Body Washes ~ Palmolive Thermal Spa Mineral Massage, Biore Whitening Scrub Shower Cream, Olay Creme Ribbons, Lux.

Best Body Lotions ~ Vaseline Cocoa Glow, The Body Shop Body Butter Duo, Vaseline Healthy White Lotion, Lakme Honey & Avocado Winter Perfect Lotion, Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Moisture Cream.

Best Perfumes ~ This year I only wore Marc Jacobs Daisy, Vera Wang princess, YSL Paris & Luscious Pink Mariah Carey & Etude House Ms.Ever Perfume Stick

Best Hair Removal Products ~ Spring It Hair Removing Spring, Gilette Venus Razor, Veet Wax Strips, Gilette Satin Care Shaving Gel.

Best Extras ~ Clean & Clear Oil Blotting Sheets (LOVE!), Etude House Missing You Hand Cream

My Indian Bridal Wear: Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peek of what I wore on my our Indian wedding day in 2007. Years ago, but it seems like yesterday. You know? I haven't seen the lehenga & jewelry since then coz they weren't with me, I just collected them about 2 weeks back. I had forgotten what they look like!

Products For DIY Bridal Makeup

Hey everyone,

I know my Bridal Series is hanging in limbo. It's going to come to an abrupt end since I've got so many things to do before Christmas + I'm leaving for vacay right after that. But I want to do a couple more posts to end the series properly. Fingers crossed!

Below are the makeup products I'd use on my wedding day- if I were doing my own makeup. I'd be wearing a pink lehnga with gold embellishments, so I picked the colors accordingly:

Face:

• Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Oil Free
• Make Up For Ever HD Foundation
• YSL Touche Eclat to brighten up the undereye areas
• MAC Studio Finish Concealer to conceal blemishes
• MAC Chromagraphic Pencil for spot concealing
• The Body Shop Loose Powder
• MAC Sculp & Shape Powder to contour & highlight
• Benefit Bella Bamba
• Benefit Hoola 
• MAC Fleur Power Blush
• MAC Fix+ Finishing Spray to set makeup. For me, this works best at this time of year when my skin is drier.

Other long-wear foundations:

Revlon Colorstay Foundation, MAC Pro Longwear Foundation, MAC Studio Sculp Foundation. 

Other Blush suggestions: Colorbar Peachy Rose & Just Earth, MAC Dollymix, MAC Peaches, Nars Orgasm, Benefit Coralista, Bourjois Lilas D'or, Lakme Earth Rose Trio Blush, Lakme Cheek Artist Kiss Of A Rose (Visit the Blush Bar for swatches)

Artistic Eye Makeup Contest Entry 8 ~ Animal Instinct

"Animal Instinct"

Contestant:  Nitya Karthick

Products Used:

Beauties Factory 88 colour eyeshadow palette

NYX HD Eyeshadow base

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Iced Mocha"

LA girl Pro Primer base in Black

Lakme eye quartets in "Peacock"

MAC Mineralize eye shadow in "Golden Gaze"

Chambor glitzy eyeliner in Black

*Thanks for your entry Nitya. Good Luck! :)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Pantene Total Damage Care Range Review

So before I left for my trip in October, I had to buy small bottles of shampoo & conditioner. You know those big bottle are so heavy for flights (...we'd rather carry an extra pair of shoes). I decided to try the small bottles of Pantene Total Damage Care Shampoo & Conditioner.

About Pantene Total Damage Care:
Fights 7 signs of damaged hair: split ends, dry, rough, dull, weak, brittle and tangles.

Artistic Eye Makeup Contest Entry 7 ~ Rage Of Fire

"Rage Of Fire"

Contestant: Upasana

Products used:

MAC Fluidline Blacktrack

MAC carbon eyeshadow

Red, orange, yellow , blue, white, silver eyeshadows from 88 shimmer palette

Maybelline Gel eyeliner Black

Gold eyeshadow from Deborah Milano Eye design quad

Maybelline Define-A-Lash Mascara

False Lashes

Coastal Scents and sigma brush

MAC Select Moisture Cover NW35

MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation NC42

Bausch & Lomb Lenses- Pacific

*Thanks for your entry Upasana. Good Luck! :)


[If you want to participate in the "Artistic Eye Makeup Contest", please read the details HERE]


♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Artistic Eye Makeup Contest Entry 6 ~ Tropical Sunset

"Tropical Sunset"

Contestant: Ailah

Products Used:
Urban Decay shadow in Baked
Mac pigment in reflects bronze
Mac pigment in copper sparkle
Coastal Scents red glitter in Crimson
Make up For Ever matte black shadow #4
Lancome Teal Delight gel liner
Mac Blue Green pigment
Clinique gel liner in True black
Ardell falsies in #120


*Thanks for your entry Ailah. Good Luck! :)



[If you want to participate in the "Artistic Eye Makeup Contest", please read the details HERE]


♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Artistic Eye Makeup Contest Entry 5 ~ Poker Face

"Poker Face"

Contestant: Cherrylane

Products Used:E.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer in Sheer
Rimmel Soft Kohl in Pure White (071)
The white colour from e.l.f. Brightenting Eye Color Quad in Ethereal
Maybelline Eyeshadow in Shiney White (64)
Maybelline Extreme Moisture Lip Liner in Red Glamour (56)
Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Liner in Black (001)

*Thanks for your entry Cherrylane. Good Luck! :)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Gossip Girl Inspired Holiday Look

In Gossip Girl 'Rhodes To Perdition', everybody was sporting glitter liners- from Charlie to Lily to Cece, and I absolutely loved the looks! They all looked so bling & fabulous. 

Favorite line from the episode:

"No one can touch me anymore. I'm a Rhodes now." ~ Charlie.

Glitter liners are THE hottest things this season, ladies! Grab yourself some- preferably in gold & bronze shades. I don't have any other glitter eyeliner except for a yellow one- Nyx Candy Glitter Eyeliner in Hot Yellow (which is actually a freebie, but see how it's there for me just when I need it the most? :)) , so it'll have to do. How I wish I had the other bronzy shade French Silk

Artistic Eye Makeup Contest Entry 4 ~ Jingle Bell Rock

"Jingle Bell Rock"

Contestant ~ Alexis Colon 

Products Used:Urban Decay primer potion
BH Cosmetics 120 Palette and 6 piece contour palette
MAC foundation
Lancome Press powder
Urban Decay Eyeliner in Zero
MAC gel liner in black track
MAC gold pigment
Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette
Bobbi Brown Charcoal & Dark Brown
Medusa glitters in Antofdinette & Flash Dance

*Thanks for your entry Alexis. Good Luck! :)


♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Artistic Eye Makeup Contest Entry 3: Color Of The Sea ~ Light Blue or Light Green?

"Color Of The Sea ~ Light Blue or Light Green?"

Contestant: Shopnila Rahman

Products used: 

1. UD Primer portion.

2. BH Cosmetics 120 pallet-  Light blue, light green, Medium Blue,  Vanilla  White.

3. Lakme Kohl Kajal. 

4. Clinique lash Doubling Mascara.

*Thanks for your entry Shopnila. Good Luck! :)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Sigma Precision Brushes & Round Top Kabuki: Photos

I hauled some brushes from Sigma  this month- Precision Brushes & Round Top Kabuki. I'm in love with the soft synthetic HD Fibers, which they are made of. I wish I had a pillow made of them....oooh....!

• Precision Tapered P86

• Precision Round P82

• Precision Flat P80

These Precision Brushes are so cute! I got all of them except the Precision Angled P84. I want to use these with my concealers, precise contouring, buffing small areas/corners & to apply some powder products too.

Christmas Shopping At Forever New + OOTD

The first one is a dress I've been drooling over since it was launched with the Age of Innocence Collection (Limited Edition). It was packed in a pink box tied with white organza ribbon. It's special.

Let's open it.....

Madeleine One Shoulder Bow Dress Peach Love, Rs.8800 ~ Damn this is overpriced! It costs double in India, btw. BUT I tried it on ad almost cried. I want to be buried in it! So obviously I had to buy it and give up some other stuff on my Christmas wishlist.

Artistic Eye Makeup Contest Entry 2 ~ Deep Blue Sea

Contestant ~ Dishi Shrivastava

Products Used:

VOV glam shine navy blue(21) eye liner

M.A.C 88 eye shadow palette(light blue,dark blue,white shimmer)

M.A.C 'blue charge' zoom lash mascara

*Thanks for your entry Dishi. Good luck! :)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Pond's Age Miracle Advanced Resurfacing Microdermabrasion Kit ~ WOW!

Are you ready to see the results? Doesn't matter coz I'm going to show anyway. I couldn't wait! I consider this post a priority because it could change somebody's life. 

About Pond's Age Miracle Advanced Resurfacing  Microdermabrasion Kit:

Microdermabrasion is one of the most effective professional anti-ageing skin care treatments, commonly recommended by dermatologists and salon professionals which gently re-surfaces or ‘polishes’ the surface of the skin. Pond’s Institute has launched the first at-home Microdermabrasion Treatment. It helps to minimize the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and age spots. With special micro crystals for effective skin resurfacing, it results to renewed and brightened skin. The kit contains 3 things:

• Polishing Cream is a unique softening cream blended with real micro crystals that expertly resurfaces and refines skin to extra smoothness and brightness.

• Post-Treatment Glow Enhancer is enriched with vitamins and skin optical enhancers that give the skin the right post treatment nourishment- leaving it supple and radiant.

• Sponge applicator is specially designed to expertly spread the cream with micro crystals across the skin’s surface, effectively allowing polishing cream to remove the uppermost layer of dead skin. The holder is designed to fit the palm comfortably.

Inglot Eye Brushes: 10S & 80 HP Review

I'm am currently ob-sessssed with makeup brushes. I keep wanting MORE! There's always a type of brush I think I need. There's even a type I want that is not in the market yet. 

So I got these 2 Inglot brushes a couple months back and it's time I share my thoughts on them.

Inglot Lipsticks 189, 421 Photos

What if you end up buying 2 very similar looking pink lipsticks? I thought these Inglot lipsticks looked different in the website but now, when I compare these pics and the ones in the website, they look almost the same. I didn't even think they were this pink when I chose them. Boy, you should get inside this head.

But howww??? I called the store to order and then I get them picked up. I just cannot wait!

Colorbar Velvet Matte Lipstick Bare

I have already done a review on Colorbar Velvet Matte Lipsticks (Hot Hot Hot & Addictive Magenta) here 

This time it's Bare, a rosy nude shade with obvious peachy undertones. I'd say it's a more flattering shade for my lips than Maybelline My Mahogany Color Sensational Lipstick. It's hard for me to describe Bare because, though the peachy-ness shows in pics, it  looks pinkish-like a berry colored lip tint- after a while, when it dries. I guess it's one of those shades that react differently with different lip tones.

Colorbar Velvet Matte Lipstick Bare

Bride's Emergency/Handy Kit

Source

In a perfect world, a bride can survive on a tube of lipstick (and she'd also be marrying John Abraham or Prince Henry or that other celeb she adores/stalks) As an ex-bride, I wish I had read this post before my wedding day because I only had makeup, tissues & chewing gum in my tiny handbag. So, I hope future brides won't forget they'll possibly need these other important things:

• Safety Pins ~ Why do we always need them when we DON'T have any?! Especially if you'll be wearing a two-piece, these things will surely come in handy.

• Eye Drops ~ Smoke (and tears) can strain your eyes. You want to be bright-eyed for photos. Buy: Clearine Eye Drops.

• Ear Ointment Cream- My gold bridal earrings were so thick that my piercing had to be 3 times the size to insert them without pain, so I had to live with watery/itchy ears for days after the wedding. It's better to apply a cream before wearing your heavy earrings to prevent infection. Buy: Flutibact.

• Eyelash Glue ~  For your false eyelashes (they tend to come off at the inner corners) & also, maang tika- so it stays in place on your forehead. At Ambika Pillai studio, they once used Dendrite for my maang tika, and I ended up with a grape-sized bump on my forehead the next day. Gosh, I can't help thinking- What if they had used superglue???!!! Idiots. Buy: Duo Adhesive.

Winged Eyeshadow Tutorial

First of all, this is a very easy technique. I feel it's even easier to do than a basic smoky eye. Second, sowwwie I didn't post this during the weekend, like I said. I was just so busy with....well, nothing haha... you know what I mean ;)

Let's begin.

Urban Decay Naked Palette Vs Too Faced Naked Palette Vs Too Faced Natural Palette

Here are all 3 of the most popular neutral eyeshadow palettes side-by-side for you to compare.

• Urban Decay Naked Palette, $48 (Rs.2452) ~  Review & Swatches here
• Too Faced Naked Eye Kit, $36 (Rs.1840) ~ Review & Swatches here
• Too Faced Natural Eye Kit, $36 (Rs.1840) ~ Photos here

Look Of The Day: Winged, Warm & Cozy

I finally did a tutorial on the Winged Eyeshadow, which many of of are waiting for, but I've yet to edit the photos so I'm posting  full face photos today, so you get an idea of how the winged eyeshadow look gets along with my whole face. Will post the tutorial before/during the weekend. 

By the way, how cold did it get suddenly?! Time to take out me fuzzy socks :)

ASOS Review & Haul

So I shopped from asos.com for the first time this month. I didn't want to buy anything expensive since it was my first time, so I decided to buy tights- inexpensive, but much-needed for this winter. They are so cute & in tip-top condition, and I can't wait to wear them!

• ASOS Heart Suspender Sheer Tights, 8 GBP (Rs.650) ~ These are so hot! I have a thing for garters, so I couldn't be happier when these came into fashion. They're Free Size- a tad loose around my feet/toes, but fit perfectly on the rest of my legs.

• Gipsy Mock Ribbed Over The Knee Tights, 6 GBP (Rs.487) but they're now 8 GBP ~ These are more conservative than the heart suspender ones up there....or not, it depends on how you wear them really. But I love the ribbed fabric, it clings better than the heart suspender tights & it's warmer too.

Artistic Eye Makeup Contest Entry 1 ~ The Future Will Be Mine

"The Future Will be Mine"

Contestant: Megha Mittra

PRODUCTS USED:
FACE:
1. MUFE HD foundation
2. MUFE HD powder

EYES:
1.MAC prep+prime eye
2.Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel eyeliner
3. Bourjois Intense Extrait eyeshadow in shade 10
4. Inglot AMC eyeshadow shade 23
5. The Body Shop Duo Shadow in Eucalyptus Grey

BRUSHES:
1. MAC 219
2. Sigma Small Angle-E65
3. Virgo Eye Shadow

*Thanks for your entry Megha...Good Luck! :)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Artistic Eye Makeup Contest Update ~ Photo Example

I have received a few entries for the Artistic Eye Makeup Contest and I had to ask all of them to make some changes to their photos. I'm getting almost-full-face & also full face & body, one didn't even name her look or provide the required links. Now I could be less uptight about it but it wouldn't be fair to the other contestants who stick to the rules.

So I thought it'd be better if I showed you an example (which I should have done in the first place, sorry about that):

You can go smaller (like if you only want to show one eye OR don't want to show your forehead/ears) but no bigger than this (no bottom half of your nose, no apples of your cheeks & no lips). I won't have time to reply to emails, so please make sure you get the size right in order for your entry to be accepted. 

Also, please don't forget to:

• Name your look
• Provide a link to your blog post OR Facebook wall- where you linked your photo to Indian Vanity Case Facebook Page
• Write down the products you used for your look.

I have also updated the contest post here

Good Luck once again. People are waiting for your looks, so do start sending them in! The sooner, the better ;)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Colorbar I-Glide Eye Pencils Review & Swatches

"Defines like a pencil and glides like liquid eyeliner, the I-Glide Eye Pencil, with its smooth formulation, gives your eyes rich colour in a single stroke and blends in easily after application. Lasts longer than 8 hours; does not feather or bleed." ~ Colorbar.

They do live up to those claims. They are some of the best eye pencils available here. You must own at least one two. They are soft & smooth but dry to a smudge-proof & long-wear finish.  I'm so glad that they have launched more shades....but I want more! 

Packaging: I love how the tails match the pencils (like matching underwear) + they have their very own matching outer boxes too.

There are 3 newly launched shades here- Amethyst Spark, Glowing Sapphire & Flirty Turq.

• Prunella:  A pearly plum shade. It may look almost brownish on your lash line. 

• Amethyst Spark: Purple with purply-pink shimmer. It is SO PRETTY! The color is very Katy Perry. 

• Glowing Sapphire: Sapphire blue with blue shimmer. It is very similar to MAC Petrol Blue Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner 

• Flirty Turq: Deepened turquoise with turquoise pearl. If you want to add a bit of zing to neutral eyes, just wear this on your lower lash line. 

• Blackout: Matte Black. Must-have.

• Cocobar: Cocoa brown. My everyday brown eye liner. Look at how short it is now :)

• Jaded: Jade green with pearl. This shade flatters most eye colors.

Bourjois Intense Eyeshadows 03, 10 Review, Swatches

About:

Made from 87% mineral pigments, precisely measured and selected, INTENSE is highly concentrated for 2 x more coverage than a classic eyeshadow in one single application. Hypoallergenic, paraben- and fragrance-free and suitable for contact lens wearers.

Available in a wide range of 10 exclusive shades and suitable for all occasions and styles:-

The essential shades, to illuminate and sculpt the eyes (01, 02, 03, 09, 10)

The dramatic shades to intensify the eyes (04, 05, 06, 07, 08)