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4/30/12

Let's Drool!

They say write down the things you want to help you get them.

A recent article I read said Pinterest helps you .... shape your life?.... it's therapeutic?.....something like that, I don't remember exactly ;p For some reason, I can't bring myself to pin! Maybe it's just not for me.

I have a "Wishlist" folder & a "Inspiration" folder in my computer. They're as good as Pinterest .... I'd like to believe.

Here are 4 specific things I recently added to the Wishlist folder:

Forever New Travel Case, $99.99
Forever New Jewelry Organizer, no idea about price 

4/28/12

Bourjois Flower Perfection Foundation & Loose Powder Review

I'm feeling nervous about this review. Because, I have mixed feelings about both the products. I don't believe in mixed feelings & in-between. Especially in relationships- "I don't know whether I like him or not." Wth is that?! Either you like, or you don't like. But ya, not everything is that black and white, is it? I still don't know whether I like that Virat Kohli (Indian cricketer) or not.
Bourjois Flower Perfection Youth Extension Foundation: With Wild Azalea & SPF 15. Promises velvety smooth finish for up to 16 hours.
Coverage- Medium to heavy.
Finish- Very Matte. 
Awesome packaging! Has a built-in smoothing sponge applicator that, I feel, would have been more user-friendly if it there's a tiny handle at the back (like a door). Especially if you keep long nails, it's difficult to hold it and apply without scratching your face.It smells nice & flowery. Although this is shade 53, which is the same as my Healthy Mix Foundation, it turns out out lighter (whitish) on me. It does not photograph well. I wore it in a recent look & my skin looked so patchy, I had to adjust the lighting a lot. Skin doesn't look naturally flawless, it emphasizes the tiny bumps on my nose and under eye areas, it looks like it sits on my face mocking its flaws. Keep in mind that I have oily skin, and this still made it look flaky in some areas. Having said all that, I could still use it....hopefully. 
Bourjois Flower Perfection Foundation Beige Claire #53

4/27/12

Haul: Budget- Rs.2600 ($49)

You have Rs.2600 ($49) in your wallet, what do you buy? I decided to not buy make-up, for a change (especially not another Benefit blush or perfume). I found a dress & a necklace. Both lovely, and they get along with each other.
Mango Baby Pink Lady Cocktail Dress, Rs.1990 ~ The first thing I thought when I first saw this dress was, 'It's so cheap!' Now please don't misunderstand me, I'm not a rich woman, and I do value money. It's just that, some other blah dresses at Mango costed more, and I know a dress like this in Forever New would cost no less than 6 grand. That's why I felt like I hit the jackpot. It's a conservative dress that reaches below my knees. The yellow belt is a nice touch of color block, though it's not the best quality.

4/26/12

MAC Cosmo Lipstick

What's in a name? Back in my hometown, we have a helper we call 'Set', but her real name is 'Sexy'. True story, okay. Thing is, people from the villages give English names to their kids without knowing what they mean. Names like: Latrine, Virgin, Salty Queen, Shining, Tasty, Fertility, Experience....it's as if they see a word in some random thing, smile at the child they're breastfeeding and think- "You are a 'Goodbye'."
I wouldn't be surprised if there's some villager out there named 'Cosmo'. Why not? It's a nice word which attracted me to MAC Cosmo in the first place. I had no idea what the shade was like, but I always knew I was gonna get it someday. That's what's in a name. I hear Cosmo, I think Cosmopolitan (the cocktail) & Sex And The City (Oh, I'm sure there's someone named City too.) 

MAC lipstick Cosmo - described as 'Pink Coco'. Finish is Amplified Creme, which is really creamy & moisturizing. This, I think, is a must-have shade if you're into pinky-peach shades. It's a nice everyday shade and goes with both neutral & smokey eyes. It stays on pretty well, and turns matte-ish when it starts to wear off.

4/23/12

Lakmé Absolute Fast & Fabulous Nail Color Swatches

I'm very Fast & Fabulous right now. Very. 10 fingers, a different color on every pair. I went to MAC - to grab some Shop, Cook - and to a few other stores, with Cadbury Gems nails, and I didn't care when people looked at them vaguely. That's one of the joys of being a beauty blogger =)
I had already used one of Lakmé Absolute Fast & Fabulous Nail Colors before and showed it here. Now I have 5 more colors to show you...

4/22/12

MAC Shop MAC Cook MAC Product Photos & Swatches ~ Cremeblend Blush, Tendertone Lip Balm, Lipstick

Apologies for the delay with the swatches, for those of you who expected to see them yesterday. I did get up early to click all the photos, but didn't have time to edit them and blog, because:
  • I had to go to the mall to exchange a defective MANGO dress. Thank God, they had another one in XS! I call this dress 'good purchase of the week', can't wait to show you!=)
  • I had to attend Mr.CZ's niece's birthday (7th, I think)
  • Noisy kids sucked (sucked!) all the energy out of me & I was so beat by the time we reached home after 8. For the record, I don't dislike kids....but I really hate some =[
So here are the photos & swatches of the stuff I got from MAC Shop & Cook Collection
Make Me Simmer Lipstick (Amplified Finish): Described as a bright pink orange, it is simply coral- a bright coral. If you're looking for a true coral lipstick, this is the one. It is extremely pigmented that it leaves a pinkish-coral stain - that's very difficult to get off like MAC Party Parrot Lipstick - when it wears off. The difference between the two is, this is more peach & Party Parrot is more pink. To me, Make Me Simmer is the most unique shade from the collection. Price- Rs.990.

4/20/12

Shop MAC, Cook MAC Collection Photos

Today I checked out the newly launched collection - here in India - MAC Shop Shop ShopCook Cook Cook Collection (Man! That's a mouthful!)

Enjoy the pics & do let me know what you bought/will buy from the collection =)


Kissable Lip Color, Rs.1400:
  • Flaunting It ~ Grey mauve
  • Scan-Delicious ~ Blue fuchsia
  • So Vain ~ Muted dirty coral 
Lipsticks, Rs.990:
  • Innocence Beware 
  • Naughty Saute 
  • Quick Sizzle  
  • Watch Me Simmer 
  • Dish It Up
  • Runaway Red 
Cremeblend Blushes, Rs.1350:
  • Optimistic Orange
  • Florida
  • Restore Dazzle

4/19/12

Too Faced Smokey Eye Palette Photos

One LUCKY girl will win this fabulous eye shadow palette ~ Too Faced Smokey Eye Collection. I was sooo....tempted to keep it for myself, but I decided to not be selfish ;p. Here, I'm posting more photos of it, so you'll know what you're competing for ;)
It comes with a sample of Too Faced Shadow Insurance, my favorite eyeshadow primer! I did a comparison between TFSI & Urban Decay Primer Potion here. Also included, are 3 How-To-Cards with step-by-step application instructions for creating smokey eyes in minutes.

Pond's Dreamflower Talc For Summer

One thing I can't live without in summers is talcum powder. I sprinkle some on my underarms & neck after showers religiously. I'm currently using Pond's Magic, the purple one with the butterflies, and I love it! It smells so pretty & keeps me feeling fresh all day.
Pond's Talc range offers 4 variants:
  • Pond's Dreamflower Fragrant Talc
  • Pond's Magic Fragrant Talc with Acacia Honey
  • Pond's Oil Control with Orange Peel Extract & Sun Protection TPI-60
  • Pond's Sandal Radiance Talc with Natural Sunscreen 
 
 

4/17/12

Sonam Kapoor For Shehla Khan's Spring Summer 2012 Collection

I ignore a lot of PR emails, coz this is not a PR blog. Some send me the most b-o-r-i-n-g, most irrelevant, things! I think they don't even know it's a beauty blog =D
But sometimes I find inspiration in some things I may not otherwise be interested in, like this. I really liked the photos of Sonam Kapoor here (particularly the 1st one up there) & I wanted to show you guys.

Temptation Of The Month!

I died for a minute when I first saw this. That means my heart skipped more than a beat. It was as if it was clutched by this cute ... giant ... ladybug. That giant ladybug is Marc Jacobs' new perfume Dot. Oh-my-bows! Never in my life have I wanted something so badly! I thought to myself- "Given the chance, I'd kidnap Marc Jacobs and hold him hostage just so he'd give/sell it to me RIGHT NOW." Oh yes I would.
And then I wondered "Why didn't he name it Ladybug, instead of Dot?" But maybe the bug is already taken.
Launching this July, the new scent will be called Dot,  a "sister" to his insanely popular Daisy and Lola scents. 

It features notes of red berries, dragon fruit, honeysuckle, jasmine, coconut water, orange blossom, vanilla, driftwood, and musk. "There’s a juicy, lush quality to it because it felt like the right spirit for this bottle", Marc Jacobs said. 

Breaking from the floral motif of his other scents, Dot's bottle is meant to be reminiscent of a ladybug with butterflies landing on it. "A dot is timeless and a pattern I always love, and round shapes are always beautiful. I liked the idea of these hybrid butterfly-ladybugs, which suggest a sort of free spirit and femininity and playfulness. And, of course, ladybugs mean good luck," he said.

Oh July, come faster. Pretty please.


♥ Cynthia Z *.*

KRYOLAN Opened Flagship Store In Delhi

GOOD NEWS to all you makeup lovers! Kryolan now has a flagship store in the Delhi! That too, in one of the most popular locations in the city- Lajpat Nagar. If you were drooling over my inexpensive Kryolan Blusher Palette & Lipsticks & other Krolan products, now you can easily get them...or ask somebody to get them for you. C'mon, nobody comes to the capital and not visit Lajpat Nagar!

4/16/12

Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Lipstick Coral Lustre

One day I will have a coral-themed room. EVERYTHING coral. Exactly like this lipstick. A room of coral collectibles- coral makeup....coral clothes...coral shoes...coral jewelry...coral chaise with frilly coral cushions...coral lacy curtains...coral carpet...coral roses...coral vintage tea set...coral vintage telephone...etc...etc.
I will wear a long coral flowy dress, sip tea from my cute coral tea set, and everything I do in the room will happen in slow motion. And one day, Vogue magazine will want to feature my coral room (obviously!), and they'll call me "The Girl With Coral-Colored Dreams" and.....
Oh-kay, I'll stop now. Let's talk about the lipstick that nudged me to build those sand castles in the sky- Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Lipstick in Coral Lustre. It's a super pretty color! Btw, Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Lipsticks are glossier & sheerer than the original Color Sensational Lipsticks
I like the packaging, the reflective cap can also be used as a mirror. The lipstick is balmy & smells fruity- like grapefruit, off the top of my head. The texture is quite similar to Nivea Fruity Shine tinted lip balm. The vibrancy of the lippy doesn't last for long, but the balmy feel does stay & it really moisturizes my lips. It has micro-shimmer particles which don't feel gritty at all.

4/14/12

GIVEAWAY ~ Win A Too Faced Smokey Eye Palette!

I wanted to do this for a while now, and I couldn't wait any longer! I planned to include more prizes and have more than 1 winner but, due to some reasons, I decided to move the other prizes to another giveaway.
Prize ~ Too Faced Smokey Eye Palette with a sample of Shadow Insurance (eyeshadow primer). One person will WIN it.
I'm using Rafflecopter for the first time, so I'm hoping it'll help me run this contest smoothly. 
To enter, just fill up the form below. First 3 are mandatory for your other entries to be considered valid.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Mandatory Rules:

  • Follow IVC via GFC or be an email Subscriber
  • Like IVC Facebook Page
  • Leave a comment below this post ~ Tell me the 6 colors that would be in your ideal eye shadow palette.

*Contest is open worldwide.
*Closes on 05/05/2012 at 12.01 am EST.

*More photos of the palette HERE

Thank you for reading IVC everyone & Good Luck! =)

♥ Cynthia Z *.*

4/12/12

Basic Eyeshadow Blending Tutorial & Tips

I have been meaning to do this post for a long long time! I did do one last year in September (!!!), but I did not like the photos & the lighting & my brows looked so untidy....let's just say I wasted a few hours & a pictorial.
When I say "What is blending?" I can't help saying it like Channel [V] VJ ~ Lola Kutty:
"Whaaht ees theese blanding?", with a hand gesture to go with it.
The reason I'm doing this tut is because I feel silly writing in my tutorials: "Blend well/ blend the edges" I always imagine someone reading my blog thinking- "Yes woman, blend, but howww???" I would be thinking the same if I didn't already know. Like in cooking, you can't just say "Cut the tomatoes julienne" without explaining how to do it. I don't really know what 'julienne' means, I learned the word from Monica Gellar. You remember her job interview with the creepy perv? "Are they, uh,  firm?..... I like it dirty" - about tomatoes & lettuce.
The main aim of eye shadow blending: To blur out the prominent edges so you don't really know where the color begins and ends. In most cases, the goal is to make it look like a gradient. Blended eyeshadows look more natural, especially when bold colors are used- a vibrant blue eyeshadow looks less trampy when blended well. With good blending, you can make 10 colors look like 3-4 colors.
I use only 2 blending techniques: 
Blending Technique 1: Windshield Wiper Motion- Place your blending brush on the line, and starting from outer corner of your lid, move the blending brush in a windshield wiper motion. Left-right-left-right......moving with the curve of your eyeshadow. This won't be hard to do if you have a deep defined crease. Most times, this technique is not enough, so you do the next technique in-between or after, whichever way you are comfortable with.....
Blending Technique 2: Swirling Circular Motion- In this, you make little circular swirls quickly. Start from outer corner and work your way inwards. This blending technique works well especially if you're applying one color on inner half of lid & another on the outer half, and you want to blur the prominent line in the middle where the two colors meet.

4/10/12

My Pink Too Faced Handbag Brush Kit & How To Create Your Own {DIY}

You know how doctors carry their stethoscopes everywhere? We makeup artists/enthusiasts also feel we need to carry make-up brushes with us everywhere. Yes yes, I know, we're not the same & make-up brushes don't save lives, I'm just saying that we feel incomplete without our "tools". Okay, maybe I should have compared us to plumbers instead of doctors. Talking about plumbers, can you believe they killed off Mike in Desperate Housewives??!!! 
Anyways, let's talk about happier things .... Too Faced Essential 3 Piece Brush Set. OMG I'm loving it so much!
One: It's PINK! *squeals*
Two: It's light & perfect for my handbag!
Three: The brushes are made of teddy bear hair. Tip of the cuteness! 
Four: It holds 3 essential brushes. I could live on them. 
I love Too Faced. So princessy & vintage-looking.
This kit is for $39.00 = Rs.2000. Bought it from apothica.com. I got it shipped to Shop & Ship, coz it worked out cheaper, since shipping within US is free. I told you about S&S here
Too Faced Shadow Brushes Essential 3 Piece Set

4/9/12

Look ~ The Other Side Of Me

"I knew that I had come face to face with someone whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself." ~ Oscar Wilde.

4/8/12

Happy Easter! Meet My Nail Polish Painted Easter Egg....

Happy Easter, everyone! I know I'm late.
So this is my broken nail polish painted egg. I thought I'd turn something utterly useless into "art" before I throw it in the garbage.
Nail Polishes used:
  • Inglot Nail Enamel #721 (Worn here)
  • Bourjois 1 Seconde Nail Enamel #17
  • Colorbar Nail Lacquer White
  • Flower is from an old bra (LOL). I'd planned to paint a bow & decorate it further, until the moment it broke.

4/7/12

Brand Of The Month ~ Bourjois

You know I love Bourjois. My good friend even jokes about my obsession with it. I think I've said "It's a brand that rarely disappoints me" before? Okay, maybe I'm making that up, coz déjà vu happens to me a lot! That feeling that I'd already done/said stuff before happens so frequently, it freaks me out sometimes (like MPD does). Anyways, I am putting Bourjois in the spotlight as:
'Brand Of The Month' 
Simply because I'm loving so many products from the brand these days. Below are some of them:
Bourjois Effet Smoky Eyeliner Pencils in Sparkling Mocha & Sparkling Emerald. Price- Rs.385 each

Sparkling Mocha, Sparkling Emerald (Aren't they gorgeous?!!) If you aren't familiar with these- they are soft pencils which can be smudged easily. I've done a review a long time back here