Favorite Makeup Tips

Here are 5 of my favorite makeup tips, old and new, which I picked up from various sources- magazines, makeup artists & my own experience:

• If you don't want length on your bottom lashes, apply gel liner on them instead of mascara. 
• Apply some loose powder with a fan brush or a puff on your under eye area when using dark eyeshadows or shimmery eyeshadows, so your base won't be ruined if there's fallout. You can just dust it all off with a powder brush when you're done.
• Tearing up while applying mascara or liner but don't want the tears to roll down and spoil your makeup? Just press a Q-tip (ear bud) right on your tear ducts. The tears will be absorbed immediately. Do this when you use eye drops too.
• My new favorite way of applying mascara to extend my short lashes & curl them at the same time: Place the brush at the roots of your lashes, and start rolling the wand (inwards towards cheek), keep rolling till it reaches the tips of your lashes. Repeat until you have evenly coated all your lashes.
• What's your natural blush shade? Squeeze your fingertip (a little above the line), the increase in blood flow will make the tips look pinker. That's the color that will look most natural on your cheeks.

I will keep posting makeup & beauty tips every now and then, so they can go in the 'Beauty Tips' tab up there. Hope you'll enjoy reading, and find them useful.

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Top 6 Lakme Enrich Satin Lip Colors For Indian Skin Tones

(There'sonly 5 up there coz I forgot about the 6th one when I clicked that pic, but don;t worry it's down there)

Here my Top 6 Lakme Enrich Satin Lip Colors that I think would suit Indian skin tones- light, medium, dark. Most of them were part of the Gypsy Collection that came out last fall-winter, except for one shade, which was launched with the first batch.

*I didn't bash up the poor lippies. They were squished/dented like that when they reached me.

(L-R) 663, 266, 129, 424, 423

Read on for lip swatches...

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.

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!

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.

Best & Worst Drugstore Mascaras

First of all, I need you to know what I look for in a mascara, because not everyone expects the same. I have very thin barely-there lashes, so the first thing I look for is VOLUME- the false lash-kind of volume, a lil' bit of LENGTH, no clumps & I prefer waterproof versions, which some mascaras don't come in.

These are the Best & Worst mascaras I have used. I put them according to preference & majorly disappointing :

Diwali Eye Makeup Tutorials For Everyone

The most celebrated festival in India, Diwali also known as the 'Festival Of Lights' , is 2 days away. I guess all you fellow Indians must be very excited. Shopping and planning your Rangoli designs :)

Thought about what type of  makeup you'll be flaunting that day?

My advice: Lots of gold-toned shimmer! Eyeshadows that reflect light. If you don't like bright colors, then pick shimmery neutrals instead for a bit of glamour. For highlight colors, go with gold rather than silver, though silver will look good too.


Here are tutorials for a neutral shimmery look & bright colorful look....


For those who don't like to wear bright colors, I did a neutral shimmery look using half & half technique, which is ideal if you want to lift up your eyes. 

Neutral Shimmery look ~ Apply a shimmery pale peach like MAC Honey Lust eyeshadow on inner half of lid, apply shimmery medium brown on outer half of lid. Blend the middle line. Blend any harsh lines with a fluffy brush. Line eyes with gel liner, smudge line with a smudge brush, curl lashes and apply mascara base then black mascara (Maybelline Double Stretch Mascara) on top & bottom lashes. Last apply a creamy gold highlight eyeshadow on brow bone & inner corners. DONE!

*You can can turn this into a bold/bright look by using bright colors like purple, teal etc instead of the medium brown I used. Or gold instead of the Honey Lust shade.

Finish look with a peach blush (and bronzer if needed) and nude/rose/peach lippy.

♥

The next look is if you want to go bright! I'm  using green & gold....

Click to enlarge photo

Green & Gold Look ~ Apply light green on lids, blend, apply another green with shimmer only on the center of your lids, then apply a gold shadow on top of that green. Next, apply a darker green matte eyeshadow on the outer corners and a little into the crease. Apply the same cream gold highlight color on brow bone and inner corners, and pat more gold eyeshadow on the center of your lid. Blend lightly. Apply an eyeliner winging  it at the corners and use a pencil liner to tightline and also apply some on your lower lash line. Curl your lashes and apply a volumizing mascara on top & bottom lashes. 

**You can use any color other than green, depending on what color clothing you're wearing.

Finish look with a rosy pink blush and pink or raspberry lippie.

Hope you found these tutorials helpful! 

❀ Wishing you all a very Happy Diwali in advance. May God bless you abundantly & grant all the good things that you wish for  ✿ 



P.S: I wrote this post in a rush, so please excuse any errors ;p.

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

How To Tightline Your Eyes (tutorial) & The Actress I Learnt it From

Tightlining still confuses people. I still see "What did you mean by tightline??" comments on Youtube and blogs. Tightlining is when you apply eyeliner right onto the base of your upper lash line to give the appearance of thicker lashes and is a method used for most "no-makeup" looks.

I learnt to tightline my eyes back in the year 2000, when the movie 'Jungle' came out (Don't laugh! ;p) You know, the one with Urmila and Fardeen Khan? I loved that movie! I watched it about 4 times back then haha...

So, I was watching it and thought to myself, Urmila has no makeup on (coz she's a hostage in a jungle and all), but her eyes still look dark as though she has eyeliner on. How come?
I went close to the TV and stared at her eyes for a long time.
Ohhh...I get it! They applied eyeliner just on the inside! Yup,"the inside" was my exact thought. I was too much of a novice to think "lash line" and such words at the time.
From then on I started applying eyeliner there. I didn't know the term 'tighlining' until a few years ago.
*Now I don't know if I should send a 'Thank You' note to RGV or Urmila =D

Anyways, here's how I do it....

First, which type of eyeliners to use for tightlining:
Gel, pencil, kajal.
Gel~ With a flat/angled brush
Pencil & Kajal ~ Directly or with a flat/angled brush

~ With Pencil ~

Apply right on the roots of your lashes. You can also coat your lashes with it a little to make your lashes look darker.

~ Using a Brush ~

• Push the brush right onto the base of your lashes. Fill in all the gaps
• Use a Q-tip to wipe off any smudges outside your lash line.
• If you have very thin lashes like mine, apply a coat of not-so-volumizing mascara on your lashes, concentrating on the base. On your lower lashes too if you want.

Optional : 1. Using an eyelash curler before mascara, 2. Putting false lashes (natural looking ones OR individuals), 3. Applying mascara on your bottom lashes.

Don'ts

• Avoid pulling and tugging at your eyes to prevent premature wrinkles and sagging. Instead tilt your head back so you can see the base of your lashes. If it's absolutely necessary for you to lift your lid, then use a Q-tip instead of your fingers. It's gentler for your delicate eye areas. 
• If using a pencil, avoid applying in a haphazard way coz this might break or damage your lashes Use short strokes instead and try to apply in one direction.
• Don't use a liquid eyeliner. It is not safe for the insides of your eyes, and it won't last anyways.

I hope this is a helpful tutorial. Feel free to ask any questions.


♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

A Birthday Wish For Rekha & Tips To Get Her Look (For Halloween?)

♥ ~ Happy Birthday Rekha ~ ♥

"No one can know the real Rekha, because the real Rekha lies somewhere in her fantasy" ~ Simi Garewal.

Today is our very own Indian beauty icon, Rekha's birthday. She turns 56 today, but the diva in her has not withered at all.
She's glamorous, classy and always very composed. Her tactfulness when talking about the difficult life she's had is admirable.
My favorite movie of hers is 'Khoon Bhari Maang' among some others too :)

To read more about her life, click here

Here is my attempt ((in a jiffy) to look A BIT like her...

Here's another one. Same makeup and everything except for a few changes here and there. Although I should have applied a bit more brown eyeshadow on my bottom lash line. Used sindoor for the first time in my life, and it got SO messy I couldn't shape it on the hairline and it smudged on my nose too =D

*The nose ring is a sticker =D

Make-up Tips To Look Like Rekha:

• Unique brows. Her brows are never over-tweezed or rounded. They are almost straight with just a slight arch.
• Feline eyes ~ White eyeliner on waterline, Black eyeliner on top lash line, falsies, contact lenses sometimes (Grey, hazel)
• Pouty Lips. Almost always with dark lips: Red, brown, burgundy, her lips always stand out. Use a lip liner and line a little outside your lips to make them appear fuller.
• Beauty spot. Her most famous trademark on her left upper lip, although sometimes it is seen on the right side. I used L'oreal Super Liner Carbon Gloss coz it has a stiff pointy brush for control, and then I patted a bit of medium brown matte eyeshadow on top.

Are there any Rekha fans out there? Do drop your own birthday wishes to her below.

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Win A free Consultation With Dermalogica India

Experience the Dermalogica India Online Speed Mapping, which is a quick face analysis technique to win a FREE consultation with Dermalogica India's skin health expert.

All you have to do is:

• Visit their website here and find out what your skin craves
• Then post your result in the Dermalogica India Facebook Fanpage

One winner will be chosen every week for a month.

Have fun Speed Mapping & Good Luck y'all!




♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Runway Eyeliner Trend ~ Yay or Nay?

The latest eyeliner trend seen on the runways is angular and bold. A twist of of the Amy Winehouse trademark. Love it or hate it, we surely can't ignore it coz it's in every second fashion magazine nowadays.

Lakme Night Fever Collection also had a look similar to it, and since the time the collection was launched,  I had wanted to try out this look.

How to:

• Used Urban Decay Primer Potion all over lid
• Contoured my crease and highlighted brow bone with Mac Sculp & Shape powder
• Applied a shimmery pink eyeshadow (BF 120 palette) on the lid and center of lower lashline
• Used Lakme Black Impact Liner 
• Urban Decay 24/7 in Zero on my waterline
• Finished off with 2 coats of Bourjois Ultra Care Mascara on top and bottom lashes

I really like the Lakme Black Impact Liner. The brush is very thin and easy to work with. I heart the packaging too!

**With a bold eyeliner like that, I'd keep the rest of my face simple. Just a little bit of blush and/or bronzer and nudy-pink lipgloss. Shimmery pink eyeshadow adds a bit of femininity to the butch-looking eyeliner. 

P.S: Because of my hooded lids, I have to contour my crease especially when wearing a thick liner. Which means it's not a very necessary step :)

I actually like it. I think with the right outfit and accessories, it would look fabulous! But definitely a night time look, in my opinion. 

What about you all out there? Dare to wear it?

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^


Disclaimer: The Lakme Black Impact Liner was sent to me by the company's PR for consideration

Quick Tip: How To Store Your Kabuki Brushes (The Cheap Way)

Most kabuki brushes come packaged in those transparent sharp-edged boxes, which in time look old and get discolored. I live in a dusty area, so it makes me cringe every time I even think about leaving my brushes out in the open.

So, one day I was dusting and arranging my vanity and I just dropped my kabukis into this empty Johnson's Buds container without thinking....

I thought it was one of the smartest things I ever did LOL ;D

I took them like this while travelling too.

Of course it would look much flaunt-worthy in a cute & girly (pink?) container. Yes, I have to get me some of those.

For now, this will do ;)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Eyeshadow Blending & Coloring Pencils

Image Source

The only thing that can make your eyeshadow look off is if you don't blend it the right way or don't blend at all! I still see a lot of people use the sponge tip applicator that comes with their eyeshadow palettes and instead of "applying" with a light hand, they "draw" the colors on their lids.

The school tools you need to keep in mind when doing your eye makeup are:

Color Pencils

Jiaoli ~ Miraculous Cream for Dark Spots & Melasma?

Before you read any further, please be warned that this brand has stirred quite a lot of controversy and also banned in some Asian countries! I am not advising anybody to try it out. I just want to share what I know and read about it.

My First YT Video ~ Night Out Make-up

Hi all,

I finally finished editing my first YT video. IT'S NOT SO GOOD btw. There's no sound during the first few seconds when I'm blabbering, coz I was having trouble combining own audio and without own audio (which had a lot of noisy background sound) Thanks to Rihanna's Te Amo! At least now I know that I shouldn't play music when filming! I'm sorry about that. I'm still learning...
You can just fast forward to the make-up part. I will put up another one with the audio in a few days.

I wanted to put up the video anyways coz I didn't sleep at all last night editing this, so I didn't want it to be a waste :)

Sound will start at 0:56




Products Used:

• Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
• Mac Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder (Review here )
• YSL Touche Eclat
• Eyeshadow Primer ~ I mixed Mac Studio Finish Concealer with Pond's Age Miracle Dual Eye Therapie (the pink one) and then dusted Mac Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder on top. You can mix them all together, but that's a different story :) (Review of the Pond's eye cream here )
• Mac Dsquared Sculp & Shape Duo in Bone Beige/Emphasize
• Eyeshadows ~ BF 120 palette (Details here ) 
• Eyeliner ~Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner (applied with Vega angled brush)
• Eyelash Curler ~ Shu Uemura
• Brows ~ Mac Brow Set in Beguile
• Lashes ~ Revlon Beyond Natural False Lashes (Review here )
• Mascara ~ Bourjois Maxi Frange (Waterproof)
• Bronzer ~ Bourjois Delice De Poudre Bronzing Powder (Review here )
• Blush ~ Mac Give Me Liberty Of London Summer Rose
• Lips ~ Bourjois So Delicat Lip Cream in #51 Rose Poudre & Bourjois Eau De Gloss in #13 Rose a l'eau
• Makeup brushes ~ Sigma & Vega

To see outfit click~ here

Thanks all for watching.
Have a good weekend!


♥ Cynthia Z.

Revlon Beyond Natural Lashes Review + How To Apply & Remove False Lashes + False Lash Applicator

Revlon Beyond Natural False Eyelashes are professional eyelashes that are ultra lightweight, come with a Precision Lash Adhesive, and are re-usable with proper care. Every box come with its very own reference tip sheet for helpful guides on how to apply and remove these false eyelashes. 

Buy A Satin Pillowcase Before Anti-aging Creams & Hair Treatments

For the last 1 year or so, I always make sure that I sleep on a satin pillowcase every night when I'm home. I don't care if the rest of the bed materials are of a different design and color, because the benefits are worth the daily mismatch.

I am telling you, it does wonders! My hair looks healthier and shinier than ever! And I really do mean 'ever' (say, 5-6 years ever.) And I don't see loose hair stuck on my pillowcase when I wake up anymore! If you have very frizzy, unruly hair, a satin pillowcase will calm it down.

Red Hot Vs Hot Pink Lips + Revlon Colorburst Swatches

Which do you think would win in a war between Hot Pink Lips and  Red Hot Lips?

Revlon Colorburst ~ Fuchsia & True Red

I believe anybody can pull both off when it's the right shade.

Lets see what complements these two classic "will always be in" lip colors......

6 Tips For Long Healthy Nails

This is especially for you, HD =)

I am not going to preach what I don't practice, like eat healthy, drink lots of milk and stuff like that.

These are just tips that work for me. I have pretty strong nails already, but they chip and peel all the time. So I do the following to fight back, or in this case, to scratch back....rawwwrrr!!!

Holi Beauty Tips

Holi, otherwise known as "Spring Festival" and the "Festival of Colours" is one of the most celebrated occasions in India. This year it falls on the 1st of March. I'm early but we need to be prepared for it now.

~ Make-up ~

Some might think why apply makeup when it's all going to get messed up anyways, but it's what's going to save your face from looking blotchy afterwards. But the key is to not look overly made up or too colorful either. We just want to apply a barrier between the colors and our skin. And of course we do want to look pretty before we get all messed up too :)

Face ~ Pick a silicone based or water resistant foundation like L'Oreal True Match or Mac Face and Body foundations. Apply on face and neck. Set it with powder. 

Add a bit of color to your cheeks with cream blush. It wont shift and slide when you're drenched.

Eyes ~ Yes, waterproof all the way. Stick to cream eyeshadows in neutral shades. Tightline your eyes with a smudge-proof eyeliner or apply very close to your lash line, curl lashes and apply a waterproof mascara

Lips~ Lipglosses are a NO-NO on this particular occasion and I don't think that needs any explanation. Pick a matte lipstick. If you don't have a matte lipstick, just apply any lipstick you have, place a single ply of tissue over your lips and dust some powder right on the tissue. Peel off the tissue. Perfect matte long-wear lipstick!

Body ~ *Avoid waxing, shaving, threading and salon skin treatments one week before Holi because they make your skin sensitive and highly susceptible to inflammation and infections.* 

On D-Day apply olive oil to the exposed parts of your body like arms and legs. This will prevent the colored powder from sticking to your skin making it difficult to wash off. Don't forget your ears.

Nails ~ Nail polish is necessary. It is a pain to clean the corners of your nails, so this tip might help a bit - One hour before you go out and play, apply a top coat all over and around your nails. This means the areas outside your nails as well. If you have long nails, apply on the insides (under your nails) too. Just a thin coat is enough. If it's too thick, it will peel off easily. Believe me, this will make cleaning so much easier. All you'll need is nail polish remover, soap, a toothbrush/loofah and water.

~ Hair ~ 

Oil your hair with coconut or olive oil to protect it from the colored powders and tie it up. Below are some  glam updos you can style your oily mane into. You can add some accessories like hair bands, bows or fancy clips if you want to.

~ After the fun ~

• Before jumping in the shower, massage olive/coconut oil to wherever color has adhered to to loosen it from your skin. Let your hair down and comb through it to disentangle.
• Use a loofah and bodywash to wash off everything. Shampoo your hair and apply conditioner generously. 
• When you're done, moisturize your skin well with your favorite moisturizer or olive oil (again)
• *I suggest you keep something like ice cold aloe vera gel for any skin allergies that may appear afterwards (personal experience)*

When you're done and there's still some stubborn spots staring back at you, it's okay. Nothing is permanent. Have some good old 'Bhang' and relax! =)

Wishing all my fellow Indians a fun & colorful Holi! 

♥ Cynthia Z ^_^