The Next Best Blush To Benefit Coralista In India

I want everyone to have a Coralista, coz I love it so much, especially since we don't have Benefit in India. I said 'Next Best Thing', coz I don't think it's a dupe-dupe. It's a blush that is pretty the way it is and would complement all skin tones. It's another blush I'm loving, Colorbar Peachy Rose.

Just for comparison's sake, let see how similar it is to Benefit Coralista...

Benefit Coralista & Colorbar Peachy Rose

Benefit Coralista Vs Sugarbomb

I've been meaning to post this for a while now. Best of the two ~ Coralista OR Sugarbomb?

Most of you know how much I love my Coralista, right? It conquered Nars Orgasm too in my book of 'Battles of the Beauties' =D

Then along came Sugarbomb, and oh-my-god I was so obsessed with it! Even Twitter has some record of my craving for it =D

Okay, fast forward....

I was holding Sugarbomb in my hand at a Benefit counter in KL, and I remember thinking to myself: "Umm...so this is Sugarbomb. Hah."

The compulsive shopper in me was like, "Oh, would you stop that and just take it home! =["

I told the very helpful SA there that I already have Coralista and would just like to see if they're similar. SA immediately said they are very similar, so no point in me getting Sugarbomb too. Now that's a good SA!

But me, still not convinced swatched and tried both blushes only to see that they are in fact very very similar (to a guy: SAME) but...

Coralista looked better. The coral in it just came out more beautifully, whereas Sugarbomb looked a tad too glowy/shimmery and somehow the coral didn't show up like I wanted it to.  

I'm not saying I don't like Sugarbomb. I'd probably love it if there wasn't a Coralista, but not in this lifetime. 

I feel that Sugarbomb is like a younger sister who tries to outdo the already popular & more talented elder one with bolder ways but fail (think ~ Dannii Minogue, Shamita Shetty, Riya Sen, Tanisha Mukherjee.)

I think Coralista is better so much that, even if I had finished it or hit pan, I'd still pick it over Sugarbomb. Nuff said.

P.S: This is just my personal opinion, so you don't have to agree with me. To each her own. Peace! ;)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

I'm a Matterial Girl

'Coz we are living in a material world and I am a material girl.

What would go with that Madonna's hit song? None other than Benefit Matterial Girl.

This Matte-finish Setting Powder is my latest love.

First things first, the packaging. Oh-so-cute! And if you know me, I'm a sucker for anything that looks like that.

Now does the powder live up to its promises of being a silky, matte-finish powder?

Yes, it does. It mattifies my skin without making my face look cakey. It is better than the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder when it comes to keeping me shine-free for longer. Silky, but not as silky as I hoped it would be.

It is a translucent powder with yellow undertones, so it will match all skin tones. Although it appears to be too light, it disappears once it's well-applied onto your skin. Plus, the yellow in it does a good job at counteracting any redness.

The only con is that I think it's too expensive for a loose powder. There are better powders out there that cost a lot less.

But....

Can you blame a girl for being smitten with those cute little bows?

No regrets.

Girl is an Asia exclusive product, so you'll only find it in Asian counties.

Price ~ Rs.1520 approx.

Rating~ ♥♥♥♥♥ 4/5

When was the last time you saw Madonna's Material Girl music video?

Aren't we all? ;)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Beauty Buys From Malaysia ~ Part 2

Looking less, isn't it? =(  I think I got more shoes, bags, jewelry and clothes this time for a change :)

But 1 more day baby! And duty-free tomorrow *wink wink*

Can't wait to be back in India...I'm dying to eat authentic Indian food!!!

Last year's haul here 

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Where To Buy Benefit & Make Up For Ever In Delhi

Just thought I'd let you girlies in Delhi know that you can get some Benefit and MUFE products here in Delhi!!! Yippee!

Today, I was doing some shopping and was very happy to see quite a few Benefit and MUFE makeup products here in Delhi and it's none other than Kunchal's. I didn't have much time to browse through everything, but here are a few products I noticed

Some Benefit Products ~ Benetint, Posie Tint (Price- Rs.2000 something) Bad Gal Lash Mascara, Smokin' Eyes (Rs.3000 something), Big Beautiful Eye Set, Eye liners,  Powderflage, 10 Bronzing & Highlighting Duo, Kitten Puff Powder...etc....

MUFE ~ Sculpting blush, Primer, Foundation, Concealer, Lipsticks, Star Powders, Some Eyeshadows and glittery stuff...etc. Nope the HD Blush I'm drooling over wasn't there....yet...hopefully.

Sorry, can't be more specific about all the products and prices. Kunchal's was so busy and there was this BIG woman with an attitude problem who wouldn't move away from the MUFE & Benefit counter! :\ when she's just looking for some Maybelline eyeliner pencils (which she thought was too expensive! Rs.200 something! Come on! Why are you in Kunchal's then woman?!!)

Hehe....boy, did she piss me off!

That's why I was in no mood to buy anything Benefit or MUFE today. Just walked out with some Bourjois & Revlon =)

Anyhoo, that's all for now peeps. Hope you're in a 'TGIF!' mood ;0)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Reviews ~ Nars, Chi, Benefit, Tweezerman

Here are the reviews on the Pretties From StrawberryNet

Nars Multiple Duo ~ Maldives/Riviera

Two words. Love it.

I was very very surprised to see how big the packaging is. In my head, I thought it would be the size of the blush and each multiple would be the size of half the blush. I adore both the colors and I find the texture of the Multiples very interesting...smooth yet neither sticky nor oily. The pigmentation is also "Just Right"
I wish I was the one who created it ;p
Buy Again? Absolutely! In other colors, of course.

Benefit ~ Thrrrob Turned On Face Powder

This is too sheer to be worn alone, so I like to layer it over a cream blush. It does bring a nice glow to the face. The brush is nice, not to mention the fabulous corset box. But I can live without this for sure.
Buy Again? Nope.

Chi Silk Infusion ~ Silk Reconstructing Complex

Omg this smells *sooo* good! Ironing does go smoother with this on my hair. I haven't used it much, but I know that even if it does not improve my hair, I'd still buy it again for the lovely smell.
Buy Again? Answered already.

Tweezerman Tweezers

WOW! These are amazing. Tweezing feels so effortless with them. They are sturdy and they grip the hair so tight that you don't have to worry about not pulling from the roots. I love that they come in a vial and has a tip cover, this ensures that the tweezers will always be as good as new even when you carry them in a stuffed make-up pouch/bag.
Buy Again? I don't think I'll need to. But if I had to, Y-E-S.

I hope these reviews will be useful to some who are thinking about trying these products.

By the way, StrawberryNet has a Valentine's Day Promotion going on right now until the 14th of February. You can check out the details ~ Here 


Valentine's Day!!! Woohooo....! The first occasion of the year when you can really justify splurging :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

♥ Cynthia Z ^_^

Pretties From StrawberryNet

I received this parcel from StrawberryNet  after Christmas. I must say, I am very very impressed with the fast shipping (I received them within 10 days) and how they packaged everything in a box filled with thermocol so the cute little things will be shipped without any damages (Don't we all just hate it when they come broken?!! \= )

For those of you who don't know about Strawberrynet , it is a Hong-Kong based online shopping destination that sells discounted cosmetics and offers free shipping to anywhere in the world. 

What makes it easier to shop at Strawberrynet is the scroll down tool that lets you select your region/country before you shop so that the currency will automatically be converted to your own. Not only that, you can select our own language too - for those who can't read the universal English. For us Indians we can pick Hindi. By "us" I mean most Indians and a very small part of my Hindi-challenged brain :)

Honestly, I personally like that everthing is in alphabetical order and when you click on one brand, you'll see everything in one page- from eye to lip products. Quick and easy. No confusion. 

Who has the time to find cow when seeking sheep???

I'm so glad I've found an alternative to Ebay. A beauty addict living in India, where all the most wanted cosmetic products don't come easy, needs more than one online store to seek gratification from.

Strawberrynet sells almost every popular cosmetic brand from Mac to Laura Mercier to Bobbi Brown to Philosophy (I might order a lil' bit of "Hope" later) to Shu Uemura to YSL to lots more. I should have ordered the YSL Touche Eclat from them instead of the nearby mall to save a few bucks. Damn!

And yeah, you'll find beauty tools, hair products and fragrances at discounted prices too. Right now, get Super Special 30% - 60% OFF on fragrances like Britney Spears Curious, JLo Glow, YSL Babydoll (all my favorites) and lots more. 

The Pretties. MUAH! :*)

• Chi Silk Infusion Silk Reconstructing Complex
• Nars Multiple Duo ~ Maldives/Riviera
• Benefit Thrrrob Turned on Face Powder (I'm so turned on by the corset design box ^.^ lol)
• Tweezerman Tweezers ~ Pink with white polka dots

If you want to grab any (or all!) of these products for yourselves and many more click ~ Here

Remember how much I wanted these tweezers?!! Should I add crystals on them later on? hehe...

I will be reviewing all of these products  later when I've used them for some time okey dokey...

Any of you have tried the products above? Do let me know how you find them.

Till next time...have a great week you all! =)

♥ Cynthia Z ^_^

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PRODUCTS OF THE WEEK ~ 2009

I had planned to post this before the end of 2009 but....
So, here are all the products that I featured as 'Products of the Week' since the first day I started blogging. All the products are basically products that I love.

~ In random order ~

Etude House Kissful Lip Tint Chou

St.Ives Apricot Cleanser (Renewing)

VO5 Elixir

Mentholatum ~ Lip Ice Lip Balm

Himalaya Hair Detangler & Conditioner

Za Pure Shine Lips Lipstick

Benefit Blush ~ Coralista

Lotus Kajal ~ Review here

Pond's White Beauty Toner

Himalaya Purim Tablets

Pond's Perfect Matte

Bourjois Effet 4D Lipgloss

Revlon Beyond Natural Blush & Bronzer (Peach)

Mac Marbleize Lipglass ~ Funky Fusion

Garnier Aqua Defense ~ Review here

Review here

Bourjois Sweet Kiss Lipstick ~ Review here & here

I'm sure I'm forgetting some because I didn't save them, but this year I won't make that mistake.

~ All the products above are so worth trying, if you haven't already ~

♥ Cynthia Z ^_^

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

Best Of The Two ~ From Skincare to Make-up

Here, I'm going to pit one beauty product against another similar one, and pick one WINNER based on the product I like more, regardless of their prices.

***All products listed have been tried and tested by me personally, so please keep in mind that what works for me might not work for you.***

Rules: They just have to make me love them, that's all.
Referee: Smothered by all the products...gasping for air! =D

So, let the fights begin!

Skincare:

 Olay Total Effects 'Vs' Pond's Age Miracle

The Winner is ~

♥ Pond's Age Miracle ♥

Because it feels better on my skin, it's less oily than the oponent and my fine lines are gone! It has tiny light reflecting particles which make the skin glow  *Can't be used in the eye contour area. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Pond's White Beauty 'Vs' Fair & Lovely Multi-vitamins

The Winner is ~

♥ Fair & Lovely Multi-vitamins Cream ♥

Because it is just better! Not drying like Pond's WB (which is hard to blend into the skin and "Pinkish White Glow"? No thanks!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Pond's Flawless White Day Cream 'Vs' Nivea Sparkling Glow Day Care

The Winner is ~

♥ Pond's Flawless White ♥

Because it is one of the best creams I've ever used. I don't even want to talk about the loser.

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 Lakme Peach Milk Moisturizer 'Vs' Olay Moisturizing Lotion

The Winner is ~

♥ Lakme Peach Milk Moisturizer ♥

Because I survived all of last winter on it. Smells great, sinks into the skin and it's non-greasy.

*Olay ML made me breakout

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Garnier Pure Pimple Pen 'Vs' Clean & Clear Acne Speed Clearing Gel

The Winner is ~

♥ Garnier Pimple Pen ♥

 It's clear, it's effective and easier to use. The other oozes out uncontrollably when squeezed and I don't like that it's white and noticeable.

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Make-up:

 Kajal ~ Lotus Herbals 'Vs' Himalaya 

The Winner is ~

♥ Lotus Herbals Kajal ♥

Because it is a little more smudge-proof than Himalaya. Do you see that it looks matte? Even the packaging is better. I did a review on it here

*I hate the smell of Himalaya Kajal and when sliding it's cover to open and close, you risk beheading the half-out kajal :[

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Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 'Vs' Mac Fluidline

The Winner is ~

♥ Maybelline Gel Eyeliner ♥

Because it survived under water and soap unlike Mac Fluidline. Plus it comes with an amazing brush, not to mention it's cheaper too. Will get it in Black as well.

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 Blush ~ Benefit Coralista Vs Nars Orgasm 

The Winner is ~

♥ Benefit Coralista ♥

I like both of them equally because they are very very similar. After staring at myself in the mirror for about 5 minutes and imagined I had a gun to my head, I decided that I like Coralista more...umm...I think so.

More fights another time. I don't want this post to be too long and I gotta sleep...zzzz...

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^