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Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts

10/5/23

Summer's End Reverie


Feet and ears tucked snugly inside the quilt, instead of out.
An unanticipated sneeze before you've even brushed your teeth.
Sandpaper knuckles.
That in-between emotion that you've yet to name & fittingly stow.

Little notes from Summer - that it has left.


******

Okay, I don't know where I was going with that. These are just impromptu pictures I clicked because I loved the light & shadows in my room that day :)

BUT they are my favourite things......


2/27/23

February Poetry


"Did you count?
The number of times he said my name in his sleep.

Did you curse?
When the syllables lingered ; hung there like feathers on a dream catcher."

*****

"You'll do it again. Over and over again.
Fill your vase with wilting petals, rotting stems, and impending doom."


*****

"In the emptiness, was a perfectly placed allegory."


*****

"They were all smiles and courteousness.
All wore the same perfume - a subtle kind of eau de toilette, with very telling base notes:
citrusy resentment, musky ill-will, and aromatic ulterior motive."


"If you want transparency, eliminate the sugar-coated variety."


*****


"You were a plot hole that didn't fit my story; a flawed concept I had to erase. "



*****


"Just wrap your facade with a neat little ribbon made of treachery, and you're good to go."


3/10/22

Pieces Of Me.......



Wool Beret ~ H&M

Harness Belt ~ H&M Blackpink Collection

Pyramid Heeled Ankle Boots ~ H&M

One Of My Favourite Reads, 2021 ~ Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney







Be right back......

Kisses

xo,



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7/26/21

100 Selected Poems by JOHN KEATS | Collectable Edition


And so begins my journey of collecting classicantique & collectible edition books.....

Starting with this book of poems dating back to the 1800's, enclosed in a beautiful raspberry 
pink hardcover with floral prints & a teal dust jacket with a charm of its own....

100 SELECTED POEMS by JOHN KEATS




9/6/19

Now Reading : The Prettiest Book I've Ever Seen!


Most times, it's word-of-mouth that sells me a book.

Then, on rare occasions, I see a book at a store, and it just makes me feel something....

It calls out to me......

Not only because the blue on the cover is my favourite shade of blue, btw.

1/31/18

Best Things I Bought Lately


By "best", I just mean money well spent. Because they're pretty.... and girly....
and they simply bring a sort of..... custom-made joy to my life =D


H&M Vintage Pink Faux Fur Jacket: From the kids' section, for 8-10 yrs old! ;p
One size up would've been more my size, but that was no longer available.
I was shopping with my Mom at H&M, basically I needed some jumpers for Zii. We went our separate ways at the store. I spotted these pink faux fur coats that don't look like they're for kids in one corner. My Mom found me while I was trying them on in front of a mirror at the back of the store, and she was like, "All this time I thought you were shopping for your child, but here you are. You are not only a shopaholic, you are a holic.". I tried one similar coat from the Women's section, in a Size 6, just to compare, but it didn't sit as well as this one on my petite frame + the sleeves were too long. Now I know where to go for coats from now on...hehe!
(You can have a better look at it here)


La Senza Bralette ~ I have a thing for bralettes, if you haven't noticed it yet, and I was psyched to find a pink lacy one. Most of the lacy ones I see are always black. I find bralettes without any straps and hooks more comfortable to wear under body-hugging sweaters and winter clothes (Actually, I hate bra straps altogether!) This comes with matching knickers.


Herbal Essences Ignite My Colour Dry Shampoo ~  It doesn't leave any white powdery residue & it  smells like roses + adds some volume. I found this at a chemist shop for Rs.760.


It's Skin Caviar Double Effect Serum ~ Product of the week! I was hooked from the first time I used it. Price: Rs.2300


The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo: I spoke about this book in this post, and I finally got it. I've yet to finish reading the whole book, and I want to do a proper review to let you guys know if it really is life-changing. But I learnt one very useful tip: To fold your clothes vertically, so everything is laid out for you, and you don't have to dig for anything. Wait, I will come back and talk more about this in another post.


ZARA Sock-Style Over The Knee Boots ~  It's hard to find OTK boots in India, and next to impossible if your feet are tiny. When I saw some on Zara website, I ordered 2 pairs. Both Size UK 2. I posted a short video of me unboxing this pair (etc) on Instagram. In case you're not on social media, I'll attach it here.....

A post shared by Cynthia Zacharica (@czloves) on




Hope you're all having a good week!

Speak again soon :* :*






8/28/17

Not Giving A F**k!


"
A f*cking disclaimer:This is a book about not giving a f*ck. In order to practically quantify my methods, I've confessed to banishing many objects, concepts, events, activities, and people from my life. You may not agree with all of my choices. Fair. You may even think you recognize yourself in these pages - particularly if you're a parent of small children, a karaoke enthusiast, a friend, family member, or former colleague of mine. If so, you're either correct, or delusional. In any case, if you're offended by anything I've written, then you really need this book. Proceed immediately to page 25: "You Need to Stop Giving a F*ck About What Other People Think."
"
I knew I was gonna really enjoy reading this book when I laughed out loud at the first 3 words. I'm reading it on my Kindle app, because Amazon India (fulfilled) doesn't sell the print version. But I will surely get the paperback, because I want it on my bookshelf! 



So in the introduction, the author talks about the art of mental decluttering by not spending time, energy, and/or money on things that neither make you happy nor improve your life using one method....
The NotSorry Method:

 Step 1: Deciding what you don't give a f*ck about

Step 2: Not giving a f*ck about those things.


LOL! =D

1/25/17

Teaser......{COMING SOON!}


{COMING SOON!}

..........................

................................

Almost 4 years ago.....


Fifty Shades Of Grey
(Full post HERE)

 ♥ 


Laters baby...... ;)




5/20/15

New Hair Feat. Things I Love


I fell sick one week,
Baby CZii fell sick the next week,
I fell sick again that same week,
In the middle of last week....
 I made an impromptu trip to my hometown,
Slow Wi-fi. Doesn't even work at night!
Now I'm sitting in the living room while Baby CZii is sleeping upstairs,
Wi-fi comes and goes,
I'm hoping I'll be able to publish this post successfully.....
(Prove me wrong you Reliance dongle you!)
Before he wakes up & cries for milk  biscuits.

10 mins later:
Shucks! I can hear him already!
Oh, it's just my 1.5-year-old nephew.
Uh-oh, now he's next to me trying to grab my laptop!

Now if we were in a relationship, you wouldn't still think about breaking up with me because I did not keep in touch, would you? 
I've got issues, and it's not Apple Tree Yard*
............

Okay, about new hair: I got it cut & colored last month. I wanted side swept bangs,coz one day my forehead just looked so LARGE! Does it increase with age & childbirth?, I wondered. 
I asked for shoulder-length with lots of volume at the top, and I got, you could say, "The Rachel" (FRIENDS) haircut.

Color was achieved after a lot of stripping - meaning: bleaching & stripping away all of the orange in my hair. They used L'Oreal Majirel Lightest Ash Blonde.

These shoes! I got them from my hometown in January. Available in 2 colors. I got both. Not at the same time, I went for these another time - because, you know, I was losing sleep ;p. I wore them for the very first time last month, and was so pleasantly surprised that they're sooo comfortable for pencil heels.

I will post the other ones on my shoe blog www.cz-loves.com

9/5/14

I Transform Into Cersei Lannister ~ GAME OF THRONES

"When you play the Game Of Thrones. you win or you die.
There is no middle ground."

Cersei Lannister: A character created by George R.R. Martin in his books A Song Of Fire And Ice, which has been adapted into one of the most popular tv shows, GAME OF THRONES. Cersei has a twin brother, Jaime Lannister, with whom she had been in an incestuous relationship since they were adolescents. They both have a younger brother, Tyrion Lannister (the little man up there & my favorite character in the show), whom Cersei loathes because their mother died while giving birth to him.
To read more about Cersei, please go here

*** I do not condone incest. ***



8/13/14

I Transform Into GONE GIRL ~ Gillian Flynn Novel


Name: Amy Elliott-Dunne
Age: 38 yrs.
Marital Status: Married to Nick Dunne.
Disappearance: July 5th, 2012. Her's & Nick's 5th Wedding Anniversary.

Presumed murdered/dead.

Prime Suspect: Nick Dunne, her husband.

5/19/14

Now Reading (Without Jimmy Choo).....

The book that inspired my Lipstick Ban (no more lipstick shopping all year) I talked about on my beauty blog HERE. Need I say more about it's efficacy? ;)
Shoo, Jimmy Choo! The Modern Girl's Guide to Spending Less and Saving More.

By: Catey Hill
Money Editor of nydailynews.com and Recovering Shoe Addict.


2/22/14

Lakmé Absolute Gloss Stylist Pink Pout Photos, Swatches

Let me tell you a bad kiss story of a girl I know very well:
This girl went to meet a boy one evening. A boy she'd been friends with for a while, and then began chatting on the phone with. You know, typical romance story. When she came to see me afterwards that same evening, she was wearing a shiny pink lip gloss that was just a little bit lighter than this one. The center of her upper lip was swollen, and the lip gloss doubled it's swell. She must have thought the gloss would cover up the sting from her rendezvous. I said nothing, and just stared pointedly at the elephant's bottom on her upper lip, while she talked nervously. She knew that I knew.
When she couldn't take the awkwardness anymore, she blurted out: "The idiot bit me.", and then we had a good laugh.
Moral Of The Story: Never pick a shiny lip gloss to cover up a bad kiss, ladies! =D
About Lakmé Absolute Gloss Stylist:
Now get super luscious lips with this revolutionary gloss that incorporates unique light reflecting powders and shiny polymers for a high shine & coverage lacquered finish.
Available in 6 shades.
The applicator is a rectangular-shaped fuzzy thing that collects a good amount of gloss with one dip

10/22/13

The Husband's Secret.....[...and my gifts]

Happy Karva Chauth to all the married ladies! If you don't know what occasion that is, please read all about it here. In India, your fast must be over by this time. It's only around 5:50 pm yet over here (UK).

*****

 A phone call around noon today:
Me: 'Hello?'
Mr.CZ: 'Have you eaten anything?'
Me: 'No'
Mr.CZ: 'Aww....So, I'm thinking about getting you something....but I don't know what color you like....err....something from YSL or Lancome....or....what do you want?"
*****

10/19/13

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Inspired Makeup Look

 "A pale, anorexic young woman who had hair as short as fuse, and a pierced nose and eyebrows. She did not in fact have an eating disorder. She had a wide mouth, a small nose, and high cheekbones that gave her an almost Asian look. Sometimes she wore black lipstick, and in spite of the tattoos and the pierced nose and eyebrows she was ... well ... attractive. It was inexplicable." ~ Stieg Larsson.
This is my attempt at recreating Rooney Mara's Lisbeth Salander look in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

About the character: Lisbeth Salander is a world class computer hacker (under the name 'Wasp')with a Eidetic/Photographic memory. A survivor of a traumatic childhood, Salander is highly introverted, asocial and has difficulty connecting to people and making friends. She is particularly hostile to men who abuse women, and takes special pleasure in exposing and punishing them.
 

7/11/13

Fifty Shades Of Grey Inspired Look & Smoky Grey Eye Makeup Tutorial

"Romantic, liberating and totally addictive, this is a novel that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever." ~ Fifty Shades Of Grey by E L James.
I've had this post in my head for over a year. I had almost everything, except the most important thing- the Grey Tie. It had to be very similar to the one on the book cover. In New Delhi, I went to all the shops that sell men's formal wear - Lifestyle, Shopper's Stop, Van Heusen, Arrow, etc. It became an obsession. I kept saying to the man that I wanted to buy it for him, but really it's for me ;p
Then we moved to Newcastle. I looked for one there too. I read that grey ties had become a trend in UK after the book, and I wondered if they just meant London. I was so confident I'd find it quickly there that I bought a grey eyeshadow & a grey nail polish. But no luck.
Then about 6 months later, when I'd almost given up, in a shop in Dubai {Koton}, I found something close (or it found me!) By close, I mean something textured, not with stripes or plain.
When I created this look, it's not the female protagonist, Anastasia Steele, who inspired me, it's her complicated & highly controlling lover with very dark secrets ~ Christian Grey.
Here's the step-by-step tutorial on how I did the eyes:
1. Take matte black eyeshadow on a pointy pencil brush, tap or blow the brush so there's minimal fallout, apply it on the outer corner & inner corner. Do it like you're drawing a C. Curve the black e/s all the way to the hollow of your crease. I used Sleek Makeup Noir from Oh So Special Palette with Sigma E40 brush.
2. With a clean blending brush, join the two C's at the crease by running the brush back & forth in a windshield wiper motion. I used Sigma E25 brush.
3. It should look like that. You could add more black if you prefer it darker. 
4. Wet a flat shader brush and wipe/squeeze off excess water before using it to apply the grey eyeshadow on the center of lid, not touching the edges of the black e/s. Applying eyeshadows with a damp brush make them look more vibrant, and it gives shimmery eyeshadows that foiled effect + they stick to skin better. I used 2 grey eyeshadows- Rimmel Glam Eyes Mono Eye Shadow Night Jewel & Sleek Makeup Glitz from Oh So Special Palette with Sigma E60 brush
5. Apply the same grey eyeshadow on the center of your lower lash line.
6. With the pencil brush & matte black eyeshadow you used before, apply on the outer 1/4th of lower lash line. Join it with the black e/s on upper outer corner.
7.  Do the same on inner 1/4th near the tear duct.
8. It should look like that.
9.  Apply black kohl on the upper waterline & lower waterline, but only on either side leaving the grey area in the center. I used Lakmé  Kohl Ultimate. *This method does not suit my eyes, and makes me look drunk (hehe!), mainly because I have hooded lids. I should have lined and smudged the black all the way.
10. Apply black liquid or gel liner close to your lash line. Line straight out till it touches the edge of the black eyeshadow at the outer corner. I used L'Oreal Super Liner Instant Impact Felt Liner.
11. Touch up the black eyeshadow if needed. Here, I applied a little bit more and repeated step 2.  
12. I put on false lashes, and applied black mascara on top & bottom lashes. I used Eylure 101 lashes & Max Factor 2000 Calorie Curved Brush Mascara.
DONE! 
 I hope you'll try it. You could always replace the grey with other colors, any color you want- gold, bronze, peach, green, blue, beige/taupe, etc.
Products I Used:
Face: MAC Prep+Prime Line Filler, Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundtion #54 Beige, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer Medium, Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer, NARS Loose Powder Beach.
Blush: Sleek Blush Dolly Mix from Blush By 3 Sweet Cheeks. Swatched here 
Bronzer: Benefit Hoola. Swatched here 
Lips: Bourjois Levres Contour Lip liner #12 Facetieuse, Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick #32. Blotted those, then I applied Bourjois Levres Contour Lip Liner #11 Enjoleuse. Yes, I was confused what to wear, and should have applied only the last one! =D
Grey Nail Polish: Miss Sporty Lasting Colour in New Black
Shirt with bubble sleeves: Mango Suit.
Grey Dress: Guess
Grey Tie: Koton
Silver Earrings: Forever 21
***[This is for readers under 18 years of age: I don't want to sound like a parent, but I would advise you not to read this book until you're over 18. Better yet, wait till you're 25.]

"Laters, baby."




6/30/13

Revenge Wears Prada....And I Wear Multi-Colored Toenails

 If I were Miranda Priestly's assistant, you know what she'd say to me right now?
"Cyn-thi-ah, how many times do I have to scream your name?" *Notices my toes & rolls her eyes* "Did you fall down and smack your little head on the pavement? Are those why my coffee isn't on my table yet? Is that your way of saying you 'understand' fashion?"
Me: "Err...I was just....err..." (She'd probably fire me if I said I was thinking about jelly beans, not 'fashion'.)
Miranda Priestly: "That's all. Now go fetch that piece of paper I had in my hand yesterday morning." *Shoos me with her perfect red manicured hands*
My new thing is multi-colored toenails. They make me happy! =)
What do you think? Yay or Nay? 
I reversed the colors on the other foot. I have to ask, are your little toenails as deformed as mine? They just refuse to look normal! 
 I used: Bourjois So Laque Rose Imaginaire 62, Maybelline Colorama Absinto, Maybelline My Varnish 349, Maybelline Equilibrista, Bourjois So Laque Magenta Show 43, Bourjois Fixant Brillant Topcoat.
*I don't have any yellows & peaches with me right now, otherwise I would've used them instead of 3 pinks.
 
I just started reading Revenge Wears Prada, the sequel of The Devil Wears Prada. I'm quite excited, coz I've missed Miranda Priestly. Here are 6 pages from the 1st Chapter.......

I'm also reading Sophie Kinsella's I've Got Your Number.....

Now read the next pic ONLY if you're not going to read the book, coz I don't want to ruin the tension that leads up to it if you're going to read it.....
Look at the screen, or close your eyes for 14 seconds while scrolling.....


I laughed so hard I shook the bed and I had to stifle myself with the duvet so I don't wake up the man next to me. This is why I keep reading Kinsella - her sense of humor.


Okies, that's all the reading for today. You all enjoy your weekend. I left my The Devil Wears Prada dvd in India, so I've downloaded it, and will watch it again tonight- for the devil alone.
P.S. Since I couldn't do anything tutorial this week, 'Tutorial Month' shall continue till 22nd July.