Favorite Red Lipsticks

Red Lipsticks are confidence boosters. That I believe. But some go as far as to say that women who wear red lipsticks have better careers and success. Really?! I don't think so.

I'm somebody who used to have a red wallet because according to Feng Shui, red wallets attract money. I was in college and always broke, so I thought it was the best piece of information I'd ever heard and I believed in it until...I couldn't afford a bread pakora from the college canteen. Of course I didn't have enough money to begin with and I always had expensive taste, but still.

Anyways, here are my Favorite Red Lipsticks:

• Colorbar Velvet Matte Hot Hot Hot ~ So HOT!
• Revlon Colorburst True Red ~ Really a true red. Finish is awesome, but I don't like how wide the tip is. Not very easy to apply with.
• Make Up For Ever Moulin Rouge ~ The most pigmented of them all
• MAC Heartless (Venomous Villains Evil Queen) ~ I'm so glad I got this. It's superfabulous! Swatch below.
• Shu Uemura RD 165S ~ This has silver shimmer, and I heart it coz it makes my teeth look really white.
• MAC Viva Glam Cyndi Lauper ~ I realized this isn't really red, but it belongs in the family.
• The Balm Read My Lips Wanted ~ Has a pink undertone 

LOTD ~ Big Bow, Bright Lips & My Bedroom Wall

Just some pics of my Look Of The Day. 

Disappointing Beauty Products

I do favorite posts and haul posts and influence you to spend money. Bad... bad girl! I love comments like"Reading this blog is not good for my wallet",  and I can totally understand how you feel because I feel like that every single day when I see new things in other blogs and websites. 

So, I'm hoping posts like this one will help you save some money.

Here are 3 of the most disappointing beauty products I used recently:

1. Face Facial Cleansing Buffer: For face? Really?! It's so rough and scratchy I regret using it on my face even once. They should rename it Foot Cleansing Buffer or Hairy Back Cleansing Buffer.

Personal Shopping: Inexpensive Makeup Products For Beginners

FAQ ~ "I am very new to make-up. Can you suggest some inexpensive products that I can use everyday? I just want the basic stuff, like for eyes, cheeks & lips, since I don't wear foundation and all that. I'd really appreciate it if you can tell me how much they cost too."

I am going to recommend only the ones that I myself have used/still using, and like. So here are my favorite affordable no-fuss products that are not only great for everyday use, but portable too:

1. Bourjois Smoky Eyes Trio in Nude Ingenue (Rs.625) ~ This is a great palette of 3 natural shades with subtle shimmer. Apply the beige shade on your brow bone, center of your lids, & inner corners. Then apply the medium brown shade on your crease & lower lash line. Lastly, use the dark brown on the outer V or corners of your your lids. If that sounds too complicated, just apply medium brown all over lids and beige to highlight the inner corners and brow bone. You can also use the dark brown as a liner. Swatches HERE
2. Colorbar I-Glide Pencil in Cocobar (Rs.325) ~ This is one of my favorite brown eye pencils. I prefer to apply a brown eyeliner for a natural look, coz black can look harsh on my light brown eyes. But if you prefer to use black then pick Black Out instead of Cocobar. Apply a thin line on your upper lash line. Optional: Smudge a little on you lower lash line with a sponge tip applicator (SKIP if you have dark undereyes). Swatch HERE
3. Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara Black (Rs.275) ~ You can pile it on for lots of volume, or you can apply just one coat for defined yet natural-looking lashes. Apply on your lower lashes too to open your eyes more.
4. Colorbar Blush in Just Earth (Rs.250) ~ A bit of brown, a bit of peach, to go with the neutral eyes. Lightly sweep some on the apples of your cheeks. Just make sure your face is matte and non-oily so the blush doesn't look blotchy. Swatch & Review HERE
5. Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in 'Warm me Up' (Rs.299) ~ I can't live without this lipstick! It is a pinkish-brownish nude shade (not so pink like in the pic there), that's great for everyday and would suit just about anybody. Swatch HERE

There. You are good to go! Pretty but not made-up. In case you want to look smokin'  just smudge the dark brown eyeshadow on your upper lash line over the brown liner & on the outer half of your lower lash line, and apply 3-4 coats of mascara.

Total cost of products ~ Rs.1774 

Hope you like my picks! I just love being a personal shopper ;). I'll go CHEAPER in my next post like this.

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Colorbar Autumn Rose

On my nails today is Colorbar Nail Lacquer in Autumn Rose (Without any Top Coat)

It's a neon coral pink shade, that's quite hard to capture on camera. That's is why I put 3 photos, where it's looking different in each.

Colorbar Velvet Matte Lipsticks Review & Swatches

For a rich lip colour with a creamy shine, the Velvett Matte Lipstick, available in 45 stunning shades infuse the lips with vibrancy. Its unique 2-in-1 formulation gives the lips a creamy, yet matte finish. A one of a kind product in India, it has super softening agents that give the lips a soft and supple appearance while keep them nourished with Vitamin E. Staying on up to 5 hours on application, the Velvett Matte Lipstick can be further accentuated with lip gloss and lip liner.

Colorbar Velvet Matte Lipsticks

Colorbar Nail Treatment ~ My Nails But Better

If you don't have time to buff your nails, you could do with a product that will give you the same results in 2 minutes. For me, it is Colorbar Nail Treatment. 

Colorbar Nail Treatment can be used alone or as a nail polish base. I have only used it alone. I apply 2 coats and my nails look so much better, as if they are laminated. I really like the consistency of this product because it is neither runny nor thick. It is just right to apply evenly without any streaks. Hmm...I should use it as a base too.

LOTD With THE Eyeliner Of The Season + A Maid Complaint

Do you also think I look paler? The cold is sucking the color out of me. I should have applied a bit of bronzer there, but I guess I was jaded after slogging all day since my new (occasional) maid didn't show up... two days in a row! That too in her first week we hired her. She works so lazily! She yawns (without covering her mouth) and says "What time is it now?" everyday. That's Ayah lingo for "I want to go now & I don't want to wash the sponges" It's not like I sat idle like a Nazi princess while she worked. I did it along with her.

Yes, I do want to fire her come Monday morning, but I think I should let her complete one month. What do you think?

Anyways, enough about her =D.  THE eyeliner I'm talking about is Colorbar's I-Glide Pencil in Jaded. It's a glossy jade green shade that's perfect for Christmas, especially if you don't wear colorful eyeshadows but still want to add color to your eyes. It's affordable (Rs.325) & glides like a dream. 

It's one green eyeliner which would look good on all skin tones, and if you have green eyes... OMG you are gonna have to wear one of those necklaces/bracelets (black tourmaline?) or a dot of kajal behind your earlobe to ward off evil/envy eyes.

IVC Makeup & Beauty Awards 2010 ~ Best Lipstick, Best Eye Pencil & Best Kajal

It is now time to pick the best of affordable Lipsticks, Eye Pencils & Kajals in the Indian market. Nominees for theses categories are, you can say, products that are in the same league. 

Best Lipstick

Nominees ~ Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick, Revlon Colorburst Lipstick, Loreal Color Riche Lipstick, Bourjois Sweet Kiss Lipstick, Colorbar Soft Touch Lipstick

Outfit & Look Of The Day

Can you believe I've got just one item of clothing from Forever 21? I don't know, I've never seen something I liked & up close some of the clothes just don't look that great. I always ended up buying just jewelry or some other type of accessories, but recently I found a skirt I liked. It's this Pleated Animal Print Skirt....

First Bad Colorbar Nail Polish!

And then the bubble burst. Yes, I came across a bad Colorbar Nail Lacquer for the first time. The shade is so 'Fall' and it's the perfect plum nail color that went with my plum Indian suit I wore on Diwali, but it fell short quality-wise. I'm talking about Colorbar's Plum Wine #41. The consistency is too runny for a dark shade, which makes it very unpleasant to work with. Patchy, patchy, patchy! You can see for yourself there.

Rs.100 - Not worth it!

Maybe it's just a bad batch, but just giving you girls a heads up.

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Colorbar Eyeshadow Review

I've told you that I'm not into buying single eyeshadows, but I felt I needed to try at least one eyeshadow from Colorbar. So I bought one to try out - Proudly Purple. I find it hard to describe the shade to a T, but  if I had to, I'd say... a deep brownish purple with multi-colored shimmer, at least I think it's multi-colored. 

New ~ Colorbar Full Finish Long Wear Lipstick

Colorbar came out with a new lipstick - Full Finish Long Wear Lipstick, which has a special matte formula that makes it easy to apply. Sets within seconds of application and makes your lips look fuller. Its waterproof formulation makes it last for up to 8 hours. Enriched with vitamin E, the Full Finish Long Wear Lipstick is smooth, creamy and gives excellent color without drying or cracking the lips also acting as a natural antioxidant against skin ageing. 

Shades (L-R) ~ Tempt Me, Truffle,  Innocently Brown, Plum Snow, En Vogue,Wicked Brown

Available in 6 shades & priced at Rs.550.

I swatched theses lipsticks at the store the other day and boy-oh-boy were they a pain to remove them from my hand! Even after cleaning them with makeup remover, they left stains, so yes, they are indeed long-wear. 

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

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

Another Colorbar Hottie ~ Rasmopolitan

Rasmopolitan is another shade from Colorbar's Riot Nail Lacquer Collection (after Apple Martini) I've had to wait to get my hands on. But I had to wait longer for this. Over a month!

It is a neon-ish flamingo pink. Rasmopolitan is a fruity cocktail made of Raspberry & the traditional flavors of a Cosmopolitan (the cocktail, not the magazine. I know you know! ;p)

I fell in love with it at the Colorbar flagship store in Select City Walk, but they just had one bottle left and turned out it was a "defective" one according to the SA (something about the brush....I don't know.)
It goes without saying, I was pouting when I left the store. Why do these things always happen to me?!!

My local supermarket carries Colorbar cosmetics, so I was hopeful I'd find Cosmo....I mean, Rasmopolitan there. But nope, they didn't even have a clue-"Huh? Rasmaa-whatta?" 


Yup, it was playing hard to get, which made me want it even more!

Anyhoo, I'll skip the in-between and just conclude by telling you I got it yesterday-yay!
It's creamy & no-topcoat-needed glossy, and applies like a dream. Dries quickly too.


You'd think it's quite like the Maybelline Sexy & Nail Juice Hollywood Pink, but no, Colorbar Rasmopolitan is a totally different kind of  "sexy & Hollywood" 


It is the nail polish equivalent of a true hot pink lipstick. 


Price ~ Rs.150


♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Colorbar Just Earth Blush Review, Photos & Swatches

This is especially for Poornima & Ki, who wanted to see swatches of Just Earth

Colorbar's Just Earth is an earthy deep peach shade with brown undertones, which would match both warm and cool skin tones.  

It is, in my opinion, a universally flattering blush shade and also one of the best 'budget buys' for only Rs.250.

Like I said in my July Favorites post, the finish is very similar to the MAC Sheertone blushes.

It comes packed in a grey compact case with a soft brush and mirror

Swatches

Rating ~ ♥♥♥♥♥ 5/5 (Quality, Packaging, Price, Shade)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

High on Colorbar's Apple Martini

The hottest Colorbar nail color of the season is the Apple Martini #06. 

A few weeks back, I was browsing Colorbar nail lacquers at a store in Gk M-block market, and a salesgirl showed me the new shades that Colorbar just launched at the time. She showed me 5 (orange, yellow, light blue, purple, pink)  and told me "one shade is sold out" 

Me ~ Aacha? What color is it??? *thinking sold out means ''must-have!"*

She ~ Green. Bahut soondar color hai (very pretty color)

Me ~ Don't you have a tester or something???? *I must see it nowww!*

She ~ Oh....ek minute

She called another salesgirl and told her to show me her nails.

Weird-looking nails. LOVELY nail color =D

Me ~ *pouting* 

End of story.

Another story with a happy ending is one week later, I got it from the Colorbar stand-alone store in Select City Walk ;)

It was tough to capture the true color of this gorgeous shade, so I had to adjust the lighting. I don't know why the green just didn't come out on camera.

I'd call it an emerald color if it didn't have a fancy name like 'Apple Martini'

Price ~ Rs.190? 195? (forgot)

Hope you're all doing good. Have a fun week....and stay pretty!

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

July Favorites ~ Featuring Colorbar, MAC, NYX, Marc Jacobs, Body Shop etc

I am loving so many things right now. These are just a few of my favorite things. Must-have products and worth every penny!

Marc Jacobs Daisy (RM.213.00)

Marc Jacobs Daisy is THE perfume for the girly girl. I just couldn't leave it behind when I left Delhi. If you tend to get motion sickness while travelling and strong perfumes make you feel nauseous, this is the one for you coz the fragrance is so soft & subtle. Plus the bottle design is beyond cuteness, would you really care how it smells? ;)

The Hottest Nail Colors & A Few Dupes in India

I am on a 'Dupes' hunting spree these days. So, when Instyle listed the 15 HOTTEST Nail Colors a few weeks ago, I took printouts of all the nail polishes and went looking for dupes, ignoring the puzzled stares of shopkeepers =D

I couldn't find dupes for all of them in one market though.

Nails inc ~ Eden Grove

Isn't that a cute bottle?! And such an unusual nail polish shade. No dupe found. Yet.

Deborah Lippmann ~ Between the Sheets

There is a similar shade in Chambor, in a teeny tiny bottle

LOTD ~ MAC Pret-a-Papier Meets Lakme Night Fever

I was requested to do a look with the Mac Coral Crepe Paintpot from Pret-a-Papier Collection, but I thought it would be fun to do the whole brown paper outfit thing =D

I learnt something from all the boring Drafting classes in Fashion School after all ;)

Please excuse the peeping cupboard. I just couldn't close it!