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Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

3/7/14

Make Your Own Banana Powder

For months and months I've been trying to get a good deal on a Ben Nye Banana Powder, but it's always very expensive online - the shipping cost mostly. If you don't know what Banana Powder is, it's this very hyped yellow translucent powder made famous by Kim K. It seems to suit all skin tones & looks like a great highlighting powder. Lots of people are making money on Ebay by selling samples of it in little plastic pouches. I want the 1.5 oz bottle, but now I'm tired of looking! Only today I found the powder online for $15....I was excited....until I saw shipping was $19.99! Da fudge! Maybe I'll just wait for Ben Nye to come to India.
Ben Nye Banana Powder pic

Let me tell you what led me to do this DIY.....
Star's Yellow Matt Translucent Powder, Rs.225 ~ I saw this super inexpensive yellow powder on Jabong, and I thought "Ooh....maybe it's a Banana Powder DUPE!" I ordered (excitedly), and it arrived some days later. After testing it, I found it too yellow......

9/12/13

Creating 2 Most Wanted Lip Colors

I played around with lipsticks, and created 2 of my most-wanted lip colors.

Maybelline Superstay Infinitely Fuchsia + Revlon Super Lustrous Va Va Violet =
Purple that's not easy to find. It's more intense than MAC Violetta Lipstick

7/4/13

My DIY Ombré Hair Color ~ What I Used

Nostalgic moment, coz that photo was taken in Newcastle. And yes, L'Oreal should send me a gift...hehe!
Since some wanted to know what hair color I used, I thought I should do a post, and "explain" that it's not just one specific color, or two, for that matter. Read on to see my journey to Ombré.....
Please note that this is just what I did, and I'm sure there are much better ways to do it. Also, the same colors may not turn out the same for your hair. Results will vary depending on hair types. 

 What I Used:
  • Hair Color 1 : L'Oreal Excellence Crème 8.1 Natural Ash Blonde ~ This was my base color, before I decided to go ombré. It came out at least 2 shades darker than the model's hair.
  • Hair Color 2 : (Ombré) L'Oreal Preference Wild Ombrés 3 ~ This is an ombre kit that comes with a comb brush that made it quite easy to color only the tips. You squeeze the cream on it, and then comb it through the ends of your hair from chin down. To give the color a gradient effect & avoid an obvious line where the ombré begins, you simply backcomb upwards. If you're using a regular hair coloring brush, try to do the same. I think a toothbrush would work well for this method, too.
I somehow forgot to take pics of the kit. This is what the brush looks like

 
But it came out too orange, as you can see. That's my least favorite hair color on me, and I was horrified!
*TIP: If you're going to use this kit, don't leave it on for too long. Keep checking it. If you see that it's made your hair a light ash brown, wash it off ASAP! Because within seconds, it will strip off all the brown pigment in your hair and reveal the underlying orange. It's what happened to me, it looked fine when I checked in between.
  • Hair Color 3 : L'Oreal Récital Préférence 10.1 Helsinki Very Light Blonde ~ The kit comes with a generous tube of conditioner, and a High Shine Elixir that you put in the mixture. I picked this shade because I thought the ash in  it was going to lighten the orange to a cool blonde. I used it all over my hair, starting with the ends. Unfortunately, it did not do much, and the color looked pretty much the same..... 

Although I clicked when my hair was still wet (because it was getting dark), you can make out my hair's still orange and didn't change much. I think this works only on hair that's already very light. *Therefore, an unnecessary step.  
  • Hair Color 4 : L'Oreal Sublime Mousse 600 Pure Light Brown ~ In the end, I turned to old faithful light brown, and the orange turned a light ash brown. I applied this all over my hair, as well. I was not impressed with the 'mousse' , because it's more watery than mousse-ey (It's not all all like the Liese Bubble Hair Color) but I was happy that it toned down the orange.
For weeks the color looked uniform, showing little ombré-ness, but eventually the ends of my hair got lighter after every wash. That's why it's better to judge a hair color after a week or two. I did everything in March, and until May, this is what it looked like.....
If you want to see more pics, please click here

In the end, I was quite happy with the results, and even though the L'Oreal Wild Ombré kit gave me a brassy orange headache, it was what made the ombré possible.
If I had to it all over again: I think I would use the Ombré kit first, and then use the 1st base color L'Oreal Excellence Creme 8.1 (or a 7.1) all over. I think.
When hair turns orange: I won't use warm colors, like shade numbers with .3 (golden), .5 (red), .4 (copper), as they'll add more warmth. I'll stick to natural colors, like shade numbers with a whole number, like a 6 (light brown) or 7 (dark blonde) OR cool-toned colors with .1 (ash/green). I would also use something blue-toned, like .2 (blue/violet), to neutralize the golden orange (blue is opposite orange in the color wheel). But then again, even hair coloring is an art, and to get it right means the right mixture of this & that. Correcting colors don't all come in at-home box hair colors, that's why people still go to salons.
Presently, my dark roots have grown out about 2-3 inches, and the ombré tips look a little brassy, so I'll be using something cool-toned soon just to touch-up & tone it. I'll try not to pick L'Oreal again! =D 


6/16/13

Bows & Hangers

Just something I did today - after vacuuming the house =)
Ribbons are from a throw and cushions I got from Primark (the green ones in the pics). You know the ribbons that tie them up? Ya, those. I didn't want to throw them away. How can anybody throw away ribbons? Hangers are also from Primark too, btw.



2/12/13

L'Oreal Excellence Creme Goes PINK!

I've used L'Oreal Excellence Creme many many times, but this is the first time I'm seeing pink. So loverly.
I got it a couple weeks back, and have not had a chance use it yet. It's gonna be done before V-Day.
Shade: Natural Ash Blonde 8.1 

♥ Cynthia Z *.*

11/14/12

Ideal Everyday Handbag & The Most Comfortable High Heel Shoes

So I found my ideal black everyday handbag. Finally! You can imagine my face when I saw IT. I also wanted to show you the last pair of shoes I hauled from my hometown. I mentioned the haul here. You have seen the mustard pair here

11/6/12

DIY Bow Shoes [The Continued Story #Confessions]

If you were waiting for this, my sincere apologies for the delay. You know I've had other commitments. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, please read my previous post here.
Hey, I see you're still here. No, please go and read that one first, and then come back here! =D
I'm going to show you a kind of creativity propelled by my inadequate feet - a very very simple way to prettify a plain pair of high heel shoes.

6/4/12

Easy Geometric/Half Moon Nails Tutorial

I know it's not exactly "half moon", coz I didn't have those rounded tapes. I'm no nail art expert, so I use the easiest methods to play with my nail polishes. This method is not the most original, as you may have seen it before, but I did it for the first time last night & decided to put up a tut. I could have used another better/cuter color combo but, I don't know, somehow I settled for these. 
What you will need:
  • 2 shades of nail polish of your choice
  • Sellotape
  • Clear Top Coat 

Products I used:
  • Inglot Nail Enamel #721- Matte pastel yellow
  • Colorbar Apple Martini - Jade 
  • Elle 18 Nail Pops #27- Clear (Brush too small, btw. No good.)
  • Scotch Magic Tape - I cut it in half vertically.

What do you think? Have you tried this method before?


♥ Cynthia Z *.*

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

4/8/12

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.

11/22/11

Bridal Nails With Rhinestones [Bridal Series]


This is one of the easiest DIY bridal nail arts. Quick to do and not at all OTT. I did them on my friend who got married, so I thought I'd put up the pics. 

Products used:
  • Colorbar Nail Lacquer Ivory (shown here)
  • Colorbar Nail Lacquer Clear Top Coat
  • Nail Art Rhinestones I bought from Ebay a while back.

10/12/11

Smokey Eyes For Karwa Chauth ~ Tutorial


Here is Karwa Chauth step-by-step eye makeup tutorial some of you requested. I am using some random colors, so feel free to use any other colors for this look. You could use a shade that matches with your outfit. The main colors I used are pink & purple from a Revlon palette I have been ignoring for a long long time. 
Let's begin:
Part 1:
  • For a smooth application & to make eyeshadows last longer, I used MAC Painterly Paint Pot
  • Revlon Illuminance cream black shadow as eyeshadow base. This will intensify the look. Blend the black on your hand first before applying it on your lids, this will prevent mistakes & make blending it easier.
  • Apply it all over you eyelids up to the crease line. I have droopy lids, so I like to take color over my natural crease line.
  • Blend the harsh edges with a blending brush.
  • With my ring finger, I mixed purple & pink eyeshadows together & patted them on top of he black base. Again, blend the edges.
  • It should look like last pic.

9/26/11

How I Deep Clean Makeup Brushes ~ Step-by-Step Photos


On Saturday, I deep cleaned some of my makeup brushes that I use often, and decided to clickety-click the whole process. It's a basic thing, but I hope you pick up some tips at least.

What is deep clean? It is basically washing your brushes thoroughly with soap & water, not a brush cleanser.

  • Things needed ~ A shallow soap dish, water & a baby shampoo. I use Garnier Fructis Strawberry Kids Shampoo right now. I also use Johnson's Baby Shampoo.

9/5/11

Depotting Colorbar Single Eyeshadow


Many months ago, I was depotting my MAC eyeshadows, and didn't stop there. I picked up the only Colorbar eyeshadow I have, and decided to evict it as well. Single eyeshadows disturb me- mentally. 
It had a mirror attached to it, which made the process seem next to impossible, but I was to curious to find out the outcome.

Eyeshadow shade ~ Proudly Purple (swatch & review here)

This is what it looked like before. The mirror is attached to the bottom of the eyeshadow

7/11/11

DIY Lipstick Sundae


Last night at around 11:00 pm, for no reason at all (okay, let's just say the reason was Sunday boredom), I got up from my beloved couch and made this mini 4-in-1 lipstick palette aka lipstick sundae.

I enjoyed making it so much, because it's so easy. I hope you'll like it too!



6/10/11

Prettify Your Clothes Hangers: DIY

 "No money to buy new clothes! I have nothing to wear! But *sigh* look at my cute hangers... ♥_♥"
On the very last night in KL, I  rushed to Watsons at 9:15 pm  to visit it for the LAST time. It closes at 10, at which time the movie we are going to see (Insidious) was also starting. On my way there, I stopped by this kiosk which, by the way, I had visited earlier that day, but all I noticed then were these vintage-looking telephones my husband didn't let me buy. This time I noticed the hangers and the price fit into my last-RMs-in-my-wallet budget. RM 20 (300 rupees!). I bought them without a second thought. So Meant-to-be, I thought to myself.


I had seen even better hangers like these in Miss Jo about 2 years ago, but they weren't available anymore when I'd decided to buy them.

So, back to topic- How to prettify your clothes hangers? The week before I left for vacay, I was shopping at La Senza and thought the hangers looked really cute. They tied gingham ribbons on regular/blah hangers. Just a ribbon! So simple! I have wanted to share that with you ever since.


Note: This is not a planned post. All my scrapbook stuff (the good stuff!) are in a box somewhere in the corner and I don't want to make a mess, so I'm working with whatever I have lying around nearby.



5/7/11

Colorful Summer Nails Experiment

Last night I was feeling colorful and wanted to paint my nails in different colors. I raided my nail polish box and went crazy trying to decide which colors to put together, while trying really hard to limit myself ("There's always next time for the oranges, greens & reds, woman!")

So, I played it safe with tonal shades of pinks & purples.

Colorbar #71 & Inglot #150 ~ Polka dots done with a toothpick, as always =D (Topcoat smudged the dots)

This one was actually inspired by the next one (which I painted first), after falling for Colorbar #71 all over again.

3/15/11

My Frilly Pink Blush Basket

This is how I store most of my blushes & some bronzers. I bought this basket many years ago from Bangkok, together with a matching jewelry box. I love the quilted and frilly pink cotton fabric with white flowers. It is not stuck on the basket and can be taken out to wash. I don't remember how much I bought it for exactly, but I'm sure it didn't cost more than Rs.500.


I don't throw away the outer boxes of the blushes, coz then it's easier for me to find what I want when I can see the names on the top of the boxes.


You can make something like this for yourself if you want. Let me know if you want the pattern details.

It was made by a company called Nantita. I googled it and found their website! How cool! Click HERE to go to it.

P.S: I'm having trouble posting today. Blogger is telling me I ran out of photo storage space (?). Any advice?

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

2/21/11

Fixing A Bad Hair Coloring Job

I got my hair colored 2 weeks back at a salon, and I wasn't happy with the result. In spite of being a certified hairstylist myself, I always get confused when it comes to my own hair, especially with color. I'm not sure what went wrong, really. I told the guy I didn't want my hair to be bleached, but he (and his posse and the manager) told me it wasn't possible to lighten my hair without bleach. Then I thought it's rude to keep telling them how to do their jobs, right? So I shut up and went along with it.
They used a pre-lightener (twice, or in his words- 'refresh' the bleach) and then Loreal Majirel 8.31 (beige blonde). Here's what I looked like when I reached home (tired, with backache & apparently no lipstick)....

Managed a smile for the camera
It may not look so bad there, coz it was night time & with flash, but in daylight it looked like this...

>.< Me no likey! Leopard automatically came to mind
I paid 3000 rupees for that. Oh... the regret & the guilt!

12/29/10

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.