Lakmé Absolute White Intense Skin Cover SPF 25 Review

Have you seen the movie "The Skin I Live In"? It's weird, but well-written. Somehow Lakmé Absolute White Intense Skin Cover SPF 25 makes me think of the movie. Skin....Skin. Don't you think that word sounds weird? Rumpelstiltskin. Oh-kay it sounds even weirder now.

What it is:
This ultra light, oil-free, water based formula delivers naturally fair, breathable skin. Its weightless formulation hides pores, fine lines and uneven skin tone to leave skin peachy soft all through the day. It lasts up to 16 hours without fading and has Vitamin B3 and sun protection of SPF 25.

Available in 3 shades: 01 Ivory Fair, 03 Golden Medium, 05 Beige Honey.

I picked 03 Golden Medium. It suits me the best, but is still on the lighter side, although it adapts to my skin tone well & doesn't make me look ghastly. If your skin tone is darker than mine, the darker shade might be a better match.

Lakmé Absolute Products Sneak Peek

I thought I'll let you have a lookie at some products from the highly anticipated Lakmé Absolute Collection.

Here's what I got:

•  Lakme Absolute White Intense Skin Cover. Rs.575 : Review coming in the next few days.
•  Lakme Absolute Mattreal Skin Natural Mousse, Rs.467 : Will review this too in a week or so.
•  Lakme Absolute Moon-Lit Highlighter, Rs.510 : Lovely design. Will show you if it looks as lovely on the face.
•  Lakme Absolute Matte Lipstick, Rs.318 : I got Grape Blossom. Swatches coming soon.
•  Lakme Absolute Plump & Shine 3D Glosses, Rs.375 : Review here
• Lakme Absolute Fast & Fabulous Nail, Rs.175 :  Not shown, Review here

Prices may differ coz I got a discount on them from Lifestyle.

Products For DIY Bridal Makeup

Hey everyone,

I know my Bridal Series is hanging in limbo. It's going to come to an abrupt end since I've got so many things to do before Christmas + I'm leaving for vacay right after that. But I want to do a couple more posts to end the series properly. Fingers crossed!

Below are the makeup products I'd use on my wedding day- if I were doing my own makeup. I'd be wearing a pink lehnga with gold embellishments, so I picked the colors accordingly:

Face:

• Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Oil Free
• Make Up For Ever HD Foundation
• YSL Touche Eclat to brighten up the undereye areas
• MAC Studio Finish Concealer to conceal blemishes
• MAC Chromagraphic Pencil for spot concealing
• The Body Shop Loose Powder
• MAC Sculp & Shape Powder to contour & highlight
• Benefit Bella Bamba
• Benefit Hoola 
• MAC Fleur Power Blush
• MAC Fix+ Finishing Spray to set makeup. For me, this works best at this time of year when my skin is drier.

Other long-wear foundations:

Revlon Colorstay Foundation, MAC Pro Longwear Foundation, MAC Studio Sculp Foundation. 

Other Blush suggestions: Colorbar Peachy Rose & Just Earth, MAC Dollymix, MAC Peaches, Nars Orgasm, Benefit Coralista, Bourjois Lilas D'or, Lakme Earth Rose Trio Blush, Lakme Cheek Artist Kiss Of A Rose (Visit the Blush Bar for swatches)

Bridal Makeup Products On A Budget (Bridal Series 2011)

Welcome to the Bridal Series 2011! I will be doing a few posts on bridal makeup products and such....and there might be a surprise at the end of the series *wink* Now now don't get any ideas in your head, I don't even know what it is myself haha.

I told you my childhood friend got married, right? I had to buy some makeup products for her last month, but since she is not a makeup junkie, she wanted to keep it simple with just the bare necessities.

About The Bride & Wedding:

• Type ~ Christian wedding (means minimal/day makeup)
• Theme ~ Red & Gold
• Bride's Gown Color ~ Ivory

So, here are all the products I got for her:

Face:

• Primer ~ Inglot Under Makeup Base. Used as a foundation primer as well as eyeshadow primer.
• Foundation ~ Colorbar Triple Act Compact. This is a 3-in-1 product with a concealer, foundation & compact. It is awesome! Everyone liked it!
• Concealer ~ Colorbar Full Cover Concealer
• Powder ~  Maybelline Whitestay UV Compact in Natural for whole face Fawn for contouring. 

Revlon Colorstay Foundation Combination/Oily Skin Review

I've been using Revlon Colorstay Foundation in for a year now, but I never thought about reviewing it, coz I thought my fotds were enough :p. Truthfully, I think foundation is the hardest makeup product to buy. I personally don't depend on reviews I read on the net when it comes to foundations. I'd rather test them at the stores myself. But a few loyal readers have requested this, so I'm doing it to keep them loyal hehe...

Claims ~ ColorStay Makeup with SoftFlex provides lightweight comfort, so you feel like you’re not wearing makeup. Looks fresh for up to 16 hours. Specially formulated for combination or oily skin, this oil-free formula helps control shine all day and gives you flawless looking skin. Makeup looks fresh and feels great for up to 16 hours thanks to the lightweight, comfortable feel from the SoftFlex ColorStay formula.

Medium to full coverage, with SPF 6 protection.

Also available in Normal/Dry Skin.

August Favorites ~ Makeup, Skincare, Haircare Etc

The votes were in, and most of you like Monthly Favorites blog posts. High Five! I like them too! :)

I just wrote August in the title, when in fact I've been using some of these products long before August.

1. Spring It! Hair Removing Spring Thing ~ I can't live without this anymore! I use it mainly to remove hair from my upper lip, which I have to do often coz I click a lot of lip photos over here. On camera, even a leetle bit of hair look offensive (shown here). Basically, you hold both ends down into a U-shape, roll the spring on your skin, and straighten it to pull out the hair. Quick & painless- once you get used to it :))
2. Clearasil Acne Clearing Scrub ~ This makes my face feel really smooth. The scrub isn't so big and abrasive, so it wouldn't hurt a ripe pimple. I leave it on as a mask too sometimes. However, it doesn't prevent pimples, coz I have a pimple right now when I'd just used it 2-3 days ago. But in it's defense, I'm getting pimples on and off lately. 
3. Herbal essences None Of Your Frizziness Serum ~ With anti-humidity technology, it says. I love that it smells like mangoes. Slice, to be precise. It does help tame the frizziness I get right after washing.
4. Etude House Missing U Hand Cream 'Panda Story'~ I LOVE this panda so much! I should have bought all of them! This one smells peachy and it does not make my hand feel slippery. I'm so afraid to use it coz I don't want it to be finished! (also shown here). Must collect more next time!
5. Olay 7-in-1 Total Effects Anti-Ageing Eye Cream ~ I'm liking this a lot. It has tiny gold flecks in it, which are unnoticeable when applied. It's not very greasy/oily. The outer corners of my eyes used to be dry-ish and this has moisturized them to normalcy. Fine lines have also noticeably reduced. You can mix this with your concealer, and you've got yourself a YSL Touche Eclat dupe...ish, I think =D
6. MAC Quite Cute Mineralize Blush Giggly ~ Favorite pink blush of the moment (swatches here). It looks so good especially at night under yellow light. I think it could be my favorite pink blush of all time.
7. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation #53 ~ This is almost exactly like the original Healthy Mix Foundation, except it is thinner (more liquid-ey) and less oily. It is easier to blend than the original too. Yes, I do like it better than the original. It smells so fruity & fresh, I could eat it. Coverage- Light to Medium. 

Benefit some kind-a gorgeous ~ Foundation Faker

What it is:

This lightweight, translucent, foundation-like product smoothes out imperfections and evens skin tone with a silky, smooth finish that's super natural and super gorgeous.

Shades ~ Lite, Medium & Deep. I got Medium.

How to apply ~ Apply evenly all over face with accompanying sponge or fingertips. I prefer to apply it with fingers, coz I feel the sponge eats up the product too much.

Packaging is like a record. Very cool! :)

BB Creams ~ Skin79 BB Cream & Maybelline Clear Smooth BB Cream + Powder

BB Creams- What's the deal?

BB Creams became cult products when Korean actresses and celebs revealed that BB Cream is the "secret of their beauty". They must have undergone laser treatments and had to use BB Cream during the recovery period.

What is BB Cream?

BB Cream, short of Blemish Balm, was initially used by dermatologists on patients who underwent laser treatment. The cream is meant to protect, soothe and refine highly sensitive skin.

I have used 4 BB Creams so far- Skinfood Mushroom BB Cream (talked about it here), Etude House Mineral BB Cream, Skin79 BB Cream, and Maybelline Clear Smooth BB Cream- with a matching Two-Way Cake Powder.

Skin79 Beblesh Balm ~  Doesn't 'Beblesh' sound like a mistake? Like, they meant to say 'Blemish' but didn't know how to pronounce it right or spell it? I mean, a neighbor in my hometown used to pronounce 'Sandwich': 'Swish' =D

This one has amazing skin softening properties. It plumps up my skin- in a good way. Available in 2 types- Pink Label & Gold Label. If you ask me what's the difference between this and the one in a gold bottle, I'd say they are exactly the same. I tested both and they are ditto. I guess Skin79 just wanted to offer a different colored packaging. Hot pink was my first choice, of course, and I love it! Available in only 1 shade, which is not so light. What's best about it is it doesn't dominate my skin, my skin dominates it.

Price ~ Around Rs.1200.

Revlon India Launches PhotoReady Range

Revlon’s new PhotoReady collection is a revolutionary product line that uses photochromatic pigments to blend, reflect and diffuse light to provide full, yet undetectable coverage. It is designed to perform under harsh lighting and high definition conditions.

Indoors, outdoors and everywhere in between, the PhotoReady line of makeup, powder compact makeup and concealer provides poreless, airbrushed skin in any light.  The professionally designed formula and shades are tested under the harshest lights and high-definition camera lens, resulting in the appearance of flawless skin whether under indoor fluorescent lighting or full outdoor sunlight.

It contains photochromatic pigments that blend and reflect light to help erase every flaw. The light-diffusing formula gives complete yet virtually undetectable coverage, while also preventing further sun damage with SPF 20 for makeup, compact makeup & concealer and SPF 14 for Powder.

Change Of a Lipstick : 2 Everyday Looks

These are my 2 favorite everyday looks. Same makeup in both, except for the lips. See how a lipstick can change your whole look!

In both looks: 

Face ~ Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse, Body Shop Loose Powder, Mac Chromagraphic Pencil to conceal blemishes, YSL Touche Eclat under my eyes, brow bone, Sides of the nose & chin

Cheeks ~  Mac Peaches Blush applied below the apples of the cheeks and blended up to the hairline

Eyes: UDPP to prime. I just used MAC Satin Taupe eyeshadow all over my lids & lower lash line, then I applied a dark brown eyeshadow from the Bourjois Smoky Eyes Trio Nude Ingenue on the outer corners of my lids and outer half of my lower lash line. Bourjois Smoky Eyes Pencil in Smoked Brown to line my upper lash line and then I used the brush to smudge it. I did the same on my lower lash line. To tightline upper lash line, I used IN2IT Gel Liner Pencil. Then I applied 3 coats of Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Mascara on top & bottom lashes.

*(Click on links for swatches & reviews)

Note: The Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse 030 Light is a tad lighter than my skin tone, coz they were selling only two (TWO!) shades here, and the other one was too dark for me. So my point is, it's going to look a little whitish in flash photography (it was a gloomy day), especially since it has SPF.  

Look 1:

Classic & simple. Goes really well with a white coat. Here, I used MAC Patisserie Lipstick

Valentine's Day Look & Outfit

I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's day. I had fun, although the sudden change of weather here in Delhi spoiled my 'pink' plans a little bit. Anyways, on to my V-Day look....

Makeup:

Face- MUFE HD Foundation, Body Shop Loose Face Powder, YSL Touche Eclat

Cheeks- Inglot Cream Blush #84, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Rose to highlight cheekbones

Lips- MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #32

Eyes- UDPP, Nyx Jumbo Pencil Milk as base, Shimmery white eyeshadow all over lids & inner corners, Pink & Blue eyeshadows from LA Colors Circus palette , MAC Petrol Blue Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner, Revlon Beyond Natural Long Volumizing Eyelashes

Romantic Look Of The Day

I'm wearing this look today & think it looks 'romantic'. Though I'm feeling far from romantic hehe...

I'll do a breakdown of this look in case you're thinking about wearing a similar look...and hey, Valentine's Day is right around the corner! ♥

Face:

Mac Prep+Prime Line Filler as base

Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse Foundation

The Body Shop Loose Face Powder

Mac Cremeblend Blush in So Sweet, So Easy

New Bourjois Healthy Mix Range

Looks like Bourjois has come up with some new products carrying the Healthy Mix tag:

• Healthy Mix Serum - A gel foundation
• Healthy Mix Bonne Mine Loose Powder ~ Matte finish powder made with 96.8% natural formula
• Kabuki Brush ~ With goat hair

 Healthy Mix Loose powder is available in 2 shades: 51 For Fair to Medium Skin & 56 For Dark and Tanned Skin

My Healthy Mix Foundation is almost over, so I guess I better wait for the gel one now.

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Ins & Outs This Month

I thought I'd let you in on some of my Ins & Outs of the first month of the new year. I kinda liked doing this post. It was like getting to know myself again and almost like organizing my mind, in a way. Towards the end of last year, I was a little bit lost and confused, coz there was too much stuff going on...
Anyways, getting back to topic...

Ins

• Shower creams- It's time to ditch the shower gels and reach for creamy body washes. I'm eyeing the TBS Coconut & Shea Shower Creams, and Dove Cream Oil Body washes. I want them all!
• Red! Red lips, red dress, red coat.  I didn't sport any red during December at all, so I thought I'd start now. I also haven't worn red clothing in a really long time! It used to be my favorite color. I got a military style coat from Forever 21 recently. As for red lipsticks, I like- MAC Venomous Villains lipstick Heartless, Make up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense in Moulin Rouge, Revlon Colorburst True Red, Maybelline Color Sensational Fatal Red.
• Military-style coats/jackets. Red, white, an bright colored ones are my favorites. Forever 21 sells some at affordable prices.
• Dotted Stockings. These are quite hard to find in Delhi right now, but I managed to find a similar pair  (will show you)

Outs

• Painted toenails. I decided not to paint my toe nails all winter, coz I wear socks all the time. I'll let them breathe till....well, when I wear open toed shoes again
• Gold makeup- eyeshadows, nail polishes, lipsticks etc. I was tired of seeing gold right from Diwali till the end of last year, so I won't be wearing anything gold until the next festive season, unless I really need to (maybe not even then!)
• Liquid Foundation. I haven't been using my liquid foundations these days, coz I prefer creamy ones in winter. Bye bye Revlon Colorstay Foundation for now. 
• Procrastination. It eats you up & fills you with guilt. Why wait for later when you can do it right now? Just do it (tick!)

Well, those are some of my Ins & Outs. What are yours?

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

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.

Second Last Makeup Haul of 2010

Last month of the year, but not yet the last makeup haul. Thank goodness! This year has been a good year, shopping-wise. I managed to get most of the stuff in my wishlist, except the Urban Decay Naked palette...sheesh! Although I think I lost interest already. I'm a typical Gemini, you see. You play hard-to-get, you go-to-hell hehe...

• MAC Prep + Prime Line Filler (Rs.1050) ~ This is supposed to fill up/erase fine lines around your eyes, mouth, and in my case, on my forehead near my hairline. Yet to try it out on my face, but it worked pretty well on my hand. It's got great reviews so I have high hopes for it.
• Cremesheen Glass Loud & Lovely (Rs.1150) ~ Favorite MAC lip glass. Loving Partial to Pink to pieces, so a bright pink shade had to be my next choice.

IVC Makeup & Beauty Awards 2010 ~ Best Eye Cream & Best Drugstore Foundation

I thought it would be fun to feature Makeup & Beauty Awards this year and pick the best of Makeup & Beauty products I have personally been using during and before the year 2010. 

*Mainly Indian brands (or brands widely available in India) will be nominated & brands like MAC and Clinique will NOT be a part of IVC awards (they already have enough awards on their mantles anyway)

First up are the best of Eye Creams & Drugstore Foundations.

Best Eye Cream

Nominees for best Eye Cream~ Lotus Nutraeye Rejuvenating & Correcting Eye Gel, Biotique Almond Under Eye Cream, Himalaya Under Eye Cream

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Light Medium

I thought I'd write about my current favorite powder- the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light Medium. In one of my old posts, I said that I had a love-hate relationship with this (the reason being that it didn't really keep my oilies away when the temperature was at its highest during the Delhi summer.) 

Then I rarely used it. Now, as the weather has started to cool down, it's a love-love relationship, baby! I want to wear it everyday! Actually, I do wear it everyday.

Easy Leopard Look For Halloween

Unleash your inner animal this Halloween the easy way. I think we have a little bit of leopard-ness in all of us. Even though I love animal print clothes & accessories, I've never been a fan of the cat family (sorry!), except for Hello Kitty, coz she doesn't have claws and sharp teeth. And she has a bow-shaped peace sign on her forehead :). But after doing this look, I might say yes if my kids want a cat someday.

 At first I drew longer whiskers but my shaky fingers got stage fright half-way, so I cleaned it all up and drew shorter ones instead =D

Fashion Friday ~ Black Lacy Fingerless Gloves in The Now

Gloves are my new favorite accessories right now, after I picked up these Forever 21 black lacy fingerless gloves. Cheap and cute, but had it not been for those bows, I probably wouldn't have bought them. Obviously :).
I couldn't decide what to wear with the gloves so as not to look trashy or too 80's.

The black strip on the skirt is actually see-through mesh

Gloves~ Forever 21 (about Rs.450? I don't remember exactly :S )

Tattoo Mesh Bodycon Skirt ~ Topshop (Rs.2200-2300)

Lace cami ~ Topshop (Rs.2100)

Belt ~ Nichii (Rs.800). Didn't wanna wear it but the skirt is a tad loose. I almost lost this belt twice at a club coz the clasp isn't that stable.

Shoes ~ Vincci (Rs.1200)

Black stud earrings ~ Forever 21 (came in a pack for about Rs.350 or 450)

*the tube under the lace top is actually a t-shirt which I cut and wore without an elastic to hold it up, that's why it's hanging down at the back :D

Okay, let's see how this outfit would look at a bar....

Nah, too dressy for a bar, hence not trashy. Maybe, I don't know, somewhere with dressy people? =D

In winter, I'd throw in a pair of plain black tights and a quarter/folded blazer or cardigan in the same color as the skirt, and maybe a scarf too. 

Products used (click on highlights for reviews & swatches):
Face ~ Majolica Majorca Skin Lingerie Pore Cover, Laura Mercier Undercover Pot as concealer, Revlon Colorstay Oily/Combination foundation in Warm Golden, MUFE HD Powder, MAC Bronzing Powder in Golden on hollows of cheeks, forehead, nose and chin
Blush ~ On cheeks Bourjois Blush in Cendre De Rose Brune , Bourjois Blush Lune D'or on the cheek bone

Eyeshadows~ Revlon Colorstay in Berry Bloom, Maybelline Eyestudio Diamond Glow in Lilac Mauve 

Eyes ~ 1 to highlight brow bone and inner corners, 2 on lid, 3 on outer corners of lids, crease & lower lashline, black eyeshadow from BF 120 palette

In2IT Gel Liner Pencil to tightline upper lash line,Loreal Super liner Carbon Gloss eyeliner, Eylure Girls Aloud Cheryl Cole lashes, Maybelline Double stretch mascara on top and bottom lashes. 

*On the outer corner make a V (refer to pic) with black eyeshadow using pencil brush and blend with a fluffy brush

Brows~ No7 Beautiful Brows pencil in brown/black

Lips ~ Za Pure shine lips in RS1 Salmon Rose
Nails ~ Bourjois 1 seconde T9 Prune Stellaire

Hope you like :)


Happy Friday everyone!


♥ Cynthia Z ^.^