My Makeup Transformations & 10 Things I Learnt

Hello, from all of us! =)

I thought I'd post something different today. Transformations & a few things that I learnt from all the times I spent applying makeup. Those are some of the looks that I'd done. Some old, some recent. I've never seen them all together before, so it's quite weird to see myself looking like that...and that...and that, and I realized I don't ever want to leave this la-la land of constant change.

10 Things I Learnt:

10. Never ignore the eyebrows. Shape, define, brush.

9. Bad hair ruins a look, just like bad shoes ruin an outfit.

8. Always Q-tip the tear ducts after doing eye makeup. Gunk is always unsightly.

7. The darker the eye makeup, the more you need undereye concealer.

6. Contouring powder or matte bronzer really does make a difference. Large forehead,  big nose, hooded lids, double chin....it can fix them all. Believe my giant forehead & pointy nose.

5. BB Creams will never supersede Foundations. However, they have superseded my  foundation primers.

4. I could live with just 2 Makeup Brushes: A synthetic flat/angled kabuki foundation brush (think Sigma Flat Top Kabuki, Real Techniques Expert Face Brush) & an eyeshadow blending brush (MAC 217, Sigma E25)

3. Always remind self to stop frowning. Those deep lines are hard to hide (refer to 4th pic with red lipstick)

2. When it comes to powdering oily skin, 3 time's the charm. Once after base, once  after everything else, once more on just the T-zone.

1. Makeup mistakes are inevitable. Sometimes They.Just.Happen.

All looks with links to original posts can be found HERE,  and if I haven't updated the page and you can't find all of them there, browse HERE. If you can't find, ask in comments, and I'll put the links! =) 

♥

Hope you liked this little impromptu post, everyone.

Enjoy your Friday, I'll talk to you again tomorrow! =)

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How To Apply False Lashes ~ Step-by-Step Tutorial

I've had quite a few requests for this tutorial, so I wanted to to get it in before this year ends. It's the right time too, I guess, with all the parties coming up. Maybe those of you have never ever worn false lashes can practice now, and be ready to glam up your eyes even more on New Year's Eve!

Step-By-Step Tutorial:

[You can click to enlarge pic]

Step 1: Apply black liquid or gel liner. I'm using Bourjois Liner Feutre Felt Tip Eyeliner.

Step 2: Curl your natural lashes, so they don't fall limp when you layer the false ones on top of them. I'm using Shu Uemura Gold Eyelash Curler.

Step 3: Most times, falsies can be to straight and stiff, so curve the lashes inwards so they mimic the shape of your lash line. This will prevent the ends from sticking out of your lash line. I can't remember which lashes these are exactly, but I think they are Eylure Katy Perry Oh,Honey! which came with the glue. Shown here

Step 4: Glue a dot on both ends of lashes. The ends are most likely to come off, so I like to make sure they're glued properly.

Step 5: Apply glue on the whole band or vein. Try not to smudge it too much on the lashes or they'll stick to your natural lashes. Wait about 20 seconds for the glue to get tacky.

Step 6: Hold them pointing the band downwards and try to place on the center of lash line first. Do it carefully, so the glued ends don't touch your lid.

Step 7: With tweezers or an eyelash applicator, stick the outer end. Do it carefully, so the glued band doesn't touch your lid. I'm using Tweezerman Tweezers.

Step 8: Check if inner end aligns with the starting point of your natural lashes. If it looks too long, pull from outer end. This is easily done when you do it quickly while glue hasn't dried completely.

Step 9: Stick the inner end. See the end point? It won't poke the tear duct.

Step 10: Use the end of your tweezers to press the band down. Make sure there are no gaps.

Step 11: With a finger, lift both your natural and false lashes, and press down to make sure the false lash is sitting close to your natural lash line. Also pinch them both together so the false lashes don't point up too much.

Step 12: The glue usually dries clear, but sometimes you still see white spots. Use black liner to darken the spots.

Step 13: Apply black mascara to blend the false and real lashes together. Coat the base of your natural lashes well. This will stiffen your natural lashes and help them hold up the false ones. I prefer to use an old-ish mascara that's dried up a bit for this.

DONE!

How to Expand Bottom Lashes | Bourjois Color Edition 24H Cream Shadow Swatches, EOTD

 

Have you ever seen my bottom lashes that thick and multiplied? NO. Most of the time, they just look like....like....a drunk anorexic spider's legs. You can go check out the Makeup Tutorials Tab if you want to see them in all my eye pics.

I'll tell you how I made them look like that in a minute. First, let's talk about the new Bourjois Color Edition 24H Cream To Powder Eyeshadow. The color I got is #04 Kaki Cheri, a khaki green shade with gold shimmer.

It is different from Maybelline Color Tattoo & MAC Paintpot. At the top of my head, it has a more spongy texture. I like it A LOT. It has a silky texture, is super easy to blend & never creases. It turns into a powder finish and lasts all day.

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

How To: Blush, Bronzer, Highlighter

Hi, hi! Sorry for not posting for days. This was supposed to be up yesterday, but editing took longer. There was a false eyelash mishap that ruined most of the pics, sigh. Long story short: lash glue and mascara stuck together and clumped the lashes, I ignored, camera didn't.

This is one of the most requested tutorials! So many ladies want the JLo glow. For me personally, it's not a must-do, because I came from Delhi, where my face was always prone to sweating because of the heat. Now that I'm in cold Scotland, I do it quite often, and I see the why it's so sought-after. It does make your skin look more.....posh. Oh yes, Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham) is also famous for her glowy cheeks.

Products I Used:

Bronzer ~ Benefit Hoola. Matte bronzer is always better.

Blush ~ MAC Bite Of An Apple. This was a Limited Edition blush.

Highlighter ~ MAC Soft And Gentle Mineralize Skinfinish. It's better to pick a highlighter that is more pearlescent than glittery. If you're using a liquid highlighter, just apply 3-5 tiny dots, and blend with finger.

Rest of the makeup: 

Face: I applied MUFE HD Foundation over Lakmé CC Cream, and they didn't agree very well, hence the spots.

Eyes: I used pinks & purples from the Sleek i-Divine Candy Palette. Swatches here

Lipstick here is MAC Betty Bright from Archie's Girls Collection. Shown here

How To: Intense Smudge Proof Black Kohl Liner

So many people have complained to me about their kajals & kohls smudging, so I thought I'd post this quick & simple mini tuto to show how I do mine.

Products Used:

• Bourjois Effet Smoky Pencil in Intense Black 
• Bourjois Intense Eyeshadow #10 
• MAC 266 Angled Liner Brush.

How To Conceal Undereye Circles ~ Tutorial

In all my years of beauty blogging, I think this one of the most requested. So many readers are troubled by panda eyes. I personally don't have major dark circles (I have other major skin problems, so I'm thankful this is not one one them). Still, my eyes look tired without any concealer under them, especially on sick/stressful days, and when I'm wearing heavy eye makeup. Some days I apply an extra layer of foundation, some days a concealer is necessary.

Here, I applied some kohl and mascara beforehand, so that they bring out my dark circles more. Black kohl on your lower lash line really brings out your under eye bags, and emphasize the shadows under your eyes.

IVC Tutorial Month ~ Tutorial #2

Step 1: Apply Eye Cream. The skin on your undereye area is thin & delicate, so eye cream will act as a protective layer the concealer can adhere to. Use your ring finger for this as it's the gentlest of all your fingers.

Step 2:  This is important. To prevent your concealer from looking too cakey & cut down blending time, apply and dot concealer only on prominent hollows & shadows. To locate them,  tilt your head down and look up at a mirror. Here, I used a thin liner brush to apply concealer in the hollow and to dot under the eye bags, inner corner & the outer corner between my top & bottom lash lines. You can use your concealer wand or a Q -tip (earbud), too.

Step 3:  Blend the concealer with a blending brush or fingers. You can blend the concealer on your eyelids as well. I prefer not to because concealer usually doesn't blend well with my eye shadow primer and ends with looking blotchy.

Step 4:  Pat the blended concealer with your ring finger just to make sure it's all smooth and ready to be set.

Step 5:  Take some loose powder with the same fluffy brush (or another, if the same is too wet), and dab it on top of the concealer. This will set it in place & prevent creasing.

DONE! 

What a difference, right? My eyes eye looks more awake & less tired! =) 

Products I Used:

• Botanics Radiant Youth Hydrating Eye Cream by Boots
• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in #3 Medium 
• The Body Shop Loose Powder #01
• Brushes: To apply concealer- Inglot 30T eyeliner brush. To blend & powder- Colorbar Emphaeyes Eye Blending Brush (shown here)

Picking the right products:

• If your dark circles are very dark & almost purplish or bluish, try to pick a concealer with yellow or peach undertones. Anything pinkish will make dark circles look greyish.
• Stick to creamy concealers that will blend well & not settle into fine lines.
• Avoid powders that have pink in them, stick to translucent or yellow-toned powders. 

Good Undereye Concealers: I like a few- Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer (shown here), Kryolan Cream Concealers, Laura Mercier Undercover Pot, YSL Touche Eclat, etc.

Although I have yet to try them myself, I've heard these are good: Maybelline Fit Me & Eraser Concealers, Revlon PhotoReady Concealer, Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealers & Correctors.

I guess there are a lot of concealers to be explored, and it will require a separate blog post.

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. Do tell us if you have any favorite undereye concealers.

*If you enjoy reading this blog, and like my tutorials, hope you have VOTED for 'Indian Vanity Case' in Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2013 HERE. Only a week left for voting. It would help a lot, Thank You!

Makeup Trick Using Eyelash Curler ~ Tutorial

IVC Tutorial Month ~ Tutorial #1

I was watching DDLJ (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge- the greatest Bollywood movie of all time) on a Saturday night sometime in February, and during the following scene....

Raj: "Suno, jisse tumhare shaadi hone wali hain...uska naam kya hai?" (Listen, The one you're marrying....what's his name?)

Simran: "Kuljit Singh."

.....this idea occurred to me. I paused the movie, went to make tea, then I went upstairs try it out. I worked!

Nowadays I use it almost every time. It makes it super easy for me to achieve that precise Cut Crease look, especially since I don't have a deep & defined crease line.

Click to enlarge

1. Place eyelash curler on the outer corner of your eye, aligning it from the bottom lash line straight towards the end of your eyebrow. Place the tip of curler till your crease, or where you want to wing of the eyeshadow to end.
2. Press curler a little, and apply your eyeshadow using the edge like a ruler.
3. Now place the top of curler over your lid. The curve is almost the same as a crease. Apply eyeshadow right on top of it.
4. Move the curler around your lid to adjust it to the curve of your eye, until you reach the inner corners.
5. Fill in the center with the same brown  eyeshadow. You can apply all over, but I chose to leave a half moon shape bare.
6. If you want a sharp cut-crease look, you don't need to blend the edges. But if you want a blended look, apply a lighter eyeshadow (beige or taupe) by placing the curler right on the previous brown line, and running the brush right on the top of the curler. The curler will help you stay only on the line that needs blending.
7. Since I have hooded lids, I decided to apply a shimmery e/s (Urban Decay YDK) on the bare part of my lid.
8. You can apply eyeliner on the top lash line, but here I just tightlined the roots of my lashes with a black kohl and applied some on my waterline (bottom lash line)
9. Applied mascara in bottom lash line.
10. DONE!

Remember, you can use any other eyeshadow colors- black, purple, teal, etc. I used brown, because it's more everyday-wearable.

This is a suitable look for all eye shapes:

• If you have a crease socket ~ you can use the eyelash curler just for the outer V. If you want a softer look, fill in your lid space with a light eyeshadow color. If you want an intense smoky look, you can go all out with a black eyeshadow. 
• If you have monolids ~ Don't leave any space in your lid area, fill up the entire lid area with the brown eyeshadow.
• If you have hooded lids, like I do, you can apply eyeliner on your top lash line, but it's better to make it very thin.

Products Used:

• Matte Brown e/s- Urban Decay Faint from Naked Basics Palette
• Matte Taupe e/s- Urban Decay Tease from Naked 2 Palette 
• Lakme Kohl Ultimate pencil
• Max Factor 2000 Calorie Curved Brush Mascara. Shown here. 
• Brushes ~ Too Faced Smoker Brush, Inglot  10S, Sigma Pencil Brush.
• Eyelash Curler ~ QVS.

I wasn't going to put a full face look, coz my hair was dirty & I had a tired face, but I wanted to show you that this look makes eyes look smiley....

Lipstick is Deborah Milano Rosetto Red #2. Shown here

♥ 

Hope you liked this tutorial. Idea occurred in February, tutorial done in June. I don't really remember what happened in between.

Enjoy your weekend! I will make aloo gobi (potato + cauliflower), and watch Breaking Bad Season 2 all night.

P.S. If you enjoy reading this blog, and like my tutorials, hope you have VOTED for Indian Vanity Case in Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2013 HERE. It would help a lot. Thanks!

Tutorial Month Starts Tomorrow!

I will slog, and you will be a PRO! 

[That's just for dramatic effect.] 

Kevyn Aucoin's Makeup Pictorial #1: Smudged Smoky Eyes For Different Eye Shapes

When I went to my abandoned apartment in Gurgaon (Delhi), I took a few makeup items that I'd left there, and I made sure to take my makeup books. I was missing them a lot. Unfortunately, they're too heavy to take to UK with me, and I also didn't have time to go through them properly while I was there, so I just clicked pics of a few pages. I rarely read them again while I was living there, but now I badly want to go through them- thoroughly. See? You don't value something until you don't have it anymore.

Men-Who-Don't-Appreciate-Their-Wives&GFs, do you hear that? Yes, you. Your beautiful girl is sitting right next to you, and you're checking out other girls?! One.Tight.Slap.

Anyways, I thought I'd share some pictorials from the books of the MUA I learnt a lot from- Kevyn Aucoin. These illustrations are from either Face Forward or Making Faces, I'm confused. I've done a post on makeup books here & here

Hooded Eyelids: Hooded lids means you have a chunky piece of skin that covers your lid space. Ya, my eyes are a good example of hooded lids. You must have seen that I always draw a line on my crease- or rather the area where my crease should have been. Also, I can't pull off a thick eyeliner without contouring my crease area.

How I Conceal Pimples ~ Pictorial

IHaveABigAnnoyingPimpleThatIsProbablyGoingToScarArgh!!!

I hate pimples. I hate them. I never had them during my teens, but now it's every frickin' month! Adult acne, or just the side effects of being a beauty blogger who tries out almost everything? I believe it's the latter.

Possible Culprits:

• My new toner ~ L'Oreal Re-nourish Velvety Toner
• Wearing Garnier BB Cream & Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation together.
• Another reason I will share with you in another post.

How To Buy The Right Foundation

I know foundation shopping is a tough chore. It's become easier these days with beauty blogs that give you a pretty good idea if a particular foundation is what you're looking for. BUT picking the right shade is still a challenge for a lot of people. I've lost count of the number of foundations I've used, but I'm still not a 100% confident when it comes to picking the right shade.

Once, when I was buying Revlon Colorstay Foundation at a Watsons in Kuala Lumpur, I almost went mad! Mr.CZ had left me alone to do my makeup shopping, and when he came back after an hour, I had not moved an inch from the Revlon shelf. My hands & arms were dirty with swatches, I was so exhausted, and I think I wanted to cry a little bit. Really. I wanted to sit on the floor like a child, raise my arms & cry out: "HELP ME! WARM GOLDEN OR THIS BEIGE-SOMETHING??? SOMEBODY! WHY ARE YOU ALL STARING AT ME?!!!" I told you I almost went mad.

It has gotten easier since then. Buying my most recent foundation (Rimmel Wake Me Up) took only a minute or two. I thought it would be kind of helpful if I shared a few tips and things like that. 

What I do: 

• Set a day for foundation shopping, and I don't wear much makeup on my face that day.

• Take along a bottle of my favorite foundation shade for comparison*. I swatch it on my hand & swatch the others alongside it to find the closest matching shade. For me, it's Make Up For Ever HD Foundation #120. You'll see why below.

• *Don't use up all of your favorite foundation or throw away the bottle, so you can use it as a guide to buy your next foundation. Unless you're buying the exact same one.

• If I didn't carry my "guiding foundation", I'll pick shades like Nude, Beige, Sand.... basically, shades that look more yellow & I'd swatch them all on my arm in an orderly fashion (smallest number first), so I don't forget which is which if they look very similar.

• Then I'll take the foundations from the swatches on my arm with my fingers & apply them on my jawline or neck side-by-side.

• I'll pick the shade that blends into my jawline & neck perfectly.

• I take a pack of Wet Wipes & tissues. They make swatching many shades at the same time so much easier. In India, they may not be as important, because most stores have SA's who are always ready with cotton balls & cleansing milk. But in drugstores, there's no such service, you're on your own. 

• Having a handbag mirror which has a magnifying mirror on one side can be super helpful when buying foundation.

Indian Women Reveal Their Make-up Habits & Secrets

This is an infographic that Revlon India sent over after they got the results from polls they conducted in their Facebook page in an attempt to understand Indian women’s habits on cosmetics. More than 70,000 women participated in these polls. All this was part of the launch of the revolutionary Revlon ColorStay Whipped Crème. 

♥

Let's see what my habits & secrets (if that) are:

I am BUGGED most by foundation that.... is too dry to blend effortlessly & end up looking cakey.

I normally apply foundation using..... brush. Sometimes with fingers. If you want to avoid the unnatural look, get a synthetic buffing brush like the Sigma F80

How often do you apply foundation? It's part of my daily makeup routine. It makes everything else look better.... look complete.  

How much time do you spend applying makeup? 15-30 mins. 

Which compliment would you feel happier to receive? "WOW! Your skin looks flawless! It's glowing! It doesn't look like you have makeup on!"  =D

How many times do you touch up your makeup in a day? Powder- once or twice, depending on the weather. Lipstick- more than 3 times for sure.

What's your skin type? Oily/Combination. Verging on Normal in winters.

[Err... what about "How much are you willing to spend on a foundation?" 

I'll answer it anyways: No more than ( Rs.1000 ) Rs.900 if it's a drugstore brand.] 

Good news:  Revlon ColorStay Whipped Crème retails for Rs.800. I will be reviewing it soon-ish.

 

♥

If you feel like it, do copy the questions and jot down your own answers in the comments below =)

♥ Cynthia Z *.*

Christmas/Holiday Eye Makeup Tutorial ~ Nancy Ajram Inspired

I've wanted to do a Nancy Ajram inspired makeup for a long long time- since last year, to be precise. This year, on 6th April, I seriously planned to do the look, but I guess I got sidetracked again. I know the exact date coz I'd written the post in a Notepad.

Who's Nancy Ajram? She's this Arabic singer. I'm obsessed with only one of her songs - Fi Hagat. Not the song exactly, but the music video. I have watched it a hundred times, I think. So this is kind of a tribute to the song ;) Pic of her makeup in the video......

We have very different eye shapes, so I had to do it to suit my eye shape. She had her eyeshadow right up to her brows, but that would look very weird on my hooded lids. If you have a deep pronounced crease, you could do it exactly like hers.

1. Apply eyeshadow all over lids & Lower lash line I used Maybelline Color Tattoo Permanent Taupe. You can straight away apply a chocolate brown eyeshadow. I didn't have a dark brown matte eyeshadow.
2. Take a brown eyeshadow on a blending brush. I used Sigma E25.
3. Apply the brown eyeshadow on top of the taupe cream eyeshadow. Also apply on lower lash line. I used Urban Decay Buck from Naked Palette.
4. It should like that.
5. Take a shimmery taupe or bronze eyeshadow. I used Maybelline Color Tattoo On And On Bronze.
6. Pat it gently with your ring finger in the center of your lids as shown. Make sure not to touch the edges.
7. Pat a little bit of gold eyeshadow on top of the bronze.
8. Reapply the brown eyeshadow making it darker on the outer corners
9. Get the color in the hollows under your brow bone and blend using circular motions.
10. Blend & soften the edges of the brown shadow with a fluffy blending brush. I used Sigma E40. Blending Tutorial here.
11. Line very close to your lashes with black gel liner & an angled liner brush. Start from the outer corners, then line from inner corners by pushing the brush on your lash line, and then join them in the center. I used Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner & MAC 266 angled brush
12. This is optional: False Lashes. I used Eylure Katy Perry Lashes in Sweetie Pie. Skip if you have naturally full lashes or a darn good mascara.
13. Apply black mascara to blend the false lashes with your natural ones. I used Maybelline Colossal Smokey Eyes Mascara.
14. Darken the brown eyeshadow on your lower lash line. I mixed Urban Decay Buck & Blackout because I don't have a dark brown eyeshadow with me.
15. Apply a bit of the shimmery eyeshadows you used on the lids just on inner half of inner corners of lower lash line. I used only Maybelline On And On Bronze with a pencil brush.
16. DONE! 

 My brows look dusty (in pics only) because I used cold brow wax. Big mistake >.<

Red Lipstick suggestions: Here she's wearing a YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick (as shown in the video) - probably in Red Taboo. Other suggestions: Maybelline Pleasure Me Red & MAC Russian Red.

♥

The Video:

Stupid stupid man, isn't he?  =D

Fi Hagat means 'There Are Things'. Translated to English (because I'm that  interested heehee):

"I can't ask you to make my world sweeter, to change how things are

No matter how close you are to me.... How dear you are

I can't tell you how I want our life to be

Know, on your own, how I want our life to be.

At times, it seems that I'm content

That I'm calm, that I've accepted everything and got used to it

That doesn't mean you can believe that I gave up."

[Full song translated here - if you're interested.]

I love her makeup in last scene as well. Suggestions: 

Eyes: You could use the same taupe Color Tattoo I used here, or any matte taupe eyeshadow.

Lips: MAC Angel Lipstick

I will post a full LOTD with these eyes in a bit, but it will no longer be Nancy Ajram inspired. Hope you found the tut helpful.

Post Updated: 

More pics here 

♥ Cynthia Z *.*

Get The Look ~ Demi-Eyeliner

Do you frequently make a mistake while applying eyeliner and you end up drawing it thicker than you want it to be? I've lost count of the number of times! To make it (look) worse, I don't have much lid space to spare for rubbish like that. So for my everyday look, especially when I'm in a hurry, I resort to the demi-eyeliner (or half-eyeliner)

If you have hooded lids like mine, this style will give the part where they begin to droop down a little bit of lift.

 ***Demo on the right is done on a photo from another tutorial & the liner is a drawing, not a real eyeliner =D 

Easy No Blending Glitter Eye Makeup Tutorial [HAPPY DIWALI!]

This is super quick impromptu look I did & I wanted to put it up asap, coz some of you might want to wear it tomorrow- Diwali! =)

*I will keep this short for now, and come back later to edit. 

Products Used:

• Too Faced Shadow Insurance eyeshadow primer
• Bourjois Effet Smoky Pencil in Smoked Brown
• Maybelline Color Tattoo On And On Bronze
• Collection 2000 Glam Crystals Dazzling gel Liner in Funk
• L'Oreal Super Liner Instant Impact Felt Liner
• Lakmé Eyeconic Kajal
• Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Smoky Eyes Mascara. 

Last Minute Diwali Makeup Shopping Guide

Need a guide for your last minute Diwali makeup Shopping? Here, I've selected some products that you might like. All my favorites, all affordable, all available in India.

Face:

• Foundation: Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Foundation - For almost flawless looking skin.
• Concealer: Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer. To brighten up your under eye areas, and somewhat conceal any blemishes.
• Powder: The Body Shop Loose Powder. A more affordable option is Maybelline Dream Matte Powder]

Tutorial: Eyeshadow Application Using Only Fingers

I know that good make-up brushes are so expensive. I know. I've had my eye on these cute cute makeup brushes for a long long time, but they're just so frickin' pricey! 

So, I thought I'd do a tutorial using only my priceless God-given tools. Hopefully, it'll come in handy to students & those who don't want to waste 'fashion' money on brushes.

I've been wearing this look a lot lately, and it's very very easy to do! Takes me about 2 mins to do everything. Both eyes.

Makeup For Glasses

Okay, I really look like a nerd there. Please excuse the semi-wet hair with the frizzy ends. I'd just washed it, and dashed out the door. These are car pics, and I didn't plan to post them, but I ended up really liking the makeup, especially the blush which I applied a lot more than usual.

Now I don't need to wear glasses, I only wear them "for fashion" Although, my left eye is quite weak. If I cover my right eye, things get blurry, especially when I look far. It's also the eye that turns to Tokyo, when I'm looking at China. It's a weird eye.

What I learned? More is more. I think four-eyed beauties can get away with overdone make-up. I did my eyes a whole lot darker than they appear in these photos. Lips have got to be bright, so skip the n*de lippies.

Mint Eyeshadow Tutorial

I have not done a tutorial for you guys since the Black Smokey Eyes I did in....in....May! No wonder I was beginning to feel uneasy.

I wanted to do something bright, and decided on MINT- the hottest color of the season. Really, I can't get enough of the color! I keep dreaming about a mint tea set....and mint handbag.....and mint cotton candy (just to look at, not eat).....and I'm looking for a mint t-shirt for Mr.CZ. I know, I'm going mintal.