When A Beauty Blog Is Nominated For A Cosmopolitan Blog Award.....

Election Candidate: "If I win this election, it will give me a chance to build a bridge from River X to the village. That way, when you're done doing laundry in River X, you won't need to do mountain climbing for 1 hour to get to your huts. This is my heart's only wish."

Village People: "YES! YES! YES! Finally somebody who understands us...who cares for us the people! Ah, no more darty darty fingernails & big big insect bites. We lob you man! WE VOTE PHOR YOU!" 

Later.... 

Election Candidate (Now Politician in Office): "Huh?! I don't remember saying anything about any bridge. Do people still go to that filthy River X? Put a tiger in that area, and mark it unsafe. ["EK THA TIGER. BEWARE!"] Bridge! Like I get paid enough to waste my time on something I'll never use myself... Sah-la!"

♥ 

Okay, that's a story I made up. But I have a strong feeling that it has happened in a village somewhere.

As I have mentioned before, my blog has been nominated for an award by Cosmopolitan India:

"We're excited to let you know that your blog (Indian Vanity Case) has been nominated by Cosmo readers in the Best Beauty Blog category for the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2013 in Association with Dove! We have now opened the polls for voting so it's time to get your readers/subscribers to vote for your blog!"

Today is the last day open for voting. I owe it to my blog, my baby, to fight for it one final time & request you all to go VOTE for it.

Unlike the Politician, I have nothing to offer. No promises, no bridge. But I can assure you there'll be no tiger that will stop you from visiting this blog, no matter what happens.

You'd think that I've desperately asked (or forced) all my friends, family, friends of friends, cousins, friends of cousins, relatives, in-laws, old school mates, the plumber who came to fix a leak in our bathroom earlier, etc, to go vote for my blog, but NO. I've not asked any of them. Most of them don't even know. I'm still trying to decide whether I should let Mr.CZ vote, although I might, since he reads my blog (read: spies on me) and gives his opinions on photos and stuff. 

Truth is, I want the votes to come from readers who love my blog before me. Readers who come to my blog for the lipsticks, readers who would feel crushed if I ever stopped blogging (not happening any time soon!), readers who know what 'Oh My Bows' means. I want the votes to come from YOU who are reading this right now. So, I'll leave it all up to you.

If you want to VOTE, please go HERE ~ Click on Like next to Indian Vanity Case under Beauty Blogs, scroll to the bottom of the page, fill in your details & click SUBMIT. It's done!

Thank you so much & Love you for voting! ♥

At the same time, you can also vote for your favorite blogs in other categories. All The Best to all the blogs that have been nominated! 

Okay, now I'll go Vote for my favorite blogs, too. And no, I won't foolishly vote for my own blog! =D

Outfit Of The Day ~ Crop Top & Skater Skirt

In about 1 minute that skirt is going to fly and spread out like an umbrella (under my umbrella...ella...ella...) But nobody saw. Never wear a skater skirt when it's windy.

And in about 10 minutes, while walking on the road, the rain is going to come down on me like an unwanted birthday blessing. I didn't have an umbrella (ah, the irony!) & my mascara wasn't waterproof. 

This is what I wore on my Birthday over 2 weeks ago, btw. I took these pics in a jiffy before heading out. It was the first time I did a photoshoot in our new balcony, and it was soo windy! We're on the 1st floor, so anyone who walks on the road down below can see. I had to run inside and hide every time a car came by. Hence, the odd leg in previous photo... haha!

Top ~ Quiz Lime Textured Crop Top | Black Skater Skirt ~ H&M. Got it on sale, only £3 (Rs.266)  |  Lime Belt ~ H&M. Sale again, £1 (Rs.89)  |  Shoes ~ Suede Mary Janes from Ebay  |  Clutch Bag ~Primark | Jewelry ~ Primark Earrings, Claires Bracelet, Fossil Rose Gold Watch | Of course I had to wear black tights & a leather jacket too before heading out in the cold.

Lipstick ~ I was confused which lip color to wear with lime green. I tried peach & nude...then in the end I went with coral. I used Maybelline SuperStay Stay With Me Coral (Swatches here). I don't really remember what I put on the rest of my face! Definitely got older!

Hope you have fun plans for the weekend. I want to go to Superdrug and get some new makeup I see doing the rounds in blogosphere, but I have no money. I mean, I have spent my monthly budget online recently. Sigh. =D

To Wear ~ River Island Polka Dot City Shorts + Textured Peplum Jacket

I just felt like doing this today. Pair stuff, and add a wee bit of zing to a small River Island haul.

When I went birthday shopping, I wanted to buy some new outfits. I went to Topshop, Zara, H&M, etc, but I didn't like many things, except these 2 River Island items....

River Island Black & White Polka Dot City Shorts ~ So happy these are longer and not knicker-length like most of the high waisted shorts these days. I tried a pair at H&M one day, and I swear they looked like boyshort panties! The zipper part is the back, front is plain.

River Island Black Textured Peplum Jacket ~ I love the that it has a zipper, and it's long enough to cover the behind.

H&M Bustier With Gold Zipper ~ This is very cute! It has got ribbons at the back. Of course I won't wear it alone.

Accessories ~ Primark Clutch, Suede Mary Janes from Ebay, Accessorize Earrings, Forever 21 Key Necklace, Claire's Bracelet. 

What's missing? Black leather gloves. I'm want those short ones with snap buttons.

I'll probably wear black tights too. 

By the way, I'm no longer a Size 6.....

I've been upgraded to UK 8. Nando's & Greggs Chicken Bake went straight to my tummy & hips. Now I'm hooked to macarons too, so I'm guessing it's only UP from here on out... woohoo! =) 

Hope you liked this post, coz I want to do more!

A Girl Spat To Sorbet Shoes....

Friday, 24th May '13, 10:40 am:

We reached the train station. An hour later, we're supposed to be in Edinburgh. As we walked in, I saw a magazine shop, and decided to pick up LOOK Magazine. Mr.CZ went ahead to get the tickets. The shopkeeper was a woman in her late 20's to early 30's (I couldn't tell). She had an almost gothic rock star style- very short cropped black hair, maybe some piercings, she wore a black t-shirt with skinny jeans. I've always admired this style & find it fascinating. She was boyish, but petite. Maybe one size bigger than me, and a couple inches taller. 

I paid for the mag, and took out one copy from the middle of the stack, and not the one on top. It was a habit, you know. Usually, the copy right on top of the stack gets dusty & has probably been touched and flipped through by a lot people, maybe some people who don't wash their hands after doing susu & doodoo. It makes sense, because that way, it won't feel eww when you read the magazine in bed. Plus, this magazine didn't come with an outer sleeve.

 Boyish Woman: "They're the same thing." 

 Me: "Oh, I know. I just want one from the bottom.", I said nicely, and smiled at her. I thought she'd say, "Oh, I see! No problem, you have a naa-ice day now!" 

But she didn't.

Boyish Woman: "But they're the same thing! They're the same thing!", she shook her head wildly. Then she twitched her top lip to one side, and raised her giant eyeballs without looking up- like those male dancers with the heavy kohled eyes & smudged red lips (What are they called?) She kept mumbling, and hit her palms on the magazines. I started to walk away from the uncouth violent behaviour, and that's when she added:

 "S-c-h-t-o-o-p-i-d" (that is: Stupid)

For a second, I thought about ignoring it, but my inner gothic rock star chick didn't let me. 

Me: "What the hell is wrong with you? I KNOW they're the same! I just don't want one from the top of the pile, what's s-c-h-t-o-o-p-i-d about that?!", I looked her straight in the eye.

In that moment, she somehow looked smaller than me, and a question raced quickly through my mind: Could I take her, if she jumps over the counter and drops those giant eyeballs on my face? 

Then, instantly, she stopped mumbling and twitching, and just shrugged. I reckon she probably thought a little Asian woman was going to take it, and run away feeling ashamed. She went back to the counter, as some other customers approached the store, and I walked away with a tarnished mood.

I started flipping through the magazine as soon as we sat in the train, and my eyes landed on something that made me forget about what happened 10 minutes ago. On page 6, were these Primark Sorbet Strappies [£12  | Rs.1028]. My mood brightened up again. This time, in 3 very specific colors!

(If you're wondering why I keep buying the same style of shoes {you must have seen the black & red ones here}, it's because they're the only ones that fit my inadequate feet -thanks to the ankle straps. They've recently launched nude ones too, by the way.)

About 3 hours later....

In Primark: There was only one pair in 'Size 3' available. But for about 7 minutes, the right side was missing from the shelves, strangely. Only the left side was there. Usually, each pair is tied together with an elastic string.

Mr.CZ concluded somebody had stolen it. "But why only one side?", I asked incredulously. He said, maybe the person had the shoes, and one side got spoiled or something, so she came to steal one of them....haha! 

I wanted to cry! Then..... magically, like a Fairy Godmother, a SA appeared with the missing side of the shoe! 

....and the sorbet shoes and me....oh, and a bonus pair of coral Bold In Ballerinas [£.6 | Rs.514]....

 .....lived sorbetilly ever after. 

THE END.

OOTD: "This Used To Be My Playground"

Pictures taken outside the home I grew up in. The home I eventually left....for good. Of course it didn't look like this when I was little, it changed- like everything else.

I went to visit my grandma last time I was in my hometown. My cousin sis clicked these pics quickly before we left.

"Your cab is here. Stop posing!"

There's that curious boy again :)

Primark Shoes I Picked Revealed!

I put up a post asking you to guess which color shoes I picked from Primark (post here & in my Facebook Page). You know I like to play those games ;) Thank You to all who commented! You must know me quite well, coz none of you picked black/white =D

Yes, I picked the RED ones! They're red, right? Coz Mr.CZ and a few of you said they're coral. I don't know....I guess coral-red.

So the ladies who guessed right are:

• Bhumika

• Narindra Evah

• Sukanya

• Miss Bo Peep

• Poorva

• Wajiha Sajid

• RJ

• Geetz

• Adaa

• Preeti Kaur 

• Malavika Gadiyar 

Congrats! =)

To the others who guessed Pink/Black pair: There was a 90% chance of me picking them over the red ones, BUT..... 

The buckle is a little different from the red & black pairs. See, it extends way to the front, so they didn't fit well- too loose. 

MIA Beauty Blogger & The Curious Little Boy

Hey Everyone,

I apologize for being MIA for a week. I'm in my hometown, and am always busy with friends & family....plus..... 

I got the Tata Docomo dongle, but Tata has pulled out of here, so it doesn't work! I'm posting from a friend's dongle.

I'll be back next week. Hope you're all doing well.

Have a blessed Good Friday & Happy Easter. 

 

Curious little boy is my cousin. He also wanted to peek inside my bag. He knew there's a little secret in there ;)

Shoe Shopping Quiz! Which Pair Did I Buy?

One Important TIP before I forget: When you're going shoe shopping in winters, make sure you wear socks & not pantyhose tights/stockings. I had thick tights on under a mini woolen dress, and I had to take them off to try on the shoes. It was awkward, but thankfully there weren't people around to witness me struggle to pull them down without lifting my dress.

So on to some Friday fun! First of all, *jumps and down* Primark Size 3 shoes fit me...well, not all of the size 3's, but these do *jumps higher*

I bought two pairs:

First ~ A black pair in the same design. They're not showing coz they're behind on the other side. 

Second ~ You Guess. It's either Red, Black/ White or Pink/Black. 

Btw, they're for £12 (Rs.980) ONLY! =)

I put this pic up on Instagram (@CZloves) & Twitter, to ask for help while I was in Primark. I just couldn't decide! Seeing what other people would pick really helped, and though I was alone, I felt like I was shopping with friends. Thankooo!

Do comment below with your guess. I'd also love to know which pair YOU would pick for yourself! 

How well do you know your beauty blogger? Don't worry, I won't be upset if you don't get it right. I like all 3 pairs almost equally ;)

Okay, bye bye! I gotta pack & do 20 other things. Talk to again soon....from NEW DELHI! =D

Makeup For Shoe & Bow Addicts

WE WANT! WE WANT THEM ALL!

Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Blush

Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Bronzer

Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Sexy Glow Glossy Stain

Physicians Formula's new products all look very tempting. Fabulous designs & packaging! This is surely one drugstore brand to look out for.

♥ Cynthia Z *.*

Black Platform Mary Janes ~ Ebay Shoe Shopping Experience

Shoe shopping is a wild goose chase for me- most of the time. I was so frustrated that one night I decided to go hunting for size 2 shoes on Ebay. I found these and ordered them within minutes. I planned to wear them with my Valentine's Night Outfit, but they didn't reach on time.

There's nothing quite like the thrill of going into a store and trying on shoes. For me, extra the thrill when the shoes actually fit. But if you've been to all the stores, and you can't find anything.... China is the answer. So risky, but worth a try.

Date Night Outfit & Cute Surprises

After Valentine's Day, all the muscles in my body ached. No, no, it's not that! I was just so exhausted from doing so many things that day, and it's just been a stressful week. I almost didn't click these pics coz I don't like indoor night time photos (esp when not clicked by myself), but I asked an equally tired Mr.CZ to quickly click a few. I must have forgotten to turn on the flash. We are a very stressed out couple, that's why date nights once in a while are much- needed. 

We had a good time that night. Italian food & wine at Prima, then we went club hopping.... danced a lot.....reached home after 3 am. I couldn't walk in those shoes anymore!

Outfit Of the Day, Mini Haul & Some Very Thoughtful Gifts From The Man

One: Posing in that position (maybe 7 times to get it right) will make your thigh muscles very angry at you. Going down the stairs was a pain even after 2 days! >.<

Two: I ended up sitting in most of the pics because the camera kept cutting my head off.

Three: Please excuse the messy background. We always think about tidying it up, but it's always raining & wet. Sheesh, I didn't even notice that stick branch on the ground until I was editing these pics.