MAC Warm & Cozy Collection

To go with the holiday mood, let's take a peek at MAC's Warm & Cozy Collection, to be launched on the 26th of December in US stores. We Indians have to wait till...well, let's just say a long time.

Lipsticks ~ Warm Me Up, Spiced Tea, Siss,  

Lipglass ~ Feeling Dreamy, 2N,, Light That Fire,  3N

Lip Conditioners, 

Nail Lacquers ~ Blissed Out, Dim The Lights

Shadesticks ~ Cuddle, Nurture, Warm $ Cozy, Relaxed

Tinted Lip Conditioners ~ Feelin' Good, Close For Comfort

Eyeshadows ~ Chamomile, Modelette, Mulled Cider, Embark

Mineralize Skinfinish ~ By Candlelight, Comfort

Mineralize All Over Lotion

Care Blends Essential Oils ~ Sweet Orange + Lavender, Grapefruit + Chamomile

♥ Cynthia Z ^_^

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

For Kristie ~ Winner of my 'Lucky #22 Giveaway'

I know...I know...I'm so damn late with this. SORRY!
So, as promised, here are the pictures of the 'extra prize' that I took so long to be done with.

What is it???

It's a Make-up Brush Roll!

I only designed this and didn't stitch it myself, for quality's sake.

I just made the bow and the hanging thingy.

10 rows ~ for 10 make-up brushes

2 zipped compartments ~ For eyedrops, tweezers, Q-tips, and other little things.


This is the first time I ever designed a brush roll so it may not be the ideal brush bag

♥ Made of taffeta ~ With sheer ruffle trims adorned with a satin bow ♥

I still need to make the bow perfect before I send

The other prizes ~

Bourjois Bonne Mine Blush & Shu Uemura Under Lashes

I hope these prizes travel from India to America safely and hope Kristie likes them!! :)


As you can see my followers have crossed a 100, but I'm waiting for it to reach another number that means something to me to host a 'Giveaway' =) 
LOL, me and my magical numbers.

♥ Cynthia Z ^_^

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

Beauty Essentials For Mom

I got some little things for my Mom on Saturday. Just thought I'd post pictures. I think for the next two weeks you'll see more pictures than writings and reviews. I just have so much to do before leaving for my hometown on the 26th, so I apologize to my readers for lack of posts. 

The Bag and Mask are just extra goodies I had from before

From top left ~

• Hot pink  make-up bag 
• Etude House O2 White Mask Sheet 
• Maybeline Expert Wear Eyeshadow ~ Time For Wine
• Maybelline Shine Seduction Lipcolor ~ #150 Passion Petal
• Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Mascara
• Maybelline Whitestay Compact Powder

The only thing left to do after I give her these, is teach her how to use them right =)

♥ Cynthia Z ^_^

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

In Memory of Brittany Murphy

I'm so shocked and saddened by the death of actress and singer Brittany Murphy.
I just felt like putting up this video from my all-time favorite and the cutest movie ever~ Just Married.

♥ Rest in Peace Brittany ♥

♥ Cynthia Z ^_^

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

40% Off On Inglot Nail Enamels

This is for all you Delhi girls out there ~

Inglot is having a FLAT 40% OFF SALE on all their nail enamels!!!

Store ~

Groung Floor, Select City Walk, New Delhi.

♥ Cynthia Z ^_^

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

Your Hands Will Talk

Before you put your hands to your ears, please read on to find out what I mean.


We all look for the perfect anti-aging cream for our laugh lines and crow's feet, but we need to remind ourselves that we also need to treat our hands with just as much care as we do our faces. 

I read a blog entry of AngMoGirl's Blog (Hi Shilka! ^o^) about skincare and she mentioned that Madonna wears gloves because her arms and hands look older than her face and even top skincare professionals can do very little about it. It really cracked me up. The gloves, I mean. Although I read somewhere that it's just a rumor/lie. Hard to say what's true and what's not in Hollywood. Let's just think that it could very easily be true because she does wear gloves a lot! What this shows us is no matter how much money you have or have the best plastic surgeon on your speed dial, there are some things that can't be reversed. 
The bottomline is ~ Your hands will always give up your age.


I remember seeing a 'Hand Rejuvenation' scene on Nip/Tuck. Looked really painful and expensive. But hey, why think of that while we can take care of them NOW, right?!        

Think of your hands as fraternal twins - one is always better looking than the other The "other" being the hand you use more - right if you're right-handed and left if you're left handed. I'm right-handed so my left hand is better looking and more dainty whereas my right hand is a bit more butch with visible veins.

Here are some anti-aging tips for hands that you might like:

• Hand  Wash ~ Always use a good, non-drying hand wash. Every once in a while, I put a few drops of coconut or olive oil into my handwash. This prevents dryness and has anti-aging benefits too.

• Washing ~ Avoid using hand wash on the back middle part of your hand every time you wash your hands unless it is really necessary. Washing only the fingers and front is enough every time.

• Exfoliate ~ Using a scrub on your hands is as necessary as it is for your face. Use a body scrub 2-3 times a week. Don't forget to exfoliate around your finger nails.

• Hand cream/lotion ~ I always have hand cream or some type of lotion in a pump bottle beside the handwash in my bathrooms. That way I apply it right after washing to lock in the moisture. When asked about how she stays young, Sharon Stone said that she applies moisturizer in her bathroom right after her bath or shower before her skin dries completely. I always carry one in my handbag

• Housework ~ If you're like me and do your own dishes and laundry, then you need to take extra care. If you wear gloves then well and good. I myself don't. I just find them very uncomfortable. Most gloves are always too big for my hands anyways, so I look like I'm flapping more than working with them on. I just pile on the moisturizers, hand creams and nail creams afterwards.

• Sunscreen ~ Just like you slather on the sunscreen on your face, arms and legs before stepping out of your house, it is vital not to forget the back of your hands and fingers too. Knuckles and the areas near your nails can easily darken from the sun and you don't want wrinkly hands either.

• Idle time ~ Sometimes when I'm watching TV, I warm up some oil in a large bowl for about 10-20 seconds (varies) in the microwave, and soak my hands palms up. Massaging them throughout. This is good for both your hands and nails. You can do this for your feet too.

• Bedtime ~ Before going to bed I prefer to use an anti-aging cream on my hands. Right now I use Olay Total Effects (Normal) because it does nothing for my face and I don't want it to go to waste. Some people even wear moisturizing gloves to bed, like Will Truman of Will & Grace :) but I would find them uncomfortable in bed. I wouldn't mind using them during Idle time though.

My Handbag Hand Creams Of The Year:

Avon Wild Apple & Grape Hand and Body Lotion
This is great as a summer hand cream because it is not at all greasy and disappers into the skin in no time. It smells really good, like the name.

Body Shop Wild Cherry Body Butter

Lakme Strawberry Creme
For this winter, I picked Lakme Strawberry Creme. I have always liked this cream, especially the strawberry smell. It does not feel great on my face in summers when my skin gets very oily, but in dry winters it makes my skin feel really *great*! So soft. The jar is quite heavy to tote it around in my handbag, so I will transfer some into another light jar/container.

I think it is somewhat similar to Body Shop Body Butters, except it has a mousse-like lighter texture, while BS body butters have a heavier buttery texture (obviously) and heavier. But they feel almost the same on the skin.

Comparing Lakme Strawberry Creme with BS Body Butters ( I wish I still had the Strawberry one for proper comparison.)

I think Lakme should come up with a bigger version of this for body. A cheaper alternative to pricier BS BB. LoL! Me and my demands from Lakme, huh? :)

Sunscreens

Sunplay Sunscreen Lotions SPF 50+

These sunscreen lotions are milky and moisturizing, so apart from my face, I really like to use them on my  hands.

***So, look at your hands now, will there come a time when they'll wave at people and say "Hi, we're forty-mm...mm.... phoo....ouch...what the hell...have we become blind??"

♥ Cynthia Z ^_^

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

Best Of The Two ~ From Skincare to Make-up

Here, I'm going to pit one beauty product against another similar one, and pick one WINNER based on the product I like more, regardless of their prices.

***All products listed have been tried and tested by me personally, so please keep in mind that what works for me might not work for you.***

Rules: They just have to make me love them, that's all.
Referee: Smothered by all the products...gasping for air! =D

So, let the fights begin!

Skincare:

 Olay Total Effects 'Vs' Pond's Age Miracle

The Winner is ~

♥ Pond's Age Miracle ♥

Because it feels better on my skin, it's less oily than the oponent and my fine lines are gone! It has tiny light reflecting particles which make the skin glow  *Can't be used in the eye contour area. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Pond's White Beauty 'Vs' Fair & Lovely Multi-vitamins

The Winner is ~

♥ Fair & Lovely Multi-vitamins Cream ♥

Because it is just better! Not drying like Pond's WB (which is hard to blend into the skin and "Pinkish White Glow"? No thanks!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Pond's Flawless White Day Cream 'Vs' Nivea Sparkling Glow Day Care

The Winner is ~

♥ Pond's Flawless White ♥

Because it is one of the best creams I've ever used. I don't even want to talk about the loser.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Lakme Peach Milk Moisturizer 'Vs' Olay Moisturizing Lotion

The Winner is ~

♥ Lakme Peach Milk Moisturizer ♥

Because I survived all of last winter on it. Smells great, sinks into the skin and it's non-greasy.

*Olay ML made me breakout

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Garnier Pure Pimple Pen 'Vs' Clean & Clear Acne Speed Clearing Gel

The Winner is ~

♥ Garnier Pimple Pen ♥

 It's clear, it's effective and easier to use. The other oozes out uncontrollably when squeezed and I don't like that it's white and noticeable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Make-up:

 Kajal ~ Lotus Herbals 'Vs' Himalaya 

The Winner is ~

♥ Lotus Herbals Kajal ♥

Because it is a little more smudge-proof than Himalaya. Do you see that it looks matte? Even the packaging is better. I did a review on it here

*I hate the smell of Himalaya Kajal and when sliding it's cover to open and close, you risk beheading the half-out kajal :[

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 'Vs' Mac Fluidline

The Winner is ~

♥ Maybelline Gel Eyeliner ♥

Because it survived under water and soap unlike Mac Fluidline. Plus it comes with an amazing brush, not to mention it's cheaper too. Will get it in Black as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Blush ~ Benefit Coralista Vs Nars Orgasm 

The Winner is ~

♥ Benefit Coralista ♥

I like both of them equally because they are very very similar. After staring at myself in the mirror for about 5 minutes and imagined I had a gun to my head, I decided that I like Coralista more...umm...I think so.

More fights another time. I don't want this post to be too long and I gotta sleep...zzzz...

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Vogue + Neutrogena = Subscription

LOOK AT THAT!!! 

My one year subscription to Vogue magazine ended in November. I had been waiting for a better offer and TA-DA!

There was Kaya Skin Clinic offer before this, but that didn't appeal to me.

But now we're talking!

I'm going for the 1 year subscription again. I was planning to buy the Deep Clean Facial Cleanser, but after this I won't need to anymore. Yipeee...

Anyways, I just wanted to share this with my readers in India, in case they didn't know already.

Happy Holidays and yeah, Happy Magazine Subscriptions too :)

♥ DBA ^_^

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

Colorbar Nail Lacquer ~ Essie Dupes ~ Mint/Jade Nails

Colorbar Nail Lacquer swatches (2 coats)
From left to right: Top Coat, French White, Pink, Jade/Mint, Hot Pink
(I wish they had proper cutesy names.)

I really like the quality of these Colorbar nail lacquers. They have a nice sheen and dry in a jiffy.

Priced at Rs.125, I think they are much better than Revlon nail polishes (why's their quality bad in India??) and without a doubt better than Lakme nail polishes - in both quality and price.

Bourjois 1 Seconde ~ Perfect fan brush ♥

Jade and mint nail paints are so the rage nowadays, that I see most beauty bloggers gush over Essie 'Mint Candy Apple' (Hello Amynaree!!^o^)

As there's no Essie in India, let's just hope the next best things will suffice.

Colorbar & Bourjois

Which one looks more like Essie 'Mint Candy Apple'?

Yes I do know that Essie 'MCA' is lighter but "a dupe is a dupe" right? :)

So, tell me, don't you think Colorbar nail lacquers look 'kinda' similar to these Essie ones? Umm...a tad? LOL...

♥ DBA ^_^

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

Nars Orgasm Blush

First of all, I want to proclaim "I ♥LOVE♥ EBAY!!!"

Okay, now I'm back to earth.

Received my Nars 'Orgasm' blush today. Mondays aren't so bad after all :)

Will let you all know what I think about it in a few days.

For now, let me enjoy this 'honeymoon' period.

P.S: I was about to add ".......with my Orgasm." in the last line, but I thought it would sound like..... ermm..... oops! Oh, never mind ;)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Lakme Aqua Shine Lipcolor ~ Review

What it is? A lipstick, lip balm and lip gloss all in one, with a soft spongy tip applicator.

Shade ~ 'Old Rose'

Price ~ Rs.395

Applied a bit thickly

I think I have found a Lakme product I like enough to buy again. Aquashine Lip Color has a coconutty flavor which I love (I told you I like everything coconuts, right?)

For me, 'Old Rose' is the best pinkish-nude shade I have ever tried. Beats L'oreal Star Secrets Aishwarya Rai shade by a mile. Oh, it also beats my Mac 'Hug Me' lipstick - shade-wise.

It kinda looks like Nars Turkish Delight (on the lips.) Perfect for smokey eyes, and I think it's a shade that would suit most Indian skin tones.

The texture is very creamy, so avoid locking your lips too much so it won't streak.

Wow! Lakme has really raised their prices, huh? Rs.395 for this :O

I think Rs.250-ish would suit this more. Okay, not more than Rs.300 if you push it.

I'd buy up to 5 more shades if they bring the price down to Rs.250. Really.

Do you think the people at Lakme read beauty blogs???

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Beauty Tips I Learnt a Long ~ Long Time Ago

Growing up in a small town in North-East India called 'Shillong', I used to love hearing stories that go way back. Like most people from my hometown, I believe in some 'Old People's Sayings' and 'Old Wives' Tales'

So, I just want to share some tit bits I learnt when I was a kid.

***You'll need that pinch of salt before reading the rest.

For long... long... hair

How? Braid your hair before going to bed. Tie the end with a band and then a piece of ribbon on top. Make sure one end of the ribbon is a few inches longer than the end of your braided hair. Supposedly the hair will follow the ribbon! Maybe hair is just competitive and wants to win the race, I don't know.

Tip from ~ My childhood friend's old housekeeper, whose daughter had ~long~ hair past her waistline.

For Soft & Smooth Lips

What to do? Put a drop of mustard oil in your belly button before sleeping.

It WORKS! I think any oil works though, because every time I apply Bio Oil or BS Monoi Miracle Oil on my whole body (including belly button) , I don't reach for my lip balms every 10 minutes anymore.

For Shiny Nails

What You need? A brick!

How I know this ~ When I was a kid, I used to love playing with bricks that were lying around my house. I don't know how I thought of it, but I used to rub the powder from the broken ones on my nails using the sides of my palms (where the pinky is.) It made them very very shiny and smooth!!! I haven't done that again since then, but I'm telling you, even buffers have never made my nails so shiny like the brick powder.

**Rubbing too much could make your nails thinner though.

What they applied all over me when I was a baby

Mustard oil with sliced garlic fried till golden brown and crispy in it. Mustard oil is warming and garlic has anti-bacterial properties, so the combination prevents babies from catching colds and infections. Where I come from, most people use this on their babies after bathing them. In fact, some of them still do even today. Not so much a beauty tip, but I thought it's worth a mention :)

To Lighten, Clean and Exfoliate Skin

What you need : A Pumice Stone

I don't mean the textured ones you find in the market. I'm talking about the natural and smooth ones you find near the rivers and caves. Personally, I really do prefer using these, because the textured ones scrape and hurt my skin.

Years & years ago: My mom went to a well-known homeopathy doctor because of the melasma/hyperpigmentation that covered her face. He told her that the best way to remove it is to use a pumice stone once a week to exfoliate it. The doctor died one week later!!! :O

Mom took it to be a valuable advice since, you know, he died soon after. And yes, she still uses a pumice stone and her face has really really improved.

***A little superstition: Some say that most of these rivers are haunted, so when you take these stones home, a part of the place and all the 'eerie' things come along with the them *shudders*

So you need to drop a few coins/pennies in the river, as a way to give something in return. What? That's what they say!

That's all for now peeps.

Will post some more later.

♥ DBA ^_^

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥

How Cute Are These??!!

I *so* want these for Christmas (Santa, are you listening??!!)

♥ DBA ^_^

♥~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥