My Ethnicity ~ FAQ (Childhood & Honeymoon Photos)

"What is your ethnicity?" If I had a nickel for everytime I've been asked this question....

I thought it's about time I explain why I don't look conventionally "Indian". But first, let me share with you some of the assumptions people make:

-  "Are you from Nepal?" This is partly my fault coz I used to wear nose rings and some bling on my eyes & forehead haha.

-   Some random girl in my hometown stopped me on the road and said "Hi, are you a Rajput?"  I didn't even know what it really meant! 

-  Southeast Asian

-  Filipino. 

-  Kashmiri

-  Punjabi. Most people in my hometown assume I'm Punjabi coz of my long nose, I guess. Hey, I married a Punjabi so now I'm Punjabi hehe.

People from other Asian countries NEVER believe I'm Indian. I'm so tired of convincing them. One hairstylist in Singapore refused to believe it. He was like, "No you are not, and that's that", so I didn't tip him. That will make him believe, no? Haha... where's Russel Peters?

The truth:

1. I'm a Khasi, from a small town in the North-East part of India. Quote Wikipedia: "The general belief is that the khasis were the first of the Mongolians to have migrated to India." So I guess I'm part Mongolian if that's true.
2. My great grandfather (maternal) was English of Scottish origin, so you can say I'm 1/4th Scottish. Sometimes my hubby pulls my leg and calls me "Lassie" >.<

Here's a very old photo from the past (I don't know who carved it like that. It looks like something I would do lol...but it wasn't me- I hope.)

That's me with my only sibling/elder brother & late grandfather. See my brother was born blonde. He was so cute! Of course, his hair is dark now. Oh, the dog kissing me is Rocky & the other one is Browny. They were really good dogs. Rocky died when he got old, and Browny was stabbed on a New Year's day morning by some drunk (who's probably already in hell by now.)

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick My Mahogany

I never thought a shade like Maybelline Color Sensational 'My Mahogany' would look good on me (you know I'm so stuck in my pink ways*), but when I first wore it, I was so impressed I have been wearing it almost everyday ever since. When applied sparingly, it looks 'my lips but warmer' on me, so if you have a warmer/darker skin tone than mine, look no further coz this might just be your 'My Lips But Better' lippie.

My Mahogany is a warm nude shade with peach undertones. It has the same sweet caramel fragrance like all the other MCS lippies, which I have never had a problem with.

Inglot 5 Round Eyeshadow Palette ~ Brights

Here is my bright Inglot eyeshadow palette. It was somewhat inspired by the Sleek Curacao Palette, coz I really liked some colors in that palette.

Shades I picked- 491, 474, 372, 495, 477. They are all Double Sparkle eyeshadows, except for one. Inglot eyeshadows are available in 3 finishes- Matte, Double Sparkle (DS), and Pearl. 

Win A $25 Gift Card Giveaway from Apothica! (CLOSED)

Here's a chance for you to win a $25 Gift Card From Apothica!

About Apothica:
Apothica.com is an online beauty boutique, which carries the finest selection of skin care, body care, aromatherapy, and cosmetic products on the market today, including the most natural, organic products available. We are dedicated to providing you with high quality products formulated to promote and enhance your natural beauty.

Some of the popular brands they carry are:

•    Stila 
•    Bobbi Brown
•    Laura Mercier
•    Too Faced
•    Clinique
•    Korres
•    Clarisonic

   And many more!

For your entry to be valid, you can do 2 or more of the following:

Mandatory:
This is a giveaway for readers of this blog, so you must be a follower through GFC.

Option 1: Facebook
1.       Visit Apothica.com
2.       Write on Apothica’s Facebook wall about what you think of Apothica
Bonus: Opt in to Apothica’s Newsletter

Option 2: Twitter
1.       Visit Apothica.com
2.       Tweet about Apothica on your own Twitter Account
Bonus: Retweet Apothica’s tweet about this giveaway

Option 3: Blog
1.       Visit Apothica.com
2.       Write something on your blog about what you think of Apothica
Bonus: Write about the brand I highlighted (Stila) and link it to Apothica

Winner selection:

1.  Apothica will contact the winner to verify information is correct
2.  After verification, Apothica will email the a code for the gift card to be used at SkinCareRx.com, Apothica.com, and SkinBotanica.com
3. The contest is open internationally, but Apothica does not ship to all countries
4.  Please save SkinCareRx as a contact in your email box so that the email doesn't go to the Spam/Junk Mail folder.

 
Contest ends 2 weeks from today- on the 12th August '11, at 11:00 pm IST.

So, go ahead and submit your entries along with your email addresses in the comments section below. Copy & paste the following and fill whichever is applicable:

GFC name ~ 
Facebook Name ~
Tweet ~
Blog ~
Email address ~

*This giveaway is sponsored by Apothica.

Good luck everyone! :)


♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

INGLOT Haul & A 'Très Vichy' Gift

I hauled some Inglot (and Accessorize too) and got a bow-tiful & fa-bow-lous GIFT on the same day-yesterday! No wonder I had one of the best sleeps ever last night. I woke up diagonally- body on my side of the bed & legs on the other side- and my hubby, gone! ;p

I won't tell you what those are right now. I will post swatches very soon. Nah nah, I'm not teasing you, I'm just in a rush.  But there already was a Guessing Game in IVC Facebook page yesterday, and it was so fun! :)

♥

Katrina Kaif's Lipstick In ZNMD & Aamsutra Ad ~ Reader Query

Reader: "I watched Zindagi Na Milage Dobara this weekend end and I was pretty fascinated with Katrina's lipstick. It was a reddish/pinkish color with a wee bit of brown shade in it.

Do you know what color or which brand it could be?  I think she wears the same in the new maza add too."

I just put this pic for reference. 

Me: I haven't seen the movie, but the ad I've seen many many times. Slice is my favorite cold drink. I'd say the lipstick falls in the plum family. Looks like the lippie was applied very sparingly, or maybe it's just lip liner & lip balm. It's about time these ads & movies came with makeup breakdowns too, no? Maybe "Make-up done by so-and-so. For complete list of products used on the heroine, visit her blog/website at www.so-and-so.com."

So, I went through my lipstick collection & the internet and I found some shades that look similar to the one on Kat:

• MAC Captive ~ Swatch here
• Lakme Enrich Satin #134 ~ This is the closest shade I have myself, and it looks quite similar on my lips. However, it looks lighter & more pink on camera. Swatches here
• Last shade in Lakme Lip Palette ~ Swatch here
• I think I have seen a similar shade among Lakme Lip Love Lipsticks- maybe Plum Pout.

Now I want to watch the movie too, so I can be more precise! =D

Any other suggestions are welcome! 

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Lakme Lip Love Conditioner ~ MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner Dupe

About Lakme Lip Love Conditioner:

It’s a gel-based lip softener that promises to pamper your pout with color and moisture. Lip Love Conditioner contains Shea butter and Jojoba oil to hydrate your lips while the SPF 12 protects your lips from the sun. Lip Love Conditioner is extremely light-weight and is loaded with the goodness of Shea butter; Jojoba oil and high shine polymers.

Price ~ Rs.225

Available in 4 shades ~ Hottie, Flirt, Charmer, Siren.

I'll be showing you Flirt & Charmer. They look quite similar in the little jars, especially when they're new, but Flirt is pinkish, and Charmer is sheer red. 

Flirt, Charmer

I am very impressed these! They smell delicious- like vanilla, and they make my lips really really soft & supple. And most important of all, the packaging....oh my bows, the packaging! It is one of the cutest lip balm jars ever! Heart-shaped from both top and bottom. I L♥VE!

Swatches: Flirt, Charmer

 Flirt, Charmer

♥

Talking about MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner, I am guessing Lakme LLC was inspired by it. If so, then I'm so proud of Lakme for kind of nailing it. The texture... the smell- almost ditto. So if you're looking for a MAC TLC dupe, you might want to check these out.

A few differences: Mac TLC is more balmy & Lakme LLC is more glossy, Mac TLC has SPF 15 & Lakme LLC has SPF 12, Lakme LLC is more glossy & Mac TLC is more balmy.

Lakme LLC Flirt & MAC TLC Petting Pink

Let's compare prices, shall we?

Mac TLC for 15ml~ Rs.870

Lakme LLC for ? (not sure about quantity, but smaller jar) ~ Rs.225

Swatch of MAC TLC Petting Pink....

MAC TLC Petting Pink

You see what I mean about balmy & glossy? Bottomline is, they're still very very similar. So for me, it's "Goodbye MAC TLC!" Well, unless they come up with a shade I won't be able to resist (and cuter packaging!) I've always thought they were overpriced, so you can imagine my 'Hallelujah moment'

Dupe Meter: 90% 

Now back to Lakme Lip Love Conditioner ~ As a lip balm addict, I adore them! Cute packaging, delicious content & my lips love them (or they love my lips?) I'm definitely buying more.

One dislike about Lakme LLC : Shade names are not printed on the jars. One can get confused, especially if they plan to launch more shades. I stuck the sticker from the seal on one, so I wouldn't make a mistake while swatching them. Maybe a little red heart sticker on the side with the shade name on it? :) 

Rating ~ ♥♥♥♥♥ 4.5/5

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^


Disclosure: Products sent by PR for consideration. All opinions are my own, as always. I am not paid to write this post. To know more, please read my Disclosure page.

I Got NAKED!!!

Let's pretend you heard that here first and clap. My grandmother would so disapprove of it, especially since it's a Sunday- a day to be pious. I don't blog on Sundays, coz I'm lazy not coz I'm pious *rolls eyes*, but there are exceptions- today it's the Urban Decay Naked Palette- always out of stock, always too expensive on Ebay.... Always. On. My. Mind. 

From my mind to my hands....after A YEAR of yearning! All thanks to the lovely Aparajita , who brought it from France. I still can't believe I have it in my house! I stroke it, stare at the eyeshadows, and sigh- before dinnertime & before going to bed. My husband thinks I'm nuts! 

Winnie The Pooh Brush/Pencil Holders

I was at a stationery store last Saturday and couldn't resist buying these cute Winnie The Pooh "Happy to be Me" tin pencil holders. I was just going to get the one on the left, but of course me had to get a matching one too. What? I needed the......sharpener.

I got the long one, coz I thought it'd be a good way to store my foundation brush- to prevent dust and such from getting on it. You know, somewhat like the Sigma Brush Kit.

Bubbly Look With MAC Quite Cute Candy Yum Yum & Sakura

A "bubbly" look with MAC Quite Cute products: Candy Yum Yum Lipstick & Sakura Mineralize Blush. For photos & swatches, please click here. I love both products so very much!

Note: It's meant to be an over-the-top pink look inspired by Mac Quite Cute campaign, so there's no need to chastise me for looking like bubblegum. Just be glad I'm not wearing a pink bow on my head & I'm not piggybacking a pink teddy bear =D

Easy Cat Eyeliner Tutorial

Cat eyeliner has got to the most unpredictable thing in makeup. You never know what shape you'll end up with. One wrong move & you'll have to think of ways to make it look right. I thought I'd share with you how I've been doing mine, because I think it's almost mistake-proof.

By the way, this is how I lined my eyes in the MAC Big Bounce Impeccably Rich post...

So, here's a step-by-step tutorial:

1. Apply eyeshadow on lid. Here I used a very light shade (TF Pillow Talk shown below). Start lining from center of lid towards the outer corner, stop after drawing 1/2 " or so- as shown.
2. Continue to line straight out. Make sure the end doesn't exceed the end of your eyebrow tail. 
3. Now join the end of the line to the outer end of your eye.
4. Line the rest of your eye starting from center to the inner corner. Try to make it thinner as it goes in.
5. Time to fill inside the lines now& tightline the inner part of your eye now, so there's no visible gaps. Tightlining tutorial here
6. DONE!

*It's up to you whether you want to line the lower lash line or not. I prefer to do it.
Lastly, apply mascara on top & bottom lashes. After I lined my bottom lash line & joined it to the upper wing, I ended up with this....

Products Used:

Because I have hooded lids, it's important that I contour my crease. I used Pillow Talk on lid & Like A Virgin on the crease and lower lash line. Both eyeshadows are from the Too Faced Naked Eye Palette

Maybelline Lasting Drama Black Gel Liner

Hope you liked the tutorial!


More Tutorials:

• Winged Eyeshadow Tutorial 
• Black Smokey Eyes Tutorial
• How To Tightline Eyes 

♥ Cynthia Z *.*

Bobbi Brown Cabo Coral Pot Rouge Review & Swatches

About Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge:

This cream-based formula is great on both lips and cheeks for a sheer, stained finish. Available in a wide array of color choices for a variety of skin tones. For All Skin Types. Creamy and easy to blend - pat on lips and cheeks for a pop of color. 

Cabo Coral is described as "Pink Nectar", but I see no pink in it, do you? There is a hint of pink when you look at it closely, but it definitely leans more towards peach.

NEW! Lakmé Lip Love Conditioner

"Lakmé Lip Love Conditioner for the lips you love."

Try the new Lip Love Conditioner for smooth-to-touch lips and a super glossy color. It’s a gel-based lip softener that promises to pamper your pout with color and moisture. Lip Love Conditioner contains Shea butter and Jojoba oil to hydrate your lips while the SPF 12 protects your lips from the sun.

Lip Love Conditioner is extremely light-weight and is loaded with the goodness of Shea butter; Jojoba oil and high shine polymers.

♥  Priced at Rs.225/-
♥  Available in 4 shades ~ Hottie, Flirt, Charmer, Siren.
♥  Available at leading lifestyle stores

So go ahead and be a hottie, flirt, charmer or a siren this season with your own Lip Love Conditioner!



Which one do you want? I want all of them! Especially Flirt ;)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^