What's IN?

A lot of things. Too many! But here, I'll list the 6 at the front of the queue in my Trend & Whims Book 2012:

1. Caviar Nail Art ~ I prefer one color to the multi-colored up there. Very easy to DIY, if you can get hold of teeny-tiny beads. Crackle nails are OUT for the moment- in my book.
2. Waxing ~  True story: I started to get my body & underarms waxed only in December last year & now I'm hooked. I just love how my skin feels after waxing & it even removed some of my Goa tan! Shaving is OUT-OUT-OUT! Period.
3. Ombre Hair ~ Darker at the roots & lighter at the ends, like a gradient. LOVE! I just colored my hair a very light brown during the weekend & I'm gonna find a stylist who can ombre the ends after a few weeks. Fingers crossed.
4. Toner ~  I did some thinking & experimenting, and concluded that if you want to prevent pimples, use a toner! Angry bacteria... alcohol in toner will prevent it from growing & forming a  pimple. I've been religiously toning my face after cleansing for over a month and..... those pimples I usually get a week before that time of the month are no longer cystic.  I loved The Body Shop Cucumber Water, and I'm now trying Nivea Sparkling Glow Toner. Cleanse, Tone, Moisturize- I get it now.
5. Rose Gold Watches ~  Michael Kors set the trend, and now they're seen everywhere! The rose gold watch of my dreams looks somewhat like the one right there- with some bling, basically. Whatever the price (under Rs.20,000), I will work hard (and err....save =\) & hopefully get it before December ;)
6. Hi-Low Dresses & Skirts ~  I was obsessed with Hi-Low/Asymmetrical dresses back in high school & college, and I had a few tailored. Now they ARE trending & I couldn't be happier! I recently ordered a skirt....waiting impatiently for it. If you only wear traditional Indian suits, you can make the kameez high lo & wear it with fitted churidar pants- fab! (Want!) 

Have a good week, everybody!

♥ Cynthia Z *.*

WINNERS Of L'Oreal Paris Contest

Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone who participated. I read each & every one of your answers, both here & IVC Facebook Page.last night, and appreciate ALL of them.

Before I reveal the winning answers, let's take a look at the percentage each of the fashionistas, Bollywood sweethearts, and L'Oreal Paris Ambassadors, scored:

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan- 51%
Sonam Kapoor- 24%
Freida Pinto- 23%

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan beat Sonam & Freida put together. WOW! New mommy has really earned a lot of admiration & respect. Well-deserved, I must say, especially with all the boo-hockey she has to put up with constantly. Yes, I would have picked her too =)

And now for the winning answers! The 1st Prize Winner was an easy choice for me, but picking the 2nd Prize Winner was TOUGH! 

Drum roll......

1st PRIZE goes too.....

" Simran:

'Ash' you like it...In this case it will be "'Ash', I like It!!!" ;)

Her style, which has more misses than it gets kisses, manage to hit the 'taal' even in plain old 'Jeans' and at times makes you think 'Kuch na kaho'

Her face, so doll-like and ethereal, come rain, hail, babies or the dreaded age of 40s, make her the 'Umrao Jaan' of India

Her figure, which can make 'dhoom' and others gloom, make her more real than anyother

Her elegance, grace and confidence, leaves 'Devdas(es)' across the 'World' saying 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'

Whether she is 'Jodha' or The 'Mistress of Spices',

The 'Bride' and bahu of the 'Sarkar' of all families of Bollywood Or at the receiving end of everyones 'Prejudice',

She inevitably leaves everyone with a "Guzaarish' for more.

Because she's worth it ;) "

Accessorize BOW Necklace

Saturday, 9th June '12, 15:50 PM: 

That's when I laid eyes on it. A dull gold bow hung stiffly on a string of mini pearls. Oh-my-bows! I gasped. I reached out to feel the grosgrain texture & the pronounced curves on the metal. My fingers slid behind it & lifted it to feel it's weight. I was dispassionately relieved that it's only as heavy as a two-rupee coin. I stood there and stared at it, transfixed.

My mind did it's thing: 'It'll go with almost everything.... with that dress I just ordered from Ebay.... I need gold shoes with a bow..... Oooh, it'll work as a bracelet too.....  How should I photograph it?....  Oh, it looks like a bow tie. Who'd wear a gold bow tie?! Mmm.... Chuck Bass! And that colorful cricket man Sidhu!.... Which earrings should I pair with it?.... So pweety!.... Wha--? It's moving away from me.... WAIT!'

Reverie snapped! Mr.CZ was tugging on my arm to lead me out of the store, while telling me it's better to buy it in July, coz that's when the SALE starts- as informed by the salesman, who was by our side the whole time (like a predator)

Oh okay, I agreed. Makes perfect sense, I thought. Ya, I'll wait. Ooh, maybe half off!

As we drove out of the basement parking, it hit me hard. REGRET. I actually let go of something that doesn't come by easily! Forget July, it'll be gone this week, I just know it! What have I done?! My insides coiled into a knot that made way up to my throat. I couldn't breathe.

I made a pouty-mouth-furrowed-brows face, that can be very persuasive- sometimes. "We are not going back.", he said sternly, reading my mind face. I wanted to say- 'Maybe just stop the car NOW, I'll marathon to the store, and be back in 5. Less than 5! I'll take off my high heels & run barefoot!', but I swallowed the words along with the lump in my throat, and freakishly wondered if Accessorize does 'Home Delivery'.

Anguish clung to me & went home with us. "You know me better than that!", I half yelled at my 'shopping adviser', and dove head first on the couch.....*Melodrama*

I survived 3½ days & 4 nights without it. In all those days, I took a moment to stick my tongue out at myself in the mirror. YOU know YOURSELF better than that.

MAC Ruby Woo Lipstick Review, Look & Dupe

Rumor has it that MAC Ruby Woo lipstick is:

• The perfect red lipstick for every skin tone 
• One of Gwen Stefani's & Dita Von Teese's favorite red lipsticks 

I've thought about getting it for years but either I forgot, or it was never in stock. This year alone, it wasn't available twice. Then during a lunch break on a very unpleasant day last month, I was at the mall and quickly dropped by the MAC store- I thought: If it's in stock, I'll buy it & if it's not, I'll walk out. But we already know it's not.

Bang! SA said it's in stock! Woo........!

It looks glossy only because it was very very hot (it sweat!), otherwise it's very matte-looking like below.... 

Most Used Beauty Products

Yesterday, I had an attack of short attention span (the infamous Gemini vice). I was going to blog about something.... then I decided on something else....then something else.... it was amazing how my mind went from China to Turkey in minutes. I wanted to pull my hair, coz I couldn't settle on a topic, yet I was editing photos & writing like a maniac. Then late at night, I ended up making this collage instead- far far away from China & Turkey.

These are some of my Most Used Products. I've repurchased some & I'm begging a few not to leave me!

Retro OOTD

Something you don't know about me, my heart is old. I'm fascinated with 'Olden Times' & 'Vintage'. I like everything black & white, I listen to Madonna almost everyday - Holiday, Vogue, Like A Prayer, Get Together, Get Into The Groove, Papa Don't Preach. When I listen to these songs, I feel....Alive, simply put. I truly feel I will fit better in the 60's- wear long gloves to the airport, wear red lipstick everyday, bake pies, wait desperately for my soldier husband....and maybe be like one of the women in Mad Men. Oh, and I really really want one of those vintage tring-tring telephones, for some reason.

That's why this Retro OOTD was at the top of my to-do list. 

L'Oreal L'Or Electric Collection Photos & Swatches + GIVEAWAY (India Only)

I'm very excited to show you some products from the L'Oreal Paris L'Or Electric Collection for Cannes Film Festival 2012 , today. There are some very interesting products, and I'm already playing favorites. I will do a look with them sometime soon, hope you enjoy the photos & swatches for now....and if you're a reader living in India, do try your luck in the GIVEAWAY at the end! =)

The products came to me in this purple clutch =)

Look ~ REBEL

“Every woman is a rebel, and usually in wild revolt against herself.” ~ Oscar Wilde

FACE: 

• Lotus Herbals Muti-Function Sunblock SPF 70
• Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Airbrush Foundation
• MAC Studio Finish Concealer
• Benefit Matterial Girl Matte Finish Setting Powder

CHEEKS:

• The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder
• MAC Quite Cute Mineralize Blush Sakura

Easy Geometric/Half Moon Nails Tutorial

I know it's not exactly "half moon", coz I didn't have those rounded tapes. I'm no nail art expert, so I use the easiest methods to play with my nail polishes. This method is not the most original, as you may have seen it before, but I did it for the first time last night & decided to put up a tut. I could have used another better/cuter color combo but, I don't know, somehow I settled for these. 

What you will need:

• 2 shades of nail polish of your choice
• Sellotape
• Clear Top Coat 

Products I used:

• Inglot Nail Enamel #721- Matte pastel yellow
• Colorbar Apple Martini - Jade 
• Elle 18 Nail Pops #27- Clear (Brush too small, btw. No good.)
• Scotch Magic Tape - I cut it in half vertically.

What do you think? Have you tried this method before?

♥ Cynthia Z *.*

Eyes Of the Day ~ Plum & Black Smokey

I realized I have not done any look since April! So today, I managed to do one...Yay! I melted in the heat a little while posing for my "photo shoot" in my balcony (where the good lighting is), but it was worth it. I wanted to talk about the eyes separately, so the other post won't get too long.

I used only 2 eyeshadows on the eyes: 

Lotus Herbals Multi-Function Sunblock SPF 70 ~ A Tinted Mosturizer? A BB Cream?

Looking for a sunblock? Especially if you're living in Delhi right now, you must be, or should. Sunblock is one product I find quite hard to buy. Most times, it's either too oily or too whitish or incompatible with my foundation. Enter Lotus Herbals Multi-Function Sunblock SPF 70. It is no ordinary sunblock! It is TINTED, PRESERVATIVE-FREE, OIL-FREE, made with CARROT & AVOCADO Extracts (I hear avocado does wonders for the skin)  & has SPF 70! 

Really, I had a hallelujah moment when I first used this. If you know my skin history, you'll understand why. It is a tinted non-sticky/non-sticky high SPF sunblock-cum-moisturizer. It is perfect for my oily/blemished/hyperpigmentation-prone skin.

Claims: 

A revolutionary, preservative - free, light weight formulation containing potent herbal extracts with 10 benefits:

• High UVA & UVB Protection
• Tan Prevention
• Prevention of brown spots & pigmentation
• Skin Lightening benefits
• Anti-wrinkle benefits
• Protection from freckles, sun spots & sun burn
• Anti-ageing properties
• Health prevention - helps prevent skin cancer
• Carrot & Avocado Extracts: healing properties that soften, smoothen and nourish skin
• Preservative free - Free from harmful preservatives like parabens, which may cause health problems like breast cancer.

May Favorites

Before we say goodbye to May, my favorite month, here are all the things I have been loving. Some everyday necessities, and some very random things:

WANTED: Green Tea Skin Care Products

I hate the taste of Green Tea, but I am obsessed with Green Tea Beauty Products! OBSESSED! Right now, I'm c-r-a-v-i-n-g Green Tea beauty products like a pregnant woman craves sour (or sweet) foods. Btw, did you know that when a pregnant woman doesn't get what she's craving, the baby will drool more? Yes, it's true. My pregnant relative didn't get the mutton she wanted to eat during pregnancy, and her baby was always unnaturally wet around the mouth area. Poor thing.

These days, I'm searching for Dove Go Fresh Cucumber & Green Tea range, which I have used before, but I can't find them in my local supermarkets! I think I'm going a bit crazy....thinking 'Green Tea....Green Tea....'

Why Green Tea?

Green tea is rich in anti-oxidants & has anti-inflammatory properties which ward off wrinkles & acne. Studies show that it reduces sun damage & fights skin cancer. You can google for detailed explanations, but that's all I need to know.

*Most importantly: It smells nice & refreshing!

I know one brand - Ginvera, and it has a variety of Green Tea products. I saw them everyday at Watsons when I was in Kuala Lumpur last year. The brand is only available in Malaysia & some other Asian countries, I think. 

I have only used one products by the brand so far- Green Tea Intensive Whitening & Spot Corrector.....

I finished it. I remember it didn't visibly clear up any spots, but  it's a small tube. I'd buy it again.