MAY 2013 Favorites ~ Make-up, Best Concealer, DIY Waxing, Etc.

May is not over yet, but I'm in the mood to talk about my May Favorites now.

Carpe Diem!

We start with makeup, as always. From the back:

• Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer ~ This, this is THE BEST CONCEALER. No kidding. It's great for under the eyes, it conceals blemishes, it does it all! And yes, it lasts. It's available in 4 shades- Fair, Light, Medium, Deep. I use #3 Medium (which was always out of stock!) I think my tube is broken somewhere, because the concealer keeps leaking out- messy, messy! The best thing about it- it costs only around Rs.350 (£4.19). This is one thing I'll be buying in bulk when I leave UK =D

• NARS Loose Powder in Beach ~ This powder has a lot of yellow in it, that's why I like it. It's smooth and lightweight, and sets my foundation without looking cakey. It reminds of Ben Nye Banana Powder, which I've yet to try out.

• Maybelline Crayon Oriental Kohl Intense Black ~ I don't want to finish my repurchased Lakme Kohl Ultimate so soon, so I've been using this. It's soft & black, and  hardly smudges.

• MAC Cream Soda Betty Blush from Archie's Girls Collection ~ As I predicted, I ended up loving this light neutral coral blush with a satin finish. Although it looks light, it actually shows up quite coral on my cheeks. Maybe the micro shimmers in it attract attention. Swatches here & LOTD wearing it here

• Sleek Oh So Special Palette ~  When I bought this, I had no idea I'd be using it so much. It has almost every eye shadow I need for everyday. Swatches here.

• Revlon Just Bitten Lip Balm Stain in Sweetheart ~ Most-worn lippy from April-May. Swatches here

• Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick #16 ~ A summery grapefruit pink lippy I reach for every time I think medium pink lipstick. Swatches here

• Maybelline The Falsies Black Drama Mascara ~ This is different from the original "The Falsies", okies? Aside from having a fancier lace design, it's also better for my thin lashes. The formula is thicker, and it does make my lashes look like falsies. I have done a post on the original here

• Maybelline Colorama Cremoso Nail Polish Equilibrista ~  I'm liking this girly lilac color more than pink on my fingernails these days.  

Here, we have my favorite skin care & a hair tool:

• The Body Shop Raspberry Body Butter ~ Raspberry is the new Strawberry.

• Veet Oriental Wax ~ This comes with wax, wooden spatula & strips. My 1st time waxing at home, and it was a success! Basically, you just heat the container in microwave, or place it n hot water, and it's ready to use! It didn't irritate my skin too much, or caused too many bumps. I'm afraid to even guess how much the salons here in Scotland charge for waxing whole body. 

• Carmex Cherry Lip Balm ~ It took me a while to get used to the cherry scent, after using the original/plain. But now I like it a lot.

• The Face Shop Mini Pet Hand Cream ~ More pics here. I need more of these cuties. better than L'Occitane.

• Babyliss Volume Waves Curling Tong ~ I.Can't.Live.Without.This. I've been curling my hair every 3rd day now. When it's straight-straight, I feel....ordinary.

♥

The Etc's:

Leather Jackets ~ I've been living in furnace Delhi for so long, that I never had a chance to really indulge in leather jackets, but now I want so many types! Every second girl in UK wears a leather jacket, and every time I see a unique one, I get this urge to go up to the girl and request her to show me the brand tag inside (Let me see! Let me see! Take it off!) Ooh, look at that- Zara, with ruffle detail. Want!

Mama Hot & Spicy Noodles ~ OMG, these are so spicy! Although I do add extra chilli powder & pepper. They're awesome! If you live in Delhi, you might find them in INA Market or big supermarkets.

Macaroons or Macarons (whatever) ~  I tried, I LOVE! Thank goodness, because I've told you I don't like sweets and cakes and chocolates much. But these are so different & fun to eat- just like I imagined in my head (although a little less crunchy). My favorite flavor is Pistachio (green). Btw, these were from Marks & Spencer.

Current Favorite Song ~ Thanks To H&M for introducing me to it. It's always playing in the store, and I'd never heard it before. I noted down some words from the lyrics, and went home to Google. You know, I heard it in both Dundee & Edinburgh H&M stores. They must be promoting it, or something =D

Lastly, I'm watching Sex And The City from Season-1 again these days. I'm amazed at how much I'd forgotten. Last night, I watched 'The Baby Shower' episode, where Miranda said to Carrie:

 "I just realized...maybe it's maturity or the wisdom that comes with age... but the witch in Hansel & Gretel, she's very misunderstood. I mean, the woman builds her dream house and these brats come along and start eating it." 

Haha! Her bluntness, so hilarious. 

That's all from my side. What are your May Favorites?

WE Are Featured In LOOK: Britain's Best Selling Fashion Magazine + A June Special For YOU!

I say WE, because I'm representing Indian women in LOOK Magazine's International Fashion Issue- 27th May, 2013. The story is all about beauty trends around the world, and I feel so proud that LOOK wanted to include India in it. A special Thank You to Look Magazine's Beauty Editor, Samantha Freedman, for that. 

For those who follow IVC Facebook Page , remember I asked you some questions here? Well, it was for this. LOOK gave me a bunch of questions to answer, like: Favorite Indian Celebrities, Beauty Style, Most Popular Makeup Look, etc. But, understandably, they could only pick a few for the feature.

I'd like to THANK all of you who took some time out to tell me about your beauty styles. I was so overwhelmed by all the response! Please know that although I couldn't reply to all of you, I read all of your comments & emails.

The 5 other beauty bloggers are from Russia, Australia, Norway, Dubai & France.

 

LOOK Magazine:  What's your favorite makeup trick?

I mentioned the eyelash curler. It's the makeup trick I discovered and I'd mentioned it a few months back here . I am going to post a step-by-step tutorial. It's delayed because it's difficult for me to hold the camera, curler and brush at the same time, but I will manage somehow =)

That's the look I posted recently. I did it specially for this, because I didn't have recent headshots where I'm wearing 'normal' makeup. I wore that head piece to sort of add an Indian-esque accessory to my look. Products I used listed here

♥

On 22nd May, I received an email from LOOK, asking for my address, so they could send me a copy of the issue. So thoughtful!

(It was my birthday, and God knew I needed something to make up for all the things I couldn't have, and all the phone calls I did not get.)

It hasn't reached me yet, but I bought one from the train station when I went to Edinburgh on the Friday, because I couldn't wait to see it! Good thing I did, otherwise I wouldn't have known about these fabulous Primark shoes.....

GOT 'EM! =) [Last Size 3 pair, btw. Phew! Will post pics soon.]

♥

What's the June Special?

Well, I've decided June to be "Tutorial Month"! That's right, I'm planning at least 1 tutorial every week. Don't think I haven't noticed the lack of tutorials here lately, because I have. I've not stayed still long enough to do any, but I will make up for lost time. The 1st one will be posted on 1st June. I won't set a specific number of tutorials, and be disappointed with myself if I fail to reach it, so we'll just go with the flow, ya? ;)

Oh, you must have seen that 'Watch This Space', on the right there, for a while now. That's another thing I'm working on, and it's taking longer mainly because of my fickle-mindedness. It's just something new & fun, you'll know all about it sometime during Tutorial Month.

Hope you're excited about it, and if you have any requests, feel free to jot them down in the comment box below, or Email me.

Make-up Haul from Edinburgh ~ MAC, Maybelline, Bourjois

I apologize for disappearing for days. I was in Edinburgh, and there was no wi-fi in our hotel- Travelodge, to be exact. Tiny & congested room it was, but it was located in the heart of the capital- 5 to 20 minutes walk to all temptations. Because of all the walking and store-hopping, I had to specially go into Superdrug to get a pair of Scholl Party Feet Gel Cushions for the balls of my feet. OMG, I could have easily passed out from the pain! I wasn't even wearing very high heels. BUT all's forgotten now ;)

*I will update this post with all the prices shortly, coz I have to search for the receipts.  

I told you there's no MAC counter here in Dundee, so it was nice to be in a MAC store after over a month. I picked up 3 items:

• MAC Patisserie Lipstick ~ I finally got another tube of my holy grail nude lipstick. Swatches here.
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft And Gentle ~ I've decided to start using highlighters more and try out the glowy bronzey look, and this is so gorgeous!
• MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Frozen Violet ~ I adore shimmery paint pots and cream shadows, so I had to have this. 

Maybelline have some new stuff in their counters too. I got these from Superdrug:

• Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in Shocking Coral 910 ~ You can never have too many coral lippies!
• Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in Hot Plum 906 ~ I thought this would be a dupe for MAC Daddy's Little Girl Lipstick, but its more intense and darker. It's a hot seller, coz there were only 1-2 left in both Boots & Superdrug counters. The last one in Superdrug was broken, so I had to run to Boots the next day.
• Maybelline SuperStay Lipstick in Beige For Good 610 ~ Just a beige shade. I want to wear it under a clear gloss, and complete my glowy bronzey look =D
• Maybelline Dream Sun Triple Bronzing Powder in 01 Blonde/Blonde ~ There's another darker trio in Brunette, as well.
• Maybelline 24HR Color Tattoo in Metallic Pomegranate 70 ~ It's an intense metallic plum shade. 

My favorites from this haul- just because there look so YUM!

• Bourjois Maxi Delight Bronzer in 02 Olive/Tanned Skin ~ I shopped in such a rush that I didn't notice the other lighter shade 01 Light/Medium shade, so I might go exchange this. 
• Bourjois Bronzing Primer ~ Look.At.That! It looks like chocolate, it smells like chocolate. It is rumored to be a dupe for Chanel Soleil De Tan Chanel , a bronzing makeup base that's caused quite a stir among makeup lovers. since both brands are owned by the same company, it could be true. I will let you know what I think about it later.

Bourjois has launched a lot of new cute products ~ A Bronzing BB Cream, Caviar Manicure Toppings in 3 shades, Travel-sized Volume Glamour Max Holidays Mascaras in 4 colors. All available in Boots.

Garnier Moisture Match Mattifying Fresh Cream for Combination to Oily Skin ~ I noticed this Green Tea Extract moisturizer by Garnier, and couldn't resist grabbing it since I'm craving green tea products. There are 4 other types- for dry skin, dull skin, normal/dry skin, dry/very dry skin. For those in the UK, I see they are sending Free Samples through their website here

♥

Just a few pics using my Nokia Lumia 820 phone. I didn't use my camera at all there....

Nightclub bathroom pic =) I'm loving my pink panda couple phone case I ordered from Ebay

Hope you all had a fun weekend!

Until tomorrow.....

Look Of The Day: Birthday Girl, Pink Roses & Macarons (Updated)

Birthday Girl is not supposed to blog, but she realized she wants to celebrate with you all too. 

This is not my look for today, I've yet to wear my birthday suit. I did this makeup over a week back. Ya, that's how pale I am now. I will update this post with many more pics and list of all the products I used, because I have to  head out asap.

Face ~ MAC Prep+Prime Line Filler (not in pic), Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Soft Beige, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer Medium, Nars Loose Powder in Beach.

Cheeks ~ MAC Cream Soda Blush from Archie's Girls Collection, The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder (I've hit pan! :)) 

Eyes ~ Simple. Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Maybelline On & On Bronze Color Tattoo on lids & inner corners, Urban Decay Naked Palette, Maybelline Crayon Oriental Eye Liner, L'Oreal Super Liner Felt liner, False lashes (I don't remember which now), Maybelline The Falsies Lasting Drama Mascara.

Lips ~ Revlon Just Bitten Balm Stain in Rendezvous. More swatches here. 

H&M head piece. It's not really a head piece ;) | Accessorize Earrings (shown here) | Topshop Grecian dress (shown here)  | Hair ~ I used the Babyliss Volume Waves Curling Iron. Ombre: I used 4 boxes of hair colors to achieve that. Will do a post.

THANK YOU to Mr.CZ for surprising me with Macarons & a gorgeous Pink Cake with Roses ♥

I cut the last night, and it's YUM! Will let you know how the macarons taste.

On my nails today ~ L'Oreal Le nail art stickers in 009 Poudre D'or. Maybe I didn't stick them right, but they bubble at the tips =|

I made my wish last night after 12 am, now it's time to make yours. Close your eyes and wish for something you want with all your heart. It will come true. (*_*)

Bye for now, and thank you for being here. Do come back to check this post tomorrow night or Friday morning- it will have (Updated) in the title.* 

*Now Updated! =) 

P.S. It was a gloomy day, so Rimmel Wake Me Up, a foundation with shimmer, was a bad choice, because most of the photos came out too unnaturally bright. In some deleted pics I looked like a ghost, or The Joker....seriously.

NEW! Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Lip Gloss In Colors That POP!

Lip Gloss Goes Gloriously Gutsy with MAYBELLINE NEW YORK COLOR SENSATIONAL HIGH SHINE GLOSS.

Maybelline’s Color Sensational High Shine Gloss is the perfect product to add a pop of shine and color to your lips this summer. With its wax free formula, the product gives you a crystal clear base that provides the purest colour and an untouched shine that is never hazy or muddy. The lip gloss is comfortable on the lips and contours them beautifully without any difficulty. If you’re not at ease wearing a gloss because they are sticky, the sassy Shine in Maybelline’s Color Sensational High Shine Gloss will give you many reasons to wear one. 

 Features:

•       More Vibrant Color from pure liquid pigments
•       Cleaner Shine from Maybelline’s 100% wax-free gloss
•       Creamier feel from nourishing honey nectar
•       Go gutsy with 8 arresting shades
•       Easily contours around lips

Available in 8 popping colors.

Price ~ Rs.350.

I must have these! Especially since my holy grail lip gloss is Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Gloss in Touch Of Toffee- shown here. 

One Day In Dubai....

This was supposed to be published last night, but then I got busy, and soon it was 2 am Indian time. Actually, this post is over 2 months late! Remember?

On our way to Newcastle, we decided to stop in Dubai for a day. Mr.CZ & I both regretted that we did not extend another day, because we felt a few hours in Dubai weren't enough + we were so exhausted.

During check-in in New Delhi IGI Airport, we were told we couldn't take our luggages, until we reached Newcastle. I just managed to take out my tight jeans before parting with the bags (I was wearing comfy jeggings for the flight). So ya, one day seemed right in that moment.

I planned to change into another outfit in Dubai, but since I didn't have my luggage, I had to wear my simple comfortable flight attire the whole day. We spent the whole day at Dubai Mall. Till midnight, actually, coz the mall was opened till late that day.

Dubai was just so beautiful! It looked so....picturesque & rich. That day, the weather was so windy and a little foggy. I felt sand on my lipstick

We stayed at the Ramada Downtown Suites Hotel, which was big and roomy. It had a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom & one big bathroom.

MAC RiRi Woo Lipstick & Comparison With Ruby Woo

If I cared about my past, I would tell you the things Rihanna & I have in common. I cared so zilch nada that I didn't realize the thing that would've stopped me from buying this lipstick in the first place. I wanted a deep red lipstick, I was constantly listen to Rihanna's song 'Pour It Up' (Pour it up, Pour it up...That's how we ball out...), I'm a sucker for Limited Editions....and I did not see clearly. 

But I don't care, so we'll just talk about RiRi Woo, a lipstick created for Rihanna. 'Riri' is her nickname.

MAC RiRi Woo ~ Vivid Cool Red shade. Retro Matte Finish. MAC's retro matte is the driest version of matte. When it comes to red lipsticks, it is my favorite kind. Intense, smudge-proof & long-lasting.

In a nutshell, RiRi Woo is a big disappointment. It's not a bad lippy, it's just not what I expected it to be. To me, it is exactly like Ruby Woo (shown properly here). I even think it is Ruby Woo only with RiRi carved into it.

Mystery GIVEAWAY! Guess What's In The Heart-Shaped Box.... (CLOSED)

There are some things in this cute heart-shaped box.

Hint: One word only.

Can you guess what?

One person out of all those who guessed correctly will WIN 1 product in that box. I will reveal it in a blog post on Monday.

• You have to be a Subscriber or follower of this blog on Bloglovin' or Facebook.

• Contest is Open Worldwide.  

• Closing Date: Monday, 20th May, 2013 at 7:00 PM IST.

Good Luck! =)

*This contest is CLOSED. 

MAC Pink Pigeon Lipstick Photos

Could you tell that I like clicking photos? Most of the time time, I click and click, and many many photos get stuck in my computer.  Like these. I've had these since the time I was in New Delhi, in March. No swatches, but hope you like the pictures.

MAC Pigeon ~ Bright cleanest pink. Matte finish.

Price ~ Rs.990

Limited Edition with MAC Strength Collection.