A Birthday Wish For Rekha & Tips To Get Her Look (For Halloween?)

♥ ~ Happy Birthday Rekha ~ ♥

"No one can know the real Rekha, because the real Rekha lies somewhere in her fantasy" ~ Simi Garewal.

Today is our very own Indian beauty icon, Rekha's birthday. She turns 56 today, but the diva in her has not withered at all.
She's glamorous, classy and always very composed. Her tactfulness when talking about the difficult life she's had is admirable.
My favorite movie of hers is 'Khoon Bhari Maang' among some others too :)

To read more about her life, click here

Here is my attempt ((in a jiffy) to look A BIT like her...

Here's another one. Same makeup and everything except for a few changes here and there. Although I should have applied a bit more brown eyeshadow on my bottom lash line. Used sindoor for the first time in my life, and it got SO messy I couldn't shape it on the hairline and it smudged on my nose too =D

*The nose ring is a sticker =D

Make-up Tips To Look Like Rekha:

• Unique brows. Her brows are never over-tweezed or rounded. They are almost straight with just a slight arch.
• Feline eyes ~ White eyeliner on waterline, Black eyeliner on top lash line, falsies, contact lenses sometimes (Grey, hazel)
• Pouty Lips. Almost always with dark lips: Red, brown, burgundy, her lips always stand out. Use a lip liner and line a little outside your lips to make them appear fuller.
• Beauty spot. Her most famous trademark on her left upper lip, although sometimes it is seen on the right side. I used L'oreal Super Liner Carbon Gloss coz it has a stiff pointy brush for control, and then I patted a bit of medium brown matte eyeshadow on top.

Are there any Rekha fans out there? Do drop your own birthday wishes to her below.

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Pink Makeup Brushes

I've always wanted to have some pink makeup brushes, so I grabbed these from Sasa. They are so pretty! Okay, we've covered the looks, now let's talk about the personalities.

So far, I'm very impressed with these. Actually they are my favorite brushes right now. 

E04 Eye Smudge Brush (Taklon) ~ This is pretty stiff, which makes it an amazing brush for precision shading, defining the crease, applying liner & shadow on lower lash line, smudging pencil eyeliners, and also to highlight the inner corners. I love it!

E03 Eye Contour Brush (Goat) ~ I use this to apply all over color on my lids, blending, or just to apply color on my brow bone. It's great for blending contouring powder on your nose and eyes, and for applying concealer too. 

This is similar to the Urban Decay Shading Brush....

I bought these for RM 35.90 each from Sasa. That's a little over Rs.500, which is a decent price I think, considering I bought a Colorbar smudger brush  hardly use for Rs.550.

I checked Sasa website, they might ship to India, although I'm not so sure coz I've never ordered anything.

Now I want a whole set of pink brushes! Hmph... I opened a window...

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Fashion Friday ~ Black Lacy Fingerless Gloves in The Now

Gloves are my new favorite accessories right now, after I picked up these Forever 21 black lacy fingerless gloves. Cheap and cute, but had it not been for those bows, I probably wouldn't have bought them. Obviously :).
I couldn't decide what to wear with the gloves so as not to look trashy or too 80's.

The black strip on the skirt is actually see-through mesh

Gloves~ Forever 21 (about Rs.450? I don't remember exactly :S )

Tattoo Mesh Bodycon Skirt ~ Topshop (Rs.2200-2300)

Lace cami ~ Topshop (Rs.2100)

Belt ~ Nichii (Rs.800). Didn't wanna wear it but the skirt is a tad loose. I almost lost this belt twice at a club coz the clasp isn't that stable.

Shoes ~ Vincci (Rs.1200)

Black stud earrings ~ Forever 21 (came in a pack for about Rs.350 or 450)

*the tube under the lace top is actually a t-shirt which I cut and wore without an elastic to hold it up, that's why it's hanging down at the back :D

Okay, let's see how this outfit would look at a bar....

Nah, too dressy for a bar, hence not trashy. Maybe, I don't know, somewhere with dressy people? =D

In winter, I'd throw in a pair of plain black tights and a quarter/folded blazer or cardigan in the same color as the skirt, and maybe a scarf too. 

Products used (click on highlights for reviews & swatches):
Face ~ Majolica Majorca Skin Lingerie Pore Cover, Laura Mercier Undercover Pot as concealer, Revlon Colorstay Oily/Combination foundation in Warm Golden, MUFE HD Powder, MAC Bronzing Powder in Golden on hollows of cheeks, forehead, nose and chin
Blush ~ On cheeks Bourjois Blush in Cendre De Rose Brune , Bourjois Blush Lune D'or on the cheek bone

Eyeshadows~ Revlon Colorstay in Berry Bloom, Maybelline Eyestudio Diamond Glow in Lilac Mauve 

Eyes ~ 1 to highlight brow bone and inner corners, 2 on lid, 3 on outer corners of lids, crease & lower lashline, black eyeshadow from BF 120 palette

In2IT Gel Liner Pencil to tightline upper lash line,Loreal Super liner Carbon Gloss eyeliner, Eylure Girls Aloud Cheryl Cole lashes, Maybelline Double stretch mascara on top and bottom lashes. 

*On the outer corner make a V (refer to pic) with black eyeshadow using pencil brush and blend with a fluffy brush

Brows~ No7 Beautiful Brows pencil in brown/black

Lips ~ Za Pure shine lips in RS1 Salmon Rose
Nails ~ Bourjois 1 seconde T9 Prune Stellaire

Hope you like :)


Happy Friday everyone!


♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

What's New ~ Foundation With Chlorophyll

Bourjois launched another foundation with natural ingredients after the Healthy Mix Foundation with all the fruits and stuff, which I love. This time it's chlorophyll! Sounds medical, but certainly desirable. Okay, that was lame, but it rhymed! ;)

Named Bio-Detox Organic Foundation, it is formulated with 98.8% organic ingredients. Rich in chlorophyll which brings oxygen to the skin and filters pollution to purify your skin.

Available in 9 shades, a wider range compared to the Healthy Mix Foundation which only had about 6 shades.


I'm very excited about this one because I read some reviews and most say that it's very matte and velvety, which makes it very suitable for oily skin.


Not in India yet. I'm guessing it'll be here soon though coz Bourjois India is efficient, unlike some other drugstore brands here ;p

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Cleansing Oil For Your Nails

I love using cleansing oils to remove my makeup, which is why I was interested to use oil to remove my nail colors too. So, I got myself the Lakme Spa Line Polish Off! Nail Color Remover Oil.

What it is:

• Acetone free formula
• Prevents nail dryness
• Soothes and hydrates nails
• Enriched with vitamins and sweet almond oil
• Swiftly removes nail polish

I like using this. It is non-drying. You know how your nails look foggy-like after nail polish remover? Well, that doesn't happen with this oil. Also I've noticed that I don't get those dry cuticles you can't help biting off since I started using this instead of the usual nail polish removers. And another thing, I haven't had a broken nail for quite a while now (touchwood!)

I think I won't go back to the other types of nail polish remover now, coz I feel oil remover will prevent my nails from ageing too =D

You use it like you would any other nail polish remover, but with this you have to wash your hands thoroughly to remove the oiliness before applying nail polish.

The only con I've experienced is it DOES NOT remove shimmery/glittery nail polish easily. But hey, those are a pain to remove anyways, right?

Price ~ Rs.115

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Stage Cosmetics Haul

I mentioned Stage (a Malaysian cosmetics brand)  in my previous post. Stage is very MAC/Inglot-ish, with their black packaging and how the products are displayed in their store.
Although I didn't get their Naked Infatuation Palette, I got another limited edition 5 Shade Shadow palette called 'Floral Flirtation'

The red packaging is so pretty I couldn't resist. The eyeshadow quality is good too. Pigmented, vibrant and blendable. The dual-sided blending brush is nice and usable, unlike those flimsy sponge tip applicators that usually come with most eyeshadow palettes.
I bought this for about Rs.1200 after discount. It was RM 135 (Rs.1941), which I wouldn't have paid for a brand I'd never tried before.

Shades ~ Silver, yellow, green, baby pink & purple

I also got their Keep it Clean Brush Cleaner...

It does a pretty good job at cleaning my brushes. I love that it's in a spray bottle, so cleaning by spritzing is fun. I just spritz a bit of it on my brushes and wipe on a tissue. When using a brush cleaner once or twice a week, you can deep clean with a mild shampoo once a fortnight or monthly.
And it's CHEAP! Well, compared to the MAC one. It's about Rs.360!


I would definitely buy more Stage stuff later after trying these.


♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

'Naked' Infatuation

Let's talk Naked. No... no, not with our clothes off ;)

I'm talking about all the "Naked" eyeshadow palettes rave. Urban Decay launched its Naked Palette and then the mania started along with all the predictive blog titles: "I want to get Naked!", "I got Naked", "Did you get Naked?" .


Naked, Naked...everywhere I looked! To the point that I wanna get Naked! Badly! Considering I just took a shower and don't really like the word naked (and ointment), I think I've been sucked into the hype way too deep.

The most popular one, as we know it, is the Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palette. It was supposed to be a limited edition, but now a permanent coz of its popularity. Out of stock in most US stores, it has turned want into yearn. You can head off to Ebay and pay triple the price, if impatience has gotten the better of you.
Price ~ $44

Next is the Too Faced Naked Eye Kit. Looks good ~ pretty packaging, nice shades and cheaper than the UD one.
Price ~ $35

Another one is Naked Infatuation (love the name!) by Stage (a Malaysian cosmetics brand)

Sadly, I did not get it and there's no photo I can show you. But it's basically a palette of about 5 neutral eyeshadows and 2 blushes. It looks like this....

Price ~  Don't remember. About Rs.1500 (?) I think, not sure.

That's 3 that I know of. Any other ones out there?

Hey Lakme & Colorbar, how about giving us some Naked palettes, huh? Instead of all the *blah* quads and quins. I don't mean to be rude :)

Okay, I'll probably hit myself after saying this, but...

"Got Naked yet?" ;D

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Maybelline Lip Smooth Color & Care Dolly Rose

Maybelline India is launching a new product soon! Yay!
Why I'm telling you all is coz I am loving the product....a lot! I was actually going to review it last week but I thought...hmm, why review another product that's not available in India?


I'm talking about the Lip Smooth Color & Care.

I picked out  Dolly Rose on the first day when I was in KL. Actually I put Cranberry & Cherry too in my basket at Watson's, then my hubby looked at me incredulously and said, "Why are you shopping as though we're leaving tomorrow?" 

I felt silly and kept the other two back and then later I got distracted by other stuff to remember. So, now I regret not getting them, coz I am addicted to the one I got.

Moral of the story: Never ever listen to your husband/a man when you're shopping! :\

Dolly Rose

Maybelline Lip Smooth Color & Care is one of my favorite lip balms. Moisturizing, glossy and smells pretty darn good. No, no sweet taste, if you hate that.

Dolly Rose is a pretty pinkish shade which shows up kinda MLBB (My Lips But Better) on my lips.

I can't wait to get Cranberry and Cherry now!

Dolly Rose on Lips

I don't remember how much I bought it for, but i'm guessing it will be cheaper in India. Not more than Rs.200-250 I guess. Edit: Rs.99 :)


To see pic of Lip Smooth Color & Care in Strawberry, Mandarin & Cranberry Jam, click HERE

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

I'm a Matterial Girl

'Coz we are living in a material world and I am a material girl.

What would go with that Madonna's hit song? None other than Benefit Matterial Girl.

This Matte-finish Setting Powder is my latest love.

First things first, the packaging. Oh-so-cute! And if you know me, I'm a sucker for anything that looks like that.

Now does the powder live up to its promises of being a silky, matte-finish powder?

Yes, it does. It mattifies my skin without making my face look cakey. It is better than the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder when it comes to keeping me shine-free for longer. Silky, but not as silky as I hoped it would be.

It is a translucent powder with yellow undertones, so it will match all skin tones. Although it appears to be too light, it disappears once it's well-applied onto your skin. Plus, the yellow in it does a good job at counteracting any redness.

The only con is that I think it's too expensive for a loose powder. There are better powders out there that cost a lot less.

But....

Can you blame a girl for being smitten with those cute little bows?

No regrets.

Girl is an Asia exclusive product, so you'll only find it in Asian counties.

Price ~ Rs.1520 approx.

Rating~ ♥♥♥♥♥ 4/5

When was the last time you saw Madonna's Material Girl music video?

Aren't we all? ;)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Oil Free Review

I've never been one to bother with foundation primers. I used to think of them as pointless extras and brands' clever ruse to get us to buy more products from them (rascals!)

But I figured I had to at least try one, since one out of three bloggers I know can't go a day without a foundation primer.

Then one day the virgin picked Laura Mercier Foundation Primer Oil Free to be her first. 

If you're living in a hot place, it only takes a day to find out if a primer is working out for you.

In my case, this one does.

The test:

I get very hyper when I'm getting ready and doing my makeup. One: 'coz I'm not very stable...mentally :P, and Two: My stuff is all over the place, which makes finding what I'm looking for almost impossible! So, my face starts to sweat in between and I usually have to re-apply powder about 2 times ~ before blush and sometimes in the elevator when I'm leaving the building.

With this primer on my face, I didn't sweat at all, even though I felt so hot! And I was ready with a puff in hand only to see in the mirror I didn't need any. It's like the primer was preventing my face from sweating. *Don't you bother her!*


It minimizes my pores to a certain extent, which is what I hoped a primer would do.

If silicone-based primers block your pores, then this would probably be better for you coz it is water-based and feels like a moisturizer. Sometimes, I skip my moisturizer if I'm gonna be using this.


There is a tiny BUT though. My face looked extremely greasy at the end of the day when I'm using this primer. It could be the primer wearing off after fighting my oilies all day, or that I didn't bother reapplying powder coz, you, know, it's the end of the day and I'll be washing my face soon anyways. Not an issue with me, but just thought I'd mention it.


Rating ~ ♥♥♥♥♥ 4/5

Foundation does go on better and blends quicker with a primer. 

Like I think that once you start using eye creams, you'll never be able to live without one anymore, I feel the same about foundation primers. I'm hooked now. I bought 2 different ones recently. I might as well consider cutting up my credit cards now. No, 

I take that back!

Available at strawberrynet.com for Rs.1725

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^


Disclaimer~ The product in this post was provided to me by strawberrynet.com for review purposes, but I picked it out myself.

Lakmé Fashion Week Announces Dates for Summer/Resort 2011

It's time to select outfits if you plan on attending the LFW 2011, coz it will be held from March 11 – March 15, 2011 at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai.

Mumbai, October 2, 2010: After a successful LFW Winter/Festive 2010 which concluded on 21st September 2010, LFW has announced dates for its next season - LFW Summer/Resort 2011 to be held from March 11th to March 15th, 2011 at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. In par with other leading fashion weeks around the world, LFW announces dates well in advance for all stakeholders to plan their participation.

Summer/Resort 2011 is the second edition of LFW that includes and promotes the rapidly emerging concept of Resort wear globally and in India. The first season attracted outstanding talent of established and emerging designers who showcased their creativity and designs of Resort wear, a year round fashion concept.The coming season and years will see an increased exposure for Indian designers to buyers, media and the global fashion industry.
With every season, LFW witnesses an increase in designer applications and buyer registrations. LFW Winter/Festive 2010 marked an enormous increase of 66 percent in designer applications as compared to last season. The season also garnered, 210 international and domestic buyer company registrations, an increase of 36 percent.. This reinforces LFW’s belief in the strategic shift and the platforms understanding of the market and its business needs.
Anil Chopra, CEO, Lakmé Lever says, “Lakmé Fashion Week has always been the pioneer in innovations and is recognized as a platform in adopting strategic decisions to facilitate the business of fashion in India. The platform is growing from strength to strength with each season and we are encouraged by the positive response from the fashion fraternity. We continue with the same commitment and strategic shift that was initiated earlier this year and look forward to further enhancing our efforts with LFW Summer/Resort 2011.”

Sujal Shah, Vice President and Head of Fashion-IMG India adds, “LFW always experiments with unique and innovative ways to redefine the future of fashion and reach out to its stakeholders. This year saw many firsts, from the strategic shift to the collaboration with an E-Commerce portal to boost business opportunities for designers. We persist with the same vigor with the upcoming season Summer/ Resort 2011 and promise to offer sponsors, partners, designers, industry professionals, and all attendees a series of unique experiences, each designed to explore a particular element of fashion”.

About Lakmé Fashion Week:
Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) is jointly organised by Lakmé, the No.1 cosmetics and beauty services brand in India and IMG. LFW has been conceived and created with a vision to “Redefine the future of fashion and Integrate India into the global fashion world”. LFW is organized twice every year. LFW Summer / Resort 2011 will be held from March 11 to March 15, 2011 at Grand Hyatt Hotel, Mumbai. For further information log on to http://www.lakmefashionweek.co.in

About Lakmé:
The contemporary Indian Beauty expert in the beauty industry, Lakmé continuously innovates to offer a wide range of, high performance and exceptional quality color cosmetics, skincare products, and beauty salons. In addition to leveraging Unilever’s worldwide expertise, Lakmé also partners with the leading cosmetic house Milan-based Intercos Italia, Schwann Stabilo Germany and Paris-based Fiabila. Combining international cosmetic technology with an in-depth understanding of the Indian woman’s needs, Lakmé also offers its consumers a holistic ‘Beauty Sutra’ experience through its products and services at the Lakmé Salons. For further information log on to www.lakmeindia.com

About IMG Fashion:
IMG Fashion is dedicated to facilitating a gateway to the fashion world - from creation to consumer. We offer solutions that seamlessly connect and associate fashion’s key constituents and corporate brands using IMG’s global resources, influence and expertise. Within the fashion industry IMG represents the world’s top models, leading designers and the most influential photographers, art directors and stylists. The division produces the leading fashion events around the globe and represents many of the industry’s top organizations and federations as well as works with various local and national governments, creating regional and international fashion platforms. For more information on IMG and its business visit www.imgworld.com.


Hmm...what should I wear....?



♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Testing Testing Revlon Photoready Foundation

Heya, just a quick FOTD to show you how the Revlon PhotoReady Foundation looks with flash photography.

I got it in Medium Beige #006

It's a medium to heavy coverage foundation that I personally think most people would either like or hate, but not love.

Revlon Photoready Foundation Medium Beige

You can definitely see the shimmer there

As you can see, the shimmer is not too obvious on my face. But I should tell you that when I faced the sun directly, I looked like a disco ball, almost like how Edward Cullen looked when the sun hit him in Twilight =D. 

Well, oh-kay, I exaggerated a little bit, but almost sounds bad enough, doesn't it?

So, I wouldn't wear in the daytime. Anymore.

Other products used:

Benefit Matterial girl Setting Powder to set foundation

Smashbox O-Glow lightly on cheeks

Eyes ~ Random eyeshadows (I know I should stop with the randomness!), MAC Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Petrol Blue, IN2IT Gel Liner Pencil in Very Black to tightline upper lashline (Review Here ), Kate Mascara base & Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Mascara on Lashes

Lips~ Maybelline Watershine Pure Lipstick in P21

I can't say whether I like the Photoready or not at this time. Will let you after I've used it a few more times.

Have a nice weekend everybody! ;)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Star Product Of the Week ~ Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy

Juicy Couture brought 2 of my favorite things together in Viva La Juicy Perfume ~ A Bow & Hot Pink.

I smelled this perfume for the first time about a year ago and put the perfume smelling strip in my handbag. I wasn't very keen on buying it, coz at the time I was too smitten by Marc Jacobs' Daisy. The next day, I sniffed something real good  on the sofa. I searched and searched and in the end found the strip  in the back zipper compartment of my handbag. It was Viva La Juicy! But I still didn't want to buy it coz Vera Wang Flower Princess was next in my perfume wishlist :)

Then this year, I promised myself I would get it! How on earth did I not see the hot pink bow?! I asked myself incredulously.

Notes: Wild Berries, Mandarins, Honeysuckle, Gardenia, Jasmine, Amber, Caramel, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Praline
Style: Tantalizing, Teasing, Tempting

Honestly, it's not my favorite scent, but it's not bad either. It reminds me of Britney Spears' Fantasy, which I don't wear, but adore the bottle.

Viva La Juicy smells girly and kinda sweet, like a mixture of fruits and candies, but it's not the overwhelming kind of sweetness that makes you nauseous.  I find that this perfume smells better after 30 mins or so after spraying it on my skin, although I must add that the smell doesn't last very long, say about 5 hours, then the fragrance starts to fizzle out.

Bottomline: I love it! The fabulous  bottle makes up for everything I *might* not like. My collection would be incomplete without it.

*Hand on chin* I can look at it all day....and every night before going to bed ;)

Price ~ Rs.3500 approx for 50 ml

P.S: One fine day, I'll show you how much I love bows =)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^