Favorite Makeup Tips

Here are 5 of my favorite makeup tips, old and new, which I picked up from various sources- magazines, makeup artists & my own experience:

• If you don't want length on your bottom lashes, apply gel liner on them instead of mascara. 
• Apply some loose powder with a fan brush or a puff on your under eye area when using dark eyeshadows or shimmery eyeshadows, so your base won't be ruined if there's fallout. You can just dust it all off with a powder brush when you're done.
• Tearing up while applying mascara or liner but don't want the tears to roll down and spoil your makeup? Just press a Q-tip (ear bud) right on your tear ducts. The tears will be absorbed immediately. Do this when you use eye drops too.
• My new favorite way of applying mascara to extend my short lashes & curl them at the same time: Place the brush at the roots of your lashes, and start rolling the wand (inwards towards cheek), keep rolling till it reaches the tips of your lashes. Repeat until you have evenly coated all your lashes.
• What's your natural blush shade? Squeeze your fingertip (a little above the line), the increase in blood flow will make the tips look pinker. That's the color that will look most natural on your cheeks.

I will keep posting makeup & beauty tips every now and then, so they can go in the 'Beauty Tips' tab up there. Hope you'll enjoy reading, and find them useful.

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

New Sigma Brushes + Cute Video

I did a Sigma haul again. I needed some more face brushes, for various reasons, but mainly coz my face brushes take too long to dry in this cold-ish weather that I felt I had to get more. Of course I had to throw in one eye brush as well, to kinda 'balance' it out.

The brushes were shipped on 4th Feb and reached me yesterday- 23rd Feb. It took a little longer than the last couple of times I ordered from Sigma, but I'm just relieved they didn't get lost, or something tragic like that.

Here's what I got:

• F55 Small Duo Fibre ~ $14 (Rs.636)
• F35 Tapered Highlighter ~ $16 (Rs.727)
• F05 Small Contour ~ $14 (Rs.636)
• E45 Small Tapered Blending ~ $9 (Rs.409)

My Name Necklace ~ Cynthia

I ordered this necklace almost 2 weeks back, after watching the whole Sex and The City series for the...7th time, I think.

Placed order on Feb 7th
Necklace Shipped on Feb 12th
Received on Feb 18th
*Regular shipping may take 10 business days

The letters are smaller than I thought. I was very upset when I saw it the first time. I should have ordered the bigger one, like Carrie's. I didn't even stop to think about the size difference when I ordered in a rush. Ah, whatever. Everything happens for a reason. Maybe if I had gotten the bigger one, I would be wishing I got the smaller one, who knows?! :)

Chain length ~ 16"/40 cm (Young adult/Adult)
Price ~ $29.95. If you want slightly bigger letters, get the one which is for $33.95.

I ordered it from mynamenecklace.com. You can use these Coupon Codes: Gift or Discount to get 10% off.

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Requested Makeup Model Look

I was requested to do a look by Fashion Ph.D last month, but didn't have the time until now. This is the look.... 

The model is gorgeous & the makeup is complicated, so even my almost best effort didn't come out exactly like it. But I really had fun doing it. The makeup application didn't take so long, but the photo session did...phew! I don;t have chunky silver glitter, so I used Bloop fine glitter/shimmer. Wig is from kkcenterhk.com

The left eyelash came too much inside but it was too late to fix it ;D

The flash actually lightened the eyeshadows a little bit & some of the glitter had flown of in some of the pics like the first.

Products:

Blush,Bronzer- Mac Pink Swoon, Mac Refined Golden Bronzer. Lips~ Mac Cremestick Liner Pink Treat, Mac Lustering, Maybelline Color Sensational Plaza Pink. Lashes~ QVS

120 palette, Nyx Super Model, Loreal Open Eyes Cobalt Blue, Lakme Gypsy Collection Eye Quartet Silk Route

I clicked some tutorial photos, but wasn't sure if anyone would be interested. Lemme know if you want a tutorial.

Anyways, I hope you like.

*If you want to request for any look at all, send a photo to indianvanitycase@gmail.com. I will try my best to replicate the look.

**Tutorial on how I did the eyes  HERE

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Lotus White Glow Intensive Skin Whitening & Brightening Serum

What it is:

Enriched with Grape, Mulberry, Saxifraga extracts and Milk enzymes that are known fairness agents A proprietary formula that distributes via an advanced delivery system It visibly refines large pores, eliminates blackheads and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The result, you have radiant, youthful looking skin. Contains no harmful chemicals.

How to use:

Use morning and evening all over face and neck after cleansing.

Fixing A Bad Hair Coloring Job

I got my hair colored 2 weeks back at a salon, and I wasn't happy with the result. In spite of being a certified hairstylist myself, I always get confused when it comes to my own hair, especially with color. I'm not sure what went wrong, really. I told the guy I didn't want my hair to be bleached, but he (and his posse and the manager) told me it wasn't possible to lighten my hair without bleach. Then I thought it's rude to keep telling them how to do their jobs, right? So I shut up and went along with it.

They used a pre-lightener (twice, or in his words- 'refresh' the bleach) and then Loreal Majirel 8.31 (beige blonde). Here's what I looked like when I reached home (tired, with backache & apparently no lipstick)....

Managed a smile for the camera

It may not look so bad there, coz it was night time & with flash, but in daylight it looked like this...

>.< Me no likey! Leopard automatically came to mind

I paid 3000 rupees for that. Oh... the regret & the guilt!

Inglot AMC Liquid Face Blush Review & Swatches

I've been tempted to get the Inglot Liquid Face Blush, especially during the time when I couldn't get Make Up For Ever HD Blush. When the blushes were launched in India, I got cold feet, coz I read some bad reviews (words like streaky, instill doubts, obviously), even though I did like them when I tested them one too many times. Once, I almost bought one, but then decided not to at the last minute, coz the product looked too watery in the new bottle (testers felt thicker. Streaky crept into my head again.) Then I regretted not buying it when I reached home. You know the story.

Well, I bought it finally. Do I hear clapping?

Rash-Free Pads?

I saw this ad in the newspaper today- She Rash-free pads. So intrigued! Is it true? Or, is it just another marketing ploy? 

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Change Of a Lipstick : 2 Everyday Looks

These are my 2 favorite everyday looks. Same makeup in both, except for the lips. See how a lipstick can change your whole look!

In both looks: 

Face ~ Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse, Body Shop Loose Powder, Mac Chromagraphic Pencil to conceal blemishes, YSL Touche Eclat under my eyes, brow bone, Sides of the nose & chin

Cheeks ~  Mac Peaches Blush applied below the apples of the cheeks and blended up to the hairline

Eyes: UDPP to prime. I just used MAC Satin Taupe eyeshadow all over my lids & lower lash line, then I applied a dark brown eyeshadow from the Bourjois Smoky Eyes Trio Nude Ingenue on the outer corners of my lids and outer half of my lower lash line. Bourjois Smoky Eyes Pencil in Smoked Brown to line my upper lash line and then I used the brush to smudge it. I did the same on my lower lash line. To tightline upper lash line, I used IN2IT Gel Liner Pencil. Then I applied 3 coats of Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Mascara on top & bottom lashes.

*(Click on links for swatches & reviews)

Note: The Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse 030 Light is a tad lighter than my skin tone, coz they were selling only two (TWO!) shades here, and the other one was too dark for me. So my point is, it's going to look a little whitish in flash photography (it was a gloomy day), especially since it has SPF.  

Look 1:

Classic & simple. Goes really well with a white coat. Here, I used MAC Patisserie Lipstick

MAC Quite Cute Collection

Source, Source

“CUTE!” The most fanciful, fun and flattering compliment and young, modern trendsetter could ever want! Our version is the girliest kind of international glam possible, a style ride that combines postage-stamp-sized puppies with pixie swizzle-stick fashion and buttergly kisses for cute boys and even cuter shoes! Cupcake icing colors, vintage romance, an ATM card with Hello Kitty on it – and a way of life that says “yes!” to everything adorable!

Come on, get happy, with the multi-culti cutie, from Tokyo to Toronto to Paris with love! Pastel shades for Eye Quads, Lipstick, Plushglass, and Nail Lacquer…And due to popular demand, we’re completely cute-ifying three favourite Lip Pencil shades from last season that will join the fun and frolic. Flash! You’ll ♥ the Mineralize Blush with the sweet heart baked right into it. If it shines, shimmers and pops it’s completely, contagiously, cute!

Lipstick:

Playing Koi ~ Creamy white peach pink (Satin) 

Quite Cute ~ Bright white lavender (Cremesheen)

Saint Germain ~ Pastel pink (Amplified) 

Candy Yum Yum ~ Neon pink (Matte) 

Play Time ~ Intense violet (Cremesheen) 

Plushglass:

Bubble Tea ~ Creamy pale nude 

Fashion Fanatic ~ Creamy pale pink 

Girl ♥ Boy ~ Bright light blue pink 

I ♥ U ~ Creamy mid-tone purple 

Lip Pencil: 

Naked ~ Light neutral

In Synch ~ Bright yellow pink  

Boldly Bare ~ Mid-tone red brown 

Biotique Bio Berry Plumping Lip Balm Review & Swatches

About:

Biotique Bio Berry Plumping Lip Balm claims to smooth & swell lips. It is organically pure & preservative free. Dermatologically tested. No Animal Testing.

Berries are one of nature's great sources of vitamins and phytochemicals. This plumping balm restores lip fullness for a voluptuous, bee-stung look and refined lip contours.

"It is not a cosmetic product. It has therapeutic properties"

Not a cosmetic product? Therapeutic? You see that, you start to think of white, brown, yellow & green stuff. But this is none of those. It's so pretty and screams 'cosmetic'.

Rihanna's Fragrance Reb'l Fleur

Rihanna's Fragrance Reb'l Fleur features notes of tuberose, hibiscus, violet and coconut, and comes packaged in a bottle designed to resemble the heel of a shoe when turned upside down.

Reb'l Fleur takes its name from Rihanna's tattoo "Rebelle Fleur" inked on her neck. 

I'm intrigued by the coconut note in it, but I will probably skip this fragrance simply because I don't like the bottle very much, but the ad is so fabulous & mesmerizing! 

Price ~ $49 for 1.7 oz bottle.

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Valentine's Day Look & Outfit

I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's day. I had fun, although the sudden change of weather here in Delhi spoiled my 'pink' plans a little bit. Anyways, on to my V-Day look....

Makeup:

Face- MUFE HD Foundation, Body Shop Loose Face Powder, YSL Touche Eclat

Cheeks- Inglot Cream Blush #84, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Rose to highlight cheekbones

Lips- MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #32

Eyes- UDPP, Nyx Jumbo Pencil Milk as base, Shimmery white eyeshadow all over lids & inner corners, Pink & Blue eyeshadows from LA Colors Circus palette , MAC Petrol Blue Pearlglide Intense Eye Liner, Revlon Beyond Natural Long Volumizing Eyelashes