IVC Then & Now ~ 2nd Anniversary

Hi lovelies,

So today is IVC's 2nd Anniversary! Baby's growing up! It's been the best 2 years of my life, coz of all the beauty-ful things I've learned & the wonderful people I've gotten to know.

I wanted to blog today, but couldn't think of anything different & fun. When I got up in the morning, this came to mind, so I thought "Why not?!" and boy, did I get a good laugh when I went through my old blog posts! =D. I put together some blog pics from then & now:

THEN

Who's laughing at the hands with the bow? Hahahaha....What was I thinking?! =D

NOW

Major improvement, no? :). "Practice makes perfect better."

Thanks to this blog, I discovered my passion for something else. Photography. Not that I'm great at it (yet), but I really enjoy clicking photos (of pretty things, not wildlife and nature =\), and it's something I want to learn now.

Thanks for always visiting everyone. I hope you enjoy the long weekend! Oh, and Happy Rakhsha Bandhan too :)

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

Half Off Accessorize Haul!

Sardinia Sparkle Collar Turquoise Necklace- This necklace is what I'm smitten with at the moment. I have to look at it before going to bed ;). I'll wear it in a look real soon and I will  try to do justice to it.

My Makeup Storage Drawers

One Saturday, I saw some plastic drawers I've been looking for, but then the white color I wanted was so dirty & old! So the shop owner told us a new one will be available on Tuesday. I ordered 2. I was so excited the whole weekend. Tuesday came, but the idiot didn't have new ones- he'd forgotten all about it. I wanted to scream! And I did- in my pillow, like a lady. 

Long story short, idiot called a few days later to say that they are available! :))

They are quite sturdy although they're plastic. The best thing about them is they are made in such a way that you can stack them on top of each other. I still need to organize my products properly, so please ignore the randomness =D. I also don't usually keep them in this place. I shifted them to a brighter room for the photos.

BOW Earrings ~ Black & Gold

I turn to accessories when I need to feed my bow addiction (staring at Hello Kitty's head does not count!), so I was ecstatic when I found these classy-looking (read: not-so-kiddish) black & gold drop BOW earrings. I l♥ve 'em so much! Hope you'll l♥ve them too! :)

Maybelline The Colossal Kajal Review

A smudge resistant kajal. Finally! This is a special product because it was created exclusively for the Indian market by Maybelline India. I assume it's not available in any other country. Yippee! I'm sorry, but considering the number of makeup brands & products we don't get over here, we deserve it.

Claims:

Our deepest black pigments + unique tip deliver the blackest black shine ever. Color glides on smooth and so intense. Formula enriched with Vitamin E soothes the eyes. Never before 6H of smudge resistant wear. Our exclusive color fix formula guarantees intense color results that won't smudge, budge or fade. No more touchups.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream #2 Steel ~ If Britney Spears Used It....

About Aqua Creams:

The Aqua Cream is an ultra-pigmented, long-lasting waterproof cream. Highly concentrated in mother-of-pearl pigments, it provides an immediate color intensity with a luminous finish. 

Its long-lasting formula will not crease or smudge under the most extreme conditions.

Available in 22 shades.

Kareena Kapoor ~ The Face Of Lakmé ABSOLUTE

The much-anticipated makeup line by Lakmé & Manish Malhotra- ABSOLUTE, is yet to be revealed, but the face has been chosen. It is none other than the absolute Bollywood diva- Kareena Kapoor.

Press Note:

Mumbai, 04 Aug, 2011: Lakmé since its inception has always celebrated beauty and as an ode to the contemporary Indian woman, Lakmé presents ABSOLUTE - a high-performance long wear make up range. This premium range of cosmetic has been specially created for the woman of today who leads an international life with a soul that is Indian at heart. Kareena Kapoor a mesmerizing beauty, a caring sister, a devoted daughter, a talented actress and above all an epitome of the confident Indian woman, has been chosen as the face of Lakmé ABSOLUTE.  She is a perfect fit for the brand as she embodies the quintessential essence of beauty, which the brand represents. As the face of Lakmé ABSOLUTE, Kareena will be part of the brand’s campaign and unveil the Absolute looks at the Lakmé Grand Finale by Manish Malhotra at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/ Festive 2011 (August 16 –21, 2011).

Happy Friendship Day!

Wishing you a very Happy Friendship Day with a photo I clicked 20 minutes ago :)

“Good friends are like stars.... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.”

♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

The HOTTEST Inglot Lipstick ♥

This is the lipstick from my recent Inglot haul . I couldn't wait another day to talk about it.

So I was swatching lipsticks at Inglot, without any intention of buying any, because I didn't like the 1st one I got. Then I saw a girl holding a delicious looking lipstick, and it was love at first sight! I immediately asked the SA to show me the same one, but I had to wait till the girl had finished trying it on her lips. It looked lovely on her, but she didn't buy it coz, judging by what she was wearing, it's kind of too loud for her. 

Me ~ I'll take that one.

SA ~ It is the best, hot seller. We always run out of it. Right now there's only 2 left in stock *proudly*

Me ~ Then go.....go get it faster! =D

I'm talking about #103. It's not completely red, it's not completely orange. I'd say it's a tomato red, but I don't want to coz it sounds so ordinary. The finish is like MAC Cremesheen finish, which is my favorite finish. I didn't like my first Inglot Lipstick #106, which has a frosty finish & also smells different. This one smells like a fruity flavored chewing gum, but mild & pleasant.

Look at that! *.* Isn't it super gorgeous?! This is one bright lippie to have in your vanity, people.

Colorbar Cinnabar ~ Blush Of The Week

Blush of the Week is Colorbar Cinnabar. It's inexpensive, and even more so because it's a blush-cum-highlighter. A summery blush that gives cheeks that sun-kissed glow.

It's a terracotta-peachy-coral shade with silver shimmer. The shimmer particles may look chunky, but when applied on cheeks, they are almost undetectable.

I Am Femina's Blogger Bee in Beauty! :))

As part of their relaunch campaign, Femina magazine crowned several bloggers from India with the Blogger Bee Award, and Oh-My-Bows...I am one of them! I feel so honored! It feels even more surreal because I grew up reading Femina magazines, you know? :)

What is a Blogger Bee Crown? 

Femina celebrates "Womanhood" by acknowledging talented women who excel in the online world of Fashion, Beauty, Society, Films, Home Decor, Books etc.

About Femina Relaunch Campaign:

"For all the women you are" Femina's new brand campaign, we have chosen to put the spotlight on the modern Indian woman's expanding roles & changing equations at her Home, Workplace, Social space, Personal life & the Online space. 

She is the Princess of all things - Shoes, She is Nobody's fool, She is the Wizard of Odds, She is the FeminaWoman! 

Here's a video shot by Anurag Basu, featuring Kalki Koechlin celebrating the relaunch campaign: 

Don't you just love that video?! It's so seductive, yet innocent :)

Thank you Femina! And many many thanks to all you wonderful people who read my blog! It wouldn't be the same if I couldn't share this moment of elation with you...I just L♥VE you all!

Now let me go and scream into a pillow.

*To see all Blogger Bees, please go HERE


♥ Cynthia Z ^.^

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.