New Launches India ~ Maybelline & Bourjois

Just a quick post to let you know that some new temptations are in the Indian market now:

Maybelline Color Sensational Color Sensational High Shine Lipsticks ~ Just 4-5 shades were there at the store- mostly plummy-browny shades, but there's one pretty & summery & juicy coral shade- Coral Lustre, which I got. Price- Rs.399. Pic below but it looks prettier  here in my hand =)

Coral Lustre #840

March Haul ~ MAC Posh Paradise & Iris Apfel, Colorbar, Aldo, ZARA

Hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was "legendary-wait for it-dary!" Okay, that was only me copying Randy from HIMYM's funniest episode & my favorite till date. I don't know why it's on my mind at this moment. My weekend was good, but I wouldn't call it Barney Stinson's catch phrase. 

So on Saturday, I went shopping for 2 things- a ZARA jacket & a MAC Paint Pot, but I ended up buying....well, a few more good shhtuff. 

MAC:

• Genuine Treasure Paint Pot from Posh Paradise Collection, Rs.1350 ~ Paint Pot with shimmer...yum! The moment I saw it, I knew it'd be sinful not to own it. I'm so excited to try it out! Will review it in a few days. In case you missed, reviews of other Mac Paint Pots- Constructivist here & Painterly here

• Party Parrot Lipstick (Matte) from Iris Apfel Collection, Rs.990 ~ I don't have any lipstick like that, the color is so unique. It might be similar to Malaika's lipstick in Cosmopolitan here.

Aldo: I had no intention of buying anything when I went in, but....

• Melso Necklace, Rs.600 ~ Impulse buy, but I sort of needed a plain gold chunky necklace.

• Butterfly Drop Earrings, Rs.500 ~ How cute are those fluttery wings?! Yes, I do realize that I buy a lot of butterfly jewelry =D

Colorbar Velvet Matte Lipsticks in Thrilling Pink & Obsessed Orange, Rs.225 each. I was gonna get only Obsessed Orange to show you guys another orange lippie, after the Happy Orange Products post, but Thrilling Pink looked so pretty I couldn't resist, plus it looks like a dupe for Maybelline Color Sensational Pink Please

My Favorite Make-up Looks & Hairstyles At Lakmé Fashion Week

I want to share with you guys my favorite looks done by Lakmé Studio at Lakmé Fashion Week. Maybe you'll be inspired to try out some new looks this season, like I am. 

Make-up looks: I picked all wearable & universally flattering ones.

Hair? Well, one is holding 5% of my hopes & dreams.

Make-up:

1. Smoldering Peach ~ This look is flattering on almost all skin tones. It has made me reach for my peach blushes on most days. Imagine it without any peachy-ness on the eyes. Right, it won't look balanced. So when wearing peach blush & lipstick, try to add a little bit of peach eyeshadow on your lids too. However, you can skip the peach blush. Make-up symmetry :)
2. Gold eyes & Red lips ~ This is a Blair Waldorf kind of look- very classy. Skip blush, or sweep a little bronzing powder under your cheekbones.
3. Neutral ~ Eyes are understated in this look- just some light brown eyeshadow, black kohl, and false lashes. A pale pink lipstick complements the eyes perfectly. Tip: Pair this look with a white outfit/shirt & some dull gold jewelry.
4. Fairy Cheeks ~ Yes, glitter cheeks can get messy, but there are always theme parties to go too. For regular night outs, apply the glitter on the center of your lids instead- both gold & silver glitter would look nice against peach eyeshadow.

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick Rosy Nude ~ 'My Lips But Better'?

I mumble "Mmm-hmm, my lips but better" as I applied this lipstick. I was in my element.

Mr.CZ:  "Why do you keep saying those words??? 'My lips but better' "

Me:  "Because they're lipsticks that are almost the same color as my natural lips." 

Silence. Some things are to be understood only by us ladies. We hunt for a lipstick that is exactly like our bare lips & a blush that is exactly like our natural...err, flush?

If you're looking for another Nude lippie, then Revlon Rosy Nude 065 Colorburst Lipstick might suit your preference. I personally adore it at the moment. Revlon Colorburst lipsticks need no introduction, as they've been there for a while (they even have babies now). I've always like their finish, color selection, pigmentation, packaging, and the fact that they're fragrance-free.

Rosy Nude is a just that- Rosy Nude. A very wearable shade, which can be played up or down

I'm Featured In Cosmopolitan Magazine: "Meet The Internet's Beauty Specialists"

Today was supposed to be just another Wednesday, but something made me happily numb. Seriously, you should have seen my face when I first learned about it from one of my Facebook friends- Lekhawati (Thank You, again!) I told Mr.CZ like I would tell someone that somebody had died. "Honey, I'm in Cosmo."-  not blinking, not smiling, body frozen =D

Then I couldn't to do anything else but quickly click these pics (Twitter buddies badly wanted to see ASAP!), sip on lots of coffee & stare at myself in Cosmopolitan magazine, March '12 issue, haha! *Squeals*

6 beauty bloggers from India are featured, including Rashmi & Tanveer, bloggers I've come to know personally, and whose blogging style & ethics I respect. 

I put the products shown there- Bourjois Effet Smoky Pencil in Smoked Brown (but I was gonna buy black soon too, coincidentally) & Max Factor Elixir Lipstick in Eternal Flame. 

Umm, why do I look kinda Gunda-type (gangster) in the thumbnail??? ;p 

Gratitude to Cosmopolitan's features writer, Meher Bajwa, who did a wonderful job turning a page-long interview into a readable paragraph.

Most importantly, I want to thank all of you IVC Readers for all the love & support you've given this blog. I honestly couldn't do this without you. I love to read your comments, opinions, suggestions, personal experiences, so much. Sometimes, funny comments/stories some of you share here make me giggle under the sheets when I can't sleep. I can't reply to all of them, but I do try my best to reply to at least 20 comments every other day. I he♥rt you all from the bottom of my he♥rt.

Speech is over, now I gotta go find out what lippie Malaika Arora Khan is wearing on that cover! Want! (or do I have something like it already?) Isn't it gorgeous?

So, are you getting a copy of Cosmo this month? :)

♥ Cynthia Z *.*

Sunsilk Keratinology Shampoo, Conditioner, Heat Protectant Spray: Review

Apologies for the late review of these babies. You know I've been so scattered lately. I'll keep it short and to the point:

• Sunsilk  Keratinology Sun Kissed Color Therapy Shampoo, Rs.170 ~ It's a light golden color creamy shampoo that lathers thickly- like no other shampoo I've used. It makes my hair softer, clean, and I experience less hair fall with it. I am loving it a lot, and it has become one of my favorite shampoos.

• Sunsilk  Keratinology Sun Kissed Color Therapy Express Treatment Conditioner, Rs.170 ~ It's not as thick as I'd like it to be. I don't think I'll repurchase this even if I repurchase the Shampoo. I'm not saying it's bad, it's just nothing special. Yes, it conditions hair after shampoo, but it doesn't make it as soft & silky as I want. So-so conditioner for me personally, but it could work better for virgin hair (undamaged, people!)

• Sunsilk  Keratinology Heat Protectant Spray, Rs.400 ~ If you blow dry & iron your hair everytime after shampooing, YOU-NEED-THIS. It makes blow dried hair more bouncy & shiny, adds a little volume & the straightening iron glides on more smoothly. Before, I used to hear a trat-trat hair-against-ceramic plates sound when ironing, but not when I spray some of this before the process. I really saw the difference with & without this spray. Nope, it doesn't make hair greasy, coz it's watery. For me, it was love at first use. Must-have.

L'Oreal Paris - Femina Women Awards 2012

"This March, we’re raising a toast to the women who have inspired us all. The most admired and loved women in art, music, education, business, film and various other fields, will be honored at the first ever L’Oreal Paris - Femina Women Awards in association with Rasvihar. 

The Logo and Trophy for the awards have been inspired by the Tangram: a puzzle made of seven pieces of a square that can be rearranged in an endless array of forms. Perfect, considering we have always celebrated the many and myriad facets of women with our tagline, ‘For All The Women You Are’.

This prestigious award function will be held on 22nd March, 2012 at the ITC Grand Central, Mumbai.

Living up to our tagline ‘For All The Women You Are’ we will commemorate at these awards the bold women who are going out and building a brave new world for themselves." ~ FEMINA.

To read about the Categories, Jury, Schedule, please click on this link- L’Oreal Paris - Femina Women Awards in association with Rasvihar

You readers can also vote for your favorite inspiring people: Readers Choice Awards

♥ Cynthia Z *.*

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter Sweet Tart Review & Swatches

Certain types of men really are.... pigs. They ruin delectable things by naming their objects of lust after them. We have heard Joey's "Grandma's chicken salad" & Ross's "Sweet Potato Pie" in FRIENDS, haven't we? Let's not even talk about hip hop songs.

Tart, for instance, is a cute little word for a small pie, but they had to go and call easy women (or, knockouts they can't have) that. Now I can't name a puppy 'Tart' anymore, can I? (Come here, Tart....Fetch, Tart...Have you been bad, Tart?) See? Ruined.

Revlon named one of their Colorburst Lip Butters, 'Sweet Tart'. Even they couldn't just name it 'Tart', they had to sugarcoat it. I'm guessing.

About Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter: Hydrating mango, shea and coconut butter formula boosts lip moisture by 156%. Pampering gel formula provides super charged hydration and glides on lips buttery smooth. Sheer to medium colour with buttery shine. Available in 20 shades. 

Packaging: Similar to Revlon Colorburst Lipsticks, except the caps are colored transparent plastic, and longer. Cute & fun.

Love: The color- it's a pretty bubblegum pink, which really suits my skin tone. The Texture- not  so buttery, which makes it cling to lips better. It's fragrance-free & tasteless, it cures chapped lips. Finish is glossy & not so sheer- which I prefer, coz otherwise all colors will look the same with tinted lip balms. Lastly, it is like a lipstick...it is better than some lipsticks.

Don't love: The juicy color & shine doesn't last for more than 15-20 mins, although it doesn't leave my lips completely dry & colorless. The balmy feel lasts.

Kryolan Blusher Palette & Lipsticks: Review & Swatches

I hauled a few things from Mumbai, when I was there. [Read between the lines] I've always liked Kryolan products- so professional yet affordable. I really missed buying them since the store I used to go to in South Delhi - Jacko - was shifted to West Delhi, after the whole MCD thing. It took me several days to click photos of everything & put the swatches in one post. I almost didn't do lip swatches of the lippies, but I know you don't like that :)

Kryolan Blusher Palette: Firstly, aren't the Kryolan mask logos engraved on the blushers oh-so-cute? Secondly, they are AWESOME! They are silky & super pigmented, some of the best blushers I've used. Love! Plus I always liked pencil box/tin packaging.

Life Of An Official Beauty Blogger

We pretend to tweet in style

In other words, we are Media-Journalist  *ahem*

2 girls to me in hotel lobby: "Can we have passes for Rocky S show?"

Me: "No.", I pursed my lips & shook my head. Then I realized I sounded like a teacher who's not allowing a student to go pee. "I don't have the passes." I added quickly.

Girl 1: "But you are wearing the LFW badge", she pointed at it.

Me: "Yes, but I don't give out passes", I smiled kindly.

Girl 1: "Oh. So, what are you here?"

Me: "I'm only a blo.... I'm a journalist.", I said seriously, and dialed a number for some over-the-phone last minute shopping.

We are the only tiny/dainty thing in a dress- in a crowd of male media photographers

9 Favorite Nude Lipsticks

My most used lipsticks are nude. I can't get enough of them! Not only are they the safest bet when in a hurry, they complement every eye shadow color. I think they beat girly pink lipsticks, in my life.

Here are 9 of my favorite, most used, nude lippies:

1. Colorbar Velvet Matte Bare
2. MAC Patisserie
3. Maybelline Color Sensational My Mahogany
4. Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Gloss Touch of Toffee ~ Not a lipstick, but it's creamy like one & I'd repurchase it all my life!
5. Inglot Matte Lip Pencil #16 ~ It's not as drying as it looks! I like to wear Touch Of Toffee (above) on top of it.
6. Lakmé Fantasy Collection Enrich Satin #132
7. MAC Hug Me (Please excuse the blurry old pic)
8. Lakmé Lip Love Love Haze
9. Lakmé Aquashine Old Rose ~ Don't have a good pic of this one

Yardley English Lavender Gentle Facial Cleanser Review....and Chocolates!

I wish every face wash came with chocolates on the side! Not that I like chocolates that much, but the box is prettier to look at. I look at this box, and the world seems better (yes, seriously!). Hey, also a nice idea for a present, right? Buy face wash/lipsticks/nail polishes/anything pretty & inexpensive (NO, no socks, pleeease!), a nice box from Archies/Hallmark, some mini chocolates, a bow/ribbon, and ta-da! Yes, let's all do that this year!

*Makes memo in phone: Must buy cute gift boxes* Save.

About Yardley London English Lavender Facial Cleanser

A soap-free preparation with soothing Avocado Oil & English Lavender. It cleanser tenderly & removes make-up and impurities. The nutrient packed Avocado Oil supplements the skin's natural moisture and softness, leaving it clean, hydrated, and delicately fragranced with English Lavender.

Katy Perry Perfume Purr & An Awesome Love Package

I told you I ordered Katy Perry Purr with my UD naked 2 Palette from Amazon, but it got stick in US, because Aramex doesn't ship perfumes, right? If you missed that post, it's here.

Aramex asked if they should "discard" it (yeah, right!) or send it within the US. I didn't know what to do! Then I thought of May, my Twitter friend who sent me all those face masks last year (post here). I asked her if I could get it mailed to her & if she could then mail it to me, and she very kindly agreed. Of course we were worried that USPS will also cause trouble with perfumes, but it got through (just don't write it's perfume!) and I received it a couple days back. Woohoo!

About Katy Perry Purr: Purr by Katy Perry eau de parfum begins with the aroma of peach nectar and forbidden apple, evolves with a distinct floral bouquet of jasmine blossom, Bulgarian rose and vanilla orchid, and slowly reveals accents of creamy sandalwood and musk. Like the singer herself, Purr is playful yet sophisticated. Katy Perry transcends barriers with her music—so does her new fragrance. Price: About $29.00 for 50ml (amazon.com), but I paid some more for Aramex + US to India.

Though I'm not a fan of cats, this kitty IS cute. I just think the cat head/cap is not of good quality. Umm, it's more plasticky than glass-like), and the eyes aren't good, shiny crystals (very cheap-looking). However, it smells fantastic! I think it' the first time I'm more impressed with the smell rather than the bottle. I guess it smells like peach & apple....and jasmine. Yeah, I definitely smell those. There's green bamboo in it too, though I have never smelled a green bamboo. It's more of a sweet scent, and it's a tad stronger than my other floral favorite- Marc Jacobs Daisy. BUT the rest of the bottle is all cute, especially the heart collar with Purr embossed on it. For 1450 rupees ($29), I think it's worth it.