NEW! Lakmé Absolute Pop Tints

This summer Lakmé brings you a vivacious collection of colour tints to make your lips and nails ‘pop’ in true diva style. The Lakmé Absolute POP TINT collection is a kaleidoscope of bright and happy colours, which captures the spirit and exuberance of the contemporary Indian woman. Turning up the heat a few degrees, bold hues of neons, sorbets and jellies from this limited edition collection represent the style statement for spring/summer 2013 internationally.  Drawing inspiration from this collection, designer Namrata Joshipura will bring these colours to life, taking Pop Tints from skin to silhouette as she presents the grand finale show at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2013. Style diva Kareena Kapoor is sure to turn heads as Joshipura’s showstopper.

Lakmé Absolute POP TINTS, a high performance make-up collection of lip tints in shades of summer, including bright orange, vivacious pink and flaming red for that amazing “read-my-lips” pout and nail tints in pastel tones of blue, green and corals.  

Lip Tint - Orange Tease

Lip Tint Pink Sorbet

Nail Tint Orange Squash

Lakmé Absolute Lip Tint ~ These thick creamy pencils in 8 pop shades deliver rich deep color and incredible shine in just a stroke, to give you lips that pop like it should. Price: 800/- 

Lakmé Absolute Nail Tint ~ These pastel nail colors in 8 tinted shades promise a jolt of color with an unmissable smooth finish and lacquered shine that say tint all the way. Price: 250/- 

*Press Info. 

The Donut Bun

Hey Everyone,

Wad up? I'm now blogging from Scotland. It was a hectic weekend, and there are lots of boxes near the front door yet to be unpacked- all mine, coz my Virgo man unpacked all of his things in barely 20 minutes. Howww???

So, me with a bun that I did all by myself....I never thought I'd see the day! You must have noticed that I'm not very creative with my hair, so this donut was sort of out of my comfort zone. Usually, I hate buns & ponytails.... they give me a headache ("My hair hurts!") But since Cosmo wanted an updo for the story I was featured in last month, I had to do it- for the first time in my entire life. Oh, actually this is the 2nd time. 1st time was the for only the initial pics that I had to send asap- ya, that bun didn't turn out so well....and yes, I had to do this same look twice!

It couldn't see the top, so I missed putting hairspray on  some stray bits. Look how they poke out =\

I used this Primark Hair Donut which I got for only £1 (Rs.83), a hair tie & some hair pins. I wouldn't say it's hard, but it'll take some practice to perfect it.

You'll see me do this hairstyle in a video shortly. I have to wait for broadband to be activated here in our new place, so I can upload it to Youtube. Ugh, something or the other is keeping me from posting this video! Hmm, but everything happens for a reason.

What do you think? Do you like wearing buns? 

FREE Ciaté Paint Pots With Marie Claire May 2013!

I've always wanted to have some Ciaté Paint Pots only because of the bottle with a bow (look!), but  I find £9 (Rs.740) too steep for a nail polish. Hell, I don't even want to shell out 200 rupees on any nail polish! Yes, nail paints are where I'm most kanjoos at =D

But on a quick trip to Tesco today (to buy a Double Decker chocolate bar for Mr.CZ), "I saw, I squealed, I bought." *Jumps*

This shade is called ~ Pocket Money. 

Oh ya, there's another freebie with it- Jergens Ultra Healing Body Moisturiser! Ah, the joys!

MAC India Introduces Mineralize Rich Lipsticks

M·A·C’s love affair with lips has led to the launch of a new M·A·C masterpiece. Introducing Mineralize Rich Lipstick – it’s larger in size and scope and lavishes lips with nutrient-rich moisture. Featuring a luxurious formula and gorgeous colour, enhanced with a mineral moist complex that provides lips with nourishment and lasting hydration. Lightweight colour glides on with ease for an intense bright with shade retention.

Style Surge Neutral coral cream Glamour Era Mid-tone warm brown frost

Posh Tone Soft warm nude cream Splurge Mid-tone cool plum

Lady At Play Mid-tone cool tangerine Lush Life Deep cool plum

Grande Dame Mid-tone neutral rose cream All Out Gorgeous Deep warm red

Everyday Diva True red cream Elegant Accent Mid-tone warm rose cream

Utterly Delicious Bright coral cream Divine Choice Mid-tone cool pink cream

OOTD: "This Used To Be My Playground"

Pictures taken outside the home I grew up in. The home I eventually left....for good. Of course it didn't look like this when I was little, it changed- like everything else.

I went to visit my grandma last time I was in my hometown. My cousin sis clicked these pics quickly before we left.

"Your cab is here. Stop posing!"

There's that curious boy again :)

In The Spotlight ~ Illamasqua I'MPERFECTION Collection

A few products from Illamasqua I'MPERFECTION Collection for Spring 2013:

•  Lipstick in Immodest ~ £16 (Rs.1341)
•  Powder Blush Duo in Katie & Ambition ~ £28 (Rs.2347)
•  Blush Up Brush ~ £28.50 (Rs.2388)

*Will post review & swatches of all the products shortly.  

Let's take a look at the brilliant promo pics:

Illamasqua I'mperfection Nail Varnish ~ £14.50 (Rs.1202)

Kevyn Aucoin's Makeup Pictorial #1: Smudged Smoky Eyes For Different Eye Shapes

When I went to my abandoned apartment in Gurgaon (Delhi), I took a few makeup items that I'd left there, and I made sure to take my makeup books. I was missing them a lot. Unfortunately, they're too heavy to take to UK with me, and I also didn't have time to go through them properly while I was there, so I just clicked pics of a few pages. I rarely read them again while I was living there, but now I badly want to go through them- thoroughly. See? You don't value something until you don't have it anymore.

Men-Who-Don't-Appreciate-Their-Wives&GFs, do you hear that? Yes, you. Your beautiful girl is sitting right next to you, and you're checking out other girls?! One.Tight.Slap.

Anyways, I thought I'd share some pictorials from the books of the MUA I learnt a lot from- Kevyn Aucoin. These illustrations are from either Face Forward or Making Faces, I'm confused. I've done a post on makeup books here & here

Hooded Eyelids: Hooded lids means you have a chunky piece of skin that covers your lid space. Ya, my eyes are a good example of hooded lids. You must have seen that I always draw a line on my crease- or rather the area where my crease should have been. Also, I can't pull off a thick eyeliner without contouring my crease area.

Celebratory And Crazy Artistic EOTD After Apartment Hunting

We got back late from Dundee on Friday night. Yesterday was supposed to be a day to rest with only Grey's Anatomy, but somehow I ended up doing this look- not just eyes, a whole complete look, which I will post shortly.

*It's okay if you don't like it. Even Mr.CZ found me very scary-looking =D

I guess I felt inspired, coz we finally found an apartment we liked in Dundee, Scotland. Btw, we'll only be there for 6 months.

[To be continued...]

Products Used:

• Minty green + turquoise eyeshadows from MUA Poptastic Palette. SORRY I WENT FOR THIS COLOR AGAIN! I DON'T KNOW WHY!
• Urban Decay Blackout (black) on bottom lash line & corners of top lid.
• Black and silver glitter is Collection Glam Crystals Dazzling Gel Liner in Rock Chick.
• Lakme Kohl Ultimate to tightline & to smudge on bottom lash line. 

• Max Factor 2000 Calorie Curved Brush Mascara on top & bottom lashes. Review here.
• Demi Lashes are Bourjois Faux & Fabulous Lashes Lady In Black. Shown here. 
• Eyebrows:  Urban Decay Blackout (black) &the same glitter gel liner on top. 

♥

So.... The Story of  our 2-day apartment hunting: 

Day 1:

We were supposed to view one apartment. We met the agent in front of the door....she lead us inside and it was one of the most dingy walkways I'd ever seen! Red door, grey cemented walls & floor, dirty stairs.... Mr.CZ & I looked at each other with horror. As we started ascending the dirty stairs, the agent stopped walking, turned to us, and said, "There's a nice apartment on X street. Would you like to have a look at that one?"

We: "YES! Is it better than this?"

Agent: "Yes, much better. It's a brand new apartment. Nobody's ever lived there. This one *she scrunched up her nose*", then she lead us back out into the street without showing us the apartment at the top of those dreadful stairs. 

We reached X Street. I noticed a book store, a takeout restaurant named Curry-something & a nice bakery. We're going inside a door next to the bakery. Ooh, apartment is above the bakery! 

It was an odd-looking (read: down-market) walkway. There was a small messy garden with a clothes line,  and 3-4 black garbage bins in the corner. First impression was a put-off, third rate. Then we reached the stairway with minty green walls...and we stopped outside a metallic door.

We got inside, and OMG it's a brand new 3 bedroom apartment, and it's very nicely done up! Grey carpeted floors, L-shaped couch in kitchen-slash-living room,  multi-colored cushions, fun colored lamps. It had all the amenities & white goods. The bedrooms were awesome with the same type of decor as in the living room. 

1 of the extra bedrooms looked like this

We fell in love (mainly coz everything's new), and immediately wanted to take it. It's so meant to be, we I thought. Agent informed us there were a couple of interested students who viewed it earlier that day too, but they want couple tenants for the place. Okay, now we must take it asap! Long story short, we had to wait till the next day to know if the owner of the place, who's all the way in Hong Kong, will agree to 6 months. [We cancelled rest of the viewings that evening.]

Mr.CZ was uneasy that whole night coz he really wanted the place. I played the calm-whatever-happens wife, but ya, I couldn't stop thinking about the colored lamps & cushions & contemporary kitchen.

What's In My Travel Beauty Bag?

I'm blogging from a train! =) From Edinburgh to Dundee.

These are basically all my travel essentials. Only an eyeliner pencil is missing. The Lakme Kohl Ultimate again! I found it yesterday, and it's missing again...what is wrong with me it?!

• Bag - Primark
• Sunglasses- Primark

Makeup:

• Lipsticks- Rimmel Lasting Finish #16 (pink, MAC Sheen Supreme Bare Again (Nude), MAC Modesty (nude), Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Sweetheart (fuchsia)
• Lip Balm ~ Vaseline Pink Bubbly
• Blush ~ NYX Peach with Sigma Princess Kabuki retractable brush.
• Compact Powder ~ Majolica Majorca Pore Powder. I forgot the exact name.
• Hand Cream L'Occitane Rose Petals Hand Cream
• Eye Drops ~ Clearine. Can't live without it.
• Primark Anti-bacterial Hand Wipes ~ I prefer wipes to the liquid hand sanitizers.
•  

Extras ~ Tissues & Hairbrush.

Most important thing for a girl ~ KNOCKOUT PEPPER SPRAY. Especially if you live in Delhi, you need this!

Edinburgh

What do you all keep in your travel beauty bag?

Primark Shoes I Picked Revealed!

I put up a post asking you to guess which color shoes I picked from Primark (post here & in my Facebook Page). You know I like to play those games ;) Thank You to all who commented! You must know me quite well, coz none of you picked black/white =D

Yes, I picked the RED ones! They're red, right? Coz Mr.CZ and a few of you said they're coral. I don't know....I guess coral-red.

So the ladies who guessed right are:

• Bhumika

• Narindra Evah

• Sukanya

• Miss Bo Peep

• Poorva

• Wajiha Sajid

• RJ

• Geetz

• Adaa

• Preeti Kaur 

• Malavika Gadiyar 

Congrats! =)

To the others who guessed Pink/Black pair: There was a 90% chance of me picking them over the red ones, BUT..... 

The buckle is a little different from the red & black pairs. See, it extends way to the front, so they didn't fit well- too loose. 

India Beauty HAUL, Etc + A New Life Change.....

They didn't all fit on the window sill, so I took them to the backyard table. The biting cold forced me to scatter them haphazardly. For the first time, the wind didn't knock any of them off where they lay disorderly....and none of them fell through the gaps on the wooden planks. "Little joys.", I thought to myself. A minute later, I saw the first 10 drops of rain on the little black boxes.

These are the beauty products I brought back with me from our brief India holiday.... apart from the beauty bags I already had with me =D

Products shown in random order:

• Heart Box, pink brush holder thing, eyeliners, etc are from Dubai
• Nars Loose Powder & Blush 
• Inglot 10 Eye Shaow Palette that I've yet to put together.
• Colorbar: Triple Compact, Creme Touch Lipstick, Eyeshadow, Nail Polish
• Illamasqua I'MPERFECTION Collection 
• Too Faced Eyeshadows
• Sunsilk Perfect Straight Shampoo & Conditioner ~ I LOVE! They work!
• The body Shop Coconut Oil
• Dabur Rose Water Spray
• Dove Elixir Nourished Shine with Hibiscus & Argan Oil
• Palmolive Thermal Spa Skin Renewal With Crushed Coconut Body Cream Wash ~ My favorite! 
• Garnier BB Cream (Indian version)
• Maybelline BB Stick 
• Lakme Enrich Satin Lipsticks ~ 2 shades from the newly launched range. 
• Stila In The Garden Eyeshadow Palette.
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Timeless Black ~ I was glad to find this in Dubai. I think have never seen a black shade in UK & India...but I don't know. ?

 I had posted my 1st haul  here, so I won't mention them here.

The Face Shop Lovely Me:Ex Mini Pet Floral Hand Cream Review

Now that kitty is cute. I like that kitty. I would pet that kitty. But my neighbour's kitties are both evil-looking. I don't know why they keep staring at me from outside the window when I'm clicking blog photos. Wait, I'll show you at the end of this post.

Let's talk about this hand cream first. You'd maybe assume that I'll be biased because it's cutely packaged, but I'm telling you - truthfully, yes - that the hand cream is awesome! It smells nicely floral, but I can't tell you which flower(s).  To me, it's one of the best smelling hand creams I've ever tried/sniffed.

The texture of the cream is buttery-cum-silky, and it has actually turned my chapped knuckles into silky smoothness. Ya, my knuckles were chapped like they used to get when I was a kid playing with sand & marbles. I used a lot of other hand creams & body butters, but they got better only after I started using this, The cream moisturizes my hands without leaving a greasy feel. The cream's consistency, and the whole concept for that matter, is similar to that of Etude House Missing You Hand Cream.

Price ~ Rs.500 from Sephora, New Delhi. You'll get it for around Rs.250 +free shipping from Ebay.

Quantity ~ Tiny. That jar is about 2 inches long.

My Rating ~ ♥♥♥♥♥ 4.5/5

I will definitely buy more of these. The cute containers will sure come in handy for other things. At the top of my head: stud earrings, lip balm, another hand cream, etc....oh, maybe even salt & spices =)

♥ 

Okay, about the real kitties next door.....

Neighbour's Kitty #1 ~ I was clicking lipstick pics and doing lip swatches and I was so startled (read: horrified) to see those eyes!

Neighbour's Kitty #2 ~ At first, I thought it was sleeping & the eyes were closed, but no, it's looking right at me.

Cat lovers. please don't hate me. I'm sure they are harmless kitties, and half the reason they terrify me is because I've never been a cat person. But, I must also say, I have seen cute cats before.

Shopping @ SEPHORA, New Delhi

I'm back in Newcastle. We reached yesterday afternoon.....decided to take naps at around 4:30 pm..... slept like logs.... and we woke up the next morning! 6 flights in 3 weeks.... phew... no more!

This quick Sephora trip happened in the 1st week in New Delhi, before a family dinner at Punjab Grill (it has the best lamb chops!) I didn't really want to buy anything, coz most of the stuff I would have wanted- Benefit, Soap & Glory - were cheaper in UK. NYX products are also cheaper from Ebay.