Quick Tip For Long & Strong Nails

I was just going to Instagram this, but I thought why not share it with everyone! Lately, my nails are growing unnaturally fast and are noticeably thick & strong. For months they've been breaking & peeling easily, that's why I noticed it more. Before I clip & file them to a comfortable length, I wanted to show you.

I think it's the Aloe Vera products I'm using:

• Carex Aloe Vera Hand Wash ~ I just love how this smells!
• Vaseline Aloe Fresh Body Gel

*But I use the hand wash more on my hands.

I did some googling, and found out Aloe Vera has nail strengthening properties. I never knew that!

Ladies in India, try with Brihan's Aloe Vera Gel. It's my holy grail product that I keep in the fridge all the time.

Have any of you experienced this? 

LOTD ~ Blue Eyes & Boats

This was the makeup I had on yesterday. I rarely wear bright colored eyeshadows on regular days. But right now I'm loving this turquoise blue eyeshadow and have been wearing it like a liner. Now that's one way to wear bright eyeshadows, ladies. Just apply with a wet flat or angled liner brush for a little bit of intensity. If you're a scaredy cat, try only on your bottom lash line.

Face ~ Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation Beige 54 (shown here), Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, The Body Shop Loose Powder.

Cheeks ~ MAC The Perfect Cheek Blush

 Lips ~ MAC Pink Pigeon Lipstick. Photos here 

Eyes ~ Inglot Eyeshadow 504 DS (shown here) applied with a wet Colorbar Fabulips Lip Brush , Lakmé Kohl Ultimate & Urban Decay Blackout (matte black) to tightline and line very close to upper lash line and on waterline. Since I have hooded lids, I had to contour my crease, especially with a heavy lower lash line.  I blended Urban Decay Buck, Naked & Blackout (all from Naked Palettes), Maybelline The Falsies Black Drama Mascara.

 I'm surrounded by boats & ships here in Dundee. I imagine seeing Jack Sparrow in one of them someday - he waves at me, I wave back & invite him over, he comes and braids my hair, and we drink tea together. I thought I'd share some pics.....

Frigate Unicorn ~ Scotland’s only preserved warship, and one of the six oldest ships in the world. I pass it all the time.

I walk on that bridge whenever I go to the city center

A gift when we moved in ~ "We hope you enjoy your new home for the next few months."

Weekend Snacks

Regards from Mr.CZ =)

Happy Weekend Everyone....See you again next week!

INGLOT 10 Square Eyeshadow Palette ~ 10 Things I Love About You

10 Things I Love About You:

I have found them,

I could write them,

I would shout them,

But......

So I finally took pictures & used this INGLOT 10 Square Eyeshadow Palette that I got in April (April!) I'd over-swatched & obsessed over all the colors at the store, so I already knew I'd have no complaints about the quality of any of them. They're all amazing!

Hope you like it...and it's name! =)

Price:

• Eyeshadow Refills ~ Rs.350 x 10 = Rs.3500

• 10 Square Freedom Palette ~ Rs.1400

•  Total: Rs.4900.

463 DS ~  Ivory with sparkly gold shimmer. Perfect for the inner corners.

341 Matte ~ A pale peachy pink. It'll be used for blending, but it can be used as a subtle blush too!

37 Shine ~ Metallic Bronze. Always wearable.

460 DS ~ Taupe with gold & silver shimmer. This was love at first sight.

326 Matte ~ This is so far my favorite deep cool brown eyeshadow. It's so silky!

464 DS ~  Terracotta with gold shimmer. I would wear this with 504.

477 DS ~ Lime green with golden shimmer. This is the one I bought twice, btw (post here)

71 AMC ~ Purple with silver shimmer. It's hard to find purple eyeshadows that are pigmented, but this is pretty good.

504 DS ~ Turquoise blue with silver shimmer. I'm loving this on my eyes these days. I wore it only on my lower lash line the other day, and applied it with a wet brush.

482 DS ~ Prussian blue with silver shimmer. It's absolutely gorg! It pops when worn over a cream e/s, like Maybelline Color Tattoo.

*DS means Double Sparkle. 

 463, 341, 37, 460, 326 

464, 477, 71, 504, 482 

 ♥ 

But......

My DIY Ombré Hair Color ~ What I Used

Nostalgic moment, coz that photo was taken in Newcastle. And yes, L'Oreal should send me a gift...hehe!

Since some wanted to know what hair color I used, I thought I should do a post, and "explain" that it's not just one specific color, or two, for that matter. Read on to see my journey to Ombré.....

Please note that this is just what I did, and I'm sure there are much better ways to do it. Also, the same colors may not turn out the same for your hair. Results will vary depending on hair types. 

 What I Used:

• Hair Color 1 : L'Oreal Excellence Crème 8.1 Natural Ash Blonde ~ This was my base color, before I decided to go ombré. It came out at least 2 shades darker than the model's hair.

• Hair Color 2 : (Ombré) L'Oreal Preference Wild Ombrés 3 ~ This is an ombre kit that comes with a comb brush that made it quite easy to color only the tips. You squeeze the cream on it, and then comb it through the ends of your hair from chin down. To give the color a gradient effect & avoid an obvious line where the ombré begins, you simply backcomb upwards. If you're using a regular hair coloring brush, try to do the same. I think a toothbrush would work well for this method, too.

I somehow forgot to take pics of the kit. This is what the brush looks like

 

But it came out too orange, as you can see. That's my least favorite hair color on me, and I was horrified!

*TIP: If you're going to use this kit, don't leave it on for too long. Keep checking it. If you see that it's made your hair a light ash brown, wash it off ASAP! Because within seconds, it will strip off all the brown pigment in your hair and reveal the underlying orange. It's what happened to me, it looked fine when I checked in between.

• Hair Color 3 : L'Oreal Récital Préférence 10.1 Helsinki Very Light Blonde ~ The kit comes with a generous tube of conditioner, and a High Shine Elixir that you put in the mixture. I picked this shade because I thought the ash in  it was going to lighten the orange to a cool blonde. I used it all over my hair, starting with the ends. Unfortunately, it did not do much, and the color looked pretty much the same..... 

Although I clicked when my hair was still wet (because it was getting dark), you can make out my hair's still orange and didn't change much. I think this works only on hair that's already very light. *Therefore, an unnecessary step.  

• Hair Color 4 : L'Oreal Sublime Mousse 600 Pure Light Brown ~ In the end, I turned to old faithful light brown, and the orange turned a light ash brown. I applied this all over my hair, as well. I was not impressed with the 'mousse' , because it's more watery than mousse-ey (It's not all all like the Liese Bubble Hair Color) but I was happy that it toned down the orange.

For weeks the color looked uniform, showing little ombré-ness, but eventually the ends of my hair got lighter after every wash. That's why it's better to judge a hair color after a week or two. I did everything in March, and until May, this is what it looked like.....

If you want to see more pics, please click here

In the end, I was quite happy with the results, and even though the L'Oreal Wild Ombré kit gave me a brassy orange headache, it was what made the ombré possible.

If I had to it all over again: I think I would use the Ombré kit first, and then use the 1st base color L'Oreal Excellence Creme 8.1 (or a 7.1) all over. I think.

When hair turns orange: I won't use warm colors, like shade numbers with .3 (golden), .5 (red), .4 (copper), as they'll add more warmth. I'll stick to natural colors, like shade numbers with a whole number, like a 6 (light brown) or 7 (dark blonde) OR cool-toned colors with .1 (ash/green). I would also use something blue-toned, like .2 (blue/violet), to neutralize the golden orange (blue is opposite orange in the color wheel). But then again, even hair coloring is an art, and to get it right means the right mixture of this & that. Correcting colors don't all come in at-home box hair colors, that's why people still go to salons.

Presently, my dark roots have grown out about 2-3 inches, and the ombré tips look a little brassy, so I'll be using something cool-toned soon just to touch-up & tone it. I'll try not to pick L'Oreal again! =D 

Favorite Makeup Products June '13

Hello! I feel like I haven't blogged for weeks, and it's only been 2 days! But, somehow, June seems to have gone by so whoosh whoosh, just like us unstable Geminis. I hope July will go slowly & calmly, like Cancerians, some of my favorite people! ;)

So.....here are the standout makeup products I've been loving last month.

• Sleek Makeup i-Divine Candy Palette ~ I've been mixing these bright candy colors together and wearing it over a black base. My favorite color is the 3rd pink on the bottom row- Aniseed. Swatches here

• Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation ~ It really is PERFECT! I'm so addicted to it that I put it on even when I don't have the energy to do makeup. I personally think it is better than both Healthy Mix & Revlon Colorstay foundations.

• Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo in Timeless Black ~ This is the black base I've wearing under bright colors from the i-Candy Palette up there. I love how versatile a black color tattoo is. Must-have if you love doing smoky eyes.

• Brown Eyebrow Pencil ~ I got this from Daiso Japan store in Dubai. I. My brows are not very behaved these days, so I need a pencil to discipline them. Oh, and it's got a heart on ze cap =)

• Bourjois Bronzing Primer ~ This is genius! These days, I've been sculpting my face with it, and it looks more natural than a contouring/bronzing powder. I've swatched it here

• Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in Shocking Coral ~ I absolutely love the color, but it tastes a little bit bitter =[

• Bourjois Color Boost Peach On the Beach ~ This crayon is now flat because I've worn it so much. I wore in a look here

•  Bourjois So Laque Rose Imaginaire #62 ~ I just adore this, it's my favorite kind of pink for nails Swatch here

•  Real Techniques Blush Brush ~ I needed a dense blush brush for my light-colored blushes & a powder brush that's not rounded/too fluffy, and gave this a try. It does both jobs nicely.

• Real Techniques Expert face Brush ~ I wanted to see what the big deal with this brush was. It was always Out Of Stock in Superdrug (where it's cheapest), and one day I got it from Boots. It's smaller than all my other buffing brushes, and gives my foundation an airbrush finish. I love that these brushes can stand up on their own because of the flat base.

• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft And Gentle ~ I was hardly a highlighter gal, but this has made me want to explore more. It's my favorite out of all the highlighters I've used. I wear it on my cheekbones over Bourjois Bronzing Primer and a peachy blush.

♥

I also enjoyed watching this girly, funny, musical, feel-good movie - Pitch Perfect....

You might like it too!

Revenge Wears Prada....And I Wear Multi-Colored Toenails

 If I were Miranda Priestly's assistant, you know what she'd say to me right now?

"Cyn-thi-ah, how many times do I have to scream your name?" *Notices my toes & rolls her eyes* "Did you fall down and smack your little head on the pavement? Are those why my coffee isn't on my table yet? Is that your way of saying you 'understand' fashion?"

Me: "Err...I was just....err..." (She'd probably fire me if I said I was thinking about jelly beans, not 'fashion'.)

Miranda Priestly: "That's all. Now go fetch that piece of paper I had in my hand yesterday morning." *Shoos me with her perfect red manicured hands*

My new thing is multi-colored toenails. They make me happy! =)

What do you think? Yay or Nay? 

I reversed the colors on the other foot. I have to ask, are your little toenails as deformed as mine? They just refuse to look normal! 

 I used: Bourjois So Laque Rose Imaginaire 62, Maybelline Colorama Absinto, Maybelline My Varnish 349, Maybelline Equilibrista, Bourjois So Laque Magenta Show 43, Bourjois Fixant Brillant Topcoat.

*I don't have any yellows & peaches with me right now, otherwise I would've used them instead of 3 pinks.

 

I just started reading Revenge Wears Prada, the sequel of The Devil Wears Prada. I'm quite excited, coz I've missed Miranda Priestly. Here are 6 pages from the 1st Chapter.......

I'm also reading Sophie Kinsella's I've Got Your Number.....

Now read the next pic ONLY if you're not going to read the book, coz I don't want to ruin the tension that leads up to it if you're going to read it.....

Look at the screen, or close your eyes for 14 seconds while scrolling.....

I laughed so hard I shook the bed and I had to stifle myself with the duvet so I don't wake up the man next to me. This is why I keep reading Kinsella - her sense of humor.

♥

Okies, that's all the reading for today. You all enjoy your weekend. I left my The Devil Wears Prada dvd in India, so I've downloaded it, and will watch it again tonight- for the devil alone.

P.S. Since I couldn't do anything tutorial this week, 'Tutorial Month' shall continue till 22nd July.

How To Follow This Blog When GFC Dies.....

Hey Everyone,

Just a quick post to let you know that Google Reader & Google Friend Connect will no longer exist from 1st July '13. I've been meaning to post this for a long long time, but of course I had to leave it till the last minute, like everything else.

I feel so sad, because it's been there from the time I started blogging. This Google has made so many changes lately, it's so annoying! Oh, and today I saw changes on my Facebook Page as well. I find both of them  so.....what's the word?..... Egocentric. If they were lovers, I would've dumped them long back. 

*Reminder: Never fix what's not broken.

How To Stay Updated: 

• Follow Indian Vanity Case on Bloglovin'. Follow here

• Follow By Email. Just fill in your email address on the right sidebar there >>

• Follow in Facebook. Like Indian Vanity Case here

Extras:

• I'm on Twitter & Instagram @CZloves 

• I have a new personal Facebook Page CZloves (here), that I created for something I'm working on. [But it won't keep you updated with this blog.]   

♥

Okay, now the boring-but-important stuff's out of the way. Now I can finish writing my next post for today. Stay tuned!