Simple Girl Next Door Vs. Over The Top Model

Simple Girl Next Door Vs. Over The Top Model

This is a look for Posey's alter ego contest. I must warn you, this post is picture heavy cause I couldn't select a few pics today for some reason.

Even though I've pulled off some extreme looks for contests, my everyday makeup is pretty simple & boring: liquid eyeliner, mascara, blush, lipgloss. I'll call my everyday look, the Simple Girl Next Door. & my alter ego is going to be the Over the Top Model.

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Simple Girl Next Door

Over the Top Model

Told you there were a lot of pics today :)

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Runway Smokey Blues

Runway Smokey Blues

Another contest entry. This time it's for Rai's celebrity neutral/smokey eye contest. I knew that I was going to enter this contest as soon as I heard of it because Rai is such a sweetheart & always leaves nice comments, so of course I had to show my support by pulling together a look for her.

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The Inspiration
Model turned actress: Deepika Padukone


The look



Products Used

Let me know if you want a further breakdown of the products.

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Creative Business Cards

Creative Business Cards

While browsing recently, I found a post on 100 (Really) Creative Business Cards. I'm going to post a few that really caught my eye.

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This is def one of my faves from the bunch. It basically shows the work behind an actual website or blog layout. Even though the business card doesn't state a profession, it is self-explanatory (at least to those who know even a little bit about website formatting).

This business card is so clever. At first you see a tooth with a cavity. So the idea is that if you don't pull out the actual card & contact the dentist, your cavity remains, but it you do pull out the card to contact the dentist, your cavity goes away! Now, isn't that a brilliant idea? Yes, it is.

This business card is for a greyhound adoption program. It's like an identification tag, which is also known as a dog tag.

Fixing broken marriagesAnother clever business card. Environment friendly as well cause you can just take 1 business card & each person can have 1 side. But then again, that would work better if the lawyers name was on both sides as well.
At first I didn't know what to think of this one, but then I read that it was for an acupuncturist, so it makes a lot more sense.
A hair comb business card for a hairstylist.A mic for a radio presenter. Somewhat similar to the one above, but I think this one stands out more.
Not many can resist the urge to take a bite of chocolate!

Click here to see all 100 (Really) Creative Business Cards.
What's your verdict? Love the idea or would you rather stick to your same old business cards?

xoxo

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Beauty Tip: Don't rush while applying makeup

Beauty Tip: Don't rush while applying makeup

Tarantulash, mascara on the eyelids, makeup not blended, et cetera are all beauty don'ts, but it's not rare to go to the mall (or anywhere really) & spot people going against these beauty guidelines. My conclusion is that people rush while applying makeup & don't have enough time to apply makeup properly. So my advice is pretty simple: do give yourself enough time to apply your makeup well. If you don't have enough time, keep your makeup minimal & perfect that look instead of trying to go all out on a look that you might not be able to complete.

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Once again, my suggestion is pretty simple: give yourself enough time to apply your makeup well.I know, I can be such a dork at times. Hehe.

Products Used

Btw, this is also an entry for Miss Yaya's Oh No (s)He Didn't contest. Don't know if it qualifies, but I had fun doing it anyway :)

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Indian Barbie

Indian Barbie

This is my contest entry for Laura's Barbie contest. Of course I had to do Indian Barbie! I didn't get the chance to dress up completely, but I wore some bangles & big gold earrings to add the Indian touch.

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The Indian touch

Just the makeup
Top view

The inspirations

Barbie loves MAC poster/ad
I love the brunette's makeup, but I did my makeup like the blonde
"Sohni Punjab" Barbie
Sohni means pretty. I was going to get all dolled up like her, but the only thing I ended up using from this inspiration was the light pink lips.

I'm surprised at how many Indian Barbie's there are already. The pic below shows just 4 of them & they're dressed up like brides from different parts of the country. The Sohni Punjab Barbie is the 2nd from the left. If you don't know much bout Indians or Indian weddings, you can tell from the pic that Indian weddings are full of colour & gold jewelry! I'm disappointed that none of them have henna (also known as 'mehendi') on their hands. I mean come on, what's a South Asian bride without henna?

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Another night of boredom = Henna time!

Another night of boredom = Henna time!

Another one of my henna designs.

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To see all the henna designs that I've posted so far, click here.

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Marilyn Monroe Inspired Look

Marilyn Monroe Inspired Look

It is Robyn's 24th birthday today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBYN! She is one of the sweetest bloggers & she is so generous. Check out her blog here.

I did a contest entry for her Marliyn Monroe inspired contest. Here's the inspiration pic.

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Here's the look that I ended up with. Obviously I'm not a blonde or as light skinned as her so the colours showed up different on me.If you look close, the inspiration pic has what looks like a dark brown or black line, probably to make the eyelid look bigger. So I did the same using the darkest eyeshadow from the Sultry Smoke palette by Revlon & blended it in.

Products Used

(once again, all drugstore brands.. woohoo!)

Face:

1. Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Honey
2. NYX Blush in Dusty Rose

Eyes:

3. Prestige eyeshadow in C-153 Angel
4. Revlon eyeshadow palette in 11 Sultry Smoke
5. Maybelline Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Black
6. Almay one coat triple effect mascara in 02 Black

Lips:

7. Softlips lipbalm in Honeydew Melon
8. Maybelline lipstick in 360 Cherry Brown

That's the same lipstick I used for my biker babe look. I love that red!
Hope you liked the look.

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Prizes from Jaimie & Amina

Prizes from Jaimie & Amina

Since I got back I've received 2 parcels in the mail. The first one is for the Lady Gaga look that I did for Jaimie's contest. I came in 2nd place, so she was nice enough to send me a little prize - MAC Chromeglass in Pastel Polish. It's a really light metallic pink.


I also won Amina's pop quiz giveaway, so she sent me items from Spa Therapy Works. I knew I was going to get the ice cream whipped cream soap, but there was also a cute yellow mango papaya shaving soap in the package. The whipped cream soap has a strong vanilla fragrance. I've never heard of whipped cream soap before, so I tried a bit of it as soon as I opened the package & it feels like body butter when you put it on. I was tempted to just leave it on like that, but of course I didn't do that. It lathered nicely too, which for some reason I wasn't sure if it would do. The mango papaya soap smells so good & looks so pretty that I didn't wanna use it cause I feel like saving it for as long as I can, hehe.


Thanks ladies for the great prizes :)
& to the rest of my readers, you can win prizes like these as well. Just visit my Endless Contests & Giveaways page & see if there's anything that you'd like to enter.

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Back from VA

Back from VA

I've been MIA for a week now, so this is probably going to be a long update. You have been warned, hehe. Since I have so much to say about somewhat different topics, I'm going to format the different points under bullets, so it's a bit easier to read & a bit more organized.

• I was in Virginia for a while & I just got back. It was a good trip. We ended up going to Washington, D.C. for a day which I'm very happy about cause I've been in love with that city & the architecture there since the first time I went there. It was only a 30 minute drive away from our family friends' house (where we were living during our trip). 30 minutes without traffic I mean. Other times we were stuck in traffic everywhere we went. It was brutal cause I don't live in a big city anymore & I'm def not used to that anymore either. Anyway, so in Washington this time around I went to see the Lincoln Memorial & the National Gallery of Art (we took the Italian Renaissance Tour). Absolutely loved both places.
  
• One thing I absolutely hated about the trip was how dirty my hair got. I didn't notice it that much on my 1st two trips to Virginia, but this time around my hair got oily at the roots every 2nd day. It was very annoying to have to wash my hair so much cause I'm used to washing my hair 3 times a week.
  One of the days we were out all morning & afternoon & in the evening we had to go over to someone's place for dinner, so I didn't have much time to wash out my hair & do it again. I felt so gross & was telling my mum how I wish I had the dry shampoo's that I saw some of the bloggers use. She told me that using normal talcum powder works cause it helps absorb the oil. So I decided to ask my aunt if she had powder & she did! I used some of the talc powder just on my roots where my hair was oily, left it on for 20-30 seconds, & got it off with my towel. It def worked well, gave my hair volume, & the scented talc made my hair smell amazing! Downsides to this was that it was a bit hard to get the powder off (this could also be cause I applied more since it was my 1st time trying this). Also, mum said it made my hair look dull & I'm used to running my fingers through my hair all the time, so my hair felt rough & heavy (esp at the roots).
• My room is such a mess right now. I have stuff on both sides of my bed. I'm trying to clean out my stuff so that I can re-arrange my furniture & re-organize things. Maybe put up some shelves, pictures, frames, & get new lamps. I really need a change. I don't even have anything up on my walls except for this handmade decoration piece that mum got for me from an exhibition or something & that's way in the corner.
  
• I really didn't want to shop for clothes this time around & since I've been cleaning my closet, room, etc. I've found a lot of things that I bought but have hardly ever worn or used, so I wanted to stop spending & use what I have. I did buy a few things on my trip though. Here's my mini haul.

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Heels from Burlington Coat Factory for $12.03! I love the colour & how it can go with so many outfits, but still make a bold statement at the same time. The only weird thing bout this heel is how it has a velcro strap to go around the ankle. Yes, velcro! But it's still a steal for that price. I love how heels at this place were so cheap & some of them were gorgeous.
I also saw Sally Beauty Supply & since I've heard so much bout it online, I thought I'd step in for a bit. I ended up buying a silver nail art pen & Bumpits. If you're not familiar with Bumpits, I made a post on it before. Check it out here. I guess you'd call it a hair volumizing product.
While we were getting henna, I ended up picking up a necklace that I liked. I'm going to wear on desi (South Asian) outfits.
Lastly, my best purchase would be a perfume that I got from the Duty Free on the way back. I got Neiges by Lise Watier. It kind of reminds me of Anais Anais by Cacharel, which is one of my favourites, but I think I'm going to like this better. I'm a big sucker for perfumes, but then again who doesn't love things that smell good or that make you smell good? I know I'd def pick perfume over makeup any day.

• If you visited my Endless Contests & Giveaways page recently, you might have noticed that I haven't updated for a while. I plan on updating that this weekend. If you know of any deadline that has been pushed back, rules that have been changed, or prizes that have been updated, then let me know. It will make things a lot easier for me & obviously for those viewing the post so that they can plan their contest entries. Remember, I'm doing this so that YOU (a.k.a my readers) have a chance to win amazing prizes, so please be kind & share any information that you might know. It is much appreciated by myself & I'm sure by others as well.
• I've been trying to look for new layouts for my blog. Yes, I know I just started blogging recently but the more I blog, the more I want a 3 column layout that looks good & a bit girly. Things are much more organized that way & information is easier to access. I also want something with a white background because I've noticed that even though pics don't look all that bad on my layout, pics (esp makeup pics) look much better on a white background. I can't seem to find a layout with everything that I'm looking for & I'm not ready to give up just yet. Btw, has anyone noticed that there are so many cute blog layouts for food blogs? I found a few cute ones, which I most the links to sometime.
  
• While I was vacuuming my room, my cell phones pink earphones got caught up in the vacuum & got completely destroyed. Sigh. BUT my phone came with another earphone wire thing, where I can attach my own earphones! I haven't used it yet cause the black didn't look great with the pink, but hey, whatever works, right? This reminds me that I have to find a new housing plate for my phone (since it's cracked, scratched, & I'm sick of pink). Btw, the cell phone that I use right now is Nokia N72. I've had it for a while & I don't wanna get another phone from here cause I want something that no one else is gonna have. I'm glad no one has the N72 here!
• I got 2 parcels in the mail, yaay! One for the Lady Gaga look that I did for Jaimie's contest. I came in 2nd place, so she was nice enough to send me a little prize. I also won Amina's pop quiz giveaway, so that's the 2nd parcel that I got in the mail. I'll post pics of those tomorrow.
• I have always loved Ne-Yo's music. While browsing through YouTube today, I found a song by him called Part of the List & I'm in love with it now. Ne-Yo never disappoints!
  I'm posting a video here with the lyrics because embedding of the actual video has been disabled, but you can still check out the proper video here.
  
  

That was a really long post. I'm all drained now! hehe

Later.

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Henna: Part 2

Henna: Part 2

I did this for Eid (a religious celebration). I had to get the nail with the band aid on it taken out.. ew, bad experience! Anyway, we just bought a henna cone today & apparently it's really good. I can't wait to try it when I get home!

To see all the henna designs that I've posted so far, click here.

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2 Aaliyah Inspired Looks Using the Same Products

2 Aaliyah Inspired Looks Using the Same Products

I wanted to try out the new Revlon eyeshadow palette in 11 Sultry Smoke that I got, so I used it to do my entry for Amina's challenge. For the challenge I had to recreate the look of my favourite singer or girl group from the 90s & I chose the gorgeous & talented Aaliyah! (My other choice was TLC). I used the same drugstore products *ahem bonus* for both looks (except for a glitter eyeliner, which I added for the 2nd look).

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Look 1

Inspiration #1

The Attempt
I used only 2 eyeshadows for this look (the lightest & darkest colour in the palette) along with a lot of blending. I swept the darker eyeshadow inward from the outer corner of my eye, so that the corners would appear a little darker without me having to use a darker eyeshadow for the outer V than the dark one that I was already using.

Look 2

Inspiration #2
I love using inspirations from music videos because the looks are usually much more dramatic. I was going to re-create Aaliyah's dramatic cut crease look from her More Than a Woman video, but decided to go with this smokey eye from her Rock the Boat video instead.

The Attempt
For this look, I used the lightest & darkest shades from the palette once again & added the blue eyeshadow from the palette as well. The blue didn't show up as much in the pictures though.

Products Used

(for both looks)

Face:

1. Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Honey
2. NYX Blush in Dusty Rose

Eyes:

3. Revlon eyeshadow palette in 11 Sultry Smoke
4. Annabelle Kohl Eyeliner in Black
5. Claire's glitter eyeliner (only used for look 2)
6. Maybelline Lash Stiletto mascara

Lips:

7. Softlips lipbalm in Honeydew Melon
8. L'Oreal Colour Juice Sheer Juicy Lip Gloss in 850 Butterscotch Drop

So far I like the colours in the palette, but haven't worn the eyeshadows long enough so I'm skeptical about whether it wont crease for 8 hours like it claims to do so. I do wish the black was a bit darker though. I had to use a lot of it to get it dark enough for my looks. I could've just used the MAC eyeshadow in Carbon & it would have been a lot faster, but I wanted to stick to drugstore products.

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