Review: Crystal Bowknot Shape Diamond 3D Nail Art

Review: Crystal Bowknot Shape Diamond 3D Nail Art

I had the opportunity to try some nail art from BornPrettyStore.com so here's my review. I had never tried 3D nail art before so I thought I'd give it a try & chose the Crystal Bowknot Shape Diamond 3D Nail Art DIY Decoration.



On their website, the price for 10 pieces is listed as $4.95, however, since I'm a reviewer I was sent 5 pieces but I didn't end up using those either. I'd usually make a pros & cons list, but the only pro that I have is that the bows are sparkly.

One of my biggest concerns was that the site did not have a size specified for the bows, so I was hoping that the bows were small so I could use them on one of my nails since putting bows on all my nails just isn't my thing. Sadly, when I received the bows I realized that they were a bit too big. Having that big of a bow on just one nail is a bit too much for me.
Then when I flipped them over, I was more disappointed when I looked at their back. The picture on the site shows the back of the bows, but I didn't think it would be that bad. I'm sure someone who is in to nail art could figure out a way on how to get the bows stuck to their nails without damaging their nails, but for the average person I think it's going to be a bit hard to do so with such a protruding back.

These 3D bows would be great for scrapbooking or other DIY decor projects, but using them for nail art doesn't seem practical to me. BornPrettyStore.com has a lot of nail art products such as rhinestones & nail dangles/charms & other things including false eyelashes.



I will be reviewing their falsies soon . Till then, check out BornPrettyStore.com & if you'd like to purchase something, you can use the coupon code SAIMESEK31 for 10% off your purchase before October 31st, 2011.

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Review: ES false eyelashes [style A101, A013, A134]

Review: ES false eyelashes [style A101, A013, A134]

I was sent 3 styles of ES brand false eyelashes by KKCenterHK.com to review. At the time I was going through the site, I was a little disappointed. The prices were great but the site looked unprofessional & unpleasant. However, improvements have been made to the site & it looks a lot better than it used to.



Each style of ES falsies that I chose came in a box of 10 pairs.



Since all 10 pairs come in one box, the band of the falsies is extended (as shown up close in the picture below) on both sides & inserted into holes. Before applying the falsies you will have to cut off the extended band, which means that you wont be able to insert the band back in the holes & store the falsies that way if you want to reuse them.



Now I'm going to give my opinion on each style of falsies. I'm no expert on falsies since I hardly wear them but I think that every woman must know how to apply falsies since it adds that extra bit of glamour to any look based on the style of falsies. Also, bare in mind that my opinion of these falsies is based on how I felt after wearing these falsies in terms of comfort & the way the falsies looked on me based on my eye & face shape.

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ES A101
Price: $4.89 for a box of 10
Buy it here

Pros:

• Thick band so it's easier to apply for beginners.
• Makes your lashes look full & adds instant drama.
• Even though this style is full & dramatic, it doesn't look too over-the-top if you pair it with dramatic makeup.

Cons:

• Slightly stiff.
  
• These would have been my favourite falsies out of all 3 styles, but I hate how the falsies look super unnatural when you look down & people can see the top part of your lashes (for reference see the middle picture in the last picture collage). Since it's not human hair, from that angle it looks so stiff & so wrong. I think it would look bad if someone was wearing these falsies & looking down in a picture, or if the picture was taken from a birds-eye view.
• Some of the lashes were not shaped in a nice curve (for reference see the 2nd picture). Maybe I'm being picky because you could take the falsies & wrap it around your finger for a few seconds to reshape it, but I think that's a bit of a hassle especially when you're in a rush.

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ES A013
Price: $4.89 for a box of 10
Buy it here


I wore these falsies in my Back in to Makeup Mode? post.

Pros:

• Thick band so it's easy to apply for beginners.
• The criss-cross pattern makes the lashes look full, yet in a natural way.
• Opens up your eye since the falsies go from short in the inner corner to long in the outer corner.
• Medium curl.
  

Cons:

• Slightly stiff.
• This isn't really a negative point if I had applied the falsies properly, but the first time I applied these falsies, I applied it too much toward the outer corner on one eye. Since the lashes are long at the outer corner & have a medium curl, it made one eye look a bit droopy as compared to the other. You couldn't tell unless you were staring at me right in the eyes for 10 seconds or longer, but I knew about it so it annoyed me a bit.

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ES A134
Currently not available on the site

Pros:

• Thin band makes it easier to apply the falsies really close to the upper lashes & cover up the band & glue with a thin line of eyeliner.
• Natural looking.
  
• Blends in very easily with your own lashes.
• Amazing curl.
• Out of the 3 styles, these falsies are the closest to feeling like human hair.
  

Cons:

• Thin band makes it a bit harder to apply the falsies.
• While taking the glue off the band, you have to be gentle. I was in a rush while taking the glue off on one of the falsies so I can reuse the lashes, but ended up ruining the falsies instead since the band wasn't strong enough for me tugging on that glue.
• Really long. These eyelashes are deceiving when they're in the box & look shorter because they are so curled.

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To demonstrate the last 'con' for the A134 style & to compare all 3 styles of the ES brand falsies side-by-side, here are 2 pictures:

See how different all the styles are?


Now look at the curl on the A134! Notice how the A101 is the heaviest pair of lashes & has the least amount of curl.


Overall, these ES falsies from KKCenterHK are an amazing deal especially since they can be reused depending on how you take care of them.

Which one of the 3 styles did you like best?

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Platform Heels (advice from Tyra Banks on Fa-Fa-Fa Fashion)

Platform Heels (advice from Tyra Banks on Fa-Fa-Fa Fashion)

South Asian brides are usually weighed down with heavily embroidered outfits (which weight a ton - no lie) & lots of jewelry. That's why selecting the right heels is so important for the big day & is usually one thing that I've heard South Asian brides stress over, especially if they are short. During these conversations, I'm surprised at how many women don't know about the advantage of platform heels. Some women are too scared to try them because the heel on those is usually too high. But platform heels are actually très comfortable for your big day or on any day of the week!

Mehak (my best friend ♥) is too weighed down by her outfit so she's getting help with putting her platform heels on. I went shoe shopping with her & made sure she got platform heels!

Instead of explaining the advantages of platform heels, I'll share a video with you in which the (retired) supermodel Tyra Banks talks about them.

Yeah, Tyra did her math wrong while explaining platform heels, but you're smart enough to figure out what she's getting at.

The Fa-Fa-Fa Fashion series is a part of Tyra's new project/website called Type F. Click the image below to check out the Fa-Fa-Fa Fashion series in which Tyra & Andre collaborate to give awesome fashion tips & a short history lesson on the topic of the day. I'm loving the series so far.

Screenshot image via the Fa-Fa-Fa Fashion page on Type F

Ladies, if you haven't tried out platform heels, please do. Your feet will thank you for minimizing the torture... to an extent ;)

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Pink, White, & Blue Eyes

Pink, White, & Blue Eyes

Products Used:

• Urban Decay Primer Potion [eyeshadow base]
• MAC eyeshadow in Mylar [inner three-fourth of lid + tearduct + inner corner of lower lashline + browbone]
• Annabelle Studio Pigment in Magentini [outer one-third of lid + crease + above crease + lower lashline]
• Revlon Colorstay 12 Hour Eyeshadow in 11 Sultry Smoke - I used the blue [outer one-fourth of lid + crease + lower lashline]
• Prestige Cosmetics eyeshadow in C-153 Angel [applied lightly on browbone]
• Rimmel Get in Line liquid eyeliner in 400 Blue Sapphire [upper lashline]
• Annabelle Cosmetics Smudgeliner in Electric Sapphire [waterline]
• Lancome Hypnose (waterproof) mascara in Black [upper lashes]
• MAC Plush Lash mascara in PlushBlack [lower lashes]

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Perizaad Zorabian in Vikram Phadnis

Perizaad Zorabian in Vikram Phadnis

I came across pictures of Perizaad Zorabian at the Blenders Pride Fashion Tour 2010 wearing a Vikram Phadnis creation. I love contrasting colours, so I fell in love with her outfit right away & had to share. The embroidery on the borders of the dupatta looks amazing as well!

Vikram Phadnis & Perizaad Zorabian

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Back in to Makeup Mode?

Back in to Makeup Mode?

It feels like it's been way too long since I've used eyeshadow that wasn't either neutral or purple. Yesterday, I decided to play with eyeshadows before heading out. The look isn't bright by any means but it's definitely a nice change to wear eyeshadow again.




I'm wearing lip liner & lipstick as well, which is quite rare for me. The last time that I wore lipstick outside the house was probably at the end of February? Yeah, it's been a while! So you can already tell I put a bit more effort in to doing my makeup than I usually do.



I also added false eyelashes to this look. It was the first day that I've actually stepped outside the house with falsies on. I was a bit taken aback by the length of the lashes. You can't really tell in the pictures, but in person the difference was huge! They grew on me though.

I feel like I'm slowly getting back in to makeup mode again. Only time will tell.

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DiorShow mascara, Beauty Blender, & MAC on Apothica.com?

DiorShow mascara, Beauty Blender, & MAC on Apothica.com?

I ended up browsing through the makeup on Apothica.com on one of my study breaks & I found out that they have a lot more products for sale besides the brands that are listed on their makeup brands page. I found so many goodies including the popular DiorShow mascara, the Beauty Blender, & MAC lipglosses. But if you click Christian Dior Makeup on the makeup brands page, it will take you to a page that says error. If you search Beauty Blender or MAC, the search shows no results. Then how did I find these products??

Since I have the link to Apothica in my sidebar, I thought I'd do this post on how to navigate the site to achieve the best results & find tons of awesome products. Keep reading to find out how you can navigate the site in a better way in order to find these products yourself!


Christian Dior Makeup DiorShow Mascara Waterproof #090 Black


Givenchy Lip Lip Lip! Lipstick #313 Blushing Red (Extreme)


Beauty Blender


MAC Lip Glass Lip Gloss Magnetique


Benefit Moon Beam Iridescent Complexion Enhancer


OPI Nail Lacquer #A20 La Paz-Itively Hot - Matte Nail Polish


CHANEL Quatuor Boutons De Chanel Les Folies Noires


After looking at some of these products you might be wondering why you didn't find them while you were browsing the site. Well, I'm here to share how.
Instead of searching for makeup by trying to look up the brand name, I suggest you click Makeup (on the horizontal menu). Then when the makeup page shows up, select See All Links under PRODUCT TYPE (in the vertical menu on the left). You will be overwhelmed by the amount of products & popular brands in each sub-category under PRODUCT TYPE. Select a sub-category (for example, bronzers, lip gloss, mascara, primer, etc.). That's exactly how I found these goodies!

By the way, all the products above have been linked to their respective page so you don't have to browse through tons of pages. Just click the image & it will take you to the products' page directly & you can add it to your cart.

Happy Shopping ;)

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Xenab's Atelier: Spring 2011 Formal Collection

Xenab's Atelier: Spring 2011 Formal Collection

It's very rare that I like almost all the pieces from a designers collection, so when I came across the Xenab's Atelier Spring 2011 collection of formal wear, I HAD to share! Here are some of my absolute favourites from the collection for you to enjoy.

Images are from the Xenab's Atelier page on Facebook









Aren't these just so FAB? Check out the complete Spring 2011 collection on the Xenab's Atelier page on Facebook. You'll fall in love too! I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on this designer.

Links:

• Xenab's Atelier page on Facebook
• Xenab's Atelier: Spring 2011 Formal Collection [album with the complete collection]

P.S. A fraud by Xenab's Atelier has been brought to my attention. I am a neutral 3rd party - I do not know the designer or the person who pointed out this fraud. I posted about this collection because I thought it was breathtaking, however, I thought it's important to let people know & make their own decision on whether they want to purchase from this designer or not. There are comments on the Xenab's Atelier page on Facebook from satisfied customers as well.
Be careful with all your online purchases & do your research about the company before making a purchase!

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Electric Sapphire

Electric Sapphire

I hardly experiment with makeup during university & tend to stick to my usual routine, which can be quite boring. Even if I want to change things up, I just don't want to spend time doing that especially at this time of the year when all the deadlines are close & exams are coming up. Yesterday I switched 1 product that I use in my daily makeup routine & even though it wasn't a makeover kind of change, it still changed things up a bit.



Sometimes all it takes to get out of a makeup rut is using coloured eyeliner instead of my usual black liquid eyeliner.

Products Used:

• Annabelle Cosmetics' Smudgeliner in Electric Sapphire [upper lashline + winged]
  
• MAC eyeshadow in Mylar [applied heavily in the tear duct area + swept lightly on the lower lashline]
• Lancome Hypnose (waterproof) mascara in Black [upper lashes]
• MAC Plush Lash mascara in PlushBlack [lower lashes]

How simple is that?

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Poser in Purple

Poser in Purple

A look that I did for a birthday dinner that I went to last night. I played up the eyes & used a blush to add some colour to my cheeks. The blush wore out by the time I got in the mood to take pics - hours after I got back home from the dinner. I only wore lipbalm since I was going to be eating anyway so I couldn't be bothered to make an effort with that - didn't apply anything on my lips before taking pictures either.





Was in no mood to touch-up my makeup, just felt like being a poser.


P.S. only the face pics (1st & last) are edited via Picnik

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