What Are Your Beauty Resolutions For 2010?

There are only a few more hours in 2009, so I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your support of Spoiled Pretty...and ask about your beauty resolutions for 2010. What do you plan to do differently in the new year?

Don't be shy. C'mon...dish, ladies.

MAC All Ages, All Races, All Sexes Swatches

When I first heard about MAC's upcoming All Ages, All Races, All Sexes collection, I got really excited. I immediately loved the idea of a "multi-culti color story" - and knew that a vast majority of these gorgeous, nude/neutral products would find its way into my own beauty arsenal.

The release date for All Ages, All Races, All Sexes is January 7, 2010...though, like most MAC collections, it will probably be available a few days in advance. I got my hands on some early samples (MAC sent them for me to review), and the shades are so beautiful in person. The images and press release I had previously seen didn't do them justice.

When the collections comes out, I'll be picking up one or two of the lipglasses. I'm a sucker for MAC lipglass and these frosty neutrals look Rihanna approved.

So, without further ado, here are some swatches and close-up product pics from All Ages, All Races, All Sexes.

Here's my favorite product of the bunch - Eye Shadow in Banshee (dirty taupe with frost and sparkle diamond cluster - lustre).



Here's Banshee again...this time, with flash.



Left to right: Impeccable Brow Pencil in Dirty Blonde (cool light brown); Penultimate Brow Marker; Brow Set in Mink (dirty brown)



Eye Shadow in Showstopper (deep blackened brown - matte) and Pigment in Rich Life (dark cool brown with silver pearl - frost)



Close up of Pigment in Rich Life



Lipstick in 5N (plumy sheer brown - lustre) and Myself (creamy pale yellow beige - lustre)



All Ages, All Races, All Sexes swatches (no flash)
Left to right: Penultimate Brow Marker; Impeccable Brow Pencil in Dirty Blonde; Brow Set in Mink; Eye Shadow in Showstopper and Banshee; Pigment in Rich Life; Lipstick in 5N and Myself



All Ages, All Races, All Sexes swatches (with flash)

For more info about the All Ages, All Races, All Sexes collection, click here.

Hangover Helper

Happy New Year!

Many of us are going to be drinking plenty of champagne and other adult beverages tonight to celebrate the start of a new year. But that may mean that you wake up on the first day of 2010 with a raging hangover, feeling like you've been hit by a truck.

Here are a couple of hints to help you feel better if you've over imbibed:

* Before you go to bed drink several glasses of water. Alcohol dehydrates you, so it's important to rehydrate as much as possible. Even during a big night of drinking be sure to drink plenty of water. A good rule of thumb is to have one alcoholic beverage, then a big glass of water, then your next alcoholic drink. That way you're getting more water in your system which may mean you don't feel the negative effects of your night out the next morning.
* Be careful with pain killers. While you may want to take a Tylenol or Advil before you go to bed, you need to be careful with mixing such medicines with alcohol. It's best to avoid it if at all possible. Just feel the pain and deal with it. You can survive this!
* Take you B vitamins. B vitamins are the vitamin workhorse. Bs have been known to help regulate PMS and they can also help metabolize all the alcohol you consumed. Take a B complex vitamin before going to bed to help restore your energy.
* Eat fruit. Apples, bananas, lemons, and limes have all been used to help cure hangovers. Try making a milkshake with banana and honey to calm your stomach and restore potassium, electrolytes, and other essentials to your body.
* Use ginger or mint. Both are known to help ease nausea. Try ginger or mint tea if your tummy isn't feeling great.
* Get plenty of rest. If you're planning a huge night out, also plan for a long, slow morning in the next day. You need to sleep it off, so give yourself time.
* Don't drink coffee! While you may be dying for a caffeine jolt, drinking too much caffeine will only further dehydrate you. If you really need a coffee, water it down or opt for decaf.
* Try a folk remedy. Some say drinking pickle juice, eating sauerkraut, slurping down menudo, or eating a bowl of chicken soup can cure a hangover. Like most things, it's probably mind over matter, so if you think this could help, go for it. It can't hurt!
* Get your body moving. It may be the last thing you want to do, but get yourself moving. Just take a walk around the block--getting some fresh air may be just what you need.

I hope these tips help! As always, the best way to avoid a hangover is to drink responsibly in the first place. And of course, if you plan on drinking, don't you dare drive. It's just not worth it. Get a designated driver lined up before your big night. Call a cab if you don't have someone to drive you.

Have a happy and healthy New Year. See you in 2010!

Cory Walia on Bollywood's Emerging Make-up Trends

From Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to Raveena Tandon, Salman Khan to Aamir Khan, Shilpa Shetty to Vidya Balan, Cory Walia knows their faces like the back of his hand. Not known to be a man who minces words when it comes to advising stars on skincare, Cory credits former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai with having good skin. "But she is so hyper and does not rest enough," he says.

Of the former Bollywood actors, he rates Late Divya Bharati's skin as the best he has seen. ‘‘She had gorgeous skin. Hema Malini still maintains great skin and so does Dimple Kapadia," he says. As for male stars, Cory says Dino Morea has great skin. ‘‘He is careful about his skincare regime and is paranoid about it.''

How much has make-up on the big screen changed over the years?
It has changed drastically and dramatically! There is a new crop of internationally-trained, sophisticated make-up artists. Then there is the opening up of the Indian economy, and especially the cosmetics industry. Cosmetics were considered frivolous and heavily taxed. Today, it is the other way round. It is a hungry and growing market: big money, an influx of producers, globalization, sophisticated directors, producers, technical crew, the stars themselves and make-up artists, advances in lighting and camera technology and equipment have all contributed to the change! Today, the make-up that a socialite wears to a party is easily translated to a Bollywood look.

Which actors have really good skin?
There are quite a number of them. Raveena Tandon, Malaika Arora, Amrita Arora, Tabu, Manisha Koirala, Kareena Kapoor, Sushmita Sen and Dia Mirza. Hema Malini still maintains great skin, and so too does Dimple Kapadia. Sarika, Poonam Dhillon and Jayalalitha have such beautiful skin. But Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Asha Parekh did not. Nor did Madhuri Dixit Nene have very good skin.

When it comes to skincare, many of the present day actors are lazy. They over-work and don't give their skin time to revitalize. They do not take enough vitamins, drink enough water, eat a balanced diet or exercise; it's a combination of everything. A lot of people rely on genetics but like everything else, skin is prone to the effects of gravity. The new advances in technology are helping a lot of women, and hopefully everyone will care enough about themselves and not about their bank balance.

In fact, male actors are more conscious and aware of skincare than many of their female counterparts. Examples? Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapur and John Abraham. Salman Khan had good skin, but it's not so now. Arjun Rampal has naturally good skin.

Are there any companies that make make-up products for teenage skin?
There is no such thing like a range of make-up for teens. In today's world, all make-up brands emphasize skincare strongly and, if the quality of make-up is good, anybody from 16 to 60 can use it.

Are there actors for whom make-up has really worked wonders?
If an actor's features are in the correct proportion and if the person is really talented, he or she can look like a million bucks – just look at Konkona Sen Sharma. Nargis Dutt used to have very masculine features but look what great camera work, lighting, styling and sheer acting talent made her look like on screen. There were so many unglamorous roles that the Late Smita Patil took on, but even in them she looked gorgeous. My muse is Chitrangada Singh; I love her looks. She is such a wonderful girl with earthy demeanor and sophistication. She is very intelligent too.

What colors work best on people with dark skin tones?
If used correctly, every color looks great on any skin. It is important to learn about proportions. Strong deep metallic eye shadows are the way to go. I swear by kajal [kohl] and I also like the classic, deep, matte red lipstick, when combined with a basic eyeliner, you get a great look.

How best can one translate reel life make-up to real life?
Find an identifiable person that you actually resemble. Do not just go chasing your dreams and desires; be realistic. Then emulate and observe, emulate and observe. Look at magazines, check out interviews and find out where your personal individual styling stands. Read tips and learn more about them.

You have a strong view about the role of eye brows in make-up...
I feel they are the welcoming features of our face. The way you shape your eyebrows can make or mar a look. If your eyebrows are untidy and unkempt, your eyes may not look attractive. Sadly, there is a new trend of shaving off eyebrows. Imagine, actors shaving off their eyebrows!

Which Bollywood film stars' life completely changed after you gave them some tips?
Raveena Tandon, for one. I did her eyebrows for the very first time in her life. I told her to not to worry about her nose. I told her how to combine dark eyes and light lips and light eyes and dark lips. The other person who took my advice seriously a long time ago was Salman Khan. I told him how he needed to hold himself taller. There are a few things a man should do to look sophisticated, like use a deodorant and mouthwash.

How much make-up do you use on yourself?
I used to apply a lot of make-up on a daily basis and even at night. Now I use it only when I am preparing for television shows. When I was younger, I used to wear make-up when heading to a club. In fact, I was the pioneer of the make-up on men movement in India.

So are actors using make-up in their day-to-day life?
I do not know of men who use make-up in their day-to-day life but I can tell you for sure that in old Bollywood, it was a norm. Before Eastman color hit the big screen in India in the 1960s, actors like Shammi Kapoor, Jeetendra, Rajendra Kumar and Pradeep Kumar wore foundation base in purple and, over this, pink make-up. They always wanted to look fair. When you see some of the old films Jeetendra's acted in, you can't miss the way his face was painted.

Tells us about your tie up with Inglot?
My association with Inglot is pretty new but for the last couple of years, I've been a big fan of the brand – of their quality and of the payoff. Color payoff is very important; what you see in the container and what appears on the face usually differs hugely. But I am very happy with Inglot. Besides, they have a huge range available.

Finally, what are a few things every woman must keep a check on?
Water intake (eight glasses a day), shapely eyebrows, regular skincare and maintaining a good body posture. If you have a good posture and carry yourself well, even an average person can look enigmatic and dynamic.

Stock Up: Spanx On Sale at Rue La La!

Your resolution for 2010 is to whittle your middle, lose the love handles, and get rid of some extra junk in your trunk. I commend you on your goals and wish you much luck. I believe in you. But...just in case your lofty aspirations fall flat around January 15th, I've got a great plan B for you!

Rue La La has Spanx on sale! You're gonna buy them anyway (a woman, regardless of size, can never have too many), so you might as well get them on sale. Right?

Here's your Rue La La invite. Happy shopping!

New Year's Eve Blue Cat-Eye Makeup

Products Used:
Benefit F.Y.Eye
MAC Greasepaint Stick in B, (shimmery navy blue), or Loreal HiP cream liner in Midnight Blue
MAC Freshwater eye shadow (shimmery, bright navy blue)
Urban Decay 24/7 pencil eye liner in Electric (bright blue), or MAC Blue Peep Fluidline
Benefit Eye Bright Pencil (pale, bright pink)
Rimmel Maxx Volume mascara
MAC So Ceylon MSF (bronze with light shimmer)
MAC Prism powder blush (rosy muted tan)
MAC Myth lipstick (nude)
YSL Golden Gloss, #10 (sheer pink with gold shimmer)
YSL Touche Eclat, lightest pink shade

A New Year, A New Decade

2010 is almost here! Yay! It's a new year, a new decade, and time to wipe the slate clean and start over with goals and ambitions. I'm glad to see that the Zero decade is almost behind us. It was a hard decade with lots of ups and downs. That's life, right?

So, as we head into a new year, it's time to make new plans for a more beautiful, healthy looking me. To that end, I need to get out of some of my ruts and bad habits. I'm not one for making resolutions, but here are my beauty goals for the year ahead:

• Get serious about my skin care routine! I'm inconsistent at best when it comes to washing off all my makeup every night and using my night-time products. I also need to follow my own advice and give products time to work (or not work!) before passing judgement on them.
• Break out of my fragrance rut. I use two perfumes regularly: Cannabis Santal by Fresh (yes, it IS a man's fragrance!) and Dune by Dior. I think it's time to add something completely new to my scent repertoire.
• Find THE products: the have-to-have-it-can't-live-without-it lipstick (or gloss), eye shadow, and mascara. Again, I'm in a rut with what I use, and I need to venture out of my comfort zone.

How about you? What are your beauty plans for the coming year? Leave me a comment!

Make-up Trend: Glittery Lip Gloss

Kangana Ranaut sparkles on the latest issue of Verve. To try a glittery gloss without looking like a kindergartner, test the formula on the back of your hand—if the resulting shimmer is smooth and uniform, not chunky, you know you have the right gloss. To balance the lips, Kangana's look is kept simple and neutral. 2010 is all about shimmer, sparkle and shine but in an understated, sophisticated way.

NARS for 10 bucks!

I love holiday sales. I went to my local Sephora and they are having  Good Buy 2009 steals for 10 dollars or less. They had so many great items from Stila, Nars, Benefit, Boscia, Tarte, Cover Fx to Anastacia and more. I had to get atleast one for myself. I got the Nars duo concealer in custard/ginger.

What is it?

A compact containing two shades of NARS concealer. Custard/Ginger is for light to medium complexions.

What does it do?

NARS Duo Concealer camouflages blemishes and dark spots and evens out the skin's tonal variations. Enriched with Vitamin E, this lightweight, non-drying formula won't settle into fine lines or creases.

(source: http://www.sephora.com/)

What do I think about it?

I really like it. The texture is creamy and easy to blend. I use Ginger which is really close to my skintone to cover up blemishes and under my eyes and It works well.

retails for $30
but i got it for $10

with flash

without flash

swatches

Sephora's 10 dollar deals wont last long so take advantage of it while you still can. They are available online and at your local Sephora stores.

http://www.sephora.com/

2009: Looking Back

The end of the year is almost here. Yay! I think that by the time December rolls around, I'm just itching for a new year; a clean start.

2009 has been a year of highs and lows, like most years. But 2009 has had more hurdles than most for my little family. Oh well--the best is yet to come, right?

As far as the makeup world goes, 2009 has been defined by the recession. I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of hearing people say "in this economy...". Eesh. Due to the tough economic times, I've been focusing more on drugstore brands rather than the pricier department store products. And that's ok. There are a lot of good drugstore brands out there.

I was looking over some of my older posts, and it seems like I was a bit critical of many of the products I tried. But there have been a bunch of standouts. Notably:

• Lumene Blueberry Curl Mascara (my drugstore-brand mascara pick for '09)
  
• DiorShow Iconic Mascara (my high-end mascara pick for '09)
  
• Hana Professional Flat Iron
  
• Too Faced Natural Eyes Collection
  
• 4-sided nail buff (great, cheap tool!)
  
• elf products (I finally gave them a try--not bad!)
  
• ecoTools Makeup Bags
  
• Lypsyl Lip Balm

My pick for Epic Beauty Fail for 2009: Lip Venom V, the Twilight inspired version of Lip Venom that, well, sucks. Avoid it at all costs.

Now on to the good news. My favorite beauty product for 2009? This was an easy one: Lisa Hoffman's Hand and Foot Cream. I swear by this stuff--I love it and I use it every single night. I'm so glad I've discovered all of Lisa Hoffman's products because they're all wonderful. Yay!

Tomorrow: looking ahead to 2010!

Make-up Trend: Fresh Skin

At a special screening for her upcoming movie Raat Gayi Baat Gayi, Neha Dhupia kept her make-up simple to accentuate her beautiful features, while keeping that simple and effortless. To get your skin to look flawless and airy, blend a lightweight foundation and apply a rosy blush on your cheeks. To finish and seal your look apply a mist of hydrating spray. It sets the makeup and gives a finishing glow.

Rec: Evian Mineral Water Spray

Kim Kardashian Fan Gets Makeover From Kim's Glam Squad

DiorShow Extase Mascara Is Here To Pump You Up!

Without cosmetic help, my lashes are pretty much nonexistent. They are so stumpy and sparse, I don't know why they even bother showing up. So when I'm in the market for a new mascara, I'm not satisfied with one that merely lengthens or volumizes. I only add a mascara to the collection if it delivers both...and if, in the immortal words of L.L. Cool J, it's "doin it and doin it and doin it well."

Recently, the beautiful folks at Dior sent me their newest mascara - DiorShow Extase - to try on for size. And let me tell you...not only is this getting added to the Spoiled Pretty collection, it's going in heavy rotation. This mascara performs so well, it's enough to make ole L.L. lick his lips. Allow me to describe what the latest DiorShow is working with...

First, Extase gave me lash volume where none existed. Dior chalks it up to "spherical-shaped Black Pearl Pigments create a 3D volume effect and the exclusive Metamorphosis Powders expand in size by up to 50% after application." Now, I don't know nuthin' about no special pigments and powders...but I will say that the ingredients in their magical mascara formula fatten the lashes quite nicely. In fact, Extase pumps up the volume so well, it made me think of the old SNL skit Hans and Franz. If those two quit bodybuilding and got into the cosmetics game, this might be the mascara they'd concoct.

Lashes with DiorShow Extase (left); nekkid lashes (right)

Though Dior doesn't really advertise this, Extase does a fantabulous job of lengthening and curling lashes. I was actually more impressed with this than its volumizing abilities. It took even my tiniest baby lashes and transformed them into long and lithe versions of their former selves. As I type this, the lashes on my right eye (I left my left eye bare, to act as a control) are brushing against the lenses of my glasses.

Even after it dries, the formula is extra dark and glossy. My eyelashes are naturally black, and I noted how inky and lush Extase made my lashes look. So I can imagine that you gals with light lashes are really going to love it. It also wears very well; it doesn't flake or smudge. And the few times I absentmindedly rubbed at my eyes, it didn't do anywhere.

Finally, Dior promises that Extase's SR38 Patented Ceramid helps to reconstruct damaged lashes and promotes stronger and fuller lashes. I've only been using it a few days, so I can't say if there's any truth to that claim. But even if it doesn't rebuild and strengthen your fringe, its aforementioned perks are well worth the price of admission ($28).

Right now, DiorShow Extase Mascara is a Sephora exclusive, and only available to Beauty Insiders. The rewards program is free, so why not sign up?

Demitasse Jewelry Giveaway Winners!

Forgive me for being so tardy with this announcement. Big congratulations to Leah Nollenberger, Nicole Ordonez and Layla Rivera.

These lucky ladies have won a fangtastic necklace from Demitasse's limited edition, "The Vampire Chronicles" jewelry collection, inspired by New Moon.

The DemiVamp necklace is made of pewter and comes in three colors (Ancient Brass, Silver Bullet, and Rose Heart) with matching 30" cable chains. It features a size 9 ring of fangs and a bullet tip center.

Many thanks to Demitasse Jewelry for sponsoring the contest. And stay tuned for Spoiled Pretty's next giveaway announcement!

Christmas 2009

So I had a really bad make up day today and screwed up not one, but two looks I had intended to do for the blog! I wasn't really inspired and so I decided to better wait until I come up with something worth painting. In the meantime, I would like to share some pics from Christmas with you :)

On the weekend before Christmas, we had an insane amount of snow here (well - at least for us, as it only snows about once every winter!) - so much that we had to wait until the next day to catch a train back to Cologne. Here's the view from our back and front windows:





Unprecedented amounts of snow!


Ice flowers forming on our window panes at about -10°C!



Most of the snow had already melted again before Christmas Eve, but some remained and we actually had a white christmas - the last time I've seen this must have been more than 20 years ago!

Holiday magic - our living room just after Santa Claus left all the presents :)



I got the cutest teapot from my parents!


And here's what I got for Christmas:

• "tea for one" teapot
• cute pink mitts
• "Love Actually" on blu-ray
• "Maskerade" by Terry Pratchett
• Price & Kensington tea pot & mugs in pink with white polka dots
• Angel of Music shirt
• fluffy mint-coloured bath mat
  
• hairbrush
• perfume "Daisy" by Marc Jacobs
• MAC Studio Fix Fluid
• Bloch cardigan in black for ballet training
• plush octopus
• "Pirate Latitudes" by Michael Crichton
• and a shitload of warm socks for my cold feet!

This is the most whimsical hairbrush I have ever seen ♥!

"Phantom of the Opera - Angel of Music" t-shirt

My husband was given a "Bikini Bottom" Monopoly:



Yes, our Christmas tree decoration involves manatees.

1001 ways to use an octopus.