Ashes to Ashes

My Path Towards

2014-09-22T07:09:00.001-07:00

Goals, Goals, Goals! I’m not talking about the sports kind, more the ‘satisfy my life and tell me my worth kind”. It’s heavy stuff for a Tuesday morning eh? I was thinking about goals. Why we even consider them the measure of our success and how we can pull them out of thin air and make them the single biggest focus for a short period of time or even the rest of our lives?

I think we create goals to test the proficiency of our path. Are we on the right path moving steadily towards our much deserved reward? Or is the jagged path a hoax? We constantly test our waters our success and predict the expediency of our path based on how close we think we are to our goals.

I have seen many people treat their path to their success differently. The most fun and not so surprising one is the person who want to keep their almost success on the down low. This is to shield them from embarrassment or from the pain of a public failure. For some they constantly toot their own horn letting people know where they are on their path. For me I like to put it out there into the universe. I honestly believe that if I with all my might and heart want something the entire Universe will work as hard as me to help me get it.

So here I am saying it out loud hoping that the universe hears me.

I have always been a TV Series kinda person. I make sure either I record or read about my favourite shows. And over time some shows get my adrenalin pumping even more than the thought of a Ryan Gosling and Jason Momoa threesome.

So here’s my list of shows I would like to work on as a makeup artist.

1. Supernatural – I do realise having two super-hot protagonists makes this an even better proposition. However the premise of Supernatural makes this a makeup artist’s playground. It has an amazing mix of prosthetic, special effect, conventional makeup and amazing CGI. You also have to take into consideration how well written that show is. The depth and detail. The fact that all the information on that show is banked in your memory for a plot of another episode really makes it fascinating to me.

2. Game of Thrones- GoT is my obsession. I’m someone who loves war games and pays extra attention to understand political mind games and chess play. Game of thrones as a show has got everything I adore. Amazing makeup, fabulous premise, semi naked/fully naked hot people (yes I’m mainly talking about Jason Momoa & Peter Dinklage. My interests are varied as you can tell.) Game of thrones characters calls for heavy character makeup and prosthetics and not to mention the special effects. I also love the Direwolves and if I was in the realm..You know it.)

3. Sleepy Hollow- This list is more telling then I aimed it to be. I love the thought of the supernatural and when I mistakenly saw the pilot episode of sleepy hollow I couldn’t stop. I watched the marathon and screamed out loud when season one left me so empty. Dramatic eh? Well you don’t know how I am about my shows. Sleepy Hollow along with period makeup has immense prosthetic and special effect makeup as well. They also do a lot of CGI stuff however that’s a given.

4. Sherlock- I AM A CUMBER-BITCH! That should say it all. However growing up I was encouraged to read mystery novels like Nancy drew and the Hardy boys. However Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was especially promoted as the language, science, drama and skill of deduction impressed every family member of mine. I remember being told about the show and in all my hesitation I watched it. The first 10 minutes I hated the modernization of my favorite prose and the next 80 odd minutes I loved every bit of it. I was converted. I was a Sherlock & Watson Fan and also a Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman fan. They seemed natural and born to play the part. I also love how they change important details of the original mysteries and modernize it for the urban sentiments.

5. Dr Who- Fantasy, time travel, space travel, amazing characters and a TARDIS. Who could ask for more? ;-) Its vibrant story line, introduction of new characters frequently would make character designing and testing fun time for a makeup artist.

6. Suits- This witty, fast and well written show is one of my favourites. The fact that it revolves around relationships of all kinds makes you want to invest your time into each character. Also the glamour makeup artist in me, jones to do makeup for Donna and Jessica. They are both phenomenal women.

7. Modern Family- Sofia Vergara, Sofia Vergara, Sofia Vergara. Beautiful, witty, self-deprecating. Just my kinda woman. However with such a cast who won’t want to work with such talented people. From the youngest to the oldest they seem like amazing people to be around. And I would love to be a part of their makeup department.

8. Fringe- Fast and so amazing. What else can you expect from JJ Abrams. I initially thought Fringe would be very similar to X-Files. However it’s exceeded any expectations. It took me beyond any plot I could think of. And all the gory diseases, time lapse consequences make any makeup artist smile.

9. American Horror Story- gave me goose bumps. Season 1 got my hooked, season 2 booked and Season three cooked. I actually want to be in the room when they are writing the episodes. I would also love the number of their dealer. I can’t even explain the complexity of this show, their characters and the amazing makeup that makes this story so visual that I can’t get it out of my head. Never do an AHS marathon. It plays on your mind and dreams for days. Tried, tested and peed my pants.

10. X Files- MOTHER OF ALL SHOWS. Now I know that it ended a long long time ago. However, since this is a wish I thought why the hell not. If they ever decided to remake it, I’m going to be the first to beg for a job on the show.

And since I’m making a list I thought I’d make a special mention to one show that I really enjoy. It’s Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma. My mom got me hooked to the show and it’s so well written, characters so special and unique and that makes their looks even more amazing. I would also loveeeeeeee to work on the 50 shades of grey movies. Honestly it might not be the makeup, though making those cigarettes burns on Christian gets me excited, I think I want to see the story unfold in front of my eyes.

So here’s my list. Love it! And I will make it happen.. In some form or shape.

I’m outti

xoxo

Aash

Ashes to Ashes: A Colour Guide for the Blushing Bride

2013-07-26T06:55:00.001-07:00

Ashes to Ashes: A Colour Guide for the Blushing Bride: Badhai Ho! You have set your wedding date! Now all you have to do is get the invitations done, choose the décor, theme, venue, budg...

A Colour Guide for the Blushing Bride

2013-07-26T06:53:00.000-07:00

Badhai Ho! You have set your wedding date! Now all you have to do is get the invitations done, choose the décor, theme, venue, budget, clothing, wedding party, other functions etc etc etc. A bit overwhelming isn’t it? Don’t worry with the help of wedding planners, eager relatives and helpful friends you guys will be all set.

And I’m here to give you a little help with your D-Day styling. Over the time that I have been a bridal makeup artist, I have seen how colour plays an important role in bridal styling and venue décor as well. I take this extra step with my bridal clients during our trial to make sure she will glow on her wedding day.

*Remember if there is a colour that you love and it makes you happy then go all out and choose it.
Here what I want to achieve is simply to help you make a more educated decision. Your wedding day is probably going to be the day you are photographed the most and with different gadgets. You will have professional still photography, candid, video, camera phones and digi Cams and the dreaded flash photography. And both of you want to look glorious in all those pictures.

Choosing the right colour for your bridal attire is the key to great styling. Your makeup, décor and hairstyle can then be based on what you’re wearing. For my reception I had the entire venue in pink as the colour highlighted my best features and made me glow and hey why not have more of it then. My husband had a lovely pink pocket square for our church ceremony to tie into our colour theme of pink and silver, and at the reception he had a lovely tie dye Dupatta with hints of pink to go with his champagne silver Sherwani.

How did we decide on colours? Well I simply went to a store for bridal outfits and chose a variety of wedding outfits to try on. I had it in my head that I wanted an outfit in blue, making it unique. But when I held the outfit against me and wrapped the Dupatta around my head, I realised, Gaakk! It made me look older. After about an hour of trying different colours on I realised the ones that made me look every bit a blushing bride were onion pink, peach and champagne (Silvery gold). It was also clear to me that I had to look at different shades of colours to zero in on the perfect one. I tried hot pink and pastel pink and it didn’t look as good on me as the onion pink did. This means you can wear your favourite colour on your wedding day; you just have to choose the right shade for yourself.

www.praticaldiva.com

While choosing “your” colour, its best to think about how it will translate on male attire as well, in case you want to do the matchy matchy thing, like we did. My husband loved the pink idea because I loved it (I know, I’m a lucky lucky girl). We added the silvery gold colours as it complemented both are skin tones.

Ideally your bridal designer will help you with choice of colours, but it’s always nice to do some homework before your go in for the design appointment.

If you don’t already know what colours look good on you, a great way is to do what I did, just walk into a store and start putting things on and see how they look. Here I’ll give you tips so that it won’t take you an hour and avoid any too late nasty surprises.

What you want to look for is;

1) Do these colours make my skin glow or wash me out? i.e. make me look pale

2) Does this colour enhance my assets (eyes, skin tone etc.) or enhance my little imperfections (pimple marks, pigmentation etc.)?

3) How does my body look in this colour?

4) How will my husband, wedding party, venue décor, invitations look with accents of this colour?

And once you understand your skin tone it will help you short list some colours to start with.

If you already know if you’re a cool skin tone (i.e. more pink) or if you’re a warm skin tone (i.e. more yellow) then half your work is done but if you don’t, follow some of the steps below.

1) Put on Silver and Gold jewellery one at a time and see which one complements your skin tone better?

2) You can put on WHITE outfit and an OFF white outfit and decide which one give you a better glow?

3) And at last, step out in natural light and check your inner wrists. Are your veins blue or green?

Now if your answers were Silver , White and Blue, then you are a cool tone. Cool skin tones look great in bluish reds, mauves would be ideal.

And if your answers were Gold, Off White and Green, then obviously you’re a warm tone. For you Peachy Pinks , yellowish greens, olive green, earthy colours would be best.

The Colour Theory Wheel

www.dev.opera.com

So let me reiterate, you can choose whatever colour you please, however choose the shade that suits your skin tone and fulfils all the requirements above. Because once you choose the right shade, everything falls into place. From Makeup to décor and lighting becomes easier. And you will glow on your wedding day.

For further assistance for my lovely bride to-bes, here are some websites

http://www.seventeen.com/fun/quizzes/beauty/skin-tone-quiz

http://www.nairaland.com/310694/understanding-coolwarm-neutral-skin-tones

http://12blueprints.com/warm-and-cool-and-colour-analysis/

Homemade brush Cleanser Tried and Tested

2013-05-07T03:09:00.002-07:00

Summer has set in. Giving us 30+ degrees heat, even at NIGHT!

In the Summer your Skin Care Products, Makeup & Makeup Brushes need special attention.

WHY? Cause they are near moisture in some form or shape, mostly from your face or body.
This attracts bacteria. Bacteria grows fastest in summer. And it's just good sense to cleanse your brushes.

There are different types of cleansing and cleansing products. Let me familiarize you with a few of them.

1. Deep Cleansing.
This involves giving your brushes a nice shampoo once a month. I do it more often as I am a makeup artist. This ensures that my clients are protected.

2. Cosmetic Sanitizer Mist
This wonder product not only can be used on your brushes but also on your makeup as well. For example this can be sprayed on directly on your compact, without damaging the products integrity and it ensures a clean product.

3. Spot Cleaning
This can be a spray or liquid that needs to be applied on a paper towel. Then simple swirl your brushes bristles on it gently. You will see your brush clean in no time. Most makeup artist use this product often, as we sometimes need to immediately use the same brush on a different product or different client. As you must have guessed from the title of this post, we're going to focus on this cleaning product.

Its vital that we use the best hygienic cleaning regimens for our makeup tools, as they touch our face, eyes and other sensitive areas.

I made this brush cleanser over 6 months ago and I swear by it. You also get over the counter cleansers, however I prefer the one I make at home. It not only cleans, but also nourishes my brushes. It takes 5 minutes to make. And the recipe creates about 100 ml which should last you at least 6 months even if you apply makeup everyday.

Take 1 cup (250ml) Bottled water and add it to a clean bowl.
1/4 cup 70% rubbing alcohol or (this is only my addition: 70% and above actual drinking alcohol. I use Vodka or Rum, which is around 75% alcohol) This sanitizes the brushes. Same logic as applying alcohol on a wound.
1/2 table spoon dish washing fluid. I use Prill. Dishwashing fluid because it gentle.
1/2 table spoon baby shampoo (I use Johnsons Baby shampoo No tears.)
1 table spoon leave in conditioner.

Add all the ingredients to the water in the bowl and stir gently ensuring it does not froth.

Once mixed well. Pour into a 100ml or more bottle and you can store this concoction forever.

To clean my brushes I apply a few drops of this on a paper towel and swirl the brushes on the wet spot.

I have tried this same recipe without the dishwashing fluid. It still does the job however not as fast as when the Dishwashing fluid was added.

Try it! You wont be disappointed. :-) Happy Cleansing.

It's Smokey! It's Seductive

2013-03-14T00:39:00.001-07:00

“The eyes are one of the most powerful tools a woman can have. With one look, she can relay the most intimate message. After the connection is made, words cease to exist. ”

Light Smokey Eye

One of the most seductive and exciting eyemakeup looks for a woman is the Smokey Eye! The range of colors , styles and products that one can use to create a beautiful smokey eye is endless.

In this post I will help on "How" to create a Smokey Eye and the range of colours you can use. This post is directed towards the Indian Skin tone, however most of the looks can look amazing on any skin tone.

Prepping your eye:

Always cleanse your face before applying any makeup.
Apply eye gel on your under eye as well as your eye lid to protect and nourish it.
Apply a eyeshadow primer so that your eyemakeup stays the entire day and the colors are the truist. Apply primer on the lower lashline as well , if you're going to apply any eye makeup there.

Now that we have prepped your eyes lets start with the most generic steps to create a smokey eye.

Before you know what to apply, you should know where to apply it. Below is a beautiful picture by www.indianbeautyforever.com that explains the parts of an eye. This picture is a great reference for you to understand where the colours go.

Apply a natural skin tone colour from your upper lash line on your eyelid till your brow bone. This helps make your eyes and even tone in color and also helps the next eyeshadow stick on.

Picture Courtesy : www.makeup-mantra.blogspot.com

Colours that would look amazing as a base eyeshadow colour are:

Mac : Girlie , All that Glitters, Brule, Arena, Tete-a-tint , Texture, Swish Chocolate, Woodwinked.

Choose a colour that is closest to your skin colour. You can go for different textures such as pearl , shimmer, wet etc depending on the look you want to create. These warm colours complement the Indian Skin tone which has a lot of yellow in it.

2. Apply a mid tone or even a brighter colour on your eyelid.

Choose a colour that is darker or brighter than your base colour. If your refer to the picture of the MAC Warm palette above, the colours Mulch, Smut and Satin taupe are perfect Lid colours to use.

Apply it only from the upper lash line on your eyelid, stopping a little lower than your eye crease. Colours such as Naked, Gest, All that Glitters, Honey Rust and Sable make great lid colours as well.

Picture Courtesy : www.makeup-mantra.blogspot.com

3. Now we start with the actual smokey part of our smokey eye. Choose a darker colour than your mid colour to apply to the outer V of your eyes.

picture courtesy: www.bunbunmakeuptips.com

The colours you should choose from the first 2 palettes are: Twinx, Espresso, Antiqued, Bronze, Sketch and Embark.

Start with a little product on your brusha nd apply in the outer V. You can continue to build it up to what you desire.

The above picture is how it should look after you have blended it in.

4. Now we will try some reverse blending. This technique is to add the darkest colour in the outer V to give it a smokier look. Here you would add black/ MAC Carbon by dotting it on and blending it into the dark brown colour u added in the outer V.

Now to finish your Smokey Eye!

5. Add a highlight colour to your inner V and Brow bone.

Highlight colour would be (fromt eh 2 palletes above , Brule , Shale, Arena, Phloof, Shroom, Dazzlelight,

All the shadows mentioned are MAC eyeshadows because its easier to get them in Mumbai.

Now lets venture out to different colour for smokey eye for the Indian skin tone.

1. The classic brown smokey eye.
2. Classic Brown with blue and green in the lower lashline
3. Gold and Teal smokey eye. I LOVE THIS ONE.
4. A grundgy brown smokey eye where you apply the brown eyeshadow on the entire lid and blend it out to the creaseline.

Glitter and Shimmer Smokey eye. Its the same concept however with shimmer colours. Looks amazing on indian skin tone as its staying true to the warm palette.

Beautiful pink and hot pink smokey eye. Complements the indian skin as it adds the much needed pink to our skin tone.

Once you have mastered the smokey eye, you can try something a little more advance. Here we use a silver metallic colour mid eyelid above and below and add grey and black. Its best to use a gel liner with a fine tip brush so you can get a precise shape towards the outter edge. It's winged out to add mroe shape to the eyes. This is a very dramatic look. However if you use silver or gold metallic eyeshadow it will complement the indian skin tone.

The fashionable classic smokey Eye on Adele.

A beautiful burgandy/maroon smokey eye. Again a colour that is unique and complements the Indian woman. This look is very seductive.
And last but not the least let me show you a smokey eye for the day.

Have a hot smokey day!

Foundation Routine that lasts you the entire day

2013-03-13T10:20:00.001-07:00

A good foundation and blush routine can be the differentiating factor between a natural look and looking like Canio (the clown) form the opera "I Pagliacci."

In this blog post I want to focus on foundation , contouring and blush techniques for plus size women or women with round faces.

While I show you some failproof techniques, i'll also tell you what products work best (in my humble opinion).

So first lets talk about the 5 steps of prepping your face before applying your makeup.

1. Cleansing
2. Toning
3. Moisturising
4. Lip balm
5. Sun screen

Once you're done with the above 5 steps, you should apply a face primer. This will help your foundation stay longer and give you a smooth surface to work on.

Some great face primers are:
MAC Prep + Prime

Benefit the Porefessional

Application technique: You take a little bit of the primer and dot it all over your face. In small circular motion gently rub it all over your face. Make sure it is evenly applied all over.

Foundation Routines: When choosing your foundation use the below mentioned steps.
1. Look at your face in the mirror. The lightest natural colour on your face is what you ideally would want to match the foundation with. You also want to the foundation to match the colour of your neck.
2. Take a little of the foundation and apply it to your forehead or cheek and see if it blends well.
3. Apply the foundation all over your face and set it with a powder. Usually the counter staff can help you with that. See how the foundation behaves on you for the next half hour and only when youre satisfied do you buy it. It takes foudnation 20 minutes to settle on your face.

After you have picked the perfect foundation. If it is a liquid foundation, you would want to shake it well and pump it to the back of your hand to heat it up with your body heat. This helps it apply better.

The fastest and best application technique I feel for any non makeup artist is with your fingers.
Dot your cheeks and rub gently in curcular motions. Make sure you only apply foundation on the area which you're working on immediately. DO NOT APPLY ALL OVER YOUR FACE AND THEN START WORKING ON IT. Because sometimes these foundations dry fast and you might not be able to work it well enough if its too dry.

In this manner apply the foundation all over your face.

Now to highlight the best areas Use a concealer that is one shade lighter than your foundation.

I have a detailed post on highlighting your features.
http://aasheianaa.blogspot.in/2012/12/let-there-be-light.html

Now that You have highlighted the area lets work on concealing problem areas.

Now usually if you need to conceal any area on your face you would want to do that before you start highlighting. Lets review concealing techniques based on generic facial problems.

To properly conceal imperfections you need to color correct it.

Dark Circles: If you have brown discoloration under your eye, the best product to use is a orange tint/apricot colour concealer.

Best Apricot Concealers: Bobbi Brown Correctors
12 Shades of apricot tinted color correctors for every skin tone. Suprisingly even though Bobbi Brown Cosmetics is specifically aimed at Indian Skin tone, it really works well on us.

Application technique: Dab it on the dark discoloration under the eye. With your ring finger continue to dab it in to blend into your skin. Do not swipe as that takes the product off rather than blending it in.

Acne Prone or if youre skin is very red:
You should use a mint green color concealer to cover the acne spots. If your skin looks very red you can also apply a thin layer of the mint green color before applying your foundation.

Best Mint Green Concealers: Makeup Forever Color Corrector Pallete no. 5

You can also kill 2 birds with one stone by buying color corrector primers. You get them in most cosmetic brands like NYX , Smashbox etc.

MOST COLOR CORRECTION HAPPENS BEFORE YOU ADD YOUR FOUNDATION. There is no set rule, with trial and error you will know what works best for you. For me I apply the appricot concealer on my dark circles after apply my foundation.

For other color correction techniques please click on this link

Now the last step to a perfect foundation routine.

Loose Powder: This step is to set your foundation so it doesnt move all day. This also helps mattefy your face and take away any shine.

Use a powder puff

Dampen the powder puff a little with a water spray bottle.

Then dip it in your loose powder and rub a little ont he back of your hand to spread it equally and remove excess. Then in a pressing motion applt it on your face, especially the T-Zone.

Gr8! Loose Powders. Christian Dior, Maybelline, MAC, Makeup Forever, Kryolan.

You cna get tinted loose powder or a mattefying powder. I personally dont like the HD powders because in pictures they tend to give you the ghostly white look.

Once you have applied the powder and set your foundation. Take a fan brush and dust of the excess from your face.

Your foundation routine is now complete.

Now lets move on to my favorite part!

Contouring.

Is simply the play of dark and light. When you want to hide something, that is when we apply a matte bronzer to the area.

For plus size women it works wonders.

There are generic areas where all face shapes should contour and those are shown int he picture below. NOW IF YOU HAVE A LEAN FACE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO AVOID CONTOURING.

The Jaw line and temples are where most women would want to apply a little bronzer. And remember start with a little and you can build on teh intensity depending on yoru taste. If you wish to get a straight line while contouring, you can use a credit card or business card as a guideline.

For plus size women or women with round faces, while contouring your cheekbones you want to start from the top of your ears and downwards towards mid cheek. This gives the illusion of a longer and slimer face and also higher cheekbones.

CHECK OUT ADELE'S CONTOURING.

Best Bronzers : MAC Bronze (For anyone who uses MAC NC 40 and up.) MAC Golden (NC 30 and up ) MAC BLUNT for everyone! Love these bronzers. Remember for contouring you want a matte bronzer.

Now to add the color to your face. Your Blush routine.

I feel cream blushes work best in the heat that we have all year round. For round faces you want to go from the apple of your cheeks upwards. However start with a little and then build. You dont want to look like a 19th century lady of the night.

Application: Applying a cream blush is fairly easy. You apply it with small circular motion blending it upwards from the apple of your cheeks towards the top of your ear. The blush would go above your contouring and in fact you can blend the edge of your blush with the end of your bronzer for a more seemless.

Now you can start with highlighting. To know more about highlighting please visit my blog post.

Your makeup will last you the entire day and all you have to do to refresh it is use the MAC Fix plus spray anytime during the day.

XOXO

How to apply the perfect eyeliner and with what?

2013-03-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.

- Sophia Loren

Some of the most beautiful women in the world have the most expressive eyes. A well defined eye is sometimes all you need. A lot of women find it difficult to function without a little bit of eyeliner or deem themselves "sick looking" if they haven't applied their favorite beauty product.

Im going to share with you products to get an amazing well defined eye. As well as techniques and different types of liner shapes. Later in the week I will add a video tutorial to help the beginners with their liner application. Just to reiterate this post is how to get a well defined eye and not about any full blown eyeshadow looks.

The first thing you need to know are the tools available to you.

Lets start with my favorite product.

Eye Primers: Eye primers are the products you apply on your upper and lower eyelid. This helps your eyeshadow, liner etc stay longer, the color is more enhanced and it stops your liners from smudging. So for all you ladies who love BLACKEST BLACK liners and hate that they don't last or smudge, then eye primers are your best friend. Some of my favorite primers are:

Urban Decay Primer Potion: In my humble opinion the "Holy Grail" of eyeshadow primers.

Image courtesy www.temptalia.com

Image courtesy www.makeupgeek.com

Urban Decay Primer Potion comes in 4 different types. Original, Sin, Greed and Eden. They all have different colours & effects. However they essentially do the same thing, they keep your eyemakeup on for longer , enhance the colors and stop any smudging.

Application: You apply a little bit of the primer to your eyelids as well as lower lash line if youre going to apply any eyeliner in your waterline or lash line. Blend the primer evenly all of your lid and lash line. Do not apply this in your waterline.

Other options: NYX Eyeshadow Primer. You'll get eyeprimers in most cosmetic brands.

Now that we have our base correct, let now go to actual definition tools.

Black or Brown Eyeshadow:

Using an eyeshadow to line your eyes is probably the best way especially if youre a beginner.
Taking a small eyeshadow brush or a angled brush (cruelty free real fibre) you can dip it in the eyeshadow and apply gently with small strokes around your eyes. If you mess up its easier to clean with a lilttle bit of eyemakeup remover on a cue tip, then it is to clean eyeliner. Eyeshadow is also easier to blend and it gives you a lovely natural smoked out finish. Its a softer look then an eyeliner.

Favorite eyeshadows to use as a eyeliner: MAC CARBON, MAC BRUN & MAC BROWN DOWN.
Favorite Brushes to use with eyeshadow liner: MAC 263 (Hands down the best angled brush ever!)

Eyeliner Felt Pens: Now these are the easiest to use as well as remove. They mostly arent waterproof however they give a lovely glossy effect. You wont be able to blend it very well for a seamless look though after applying it you can blend the edges with a black eyeshadow. That will help with a smokey softer look. Perfect to practice a winged liner.

Favorite Felt Tip Liner: Revlon Colorstay Liquid Liner.

Image courtesy glamournazi.com

Pencil Liners: One of the best ways to line your waterline is with a pencil liner. If in case youre wondering, your waterline is the inside part of your lash line. We predominantly line our lower waterline.

My Favorite Pencil Liner is : MAC Smoulder. It's beautiful and has never smudged on me. In case if you experience any smudging, use a primer before applying your liner.

Image courtesy of raemathiesonmakeupartist.blogspot.com

Other ways to line your waterline is with a Eye Khol or a Kajal.

How is a Kohl Liner different from a regular liner?

They are made of different ingredients, they're made to smudge easily so you won't tug at your eye to mutch when trying to smudge like you do with regular eyeliners. Also they tend to have more nourishing ingredients. That's pretty much why people use them to get the smokey eye kind of look.

Favorite Kohl Liner : ColorBar Indian Kohl.

What is the difference between Kohl and Kajal?

I checked ingredients, formulations and applications techniques for both products and the verdict is...they are absolutely the same. Kajal according to me is a little drier than kohl, but essentially the same product. They both smudge easily and give a great smokey eye effect. Also they are used to cool the eyes which helps if you tend to get any redness. They have a large amount of camphor which is good for the eyes.

Liquid Liners
This product is amazing to use, gives a great effect and if you use a waterproof liquid liner you are set for hours. A few drawbacks...You need to be a little experienced at eyeliner application to use this product efficiently, you cannot use it on your waterliner and last and most important if youre using a waterproof liquid liner which dries fast... it is a bi%ch! to remove if you have made a mistake and some waterproof liquid liners tend to peel of after a few hours.

My favorite Liquid Liner :Makeup Forever Aqua Liners

Image courtesy lauravaluta.blogspot.com

Image courtesy Karlasugar.net

And at last my favorite Liner, The Gel eyeliner.

The consistantcy of the gel liner is literally like butter. It glides on smoothly. And you can get a glossy gel liner or a matte gel liner.This can also be used in your waterline. The only con might be that you have to apply it with a eyeliner brush and that takes practice. But once you have achieved perfection you would not want to use anything else.

My Favorite Gel Liners: Bobby Brown Long wear gel liner & Maybelline Lasting Drama eye gel

Image courtesy glamgirl.co.in

Beginners guide to perfect eyes

1. USE A PRIMER

2. Which ever product youre using, apply it by making small dashes on your upper lash line. If your eyes keep fluttering or you cant close one eye and apply your liner, this technique helps you as you can keep checking your work after every small dash.

Image courtesy pennypincherfashion.com

3. Always make sure the hand you're using to apply your liner has support. This eliminates most mistakes.

4. Have a cue tip and eyemakeup remover handy to erase mistakes or make your eyeliner sharper.

5. Use a felt tip eyeliner initially till you get some practice.

6. Use an angled brush to apply eyeshadow or gel liner. Gives you straight lines and best for winged liners.

Different shapes of liners for the beginner

My favorite liner shape - The Cat eye!

I hope this helps all you lovely ladies define those pretty peepers.

Here's looking at you Kid!

See it, Love it, Swatch It

2012-12-31T02:22:00.000-08:00

Hey Ladies!

A great and exciting way to end this year with a fabulous giveaway.

Check it out!

http://dawndugong.blogspot.in/2012/12/giveawaypresents-for-everyone

Happy New Year Everyone!

New Years Eve Party Eyes in 5 steps

2012-12-30T09:34:00.001-08:00

I recently read a lovely concise post on Bobbi Browns Blog http://everythingbobbi.com/blog/2012/12/29/all-night-eyes/ . It showed a very simple technique on acheiving long lasting eye makeup.

I thought i'd "Indianise" it a little with available and cost effective products.

So here goes.

Step 1. Apply a eyeshadow primer like NYX eyeshadow primer. Or apply your foundation and smoothen in and immediately powder the lids so they do not crease.

Step 2. Using your fingers or a brush apply a cream eyeshadow from your Lash Line to your Brow Bone. Especially for New Years then add a metallic color like;

MAC Metal X Cream Eyeshadow - Palladium (This looks best on lighter skin tones.)

Maybelline 24 Hours Color Tattoo - Bold Gold (This looks amazing on Tan to Duskier Skin tones.)

Step 3. Add a Cranberry Colour or Brown Colour to Contour your eyes at the crease line to add more depth.

Step 4. Layer the Cream Shadow till you get the intensity you desire.

Step 5. Apply a thin eyeliner on the upper lash line slightly winging it and ALOT of Mascara in your upper and lower eye lashes.

Viola Perfect and Long Lasting New Years Eve Party Eyes

HAPPY NEW YEAR LADIES!

SEE YOU IN 2013

Let there be LIGHT!

2012-12-28T02:01:00.000-08:00

Recently a lot of lovely women have been asking me about the secret to the "Natural" glow that Makeup Artists manage to acheive for their Brides?

That gave me the idea for this post.

One technique that helps you acheive a beautiful glow is to know how to strategically highlight the high points in your face.

To understand that, it's vital for you to understand what are the high points in your face?

They are generally the areas the sunlight would touch you first. Highlighting these areas makes you look like we have a natural glow and helps you highlight your best features.

The areas you want to highlight are;

The Middle of your forehead
Your cheekbone. That would be close to your undereye area.
Below your eyebrow arch.
The bridge of your Nose
Your Cupids Bow (The "M" Shape in your upper lip)
Your Chin
And your Jawline

When you don't want to hightlight?

heavily blemished areas - it will just make them more obvious - shiny pimples.

areas that have lines and wrinkles

under your eyes or around puffy, tired eyes

on already oily areas

Beautifully Highlighted Faces

3 types of highlighters

liquid
powder
cream (which can be any concealer that is a shade lighter than your foundation)

My favorite highlighters

NYX Cream Cheese

Benefit Sun Beam Highlighter

The Starter Kit

2012-07-17T01:57:00.001-07:00

I realised that in India women start applying makeup a little later than other places. I personally think that's absolutely fine. However, that makes us a little late on the uptake.

Ever since i started my blog and youtube channel, one question consistently occupies my inbox, "What products should I use?"

I thought it would be great to help all my readers create a pocket SMART and Skin protecting makeup kit.
Now keep in mind you can only know how effective a product is for you once you use it. And the list below is the minimum number of products for a complete personal makeup kit.

The first thing you need for a good makeup routine is skin products. I start with cleansing my face with my favorite face wash. Now here is where the extra care bits come in.

1. After cleansing, I use a toner. A good toner really helps in minimizing face pores. This helps in protecting your skin from trapping dirt as well as your makeup, as the pores dont create a lot of oil once minimized. I use the Clinique Toner. The reason i recommend a high end toner is, you should never compromise on skin products. The most expensive products in your kit should be the ones to protect and enrich your skin.

2. After toning, moisturing is the key to prep your skin for makeup. A well moisturised skin helps the foundation and concealer glide on your face. There is no flakyness. And if you feel you have too much on you can always use a tissue or muslin cloth to dab it out. The moisturizer I use Sheshaido White Lucient. However, any good gel, water or oil based moisturiser will do depedning on your skin type. The clinique moisturiser is probably the best for all skin types and you also get small tubes that you can easily carry with you.

***** Now this product is my ace in the sleeve. BB CREAM. In India as of now we only have the Maybeline BB Cream. Its a moisturizer, spot remover, SPF and also provides slight coverage. After the toner you can use the BB Cream and directly get to the foundation routine.

3. Another trick or miracle product is Clinique's City Block. it's a tinted moisturiser with SPF and can also be used as a light primer for your face. A primer is applied before your foundation and it works like a glue. It smoothens lines and fills pores which helps foundation go on smoother and last monger.

4. Now we start with the actual makeup routine. You will need a great foundation to begin with.

The Revlon Color Stay foundation is cost effective as well as full coverage for someone with oily skin. It also has quite a few skin tones so there is a good chance you will find the tone perfect for you.

The Lakme Perfect Radian Skin Foundation is perfect for someone who doesnt need full coverage. It evens your skin tone and lasts pretty long. Those who have oily skin will have to reapply or powder you face half way throught the day since it's a light foundation.

The Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse is a great foundation for those who need a little more coverage but still like to keep it light. It gives you a very nice smooth finish. You get a variety of skin tones , however if using a brush or you fingers to apply, you have to work a little fast because it tends to dry fast.

And now the Holy Grail of Foundations. MAC Studio Fix Fluid. Priced at almost 2k, its a full coverage foundation with skin tones that closely match the indian womans colour. It can be applied lightly to even skin colour out and if you dont want full coverage. It's builable so that you can get the coverage you want. Again its best if you work fast with it. Applies well with a brush or your fingers.

5. Next product that you would need for your starter kit is concealer. Your concealer should be a shade lighter than your foundation to brighten and conceal your under eye and highlight areas like your cheek bones, the bridge of your nose. If you have dark circles that are dark brown nearing black or similar pigmentation anywhere on your face, then its best to use a concealer thats teh same shade of your foundation. Otherwise if you use a lighter concealer that area will start looking grey.

Mac Studio Finish Concealer is perfect for heavy converage, especially for dark circles and pigmentation.

For light coverage Revlon Photoready Concealer Stick is a good option. It really reflects light and looks great in pictures.

6. Now to make sure your foundation and concealer lasts you the whole day and doesnt slip and slide on your skin. You should use a powder to set it.

Revlon Aqua Mineral Powder is my favorite because while applying it , it feels wet however it blends into your skin very well and keeps the foundation and concealer wells et on your face. It also provides coverage so if youre using it as a finishing powder to set your foundation, it should be used sparingly.

Kryolan Anti-Shine Powder also helps set the foundation and concealer. If you have oily skin , this product is your best friend as if applied over a shiny T-Zone it really immediately mattifies it. It adds no colour to use foundation in case you dont want anymore coverage.

7. Next a great eyeshadow pallet that can double up as a eyebrow filler (if needed). I do alot of looks for myself and others professionally and I always find myself reaching for one eyeshadow palette.

NYX Runway Collection 10 - in Champagne and Caviar.

8. Eyeliners that you would love to use is,
Maybelline Colossal Kajal for a nice dark black liner.
Lakme Shadow Artist Shimmer Stick in Starry night
Lakme Glide on Eye Color in Peacock Green and Plush Purple.

9. My absolute favorite Gel Liner is the
Maybelline Drama Gel Liner in Black, It comes with a brush and applies really well. it can also be used in the water line.

10. Sometimes just using a mascara can make all the difference. My new favorite mascara is
Faces Lush Lash Mascara. It applies well, not to heavy and I love that it coats every lash strand.

11. Blush. Adds the color to the face, also helps in acheiving a healthy glow.
Lakme Absolute Cheek Chromatic Baked Blush. It comes in to shades. One for lighter skin and the other for darker. It works well as a contouring color as well as a bronzing color.

Girlactik Cream Blush in Pink is perfect for all skin tones. and a little on the apple of your cheeks looks so lovely.

12. ColorBar USA Lipliner in 007 is best for skin color lipliner.

13. Faces Lip Palette has all the usual suspects, Nude, Pink, Brown, Maroon, Red, and Coral.
This is a good palette to have because you can mix the colours and create a lip colour perfect for you.

14. LOreal Colour Juice Peek a Boo lip gloss is perfect for you to add that extra ommph to any lip colour.

The above products are perfect for your Starter Kit. This list is for your entire makeup kit. You can use the products to add to your carry on makeup kit for daily use.

The Birthday Card

2012-06-17T20:19:00.002-07:00

I turned 30 today. A milestone I have been waiting for since the past couple of years now.

The excitement started a year ago and as the day arrived it dulled down to nothingness.

It’s difficult to keep it going when you’re the only one who thinks it’s an extraordinary occasion and not just another birthday.

I’m an odd creature always felt so and my 30^th birthday just confirmed my suspicions.

When I was handed a lovely birthday, I smiled and said thank you but soon realised my jaw was clenched in a death grip. I could feel the anger rise to eventually settle to a flame of disappointment.

This was very confusing; the card was lovely, thoughtful and should have made me smile. I hated it! To add to this I was handed a second card by another person, it was even more thoughtful and my anger runneth over.

All morning I tried to figure out why I was so angry, I was not expecting anything more in the form of gifting so then why. Sometimes you shouldn’t ask questions when you’re not ready for the answer. Even before I could finish asking this question I remembered every birthday of mine till I was 21 years old. Growing up in an abusive home every birthday was spent healing wounds, wiping stains, cleaning up broken pieces of something that meant the world to us or getting wished by the policemen who now knew it was your birthday and unfortunately you called them every year the same time.

I remember it was always the first week or day of school on my birthday and after a hectic night my sister and I had to go to school with swollen faces and tired eyes. Always to the prelude of a big expensive gift was the card my father would give me when I came home during lunch break. I would take it, politely say thank you and keep it so safely that I never had to see it again.

Looking at this card now, even though it was given by people who love and cherish me and who have never hurt me, all I can remember is screams and cries hoping someone would come and help us.

My 24^th Birthday ended the stigma of “bad” birthdays but I’m ashamed to say that I still can’t cherish birthday cards as I should. I don’t think I’ll be able to contribute to Hallmarks bottom line.

Oh well!

My Makeup Collection

2012-05-31T02:01:00.002-07:00

If you want a review on any product please leave a comment below.

The Beauty of PLUS - Styling for plus size women

2012-05-18T11:08:00.002-07:00

Casual Wear for The Beautiful Plus Size Woman

and i would pair this outfit with another neon color pair of shoes...why? ...why not....color blocking neon style.....These flats would look amazing with the above outfit..and all you plus size ladies know..we love our flats.

and for the rocker in you...

And a hot outfit like that can only be enhanced by a beautiful Chanel Sling Bag

Evening Wear for The busy Plus Size Woman

The woman in the pic is wearing a pair of champagne sandals. However I would go a little wild..

For the woman who wants to go wild, but wants to still stay closer to the ground...The beautiful red flat with gold heart embellishment is amazing...

and if you want to kick it up several notches...

OMG I love the wedges....and Wedges will always be the plus size lady's choice of heels.

Gorgeous purses to accompany you on your night out. Beautiful and accommodating.

The Formal Evening Wear For The Plus Size Goddess...

the world at your feet as well as...

and if this is toooooo wild....lets tone it down a bit with..

and a work of art to keep your essentials in.

And lets not forget adornment

I hope this inspires you to look your best.

Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Foundation

2012-05-18T08:31:00.001-07:00

I was spending some much needed quality time in a store called Health and Glow in Inorbit Mall Malad.
I was checking the lip balms at the Maybelline stand when i came across this foundation. Now whenever some foundation states "porcelain finish" "airbrush finish" etc and it actually doesn't involve real airbrush makeup I tend to scoff and buy it anyway...LOL...

I tested this light and true to its name Mousse like foundation on on half of my face and really liked what i saw. However the true test lies when you wear it for a long time.

I tried it out for the first time 5 hours ago and I still have it on my face.

First impression: Once i applied to to my entire face with my MAC Stippling brush, i loved how it gave me an instant glow and didn't look like i had a lot of foundation on.
Application: Blended and buffed well into my skin. It was easy to apply. I could take my time buffing it in.
Color tone: Its pretty close to my skin tone without mixing any other color in it.
Coverage: It gives you medium coverage
Packaging: Love that ti comes with a pump. LEARN MAC LEARN
Long wear?: After 5 hours its still there on my skin..I have spent most of my time outside running errands and its still intact. However it now feels like its swimming around on my face due to the humidity we suffer in Mumbai. It gives you a dewey finish mid way however at the 5th hour mark i need to powder my face.

This foundation works well for all skin types in my opinion.

It will be perfect for Dry complexions and for those with an oily skin like mine, you need to add some mattefying powder, primer to your foundation routine.

Check out another review on the Maybelline Dream Liquid Foundation
http://karlasugar.net/2009/05/maybelline-dream-liquid-mousse-foundation/

Bridal Look - Fun Mehendi

2012-05-17T23:05:00.002-07:00

Focused on making the skin luminescent

In keeping with the "Fun Bride" Theme

Against natural light...AMAZING!

Bridal Look 2012

2012-05-17T22:52:00.001-07:00

I'm preparing for 2012 wedding season.
I foresee a lot of Color Blocking, Tangerine (2012 color) and quite a few brides opting for "fun outfits/makeup" rather than the traditional opulent outfits and smokey eyes.

So here's my first installment makeup look for the 2012 bride. This is not a tutorial, so you wont be able to see a few of the steps. If you would like to see a tutorial , do leave a comment below.

Light smokey eye with dark kholed eyes.
Contouring / highlighting to achieve high cheekbones and fuller lips.

Contouring on jawline to make it sharper

Used only a lipliner nearest to my natural lip color to make my lips look fuller

Hope you like it!

My Date from Hell

2012-04-26T12:24:00.001-07:00

Guest Post by Namrata Kadle

One usually sees this scene in a typical chick flick where they show a date from hell, but one never imagines it could happen to you. Well guess what?? Almost every woman I know has had a horrendous experience with the date from hell. (This is where I hear the bells ringing eerily)

Look, it’s fairly simple .What men don’t realize is that for the fairer sex, looks really do come second.

We find charm, the ability to hold a conversation and a well groomed man much more attractive than just a hot guy!

And I’m sorry but first impressions do count!! If you are asking me out on a date the least I expect is for you to be well groomed!!

And here begins my never ending date. Honestly time passed so slowly I thought I would fossilize if I stuck around for dessert!

So after we got our table we moved to placing the order. And boy did that take forever!! I was starving and after a quick look at the menu, I knew exactly what I wanted. My ‘date ‘proceeded to go over the menu 5 times-yeah I counted, before finally deciding on some soupy noodle concoction with tofu in it..

While we waited for our food he began telling me about how sad his life journey was. He also told me about his unfortunate career path and how he was a struggling film maker. And that his father did not approve of his choice of livelihood as there was no income and how much the ‘field of film making’ required one to lick ass and have loads of luck…funny thing is I didn’t hear him say a word about talent!!

Oh and he mentioned that he had just finished reading a script to Vivek Oberoi…he mentioned this twice and looked at me as if I should have fallen to the floor in an orgasm at the mention of Vivek Oberoi!!

Sigh! And to add insult to injury my date spent most of his time feeding his chin! Yuck!! When you know you are on a date, choose wisely! Don’t order a subway or a soupy dish that is bound to end up on your chin!

Suffice to say I didn’t stay for dessert. He offered to drop me home and naturally I politely declined.at this stage I was willing to crawl back home on all four’s rather than endure another suffocating minute with him! So I abruptly ended my traumatic evening by wishing him good luck with his film career. Any moron would have figured out that this was my goodbye message. Meaning, I never ever want to see you again…

My Wish List -Putting it out there in the universe

2012-04-16T01:30:00.004-07:00

For the past couple of weeks I have been fortunate enough to see quite a few beauty and beauty related products that I will evenutally get or have already received. I thought it would be great to do a top 10 list of beauty products I would love to own.

What do u give someone who has everything?

Something to keep it all in

I recently went to The Beauty Bar in Lokhandwala and fell in love with this beauty. I did a detailed blog post about my experience at their Doll Me up Class
This vanity is called the Leggy Vain Pro Makeup Station with Legs goes for approx 16,500/-

On average women and MUA tend to use 20% of shadows from any particular pallete and not surprisingly the colours used the most are your natural warm colours along with highlighters. I love this product because all the colours are very pigmented, have great staying power and all the colours are ones id wanna use and they also have additional colors to create unique smokey eyes.. I definitely want this product.

The Urban Decay Naked Palette is for about 4500/- and you can get it at The Beauty Bar.

Since im overweight and my heart shaped face is round due to the poundage, i have started contouring my face. However this product is perfect for contouring for most skin tones and I defintiely will go out and pick it up

The MAC Blunt Blush is for about 1150/- at the MAC store.

The one eyeshadow palette that is modern and classic at the same time.

Makeup Forever Flash Palette cost around 5000/- I love the yellow and the pink next to it. It applies like grease paint, very pigmented.

What is an artist without his tools?
I own quite a few mac brushes and hope to own all these very very soon

Mac professional makeup brushes start at around 2000/-
You do have cheaper brands with decent brushes, however with MAC the brushes are long lasting and very high quality bristles which ultimately shows in you makeup finish.

No matter how well you can apply your makeup, the best tool anyone can have is good skin. This next skin care product is one i cant to incorporate into my weekly skin routine.

A good Dermabrasion kit can cost anywhere between 5000 to 1000 rupees. However salon treatments are pretty expensive so buying a kit makes sense in the long run.

If you have this combo 5 set of 4, youre literally set for life. It has all the colours you could ever imagine and all the textures possible in an eyeshadow. They are pigmented and last very long especially if you apply an eye primer. I would love to own

Coastal Scents Set of 4 Palettes for $69.95 on their website. Thats around 3700 rs. I think they are worth every penny.
The palettes are
1 Ultra Shimmer Palette ($19.95)
1 Metal Mania Palette ($24.95)
1 Warm Palette ($24.95)
1 88 Original Palette ($18.95)

This next product makes any woman feel lush and youthful and seductive. And you only have to clip them on.

Specifically the ones from luxyhair.com. They have amazing quality and for 160gms its a $140 with free shipping. I think its a deal and plan to get them at the end of the year.

I want to graduate to using this next beauty product to achieve the flawless look

The ones im told are the best airbrush make kits come from Dinair. And they have an amazing range of different colors.

And last but not least the ultimate in beauty for any person...their SMILE!

The Crest 3D White Strips apparently work wonders. And gives you professional quality whitening. However it is a bit costly. Its about $500 in the US. Pretty freaking expensive.
I hope you like this list and please comment below with the products you desire.

XOXO

This is my wish list and no brand has sponsored this post. This is purely what I wish to write about.

Style Craze The Mother of all Giveaways - 1000 Member Milestone celebrations

2012-04-15T00:16:00.000-07:00

Wanna increase you makeup knowledge and collection?

Check out the Mother of all giveaways with Style Craze.com
http://www.community.stylecraze.com/page/1000-member-giveaway

One of my blogger friends Lancy sent me this very unassuming email asking me to join her on Style Craze.com. All you guys know me, anywhere i get more makeup product and technique knowledge and I'm there. I joined up and started checking out the website and came across this OMG giveaway. I immediately started salvating and joined in the madness...
Hope you guys join up too.
YOU WILL LOVE IT!
XOXO

Utopia and such things!

2012-04-02T06:09:00.000-07:00

I’m a closet politically obsessive person. This is something I keep well hidden from most people, until now.

Recently on a drive into Bandra with Gabriel, a stray thought intrigued me.

I thought, what would happen if a country was run like an organisation and organisations were run the way most countries are. The tax paying citizens were the CEO’s and results of a performance appraisal helped people vote. Now, I can already imagine most of you saying WTF! And our citizens aren’t equipped or the lack of education or even the fact that corruption starts from the citizens. I agree with all THAT! However it didn’t stop me from still thinking about it.

I read this quote recently, “Organisations should hire the “right” people who are good and give them the freedom to do great things.” Now I’m only paraphrasing, however I can’t help but agree.

For our Nation I imagined that our current governments, state and country and all other political parties would be handed a 20 point list of issues we face in our country today. That list would then be equally divided (based on intensity of issue) between all political parties. They would be given one term (4-5 years dependant on what we decide) to solve these issues. Whichever party does the best job in implementing a long term solutions to their list of issues would ideally get voted into office for the next term. Now this again would be dependent on the citizens where we would vote for whom we feel did the best job. So at the end of the term there would be a public “appraisal” of their work. And based on their “score” the political party of the next term would be chosen.

And once chosen for that current term the process would repeat with an updated “issues list”. Making sure that no promises are made, just actions and that’s what they are elected by.

So the newly elected party and the other potential parties would get another list of goals they have to achieve if they want to be elected to the government.

Now the solutions they come up with, whether they are the government or not should be within their circle of control and based on the recent past, whether you are government or citizen, YOU HAVE A LOT OF POWER FOR CHANGE!

This probably seems very naïve. But I like this line of thought.

Comment below with your suggestions?

This post was written for The Time to Change Indiblogger contest.
www.facebook.com/sftimetochange

Summer- "Fresh as a daisy" Look

2012-03-31T10:06:00.001-07:00

by Shawn Coutinho

During the summer, there is one general rule that I always stick to "less is more!" This summer brings us a rejuvenating, fresh, natural and discreet look, in terms of Makeup. So here are few tips for a ‘fresh as a daisy’ look.

* The ideal way to do make up is to go for cleansing and toning first. Use a face wash that suits your skin. Toning is essential to keep your pores happy. Avoid anything with alcohol in it. And then moisturize your skin for a fresh and glowing skin. If you have oily skin use a gel based or aqueus moisturizer otherwise you can use a regular one meant for dry skin.

* I would suggest using "Mineral makeup" in summers to let your skin keep humidity blocked in but breathing as well with an SPF factor of 15. You can start with using the brush and swirling to pick up the minerals. Press the head of your brush against the holes of the sifter. Tap off the excess powder. There should be a light dusting of powder on the brush head. With gentle, circular motions brush onto your face. Start the application of the mineral foundation at the centre of your face – nose, chin and forehead. Buffing with the brush will bring out the qualities of the minerals and will ensure an even application. To achieve a flawless finish apply the mineral foundation in several thin layers until you reach the desired coverage.If your skin is very oily and has enlarged pores choose the pressed mineral foundation instead of a loose foundation.

* Neutral and lighter shades are perfect for eye makeup in summer. Try to use shimmery and simpler eye shadows on eye lids as such beige, golden, light brown, yellow and silver

Apply lighter coat of mascara on eye lashes during day but little bit thick coat for the evening. Finally, use eyeliner pencil of appealing colors as such slate gray, black, chocolate or aqua. It makes your eyes naturally wide and broad.

* Many women avoid blushers but it can be your beauty secret weapon. For healthy, natural color, nothing beats blush. Apply a Powder blush that makes your cheeks look naturally flushed. ALWAYS START LIGHT AND BUILD COLOR TO AVOID LOOKING LIKE A CLOWN.

* One of the summer makeup tips is to keep your lipstick intact. You can apply a coat of powder on your lips before applying lipstick as it sticks to powder and stays on lips day long. The lipstick colors going trendy this summer are frosted pinks, golden lip glows and shimmery fuchsias.

These are the few summer makeup tips that will help you look garden fresh and vibrant.

Inspired by the "Summery, youthful look" I created a look for designer Umair Zafars for his Spring/summer 2012 collection,

Get out of the house and show off your summer makeup!

Megha Grover at The International Miami Beach Fashion Week 2012

2012-03-23T22:53:00.001-07:00

Pics courtesy CarlB photos
FB: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150462083929483.376728.514484482&type=3#!/carlbphotos

Check out the making of the catalog courtesy Nevanta
http://youtu.be/Ewslk61gsOA

Girl meets Miami! Megha Grover en route to Miami

2012-03-17T23:07:00.001-07:00

It took me quite a while to sit down and write this post. Not cause I was lazy or didnt know what I wanted to say. But because I was immersed in the preparation in a milestone for my best friend.
Now that the preparation is over and the euphoric feeling has given me goose bumps I now feel its a perfect time to write this post.

I remember in 2008 sitting at my desk with my best friend Namrata behind me and another BFF Ian sitting by my side. We were all intensely looking at our computer screens and typing profusely in unison.
The 1/4 of our little world walked in, looking confused and all typing stopped. I know nowthat, that conversation changed our lives for the better. We said echoing each others thoughts " Don't think about it too much, now that you have realised your dreams and worked hard towards it, quit! We are there to support you." We said that scared ourselves wondering if this was the right advice. It was! She ofcourse spoke to other people and the passion in her eyes made everyone say the same thing. Go after your dreams.

Megha Grover our BFF is on her way to take part in The International Miami Beach Fashion Week. The only woman designer to do so in history. It may have taken some time, it definitely took a lot of hardwork, stress and sweat on Megha's part but she has taken herself to such heights and I can't wait for her to get the success she deserves.

Megha's clothing line for the Miami Beach Fashion Week is amazing. I dont say this because she is my best friend, however i remember thinking when I saw the garments during her catalog photoshoot OH MY GOD! she is soooo talented. I will share the pictures of the clothing line once her shwocase in Miami is over. Which is on the 22nd of March, at the South Beach convention Center at 21:30 Miami time.

I dont want to get into what all she has had to go through to get where she is and how much harder she might have to work to get where she wants to be. I want to savor her success. I want to constantly recall the shrieks of joy i heard when she got her visa.

I write here on behalf of all the people who love her. To tell her we're behind you. We love you! And you have always made us proud. And now its tiem for the rest of the world to know what we already did.
To get updates from Megha, join her FB page
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.141948124482.107601.514484482&type=3#!/groups/MGmembers/

Some great memories!

The Holi Moly Festival Pictoral

2012-03-11T06:56:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share with you guys the highlights of the Holi Moly Festival through a storyboard

Gabriel and I reached the venue early for 2 different reasons, He was showcasing his Road Rage Custom Builds Chopper and I wanted to document the prep work for the festival.

The stage being set for an evening of EDM! and stage right you can see the sheen of an original Road Rage Custom Builds.

oggling

The hottest and official Photographer of the festival

ENJOYING THE MUSIC

To Check out the other pics visit

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