Lipstick Masala

Photo Credit: www.planetbollywood.com

For those of us who grew up watching Bollywood movies in the early 90s, the image of Madhuri Dixit smiling and dancing across the screen is still quite clear in our minds. But, for those of us who were into makeup even back then, the awful three inch thick foundation caked on her face is an even more vivid memory. As we entered the age of high-definition television and digital cameras, cosmetics companies began working harder at providing us with weightless makeup that made the foundation from the 1990s look like it belonged in the 1890s. Yes, we are lucky to be living in this age, but an HD lifestyle means we need to be all the more careful about finding the right color foundation, or our makeup blunders will be forever captured and posted for all to see on the latest social networking site (evidence: the foundation faux pas I shared with you in my last post).

Choosing the right foundation shade can be nerve-wracking, but there are a few tried and tested ways to make it (slightly) easier. Let me begin by saying, girls, please, do NOT let department store sales assistants pressure you into buying a foundation before you have tested it out the right way! They may mean well and seem to know what they’re talking about, but only you and those who are familiar with your features (a sister, a close friend) can truly determine if a color is right for you and your daily needs. Trust me, I’ve been through a LOT of different foundations. And by a lot, I mean almost every brand out there. Don’t stop until you find the perfect one!

The first step to choosing the right color is to determine Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: flickr.com/asadnomani44

I was introduced to the phenomenon known as “Asian Radar” my freshman year of college. My roommate used the term to describe the way we zone in on and analyze other Desi girls we see at restaurants, bars, even walking down the street. We can be catty at times – we giggle a little when we spot someone colored orange from the wrong bronzer. Yet, at the same time, we secretly wonder the name of the nail polish she’s wearing and what product she uses in her hair to make it so shiny. We are both critical and also completely fascinated by each other. On numerous occasions we even try to reproduce a look we’ve seen on another Desi, often with tragic results. Foundation too light for our skin tone. Eyeliner smudged on our eyelids. You may cringe at the thought, but the sad truth is, we’ve all committed a beauty faux pas at one time or another. How many of us have looked at old pictures of ourselves and wondered, “WHAT WAS I THINKING?!” How many times do we wish someone could have shown us how to wear our eyeliner a certain way or had helped us choose the right shade of lipstick for our school/work event?

So, who do we turn to in order to find the answers to our beauty questions? Read the rest of this entry »