Lipstick Masala

Do you have wavy hair? Don’t know quite what to do with it sometimes because it’s neither curly nor straight? Then this one is for you. I received an email recently from a reader, let’s call her “A”, asking for advice, and I wish to turn the question to you, my lovely readers. Below are my reply and suggestions, but as this site is a forum for discussion, both Lipstick Masala and “A” would love to learn from all of you. What are the products you love and swear by? Do you just flat iron because nothing else works? Share what products have worked for you so we can all prevent the dreaded “frizz ball” look!

“A”’s Dilemma:

With wavy, sometimes frizzy hair that is both thin and silky, “A” has struggled with what to do with her tresses after a shower at the gym. Blow-drying her hair is not always convenient, so she pulls it into a wet ponytail, a look she isn’t too keen on, especially when she goes out with friends after her exercise session. She asked what product she can use in a pinch that will allow her to simply “wash and go.”

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When it comes to undergarments, I have to admit I’m pretty lazy about matching them to my clothes. Recently, a good friend of mine visiting from Mumbai was horrified at my poor coordination and called me out for wearing a black bra under a yellow shirt… and a light pink shirt… and a white wifebeater (thank you JD, I needed that!). Sorry for revealing awkward personal info, but it’s for a good cause. When we’re in a rush, many of us convince ourselves that no one can realllllly see what color our bra is. Trust me girls, everyone can. That white bra that you wear under your lighter clothes? It’s like you put a neon sign around your chest – really, you might as well have gone shirtless. I realized this at a late point in my teenage years – wearing white bras is the worst thing one can do to oneself – yes, they are even worse than my black faux pas.

Fashion experts insist that we wear nude lingerie for daily wear. Why? Because it so closely resembles our own skin tone that it does not stand out the way black and white do under clothes. This may be true, but having one color of “skin tone” represent all women from fair to dark kind of defeats the idea behind nude lingerie. An African American woman is not going to feel like she’s “wearing her own skin” in a bra that was made for a Caucasian woman. And one amazing company has finally recognized this mistake Read the rest of this entry »

Orgasm. Fire down below. Deep Throat. NARS cosmetics has never shied away from using controversial labels for its products, and this season’s collection is no exception. For those of you not familiar with Vladimir Nobokov’s controversial novel, Lolita is a character that has become synonymous with youth and seduction. And now, NARS says you too can be sexually precocious with the Fall collection that emphasizes sultry eyes and enticing lips. The collection reflects, according to Francois Nars, “the modern woman – very fragile and strong at the same time.” – i.e. the independent woman who has retained her “girlish innocence.”

Now, here’s where the desi gene will kick in and you’ll begin to question whether or not such dark colors will look good on your skin tone. Don’t fall into that trap. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of attitude to embrace bold colors. Remember when black nail polish went mainstream and we were all more than a little nervous that we would look ridiculous? I now see desi women everywhere rocking the shade, myself included. Read the rest of this entry »

My poor eyes have withstood much torture in my lifetime. I have tugged at them while applying and removing makeup, rubbed them mercilessly on late nights studying or partying, and caused them to swell up countless times amidst tears for lost loves, arguments with friends and other trials and tribulations of my youth. A few years ago, this kind of abuse would have had little to no consequence – the morning after I would awake without a trace of what transpired the night before, I would be refreshed and revived. Now, I’m not so lucky. My skin does not bounce back the way it once did and I wear my fatigue or sorrow on my face like a red flag that screams, “Look at me, everyone!”

And I’m not alone. In the past few weeks I have been getting more and more requests to write on eye creams and solutions to wrinkling, dark circles and puffiness. After much research, I’ve come to a conclusion that many of you may not be too happy with – there is no one remedy to any of your under eye problems. The way we age around our eyes is a result of both genetics and our lifestyle. Therefore, any product used must be in conjunction with a change in the way you care for yourself, how much sleep you get, what you eat, etc. If you are a victim of your parents’ genes, then you will have to learn how to prevent as well as employ quick fixes to mask what you would like rather than to simply waste thousands of dollars on products that will not work. This is not always simple in the case of dark circles and wrinkles, but there are multiple ways to battle and conceal puffiness. Read the rest of this entry »

A couple of years ago, I was rejected by a boy who had come to my sister’s wedding in order to “take a look at me” for a possible rishta (proposal). His reason? I wasn’t gori (fair) enough. I admit, it stung a little, but not for long. I was more amused by the fact that I was spurned by a man I didn’t even know existed and certainly was not interested in marrying in the first place. Also, I’m not even that dark – but, even if I were, why exactly did it matter so much? As much as I would like to believe this was a one off event, it really isn’t. Many ladies insist this prejudice is restricted to uneducated families, but the truth is obsession with color is still rampant in our society, whether upper class or lower.

If you’re Pakistani, you may be a regular reader of the Sunday Magazine of the Daily Times newspaper. For those not familiar with the insert, it features the latest Pakistani fashions, designers, celebrities and social events. Their regular beauty columnist is a gorgeous, seemingly sophisticated and modern girl who Read the rest of this entry »

About a year ago, Estée Lauder became the first cosmetics company to release a vibrating mascara wand. A few months later, Lancôme followed suit with their own version that claimed speeds of 7000 oscillations a minute. For those not familiar with the product, this new mascara claimed to be a breakthrough in application. The vibrations allowed for lashes to be “ultimately extended, remarkably separated, and virtually multiplied in number.” In other words, it was the next hailed miracle product.

While the Estée Lauder and Lancôme products looked tempting, many ladies were not too pleased with the $34 price tag, and understandably so. After all, mascaras only last about three months before they dry out, especially so in the case of Lancôme. However, there seemed to be no other option, until now. In May, the drugstore brand Maybelline entered the market with their Pulse Perfection mascara, which, at $14.99, retails for less than half the price than department store brands. There are coupons available at Ulta and Walmart that lower the price even more. Read the rest of this entry »

They say your experience with acne depends greatly on how your parents fared when they were your age. As a high schooler, I was blessed with fairly clear skin thanks to my mother’s genes. But then I hit my twenties, and my father’s bloodline kicked in full force. All of a sudden I was facing my quarter-life crisis while dealing with adolescent breakouts. At dinner parties, intrusive aunties would come up to me and exclaim, “Haiiiiii betaaaa, what has HAPPENED to your skin? Ohoooo. You better put on some *insert ludicrous desi home remedy here* and scrub.”

Aunties like these really believe it’s their duty in life to point out the obvious, as though we girls do not own mirrors and have no clue as to how tired we look, how much weight we’ve gained, and as in my case, how our skin has erupted. But, that is a story for another day. As much as I wanted to dunk these outspoken aunties into the nearest bowl of chicken karahi, I realized they did have a point. Exfoliating your skin really is the first step to good skincare. Read the rest of this entry »

I have to admit, I’m one of those people who doesn’t care much about her eyebrows. I think it’s because I was born with really light ones so I don’t need to pluck very often. It’s been a blessing and a curse at the same time. Some days, I thank God I don’t have to regularly head to the salon to get them threaded like my sister and other days I longingly and jealously gaze at her brows and disastrously attempt to color them in. I mostly end up looking like Bert from Sesame Street or worse, like the Lux models on Lahori billboards from the early 90s.

The truth is, whether your eyebrows are pencil thin or caveman bushy, many of girls, myself included, tend to forget that it is just as important to take care of them as it is any other of your features. Have you ever noticed how much fresher you look once you’ve gotten rid of stray hairs? It’s because your eyebrows frame not only your eyes, but also your entire face. But, grooming your eyebrows is more than simple hair removal. If you don’t like to or don’t have time to pluck, snip, pencil or color in your brows like me, there are other things you and I can and should try to do when we make up the rest of our faces to go out. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever wanted to try bareMinerals makeup by Bare Escentuals but don’t know if you want to shell out the $$$ for a product you may not like? Are you already a user of bareMinerals and love it so much you want to stock up on the product for free? Do you like bareMinerals but wish their product controlled oil a little better?

If any of the above applies to you, head to your nearest U.S. Sephora store for their giveaway on bareMinerals’ new SPF 15 Matte Foundation. This latest product by Bare Escentuals claims to “absorb excess oil and eliminate shine without drying your skin. It [also] dramatically improves the appearance of your skin.” Well, we’re not sure about all that, but hey, free is free.

For a limited time, in honor of the launch of the new product, Sephora is offering Read the rest of this entry »