Lipstick Masala

Once upon a time, long before any of us were born, products such as blush and lipstick were only used by women of ill-repute i.e. tarts, trollops, concubines, what have you. “Ladies” did not indulge in such lewd behavior. If you had been born a “proper lady,” you would simply pinch your cheeks and hope that was enough to bring on a natural looking flush/glow. Thankfully, you and I don’t live in such a godforsaken century. Seriously, not being allowed to use blush? How did these people survive?!

Today, we can use any product we desire to enhance our natural looks without being labeled a harlot – well, most of the time anyway. I mean, we’ve all witnessed the Aunties who are a little too color happy (think Moulin Rouge – on crack). But, the point is, today we have options. We don’t have to get our blood flowing to our face by jumping up and down in place or slapping ourselves silly. Blush is now a staple part of a woman’s beauty routine – and the one item I could never do without.

Now that summer is over, and I begrudgingly greet the wintry air, I’ve shelved my “warm weather” blush shades and unpacked my favorite go-to pinks for the cold season. While peaches and corrals are still acceptable if paired with the right colors, now is the time to use the products that will further heighten that “just came in from the cold” cheek look and will also look fabulous with a winter smokey eye and nude lip. A few of you wrote in asking for my favorite pink blush shades, which for me, is akin to asking Angelina Jolie to pick the best of her umpteen children. But, for the sake of sparing your time and in order to suggest some universal colors, here are my two most-used products: Read the rest of this entry »

When I think of face powder, I immediately cringe. I can’t help it – I was traumatized as a child by the aunties of the 80s and the thick plaster and splotchy white powder they applied to their faces in order to achieve the “fair and lovely” look. As a result, I’ve often ventured out without setting my makeup with any powder at all, even risking a shiny nose or two, in the fear that I will end up looking just like the ladies that scared me in my youth. But, as much as I hate the product, sometimes it is in fact a necessary evil, especially for oilier-skinned ladies when the weather turns warmer. The problem is, many of us find it difficult to choose and apply the right kind of product for our skin types and tones. Part of the confusion stems, like with foundation, from which color to use, but the truth is, the most important choice you will make regarding your powder is which form you use, loose or pressed. And, with the proper application, you may just be able to prevent yourself from looking like the lead actress from Memoirs of a Geisha.

Like many of you, I have been the victim of sales assistants at makeup counters that don’t want to take the time out or simply don’t know enough to explain the use of certain products. When I’ve asked the difference between loose and pressed powder, I’ve been told “oh, it’s just the consistency you prefer and what’s easier for you.” Ladies, this is not the case. Yes, ease of transportation and application is a vital point, but cosmetics companies would not waste time and energy finely milling powder into two different consistencies just because they are nice and want to give us a choice. There is more to the loose versus pressed decision. Read the rest of this entry »

Wise men have said that the eyes are the window to the soul; what they forgot to mention is, the cheeks are the drapes that adorn said window. Just as one can feel the emotion emanating from your pupils, excitement is further depicted in the deep flush of your rosy apples while despair can be perceived through your sallow, colorless skin. But, unlike the eyes, which cannot be masked, the cheeks are yours to camouflage – you can imitate the perfect pink cheeks with the right blush and dupe the world into seeing exactly what you want it to.

But, before you excitedly reach for your favorite makeup brush, stop for a minute and inspect the consistency of your blush. What most ladies tend to forget is that just as with products like foundation and eyeliner, it is important to find the right formula for your cheeks before settling on a color. The wrong consistency can exacerbate red, bumpy skin while the right one can give off the impression of “just coming in from the cold” winter cheeks.

We are given a myriad of options when it comes to blush: cream, liquid, creamy liquid, cream sticks, stains, tints, powder, the list is endless. So, which one to choose? The answer is a mixture of preference, weather and most important, skin type. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve all seen the photos of the unfortunate girl with the caked on foundation too light for her skin tone and have gone out of our way to make sure we don’t end up like her. But, in our desperate attempts to make sure our neck matches our jawline, many of us end up neglecting another area on our face prone to a similar error in color judgment – the circle of skin around our eyes. While some are less noticeable than others, many ladies are sporting panda eyes (black liner encompassed by a ring of white ) that shine from across the room like two bright halos. Incorrect shade choices and application techniques are to blame for this dreaded effect that can easily be avoided by keeping a few key pointers in mind. While both the concealer as well as the method of application are important, we’ll focus today on how to make sure you have the right color on hand, step one in total eradication of the Panda flu infecting ladies everywhere.

The first mistake most girls make is in picking the wrong consistency of concealer, understandable seeing as there are enough options out there to confuse anyone. Textures range anywhere from dry, solid sticks to creamy pots to tubes and wands of liquidy cover-up. So what is the best choice for you? Several factors come to play in this decision, your age, your skin type, what exactly you are trying to conceal and obviously, your skin tone. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: images.blastro.com

How many times have we all flipped through magazines and lusted after that seemingly unattainable glow-y look that radiates on faces like Jennifer Lopez and Gisele Bundchen? Don’t worry, cosmetics companies have you covered. With Summer drawing near, shimmer powders that made their debut in the winter will be disappearing off shelves, and we’ll be flooded with new lotions and liquid highlighters promising to help our face gleam, shine, all of the above. However, don’t put away your winter shimmer powders just yet, Spring is the best time to use them – they add a little glow to your face that’s safe for the crossover of the seasons and are not overwhelming to those around you. Even though it’s April, it’s still cold outside. Arriving to work, a party or class with your face dripping with “dew” like it’s the middle of July is just not okay (trust me I’ve been there). It’s best to keep it low key and stick to the winter products for just a little bit longer.

So what exactly is the deal with the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick? We’ve all had our eye on it, but we just can’t decide whether or not to go ahead and buy it. There are just too many conflicting reviews and at almost $40 a pop, we don’t want to invest in something that won’t work, or that we just won’t know how to apply. Here’s the honest truth: Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: www.beautysource.com

Winner of multiple beauty awards, NARS Orgasm blush is hailed as one of the best on the market. For those of you that either use the product or know friends who do, you will agree when I say girls everywhere gush about the gentle flush and natural glow brought on by Orgasm. At a recent wedding event for a friend I was not surprised to find that more than half the Desi females there have used or wish to try out this supposed wonder product, my mother included!

So is Orgasm blush really worth all the hype? Or, is it just another overrated product that continues to sell because of genius marketing? Read the rest of this entry »

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 »