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 »

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 »

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 »