Lipstick Masala

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 »

Photo Credit: cosmeticeyes.com

As I was walking out of a coffee shop this morning, I bumped into an absolutely stunning desi girl. She was dressed immaculately and her hair and makeup were perfection. However, her unnatural grey eyes were startling, and not in the way I expect she had wanted them to be. Her colored contacts looked incredibly odd against her complexion and took away from the beauty of her features. It was then that I got to thinking about all the desi girls I’ve run into who have chosen to replace their natural eye color with tinted contact lenses.

I have to admit, I have never been one to try colored contacts, I personally feel they look absurd. However, I’m curious to know what you all think about them. Take the poll below or sound off in the comments section. How do you all feel about desi girls with colored contacts? Are they a miracle invention for us South Asians or a beauty disaster?

[polldaddy poll=1520929]

Photo Credit: foreveramber.typepad.com

By Guest Writer Chaat Masala

Eyebrows, a universal desi problem. When did such a simple ornamental feature become so difficult. Now the battle here really is between nature and nurture. Because, as desis, we know that nature has endowed us with a veritable thicket of glorious browdom. And I say brow, because oftentimes the problem isnt thick eyebrows, it is thick eyebrow. This applies, of course to men and women. So naturally, there is a place for making yourself appear as though your ancestors stopped dragging their knuckles on the ground a couple millenia (or generations) ago. However, there is a fine line between tweezing the stray brows and well, leaving a fine line.

Reema Photo Credit: www.hipakistan.com

What you will notice is that some desi girls have a tendency to leave pencil-thin eyebrows on their faces. Personally, I always thought that was the purview of the evil sauteli ma (stepmother) characters with painted on eyebrows in Pakistan dramas, and well, Lollywood actresses (Reema comes to mind). As much as they may be the paragon of class, these pencil thin eyebrows, or painted on, have no place in the real world. Frankly, I don’t even know how the actresses do it; when the rain starts falling, as they dance around the tree in their white sari, somehow their eyebrows manage to stay painted on.

There is, of course, the other extreme-Kajol. We all know that two eyebrows are better than one. Read the rest of this entry »