READER QUERY: Tips For Natural Looking Makeup

Hi Samyukta,

Thankyou for your response !

I am a make-up fan, however, don’t like patchy/loud makeup..After seeing your nude make-up, I’ve fallen in love with it and would be keen to learn the techniques…Also, would like an advice on whether it will suit me & what best colours could go with my complexion...I would appreciate if I could be one of the selective few to understand this style from you J

Regards

Reshma Suri

Thank you Reshma for your kind words :) I am so glad you liked my nude/natural makeup look and would like to try it out for yourself too :) I feel honored...

Here are a few looks of mine in neutral/nude makeup...

If you observe all these looks closely, you'll notice a pattern... Glowing skin, defined lips and healthy glossy lips. So we're gonna see how we can achieve that today...

Now before I start with various techniques and pointers to achieve a flawless natural lool here is a list of tools and products that we shall be needing:

1. A blending brush 

    I recommend either Faces 106 or MAC 227 brush

2. A neutral eye shadow or an eye shadow palette

    I recommend either Maybelline Diamond Shine eye shadow quad in Copper 

    Brown or MUFE Star Powder in Shade 940 or actually any neutral shade that 

    you have would do :)

3. A nice highlighter and bronzer

    I love using the Lakme Absolute Moonlit Highlighter Duo.

4. A Nude Lipstick (Matte preferable)

    This should be any lipstick that looks nude on you. I recommend either 

    Colorbar Velvet Matte Lipstick in Bare or any of the nude MAC lippies... I 

    personally prefer MAC Taupe :)

5. A Clear Lipgloss

    I love using Body Shop's Lip Treatment Gloss in Beige Sparkle. You could use 

    any of your favorite clear glosses :)

6. A light to medium coverage foundation which gives a dewy finish 

    rather than a matte look.

    I have dry skin and I swear by these three foundations: Maxfactor's Second 

    Skin Foundation, TBS Extra Virgin Minerals Cream Compact Foundation and   

    MAC Mineralize Compact Foundation with SPF15. 

7. A Concealer

    If you don't have a dark circles problem you can easily get away with 

    Colorbar's Stick Concealer. I use it and love it! If your dark circles' problme is 

    more persistent I would suggest MAC Select CoverUp concealer. 

Now for the basics... When doing a nude/natural makeup there are the basic steps,

1. Since we shall be using only nude/neutral colors, it is important to give your maximum efforts to your skin. We need the skin to look flawless and polished. Avoid going for a matte look as it tends to look severe. Rather aim at making your look glowy and dewy :) It automatically takes years of your face and makes one look fresh and attractive.

2.  Try to use a light coverage foundation if you already have good skin... Go for medium coverage if there are a few areas that you want to cover up. DO NOT use a heavy coverage foundation. It ends up looking all "made up" and hence defeats the purpose of a natural looking makeup :)

3. Use concealer on the under-eye region. Yes using a concealer is a must. You can skip other regions, but under eye concealing should not be skipped. It can make or break your whole look in a second!

4. Use the concealer under your foundation!

5. If you wish you could finish off the base makeup with a finishing powder especially if you are worried about oiliness. I generally do not use a finishing powder cause not using one works for me better than using one :)

If you are using a finishing powder be sure to use one without any glitter or reflecting particles!

6. Once you are done with your base, apply your eye primer and then your neutral eye shadow on your lid with a flat eye shadow brush in a "pat-pat" motion. Do not rub or swipe the shadow but "pat" it to apply for better pigmentation.

7. Next taking a blending brush, blend the edge of the eye shadow in the crease area in a wiper motion. This basically blends out the harsh edges of the eye shadow and gives a more "natural" look to your eyes :)

8. Next apply a brown liner on your LOWER lashline. And apply a thin black line of liner on your upper lashline. The key is to have a lighter liner on your lower lashline and a darker shade on the upper lashline. This makes the eye pop up and not look tired!

9. Then apply some highlighter shade to your browbone area. I strongly recommend MAC Ricepaper for skintones NC36 to NC45.

10. Finish off the eye makeup with a lavish coat of volumizing mascara :)

11. Next apply a neutral looking cream blush patting it with your fingers... Then apply a matte powder blush of your choice on top of it very lightly.

12. Apply your favorite nude lippy and top it off with a hint of clear gloss only in the middle of your upper and lower lip.

13. Finally finish off with a sweep of highlighter on your cheekbones, bridge of your nose and the center of your forehead. 

Optional 

Now, these optional tips are to be followed according to season and occasion.

1. If it's Summer, instead of the cream and powder blush combo, you could use a bronzer on your cheekbones and the bridge of your nose and bit on your chin. This gives a sun-kissed look.

2. If it's the rainy season, be sure to go for water-proof makeup and instead of a nude lippy go for a bright shade like Coral/Pink. 

3. If it is the Winter season, you can go for a richer shade of lipstick like Berry, Plum or Fuschia Pink or my favorite Red :)

4. If the occasion asks for a "dressy" look, instead of a neutral eye shadow go for a golden eye shadow and instead of nude lips go for a brighter shade.

5. If you are getting ready for office, you can altogether skip the highlighter.

6. Finally, if you just want a change from the routine natural looking makeup, use a pink eye shadow on your lids and define your lower lashline with kohl instead of a brown liner :) But remember to line your upper lash line with a black liner.

OR

Line your upper lashline with a fun, colored liner like Metallic Blue, Silver Grey or even Green :)

I hope this post helps you Reshma and even anyone wants to add anything else then please do so through the comments section :D 

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Reader Query: Light Makeup for an Indian Wedding

Jayde asks,

Hey Samyukta,

I've got my brother's wedding coming up and I'm not a big fan of heavy make-up and only ever use nivea lipbalm on my lips. But one of my Bhabhi's (sister-in-laws) decided that we are all going to get dolled up! 

I have incredibly fair indian skin and have been burdened with quite thin lips. I want quite a natural look rather than walking in looking like a clown, so no typically bright colours. What natural colours and make up brands would you recommend to enhance my lips?

 

P.S. 

Yeah, I live in the UK unfortunately. We are mixed race - my mum was Spanish and my Dad is Indian Gujarati. However, my dad's features turned out to be more dominant, so I have deep dark brown curly hair and brown eyes with fair skin.

My brother will be having a traditional Gujarati wedding ceremony based in London, so what would you advise? Nothing too bright? I'll be wearing a turquoise Saree if that helps in any way .. 

Hey Jayde, first off I just cannot stop imagining how exotic your looks must be with a mix of Spanish and Indian in your genes :) Secondly "thin" lips are never an issue cause I myself have them and have been "enhancing" since eternity now ;) LOL... 

 

Now since you say you are wearing a Turquoise saree, I am praying that it has golden accents rather than silver and so I would suggest you to go for a light golden wash of eye shadow on your eyes. Suggestion: MAC All That Glitters (hands down!), some kohl, liquid liner and lots of mascara :) Its an Indian wedding after all :D

If by chance your saree has silver accents, then DO NOT use a silver eye shadow. Instead go for something shimmery neutral like MAC Ricepaper/Nylon or MAC Loose Pigment in Naked

 

Now for the lips, I would have worn Red lipstick ;) but since you specifically want something not very bright, then I would suggest some soft pink lipsticks in a glossy or shiny finish. Stay away from matte lippies as they make the lips look more severe and hence thinner :( Now am not too sure about the brands that you get in the UK but I am guess MAC is a common brand between us for sure so I'll stick to that :) Lipstick suggestions: MAC Craving, MAC Angel, MAC Syrup.

Also you could altogether give a lipstick a miss and go for MAC cremesheen lipglass in "Double Dare"... Its an opaque glossy pink gloss... Gorgeous for warm skinned beauties :)

The trick behind "enhancing" thin lips is to make it look hydrated and glossy. Dry/matte lips look thin while glossy lips look more plumped up and well "juicy" :P

 

Also do go for a peachy, corally blush. Preferably matte as you'll be having a shiny lip... Suggestion: MAC Immortal Flower, MAC Springsheen (though it isn't matte) and MAC Margin. Remember to apply it really lightly.

 

Even if you plan to forgo the eye makeup, do wear loads of mascara. The Lip makeup and the blush are a must though :)

Oh and for your face do apply a light foundation. MAC Mineralize Cream Foundation in the compact form gives a light coverage that you can build up easily if need be :)

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READER QUERY: Some Simple and Natural Looking Make-Up Ideas

Rupali asks,


Hello ma'am,
This is Rupali.. a computer science lecturer at an engineering college.
I visited ur blog today..its really wonderful.. thanx for all the info that u've provided there.. u r doing a gr8 job. i think i would be regular reader of ur blog now:)
Actually i needed some help.. this week my would be in-laws r coming to see me for the first time..and i want to present the best of mine in front of them. but the problem is i dont even know the abcd of makeup.

can u just help me out in doing makeup which makes me look no less than my would be husband, who's a handsome guy staying in johaanesburg?? one thing to point out here is that the makeup should be as natural as possible, i.e. light, sober, not gaudy. my skin type is oily & wheatish . To keep it clean i use besan-haldi, lemon juice & aloe vera extract.

looking forward to your response..
thanx & regards

Hey Rupali... First off congratulations on such a happy occasion :) Secondly I must say that you have nailed it right when you say that you want to keep your makeup light and sober and not gaudy :)

If you have healthy, blemish free skin then I would suggest you to totally forgo a foundation. If by chance you do have some blemishes, go for either a Tinted Moisturiser or take a bit of foundation that matches your skin tone, mix 1-2 drops of it with your daily moisturiser and apply it all over your face and neck :)

Define your eyes with kajal on the lower waterline and apply a line of a liquid liner on your upper lashline followed by mascara. If you are feeling confident enough, apply a light/neutral shade of eye shadow on your lids before applying the liner. Do not mix 2-3 colors... Just apply one shade and make sure it is NOT matte but a pretty shimmery neutral shade :) Avoid black, blue, green and red eye shadows at all costs :P A wash of pale golden would also look good :) Just remeber to keep a light hand :D

My product suggestions:
Kajal: Maybelline gel liner
Liquid Liner: Lakme Style Artist Liner in Black

Wear a light neutral pink lipstick in a satin or creamy finish. Avoid frosted as well as matte lipsticks. I would suggest Maybelline Colorsensational's Blushing Brunette Lipstick... Try to avoid wearing brown lipsticks as they make one look a bit more matured than their age ;)

And apply a hint of blush on the apples of your cheeks and lightly extend it towards your ears... My recommendations would be either Maybelline's Apricot Flush or Colorbar's Floral Fucsia.

Hope you get the desired results and all the best ;)

If anyone would like to add anything more, you are all please welcome :) Let us all help Rupali out as much as we can :)

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Makeup Trends for Summer 2011

With a warm good bye to the winters and a cheery Aloha to the summers, it is that time of the year when new trends in make-up are set and thus followed!

Ramps all over are either ablaze with various pops of color or are seen serene and calm in nude looks (strictly make-up!)... This contrast in trends is forecasted to be a lot of fun this season and will give one a lot of scope to experiment and play around with colors! Yay! What FUN!

So listing out the trends for the upcoming season:

1. BOLD LIPS

Now this isn’t really a new trend! Bold lips have been doing the rounds on the fashion circuit for quite sometime now and they still have another season to stay! Colors that are most in vogue this summer are bright reds, bright pinks and bright berries. The keyword here is bright and with neutral eyes and cheeks you are all set to go!

2. BRIGHT EYES

Dior chose to add a lot of attention to the eyes of the models and thus opted for bright colored eye shadows in the fashion week. This trend focuses more on enhancing one’s eyes and if the shape of your eyes is gorgeous then this trend is for you! The idea is to make one’s look graphic and playful by using single bright colored shadows like Coral, Orange, Fuschia, Turq Blue, Neon Green and even Yellow! Paired with nude lips and a hint of blush, you are all set to paint the town RED!

3. NUDE MAKE-UP

This trend is all about flawless skin, innocent looks and natural beauty. As this look suits all ages, thus it is a very popular trend. The idea is to prime your face, apply concealer and foundation with light coverage, just a hint of blush, a brown or grey eye liner and a nude or clear lip gloss and you are all set to rock this look! With make-up as nude or natural as this, you might need to accessorize a bit more!

4. BRONZE MAKE-UP

This trend translates to "one step ahead of Nude Make-up" and is a favorite with a lot of people during the summers. It aims at providing a natural, glowy look and creates a warm sun-kissed look. This can be achieved by wearing a tinted moisturizer, a subtle bronze eye shadow and a bronzer or bronze blush to your cheeks. A coral, peach or nude gloss looks best with this. This look is enhanced when one's hair is done in an updo!

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