All of us are awaiting eagerly for the festival of raksha bandhan on August 3. Looking glamorous and beautiful on this special occasion is all about choosing the right shades of cosmetics. Selecting them according to skin colour and tone is as essential as learning the techniques of application. Beauty expert Shahnaz Husain will guide you.
It is a good idea to have some natural treatment too. Watermelon juice is a good skin toner and relieves dryness too. It cools, refreshes and softens the skin. Apply on the face and wash off with plain water after 20 minutes. Fruits like banana, apple, papaya, orange can be mixed together and applied on the face. Keep it on for 20 to 30 minutes. Then wash off with water. It cools the skin, cleanses dead cells and removes tan.
Mix cucumber juice with two teaspoons of powdered milk and one egg white into a smooth paste. Apply on face and neck and rinse off with water after half an hour.
If you have oily skin, mix one tablespoon of multani mitti with rose water into a paste and apply on the face. Wash off when dry.
After applying face mask, take two of the cotton wool pads soaked in rose water and use them as eye pads. Squeeze out the rose water and then apply on closed lids. Lie down and relax. Used tea bags can also do the trick. Soak them in a little warm water, squeeze out the water and apply on the eyes like eye pads.
To soften rough, bushy or frizzy hair, mix some water with creamy hair conditioner and put it in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on the hair. Then comb the hair, so that it spreads through the hair.
For make-up, one must remember that raksha bandhan is usually celebrated during the day. Daytime make-up has to be light and carefully done. If you have a clear skin, leave out foundation. After cleansing, apply a sunscreen with a built-in moisturiser. Then apply powder. Translucent powder, like a baby powder, is good. For oily skin, apply astringent lotion instead of moisturiser. Then apply compact powder. Pay attention to the oily areas of the face, like nose, forehead and chin. Press the powder all over the face and neck, with a slightly damp sponge. This helps it to set and last longer. If you wish to apply blusher, use less and blend well. Blush-on should be like a gradual flush on the face.
For eye make-up, stick to eye pencils during the day. Or line your eyelids with brown or grey eye shadow. This gives a softer effect. Then, apply only one coat of mascara, which helps to make the eyes look darker and brighter.
For lipstick, avoid very dark colours, like dark maroon. Go for light pastel colours, pink, mauve, light browns, copper or bronze. The colours should not be too intense. Or, use only lip gloss. First outline the lips with a lip pencil, same shade as your lipstick. Fill in colour with a lipstick brush.
You can also try out a new hairstyle, like putting up your hair with fancy hair clips or ribbons. Wearing flowers in the hair can be quite alluring. Long hair is very much the trend, with cascading waves or curly and bouncy hair. Go for the softer look, with curls or natural waves, in the lower half of the hair. The classic ponytail is dictating trends. It suits most face shapes.
A ponytail is an easy hairdo. With ribbons, or other hair accessories, it can even provide a touch of glamour. One can have a ponytail for a formal or an informal look. For a long face, wear a low pony tail and have a light long fringe falling straight down. For an oval face, wear it with a side-swept fringe. For a square jawed face, have wisps of long curls falling down on either side of the face, just beyond jaw level. It will suit a round face too. Or you can put the hair up with the help of hair clips.
While choosing foundation for a very fair skin, go for beige with a rosy (pinkish) tint. For fair skin, use beige, pink or orange undertones. For eye colours, a brown eyebrow pencil may be more suitable than black. Apply dark brown or dark grey eyeshadow over black eyeliner. It will tone down the stark black look. For fair skin, try pinks and reds for blushers and avoid dark colours in lipstick.
Most Indians have wheatish complexion. Go for water-based foundations. Choose a colour as close to skin colour as possible. Avoid choosing lighter colour foundation. It will not provide a smooth finish but give a mask-like effect. Use bronze or brown eye shadow. Add a touch of gold under the brow. For blusher, try bronze. For the lips, go for warm earthy colours, like coral, wine, plum, red and shades of red. A dark pink or rose-red would look good too. Avoid maroon, bright orange or very pale pink. The lip liner colour and lipstick colour should be the same.
Dusky or olive complexions look better with brownish beige shades of foundation. For blushers, avoid mauves and light pink. Go with darker pink or even some brown shades. A highlighting powder will add to the glow. Try it on your cheeks along with your nose and forehead. For eye make-up, go for darker brown shadow or try bronze or silver. For dusky complexion, dark eyes look captivating. So go for black eyeliner and mascara. Apply eyeliner and smudge with a cotton bud or apply eye shadow over it. Go for gloss for the lips and nude shades in lipstick would be good to bring out the glow in the complexion.
If you have dark skin, choose liquid foundations instead of a creamy one. The foundation should not be lighter than your skin tone. Try to get one which is as close to your normal skin colour as possible. Try out foundation colours in natural brown tones. When you apply foundation and powder, your aim should be for a lighter coverage. Special attention should be paid to blending. Avoid white and light coloured shadows. Soft brown combined with darker brown would be good. Use a kaajal pencil to outline the eyes. This can have a stunning effect on dark skin. For blusher, try a dark rose pink colour for the day and shade of bronze, plum or wine for the night. For special occasions at night, use a touch of gold.
For lips, a dark complexion looks good in vibrant colours. Go for warmer tones like coral, bronze, red and wine. Try mixing two colours to get the shade that suits your skin.
