I remember this wedding I was invited to recently; an old college friend of mine was getting married and I was really excited to go. Who wants to miss a big, fat desi wedding? Not me! Fast forward to the day of the wedding, all of us waited with bated breath to see what the bride looked like. To put it pleasantly, the makeup was gaudy enough for the theatre. Needless to say, the photographs weren’t quite flattering. Raised eye brows everywhere. Commiserations apart, that got me thinking… What’s the fine line while doing your makeup that can make ‘glowing’ look ‘ghastly’? What are the basic rules that we often overlook in our quest to paint a better picture of ourselves?
1. Set the (under) tone right
Nothing sets it like a good base. While choosing a foundation for your skin, make sure it matches your undertone. Most of us from the Indian subcontinent are warm-toned and need foundations with a yellow undertone to complement our skin and look natural.
Anything with a pink undertone will not only wash warm-toned beauties out; it will also make the skin look ashy. A good makeup base should be the exact colour and tone of your skin. So, instead of matching your foundation to your inner wrist, match the shade to your chin where the skin is more likely to be closer to the shade on your face.
2. Foundation isn’t a fairness cream
Most Asians are obsessed with pale skin. The need to get ‘fair’ and ‘lovely’ manifests itself almost everywhere, from matrimonial advertisements to marriage ceremonies themselves. The most commonly made mistake with foundation is choosing one that is too light for your skin. Not only does this make your skin look grey; it also looks really artificial. In this case, the foundation does tend to look worse over time, sometimes even oxidising on itself, leaving behind a sorry picture. Choose a good quality foundation that matches your skin and leaves a radiant glow.
3. Eyes or Lips?
The cardinal rule of makeup is to highlight any ONE feature that you’d want the focus to be on. If you are opting for a sultry, smoky eye, go easy on the lips and choose a nude or earthy toned lip colour. If you want to follow Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone’s style and want to opt for a nice, bright lip, then go easy on the eye makeup and opt for a soft, shimmery shadow on the lids instead. Never go all out for dramatic eyes and lips together, unless it’s Halloween.
4. Too-thin eyebrows
Defined brows are the hallmark of a beautiful face. The most common mistake most girls make is over-plucking or over-threading their brows. Thin, scanty brows not only make your nose seem bigger; they also make you seem older than you are. Perfect brows should start off quite thick at the base, gently arch and then taper. The thickness also varies at these three levels. Grow out your brows for a bit to get rid of excess plucking. You could also use a good powder to fill in gaps.
5. Too-dark lip-liner
Admittedly, everyone has had this phase and it is no longer okay to do it. Period.
The thing about makeup is – it has to blend well; stark lines and patches seem shabby and unattractive. Blending your makeup well is important for that finished, airbrushed look.
Rachel has a deep passion for wellness and beauty and regularly
writes on wellness, skincare and travel. Rachel can be found on
Instagram @cookielibrary