ALL AGLOW::

SHIMMER'N SHINE
TO BE THE LIFE OF A PARTY, START AT YOUR DRESSING TABLE. PERFECT YOUR LOOK, CURVE THOSE LOVELY LIPS AND WEAR YOUR ATTITUDE. APARNA GUPTA PUTS TOGETHER A PARTY MAKE-UP MANUAL AND ALSO UNRAVELS THE KEY LOOKS OF THE SEASON

Since party make-up is all about being special, the entire look should be glamourous, colourful and celebratory, believes Vimi Joshi, senior make-up artist, M.A.C who’s a regular feature at Milan and New York Fashion weeks.

Get Your Look Together

Work on your ‘look’ keeping in mind what dress, footwear and accessories you would be sporting. Once that’s decided, decide what kind of face would you like to put forward in the party — soft ‘n romantic or dramatic ‘n striking or red carpet diva? Decide textures accordingly… whether you want to take the sophisticated matte route or take the natural ‘n dewy path.

Colour Coded

People are in the mood to have fun so there is no harm in wearing the same attitude on your face. Keep the colour of your dress in mind and let your creativity run wild. Especially with your LBD, you can choose any hue from the colour palette. “Black is the perfect backdrop, against which you can flaunt any colour – green, blues, oranges, pinks – anything goes.When it comes to red, immediately I think of four looks: first, nude eyes, with red lips, lots of mascara; second smokey eyes with nude lips, third green eyes with red lips and fourth pink eyes with nude lips,” says Vimi.

Experiment With Colours

Wear dark purple eyes with a peach mouth one night, and on another go with a dewy mouth and wide open mascara-ed lashes. Hues of the season: pinks, lavenders and purples, but you can make your own rules.

Step-by-step guide: Vimi Joshi feels that the secret to a glamourous look lies in getting the basics perfect and gives insider make-up tricks for that flawless finish…

	First ask yourself a few questions: What colour will I be wearing? This will determine the colours you choose. For what and where am I heading? The
	place and the occasion—how formal or casual it is — will decide the intensity of the look you select. How do I feel today? Finally this question determines your look. Do I feel romantic, do I feel flirty, do I feel energetic or do I just want to relax?
	Then evaluate how busy you have been through this season? If you have been overworked at office or have been having a lot of late nights, then take
	the corrective step and hydrate your skin. Spray on some Studio Moisture Fix which is a great concoction of green tea, cucumber and chamomile. Let the skin soak its benefits for a couple of minutes before moving on to the next step. Soften lips with an emollient lip balm.
	Next reach for the M.A.C Studio Moisturizer. This product has a patented time release formula, which keeps your skin hydrated for over 18 hours.
	Loaded with vitamins and minerals, every now and then it sends out bursts of hydration. Take care to apply it downwards as upward strokes can end up messing up the facial hair. The secret to beautiful skin is how you moisturise and hydrate your skin. Lots of women don’t go for the moisturiser instead they head for the foundation directly. That’s the very start of a disaster.
	Once your skin is supple and moist, next is the primer’s turn and this sets the stage for your make-up application. A primer gives the skin a beautiful
	velvety finish, evens out the complexion and prepares the skin for the foundation to smoothly set in.
	Comb the brows. A step oft forgotten, it instantly frames the face. Combing the brows is like ironing your clothes as it gives the face a sophisticated
	touch.
	Bust those dark circles with M.A.C’s orange corrector, which neutralises the blue underneath the eye area. Next warm up the area with concealer and
	your dark circles will disappear instantly. Just the concealer tends to grey the area whereas orange neutralises the blue underneath the dark circles giving it a natural sheen.
	Blend, blend and blend—this is the secret to a flawless complexion. You must have the five essential brushes: buffing foundation brush, thick contouring
	brush, eyeshadow brush 339, fluffy blending brush and eyebrows brush which can be used on the lips as well.
	Blend a little liquid foundation (remember less is more) for a wonderful dewy look.
	With your skin glowing, you’re almost ready to go. To add that winning edge, contour your face with a highlighter. However the key lies in not overdoing
	it. You don’t want shimmer or shine all over your face but just selected areas (temples, above the cheekbones, chin). When the light catches the shimmer, your ‘chiselled’ face will glow.
	Now apply some creamy blush on the apples of your cheeks. Colour your eyes and lips, and you’re all set to rock the party!

Tip: When it comes to lips, deviate from your regular browns and peaches and experiment. Perk up your regular gloss with a touch of bright neon pink lipstick right in the centre of lips. The effect will be stunning!

Party Make-up Quick Fixes

When there's no time to lose between the boardroom meeting and the cocktail party, spruce up your ‘look’ by focusing on a few key aspects. Make-up and hair expert, Clint Fernandes shares some quick make-up fixes for:

	Dull Complexion: Wash your face with a brightening facewash. Moisturise your skin and use a luminous liquid foundation. Avoid matte textures as they absorb light. Blend a little shimmer on the cheeks and you are ready to dazzle! Dream product: Chanel Teint Innocence as it allows the skin’s natural glow to show through, evens out skin tone and conceals imperfections.

	Tired Eyes: If you have about five minutes to spare, apply some eye mask and close your eyes. A good pack will reduce puffiness and perk up the eye area instantly. If that’s asking for too much then keep some eye drops such as I-Tone or I-Cool handy. These also help relieve tired eyes and bring that lively spark back. Now for the make-up, match the eyeshadow to either your dress or your skin tone. Trick to open up your eyes: smudge a lighter colour to the eyelid up to the socket. Instead of a liner, use a kohl pencil. And for that glam appeal, take out your mascara and let your eyes speak. Dream product: La Prairie Cellular Eye Contour cream is a moisture-nourishing treatment that can also act as an SOS and minimise fine lines and puffiness besides providing an ideal base for make-up.

	Chapped Lips: Apply loads of lip balm and let the formulation seep through as your work on other facets of your face. Then for that lovely pout, apply some lip plumper. Then as a final touch, apply some gloss or shimmer powder just at the centre of the lips.

	Unruly Hair: If you want a chic party look, you will have to take some effort in the morning before you rush to work. Shampoo and condition your hair, towel dry and spray a heat protecting spray through. Section off hair into six even parts. Secure the roller with the pins that came with your hot-roller set. Mist hair with hair spray and allow rollers to do their job for anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes. At work, tie your curled tresses in a banana clip and open up those curls once you are headed for the party!

Of course, all this can work wonders if stock your cosmetic kit with the right beauty essentials.

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