Hey you beautiful! Sparkling eyes, smiling face- you’re perfectly gorgeous the way you are! A unique creation of the abundant Universe, a woman carries along bountiful beauty with her aura of love, compassion and the ability to nurture. So every woman is pretty regardless of the colour and texture of her skin and the imperfections of her features.
While nature has given each one of us a package of unique features, cosmetic companies and beauty experts have helped us enhance our beauty using the art of make-up. Although it is superficial beauty, today make-up has become an important component of every woman’s vanity bag.
The use of make-up and cosmetics in India can be dated back to the Harappa civilization. Kohl or ‘Kajal’ was made by dipping a clean muslin cloth in sandalwood paste. The cloth was then dried and burnt in a lamp of castor oil and the carbon remains were then mixed with ghee and applied on the lower edge of the eyes. Other cosmetics like lip colours and blush were made using fruit and vegetable colours. Today, the world of make-up has exponentially widened to accommodate a number of products to enhance each and every feature to get a flawlessly beautiful face.
Indian outfits, especially the traditional ones are usually characterized by vibrant hues and nature-inspired prints and embellishments. So definitely your make-up details for an Indian outfit have to be far different from the art of make-up required for western form of clothing.
Here are some guidelines to follow for being a perfect diva while donning an ethnic garment:
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Play the contour magic
Oh well yes- enhancing your features with precise contouring is as important as applying a foundation! Shade those cheekbones a little deeper to tone down your chubby cheeks and hide your double chin with a darker base on your jaw-line. With proper contouring, you can substantially correct your features and make your face more photogenic. Especially when you’re attending a party, contouring is must so that you end up looking gorgeous as your pose for the camera!
If you have a square face-cut like that of Kareena Kapoor, then shade the ends of your jaw-line a little more to soften your face-cut. And don’t forget to contour those gorgeous eyes!
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Go dramatic with winged eyeliners
The 1970s make-up hack is back! Bollywood veterans like Mumtaz, Asha Parekh, Zeenat Aman and many more carried dramatic winged eyeliners as leading actresses on screen. These days, we see not just celebrities but also college going girls wearing these winged liners in shades of black, blue and even silver!
Fashion empress Sonam Kapoor shows her love for this retro eye-liner technique. These extended liners go well with heavy ethnic silhouettes like lehenga cholis and sarees, but if you’re confident of wearing make-up anytime and anywhere, then you can wear these liners over a casual tunic as well!
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Go bold with red lips
While pink lip colour is slowly taking a back-seat, red lips have been trending for not just weddings and red carpet events, but also casual outings and office meetings. From tangy to brick red, scarlet to ruby, there are plenty of red lip shades to suit every woman’s individual taste. As for me, I’m really fond of Mac’s classic Ruby Woo and L’oreal’s Retro Red Matte!
The super gorgeous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan beautifully carries red lip colour with her maroon and cream saree. She is often spotted wearing shades of red at various red carpet events like award ceremonies and the Cannes Film Festival.
For the Indian culture, red is considered as an auspicious hue and therefore it perfectly complements all ethnic silhouettes and is a bridal favourite too! So go bold and wear those red lips to be an adorable Indian diva!
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Give in to the power of metal0073
A little shimmer of metals can well uplift your look, especially when you’re wearing a zardosi or stone work silhouette. These days, the range of metallic highlighters has moved beyond gold, silver, copper and bronze to include tinted metallic hues like rose gold, silver-blue, orange-bronze and many more. As you contour your features, you must also highlight it well using any of the available shades that would complement the work on your outfit.
For example, if your bridal lehenga is pink and has golden embellishments, then a rose gold highlighter will go well with your ensemble. The choice of highlighter should also complement your skin colour.
Huda Kattan, who is a leading beauty blogger and the head behind Huda Beauty cosmetics, gives us inspiring make-up goals by precisely highlighting her brow bones, cheeks and forehead. Metallic highlighters indeed give an appealing finishing touch to make-up.
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Bring on those heavy eye lashes
Adding a layer of false eye lashes will surely work when it comes to charming your audience effortlessly! If you’re opting for smokey eyes and nude or peach lips, then heavy eye lashes are a must! Put a double coat of mascara to make your lashes look more voluminous.
Poser queen Jacquline Fernandez looks ethereal in an elegant cream saree. Her smokey eyelids defined with heavy lashes indeed look sensual, isn’t it? And yes we would love to see her batting those eyelids with her typical mischievous grin!
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Brow Definition is perfection
Brows have become the beauty obsession of the season! You will find a lot of cosmetic companies rolling out special brow definition palettes all over the globe. Well if you’re wearing a traditional saree then you might as well be wearing a bindi and for that you will have to get your brows well defined!
In India, ‘Bindi’ is a commonly worn add-on for ethnic silhouettes. Ladies put a sticker dot or tilak between their eyebrows on the third eye chakra which is said to improve concentration.
But even if you’re not wearing a bindi, eyebrows still form an important feature and therefore should be as precisely defined as your lips!
Sonam’s Kapoor soothing desi look with understated glamour well outlined thick brows surely deserves a second glance!
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The ‘No-Makeup’ Look
Natural is beautiful and for those who abide by natural beauty can either walk in without wearing any make-up or just work on some nude and earthy shade palettes. A ‘No-Makeup’ look begins with a flawless application of primer and base with mild contouring. Use shades of blush and peach or light brown on your eyelids, cheeks and lips to keep your look completely natural.
Bollywood queen Kangana Ranaut’s natural make-up look is certainly drool-worthy. Such art works best for casual outings, business meetings as well as daytime outdoor parties when dramatic colours would look too bright against the daylight. If you’re wearing a white or pastel coloured outfit like a simple Anarkali or a georgette saree then you can opt for this art complemented with a trendy braided hairstyle or a hair-bun!
So these were our guidelines to make an impact with the right kind of make-up details for your endearing ethnic outfits. When it comes to styling, every detail is important and make-up is definitely a significant one!
So indulge in the world of make-up and keep looking beautiful!
