Power Blushes

Do you crave for the radiance of an immortal?Do you want to bask in the glow of iridescent shimmers?
The best way to achieve them is through a blush.I've used the term "Power Blushes" because I'll be telling you about the metamorphosis you can get after their usage.
A blush is a colour that represents the tinge of colour that blood impart on your skin.People have different skin and different tones hence different blushes.We always tend to buy the one that appeals to our eyes or else like most of the Indian women,we're scared of using blushes.
A blush or rouge comes in million form and million textures but their ultimate purpose is the same,to give you ethereal radiance.To group them widely,blushes comes in textures like:-

• cremes- very useful for people with dry skin as they have moisturising emollients
• powders- trustworthy friends of oily skinned people as they absorb excess oil and add more clarity
• gel- they tend to dry up on the skin and mimic a natural flush
• mousse- here its all about gliding and blending
• camouflage- used for people with skin ailments who crave to look beautiful

With the effect we desire,blushes can be divided into: -

• Highlighters that reflect as much light as they can and create a halo of glowing healthy skin
• Contourers that enhance the elevations and depressions of the face adding dimension and depth.

So next time you choose a blush,buy the one that meets your needs and the part you want to accentuate.

A raspberry or pink blush is good for white and fair skin.

Medium toned skins can use copper and rust colours.

Dark tones can use reds.

Peaches and pinks make you look healthy and bright.Taupes add a watery shine to your cheeks.Purples and mauves attract light and add a glow.Biege and browns neutralise and contour to maximum perfection.Oranges and golden yellows make you appear sunkissed.

Ciao

My Shiseido booty

As I said that I don't stick to trends and new things all the time.....this is the example of it.
This is my recently bought Shiseido booty from La Galleria,Bandra.
You can envy on the number of samplers and travel size stuff I've got.
I bought : -

Shiseido Multi shade enhancer in Terracotta Glow for Rs.2100
(Summer 2006 collection)
The Silky Quad eyeshadow in Lights and Shadows for Rs.1750
(Holiday collection)
Lipgloss in Night Berry
(Holiday 2006 collection)

I wasn't fascinated with their Summer 2007 collection but surely M gonna buy the Eyeshadow quad called Lunar Phases from their Fall 2007....

Ciao

Fall for the evenings....

Sometimes to re-create some looks its not that necessary to stick to the current trends.Sometimes the makeup collections that come in certain seasons are so unique and diverse,that I feel its allright to stick to them.

I like the way Priyanka Chopra carries her blush by the way.If you ask me,then I'd suggest the Shiseido Multi Shade Enhancer in 2 Terracotta.

This is from their collection of summer 2006 and is one of the most ravishing products Shiseido has made taking into consideration "Global beauty".

Capture the healthy glow of summer with this exciting face powder that adds depth,dimension and sheer dazzle.Five warm colors,some sparkle and a silky texture spread evenly for a polished look.

The colors in the palette are Sand,Caramel,Cinnamon,Cocoa and Saffron.

How-to-use: -

Mix the five colors and brush under the cheekbones and along the facial contours to add dimension and give a healthy look.Then,miz two colors and brush naturally over the top of the cheekbones and over the T-zone for a highlighter effect.

No wonder its a Tom Pecheux creation....

And it suits the Indian skin the best as sun kisses us the most.....

Dainty Buys

Hi,
Today I'm going to discuss on a topic that is very sensitive and gives nightmares to "Budget women"........its about "How to buy expensive makeup and how much to buy?"
This question is so obvious to appear in every girl's or rather woman's mind and this craving needs a background of a newly found vitamin which was always there...VIT-M!!Most women and always their husbands are stressed of the fact of not letting themselves loose in a COUTURE makeup section and trying to buy cheaper alternatives to pacify the mind.Personally I dont think it is wrong in buying an exclusive piece of makeup rather than buying a tonne of cheaper versions.
So here I am going to tell you the benefits and advantages of high end branded makeup and how do you plan to buy them.

ADVANTAGES over dirt cheap versions: -

1. The high end brands are the ones from which the dirt cheap versions are copied, always, so why buy the drugstore brand when you can buy the original version.
2. The ingredients used in high-end brands most of the times are of highest quality and does not react with skin most of the times.Drugstore or dirt cheap brands claim so but they aren't sure of their own claims.
3. High end brands are costly but they have an excellent pay-off.These cosmetics never ditch you at the last moment.
4. The colours used in the high end brands and their formulations as well are so unique sometimes that you don't get an alternative to that colour.eg Lancome's Sensational Eyeshadow in Sentimental blue {Loreal trio in Milla Jovovich has the same blue too but the pay-off is bad and so is the texture}

There are millions more but these are the most realistic ones.

Buying high-end brands needs a lot of research and planning and lots of guts (I mean it after remembering my first incidence at the Shiseido counter).Here are some tips that my dear readers might find useful {in India}....

• Regularly check the websites of high end brands to view their latest collections.
• Research over the reviews that people write online for the makeup products that they have used.
• Check their approximate prices at Sephora website.{btw the good news is Sephora is coming to India}
• Whenever a product is launched in India, people do take sometime to console themselves.This time taken could go for months so by the time consoling is done you'll gather much money to buy the paint you desire.
• Save some money aside so that you can indulge yourself at least once in 4-5 months.
• Always look for palettes.I know they are costlier but then they have a more colours to experiment and they come slightly cheaper when you think of buying individual colours.for eg.Shiseido eyeshadow palette costs you Rs.1700 with a 4 colours and infinite possibilities but the mono eyeshadow costs Rs.1350.The palette is cheaper isn't it.The companies though are very smart not to include the same colours in their mono and quad versions but then you have more choice in the latter.
• Indulge over buying only lipsticks,liglosses,powders,mascaras and eyeshadows if you're a budget buyer.The other products especially nailpolishes are not so exclusive although its the matter of choice.
• Call the counter person from where you desire to buy the product in advance.It gives you a faint idea of the availability of the product,stock and sometime pre-booking the product especially if its the hottest selling one.It looks professional too.for eg. people at La Galleria,Bandra are so good and sweet.They made me available a palette from discontinued version of Shiseido summer 2006 collection which I came to know an year after.I simply wanted the palette and with a little here-n-there from the counter girl Harsha I got it.
• Always keep a 100 or 200 bucks extra in case you like something else from that brand as the website stuff is flattering but the actual product may not be so.
• See that you buy for only and solely personal use until and unless you are a celebrity or a professional.Sharing leads to contamination which decreases the shelf life of your costly product.And how many indulgences of our do we share with others.
• Keep the things you buy in a cool dry place.Better idea is to buy a makeup case.

Once you buy a high end product and you are satisfied with it,next time your preferences change towards the high end ones....so give it a try.......

The high-end brands you get in India are

Chanel,Dior,Elizabeth Arden,Lancome,Shiseido,Clarins,Art Deco,Christian Breton,Nina Ricci,Givenchy,YSL and Lancaster....more are on their way though.....

Hope you find these tips helpful....please let me know...ciao

Makeup for "Black skin"

Black (not dark) skin is one of the most beautiful skins....."women of colour" might sound offensive but seen in a positive way it really epitomises the beauty of dark women.

Black skin feels like velvet when touched and I really love the way they carry off makeup....yes....but when applied artistically with the right colour and the "right" hand.Icons like Chanel Iman,Alek Wek and Naomi Campbell took the leagcy of black skin to greater heights and model-cum-entrepreur Iman started the first line of cosmetics for black women.

Now the market is flooded with products for dark skin though India again lags behind.For my readers' knowledge I'd mention a few brands that are really good for dark skin and can be found easily in India....

M.A.C very versatile foundations and textures complimenting and accentuating black skin....

Shiseido their products have a the perfect blendability and uber-chic colours that can be dramatic

Red Earth this Australian brand has happening colours that suit all complexions but in Inida they have fantastic collection specially for Black skin..

L'Oreal has very good True match foundations for black skin but they tend to have only yellow undertones in them.

Anyways,if we understand some basics of how makeup should be worn by Black women,it becomes easier to choose products from the market and do some trial-n-error stuff with them.

Black skins have undertones like yellow,red,violet,blue and peach{rarely} and no pinks at all.The foundation choice is wider these days and black women since they have uneven skin should buy three complimenting colours at least.

The mistake which black women make in choosing a foundation is buying several shades lighter to look fairer but that is a total faux-pas.Instead its better accentuating the contours of the face with a luminous bronzer in case foundations are not available.

Lets learn step wise: -

The rule is "Blacker the colour more light is absorbed, and the light more reflected".Thence for black skin even a little sparkling eyeshadow becomes a boon.

FOUNDATION: -

Generally the T zone is lighter.the cheeks are darker and the perimeter of the face is the darkest.So this is how a foundation should be applied and blended.Nextly girls with purple undertones tend to look grey with the normally available foundations.For them KRYOLAN has a mango coloured concealer to cut the bluishness of the skin and make them look warmer.Products with the shades like "ebony" and "tawny" and "mocha" suit black skin.

Not sticking to the basic but being more corrective,an orangey-yellow based concealer really works at times if blended well.

I have hardly seen black women having dark under eye circles {but they do have tan} so the concealer part is saved.

POWDERS and BLUSHES: -

Shiseido makes beautiful powder that a black woman can use to contour and highlight her face and let the light play and illuminate her features.Never attempt of using lighter powder shades.They make you look ghastly.Bronzer sans the orange colour which cheaper versions have gives "life" to the rather dull looking skin and so does a pinch of iridescent pink blush applied on the apples of cheeks.Peaches wont be seen and red blushes especially creamy formulations are very flattering.

EYES: -

Choose iridescent pastels....they reflect light very beautifully.Stick to shiny black liners and no browns as they tend to look muddy or most of the times invisible.

LIPS:-

All lipsticks even flourescents looks fantabulous on black skin so dont hesitate in experimenting.So do shiny and shimmery lipglosses.

A girl once asked me to give her something that would make her dark african skin stand out.I suggested her to use hydrating serum+moisturiser and a creme pink blush with some pink gloss to applied on the cheek apples and some cherry red glossy lipgloss to compliment the look.She was looking ethereal.

Black skins do sport some colours which none of them can and its always good to be on the creative side when you have a dark black ebony skin.

After-all god made Black skin with a purpose.