Looking better in a few simple steps
Though I have always liked using
my make-up, right since my college days, the products I own are pretty basic. Every
day when going to work, I use sun block, foundation, face powder, blush, eye
liner and kajal. Lipsticks make
occasional appearances on my face and I am enjoying experimenting with them
more lately. But kuch aur ho na ho,
foundation hamesha hota hai because
I’ve never had that flawless skin. Afsos. Jahan aksar genes ne saath diya, skin ke
maamlay mein mukammal failure raheen (mom’s gonna get really offedend by
this BTW but what to do).
Kher, a combination of age and pregnancy kinda begged me to start
using something for coverage on my face. And so, I requested for a spot
corrector as a present from my sister who was making a trip to Dubai. She came
back with a corrector palette by MAKE UP FOR EVER rather than just a spot
corrector – ‘coz it turned out there ain’t just a single spot corrector. Being
the makeup jaahil that I am, I never
knew that! The one she brought for me (shown below) is palette #5, which has 5 of Make Up For Ever’s main corrective shades.
 |
| Price: $40 |
I was quite curious about what
role the green and purple colours that sat in it will assume in my life. What I
found out made me realize that makeup too is a science!
Peach: is the concealer
Brown: is for sun damaged skin and can also be used as a bronzer on
your cheeks
Green: cancels out redness so is to be used to cover pimples or red
marks. (Hmm. Much needed since my skin doesn’t seem to understand that I passed
puberty almost half my age ago.)
Purple: neutralizes yellow so is meant for brown pigmentation or
age spots. Much needed. (You can also apply
this on the high points of your cheeks to brighten them but I might try this when
going to a wedding, not for work)
Orange/Red: cancels out blue undertones, hence, meant for dark
circles. Didn’t think I needed this but turns out THIS is the magic shade.
Basically my bachpan ki ROYGBIV knowledge came into play here. In case you
forget what cancels out what, here’s a colour wheel visual that you can even Google
later if you forget the correcting rules. This actually makes the whole
technique sound simple.
It has taken me a bit of practice
to figure out the routine that is right for me based on my needs and
requirements. It was initially the age spots that were bothering me which
prompted me to get my hands on correctors but it turned out that it’s the covering of the
under eye circles which gives my face the lift and freshness that I was looking
for! So on days when there’s a lack of time, I will be ignore the spot
correctors and just dig into the red!
Suggested everyday routine:
1. Moisture your face at night so
your skin is free of dry patches in the morning.
2. After washing your face, apply
your sun block (please start using it now if you don’t already, iss se pehlay ke meri tarha pachtana parhey).
Recommended by a dermatologist, I have been using Helionoff for the past 2
years and it works pretty well with makeup.
3. Apply your eye shadow at this
point and clean off any residue that might have fallen on your cheeks or under
the eyes with some makeup remover. I use Urban Decay Naked 1 as my staple eye shadow palette. The Body Shop Camomile makeup remover is nice and mild in case you're looking for one.
4. Now complete the correcting
process, based on the colour wheel. I prefer using my finger tips for this.
5. Dab a damp cosmetic sponge to ensure
the correctors are set.
6. Don’t be scared of your face
looking like a box of macaroons and proceed with confidence.
7. Use your finger tips to put a few
spots of foundation on your face and use a brush in circular motions to blend
the foundation. Avoid rubbing too much so the correctors don’t smudge in the
wrong places. I use the Expert Face Brush by Real Techniques – it’s supposed to
be one of the best.
8. Now dab (never rub) the
concealer on top of the orange corrector used on the dark circles using your
fingers. This must be done in a downward triangle. This will bring all the
right attention to your eyes and cheekbones.
9. Dab some setting powder under
your eyes as well as the rest of the face to finish the look. (If you don’t use
powder, your makeup will crease)
10. Now that your face has some
nice coverage, and I am hoping you will notice it too, put on some blush, Kajal and eyeliner to complete your look.
Additional information: I do not
use too much of any of the products mentioned above so I don’t look like
someone right out of a YouTube makeup tutorial.
As of late, I am following these
simple steps to get better looking skin and some more confidence. Why I like the MAKE UP FOR EVER corrector palette is because it’s quite basic. There exist
corrector palettes with even 15 shades and I cannot run that marathon every
morning. I cannot run that marathon ever, in fact. It is also quite pigmented,
so just a bit of the product will do wonders and last long. For those who do basic
makeup every morning, colour correction is essentially just one additional step
that makes a whole lot difference. And I am all for it!
You can follow me on Instagram here.
