NEED TO TRY: THE 5 CAMOUFLAGE CREAM PALETTE BY MAKE UP FOR EVER

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!

I have been pretty stubborn about makeup and like sticking to familiar products for years. But the MAKE UP FOR EVER corrector and concealer palette is something that I unexpectedly loved and makes me want to open up to some new products and techniques. One must do that with age and changing textures of the skin. What do you think? Try it out and let me know how you liked it!

You can follow me on Instagram here.