I received a request to breakdown the look worn by Aishwarya Rai on the cover of Verve India. Aish looks absolutely stunning in this red gown, and I love that she has neutral, not flashy makeup. She has a minimalist look, but is still able to make the eyes the focus. I am still recovering from my trip last week and am feeling too lazy to actually put the makeup on myself, but keep reading for my interpretation of how to achieve Aish's look.
All makeup by MAC, unless otherwise noted.
Eyes: Start by applying a skin color base, either Urban Decay Primer Potion or Painterly Paint Pot. Apply an eyeshadow color similar or one shade darker than your lid color, for me I would use Arena all over the lid. Then use a color that is a couple shades darker and has an earthy tone to it. I would choose Haux and apply it to the entire crease area, not just the outer crease. Make sure you blend blend blend to avoid any harsh lines. Next, lightly pick up a shimmery vanilla-y shade like All That Glitters with the 224 brush and gently apply it to the center of the lid and blend. It should be light reflecting, not overly shimmery. Highlight with Ricepaper or whatever color matches your skin tone. Then line the upper lash line with a black pencil and smudge it out ever so gently. You don't want a smudgy smoky eye, but you dont want a harsh line either. You can also try lining with a pencil and then going over it with Carbon eyeshadow just to create a more softer line. Use Carbon to lightly line the outer 2/3 of the lower lash line. You may be able to skip this step if you have thick lashes and use mascara on the lower lashes. If you have naturally thick, lush lashes, you can curl them and apply a thickening mascara like Plushlash. Use on top lashes and lightly on the lower lashes. If you need help in the lash area, use false lashes like the MAC 7's. Lastly, fill in brows with a coordinating shadow that matches your hair color. I find that Embark works well for most dark haired Indian women.
Face: Use a medium coverage foundation like MAC Face and Body Foundation and apply to the face and into the neck/jawline to make sure your face matches your neck. Blend with a sponge or using the 187 in a circular motion. Apply Mineralize Skinfinish Natural powder. Aish has naturally great cheekbones, but you can achieve the look by contouring with a brown blush such as Enough Said or using sculpt powder in a shade 1-2 shades darker than your skin tone. Apply a peachy blush like Margin and blend with the contour color. Highlight the top of the cheekbones and the bridge of the nose with a a highlighter like Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle. With whatever highlight product is left on your brush gently brush over your chin.
Lips: Line and fill in the lips with Sublime Culture Cremestick Liner, and then apply Half and Half lipstick. Aish's lips are semi matte, but if you like a little gloss you can top it off with some clear gloss.
Ta-da! For more info on Aishwarya and to see more pics from the magazine, click here.
