My Halloween Devil Look

I don't like Halloween.

There, I said it.

I know most beauty fanatics love this spooky holiday because it gives them the freedom to go cra-zay with makeup, and don't get me wrong, I like that too, but I hate the build-up around Halloween parties. Everyone always has such high expectations over Halloween party and inevitably, the party ends up being just ok. I did go to one really good Halloween party last year, and I think it was great because we didn't have any expectations and it was at my cousin's house so I was just excited to see my cousins.

In any case, I did end up going to a Halloween party this weekend and I wore my standard issue devil costume. This year I decided to do more of a beauty look with a little funky twist. 

Anushka Sharma's Makeup in Band Baaja Baraat

 Since I have been sick and therefore stuck at home all week, I was able to catch up on my Bollywood movie watching. I have been wanting to watch Band Baaja Baraat. In a nutshell, this movie is about two University students who graduate and start a wedding planning business together, and the movie follows their masti (fun) and struggles as they build their business. I have been wanting to watching this FOREVER because I always wanted to be a wedding planner (still kinda do...but that's a whole other story):

The lead actress Anushka Sharma is a Bollywood newbie and throughout the whole movie she has an incredibly fresh and natural look. 

Of course I couldn't help but do a quickie makeup breakdown for how to achieve this fresh-faced look:

Face:

A good moisturizer like my fave MAC Lightful Ultramoisture Creme

Tinted Moisturizer

Concealer under the eyes on on red/dark spots

A natural peachy or apricot blush to give some color to the skin

A light dusting of powder

Eyes:

Fill in brows, even if you have solid eyebrows, to make them stronger and create a frame for the face

Apply a peach or golden shadow to the lid

Draw a thin line on the upper lash line with a dark brown gel or liquid liner

Line the waterline if you want to (she does this sometimes in the movie)

Curl lashes and apply black mascara

Lips:

Apply a sheer pink stain to the lips and top with clear gloss, or apply a lightly colored pink gloss to the lips

What do you think of Anushka's look in the movie?

Reader Request - Rani Mukherjee Makeup Breakdown

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, with the Thanksgiving holiday.....shopping.....cooking...and, oh yeah, that little thing called work......I didn't have time to sit down and converse with you!

So I recently received a request to do a makeup breakdown for Bollywood Acress Rani Mukherjee's look in the photo below, so here it is:

Since Rani is attending a special event, she has pretty heavy makeup. Here's  how you can achieve this look at home:

Face:

1. Moisturize skin. My all-time fave is the MAC Lightful Deep Ultramoisture Creme.
2. Apply a primer without SPF. My current fave is the Stila One Step Correct.
3. Apply a medium-full coverage foundation that matches your neck and jawline. Again, if you are wearing this look out for an event where you will be photographed, try to choose a foundation without SPF. I like MAC Studio Fix, or Make Up For Ever's HD foundation.
4. Apply concealer under the eyes and to trouble spots. I am totally in love with the new MAC Pro Long Wear Concealer. Ah-Mah-Zing!!!
5. Apply a bronzer that is just a couple shades darker than your skin tone to the hollows of your cheeks. You don't want to go too dark. This step should just add a bit of depth and contour to the face.
6. In the photo, Rani is wearing her blush closer to her hairline than the apples of the cheeks, but I prefer to wear it on the apples of the cheeks. Wherever you apply it, use a peach toned blush without any shimmer. A good one would be MAC Cubic Powder Blush.
7. Top off the look with a dusting of your favorite face powder. Right now I LOVE the Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder (review coming soon!)

Eyes: This is wear the drama is so feel free to have fun!

1. Fill in brows with a shadow that matches your hair tone, to create a strong frame for the eyes.
2. Apply a base to the eyelid and up into the crease. Use a nude if that is all you have. If you have a darker base like MAC's Blackground Paint Pot, that's even better to help enhance the smoky colors.
3. Use a grey shadow like MAC Knight Divine and shade the entire lid, going slightly into the crease.
4. Take a shadow color that matches your skin tone, swirl a crease brush in it one or two times, and apply lightly to the crease. You want to blend out the grey shadow so it looks like it gets progressively lighter as you move up the eye. 
5. Highlight the brow bone with a non-shimmery, vanilla-y highlight color like MAC Vanilla.
6. Line the top eye lid with a gel or cream eyeliner like Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink.
7. Line the lower lid with a long-wearing black eye pencil like Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero and make sure the liner meets the end of the line that you drew on the top lid, creating a smooth line all around the eye.
8. Take an angled shadow brush like the MAC 208 and swipe it in a black eyeshadow like MAC Carbon, and trace along the liner on the top lid, over the gel liner, using small, short strokes to set the gel liner and soften the line, so it is not harsh or sharp. Repeat on lower lash line.
9. Take a clean smudge brush like the MAC 214 and smudge the shadow on both lash lines to smoke it out. You want the black to be darkest at the lash line and fade outwards.
10. Use your favorite kohl liner to line the water line. Blink a few times to transfer the color to the top water line (the tight line) and then add re-trace the lower water line to ensure the color is dark.
11. Curl your eyelashes and top with your favorite mascara.
12. Add false lashes if you want more oomph. 

Lips:

1. Line lips with a neutral or my lips but better lip pencil. I like Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil in Wallflower. 
2. Fill in lips with a natural looking pick lipstick like MAC Viva Glam V.
3. Add a clear or coordinating lip gloss to top of the look.

There you have it! BTW, have you had a chance to enter my giveaway for a free $25 giftcard to use on Apothica.com?

Kajal's Eye Makeup Breakdown

My mom sent me this pic of Bollywood actress Kajal and told me I HAVE to try this eye makeup on myself. How cute is that? Over the past year or two, I have slowly gotten my mom to love makeup, and her fave product, like most Indian gals, is eyeliner. 

I know I have talked a lot about eyeliner in the past (remember Eyeliner Week?) but I can't seem to get enough of it. But really, can I get enough of any makeup product? Ok, enough talking, here's how to get Kajal's piercing eyes:

Sushmita Sen Bridal Makeup Breakdown

Even though I already had my dream wedding, I am still mesmerized by bridal wear and love seeing the latest bridal collections from the top Indian designers. (Ok, so please tell me I'm not the only one who does stuff like this!?) 

So as I was browsing through designer Vikram Phadnis's bridal collection from earlier this year, I couldn't help but notice how gorgeous actress Sushmita Sen was looking as she strutted down the runway:

Even her makeup was impeccable....very appropriate for a bridal look and very age appropriate:

Eyeliner Week at Kajal Couture!! Kareena Kapoor Makeup Breakdown

I have been wanting to share with you a few looks, tips, and tricks regarding eyeliner, and what better way than to spend a week talking about this one product that so many of us can't live without!

I am going to kick off with a makeup breakdown that focuses on eyeliner. I received this photograph from one of my readers and was requested to breakdown the products and method to achieve this look. This is a photo of actress Kareena Kapoor from the Bollywood movie Kurbaan. Since it is a rather natural look, I am going to keep the number of products minimal. 

FACE: 

1. Apply concealer to scars, under eye circles, and any other trouble spots. I like the Bobbi Brown creamy concealer.
2. Next, apply a loose powder that provides light coverage but also helps even out skin imperfections. A great one that helps minimize the appearance of fine lines is the Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder. If you have rosacea or other skin concern and want more coverage, you can apply your favorite foundation before applying powder.
3. Kareena's cheeks are pretty natural, so you can either skip the blush, or apply a very neutral blush like MAC Powder Blush in Harmony. 

EYES:

1. If your natural brows are pretty well defined, I recommend leaving them alone and not adding any color. However, if you have barely-there brows or sparse spots, then I recommend filling them in using a shadow that matches your brow hair color. 
2. Apply a neutral color eye primer on the upper lid and lower lid. I like MAC Paint Pot in Painterly since it matches my skin tone. Lighter skin tones should try Bare Study and darker skin tones should try Groundwork. 
3. This is the focus of the look. Kareena is wearing a couple neutral tone shadows on her lids, but you can easily skip the shadow if you want. With a heavy liner look like this, the emphasis will be on the thick liner, so the shadow will just add a bit of depth, but is not necessary, especially if you don't have much time to do your makeup. The shadows I recommend are: a satin shadow in a color that matches your skin tone on your lid - my favorite is MAC Arena, and a warm shade a couple shades darker than your skin tone in your crease - I would use MAC Kid on myself.  
4. Draw a thick line on the top lid using a cream eyeliner and an angled liner brush. I like the Smashbox Cream Eye Liner in Lava, and the MAC 208 brush. You can start off drawing a thin line and add more to thicken the line, instead of drawing it on too thick, and having to remove it all in case you mess up. When you get to the outer corner, flick out the liner just a tad. Pretend you are tracing your lower lash line (without actually tracing it) and if you were to keep tracing 4-5 mm upwards past your eye, that is the direction and shape you want to flick your eyeliner. 
5. Kareena's lower lash liner is more subtle and not as crisp as the top liner. Thus, instead of using the cream liner, use a shadow to line the lower lash line. You can still use the same angled liner brush. The shadow I recommend is MAC Knight Divine. Again, draw a thin line with the shadow using small, feathery strokes, and thicken the line as you go along. When you get to the outer corner, make sure the lower liner meets the outer flick to create a smooth line all around the eye. If you want, you can smudge the lower lash line just a tad using a smudger brush or even your finger. 

LIPS:

1. Keep the lips simple and apply your favorite nude lipstick, that suits your skin tone but does not look so nude that your lips blend in with your face. My favorite is MAC Lipstick in Half 'n Half. 

What do you think? Will you be trying this look at home? 

Stay tuned for more eye liner posts coming soon!!!

Deepika Padukone Makeup Breakdown

One of my family friends in India is pretty well connected and was telling me how Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone is a desi (Indian) girl next door. She eats real food and actually gets hungry, she doesn't spend every last waking second at the gym, and she is pretty down-to-earth. And another thing, she has natural beauty. A lot of actresses rely on the magic that is makeup in order to keep up their image. Deepika looks great even bare-faced.

That inspired me to read a bit more about Deepika Padukone and in doing so, I came across some photos of her from the Cannes Film Festival this year.

She definitely has a hot body, but I think her hair and makeup are absolutely gorgeous:

Her makeup is simple yet elegant, and is appropriate for everyday and a fancy event. Here is how to create the makeup:

The Coral Trend - Quick and Simple Coral Eyes

Coral is HOT this spring, both in fashion and in the makeup world. It is easiest to wear coral on the lips or on the cheeks, but coral is also a great shade for eyes, as long as you don't over do it...cuz then you'll look like you were in a rumble....kapow!

This is a quick coral eye look I did the other day using the following:

1. MAC Goldmine shadow on the inner lid
2. MAC Vanilla shadow in the inner corner
3. MAC Coral shadow (PRO product) on the entire upper lid and lower lid
4. MAC Swiss Chocolate shadow in crease
5. MAC Blitz and Glitz Fluidine to line the upper id
6. MAC Plushlash mascara on upper lashes

Since I use a joe-schmo camera, the definition in the crease looks a lil funny, but you get the idea. 

I know coral is difficult to pull off on the eyes, but hopefully this gives you a fun way to pull it off. What do you think? What colors do you find hard to wear on the eyes?

Makeup Breakdown - Asin Thottumkal on the Cover of Jade Magazine

Asin Thottumkal, otherwise simply knows as Asin, from the hit Bollywood movie Ghajini, is on the cover of this month's Jade magazine: 

I don't know too much about her, but I just love her fresh look and the playfulness in her eyes. This is a great look to wear just about anywhere and so I wanted to do a makeup breakdown:

Face:

1. Apply a light-coverage foundation that will even out the skin tone, like Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation SPF 15. 
2. Apply concealer only to areas that have any discoloration, and hide under eye circles. 
3. Lightly apply a neutral colored blush like MAC Cantaloupe (PRO color) to the apples of the cheeks.
4. Set makeup with a dusting of translucent powder like the Makeup Forever HD Microfinish Powder.

Eyes:

1. Cover the lid in a neutral satin finish shadow that matches your skin tone. I like MAC Kid or Arena eyeshadows if you are medium toned. 
2. Apply a slightly darker color in the same color family in the crease and blend so it looks like you have natural depth to your eye. I recommend MAC Texture or Saddle eyeshadows. 
3. Use a brown eyeliner pencil to draw a thin line on the outer 2/3 of your upper lash line. Get super close to the base of your lashes so it gives the appearance of thick lashes, not eyeliner. Do the same on the lower lash line but draw the line all the way in. I recommend Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Bourbon.
4. Curl lashes and apply your favorite mascara.

Lips:

1. With a light hand, line and fill in your lips with a orange-red lip pencil like MAC Lip Pencil in Redd. You want to create a base for the lip color, not create a mask of color. 
2. Use a lip brush to apply an orange-red lipstick. Be sure to choose a color that is not too dark but still has pigmentation, like the new MAC Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick. 
3. In the photo she is not wearing any gloss, but if you prefer a glossy lip feel free to top off with some clear gloss.

Such looks are great for so many occasions and you can easily glam them up by adding a darker lip color, or a darker shadow in the outer corner of the eye. What do you think?

MAC Spring Color Forecast Review and Look #1

I was playing around with a few of the products from the MAC Spring Color Forecast collection and here is the outcome:

Here I used one of the new pigments (desribed below) on the lid, the new Nanogold eyeshadow very lightly on my browbone, and Bronze eyeshadow (permanent shade, not from this release) in the crease.

On my eyes I used the Crushed Metal Pigment: Stack 2! I used the gold color, which is the one that is open in the picture below:

I love the gold but I also think the champagne colors are absolutely gorgeous! The green one is nice too, though I won't use that as often. These are really neat because you get 4 colors packed in one. You can mix and match how you want to organize them, either as 2 and 2, 3 and 1, or even all 4 together:

Here is a swatch of all the colors. The first pic is blurry, but shows the colors better, so I decided to include it anyways.

Pictures don't do these justice. They are more shimmery in real life and very pigmented. The product itself is a mix between the chunky solar bits and the regular pigments. As you can see in the pic, they aren't as chunky as the solar bits, so they are easier to work with, but you still have to kind of crush them before you apply to the skin. I loved the colors and the fact that you can use them for a variety of uses, so I personally would recommend this stack. However, if you don't like spending time with a product to make it work, then these aren't for you. For me, it just adds to the artsy part of doing my makeup.

I also played around with the Blush Ombre in Ripe Peach. Let me just say that I LOVE this product. I love blushers and this one is so gorgeous! The powder is so finely milled and it applies so smoothly. It stays on for several hours, which is a plus since blush is usually the first to fade. The product itself blends soooo smoothly, more so than MAC's normal powder blushes. I am even tempted to go get the pink one now. The brown neutral one would make a great bronzer, but I don't use bronzer as much so I might pass on that.

You can use the different parts of the blush to get the individual color, or you can swirl the color to get a combo. The swatches in the pic below go in the following order from left to right: all colors swirled together, the center of the blush, the dark pink side, and the light gold side.

This blush gives such a gorgeous, healthy, coral glow. In the pic below I used the colors swirled together:

You can't see very well, but I am wearing "O" lipstick with Love Nectar lustreglass (my favorite) on top. I have also been trying out a new skin product mixed with my foundation...and so far I like it. Will tell you more about that soon.

What do you think about the new collection? What are you planning to get, if anything?

Manish Arora Makeup for Spring/Summer 2010

I've been feeling a lil down and out today, so I've just been surfing the web this evening and just having some alone time to myself. My soon-to-be mother-in-law (MIL) is not the nicest person in the world (surprise, surprise...I mean, does anyone really like their MIL?) and she is causing some drama for my fiance and I.

Seems like a good weight-loss technique, yeah?

Anyhoo, I was surfing the MAC Pro website and noticed that they already have the Spring/Summer 2010 trend looks from the runway shows. The winter has just started here in California (yes, 40 degree temperature is winter for us), so I am still clinging to my smoky eyes and dark lips, but since one of the trend looks was from Indian designer Manish Arora (he did the Manish Arora for MAC collection last fall, that sold out online in like 30 seconds), I just had to do a post on that.

Here is how you can achieve his minimalist look, per the MAC Pro website:

MANISH ARORA

"Keeping the make-up quite bare the emphasis is placed on pearly skin texture and nude features. I wanted the balance created by the understated makeup and over-the-top face accessory to have a futuristic feel." - Kabuki

EYES:
M·A·C Pro Water Base Mixing Medium and Pro White Frost Pigment - applied in a "c" shape to the outer corners of the eyes.

SKIN:
Studio Sculpt Foundation- applied as a base to the face as a whole and then in darker shades under the cheekbones, and down the sides of the nose to contour.
M·A·C Pro Water Base Mixing Medium and Pro White Frost Pigment - placed down the center of the nose, on the chin and over the cupid's bow of the lips as a highlight.

LIPS:
M·A·C Pro Lip Erase in Dim- applied to the lips to block the natural coloring of the lips.
M·A·C Pro Water Base Mixing Medium and Pro White Frost Pigment - applied to the center of the lips as a highlight.

It's so non-traditional that I am tempted to try this out myself just to see how it looks. What are you faves for spring and summertime?

Kareena Kapoor's Makeup Breakdown

I received a request to do a makeup breakdown of Kareena Kapoor's look in the following photo:
I had to zoom in a little to see what her makeup looked like:

I tried the eye look on myself so you can see how it looked on me, but I will also let you know what you can use on the rest of the face to achieve the same look.

First see for yourself whether or not my eye look comes close:

I thought I got pretty close there...whaddya think? (is it lame that I am kinda proud of myself for duplicating this look?)

Back to the look.....here is what I used:

Eye:

1. Urban Decay Primer Potion as base
2. MAC Patina shadow packed on lid with the 239 brush, then applied to the lower lid
3. MAC Cork shadow applied liberally to the crease with the 224 brush
4. MAC Brown Down shadow applied to the crease with the 226 brush, then applied to the lower lash line with the 219 pencil brush. Kareena has more color on the lower lash line that I do, so you can apply a bit more. I look scary with shadow on my lower lash line and not on the waterline, so I did not make it too dark.
5. MAC Blacktrack Fluidline in a thin line on the upper lash line using the 208 brush (my fave for fluidlines)
6. I curled my lashes then applied Lancome Definicils to the top lashes only

Here's what the closed lid looked like:

For the rest of the look you can use the following:

Face:

1. Prime face with your primer of choice, I like MAC Prep+Prime and Urban Decay Pore Perfecting Primer
2. Use a matte, medium coverage foundation like MAC Studio Fix liquid or MUFE Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation
3. Conceal under eye circles with your concealer of choice
4. Set foundation with MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural pressed powder
5. Since Kareena has a natural glowy cheek, I would use a light layer of MAC Lilicent blushcreme on the apples of the cheeks, and blend blend blend to make it look natural
6. An alternative to the blushcreme would be MAC Beauty Powder in Blush of Youth. This came out in the Rose Romance collection, so if you have it great! If not, try something light with just a flush of color.
7. Apply a subtle highlight to the apples of the cheeks with MAC Cream Color Base in Hush

Lips:

1. Depending on how pigmented your lips are you might have to choose something different, but I would use MAC Viva Glam V lipstick, followed by MAC Love Nectar Lustreglass

So there you go! If you try this out, let me know what you think!

Aish on the Cover of Verve India

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.