Shahnaz Husain
During Diwali, your night make-up needs intense colour and extra touches to counteract the effect of bright lights. Otherwise, your face will look pale and drained of colour.
After cleansing, apply moisturiser for dry skin, or astringent lotion for oily skin. Then, apply foundation. Using a moist sponge, spread it evenly, going outwards. Don’t forget the neck. The entire effect should be natural and should not have a mask-like look. Then apply loose powder and using cotton wool dust off the excess. A golden tinted face powder would be good for the evening. Or, apply compact powder. It helps the make-up last longer and reduces oiliness.
Apply blusher on cheeks, going slightly upwards and outwards. Then, apply highlighter on the cheekbones. Choose from ivory colur, very light beige or pale pink. Blend well, to avoid a blotchy look.
Night time make-up for the eyes can also do with some shine or gloss. Deepen the shadowing in the crease of the eyelid. This adds more depth to the eyes. Use browns, bronze and gold. Apply the lighter brown on the upper eye lid and dark brown eye shadow can be applied in the socket or crease of the lids, to add depth. Highlight under the brows with gold, ivory or a light coloured eyeshadow. Outline the eyes with dark eye pencil or eyeliner. Apply eyeliner on the upper lid, close to the lashes and smooth out with cotton bud. Gently blend a line of kajal or eye pencil on the lower lid. If you want a lighter look, just apply some eye shadow below the lashes on the lower lid. Try a touch of blusher at the outer eye, just under the eyebrow. Apply mascara in two or three coats, but remember to brush the lashes after each coat dries.
A pearly shimmer, or a glossy look on the lips is very much in. Use a bright lip colour with frost or gloss. Red and shades of red have made a comeback in lipsticks. Try shades of red for the night, like cherry, rose, plum, coral and red itself. Avoid very dark colours, like dark brown or dark maroon.
If you are wearing traditional clothes, wear a decorative bindi, studded with small sparkling stones and combined with gold, silver, or colour to match your clothes.
Grooming
During Diwali, traditional Indian attire seems just right. Try saris, with rich borders. Or, a plain crepe or chiffon sari with a brocade blouse. Or a blouse adorned with mirror work, sequins, or crystal. If you want to wear gold trimming, try dull gold. You can also wear a churidar-kurta ensemble with a heavy sequinned “dupatta”. One-colour outfits allow you to experiment with accessories. For the night, wear richer colours, like shades of red, magenta, orange, maroon, purple or dark pink. Needless to say, stay away from synthetic materials during Diwali.
Jewelry helps to set off our outfits. Jewelry actually puts the finishing touches to our attire and helps to add style to the clothes we wear. Jewelry can make a plain outfit look dramatic. For jewelry, dull oxidized gold may be better than bright yellow gold. New materials are being used nowadays – like brass, bronze, copper, mother-of-pearl, crystal and so on, apart from precious and semi-precious stones.
White jewelry is popular, whether it is white gold, platinum or dull silver. Stones, in almost every colour, can be worn, co-ordinating them with your clothes. Light necklaces too are following this trend. Among stones, the Rajasthani “kundan” style can be used.
Festivals are a good time to wear traditional jewelry, like “jhumkas.” When you go shopping, keep a lookout for unusual pieces of jewelry and relate them to the outfits you possess. A good piece of costume jewelry actually projects style. Try jewelry made from metals like copper or bronze. You can get traditional or antique looking pieces. An old earring for instance, can be made into a brooch, pendant, or attached to a hair clip. For formal night wear, set off your outfit with one piece of heavy jewelry, like long earings or an exotic choker. A single, dramatic piece of jewelry should be worn by itself. Heavy long earings may just need a bracelet or bangles.
Good accessorising does not always need a big bank balance and there are no limits when you use your imagination and creative ideas.
(The author is Delhi based beautician)
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