5 Awesome Ways to Improve your Makeup Skills

Hello Ladiesssssssssss

Every woman wants to look her best when she step out of home. It may be to

• office
• a dinner out
• a social gathering
• a brief shopping etc., etc., etc…

The reason that your are here proves that fact true .Given the fact that not everyone can have a personal makeup artist at home to help us to get that flawless look , we need to be our very own makeup artist. More than anyone else , we know ourselves and our needs better. Based on that fact we being our own makeup artist at any given situation is better than anyone else doing our makeup, provided we follow the below steps :thumbsup: .

Though I had interest on makeup from my very young age, I didn’t get chance to play with it extensively until recent years. I wouldn’t call myself an expert in makeup at all , but I can assure that I’m learning everyday. Like any other field, learning never ends in makeup world too .

Let me jot down a few point which can help us in the process of getting better at our makeup skills.

1. Learn :

- First and foremost thing is to understand and learn about your skin type/tone
- Then learn about products that would best suit your skin type/tone. There are ample resources available like beauty blogs, YouTube and you can even find some good books on makeup , to help you decide. These resources not only helps you to learn about product but also on how to put them to use in better ways.
- I wouldn’t have learnt how to apply a cream blush so easily, if hadn’t read Rati’s post on IMBB

2. Practice :

- Practice, Practice, Practice…..That’s the key word to master any skill.
- When you get some free time over the weekend, try different makeup techniques and try to use products in a different way. That way you don’t need to care about going out in public and try totally different looks
- For example, if you have a lipstick that you think you can’t pull off, try to use it with some clear/color gloss or mix with some other lipstick shade and see how it works. You might end up finding some combo which works wonder for you.
- I generally do my practice after I come home from office and before I do my CTM. That way I can do all the mess to my face and clean it up once for all

3. Get Involved :

- You can’t just blindly apply a foundation, concealer, Powder, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick as a routine and without understanding how it works for you.
- Be conscious about what you are applying and how you are applying.
- You be your own fan and critic and start appreciating and judging your work. Don’t just apply anything on the face for the sake of applying. See how it looks and think how you can make it look even better.

4. Experiment :

- I have seen people buying the same product over and over again and not open to try anything new. I’m not against sticking to product that work best for you, but don’t forget about the ample option available out there. For e.g., you might be quite surprised to see how a colored eyeliner makes you look great, if you had been using only black liner all these years.
- If you are new to makeup and want to learn, then start experimenting with drugstore brands which are easily available for affordable price.
- You can achieve very good makeup with just the drug store brand products available. The magic mostly lies on how you apply any product.
- You can always build on your high end makeup collection slowly once you have got the confidence about your makeup skills.

5. Record :

- I have the habit of capturing my photo whenever I try some new makeup.
- That way I get to see my progress and mistakes. It help me in deciding things like, “this blush goes really well with that lipstick” etc.,
- At times you would be surprised to see, how much your makeup skill has improved by comparing an old picture with new one .

To sum it up, makeup skill is no rocket science and you can master it by taking help of the above mentioned steps. Always look for the opportunity to learn new things. Makeup helps in improving once self confidence and esteem. So learn to make yourself look pretty gals…

Hope this was helpful

See you all soon..

Image Source 1, 2, 3

Also read :
12 Quick Fix Makeup Tips
Men’s Makeup Tips
Summer Makeup Tips
Monsoon Makeup Tips
Basic Eye Makeup Tips
Flawless Makeup Tips- 4 Ways, 4 Minutes
Ask IMBB Gang : Beach Makeup Tips
10 Things I Learnt From My 10 month Makeup Stint
20 Makeup Tips & Tricks

Indian Bridal Makeup

Every girl dreams of looking a spectacular bride on her wedding day. Plan your Indian bridal makeup well in advance and talk to your beautician or makeup artist beforehand about the kind of look you want to create. Take time out especially for purchasing suitable makeup products if you will be doing your bridal makeup at home.

Concealer & Foundation

Even with facials and turmeric packs well in advance, you may notice some blemishes on your face on the D-day. To cover the reddish skin, use sheer color corrector and apply tinted moisturizer of yellowish green or olive green shade to neutralize it.

Use a deeply pigmented foundation and take professional help from the trained staff at beauty counters when you choose your shade for D-day. You cannot afford a mistake!

When you apply foundation, also go over your neck, exposed chest area, behind the ears and the back of the neck. This is so that your face does not stand out in stark contrast against the rest of your body as you stand in the bright lights.

Blush

If you are fair-skinned and want a fresh rosy look to go with pinks, whites, and other pastel-coloured outfits, then pink shades of blush are a good option. Yet, these may tend to look washed out and too light under the glare of intense stage lighting or for studio photography sessions. But these shades look wonderful in daytime weddings when you need to look more natural and mellow.

Considering that makeup for an ordinary event differs from bridal makeup because of stage lighting and photographs, a bronzer is a better option than blush. It naturally contours the face and gives it a glamorous glow, perfect for bright lights and close-up photographs. If you wish to appear subtle, look for salon services that use the air-brush technique and choose light shades such as cream, gold, and brown for warm undertones. For cool undertones, lilac, soft pinks and plums will do the job well.

Lips

Deep warm lip colors such as mahogany and orange-browns; coppers, deep warm reds, chocolate, taupe, deep purple, plum and burgundy are fine choices for Indian complexions and also go well with the festive mood. These colours should be chosen according to the bridal outfit the bride wears and the time of the wedding event.

Bright and warm lip colors such as reds, orange-red, orange-gold, copper and warm beiges, creams and caramels blend well with similar shades in your bridal lehenga. If you are wearing slightly unconventional turquoise or purple lehengas then cool-toned colours such as fuchsia, magenta, blue-reds, shades of lilac and pink and make lips look plusher and fuller.

Dusky and olive-skin needs extra care while choosing lipstick shades for the bride. If you don’t want anything too off the wall, you can always stick to the classic maroons and brown colors with golden undertones for some extra style.

A wonderful fact about red shades of lipstick is that it makes the teeth look whiter, so you can happily flash that gorgeous smile!

One basic rule to remember as a bride is to make one part of your face the focus point. You may choose the eyes or the lips. If you’re doing bold accentuated eyes, then keep the lips simple and underplayed. And vice versa.

Eyes

Current trends show that brides need not just stick to traditional rose pinks where eye makeup is concerned. If you like contemporary makeup, go for moss green, blue, turquoise or purple eyeshadows and eyeliners.

Otherwise, you can do the classic pinks and golds on your eyes with waterproof mascara and gel liner.

Conclusion

The overall bridal getup ought to be coordinated and colours should not jar with each other. A daytime wedding requires lighter more neutral shades to make the bride look natural, while a night wedding needs a more dramatic look.

Indian Bridal and Wedding Wear
Wedding Make-up Essentials: Make-up Kit For Brides
Top 8 Indian Bridal Wear from Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week
Indian Bridal Face Makeup
Indian Bridal Makeup Suggestion

images: 1, 2

Hello Everyone!!!

This is my very first IMBB blog post and I am soooo Excited…!!!

My this post will cater to all those teenage girls who search the internet frantically for suitable make-up products under a fixed budget. This is because when I first decided to start with make-up (all thanks to IMBB), I couldn’t understand what all to buy: there were too many awesome options and they would burn a big hole in my (as well as my dad’s) pocket! After all, we don’t exactly get enough pocket money to buy ourselves a MAC or Inglot product.

Well, young ladies….have no fear, IMBB is here; I will name all the suitable products you might need and can use for the time-being till you save up for your first MAC haul. And each of these products is below Rs.300.

FACE

Foundation:
1. Lacto Calamine Lotion- At such a young age, one doesn’t really need any foundation. I recommend Lacto Calamine Lotion, which you will get in any chemist or cosmetic shop for Rs.80 (for dry to normal skin) or Rs.72 (for normal to oily skin). They are tinted and also prevents acne.
2. Lakme Invisible Foundation- If Lacto Calamine doesn’t fulfill your requirement, this will surely do. Though the staying is average, this is the best and cheapest foundation that you can get. Price: Rs.185.
3. Lakme Silk Naturelle Foundation: This comes in a tube and is better than the Lakme IF, leaving a more smooth feeling. Price: Rs.275.
4. Lakme Daily Wear Soufflé: I don’t really recommend this but if you are willing to risk Rs.99, then go for it. It might work for you.

My Pick: Lacto Calamine, Lakme Invisible Foundation.

L-R: Lacto Calamine for Oily Skin and Dry Skin respectively.

Lakme Invisible Finish Foundation

Face Powder/Compact: A must for me, it helps giving me a smooth finish and also prevents to much sweating of your face. Dab on before you rush to college or party or concerts and experience a sweat-free face.
1. Lakme Perfect Radiance Skin Lightening Compact: Rs.150. The best bet.
2. Colorbar Time Plus Compact Powder: Rs.150. Colorbar cosmetics never disappoint.
3. Streetwear Girl Magic Pressed Powder: Rs.70. Though I did not use it myself, I have read the IMBB review and have decided to give it a try. Rs.70.

My Pick: Lakme Perfect Radiance Skin Lightening Compact. (shown below)

Blush: I was never a fan of blushes, but after using it for the first time, I simply fell in love with the whole idea of blushes. A quick pinch of colour on your face will immediately change your complete look.
1. Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Blush: This creamy blush is the cheapest you can find. Though quantity is less, it won’t disappoint you and you will rush to buy it again once it’s over. Only sad part is there are only two colours available. Rs.190.
2. Maybelline Expert Wear Blush: Rs.209.
3. Colorbar Blush: Rs.250. With six awesome shades to choose from, these powder blushes not only have a sufficient amount of product, they also have a huge fan-following.

My Pick: Colobar Blush.

Left: Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Blush. Right: Maybelline Expert Wear Blush.

EYES

Kohl: Nowadays, each and every drug/cosmetic company has got a kohl of its own. The Kohl has been worn traditionally as far the Bronze Age (3500 B.C. onward) by the Egyptian queens. It was originally used as protection against eye ailments. There was also a belief that darkening around the eyes would protect one from the harsh rays of the sun. India’s oldest caste, the koli, used kohl as a cosmetic. In addition, mothers would apply kohl to their infants’ eyes soon after birth. Some did this to “strengthen the child’s eyes”, and others believed it could prevent the child from being cursed by the evil eye (from Wikipedia) :-P. So much for the theory, all in all, Kohl’s are the very first thing every girl uses when she is about to with make-up. The Best. The Ultimate.
1. Maybelline Colossal Kajal: Rs.150.
2. Lakme Black Satin Kajal: Rs.150.
3. Colorbar Kajal: Rs.99.
4. Elle 18 Kajal: Rs.65.
5. Himalaya Kajal: Rs.105.
6. VLCC Kajal: Rs.135.
7. Lotus Herbals Kajal: Rs.115.

Ummm…..that should be enough.

My Pick: Maybelline Colossal Kajal, Himalaya Kajal.

L-R: Maybelline Colossal Kajal, Himalaya Kajal, Lakme Black Satin Kajal, Elle 18 Kajal.

Eye Pencils/Eyeliners: These beauties are a must have for everyone. Collect as many colours as you can, you will never regret it. A little bit of colour on your eyes and you are sure to turn a thousand heads.

1. Maybelline Vivid and Smooth Eye Studio Pencils:At Rs. 200 per pencil, you are sure to fall in love with them. They are soft and creamy, water-proof and smudge-proof. Available in 11 colours, ranging from gold to pink to ice blue and sea green, they are a must have in your make-up bag.
2. Chambor Contour Kohl Pencil: Rs. 225. Chambor, one of the semi-luxury brands have these beautiful eye-pencils in dark colours. The only problem is that they smudge and bleed a little.
3. Lakme Glide On Eye Pencil: Rs. 275. With 7 cool colours doing the rounds, you might just wish to check them out.
4. Elle 18 Colorbomb Eye Sparklers: At Rs.85, they are dirt cheap and not very good (you know, “Itna Paise mein, Itna hi milega”), but you can pick up all the five colours they have. Its good when you want to just look at yourself in the mirror at home and don’t really care much about the staying power.
5. Lotus Hypnotica Eye Contour Pencil: Rs. 199.
6. Colorbar I-define Pencils: Rs.250. I haven’t used them (all thanks to their elder brother, the super-duper I-glide pencils) but they shouldn’t be bad.

Note: If you are willing to extend your budget a little for eye pencils, then I strongly recommend Colorbar I-glide Pencils (Price: Rs.325). They have over seven-eight shades and are the best pencils I have tried till date. Once you use them, you won’t feel like using anything else. Also, Chambor Stay-On Eye Pencils at Rs.370 are a pretty good buy.

My Pick: Maybelline Vivid and Smooth Eye Studio Pencils, Colobar I-glide Pencils.

L-R: Colorbar I-glide Pencil, Maybelline Vivid and Smooth Eye liner, Elle 18 Colorbomb Eye Sparkler.

Black Liquid Liner: Another must-have in your bag, you never know when it might come of use.
1. Lakme Instant Black Liner: At lower than Rs.80, the Lakme liner has befriended millions of Indian women since time immemorial.
2. Elle 18 Colorbomb Blackout Liner: Rs.65.
3. Maybelline Ultra Liner: Rs.225.
4. Lotus Herbals Opulence Botanical Eyeliner: Rs.180.

My Pick: Lakme Instant Liner.

Coloured Liquid Liners: I have got limited knowledge in these. I have only used Lakme and Colorbar Liners.
1. Lakme Jeweltone Liner: Rs.275. Four colours available.
2. Lakme 9 to 5 Intense Shine Eyeliner: Rs.245.
3. Colorbar Waterproof Eyeliner: Rs.195. Available colours are Black, Blue and Brown, but Blue and Brown are never available.
4. Lakme Fantasy Collection Shimmer Eyeliner: Rs.275. These are limited edition shimmery eyeliner in 8 super shades. I suggest pick them all.

My Pick: Lakme Fantasy Collection Shimmer Liner (Note: Since these are from the Lakme Spring-Summer Range, they will be available only for a limited time. Try to grab them fast).

L-R: Lakme 9 to 5 Intense shine Eyeliner, Lakme Fantasy Collection Shimmer Eyeliner, Lakme Jeweltone Eyeliner, Lotus Herbals Opulance Botanical Eyeliner.

Mascara: I have used only one kind, and I have very satisfied with it- Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara: Available in two varieties; Waterproof (Rs.275) and not-Waterproof (Rs.265).
(Shown below)

Eyeshadow: If you are thinking about those huge multi-coloured palettes, then I can’t really help you. But one thing I know is that you can get them cheap in eBay or other online shops, no guarantee about the quality though. I have only used Streetwear cream Eyeshadows.
1. Streetwear FX Cream Eyeshadw: Available in quite a few colours, these are single shade tiny pans of creamy, shiny eyeshadows. Rs.110 each.
2. Streetwear Luminous Eyeshadow: Rs.175. I read about in IMBB but didn’t get the opportunity to use them.

My Pick: Streetwear FX Cream Eyeshadow. (shown above)

Also Read:
15 Budget Beauty Tips
10 Budget Skin Care Products Review for Combination Skin
5 Bags to Carry this Summer in Every Budget and Style
Five Makeup and Beauty Products Under Rs.100
Top 5 MakeUp Items Under Rs 200 ($4)
Teens Makeup : 5 Teenage Makeup Blunders to Avoid

Mrunmayee Asks :

Hi Girls,

I have just got my reception saree. It’s a hot pink Benarasi with intricate pale gold embroidery.

Please take a good look at it and give me some advice for the makeup.

The saree has a skirt border, meaning it has a large row of embroidery at the bottom and very small and cute “butti” or dots throughout.

Closer look at the Skirt border:

The pallu:

Closer look at the pallu:

As the colour is quite bright, I really don’t want hot pink lipstick or hot pink eye shadow. It would be too much na?

I am open to all suggestions.

Also if you can suggest a hairstyle to go with the look, it would be great. I have round face (What am I talking about, you have seen me!!!), and I look awful in straight, sleek hair.

HELP!!!!!

Love
Mrunmayee

Farha has sent hair style pics :

Hi friends!

As almost everyone here know that I got married last week, so here sharing a few pics of how I looked on our post-wedding dinner:

and

My Big THANKS to everyone at IMBB for being soo supportive to me. :-* .
Love you all!!! :thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :))

You may still post your questions in the comment box and Mr Patterson would reply to all your queries by Friday, 8th October 2010.

When was the last time you had a desperate beauty query and you wanted someone to answer it? Or a perennial beauty dilemma which you wanted to be solved? What if you wanted to improve your makeup techniques and just needed a guiding light? Having an authority nearby saves effort and hours of wasted time. Today we have found one such authority to answer all your beauty queries and remove all your doubts- Mr. Blair Patterson, Estee Lauder Global Premier Makeup Artist.

Throughout his career, traveling around the world, Blair has been known for his beautifully detailed yet natural looks. His goal, he says, is to teach customers the same exciting makeup techniques he develops for his fashion and celebrity clientele.

Most recently, Blair has been working with Tom Pecheux, Creative Makeup Director for Estée Lauder, behind the scenes at New York Fashion Week. The brand was the official makeup at Derek Lam’s Fall runway show. Blair has also been working extensively with Tom in Paris for the global launch of Estée Lauder’s new Pure Color Makeup and to introduce it to the Estée Lauder Makeup Artists around the world.

Blair Patterson

The session would take place through comments section. You may post your queries in the comments section and Mr Patterson would reply to your queries there itself. The session is only for two hours. We would close the comments section at 1 pm.

Hope you enjoy the session.

A big thank you to Mr. Blair Patterson for taking out time from his busy schedule.

Finding a good foundation is an issue for a lot of people. Think about bad foundation and who comes to my mind? None other than Celina Jaitley. Source Gosh look at that pic! You can hardly find her in good/natural looking makeup. God, look at that paint all over her face. And on closer look her hands look like they have been dipped in shimmer/glitter. And don’t even get me started on the DRESS (or is it?!). But, I digress. So my point is that finding a good foundation is the first rule of thumb when it comes to makeup. Each of us has certain requirements when it comes to foundation. For me, foundation has to be the perfect shade for my skin; it has to give me a medium coverage and should also give me a dewy finish. Also it should not break me out and should be affordable. Does such a foundation exist? Hey, a girl can dream, right?

So I hit the MAC counter to see if they could deliver a really good foundation that would satisfy my requirements. I was interested in trying out the Studio fix fluid. But the Makeup artist that took care of me told me that studio fix is a heavy coverage foundation and is also completely matte. So she suggested I try the SELECT SPF Foundation. She gave a very generous sample of the foundation. I have used it on 5-6 occasions now, so I guess I can do a fair review now. Source

What is MAC SELECT SPF 15 Foundation?

MAC says “Our water-based liquid foundation. Combines medium coverage with SPF 15. Provides a fresh, natural matte finish. Layers up, lasts long: helps protect the skin all day. Non-oily. 18 shades. Best way to baby your skin!”

Price: US $26.00

Quantity: 30 ml / 1.0 US FL OZ When I came home and read the description on the MAC website, I was like “Matte”? I generally don’t prefer matte finishes and I have no idea why the makeup artist thought that it would work on my dry skin?! But I still wanted to give this one a fair chance and I brushed aside any prejudices I had and tried it. Oh boy, this one was a super disappointment from the first time I tired it. It looked artificial and gave me an ashen hue. SO, I thought my skin was probably dry and flaky and I had to moisturize better. The next time I tried I made sure my face was moisturized really well before applying this. NOPES! Still no go. But the soul inside me who thought MAC could never go wrong kept bugging me to give it some more chances. I did and my husband said I looked ghastly with the foundation on! That’s it. I knew this was not going to work for me. So, on to the likes and dislikes…

What do I love about MAC SELECT SPF 15 Foundation?

• They have 18 shades in all. I am sure most of us can found a good match for our skin one.
• The Foundation has SPF 15 which is awesome. I feel every foundation should come with SPF!
• The coverage is pretty decent. Neither too light nor too heavy either.

Even though the picture of my hand doesn’t look bad, on a higher resolution I can easily see the foundation settled into the creases.

What I don’t like about MAC SELECT SPF 15 Foundation?

• The foundation is quite “liquidy”. It almost feels like water….! I would prefer foundations to be a little creamier.
• WHITECAST. PAINTED LOOK. I don’t know if the shade I got was the wrong one or not, but it does feel like I have a white cast when I wear this. I am thinking if the SPF has got to do something with this?? (I also found that a lot of people feel that it gives a white cast from other online reviews.)
• I also noticed that this foundation did give me some flakiness and emphasized some dry spots even though I had moisturized my skin!
• It is an expensive foundation at $26 USD.
• The bottle does not come with a pump. What a bummer. You have to buy the pump separately if you want it!

IMBB RATING: :star: + 1/2

Application Tips:

• Moisturize skin really really well before applying any kind of foundation. My current favorite moisturizer is cetaphil. This is the real deal. No fragrance, just real hydration in a tub. For dry skinned people like me, it works wonders.
• I prefer applying my foundation with a wet sponge. I feel this sheers out heavy foundations a bit. You can always build layers depending on how much coverage you want. I dot my face with the foundation and I stipple the foundation in with the wet sponge.

Well, as you can see according to me this product has more dislikes than likes. The matte finish is definitely not working for me. Maybe for people with really oily skin this foundation may work. I find that my Revlon color stay foundation works so much better. So the lesson is that just because it’s MAC, its not a given that it will work for you. This one was an epic fail for me. But their mineralize satin finish is really good. It’s got an almost mousse like consistency and gives a wonderful finish. Maybe when my Colorstay gets over I will give the MAC mineralize satin finish a try.

Have you tried MAC Select SPF 15 Foundation?

I noticed that Lakme India has started its makeup and hair training school, so thought I would share the news with my readers.

Advance Diploma in Hair:

Qualifying Criteria: Graduation (students currently pursuing graduation can apply)
Entry Criteria: Test on English and Reasoning
Course Duration: 17 weeks (700 hours)
Course Fee: Rs. 90,000 (Payable in 3 installments. Loan assistance will be provided).

Advance Diploma in Skin

Course Fees: Rs. 70,000 (Payable in 3 installments. Loan assistance will be provided)
Curriculum:

Contact Details:

Delhi

Sushma Khan: +91 9871309307
Sudeep Grover: +91 9810831954

Lakme Training Academy (Opening Soon)
A-262/2
Derawala Nagar
Delhi – 110009

Mumbai

Nisha Balasubramanian: +91 9321506404
Meeta Patil: +91 9322886448

Lakme Training Academy
101 – 104 Earth Castle Mall
Next to Phadke’s Ganapti Mandir
Opposite Sikka Nagar, C.P. Tank
Mumbai

Batches starting from 15th Feb,2010

If you are serious about doing a professional makeup and hair course, this might be the one for you. They are also giving a job guarantee.