5 Makeup Products That Will make You Look Like a Perfect 10

5 Items You’re Probably Passing by at the Cosmetics Counter…And Most Definitely Shouldn’t!

How many times have you been to a cosmetic counter/aisle, stared at certain products and wondered, who on earth uses that stuff? A possible question that probably precedes or follows that thought is – do I need it? Thus putting you in that oh so dreaded makeup dilemma- to purchase or not to purchase? We all agree makeup is supposed to make one look and feel absolutely fabulous. So I’m going to save you some effort and make sure you go from “What the…” to “Whoa…” by using these products that possibly aren’t number one on your list when you set out on your hunt for products that will make you look FIERCE.

1. Bronzer-

Yes, you read right, I DID say the B-word. Now I know thinking about bronzer probably conjures images of an orange Aishwarya Rai (or for that matter Hrithik Roshan…) from Dhoom 2 that would give any makeup-ista nightmares for weeks. Besides since we’re blessed with natural tan skin, bronzer doesn’t seem like the most obvious choice of makeup for the desi girl. But here’s where we need a little shift in thinking from associate bronzer with brown to associating it with glow. Using bronzer is a great way to make your skin appear naturally luminous and a great substitute for blush.

How to use: Swipe with a large brush and apply and blend wherever sunlight hits your face for the most natural look. At night bronzer can be used for contouring (which we’ll save for another post).

My pick: Clinique’s True Bronze Pressed Powder Bronzer

Bronzer use:

 

 

Model/Television Host Padma Lakshmi
Model/Television Host Padma Lakshmi

 

 

Photo Source: Time Inc.

Bronzer Abuse:

 

 

Hrithik Roshan
Hrithik Roshan in a still from Dhoom 2

 

 

Photo Source: BollywoodPeru

2. Eyebrow Pencil/Powder/Wax:

I’ve seen two emerging trends in eyebrows. The first is the bleached eyebrow, which isn’t too functional in my opinion; the other is the medium to full eyebrow. The next time you admire pictures of actresses Katrina Kaif, Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, notice that these young actresses have something in common. If you haven’t guessed where I’m going with this until now, it’s a good, strong, brow (yes that rhymes, so now it’ll be easier for you to remember!) Remember: A strong brow frames the face and adds enhances to the eyes, while a stark brow, well, overpowers the face and does nothing for your features. Besides plucking/waxing/threading your eyebrows using an eyebrow pencil or powder and wax kit will help you create a brow that best works for your face.

How to use: Fill in brows with a powder/pencil that’s a shade or two lighter than your natural brow color. Follow up with eyebrow brush for a cleaner look.

My pick: E.L.F.’s Brow Kit in Dark

Strong Brow:

 

 

Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif

 

 

Photo Source: IFC.Com

Stark Brow:

 

 

Singer Fergie
Singer Fergie

 

 

Photo Source: Elle.Com Singer Fergie

3. Bright Lip Color:

I’ve pretty much been a mauve, brown and plum lips kinda girl. Having recently jumped on the “let the lips pop” bandwagon I can’t stop raving about it. But here’s the catch if you like going heavy with your eyeliner, this style isn’t really for you. A bright lip color is the best way to play up your lips, keeping in mind the golden rule of makeup of course (play up only one feature at a time!). So go ahead and try out a bold red, pink and even purple (which happens to be very in this season) lip!

How to use: Go easy on eyeliner/shadow, let the lips be the center of attention. Feel free to use bright gloss instead of lipstick if you’re a little apprehensive.

My pick(s):

  • MAC Russian Red
  • MAC Rebel

Perfect Pout:

 

 

Bollywood Actress Sonam Kapoor
Bollywood Actress Sonam Kapoor

 

 

Photo Source: Radio Sargam

Hot Pink Lips on a Variety of Skin Tones:

 

 

Singers Rihanna, Alicia Keys, and Lily Allen
From left to right: Singers Rihanna, Alicia Keys, and Lily Allen

 

 

Photo Source: People

Blair Warldof would never approve of this!

 

 

Hollywood Actress/Gossip Girl Leighton Meester
Hollywood Actress/Gossip Girl Leighton Meester

 

 

Photo Source: Dress Therapy

4. Products with SPF

A question a lot of people have when choosing products with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is “Does sunscreen prevent tanning?” The simple answer is no. So if you’ve been avoiding SPF because you felt it’s going to impede your skin’s tanning process, feel free to slather up. On the other hand if you feel since SPF won’t help your skin keep from tanning and decide to give it pass here’s news for you- dermatologists suggest people of all skin tones (yes that includes all us brown beauties) use a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher. What are the benefits you ask? Sunscreen lowers your chance of getting skin cancer significantly and if that isn’t reason enough for you, sunscreen also prevents the skin from getting burned, aging prematurely and developing sun spots. Once you gear up with ample SPF protection feel free to step out into the sun and absorb its goodness.

How to use: For sunscreen lotions/creams apply at least 20 minutes before stepping out into the sun. This will give the skin ample time to absorb the sunscreen. You can also use lip balms and hair products with an SPF factor to protect your lips and hair respectively. If your favorite moisturizer is missing SPF you can use a foundation with SPF or a loose powder sunscreen.

My pick(s):

  • Lakme Sun Expert Lotion (Comes in SPF 15 and 30)
  • M.A.C. Select SPF 15 Foundation
  • E.L.F. SPF 45 Loose Powder (Picture Below)

 

 

Elf Loose Powder
Elf Loose Powder

 

 

Photo Source: E.L.F. Cosmetics

5. A Good Makeup Remover:

If you’re a fan of the “I haven’t slept in days that’s why it’s so dark around my eyes…” look or just believe that yesterday’s smuged kajal is your quick version of the smoky eye, this next product isn’t for you. For the rest of us (read: majority) it is absolutely necessary to use a safe, effective makeup remover, especially around the eyes. Along with a good makeup remover for the eyes look for a non-drying facial cleanser that unclogs all those pores (remember- old makeup+sweat+oil+dirt= acne…yeah eww).

How to use: Most experts agree the best way to use makeup remover is to dampen a cotton ball with the remover and then DAB around eyes. I personally like to moisten the cotton ball a little bit, then dampen and dab.

Tip: Just dap a Q-Tip (ear bud) in makeup remover to clean up any messes and give eye and lip makeup a more polished finish.

My pick(s):

  • Clinique’s Take the Day Off Makeup Remover
  • Himalaya Purifying Neem Face Wash

Smuged Eyeliner…not so cute! Smudged Eyeliner Photo Source: Gab Lifestyle

Hope these 5 products will make you look like a Perfect 10 . 🙂

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44 thoughts on “5 Makeup Products That Will make You Look Like a Perfect 10

  1. I have almost no hair on my eyebrows. 🙁 I use a pencil called taupe by MAC. that is the only mac product i have… 😮 it gives a very natural look to my eyebrows and stays put till evening. i am fan of sonam kapoor. she is the hottest property around in bollywood now.

    very good tips. keep them coming. :yes:

    1. I have pretty sparse eye brows myself. I’ve never used an eyebrow pencil because wax and powder kits work really well with my brows!

      I am a big Sonam Kapoor fan too, she’s the only actress in my generation (I’m 23) that I admire (mainly for her impeccable style and fresh make-up!).

  2. I love my bronzers. For summers especially, I pick them up over my blushes. I do contour especially my jawline and temple area for a little definition. Otherwise mostly I love to wear them as my blushes.

    Sonam Kapoor is looking gorgeous. 🙂

  3. Great article Devika 🙂 Sonam looks so cute – I actually worked up the courage to start using bolder colours after seeing her. I guess its about making sure everything else is kept simple and getting the right red (in my case at least).

    1. Thanks Radhika! That’s very encouraging since this is my first post here!
      I’m not sure where you live, ,but I’d suggest going down to a MAC counter and asking the MA’s to help you pick out a red for your skin tone.
      I personally like Russian Red from MAC and Tempation from Rimmel seems to work well for me too.
      For reference I’m a MAC NC40

      1. Stay in Bangalore..Russian Red is RED isn’t it..but wowww..you must have oodles of confidence to carry that off 🙂 I would be darker…NC40 is a lighter tone than mine. I got some Chanels which are about as bold as I can go…am working on getting my skin to super clear for now! Looking forward to your second, third, and many more articles 🙂
        .-= Radhika´s last blog ..New at the Chanel Counter – Lifestyle, Koramangala =-.

        1. haha, you’re giving me second thoughts now. Which Chanels do you personally like? Do tell. Speaking of Chanel I was just reading your blog post and the pictures are absolutely drool-worthy!

          1. You should try out their new Rouge Cocos – are superb. Ohh..and you have to have to try this shade Dragon – Rouge Allure Laque – I tried it at the counter and oh my, the SA and I had a nice laugh, but seriously if you want reds try these laques…they are so wowww..glossy though. And tx for dropping by 🙂

  4. Nice post Devika……….You are correct about the eyebrows Devika….actually in the 70s and 80s many actresses like Zeenat Aman and others used to just leave a line in place of the eyebrows and it made them look so horrible. One more tip is that fuller eyebrows can make you look younger, whereas thin and malnourished eyebrows can puff up the face and make one look much older. I just go for medium eyebrows. 🙂

    1. Thanks Jomol!
      Now that you bring up the fact that (relatively) thicker eyebrows seem to take the years of people’s looks it makes a lot of sense.
      I personally think that Aishwarya Rai is one actress who should opt for a medium brow, I’d love to see how it looks on her!

  5. Rati…Celina is back to grace IMBB….she is a nightmare for so many of us…….If I ever come across Celina Jaitley, I will mix two spoonfuls of Mr. Muscle + 2 spoonfuls of Pril dish wash liquid + 1 teaspoon of Vanish 02 and then dip metal scrubber into it and scrape all the makeup off Celina Jaitley…..I am sure she and hoardes of others will feel glad…… 🙂 …..I don’t understand why she does that to herself……..

      1. wow devika!
        are u a professional? or are u in the glamour world? 😉
        really thought i am reading a fashion magazine!
        hope u do a lot of posts on make up dos and donts

        1. Thanks soooooo much for your kind words!
          If you could see my face right now…it looks like this —> 😀 which for 2 am on a weeknight is a pretty big deal!
          I work in marketing communications and alwayssss wanted to write for a magazines. Too bad magazines are dying…but then I can write for this awesome blog, which is a great opportunity itself and allows me to live a childhood dream (…and as far as I know blogs are here to stay)

      2. I think you people are ignorant of the advantages Celina Jaitley enjoys. Before laughing think about the following:

        1. Celina can fall in an ocean and yet not sink. The makeup makes her so puffy that she can float without the life jacket.

        2. Her looks will scare all eve teasers and rapists to death. Not only that, if a rapists wants to grab Celina and pull her, he’ll find his hands are always slipping over her makeup.

        3. Her makeup gives her so much height that she can do movies with the tallest heroes without needing to wear high heels.

        4. She can roam around in the shopping malls without bodyguards. Her makeup guarantees her privacy.

        And so many thinks that I cannot think right but will come to me later….

        Long live Celina! 😀

  6. hi gr8 post… :yes: liked every bit of it… yeah soonam is looking very hot in the pic..as like ki,developed courage to experiment with some hot colors esp red… :-*

    1. Thanks Sush!
      It’d be funny if one day there’s a comment from Celina herself…but honestly if she goes through this blog with sincerity, I am sure it’ll do wonders for her!

  7. Hey I use bronzer, love the dark and full eye brows… :lashes:
    I also love my bright hot pink lipstick i got from RATI.. tHE LOTUS tULIP LOVE one.. :-*
    Also loving bright reds, oranges and hot pinks… :inlove: :inlove: :-*

    And I can’t do without my sunscreens… And you know I finsh a bottle of Cleansing lotion in 10 days!!!
    :blush: :blush:
    So I am pround to say tht I am following all advices from you!!! 😀 😀
    .-= Mrunmayee´s last blog ..Jovees Gold Eye Contour gel- Review =-.

  8. devika o devika, where art thou devika..?! you are a very engaging writer. bring on the posts!
    bronzer has been used and abused by every actor in india.
    products apart from sunscreen that claim to have spf are all hogwash according to me. i mean, how does it matter whether a powder has spf 8 or spf 15? or for that matter, how does it matter whether a foundation has spf 15? i don’t get lured by such claims. now, if a moisturiser claims to have spf 30, then i might consider it.
    .-= Rima Kaur´s last blog ..Beneath The Smiles =-.

  9. great article devika
    i love me some reds and hot pinks…
    u know my first MAC lippie was REBEL , so u know m feeling so proud about it right now as its highlighted here
    special thanks to you for mentioning it here.. MWAH
    n my go to red is russian red love it to death
    u know the funny thing is my hubby also rem. the name whenever i wear it…
    m hoping to try bronazer soon may be mac one lets see …
    love n lipglosses
    rashmi

    1. Thanks Rashmi!
      Wow Rebel would never have been my first choice…that’s really bold of you…Kudos!
      I ran out of my first bright lipstick: Rougette from the Mattene Collection which was a limited edition and the website suggested Rebel. You can probably guess why I was hooked!

      1. devika my hubby is all into dark bright bold colors…
        but now he has accepted the fact n trend of nude lips …
        so when i wear peachstock or angel he feels okay u can do it sometimes
        but i totally agree with u rebel n that too first mac is something even i cant digest now hahahah but yeah it proved to be soooo lucky for me now i have soo many mac lippies
        so rebel is my lucky charm …in mac ofcourse..

  10. Kudos to you Devika..I loved every bit of your article. I was almost in an afternoon daze when I logged on to my laptop. But believe me, your article made me fresh and read it through and through 🙂

    And yeah..thanks to you, Ms Jaitley is back to being the darling of IMBB.

    Sonam does look fresh and lovely and Hrithik…OMG :sidefrown:

    Sanjeev Bhai..aapki comments :rotfl: :rotfl:

    Alicia Keys and Rihanna are tempting me to atleast try a hot pink lippie.

    1. Thanks Poornima, that’s very sweet of you to say!
      You should definitely try hot pink…or go for a gloss…it’s happiness in a tube! :-))

  11. My list would have definitely included a mascara. I love using mascaras. I dunno but I always feel that mascaras really define the look of my eyes. And then I bat my lashes zillion times. :lashes: :lashes: :silly:

    1. Ahhh..I totally skipped that one! Mascara’s are awesome…btw have you tried the fabulous Covergirl LashBlast? I think someone reviewed it on here a while ago! I LOVE that stuff…makes me feel like I have Katrina-lashes.

      1. No Devika, don’t get cover girl here. 🙁 Could be bought online but we have some good options available offline as well so…. I think maxfactor in India is by the name of covergirl…I think so ..not sure…

  12. Oh yes Rati…even I feel that a mascara can change your look..in a good way of course 🙂

    And you bat your eyelids many times?? :cute: :cute:

    Can we also confer the title of Ms.Lash mati on you?? :rotfl:

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