Beauty Essentials for PROs

We have so many talented makeup artists who want to make big in the business and who dream big. As starters they have limited access to products and a limited budget to start their profession. Just like ideas even the makeup products are limitless and artiste nouveau are confused of what to buy.

So I thought of dedicating an article to all pro and amateur makeup artists who want make their own stand and their own makeup kit. You need not have to get all branded stuff and invest worth lakhs of money, just by buying essentials you can start off and build your makeup case slowly and steadily. Hope this article helps..

Here’s a list of things I find perfect for a beginner: - (these are my recommendations. And that doesn’t mean its mandatory to buy what I have recommended. This article is for an Indian makeup artist who is a beginner. Others can update their kits according to the need of their clients.)

- Skin care: - Any good skin care brand helps you get a very good canvas to work on. I recommend Clinique’s Wash away gel cleanser, Mild Clarifying lotion and Moisture Surge Extended thirst relief or Moisture Sheer Tint spf 15 in Beige.

- Foundation: - MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC 40, NW 40 and NC 42 to begin as a liquid foundation. Kryolan Supra foundation palette of 24 colors for heavier makeups. Custom fit foundation colors according to needs but start off with these as basics.

- Concealer: - Clinique All about eyes concealer in No. 5 Medium Beige and No. 8 Deep Honey.

- Powder: - Clinique Blended Loose Powder in no. 4 and no. 8 and MAC Prep+Prime Powder

- Blush: - Some universal shades like Clinique Blushing blush in Smoldering Plum and Bashful blush, MAC Powder blush in Tender Gold, Sunbasque, Coygirl and Peachykeen.

- Eyeshadow Primer from Oriflame

- Face Primer from Clarins Instant Smooth Perfect Touch

- Eyeshadows colors from MAC in Smut, Carbon, Tempting, Sumptuous Olive, Gleam, Shroom, Nylon, Amber Lights, All that Glitter and Silver Ring.

- Mascara in MAC Zoomlash Black or Clinique High Impact Mascara

- Eye liners Clinique Quickliner for eyes in Really Black and Dark Chocolate

- Brows from Clinique Super Fine liner for Brows in Deep Brown

- Lipsticks in some basic colors like red, pink, beige, brown, burgundy and coral or orange.

- Lipglosses in peach, pink, nude, beige, gold and brown.

- NYX brushes as they are a good substitute to MAC brushes and have equal professional touch.


The more you buy, the better it gets. But one needs to start some where.
Till then,
Ciao

Le Grand Duo………

I’m a huge fan of MAC Mineralize blushes and eyeshadows and have been collection entire collections over years from their limited edition launches. Guys from MAC @ Juhu would agree with me on how fast these collections move and how they have to handle the “Out of stock” anguish of flustering customers like me.

There is a reason for this. The pay off of these Mineralize products is out standing with an amazing pigment quality and fairy like textures. The products create a lovely intermix of colors on eyes and a supernatural halo on the cheeks of which one could only dream of. Let me keep away from blabbering more and talk about the amazing Grand Duo collection that MAC launches yesterday.

If you have seen the duos and trios from the Mineralize collection and if you have owned them, I’m very sure at the back of your mind somewhere you would have craved to have blushes in these duo textures too. I think the craving paid off. MAC launches a duo collection of Mineralize blushes that goes hand in hand with their eyeshadow collection and is something that every girl and every makeup artist using MAC must have dreamt.

The Grand duos are duo blushes with a solid half and a marble half what MAC calls MELANGE. The colors are exquisite and the intricate veining of gold and lilac with copper and bronze and even purple make them a must have in the vanity case. (I believe the word VANITY in the vanity case comes from the vanity a woman or a professional has to store so many products in a makeup case….lol…whatever)


The pay off of the blushes is amazing and one needs to be very cautious in using them. I would not advice using the same technique that you use for other MAC blushes where the color is loaded on the blush brush and then applied on the face. Since these blushes are highly pigmented just a whisper of color is enough for the blush to show on your face. That’s why MAC promotes their brush no. 188 a duo fiber brush to apply the blush delicately on cheek bones.

Though the blushes are frosted, they do not impart that chunky and tacky shimmery look on the face. Instead they create a halo on the cheeks and the shimmer is very subtle yet powerful and pronounced. The marble side gives a mélange of colors that blend together to give a radiant shine whilst the solid side is packed with blush pigments enough to make one look like a Raggedy Ann if used in excess.

The best part of owning this blush duo is the number of colors that you can actually get from a single product. It has all the colors necessary to accentuate cheeks but MAC do not recommend this product to be used on eyes so be cautious.

Since I was not very keen on Intenso and Moon River which are for the extreme dark and extreme fair complexions respectively, I ended up buying the rest of the five. Btw these blushes are priced at Rs.1350 and I strongly recommend them.

Lets see the shade description: --

Moon River Blue pink mélange / Pale yellow pink

Love Rock Gold violet mélange / Bright blue pink

Grand Duo Copper pink mélange / Plum

Light Over Dark Orange yellow mélange / Deep brown

Earth to Earth Purple bronze mélange / Yellow brown

Hot Planet Copper yellow mélange / Mid-tone plum

Intenso Pink gold mélange / Terracotta rose


Do try them at MAC stores all over India and do write about how the products are…

Till then,
Ciao

Bye bye fake cake….Real skin is in?

Foundations are like small genies in bottles. They come in all shapes and sizes, all textures and finishes and are made for all. Hasn’t that been a discussion for eons? But today’s woman is choosy. She takes her own time to decide and has the patience to select the right shade. This shade that she chooses remains with her for her life (of course until the formula stays).

Since today’s concerns are different, so are the foundations…. I have seen a lot of women with concern of pigmentations or uneven skin tone applying a pasty thingy on their face which masks their features completely. These foundations are not only cakey and fakey but also they are of the wrong undertone and horrible to look at. Such women lose their confidence and are desperate for measures.

I was able to find an answer for this solution. After trying out many formulations the best out of them was Clinique’s Perfectly Real Makeup, an oil free foundation known to do wonders. Let’s see the features of this foundation: -
- Its oil free so does not add any extra oil into the face that could create some other problems.
- Its has a micro mirror technology that instantly blurs imperfections and light diffusers reflect light in different directions wishing discoloration adieu.
- It gives full coverage but looks like real skin.
- Perfectly Real makeup helps hiding rudiness, discoloration and imperfections without looking cakey and its ultra light in texture.
- Its light but lasting.

Most of all it is allergy tested, 100% fragrance and dermatologist developed.

How to apply?

Perfectly Real Makeup glides on the skin like silk. To make it glide even better its very important to cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize. The exfoliation is a gentle daily exfoliation that does not cause skin injury and can be done by Clinique’s Clarifying Lotion. Since the surface flaky cells are wiped out and the smoother cells drink the moisturizer, the foundation sits better on the skin. Using a primer or a moisture booster helps the foundation last longer. Since it does not have sunscreen, a moisturizer with sunscreen in advisable during the day for women with concerns of discoloration and environmental damage.

After prepping the skin, peanut size amount on the back of the hand. First dot in the areas of concern and blend. Then with a foundation brush dab the foundation onto the skin and blend side wards from the middle of the face going out wards and down wards. This gives the most natural coverage. Since it’s a buildable foundation, layers of it can be applied wherever needed.

If there is too much of blotchiness on the skin or deeper discoloration a full coverage concealer like Clinique’s All About Eye concealer can be used underneath the foundation and then the foundation should be dabbed onto it.

Not only because of the availability but also because its meant to assist the coverage that the foundation gives, a powder called Perfectly Real Compact Makeup can be used. This powder is silky and gives full coverage by itself but also enhances the effect of the liquid foundation and seal it.

This foundation can be used by everyone as its not necessary that you need to have a concern on your face. Its ultra light weight and goes well with everyone.

I strongly recommend this foundation and you’ll see yourself transforming within minutes.

That’s why bye bye fake cake, now a days real skin is in !!!


Till then,
Ciao

The Midas Touch

I think GOLD is one of the most understated and underestimated color in makeup. Probably because it highlights and blends into our complexions very well, or because it is less obvious when used and even more because it blends with any color without changing the color’s identity. But I want to give GOLD its own identity and its own uniqueness.

Gold works with all colors right from cool blues to hot reds and imparts its own signature to that color. But on its own Gold could be used in many unique ways. First lets see which are the GOLDS that we could choose.

Since GOLDS go well on any skin colors its not so difficult to choose the right GOLD color. Pink and fair complexions should choose a Pink or Coppery gold, where as warm tropical complexions should choose slightly bronzed golds and darker complexions could look effervescent with antique golds. A yellow gold which is the purest form of gold color in makeup could virtually go good on anyone and enliven anybody’s complexion.

GOLD could be used on any place on the body to highlight it. But I believe gold to be used as an accent more than an all over color.
Here’s a few tips to apply GOLD as a color for the face: -

-Use it in the inner corners or on the bulge of the eye ball or as a brow highlighter or as a liquid liner or some gold flecks on the eye brow to open up the eye makeup.
-Use it on the heights of the cheeks to give an appearance of a sculpted face or use on the cheek bones and apples for an all over halo.
-Use on the centre of the lips to make an visual pout or apply over the cupid’s bow to change the shape of the lip making it appear larger.
-Dust or spray gold shimmer on the décolletage and look like a goddess.

Some unusual tips would be: -

-Dip mascara wand in a gold pigment and use it as a highlight on the lashes keeping rest of the makeup neutral.
-Mix it with pinks and teals to create a duo chrome effect and see the fun.

So friends do let me know if you have some tips on how to use GOLD and please feel free to share it with all of us.
You can write to me on neerajnavare@yahoo.com

Till then,

Ciao

Legendary makeup tips.......

Makeup artists are a source of inspiration all the time and always strive to give something new and innovative to the ever hungry fashionistas and beauty addicts….here are some tips I read recently and fell for them…..

1) Francois Nars the creator of Nars Cosmetics had once used a single peachy orange colored lipstick on a super model’s face and thus was born one of the favorite products in the world, the Nars Multiple. This was and is an inspiration for many other brands that come with the names like accentuating stick, blush in a stick and many more.

2) Pat McGrath, one of the greatest makeup artists in the world uses her fingers to apply makeup and told that they are the best and god gifted artistic tools anyone could have. Her makeup finishes are know to be something better than an air brush and bless her for her magical fingers.

3) Pat is also famous for brewing her own makeup concoctions which are so inspiring that cosmetic companies just die waiting to her what coming new from the maestro. She is known to mix paints in tiny pots and create magnificent arrays of colors ever known to man.

4) Stephane Marais had once used real garage grease on models at a fashion show and the shimmery look was born.

5) Pat McGrath applies foundation and powder on lips and then coats with some super thick transparent gloss to create those ultra nude and ultra natural glistening lips at the Versace show.

6) Dick Page, the makeup magician had once told to apply an iridescent foundation in a crescent shaped manner from the brow bone to the cheeks. This leads to one of the most flattering finishes in makeup and no wonder who is taking the credit for that.

7) Dick Page also advised to use a red clear thin lipgloss on the cheeks to create a healthy flush.

8) To create a dewy look for people with combination skin Pat advises using a tinted moisturizer all over the face and a mattifying foundation on the T zone and viola you look Dewy.

9) MAC makeup artists have attributed to some of the craziest colors in makeup and one of them I believe is a red colored crème blush which looks horrendous in the packaging but one of the most flattering on cheeks.

10) In earlier times mascara used to be applied with clients on recumbent position.

11) Makeup artists are known to apply eye drops and crushed aspirin on the face, the worst being toothpaste, meat and hemorrhoids cream.

12) Makeup artist Bobbi Brown once said, that the lipstick that matches to the upper lip color (without the lipstick) when on the lower lip is the best shade a woman would ever find for her.

13) To set makeup trends, makeup artists really think beyond thinking…..YSL’s black lipgloss is one of the major thoughts this season.

14) We heard about battery operated toothbrushes and razors and now its mascaras….Lancome’s Oscillation and Estee Lauder turbo volume are two of its kinds….

15) The ball at the end of the wand mascara called Phenomen’eyes by the brains behind Givenchy beauty Nicholas DeGennes is patented for 25 yrs and no company could copy it till then…..what a thinking….

16) Pat McGrath showed the world that Kabuki theatrical makeup could be done using all other colors that white like pink and powder blue…and not necessarily white……..

17) Lancôme’s Aaron De May brings a new punk-i-ness using a smokey eye unheard of, “the pink smoky eye”…

Makeup artists have always been mesmerizing us with their creativity and shall do it forever, thinking of the stuff never thought of and doing things that were not done….

Glitter Graphics - Topglittergraphics

Do you CCH?

CCH would sound some kind of Chinese Chicken Hakka (Hong Kong) if I don’t tell you what it is! Well let me ask you again…..do you CONTOUR. COLOR and HIGHLIGHT? Sounds good and not some mystery game isn’t it?
Well these terms are so famous in the beauty industry that now a days they have become a phenomenon more than a technique. Every makeup artist, every blogger and just everyone has something to say about this and so do I. I’m more of a self taught makeup artist (I’d started makeup long before I joined a school to take a certificate) and take my time to research and improvise my makeup techniques all the time. I learnt my techniques by reading many books and lot of internet research and now I’m efficient enough to tell my story.

Its been sometime that I have fallen for shimmery contouring powder which we loosely term as bronzers. I don’t think all contouring powders are bronzer and neither are all bronzing powders meant for contouring. While bronzer enhances your tan and the glow that Sun would give, a contouring powder darkens and makes recede areas of the face that are already shadowed. This is totally my thinking and not taken from anywhere. Its more of a mind set. Another concept I believed in was that any shimmery product enhances the area of the face. So somehow I used to feel shimmery bronzers and contouring powders very dicey until I bought some to experiment. Similarly for me a blush was something to be worn alone and I used to always discriminate but today after realizing and talking to many famous makeup artists in the industry this mind set of mine has changed.

I always do some additions to the conventional stuff to make something of my own. I at least try it and sometimes I do succeed. Everyone has talked about a highlight and a contour and I thought of adding a color to it. And this is how I have my own CCH. I feel a combination of three does not make a crowd but make a jamboree. The intermixing of three colors gives the face a gradation of color and an enhanced sophisticated depth.

Well CCH can be done with absolutely any color keeping just a few things in mind viz.
- Contouring color should be dark and natural enough to deepen the shadows of the face and give an uplifting appearance.
- The COLOR is a blush that adds not only a flush but also gives a dimension and should always be a color lighter than the contouring powder even though it’s a tint of the same color.
- HIGHLIGHT should always be lighter than blush and accentuate the areas wherever it is applied.
- There should be coordination amongst colors.
- You can mix warm, neutral and cool colors and have infinite combinations. The only rule is that they should look good and not neutralize each other and turn grey.
- It should be like a spectrum with visible but contiguous differences and not bold and true colors.
- These colors can be of any texture but there should be a demarcation between cream and powder products. This bridging can be done by a translucent loose powder.
- Its not compulsory to use only 3 colors. You could use even more.

After some of these Newtonian laws let me tell you about the colors I’m featuring in this article. These are Mineralize blushes from MAC cosmetics and unfortunately they were limited editions. These are shimmery in texture and add radiance to the face.
Well this photograph even shows the brushes that I use at times to contour. I have many more but these were the ones I selected for this moment.
CONTOUR: - MAC mineralize blush in Love joy
COLOR: - MAC mineralize blush in Gentle
HIGHLIGHT : - MAC mineralize blush in Nuance

The idea to include a gold flecked raspberry colored blush with a shimmery golden peachy highlighter was to get a SALMON colored blush which is very flattering on all skin types. This is one of the newest additions to all skin color blushes and unfortunately many companies don’t make them, so it is best to make one of yours. At least you’d have a control on the color application.
The brushes I have featured are a small dome, large dome brush, angled blush brush and a duo fibre brush. Each brush has some great contribution in the whole technique.

The technique is simple. You start apply a contour in the hollow of the cheeks starting from outside of an imaginary vertical line drawn from the outside of the eyeball and is perpendicular to the ground. This makes you look not like a drag and smoothly contours the cheeks. This also gives a lifting effect to the face and enhances the features. I apply this with a small dome brush from Lancôme.

Then I apply the color on the cheek bones starting from the temples and coming inwards and downwards. This is because I don’t want the color to be on the apples of the cheeks. If this is not done properly it might spoil the look and it would be easier to look like a clown then. I use an angled blush brush from Smashbox to dust on some color on the cheeks. Sometimes only this much suffices but this is not the motto of the look.

In the end I apply my highlighter with the duo fibre brush as it really helps subtle applications. This brush dispenses a buildable amount of product on the face and does not load the face with the product. Its so versatile and this makes me pledge that I’d buy another one from MAC i.e. no.187 in the coming new year. I apply highlighter on the apples of the cheeks starting in wards upto the temples. Sometimes I love to draw a crescent from the apples of the cheeks to the brow bone to give the face a flattering dimension. I use the same duo fiber brush to blend in the colors and get the salmon color I wanted.

You can keep three colors differently but remember not to look a like a tri color flag. The demarcation lines should merge and it should have continuity.

To eliminate any harsh lines at the sides of the product I use a large dome buffer brush to buff in the harsh lines and blend the color into the hair line. This brush also can be used to soften the look.
You can also use crème based products to do this look. They mix very well and appear dewy and chic. Its something I’d post as soon as I buy the Shiseido Accentuating Stick no.1 in Bronze flush.

I hope you find this article useful……..do try this in natural day light and see yourself metamorphosing.

Till then,

Christmas Specialsss….

Christmas is on and its another festive spirit after Diwali for me. We enjoy Christmas in the same way we enjoy Diwali. This Christmas its about rich looks and elegance. I’m going to show you two looks that would be quick and easy and beautiful.

LOOK 1 Christmas Angel

This time I am going to use strong colors on my friends may be on eyes or cheeks or lips. I prefer choosing colors that show festivity.
For this look we’d need: -

- Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch Primer
- Dior Forever Extreme Flawless wear foundation
- Dior Hydrating Concealer
- Shiseido Accentuating Stick in S3 Glistening Flush
- MAC Studio fix powder and Shiseido Illuminizing trio powder (not shown in the pic)
- Dior Shimmering Powder in Rose Diamond
- Chanel Tweed Blush in Tweed Amber
- MAC Holiday Collection Passions of Red Warm Eyes palette called Intriguing Scarlet with eyeshadow shades Warm Suede, Grand Entrance, Real Drama, Gentle Heat, Well Spiced and Sweet Joy.
- Lancôme eye pencil in Strass Black
- Lancôme Color Focus mono eyeshadow in Strass Black
- Max Factor Lash Perfection Mascara in Black
- The Body shop Cheek and Lip tint
- Lancôme Juicy Tube in Vanilla Soul
- Shiseido Eye lash curler

This is a very easy to carry and quickly done glamorous look.

FACE: -
after a cleansing, toning and moisturizing regimen I apply Clarins Primer on the areas where it is needed. On the nose, under eyes, on the forehead, sides of the nose and cheeks. This primer does wonders to hide open pores and fine lines, fills them up and is yet non comedogenic. It makes my foundation last longer even though this foundation I’m using does it already.
I take a small glob of foundation and apply it in the centre of the face blending outwards with a foundation brush and then a sponge to soak of any excess and blend at hair and jaw lines. I like to keep the foundation as sheer as possible yet giving a flawless balanced effect. I dab the concealer under eyes only if I need to hide any under eye circles as my foundation does 75% of my work already. I apply the concealer with my small Smashbox foundation brush and then dab it actually. A little bit of concealer goes in the inner area of the upper lid and brow bone. This is the area which is generally ignored and in photographs it might look obvious.
I’ve started blotting the nose even if its not required to prevent disasters. So I use MAC studio fix on the nose, forehead and under eyes to blot and set the foundation there and prevent creasing. Then I apply the creamy pearly Accentuating stick on the heights and apples of the cheeks, bridge of the nose, over the upper lip and as an eyeshadow base to give a bright pearly effect and keep my blushes from fading. You could use an eye primer as well, but sometime I love this as it does not entertain too much of pigment and specially does not crease. Creasing can happen on oily lids where I suggest using Urban Decay Primer Potion or MAC Paint Pot in Painterly.
I do a loose dusting of the luminizing powder to brighten up the complexion, fix the bases and balance any discolorations or uneven color.

EYES: -
For me this is an over all glamorous look so there is focus on everything in some or the other way. I start with the eye pencil around the lashes. This eye pencil has silver glitter particles so I would not advice to put it in the inner rims. I line the upper lash line as well as outer third of the lower lash line. Then I blend it using a crease blending brush. I apply the sparkly black eyeshadow on the outer one third of the lid and blend it in the outer crease as well as on the lower lash line for a smoky effect. Care should be taken while dusting the eyeshadow from the brush as it has a lot of sparkle. Then I take the burgundy plum color from the MAC palette and apply it in the crease blending it towards the brow bone and dragging it almost into the inner corners of the crease. This gives an illusion of cat eye effect. With a flat medium eyeshadow brush I apply the shimmery forest green from the palette all over the lid, taking care to keep the plum and green separate because they might turn into a dark brown and spoil the look. I apply the olive green sparkle in the inner corners and spice up the look. I use the bone shimmer as a highlight on the brow bone. On the lower lash line blend the plum into black in the middle one third and apply forest green in the inner one third of the lower lid. Curl the lashes and use 5 coats of mascara for sky high lashes.

CHEEKS: -
I apply a number of blushes to get the effect I want. First is apply the Tweed Amber blush in the hollows of the cheeks for subtle contours blending into the temples and hair line. I start the contour from the mid way of the hollow going outwards using an angled blush brush. Then I dust the shimmer plum and sparkly pink colors from the shimmery powder palette on the pads of the cheeks or the cheek bones. Over which I highlight using the baby pink highlighter. I use a kabuki brush to slightly blend in the colors to create a diffusion and not demarcation of the blushes. Whatever remains on my brush, I dust only that much blush all over the face to balance the effect. This does not mean loading the brush with extra blush as you might end up looking like a clown. It needs subtle handling.

LIPS: -
This is a favorite fail proof technique of mine and I love the way I get the result. I dab on some lip stain on the lips. 4 or more coats to get a lip bitten effect without biting them. The silicones in the formula help to plump up the lips adding an extra advantage. Over this I top on a glittery juice tube and the effect is exuberant.

This is a very conventional look. Let me glamorize it even further.

LOOK 2 Christmas Diva

To be a Christmas diva you need to follow some trends in makeup and make yours out of it.
For this look we’d need: -
- the same face products that I used before
- Shiseido accentuating powder blush in Glistening Brown
- Dior shimmer powder in Rose Diamond
- Dior 5 coleur eyeshadow palette in Tropical Lights
- Lancôme color focus mono intense eyeshadow in Green Bikini
- The Body shop mono eyeshadow in Slate Green
- Lancôme eye pencil in Strass Black
- L'Oreal Carbon Black liquid eye liner
- Shiseido eye lash curler
- MAC prep n prime mascara primer
- Lancôme Fatale mascara
- Lancôme color fever lipgloss in Boogie Brown

Keeping the face makeup the same lets see the decorations.

EYES: -

I use an eye primer from MAC called prep n prime which I forgot to photograph in the picture. This makes my eyeshadows stay a bit longer than usual and not settle in the crease. I start by lining the upper lash line with a pencil liner. Then smudge it with a smudge brush. I use the bronze shimmer from the eyeshadow palette and apply in the outer one third and the crease. Then I use the opalescent pink as a highlight on the brow bones. I gently wash the fluorescent green eyeshadow on the lid to open up the eyes and yet not make a bold statement. This eyeshadow from Lancôme can be layered and that’s what I like about it even if it is that vivid. I line the lower lash line with the same bronze and then apply the iridescent green or silvery taupe from the palette in the inner corners. I trace the liquid liner from inside out as a wing, curl the lashes, apply a mascara primer and 4 coats of Lancôme fatale mascara for a sensational effect. This effect can be seen and I don’t know how can I put it in writing.

CHEEKS: -

The brown blush with subtle pink sparkle gives an amazing festive contour to the cheeks. I highlight using the shimmer powder but use only the light peachy pink and opalescent pink as a highlight on the heights of the cheeks. This brown blush is very versatile in itself and really looks good even when worn alone. Its in contrast to the Chanel Tweed blush which is beigey brown with lots of gold accents. These look very bright and beautiful even if the colors sound dull. Seeing is believing.

LIPS: -

I complete the look with Lancôme Color Fever gloss in Boogie Brown which converts into more of a silvery beigey brown shimmer and is very long lasting..

Well these are the looks I have suggested and I could put pictures since I don’t have a regular model. Please feel free to ask questions and do let me know what you did this Christmas…
Till then,
Ciao

Plum Cakes

This Christmas I got a bit inspired looking at the plum cakes our neighbor gave us for Christmas. We generally fight over those but this time I acted a bit like Archimedes and thought over it. And this is how I have come out with some looks using plums.

Plum is an amazing fruit packed with antioxidants. It has this reddish violet color with some hints of black. But its definitely different from burgundy. When plums are not very ripe they are somewhat crimson in color. When cut this fruit has an inner yellow which is a strong contrast with the outer skin. Nature is so beautiful isn’t it? These fruits start as green and lose chlorophyll and become red. This journey from green to red gives a vivid spectrum of colors but we are thinking something that is truly ripe now.
Well when plums are dried they look like shriveled burgundy black colored things with a glaze and taste wonderful. Reminds me of filling my mouth during hunger pangs that I used to get.

Anyways I’m really fascinated with this color and believe me in any form of makeup colors, plum never goes wrong. Let it be a lipstick or an eyeshadow, plum happens to be one of the safest and beautiful colors to use. I like the plum color in all its forms including matte, shimmer and glitter and now a days my makeup stash is filled with plumy products.

Okay. So lets come to some innovative ideas with PLUM as the main color.
Some looks: -

EYES: -

- I have always paired plums with another favorite color of mine, FOREST GREEN. It makes a lovely pair and if you want a duo chrome effect you could try Shiseido’s Hydro powder eyeshadows. I apply a matte plum eyeshadow in the outer corners and into the crease. Then a shimmery forest green all over the lid and some moss green shimmer in the inner corners of the eyes to open up. It might look a little plant like but its worth it.
- I have paired plums with virtually all shadows and one of the combos is with Lilac. Its gives an aura of sophistication as well chic effect. I love to apply a matte plum in a smoky way and then dust a shimmery pearly lilac over the lid to create a duo chrome effect. Do try it as it looks lovely.
- I love to add a pink gold color when doing a plum makeup and one of my fascinating makeup looks is using an apricot eyeshadow with plum. I was awestruck looking at the effect.
- I have added taupe, beiges and even blues to plum to create various eye effects. One of the best one that I got was using plum with navy blue. It looks dramatic.
- For a versatile effect use multiple colors on the eye lid and a dark plum eyeshadow in the crease. It looks very balancing.
- Did you know there are Plum mascaras in the market? Shiseido and Clarins make them, I guess? They are wonderful to enhance brown eyes. Do a very natural makeup with just some hither thither shine everywhere and don this plum mascara. See the vivid effect it would create.
- When smoky plum adds an aura at night, shimmery plums create a subtle wash for the day. Very lovely.
- Sport them with pinks and see how you add a touch of sophistication in a girly makeup.

CHEEKS: -

- A wash of plum blush brings out any complexion. Only the intensity changes with skin colors and goes from demure flush for fair to vivid stain for dark complexions.
- I have loved Clinique Fresh Bloom blush in Posy.
- Mix plum with a bronzer and have a wonderful interlude of colors. Loved Dior Bronze harmonie in sunshine party.
- Plums have looked wonderful in MAC blushes like Plum du Bois and I’m still regretting for not buying one.

LIPS: -

- Plum on lips look like a cherry on cake. I have preferred Plum lipstains which look as if you have chewed beetroot to pulp, to shimmery plum lip glosses.
- Do try Max Factor’s gloss in Plum Shimmer. It accentuates the natural shine in a gloss with a muted plum effect. Its looks marvelous on a lip stain from The Body Shop.
- Matte plum lips look bold when the rest of the makeup is subdued….


Plum color is known to bring out many facets of makeup and definitely needs to be done tastefully.

Do share your ideas on Plum makeup…………..
Till then,
Ciao

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What eyeshadow duo combos would you like to wear this Christmas?

Plum and Mint Green
Silver and Wine
Gold and Forest Green
Lilac and Slate Grey
Pink and Navy blue



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