Make-up Trend: Smudge-Proof Bold Red Lips

A bold lip is not for the shy at heart. And if you have a pout like Kareena Kapoor's, you take a bright shade to a new level. For perfectly applied lips that last, prep your pout with balm. Line your mouth with a lip-tone pencil, then coat a lip brush with creamy lipstick and apply to the mouth. Pat with a tissue to remove oils (creating your own long-wear formula).

Using a cosmetic sponge, dab face powder on the perimeter of lips to prevent bleeding.

Rec:
Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
M.A.C Viva Glam I

Make-up Trend: Sparkly Rosy Blush

Want that I just flirted with a crush flush? Deepika Padukone shares her secret to her perfect blushing cheeks. Smile and look up before creating this innocent, shimmery look. It lets you find the exact apple of your cheeks.

Applying blush in circular swirling motions makes your face look younger and fuller.

Rec: L'Oreal Blush Delice in Strawberry Tart

Make-up Artist Cory Walia on Stars and His Secrets

Rani Mukherjee. Cory firmly believes that Bengal is the place to go for beautiful eyes. “Most Bengali women have amazing eyes and Rani’s smouldering, expressive and intense eyes leads them all.”

His take on her? Only kajal and mascara is what she needs. Cory also has a soft corner for “the very Bengali eyes” of Bipasha Basu and Koena Mitra. “They have jet black eyes without lenses.”

Malaika Arora Khan. “The secret is the taut skin over her cheekbones. All it needs is a sweep of shimmering cream blush,” says Cory.

But for those who want to create the illusion of such stunning cheekbones, play up the area between the eyes and the cheekbones with a highlighter and then shade just under the cheekbone to bring it into focus.

Bipasha Basu. “I love giving her lips this pale, fleshy look,” says Cory.

Want to copy the Bips' pout? Line the lips with a pink-brown liner and shade with lip-liner along the edges of the lips. Dab a dot of foundation both on the lower and the upper lips and blend well (blending, says Cory, is the secret to great make-up.) Complete the look with a lightly frosted gloss. “Make the look slightly brighter or more brown depending on your face tone,” he suggests

Amrita Arora. Any person who gets completely transformed thanks to make-up, says Cory, has to have a very plain face. “Only then can she be like a chameleon sometimes sensual, sometimes innocent and sometimes goddess-like.”

Amrita with all her girl-next-door looks can transform into a “babe or a sex siren instantly, with make-up”.

Riya Sen. For her “naturally” pretty features. “Her skin is so fabulous that she looks perfectly made up with only moisturizer,” says Cory, who never feels the need to dab the greasepaint on Riya.

Tips and Tricks

Cory Walia has seventeen years of experience in the make-up industry.

He also thinks the mascara is, by far, the most underrated make-up product while the most overrated is, well, glitter. “Oh God, it’s a useless thing,” he says.

Here’s more from Cory Walia:

• Eye drops work wonders. Just squeeze in a drop each ahead of the cleaning, toning and moisturizing routine before beginning the make-up.

• To make the lipstick last longer, dab some eye shadow on your lips after applying the liner. “Choose an eye color that is close to the lipstick,” says Cory. Finish off with the lipstick and then gloss.

• Use your ring finger for blending under the eye. The ring finger, being the weakest and the softest finger, works best. “Use the patting motion to place the concealer under the eyes.”

• Use a water-based foundation like a pancake on squeezed pimple marks and other scars. Oil-based make-up products are not capable of covering marks. “This is because scar tissues don’t have pores and hence reject most make-up products,” he says.

• Cover smudged eye make-up with a concealer. Apply with an angular brush.

• Pull your eyelid up and then use an eyelash curler to prevent pinching your skin. Also, curl the lashes before coating with mascara to avoid mess.

• To line lips, perfectly, begin by defining the V. Then start with the outer corners and join inwards to get a smooth, straight line.

• Never forget to cover the throat, ears and back of the neck for a flawless finish.

Kareena Kapoor's Make-Up Breakdown by Make-Up Artist Aniruddha Chakladar

Skin: Actress Kareena Kapoor is fair and has creamy, flawless skin. Aniruddha uses M.A.C Studio Fix Fluid in NW15.

Eyes: In keeping with the colorful green outfit that Kareena is set to wear, Aniruddha decides on a dramatic look for the make-up. This should give Kareena’s face a whole new dimension. Aniruddha highlights the center of her lids and tones down the brow bones. M.A.C Soba, a bronze gold eyeshadow is used on the lids. On the brow bone, it is an olive and mint shimmery green eyeshadow, M.A.C Juxt. The lower lid was lined with M.A.C Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Jealous and smudged for a smokey effect. For the upper lid, a line of M.A.C Blacktrack Fluidline was applied close to the lashes. The final touch: M.A.C Pigment in Golden Olive is used as a wash on the lids and a heavy coat of M.A.C Plushlash is applied to the upper and lower lashes.

Lips: The focus is on the eyes. So the lips have simply been touched up with M.A.C Tinted Lipglass in Viva Glam V, and topped with M.A.C Pigment in Golden Lemon for a metallic effect.

Cheeks: On the cheek bones, Aniruddha uses M.A.C Powder Blush in Springsheen for a peachy glow. And finally M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish in New Vegas.

Outfit: This gorgeous green-gold lehnga from Manish Malhotra is all about subdued glamour. Shades of green fused with karhai application and gold embroidery look festive. Metallic stilettos and rings as the only accessories, provide a simple yet chic effect.

Weddings: The Bride's Make-up Trends

With the winter wedding season coming up around the corner, here are some make-up trends that make sure you look great if you're the bride, and want to look different, yet traditional and gorgeous.

Engagement

The first to kickstart a series of dramatic events, this is the right time for the bride to present the perfect image. This could well be the first time she meets most of the groom’s family and friends and hence the need to make a striking first impression.

A delicate lehnga is what designer Jyoti Khaitan recommends for this occasion, “though it needn’t be extremely traditional and ornate”. Leaving the zardosi for the later functions, it is best to play around with crystal and interesting embellishments.

The color story on this day, should be casual-chic, and may be non-bridal as well. Choose from lavenders, powder blues or pretty yellows. Drape the dupatta stylishly. “Since it is not compulsory to cover the head, you can be innovative with the draping, showcasing the embellishments to greatest effect.

The jewelery also need not be over the top at the engagement and the make-up is best kept subtle. “Keep the foundation light and highlight your eyes with hues that complement your outfit,” advises make-up expert Aniruddha Chakladar. (Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat)

The hair, he says, should either be straightened or curled lightly with a curling iron. “Basically, the look is extremely soft and casual,” adds Aniruddha.

Sangeet

Whatever community the couple might belong to, the sangeet soiree has become a must in almost all weddings today. A function less and a rocking party more, the bash sometimes carries on all night long. A good idea is to give the lehngas a break and opt for a sari instead. “This is the day when the bride can go unconventional with her looks. The creation she opts for should lend a festive and vibrant feel to complement the liveliness of the evening,” feels Jyoti.

Non-traditional, happy hues make an exciting color palette for this evening. “Introduce brooches and pendants in the drape of the sari itself to make for eye-catching details,” says Jyoti.

The make-up for this function also takes a dramatic turn. Keep the base light since lots of dancing and long hours under the camera flash can make it run, but attract attention by shifting focus to your eyes. (M.A.C Studio Fix Fluid)“Add color to your face by playing up your eyes. You can also try the smokey look and introduce some shimmer to it,” explains Aniruddha. (M.A.C Smokey Eye Palette). A glossy mouth (M.A.C 3D Glass in Backlit) and accentuated cheekbones (M.A.C Powder Blush in Harmony) complete the pretty picture.

According to Aniruddha, hair set in rollers and tied partially looks great. “You can also tie a colourful paranda in your hair.”

Wedding

“The look for this day is nothing but classic and traditional,” says Jyoti, who feels that short-lived trends and fads are best kept out of the D-day attire. “The bridal outfit should spell timeless appeal that never goes out of fashion. And the colours should be essentially the Pakistani/Indian bridal hues? Shades of red and orange,” adds Jyoti.

The embellishments are very intricate and ethnic, be it a wide jaal of zardosi or semi-precious rubies and sapphires crafted into the silver and gold work of the ensemble.

“Since there is already so much color on the lehnga and jewellery, it is best to give the face a balanced look,” feels Aniruddha. His advice is to highlight the features with the help of golden or bronze shades only (M.A.C Eyeshadows in: Goldmine, Gorgeous Gold, Woodwinded, Soba, Patina, Bronze, Omega, Nylon; M.A.C Powder Blush in Trace Gold; M.A.C Pro Longwear Lipcolor in Lasting Lust and Commitment)

“Neutral make-up looks best on this day, but make it bright because a dull-looking face will ruin the entire effect of the day.”

The hair on the day of the marriage should always be tied up.

“A low jooda is the best bet because it facilitates the fall of the dupatta,” adds the make-up artist.

Make-up Trend Forecasts

Make-up too saw a wide variety of colors this year. In fact, even the quintessentially deep black smoky look saw some colors being added to it.

“Instead of smudging some plain black shadow, people this year lightened their eyes with some shimmery colored powder on the upper as well as the lower lids,” says make-up artist Ambika Pillai.

Clean and scrubbed faces and an almost nude no make-up look dominated the regular scene.

In fact, this simple, non-made-up look made for quite a statement in itself. “Many celebrities stepped out with beige eye-shadow and neutral lipstick." says Aniruddha.

The light lips look quickly became the rage everywhere.

“A pale, glossy mouth does really look hot, both when worn to downplay heavy kohl eyes or by itself,” says Ambika.

“Shimmer and shine of the 70s came back with a bang,” declares make-up artist Aniruddha Chakladar.

The twist in the tale, though, was the addition of a metallic touch to all the shimmer. “Along with regular gloss and shine, there was a definite inclusion of metallic hues like bronze and gold that crept into the palette,” adds Aniruddha.

Traditional Wear Classic Make-Up (Eastern vs. Western)

Make-up expert Ambika Pillai prescribes the the perfect look for ladies rocking traditional wear. “Ethnic classy dressers look great with dark, pronounced eyes. Even if they are not the thick black kajal type, they could use liner. The mouth looks best when kept pale and matte.”

The western classic woman, says Ambika, should highlight her brow bone and the centre of the eyelids with white shimmer. “The cheeks should be kept healthy and rosy and the mouth glossy. Soft curls or straight hair complement her style best.”