Indian Makeup Blog

Posted on July 27, 2011 by rashmi

A new feature here, Our Expert your Queries, where you can ask about anything related to makeup and skincare and my very good friend Neeraj will help you out, I must tell you he is the one who gave me insight about so many products and am really thankful to him for everything, now this is the time for you to mail in your queries and get the answers from an EXPERT.

Questions By Shilpa -

A little detail on my skin type….color-medium to fair, with yellow undertone….I mean me m towards pale side and not pink side.

You have a lovely warm skin. Do use blushes and add pops of colors to your face.

Type…combination with super oily t zone and normal cheeks….cheeks are not dry

You must still moisturize with an oil free moisturizer like Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel and use an oil free sunscreen. To avoid any powder built ups keep ‘blotting papers’ handy.

An imperfection…my skin is super sensitive, patchy, acne, blackheads and pigmentation prone….

Your skin is strong and not super sensitive (it’s a myth amongst Indians to have sensitive skin). Your skin care regimen needs alteration. Make “exfoliation” your best friend. Get a consultation done at The Clinique store nearby and use a clarifying lotion according to your skin type. It will reveal a flawless complexion. Please use sunscreens for pigmentation and add additional protection with water based or oil free foundation.

nw/nc/neutral….I don’t know…have no idea…

MAC is not the only brand that you can try. Even Revlon Photoready foundation is equally good. Just try to get samples in small jars before you find your HG foundation.

Before I say anything about the brands, please remember these are my personal choices and our opinions may wary from each other. I firmly believe in investing in an expensive product than buying 3 cheaper ones because the former is always good quality and delivers optimal performance according to the price range it’s placed in. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t like mass brands, as I do use a lot of products from Oriflame, Max Factor, L’Oreal and Bourjois.

Now questions….

1. FOUNDATION…need brand recommendations for a foundation(sheer to medium coverage ,don’t want full coverage) for my acne prone sensitive skin….i want a foundation that simply sinks into my skin giving it a even look without looking cakey….

Making foundation look “cakey” is a human error and not the product error. You must exfoliate sufficiently everyday if you want your foundation to glide smoothly and stay put and not look cakey as in latter the foundation sits on your dead flaky skin. I recommend Clinique Antiblemish Solutions makeup if you have an acne prone skin. I also love Bourjois Bio detox foundation and if you want to splurge then go for Lancôme Teint Miracle foundation. Always use translucent loose powder to prevent that cakey appearance. MAC Moisture tint is good too. For application of foundation start with a little amount and then gradually build up where u needs coverage. Foundation should be an accessory and not a mask. Do make use of foundation brushes as they spread the product evenly. Stay away from mineral foundations as they can make your skin look shiny. Look for words like “oil free”; “non comedogenic” “dermatologist tested” etc.

2. TINTED Moisturizer’s good tinted moisturizer with SPF that can be used daily without making my skin oilier…

a mattifying one would be more than welcome So many brands make lovely ones but I am loyal to my Clinique moisture surge tinted moisturizer SPF 15 and Stila Illuminating tinted moisturizer. You can make your own by mixing equal parts of oil free moisturizer + serum (any) + liquid foundation + oil free sunscreen.

3.CONCEALER……what type like liquid or stick and what brand….of course the color need to be matched in person…

I am a big fan of liquid concealers especially MAC moisture cover and YSL Touché Eclat. I like concealer that is matching my skin tone exactly as lighter shades can leave a ghostly cast. Yellow based concealers are the best for Indian skin tones but if you want to get the perfect under eye coverage use a peach toned concealer or yellow concealer + pink toned loose powder. Brands that make amazing concealers are Eve Pearl, Benefit, Clinique, MAC and Shiseido. Always use a matte concealer when you go to a place where u might be photographed like weddings and for daily use you can opt for an illuminating or eye brightening concealers if you like to give you that 8 hrs sleep effect.

4. MAKEUP BRUSHES…very basic and minimum number of brushes required for eye and face makeup for beginners…..

Always a foundation brush, concealer brush, flat blush brush (also used for powdering), a dome shaped crease brush, flat eyeshadow brush and an eye liner brush is all you need. Go for Sigma brushes as they come in lovely sets and importantly they ship to India and give you a free travel size really fluffy nice quality brush. You can also buy brushes from NYX, Shiseido, Clinique, MAC, Estee Lauder, Makeup Forever, Body shop and Inglot depending on your liking and your wallet.

5. STROBE CREAM…is Mac strobe cream/liquid a necessity….?

Not for you. It’s very shiny and can make the bad areas of your face prominent. Opt for an oil free moisturizer and Stila’s Illuminating Tinted moisturizer or Estee Lauder Illuminating Makeup Base is a better choice. Also is smash box Artificial Light.

6.MAKEUP KIT ESSENTIALS….list few essential items that u feel one should definitely have in their makeup bag…….

A neutral eye shadow palette (pre-made or custom made), volumizing mascara, eye liner pencil, lip balm, 3 different colored lipsticks, 2 liquid foundations of different coverage’s, one concealer, loose powder, peach and rust colored blush, a duo bronzer and compact powder. Invest in a good quality one especially when it comes to products for FACE. I also recommend multi-use products like Shiseido accentuating sticks and foundation sticks.

7. Favourite products…..would love to know your favorite products from various brands….plz give us some insight….

MAC Dolly mix blush, YSL Touché Eclat, Shiseido Accentuating sticks, Inglot matte eye shadows, Elizabeth Arden Ceramide lipsticks, Clinique Almost Bronzer SPF 15, Clinique Even Better Makeup foundation, Clinique Blended Loose Powder, Lancôme Teint Miracle foundation are some of my very very favorite products.

I hope you find the answers helpful and if you have any questions feel free to mail me at indyabeauty@gmail.com .