Tag Archive for queries

Our Expert your Queries

Posted on August 6, 2011 by

Questions by Parita :

Dr Neeraj, firstly thank you very much for taking out some of your precious time for answering out queries and concerns. This column really is very helpful especially with gals like me who have just started to learn the basics of makeup. Your effort is highly appreciated!

A little about my skin, I have oily to combination skin with warm undertones. I would consider myself in-between medium to dusky skin tone. Also my skin is prone to acne and blackheads, though I do not get any acne as of now (touch wood!!!) but I do have small zits here and there.

Also I have uneven skin tone with skin along my chin and lips appear to be darker than other areas on my face. I have seen this as common problem across many gals…no idea why


Now for the questions :)

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19 comments Posted in chit - chat, Our Expert your Queries

Our Expert your Queries

Posted on July 31, 2011 by

Neeraj has helped so well with my previous queries…thanx so much for connecting us :)

Here r my next set of questions:

By zara

I always have problems applying winged liner equally for both eyes…Is it merely a matter of practice or is there any trick we can try?

Always draw one perfect liner on the eye you cannot draw like for e.g. applying makeup in the left eye is a bit difficult unless you are amphidextrous. No particular trick though I liked the one told by a famous makeup artist Jeanine Lobell. Paint a dot where you want the liner to end and begin drawing backwards and always draws the line in the direction where your brows naturally end

What day cream would you recommend for combination skin? I honestly get a bit fed up when I’m in a hurry and still have to layer moisturizer, sunscreen and what not. Is there any shortcut for this?

There is no shortcut to skin care because our skin does not think the way our brain does, about itself. Sun exposure causes solar scarring underneath the skin and if this does not heal it leads to shattering of the support structure and immediate appearance of wrinkles and dark spots. The treatments of the same make you spend millions at a dermatologist’s office. Now the choice is yours. I guess even if you are in a hurry you must learn to prioritize and take some time out of your busy scheduling for a bit of skin care. Apply moisturizer immediately after you take bath (it saves time) and keep the face wash in the bathroom to wash your face while taking bath (saves time again). Ideally sunscreens take 30 mins to settle but if you are on the run you could use sunscreen based powders like the ones from Peter Thomas Roth etc. that give immediate sunscreen protection.

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29 comments Posted in chit - chat, Our Expert your Queries

Our Expert Your Queries

Posted on July 29, 2011 by

Questions by Eesha :

Q) I have seen many YouTube gurus who recommend no eye make-up whereas some recommend some neutral/ nude make-up, a little darker for night time. What eye make-up one can wear with red lips?

A)You can wear any eye shadow you like until you are comfortable about yourself wearing it. Also keep in mind the event and then decide as well. I personally prefer tight lining the upper lid and putting lots of mascara, maybe doing the crease a bit and highlighting the inner corners. This is a fail safe look, apply a flesh toned shimmer eye shadow all over the lid in  colors like soft gold, beige, bone etc. Then define the crease with a bit of matte warm brown (cool brown if you have a cool red). You can try Audrey Hepburn like liner if you like to get dressy. Apply loads of mascara only on the top lashes keeping the bottom ones plain. This opens up the eyes wide and looks beautiful.

For blushers, opt for light toned shimmery bronzers or matte peaches for warmer reds and matte raspberry pinks for cooler reds. A modern way to also wear a red lipstick is to gloss it over and you can also use creamy shimmers on eyes. Chanel Ombre D’eau is amazing and so are Shiseido’s Hydro powder eye shadows in natural looking colors. An ideal palette for eyes which I like is the Clinique Eye shadow Quad in Spicy as the colors have the right texture and the right intensity.

Q) I have seen a lot of YouTube gurus applying concealer after applying the foundation, but whenever I got to MAC Store to buy a concealer (Studio Finish) they always tell me to buy Moisture Cover and tell me to apply it before the foundation. I got influenced by it and bought Select Moisture Cover in NC 44.5 (One that came with Mickey Contractor collection) to hide dark circles/ spots and apply it after  the foundation, but what I notice is it really doesn’t cover the dark spots well. I use a sponge to apply foundation and do stippling/ dabbing rather than swiping. My query is concealers, to hide blemishes & dark spots should be applied before the foundation or after the foundation and which concealers do you recommend to cover up dark spots? (I am NC 37-40 for reference)

A) There are two schools of thought over this. Using concealer under foundation can hide dark circles better and the foundation helps the skin look even toned. Concealer over foundation is another good option because you can judge how much coverage you need and what your problem areas are after the foundation so that you do not overdo it. To highlight the fact, Select Moisture cover is not to hide acne or dark spots. It’s just for under eye circles and a bit of unevenness. You can use primers like MUFE HD primer to start off as a base to make the impact of foundation better. Use drier formulations of concealer to hide any dark spots or blemishes as they are pliable yet they sit at the place you want them too. Don’t forget to use a tiny liner brush to do the spot concealing. You can go for MAC studio fix concealer instead and the better part is that concealer has SPF. Please remember to do spot concealing instead of applying too many layers of foundation to hide skin discolorations.

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21 comments Posted in chit - chat, Our Expert your Queries