No eyeshadow makeup... Minimum effort, maximum impact!

It's December already!! Ahhh can't believe this year is coming to an end!! :O As clitchéd as it sounds, this year has flown by too quickly!!

Anyway, last night when I went out with my friends, I decided to live up to this festive season by wearing a bronze sequined top.. I actually bought it 4 years ago while I was on holiday in London. It's amazing how it doesn't look that old, thats the beauty of sequins!! :D 

Top: Miss Selfridge 

        Black waxed jeans: Zara

   Watch: Michael Kors

When it came to my makeup, I decided to go for "minimum effort, maximum impact" haha.. I had a looooong day yesterday and I couldn't be bothered to dress up! Plus, less is MORE sometimes!

I went for the no eyeshadow look! I literally used a black kohl pencil and a bright red lipstick!!

Okay, you can stop there if you want it to stay for one hour, but for your makeup to last all day it's really important to layer it up! So On top of the black kohl, I used black eyeshadow to set it in place with a pencil brush from mac called #219. 

Coral Red- Oriflame, M.A.C Smolder 

Let me make this simpler:

1. Draw a line on top of your eyes and below with a black kohl pencil. I used M.A.C Smolder as it's jet black and smudges alot!! Now you must be wondering why I would like a pencil that smudges..? For this look, I've just smoked out my eyeliner and smudged it with a smudge brush so it's easier to use this pencil instead of one that is stubborn and smudge proof.

2. Smudge this with a smudge brush- M.A.C #219

3. Dab on some black eyeshadow on top with the same brush so that it sets the kohl and it remains in tact all night long!!

4. Curl your lashes and apply some mascara!

For my lips, I used a gorgeous Coral Red lipstick by Oriflame from the Demi Moore Collection. It's long lasting so there's no need for touch ups!! :D 

I also used some foundation before I started my makeup to even it out since my skin has been acting up lately!! 

Hope this was helpful! :)

Have fun. party hard and make the most of 2013!!!

Mwah :*

Akriti 

Makeup for a bright yellow dress!

Helloo lovelies! After I posted this pic yesterday, a lot of you'll had asked me about the blue on my eyes and the shade of my lipstick.. It's such an easy look which I have to share with you!

           

With a shade like yellow, it's better not to match your makeup with it since it will just get lost on your face! I suggest using contrasting, complementary colours that will make your yellow pop! The first thing that came to my mind was SUNSET! I used colors that would combine together to form a beautiful sunset. A blue/purple eye pencil instantly makes your eyes sparkle against the yellow. Now I can't go too bright on my lips since I've used a blue so I decided to go for a peachy-orangey-pinky lipstick.. Pls help me out guys, what color do you think my lipstick is ? I can't decide between peach and pink!

Eyes: First I used a Colorbar navy blue pencil called Electra 04 to line my eyes. I love this pencil because it's long lasting and they come in great shades! To really make the blue pop, it's important to apply a matching eyeshadow on top to set it. For this, I used an angular brush by M.A.C #208 ( any angular brush would work). Slightly dampen the brush and dab it on the blue eyeshadow (make sure the brush is not too wet). The eyeshadow I used is a limited edition MAC mineralize eyeshadow called Blue Sheen which delivers a rich indigo blue vibrant color. It immediately adds a pop to your eyes. This is my FAVOURITE eyeshadow and I use it with kanjusy/kanjoosy (however you spell that haha!) because it's limited edition, it's not available any more. All you beauties who have attended my workshops would have definitely seen this or used this, it's my star possession! :D On my lower waterline, I applied a black kajal by Inglot (forgot to put it into the pic). To complete the look, I applied one coat of the Lakme Eyeconic Mascara.

Lips : If you've been following my blog, you must know that I love to make my own cocktail when it comes to lipsticks.  I just mix and match a couple of shades! To add softness, I used a pale bubblegum pink lip pencil by Bourjois called Rose (number 15) and applied it all over my lips. After getting a pink base, I used an orangey peach lipstick by M.A.C called Vegas Volt. Vegas Volt is a gorgeous colour but on Indian skin tone, I prefer mixing it with a warm lip pencil for it to look good!

Hope you like the look :)

Mwah!

Akriti

Makeup Course with Celebrity Makeup Artist Cory Walia! :D

I've been in Mumbai for the last 16 days since I enrolled in Cory Walia's 2 week intensive makeup course. I finally graduated yesterday with a fun bunch of girls who I will terribly miss! :( 

 Cory Walia :)

Cory Walia and his team have taught me some amazing techniques of applying makeup and how you don't need to have the most expensive products to achieve a flawless look.. It's all about the application and blending! :)

It was so nice to be in an environment with Makeup Artists, sharing and learning tips from each other! 

Cory is such a gem of a person, he makes sure you understand the art of makeup in your own creative way! I'm so glad I did this course, sooo worth it! Now I can't wait to get back to Bridals and try out these new techniques! :)

Akriti

xxx

How to get rosy glowing cheeks! :)

Hey guys! I had quite a few queries on how to get that rosy glow on my cheeks when I posted this pic on my facebook page the other day.. Ofcourse, I will share with you the products that I used.. But before that, I have to admit, that lighting and camera makes a HUGE difference to any picture.

While taking this pic, I faced the morning sunlight which makes my face look bright, smooth and even.. and my iPhone camera brought out the glowy-ness! If you see me in person, you might not see the rosy glow but when you take a picture, it reflects the makeup and enhances it! The point I'm making here is that, you might not see the full effect of the makeup unless you take a picture with great lighting! So when you are applying products on your cheeks or wherever, don't go overboard, even if you can't see the highlighter you've applied on your cheeks, it will be visible on camera! :)

Left: Liquid Highlighter ; Right: Cream Blush

I picked up the NYX Cream Blush in the shade Tea Rose from Mumbai (It was from one of the Beauty Centres in Khar West). I bought it for Rs.650/- which is not bad since it's great quality and lasts for agesss! NYX is available all across the U.S, it's one of the affordable makeup brands that have great quality products! They have loads of different shades, I wanted a natural looking blush with not too much pink, so this worked for me! While buying yourself one, I suggest you to try them on first since they look different on different skin tones. To apply the cream blush, smile into the mirror and dab some on the apples of  your cheeks with your fingertips. Blend till it creates a subtle wash of color. If you have acne prone skin, avoid cream blushes!

The Benefit High Beam is a brilliant highlighter that accentuates your cheekbones and gives you a face lift. It's packaged like a nail polish, it's a beautiful pearly pink with sheen.. you just have to dot your cheekbones with it and blend with your fingers. You'll see that your skin looks fresh and dewy! A highlighter shouldn't be applied all over your cheeks, that looks a bit messy! Only on your cheekbone (below your eye socket and above the apples of you cheeks) You should feel your cheekbone with your finger and then apply the highlighter so you apply it precisely.

In the pic above, I used a teeny bit of both these products since it's for the day.. At night I would apply a tad bit more since artificial lighting at night tones down the makeup!

Thats it for now!

Have a beautiful day and keep smiling! :)

Akriti
xxx

Friday Night Out Makeup!

It's not always that I get ready BEFORE time.. On Friday evening, I finished applying makeup on this lovely lady for her engagement and I headed straight home to get dressed for my friend's party. To my surprise, I was well ahead of time! ^_^ 

Trying to act like that's my natural pout! 

I wore a bright pink peplum top which my best friend gifted me from Dubai and teamed it up with black trousers, a monochrome handbag and platforms. 

For my makeup, I thought I would just apply a classic thick black winged out eyeliner but since I had time, I thought why not play around with my eye makeup! 

First, I applied an eyeshadow base, the one I used was the Elizabeth Arden Eye Primer, it's sooo smooth and keeps your eyeshadow intact throughout the night, not even kidding! Apply a tiny bit of it  with your ring finger all over your eyelids. 

On 2/3rds of my eyelid, I used this beautiful lilac eyeshadow (pic below) with flat brush to get a good coverage. This light colour helps open up my eyes, I picked it up from Inlgot, it's called Pearl 399. On the outer 1/3rd of my eyes, I blended another dark plum eyeshadow from Inglot- Pearl 452 with a soft fluffy brush. To make it even more dramatic, I used a lil black eyeshadow and blended it into my crease.

Inglot Eyeshadows! Left: Pearl 399 ; Right: Pearl 452

On my cheeks, I used this beautiful mineralize blush from M.A.C called Mineralize Skinfinish- Light Year. Unfortunately, it's limited edition, which means it's discontinued...If you're lucky, you might find it somewhere around the world! :) It's a soft, cotton candy, velvetty pink that adds a hint of colour without making it look overdone. I didn't want to apply too much blush since there is enough pink on my top!! Oh and this blush won't work too well for people with dusky skin, it's very light in colour so it may turn ashy on dark skin. I used a super creamy lipstick called Rose Kissed by the Lakme Lip Love collection! :) Again, I didn't want to use a hot pink that matches exactly to the colour of my top :S 

M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish- Light Year

In the pic below, I'm wearing a lipstick by M.A.C called Shy Girl, but it looked slightly pale on me so I decided to change to a warmer shade that would work better with my skin tone. So I switched to the Lakme Lip Love- Rose Kissed :)

Lipstick- M.A.C Shy Girl

After changing my lip colour... Here I am, posing away! Lol.

As you can see, my hair is pretty oily, so I didn't want to touch it! I just left it as it is...to one side!

My final look!

Meet my lil cutie pie Sonu!! He's my cook's son, only 3 months old! :) He lives with us which is awesome because there's never a dull moment with him around, Sonu is a real entertainer! :P 

Hope you liked this look! I had such a great night! :) I need to work on getting ready early whenever I step out so that I have time to take pics and post it on my blog!!

Meanwhile, "like" my Facebook page by clicking here, I try to update it every other day! :)

Have a great day! Mwaaah

Lots of love,

Akriti :)

Say NO to Gaps- NEW Dove Intense Repair Range with Keratin Actives

I've been using this brand new Intense Repair shampoo, conditioner and hair mask for over 2 weeks now, and I'm so thankful this came to my rescue at the right time! I've always had dry-frizzy hair but lately, I feel like it's getting severely damaged! :/

Shampoo, Conditioner

Hair Mask

Now obviously hair damage is inevitable! Somehow or the other- be it ironing, curling, exposure to the sun, pollution etc., our tresses go through hell! 

Hair can be very fragile, the structure of a hair strand is similar to that of a brick wall. Over the years, the bricks move from their original places and leave gaps. Similarly, your hair shaft gets weak and vulnerable leaving "gaps" that you won't be able to see! :(

What we can do, is to treat and nourish them...

So let me just quickly brief you about how this range works...

This new range which is formulated with Keratin Actives goes deep down and reconstructs your hair by strengthening it at it's core, repairing it so that it transforms into strong, shiny, smooth hair! :) Nowadays, I'm picking up products that have Keratin in them because they work wonders for your hair!

I'm in LOVE with the mask! In summers, my hair gets quite unmanageable and after using the mask, I was thrilled to see how tame my hair was! Lol.. 

How to use the Mask:

Use the hair mask once a week after you shampoo your hair. You can use this after the conditioner or use it in place of a conditioner depending on how damaged your hair is...

(P.S- I've stepped out with my soaking wet hair to show you how to use the mask, but you obviously have to be in the bathroom when you do this! Haha!)

1. Take a palm-sized amount or less of the mask, depending on your hair length

 

2. Apply on damp hair

3. Cover with a shower cap so it absorbs into your hair for 3-5 mins

4. Wash it off with luke-warm to cold water

Price Range:

Shampoo/ Conditioner: Rs. 68 onwards for 80ml 

Mask: Rs. 215 for 200ml

Do try it out an tell me what you think!!

Have a great hair day!!
Akriti <3 

Turquoise Horizontal Smokey Eye

HORIZONTAL smokey eye?!?! Well, that's what I like to call it! :P This look has the smoky-ness ABOVE the base colour which is turquoise ( as opposed to besides it)... 

   

                                            

Scroll down to see the product description! :) 

Product Description: 

Eyes:

1. Eye Kohl/Kajal- M.A.C Smolder

2. Eyeshadows- Coastal Scents 88 Matte Palette

3. Two Way Gel- Makeup Studio

4. Gel Eyeliner- Maybelline Lasting Drama

5. Mascara- Lakme Eyeconic

Cheeks

1. Blush- M.A.C Pinch Me

Lips

1. Lipstick- Oriflame Nude 

DIY Lipstick Palette

Every single time I begin packing, I always think of ways to reduce my luggage weight.. Am I the only one who uses up every single kg of the baggage allowance?!  It’s so hard to travel light!! Especially if you’re traveling for a long trip and you just want to pack you’re entire wardrobe!

When it comes to makeup, lipsticks are a NECESSITY while you’re on holiday, seriously! The more, the merrier! It’s also the quickest and easiest to apply, in less than 30 seconds, you’ll see the transformation!

From L-R: Innocence Beware, Vegas Volt, Fanfare, Mocha, Girl About Town, Morange, Russian Red

Now, packing 6-7 different shades can weigh up your makeup bag! So here’s a quick and easy “Do It Yourself” method of making your very own lipstick palette which is travel friendly and weightless! Yippeee! :D

Here's what you need to do:

1. Buy a plastic re-usable pill box 

2. Choose 7 (or less) lipsticks - I chose a nude, coral, baby pink, soft brown, hot pink, orange and red. I LOVE mixing colours!! So in case you want to turn down the hot pink, just mix it up with the nude or brown… You can customize your own shades this way!  While choosing lipstick, keep in mind their texture.. I chose a variety of textures- creamy, satin-y & matte.

3. A butter knife or spatula- This is of course to chop off a portion of your lipstick. I slit less than 0.5 centimeter of the lipstick and carefully placed it into each of the mini boxes.

4. Lip Brush- Fingers can be really messy, so I carry my M.A.C lip brush since it's tiny and has a cap! This way, I don't have to worry about the brush staining my makeup pouch!

Before I did this, I was thinking twice whether it was a good idea to break my lipsticks but I’m really glad I went for it! I know it's saddening, breaking your lipsticks (especially if it's M.A.C) but trust me it’s sooo convenient!! :D

I named my palette Pretty Powerful! 

Now you can carry this cute lipstick palette every time you travel or even keep it in your handbag because you never know, you might just need it! :D  

Huge hugs,

Akriti
xxx