Owner: the indian make-up diva URL:http://indianmakeupdiva.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 15:05:54 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: This blog is geared towards anyone who wants to learn more about what products might suit them. The owner is an Indian woman who shares her beauty ups and downs and has reviews and tips on skincare and makeup that would suit south asian women. Site statistics:Click here
FYI: Skin Lightening Creams and Hydroquinone 2007-05-13 06:42:00 In the light of my ranting on fair and lovely, I thought I’d start my come-back to blogging about hydroquinone. This chemical is often found in fairness creams or any cream that can actually lighten skintone. I’m not trying to make you hyperventilate in panic and hysterical paranoia, but just to inform you on the effects hydroquinone can have. What is Hydoquinone?Hydroquinone is a type of phenol (if that means anything to you at all) that is found in many topical creams that bleaches skin discolouration gradually. Where can it be found?This is found at a strength of 2% in over the counter cream and at 3-4% in prescription creams that claim to lighten skin tone and discoloration. What are the side effects?Since you probably feel I’m being all preachy, let me get right to it. Hydroquinone has been known to cause blood cancers such as leukemia and kidney damage in animal studies. What happens when hydroquinone is applied to the skin is that it gets absorbed into t Read more:Creams
, Lightening
Looking Back at Great Make-Up: Madhuri Dixit 2007-05-15 21:19:00 I thought some semi-retro glamour, in Bollywood terms, was in order and thought I'd do a breakdown of Madhuri Dixit
. This clean and dramatic look is so soft and feminine to me.Prep:This look requires you skin to look flawless (don't they all), and properly moisturized skin forms a great base for foundation. If necessary, use a gentle scrub to exfoliate before moisturizing or applying make-up.Brows:Eyebrows play a prominent role in this look. Pluck any stray hairs so that your eyebrows are neat and if necessary groom them with a spoolie brush.Face:With a make-up sponge or foundation brush, apply a satin finish foundation with the coverage you desire. You can sheer out your foundation by using a wet sponge to apply it. If necessary, cover up any problematic areas with concealer. The final step is to blend the foundation and concealer together and into the jawline, sides of your face, neck etc.Eyes:Although this look doesn't require intricate shading, a primer will help make the eyesha Read more:Great
, Looking Back
, Madhuri Dixit
Sorry for the late blogging 2007-05-21 21:10:00 I haven't been able to update my blog because I've been really, really sick. Yes, two reallys. However, Thursday I'll have start updating like crazy again. I will put up a tutorial on how to thread your own hair (excluding eyebrows. I have no clue how to thread my own eyebrows), a review of sunscreens, an explanation of sunscreens, and some lipstick reviews. I am open to suggestions, so let me know if there's anything you'd like me to address. I am having another "really, really sick" moment so I will get some rest right now.
Dewy Blush and Nude Lips in One 2007-05-26 23:19:00 Stila Convertible Colour in PeonyYes, I am still bringing you the promised threading tutorial, but before do that let me tell you of this fabulous find. I just scouted the perfect lip and cheek product, Stila Convertible Colour in Peony, that gives me a natural and glowy dusty peachy-pink flush and the perfect "JLo" nude lips.I had given up on multi-tasking products long ago. Either they're a great blush but too dry for using as a lip product, or the texture is too waxy-feeling to use on my cheeks as well. I used to much rather prefer to buy a cheek product and a lip product separately. However, Stila's Convertible Colour made me retract my previous notion. Peony is a highly pigmented creamy blush and lip product that gives me a great glowy, natural flush. It looks rather dull in the pan, but it's so easy to blend and adds such a warmth to my face that I plan to hoard more of these. There are no sparkles and glitters but I get a soft glow from this product. Also, as hard as I tries
Desi Beauty Books 2007-05-24 14:37:00 Almond Eyes, Lotus FeetAnother interruption in bringing you my tutorial! I was browsing through Amazon.com and I came across the following book.Let me start off by saying that I haven't read the book and it doesn't have the "peek inside the book" option I love so much on. To make matters worse, there are no reviews. However, the title itself is so enticing that I wanted to blog about it. The book says that it is about Indian traditions in health and beauty. Sounds quite interesting, as I've been looking for a good book about desi beauty traditions. If anyone has read this book, please let me know what it is like. I am dying of curiosity but I don't have time to read extra books at this moment.The Book of Natural Skin Care by Supara TrikhaThis book I have heard of, and, even better, I own it to boot. I've had it for quite a while and it has some great natural remedies and has an index with a brief description of natural ingredients beneficial to the skin. There are times where I ra Read more:Beauty
, Books
Dear Celina Jaitley's Stylist. How Could You? 2007-05-24 13:53:00 Before I post the tutorial on how to thread tonight I thought I would interrupt my absence with this rant. Before I start being critical about coloured lenses, let me just say that they look great on most ladies. It's a different look that I can appreciate. However, Celina
Jaitley is in my bad make-up books because of her use of coloured contacts. Take the following picture in as an example.This was at a recent PETA photo shoot. What bugs me about her or her make-up you ask? Well, she always seems to immerse herself in make-up to the point that she doesn't even look remotely natural. Her blue contacts make her pupils look "off" as the left contact has shifted a bit and doesn't show the black of her real pupil but the brown of her natural eyes. I don't really care whether an actress wears coloured contacts and states that her eye colour is the colour of the contacts. It doesn't keep me up at night. What does keep me up at night is the obviously plastered make-up and the plastic-y f Read more:Stylist
Great Make-up: Bipasha Basu 2007-06-01 15:10:00 This is one of my favourite looks on Bipasha
Basu. So here's a go at her make-up.Prep:Although the make-up is very dramatic and smokey, good skin will complement this look perfectly. Use a moisturizer and eye-cream suitable for your skin needs and allow it to skin in.Face:Apply a creamy, matte, medium-coverage foundation evenly all over the face and blend into the neck. You don't need to apply powder just yet.Eyes:The eye-make-up is very dramatic in this look, and if like me you have the problem of shadow always being muted by the colour of your eyelids, I suggest using a good primer to set the stage for the make-up to come.Eyelid:Apply a smokey charcoal grey from lash line to crease. Dot the same eye-shadow along the entire lower lash-line.Highlight:Apply a shimmery taupey-nude from the brow bone to the crease and blend it with the charcoal grey at the crease. With the same eye-shadow, apply a a dot to highlight the inner corner of your eyes.Eyeliner:With a rick black liquid liner, Read more:Great
, Bipasha Basu
I Love Lakme Too, but Having a WTF Moment Here 2007-06-01 14:37:00 I promie to bring you some tutorials by Sunday. Am having a bit of a crisis here, so I plan to postpone my tutorials til Sunday and include not only one on threading but also post make-up looks I did on a couple of my friends (my photography by the way, I'm an amateur photographer). We will see how this goes.Anyways, as for my wtf moment, here it is. Whenever I go to India, I gorge myself on Lakme. True, they have (un)succesfully segregated the wide range of desi skin tones in 4 categories. Let's not forget that their packaging is flimsy at times, but overall they have some great products. For example, their lipstick in Barely There is one of my all-time favourite no-brainer natural lipsticks. It's only natural that I'm hoping they would update their site with better swatches and allow customers to purchase their products online. Lo and behold, many years later i get one of my wishes granted. Lakme allows online orders. Time to bring out the low-fat, low-cal, low-carb, fully artif Read more:Having
, Moment
Gorgeous Hair. What Did They Use On Her? 2007-06-03 23:09:00 Another clip, this time desi. Now that we've established that we're all highly intellectual rocket scientists who have a penchant for finding the perfect lip gloss, hair texturizer, or eye cream. Here's a clip at the Lakme India Fashion Week featuring a hair model. I am green with envy over her hair. Now that I've washed off my make-up you could probably see my face going green. I am having another wtf moment over the side ponytail. I hope this style doesn't catch on or I will hold Lakme responsible.
Beauty-Obsessed Does Not Mean Brainless 2007-06-03 22:46:00 If you ever encounter anyone saying that being a beauty junkie means being brain dead, just remember that such an incident has never happened to you. I know the following clip is unusual for a beauty blog, but it is beauty related. Read more:Beauty
Lipstick and Lipgloss Picks 2007-06-03 19:02:00 These Lip Products Will Be My HeirloomsI usually have the worst time finding lipsticks even though I'm such an addict (I should probably see someone for this problem). The colours are either too light, too dark,or make my upper lip a dark ashy gray and my lower lip a bright fuchsia. I also have a horrible problem of colours just blending into my natural lip colours, yes it's plural since I have two-toned lips, and looking like every other colour I try. So I present you my favourite picks that I absolutely love.Bobbi Brown ChocolateThis is a warm brown shade which is infused with red so that it doesn't look like you've smeared mud on your lips. Let me warn you, this colour is very deep and adds a lot of drama. I have fairly dark skin and this offsets my warm/olive undertones and provides a soft satin sheen. You can add a coat of gloss over it if you want more shine, but for me this is a staple I don't have to worry about after I put it on. On my dark skin it looks very dramatic and Read more:Lipstick
Gentle, Non-Irritating Mineral Make-up 2007-06-03 18:49:00 Alima Satin Matte Mineral FoundationThis line has been making quite a buzz and I know I'm not the first to rave about it. But it must be done as it is my moral duty (hence my blog's name, I'm quite the genius). I used to have very tough skin that I cold abuse to no end. Sadly, my skin now retaliates to anything harsh. I like to keep products at a minimum and keep my routine as simple as possible. This is the reason why I don't use foundation and because I feel like many of them make me look like I'm wearing a heavy mask.I like mineral make-up but I have so much difficulty finding something with enough yellow undertones and doesn't cast a gray layer over my face. Another problem I have with mineral make-up is that some of them contain bismuth that makes me itch to no end. I end up throwing out the product because my face is red from my scratching it (I'm a bad make-up diva you see).So why this long prelude? Well, I really love Satin Matte Foundation from Alima. Not only was there Read more:Irritating
A Few Red Lippies 2007-06-06 00:03:00 Red Lips: Not for the Faint HeartedSo after my ranting and shouting about someone copying my stuff, and because I can't sleep, I bring you three red lippies that I absolutely adore. I have a few other red lippies that I highly recommend but my lips are so huge that they don't look good one me. Very few red lipsticks actually suit me, and here are some that I feel are great finds.Clinique Red DramaTrying not to be cheesy, but this makes me do a little dance and say "yowza" and "va-va-va-voom" in front of the mirror every time I wear it. I am not a vampy woman, rather I am a clumsy oaf, but somehow this moisturizing neutral, rich red that I will admit is not for the faint hearted brings out the sophisticated siren in me that I thought that had died a horrible death long ago. This lipstick is not subtle, so it definitely calls attention to the mouth, but it is so sophisticated that all red lipstcik loving desi aficionados (and even non-desi women) should check it out. Maybe you'll say
FYI 2007-06-05 22:52:00 Just to let you know the situation on the breakdowns. These are formulated by me. I sometimes find out exactly what products were used from sites or Saniya send me some information, but the actual breakdown, the steps on what to put where are all my interpretation. I just want to let you know this because someone has been copying my post word for word and posting it on another site. It made me so mad because a) I put in the effort b) it makes it look like I got it from somewhere, which I did not. Also, all information I get from another site is also credited to that site. I just hope that in the future that certain individual will not look at my blog for updates on their site.
Tutorial: Green Smokey Eye 2007-06-05 13:10:00 In my opinion, esteemed or not, no brown-eyed girl should be without a good green product for the eyes. So I decided to do a murky dark green-grey-brown smokey eye tutorial. MAC Club is a very complex shade and very dimensional. The technique is pretty basic and easy to accomplish. I have very sensitive eyes, so the flash was difficult to bear, which is why my eyes are straining to stay open in some of the pictures. Also, the flash made my highlight into a huge hot spot, while in real life it was soft and subtle. So please excuse!Products UsedPrimerMAC Paint in Cotton CandyEyeshadowMAC ClubNARS Night ClubbingNARS All About EveLinerRevlon Colorstay Eyeliner in BlackMascaraRevlon Fabulash Mascara in BlackStep 1I tapped on the Cotton Candy paint evenly all over my eyelid to my brow bone. I really like this paint as my primer because it makes my shadow last all day and it allows me to blend like a dream. Another plus is that the blush and lip gloss I pair this look with is in the same fam Read more:Tutorial
, Green
Nail Polish Obsession of the Moment: Espresso Your Style! 2007-06-15 00:33:00 Espressing My Love!Not only do I have an obsession bordering on the unhealthy with make-up, but I also am deeply enamoured by nail polish. Deeply. Enamoured. So I decided to post about my favourite polishes too.I don't really follow the whole summer colours shouldn't be dark philosophy. My moods always gear me to my nail colours. So here is the one I can't stop wearing. Well, I mean the polish I won't change after a maximum of two days.This is OPI Espresso
Your Style
! A gorgeous deep brown with gold shimmer. I love it so much I won't change my polish until Saturday evening. Read more:Polish
, Obsession
, Moment
, Nail Polish
Neutral Cat-Eye 2007-06-14 18:08:00 This is a dramatic cat-eye look but I used neutrals, well except black liner, to achieve this. It's not very intimidating but it does require a bit of shading at the outer "v," so you can refer to my diagram if needed. I do apologise for the pictures as I have the world's worst camera. I hope my next tutorial is a bit nicer picture wise.What you need:A neutral, medium taupe brown for all-over colour on the eyelid. I used Bobbi Brown Sable.A soft buttery-vanilla coloured eyeshadow for highlight. I used Bobbi Brown VanillaA neutral, dark brown eyeshadow to use for shading. I used Bobbi Brown Chocolate.A liquid, cake, or gel liner. I used MAC Blacktrack fluidline.A mascara. I used Revlon Fabulash.Optional but recommended: a primer. I used MAC paint in Cotton Candy very sheerly.Step 1:I already had cotton candy paint tapped very, very lightly over my eyelid to function as a primer. I then put Bobbi Brown Vanilla eyeshadow from lashline to brow bone to even out the area.Step 2:I applied B Read more:Neutral
Guide to Simple Shading 2007-06-14 15:32:00 Simple Guide
The next eye-look I am doing requires some shading. To make sure there are no confusions about what the outer "v" is etc. I figured a guide for this was in order. I just realized how small the image is, I will update this soon. Read more:Simple
I Don't Want To Do This, But I Have To. Bipasha Basu's Bad Make-Up Choices 2007-06-11 15:51:00 This little clip shows Bipasha
Basu arriving at the "green carpet" at the IIFA 2007 awards. Let's get out of the way that I think she's gorgeous and has a great figure. Against my better nature (I do have one I promise), I am going to have to speak out against her make-up. Let's leave the dress aside that looks like someone ripped a hole in the middle and Bipasha's stylist had all of 3 minutes to repair the gaping hole, look at the make-up.Cat eyes are great, sexy, flattering and whatnot. I usually love how Bipasha can carry it off. However, maybe she feels bad that her make-up choices are usually good or maybe her make-up artist secretly hates her, but her make-up for the event is pretty horrific. The eyeliner is winged way too much both at the inner and outer corners. But here's my question, if she really wanted such a look why couldn't she stick to one colour of eyeliner so that the look is less garish? Why black an violet together in this exaggerated way? This look would be g Read more:Bipasha Basu
Dear Celina Jaitley, Fire your Make-up Artist Already 2007-06-19 01:36:00 First off let me sat I have nothing against Celina
Jaitley. She probably rescues kittens that have climbed too high up on trees right after she single-handedly replants forests and restores ecosystems to their forgotten glory. However, she is a repeat offender not only to good make-up but also to good taste. That is why I am nominating her for the "Lowlight of the Decade" award. Take a good look at the following picture.How do you feel? Do you need to sit down, allow your soul to reenter you body because it was sucked out by the coloured contacts Celina wears to heighten her pulchritude? I felt just as empty when I looked at this picture of her for the first time. While you recover, let me rant about her make-up for just one tiny minute.When did the make-up artist who is employed Dracula's drag-queen vampire nephew also become Celina's make-up artist? That is the only way to explain caked on the foundation that is twenty to thirty shades lighter than the rest of her body, and, rumour Read more:Artist
I PSA-eth: Get Thee to a Victoia's Secret and Grab Some Scott Barnes Make-up for Thyself (currently 75% off) 2007-06-22 00:21:00 Yes, I will actually call this a public service announcement. Once in a while you try something that you feel you cannot keep to yourself. It would be immoral to do so. And let me tell you, immoral I am not. Victoria's Secret is having their semi-annual sale and their beauty items are 75% off, meaning so is ScottBarnes
' line. I just adore everything I have tried so far from this line, and as I've stated before, I can almost feel the spirit of JLo when I use his make-up (she was his muse for many products). Here's some of the things I picked up.Scott Barnes Lip Slick in Smokey TopazI'll be honest with you, I don't think this would look great on lighter skinner Desi women. In fact I was scared when I first saw it. It looks like this dark muddy goo. Hard to imagine as looking good on the lips right? Well, I don't think this is meant to be piled on thickly. Instead, used sheerly, this darkens the tone of my lips and somehow brings out a deep reddish brown tinge. The product itself
School is keeping me away from you, my lovelies 2007-06-28 14:12:00 I will update on Saturday with a whole bunch of stuff, but until then please wish me life. Life, because I am slowly dying to the cause of school. Actually, I seem to dying pretty rapidly. I have one test and one research paper due tomorrow. Read more:School
So i'm FINALLY going to update tonight 2007-07-09 12:00:00 I'm going to bring you a tutorial on threading that I promised a while ago, a tutorial, and some other stuff. I was so dead from staying up all night the week before that I had to get some sleep this week. I turned into a veritable narcoleptic this week but I promise to bring you lovelies new posts tonight.
Dear Soha Ali Khan: I Think Your Make-up Artists Is Missing 2007-07-11 23:45:00 Before Is start my ranting, let me start off by saying nice things about Soha Ali Khan. I think she has great natural beauty, that even though her features might be less than perfect individually they come together to make a very pretty face. I would even go as far as to say her face has a very elegant quality. So after this confession I'm a bit confused. Why on earth does she not want to play up her face at the Harry Potter premiere?I'm all for natural and no make-up. I even do this very often. But when you're going to a premiere, would it kill her to not look like she just rolled out of bed, pulled her hair back in a ponytail, brushed her teeth with the last remaining spot of toothpaste (I'm sure she had breath mints handy), put on the first black thing she could find in her closet and rushed to the premiere.Now while I'm sure this is not true, I feel the urge to tell her that this is what it looks like. She might not like premieres and such, and I can understand that (not real Read more:Artists
, Missing
Dear Yukta Mookhey: I'm a Harry Potter Fanatic Myself but This Is a No-No 2007-07-11 23:23:00 Let me start of by saying this: I know it must be hard to walk down the street and not have the same fame as the other Miss Indias. I imagine it must be highly irritating to stand in line at the grocery store, tap your high-heeled shows impatiently, and huff as no one seems to recognize you, let you go straight to the register, much less exclaim "Oh my gawd! Like, oh my gawd! You're like, oh my gawd! You're like Yukta Mookhey right? The one who's like totally more famous than, like, Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra, and like, even um-all the other Miss Indias."I also understand HarryPotter
mania. It's a sad truth that I pre-ordered a copy of the seventh book as soon as this option was available. What is don't understand it Yukta Mookhey's choice of make-up at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.I have to admit, her skin looks great in this picture. However, the make-up does nothing to compliment her strong features or eyebrows. Her eyebrows are strong and Read more:Fanatic
Tutorial: Soft Blush 2007-07-13 19:00:00 I used to be so intimidated by blush and the little brush that comes along in the packaging. You know, the one that is so tiny that you really don't know what to do with it. So I thought a blush tutorial might be in order. This look is basically a very soft, sheer pop of color on the cheeks. True, the pics are cropped oddly but the basic idea is quite easy (at least I think so).What you need:Blush. Quite the shocking revelation isn't it? I used LORAC blush in Soul.A blush brush. I used Smashbox #16. There are some great blush brushes out there ranging from Essence of Beauty (great, great brushes) and Sonia Kashuk to Stila.A kabuki bush. I used MAC #182. Again, there are cheaper and more expensive alternatives out there.DiagramThis is a diagram of how the application proceeds. The application is something of a triangle, at the center of the apple of the cheek the application is at its heaviest and most noticeable, and then I make my way to the temple thinning out the blush "line."Ste Read more:Tutorial
Trying to move everything to a website... bear with me 2007-07-18 23:07:00 I am trying to move my blog to a website
. It will still be the same, but hopefully much better. i already have 2 tutorials lined up (one on threading), 2 breakdowns of bollywood stars (one on kareena), and a bath oil recipe. I just need to figure out a thing or two fo my website and will hopefully have everything up and running by this weekend. Just bear with me a bit as I learn computer related things s-l-o-w-l-y. I'll post the link as soon as I'm done.BTW: if you have any suggestions for what you'd like to see (more of) on the new website, just let me know. Thanks!
Shila Shetty's Somewhat Questionable Beauty Secrets 2007-07-25 22:44:00 I was surfing on the internet and found the following article on Shilpa Shetty
in www.sundaymirror.co.uk. I will hold my comments until after you finish reading the article, so here is the interview: I spend too much on… Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer. I love it. They gave me some on a flight and as soon as I landed I went and bought some more.My beauty regime is… simple. I never use soap on my face, and I always make sure I take my make-up off at night. I use a concoction of baby oil and coconut oil in equal parts – it’s the best thing for my skin.My best beauty bargain is… beetroot! If you want a natural flush, boil some beetroot in the microwave and rub a bit on your cheeks over your moisturiser. It always comes out the right colour. Advertisement My beauty addiction is… collecting lipsticks. I’m quite a freak about them. I have the same pink shade in every make, but I can’t stop buying them. I especially love Estee Lauder lipsticks, £14.50.My f Read more:Beauty
, Secrets
A Great Blush and Some Lipstick and Gloss Obsessions 2007-07-25 21:15:00 Bobbi Brown Blush in ApricotSince I'm on vacation now, you won't believe this, I don't travel with three traincases containing every make-up item I own. Unbelievable, I know. I know you expected me to travel with at least one traincase. Sorry to disappoint. However, I did bring along Bobbi Brown blush in Apricot. In the pan it's a heart stopping (that would be to you, I mark sunrise at the time the sunlight brightens up my pigment-endowed eyeshadows and blushes just right) bright apricot with strong pink undertones.For those who are scared that it's a clown-effect waiting to happen, rest assured that the blush itself is sheer enough that it makes application easy. The blush has just the right amount of pigment that I felt that my skunk brush gave me too sheer an application and chose a conventional blush brush instead. The texture blends beautifully into my cheeks and allows me to calibrate the intensity of my application. The blush itself is long lasting and gives me an innocent Read more:Great
, Lipstick
, Gloss
, Obsessions
Mickey Contractor's Look 2007-07-25 00:34:00 I found an article where MickeyContractor
, a Bollywood make-up artist, gives a detailed description on how to get a specific look. So here it is, enjoy! Mickey Contractor, one of Bollywood's top makeup artists, has seen makeup in Indian cinema go from the caked matte finish and heavy eyes and lips of the 1980s to the current look of natural-looking skin and a range of colour palettes. The latest looks combine textures such as matte, gloss, shimmer and sheer for gorgeous glamour. FACE -The base is the most important factor in red carpet make-up. Prescriptives Traceless Skin Responsive Tint in a Level 4 is ideal for Indian skin, as it neutralizes imperfections and evens out the complexion. -After foundation apply concealer, such as Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat, to disguise any blemishes -Apply a translucent powder such as Chanel’s Poudre Universelle Libre over the top of the skin, concentrating on any shiny areas, such as the forehead or nose, in preparation for the photograph
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