Bridal make-up: Less is more

If new-age brides are moving away from heavy-weight wedding outfits, they are also saying 'no' to over-the-top make-up.

Delhi-based make-up artist Mehak Oberoi, who has worked with Bollywood celebrities like Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, feels "less is more" when it comes to make-up.

"The idea is to let it be easy. Never try to be fairer than your skin tone. Simple and natural make up is the most fashionable," Mehak told IANS.

Doling out tips, she said to first apply a concealer under the eyes and on acne marks, if you have any.

"There are few scars, dark circles and blemishes, which need to be hidden. After that apply foundation, which is a shade lighter than your skin colour. Spread it evenly taking care that you cover the neck."

"It is important to blend the foundation evenly near the corner of your lips, around the nose and near the eyes. Put a little powder on top of this and brush it off after a while with powder brush."

Never use heavy foundation for your face and beware of the make-up products that can damage your skin, she warned.

"Too much mineral foundation can settle through the creases and lines of your facial skin and make it look dry. Instead, opt for liquid foundation with moisturiser. This will keep your face from looking and feeling dry," she said.

It is followed by eye make-up.

For eye make-up, Mehak insists one should apply dark colour on eyelids making a crease line, blending towards the outer corners of the eyes. One can go for Mac Sketch as it looks beautiful.

"You can also go for shades of golds, coppers on the eyelids. Mac Amber Gold or Giorgio Armani gold dust look amazing," she said.

Eyebrows become sparse as we age. Some people lose the tails completely. To fix it, use a pencil rather than powder and make sure the pencil is well-sharpened. Apply eyeliner and loads of mascara.

After that highlight your cheeks with a nice blusher and colour your lips with soft shades like pinks and peaches. Avoid reds and browns, she said.

"Before applying lipstick, first outline the lips and then fill in colours with lip brush covering the lip line completely. Avoid lip gloss," she added.

When asked what kind of beauty products are perfect, considering different skin complexions, she said: "Make-up is just the same only, the tones and shades vary. I stick to products like tinted moisturisers, compacts and long lasting foundations. It works for every skin type and skin tone. There are new products like CC creams by Clique and Max Factor that one can use. Such products take care of the pigmentation, which is generally an issue."

For eyes, gel liners work. "Try the Dior Show, it brings very good results. If you want fuller and pouty lips, try instant lip injections and plumpers. Try lip maximisers from Two Faces, they are absolutely safe and last for a couple of hours," she said.

During summer, make-up starts melting because of the scorching heat. To fix it one should use "blotting paper to remove excess oil or greasiness from the face", said Mehak.

Here are some more dos from the make-up expert.

"Use black, brown shadow over kajal to prevent it from melting and giving you an ugly look. To have the lip colour stay longer, put on a coat of lip colour and dab your lips on a tissue. Apply another coat of colour and compress it with translucent powder. This helps in having the lip colour to stay longer," she said.