Category Archives: Makeover

#MACxMickeyContractor Indian Beauty Essentials Natural Makeup Look, Tips & Tricks

#MACxMickeyContractor Indian Beauty Essentials Natural Makeup Look, Tips & Tricks

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#MACxMickeyContractor Indian Beauty Essentials Natural Makeup Look, Tips & Tricks

Hi guys,

So towards the end of March, I attended a session with MAC Cosmetics where Mickey Contractor, Director of Makeup Artistry, MAC India and celebrity Bollywood Makeup Artist, taught us to create a flawless base and a step by step Natural Indian Look!

I was so stoked and happy, I had no idea till I reached the venue that we had to do it step by step with him and he would be teaching us. I thought it was a regular event where the video will be unveiled, etc., but no, we saw the video and we created the whole look on ourselves with Mickey checking each step and teaching us how to do it correctly.

The video came out today and hence I wrote this post half way through earlier and saved in my drafts, because many of you asked me to share the tips and tricks and I thought I should jot them down quickly.

Here is the video..

So here are few tips and tricks Mickey taught us:

  • Always moisturise your face and undereyes before starting with your base. Mickey recommends MAC Studio Moisture Cream. He even mixes it later with the foundation when he needs a sheer look.
  • Spray MAC Fix Plus after the Moisture Cream and then start with concealer/corrector.
  • Everyone has dark circles and that is completely natural. If you try to layer too much of concealer and powder, it will only look ashy and settle in fine lines and crease. So correct and conceal once, go over the concealed area with a foundation and set with powder.
  • We used the MAC Pro Conceal and Correct Palette and he made us mix the concealer and both correctors on our hands to get the perfect match first. And then apply it on the dark circles. It made world of a difference. I mixed the corrector and concealer directly on the under eye area and applied it on one half and it was still looking ashy. I used the Medium palette which had shades close to and lighter to my skin tone. And the lighter concealer was making the dark circles look ashy. He made me take the yellow and orange corrector and the concealer shade on the back of my hand from the Medium Deep Palette, mix it in and add more untill I got the perfect peach. And then I applied it to cover dark circles, it was a perfect match!
  • He usually goes for the same color or a darker concealer for the under eye area and then covers that area with foundation for a seamless, even toned base.
  • Always match the foundation to your neck and body and in natural light only. Wear it through the day to check if it oxidizes and then go ahead and buy your perfect match.
  • Dab powder with a sponge on the under eye area and the T zone and take excess off with a brush. Never swipe concealer/powder. Always dab!
  • Take your eyelash curler till the base of the lashes and press and release the curler till count of 10, hold for 3-4 seconds and leave. Voila, you get amazing well curled lashes.
  • To define your cheekbones, apply blush in a slight slanted upward motion and just for a flush of colour, on the apples of your cheeks.
  • Dab the sponge on your highlighter to blend it in with the skin and take it slightly around the under eye area as it should not be a stark slanted highlighted line on top of your cheekbones and look seamless.
  • Always apply foundation on the neck if you are doing your whole face or just apply foundation partially like only on T zone and problem areas. There shouldn’t be a stark/visible difference between face and neck.

Clean and natural base using minimal products is his USP. He doesn’t like sharp contouring and highlighting, bold brows and all that you see on YouTube and Instagram these days.

He has done numerous Bollywood movies and magazine covers especially Aishwarya Rai, Kajol and Rani Mukherjee’s makeup and you can see how he loves a clean base, natural look and dark kohled eyes. He is a master of the Bollywood Smokey Eye.

In this video, he teaches a Natural Indian Look with a light smoke of kohl which is perfect for summers.

I used these products to create the look, as shown in the video..

  • MAC Pro Conceal & Correct Palette in Medium Deep
  • MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC37
  • MAC Cream Colour Base Hush
  • MAC Eyeshadow Embark
  • MAC Modern Twist Kajal Cat’s Meow
  • MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash Mascara Volume
  • MAC Mocha Blush
  • MAC Lipstick in Half n Half
  • MAC Brushes 217 and 168

The Conceal & Correct Palette helps you mix and match the exact amount of concealer and corrector till you get your perfect shade. This palette is also a must have if you are a makeup artist or do your friends and family’s makeup.

MAC Conceal & Correct Palette Medium Deep

Embark is a matte deep brown eyeshadow with red undertones. It is a perfect shade for a wash of colour like we have done here or for a soft smokey day time look, smudging it with a black kohl pencil underneath. We have used the Modern Twist Kajal in Cat’s Meow, which is the black shade as kohl on the waterline. If you like jet carbon black kohl, you can go for Squid. Gently smudge Embark on the lower lash line to merge the kohl and shadow. Flick the kohl slightly to create a wing like effect. Tightline with Cat’s Meow

Mocha, Hush, Embark

MAC Blush in Mocha is a matte soft peach colour which is very flattering on Indian skin tones, fair to medium especially. MAC Cream Colour Base in Hush gives a very soft and subtle highlight and can also be used all over eyes as a base or to highlight brow bone and inner corners.

MAC Half n Half Lipstick is a satin finish nude brown, I absolutely love this shade. It reminded me of Maybelline My Mahagony which was my favourite nude and was discontinued later on. But I highly recommend Half N Half if you are looking for a good, everyday wear nude shade.

MAC Half N Half

I love how simple this look is, and yet pretty and polished. Clean base, neutral tones and kohl rimmed eyes, suitable for any occasion and works for everyone.

I hope you liked this post and found it helpful. Do let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Decoding the Makeup Secrets of Adele

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Decoding the Makeup Secrets of Adele

By Sanchita

When I think of Adele the only two things that crosses my mind are the deepest ballads and feline eyeliner. I mean, that is the thickest, precise and deepest eyeliner I have seen. No matter what product I have used so far, I simply couldn’t get that look. Thankfully, a couple of months back Adele’s Makeup artist Michael Ashton, who has been working on the singer’s hair and makeup for nine years shown in a YouTube channel of MUA Lisa Eldridge. There was so much to learn from him and I loved the way he had shown the makeup tutorial. So, gathering the most important points from there, I have decoded the makeup secrets of Adele and here’s what you need to know.

Preparing the Skin

Makeup artist Michael Ashton starts prepping the skin with a damp facial tissue soaked in Bioderma Sensibio H2O to wipe off any layer of residual makeup, dirt, grime etc. He advises to use a facial gel or oil kind of product to plump up the skin and hydrate it well enough for the foundation to look flawless. He used a rose facial oil I believe to plump up the skin and which also gives a natural strobing effect without looking greasy, sticky or oily. His favorite product is Aromessence Rose d’Orient Oil Serum for pre foundation technique.

Eye Makeup

He started with a base product which act as a base for eyeshadow as well as primer. He used the MAC Paint Pot Groundwork all over the lid and then soften the crease using a blending brush. He also applied the same pain pot in the lower lash line to give a shadow sort of. Then used the two lightest shade (a golden bronzy light color) from the Tom Ford Nude Dip Eye Color Quad all over the lid and smoothened the line as well. This gave a nice reflective kind of pale look to the eyes, you can also call it neutral.

Infamous Feline Eyeliner

The secret behind that gorgeous feline liner are the gel liner, eye liner and fine liner brush. He uses the Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink on the back of your hand and then start drawing a line (as close as you can to your lash line) from the middle of your eyes working it outwards, using a very fine liner brush. Then, he makes the feline stroke giving a cat liner effect. He repeated the lines at least 6-7 times which thickened and deepen the color even more. Ashton states that you can use a cotton bud dipped in Bioderma Sensibio H2O to wipe off any mistakes. After the mascara, he goes back to the eyes, this time with liquid eyeliner, that is, MAC Liquidlast Liner Point Black. He said that he uses a liquid liner with a tar consistency and a fine brush to do a final eyeliner swipe. This builds up intensity and gives a nice depth to the eyes as well.

Dramatic Eyelashes

For the lashes, he used a falsies using Duo lash black glue which gives a well-defined matte charcoal finish. He used a gentle upward lifting motion with the fingers to blend in with the natural lashes. Next, he applied the Diorshow Mascara for the upper lashes. For the lower lashes, he used a small fan brush and started from the roots which would give a better smudged kohl effect. He stated that it won’t matter if the mascara goes a little bit onto the waterline as long as it doesn’t sting.

Strong Brow Game

Before stating the eye makeup, he used a spoolie to brush the eye brows. Then used a soft brow pencil to shape and define them. Clean up the top of your brow using a moisturizer on a small concealer brush and swipe it across the brow. To set the pencil he used a light mix of four brown shades – MAC Concrete, Coquette, Corduroy and Wedge and applied as the brow powder.

Foundation

For the foundation he used Estee Lauder – Double Wear Light and mixed the shades 1.0 and 0.5. He used the lighter shade on the T-zone and inner portion of the face while the darker one in the outer perimeter. He specifically stated that the foundation must be applied on the jaw line and below i.e. towards the neck. This will surely give a nice, smooth and even look. He sets everything with a fine milled compact powder. For the under eyes, he uses the Tom Ford Illuminating Highlight Pen and blends it with a brush.

Contour

For the contour also, he uses a powder palette which is the Smashbox Step by Step Contour Kit and mixes the first two colors for the cheek bones. He basically says that a fish face helps to make the contour precise and smooth. He uses an angled blush brush for the contour and applied for the forehead, sides of the nose and jawline. For the blush, he loves the Maybelline cream blush which works really great for blending.

Lip Trick

For the lips, prep and prime the lips with a nourishing lip balm to hydrate the lips well. Then, he used a neutral lip liner to outline and fill the lips slightly. Use a finger to pat and blend the lip liner with the lip balm to give a nice and even neutral look to the lips. Use a shimmery gloss to apply on the centre of the lower and upper lips and blend well. This would give a nice plump effect to the lips naturally.

These are the secrets of Adele’s flawless feline makeup look and I really hope this would help you guys to recreate her looks easily.

Image Sources: 1,2

Editor’s Note: I love Adele’s makeup, especially her winged liner. Nice post Sanchita

Did you always want to know Adele’s makeup secrets? Well they are not a secret anymore 😀

Givenchy Makeover: Soft Night Time Makeup Look

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Givenchy Makeover: Soft Night Time Makeup Look

Hi guys,

A few days ago I met Ajoy Sengupta, the National Training Head for Givenchy and MUFE. I went for a makeover and he did this peachy and plum soft, night time look on me as I wanted something light. We went with a coral lip which matched my outfit.

I have a complete video on this makeover here..

Products used on me:

Lips 
Liner #3
La rouge #302 hibiscus rose

Eyes
Liner couture black
Magic Khol #7 waterline- Nude golden to open up the eyes
Magic khol #3 lash line
Noir couture mascara

Ombré couture #2- Cream eye shadow as a base
Caresse 1- Peach shade and highlighter
Inattendue 3- Plum shade

Face
Hydra sparkling sap serum
Hydra sparkling lotion for combination skin
Hydra sparkling eye gel

Acti’mine # 6 peach ( primer)
Teint couture foundation #5
Mister light #5

And here is my pic with Ajoy Sengupta.

I hope you liked the look, do let me know in the comments below.