Navratri is a nine-day long, one of the biggest Hindu auspicious festivals celebrated all over the globe in the month of September/ October as per the Gregorian calendar. Navratri is dedicated to the Goddess Durga who epitomizes feminine power or Shakti. It is believed that Goddess Durga descends on earth in this auspicious period of time and be among her beloved devotees.
The festival is celebrated in unique ways in different parts of India, devotees flock to temples, offer prayers, observe fasts, there are also functions for Dandiya and Garba nights where women come all dressed up and dance to the tunes of Navratri special songs. It is an opportunity to be at your attractive best in a traditional way in the evening when the weather is cooling down. Apart from the religious significance, the nine days festival is perfect time to get your jewellery, makeup, accessories and traditional outfits ready for Navratri.
It’s that time of the year when the devotional energy, lively spirit and the wish to have maximum fun is at its peak, where boys and girls are seen gearing up for ‘Dandiya Night’ and Puja Pandals with a tremendous festive spirit. Since this is also a chance to meet new people, it is the best time to showcase your beauty sense and dancing prowess. So here are some quick fixes for you to start gearing up for skin, hair make up to look gorgeous and attractive even before the festival begins.
Your skin is called the mirror of your body .During festivals like Navratri, there are bright lights. So, for your night make-up, you will need bright colours, otherwise your face will look pale.
First, cleanse the skin and apply a liquid moisturizer. For oily skin, apply an astringent lotion with cotton wool. Wait for a few minutes. Then, cover blemishes with a concealer, before applying foundation. Or, use a lighter colour foundation on dark blemishes and then apply normal foundation on the entire face. If you wish to cover a pimple or spot, it should be done before applying foundation or powder. Concealing sticks are available for this. Using a thin brush paint over the spot with a little concealer, or lighter shade of foundation. Then, apply a little powder.
Dot foundation on the face and blend with a damp sponge or with finger tips. Don’t forget the neck. Apply loose powder, or try compact powder to set the foundation. Use foundation with beige tones, rather than pink. I feel beige suits Indian skin colour better. If you have a very fair ivory skin, go for beige with a rosy tint. If the complexion is fair, but pale (yellowish), avoid pink tones and go for beige or biscuit. Darker complexions look better with brownish beige. I feel that most Indian skin tones look better in beige or biscuit shades of foundation, rather than pink.
Or go for gold foundation for this special occasion. Dot the face with it and blend with a moist sponge, to give the skin a golden glow. When you apply make-up, remember not to smear too much or rub it. Whether it is foundation or blusher, it is best to do it with a light touch, using a finger tip, or an applicator. It can also be applied lightly and evenly with a damp sponge. Try tinted powders, like warm yellow tones of powder. Powder with a golden tint will also suit. It should be lightly applied. If you want a really healthy glow without the shine, go for a bronzing powder. Avoid applying too much. It should be lightly applied, using a big powder brush.
A hint of blusher should be used on the cheeks. A powder blusher is easier to apply. Use it after you have applied powder. Apply on the cheeks and blend it outwards and slightly upwards. Then, apply light coloured highlighter on the cheekbones. Blend well. Blusher colours for the night need not match lip colour exactly, but it should be in the same colour tone. For example, if you have worn an orange lipstick, avoid pink blush on. For fair skin, try pinks and reds. If you have a yellowish skin, avoid orange. For wheat complexions, colours like rose, coral, copper are flattering, while plum, wine, bronze may suit darker complexions.
For eyes, apply lighter brown shadow on the upper eye lid and dark brown eye shadow in the crease, to add depth. Outline the eyes with dark eye pencil or eyeliner. For a smudged effect, a dark eye shadow also works well on the upper lid, close to the lashes. Extend it a little beyond the outer corner of the eyes, slightly upwards. Smudging can be done with a sponge tipped applicator. Eye liner or dark eye shadow may be applied on the lower lid and then smudged.
Actually, dramatic and heavy eye make-up, with the black eye-lined or winged eyed look has been the trend and is gaining in popularity. It will be ruling fashion trends. Go for dark eyeliner just under the lower lashes and on upper lid close to the lashes. Extend the lines on upper and lower eyelids beyond eyes, like the 60s heavy eye makeup look. Coloured liner can also be used with black eyeliner, as it is becoming a trend. Pastel eyeliners, in blue, yellow and even orange will be “in” during the coming seasons.
For Navratri make-up, you may want to try gold, silver or bronze shadow to line the eyes over your eyeliner on the upper lid. Highlight under the brows with gold, ivory or a light coloured eye shadow. Then apply mascara. Roll-on mascara is easy to apply. While applying mascara on the upper lashes, look downwards. Apply it both above and below the upper lashes, for a thicker look. Apply on lower lashes too. Wait for a while and apply a second coat. Then brush out the lashes, with a small eyelash brush. To make lashes appear thicker, apply powder between two coats of mascara. Gloss is popular for the lips. Use a lip liner the same colour as your lipstick. Apply lip gloss in the centre, after applying lipstick.
For normal Indian complexion, go for warm earthy colours, like coral, wine, plum, strawberry, red and shades of red in lipstick. A dark pink or rose-red would look good too. Orange and shades of orange are very much “in,” from apricot and amber, to coral and tangerine. You can find orange shades that suit most skin colours. Use orange to coral for darker skin, while orange and peachy shades suit fair skin. If you use orange, go subtle for the rest of your face. Go for light orange or beige lipstick, lilac, mauve and light pink during the day, with a hint of pearl. Clean your makeup thoroughly once you are back from dandiya DJ.
Makeup products left on your skin overnight do a lot of damage to your skin particularly if you are prone to acne, pimples and rashes. Get the perfect curl on medium heat for 10 seconds only to warm up your eye lash curler. Begin curling your eye lashes from the roots. Keep pressing through the length till you reach the ends of the lash hair. Once you are happy with the way the lashes have curled, you can apply a curl enhancing mascara. A Bindi is an integral part of make-up for festivals. Look for a decorative bindi, to match the colour of your dress. A bindi, studded with small sparkling stones, combined with a bright colour would be most attractive.
(The author is international repute beauty expert and is known as herbal queen of India)
