Summer make-up tips: Beauty journal

Leena Ghani and Maram and Aabroo suggest make-up tips for summer.

LAHORE:

Make-up to a woman is as indispensible as oxygen is to life. Regardless of how simple one’s look may be, make-up acts as an enhancing element and it is important to know how to apply it correctly. This can only happen when you know what complements your face.

Two contemporary make-up artists, Leena Ghani, former employee at MAC Cosmetics in London and Aabroo Hashmi of Maram and Aabroo, whose aesthetic philosophy has taken Lahore by surprise, talk about the role of minimal make-up in enhancing our everyday look.

Both make-up artists have very different ideologies; however, make-up artist Ghani says that, “Make-up is really not about following a specific trend. Yes, every now and then you can experiment and keep changing your look but make-up should essentially highlight and enhance your best features.”

Colour craze

Infusing some colour in your regular eye make-up can make your eyes to pop and change your daily look, according to Hashmi. Smokey eyes are a hot favourite in Pakistan and one can’t resist but keep trying them out but there are ways to make this look different and fun. Brighter eyeshadows will add depth and intensity to the face, especially when applied along the upper lashline, or as part of a smoky eye summer routine. Pair a taupe or plum shadow with turquoise or blue cream shadow along the lashline or use a dark black or gray colour all over the lid. Then, layer a small amount of blue shimmer all over the dark shade, blending the shadow seamlessly into the crease.

Smudge out the comfort zone

Hashmi also contests that women in Pakistan tend to play it safe and do not experiment. “It is hard to convince a bride to experiment on her wedding day but for party make-up we advise our clients to experiment with different looks,” she says. Even though she suggests the infusion of bright colours in daily routine, Hashmi also urges clients to keep make-up to a minimal during the daytime and focus more on enhancing the eyes, for instance by experimenting with twiggy eyelashes.

Back to the basics

Whereas on one hand Hashmi suggests experimentation with neon hues, Ghani on the other suggests clients to stay au naturale. “I prefer a light dewy foundation with a hint of colour on the cheeks. I also prefer using cream shadow as powder can get a bit heavy during the day especially if your foundation is dewy, the blush will end up looking blotchy. Peachy and coral colours are my favourite blush tones in the summer. A hint of liner (pencil liner smudges — no hard lines), mascara and a light gloss should do the trick. The focus should always be on the skin and it should not look made up or heavy.”

Time change

For the evening Ghani suggests, “Focus should be on the eyes, even if it’s just eyeliner winged at the sides and thick mascara. If done in the right way, this make-up technique works like a charm. I prefer eyeshadows with a hint of sheen rather than shimmer. Sheen gives a glow and can lighten up the eyes.”

On the ramps

Internationally this season one trend that has really popped out is dark, thick eyebrows. It is safe to say that this is the right time to invest in a brow pencil as many runway shows by fashion giants such as Chanel displayed thicker, bushier brows, according to huffingtonpost.ca.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2012.