Let’s make-up with Bina Khan: Pretty in pink

With the onset of the torture that is Karachi summer, I find it pleasing to look at and think of all things cool like pastel clothes, a mint wall, a cool blue pool, a glass of pink lemonade (my mother’s speciality). So while the western world is all about bright oranges and spray on tans, those of us living in a broiler would benefit by taking a different tack. Create the illusion of being too cool for school with this classic pink make-up look.

1)     By this point your base needs to be barely there. It should do just enough to cover your flaws. I have reviewed bases before here. But what I haven’t told you is the secret, super duper cheap powder that defies Karachi weather. Get yourself some Yardley face powders, they are an industry standard, and they withstand heat and humidity best.

2)     Now that your skin is non greasy, we can hop on to the eyes. Apply a swish of medium pink to your eye socket, a pale pink to your lid and brow bone and then give yourself a smoky grey corner. Liner, kajal and mascara round off the look. Make the absolute inner corner of your eye as sparkly and pale as you can for a clean fresh look. (Hint: Wet your shimmery eye shadows for a stronger sparkle and for some seriously stay-put make-up! But keep your brow bone less shiny, as an overly shiny brow bone looks tacky.)

3)     Once your eyes are done, it’s all about the right pink for your cheeks. This is where your look can go from delicately flushed and cool to overheated and sunburned! So do be careful to choose a blue-based pink and not one that has any warmth to it at all. If you feel your blush is too much, just sweep some face powder over it for a more baked in look.

4)     Lips are the key! Again, make sure that you select a cool pink but not one that is so blue-based that it makes the unfortunate desi pigmentation, which almost all of us suffer from, look worse. There is a happy medium. And a good tip is that if you find your lipstick too hot; simply add a pale white colour to the mix to get it right. (Even a white eyeshadow works, just add a hint of lip balm to get the creamy texture back!)

5)     One should try not to highlight too much in the summer, but, as we have discussed before here, the key highlight spots can be addressed but with a much duller, cooler shimmer. Try for a cool pale pink (use an eye shadow if you don’t have a highlighter that colour), only the bridge of your nose and above on the top half of your cheekbone can be a bit more shimmery. You want to look like you are glowing not sweating, so a satin finish is what we are aiming for!

Top Product:

Blushes:

Smashbox Soft Lights in “Prism” (The ultimate cool pink blush)

Rimmel 101 “Pink Sugar” Powder Blush

The Body Shop Cheek colour in 01 and 02 (available abroad and more rarely locally)

MUA Blusher in Shade 2

Lipsticks:

MAC “Snob”

Artdeco lipstick “22”

Rimmel “Airy Fairy”

MAC “Fabby”

Eye shadow:

The Body Shop’s “Argylle Pink” for your socket line (it comes in a cube set, also look for pale pinks - often their limited editions are their best ones!)

Smashbox trio “Smashing Film Star” has a great grey good for a smoky corner

MAC Pigment in “Kitchmas” is my favourite pale pink, but a pale shimmery pink eye shadow is an easy thing to find. L’Oreal has nice shimmers as well.

Bina Khan is a make-up artist, photographer, skin technician and writer who owns a salon and photography studio in Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2012. 

View slideshow of Pretty in Pink here.